In Lounge, the weekend section of the business paper Mint, the columnist Aakar Patel doffs his hat to Prakash Belawadi.
The engineer-son of ‘Make Up’ Naani and Bhargavi Nagaraj who became an Indian Express reporter, who became a magazine correspondent, who became a television chat show host, who launched a journalism school, who launched a weekly newspaper…
And who made a national-award winning English film, who made a hit Kannada TV serial—and who is winning accolades for his role as a Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) agent in the just-released Hindi film, Madras Cafe:
“Prakash Belawadi started and edited a weekly newspaper, Bangalore Bias (it shut down). He has begun so many enterprises, a media school among them, that I have lost count just of those he has been involved in since 2000, and would not be surprised if he has too.
“Belawadi began his career as a journalist and worked for Vir Sanghvi’s Sunday. He remains a columnist and a first rate one. He has the best quality a columnist can have and that, according to Graham Greene, is never to be boring.
“Belawadi has a dangerous lack of ideology that makes him an aggressive and unpredictable debater. He can casually assume a position, often contrary to one he held a couple of days ago, and unpack a ferocious argument. Like all good men, he likes a fight, and like all good men it is promptly forgotten. He has a quality that is admirable among men.
“He is restless and tireless, and totally uncaring for the middle-class ambitions that most of us cannot let go of, and few of us ever achieve.”
Read the full article: A restless Renaissance man
“prabel” in churumuri: Everybody loves his own Jnanpith winner
Also read: For some journalists, acting is second string in bow
Belawadi was indeed terrific in a good movie. But, the narration of Madras Cafe was a bit unexciting because, there wasn’t much depth to the conspiracy angle.
It is really the action in Jafna, and the tension between Belawadi’s character and John Ambraham’s character that was the best part of the movie.
Was really surprised by Belawadi in this movie. Wonder why he never took up acting as a more regular career. He was intense and easily made the best impact in the first half of the movie.
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Oh I didn’t know that Belavadi started his career with Vir ‘Radia’ Sanghvi – which explains his virulent anti-BJP views.It was enlightening, thanks for the info.
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Naani who produced and acted in T.P. Kailasam and Parvathavani’s plays in Bangalore’s National College before he became Make-up Naani following a course in U.K., will be proud of his son’s all round abilities.
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Deepak:
>which explains his virulent anti-BJP views
There is something called systematic brainwashing. In pakistan it takes the form of education that is anti-secular, anti-Hindu and anti-India.
In India, the brainwashing is more about anti-capitalism, pro-communist(socialist) with a slant on praising the likes of Nehru, Indira etc.
It also encourages thought system of ‘indian secularism’ i.e. ‘sarva dharma samabhava’ which is a confused concept of unequal-fundamentalism! i.e. liberalism & reform for one section of people, and parochialism for another.
Large intelligentsia in India (also called Jhollawallas), can’t see beyond this education. They are bound by the walls that are taught and discussed in their circles.
But, this article wasn’t about Belawadi’s personal beliefs. He was indeed fantastic in the movie.
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@harkol Agree with every one of your point.
Reg. his acting, well his acting is atleast better than SRK’s hamming :)
If i am not wrong, there used to be a serial Garva starring Ananth Nag, many years ago, directed by him. That was a class act.
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I haven’t watched the movie and I was sure this was a fan-boy article! I was not disappointed. No doubt Belavadi is a talented man but he is a one-trick secular pony! His ilk know that if ever there is good governance in India they will lose their jobs and lose their motivation to uplift the poor:) He is a Povertarian in the classic Secular mode.
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“Belawadi began his career as a journalist and worked for Vir Sanghvi’s” – Ha ha..the guy belawadi must be a toad!! unless he has learnt to see through “Vir the fake sanghvi”.Vir is the perfect example of leeches in our society,
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The cheddis are the one-trick ponys.
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See ‘X’ Guy you proved my point instantly!
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AG:
>The cheddis are the one-trick ponys.
Of late I think, a one trick pony is way better than the zero-trick Drone Bee.
The drone buzzes in from it’s foreign ‘honey-gathering’ trips, only to hum around for a while, blessing folks with its droppings (pearls of wisdom)!
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DB, harkol, Happy to oblige you one trick cheddi sympathizers :) I think Prakash Belawadi would approve.
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Harkol,
Nice one! Beautifully put! This Belavadi issue is getting serious.
I have invented many hash tags on Twitter. Work these out if you can:
#LungiRayCharles
#BullseyeBindiSareePalin
#BindiSareePalin
#SareeSphinx
#ShroudSaree
All hash tags happen to be Indian politicians.
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‘X’ Guy, I am sure Belavadi would approve! You are after all his pony! Q.E.D.
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AG:
Sad to see you sympathizing for emperor with ‘no cloth’, instead of folks with cheddi!
I don’t subscribe to sanghi principles. But then, ‘kurudara ooralli, okkanna raja’ – Better the one eyed, than the blind.
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