Josh Unlimited

My New Address

2010-10-30T14:05:00.000+05:30

Moved all my blogs to my new external website

http://www.joshzindabad.com

All my posts from http://Joshzindabad.sulekha.com and http://joshunlimited.blogspot.com are now hosted at my new website http://www.joshzindabad.com

Do keep reading!

Cheers!

Kites- soaring high and dipping low

2010-05-26T07:29:00.002+05:30

I have been away from blogging for past few months. Reasons have been many. Just for this time I won’t blame it on work. Because despite truck loads of things to do at work, if I had the will I could have taken out some time to post a new blog. Also, I had no dearth of topics- new novels and movies, lots of political issues that I really wanted to write about, and many a issues about which I had not much idea(like the Greece debt crisis).But somehow the lethargy crept in. And then there was twitter (and FB), where you get instant feedback on your 140 characters, so that instant gratification in a way overtook the desire to write a lengthy blog post (and as such most of the times my blog posts are very verbose). But then again friends asked me why I was not writing anything these days. The fact that at least some people read my blog motivated me to write again. And as a comeback post, nothing could be better than a movie review. (it’s like my area of interest;)

It’s been almost two years that we have been hearing about the movie Kites. After it finally released on 21^st to very disparate reviews, Kites has been soaring high and dipping low across the globe. Some praised it lavishly, others dismissed it as trash. One of my friends even compared it to maha-disasterous Tashan. I didn’t hate the movie, I didn’t love it either. It was okay and watchable. The story of two lovers on the run, who don’t understand each other’s language, makes for a decent viewing. The opening scene in kites would remind you of the movie “kite runner”. And it’s true of most of the scenes in the movie, which look very hollywoodish. My problem was the super hyped chemistry between Mexican mori and greek god. There wasn’t much of it. For starters, barbara is not as beautiful (read HOT) as claimed. Hrithik, He looks absolutely great, like he always does, blessed with the natural good looks and an amazing persona. As far as dance is concerned, well, I would say he has done much better in the past. I used to be a total Hrithik worshipper till some time ago. But in my opinion Hrithik might lose out to the likes of Shahid because his body of work in dance is very limited. Kangna, the girl who is always meant to play those psycho roles, gets a raw deal after her “fashion” ka jalwa performance. She gets harly 5-6 scenes in the movie. Before Kites, Basu, the director has made a very identifiable film named “Life in a metro”. And that emotional connect with the characters is totally missing here. And one of the characters who played kangna’s brother (somebody named Nicholas brown I guess), gives an awful and irritating performance as the villain. The film is shot in style across beautiful barren landscapes. But the slow speed of the film is a dampener of sorts. The songs are average.

Indian audience as such is not adept at reading subtitles, and half the film is in Spanish. The end point is- it doesn’t cater to the traditional bollywood market. It is primarily targeted at western audience with a lot of bollywood glamour and masala thrown in. Like Hrithik said in an interview-“kites is pasta, not biryani”. But that’s what they have tried, adding biryani masala to bland pasta. The end dish is tempting, good to eat in portions, but doesn’t end up to a gourmet experience.

P.S: Don’t feel guilty if you have booked tickets already. It’s fine as one time watch:)

C(h)atastrophe!

2010-03-16T14:30:00.004+05:30

The latest fad in the social networking sphere is sites like Chatroulette and Omegle. I was amazed to see the extensive coverage they got on TV this weekend. I first accidentally read about Chatroulette in Vineet’s external blog. Chatroulette is not a very novel concept though. You have a webcam, you start looking for random strangers and just like the game of Russian roulette you will come across a random stranger with whom who can chat and talk. If you don’t want to, then you just have to press the next button. And voila! you will have another random stranger with whom you can chat with. So, this way you can peep into random webcams and meet an array of people. Omegle is like the text only version of Chatroulette - you don’t get to see cams, but can text chat randomly with other people. Both are relatively new sites and on their way to becoming big success stories (somewhat in the league of twitter may be!). Chatroulette was started in Nov 2009 by a 17 yr old student named Andrey Ternovskiy, in Moscow. While Omegel site was created by 18-year old Leif K-Brooks around a year ago. These guys make me feel old, I tell you..lol.

Okay enough said and heard. I decided to use them myself. Another reason of my curiosity was the fact that Chatroulette uses Flash and RTMP (Real time Media Flow protocol) and since I have been working on Adobe technologies like Flex for some time now, it’s an obvious area of interest. But the interface is pretty neat and minimalistic and it doesn’t look like flex/flash coding.

And my experience was-WEIRD..FUN..DISGUST..DUMBSTRUCK..YUCK..WOW..and more…

The biggest fun factor in Chatroulette is the ability to click Next. You never know who you are going to meet next. And that surprise keeps you glued. Also, there is this hope of meeting someone special or just to kill time or to have interesting conversations with people from all over the world. I spent some 4-5 hours and at one point it became quite addictive. I was mostly “Nexted” a lot. People looked at my cam and clicked “Next” very fast. So, you get “nexted” when your partner ditches you and clicks next on you. It’s like virtual dumping.lol

For some people it can be heartbreaking-The “rejection”- It may be a big blow to your confidence when a pretty damsel tells you how ugly you are. ;)

The nudity is perhaps the biggest the biggest turn off. It’s sometimes downright vulgar and very offensive. It’s a high risk site for kids and I was aghast to see a lot of kids, very young who should not be there. And some of them using profanities like anything. Also, a major turn-off is a group of people, mostly teenagers, who have nothing better to do and making fun of you. It’s very hard to find sensible folks. The site is a big NO for kids. It’s not very long ago that I was in that college-going phase, so I can totally relate to the rush the internet brings with it. I believe I still have that childlike excitement of meeting people. But this site is a reality check for optimists like me. There are tonnes of perverts around and if you are homophobic, then stay miles away. Because even you’re simple “Hi” and “hellos” can be misunderstood as gay advances. But then it’s simple- if you don’t want to chat, just click next.

It also shows that each of the people (and I am ashamed to admit it, me included) on Chatroulette had a common bond of being voyeuristic to some extent. So does sitting there, “next”-ing people in the hope of something interesting thing up next qualifies to be a voyeur? I am not sure though.

A bigger disgust, which I think would be common a lot if you look asian/Indian etc, is the racial slurs. I was called a paki and terrorist by at least 2-3 people. Pointing middle fingers is common and abuses are exchanged in abundance. But that’s the catch. At one point you will be having a blissful conversation with a sweet girl and the moment you click next you may find a sick psycho around.

Not all was bad though. I made loads of small and big conversations. Based on my skewed data, I would say- Chinese were a very enthusiastic bunch, with their broken English, very friendly, a few girls actually talked to me very decently, which was a surprise cause its actually very difficult and rare on Chatroulette to chat with girls. Lol;). French were very artistic, no one was into technical stuff…all were either artists, painters etc..The best conversation I had with an architect who even helped me with French language and grammar tips. Sadly I lost his email id.:(. Now that’s the down point. If you click the next button by mistake, all your conversation is gone. Let’s say you were having a great conversation with a “oh-so-beautiful” girl and accidentally u clicked next. Voila! It’s gone. Or maybe you bonded really well over some business stuff and you forgot to exchange contacts. Those deals are lost forever. You got the drift, I guess. Also talked to a Pakistani, a few from Brazil, a few from US, a group of students from IIT-kharagpur(thats what they said, lol), who were busy preparing chits for next days exams(hard to believe,lol)- Some of my conversations went interesting, even exchanged face book addresses and emails. And yes, also realized a few things- Indian IT sector is well recognized, people know about bollywood, and ofcourse the spicy Indian food..in short very stereotyped we are!!:)

I would say despite all its downsides, sites like are Chatroulette are here to stay. I don’t know how it makes money. There are no advertisements as such on it. But as long as there is a voyeur in each of us, it will thrive on itJ. So Go on. Try it and experience your share of FUN..WEIRDNESS..DISGUST..YUCK..WOW..

PS: The most strange thing is they have a mechanism that if someone reports you broadcasting profane material, the site will block you for, hold your breath, 10 MINUTES..10 minutes? i mean…ab kya kahein…;)

PPS: The best moments are simple waving of hands or a smile from unknown strangers. Makes you feel comforted in a not so comfortable zone.

PPPS: Edited Info-Just In- OMG, this has to be live reporting- As I was writing this blog, I went to look at omegle link and it has now a beta webcam option also, just like chatroulette..lol;)..things change so fast..;)

Musings of a Musafir- part 2- Mumbai

2010-03-10T22:26:00.001+05:30

Continued from part 1-

In a few hours I was at Bhiwandi. I asked a few people and took a bus to Borivali (Thanx to Bollywood movies, I knew the names of at least half of the places in Mumbai). Next stop was Vijay’s place in Andheri. I had never met him before, but knew him for quite some time now. (Thanx to infy blogs). I decided to hop an auto and Vijay was guiding me to his place. Also, on sms support was my friend Mr. PF(pavementfrued) who fled the city when he got to know I was coming (jiske liye usey main kabhi maaf nahi karoonga:@..he he). But he is this perfect marathi google maps, giving me directions and options etc, while he was having fun in the Kerala backwaters ;)..grrrr..Anyway, finally I reached Vijay’s place, and it was like homecoming. In an alien city of this mammoth size, they made me feel completely at home.

Time for lunch and I was treated sumptuous ghar ka khana. Yummy South Indian meal. Vijay’s mom made sure that I eat properly. That’s the thing with Moms; they find such pleasure in feeding kidsJ.

Now Vijay was very keen on watching MNIK, and that kind of surprised me. He is a true KJo-SRK basher and leaves no chances to taunt me for my liking of that kind of cinema. But then he was curious as to how the film garnered some 100 crores in 3 days etc. And though I wasn’t very keen but I had to live up to my reputation of being able to watch Kjo-kajol stuff any number of times. So I agreed. Another reason was there weren’t any good movies around.

Now mumbai would have like 100s of malls, so it’s not difficult to find a movie show at any point of time. We zeroed in at Oberoi mall. But then I found one reason not to love Mumbai. The ticket prices-280 bucks for one ticket, that too on weekday. I almost had a heart attack. Man! I can watch 3 such movies in PVR Chandigarh. Bakwas. A little mall hopping followed. Went to this book shop –crossword (or was it landmark, don’t remember exactly). I like the warmth of a bookstore. Just being there makes me feel better. And for next one hour we discussed some stupid, some serious things and ultimately leading to thoughts of introspection. Time well spent chatting aimlessly with an equally chatter-box friend. A confused me, a friend who takes immense pleasure in pulling my leg and thousands of books around, make for very interesting conversations. And yes, NOM to Mumbai girls- But if this mall was anything to go by I would say Girls are way better in Chandigarh. lol. Anyday;)

Anyway I knew there are chances that I might get killed by anti-srk brigade. Luckily they didn’t show up, but Vijay didn’t spare me and finally I could not justify MNIK and my good review. A little more mall hopping and we went straight to Juhu beach.

Now after my first beach darshan in Valsad I guess I have started developing a liking for beaches. But this was not the “quiet” kind of beach. This was minikumbh mela.lol. It was full as far as I could see. There were people all around, lost in their own doings, lovers cozying around, families with kids, people from all walks of life. Our chit-chat continued, along with chai-shai and snacks. We sat on the beach and played with sand. I used to play with mitti a lot as a kid, and even eat a lot of it.lol.:) I made a small stupid structure and then thought that waves would wash it away. The filmi keeda bite again I wanted to walk in the waters. No Ikatara type feelings here. Wake up Nitin, I told myself. But since it was dark and I could not see the murkier waters so I decided to feel the waves, bare feet. That’s the thing with movies. They romanticize the idea of a beach so much. I found it underwhelming but still good. Vijay stayed away and continued with his praise for Chennai beaches. (Chennai tourism deptt should hire him)Chennai is this, chennai is that and I tried to counter-attack with horror- stories of chennai-suffered souls. After walking for good one mile or so, with sand in my feet and breeze on my face, we decided to have a good dose of junk food. That’s the beauty when you are out in a new city, you can have lotsa junk.lol. We headed back home and nonstop bakwas continued till late night. Nothing like time well spent with a friendJ

Wake up and smell the coffee, this phrase was perhaps coined for filter coffee it seems. I haven’t had much filter coffee in life, but got an “instant” liking for this one. So, I gulped down two full cups. Wonderful. And after a good dose of yummy, crisp and light dosas, it was good bye time after an immensely memorable stay with some very gracious folks.

Next stop was my college friend Roy. BEST is the best thing to commute in Mumbai, I guess. So, I took a bus from Bandra to Vashi and what all places in between. I wanted to take that double Decker bus (again my filmi curiosity) but I couldn’t find any. Met Roy after some 3 yrs and he hasn’t changed much since college, and we still talk the same things..Went to Mcd, ate junk, and bitched a lot, lol. He bought a jeans, we went back to his place, and chatted along esp about the real estate prices in Mumbai. Through the window, as far as I could see there were buildings, skyrises. Lazed around a bit, called up Mr. PF and cursed him;) and when Roy was back I asked him if we could visit gateway of India and stuff. My point was-“Main wapas ja ke kya kahoonga, ki maine Gateway bhi nahi dekha”..lol. so despite a time crunch, we headed to Gateway of India and the area around Taj etc. Roy the ever jugaadu dude made sure that my luggage was in place and we reached GOI. Since the GOI is almost in another city so the only option was, yes u guessed it right, to take a local.

Now the one thing that I was totally scared of in Mumbai was the local trains. Don’t know why. Local trains are like the lifeline of Mumbai. Thousands of people use them daily. I was really amazed to see the super quick self ticket dispensing system in place. You just have to be inside a local to actually believe that one train can accommodate 1000 people in one dabba at a time. And to this Roy casually pointed out-“Aaj bheed jyada nahi hai”. I almost fainted. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against crowd- I believe in Geetism- “Log kehte hain mumbai bada crowded hai, arre crowded matlab kya, khud bheed ka hissa hain aur problem bhi khud hi ko hai”. But filminess aside, that is perhaps the biggest problem of Mumbai- a city with overflowing population and limited resources. In fact any number of resources would be less because of the sheer size of population.

Jai ho! After 45 minutes of journey and surviving my “local scare” effortlessly we reached CST.CST is an architectural wonder in itself. Almost all the areas felt familiar because of Hindi films. The area around the iconic Taj hotel has that vintage feel, very royal very posh. Foreigners flock this place .Its two notches more elegant than say CP at Delhi. GOI is good, nothing great about it. But standing in front of Taj was an overwhelming feeling. All those 26/11 images flashed in my mind. But then as they say, Mumbai moved on. Do they even have an option not to! I mean in a city of this size, time moves very fast. Resilient by the circumstances I would say.

It was time to rush back and was forced to take a taxi when the local train actually ditched by a few minutes. Again took this shahid kapoor/JWM avatar and hopped a taxi with Roy only to reach the station just in time. And haan, the taxi costed 350 bucks, but thanks to a super fast sardarji, mamaged to reach on time!

As soon as I settled in the train the entire journey flashed like a film before my eyes. Like the sand struck on my feet in Juhu beach, Mumbai refused to go outta mind. May be I’ll come back, maybe I ll not. And me settling down here?, i guess never. Mumbai, as it has been shown in hundreds of movies, is not that bad after all. Its not that larger than life either. I agree, two days are never enough to judge a mammoth city like this. These thoughts are merely what I felt in the city. I have been to metros like Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad etc. But Mumbai is like mother of them all, at least in expanse. The city is both expansive and expensive. I really liked a few things though, e.g. the meter system in auto. Hassle free- you pay for the distance you travel. Simple. In some cities the autowallas will rape your pockets for such distances.(Chandigarh is one example and though I haven’t been to Chennai, but I have heard enough horror stories of auto wallas robbing gullible people.).Then there are the BEST buses.

Mumbai remains an enigma. The larger than life images are somewhat faded now.

Though I didn’t get a chance to see the Mumbai of Aamir or the Bombay of slumdog(not that I was very keen to) I still feel- Mumbai ek pagal kar dene wala sheher hai.. Too big for dreams to be lost, too large hearted to accommodate all..

Also, sadly, I didn’t find any movie director who would cast me in a movie, despite the fact that I am ready to do anything (yeah, only if the script demands).:D..lol..sigh..May be next time..;)

PS: If you are from mumbai and felt i was too skewed in my perspective..NOM..Dont rush to kill me, I have alreday fled the city;).

Musings of a Musafir - Valsad-Nasik-Shirdi- part I

2010-03-08T11:47:00.001+05:30

Life is a journey they say. And journeys have a life of their own. Its not very often that I get a chance to be traveling alone. But when I do, I always end up cherishing the experience. This one week, super-fast, super-short trip to Shirdi, Nasik, Mumbai etc, which came up quite unexpectedly, was one of those memorable experiences which made me relish the rich expanse of this country and of course brought a chance of meeting a mélange of people. Also, the kick that you get out of traveling alone is unparalleled. The uncertainty and the unforeseen make it all the more exciting.

The trip began with a train almost missed. The auto-wala was however more confident than me about the chances of boarding the train from Kalka. “Pehle kyu nahi bataya”..he fumed..”ab aapko seedha platform pe le chalta hoon”. And he sure did. This guy saved my day by taking me directly to the platform(can you beat that!). And then started my run across the platform, and finally catching the train just in time..whoo..a.la Kareena in Jab we met. My breathing returned to normal after only after two stations had passed.The trip was peppered with lots of such JWM-ish moments, which made it all the fun.

And I love the train journeys. The good thing about rail journeys is you get a chance to meet so many people and see a wide range of scenic and sometimes not so-scenic things. Sitting idly and watch life passing by. And you get to eat..a lot..train journeys are the best time to let yourself go. Chips, chai, chocolate, moongfali, you name it! And in between all that munching, you can curl up with your favorite novel, listen to the songs you want, talk to complete strangers, or just gaze out and remain lost in your thoughts. I am usually shy talking to strangers but once I get along, then there is no stopping me. And the things that surprise me is that how we can share very personal details with complete strangers. Met this lady from Vadodra, who was reading Shantaram, and I was so ashamed of myself, cause I was finishing up last few pages of Twilight. Chatted with her and fellow passengers. There were businessmen, cracking deals and tracking consignments over the phone. It’s fun actually to observe people this way. And it was so strange that many people actually had the same link to this small industrial town in Himanchal named Baddi. Never knew one small relatively unknown industrial town could attract so many businessmen and entrepreneurs.

I woke up next morning at 4 almost sub-conscious. The train was at Ratlam..and again this JWM dialogue..ratlam ki galiyon main..struck my mind. I stepped out of my sleep just to get a vibe of the platform..which wasn’t filmi at all. Sad!. As the day progressed, I was in two minds, whether to go to Bombay or get off at Valsad. Valsad is a small, cozy little town in Gujrat. And why I showed confidence in stepping out of the train in this unknown place is because it was a small town. Had it been any other place, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, I would have been okay, But this was Bombay, Mumbai, call it whatever. This was scary..very scary. Now, thanks to hundreds of Hindi films, the perception about Mumbai is of a scary huge city(partly true), and the first timers always land up in a soup. so, I was naturally scared of landing straight in Mumbai and getting lost in the Mumbai maze. Now that's the power of bollywood films, had it been any other city I would have gone ahead without any apprehension or hitch. But the way our films have depicted Bombay in such a larger than life way that it tends to get a little overwhelming. So, I asked my fellow traveler, about the Valsad plan. When he confirmed , I got off the train at Valsad station, hoping that things would be smooth. But me in an alien land, I was wrong to expect smoothness.

The moment I landed in Valsad I sensed its not going to be as simple as I had imagined it to be. The good thing about valsad is it’s a small town, and the architecture is pretty unique that tiled-stone roofs- a semi-Portuguese and semi-Guajarati influence. Now as the general notion goes, men are from mars and don't ask for directions, and i m no exception:), so instead of asking people i thought i would just look at the bus and destination name and I'll be through. But, I forgot that there is a thing called language. All the signs were in Guajarati. One thing I really like to see happening sometime soon is, with due respect to regional languages, that the signs should be marked in English as well, just for the sake of stupid souls like me. When I am on a trip alone or otherwise, people are usually nice to me(may be because the “ye-main-kahan-aa-gaya” kind of expression is too evident on my face). But sometimes people who are very laconic or reserved don't like me intruding their space, so they respond in monosyllables. Anyway, since the timetable was in Guajarati, i could still read Nasik written somewhere in the middle and time marked 3:15pm. To reconfirm, I approached a few people, and they told me different bus timing-3 , 3:30, 4 and so on. My watch said 1pm. so, with two hours to kill, I remembered a sign board that I had seen a few minutes ago- kirthal beach- 4kms. Oh god a beach. Now, I haven't seen a beach till now in my life, in real. so I was hyper excited. I knew I had to just go there, even if its for 5 minutes. I hopped an auto and rushed straight to the beach.

