Cartoon Capers

Sahil Rizwan doesn’t wake up every Friday only too sharpen his scalpel that in a while would tear apart a mindless David Dhawan comedy or an Akshay Kumar item number. Neither does he call himself a Bollywood buff – of the kind that cries buckets every time they air Kal Ho Na Ho on TV. “I have no expertise in film critiquing other than the fact that I’ve seen a lot of movies and like to crib about them with friends,” says the 22-year-old. So,to let his opinions known on the films that he spends his precious pocket money on,Rizwan turned to comic strips. What you have on his site,www.thevigilidiot.com,are film reviews done through comic strips. “My comics are more a nonsense-finding exercise in movie scripts. While I may not be able to tell you the difference between a screenplay,a story and a script,I still have common sense enough to point out where a plot doesn’t make sense. And yes,for that purpose,a comic works out perfectly,” he says.

And it was Facebook that sparked the idea for Vigil Idiot. “I started blogging about 8 or 9 months back. And like everything else worth doing,it started out in fun… as a chat I was having with a friend about ‘Khoon Bhari Maang’ and some of the other Oscarworthy movies that came out during the 80s and the 90s. I compiled a list and posted it on as a note on Facebook. And gradually,one note turn into five and then into a blog,” says Rizwan. And it is Facebook and Twitter that ensured most of the traffic on his blog.

Rizwan’s blog has garnered quite an enviable following,thanks to his stark illustrations combined with text that boast of a witty mix of wordplay and subtle humour.