Revolution 2020 - Chetan Bhagat

I am not a great fan of Chetan Bhagat's writing. However I am one of the biggest fans of his success. I am amazed at the number of books he sells, at his popularity and at how, almost all his books get made into movies. If there is one superstar writer we have in India, it is Chetan Bhagat. The numbers support him, the movies support him, his following supports him. I have read all his books to date - funnily never bought one for myself and was always gifted the books by someone. I found 2 States to be his best in all. They are easy to read.

Revolution 2020 has a tag - Love. Corruption. Ambition. So if you have followed Chetan Bhagat's opinions and columns you know fairly well what to expect. The novel is set in modern day Varanasi, the place where everyone goes to cleanse their sins (I liked the setting and the irony behind it) and has three youngsters who grow up together from school days on - Gopal Mishra, the loser who made it big through some corrupt practices, Aarti, the girl who keeps shuttling between the two men, and Raghav Kashyap, the brilliant and idealistic student who lets go a possibly lucrative career as an engineer to be an honest journalist. The novel begins with Gopal Mishra, the 26 year old Director of Ganga Tech educational institutes who has invited the famous writer Chetan Bhagat to a talk at his college. This bit of self-indulgence by Chetan Bhagat always jars - I think he used it in 'One Night at a Call Centre' where the co-passenger is telling the story to Chetan Bhagat the writer.

Anyway love first. Gopal loves Aarti. Aarti loves Raghav. Gopal lusts for Aarti. Aarti does not lust for Gopal. Raghav loves journalism.
How the most beautiful daughter of the District Magistrate of a town like Varanasi has only two guy friends, one of them living in really impoverished circumstance and is a self-confessed loser, is a mystery. But the girl does behave as if she is in hostel and away from all kinds of supervision, and goes on boat rides, CCDs and has no other friends other than these two. How the triangle ends up is what you must read the book for because Aarti behaves like a schizophrenic, two timing the guys, hanging out with losers, sleeping with the one whom she does not love etc and you have no clue what she will finally do.

Corruption. Gopal Mishra, the loser, teams up fortuitously with the big bad MLA Shukla and starts an Engineering college. Chetan Bhagat tells us in great detail of how to go about starting an educational institution - including getting land, clearances, permissions, approvals from the AICTE, affiliation from the University, recruiting staff and the amount and kinds of bribes involved etc. For all those who want to start educational institutions or colleges specifically, this is a must read. MLA Shukla and his protege Gopal bribe everyone to get the job done and that is no surprise, in India everyone bribes everyone and everyone knows that. Why Raghav is shocked is a mystery. MLA Shukla is also steeped in corruption by swallowing the funds meant for the Ganga Action Project.

Ambition is limited. Raghav Kahsyap the idealist has an ambition of rooting out corruption single handedly and to me his life span appeared limited with the kind of risky work he does by taking on all the big corrupt people like Shukla. But he gives up his ambitions quickly and joins back a job. Aarti's ambitions, surprisingly for the daughter of a DM, are very middle class - she wants to be an air hostess, marry a loser and cook - or a variant of an air hostess like a 'boat hostess' and finally settles for a guest relations executive job in a 5 star hotel in Varanasi. For the most beautiful girl in Varanasi (she is shown as being rather dumb as well, which is the saving grace) this was a comedown I felt. Gopal Mishra has no real ambition and shows no inclination - he is just pitched into the scene because he has the land - and after that Shulklaji takes over. Left to himself he would not have done much in my opinion.

Frankly there is no revolution, only the promise of one. Raghav has dreams of a revolution which he names his newspaper 'Revolution 2020' but he winds up being the son-in-law of the DM and contesting the elections because his father-in-law is being asked by various parties to contest. Where is the revolution in this man who does not have clarity about whether he wants the girl, the career as a journalist, the elections? So this is not about revolution for sure because he goes back and joins the newspaper after his small R2020 joint gets smashed by Shukla's men. Of ambition I found nothing. Of love I am most confused. What Aarti, the most beautiful, sees in Gopal who always displays signs from school of being a loser is anyone's guess (but she is shown as getting 20 marks out of 80 which explains it). What Gopal wants from her is also not clear - love, sex, marriage - for he is all the time trying to kiss her despite her obvious lack of interest in him. Why these three have no life, no interests, specially the girl, apart the other two is not clear either. Aarti shows no character as she flits between the two clandestinely, jumps into bed with one while still calling the other her boyfriend. Gopal has no interest in women save this girl as the two interesting call girls realise late in the book. Raghav has no interest even in the most beautiful girl. Their love is a mystery.