The way to the beach was very nice, twists n turns and a cool breeze. And then it appeared. The expanse of the sea was overwhelming, when I stood at the shore. But then as I approached closer, all was not that nice as it appeared.

The beach, though there were hardly a few people during this time of the day, was rather dirty. As I went closer, I immediately removed any thoughts of stepping into the water. But it was still a good sight. A few kids were playing around. a young couple was cozying around. But it was largely silent and windy. I stared into the horizon for sometime and then settled for a nariyal paani in the shade with cool breeze on my face. The hot sun and cool wind, deadly.

I rushed back soon, to catch the bus. I met this enterprising Guajarati man, who had some factory in Baddi.(the B town connection again). The way from Valsad to Nasik was quite scenic. so, I got to see an altogether different landscape which I am not used to and also the different ways people live.

Once in Nasik, i just searched for a “hotel decent”(taking a cue from JWM again). A bath and quick dinner followed. And dinner in a Marathi style kaka da dhaba restaurant. No matter where you go in India, chances are you will always bump into some Punjabi restaurant or dhaba.lol.

Next morning, I finished the work that I had come for and I was left with lot of time. Now Nasik is a part of my childhood memories. I had come here when i was in 8th std. so that's a good 12 years back. Nasik has changed(obviously) a lot. so, i decided to relive my memories and feel nostalgic about the city.

Marathi is easier to read and understand for me than Guajarati. don't know why, may be i have some Marathi genes lol;). But I still couldn't read the bus plates.The auto wala was charging like anything. I tried to play it around. I tried to act local. Not much help.

I landed at Paandav caves. Though this a site of historical and architectural importance, but mostly lovers throng this place for obvious reasons. I mean you can hide inside the gufas and can do you stuff.ahem. The problem is, it can get quite embarrassing for others. Imagine, someone has brought his kids to show them the architectural and historical thing. And inside the caves you get to see the real life versions of khajuraho. I mean, guys do it, but spare the public places.There was this Buddha park at the bottom of this pandav hills. There were a few museums including a film museum but people were there for some other reasons. This was the official PDA space..If you are alone traveler, you will feel it all the more weird. On my way down, I stopped by a lady who was selling guava and kheera and stuff. Talked to her for a while in broken Hindi. simple folks are the best to talk to, even if you don't know the language.

I decide to give Traiyambkeshwar a miss and headed straight to Shirdi. Met this person from Bangalore, who again had a Baddi connection. Nice interesting conversation about what the older generation feels about our current generation. When he got to know about me working in software field , he went on like-“all you young folks these days work in IT and make softwares which make life difficult for us”. He then went on explaining how his ATM card, internet banking and stuff is giving him troubles. I thought next he would blame me for degrading Bangalore.lol. Interestingly,he had high regard for infy and murthy in particular. It was good to talk to him but I was little too optimistic about future. He was not. He said you will realise when you grow old. May be I’ll grow old, but will I grow up! This went on, till we reached Shirdi. The vibe about this place is just like any other religious place. But then Sai baba is highly revered for me and my family. The darshan queue brought back memories again. A lot has changed over the years, new construction, LCD screens, new systems in place, but the essence and the power of this place remains the same. People still come from all over the world to pay a visit to Sai baba making it one of the richest shrines in the world. And I am a follower and a fan too:). Once the darshan was over, we headed to an udipi restaurant and ate a lot and ofcourse, Uncleji payed the bill.:)

I came back to Nasik. Now again the big problem started. How to get to mumbai in the middle of the night.Though PF kept guiding me throughout the trip on sms, but then my friend Vijay suggested some other route to come to his home at andheri. And a dumbo that i am, I asked a sleepy conductor- “mujhe andheri ke flyover tak jaana hai”. He stared at me in disbelief. I quicly modified my question acc to the sms instructions-“okay mujhe borivali tak jana hai”. The conductor regained senses and suggested that I go to Bhiwandi then to Borivali. and then to Andheri. And so it began, finally I was going to mumbai..the megacity!A city that never sleeps and blah blah..I was excited and anxious..The bus roared to life i dozed off.

continued in next part..

PS: I know its a little too long, so decided to make it a two part series. Also, I think the two days in Mumbai were quite packed with lots of things, and Mumbai as such deserves a dedicated blog.:)

PPS: i know its a little too late also, but lets blame it on my health this time.Got a little down with health. Its been two weeks that I came back, so the duration of journey was 15-22 feb 2010.

Aal izz not welll

2010-01-02T19:05:00.003+05:30

The twitterverse is abuzz with the 3 idiots team Vs Chetan Bhagat credit controversy. And I am clearly on Chetan bhagat’s side. Also, I feel very strongly about this issue- The due credit not being given to a writer(in a proper way). If this could happen to Bhagat, imagine what would be the plight of lesser known writers who don't have as much clout(or shall i say Klout;)) and marketing wisdom as Bhagat. I admire Bhagat not so much for his writing abilities but for the fact that he has turned sleepy uninterested engineering graduates into book readers. He has written in the language of masses, the way India speaks, and has found enough resonance esp. in middle-tier India. He has made English writing accessible to many who would otherwise have not read anything. so, my post is going to be very pro-chetan.

I have seen the movie as well as read the book. And I liked them both. Hirani no doubt is a brilliant filmmaker, and has a body of work(munnabhai films) which reflect his sincerity. The question is about credit being given in a proper way. Chetan would agree that his name is there in the end credits(yes, it comes after almost everyone has left the theatre). The matter of contention is about story credit. After watching the movie I can safely say its atleast 60% of the book. In my opinion, Abhijat joshi should get credit for screenplay, they made a lot of modifications in the movie and worked hard, which holds true for all adaptations. But they should acknowledge that the soul of the movie is still Five point someone. How? Simple-admit that its Based on/Inspired by Chetan Bhagat’s novel and Joshi has indeed written the script/screenplay adding his own inputs(lots of them). That should settle this.I mean how difficult it could be to share credit and put an end to this virtual mud slanging.

And a point about bollywood getting more professional. Its absolutely difficult for me to understand why Mr perfectionist Aamir didnt read the book. Even after the controversy. I understand he is a busy man, but just an hour of reading while he is on his way to those “shut-up” press confs would reveal the striking similarities. Take a leaf from Hollywood guys. like Vir sanghvi pointed out in his tweet about how Danny boyle credited Vikas Swaroop even though slumdog was quite different from his book.

And Why I believe this might not be just a publicity exercise for Mr Bhagat- He already has ample fans across college campuses, esp engineering colleges, who like the way he writes. Though despite being the highest selling Indian author in English, he has been under constant critical bashing about his writing style. Puritans have always being snobbish and discarded his books as trashy, pulpy etc. The reason why many journalists and celebs on twitter wont comment on this issue is because if they do, that would establish the fact they have read the book. Many of them would have read his books behind closed doors and enjoyed them, but wont admit publicly. For the uninitiated, let me clarify, reading Chetan bhagat books is considered a sin in the prudish circle who don't read anything beyond marquez.;)

The other reason why I am actually so keenly observing the whole episode is the fact that for the first time I am witnessing something so unique on social media. Will justice be done on twitter and blogs? I doubt, many people still don't use twitter after initial signup. I had to write this post because many of my unaware friends don't use twitter. But Bhagat is a man of sharp mind. The way he has used blogs and tweets to wage a battle is exemplary. This guy is no new to controversies either. A few days ago #chetanblocks rocked the Indian twitterverse. Also, lets not forget that the image of twitter in Indian social mind is slightly negative after Tharoor made the infamous cattle class remarks or more recently, took Krishna head on on the visa issue. Though it remains to be seen how this takes the power of blogging and twitter to new levels. But I think the impact has already been made.

Ohhh yes,finally, about the movie. Its kind of late to write this review, and it doesn't make much difference now. The movie is good, quite good and entertaining. Chatur rocked the show!! the speech was awesome. The songs surprisingly worked better on screen. the lead trio was good, supported by Boman Irani and Kareena. there are a few weird moments though- like babies being delivered using a vaccuum cleaner. But those moments aside its a movie which makes movie-going a fun, enjoyable experience. And yes delivering a wonderful message in the process without being heavy. Hirani deserves full credit…yeah minus the controversy. He made it possible that Bhagat’s novel reaches billions of people in a way he would have never thought.

Kurbaan

2009-11-23T23:25:00.001+05:30

Kurbaan is not Fanna, Fanaa was very romantic. Kurbaan is notNewyork(Thankfully), the actors are not wooden here. But kurbaan is not Khuda ke liye either (sadly). But Kurbaan, despite its loopholes, is an engaging watch for the mere fact that despite knowing pretty much everything, the audience waits for the next twist. Yes, you know all the way that Saif is a terrorist, but you still feel curious about his next move, even though you might guess it beforehand.

It’s a KJo production and he is turning out very well as a producer. Rensil desilva, the director, who is also credited with co-writing rang de basanti has made a good watchable first film, quite thrilling too. Saifeena are good together, nicely played their characters. Vivek oberoi is okay(except that weird american accent which he tries too hard). Om puri is good too. But one thing about Kirron kher, she has played the role of a punjabi mom so often that the minute she appears on screen you suspect she would go the maa-da-laadla way..lol. Thankfully she doesnt! And yes, there is not much about Islam too, unlike the very debatable and thought provoking Khuda ke liye, which remains the best template for movies based on Islamic terrorism. At certain points, kurban is very pro-fundamentalist, justifying the logic of terror. But somehow it becomes repetitive and the climax falters.

The music by salim-sulaiman gels well with the movie. Shukraan allah is good, but you can’t help but notice the mar jaawan influence. Also, its beats and guitar are similar to tujh main rab dikhta hai from rab ne bana di jodi(Both are salim sulaiman’s earlier works) But it’s a good romantic number. But the most haunting one is Ali maula, very pulsating. Kurban hua is wasted in the end credits. However, more than the music it’s the background score that leaves a mark big time. The movie is shot well. No one shoots foreign location better than Yashraj/KJo. And yes this does have a feel of a Hollywood movie, the suburbs and all.

Now that super hyped love making scene. Naah, nothing that burnt the screen but done in a quite clean way.

The overall opinion on Kurbaan has been quite negative. Many of the people in the audience said it has over simplified the terror thing and all. But despite its flaws, despite knowing most of the twists and turns in the story, it keeps you on your seat. And It worked for me.:)

Apocalypse Wow!!

2009-11-13T22:20:00.003+05:30

While finding a pic for this blog for 2012-the movie over the internet, i came across a comment made on a site, which noted- 2012 is not just a disaster porn, Its a disaster gang-bang. The statement sums it up.This is like the mother of all disaster movies. You may end up loving it if you have a fetish for this genre of films. Or else you may end up having a severe headache. I liked 2012 overall. A nice watch.The Special effects are mind numbing. Clearly outshining other recent movies. In Transformers-2 two, they blew up the pyramids, in GI JOE they blew up the Eiffel tower, 2012 is about blowing up the whole world. And the scale is spectacular. The amount of hard work that has gone into the detailing in CGI effects is commendable.

Now the story. a few searches here and there on google will leave you with a huge amount of information on the apocalyptic prophecies, which are more or less similar to the Maayan prophecy that the world would come to an end in 2012 . But the idea of making an entire film, that too a 2 hr 40 mins hollywood movie out of it demands a script too.Sadly, the director didn't work much hard on it.The story(does anyone care) revolves around this one family and a handful of other characters who have to fight the doomsday. Some of them die, some survive. Nothing new.and yes, while they are doing it, the whole world is getting blown apart. The director Roland Emmerich(how do we pronounce his name), whose earlier works include “The independence day” and “The day after tomorrow”, is notorious for blowing up monuments in his movies. He has done it lavishly again.
The film is a little too long for a hollywood production. Plus there are not many wow moments like the president’s speech in The independence day. And most importantly, it doesn't raise a scary thought- “what if this happens in real”.

If you like to watch some fantastic special effects and the world getting crumbled like a cookie, then go ahead. Otherwise stay (2012) miles away from this.;).

PS: btw, what do you think, Will the world really come to an end in 2012?

Of London..and Ludhiana…

2009-11-01T12:29:00.001+05:30

I was waiting for London dreams to hit theatres. In fact I have been hearing about this movie for quite a few years…almost a decade now. Raj Kumar Santoshi wanted to make this film with Aamir and Shahrukh, which was titled Rashque(meaning jealousy in urdu)then, which seems very apt (not because of aamir-shahrukh rivalry, but because it suits the central idea of the movie.lol). That didn't happen.(sad!).Ultimately Salman took the project to Vipul shah. And he managed to make it finally.

Its a story of two friends, of dreams and ambitions, of love and betrayal, in short a potent mix for a dramatic story. London dreams reunites Ajay devgan and Salman khan as co-stars, 10 years after their last superhit-Hum dil de chuke sanam, which is a very memorable film in more than one ways. The actors have done justice. But Ajay devgn( oops the a is gone now, god knows why), is no rockstar, and perhaps the weakest and totally indigestible point in the movie is his rockstar avatar. He doesn't look like one. But he is an excellent actor. And it shows, because this is his forte- dark, sensitive and angst ridden roles. However, sallu just rocks the movie with his charisma. His ada overshadows ajay’s talent in all the frames.The film is well shot..(including dancing at Louvre and Eiffel etc..now that's the beauty of a hindi film..lol;)

There are loopholes in the screenplay, ajay’s rise and growing up in london, people switching from london to ludhiana with such ease, the whole world getting suddenly crazy about indian music and this band in particular, the formation of band, etc. require suspension of belief.The screenplay is flawed at many levels, but the film works because the central idea of the film is quite potent. Friends, jealousy, music, love, passion, masti..its all there!.Borrowing liberally from Amadeus, the film works at many levels, mostly because of sallu’s charisma and devgn’s acting power. The best scenes are between sallu and ajay, the bonding shows and works! Asin looks good but the ghajini warmth is missing.Rannvijay and Aditya look good and did their bits and pieces.

Now a film based on music has to have some strong score. and when it comes to rock(lets say desi rock or folk rock) Shankar-ehsan-loy are the safest bet in bollywood. They deliver well. I am big fan of SEL and prasoon, because of the amazing work that they come up with.The songs are all good, never out of place. But what makes the songs rock are the lyrics. Prasoon joshi, like always, has given some memorable lyrics, very earthen in flavor, very motivational in appeal, full of oj-ras as we say in hindi. The association with the soil is evident in lyrics like- O Masti jaamun si, tapkey re darr-darr ke, mastiyon ki shaakh hila de, aaj jashn mana jee bhar ke..or Khwab na sagey, zindagi thagey, fir bhi jane kyu, ummeede jagey.. He has some liking for words like tyohaar(festival), suraahi(the long necked earthen pot),neend-khwaab etc. which have been used at least four-five times in the album. Shola hai tu, which is shot at Trafalgar square or watever, opens the film well. Khanabadosh,(i love the humming sound with this word) is a cool song on the lines of pathshala from RDB. Tapkey masti and Man ko ati bhave saiyaan are both fun songs. Jashn hai jeet ka and yaari also fit the narrative.The songs might not look very good on screen, but if listened otherwise, sound very distinctive. Barso re is a wonderful track, sung in total desi rock style, by Vishal dadlani and Roop kumar rathod. However they have edited the Hanuman chalisa portion from the movie(perhaps to avoid controversy).Had they kept it, it would have been the most rocking section of the film.

Over all its timepass, quite melodramatic, a good watch. It could have ended up being cult as Rock on, but it falls short on many levels. However, its all ready to set cash registers ringing!! This is how their fan base wants Sallu and Ajay to be. Charismatic and intense respectively:)

Technorati Tags: ajay devgan,london dreams,vipul shah,salman khan,asin,shankar-ehsan-loy,prasoon joshi

Almora Dusshera

2009-10-01T16:29:00.003+05:30

Hi All,

Please find an account of the amazing Almora Dusshera at my Sulekha blog- Josh zindabad:

http://joshzindabad.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/09/almora-diaries-dusshera-dhamaal.htm

PS: I have removed the earlier post because of sulekha contest entry restrictions.

Have fun

Nitin

Top Gear Quizzing!

2009-09-16T23:49:00.006+05:30

I have been to quite a few quizzes while in school, in college and in infy. Quizzing interests me a lot (though I may not be very good at it..lol) and gives me an adrenaline rush. I mean that feeling of missing an answer, or cracking a tough one cannot be described in words. So when Sunny asked me for Tata crucible, I said an immediate YES. We guys are like sucker for quizzes (and many a times a sucker at quizzes); we have won a few at our deptt. level(where there is a meagre competition..;) and failed miserably at a few.

The Tata quiz was superb.Man!! I was thrilled. This quiz is going to be etched in my memory for long. It was first televised quiz that I actually got a chance to see and also be a part of. We did not clear the prelims, but two other teams from infy did. And one of the two Infosys teams comprising Abhinav kishore and Yatharth won!! Now I know this guy, Abhinav is an absolute stunner when it comes to quizzing. He is a gem, heera hai heera. He would be an idol for anyone who loves quizzing. Very Commendable!.Two doctors from Indian army were runner-ups. they looked seasoned quizzers. talk about passion for quizzing:)

This quiz has encouraged me all the more to work harder!. A few questions were a close call for us. So, if we had used a little more discretion, we could have ended in top 6. But anyway. I am absolutely in love with this kinda quizzing. It gave me more adrenaline rush than any other quiz. It’s high on gloss and glamour too.:).he he

The host- the ever amicable- Giri was a powerhouse. It was great to see this guy. An entirely different experience from what we get on TV. Also, we got to see the Taj Chandigarh, my first visit to any Taj hotel, for that matter. The property is very average on outside, but quite lavish inside (it has to be, its Taj after all ;)). In fact it’s like Infosys buildings, lavishly maintained, though I must say the artwork and paintings were fabulous!

A wonderful experience overall. And yeah, it motivated me enough to improve my general knowledge which is biting the dust ever since I came to this project.;)

The Road never traveled...

2009-09-13T22:21:00.005+05:30

Yeah, it happens with me sometimes. I get into this introspection mode, even if it’s for a small duration. I watched Revolutionary Road today. The movie stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo di Carprio. The film follows the life of a couple, who are a perfect couple for the world, but in reality they lead a hopelessly miserable life in their perfect home at the Revolutionary road. April( Kate) is a failed actress, is married to Frank wheeler who dreamt of living in Paris, but now works at a regular office. One day, April asks him to leave his job and move to Paris where she could work and he will have all the time on earth to figure out what he wants to do in life. After initial resistance, Frank gives in, but the plan is not so easy to implement. Both of them have inner insecurities that stop them from moving.

I loved the movie for its identifiability (except the failed marriage part), many guys would relate to it. Trapped in a miserable life, not knowing why you are doing a job, when all the time you wanted to do something else, well, that’s another point that you could never figure out what is THAT THING that you want to do.

The acting is great. Esp Kate winslet, she is getting better with age. And I loved the house they lived in. Perfect!, or was it?

The lines are hard hitting. Like when April says to Frank, when he says that the plan to relocate to Paris is unrealistic, April replies in rejection- This is what's unrealistic. It's unrealistic for a man with a fine mind to go on working year after year at a job he can't stand. Coming home to a place he can't stand, to a wife who's equally unable to stand the same things.

Also, some truth about why people stand their bad jobs, year after year and so on.-“You want to play house you got to have a job. You want to play nice house, very sweet house, you got to have a job you don't like.”

Could things have changed had they moved to Paris? Could they have been happier? Could we, in general be happier if we leave our non satisfying jobs for something else which might be our true calling? We are supposed to follow certain rules. But is it that easy to break them? Is it that easy to move away, so easily? And once you are married, are things that difficult, or is it just that you would want to settle for your kids’ sake. This film has disillusioned me more about the concept of marriage, and if by any chance I remain unmarried, blame it on this movie. lolJ

It’s a good watch, but not the regular popcorn flick. It’s rather depressing. This film will make you realize that there are many people who are living hopelessly empty life. (And all the time we think that our life is full of problems:D). Has to be seen if one wants to get into introspection mode! And For Kate and Caprio . :)

Rab dikhta hai-Amritsar- Wagah trip

2009-09-05T22:02:00.000+05:30

“Okay, so its rather strange that 2.5 yrs in Chandigarh, and you haven’t been to Amritsar”, my heart asked me. “But then there were reasons”, my mind answered. So when Prashant, and Vishal made this plan for amritsar trip, I had to agree. Early Saturday morning, five of us- me, Vishal, Prashant, Nishpaksh, and Anubhav started the journey-sleepy, dreamy eyed. Makke di roti and sarson de khet beckoned us. Anubhav kept us in splits throughout. Man, he is a firecracker. He comes up with these gem lines, that we were actually ROTFLOLing in the car:). We reached Amritsar, guided by an immaculate map made by our friend Gurbax.(Now this guys knows every single damn village on the way, he even knows the location of speed-breakers. Hats off gurbax!).

