Sex was an audacious thesis statement, calculated enough to piss people off but seemly enough to maintain artistic integrity.

That the BJP has been running the AIADMK show from behind the curtains is probably Tamil Nadu's worst-kept secret at the moment. A day ago, Tamil Nadu's dairy development minister Rajender Balaji admitted, unabashedly, that AIADMK has to fear nothing and no one because the party has the support of Prime Minister Modi. Anyone familiar with Tamil Nadu's politics will agree that this 'mere paas Modi hai' sentiment defines AIADMK, post Jayalalithaa.

On the face of it, it may seem that having control over the AIADMK would make BJP a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu. However, what the party did not factor in, in its quest to gain power over Tamil Nadu's politics, is the resistance it faced from the film industry. It may have been prepared for a battle with the Congress-DMK alliance, but Kollywood? Not something they had a defence plan for.

The past week hasn't been the best of the party in Tamil Nadu. First, Kamal Haasan, who isn't anyway a great fan of the saffron brigade, retracted his statement supporting demonetisation. In a column, he not only apologised for supporting demonetisation but also demanded that Prime Minister Modi admit that the decision to demonetize was not an erroneous one, or at least, the way it was implemented was a mistake.

This Diwali, the release of Mersal, starring Tamil superstar Vijay left the BJP stunned. The film pulls no punches in its criticism of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), one of NDA government's trophy projects. It did not help that the BJP leaders didn't let the film take it's natural course and disappear from public memory -- the early reviews of the film were not encouraging with critics pointing out that that it was a rehash of several old Tamil films. Instead, they went at the film hammer and tongs, giving it a new lease of life at the box office.

Sources say that the BJP sees the two developments as potentially threatening to all the work they had done to gain mileage in the state. Considering that both Vijay and Kamal Hasaan have considerable influence of thousands of Tamilians, open criticism against the Centre could make an impression on the electorate.

It didn't also help that Vijay's supporters made #MersalvsModi trend on Twitter, throwing a challenge at the Prime Minister himself. As a result, BJP's attempts to point out what they called was an inaccurate portrayal of the GST, sank.

Kamal was the first to tweet in Mersal's support articulating that once it has passed the scrutiny of the Censor Board, no one can ask a filmmaker to cut his movie again. The South Indian Artistes Association too has spoken in support of the film now.

But the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP sees a political motive behind Vijay's character criticising the GST in Mersal. Most of them argued that Vijay has done this to further his own political ambitions. In what was a crude, below the belt remark, H Raja, the national secretary of the BJP sought to emphasize Vijay's full name -- Joseph Vijay -- in what seemed like a bid to suggest that his Christian roots has something to do with him critiquing the BJP. One was reminded how Prime Minister Modi, back in 2002, used a similar strategy to question his critics. Irked by chief election commissioner JM Lyngdoh's directives, Modi had sought to spell out his full name -- James Michael Lyngdoh -- not in a matter-of-fact manner, but as a suggestion that he may be close to Congress since he is a Christian.

The narrative around BJP's move to re-censor Mersal has been cast in a way that suggests that the party has hurt Tamil pride. That can't be good news for the party.

The feeling on the street already is how despite the BJP's best attempts to push O Panneerselvam tp capture the AIADMK's top leadership, he could not muster enough support and therefore Plan B of effecting a merger with the Edappadi Palaniswami group had to be kicked in. BJP secured less than 3 per cent vote share and zero seats in the 2016 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. No wonder several people feel that the party is punching way above its weight in trying to dictate what the state can watch in movie theatres and what they cannot.

While Mersal's GST scene has gone viral, the next movie that is likely to cause a similar or bigger storm would be Kamal Haasan's 'Indian 2'. Given the actor's political inclinations, it's fair to assume that his role as an anti-corruption vigilante, will be a loaded one.

Demonetisation is likely to go down as one of landmark decisions in history of Independent India. It will serve as a useful guide to countries across the globe in their monetary experiments to counter black money. It also poses few questions pertinent to the policy discourse of the country. The Indian government apparently had not taken everyone into confidence while announcing the demonetization policy.

The decision was kept under wraps until 8 PM on 8th November, 2016 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement public. The intent was to catch the corrupt off-guard. Let us discuss two lessons from this epic experiment: one pertaining to policy formulation and the other pertaining to policy evaluation.

Stakeholder Consultation

The process followed to arrive at the demonetisation policy is intriguing. Unlike Goods and Services Tax (GST), demonetisation hardly solicited inputs of stakeholders to assess its likely impact. Most legislators were not privy to this decision until moments before the announcement.