The plus point is that this book can be read like the wind. I finished the 293 page book in about 4-5 hours which means that you can skim through and skip generous portions and still stay on course and even predict like we do with some Bollywood movies. I was hoping that something drastic would happen to Raghav who to me was the sole hope of the book, or that he would do something like killing someone by the end, but Raghav tamely goes back to work and being some kind of a ghar jamai, in all likelihood taking the tickets offered to his father in law. How can I expect a revolution from someone like that? To make Gopal Mishra seem like the victim, or the sacrificing hero, was not really what I expected - why he does what he does in the end is a mystery to me. Does he want the girl or not? Or by some chance, is the revolution about him and his new found purpose of making wonderful educational institutions?

Chetan Bhagat does not explore the characters deeply enough to get to their feeling level. If he had, this book would have had way more potential. Gopal, if the bad guy, should have remained true to the character and not turned over a new leaf. Aarti, should have had some reason, something that makes her do what she does with these two losers. Raghav remains true to himself and looked to me the only redeeming character until Bhagat decides to make Gopal the sacrificing hero and makes Raghav join the band of losers.

Another 100 pages, deeper darker emotions, love, passion and ambition that burns the characters, that puts them in dilemmas, and in destiny's hands, of youngsters and their choices - now that would have been the book it could have been. But we are left with no feeling - not when there is death, when there is failure, when there is betrayal, when there is love. (Like for example their first sexual encounter - and the two feel nothing! We never know what they are feeling at this intimate encounter except that Gopal has a tough time getting her jeans off her.) Sadly to me, Chetan Bhagat wastes a wonderful opportunity to make something really big and instead chooses to indulge himself, his fans and Bollywood directors looking for scripts by making frivolous and superficial characters when in fact he could have made firebrand characters. For someone of his following who could have really sparked a revolution, Chetan Bhagat chooses the easy way out and stays in his territory, safe. R2020 to me, goes to the bottom of his list so far in my ranking, more so because '2 States' showed much promise and R2020 promised much too. Unless you are planning to start a college, nothing much in the book for the reader. Skip it unless you are a Chetan Bhagat fan or a basher.

The Under 19 HCA Motivational Session

A couple of days ago my old friend Vidyuth Jaisimha who is now the coach of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) Under 19 squad called me up to do a motivational chat with his wards. It was the first day of the camp before they went into a South Zone league format so he decided it was a good time.

We met at 930 a.m. at the Academy. It was a fine side led by Vaibhav and had some really good talent. Rayan, Rohith Rayudu, Abhishek Ashok, Arun Deva, Vamshi, Akash Bhandari, C.V.Milind, Zeeshan, Mallikarjun, Vinay Rao, Amit Veer. Ahmad Askari, Pattnaik and a couple that I don't recollect. I had seen almost all of them and we had done similar sessions last year when they gave a wonderful performance in the Under 16 last year. They are prolific scorers, high wicket takers and have attended some important camps. Akash Bhandari is one contract with the Deccan Chargers. Milind was in the India Under 16 camp, Rohith got plenty of runs as did Mallikarjun, Vinay Rao and the others. Compared to how we were when we were Under 19, they look mature, rounded and well prepared.

We ended up having a longer session than I planned for. After the initial clarity on why they were here (to win the cup of course, though most are not clear about it), how it benefits to play for the team (get to play more games), why they should win (to give each one a chance to play and achieve greater glory), why pride of being awarded the HCA colours was important (because it is the point of departure) and why they must all feel secure and play so the team wins (they get a bit of the glory). These issues may appear small and may also appear that they don't need to know of those - but it is amazing how few answers one can get for these questions in any team. People are just not oriented as to their duties, their roles, their jobs. There is too much assumption. It is best to clarify.

We spoke about how they can win (if they give their 100% each of them), how they should get into a state of mind where each of them supports one another to give their 100% (support, feedback), more team interaction to get the many veterans to express themselves. I asked them what their best performances to date were and they answered hesitantly. I told them that they could all better that performance - in this coming tournament itself - if they prepared for it. We made them state their targets, off the cuff, about wickets they would take in the five matches, runs scored, catches taken and run outs made. They all gave out their own targets, and the rest of us negotiated better for them if we felt they were being too conservative. It was good to see that almost everyone else felt that most estimates were conservative. Vidyuth wrote down what they promised themselves. A target - just to egg them on.