All hungry, all waken and shaken. We headed straight to Pravaa da dhaba, (literal meaning bro’s Dhaba).”Paranthe khaao, mast ho jao” was the motto. J

Next stop was Golden temple. We reached there after criss-crossing crowded lanes that are synonymous with small towns in India. Amritsar is no exception. But there is a nice buzz kinda feel about it. Punjabiyat is in the air; also it didn’t give the usual suffocating vibes that some religious places have. Once we entered the premises, the shrine was visible in full glory. No, nothing filmy, nothing yashraj, very simple, calm, religious and crowded. Bina line main lagey, rab toh dikhta nahi. He he. J. But this was very systematic, very well managed. Golden temple is indeed very beautiful.

Once inside, you feel a sense of calm, It’s kind of hard to believe that despite living in chandigarh for more than 2 yrs now, this was my 2^ndor third gurudwara trip.(last one was at Anandpur sahib). Now I don’t have much knowledge about gurudwara structure, but GT is a multi storied building, where each level has some place to pay homage. The nakkaashi on the walls is super intricate. The architecture is rather unique. The ambience is cool and quiet. The only thing that surprised me (in an uneasy kind of way) was the absence of any security check. I mean the machines and stuff were there, but there was absolutely no manual check, and we were not frisked even once. Quite strange for a place which is revered by millions of people from all over the world. Me and Nishpaksh sat on first floor for few minutes and soaked in the positive vibes of the kirtans.Bliss!!

Next stop was Jalianwala Bagh, which is like “Golden temple ke pados main”. This was rather disappointing. For years we were taught about how General Dyer killed hundreds of people, so some feelings were expected, but we didn’t get any nationalistic feeling, though people were clearly impressed by the bullet marks that exist even today and that anti-British feeling was there among some.

But it seems times have changed, love birds flock the garden, just like any other garden these days. We encountered the decent ones, but I suspect there could be more than it meets the eyes. We clicked a few pics here and there. till hunger called.

Next was food, because we were hungry as hell. But if you think makke ki roti and sarson da saag greeted us with open arms, then the answer is NO. To avoid more hustle we decided to play safe and raided Dominos. YUMMM… Extra cheese, bring it on guys!!..after adding a few more pounds, we headed straight to wagah border.

W(ag)ah!!

If anyone wants to see real patriotism, he should pay a visit to Wagah. Thousands flock here daily (mainly for emotional reasons). From nearby villages, villagers come in huge numbers. I don’t think there is a better example of “patriotism tourism” anywhere else in the world. The crowd started settling in. And it was a HUGE turn out. ”Jahan daal daal pe sone ki chidiya karti hai basera, who bharat desh hai mera” a cover version blasted from the speakers in sonu nigam’s soulful voice and it led to surge in emotions. This was followed by chants of vande matram, Bharat mata ki jai. The people were requested not to shout any other slogans other than these, but when blood boils with patriotism, no body cares. ;). But a few anti-pakistani slogans apart, it was more of pro-Indian sentiment. If Indian side was over crowded, the near empty stands on the Pakistani side made me wonder. Also, if I noticed correctly, then there were separate seating arrangements for men and women on Pakistani’s side.

While the chants of “mera-bharat-mahan” were in full blow, a few people decided to show their mahaanta by jumping queues and creating nuisance. Lots of heated argument later, nothing happened, and ultimately we had to adjust.:(. (Talk about mera bharat mahan in the songs and breaking rules in reality, ironical). Anyway, the deshbhakti geets were good, until a shocker came our way. They played- “Koi kahe kehta rahe kitna bhi humko dewwana”…really man... since when did this uber-cool DCH number became synonymous with deshbhakti. Neo patriotism I tell you!. I was still in shock due to what I just heard, when the next song cleared my doubts, “It happens only in India” (remember the govinda song?). Really, how apt- It can happen only in India. I mean we have supremely good patriotic songs, which could have been played. Who decides the playlist there? lol. And the final gem, slumdog fever hit it hard on wagah and the final ode was “Jai ho”(thank god they didn’t play the pussycat version)he he. We could not listen to what was being played on the other side of border, I wanted to know what kinda songs they play. Khair...the best one was perahps “hai preet jahan ki reet sada”..the manoj kumar number that starts with beautiful words- “jab zero diya mere bharat ne, duniya ko tab ginti aayi”!! gem!

After the ceremony at wagah was over, we decided to halt at Jalandher, because Vishal was so very tired of driving some 500 kms throughout the day.(Btw I am yet to see a more adept “delhi” guy while driving, no over speeding, nothing!!). After fixing a place to stay, we headed to The Haveli. Now this place impressed me a LOT. I had read about Haveli in the India today travel edition some years ago in an article titled “No Fly Zone”. The place has the concept of traditional Punjabi dhaba but takes it to a new level. The cleanliness and ambience struck me the most. There were mannequin versions of village munim ji, village belles cooking tandoori roti and even a dummy truck, half cut from the middle. All looked so real. The food is okay, nothing exceptional. But the ambience is very cozy. It’s like a traditional food in swanky clean and slightly rustic-royal environs. After sleeping for next 6- 7 hrs, we returned the next morning to Haveli, for breakfast. Paranthas, lassi, and yes..loads of butter….yummyliciousJ

Overall, a very nice time spent. What I liked the most was the fact that it is ideal for a short trip, and one can even go with the family too. Short, sweet and very enjoyable tripJ.

PS: I know this blog is delayed by at least 10 days…blame it on work load…L..and yes, I tried to be short and simple just like the trip.but…;)

AweFome !!

2009-08-14T11:00:00.000+05:30

The reason I believe people love Vishal Bhardwaj’s work is because he can do justice to both Maqbool as well as Makdee. And when you have films like Omkara and The blue umbrella, in your repertoire, The expectations from your new film are bound to be high. Almost every one I know wanted to watch Kaminey as soon as it theatres. I was one of them. So, I watched the premiere show of kaminey last night. And guys, rest assured, the expectations are fulfilled. Its different, and alag, in story, and more in treatment. It’s a little dark and rather more comic tale of two brothers who can’t stand each other. The film will require total attention as it is kinda multi lingual (a good dose of marathi thrown in), the stammering and lisps and is full of intelligent twists. The interval leaves you excited about the possible outcomes in the second half. There are many scenes that stand out. My fav is the 6^th class ka pyar wala scene between guddu and sweety. J

Shahid plays twin brothers and you can actually differentiate between the two roles. Priyanka is good, playing a marathi mulgi with ease. Both play it very convincingly. The lead actors are good. But the film scores big time through its supporting cast. An ensemble cast comprising of very able and very different characters. Amole gupte stands out as the local goon turned politician with all the non-marathi venom making it all the more topical. The lines are smartly written. The film is very edgy and has this raw appeal. Mumbai is shot well slightly reminiscent of other gangsta flicks.

The biggest draw is the music. Already a chartbuster and going Dhan-te-nan !!.However, two songs are completely wasted. The title track which took the word “Kaminey” to a new aesthetic level is not used properly. Another gem, “pehli baar mohabbat” comes at the very end, after the end credits start rolling. At some place the film is very Maqboolish, but itdoesn’t have a shakespearen tragic end.

This one deserves to be seen, Fuperb, Awefome!!. The new “F” word is set to rule!! And being kamina was never so coolJ

Vaishno Devi Trip- Jai Mata Di:)

2009-08-09T00:14:00.000+05:30

Total fun. Beautiful trek uphill. My first trip to viashno devi. And all in all a very enchanting experience, both spiritually and travel wise. At the end of it, all my muscles were paining, but it was worth it. A few tid-bits and advices..lol:

· Take the route via Himkoti instead of going via ardhkumari. The former is short, very beautiful, less steep and the best part-no horses and horse shit.

· Stay away from paranthas. Guys, in this part of the world, parathas are either tandoori or very deep fried. They can be good, if done properly, but at the regular dhabas, they just don’t work, stay away.

· Eat plenty, and make merry during the trek. There are lots of options to eat roadside.

· The trek uphill is beautiful, so go during the day if the weather is good and enjoy the scenic beauty. During the night it becomes rather dull. The only problem is the horses and horse shit. That makes the otherwise beautiful trek a letdown. But you can’t help it.

· Take a mix of stairs and spiral routes to avaoid extreme leg pain. Climbing stairs uphill is fun and fast but that would leave you with aching muscles. While coming down the muscels would pain more, (contrary to popular belief), so whichever route you take wont make much of a difference. We completed our trek uphill in approx 4 hrs, and downhill in 3 hrs.

· And guess what, You can find software engineers everywhere these days. So, brace yourself, if you are thinking you can get away with office talks, think again. The guys who were trekking right along us were talking about TLs, PMs and issues and escalations and blah blah….such a small world..lolJ

One thing that I didn’t like in particular is that many young people, (all gym toned dudes and dudettes), opted for horses and palkis. Which is a shame!! The very same people will go for stuff like Roadies and claim how adventurous they are and bring a shame to our young generation. Horses and palkis are good if you are not physically fit or elderly, then it is justifiable. And also, people don’t seem to encourage their kids to trek uphill. I remember when we were kids our parents used to push us for outings and outdoors etc. these days city slickers don’t do that. Perhaps, it’s the downside of living in a fast paced world.

Next day we went to jammu, and visited the raghunath temple( I guess the same where some terrorists struck a few years ago). There was lots of security in the otherwise modest temple. And the most irritating part was the priests who kept asking for money and sometimes even threatened the devotees. Bad!

And lastly, when it was time to get back home, our “special” train was almost 2 hrs late. Real bad!!

Came back late Sunday night and bunked the office on Monday, such a blissJ

I would say, go and have great fun in the midst of natural beauty…and paap bhi dhul jayenge..lol

Aaj Kal ka Pyaar....

2009-08-05T20:28:00.000+05:30

Love aaj kal was one movie I was desperately waiting for. So, the review is inevitable.:).I have refrained myself from reading any reviews on this movie till now. But now that I have seen it I can say it’s definitely not JWM (means cult) but certainly a good time pass affair which touches these important issues related to love “today”. But surprisingly, it’s the love “yesterday” that ignites the screen.

The story runs in parallel timeframes, sometimes confusing, but easy otherwise. The film touches the issues involved in long distance relationships, career v/s love, and how the meaning love has changed across generations etc. Saifu has done a great job because these roles are cut out for him. He has by now mastered the art of playing this urbane, cool, suave, guy.DCH, Hum TUM, KHNH and so on..). But his sardar act works more than the modern one. Deepika wasted a precious, well written role. She just don’t get those complex dialogues right. Deepu dear, there is a huge need for improvisation. Just to paraphrase saif: “Tujhe acting nahi aati jaaneman”;)lol. But the one who took my heart away was the Brazilian model, Giselle Monteiro, who played Harleen. Minimal dialogues(thankfully), maximum impact-straight to the heart:). Dil le gayi….;)

But the best part of the movie is the music and the songs. The template is very JWMish. Ye dooriyan is a very good number, off late I have loved all Mohit Chauhan songs. “Twist” is the new disco anthem, very catchy very peppy. Chor bazari, is a beautiful number, very appealing. It’s perfect “break-up” song. Ironically, Pritam has created a song named “Chor” bazari…wow!!he he…Thoda thoda pyar, is beautifully filmed on giselle. Aaj din chadeya is also good. And the very happening number is aahoon aahoon, another chart buster which comes at the end just like mauja hi mauja. Special mention for the lyrics by Irshad kamil, very innovative very “in”.:) And lastly, the song named “main kya hoon” which is rather dull and average, but I am mentioning it because it is depicted in a way that every software engg can identify with it- like How saif gets excited about new job and towards the end of the song gets disillusioned by the life he always wanted. Must see for every SE. he he:)

The production values are high. The movie is shot well, across continents. The lines are smartly written. But the “imtiaz” touch is missing. So, overall it’s a nice time passable film, don’t expect answers to your love problems and see how love “yesterday” was so better than love “today”.

Toy Train journey to Shimla...chal chaiyyaa chhaiyaa:)

2009-07-27T19:17:00.000+05:30

“Mere sapno ki raai kab aayegi tu”, Rajesh Khanna hit the road and wooed Sharmila Tagore in Aradhana in 1969…Circa 2009, In a sort of role reversal, we decided to do the other way round, so I along with Abhishek and Mridul ventured out to find our respective “sapno ki ranis”. lol. But we abandoned jeep and took the toy train:)

First things first, I love hills. Hills are in my blood and have lived a significant portion of my life on hills. But Shimla isn’t exactly my favorite when it comes to hill stations. It’s not that Shimla is not beautiful. The thing is I have been to Shimla many times already. Shimla is too crowded, way too crowded. But that doesn’t take its beauty away. I was not very keen on going out. But Abhishek like always; pushed me. And it turned out to be a worthy trip. One of the reasons why I am writing this blog is the TOY TRAIN journey to Shimla. It is the best part of the journey. It’s clean and neat, and comfortable. Remember the train that Shahid Kareena boarded on their way back to home in the second half of jab we met? We opted for the expensive than the JWM version… slightly royal looking train. But I checked the cheaper options which are equally good. Toy train is an amazing experience. Of course the weather played its part as well. The train meanders through some 50 odd tunnels and beautiful hill slopes passing through forests and small hill towns where the stations are small and oh-very beautiful. I remember last year this was given some UNESCO heritage status. That may be the reason why the train is so well maintained. Some stations like Barog are especially breathtaking. It is relaxing and a way to look at life moving slowly, the toy train assures you there is no need to hurry in life. Sipping hot tea (the yuck version that railways serve in shatabdis..lol) and watch enchanting natural beauty and life pass by…divine!!;)

This one is a highly recommended journey for all. Don’t go by bus!! And also for those who feel mountain sickness, nausea and vomiting!! Now the negatives- It is slow and after a point becomes monotonous and repetitive, but it still has the charm. You start enjoying nature up close and personal. Prepare to get bored after a time and it’s highly advisable to have noisy friends or ample music for companyJ. Also, weather is a big factor; you won’t like to get trapped in a small compartment in hot weather.

Once at Shimla we headed straight to the ridge, or the upper mall.( Though I am always confused what is the exact name- is it ridge or something else? Please let me know if you do). And we did click pictures, lots of it. Next was Jakhu temple. Now anyone who claims he loves mountain trails has to climb uphill to Jakhu temple. It’s a beautiful uphill climb and quite strenuous too. The most amazing are the monkeys. They rule this place. Mind you. You are in their territory so behave!! We behaved like good kids. he he :)

They even check you for Prasad and all. The monkeys frisked me nicely. I dutifully extended by hands for further probing. Though he was doubtful about my cell phone, but he “cleared” me. Other people submitted their prasads to them, dutifully. They are really smart and since you are in their kingdom, you dare not do anything stupid.
On our way down I thought of rolling down Mridul, but decided not to do it because could have caused an avalanche. Lol;)
Back downtown we did what everyone does in shimla- shop-hopping…eating…roaming around…eating again…to lakkad bazaar…some more munching..ridge…some pastries and ice-creams and so on. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you…Shimla has immense beauty..in every sense of word..he he..and yes my fav heroine is kangana…lol..The trip ended with sundown and we hopped a bus back home. A real nice day, well spent.:)

And yes this trip could have been perfect if we hadn’t encountered instances of PDA..in the bus..i mean real nasty stuff…..you know the things..That should NEVER be done in public…that was a huge turn off…anyway..;).
Overall a nice, fun filled Saturday outing;)

PS: I know the blog is two weeks late. But still. If you want to know more about toy train, go check the trains out on Indian rail site. And search between station KALKA and SIMLA(not Shimla, or else you will end up nowhere). The fares are normal, it cost us 290 each, and that was rather expensive version, there are cheaper options also available. But try to book at least one week in advance. Have fun:)

Kitabein bahut si...padhi hongi tumne...

2009-07-01T20:49:00.000+05:30

I got a chance to watch “The kite runner” last night on HBO. I was excited because the book by the same name is one of my favorites. I liked the movie (despite some friends suggesting that it’s not that good). PF messaged me after the movie saying-“none of the characters “looked” the way I “saw” them…” Exactly that’s what has been bugging me for a long time, ever since I started watching movies based on books/novels. 90% of the times I am left high and dry because a certain character didn’t come across in the way I had imagined or that was way too different from the written word. One reason could be that there are different ways in which different people may perceive a plot. Let’s say, if a building is described in a particular way, there might be hundred different ways to build a mental image of that building, which varies from person to person. And the one that is shown in the movie can be “one” of those hundred ways or something else, in short the way the director has perceived it.

Let’s take an example: When I watched “harry potter” part 1, 2 and 3, I hadn’t read the books. I liked the movies immensely. But then I got a chance to read the books. I was rather disappointed in the movies and the books too. Because when I read the books, I found that a whole lot of things were missing from the movies. But because of the movies, now I had a reference point, for each character, like Harry potter was replaced by Daniel Radcliffe. It was, in a way, good too. But my imagination didn’t fly that high and I didn’t explore the plots much. Then, when I read the 5^th book, order of phoenix, I loved it, because the movie was not out at that time. I could imagine whole new things and imaginations soared again. And when the movie hit the theatres, I thought it was massacred. And my imagination was way better than the director’s..lol

Harry potter is just an example in this case. There are many others too. I have seen people who have religiously followed Tolkien’s LOTR and love the written word so much. I haven’t read LOTR but I like the movies. I absolutely loved “Da Vinci Code”, but the way it was depicted on screen made me cry (Haven’t seen Angels and Demons yet, because I want to maintain it as one of my favorites). Would it have been the same feeling if I had not known the story beforehand? I mean I knew the story inside out and so might not have enjoyed it that much. Back home, Devdas of the millennium has not gone down well those who loved the Devdas of 60s. And off late Dev D has broken all moulds and is totally Anurag kashyap’s interpretation of the literary classic.

So, that means when a director directs a movie on some novel or story, he would always face some or the other criticism. And also there are some aspects of written words which we can only perceive and it would be difficult to show them on celluloid.

On a different note, this is not restricted to just the movies. Let’s take the example of (whom else but) god. Nobody has seen “him”. Eg: Lord Shiva. Would we always “picture” him the way we have seen in calendars? Someone must have drawn that first calendar or picture based on either some written text or some description. So the calendar makers’ piece of imagination became something which is so sacrosanct to billions of people. Or more recently, take the example of mythological serials; I always wonder why there is a rotating “chakra” behind every god or so on?:) That is the way the aura of the gods has always been depicted in those serials. So, you see, the way, say Ramanand sagar perceived “Ramayana” became a matter of reverence for millions.

I don’t know if what I said makes much sense. But the thing is I am wondering, which is better- to read a book and not being judgmental about the movie or not to watch someone else’s perspective of your favorite book just to avoid disappointment.

Whatever..I won’t ever stop watching movies or reading…lolJ. In a way a novel is also a piece of imagination of the writer. We just develop our perception on the story when we read it.:)

It's Over!!

2009-06-13T08:59:00.000+05:30

He loved coffee. The smell of it. He loved her because she smelt of coffee.

On days like these when nothing seemed to be going right for him he used to sit beside the pool and stare at the starless sky of a city which has taken everything out of him and given him everything in return. He wondered if there is anything else that is so fulfilling yet excruciating at the same time like his job, like this city.

I love to spent time with you. He said...almost desperately.

No, you don’t. You don’t love the time spent with a person. You love the person with whom you love to spent time with.*

Stop being filmy...

Yeah...I am always at the fault...Isn’t it? Remember you used to like my being filmy...That’s what has drawn you to me…

The coffee suddenly turned bitter. He gulped another sip. He always thought that the coffee machine hates him unlike anyone else for it constantly supplies him such awful liquid. But it was quite effective in keeping him awake. He dreaded sleep. He slept with issues and code-bugs. The nightmares…a loop getting out of place, values not getting saved in the database, User Interface crumbling…and so on...followed by more trauma. His fear of these nightmares developed into a love for the coffee, because it kept him away from sleep. He has started loving it. He started walking back towards his desk. Each step felt so heavy; like it does every time he had a bitter fight with her.

