I don't know if you've seen these pictures from the sets of Mission Impossible 4. Producers of the action film created a Bangalore street in Vancouver for hero Tom Cruise to run through. It couldn't have been easy for Hollywood to build an Indian city in Canada, and it seemed a good approximation of Bangalore, where I live, when I saw the pictures from a distance. When I looked closer, I had some quibbles:
Too many cycles
Look at Pic 4. Have you ever seen so many shiny new cycles in front of any mall in Bangalore? I haven't. Bangalore is a city that's always erasing its footpaths to widen its roads. It is insensitive to the needs of pedestrians. V S Naipaul, the Nobel laureate, once described Bangalore as a city without footpaths. Likewise, it is a city without cycle paths. I drive through south and central Bangalore to reach office, and as I make my way through the city's car-choked roads, I hardly find any cyclists. In the south Bangalore neighbourhood where I live, we had numerous 'cycle marts' where we could hire cycles. That was 25 years ago. Not many have survived, as far as I know. Bangalore claims to be a green city, which means, in addition to growing trees, it ought to be walking and cycling. But it's full of bikes, autos, cars and buses. And it is definitely hostile to pedestrians and cyclists. A minuscule number of children cycle to school in some neighbourhoods, but how many people have you seen riding sports cycles when they go shopping at a mall?
Look at Pic 4. Have you ever seen so many shiny new cycles in front of any mall in Bangalore? I haven't. Bangalore is a city that's always erasing its footpaths to widen its roads. It is insensitive to the needs of pedestrians. V S Naipaul, the Nobel laureate, once described Bangalore as a city without footpaths. Likewise, it is a city without cycle paths. I drive through south and central Bangalore to reach office, and as I make my way through the city's car-choked roads, I hardly find any cyclists. In the south Bangalore neighbourhood where I live, we had numerous 'cycle marts' where we could hire cycles. That was 25 years ago. Not many have survived, as far as I know. Bangalore claims to be a green city, which means, in addition to growing trees, it ought to be walking and cycling. But it's full of bikes, autos, cars and buses. And it is definitely hostile to pedestrians and cyclists. A minuscule number of children cycle to school in some neighbourhoods, but how many people have you seen riding sports cycles when they go shopping at a mall?
Not enough Bajaj autosLast picture in the second row: These autos look like the new diesel-driven TVS models now catching on in Bangalore. However, most autos in Bangalore are Bajaj makes. The old Lambrettas, which survive in coastal cities such as Mangalore, have vanished from this city. Nevertheless, good try. Also, if they wanted to make the autos more Bangalore, they ought to have painted portraits of Shankar Nag at the back of those autos. Since he starred in a '90s Kannada romantic film called Auto Raja, he has been the undisputed hero of auto drivers in this city. The set designers have also tried to show the Swifts and Omnis on our roads. They look a bit cartoon-like and toyish. Not a complaint, just an observation!
Basket lamps from the 1990sSixth picture in the second row: Those basket lamps promoting Bangalore look good. They were put up along M G Road and other posh streets when S M Krishna was chief minister, and as far as I can see, not many have survived. If you remember, he had this silly dream of turning Bangalore into Singapore, as though that shopping mall of a city were a model of what a great city ought to be. (History, art and culture make a city vibrant, and not shopping malls). Is Mission Impossible 4 set in Krishna's times? From a movie perspective, no problem even if it isn't. Again, just nit-picking.
Kitsch na kaho...Third picture, last row: I love the way they've recreated this yellow gaadi. The kitschy picture of the goddess is perfect, as is the stuff strung along the cart. The yellow barricades are Bangalore, only more plastic than metal. In the first picture in the third row, the cart looks like a churumuri vendor's but the signboard says 'Paneeya' (drinks) in Kannada. Have you seen any carts like this one selling drinks or even fruit juice? And if it is indeed a fruit juice cart, what are green, unripe bananas doing there?
The colour of our cityGenerally, too many fair-complexioned men and women people the sets, and that could be because the actors are Canadian. Bangalore is a predominantly Dravidian city, and our city's general complexion tends to be on the darker side. Sure, our northern compatriots are fair and lovely, but where are the dusky beauties?
Have you noticed anything unusual in these pictures? How different is Tom Cruise's Bangalore from yours? Tell us.
No comments:
Post a Comment