Sunday, January 3, 2010

By the book

Bonus points something...


Hirani and Chetan Bhagat are not the first to fall out after famously setting of on the book-to-movie tour. R K Narayan and the Anands were not exactly posing for photographs after the movie ‘Guide’ came out. RKN’s daughter, who attended my wedding said (as she knew of it) that it all happened in a ‘whoosh’ moment. Somebody came home in a swank car, her dad, the eternal gentleman, sort of played the traditional host that people down south are famed for.

Offering filter coffee, someone rushing in to straighten that rose/teak wood chair with a spotless towel, and loads of what we would call a goofy grin. Papers signed in a flourish, since both parties are a tad shy and a little wary of the other’s fame/stature. Mutual displeasure did not spew out as it does today, when anything to do with celebrities –authors and filmi guys alike—is snapped up by readers/viewers.

The other, not-so-subtle change, is the goofy part. Today, most producers and writers are bold, not bashful. If promos of films take the traditional media route, take a look at all the books and articles which do a regular road show on networking sites. Short of hustling you to go and ‘grab a copy now or else..’, authors today are experts in promoting themselves/their works. Movie fans are not far behind, and threads on even previews of Tamil films in far off Qatar hog space. Mainstream reviews are also commented upon, be they of films or books. Sometimes ugly, often it’s nothing short of self justification. And the means fetch the desired result: eyeballs! It’s not a sin anymore to be interested in gossip, I am told.

It gets all the more interesting, especially since no one seems to play by the book anymore. Who can judge who is partly or paltry correct?

What such episodes tell us, however, is that there is a dearth of intellectual property rights lawyers, who can help you with the fine print, both ways. By putting them in, and also by decoding them for you.

Eom/bdr

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