Ok please, I know where this is leading to…let’s not…

Let’s not what…you think you are smart or something...let me tell you…

Shut up please…will you…

You can’t tell me to shut up…you jerk…who do you think you are?

Don’t get on my nerves…now please...Will you…

He felt at ease when he moved in these corridors. He felt protected behind these glass doors. They kept him away from the dark ugly world outside. The coffee tasted yuck!! As he moved around with coffee mug in his hand, he stopped. The glass door showed his reflection. He was young, pretty young by every standard. The reflection in the mirror defied it completely. He saw a pale figure, messed up hair, and weak, very weak…He could see failed dreams, false promises and miserable hopes. He had made a mess of himself. After this module, he thought, I’ll take better care of myself. For sure!. That never happened. There were always some deadlines to chase, modules to finish and issues to fix. He drifted in his thoughts. The silence was shattered by his stupid ringtone. “Onsite!@#$@!#$”.He muttered. He was on production support tonight. Final implementation was going on.

He felt his throat choking up. He swallowed his pride and gathered all his strength to utter a meek “hello”. The voice on the other end started mumbling some technical crap. He wasn’t listening. His mind was elsewhere.

No I won’t, you ll have to listen…you are no-gooder…what do you think you are… a stupid good-for-nothing software engineer. Just because you play around with technical stuff you think you are GOD? Is it? Freak, You are a DOG!!..

Yes, yes, I am a good for nothing creature and it was so benevolent of you to shower your divinity on me….happy…

Stop being sarcastic...

Ok...Ok…let’s stop it ...see I am sorry,I really am!.. it’s just that this project is so nerve-breaking that I forget everything and the pressure is ..is..too much to handle..you know it..dont you…

She had left the room with a deep sigh. Over the past few months, he came to understand what that means. It was somewhere between desperation and resignation. He knew he would sort this out, like he did every time.

…and yeah...the implementation was smooth. Thanks for your support. You can leave for the day..Oops night…bye take care. The call ended. The implementation part was over. Finally!! He was free, at least for the time being. The feeling took some time to sink in. He decided to call her up. Not reachable, gawd!!, this freaky cell..He started typing out an sms. What should I tell her…confused. He typed and deleted the message several times. Sleep was taking over him. He decided to keep it short and typed-

It’s over, it’s all over!!

Relieved, he stretched his arms and fell flat in front of the desktop. Tomorrow, he thought, things would change.

He didn’t know how long he had slept. Through the glass pane he could see bright sunshine outside. He yawned and jumped towards his phone. “One unread message”!! He couldn’t hold him anymore and opened it!! The message read- “Its easy 4 u 2 say its over. Fine. If dat’s wat u want, so b it!! It’s over. I won’t bug u ne more, I am going away..far away frm u. I am leavin u”

It took him some time to contemplate what had happened. He was shocked. He went numb and dumb. He stared at the monitor in despair. A new mail flashed in his inbox. He opened it. It read- Congrats on the completion of the module. You have been allocated to a new project…

He was not reading anymore. He collapsed!!...A new day has come…

PS: This story is loosely based on the lives of a few people that I have come across in and around my workplace. I think the general perception about being in IT field is that IT guys live a glossy lavish life. The grim realities behind the gloss can take heavy toll on certain aspects of daily lives. Crumbling relationships which in turn lead to more desperation are direct consequences of slogging long hours.

PPS: Not my story, though the settings are strikingly similar ;)

PPS: This style of story writing is borrowed from many such stories that I have read on blogs and other places. So, I don’t know if that’s plagiarism, but if you find any, all of it is unintentional.;)

*- Pyar waqt se nahi, us se kiya jata hai jiske sath hum waqt bitana chahte hai…translated verbatim from the movie salaam-e-ishq, one of my favorite lines, have seen it in action in real life too;)

Tiger in the company of Women...;)

2009-05-17T20:03:00.000+05:30

I kept the promise I made to myself. Despite such super hectic work schedule, I managed to finish two books last month. First is “The Company of women” by Khushwant singh” and second is the booker winner Arvind adiga’s book ”The white tiger”.

First about Khushwant singh’s book. I have always been confused about whether to praise this guy or to hate him. I have written loathing pieces about him in the past and then have praised him lavishly. I still maintain that he is a person who likes to read (and write) stories interlaced with sex...lots of it. The company of Women, which Mr singh started writing at the age of 83!(don’t believe that) is a full-on erotic fiction. It celebrates sex in perhaps the most unique way. Every second page is full of intimate details and description of you-know-what! Some people claim that this is perhaps the most erotic piece of English fiction written by an Indian after kamasutra. I agree to a great extent. The book was pretty enjoyable..he he..for obvious reasons…but yeah..it has another side as well. The way it explores the relationship between a man and a woman is rather commendable. And women here are very independent, very fiery, and have a mind of their own!!. This book depicts high life and sexcapades but still has an emotional undercurrent. Read it once to believe how at an old age a person starts “thinking” at such wild extremes.

My second pick- The white tiger, makes Slumdog millionaire look less brutal. India bashing seems to be the easiest way to achieve global phenomenal success. But the sad part is most of it is true. There are indeed two Indias that we live in. One- on its way up, buoyed by economic progress, and the second in direct contrast- always in “darkness”. This is perhaps the first account I have read about Naxal hit areas in fiction. It’s a wonderful book, an eye-opener of sorts which shows us the world through the eyes of a driver. How a man rises from darkness to light and makes a mark for himself in a brutal bad world out there. I was told the protagonist of White tiger- Balram Halwai, is similar to Salim Sinai of Midnight’s children. I haven’t read the latter so I can’t really compare the two protagonists. But through his protagonist, Adiga has managed to lash out his feelings on superstitions and hypocrisies of Indian society. He has ridiculed stupid religious practices of almost all the religions (esp. harsh on Hindu rituals and has a problem with millions of gods!!) and placed a tight slap on the face of those who claim that India has finally “arrived”. Its in-your-face tale of two Indias and a super shocking book!! . Only problem is the ending, which could have been tauter. And for the first time ever I found a book worthy of the booker. (My hatred for God of small things is well-known). Has to be read for its “shock” element!!

PS: two books last month doesn’t mean that I am outta work..on the contrary I am overloaded with tonnes of work, but I still am hopeful about reading a few new books every now and then…J

Danco Re...

2009-05-01T21:07:00.000+05:30

Weekends can get really boring sometimes. Esp. since there are no new movies coming in these days. So, I am left with no choice but to resort to mindless switching of channels. My remote will soon start complaining like me, I guess. I really over use it. It’s like my job in the IT sector these days-Always under pressing demands!!aah…never mind!

But for the past two weekends I have been watching only dance shows on TV. Because there is hardly anything else to watch. yeah yeah, the omnipresent IPL is there, but I got bored after first few matches.(And I think this has something to do with Mandira’s new haircut, YUK!!). Moreover, every channel these days has lookalike shows. For e.g.: if one channel decides to pick up the topic of girl child and female foeticide, then there would be at least two more such shows on rival channels. One such overexposed genre is Dance shows. After an overdose of singing talent hunt shows and stupid reality shows, this time dance reality shows have gripped India like never before. There are many such shows currently- Jhalak, Dance india Dance, so, you think you can dance (on AXN)..and so on… But my current Favorite has to be Dance India Dance on Zee Tv.

Dance India dance is an absolutely wonderful show. Simply because of the performances which are top notch every time. Even the judges- Terence, Geeta Kapur and Remo (though lesser known but pretty capable) are good enough. The only irritating part though is the presence of Mithun Da. I have never really liked Mithun as an actor and neither as a dancer. So watching him in the grandmaster’s role is a little too much for me to bear. But yeah, he brings his own sense of judging and is passable.

Coming back to the quality of dances- Boy!! They are Super good!!. The contestants perform all kinds of moves, rope tricks, hip-hop, sensuous numbers, extreme dance forms, everything!! And that too, brilliantly!! And like all reality shows, yes there are tears, lots of them, they flow like a tap needing a repair. But it is okay sometimes.

Second hot favorite these days is-Jhalak Dikhlaja on Sony. It is perhaps the flagship show of otherwise defunct Sony entertainment channel. Sony is all set for a re-vamp from 25 May onwards and it’s still to be seen what results it yields esp. after exceptional surge of Colors as a GEC. Jhalak is interesting because it has that “celeb factor” which makes it a little peppy. Otherwise it’s quite difficult to digest the idea of watching Saroj khan and the likes!! Sony is also the home to what I would call the mother of all Dance reality shows- Boogie Woogie. It has never ever disappointed me. I remember watching boogie woogie as a kid too!!. Simply superb. High standards, esp. the kids special. (Okay a secret now, I wanted to audition for Boogie woogie but could never muster the courage. He he J)

In the past Nach Baliye was a good attempt but previous seasons started getting sillier after season two or so and I lost interest. Also, it must be really difficult to find real life jodis or something.

With so much dance happening around, it’s bound to have its impact. And the impact of these dance shows could be seen since last 3 years or so. People are taking up to dancing like never before. With dance classes mushrooming in almost every other corner, and enrollments on an all time high (even during recession), dance reality shows have made significant and very “moving” impact. It also shows the new found confidence among the people. They see it on TV where people like them are doing it, which in-turn generates a feeling - “Yes we can….dance too”(oops Obama influence here too;).

On a personal note, I have always liked to dance (though I am not sure how good I am at it). After watching one of these shows recently I was rather determined to learn hip hop style at the newly started Dance classes at my workplace. Ultimately, I couldn’t. These stupid deadlines and my nerve-wrecking project would never allow me to do that. **sigh**. Also, one big problem is to find a dance partner for dances like salsa. I remember last time I wanted to join salsa classes, I couldn’t find a partner .Every time I approached a girl asking her to join salsa with me, the response was never immediate, they first gave me a ”you-think-you-are-good-enough-to-join-salsa” look. And yes, almost all of them already had partners fixed. Poor me!!. I can only pray..he he

Wahe guruji da khalsa, ek soni kudi ki laalsa, for dance classes of salsa*..wah wah;)

But the case in not so grim for everyone else. People are increasingly joining dance classes for reasons more than one. Fitness is one of them. Kids are absolutely into it!!(Primarily out of parental pressure, parents want their kids to excel in extra-curricular, or better, be a part of reality TV bandwagon!!). I read this morning in TOI about how kids these days are getting better marks and shaking a leg at the same time. And interestingly, it’s not a metro centric phenomenon anymore. As Javed Jaffery pointed out in one of the recent episodes of Boogie woogie– that people from remote areas of Jharkhand are doing hip hop moves better than those in, let’s say, Mumbai.

So, you see, the stage is all set, all ours. All we need to do is...Shake a leg!!

Break a leg!!:)

*NOM on that one

The Zoya Factor...

2009-03-22T19:05:00.000+05:30

It’s been quite long time. The past one month or so has been real depressing especially at work. Some real stupid issues lead to super hot escalations and I suddenly found myself in the middle of a turmoil And the funniest part was, that I was not even remotely associated with those projects. But such is life,..sigh…. kyaa karein…It seems the dust has settled for the time being..so I found some time to write something. Lots of things are there on my mind these days..Poor me…I can’t handle all of them simultaneously….but yes, despite all the mess at work; I maintained my resolution to finish one book a month. So I completed “The Zoya factor” by Anuja Chahuan. A super cool WOW novel!!
I am not sure what exactly chick-lit means (and if there exists such a hyped category!!), but this is a rocking book. A perfect companion for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I would say, have something to munch or a cuppa hot coffee or something… get into the bed.. and just read along. It’s a breezy read, very contemporary, and the references from the world of advertising make it all the more interesting. It’s absolutely hilarious!! Anuja chahuan has been into the advertisement field for quite some time and has been the brain behind super hit lines like “ yeh dil maange more”. It has bollywood written all over it. Very filmi, very mast. I read somewhere that SRKs production house Red Chilies has brought the rights for this book and it would soon be made into a film. I am dying to see this on celluloid with Konkana playing Zoya’s role.( and I hope it doesn’t end up like “Hello”, which totally massacred ”One night @ call centre” on which it was based) .

The lingo used is very hinglish, and fun. And on top of it, this combines India’s favorite pastime- cricket with romance and glitzy world of Advertising. So, find out what happens when an advertising professional Zoya, who was born on the exact moment India when India won the 83 world cup, finds herself in the position that her mere presence at the team breakfast table leads to victories for India on the cricket field, her world is turned upside down. Also, our heroine has her heart skipping a beat for the heartthrob of the nation, the Indian skipper. Its total masala!! Don’t go looking for intellectual stuff. The way the book is written, it will warm you with its charm. And you get to see a whole new perspective on “Luck”. The novel would obviously not find takers among the intellectual bunch who would shun this as typical chick-lit. But I am sure even they would laugh out loud when they read it behind closed doors.

It’s a lovely book. Lots of fun..Guaranteed!!…J

The Hungry Tide

2009-02-09T11:11:00.000+05:30

As a part of my New Year resolutions (most of which never see daylight, simply because they never come out of my head) I had decided to finish up one book a month. I guess I am quite on track, because I finished reading The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh by Jan end which makes it one book a month.;)Well started!! He he:)

I picked “The Hungry Tide” for two reasons. One was, of course- Amitav Ghosh, perhaps one of the most celebrated writers of our times. I always wanted to read his books. But I never had the courage to read his huge volume Sea of Poppies( which I suppose is going to be a trilogy. That would be mean at least three thousand more pages….aaahh!!) . But yes, I wanted to read his works. I would have picked up some other book, may be his much acclaimed “The glass palace”, but I picked this one up because of my second reason- that is the brilliant picture of the cover.

After finishing this book I m still not sure whether I liked it or not. Its not a bad book at all. It is food for intellect..loads of anecdotes about stuff which is quite unique in itself. But somehow, it fails to tug your heart.

Basically, it’s a story about a handful of people. Piya, kanai and Fokir- Three people very different from each other. Fiction blends into myths and real stories and make an interesting read. Perhaps the biggest reason why the book engaged me is because it is vivid with descriptions of places which we might never have seen. The sunderbans and the Tide country are intriguing places and even a simple story gets a surreal feel to it just because of the setting and backdrop. It takes the readers imagination to an entirely different level. I have seen little of Subderbans, restricted to what I have seen in a few documentaries on Nat Geo or Discovery. But this book took me to a journey inside those unimaginable places which come to life. This is the biggest strength of this novel. The characters are okay.. But they are surrounded by such natural diversity and unimaginable terrain which makes them all the more appealing. The biggest turn-off, perhaps, is the description of dolphins and the descriptions of cetology(study of species of dolphins, whales etc.). That stuff about the dolphins and all, was really a little too much for me.

It’s a good read, a perfect companion for mind (loaded with information, local history, myths etc) but it’s not very emotionally gripping. It’s not a page turner in any way. It’s a book which you can finish at a leisurely pace. (I finished it in some 20 odd days…). But yes this is book that I liked reading because of the novelty factor because it’s rare to find such an unusually appealing backdrop most of the times

Luck by chance...

2009-02-02T21:30:00.000+05:30

Luck by chance is an extremely engaging watch. It’s an intelligently written movie and very good attempt by a debutant director (Zoya Akhtar). I loved the movie for three main reasons:
1. The lead pair Farhan and Konkana: They are the most unlikely pair and it shows. They don’t have many scenes together, but both of them did a wonderful job. Farhan has this throaty voice which many people hate, but I believe that is his USP. Konkana is my favorite actress and I believe she is THE BEST actress that we have these days. She doesn’t really steal the show here but these kinds of roles are tailor made for her and it’s a cake walk for her. She has that amazing warmth about her and her likeability quotient is very high (in general).
2. The supporting cast: All are very good. All of them have fit well into their respective roles. Sanjay Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple etc.
3. The music and exceptionally well written lyrics. Shankar-Ehsan-Loy take inspiration from their earlier works (Lakshya, Rock on, Mission Kashmir, yeh kya ho raha hai etc) and deliver a superb score. The movie opens with the heart tugging Yeh zindagi bhi which has a word of caution for all dreamers. Baawre is Rajasthani fast beat track and very foot tapping. Hrithik’s dance make it all the more awesome. Yeh aaj kya ho gaya is a breezy sunshine song with a dash of hope and feel good factor. Sapno se bhare naina is classical with lots of techno beats thrown in. Clearly the best.
Pyar ki dastan is a cool love song. Very hummable. And then the final piece- O rahi re. very motivational. It talks about choices to be made and fits brilliantly into the narrative.

There are other reasons as well. A few smartly written lines and screenplay full of subtexts. There is an inherent wit in the film. For the first time I guess our hero has shown his selfish self. Moreover, the heroine is not willing to accept his remorse, when he feels guilty about it.
I liked it a lot. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable movie. And if you love Hindi films, you are sure to fall in love with this.

PS: Many people didn’t like the movie. So don’t rush to kill me if you don’t find it that interesting.;)

Arrey huzoor..(w)aah Taaj boliye

2009-01-29T18:45:00.000+05:30

I still remember that day. It was the day when some goons (a sobriquet for politicians) decided to show their fighting skills with mikes and furniture in the UP vidhan sabha. That was the first time I was at Agra. I was hardly 13. Almost a decade has passed and lots of more sewage has flown into the Yamuna. It was the same city, the same old dusty city. Perhaps more populated and polluted than ever. But it called me back and I was happy to go.

Day 1: Arrey huzoor..(w)aah Taaj boliye

The hunt for a decent hotel room began and we ended up at a place with some strange name. Apparently it seems, Agra is made up of hotels. It’s a burgeoning and huge tourism sector that makes sure that there are Hotels in almost every nook and corner. After freshening up and some parantha grazing, we headed straight to The Taj. The memories kept coming back. I remember as a kid I was so awe inspired I never wanted to leave the Taj premises. Taj had made me realize the power of human emotions, the power of love. And the fact that someone actually took an effort to make such a mesmerizing place is really- too cool!!

The same feeling didn’t come back this time.

It’s difficult to fall in love with the Taj now. It’s not white any more. It’s more of yellowish shade. The dome, clearly, is the biggest hit because of pollution. It has turned a darker shade of yellow. It’s not anymore the “oh-so beautiful “monument that people flock to see. It’s a “wonder” that makes you wonder what happened to the good old Taj.

But yes, despite the damage it’s such a brilliant structure. Super sexy architecture and just the feeling of being there, standing in front of The Taj arouses thousand distinct emotions. It’s an imposing building and the surrounding buildings add to the overall sense of something larger-than-life. All those who have not seen it, should see it once.

Our next stop was Agra ka Qila. We decided to hop a taanga. The horse was rather smartly named Bablu;) he he. It’s similar to Delhi’s laal quila. We clicked pics at every corner. The distant view of the Taj from the roof top was superb. It’s a full text book on the architecture of Mughal period. It’s really cool and hasn’t changed much since my last visit. (Probably, red-stone might not show signs of ageing as evidently as marble).

After a long tiring day, we ended up at the Sadar market at night which was quite nice. Bought truckloads of the justly famous Agra ka petha;)

Day 2: Laal hai rang pyaar ka:

Went to Fatehpur. Amazing place!. Despite endless nagging guides which made our lives hell. It reminded me of the movie Pardes and Jodha Akbar. Such is the power of our movies that we instantly indentify these locations with one movie or the other. he he.:)

Next on our mind was Bharatpur bird sanctuary. But then we gave it a skip and decided to go to Mathura and Vrindavan instead. The krishna janm boomi temple is perhaps the rare few temples anywhere which has a mosque right next to it.And that makes it all the more apppealing. After some darshan in the temples, we headed to buy the super famous” Mathura ke pede”. And they tasted YUM!!. Next we wanted to go to some really big temple but gave up in the middle of it because we sensed the chances of a stampede; in fact we barely escaped one. The best part of Vridavan was the boat-ride in the middle of an overly polluted Yamuna, just after the sunset. It was an ultimate experience, overlooking the ghats.

I think after the trip I can say that- Agra doesn’t deserve The Taj. I know, I am no authority to comment on this because I don’t know the city inside out, but at places where it matters, it’s really in a state of pity. The problems are many:

1. Nagging Tourist Guides: they make your life hell with their endless nagging and insensitive nature. Real big hassle.

2. Ill- maintained heritage sites: Taj has turned yellow and seems to have lost its sheen. It pains to see that despite being a world heritage site, Fatehpur is so ill maintained. The best part is the buland darwaja. It’s really buland-est and super huge. But you can’t stand in front of its stairs because there is an overflowing gutter right in front of it!

