The tricky art of theatrics.

Today we live in a world of superlative competition across all walks of life and there is an aggressive craving for all round visibility thanks to a wide array of communication avenues at disposal. The u

rge to attract attention at any cost has never been so imminent. Though, it may not be malicious on all accounts, it ranges from hilarity to stupidity and even outrageous on some occasions. Theatrics today has become synonymous to shortcut to success, though it’s not always that it translates into a sustained success churning device.

Today, in the world of politics, Modi is treated as the undisputed king of Theatrics. He single handedly brought his party to the power last year through his big ticket political rallies, over the top dream selling and countless power packed theatrical digs at the opposition. This was in total contrast to the modus operandi of the yesteryear stalwarts like Vajpayee and Advani, no wonder he is facing a tough time matching up to the expectations of the people who were expecting quick fire results in lieu of the promises he made in wooing them few months back. So where a well-organized theatrics game plan is good to help you succeed, you need have the meat to back your theatrics to enjoy the sustained trust of the people who helped you succeed. Though, the rules of the game here have changed very fast and it won’t be unfair to say that today Mr Kejriwal has taken over Modi and usurped his crown of King Theatrics J.

In the modern times, sports are not just a medium to show your athletic prowess but they are also a powerful medium to enchant and entertain the audiences. So where a few decades back traits like determination, perseverance and discipline defined one as a successful sportsman, today one has to be entertaining, eye catching and theatrical in addition to the on-field excellence to be the public’s and media’s darling. The Tendulkar’s and Dravids of the 90s who were idolized for their impeccable technique and undisputed conduct have been replaced by the tattoo laden, spiked hair and ear pierced Kohlis and Dhawans of today. Not to say, that the tattoos, earrings and spikes of the latter are a deterrent in their performances but they do characterize the theatrical needs of today’s generations that are equally important as the on field excellence. It’s a different thing that these theatrical props do come under the scrutiny when there on field performances dip J.

The story isn’t much different in the corporate setup. Gone are the days of going to office, doing your job with full gusto and making a mark by your sheer work ethics and discipline. Today, doing ones work is one thing but all the theatrics that keeps you in limelight is another. Invariably, you would find people around you in office who would do anything to show how good they are either by unnecessarily asking mundane questions in already boring meetings or by sending innocuous emails to make their presence felt by copying all the big shots in ‘cc’ or by anyhow and somehow ensuring that there supervisor knows that how late they have been working in the day or even on the weekends. So do these theatrics actually work? Mostly not but unfortunately on some occasions they do J.

If there is one such trade that should have theatrics in its DNA, it has to be CINEMA. But all theatrics and no content can also make any cinema seem very incomplete. For instance, you don’t find much of theatrics in most of Raju Hirani’s flicks or same might even hold good for yesteryear Hrishikesh Mukherjee classics but does it hold good for most of what the likes of Shahrukhs, Salmans or Rohit Shettys of today are churning out these days. The latter are larger than life, full of razzmatazz and superlative theatrics and consequently epic successes in terms of box office collections as well but do they even provide the quality and sense of contentment to its audiences as the former have been doing for so long so efficiently? Alas, no.

Being theatrical might not be as bad as it usually sounds or is made out to be. Presence of theatrics is equally essential too, in fact there is some amount of theatrics needed in all walks of our lives to instill some spark and zeal in our otherwise monotonous lives. As without an ounce of theatrics no boyfriend can woo her girlfriend, no Modi can become the PM and no ABD can be the world's best batsman.  But unless there is a balance and some real content and meat to back the overwhelming theatrics, it will always seems to be an overdose.

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London Diaries 7 | Modi matches up to the Jackson, Madonna & Man U Fever!

Friday the 13^th (Nov 2015) was a much anticipated day for a lot of Indian origin Londoners, it was the day of rendezvous with their vastly popular Prime Minister. The buzz for this event was immense and the build-up and preparations update across the social media made it seem all the more grand. Though, this was at the backdrop of a heavy pounding that Modi’s BJP has recently experienced in the Bihar state elections and also amidst a supposedly orchestrated wave of intolerance in the country, but that political discussion and the debate around the same is for some other day. For now I would focus on the highlights of the event that was mostly driven by a hysteric crowd of nearly 70,000 jubilant fans who braved the chilly weather to be in attendance at the historic Wembley Stadium to be a part of an extravaganza.

The Friendly Banter. They say it all started last year in the US, when Prime Minister Modi met Prime Minister Cameron after Modi’s historic Madisson Square speech. Mr Cameron then, jocularly challenged Mr Modi to replicate this public hysteria in London and dared him to fill the iconic Wembley stadium to capacity. At that point in time, Modi also accepted that challenge, unaware of the challenging times he will have to face in the next 15 odd months. Though, it was a friendly banter between two counterparts but deep down even Modi would have wanted to come out triumphant on this one. And as the day arrived, despite a not so congenial environment back home and with traces of protest out here in London too, it was a pleasant surprise to see the UK’s biggest stadium packed almost to capacity, all set to embrace the most popular ‘chai wala’ from India J.