And then I asked them all to state one or two strengths of each player. All of them spelt out what they thought was the strength of each team mate and it was nice to see the concerned player listen carefully. Some were surprised when the others mentioned certain attributes but I told them to analyse that seriously because obviously someone had seen or felt that attribute. It was a fun exercise and everyone got involved a bit, and hopefully helped bond among each other a bit more. Certainly they would talk about it among themselves.

It was a fun and fruitful experience. The session went an hour longer than I thought and I felt I could have done much more but good enough for now. Now to see what the boys do when the tournament starts on the 20th.

The Telangana Issue - No End In Sight

It is a peculiar situation in every way. I would not think it possible in any state capital that state transport is off the road for almost a month, that schools and educational institutions are shut for the same period, that a major producer of coal like Singareni Collieries is shut, that government officials are away from work (at least most of them), that trains are stopped every now and then, that autorickshaws also strike every second day, highways blocked at will - and still there is a government in place - doing almost nothing. What surprises me in all this is the complete inaction of the government machinery. It seems helpless, toothless and is plodding along as the protestors demanding a separate state for Telangana press their demands and increasingly put the common public to inconvenience.

Acts of protest are an accepted norm in Indian democracy. The demand for a separate state is not a new one - many states have been formed before. However in the curious case of Telangana, there seems to be no stand, no clear cut understanding of the situation. Is there a case for a separate state, in which case the Central government has to make its stand clear, or is there not, in which case also the government has to make its stand clear. Much time has elapsed, committees were formed, reports given, deliberations done, talks held - now its time to come out with some direction instead of prevaricating further. In its inaction, lack of clarity, the Central Government, where the power to handle this situation appears to lie, has failed its people. In playing the waiting game, in waiting for political advantage, the Centre is not doing its primary duty - that of governance. No state capital, least of all an important one like Hyderabad, can be allowed to slide backwards so fast due to its inaction. The primary culprit then to me is the Centre for its uncertain and doddering approach to the issue.

The state government is the second culprit in dragging its feet and doing nothing despite a month long siege on the people of Hyderabad and Telangana. It is common to see people stocking up food, petrol and other essentials whenever a strike is announced. But in emergencies, people really must be suffering. Students can very well kiss this year good bye as Hyderabad state turns a blind eye to schools and educational institutions being closed. How can any student sustain the intensity of studying with constant breaks like this, with no instruction is a mystery to me. From not providing any protection to schools, to transport systems, to even emergency services such as hospitals, and any reliable system of governance, any form of secure environment for its people to earn a livelihood, the state government has completely failed in its duty. To say that it is engaging in talks with striking government officers after almost a month after they went on strike is ridiculous.

The various people, irrespective of party, who are involved in stopping schools, stopping transport and putting the common man to a lot of convenience are guilty of using the helplessness of the common man to further their demands. Clearly the most gullible sections of society are being targeted by them to act as their shields. The common individual, to whom all that matters is a secure environment, a way to earn a living, a means to educate their children, to run their business or do their job, to get state support in the form of transport and emergency services - the students and the individuals - to whom it does not really matter either way - Andhra or Telangana - are the targets of their movement. As one newspaper pointed out the malls are open, the liquor shops are open, movie theatres are open - are they not in support of the Telangana movement? Demands and protests have validity when there is a sacrifice that goes with it that is evident from those who demand. In this movement I see no sacrifice from the people behind these strike calls, no fasts, no giving up positions, nothing. Why has not a single leader sat down for a fast like Anna Hazare did? Why have they all sat down on a relay strike? Why do the Ministers continue to hold posts but not come to the Secretariat? All they have sought are sacrifices from the common people - the ones who have given up their lives for the cause are also poor common people, the ones who are sacrificing their studies are students, the ones who are losing their livelihood are the poor. Where is the sacrifice from those that matter? To me this part is what rings hollow about these people who demand sacrifices from others.

A rational demand for a separate state is fair. But somewhere along the line it has been subverted in the manner that the Shiv Sena had famously done in the sixties, into an us versus them story. They have created a villain, about a people who they feel have exploited them, they have sown seeds of doubt among the people and divided the people. Today most people in favour of Telangana believe that people from Seemandhra have come and taken away what belongs to them. That they have conspired to take away their jobs, their wealth. It is not as if someone has attacked the region and exploited it. The two components lived together as one for so long and together they have created what they have. But to foist conspiracy theories against one section of people - when the region is composed of so many different classes and peoples that have both contributed and benefited in many ways - is downright mischievous. It will only lead to divisive politics. More importantly they will always be used to blame - today this class, tomorrow that class, day after someone else. Anything big can be achieved only on the promise of a better alternative that is evident - not on mere blame.