3. The food overall was YUCK!. Basically, Agra doesn’t seem to have a distinct local cuisine of its own( like the Rajasthani food). So what you usually get is some tasteless, super oily stuff, which they pass in the name of mughlai food.

Overall, a nice trip. I definitely needed a break from work. But yeah, I am definitely NOT looking forward to go again. I know it’s easy to criticize. I understand that it’s a daunting task to maintain the architectural sites. But I seriously believe that the authorities are just not doing enough. Perhaps out of sheer disinterest .There is no dearth of funds but a lack of willpower.

The Legend of Kaale Kauva

2009-01-15T21:42:00.000+05:30

There are many festivals celebrated across India- Lohri , Makar Sankranti , pongal , etc. around mid-January. Apart from all these, there is an awesome and amazing festival named Kaale kauva(or ghughutiya) celebrated in Kumaon region( those who never heard of it- Uttarakhand is divided primarily into two main regions- Kumaon and Garhwal).

This is perhaps one of the most unique and fun-filled festival that I know of. I mean no other festival involves such passionate celebration involving crows!. Yes you read it right- Crows, isn’t that Incredible!!.

During the festival of Kaale Kauva (literal translation 'black crow') people make sweetmeats out of sweetened flour (flour and gur) deep fried in ghee, shape them like drums, pomegranates, knives, swords etc. They are strung together and worn as necklace-with an orange fixed in the middle of it. Early in the morning children wear these necklaces and sing "Kale Kauva kaale.." to attract crows and other birds and offer them portions of these necklaces, as a token of welcome for all the migratory birds, who are now coming back after their winter sojourn in the plains. Though there are many myths and stories attached to it about a queen and her lost necklace and so on. These are all part of popular folklore.

This was a special festival….Always….not that I enjoyed it very much, but just the smell of those deep fried, super crisp “ghughute” and “khajure”(as they are known) was something I could never forget. The preparation of these “ghughute” used to be an eventful activity. Playing with the dough and making absolutely stupid (and sometimes stunning shapes) from our vivid imagination used to be great fun. These shapes went inside the kadhaai for frying only after prolonged persuasion of whosoever was incharge of frying .

I used to wait avidly for the next morning. We used to compare who has got the longest maala( the garland/necklace). He he.:). And then the chase used to start. We used to sing kaale kaale( though I am pretty sure that these screams and yells must have been a turn-off for the crows).No crow ever ate my offerings directly, but yes mostly they would fetch their bits from the offerings placed on roof tops. But we tried to feed them a lot and end up eating most of them. they tasted great. I don’t remember exactly but we used to sing something like:

Ie Kauva bara, mai ke de sunu ghara
Ie Kauva dhal, mai ke de sunu thal.

Which roughly translates to

(Hey dear crow, take the bara and give me a pitcher full of gold

Hey dear crow, Take the shield and give me a golden plate)

Poor crows used to have a tough time with us kids…he he..Those were the days… sigh….

I talked to my bro back home, and asked him whether he celebrated kaale kauva or not. He said this festival is now losing its charm and people are no longer so enthusiastic. I am pretty sure no one has ever heard of it outside Kumaon region. I tried to Google about the myth and story related to this festival but didn’t get any much info. So this is an attempt to spread the word about it. A trip down memory lane to remember all those lovely childhood days and the folklore of my beloved hometown-Almora, where I have grown up.:)

PS: the khajure or ghughute are just like maalpuva..a hardned form..more like sweetened mathri...mast taste...taste best with tea..as snacks:)

Raju is not a gentleman anymore!!

2009-01-08T13:44:00.000+05:30

I still remember those beaming faces of my friends who got selected in Satyam during campus placements. As I watched the Satyam fiasco coverage on TV, in horror and shock, I thought about many of my friends who are working there. And suddenly I felt vulnerable, because the whole IT image has now taken a severe beating. IT industry’s once poster boy has bitten the dust and for all the wrong reasons. What baffles me more is that nobody EVER knew about a scam of such mammoth proportions!! Gawd!! What were the auditors doing?

I am not very sure what lies ahead. Perhaps the biggest question is- What happens to the 50000+ employees? And more important one that is troubling my mind is- If there are chances of a merger or takeover (which most likely is going to happen), and if some significant lay-offs happen, where would all those employees go? They are skilled, no doubt about that, but this would add tremendous pressure to the already shrinking job market. And it would further reduce the prospects of other people who are in need of a job in the recession hit times.

This would give a severe blow to the reputation of Indian IT firms. This is as many are putting it, India’s Enron. And for the cnbc like news channels this was Financial 26/11.

This is a day of shame and shock. Indian IT scenario would never be the same again.

Sur(i)e shot Winner...

2008-12-14T20:51:00.000+05:30

For years they told us that Raj was the ultimate love idol. It has been embodied hard into the Indian psyche. This worked wonders at the Box office too (they used the idea for ages and en-cashed the idea again in Bachna ae haseeno recently). Anyone with even slightest interest in Hindi movies knows that Aditya Chopra created magic with DDLJ some 13 years ago and immortalized Raj and Simran. The expectations have to be obviously huge when he has come out with a movie after 8 yrs. However, Rab ne bana di jodi doesn’t justify those huge expectations. Having said that, I would maintain that it’s not at all a bad movie. A threadbare story which expects you to believe that the protagonist Suri metamorphoses into Raj overnight and his wife cannot differentiate between the two versions is really hard to digest. (Debutant Anushka has to be outright dumb. he he). We know from the beginning that no matter how many golgappas the heroine has with the “Raj” version, she will ultimately be the typical Bhartiya Nari and will see “rab” in her own husband…phew..:)

Thankfully we have SRK, It’s his show all the way, nicely supported by Vinay pathak. He makes us like Suri, the commoner. But one of the reasons why audience loves Suri is because the” Raj” version is rather irritating. We want the old signature style Raj with all the mannerisms. Anushka looks nice, and acts decently. Her future in B-town is still debatable. But she is likable.

Despite all the flaws, it’s a very watchable movie. I didn’t feel bored at all. And all credits go to shahrukh. He shows us why he is King khan-sliding effortlessly into Suri’s skin. Music is good. Tujh main rab dikhta hai is the new age tujhe dekha toh ye jaan sanam. The Indian beats interspersed with guitar in the backdrop, give it a wow feel. Salim Suleiman strike the right notes this time too (the finale piece is cool, a signature style of the duo, in a befitting follow up of Fashion).
Watch it for SRK magic, and become a fan, if you are not one.
PS: don’t miss the end credits…:)

CATalysis

2008-11-22T20:13:00.001+05:30

CAT was in the air this Sunday. I mean, I could actually breathe it. When I ventured towards my exam centre, I could sense a feeling of nostalgia. CAT is almost an annual ritual now for many of us, who live on hopes and who are desperately optimistic, when it comes to B school dreams. I, fortunately or otherwise, am one of them. I won’t detail out how was the paper etc, this is better left to infinite coaching institutes, each of which come up with a cut-off list that baffles the already confused candidates. This is supposedly the last time people are giving CAT this way (next year it would be online, I heard) I think it would be interesting to observe some scenarios that one would come across on the C-day.

On the C-day, the CAT is everywhere. Early in the morning, in buses, in autos, you can find aspiring candidates in all sorts of appearances. If you are afraid you won’t be able to find your examination center, don’t worry. All the roads lead to that place on the C-day. You can identify a test centre by the enormous crowd gathered there (a foreigner would confuse it with mini-kumbh mela). Once you reach there, you will b haggled by over-enthusiastic sales man type guys, who would be there to advertise for their respective coaching centers. They even distribute pencil, sharpeners and erasers with their ad brochure, in case you have forgotten your stuff at home..lol..imaginative marketing strategy you see!
And then in the middle of this sea of people comprising of nervous students and anxious parents, you can do two things-
· if you are with a friend or two, you can chat along and ease yourself,
· if you alone,(chances are you would be), just observe this sea of people and get amused. I was alone so I chose the second option and I got interesting results.

Sample this- The dude came out of a super sexy, swanky car which glittered brilliantly in the sunshine…wait a minute..This guy has this brown envelope in his hand…OMG..i gasped…he is a CAT aspirant!!…why on earth does he need to give such exams like CAT when he can drive a sexy Merc S class…phew..

Cut to scene two: ..Another swanky car arrived..this time with a big family inside..dressed as if they are going for a wedding.They came out one by one,and at last from the sea of relatives appeared a stylish looking, denim clad girl(of course with sun glasses). There were many such instances, I mean come on guys, the children have grown up, and this is not AIEE or JEE entrance, the first of sorts after class 12th that you need to accompany your ‘kid’ to the exam hall. Okay, I don’t say don’t accompany them, but at least don’t make it a family affair and crowd the already claustrophobic exam scene.

Scene 3: many regular, nervous looking faces, studious types. I mean they give the kind of vibes of hardworking students who have been living CAT every single day.
This and many more….
And then there were some ‘couples’…hand in hand..gawd!!(guys, what do we have in here- a park or something?, this is an exam..plz…). …and on top of it..the PDA…can you believe this…many of them had the same centre, but mostly there were boyfriends who were accompanying the girls to the respective center and after fulfilling the duty rushed to their centers. Such hard work, I must say…

Once the ordeal gets over… a traffic jam of sorts follows and a deluge of candidates appears from nowhere. Everyone, I saw, had a white roll of question paper in his hand. Everywhere, I could see faces with CAT written all over them. When I got on to the city bus, I could see that white question paper everywhere. It was omnipresent.

I think CAT and similar exams have boosted the economy in a very special way. The auto-wallahs make good money. The sales of pencils, sharpeners and stationary goes up (this doesn’t apply to those who get free stationary from workplace anyway..!!). It is also leads to better social equations . Since the CAT centers are a selected few, you end up at a relative’s place whom you had met years ago. And if you are the sporty and extrovert types, you can make new friends as well.

I can just go on writing, but I really believe CAT is an awe-inspiring exam. Not just because of its scale, but because of its aspirational value, and the faith with which every year lakhs of devotees,(oops candidates) appear for it.:)

New Age Dostana

2008-11-16T22:23:00.000+05:30

Dostana is fun, super cool, very gen-now, and sexy. Tarun Mansukhani, the director, is ‘straight’ out of Karan Johar school of film making. The production values are first rate.(it’s a karan johar production after all, lol). The movie is very young, very colorful. The music is peppy and very good (full marks to Vishal-shekhar)
It’s the boys who take the centre stage; the chemistry between them is crackling. Priyanka chopra sizzled in bikni effortlessly. (She is getting better by the day, after fashion she is getting hotter ).John went one step ahead of salman. lol. After a long time, Abhishek played a role quite nicely. Bobby deol played himself for the first time- quite dumb but likable.;). The supporting cast is cool. Boman irani is irritating. Kirron kher is very gud.
But beneath the gloss and glitter, the underlying theme of dostana is friendship between two guys and a girl, which is very much resonant of the times we live in. It’s less about being gay and more about the friendship and the bond the threesome have, hence a very apt title.
It’s a fun film to go out with a group of friends.

Not just any other day..

2008-10-12T16:07:00.000+05:30

I know this review is a little late and by now everyone knows that A wednesday is a brilliant film. I m just re-iterating it here.

A Wednesday is a wonderful,racy and brilliant film. This film sends a shiver down the spine. This year we have had many movies on the theme of terrorism and bomb blasts. I really liked Aamir in the past. This movie is a step ahead of it. And it takes the whole terrorism thing to a new level. Naseer and Anupam Kher played their roles amazingly well.The supporting cast is also credible. It’s a statement on how the common man is the ultimate sufferer in the wake of terror blasts.” We are resilient by force, not by nature”, says naseer. How true!! . The dialogues between Naseer and Anupam kher are absolute stunners...will make you applaud for sure.

The roof top shots are brilliantly filmed and symbolic of Naseer representing the entire city or keeping a city on ransom..
A must watch for all who like to watch meaningful and engaging cinema.

Maggi meri Jaan...

2008-10-04T15:45:00.000+05:30

Tired, I walk into the room. It’s 2 o’clock at night or… in the morning, who gives a damn. The room is abuzz with snores of my roomie. Sometimes I wonder, how I manage to sleep in that sound. But then, I am too tired, too sleepy and too hungry, so even the snores sound like wind chimes.lol. But then, I need something.... I have to have it.... I step towards my cupboard without switching on the light....with cautious steps. I try opening the cupboard trying to create minimum possible noise. I move my hand where I think I could find it.... And then, after scanning a few other inches, I succeed. Finally I got it. A pack of maggi!!..yesss!

I don’t exactly remember when I first ate maggi. It must have been when I was around 4 years old, I guess. That’s not the point, however. Maggi has always been an essential part of my life. I vividly remember my childhood days, when I used to go to the market every week with my naani. Apart from my regular dose of comics (diamond) and Nandan/Chmapak, I used to ask for a pack of maggi. She used agree reluctantly, always claiming that the maida ( of which it is made of ), is harmful for stomach. I never listened to that.
I learnt to make three things early in life-Tea, half-fry and maggi. And I always made it a point to cook it myself.

I never quite liked the idea of maggi with vegetables, except peas (that too because it used to give a nice green color to it which looked like gems.;) Because, I hated veggies as a kid. The bonding with maggi was not very strong till my class 10th.

And then I went to boarding school. I was amused how other kids were over-awed and obsessed with maggi. Due to the strict hostel rules, maggi meant late-at-night ritual. The strategically hidden heaters were used and the “dongaas” that were transported from the mess to hostel dormitory by juniors(who executed their seniors’ orders neatly). Also, our hostel has some great maggi maniacs. I remember there used to be a fixed day during breakfast when we were served maggi. That was perhaps when I liked the idea of maggi as a meal- maggi with toast, maggi with butter, ketchup, maggi and tea combo, maggi with boiled eggs and what not.
The place most revered (a temple of sorts for maggi lovers) was the small dhaaba just outside the school campus (named Himalayan dhaba I guess). It used to serve delicious maggi that everyone loved. It had spices, onions, etc. and cooked in a distinctive style. It was royal !!
During my 12th standard I also started liking the idea of cooking maggi in the middle of the night, or early morning(chori-chupke of course)It helped me in studies at wee hours. I never bought maggi most of the times. My friends would lend me one mostly otherwise we would raid the tucks of juniors ;)
And then it never stopped. Though, the love towards maggi was reduced during my Btech days. All through my Btech, be it alone or be in groups, be in Dehradun or by-lanes of Delhi- I have had many versions of maggi. It’s easy, it’s fun. Although there have been many other players in the market, like top ramen, curry etc. even various versions of maggi itself, I still think the simple maggi has still a charm attached to it.

I like maggi with coke very much. Chilled coke with pieces of ice floating on top of it tastes wonderful with hot maggi. Egg maggi is another version I like. I could write a lot about many maggi recipes that I can think of. Actually that’s the beauty of maggi. It blends with imagination of an individual and adopts the individuality of the person cooking it. I thought of sharing some maggi recipe here, but then it’s always better to eat it the way you like it, not the way someone else tells you to. I think maggi is quite a companion for any bachelor. I remember a scene from “Ek haseena thi” when saif makes a guess at urmila being a bachelor because she buys a lot of maggi packs from the store.

Now, After almost 1.5 yrs in infy, maggi is sometimes my sole companion (both in the office and outside it). When I come back late from work and I have nothing else to eat. I find a pack of maggi in my cupboard. I am the happiest person on earth….Well, to a certain extent, yes I admit, the taste is not that great, and you get fed up if you eat it a lot. But then, I think maggi alleviates the loneliness of our lives by accompanying us at odd hours when we have nothing else to eat or we are simply alone. When friends share a plate of maggi, it forges a bond in “just 2 minutes” .Sometimes I believe I romanticize maggi a little too much. But I think she understands me. . She shares my joys, my complaints…

Love you maggi. :)

For all the maggi enthusiasts, here is some trivia I found on the net :
"The history of maggi traces back to the 19th century when industrial revolution in Switzerland created factory jobs for women, who were therefore left with very little time to prepare meals. Due to this growing problem Swiss Public Welfare Society asked a miller named Julius Maggi to create a vegetable food product that would be quick to prepare and easy to digest. Julius, the son of an Italian immigrant came up with a formula to bring added taste to meals in 1863. Soon after he was commissioned by the Swiss Public Welfare Society, he came up with two instant pea soups & a bean soup- the first launch of Maggi brand of instant foods in 1882-83.Towards the end of the century, Maggi company was producing not just powdered soups, but bouillon cubes, sauces and other flavorings"
Source:mouthshut.com review:http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Maggie_Noodles-63594-1.html

Rock on- Its never too late to chase your dreams

2008-09-01T09:41:00.000+05:30

You don’t need to be a hardcore rock fan or something to like this movie. Its less about Rock and roll and more about friendship-lost and found. And on top of it, its all about chasing your dreams. Its about hair styles and attitude, but its also about friendship,passion,failure, success and the compromises one has to make in life!! It seems Farhan Akhtar has ghost directed the movie, because it has all the shades of Dil chahta hai.

Farhan akhtar just ROCKS!!. The man whose DCH will always be regarded as a path breaking movie in Indian cinema, makes a crackling debut. He acts well , looks good and boy!! his house is just too good…he he:). I wish I had an apartment like that..and of course a wife like Prachi. She looked lovely and acted well ( the reason I guess, her TV soap background). Arjun Rampal has done justice to his part. Purab kohli and Luke Kenny are superb too.Also, the girl who played arjun’s wife has acted superbly. She shows the pain and angst of living in penury, quite perfectly.The songs are well-knitted into the story. Socha hai, pichle saat dino main, and the climax concert are really gud. In fact pichle saat dino main is more like a live performance with some of the most imaginative lyrics by Javed Akhtar.

A wonderful movie.A must watch. Go chase this movie and go chase your dreams!!:)

Baawara Mann....

2008-08-29T18:25:00.000+05:30

Airtel has always come up with good quality ads in the past. After the very romantic Vidya Balan-Madhvan ad, the recent in the line is the one featuring Abhay deol and Raima sen. I loved the Ad. The song Baawra mann that echoes in the background is very haunting and blends perfectly with the mood of the ad. I pressed my brains and took at least 10 minutes to remember the source of the song. It’s from the movie Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi.

The singer is Swanand Kirkire, who has earlier sung for Parineeta( remember the very haunting, Raat hamari toh) ,the qawwali-ghazal-retro blend in the title track of Khoya khoya chand, and a few other movies. Incidentally, the movie Hazaron khwhishen aisi was quite critically acclaimed. The music is by Shantanu Moitra( the man behind Parineeta, Lage raho munnabhai and many others).

I remember when I first heard the song in Btech final year, I didn’t like the song much. This year again, I got a chance to hear this song along with the interview of this guy, Swanand kirkire on AIR about how this song got created. I kinda started liking the song. Then, when I first saw this Airtel ad, I was hooked. And I just kept listening to it. It’s a wonderful soulful song –very soothing and brilliantly sung!!
The song goes like….

Baawara Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
Baawara Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
Baawre Se Mann, Ki Dekho Baawri Hain Baatein
Baawre Se Mann, Ki Dekho Baawri Hain Baatein
Baawri Se Dhadkaane Hain, Baawri Hain Saansen
Baawri Si Karwaton Se, Nindiya Door Bhaage
Baawre Se Nain Chaahe, Baawre Jharokhon Se, Baawre Nazaaron Ko Takna.
Baawara Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Baawre Se Is Jahan Main Baawara Ek Saath Ho
Is Sayani Bheed Main Bas Haathon Mein Tera Haath Ho
Baawri Si Dhun Ho Koi, Baawara Ek Raag Ho
Baawri Si Dhun Ho Koi, Baawara Ek Raag Ho
Baawre Se Pair Chahen, Baawre Taraano Ke, Baawre Se Bol Pe Thirakna.
Baawara Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Baawara Sa Ho Andhera, Baawri Khamoshiyan
Baawara Sa Ho Andhera, Baawri Khamoshiyan
Thartharati Law Ho Maddham, Baawri Madhoshiyan
Baawara Ek Ghoonghta Chaahe, Haule Haule Bin Bataaye, Baawre Se Mukhde Se Sarakana,
Baawara Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

From Raj to Rajgiri...