At the same time, one of the biggest problems pointed out by critics of demonetisation was the lack of preparedness and foresight of the government. This can be attributed partly to lack of stakeholder involvement in decision making process. The reason for not involving the elected representatives need to be examined further.

A friend of mine pointed out that when legislators take oath to office and secrecy and are yet kept out of loop, the Prime Minister is openly acknowledging their corruption. Even when the Cabinet was informed about the decision moments before making the announcement public, an additional precaution was taken. Members of the Cabinet were specifically instructed not to carry their mobile phones.

The very fact that the inputs of elected representatives cannot be solicited due to concerns of 'trust', should perturb us, yet, strangely it does not. We have grown accustomed to it and we are understanding that the Prime Minister has very few he can trust and involve while making such a momentous decision. It is even more disturbing that there was hardly any dissent from those kept out of loop, that they should have been consulted in the decision making process. Is it an acknowledgement from their end that they are not trustworthy?

How can the trustworthiness of elected representatives be ensured? This calls for examining how they stand to benefit if they help those holding black money.

Arguably, such a huge decision would have benefitted from perspectives of diverse stakeholders so that its repercussions could be foreseen to a greater extent and adequate preparation could be taken. It may have also helped the government identify and prevent ways in which black money could be converted to white money. How can the trustworthiness of elected representatives be ensured? This calls for examining how they stand to benefit if they help those holding black money.

Some elected representatives might have black money or could have close ties with those possessing it which could prompt them to protect their vested interests if they are involved in decision making process. Measures to ensure transparency in election financing and stringent monitoring of wealth accumulated by those in power are few steps that can be taken to address this issue.

Policy Evaluation

The evaluation of the demonetisation policy is another interesting area, given that its intended objectives are modified to stay in sync with any intended or unintended positive consequences reported to arise from it. If the initial intent as per the announcement of the honourable Prime Minister was to curb black money and financing of terrorism, it has metamorphosed into increasing digitisation, formalisation and widening of tax base. Given its continuously evolving objectives, how would one evaluate such a policy?

The reason why the government is able to play this game is because of a deeper underlying issue in policy formulation: the lack of a systematic and structured approach to policymaking.

It should be made mandatory that government initiates mechanisms for evaluating a policy or a law as part of its design. This would compel policymakers to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound) objectives, as management theorists would call it.

Would the public have voted the Bharatiya janata Party to power had they known that the move did not yield its initial intended objectives?

Presently, there seems to be a blind-faith in policy making due to which there is a lack of emphasis on validating the underlying assumptions or its intended impact through data.

It is important to gather data to evaluate whether policies created with good intent such as rail travel subsidy, caste-based reservation are effective as envisioned. Evaluation of success of policies or programs should not be left to one's beliefs. The outcome matters as much as the intent.

Lack of a timely policy evaluation mechanism leads to policy makers exploiting the policy intent. While data might have been available with Reserve Bank of India at least till April 2017 that 98.8% of the notes had returned to the system by 13 January 2017, it did not make this information public until August 2017. It seems reasonable that the government would have kept track of the currency that returns to the system, given the intent and magnitude of the decision.

Perhaps, if they admitted that much of the withdrawn currency had returned to the system sooner, it may not have been able to capitalise on the perceived gains of the demonetisation policy in elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and get elected to power. Would the public have voted the Bharatiya janata Party to power had they known that the move did not yield its initial intended objectives? The general public might have considered demonetisation policy to be successful when they went to vote.

'DeMon' will go down as a reminder of how effective a policy could have been, had relevant stakeholders been engaged. It would also serve as a guide on how policymakers can afford to carry out any experiment, but still claim and exploit its perceived success due to lack of a systematic and structured approach to policymaking. Absence of a sound evaluation mechanism rewards the intent over outcome of a policy.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

Jonathan, a 186-year-old Seychelles giant tortoise, met the love of his life way back in 1991.

His carers decided he needed a special someone after the active 150-ish-year-old became irritable and difficult to deal with.

The tortoise partner they introduced him to worked wonders. Jonathan and his partner enjoyed doing almost everything together -- sleeping, eating, and their frequent mating sessions.

For years though, Jonathan's owners had been confused as to why the two -- her name was Frederica -- weren't producing any offspring.

But one day when Frederica required medical care for a lesion on her shell, they realised the reason why. Frederica was male.

That's how it was recently discovered that Jonathan, probably the oldest known living creature, was a little bit gay.

What's even sweeter -- in a St Helena Government press release it was noted that "Jonathan came over and would not leave our side the whole way through" the treatment of his companion.

Jonathan was given as a gift to the remote island of St Helena back in the 1882, along with three other tortoises. While he has since lost his sense of smell and capacity to see, Jonathan retains good hearing.

