“THIS IS IT – AN EMPEROR’S LAST CURTAIN CALL!

I am sure many of us today would remember the last interview excerpt from the late King of Pop – Michael Jackson’s visit to London. He says -“THIS IS IT; this is the last curtain call”. It is spooky to think of the significance because today he has definitely left a vast void which I doubt any of the upcoming performing artistes and already established performing artistes will ever be able to fill up. The mystery to his personal life will always remain a mystery; the mystery to his romantic link ups for the reproduction of children will always remain mystical and absurd. Alleged molestation charges will always remain vague and mysterious but his songs are going to live on "FOREVER".

My first ever introduction to the whole world of Michael Jackson started when I was in my 4th grade. The great hits such as: - Billie Jean, Man In The Mirror, Smooth Criminal, The Way You Make Me Feel - in fact the whole collection became an immediate favourite and a hit with me personally. Back in those days not many countries had satellite television and neither was MTV or CHANNEL V that popular. So the best mode of hearing music was on audio tapes. I was able to catch a glimpse of a performance of Michael Jackson at the 1988 Grammy awards and that too in news clipping during the 7 o’clock news for Bahrain 55. Woow!!! That is so many years back, and that too prior to the satellite television. I used to cut paper clippings from Khaleej Times, Gulf Daily News and just store up as many Jackson news I could. I had photos of him with Macaulay Culkin, Brad Pitt, Elizabeth Taylor and Ronald Regan. And I was totally floored and was totally “Michael Jacksoned out”!!! I realized that I was one of the many billion Michael Jackson fans and I was overwhelmed. Off late all the negative publicity just managed to sway me away from the world of Michael Jackson or maybe I had grown up and was interested into bigger better things. His death definitely did make me sad it was quite a day, I reckon, back in California at least from the news channels. For a transient moment the world became solely focussed on one man, and that was Michael Jackson. It actually hit me that that his music and charisma was large and beyond frontiers. What’s gone is gone and there will always be this terrible void for the billions of people around.

This movie; “THIS IS IT” is nothing but a compilation of the rehearsals Michael Jackson did in preparation for his 02 concert in the United Kingdom. However as the film has been conceived by the concerts director the movie is a documentary and every frame seems even larger with Michael passing away. Not one shot in the film can label Michael Jackson as a sick human being and neither are there any signs of fatigue or pain in his rehearsals. It’s just fantastic to see the man LIVE. He is in tune almost constantly and his musical crew are just constantly trying their best to keep up with his pace and agility. The faintest of the faintest note that goes wrong, Mr Jackson can pick it out. This is called a true Megastar, a Legend in his own right. Hopefully SONY PICTURES and the Michael Jackson estate will be able to free themselves of their debts. THIS IS IT, IT IS INDEED THE FINAL CURTAIN CALL of An Emperor who will never ever be present again. 

Guys you have to watch it.

Cheers - Soouviek.