Desicritics Section: Media

Mira Nair, You Are Clever!

Freya — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:27:13 EDT

I never got the opportunity to write about Slumdog Millionaire since I wasn't fortunate enough to see the movie, though I saw a few scenes. There was so much controversy when high profile people like Amitabh Bachchan and Arindham Choudary and the slum people were all against Slumdog because it portrayed India in bad light. I would just say there's nothing called bad and good when it comes to portraying something or somebody. Nobody can deny that Danny Boyle portrayed India truthfully. Naturally, all the controversy disappeared when the movie was picking up awards everywhere and our own Rahman and Resul won the coveted Oscars. Nobody had anything to say against it even though we all know that Rahman won because Danny Boyle took it. Jai Ho! was definitely not Rahman's best work.

Anyway, the point here is not that. But related to it. Since Slumdog released, so many people who were against or for it started comparing it with Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay! Asking why that didn't win any Oscars and why wasn't there a hype like this etc etc even though we know the reason- Mira is Indian. But after the Oscars, Salaam Bombay! got a whole different attention regarding the slum people who acted in it. Hearing what Boyle did for child actors Rubina and Azharuddin, the new question arose, what did Mira Nair do for her actors? Nothing great, it seems after that certain rickshaw-driver who acted in Salaam Bombay! 21 years ago expressed his grief. Now, Mira Nair with her films about to release certainly does not want bad publicity. So, what do we see here, fellas? Salaam Bombay! is getting re-released! Yes, according to Nair, it will release across the country tentatively in May.

"For the film's release" she says, "we will be bringing together everybody who was a part of the film all those years ago, including the kids. We want Salaam Bombay! to be seen by today's youngsters who might have never see the film."

True, I never saw it. It was released before I was born. But is that the real reason, Mira? I don't think so.

Nair talks about how she planned to share the profits of the film with the street kids, something which apparently didn't happen 21 years ago and she's decided to do it now. With Shobaa De writing about slum kids, Slumdog and Salaam wherever she could, Nair is unfortunately left only with this option. Mira Nair, you are damn smart.

The Cons of Singing Karaoke

Jo — Sun, 8 Mar 2009 03:46:02 EDT

Reproducing a popular song is not an easy task. You have to take care of so many things when you sing the karaoke version of a popular song. Your audience belong to different classes and it will show up in the feedback you get. For most people, it is an excellent performance if the singer has imitated the exact voice of the original singer. As a result, you will see singers struggling to sound like the original singer in many stage shows. It ends up being mimicry but people would applause saying "he sounds like Yesudas" or "his voice is the same as SPB" etc. Here, the singer is satisfied as he gets a round of big applause for trying to copy the exact song in the (almost) exact voice. But he/she fails as an individualistic singer. But for the professional performers who have to sing before the masses, they do not have a second choice as their livelihood depends on the success of the show.

There is another class of audience who does not care whether you imitate the voice of the original singer, but they want to hear the variations and nuances intact. They would be unhappy if you chose to ignore some of the original variations and put some of your own. This class could consist of people who are musically trained or have the technical knowledge of music. It is hard to please this class too.

If you choose to please these two classes of people, you will end up being a ghost or a xerox copy of some popular singer. When you try to imitate a singer or his styles too much, you end up being nothing but a copy. Also remember that even the original singer cannot exactly reproduce what they have sung in the studio. Watch some of their live shows as an example.

My suggestion is that do not bother too much about sounding like the original. Understand the lyrics, stick on to the basic emotion/expression/feel that the lyrics suggest and sing from your own heart. Do not bother too much about the original variations and nuances of a song. Just add your bits to it and sing it from your heart. Make it your version so that singing karaoke tracks would not be a monotonous task.

Just to add that I am not suggesting that you should not pay attention to the original song and it's variations when you sing a karaoke version. Paying attention to those details in the original version would help you a lot in the practice sessions. And you can learn a lot from those popular singers. So keep an ear for that in the practice sessions, but add your inputs when you actually sing/record a karaoke song.