The exact date of his birth is unknown, but a photograph of Jonathan taken around 1886 suggests that he is around 185 years old.

The news comes as St Helena, a tropical island in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, faces a debate on legalising same-sex marriage. The tiny British territory which is one of the most remote islands in the world has a population of just 4,534. The Legislative Council is currently taking submissions on the matter, and a full Supreme Court hearing will most likely occur in January of next year.

Around a year ago one of the richest business conglomerates in the world, Sweetie Pie*, called me for a discussion about Sexual Harassment at the workplace. Although the text of the discussions was great and all the right words, "women must feel safe", "It's our primary duty to ensure their safety", were being officiously articulated, yet I left the office knowing that nothing concrete would materialise out of the discussion. About two months after the meeting, Sweetie Pie was in the news because they were murmurs of a sexual harassment case that one of the employees had filed against the company. After this incident, they called me frantically to be a part of their Internal Complaint Committee at the workplace, as mandated by law.

According to The Sexual Harassment Of Women At Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, Chapter II Constitution of Internal complaints committee:

4. Constitution of Internal Complaints Committee. — (1) Every employer of a workplace shall, by an order in writing, constitute a Committee to be known as the "Internal Complaints Committee":

Provided that where the offices or administrative units of the workplace are located at different places or divisional or sub-divisional level, the Internal Committee shall be constituted at all administrative units or offices.

(2) The Internal Committees shall consist of the following members to be nominated by the employer, namely:

(a) a Presiding Officer who shall be a woman employed at a senior level at workplace from amongst the employees: Provided that in case a senior level woman employee is not available, the Presiding Officer shall be nominated from other offices or administrative units of the workplace referred to in sub-section(1):

Provided further that in case the other offices or administrative units of the workplace do not have a senior level woman employee, the Presiding Officer shall be nominated from any other workplace of the same employer or other department or organisation;

(b) not less than two Members from amongst employees preferably committed to the cause of women or who have had experience in social work or have legal knowledge;

(c) one member from amongst non-governmental organisations or associations committed to the cause of women or a person familiar with the issues relating to sexual harassment: Provided that at least one-half of the total Members so nominated shall be women.

(3) The Presiding Officer and every Member of the Internal Committee shall hold office for such period, not exceeding three years, from the date of their nomination as may be specified by the employer.

(4) The Member appointed from amongst the non-governmental organisations or associations shall be paid such fees or allowances for holding the proceedings of the Internal Committee, by the employer, as may be prescribed.

(5) Where the Presiding Officer or any Member of the Internal Committee, —

(a) contravenes the provisions of section 16; or

(b) has been convicted for an offence or an inquiry into an offence under any law for the time being in force is pending against him; or

(c) he has been found guilty in any disciplinary proceedings or a disciplinary proceeding is pending against him; or

(d) has so abused his position as to render his continuance in office prejudicial to the public interest, such Presiding Officer or Member, as the case may be, shall be removed from the Committee and the vacancy so created or any casual vacancy shall be filled by fresh nomination in accordance with the provisions of this section.

If we read the section carefully, we will understand that the law has left no loopholes in protecting women at their workplace, including laying down the composition of the ICC to review complaints about sexual harassment. I was excited to be a part of the committee and to share my expertise on a subject that I am passionate about. But yet again, nothing materialised out of these discussions because of a huge disparity in their words and their actions. Either the timing wasn't right, or the salary offered was a pittance, or their bosses who were the decision makers were unavailable. Basically, all the reasons proffered had a 'dog ate my homework quality' to them, but the underlying subtext was clear: Prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace just isn't a priority.

That's the real issue with Sexual Harassment at workplace-everyone believes that it doesn't exist, except the woman who is at the receiving end. So not only does she have to battle through the scepticism each time she even dares to bring it up, she also has to go through the entire journey of recounting the horrific experience only to face the aftermath of the negative repercussions in most cases. Dealing with sexual harassment is tough.

Even when extremely powerful women like Angelina Jolie who, besides being an A List Hollywood actress is also a UNHCR special envoy, found it hard to speak up against sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein, think of the challenges faced by an average career woman to speak out. We tend to forget that it takes a lot of guts for a woman to come forward and even take the first tiny step towards even speaking about being sexually harassed and how do we react? Usually by punishing her with either loss of face or ridicule. Or as in Rosanna Arquette's case who got passed over by Harvey Weinstein for roles in his movies because she didn't succumb to his advances.

We tend to forget that it takes a lot of guts for a woman to come forward and even take the first tiny step towards even speaking about being sexually harassed.

