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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved...

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved up and revived in the past few years, AI official sources said.   It marked a symbolic milestone for Air India itself - founded in 1932 by the legendary Bharat Ratna J. R. R. Tata - which once ruled the roost and was India’s pride in the global skies.   Once renowned for its royal service with the iconic Maharaja welcoming fliers on board, in 1953 it was taken over by the government of India. After years of piling losses, ageing aircraft, decline in operations and standards – almost like a Maharaja turning a pauper - it returned to the Tata Group four years ago.   This time it was not just the aircraft, the brand and the deflated Maharaja coming into the large-hearted Tata Group stables, but a formidable challenge to ensure that the airline could regain its old glory and glitter. Of the total around 190 aircraft in its fleet were 30 – or 15 pc – that had been grounded and neglected for years.   At that time, the late Ratan N. Tata had directed that all these valuable aircraft must be revived as far as possible and join the fleet. Accordingly, the VT-ALL, languishing at Nagpur for nearly five years, was ‘hospitalized’ at the Air India Engineering Service Ltd., its MRO facility in May 2025.   New Avatar Then started a thorough, painstaking nose-to-tail restoration of an unprecedented scale, in which over 3000 critical components were replaced, over 4,000 maintenance tasks executed, besides key structural upgrades like the longeron modification, engines, auxiliary power units, avionics, hydraulics, landing gears and almost every vital system was rebuilt or replaced.   After the repairs, the old aircraft was reborn, under the gaze of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and technical assistance from Boeing, and the new ‘avatar’ jetliner emerged with the highest global safety standards.   The aircraft cleared all the rigorous checks, a successful test flight, earned the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate and then made its maiden commercial flight from Monday, March 16 – after a wait of six years.   Sturdy Fliers Created in 1946 to become an instant global icon, the Air India’s mascot Maharaja now sports a youthful and chic look, a welcome with folded hands, closed eyes, featuring a bejewelled turban, stylish jootis, and a textured kurta in Air India’s new colours. He is prominently visible at various touch-points in a flyer’s journey, such as First Class, exclusive lounges, and luxury products.   Today, he commands a mix fleet of around 190 narrow and wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft like : A319, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo, A350-900 and B787-8, B787-9, B7770200LR, B-777-300ER. With the merger of Vistara and agreements signed for 10 A350 and 90 A320 aircraft, the Maharaja’s fleet is slated to soar to some 570 in the near future.

When Celebs Praise a Project, Run for the Hills

Is Adolescence an amazing web series or just an overhyped dud sold by celebrities with agendas?

There seems to be a trend in the past few years of Bollywood blatantly lying about the “perfection” and “admiration” of certain films, web series, and actors. Take, for instance, the recently released web series Adolescence, which seems to be the best thing on Netflix right now if one were to believe the likes of Anurag Kashyap and Alia Bhatt.


I’ve seen the web series, and believe me when I say this, it is a snooze fest laced with good acting. It is so boring that one has to repeatedly remind oneself to stay awake to finish its torturous (one-take) four episodes.


Celebs lying through their teeth

Let’s go back a few weeks, when the disastrous Nadaaniyan, the debut of Ibrahim Ali Khan also starring Khushi Kapoor, was released (coincidentally on Netflix). On scrolling social media, one was flooded with reels promoting the film, but a particular one stood out to me. A certain actor Archana Puran Singh (who also has a brief appearance in the film) showered praises on its lead actors. All one could do was roll their eyes because what Archana was saying contradicted what the audiences and critics were feeling. Ibrahim and Khushi gave horrendous performances. A few days later, I came across a reel where Archana is asked about the plans for her sons; guess what she says? One of her boys is becoming an actor and is currently “auditioning”. This was where I added two and two together. It made me realise that almost every time a celebrity praises a film or web series or fellow actor, there has to be some hidden work connection or future project or offer tied to that “praise”.


The sad part is they just lie through their teeth. Alia praising Adolescence out of the blue might seem to contradict what I just said. However, it may be noteworthy to know that most of her recent films, including Heart of Stone and Darlings, were released on Netflix.


Anurag, while praising the show, blasted Netflix India, even though one of his biggest successes in the last few years, Sacred Games, has been a Netflix India product. His other ventures, like, The Lunchbox, Bombay Talkies, Lust Stories, etc., are also streaming on Netflix. He feels if a subject like Adolescence were to be pitched to Netflix India, they “most probably would have rejected it or turned it into a 90-minute film”. Oh Mr Kashyap, how I wish Adolescence was indeed rejected or turned into a 90-minute film instead of the painfully slow time-waster that it is.


My Problem with Adolescence

The length: This four-episode web series could have easily been just two episodes. Not only does it drag the story, but it also does a grave injustice to the precious time of the audience.


Unanswered questions: There are certain scenes in the show where I found myself having more questions than answers. The boy swears to his father that he didn’t kill the girl. Yet during police interrogation, the father-son are shown CCTV footage of the actual crime, and we as an audience don’t get to see it. So did he kill the girl or not? Why did the female doctor evaluating him tolerate his disturbing behaviour? The list goes on and on.


One take, no thank you: The thing that is being raved about is how all four episodes were shot in one take. As an audience, it was probably the worst thing to witness. I am reminded of a one take episode shot by the team of CID way back in 2004 and even that was far more entertaining than this “perfect web series”. Not undermining the hard work put in by the team, but how long can one tolerate a still camera and just one location, especially in episode three? It boasts excellent acting but an awful screenplay and direction. No wonder the director of the show (Stephen Graham) was shocked when he came to know about the show’s popularity among Indian celebs. He knows he has made a substandard series.


Episode 4: The absolute worst part of the whole series and something that could have easily been done away with. It shows how the killer boy’s parents and sister are trying to get back to normal. I found myself wondering what on earth the makers were thinking. A teen girl has been killed, and they want us to empathise with the family of the murderer? Also, it was the most boring episode despite there being movement by the characters in a minivan.


The real entertainers: Want a solid recommendation from me that will keep you on the edge of your seat despite knowing (or not knowing) everything about the case? Grab your favourite snacks and watch American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson on Netflix. This four-part docuseries based on the 1994 double homicide of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman is an excellent one, very well directed and not boring even for one second, unlike Adolescence. It is indeed the closest thing to “perfection” on Netflix at the moment.


Netflix also has a series (set in different countries) titled Criminal. If you want to watch the perpetrators being interrogated by cops and brought to justice, this one is highly recommended.

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