The Grand setting. I have been to lot of iconic stadiums in the past, mostly to witness a Soccer or a Cricket match in play but Wembley has been by far the grandest of them all. And the scale and quality of preparations that were made for this event made it seem all the more grandiose. The humongous and beautiful ‘rangolis’ depicting the flags of the two countries, the quarter of the stadium ornamented in the tri-color backdrop, a series of beautifully rehearsed and executed cultural performances and the euphoria of 70,000 fans cheering in for their man in a foreign country made it all seem unbelievably magnanimous.

Reverse Intolerance. As were getting ready for the start of the event, we were contemplating on our seating position in the stadium. With lot of friends in attendance, we had the luxury to pick and choose on our seating position. So when I came back from my recce of a possible location in the stadium and briefed my friend (who was in the payment queue of a coffee shop) on the pros and cons of that probable location, we were taken aback with the response of an elderly stranger who was also in the adjacent queue. I came back and told my friend that these seats are better as ‘ Modi jahan khada hoge, wo yahan se better dikhega’. The moment I said this the elderly gentleman snapped back at us saying– ‘Khada hoga?’, ‘khade honge bolo’, ‘Pant Pradhan hain wo desh ke’, ‘khada hoga bolte hain, tameez dekho inki’. We could hardly say a word  to him as we were not only taken aback by this sudden outpour of fury but also by the weight of the word ‘Pant Pradhan’. That wasn’t all, he not only left the queue cursing our supposed rude behaviour against his excellency but he even told about our indecency to his family members who were waiting outside. All we could do was to rush pass them with our heads down in shame and address Mr Modi as ‘Modiji’ and things like ‘Modiji aa gaye hain’, ‘Modiji khade hain’, ‘Modiji kamaal hain’ for the rest of the evening J. It an experience of never before bout of reverse intolerance against Mr Modi J.

Unexpected foreign presence. The crowd in attendance was all Indian, mostly gujju bhais from across the UK but there were few whites as well. We were pretty perplexed by their presence as to what interest do they have in listening and witnessing a leader of some other country. Agreeable, that he is a master orator and keeps the audiences glued with his speeches but even then to dedicate half of your day for a foreign leader was quite an effort. We contemplated on lot of reasons behind their presence but the most probable reason that we all agreed upon was their lure to experience the jam packed Wembley Stadium for free, a tour to which itself costs around 30£ J. Quite a gujju way of making the most of an opportunity J.

The Mutual admiration society. Mr Modi was introduced on the stage by Prime Minister Cameron, who had lot of good things to say about the former, so much so that if he had to vote in India in 2019, it would be a no-brainer as to who will he vote for J. He even borrowed Modi’s ‘Achhe Din’ phrase and played it to the gallery by taking a step further by declaring that under Modi’s leadership, ‘Achhe din zarur aenge’, though the 70,000 crowd went ballistic by this remark, Mr Modi was found blushing in the background J. When Mr Modi took stage he returned the favor by heaping praise on Mr Cameron, it was like a debt paid then and there. But what stood out the most was Mr Cameron staying the entire length of Mr Modi’s speech and acknowledging Modi’s connect with the audiences lot of times. A mutual admiration society they say, may be a potential threat to Modi-Obama bromance too J

The lame jokes. It’s not a hidden fact that Mr Modi is a master orator who plays to the joys of the audiences. Most of the anecdotes or analogies that he leverages in his speech are so interesting that even his detractors are pushed to marvel over them. Though, there were couple of instances where we found his analogies rather lame and boring, one such instance was when he tried connecting the ‘rupee bond’ launch with the UK’s James Bond and Brooke Bond (tea), a fairly bad attempt to link the two cultures. Possibly a rare instance of badly used analogy by the master orator J.

Usual pot-shots and the public exhilaration. It won’t be an unfair assessment if we say that Modi’s witty remarks against the mighty Gandhi’s during the 2014 general elections was one of the key reasons that helped him gain immense popularity among the masses. And he has always kept up to that tradition of taking pot shots at the opposition leaders, irrespective of the venue, much to the joy of the audiences. This time it was no different, though there were no direct remarks or ‘Shehzaade quips’. But it was done in a way that got the audiences on their feet in total exhilaration, as if they have all been waiting for this all day long.

Cracker of a close. As with any successful speech, Mr Modi’s concluded his speech with a bevy of lucrative announcements and assurances on a bright future under his leadership. The public erupted in joy and his concluding ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ chants made the atmosphere overwhelmingly patriotic. But the highlight of his presence was when he took a full lap of the huge stadium and greeted and cheered the public who have waited for hours to soak in the Modi euphoria. The closing fireworks that lit up the London skies were just the perfect icing on the cake that summed up a perfectly composed evening.  

People might have varying views on Modi’s way of functioning and brand his governance as just being theatrical and lacking meat. But if you were in Wembley that day you would have got the real feel of Modi the rockstar. The media back in India has already declared (and so has the recent poll results) that the Modi tsunami is now a thing of past. But the real mood of the Modi in Wembley was aptly captured by a headline of a news channel – After Manchester United, Michael Jackson and Madonna mania, Modi fever grips Wembley. J

Well and truly the biggest Modi show outside of India! An experience worth cherishing for a long time.

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