Reel to real, life’s different: Ayaz Memon

INSIDE TRACK

"Crime is common. Logic is rare,'' says Sherlock Holmes in 'The Copper Beeches'. "Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell.''

Dwelling on his own tryst with underworld don Dawoood Ibrahim 15-16 years ago - and as put out by television last week - Govinda defined this logic as 'fear'. Cynics and semanticists alike may question the use of 'fear' as logic, as it were, but Govinda will argue that this is obfuscation: Life is precious when the fight changes from reel to real.

Film stars have always been in great demand with gangsters because glamour becomes irresistible to those with money and power, and even more so with both. Dawood, reared on the mean streets of Mumbai, the home of the film industry, clearly favoured glamorous companions once he had hit the big time. There are a number of photographs of various people cavorting with him, either in this city or in Dubai where he set up base as a fugitive.

In the 80s, he was wanted in India, but was ubiquitous on television when cricket matches in Sharjah were being shown. In Dawood's gallery could be spotted some of the biggest names from the film, business and cricket fraternities. Those not publicly seen, included politicians and law-keepers.

Dawood's patronage was enjoyed because of a mixture of fear, awe, thrill and greed. His nefarious activities began to get glossed over, and his persona became larger-than-life.

All that changed after the 1993 bomb blasts. From a romanticised criminal on the run, he was now a terrorist, and everybody looked to get out of his radar as quickly as possible.

The hard-nosed inquisitor will now be compelled to ask the moot question: why was Dawood's progress in the world of crime not checked early enough. But as Holmes would tell his buddy. "Elementary Dr Watson, nobody had the will.''

That, however, is another story.

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The International Cricket Council last week wrote to the prime minister of India expressing concern about the way in which the cricket telecast rights will have to be shared with Prasar Bharati. Apparently, there was even a threat-of-sorts in the letter that cricket matches/tours to India could be withdrawn. Is that some kind of a joke?

Okay, we are all fed up of the shenanigans that have been going on where telecast rights for Indian cricket are concerned. I also believe the mandatory sharing of footage with Prasar Bharati is unfair where business logic is concerned. But the ICC writing such a letter to the PM is preposterous and supercilious.

Frankly, cricket without India is unthinkable in the current scenario. A billion eyeballs define the lure - and by extension the lucre - for the sport, which anybody would be loath to lose. Moreover, did the ICC really believe it could influence a nation's policy?

I suspect the letter had been instigated by someone with a sense of exaggerated self-importance. Given these excitable times, perhaps that is excusable. But surely Ehsan Mani, Macolm Speed and the other mandarins of the ICC are better off spending time devising a more meaningful cricket contest than the recent World Series instead of advising Manmohan Singh on which channel to surf for cricket.

Email: ayaz@dnaindia.net