2008-08-24T19:02:00.000+05:30

Bachna ae haseeno is one gud escapist movie .However, what struck me was the amazing locales where the movie has been shot. Impeccable beauty! Its like going on switzerland-australia-italy and all the oh-so beautiful places on a package deal. Eg: The same train station in Switzerland that has been used nth no of times in Hindi (particulary YRF) movies, looks all the more fresh and appealing. The locations are just Killlllling( a phrase used quite a few times by Ranbeer in the movie).
All through the movie I was thinking when would I get a chance to go onsite. he he..;)....Incidentally, Ranbeer is shown as a Microsoft programmer, who designs cool games(don’t know when does he get the time to code, coz he is always busy with the girls;).How i wish the life of a software engg. would be that rocking!!:)***sigh***
Ranbir kapoor plays this cool dude. Bips is in rocking form and her role has some base to it. A small town girl, with big dreams, who ends up getting ditched by the guy whom she loved and trusted. Minisha is just about okay. Deepika has a great screen presence, I wish there was more for her to do.The guy who has played Ranbeer’s friend in the movie, is simply awesome..He delivers those cheesy lines…with a punch…which will sure make u laugh.:)
Music wise, its okay kinda stuff. Khuda jaane is a wonderful track both in slow and remix avtaars. And the songs are rather brilliantly shot. Special mention about the eye-soothing locations and which make you go-“ I-have-to-visit-this place”.
I haven’t seen much of Saawariya, so cant say whether Ranbeer has fared better this time. but I think he has the potential for chocolate hero kinda roles. He still has to learn much, but he has quite successfully transformed DDLJ’s Raj to an uber cool relationship junkie who ultimately realizes what it means to be in true love.:)

The 3 mistakes of my life

2008-07-18T21:58:00.000+05:30

I really like the way Chetan Bhagat writes. It’s so identifiable; it’s really lucid, simple and entertaining. I have high regards for Chetan Bhagat. Not because he writes great stuff, but because he writes for the masses. ”The biggest selling Indian writer in english”- proclaims the cover of his newest book. If Salman Rushdie can be attributed with taking Indian English writing to the world then Chetan Bhagat is responsible for making Indian writing accessible to Indians. He is the reason why I believe “Five point someone” should be included in BTech curriculums across the country, because students read it anyway. And you don’t need a dictionary assistance for his books.:) The guy deserves some praise for that. Although its true that his writing not very high profile, but it has impact. Its for our generation, who want their books to be in their language, their lingo, the one they speak. It’s about their emotions. That’s the reason why the story of an IITian is identifiable to all the college goers in the country and why people working in IT sector can empathize with the protagonists of One nite @ call centre.

His new novel- “The three mistakes of my life” is definitely not a trash as many reviewers might have pointed out.
“The three mistakes of my life” is no mistake by any chance. First things first. It’s not a great book. Forget it, it’s not close to five point someone. But its still a nice time pass read. The kind of books that you like to finish in one go. Just like bollywood movies.(His stories have a typical bollywoodish feel to them, maybe that’s why filmmakers are adapting his novels into movies). His third novel has clear glimpses of a bollywood drama. It has all the emotions, twists and turns. It’s about a businessman and his friends, set in the backdrop of Gujrat during the times of earthquake and Godhra. The elements of Cricket, religion and business provide all the necessary drama. The plot and story are just about okay. But at the end of it, you expect a little more. And I felt the title was not apt. Because the ‘mistakes’ that Govind commits, are not really ‘mistakes’. It can happen to anyone. Perhaps, as the tone of novel is in retrospect, it looks okay.

Make no mistake, it’s a one time read, okay shokay, definitely not as bad as many reviewers have rated it, but definitely not as good as his earlier novels!!

Kungfu Panda-Get Ready for Awesomeness!

2008-07-15T14:57:00.000+05:30

Kungfu panda is an amazing movie. Its fun and out and out full-on masti movie.If you like animation and kungfu then this one wud be a treat for you. Its difficult not to fall in love with the fat panda pooh who works in a noodle shop, but secretly dreams of being a kung fu fighter. He is chosen as the dragon warrior because of a series of funny incidents. His encounter with Master Shifu and five other kungfu experts is a roller coaster fun ride.
The special effects are wonderfully orchestrated. I wonder when Indian movies would come to this level. The action sequences are high on energy and the funny little moments make you fall in love with the movie.
“If you think you can or if you think you can’t - you are right”. . is the message in the heart of Kungfu panda. As pooh’s father tells him-“There is no secret recipe dear”. There is no secret of success, it’s all within you .You have to believe in your abilities to overcome the difficulties-Beautiful!!
Highly Recommended!

"Dam"ned Trip!!

2008-06-22T14:50:00.000+05:30

Wanderlust took us on a trip to Bhakra-Nangal this weekend. Four of us-me, akshay, abhishek and mayanka. We started in the morning and soon our session of leg-pulling started. Mayanka was in full form, abhishek was no less...and i was like a monkey in between two fighting cats..In between came up interesting theories like "eating sprouts can weaken ur brains"...gawd..wat was that...And i couldnt take sides...although my loyalties lie with mayanka...he he...Akshay also joined in the fun...only when his phone allowed him to..boy, he is almost alwyas on phone..and to make the conversations clandestine, he speaks in kashmiri..;)so that we wont understand;).

Anyways, we reached Anandpur sahib, I think that was my first gurudwara visit i guess.The spotless clean ambiance was so serene and calming. after we were done, Abhihek decided to buy a lot of wafers..(he loves them..)and we joined in munching! Next we were headed to Nayana devi temple in the hills.Mayanka decided to give it a miss..so me, abhishek and akshay decided to start our trek uphill..around 1000 steps steep...it was tiring..but we managed to reach..the views were breathtaking from the top!!....the gates were closed so we didnt do the darshans.On coming down mayanka told abhishek that he looks slim. And when abhishek decided to retaliate, she came up with a gem-"jyada bolega to hawa nikal jayegi"..talk about infaltion and deflation;)..he he...

Next we headed for Bhakra dam. Yes yes, the oh-so famous bhakra dam, which we all have read about in our text books when we were kids. Pt. Nehru's dream project is significant in many ways. I realised that this dam makes sure that I am able to watch TV at home. But the feeling of nationalism didnt creep in, because we were slated to learn a few lessons-How to bribe your way out when u r caught!! so it all started when me and abhishek started clicking pictures around the dam. Little did we know that we are not allowed to take snaps. And displaying stupidity we decided to click one group photo at the entrance of the dam. And we were caught, the officials there asked us not to do it.We did what we were told. However the police man there had other plans in mind. he called us and we followed like obidient students.
policeman:iska toh jurmana lagega, FIR hogi...
us(thinking): (what the f)sorry ji, hum delete kar denge sari pics(sorry, we ll delete the pics).
policeman: woh toh karni hi padegi(that u have to do anyways u fools)
us:(still, wtf):sorry sir, galti ho gayi..
policeman:ye kya baat hui, main aapka mobile phenk doonga ur sorry keh doonga toh chalega!jurmana toh lagega..(i ll throw ur mobiles into the river and say sorry after wards, wud that be fine...u ll have to pay the fine..)

us:achcha sir aap hi bata do..kitna(you tell us..how much)
policeman:500
us:(wtf):arey sir...
policeman:250
us:(here he goes...wtf):sir jaane do..galti ho gayi..
policeman:100 akshay slipped a Rs 50 note into his hands...his face lit up like a thousand lamps..we got our mobiles back...amicable settlement.. bitter truth...corruption is everywhere!

After this "dam"ned thing, mayanka scolded us for being fooled by that policeman. She left no stone unturned in making fun of us,( believe me..she is gud at it)...of course it was stupid of us but it had to be done. Soon we rushed to Nangal, a small low lying town, which also has a small dam and stuff...we didnt care anymore. All we wanted was ,FOOD. And we got quite good food, and a local Bar and restaurant(well, this is what it was called...;). We ate like anything...nice food...satisfied.

Next was Kiratpur or Tirakpur or some such place made famous because some parts of Veer-Zara were shot here, thats what akshay told us.(The ones where priety zinta comes for asthi-visarjan..).We roamed around for a while at the gurudwara, deciding not to go in because we had non-veg earlier during the day.(religious beliefs are hard to change, u c). However mayanka was rather keen on having prasad. I guess she has a certain liking for prasads at gurudwaras.he he...anyways...abhishek didnt leave a chance to compare mayanka with errr.. grass-eating creatures (symbolically termed "b" here)..which was rather stupid considering the slim and sultry frame mayanka has..But she is such a sport..she takes everything so sportingly...or may b she had no answer..he he;)

Anyways, we returned back,..continuing our leg pulling..fighting over which music to play..akshay wanted gurdas man, me and mayanka wanted item numbers, abhishek wanted anything but kishore kumar....and so we were changing tracksevery 5 mins - from kishore kumar, to item numbers , not to mention the non stop punjabi numbers.... tired...felt like we came back from a long drive...

Not exactly a perfect break,...but a break from work..nevertheless...:)

PS:not many pics...the policeman deleted most of themm:(

Sarkaar doesnt rule this time!!

2008-06-09T12:01:00.000+05:30

The patriarch is back..but not exactly with a bang.This time the son takes over and sarkaar reluctantly accepts his decision to set up a power plant which wud give much needed electricty to the state.(resemblences to Enron!!)....

The best part is the story...and the drama around politics...The plot is striking. The performances are credible, the big b clan delivers gud. Aish, with a slightly charlize theron-ish look, looks great!!.

After committing suicide with Aag and Darling (I actually watched Darling, and felt like kiiling myslef), Ramu has somehow managed to make a watchable film...it is a typical Ramu film..with all under the table shots, extreme close-ups, use of shadows and light..but at the end of it you still feel it cud have been much better..

What i hated about the movie was its ear-piercing background score . Amar mohile, a regular with ramu camp creates such acoustic effects which are bound to shatter your ear drums. and also the pace of the film...too slow..

Overall, its not as bad as Aag or Darling, but its definitely not as gud as the earlier version of sarkaar!!

Tashan Ka Torture!!

2008-04-27T17:16:00.000+05:30

After dekho-ing Tashan,(chances are),you will be phodo-ing your sar. you will be soch-ing why yashraj films is baanao-ing such faaltu movies with no kahani in it.
Treat the above line as the after effect of tashan. This is exactly how Anil kapoor mouths his weird lines in the movie. And every time he appears on screen, you want to kill him and yourself. I bet if there would have been a high rising balcony in the theatre many people would have done that. He is irritating to the core. Mr kapoor, if you thought this was tashan, then you were seriously mistaken.

Saif is the sidekick,(sad but yes).Akshay is cut out for such roles.but he is seen doing those unbelievable stunts which look straight out of online games.
Story-man what's that!!, this film doesnt have any.
There are only two things that make this otherwise faaltu movie slighlty bearable. First, its Bebo(kareena) who looks stunninng,(but i think she needs to have atleast some weight.;)lol,.The chaliya song is sizzling.and bebo rocks!!. Other than kareena, its the excellent leh-ladakh locations which provide for a crystal clear eye-soothing backdrop.

In short this is the jhoom barabar jhoom(JBJ) of 2008. Atleast JBJ had amazing music. But Tashan scores low on music front too.
All Style and no substance.Avoid!!

Back From Home...Feelin Blue

2008-04-19T21:26:00.000+05:30

I was at Almora (my hometown) for the past few days. The trip was quite good, and as always, quite refreshing too. Almora looked stunning as ever.(see the pic below).I love it for being so beautiful and serene. My family was happy to see me after a long time. My mom,(caring a as all moms), thinks that I have drastically changed my eating habits and I don’t eat properly anymore, so is quite perplexed, panics a lot and never loses any chance to scold me for my eating habits.
Sample this:
Mom: you have lost weight, you don’t take care of yourself it seems.
Me: arrrey, I have actually gained weight ever since I came back from Bangalore.
Mom(she wont give up so easily):I’ll make things fine in a week.(another way of saying, I’ll make u eat by tonnes)
Me: (looking at the ghee laden roti): Mom there is so much ghee in this, I m not eating it
Mom: you have to, you don’t eat properly.
me: ok , fine, I am losing weight and that’s what I want. Puhleezzz, leave me, no more oily stuff.
Mom(now that senti part comes in):ok, just this time, I wont force u next time.
Me: (**sigh**)ok, bring it on.(falls into the trap)
Now this happens all the time I visit home. Mark my words- Its very difficult to convince you Mom with the arguments regarding your diet. She would never be satisfied.
My brother is done with his boards, so khali dimaag shaitan ka ghar you know. He seems to be getting a sadistic pleasure out of it. And he thinks it’s high time I get a six pack. lol . He made me do all those crunches and push ups and god-knows-what stuff which left me with aching bones and nerves. On top of it, my cousins were literally dancing on my heads. I had to take them around town and play with them. Trust me they can be highly demanding in terms of time and patience.
Well apart from all the halla-gulla and hungama, once at home, I make it a point to visit nearby places. However, this time I didn’t go to many, out of plain laziness. Apart from the visits to the regular and familiar places like the Chittai temple and all, I didn’t go out much. But just the feeling of being at home was always way too good(as always). The mausam was awesome to say the least.(actually more on the colder side, I had to borrow my brother’s sweater after short spell of rain.!!).

One high point of this trip has to be the fact that I exercised my VOTE for the first time. I was quite excited to find my name in the voter list, which gave me a feeling that I have finally grown up. Although these were just local Municipal elections, the campaigning was quite extensive, also innovative to a certain extent. Like a candidate whose symbol was “candle” actually distributed candles with his pamphlets. He even went on saying -” meri mombatti ka khayaal rakhna” or “meri mombatti aapke haath main hai”(how weirdly imaginative can u get dude!!).
The wait at the polling booth seemed endless, women voters outnumbering their male counterparts. Sadly there were no EVMs, the good old ballot paper did the job.:).There were two votes to be casted for two different seats. My first vote went to a young BJP candidate (expected, because I like to see genuine young people in politics)and second for a lady riding high on sympathy wave.(now, my cousins and whole of my family pressurized me to vote for this lady who has intense sympathy wave this time around and is slated to win). Interestingly her symbol was “baalti”(bucket).:D. Her campaign would have been devastated if ibibo.com was popular in Almora(“don’t be a baalti , they say:D!!)

All was not rosy though. There is some bad, rather shocking bad news. The swami Vivekananda ashram(Ramakrishna Kutir) is getting demolished. I went to Bright-End Corner(the very famous spot for sunset views) and I was shocked. The old building wasn’t there. I had been there many a times before, which however is not important. What matters is it’s the place which is associated with swami Vivekananda and has been there since 1916. I was stunned to say the least. I asked the laborers who were working on the site. They said they didn’t know much, but some reconstruction was going on. I seriously hope they won’t end up in some hotel or restaurant there. It pained to see the place coming down, where swamiji had stayed and found peace.

Up and downs, this and that. So much happened in last few days. Time flies by when you want it to hold back. Back to the usual grilling again…why do we have Mondays man!!:(…

Khuda Ke Liye

2008-04-07T10:00:00.000+05:30

I had heard a lot about Khuda ke liye..but i thought it would be just another serious kinda movie that gets appreciated at film festivals..But I was wrong. Its an immensely watchable and extremely impactful film. It forces you to think about many issues and the impact is sure to last for next two days after you wtach the movie. As i write this blog , i am simultaneously googling on jehad, al-Qaeda and other such stuff(no , i dont plan to be a jehadi anytime soon;), its just out of curiosity). he he.:)

It’s a story of two brothers, one of whom is brainwashed by a venom spewing religious leader maulana Tahiri(brilliantly played by Rasheed Naaz), and the other ends up getting racially abused in the post 9/11 USA. Then there is a British Pakistani girl who wants to marry a white guy, but ends up in a forceful marriage in some remote village in Afghanistan.

The lead cast is superb. Naseer is first rate, and perhaps the most powerful performance in the film, though he appears for hardly ten minutes. Though the film has a few flaws- amateur acting of the supporting cast, technical aspects and jumping between scenes,and yes, it seems the director has tried to conevy so many things that it makes the movie a little scattered. but the strength of the movie lies in the fact that it makes you think on issues like religious fundamentalism, terrorism and all. And more importantly it not only questions branding of muslims as terrorists but also question those religious fanatics who misinterpret Islam.

The music is amazing and re-affirms the fact that Pakistani music has rock solid foundation. Bandeya, Neer bharan kaise jaaon and Allah remain with you long after you have left the theatre.
This is a movie not to be missed!! the director Shoaib Mansoor deserves accolades for this. In the middle of crap bollywood stuff like 123, it’s such a relief to see a sensible and moving film.

Race is on my mind

2008-03-28T10:05:00.000+05:30

The new thriller by director duo is pretty gud. Abbaas-mastaan is back to their core competency area-slick, edge of the seat thrillers.

Race has many things that takes to be a good timepass, enjoyable movie. The first half is just about Okay, but the second half is full of surprises and shocks-some predictable, some routine. The plot is full of twists. Its a game of deceit, lies, betrayal where nothing is what it appears. The locations are eye-catching. The film is high on glam quotient-sexy, sleek and stylised.

Performance wise,Saif is the show stealer.No body can add more sophistication and style blended into a performance like him. Akshaye khanna has put on a lot of weight it seems and doesn’t deserve to be in the same frame as saif. Anil kapoor as the cop is sometimes annoying, sometimes funny.As for the actresses-All of them gyrated to catchy songs in itsy-bitsy costumes. Bips is okay, infact much better than her other films..katrina-just another show piece…sameera-well..no comments;).Music is cool. Pritam is in rocking form again..(i learnt that some of the tunes are lifted and copied...but who gives a damn as long its gud to listen to.:)

Overall, its a gud timepass fare, and since its a bollywood movie-the key is not to apply brains, and go with the flow.:)

When Jodha met Akbar

2008-02-18T11:11:00.000+05:30

Jodhaa Akbar was quite an anticipated movie. And it was entangled in its share of controversies which are not new to movies in India. Faaltu Controversies aside, its overall a gud movie. I don’t know, and frankly, don’t care if Jodha was akbar’s wife or bahu. (you see, when Jodha is played by Aish, you really don’t give a damn!! lol)

It’s a film which shows History with bollywoodish love story mixed in quite elaborate proportions. I quite liked the movie. The fight sequences are shot pretty well. However, the grand finale is a straight lift from the Hollywood epic “Troy”, and the overall narrative may seem inspired by ”Alexander”. But in its heart Jodha Akbar is essentially a love story. It shows how a person grows from an amateur to a king of high standards. And how love blossoms in a marriage of strategic alliance.

Few scenes stand out-Hrithik taming a mad elephant, the duel between hrithik and aish (which is so full of sexual energy, you want them to end the duel and hug each other), when akbar confesses his love for jodha in a very special way, when jodha learns that akbar is illiterate..and the climax…and many more… .The art direction by Nitin Desai is up to the mark. The shots of Amber fort are exceptionally well shot(reminded me of my Jaipur trip last year!!). The sets are done so immaculately, they don’t look like sets. Anyone who has seen the inner ambience of Agra fort will agree to it that detailing of deewan-e aam and other places is up to precision.

Music is okay-shokay. ” Jashn e bahara “ clings to your heart till the end. The “khwaja “song is a little too extended. “Marahaba” song is well choreographed with hundreds of dancers in the circular formation making it a treat for your eyes. But the most sensuous of them all is “in lamho ke daaman main”…sweet songs and loads of sensuality thrown in.

But the real treat is the lead pair, they make sure u cant take your eyes off them. Aish and hrithik are screen scorchers once again after Dhoom 2. Hrithik as Akbar may look a little too sophisticated and young, but plays his part well. The dialogues are heavy duty urdu and pure hindi (khadi boli)mix that add impact to the narrative. Hrithik is once again fantabulous(looks wise). And Aish looks stunning in embroidery laden lenhenga-cholis and other the embellishments which shine exuberantly. Both did a fine job, the supporting cast is also gud. Ashtosh Gowariker lives up to the promise of Lagaan and Swades!!

The flaws-well, Yes, its long, infact very long, a good 3 and half hour or so…but you can bear the length. The war scenes may look repetitive. If you don’t have interest in historical epic dramas then I m afraid it will b a long tedious movie to watch. Other Jodha Akbar deserves to be seen for its sheer brilliance as a film which is technically cool and aesthetically pleasing, even if it may not be historically true.

"B" Day on "V" Day

2008-02-13T10:17:00.001+05:30

I don’t actually remember when exactly it happened..some sort of consciousness descended on me from the heaven above and I came to acknowledge the fact that I was born on some special day, when I was in 8 th standard or so… (atleast those around me used to believe so, and they left no stone unturned to make me believe the same) ...unlike modern day 8 th graders who have multiple girlfriends/boyfriends and who know all about chocolates, flowers, dating shating and all the hype that makes valentine day a Rs 1200 crore business every year.

