My brother isn’t a cynical hack; he’s a numbers-cruncher with an MNC — so he derives pleasure from the simple things in life. He’d called me up a few months ago, just back from a three-month stint in the US. “Didi,” he said earnestly, “I saw this amazing film there on HBO, Hide and Seek. It’s got Robert De Niro, it’s scary as hell and it’s GREAT. Please see it.” Then, he went on to add, “Please, please.”
A couple of weeks on, I was at Music World, where I saw Hide and Seek full frontal on the English movies DVDs stand. I fell for, what marketers would call, an impulse purchase for Rs 599, and I felt slightly foolish, but what the hell, I thought, at least my brother would be happy.
A few days ago, I saw Hide and Seek, the DVD, at Palika Bazar, for Rs 80. Now, here’s what. I had already seen my almost-Rs 600 version (in fact, I saw it the very evening I bought the DVD), and
I’d say it was a one-time watch (a claim endorsed by rottentomatoes.com). I mean, after you discover that De Niro is the psychopathic killer, there’s little else you’d want to figure out. So even if the ‘pirated’ DVD had given way after the premiere (and wasn’t going to be my lifetime companion), it would have worked beautifully because I’d have saved Rs 500 and discovered that Bob was the killer.
Okay, I admit I’m not doing much for the anti-piracy movement. I’ll probably do worse. It now looks as though The Da Vinci Code, thanks to the Catholic sabha, may not be decoded
{{/usCountry}}Okay, I admit I’m not doing much for the anti-piracy movement. I’ll probably do worse. It now looks as though The Da Vinci Code, thanks to the Catholic sabha, may not be decoded
{{/usCountry}}in theatres in India; and even if it is, chances are good that the ‘offending’ portions are going to be archived in
the Censor Board’s bank. So what does one do? Simple: go to Palika Bazar — or whichever bazaar sells pirated DVDs for under 100 bucks — and get the uncut code.
Recently, a friend bought the DVD of Basic Instinct II, even after I’d begged him to watch the movie with me at PVR Saket. “What do you think?” he shouted when I accused him of letting me down. “If I have to watch that damn film, I’d want to see its USP: Sharon Stone in the without. And where else would I get to see that other than in the pirated version, all for 80 bucks?”
So forget about PVR and tickets for Rs 150 and popcorn for whatever — I’m stealing Sharon Stone from him this weekend.