Bollywood Movie - Iqbal

Part 9/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Posted on : May 14, 2010

Introduction

Iqbal is a 2005 Hindi Bollywood  film written by Vipul K Rawal and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and was released under Subhash Ghai's new banner, "Mukta Searchlight Films".

The story follows a cricket-obsessed boy from a remote Indian village as he aims to overcome his difficulties and become a cricketer and fulfil his dream of playing for the Indian national cricket team.

Plot

Brillantly written by Vipul K Rawal, Iqbal tells the story of Iqbal (Shreyas Talpade), a deaf and mute boy, who dreams of playing cricket for India. However, he is discouraged by his father who thinks that Iqbal's daydreams are a waste of time. Instead, he wants Iqbal to help him tend to the crops and become a farmer like him, which would be a stable profession.

Iqbal's sister, Khadija (Shweta Prasad), however, helps him try out for a nearby academy run by Guruji (Girish Karnad), an influential former India captain, who accepts him for his talent. However, when Iqbal competes with a rich boy, Kamal, who is also the star of the academy, he is thrown out by Guruji out of fear of Kamal's father, who bankrolls the academy. Iqbal seeks help from the local drunkard, Mohit (Naseeruddin Shah), who was once a great cricketer and persuades him to be his coach. They are able to train in a nearby field, using Iqbal's buffaloes (named after actual members of the Indian cricket team) as fielders.

Bollywood Movie - Lagaan

Part 8/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Posted on : May 13, 2010

Introduction

Lagaan is a 2001 Bollywood  feature film made in India. The film, based on an original story by Ashutosh Gowariker, was also directed by him. It was produced by Aamir Khan, who plays the lead role, and stars Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles.

Plot

Lagaan takes place in the town of Champaner, Central India during the height of the British Empire in India in 1893. Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), the commanding officer of the Champaner cantonment, has imposed high taxes ("lagaan") on people from the local villages which they will be unable to pay due to a prolonged drought. Led by Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), they beg Raja Puran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) to help them. He tells them that much to his regret, he is also bound by British law.

It is after their visit to the Raja that the people of the village first witness a cricket match. Bhuvan mocks the game and gets into a fight with one of the British officers. Taking an instant dislike to Bhuvan, Russell offers to cancel the taxes of the whole province for three years if the villagers can beat his men in a game of cricket. If the villagers lose, however, they will have to pay three times the amount of their normal taxes. Bhuvan accepts this wager on the behalf of all villages without their consent. When the other villagers find out about the bet, they are furious with Bhuvan. He argues that it is important for everyone to fight against British rule.

Munnabhai MBBS

Part 7/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Posted on : May 12, 2010

Introduction

Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. is a 2003 Indian comedy directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The story involves protagonist, Munna Bhai, (Sanjay Dutt), a goon, going to medical school. He is helped by his sidekick, Circuit (Arshad Warsi). It is the first film in the popular Munna Bhai series  It stars Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Jimmy Shergill, Sunil Dutt, Gracy Singh and Boman Irani.

It went on to win not only the 2004 National Film Award for Best Popular Film, several Filmfare awards, including the Critics Award for Best Movie, Best Screenplay, but also became the fifth highest grossing Hindi film of the year.

Plot

Murli Prasad Sharma, nicknamed "Munna Bhai" (literally "Brother Munna") is a bhai or Gunda; a crime don in the Mumbai underworld. Given that his father had wished him to be a medical doctor, he creates the faux Sri Hari Prasad Sharma Charitable Hospital (named after his father) and pretends to live in accordance with this wish whenever his father (Sunil Dutt) and mother (Rohini Hattangadi) visit him in Mumbai.

One year, however, Munna's plan goes awry when his father meets an old acquaintance, Dr. Asthana (Boman Irani) and the two older men decide to marry Munna to Dr. Asthana's daughter, Dr. "Chinki" Suman (Gracy Singh). It is at this point that the truth about Munna is revealed. Dr. Asthana insults Munna's parents and calls them "fools" for being ignorant of Munna's real life. Munna's father and mother, aghast and later heartbroken, leave for their village.