On the same note I also find the protests for a united Andhra ridiculous. States are not sovereign entities and based on the validity of the demand a people are entitled to a separate state. People from all over the country have equal opportunity to live and earn a living wherever they are. So even if Telangana is formed, people from other regions can live here and make a living. It is not about patriotism surely, or of oppression - so what is their rationale save as a reaction to the allegations against Seemandhra people.

The formation of a state will most certainly impact the politicians, the government workers in the region at the most. Those outside this will merely go under a new label. Schools will run, banks will run. Nothing will change for the other people except perhaps bearing the cost of all that has been lost in the past few months. What the politicians have in mind for the new state if and when it is formed is to be seen but I hope that they will start taking the responsibility to create, to take the region forward. From all indications that we have seen so far, the state has only regressed considerably and undoing the damage itself will take a long while. It must be borne in mind that every struggle has its place and the welfare of the people has its place too. If the leadership is wise, it will be able to get its point across without troubling the common man, without disrupting production, without weakening the economy which it proposes to inherit, and without playing divisive politics with the people based on flimsy grounds and promises. Hopefully wiser counsel will prevail and the common man's misery comes to an end soon with a decision taken either way.

Dookudu - Half a review

The first reactions I heard of 'Dookudu' the Mahesh Babu starrer were not very encouraging. Then as the publicity of the movie claimed that it had become one of the largest grossers and public perception also changed. Now people started telling me that it was funny, and that the 'comedy' was good. But not a single over the top 'Wonderful movie' or a 'Must watch it'.

I like Telugu comedians and really love their work - most of the time. Telugu film comedy is a self-deprecating, very Teluguised way of making fun of Telugus. So when I was pushed by my friend to see 'Dookudu' last Sunday, we went and watched the movie. Or rather half of it. My enthusiastic friend lost all his enthusiasm in the first ten minutes itself and I had a tough time holding him back till the interval. I have seen worse, but it amazes you to see what can become the biggest grosser in Telugu movies.

The movie starts with a slum area in Hyderabad where the first usual suspect (the film is full of usual suspects) Prakash Raj emerges as a leader - Shankar anna. These jhopad pattis and annas were good in watch when RGV made Shiva - now they are nauseating. Come on guys, find something new. RGV broke ground from the exotic dens of villains and brought them to these slums almost thirty years ago. Can't you come up with something new?

Anyway good Prakash Raj gets hit by a lorry which is a shocker because Prakash Raj is not someone you bump off with a lorry so early in the film. The audience starts suspecting that something is fishy. My enthu friend told me that Prakash Raj will return. Anyway, Shankar anna's son Ajay (Mahesh Babu) becomes an IPS officer who is always surrounded by four IPS officers who look more like overgrown collegemates. Why they move together, get suspended together, go on foreign jaunts together is a mystery but they do. One of them also seems slightly weird to be a cop, especialy an IPS officer.

Now their boss is a funny man Nazeer who gets shot in the bum to provide us laughs, who has a daughter who is a brilliant fashion designer, a wife who wants to be hep and a younger daughter who has glasses. Anyway they all push off to Turkey separately, Nazeer's family and the suspended IPS cops, or some such place to catch someone...I forget who...there are so many people and too little story. yeah, now I remember, the killers of the Police Commissioner Suman (another usual suspect, but one whom we can kill off).

The main villain is Sonu Sood whose main concern in life is that he is unchallenged by any cop. He likes listening to old Telugu songs and killing his own people when they say something out of line. His brother is his weakness. The brother has many weaknesses. While trapping the brother the cops find Samantha, the dress designer. In some of the corniest and most cliched scenes, the heroine manages to fall over the IPS officer so perfectly that their lips lock - give me a break guys. For your information, the chemistry between the two is cold as a dead fish.

Anyway heroine has a sidekick Sonia who is an oversexed fashion designer or fashion assistant who is dumb enough to mistake Mahesh Babu to be Turkish! One look at him and you know he is Krishna's son! Frankly there was more chemistry in that one scene with Sonia than in the rest of the movie with Samantha. Anyway the IPS gold medallist, the trigger happy killer of 47 people as he claims, rescues Samantha's fashion designs which she leaves in the platform (how does he do it?, why did she forget it if that was all she came to Turkey for?). Samantha forgives and a song ensues.

