Titu Vs Gullu -- The Saga Continues..

One of the sublime pleasures in school hostel is the transformation of useless banter into passionate debate often followed by altercations and, if unchecked by bemused (and very few) levelheaded folks around, physical exchange between two viciously warring groups. Since this was one big fun, I often changed sides. If I were a Kishore fan last week, this week I would be a die hard Rafi fanatic just to not let the heat die because Rafi had fewer supporters this time!

Douglas Adams prophesied the number 42 to be the answer to everything in the universe. He probably got the number only partially correct. Our lives always swings between two options, just two. Us Bengalis always have to choose one between East Bengal and Mohanbagan; Gavaskar and Kapil Dev; Uttam Kumar and Soumitra; Satyajit and Ritwik; 'Pahar' and 'Somudro' (Hills and Sea); sometimes even between Saturday (Hindi Movie) and Sunday (Bengali!). Rest of the India too fascinated themselves with Rafi and Kishore, Madhubala and Nargis and lately, Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai.

It started with Femina Miss India 1994. A completely unknown Sushmita (Titu) upstaged everyone's favourite Aishwarya (Gullu). Then both went out to win "Miss Universe" and "Miss World" in that same year. We were so proud of their 'achievements' we thought everyone in the world will *now* know what we Indians are capable of. However we did not see any such visible effect other than the fact that Lakme became more expensive!

Now, after almost 13 years I see the comparison between them has not entirely died. Even my wife now thinks that Sushmita is "better" than a very "hypocrite Ash"! It's usually difficult to gather facts backing such judgments but the premises behind are mostly -

1. Ash - for some stupid astrological reason - apparently, has 'married a tree' before she is to marry Junior B.
2. Despite all beatings by Salman Khan she did not really kill him. But she happily accepted millions to enact one Ms Kiranjit Ahluwalia who, provoked beyond the limit one can tolerate, killed her husband. Ash does not have the courage to stand up and claim her own rights to a belligerent mass of anabolic steroid, but she expects people to accept her enacting Kiranjit who braved a much worse situation.
   
3. Sushmita, of course, is the symbol of independence. She has one adopted daughter whom most learn from 'reliable source' is her own though!
4. Ash dumped men to suit her career growth like you throw away those soiled underwear after a long day.
   

First, I do not get where exactly Ash tied a knot to a tree. This is as reliable as 'A tooth left in Coke overnight will dissolve' to me! Amitabh Bachchan does not deny running to all sorts of temples, neither we should care about it -- but he DID strongly deny this seemingly untraceable rumor. For the sake of debate, even if we assume Ash indeed 'wed' a tree -- it still is just a religious symbolism. Stupid, yes, but probably just as much as married women wearing "Sindur". Red sindur - BTW - shows the rest of the world that 'this woman's already been bloody. Had intercourse. Not a virgin. So, don't ogle at her. Spend your energy after finding a virgin!'. Every religion is full of seemingly stupid, and on second thoughts probably disgraceful, symbolisms. We don't care when *we* follow it, but if it's a better looking celebrity the world is a totally wrong place to live in! Sure.

P.S. The best on marrying tree rumor I found was -

"It seems Aish also has a mangalya dosham. In Hindu tradition, the 'kumba vivaham' penance for it is to tie a mangalsutra for a plantain tree or banyan tree."

Note there is no report of her actually doing it. Looks like another SMS kind journalism to me!

Second, About Khan episode of heightened testesterone - Aishwarya Rai did lodge a formal police complaint in 2002. She did - unheard of from a Bollywood heroine till then - a 'press release' exposing the maltreatment she received. She decided not to team up with Salman for any movie in future, and thereby lost some highly viable business (Bajirao Mastani, for example). Zeenat Aman, often proclaimed as one of the boldest actresses India produced, was publicly kicked by her then boyfriend in front of at least 50 odd people in Tajmahal hotel lobby, Bombay. She was on the verge of losing her left eye because the shoes dug in; but she did not mutter a single word in public. Ash - often denounced as 'plastic' and 'facile - indeed became a pioneer even though within a shabbily maintained bollywood standard of things. To me, she passed with flying colors in all papers on dignity, strength and courage when compared to her peers!

Third, this is the weirdest of them all. A lady allegedly having links with a dreaded gangster, with all intentions to twist tax laws and having done it, single yet rumored to have her own daughter as one 'adopted' is the one who is NOT hypocrite??

Fourth, anyone remembers a character called Rajat Tara from Delhi? She is the first one to be dumped after a certain Ms Sen won "Miss Universe" in 1994. Nothing bad in that. Everyone should probably try to build a relationship that is sustainable from all angles. Saves bitter heartburn later.

I admit I totally like Aishwarya. She's totally hot these days and I paused the DHOOM-2 DVD so many times there is a dent in my remote. She acted awesome in at least "HDDCS", "Raincoat" (must see) and "Guru", and at least in some parts of "Choker Bali". Unlike Ravi Shastri in 1994 Femina Contest, I would vote for Ash today if I have to choose. But what I don't understand is why she 'has to' lose again, particularly to a mostly unsuccessful actress whose last mentionable work was a Jeans ad? I can understand why the entire female population truly hates Aishwarya.Hey! We guys hate Hrithik too. Nothing wrong in that. But what I don't get is why they have to push up someone as inconsequential as Sushmita Sen while doing it! For us, guys, she has not done anything worthwhile after her ill done (and may I say completely unnecessary in hindsight) boob-job.