Chak de india

Part 6/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Posted no : May 11, 2010

Introduction

Chak De! India is a 2007 Bollywood sports film about field hockey in India. It is directed by Shimit Amin, produced by Yash Raj Films, and stars Shahrukh Khan as Kabir Khan, the former captain of the Indian hockey team. After a disastrous loss to the Pakistani hockey team, Khan is ostracized from the sport. He and his mother are further forced from their ancestral home by angry neighbors. Seven years later in an attempt to redeem himself, Khan becomes the coach for the Indian women's hockey team  with the goal of turning its sixteen contentious players into a champion team. After leading the women's team to the Gold, Khan restores his reputation and returns with his mother to their home, welcomed by those who had shunned them years before.

Plot

The film opens in Delhi, India during the final minutes of the Hockey World Cup. The game is between the Pakistan men's national field hockey team and the India men's national field hockey team, with Pakistan leading, 1-0. When Indian team captain and hockey superstar, Kabir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) is fouled, he elects to take the penalty stroke himself. However, his strike flies just above the goal, and India suffers a crushing defeat. Soon after, the media begins to circulate a photograph of him accepting a handshake from the head of the Pakistani team, speculating that Khan (who is a Muslim)  might have "thrown" the game as an act of sympathy towards Pakistan. The religious prejudice exhibited towards Khan by the entire society at large forces him and his mother out of their ancestral home and into exile.

Black

Part 5/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Posted on : May 10, 2010

Introduction

Black is a 2005 Indian film in Hindi and Indian English directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Black revolves around a blind and deaf girl, and her relationship with her teacher who himself later develops Alzheimer's disease. The first half of the film is an adaptation of Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life.

The film was screened at the Casablanca Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and eleven Filmfare Awards. Time Magazine (Europe) selected the film as one of the 10 Best Movies of the Year 2005 from across the globe. The movie was positioned at number five. Indiatimes Movies ranks the movie amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films.

Plot

The story of Black is partly based on the true life story of Helen Keller. The film begins with Michelle McNally (Rani Mukerji), a blind and deaf woman, visiting her former teacher Debraj Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan), who now has Alzheimer's disease, in a hospital. The film then flashbacks to the past to her childhood.

Michelle was a girl who lost her eyesight and hearing a few months after birth and exists in a black world where she is isolated in the darkness of her own existence, trapped by her inability to see, hear and express. She grows up becoming more and more frustrated by the black and dark world around her, making her a violent, uncontrollable eight-year old child. Her parents, Paul and Catherine, are at their wits' end trying to control her, until one day the light shines through the end of the tunnel.

Taare Zameen Par

Part 4/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Posted no : May 8, 2010

Introduction

Taare Zameen Par is a 2007 Bollywood  film directed by Aamir Khan, produced by Aamir Khan Productions, and initially conceived of and developed by the husband and wife team, Amole Gupte and Deepa Bhatia.  It also stars Khan and Darsheel Safary, features music by the trio, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, lyrics by Prasoon Joshi, CG animation by Visual Computing Labs, Tata Elxsi Ltd., 2D animation by Vaibhav Kumaresh’s Vaibhav studios, and title animation by Dhimantvyas.

Plot

Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) is an eight-year old boy who hates school. Every subject is difficult for him and he perpetually fails his exams. He also lacks motor coordination skills and finds it difficult to throw a ball in a straight line. Rather than helping him, his teachers and classmates subject him to constant acts of public humiliation. At the same time, Ishaan's internal world is rich with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate: magical lands filled with color and animated animals. His forte is art, although no one realises this at first.