To have your bday on Vday has its advantages and disadvantages…for people around you, its perhaps really fascinating, "oh boy, you are born on Valentine day...WOW..."thats what i m always reminded...Valentine day can be real fun or outright scary...you never know...…

you would always be in doubt whether to go out with frnz or to go out with your girl friend. And of course, the thrashing that you receive in the form of bday bumps would leave u in such a bad shape that you will think twice before venturing out. And In case you brave the odds to go out with some girl then pray to lord shiva or bajrang bali that u wont encounter shiv sainiks or bajrang dal activists, who are hell bent on playing the moral police that day. If you have these folks around, they ll make sure you have real...errr...good time.;). I mean they would never give a damn that its your bday and all…they will sure make it a memorable one…oops…rather painfully…lol:). According to them, v day is against our culture and all such arguments....that it has no relevance in "bhartiya sanskriti", it is spoiling the young generation..blah blah...…well...I m not against Indian culture in any way..in fact i m more of a supporter of all gud things that it has...but we have been celebrating basant panchmi since ages, and our culture has always supported the celebration of love. One stupid point that they say is it encourages "chedkhaani" and leads to "disrespect" to women.... The so called "protectors" of our culture forget that very next month they would be celebrating holi were all this chedkhaani would get genuine…double standards you see.

I remember vividly the incident which happened when I was in Btech, and went to Archies gallery(Its like goin to temple on Valentine day ;)) with a friend of mine who happened to be a girl. We were browsing through all the paraphernalia that symbolizes a booming vday industry. And then it happened. Suddenly the front glass pane of the shop came crackling down…and in no time "they" were there.....with lathis and what not..thankfully the police arrived in no time(unlike bollywood movies)..and saved us from being shaheed-e-mohabbat...;)...we eloped soon. No,not eloped... we actually ran away… real fast:)he he.

All is not gloomy though...there are many gud things too...One advantage is that if you feel like proposing some girl on vday, the chances that she would slap you hard in rejection are far less…because she would think twice before saying harsh things on your bday!!;) There is always a soft corner you c;).

Besides the whole world celebrates valentine day. You feel good that you are actually born on a day when, for a change, people show their affection and love. And February ki sardiyon ki dhoop main, pyar ka rang ho fizaaon main..it will lift your mood even if you don’t have a girlfriend. :)

So, go celebrate love...

Happy Valentine Day to all!!

Taare Zameen Par.....

2008-01-15T09:30:00.000+05:30

Finally I watched Taare zameen par…wonderful movie….incredible performance by the child actor…Darsheel Safari…..and an equally convincing Tisca chopra(the mother)…Aamir has settled for a second fiddle but plays his character nicely….some scenes are heart-wrenching….the songs are way too gud and different….”maa” is soul stirring….i had wet eyes at many points during the movie…and with a huge lump in my throat of the size of an apple….Prasoon Joshi has to be the most imaginative lyricist in India, he has penned awesome lyrics and has lived upto the expectations after Rang De Basanti….shankar ehsaan loy’s music is in sync with the spirit of the movie. The movie is shot pretty well.

One of those few movies which make you love cinema….. all the more…

"Modi"fication

2007-12-24T12:32:00.000+05:30

Modi has won, and that too in style .I am neither a Modi basher nor a fan!. But the point is, love him or hate him, the fact is- he has emerged as the poster boy in Hindutva politics, creating a new brand of sorts- Moditva!. This may sound scary. Modi has won Gujarat on heightened claims of development. And no two words about it, the development is evident and visible. Although the fruits never seem to reach the aadivasis or the muslim minorities which are still destined to live under terror and deplorable conditions.

Godhra went to congress(expectedly) making it clear that the scars of communal riots would never be healed in Gujarat . The mass murderer, the preacher of hate, call him whatever, has won, and that too democratically….Surprised? not much I guess..You see, even Hilter was democratically elected.

The Inscrutable Americans

2007-12-11T19:53:00.000+05:30

WOW what a nice piece it was!!
Its of the same genre as five point someone or one night at call centre…but the humour is way too good. The problems that Gopal the protagonist faces in America. The very simple style of writing makes it all the more charming.
How Gopal, the simple naïve Indian boy from Jajau in Madhya Pradesh, lands up in US of A…the time he spents in the American university is captured with such humour, u start loving the protagonist all the more.

Its just the perfect length for a novel, short , lucid and heart warming stuff.

However the story may not look relevant in present context. Because the context of the novel seems to be pre-economic liberalization phase of India. But now, with the new found economic boom and development, Indians are more globalised in their outlook. And moreover, ever since foreign media got into our homes through an array of channels, Indians are more aware about global lifestyles. So the story of an awe struck Indian, who is surprised to see malls in the US may not strike a chord.(now even B tier cities have malls and manicured landscapes).

But its still such a lovely read, u end up liking it for the sheer brilliance of its humour.

A Thousand Splendid suns...

2007-11-20T09:17:00.000+05:30

“Like a compass needle always points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman”.

The endurance she has, the trauma she has to bear, the sacrifices she has to make and what all it takes to be a woman……And how difficult it can be- to survive as a woman…. A splendid novel by Khaled Hosseini gives us a traumatic account of deplorable conditions that women have to live through...

Its difficult to hold your emotions after you read Khaled hosseini. I became a big hosseini fan, after reading his exceptionally well written kite runner. This diwali away from home, I finished his second novel -A Thousand Splendid Suns. And he didn’t disappoint me.

"Kite runner" was all about male bonding, and “Thousand Splendid Suns” is about female bonding. Its about Laila and Mariam the two protagonists and how their destinies bring them together under one roof in the times of tribulation and war. Hosseini s brilliant in his narrative as usual-the way the story is interwoven and lots of things happening in the last 100 pages. Afghanistan is once again the backdrop here. Although its not as exceptional as his amazing first novel, it’s a great read nevertheless.

It’s an epic tale of two women who endure harsh and devastating circumstances.

I was dying to read this ever since I read KR, and it was really worth it.

Laga Chunari main Daag

2007-10-15T15:22:00.000+05:30

Okay,so pardeep sarkaar made parineeta in the past. that was enough reason for me to step into the theatre to watch laga chunari main daag.(other being i cudnt get tickets to bhool bhulaiya). First the gud things....The performances, cinematography, the Sepia tinted ghats of benaras,...but that’s that.

Rani is okay and by now she has mastered the art of playing such roles. Konkana and kunal put up a great act and save the movie. Konkana showed why she is one of the best actresses we have. she provides warmth to the movie…the sisterly act is really gud. The biggest problem of the film is -its predictability. You have seen it all....And the stupidities are way too many...It showed prostitution as a career option . highly glamorized....I mean... guys..... gimme a break. Its like Julie being remade by rajshree. The script is archaic. Rani's family is in poverty. she comes to mumbai. she doesn’t even have 10^th standard to her credit and she feels she can get a gud job(?). she gets exploited(predicatble) and decides to get into the trade. And she becomes rich overnite(god knows how?). The climax has no fizzle. The drama is totally missing. The music is just not happening. Bunty and stubly(rani and Abhishek)have no sizzle this time..infact Abhishek is very lackluster..…he comes in almost a guest appearance.

I didn’t feel bored though. May be it was the popcorn(my advice-sit with a pack of popcorn to munch, or you may end feeling extremely tired).

I wonder pradeep sarkaar is the man who made parineeta.:(

Chandigarh Book Fair

2007-10-03T16:23:00.000+05:30

One look into it and you realize it was like any other “B-tier town trade fair" kind of stuff. And indeed it was. I thought of spicing up things for otherwise mundane evening. I decided to go the journalistic way. I went ahead and asked people, visitors, book stall vendors about the whole thing and in the process many people felt that I was some journalist from some newspaper….phew...And trust me it was good fun to act as one. Some were really good to talk to, some were “not interested” and rude as well, some gave me “who the hell are you and what the hell are you trying to do?” kind of look, while some were genuinely friendly.
A few tidbits from the conversations:

I
Me: toh kaisa laga aapko yahan aake? (I asked with the ferociousness of an Aaj tak journo!!)
Gentleman: (with a heavy Punjabi accent, munching bhel puri) achcha hai ji..chprchpr….bachcho ka… chprchpr….. mann bhi lag jata hai…family outing ho gayi…(okay.. chprchpr is the sound when u speak while munching…lol)
Me: toh koi books pasand aayi aapko…
Gentleman: books?nahi jee..hum toh bas ghoomne aaye the..khane shane, outing shouting…..
Me: ok..(wasn’t it a book fair?..i turned my head around and saw the overcrowded food stall and got the answer).

II
Me: can I take a few pictures
The guy(looking suspicious):why?
Me: (WTH) well..i liked your stall and I felt like clicking a few snaps?
The guy(still suspicious):what?
Me: dekhiye mujhe aapka stall kaafi achcha laga, aapko koi aitraaz toh nahi agar main kuch photos le loon…
The guy: aap journalist hain?..
Me(uff..do I look like one): no, actually, I write blogs...and I ll publish it online…
The guy: matlab….
Me(oh god..save me.): you see, a blog is a online diary sort of thing…and anyone can have his own blog..and blah blah..i went on…to explain him what a blog is…..
And I gave him my blog address. And guys yes, it was the best stall for technical books in my opinion(Shroff Publishers New Delhi)Thanx Mr stall owner(I didn’t ask his name) for being so nice to me and allowing me to take some nice snaps. If you are reading this blog, I think my job is done well.

III
Me: what is this stall all about…
The guy: (without saying a word handed a pamphlet to me…)
Me(@#@#$@#$): (wondering what to do with it. It turned out to be a catalog with names of books and respective prices.)
Me: are you a govt organization?
The guy: (nodding in agreement without any expressions)
Me: ok….(I knew it had to be a sarkari stall!!)
And so on….

I met so many people and I talked to many(I guess I interacted with almost 50 people in a span of 2 and a half hours)…that’s quite a handful… although my sample data set seems pretty skewed but I can surely make a few generalizations:

· Most of them were there to eat and hangout, with little interest in books…

· The food stalls gathered more crowd than book stalls.(little wonder).

· The serious readers did some serious shopping. And they knew their books right( I am really thankful to a sweet lady who told me in detail about the novels by premchand and the way she spoke was real gud. she also had serious interest in urdu literature…!!)

· Most youngsters (like me) were more inclined to novels. One stall seem particularly crowded with guys..it had all the personality development books…. Girls in particular were more inclined towards English classics. The stall had so many girls..i spent a gud 15 minutes there(for obvious reasons..he he). I mustered the courage to ask a girl about how she felt about the book fair (I bet she thought I had some other intentions in mind….lol.). She answered that it was good and more such things need to be organized. she told me in length about the best thing she liked was the cheap novels which were available for as low as 50 bucks.!!.she also complained that she came during the day time as well and said it was complete chaos and unbearably hot with no fans/cooling systems around at most stalls.
Nice girl!!..ok ok lets get back to book fair..lol

· Maximum attention was given to children books stalls I guess as they outnumbered all others. But children were more interested in enjoying jhoolas rather than books…aajkal ke bachche…he he

Ok some Good Things:
· Loads of books to chose from, even if you dont feel like buying them, you can still browse through. If you are the kind of person who feels heaven in the presence of books, there was enough warmth.

· Wide range of titles to chose from, everything from paulo to premchand! (my knowledge about authors is not exahustive, but all the famous ones were there.).

· The books that you usually dont get to see(and the ones which you would never buy in your lifetime) in the bookshops normally like those huge books on statistical surveys and govt data, law books and other stuff. Just in case that interests you.

· Surprisingly, there was a good collection of technical books .On all the subjects. the one that caught my fancy was the pocket sized edition of technical books.

Bad things:
The biggest flaw-No Great discounts!! (i mean come on guys, a meagre 10% and that too on selected books.) My point is why would anyone go and buy a book in the middle of such chaos,when he can do that comfortably in AC chilled bookstore which happens to offer cool discounts?.anyways…..

Ok, it had its flaws. but it was still a nice effort on the part of organizers. (I mean its just the second time in town..).For me it was a really unique experience. I think I should have asked the mobile no. of that girl…lol;):D

Chak de Shahrukh!

2007-08-19T14:20:00.000+05:30

This is for all those shahrukh bashers who feels he is just good at candyfloss cinema.This is a shahrukh film without the chiffon's flying around,and no ‘song-dance’ thing.And yes ,for a change, SRK is not playing raj or rahul this time, though newspapers across the country found a subtext here too, claiming that sharukh is playing himself, what he actually is ,neo-educated modern muslim of today!,phew...Shobha De wrote this morning in the TOI claiming he is 'the hope', future politician and what not! anyways....

whatever it be, SRK is in full form here, minus the mannerisms, a role which has faint resemblances in shades to KANK, but miles ahead of it in execution, more on the lines of Swades. In swades,apart from his acting calibre, he taught us how to look good in a plain-shirt trouser combo, this time he does it again(of course with an added beard !!).

"Chak de" has a perfect underdog plot, gender bias, popcorn patriotism and more….the game looks wonderfully ‘choreographed’.There is not a single dull moment in the movie. Shahrukh doesnt over shadow the cast, in fact supports it to bring it to the fore front with an ease. The girls are spectacular. Chitrashi rawat as komal chautala (wonderful comic timing, I learnt she has played for Uttaranchal in the past!), Sagarika Ghatge as Preeti sabharwal(beautiful, she looks hot for a hockey player!), Shilpa Shukla as Bindiya Naik(the vamp of the team!), and Tanya Abrol as Balbir Kaur(the punjabi kudi with tonnes of temper!) stand out among the bunch.

Some moments are sure to make eyes wet.Shahrukh’s homecoming after the final victory is heart wrenching(when the kid rubs off the graffiti from the wall outside his house!). ”maula mere le le meri jaan” as the haunting background song along with the pulse quickening tiltle track,"kuch kariye" are used properly. Jaideep sahni,who has given us company , bunty-babli and khosla ka ghosla in the past once again proves his mettle as a scriptwriter.

Although the movie is brilliant, but whether the it will help in any upliftment of the state of hockey in India is highly unlikely.Nevertheless, its a wonderful attempt and thats why it deserves Kudos!

PS: I m still wondering WTH they played national anthem in the beginning of the movie..i guess it is not supposed to be played under roof! and what are you supposed to do-stand up?(we did, though awkwardly, and surprisingly half of the theatre did!), or munch your pop corns?

And the award goes to...

2007-08-08T16:48:00.001+05:30

National film awards were declared yesterday after being delayed for a long time!
I haven't heard of many of the movies that were awarded the honours.and those which were recognisable,left me disappointed.
I frankly don't have much knowledge about films produced in other languages (Tamil ,Malayalam etc.) so i wont be commenting on them. lets keep it to Hindi...and to those films in other languages with whom i m familiar with...

so here it goes:
kalpurush, a bangla film was adjudged best film(little wonder, Budhadeba Dasgupta the director of the movie, is a regular recipient of the award, sometimes i believe he makes movies only for national award jury...he he... however,i haven't had any chance to see any of his gems yet!)

Rani mukherji was denied award for her performance in Black and Sarika was adjudged best actress for her role in parzania. (parzania also bagged a few more...nice movie i guess, hard hitting too.and since we have congress govt at the centre so anything dealing with godhra is bound to find support here!)

Amitabh, as expected got the award for best actor for Black(i was surprised to see him finally getting the award given his relations with congress supremo sonia gandhi!)

Shreya ghosal was given the best singer award for a song in paheli(??)..hey did i say paheli?..yes u heard it right...i wonder the jury couldn't find a better song or movie from past TWO years!

and how come Rang de Basanti got so many awards...(noo, i m not doubting the excellence of the film, but wasn't it released in the year 2006.). so that means they have considered the two years 2005 and 2006...and that makes me wonder why there was no place for movies like lagey raho munnabhai...

and now the less famous ones...
the Best Screenplay award to Prakash Jha, Shridhar Raghavan and Manoj Tyagi for the Hindi film ‘Apaharan,’ and the Best Art Direction award by C. B. More for ‘Taj Mahal – An Eternal Love Story’(??Gawd!). The Best Costume Designer award to Anna Singh for ‘Taj Mahal — An Eternal Love Story’ and Sabyachi Mukherjee for ‘Black.’

Oh my god! the eminent jury was not able to find a better film than taj mahal-the eternal love story(ever heard of it?) and that too in a span of two years.WOW man!

so all that left me wondering-have the national awards lost their sheen?And for that matter did they ever hold any importance whatsoever to the people in bollywood. Do they have credibility?(I doubt it, with all the politics going on!).Moreover, the awards were declared without much of a whimper, with minimalistic coverage in the media usually brims with all the glitz and glamour when it comes to award functions(and we have award functions every month!)
why is it that the common man has never heard of the movies which get the top honours, nor he ever gets to see them. And if these awards are utterly useless , why waste so many resources and time (this time the awards were entangled in a legal mess!) on something so unnecessary.

Who gives a damn anyways...Well, i guess, i m happy with my share of filmfare, iifa and lookalikes....;)

For you....a thousand times over!

2007-07-24T11:37:00.000+05:30

Sometimes certain things affect you beyond your imagination.And this one has hit me like a bullet."The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini is the BEST book i have read till now. My male ego wud never allow me to say that "my eyes were wet " but yes I ended up with a lump in my throat at more than one instances in the book. Its so touching, heart wrenching and amazingly well written. I am not sure if I would read such an enigmatic book ever again. Khaled hosseini is a genius who has descibed Afghanistan in a way no war repoter cud have done .Read the book in three days and be prepared to have wet eyes for another week. Its for all those who value friendship.The story is about two boys Hassan and Amir, set against the backdrop of a turmoiled Afghanistan. The bond they share, the unconditional loyalty hassan has for Amir, how Amir's cowardice ruins everything, and how finally Amir gets redemption.
Its a story of innocence lost,of friendship,of cowardice, of betrayal and the guilt that follows, of standing up for friends,of being brave,and on top of it all,of redemption.

I dont have words to praise the writing style and narrative. Simple lucid and so vivid. poignant at times and never loses impact.some lines are exceptionally brilliant.

"there is only one sin and only one, and that is theft.

when you kill a man u steal a life, you steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father.
when u tell a lie you steal someones right to the truth.

when you cheat you steal the right to fairness"

This was perhaps the book i never wanted to end.And when it came to a close, it made me smile and cry at the same time...when Amir says to sohrab...

"for you.... a thousand times over".

Train to Pakistan

2007-07-12T16:21:00.000+05:30

I was never an admirer of khushwant singh. I always thought he is an okay sort of writer too obsessed with stories interlaced with sex. I had read his "The mark of vishnu" and a few other short stories which were gud. And Of course the much discussed column in the hindustan times- "with malice towards one and all". But after reading "Train to pakistan" this weekend,my opinion seems to have changed greatly. Amazingly well written. History blended perfectly with human emotions. A finely crafted piece with characters so identifiable that u feel u have seen them somewhere or the other. You can relate to them. The caste system in India, the descriptions of the monsoons and Indian landscape are so vivid , it comes alive in front of your eyes. Human emotions in an impeccable form. The plight of people amidst partition creates a heartbreaking effect. Although we have seen all this in innumerable movies ,but the book presents a frightening account of the killings.As he writes:
“Muslims said the Hindus had planned and started the killing. According to the Hindus, the Muslims were to blame. The fact is, both sides killed. Both shot and stabbed and speared and clubbed. Both tortured. Both raped”.

It also shows how independence had little meaning for the uneducated and poor. Khushwant singh has mercilessly taunted Indians for their hypocrisy and dual standards regarding caste system, morality,love, sex. The story revolves around Juggat singh, Hukum chand and Iqbal singh and How a sleepy town of mano majra is divided by communal lines and friends turn foes,when a train carrying dead bodies arrive in the town from pakistan. Its an extremely powerful emotional journey which would even make u cry with sheer horror, with its gruesome accounts of death, rape, killings and adversity.
A must read for anyone who likes stories which leave u wide eyed in shock and amazement.POWERFUL!

Newsworthy?

2007-07-06T08:24:00.000+05:30

Just came across a piece of news about a TV anchor Mika Brzezinski who refused to read a news story about Paris Hilton because she felt there are other important issues which should be brought to light.She tore up the script and threatened to burn it on prime time television.