In my early days of music blogging, there were people who told me that "you sound like Yesudas" or "your voice resembles Madhu Balakrishnan" or "you have a voice similar to Venugopal" etc. I think that as soon as people hear a new singer sing, they have a tendency to identify the singer with a popular singer. Or this could be the problem when you sing karaoke songs of a particular singer. Say for example, when Sonu Nigam used to sing Mohd. Rafi songs for a long time, he was seen as a Rafi double, but he failed to make his own mark. People who heard Sonu remembered Rafi. He was also branded as a singer who could do only sad songs. But we all know where he stands now after he got a couple of breaks in the film music industry.

I remember what an online friend of mine, who also happens to be a singer, said in one of your chat sessions about music - about karaoke singing and reality shows etc:

You can only satisfy one or more of the following but not all:1. Classes
2. Masses
3. Your own self

One of those 3 are always unhappy.

I would always prefer to please option #3 first which itself is a very tough task! :-)

Outrageous Claim in The Lancet: 1,63,000 Indians die in Fire Accidents Yearly

Sumanth — Fri, 6 Mar 2009 13:26:52 EST

It hurts to see publication of false statistics and outrageous claims by ill-educated Indians and in Western media.

The recent story on 2nd March, is related to a claim in the BBC, sensationalizing a study published in the Lancet by three feminists that they estimate 1,63,000 fire accident deaths in India every single year. (PDF) They also claim that the statistics from Indian police have grossly under reported regarding these incidents.

Soon, they jump into sweeping generalizations, interpretations and call for policy change to prevent these fire accidents. Within 24 hours, this story is carried out by BBC, Time and followed up by some bloggers doing irreparable damage even before someone has a copy of that research paper.

We have been protesting with the BBC and other Western media channels since the news reports and are contemplating legal action.

The Time magazine article says,

If the study's estimates are correct, more than twelve women die in fires every hour in India.

I, myself, am an author of papers published in IEEE, and know very well how research is carried out and how estimates can be churned out. I will dissect the research by feminists later. However, I can give a hard punch to the so called estimates on fire accidents in India right now.

The National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) publishes that there are about 20,000 fire accident deaths in 2007. The study published in the Lancet, reported in the BBC, claims (or ESTIMATES) that there are 1,63,000 fire accident deaths in one single year.

So, the F**king ESTIMATES published are 8 times more than the Police (NCRB) records.

If police records have 8 times under reported these fire accidents, then they would have also under reported accidents like drownings, rural road accidents, falling from buildings, poisoning etc. There is no reason why police will selectively under report.

In 2007, there were in total 3,40,000 accident deaths in India (PDF).

So, if we follow this logic of under-reporting by the police and make the corrections accordingly, then there were 2.7 million (27 lacs) accident deaths in India in 2007 for a population of 1100 million (110 crores).

That's Bullshit!!

Can an Indian believe that there is one accidental death for 400 people (men, women and children) every single year?

If this is the way the Western agencies fund and sensationalize biased research for political purposes, then how is it going to improve the difficult situations in the world?

There have been many false stories published in Western media in last couple of years including false stories of 70% Indian women facing domestic violence, 25,000 dowry deaths per year and Bangalore being bride burning capital.

It is worrying that feminists in Indian media and bloggers can start spitting fire and start another round of anti-male rhetoric calling for castration of males accused of dowry harassment.

Now, I wonder why I should not join any nationalistic outfits, when there is complete betrayal of the nation by feminists and the media is hell bent in distorting people's perceptions.

I will link to one example from the feminist rumour mill and its potential impact towards clash of civilizations of a differ kind. The rumour mills will only add to the existing clashes with even moderates getting less sympathetic to the west and the western.

Those who do not wish to see India become yet another terrorist state need to focus immediately on stopping what feminists are doing in the United Nations. Indians I am in communication with see their new domestic violence law as a "cultural invasion by western feminists."

They know it is phony, and intended to destroy marriage and Indian society by empowering foreign radicals to take over the country and dictate from a pink pedestal of feminist dictatorship. Indians are both terrified and furious. They know this invasion is predominantly coming from America."

Then, I remembered the "Talibanisation of Mangalore" and now I can understand why people can support Taliban in Swat.

Movie Reviews: 13b, Dhoondte Reh Jaoge, Karma Aur Holi

Bubbly — Fri, 6 Mar 2009 13:13:31 EST

This week three movies have released in Indian theatres and they span genres as diverse as a thriller, a comedy and drama. One must say, it is a 3-in-1 treat, which one should enjoy at one's own leisure. All provide entertainment and enjoyment in their own way. If you are ready to take a peek, let’s go on a roller coaster ride to know what they are about.