Although we don't need a definition of sexual harassment because we all know what exactly it is, yet when it happen we turn a blind eye to it and pretend all is hunky dory and men take it for granted that it's part of the women's job to service them and the company. If her skill sets are better than yours and she has succeeded in life it doesn't mean that she has slept her way to the top and if sleeping around was the way to the top then the poor helpless sex workers would perhaps have been the President of the United States (maybe they would have done a better job than Trump).

It's not the laws that are insufficient but our mindset that makes the laws against sexual harassment at the workplace fail miserably. When companies like Sweetie Pie, amongst many others, take responsibility and don't shove the issues related to sexual harassment on the back burner only then there will be a socio-legal implementation of laws related to prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace. Otherwise, some brave women will continue to speak up, but they have a tough job ahead of them, initially, after which the companies will pay a heavy price like the Harvey Weinstein Company.

P.S. At the time of going to press, the Oscar Board, has expelled Harvey Weinstein from its committee, a first for the Board since its inception over 80 years ago.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

By Chhandosree*

It is basic education that can help one understand the importance of health, hygiene and nutrition in one's lives and livelihood. Therefore it is natural that education can help communities achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), initiated by the United Nations to end poverty, hunger and inequality. With the strong belief that education can help them achieve SDGs, Ilami Panchayat in Pakur district of Jharkhand has laid the foundation for imparting education to all, irrespective of age. Spearheaded by the Panchayat chief Misfiqua Hussain, the supportive community aims to put Ilami as a developed Panchayat on the map of Jharkhand.

While on a visit home, 27-year-old Misfiqua was requested by village women to contest the Panchayat elections in December 2015. She agreed on the condition that the women will study. She was a researcher at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), after a specialisation in medical biotechnology and molecular medicine. Two years after winning the election and becoming the Panchayat chief, she continues to monitor the educational progress of women — right from 4-year-olds to 70-year-olds in every household.

Why pursue SDGs?

"The SDGs have been set in such a way that if met at the local governance level, we will be developing our region, ultimately adding to the bigger framework at the national level," said the young mukhiya (leader) while speaking to VillageSquare.in. According to her, the far-reaching effects of the SDGs are beyond the comprehension of the rural masses, even when the government is committed to meeting the SDGs through various strategies. "How will an uneducated person living below poverty line (BPL) understand why he needs a toilet or why women should be taken to a medical institution for delivery?" asked Misfiqua. She pointed out that in Ilami Panchayat, around 70% of the population is BPL and around 50% are illiterate. "So education is key to development. Once we educate people they will understand what to advocate for," she said.

Night school for a better tomorrow

According to the 2011 census, the population of Ilami panchayat was 9,804, which is now 11,989. The Panchayat did their own survey in April 2017 to understand the demographic indicators, which reflected the poor status of health, nutrition, hygiene, education, sanitation and livelihood. Misfiqua knew that she would be able to improve all the indicators when she suggested starting a night school, and the older women in the village agreed to join.

Mehrunissa of Ilami village was one of the first to step into the night school when it was started in April 2017. "Taking lessons directly from mukhiyaji was scary initially. She is highly educated. She was particular that we should attend the classes. Now we understand why she wanted us to study," the 60-year-old told VillageSquare.in.

When the women of the Panchayat were successfully motivated to be educated, Mission Jeevan, a comprehensive development program to combat problems right from health to agriculture, was launched. "There are nine targets under SDG 3 on health and well-being. It can be achieved when we start focusing on SDG 4, namely quality education. Through Mission Jeevan we have targeted to bring down malnutrition, improve livelihood, increase institutional delivery, bring down infant and maternal mortality rates, eliminate vector-borne diseases and finally adopting new avenues of vocations within the district by increasing scopes for people in working age," said Misfiqua.

According to 58-year-old Begum Zeba, women used to give birth at home and hence maternal and neo-natal mortality were high. "After we started night school, our education was not about sentence construction or grammar. Rather we were taught to understand the critical signs in pregnant women that needed attention, need for consuming nutritious food during pregnancy, immunization for children and the like," said. "The night school is not just about learning the alphabet ka kha ga gha. It is about learning to transform life for a better tomorrow," added Kajoli Ravidas.

Mission for better health

The survey done in Ilami indicated that for 3,732 women in the reproductive age group, there were only three auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM) and four sahiyyas (Accredited Social Health Activist worker), which was not enough. Traditional birth attendants Kajoli Ravidas, Tiloki Ravidas and many others were trained on basic primary health care related to delivery and complications. When they started attending the night classes, they were also trained about care during pregnancy, calculating expected date of delivery, critical signs during pregnancy, cord care, and ways of keeping the baby warm, all of which are essential for reducing the neonatal mortality rate.