It is no better at home. His father, Nandkishore Awasthi (Vipin Sharma), is a successful and busy executive who expects the best from his boys. His mother, Maya Awasthi (Tisca Chopra), is a housewife who is perpetually frustrated by her inability to help Ishaan excel. Ishaan's elder brother Yohaan (Sachet Engineer) is a successful scholar/athlete, a fact which Ishaan is constantly reminded of. After discovering that Ishaan skipped (or "bunked") school, in addition to having poor grades, his parents decide that he needs to attend boarding school in order to be 'disciplined'.

Rang De Basanti

Part 3/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Posted on : May 7, 2010

Introduction

Rang De Basanti, IPA: English translation: Paint It Saffron[1]) is a 2006 Indian drama film written and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. It features an ensemble cast comprising Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth Narayan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and British actress Alice Patten in the lead roles. Made on a budget of Rs. 250 million (US$5.5 million), the film was shot in and around New Delhi.

Plot

Struggling British filmmaker  Sue McKinley (Alice Patten) comes across the diary of her grandfather, Mr. McKinley (Steven Mackintosh), who served as a jailer in the British Army during the Indian independence movement. Through the diary, she learns about the story of five freedom fighters who were active in the movement: Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Ram Prasad Bismil. Having decided to make a film about them, Sue travels to India. With the help of her friend, Sonia (Soha Ali Khan), Sue initially casts four young men, Daljit "DJ" (Aamir Khan), Karan Singhania (Siddharth Narayan), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor) and Sukhi (Sharman Joshi), to portray as the revolutionaries.

Though they are not enthusiastic at the idea of acting in a film about the independence movement, Sue eventually manages to convince them. Laxman Pandey (Atul Kulkarni), a political party activist, joins the cast later, despite initially being unpopular due to his anti - Muslim beliefs and contempt for Aslam, a Muslim. In the process of filming, the idealism of India’s revolutionary heroes seeps into the protagonists. They gradually begin to realize that their own lives are quite similar to the characters they portray in Sue's film and that the state of affairs that once plagued the revolutionaries continues to torment their generation.

Agile Course Development (ACD)

BigGyan Cloud eLearning

Agile course development is a model for development of online courses. Its concept is similar to Agile software development, but is limited to courses. Agile Course development refers to a group of course development methodologies based on iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between course providers and course consumers.

It is much more efficient than traditional methods of course development which lay more stress on developing content once for all. ACD is targeted to develop courses in an iterative fashion, where the first iteration involves preparing a course that is of production quality. So Agile not only means fast, it also entails the quality of the course.

Fundamental Assumptions :

1.  Action precedes clarity.

2.  90% content of most courses is already available on internet. You just need to find the content.

3.  The remaining 10% content should be prepared in iterative fashion using bubbles. A bubble is a unit of content.

4.  User generated content is generally highly effective when done in collaborative environment. - Wikipedia, Youtube Videos.

5.  Education can be fun. The effectiveness of the course is judged based on whether learners enjoy the course or not (Fun Quotient) and how they perform in exams (Grades are important too).

BigGyan Model

A model recommended for creating instructional materials is the BigGyan model. This acronym stands for the 6 phases contained in the model:

• Begin - Start with Skeleton course.

• Internet search - Find and include content from Internet. Use Apture.

• Go around - Check if all topics are covered.

• Gist - For remaining topics/sub-topics create cilos. Cilo is a unit of content. 5 slides, 1 page (3 paragraphs), 1 Image, 2 min video, 2 min audio. Stack Cilos to over all topics.

• Yack Away - Include more stuff. Collaborative content development.  Content creation - Mindmaps, animations, games, molecules, PPT, Videos, podcasts.  Include Humor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RjJ-Ca7MtA). Latest happenings...

• Ask - Include short/long quizzes.

• Network - Create online discussions and activities for learners. Ask them to create Cilos.

Due to the regular involvement and feedback of the learners, the course tends to be more comprehensive, more interesting and more requirement oriented. Also, tasks such as Gisting, Going around, Yacking Away etc. are done simultaneously, driven by the learner’s implicit and explicit response. It also reduces the course development cycle time. The course remains  human friendly and is not uptight.

