Natak baazi band karo...!

I really think the most condescending\arrogant thing for an actor to do is pass on his own award to another actor and hope to win brownie points for it. Whosoever advised Akshay Kumar to ‘charitably’ donate his own recent award to Aamir Khan, was so off the mark, as was Akshay for acting on that advice. Unless of course it was Akshay’s bright idea in the first place. By offering your own award to a colleague and adding you are doing that because he better deserved the honour, you are showing the utmost disrespect for the award and the organizers. Think about it – a Nobel Laureate turns up in Stockholm for the ceremony and then decides to nominate someone else after turning up and making a speech!! How fake is that . It automatically devalues the prize.Besides questioning the jury’s ability to decide who the deserving candidates are. An Aamir Khan does not need a second hand award from a non-actor like Akshay. It is adding insult to injury. If this foolish act catches on, I can visualize amusing scenarios like a Miss World tearing the crown off her head and dramatically placing it on the runner up’s bouffant . Or someone winning a Padma Bhushan and declaring pseudo modestly that he\she was unworthy of such recognition, but hey – here’s the asli person who should get it instead.
What childish games these moviewallahs indulge in – really!! Grow up, you guys. We know what big hearts you have and how magnanimous you are…. no need for such nataks. That goes for all those ‘dedications’ as well. Since the Awards’ season is upon us , may we please be spared the tedium of listening to those badey dilwaley log, praising this one and that one , right and left, while preening away self -consciously. And may we also be spared those cheap pot shots that have degenerated into slanging matches that cause much embarrassment and are totally unwarranted. Good on you, Ashutosh Gowarikar for trying to restore a modicum of decorum into the proceedings. It is one thing to be genuinely witty and make a few good- humoured digs at award winners.Quite another to mock and demean awardees. Class ka sawaal hai. Not everybody can be a Billy Crystal or a Whoopie Goldberg.

I have to hand it to her – she has done it! Pulled it off, after three years of back breaking work, and admirable commitment. I visited the Kolkilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri with the driving force behind the project – Tina Ambani. The first thing that struck me about the place was how un hospital-like it was. I am one of those who get intimidated and uneasy in hospitals. But walking through the large, sunny, cheerful lobby of this hospital, I felt like I was strolling through a toned down version of Burj Al Arab in Dubai.But it was when I saw the state of the art O.T.s, the superbly designed pediatrics wing, and several equally impressive facilities stacked on different floors, that I realized what an amount of monumental planning has gone into getting this ambitious project off the ground . The soft launch has happened, in fact, the docs were jubilant as they’d successfully carried out their first bypass surgery the previous day, and there were several walk- ins that very morning. Since the focus will remain on cardiac procedures ( remember, this was Dr. Mandke’s dream when he passed away), Tina and her able team have concentrated on attracting the best surgeons from across the world. They are being lured from places like Cleveland and the hospital has several reputed surgeons on board already.I met Dr. Narain ( very hands on, very dynamic) and Dr. Nambiar (the bypass doc), and was impressed by their obvious dedication.Tina told me she had inherited a mere shell when she got involved. The place was stripped and remodeled from scratch. To make it a truly world class facility, she says with justifiable pride, was her big challenge. I’d say she has done so with aplomb! Tina is at the hospital every single day, working long, tiring hours just to ensure nothing is left to chance when the official opening takes place (soon!). I was delighted to discover this side to Tina – she knows every square inch of the hospital intimately, is aware and knowledgeable about all the plans and innovations in the pipeline, can discuss intricate surgical procedures and breakthroughs and has become half a doc herself! Oh…. and this is just so Tina. Not wanting the hospital to be a grim and depressing place, she has imaginatively provided other add- ons – like a fancy beauty parlour, a fine dining restaurant, an informal café, a gifts boutique,a business centre, and heavenly rooms for relatives to check into. There are two presidential suites as well , strictly for VVIP patients. Gulp!! You almost want to fall sick to check this place out. Glad the balance is being maintained.That’s how it should be in a family – one bahu has a great school to run and is doing a terrific job of it, now the younger one has a plush hospital!! Dhirubhai would have been so proud.