Educated adolescent girls joined hands in educating the older women and also in passing on hygiene messages among their friends and other villagers. "Eight arogya doots (health ambassadors) were selected from among the adolescents to create awareness among the girls and women about healthy habits and break the taboos around menstruation. We have started making sanitary napkins on our own and the elders help us. Knowing that sanitary napkins are more hygienic, one hour in a week is set apart for all women, mostly mothers to learn communication skills so that they can talk freely to young girls and boys about physical changes during adolescence," 20-year-old said Rubina.

Comprehensive development

The villagers now understand that all the development strategies are to lead a healthy life. At the night classes, they discussed impacts of climate change, adverse effect of chemical fertilizers on the adjacent water bodies around the fields and on livestock and human. This has led to the panchayat adopting srividhi or System of Rice Intensification method of agriculture and using organic manure. "We have also cleaned the water bodies and doing pisciculture for better livelihood and to bring down deaths due to malaria, dengue and kala azar. Integrated vector management has been started with community participation," said Md Tabrej Alam, one of the residents of Ilami.

"I think, we have sown the right seeds and at least at the panchayat level we will successfully meet many of the SDGs, which in itself will be a research finding," concluded Misfiqua with smile.

Chhandosree is a journalist based in Ranchi. This article was first published on VillageSquare.in, a public-interest communications platform focused on rural India.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

DHAKA -- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advised Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi not to "destroy" her image over her stance on the Rohingya issue as Myanmar's military actions in Rakhine state sparked a global outrage.

Swaraj referred to Modi's advice as she called on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after joining the 4th Bangladesh-India Joint Consultative Commission meeting with her counterpart AH Mahmood Ali.

"He (Modi) told her (Suu Kyi) 'you have a very good international image, don't destroy it'," the Bangladeshpremier's press secretary Ihsanul Karim told PTI, quoting Swaraj as saying during her meeting with Hasina at her residence.

It is not clear when Modi made the comments, however, Bangladeshi media reports claimed he said this last month when he met Suu Kyi during his first bilateral visit to Myanmar.

Karim said Swaraj extended her full support to Bangladesh's stance that Myanmar must take back its nationals and must not punish innocent people while fighting terrorism.

"Myanmar may punish the terrorists, not innocent people," he quoted Swaraj as saying.

Swaraj appreciated Bangladesh's stand on the Rohingya issue but described the exodus of forcibly displaced people as a "big burden for Bangladesh".

"It's a big burden for Bangladesh, and how long will Bangladesh bear this?" she said referring to the exodus of the forcibly displaced people who fled the violence in their homeland and took shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Swaraj added there should be a permanent solution of the Rohingya issues and international community should contribute to social and economic development of Rakhine state.

Karim said she praised Premier Hasina for extending all humanitarian support to the displaced people.

He said Hasina narrated the situation after the beginning of the Rohingya exodus since August 25 and her government's initiatives for their shelter.

"We have given them shelter upon the confidence that we would be able to feed the distressed Rohingyas on humanitarian ground," she told Swaraj.

Hasina said Bangladesh had already established an engagement with Myanmar and the Bangladeshi home minister was set to visit the neighbouring county over the crisis.

Nearly 600,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state where the Myanmarese army has launched a crackdown against militants.

Myanmar doesn't recognise the Rohingyas as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

Bangladesh has sought India's "sustained pressures" on Myanmar for resolution of the crisis.

Hasina recalled India's contribution during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War as well as support to her and her sister Sheikh Rehana after the 1975 assassination of their father - the nation's founder 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - along with most of their family.

Swaraj informed the prime minister about her official talks with her Bangladeshi counterpart saying the entire gamut of bilateral relations came up in their discussion and she was very satisfied at the state of bilateral relations.

She said she had a very fruitful discussion with Bangladeshi officials on the projects under India's Line of Credit (LOC) whose implementation has been delayed.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali, Premier's Advisor on International Affairs Gowher Rizvi, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Moazzem Ali, Bangladeshi Principal Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, and Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque were present along with India's Foreign Secretary Joy Shankar and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsha Vardhan Shingla.

Swaraj also handed over some memorabilia of the 1971 Liberation War to Hasina as a gift to the Bangladesh National Museum.

The memorabilia includes an Mi-4 helicopter, a PT76 tank, 106 mm recoilless anti-tank gun and some of the military equipment used by the joint forces during the war and a number of artefacts and documents like historical photographs, archival audio and video clippings, maps, battle records, newspaper clippings and documentaries.

Also on HuffPost India:

NEW DELHI -- In a stimulus package to boost the flagging economic growth, create jobs and increase credit flow, the cabinet on Tuesday approved a recapitalisation plan for state-run banks to the tune of Rs 2.11 lakh crore and a massive road infrastructure investment costing nearly Rs 7 lakh crore over the next five years.