Shift Towards Aggregation and Information Delivery - ACD indicates a shift toward being aggregators who pull together information from various sources and provide context and meaning for that information.

ACD methodology is similar to the iterative, Rapid Application Development (RAD), a type of software development methodology. But ACD has its own principles for developing a course and it has introduced concepts that overcome the problems associated with existing models like ADDIE (Analysis Phase, Design Phase, Development Phase, Implementation Phase, Evaluation).

For instance, the Instructional Development Learning System (IDLS) requires long gestation period before a course is prepared, which means it fails whenever the requirements are changed at the end or not properly understood. In the iterative incremental model of ACD, the development process moves according to the iterations. Requirements analysis, designing, and functional modification must be added at each iteration of a system to meet expected fun quotient

Pathshala

Part 2/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Posted on : May 6, 2010

Introduction

Paathshaala is a 2010 Bollywood film that stars Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia, Ali Haji and Nana Patekar and is directed by Milind Ukey. The film revolves around kids set in a school campus. It comments on the Indian education system and its shortcomings. Kapoor plays an English and music teacher in the film. It is inspired by the Marathi movie Shaala also directed by Milind Ukey. The film opened on 16 April 2010 to mixed reviews.

Plot

The story begins with a new English teacher Rahul Prakash Udyavar (Shahid Kapoor) joining Swaraswati Vidya Mandir school, situated in the Mumbai suburbs. He strikes instant rapport with students and teachers alike.

When Rahul Udyawar unifies the teachers (Ayesha Takia, Sushant Singh) against the atrocities of school management, the Principal Aditya Sahay (Nana Patekar) defends the management decision. This comes as a shocker to the teachers as Mr. Sahay is known for his dedication as an educator for the last 32 years which has built the school's high reputation. The situation becomes graver as school management becomes overambitious with its growth and involves media planners in the extracurricular activities. This demands the involvement of students in TV reality shows and many other media PR activities used for building up the school image in public which starts reflecting on the students' stress levels. The pressure on young minds increases incredibly, leading to unexpected and grim consequences.

Caught in the web of commercialization and internal rebellion, the school's situation becomes so explosive that it finally becomes a national issue.

3 Idiots

Part 1/10 - BigGyan Cloud eLearning: 10 Bollywood movies on education and training

Introduction

3 Idiots is a 2009 Bollywood  comedy film directed by Rajkumar Hirani, with a screenplay by Abhijat Joshi, and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was loosely adapted from the novel Five Point Someone  by Chetan Bhagat. 3 Idiots stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Omi Vaidya, Parikshit Sahni and Boman Irani.

Plot

Farhan Qureshi (R. Madhavan), Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi), and Rancchoddas "Rancho" Shyamaldas Chanchad (Aamir Khan) are three engineering students who share a room in a hostel at the Imperial College of Engineering, one of the best colleges in India. While Farhan and Raju are average students from modest backgrounds, Rancho is from a rich family. Farhan wants to become a wildlife photographer, but has joined engineering college to fulfil his father's wish. Raju on the other hand wants to uplift his family fortunes. Rancho is a wealthy genius who studies for the sheer joy of it. However, Rancho's passion is for knowledge and taking apart and building machines rather than the conventional obsession of the other students with exam ranks. With his different approach Rancho incurs the wrath of dean of college, Professor Viru Sahastrabudhhe (ViruS) (Boman Irani). Rancho irritates his lecturers by giving creative and unorthodox answers, and confronts ViruS after fellow student Joy Lobo hangs himself in his dormitory room. Joy had requested an extension on his major project on compassionate grounds—his father had suffered a stroke—but ViruS refused, saying that he himself was completely unmoved by his own son's accidental death after being hit by a train. Rancho denounces the rat race, dog-eat-dog, mindless rote learning mentality of the institution, blaming it for Lobo's death.