(1) 13b

The movie should have been rightly titled 13t since it is all about TV, TV and TV. In these times of recession and worries, religion and politics have taken a backseat and films and TV form the core of our entertainment and enjoyment. This week’s enjoyment comes in the form of this scary movie. Mind you, this is not spooky (it's not about ghosts) but has sufficient chills to keep you engaged.

Manohar is a progressive thinking young man, who moves to a new address 13b and stays on the 13th floor with his family. There is nothing wrong with that if you are not superstitious but the film is all about 13 now.

Since Manohar’s family are TV buffs, they watch all the shows avidly. The programmes start exactly at 13:00 (1 pm). Everything centres on the number 13 just to keep the viewers’ attention focused. And the chills begin in right earnest.

Although Manohar holds the remote and controls the programmes, gradually the TV controls him completely. The TV shows him what it wants to show. Initially everything is fun and laughter but the terror slowly unfolds and what comes forth will make you think where life is leading us today. Manohar along with the viewers must solve the mystery of these unholy happenings.

Madhavan as Manohar has come up with an engaging performance. Neetu provides adequate support as his wife. Watch her scene where she holds a candle and goes looking for him. It might scare the living candlelights out of you. It’s a pleasure to see Poonam Dhillon back.

The story could have done with tight editing. Keeping up with the spirit of the film, it could have been confined to ‘130’ minutes in length. The ‘controversial’ song “sexy mama” is enjoyable.

When you come out of the theatre, you may end up saying, “Maar Daala”.

***
***

(2) Dhoondte Reh Jaoge

When you read the title of this film, you are reminded of a detergent. This film does our dhulaai but with laughter. It is a thorough nonsensical fun.

Remember Govinda-style capers and Hera Pheri fun? You didn’t have to think at all but were rolling along with guffaws. DRJ is this and more. If nothing else, this movie will rightly place the crown of ‘king of comedy’ on Paresh Rawal’s head.

The film is about two nobodies - Paresh Rawal (film producer) and Kunal Khemu (chartered accountant), who want to become somebody. They decide to make a flop movie borrowing money. They plan to invest only a part of the money and run away with the rest.

Surprisingly, the movie (actually a spoof) Solay Se L'Gaan Tak turns out to be a big hit. Now the financiers are after them for a share of the profits. There ends the story. But the fun has just begun. The proceedings and acting is so much in sync that you will end up with cramps in your stomach.

Johny Lever will steal your hearts with his act as a writer with loyalty to Pakistan. Watch out for Sonu Sood. The tall lanky star has shades of Amitabh. After Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi, he reprises his funny side. Soha is OK.

If you don’t mind being mindless while watching this flick, then this one is for you. The songs are equally fun especially ‘Salma’.

When you come out of the theatre, you will end up saying, “Dho Daala”.

***
***

(3) Karma Aur Holi

This one is for the intelligent, thoughtful viewer, who doesn’t mind dwelling in it at leisure. It has an ensemble cast from both Hollywood and Bollywood. Produced by Robert de Niro’s daughter Drena, it is the vision of (East) India from the eyes of white Americans.

Don’t expect a regular entertainer here. Don’t expect anything, but what the film expects from you is total involvement.

It is about a couple, Meera (Sushmita) and Dev (Randip), who call their relatives and friends for a festive get-together at their place. Gradually, the guests interact and take a keen interest in each other's lives. Something happens and it becomes confession time for everyone present.

Skeletons spill out of the cupboard. Secrets are revealed that were long buried and forgotten. Does this remind you of something? Something we all wish to do but societal pressures make us bottle up?

So, it is confession time, viewers! Unbottle yourself. Don’t wait anymore but EXHALE now. It is a colourful destiny with a realistic tone.

Sushmita and Randip were meant for this movie. Rati is again a pleasure to watch after a long gap.

When you come out of the theatre, you will end up saying, “Rang Daala”.

Terrorists Attack Sri Lankan Team In Pakistan

Deepti Lamba — Tue, 3 Mar 2009 00:22:32 EST

Twelve masked gunmen in Lahore targeted the Sri Lankan cricket team which was on its way for a match at Gaddafi stadium. Samaraweera was shot in the leg.