Of the support to banks, a sum of Rs 1.35 lakh crore will be raised through recapitalisation bonds and the rest through budgetary support as well as market borrowings, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar disclosed at a media conference in the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and a battery of secretaries from the ministry.

Under the road connectivity programme at a cost of nearly Rs 7 lakh crore, the government will construct 84,000 km highways in the next 5 years. Of this, the Bharatmala project component will involve an outlay Rs 5.35 lakh crore that will generate 14.2 crore man-days of work.

Funding for the programme will be raised as debt from the market (Rs 2.09 lakh crore), private investments through PPP (Rs 1.06 lakh crore) and from accruals to the central road fund and toll collections (Rs 2.19 lakh crore).

Jaitley said that the economic blueprint to revive growth being presented follows extensive recent discussions on the state of the economy.

"You will recall the press conference last time, where I had mentioned that we will respond appropriately to the situation as it develops," he said.

"We have conducted analysis within the ministry and held detailed consultation with Prime Minister on the state of the economy. We have decided on the steps needed to sustain the growth momentum," he said.

"The unprecedented recapitalisation and the initiatives announced today (Tuesday) are expected to have a noticeable impact in the near term, contributing to accelerated economic activity, employment and growth of the economy," he added.

The public sector banks' recapitalisation comes in a context where their non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, have reached the level of 82 per cent of their stressed assets, Kumar said.

"The NPAs of government owned banks have increased to the level of Rs 4.55 lakh crore between 2015 and 2017," he said.

"Of this, 12 cases, which have been referred to the NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) account for Rs 1.75 lakh crore, or 25 per cent of all NPAs," he added.

Pointing out that the accumulated NPA figures reflect the result of "aggressive lending" in the past, Jaitley said the government's move to fund banks comes at a time when private sector investment has dwindled.

Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subranmanian, who was also present at the briefing, clarified that the recapitalisation bonds would count as debt, while their exact nature would be made available in due course.

The government, however, denied that this support to banks would affect fiscal consolidation.

The Finance Minister said the banks would get Rs 18,000 crore under the Indradhanush plan.

Under the Indradhanush roadmap introduced in 2015, the government had announced infusion of Rs 70,000 crore in state-run banks over four years to meet their capital requirement in line with global banking risk norms, known as Basel-III.

In line with the plan, public sector banks were given Rs 25,000 crore in 2015-16, and a similar amount has been earmarked for the following years. Besides, Rs 10,000 crore each would be infused in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

This stimulus package comes after data from various sources showed India's GDP growth flagging under the twin impact of demonetisation and GST.

The IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook that India's economic growth for 2017 and 2018 will be slower than earlier projections. The report cited the "lingering impact" of demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for the expected slowdown during the current and the next year.

While filmmakers often meet journalists in their office or their home (a space where they're most comfortable), Imtiaz Ali, in what is befitting, is hanging around a cozy, dimly-lit, obscure cafe in Andheri, a suburb in Western Mumbai.

It's a cafe you'd miss easily, one that you need to find. That's Imtiaz -- he, who famously made the quietly forgotten town of Ratlam famous all over the country. He, of train romances and bike rides that culminate in green fields with figurative boundaries.

Few filmmakers carry a signature style that separates their work from others and Imtiaz is one of them. There is an effortless realism in his films, a sense of ease in which his characters converse -- they often tend to verbalise their emotions. If you notice, his characters not only feel emotions, they talk about that feeling, as if the emotions won't be real if left unsaid.

While there is a sense of deep melancholy in his movies, there's also something very life-affirming. Whether it's the cathartic climax of Tamasha and Highway or the disruptively intense romance and non-conformism of Rockstar, ​​Imtiaz's influence as a filmmaker -- and his sway on pop-culture -- cannot be underestimated. At the same time, we must also address some of his shortcomings.

"If a female character is rescuing the male character in a film, then, in a way, I am just imitating life. Personally, I have seen that happen a lot of times. "

In this interview, the director talks about his cinema, his motivations and what love has come to mean to him.

The success of Jab We Met propelled you to a space where you became a unique voice of contemporary romance. There was almost an aspirational quality to the romance of Geet and Aditya. As a young man coming of age, I remember wanting to meet a Geet. Do you remember how the character was conceived? Was it modelled on someone?

Geet was not modelled on anyone, although I know of some girls, who actually behave and talk like that. After the film released, in all these 10 years, a lot of girls have come up to me and said that they are called 'Geet' in their circles. There are a lot of girls, who love to talk, and who feel they are their own favourites. But I hadn't particularly modelled her on anyone .

A self-loving girl who sees the best in everyone is a rare protagonist.