Ajay finds out the brother of Sonu Sood, kills him and runs off to India. There he finds that Samantha is Nazeer's daughter, gets everyone on the right side. Here is when Prakash Raj, who would have been better off dead, chooses to arise from his coma. (I told you, said my friend and tried to get away from the movie, but i held him back). Only Prakash Raj's brain is fragile and must have no shocks. So they try to recreate everything for him the way he remembers, including taking his old house back on rent from the current owner, Brahmanandam, who rents out the building for movie shoots and has plans of becoming an actor.

Brahmanandam gets slapped around about twenty times by the interval, the general demeanour to the girl is that she deserves no respect, forget her, even her mother deserves no respect - and that is the level where the humour stays. As we get closer to the interval Sonu Sood arrives in India, finds out that his brother is alive, releases him and escapes. We see an old ally of Shankar anna (Prakash Raj) helping them escape. Mystery!!! Interval!!

I must have missed about a million other characters who are in the movie. But this is only the interval. I have a fair idea of what is going to happen next. No prizes if you get it right. Brahmanandam will get slapped another twenty times, two or three songs, twenty deaths, Prakash Raj comes to terms with reality, alls well and that ends well.

Why this movie become a super hit is anybody's guess. It must be to do with the audience as much as with the film makers. Either there are no good movies that this becomes the only alternative, or the audience senses have been so dulled that such thoughtless gratification appeals to them. To me 'Magadheera' had scale, vision and grandeur, a story, a proper resolution, and I can understand why it became a hit. There was no further hope for the movie when I walked out at the interval point - that is that. I do wonder when Telugu movies will come out of this rut, of these hero-turns-superhero based movies that are thoughtlessly steeped in gratifying the senses and nothing else. For me 'Dookudu' alongwith 'Kick' and other hits of that ilk are not good enough, how much ever they claim to earn. I'd like to see some thought going in to making the stories believable, something new, something that raises the bar (not bring it down), something that uses such good talent and star power better, something that does not insult my intelligence. Too much to ask for I guess.

Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight - Rujuta Diwekar

This is a book that I would not have read if I had gone by the title. Not that I have anything against weight loss books but I read a few and they have all successfully managed to confuse me. Rujuta Diwekar's book is not so much about weight loss as it is about living life itself, of awareness and I am disappointed with her editor for making this the title of the book (I liked Rujuta's original idea for a title better). But if it manages to reach more people through this title, so be it, because Rujuta's gyan (as her blog is titled is not just limited to weight loss (http://rujutadiwekar.blogspot.com/). It is about healthy living.

Rujuta is a much accomplished woman, least of them all being the fitness and nutrition expert for a host of celebrities including Kareena Kapoor (who wrote the Foreword), Saif Ali Khan, Priety Zinta, Anil Ambani, Konkona Sharma, Amrita Arora etc. She travels in the Himalayas extensively, attends yoga camps at Rishikesh, conducts two gyms in Mumbai, conducts marathon training programs, conducts workshops, speaks and writes best selling books. Considered one of India's 50 most powerful women and an Under 35 achiever, Rujuta Diwekar has much to offer.

But it is her no-nonsense, conversational style backed with good common sense, scientific explanations and easy to digest writing that makes one want to adopt her advise. She makes that much sense.

The book is all about eating healthy, eating right and eating at the right time. No drastic diets, no perfect weights, no suffering. All food is good - idlis, dosas, parathas, non vegetarian, cheese, pizza - whatever. She sets some basic principles based on common sense and once you follow them, health should follow. She says that one cannot go on and off a diet, one has to maintain a healthy lifestyle without feeling hungry, feeling energetic and healthy.

Exercise is a must and she says that the human body is made for continuous activity. No escape from that. The stomach being only the size of two palms can only hold that much and digest that much, so eat only that much at a time. Anything more is counterproductive, in fact a waste. Eating mindfully, stopping before reaching the threshold of overeating,concentrating on eating (no reading, watching tv etc), drinking a glass of water while eating, staying at the table for a while after eating, all make sense. I liked her advise to sit cross legged for improved blood circulation while eating.