Chaminda Vaas was seen taken on a stretcher. Thilan Tharusha, Paranavithana, Kumar Sangakara and Ajanta Medes are also injured. However the Punjab Governor said the Sri Lankan players are safe in terms of not being in critical condition.

Visual footage was taken of terrorists opening fire. Five police men were killed and weapons including a rocket launcher have been found at the scene of crime.

According to Pakistani police there were twelve gun men and their operation seemed similar to the 26/11 attack. The assailants attacked with guns and hand grenades.

The terrorists are still at large and one may have been shot down.

Movie Review: The Pink Panther 2 - Aishwarya, Retire Gracefully

Bubbly — Mon, 2 Mar 2009 11:56:37 EST

For the Indian audience, this one did not work. Although touted as Aishwarya Rai’s big one from Hollywood, Pink Panther 2 (PP2) sank without a trace abroad. There was not even the slightest craze in India. Consider this: the press conference wore as deserted a look as the theatrical release.

Remember the lovable Peter Sellers with whom Pink Panther was almost synonymous? What Sellers did to construct a brand, Steve Martin sinks it all single-handedly. And he is ably supported by the supporting cast.

PP2 is a sequel to The Pink Panther (2006). Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) must team up with international detectives to catch a burglar The Tornado. At stake is Pope’s ring and of course the Pink Panther diamond. It is a foregone conclusion Clouseau will end up catching the burglar along with his bumbling act.

With an impressive star cast of Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Lily Tomlin, Jeremy Irons and Aish, it should have been a run-away comedy hit. Alas it is far far away from being one.

With a wafer thin storyline and equally insipid performances, we eagerly waited for it to come to an end soon. We were not lucky. We had to suffer it.

Aish has earlier done a reel Khakee and a real-life Salman Khan act. She reprises this theme in Pink Panther 2. It is a repeat of double-crossing and betrayal.

One can’t say that her role is miss-and-blink but the role by itself is nothing much. She is the PETTY THIEF! She is trying hard to carry off a convincing ‘accent’ and admiring herself. One wonders where is the time for acting when she is so busy otherwise.

Prior to the movie, she was giving high-profile interviews about PP2 and her role. When the cat was out of the bag, she said it is not about the role but being able to work with Martin. Consider this. The producers didn’t even consider her good enough for the posters. She was missing from them. They didn’t call her for the promotional tours too as “her appeal is limited to South Asia.”

At 35+ and looking plump, Bollywood offers have dried up for her. And if PP2 is her ‘big’ Hollywood release, what can one do except pity her.

Bollywood centers on nubile nymphets (we now have Hansika Motwani, 16) and gorgeous fresh looks. And if one knows acting, that is just icing on the cake. Where is Aish on these three vital scores? She may not benefit from Hollywood but the future Indian actresses definitely will as there is increased awareness about them. One can thank Aish for that.

After acting with Amitabh as his sister in Hum Kisise Kam Nahin and now opposite fatherly Rajnikant, she can only go higher (next maybe gramps Dilip Kumar).

With her ad campaigns being bagged by younger Katrina Kaif and roles collectively going to Kareena, Katrian, Priyanka and Deepika, where does Aish find herself? Is giggling acting? Is remaining in news by criticising Slumdog Millionaire enough?

There is a shelf life for all heroes and heroines. Kajol, Karisma, and Ravina are fine examples of being fine actresses and good home-makers. Kajol is still in demand.

After PP2, a word of advice to Aish: Retire gracefully.

Irrfan 'The Mindblowing' Khan

Ankur Bhatia — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:06:50 EST

Irrfan Khan is not your regular hero but he is one of the rare breed of actors who can kick some serious butt even if he is pitted against your typical hero in his very own backyard. But he hasn’t reached such a stature overnight. It’s taken years of TV serials, numerous passable films and a lot of hard work. He got his first break in films with Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay but unfortunately his scene was deleted before the release. He went on to play the role of Senapati in the famous Chankya on TV and was also seen in the award winning film Ek Doctor Ki Maut in 1991. Still, it wasn’t until 2003 that he was really noticed in India even though he did The Warrior which won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film.