Yes, and more than just being a self-loving girl, Geet is a girl who instantly trusts everyone and says everything that comes to her mind, without any kind of a filter. She has a basic innocence and inherent positivity...

Yeah, an innocence that isn't corrupted by the ways of the world ...

Yeah, she is not corrupt, and also, even if she has bad experiences, what she takes away from them is not angst. Like, she had a bad experience with the guy selling water at that railway station. Her takeaway from that experience isn't negative. So I think, there is a certain positivity and bumbling naivety that characterises her. And yes, I have seen a lot of girls like that.

Post Jab We Met, your movies have largely opened to polarising responses, Rockstar and Tamasha being two of the most prime examples of that. I feel Tamasha is your most complex film so far and Ranbir's finest performance. For me, the film is almost like a meditative, religious experience. However, what I do feel is that the film's female character, like in many of your films, functions solely to rescue the troubled male protagonist.

(Laughs) I don't know whether that's an allegation or a compliment. If a female character is rescuing the male character in a film, then, in a way, I am just imitating life. Personally, I have seen that happen a lot of times. I don't take it as a negative comment at all and that's really what I have to say about that 'allegation'.

"Women are more intelligent, aware and practical. They come up with solutions that men don't even imagine."

You are saying it comes from your own lived experiences or perhaps experiences of others who you happen to know of?

It is a lived experience. Of course, I have seen a lot of times when that has happened. Of course, guys have also gotten into trouble with girls but to me, that is mundane. I see a lot of women contributing positively to the lives of men and I have also seen and I have no shame in admitting this -- that I genuinely find women to be smarter than men. Women are more intelligent, aware and practical. They come up with solutions that men don't even imagine.

Well, that's great but this approach becomes problematic because you are looking at women in the context of men and from a male gaze.Are you are okay with that? You wouldn't want to do it differently?

No.

See, when I am making a story, believe it or not, I am not making a statement. There are 500 things that the characters of my films have said that I don't personally believe in. Why should every character endorse the view of one person? That would be so unfortunate. That would also be very limiting. I don't want that. I think there are things that Aditya (from Jab We Met) says, or Jordan (Rockstar) says, or Heer (Rockstar) says that I don't believe in. But they are not me. I am just the writer.

But they are an extension of your imagination and represent your worldview.

Well, not 100 per cent.

Of course they are an extension of my imagination. I, like every human being, when I take a decision, I am aware of the logic on both the sides -- whether I should go left or right. Whichever side I go, I know positives and negatives of both left and right. And my characters can represent left and right. They don't need to go into a direction that I, personally, in my life, would have gone. I, sometimes, don't even bother to think what I would have done in my life in that situation. I just feel that Geet could have done this, so, she is doing this. I am not her moral compass at all.

There is a cyclic process in your films where the characters realise they are in love with someone else, when they get or are about to get married. There is this awakening where another character makes them realise that the person they are in love with isn't the one for them. Where does that come from? What is so interesting about that conflict that you keep going back to it whether it's Socha Na Tha, Love Aaj Kal, Jab Harry Met Sejal, Rockstar and to an extent, Jab We Met?

Ummm. I don't think I have a good enough answer to this question really.

But it is a pattern, right?

Yes, of course, it is a pattern. I totally recognise the fact that they (characters) seem to change their minds. But it's not as if though... actually, I don't know where it is coming from. There are other patterns in my films too. Like there is a pattern of anti-establishment. Whether it is Geet running away from her house, or in Rockstar, him (Ranbir Kapoor's character, Jordan) saying 'Sadda Haq', sort of breaking out, there is this reluctance to conform to established norms. Even that doesn't directly come from my life. In the same vein, people changing their romantic muses, is also not influenced from my personal life. One lives and learns... One thing I would say -- what I thought love was, has changed completely. And it has been changing for a while. It's changed to an extent that I don't really use this word anymore. Is that a good enough answer? Because that's the only answer I have.

"If you ask me about my feelings of love, what I have understood is that love is just a direction, not the destination."

Let's talk about evolution of love. (There was) a point when commitment mattered a lot. That was also a time when choices were limited. Then there was a time when we became romantically democratic but commitment was still sacrosanct. But now, when romantic options are just a swipe away, people don't commit easily because everyone thinks there's something better out there. Because of the safety net of an easy alternative, which is so accessible, you don't value the current. At least that's what I feel. Thoughts?

You're right.

But here's what I feel. When you are talking about love, you perhaps think so, but you aren't really talking about someone else, say your lover. You are, in a way, just talking about your own self, about what you love or what you are looking for. And that is what needs definition. The other person, in my opinion, is just an object for you, just a vehicle to realise your own feelings. You know these are things, which I am telling you, because you are asking. I don't have answers for them. But if you ask me about my feelings of love, what I have understood is that love is just a direction, not the destination.