She gives 5 basic rules to increase nutrient intake - eating food that is prepared fresh, the smaller the number of people food is prepared for the better, eating vegetables and fruits whole instead of cutting them up, eating food that you have traditionally been eating at home and eating local and seasonal foods.

But the most important part of the book are her four principles. They are -
1) Never having chai or coffee first thing in the morning (in fact she advises hitting food in the first 15 minutes after waking up as the first meal)
2) Eating small meals every two hours
3) Eating more when you are more active and less when you are less active and (most big meals finished before noon)
4) Finishing your last meal at least two hours before sleeping

All in all I think this book can make a huge difference even if you follow some part of her gyan. The book has much more to offer and makes a lot more sense as it talks of a holistic way of living, of accepting oneself, of respecting one's body, of politics, of Himalayas. A nice read that gives everyone hope, frees one of guilt and I think its biggest plus, gets people to start acting on being more aware of their bodies and eating and living healthier. I think it has that quality - and for writing this wonderful book, well done Rujuta. Highly recommended, even if you don't want to lose weight.

Steve Jobs Speech at Stanford in 2005

This is a link to the speech that Steve Jobs had given at the Stanford University in 2005. It appears on you tube on TED talks. It is certainly worth listening to:

http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

The Deer Hunter - Gripping Movie

'The Deer Hunter', released in 1978, is ranked 53 in the AFI's top 100 movies. It is an unusual movie and made so lovingly and carefully that I wondered if it was an autobiographical account. A bit like reading 'The Godfather' when you wonder if Mario Puzo was actually there witnessing it all! A movie that has a power packed star cast including Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep and a huge story set in the backdrop of the Vietnam war.

The movie begins in a small town in America where young Ukranian immigrants Micael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Walken), Stevie and a few days from joining the US army in Vietnam. Stevie is planning to get married before he leaves for the war, while Nick proposes to his sweetheart Linda (Meryl Streep) and plans to marry if he returns. Michael admires Linda but says nothing as he knows Nick and she are in love. The three friends have another three friends John, Stan and Axel, and they have a fine time drinking in the pub, racing cars, doing things that young men do. Also they go deer hunting, something that Michael is an expert at, and its a regular boys on the road trip, so much more fun than a 'Zindagi na milegi dobara'.

Michael takes deer hunting seriously and prefers Nick's company on his expeditions. He believes that he must take out the deer in one shot - that is the mark of an expert deer hunter and more often than not does it. The wedding celebrations are shown long and happy, shows the drunken boys and their complete ignorance of what they are headed for. The scene in the bar with the 'fuck it' army officer is brilliant. After a long drawn out drunken and carefree revelry after the marriage, when a drunken Nick tells Michael not to leave him in Vietnam if something happens to him, we are transported in one moment to the horror of war, so sudden that it shocks you.

Napalm, fire bombs, civilians hiding under pits bombed by North Vietnamese and Nick, Michael and Stevie held hostage by North Vietnamese soldiers who make their prisoners play Russian roulette for their pastime. The soldiers bet on who will win, throw the dead bodies away and throw the ones who are chicken into a pit full of rats. It's a no win situation but the deer hunter conjures an escape along with Nick and the three friends escape by the river where Nick is rescued by a US copter. Stevie falls of the copter and Michael also lets go to save him. Stevie breaks both legs in the fall. Nick recovers in hospital but thinks the other two are dead. On his recovery he stumbles into a Russian roulette joint in Saigon where he is egged on by a Frenchman to try his hand, Micheal sees Nick there, but cannot make contact.

Back in the US, war veteran Michael is a changed man, does not like parties, human contact and prefers staying in a motel He meets Linda, finds that Stevie is back with his legs amputated and that he does not want to come back home and prefers the War Veteran Hospital. Nick is AWOL. Michael goes back to Saigon to find Nick, finds him, full of drugs, playing Russian roulette everyday and surviving, the 'famous American'. Nick does not recognise Michael initially and only faintly recognises him when Michael sits opposite him in the Russian roulette table, trying to remind him of what they went through. In the last shot Nick remembers the deer hunting days and says 'One shot' pulls the triggers and dies - his famous luck running out. Back in the US the friends gather for a solemn grieving after Nick's funeral.

'The Deer Hunter' is a powerful statement against war, comparing the Vietnam war to a game of Russian roulette. Brilliant screenplay, fantastic performances and a movie that keeps you riveted as it courses through the story as if it has a life of its own. I still find it hard to believe that these are fictional characters. A must watch.