In 2003 came Haasil, a gem of a film based in Allahabad about student politics and love which got Irrfan his first Filmfare award for the negative role as Ranvijay Singh. This was what his career needed and he hasn’t looked back since then. Over the past 6 years he has done films across various genres and played so many memorable characters. His performance in films like Maqbool, Life…In a Metro and Mumbai Meri Jaan speaks volumes about his range and talent. It was because of such performances that he got films like The Namesake and the Angelina Jolie starrer A Mighty Heart which got him rave reviews in Hollywood.

The Namesake in particular was a special performance by the man who just expresses so much by his body language that he doesn’t even need dialogues. He makes you live his character along with him which is something that can only be said for the likes of Al Pacino, Robert De Niro etc.

If people were wondering what more can this man offer, he has given us another unforgettable performance as Billu. He captured the helplessness and simplicity of Billu perfectly and did it so naturally that it was hard to believe he had ever been anybody else but Billu. Hats off to this fine actor who, in spite of not having the personality of a star continues to inspire and amaze. He is a complete superstar in my book and I hope we see many such performances.

Movie Review: Kisse Pyar Karoon - Time Pass Comedy

Bubbly — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:05:22 EST

Keep your brains at home when you go to watch this flick. It is rib-tickling fun. It will keep you engaged with its maddening comedy from start to finish.

So, what's the story all about? Siddharth (Arshad Warsi), John (Ashish Chowdhry) and Amit (Yash Tonk) are three fun loving buddies. To cause rift, enters lovely but bitchy Sheetal (Udita Goswami). She ensnares John in her love but is actually after his money.

Now, Sidh and Amit must make John come back to his senses. When Sheetal gets to know of their plans, she goes full throttle to tackle them. Will the two friends succeed in getting back their friend? This forms the basis for the remaining movie.

Overall, this film is a time pass comedy. It is paisa vasool fare. Arshad, Ashish and Yash do justice to their roles. Their sequences will leave you in splits. Udita is passable. The supporting cast provides adequate laughter.

Songs are fast and catchy especially the title track. The choreography is good.

Go for it if you desire fun and laughter.

CAST & CREW:
Banner: G V Films
Producer: Balagiri
Director: Ajay Chandok
Star Cast: Arshad Warsi (Siddharth), Ashish Chowdhry (John), Aarti Chhabria (Natasha), Udita Goswami (Sheetal), Yash Tonk (Amit), Shweta Menon, Aashish Vidyarthi, Shakti Kapoor
Cassettes and CD's on: Ultra Music
Lyricist: Praveen Bhardwaj
Music Director: Dabboo Malik
Cinematography: Najeeb Khan
Choreography: Bosco Martis, Caesar Gonsalves
Action: Raam Shetty
Art: Sunil Jaiswal
Editor: Nitin Rokade
Screenplay: Yunus Sejawal
Sound: Vinod Potdar
Media Relations: Perception Managers
Publicity Designs: P9 Integrated Pvt Ltd
Story / Writer: Yunus Sejawal
Rating: **1/2 TIME PASS

Movie Review: Siddhaarth - The Prisoner

Bubbly — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:14:41 EST

Are you looking for something new, away from the regular Bollywood trash. You will find what you are seeking in this spiritually satisfying movie.

Siddharth Roy (Rajat Kapoor) has been just released from the prison. Prior to his prison stint, he was a famous writer. He desires to reconcile with his estranged wife Maya. Aspiring to regain his literary reputation, he writes a manuscript.

Unfortunately, in a cyber café it gets exchanged with the mob’s money loaded bag.

With this development life takes a dramatic turn for Siddharth. He frantically searches for the lost manuscript but is reconciled with his three-year-old son. Money doesn’t interest him but he desires for the custody of his son.

Meanwhile café manager Sachin comes under pressure from mob to find the money. He loses his job and is forced to go underground.

The film takes its theme of renunciation of desire as the right path to enlightenment and freedom from the ancient text of Rig Veda. It is also a tribute to Albert Camus’ 1942 classic “The Stranger” (L’Eltranger). It is a journey to freedom of the inner self from life’s complexities.

Now coming to the performances, Rajat Kapoor is in a class of his own. He stands apart. He is surely an actor to watch out for. He carries the movie singly on his able shoulders.