Interesting. I feel nobody can define love. But what we can do is look for its interpretation through art, literature, and cinema.

Yes, yes, yes absolutely. As a filmmaker, I look for life and I look for the meaning of love through the making of my own cinema. That's where my learning happens.

You know what I now find interesting is what you said before about your characters being non-conformists. Examine it closely and you see a template coming out of that non-conformism. What I am trying to see is, as a whole, you have started to conform to a template that you, yourself, have created. Do you question that sometimes?

Hmm, perhaps. I do question that and although I am unwilling to make a movie that does not naturally come to me or is organically interests me, I am looking to make different kinds of films. By this, I don't mean different genres. I just mean different in nature.

As you mentioned before, your lived experiences find a way into your films so do you feel as you grow older, your lived experiences get fewer? As a filmmaker do you find the very nature of that concept limiting?

No, I don't think that's limiting. When you grow old, different kinds of experiences happen. At every age, there are different kinds of intense experiences that happen. To be involved with life is, for sure, very important, to be involved with cinema, and to know what you have to say before you say it also very important. Lived experiences seep into your film, yes. But not in the obvious manner. Very subtly.

"My personal experiences in marriage has not made me cynical at all. I have always been misquoted about marriage."

About people leaving their partner for a different pursuit, if I may, does that come from your personal experience of marriage? Has that made you cynical about the very institution?

No. My personal experiences in marriage has not made me cynical at all. I have always been misquoted about marriage. So, sometimes I don't feel like talking about it because I know exactly where it will land up. Let me not say anything on this. I actually want to say something else...

It doesn't go with the narrative that the media wants to follow? Does that make you uncomfortable?

Yeah, because maybe I am trying to discover much about life in an interview and there are people who are often looking at (getting) the quotes.

So you are cynical about the media, not marriage.

(Laughs) Let's put it like that. I am just a little careful because I don't want to make the same mistake again and again. But often what is obvious is not what I have to say.

In 2012, you wrote a film called, Cocktail, which Homi Adajania directed. Despite being a hit, the film still remains contentious because of the way it depicted its women characters.

(Interrupts) See, the point is that if I don't direct the movie then I don't own the authorship of it.

But it's still yours, it's your writing.

Writing is interpreted in 500 different ways. You give me Mughal-e-Azam and I will make it something else if I am directing it.

In hindsight, how do you look at it (Cocktail)?

I don't think there was anything wrong in the way it was. In fact, how it was supposed to be was Veronica (Deepika Padukone's character in Cocktail) is the type that this guy (played by Saif Ali Khan) likes. The whole point was that he goes against his type because that particular person (Diana Penty's character) he likes a lot. It had nothing to do with somebody being Indian, or somebody being more acceptable to his family.

"I have never had a male or a female writer. As much as you feel there is gender-inequality in my films, I get a lot of female adulation because they feel women in my films are strong vis-a-vis some of the other movies. "

Do you then think the issue was in the storytelling there because the film is widely perceived as that (problematic)? There's also a slut-shaming angle to it as you see Veronica, who smokes and is more 'free' not getting the guy. The film sends the message that you can have 'fun' with her but wouldn't want to settle down with her. I am fairly certain you must have heard this many times before.

Yes, 100 times. And every time I say the same thing -- if I haven't directed it, I can't claim it. Nobody reads the script. The script that I wrote, people should actually read it. Not that I am saying that the director (Homi Adjania) messed it up but it just came through differently than the way it was intended to.

Have you processed the response towards Jab Harry Met Sejal?

Yes. The film is nice. I like the film and I will have my own opinion. I don't read what the critics say, anyway. I am not here to control public opinion or condemn or approve it. But I will have my own opinion and the good thing is that cinema is everlasting.

So, you stand by everything in the film? (the film was criticised in the way Sejal, the film's female lead was depicted. Imtiaz has previously defended his decision here)

100 per cent. Of course, I have made mistakes in every movie and I am sure I must have made some mistakes in Jab Harry Met Sejal as well. But I am not less proud of it than any other film of mine, for sure.

A lot of people believe that if you collaborate with a female writer, the gender-imbalance in your films will correct itself.

Maybe. But I cannot take each suggestion from everybody, then do it and see how it goes. I still have to do with my own mind. I will have to go by own instinct. People do have opinions, and I respect them. I am not bothered about that (negative response). I have never had a male or a female writer. As much as you feel there is gender-inequality in my films, I get a lot of female adulation because they feel women in my films are strong vis-a-vis some of the other movies. So, somebody's opinion is not the gospel truth.

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