Hyderabad Literary Festival on DAY 2

Hyderabad January 29: From today s government to today s cinema - conversations on Day 2 of the Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF 2017) touched myriad subjects pertinent to the current scenario in the country.While Saturday morning on the Hyderabad Public School campus saw acclaimed journalist-turned-author Arun Shourie kick-off a debate on the character of a leader and what followers must bear in mind while choosing them, the dialogue later veered towards India s democratic systems.By evening, movie star Prakash Raj and film-maker Nandini Reddy had turned the spotlight on present day Telugu cinema which was increasingly distancing itself from local literature and meaningfulness. While Shourie steered clear of taking names of these leaders who he described as narcissistic and charming to hide their own insecurities, it wasn t tough to guess who his primary target was."One must be careful of these things as they reflect the character of the government," said the former BJP leader, who has been extremely critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi s government.Shourie faulted Centre s many moves including coal auction to demonetisation. "Do you think people having black money will keep the cash in India?" the author asked sarcastically. Travelling back into history - as if drawing parallels between Indira Gandhi and Modi - he listed out the four criteria that allowed a leader to enter Mrs. Gandhi s inner circle . "He needed to be a weak man, a compromised man, a willing henchman and a salivating person," Shourie said, while hailing Mahatma Gandhi as the only leader who surrounded himself with people who were experts and not second-grade ."Don t cooperate if you think the regime is not desirable. Disassociate," he said to a packed hall, which erupted in laughter when he concluded by saying he wasn t talking about the current leaders! The reaction was the same when the popular movie star, Prakash Raj, at another session, ensured the audience that his soon-to-released Tamil film, Sila Samayangalil, "will not do any business". "I promise it will not run at the theaters. That s because we as a society have lost the culture of listening. All of us think we know more. I released it here (at HLF) because the event comprised a cultured gathering - a rarity these days," Raj said.