His look is inspired by Che Guevara, the Latin American revolutionary. His performance is flawless. Watch his facial expressions. You will feel his pain as your own. It will move you.

Have you experienced something like this in a long time while watching the usual Bollywood fare? No! Then go for it…in a big way. It’s a must watch class fare. You will come out enlightened.

CAST & CREW:
Banner: Vistaar Religare Film Fund; Walkwater Media; Alliance Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Executive Producer / Co-Producer: Pryas Gupta, Rohan Gupta, Sandeep Hooda
Director: Pryas Gupta
Star Cast: Rajat Kapoor (Siddharth Roy), Sachin Nayak, Pradeep Kabra, Pradip Sagar
Music Director: Sagar Desai
Cinematography: Mrinal Desai
Editor: Pryas Gupta, Arindam Ghatak
Screenplay: Pryas Gupta
Dialogue: Pryas Gupta, Hitesh Kewalia
Costume: Isha Ahluwalia, Jeneva Talwar
Story / Writer: Pryas Gupta
Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes
Rating: ****/5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Bloggers and Blogging Rights

Jo — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:40:11 EST

Bloggers and blogging have come to the news again with a Supreme Court ruling on the latest case of Ajith, an 18 yr old blogger from Kerala. Ajith had started an Orkut community against Shiv Sena and the community message board had received messages alleging that Shiv Sena is trying to divide the country on region and caste basis.

Times of India reports on blogger Ajith's case:

Reacting to these posts, the Shiv Sena youth wing's state secretary registered a criminal complaint at Thane police station in August 2008 based on which FIR was registered against Ajith under Sections 506 and 295A pertaining to hurting public sentiment.

Ajith then sought anticipatory bail from Kerala High Court and approached Supreme Court to quash the criminal complaint. But the SC did not favour the blogger. SC bench said "We cannot quash criminal proceedings. You are a computer student and you know how many people access internet portals. Hence, if someone files a criminal action on the basis of the content, then you will have to face the case. You have to go before the court and explain your conduct." Now the boy has to face the court in Maharashtra, the home of Shiv Sena, and he is afraid of his life for obvious reasons.

One of the main advantages of blogging is that it allows you to express your opinion freely and fearlessly. Agreed that some bloggers misuse this, i.e. indulging in personal abuse, and such people should be brought to law if the offended person decides to do so and if there is a strong case. I emphasize on the word "strong case" because there should not be a situation where anyone can drag anyone to court based on mere allegations. In the light of new ruling, bloggers would resort to politically correct statements, which would not help much in open debates and discussions and it will take out the spirit of blogging and make it function like mainstream media.

Another sad thing is that the court now says that a blogger can be booked for the comments posted in his/her blog. It is true that mainstream media has such laws applicable to them, but blogging does not function like main mainstream media. Blogging is an opinion medium, not a reporting medium and should be kept at that and exceptions of law should be made in that line.

But bloggers are not above the law. Perhaps the discussions on Ajith's case would make bloggers become more responsible in their writing. By citing proofs/data/references to backup their statements/claims, which is good in the long run for a maturing media like Blog.

Now let us look into what the Delaware Supreme Court (in the USA) ruled in a similar case back in 2005. They reversed a lower court decision that had required an Internet service provider to disclose the identity of an anonymous blogger who targeted a local elected official on a newspaper site. Following were the comments from Chief Justice Myron Steele:

"Given the context, no reasonable person could have interpreted these statements as being anything other than opinion. ... The statements are, therefore, incapable of a defamatory meaning," Chief Justice Myron Steele wrote in his ruling, noting that blogs are inherently filled with opinion.

Steele described the Internet as a "unique democratizing medium unlike anything that has come before," and said anonymous speech in blogs and chat rooms in some instances can become the modern equivalent of political pamphleteering. Accordingly, a plaintiff claiming defamation should be required to provide sufficient evidence to overcome a defendant's motion for summary judgment before a court orders the disclosure of a blogger's identity.

"We are concerned that setting the standard too low will chill potential posters from exercising their First Amendment right to speak anonymously," Steele wrote. "The possibility of losing anonymity in a future lawsuit could intimidate anonymous posters into self-censoring their comments or simply not commenting at all."

Now compare this with our Supreme Court rule in Ajith's case and think about it.