When the System Fails.
Impressive. Ram Gopal Varma's desi tribute to the classic, 'The Godfather', i.e. To adapt a riveting tale that established a threshold for cinema and remake it in the Mumbaiyya context was not an easy task, I reckon. RGVs Sarkar has all the elements of the classic. There's Virgil Sollozzo trying to strike a deal with the family; the head of the other family on the commission, Bruno Tattaglia and of course, a watered down Luca Brasi. Although, he doesn't sleep with the fishes in this flick.
I am presenting a few observations I've made. You know how it is! The word Mafia makes me take off on a ramble that is beyond intriguing. It's an obsession! Firstly, to all of those who think this movie sucked; go see the Godfather, read the book and then read a few more books about the LCN, especially about its growth in America. Then read Black Friday. The concept is pretty much adapted. One has to understand that although organized crime has surfaced in all developing countries with the onset of time, each enterprise has followed a certain structure.
The early Sicilian Mafia was a stiff reply to invaders and oppressors which may have otherwise bled the nation dry. It was a rebel organization that believed in justice for the masses without the consent of a higher authority. The next wave of Mafiosi were hired by landlords and were simply mercenaries or criminals who protected the nobility in exchange for protection from the Royal authority. The Omerta code, the protocols or simply the order followed a lot of teachings written by Niccolo Machiavelli. The Prince is an outstanding example of his philosophy and it provides strategic and sometimes downright stringent solutions for harsh situations. The East has Sun-Tzu's Art of War; almost a textbook for military campaigns and strategy. In my opinion, the two topics don't even compare, although they could be mutually influential.
When hundreds of immigrants started to pour into the United States, these principles were carried by a handful elements who snuck among the common people in search of opportunity and a better life. Don Fanucci can be cited at this point! Such rogue elements created the need for a counter-intelligent faction, if I could call it that; to oppose and rebel. The early years of the mafia had Dons and their croonies; protection was paid to these higher-than-authority elements. They would 'protect' the common man trying to earn his livelihood by offering to keep the rogue cops, other extortionists and goons at bay. It wasn't hard to tell who's the real criminal.
The mafia or the underworld in Mumbai, India on the other hand was started as a lucrative means to simply make money by smuggling gold bullions, electronic goods, contraband and prostitution. The common man was kept out of the loop at the very base level, but invariably people suffered by paying more taxes to alleviate the deficit created by the number juggling. I dont use the term mafia, because, truly it fits only in the Cosa Nostra sense. The actual meaning refers to a group that rebelled against the French in the earlier part of the 1400s. Mafiosi actually means 'a man of honor'. All of us know that the modern day mafiosi have anything but honor.
While the mafia was being restructured in the early 1930s through the 40s by the likes of Lucky Luciano, a commission was established to oversee the activities. This was the cream of the lot, the biggest and the most powerful. The commission decided as to who would be inducted (opening the books) and who'd have to go (getting whacked, if you will). The wise guys or the inductees were protected by the Omerta which means they couldn't go on a rampage killing each other, unless the commission was notified. The Castellemmarese War was a bloody example which demanded a certain method to the madness.
As time progressed, the older authority in the Indian context (powerful dons from the 70's and 80's like Karim Lala, Haji Mustan and Varadarajan Mudaliar) were replaced by more notorious elements like Dawood Ibrahim and the next generation's primal definition of 'mean'. The newer trades included dealing drugs, gambling rigs, extorting money, racketeering and even terrorism. On the other hand, the restructuring of the Indian mafia had its share of violence. The newer dons didnt leave a single stone unturned to uproot the older authority. Families had to flee in fear of violence. While this goes onto explain the indulgence of the mafia in India, wiseguys in the United States were also breaking the Omerta vows in the 80s by talking to authorities and helping in handing out indictments to their own mafiosi brethen. More killings followed as soon as higher authorities within the Crime families feared that the street level soldiers or even their equivalent bosses would rat on them. Murder, either by consent or otherwise can never qualify as lawful.
I am presenting a few observations I've made. You know how it is! The word Mafia makes me take off on a ramble that is beyond intriguing. It's an obsession! Firstly, to all of those who think this movie sucked; go see the Godfather, read the book and then read a few more books about the LCN, especially about its growth in America. Then read Black Friday. The concept is pretty much adapted. One has to understand that although organized crime has surfaced in all developing countries with the onset of time, each enterprise has followed a certain structure.
The early Sicilian Mafia was a stiff reply to invaders and oppressors which may have otherwise bled the nation dry. It was a rebel organization that believed in justice for the masses without the consent of a higher authority. The next wave of Mafiosi were hired by landlords and were simply mercenaries or criminals who protected the nobility in exchange for protection from the Royal authority. The Omerta code, the protocols or simply the order followed a lot of teachings written by Niccolo Machiavelli. The Prince is an outstanding example of his philosophy and it provides strategic and sometimes downright stringent solutions for harsh situations. The East has Sun-Tzu's Art of War; almost a textbook for military campaigns and strategy. In my opinion, the two topics don't even compare, although they could be mutually influential.
When hundreds of immigrants started to pour into the United States, these principles were carried by a handful elements who snuck among the common people in search of opportunity and a better life. Don Fanucci can be cited at this point! Such rogue elements created the need for a counter-intelligent faction, if I could call it that; to oppose and rebel. The early years of the mafia had Dons and their croonies; protection was paid to these higher-than-authority elements. They would 'protect' the common man trying to earn his livelihood by offering to keep the rogue cops, other extortionists and goons at bay. It wasn't hard to tell who's the real criminal.
The mafia or the underworld in Mumbai, India on the other hand was started as a lucrative means to simply make money by smuggling gold bullions, electronic goods, contraband and prostitution. The common man was kept out of the loop at the very base level, but invariably people suffered by paying more taxes to alleviate the deficit created by the number juggling. I dont use the term mafia, because, truly it fits only in the Cosa Nostra sense. The actual meaning refers to a group that rebelled against the French in the earlier part of the 1400s. Mafiosi actually means 'a man of honor'. All of us know that the modern day mafiosi have anything but honor.
While the mafia was being restructured in the early 1930s through the 40s by the likes of Lucky Luciano, a commission was established to oversee the activities. This was the cream of the lot, the biggest and the most powerful. The commission decided as to who would be inducted (opening the books) and who'd have to go (getting whacked, if you will). The wise guys or the inductees were protected by the Omerta which means they couldn't go on a rampage killing each other, unless the commission was notified. The Castellemmarese War was a bloody example which demanded a certain method to the madness.
As time progressed, the older authority in the Indian context (powerful dons from the 70's and 80's like Karim Lala, Haji Mustan and Varadarajan Mudaliar) were replaced by more notorious elements like Dawood Ibrahim and the next generation's primal definition of 'mean'. The newer trades included dealing drugs, gambling rigs, extorting money, racketeering and even terrorism. On the other hand, the restructuring of the Indian mafia had its share of violence. The newer dons didnt leave a single stone unturned to uproot the older authority. Families had to flee in fear of violence. While this goes onto explain the indulgence of the mafia in India, wiseguys in the United States were also breaking the Omerta vows in the 80s by talking to authorities and helping in handing out indictments to their own mafiosi brethen. More killings followed as soon as higher authorities within the Crime families feared that the street level soldiers or even their equivalent bosses would rat on them. Murder, either by consent or otherwise can never qualify as lawful.
posted by Shaking Shenoy at 7/24/2005 05:44:00 PM
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