Just wondering what constitutes NEWS?.Is it what fascinates public or is it what that affects them?. If the public thinks that Paris Hilton is news or sufficiently entertaining, then are the news channels right in showing what people wanna see?. Or Should celeb news be restricted to the end of news bulletins. Or Should news channels stick to stories of bigger concern like that of Iraq, global warming and stuff like that. It wasnt very long ago that Abhi-ash wedding overshadowed almost every other news in India.Are we over obsessed with celeb news?.So is Mika Brzezinski right in showing her anger in such a public way?Or is it just her personal opinion about what news should be telecasted, whereas million others actually want to hear every tid-bit of paris hilton's life.

Jhoom spells doom

2007-07-04T11:27:00.000+05:30

This post is a testimony to the fact that we should listen to our friends advice (at least when it comes to movies).And it also justifies the saying "all that glitters is not gold".

so here I was at the movies, with two choices, Aap ka suroor and jhoom barabar jhoom. The thought of bearing himes bhaiya(along with Ms sherawat) for three hours was terrifying. so i chose the later. I could not have been more wrong.

It was Massacre!.It was a perfectly executed cold blooded murder of electrifying foot tapping music. Wonderful music was killed by pathetic choreography.

(i watched in pain the dismal dancing abilities of an ageing preity and an awkward bobby take away the brilliance of a music score that could set the floor on fire). Even the soul stirring number "bol na halke halke" was not spared.The costumes were way too loud. The script...well missing completely. As far as performances are concerned,Abhishek was okay(a repeat act of something which he perfected in bunty aur bubli),Lara looks stunning, preity looks worn out,had no expectations from bobby but he fared better. And after an endearing and awesome performance in cheeni kum, i was wondering what the hell was Big B doing here in an irritating and "popping-out-of-nowhere" performance.The music is the only high point(full marks to shankar-ehasaan-loy trio for a pulse quickening, jhoomable score). I still cant believe JBJ is made by shad ali, who gave us amazingly heartwarming saathiya in the past.He is the same man who made desi aspirations look cool in bunty aur bubli. But coming from him,JBJ is a big letdown. perhaps the biggest disappointment of the year for me.High on expectations, low on content.
I think i shud have gone for Aap ka suroor instead!;)

conclusion..dimaag jaayega ghoom, if u venture out for jhoom barabar jhoom;)

(faaltu lines for a faaltu movie!);)

The thump is here!

2007-06-05T09:19:00.000+05:30

"Anika,Goldy what is this yaar? where did u hide my 'beloved' and 'precious' cell phone?". "The phone is at its right place",came the reply in rather sarci mode,"where it deserves to be-at the dustbin!".I was about to jump at the nearby dustbin. No luck, dustbin had all the crap but my phone....."you call this a cell?" fumed goldy. "Understandable", I thought. I dont blame her. My cell is gud for nothing, hangs on typing massages, switches off for no reason at all...and wat not!."okay yaar,I am surely going to buy a new one this week".I assured her but she was in no mood to give up ."I have been listening to this bahanebaazi for a month now".Anika was not very benign either. She said in her usual trademark extended arey style:"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeey, tum se toh kuch bhi nahi hota(as if I dont know;)) tum toh rehne hi do".

so,after a month of speculations, broken promises,mind making, i finally got w700i. well jokes apart, I have been really desperate to get a new set. Its just that i made a premature announcement about it.And things went the other way. But finally i got it. This is my second phone (this is really too modest when i m surrounded by people who change their phones as often as their clothes.he he;)and perhaps my biggest purchase with my salary so far.so here is how i got the thump.

Me,along with (who else but my partner in rhyme and crime) Sunny, landed up at sec -22 and started hunting for cell amidst an array of similar looking shops each selling the best brands and promising to offer the best deals.It was easy to get tempted to a myriad variety of phones. I swear if I didnt had the budget constraint in my mind, or if I was willing to spend a little more,I wud have definitely bought one of those amazing cellphones.But thats another story...

we fooled around in a few shops and zeroed-in on one.The salesman was rather sharp.He made us listen to a few songs as a demo, and we were floored. I was blown over. It was awesome. However he made a blunder by clicking my pic (I looked like a ghost straight out of a ramsey movie). Anyways, when it came to payment he said there wud be an extra 2% charge on payment by card. phew..2% ...mmm my mind was racing fast..that wud be 200 bucks...gawd! I decided to search for a neraby ATM instead.And that meant walking a mile or so. :(. However more was in store for us. I asked him to transfer a few gud songs and ringtones.However our tastes seem to differ like poles. He transferred what seemed to be a truck load of unbearable songs and stuff,which i cud never comprehend(and all this ultimately deleted by me as a part of cellphone purificatuion drive!).so,After everything was settled,it was now the turn of SIM card to show tantrums.the SIM card didnt work properly on the set(I started cursing Hutch ). so the guy had to change the set and get me another one. so overall it took us around 3 hours to get a new cell.But the battle was ultimately won!

Now that I am a proud owner, things have changed for sure(No, I am not dancing on streets like hrithik,I wish i cud but not yet.;)).I have found a new companion for my otherwise moronic rides from home to office. The park where i spent my leisure time is made alive by the thump. The jhoola where i swing almost every night after dinner is all the more fun.(this has invited the wrath of the kids of my mohalla...who wait patiently for me to step down!.it helps me in pretending that i didnt listen to their voices.).I am enjoying every bit of it.

Paras and sunny said this is a passing fad and u will soon get bored of it too.

I agree , but for the time being, i m loving the thump!:)

SHITout at lokhandwala...

2007-05-30T17:38:00.000+05:30

Okay now,Prasoon has already given 'rave' review to this, but I ll still go on(as I have to find out some medium to vent
out my frustation).CRAP is the word for it! The movie should have been named SHIT out at lokhandwala.... At the end of it you come out with a severe headache. Why, why the hell was I there?. There was nothing in the movie. Terrible performances. Somebody please help arbaaz khan in acting deptt. He is pathetic to say the least. Tushar kapoor is totally 'mis fit' in the character.He tries too hard to play a gangster.The only gud thing was vivek oberoi-sunjay dutt duo, who manged to proviode some credibilty to their parts.But when it comes to baddie roles, company is still the last word for vivek! Dia mirza seems lost, neha dhoopia is there for almost no reason at all.And hey, Abhishek was there too, i m still figuring out why. Amitabh was okay.The rest of the cast included the who's who of TV stars, no surprises here, because they all are blue eyed proatagonists in ekta kapoor's never ending tele soaps, and she happens to be the producer of this movie.(Thank god it was not titled KHOOTOUT at lokhandwala.;))

The story is stale.I mean how many times will we be told about encounters and killings.Its like seen it all story.OR worse , there is no story as such.The item numbers were gud to listen to , but were they really needed? They ultimately hampered the flow of the movie.The movie ruined my day. It simply ruined my idea of having fun. My advice-Better stay away....

Terror in Hyderabad

2007-05-20T15:04:00.000+05:30

As I read and re-read the news of the latest blasts that rocked the walled city in hyderabad, I was shocked to say the least.I looked at the pictures splashed across the newspaper and I realised, Oh mu god,I had been there, at the site of blast, barely a month ago.In the middle of a chaotic market, braving the heat,and watching the not so glorious char minaar(believe me,it looks beautiful only in pictures!).And as I watched mecca masjid from one of the many small window like openings which adorn the minarets,I had no idea that a month later there is going to be a devastating blast.

The blast has killed some 12 people and left many injured. And as if it was not enough, the police firing claimed 4 more lives.(now they are debating that policeman should have fired below the waist!).The area surrounding the almost 400 year old mosque is predominantly muslim and this is clearly an attempt to create communal tension.The attackers chose friday to attack to cause maximum causalities.It was relief that rioting was controlled or else it was going the malegaaon way.

It is also reported that police has received the intelligence reports about such blasts months ago but the mosque authorities didn't co operate much. It seems governments are waiting for such blasts to take place.These attacks expose our vulnerability and failure on part of the govt.And if newspapers reports are to be believed that security men were missing from their duty from the charminaar area,then this is really scary.The city which is brimming with immense possibilities and has played a prominent role in scripting Indian IT success story definitely deserves more attention and stringent security mechanisms. And it seems nothing is going to change, till of course there is another blast, another riot, a few months of vigilance, the usual suspects(SIMI, HUJI or may be some hindu extremist outfit...) and it will all be soon forgotten again.....

till then the vicious cycle will go on.....

Fire of Ire!

2007-05-20T14:39:00.000+05:30

I woke up to a shower,at four in the morning. The rain splashed a wave on me .This is one of the many hazards of sleeping with the window open on hot summer nights,others being mosquitoes and neighbourhood 'soap operas' ;).well i havent experienced much mosquito menace here in chandigarh,and my neighbours are exactly the opposite of our country's neighbours.The rain however didnot sooth the rising mercury.I spent the next one hour twisting and turning restlessly on my bed.so at 5:30, I got up and rushed to my newspaper vendor.What i love about him is that he has almost every newspaper on display.so even if u dont feel like buying a newspaper,u can still get acquainted with what's happening around the globe.As I could not read the newspaper last week for two days in a row,so when I reached there to get my share of newsbites, i knew for sure that i have surely missed something!Punjab was on fire! riots again!.And all this for reasons unfathomable to me.My eyes moved frantically from one paper to another. later,when I reached office and asked my friends if they knew something.They had a faint idea.I wanted the complete story,history of it, everything.how and Why it happened!That night i went to have dinner and happened to watch aaj tak. The weird anchor was literally screaming over the top and the images that flashed showed a strong mob of some 20000 people gathered around some 'dera'.I knew this was grave.After the dinner I went ahead for what has become my favorite stress busting and rejuvenating way to pass time.-smsing while enjoying a 'jhoola'.yes yes, the regular jhoola, as in saawan ka jhoola;). The parks in my sector boasts of many of them.And they are deserted at night, giving me ample opportunity to have fun.I called up home.My mom was pretty worried about the 'clashes' and warned me to be careful.Then I called ravi,(my new friend from orkut)and asked him about it.and he told me in length about how and why it all happened.

so here goes the summary for the uninitiated-

dera is a group of people that do not follow any specific religion but they believe that the best thing to please the god is to help the man in need and poor. However they have a chief,guru raam raheem who seem to have a cult following.

The dera chief has tried to emulate Guru Nanak and this has invited the wrath of sikhs as they believe no one can impersonate the revered Guru!This has resulted in violent clashes between the dera followers and sikhs all over punjab.And the government has no idea what to do.The recent events suggest some relief as the dera chief has expressed regret about the events of the past few days.But it is highly unlikely that the sikh clergy and high ranking priests would find this

' regret 'good enough.lets c. I seriously wish and pray this would come to an end.

I m glad this violence has not yet spread to chandigarh. And I m thanking my good sense to drop my idea of going to nearby derabassi area last weekend.

The moral of the story, read newspaper everyday or you may be dead!;)he he

In dino..dil mera...

2007-05-20T14:34:00.000+05:30

The song In dino dil mera completely describes my state of mind these days. I was expecting something different from Metro.And it didn't disappoint me.A real gud movie after a long time.I loved the movie.(No, not because everyone is sleeping with every one else's wife.he he);).The film belongs to Irfaan khan and konkana sen.They are electric,just brilliant.konkana plays a 30 something virgin who is desperate to get a good match for herself, with wonderful ease.The scene between the two on the sea side is awesome!Equally gud is sharman joshi,and he gets some gud scenes and good lines-"ye koi morning walk toh ahi nahi, its a race", and the one when he says, "agar paisa hi sab kuch hota...."you know what he is talking about.Shilpa shetty is also in gud form after her shot to fame with big brother.she plays the ideal desperate housewife.As she mouths,"ab hamare beech ki khamoshiyaan bhi ladne lagi hain",she is convincing.I wonder why she didnt get such roles before.Or is it the effect of big brother that she is getting meatier roles.;)KK as usual is good but Shiney ahuja looks a little out of place.he could have been better.Kangna ranaut did what she does best-exposure,by tonnes.And yes dharmendra was there too with nafisa ali,(not much impressive though, but just ok!).The rock band kind of music goes with the flow.(Although the three guys crooning all over the city, roof tops ,railway stations makes u a little perplexed but the music is gud nevertheless).The track in dino dil mera clings to ur heart long after the movie is over.The photography is excellent, the shots are vivid. The backdrop which is rainy most of the times,generates a feeling of loneliness.I heard that the movie has been heavily borrowed from various Hollywood 'sources'.But it was a gud break from the sugary family drama type stuff!
It could have been a story of any city.Basu makes you believe in his characters.A leap ahead from his previous attempt murder and gangster!Although he deviates a little towards climax,(which could have been more real!)but the film never loses its grip.Overall, a slick film which is worth spending an evening!

Kissa Kiss ka!

2007-04-18T15:23:00.000+05:30

I had a gud overdose of bhartiya sanskriti and all that stuff.(no i m not a preacher of western culture...nor i hate our age old cultural values)But now that Ms shetty has been kissed by Mr Gere and given enough footage(thanx to the endless loops of videos played on all the national news channels!),it was time for me to stop and think,are we indians over sensitive about our culture. Its just a kiss for god sake!(and all those moral police brigade need to go and check the item numbers in our movies).Why such hue and cry,that too in the land of kamasutra!huh....I think our media has nothing else to do other than sensationalising trivialities!(cummon guys!we have better issues to address to!)

Graduated in style!

2007-04-16T19:18:00.000+05:30

"With the powers vested in me I hereby declare the convocation open". As the Vice Chancellor spoke these words and we were conferred with our degrees, I was on top of the world.As I swirled my black gown in true harry potter style (okay I admit, I looked awful in that dress,with my head gear slipping away) and flashed my gold medal and the degree, I had a feeling which was hitherto unknown to me (something like excitement and nervousness together).The ecstasy was beyond comparison. The best part of it was-I met my friends after a long time.There was only word for it-Nostalgia!
Truly, one of the most memorable experiences of my life!

To kill Boring Time.....

2007-04-10T19:09:00.000+05:30

"Some 30 hours in train, oh god, i m doomed", i thought. I had to sigh,the ever gloomy Mr S was with me and any assumptions of having a wonderful journey with him was like assuming rain in a desert. I started "To Kill A Mocking bird" just to kill time.Thanx to its heart warming content and endearing storyline , I managed to bear the otherwise boring journey. Atticus finch's character was woven wonderfully. The characters of Jem,scout and Dill were also gud. simple yet sensitive, leaves a message so strong! Its narrated from a child's point of view and makes u feel nostalgic about the childhood days.Subjects like racial intolerance and rape have been treated brilliantly and sensitively without any vulgar words and demeanings,thereby making the novel readable for a variety of audience.Although the context was heavily American(I just could not relate to maycomb town and all), the book still managed to touch a chord.Probably the only gud thing about the tiring and endless journey back home.
Highly recommended!

History remixed in matrix format!

2007-03-30T14:37:00.000+05:30

Gory,epical,wonderful, "300" was this and more.Spectacular and picture perfect computer generated effects made for a compelling view.But compared to Apocalypto, it all looked a little fake.(Blood spilled around in matrix style slow motion...decapitation, immaculately crafted war scenes...flying arms, legs and body parts...but after a while became all too repetitive!)And as far as the controversy regarding defaming of persians(modern day Iran) is concerned ,i could not connect to the context.I guess it was a bit too hyped.Anyways ,i liked 300,it was fun ,but Apocalypto was more human!and realistic.300 looked more like a computer game.
Waiting for namesake now......

Apocalypto!

2007-03-18T16:50:00.000+05:30

Why do Weekends have to be like this only?.I cant recall when was the last time I spent the weekend at my room.So I followed the ritual this time as well and landed up at Sunny's place.And then started the endless channel surfing.Ah.... that couch ...i love it. I was getting desperate to watch a movie and me and Sunny tried to persuade Mridul.But persuading Mridul to watch a movie means hitting your head against the wall.No amount of pleading was gud enough for him.we gave up!We were hell bent on watching Apocalypto(at least I was!)so we rushed to FR.
And voila! the movie was beyond my imagination.Apocalypto was unlike anything I had ever seen before.It is not for faint hearted,its violence , brutality at its cinematic best.A unique experience in itself.All the gory events that unfold when a tribal boy tries to escape some brutal barbarians,and an epic chase begins.It gives u an adrenaline rush.And some times make u feel YUK!.(They have shown decapitation, human organs being taken out of body,and wat not!).The film is in Mayan language, but never mind , the subtitles were gud enough to keep me glued.

I m looking forward to a new movie called "300" this weekend.hope it turns out gud....till then I m pondering over the opening thought of apocalypto which goes like....

"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within."

W.Durant

Budget Blues

2007-03-01T17:57:00.000+05:30

Budget-It's been an exercise in futility since time immemorial for me.Understanding the budget and its implications!.But I dont know why I couldnt control my urge to go thru the nitty- gritty of budget every year.But hey, I was not alone.The mob at the reception area made me realize the fact that people were actually very interested in budget.I could see eyes immersed in the budget analysis and all that stuff. So I waited for a few minutes and grabbed the only available newspaper -guess wat,The Economic Times.

"Oh my god", I had to scream, it covered the entire budget, the whole report and all, verbatim. I flapped thru the pages , able to understand nothing, the font size so small I feared I might get myopia. The eyes were firm on paper pretending to grasp every bit of it, but the ears were following the conversations(read expert budget analysis) that were going on at the adjoining sofas. "This is a bad budget yaar, they have increased the prices of cigarettes ",cried a guy !phew...One girl who was flipping through The Times of india ,which I was desperately in need of, said, "I dont understand even a single word in the budget".uffffffffffffffff...."Then why have u been holding the paper in ur hands for the past 15 minutes" , I cursed her in mind. She was busy chatting with her friend, still having complete authority on TOI. "No luck", I thought, "for atleast next fifteen minutes"(girlie gossip u c !). At the far end a gentleman released The Hindustan times, and I almost jumped at it. Gawd i got it!.

The headline screamed, "Country song on FM station", I started reading it, filtering all the useful info, and keeping the complexities at bay.The thing I liked was 1/3 rd of the budget was dedicated to agricultre."Understandable", I mused. For education sector ,I didnt like concept of investing more on mid day meals when we seriously require a sea change in the curriculum,and i seriously doubt how much of it will actually be implemented at the ground level. Income tax bar has been raised by 10000,(more so for women),edible oil would be cheaper.The FM ,i think, did a gud job. If all the sections of the society are not able to reap the benefits of the raging economy, then its of no use.so a move to facilitate those sections who have not been able to reap any fruits is a welcome note.Before rushing back to my cubicle I glanced at the TOI which was still there firm in control of that girl.It had a symbolic cartoon representing Indian, Chinese and US economies,and how Indian elephant would take on the chinese dragon. towards the end it said -
If India has to become a global player then billions of its people will be needing a ticket to play!
very true!

Verdict is out!

2007-03-01T17:55:00.000+05:30

I was anticipating the results of Uttarakhand and Punjab assembly elections with much anxiety.More for Uttarakhand,being my home state.BJP and its allies won the elections in both the states.The BJP swapped 34 seats falling one short of majority.(If only they could have managed the tehri seat, which they lost by mere 11 votes!!)What this means is another "almost hung up" house, at the mercy of the 'independents'.But yes,I was really wishing congress to lose in Uttarakhand, primarily because they changed the name of the state from uttranchal to uttarakhand(i miss that sweet uttaranchal!).This 'rechristening' is reportedly going to cost the state a few hundred crores, but do the politicians care?

As far as punjab is concerned,I m not much acquainted with the state political scenario here, but i learned from sources that this has been the norm in punjab,and no govenment has been able to garner the mandate for two successive terms.There may be many reasons why congress lost, anti incumbency,corruption,etc, etc.But the main reason which i could think of is rising prices of goods of day-to-day use.Although they managed to save grace in Manipur elections,but they should take it up as a wake up call.
The moral of the story -"Onions win elections in india".

Chehre pe Chehra

2007-02-07T18:03:00.000+05:30

Master of the Game

2007-02-06T17:43:00.000+05:30

Unputdownable..one word for Sheldon…. the master of breathtakingly gripping novels took his last breath a few days ago.I still remember the first time I came across a Sydney novel,my friend told me its all sex and good for nothing kinda stuff,much like second rated hindi ‘upanyaas’.I decided to go for it anyways.I thought sydney must be some female author.when i read his first novel then i came to know that he was a guy.The first novel "The stars shine down" was just too gud for me. I was hooked. And many novels later I can say for sure that Sydney is true master of pulp fiction.Okay , I agree that his novels are stories interlaced with sex (sometimes loads of it !!) but they have perhaps the strongest, most glamourous female characters ever penned down.The protagonists in a Sydney novel is usually a woman with impeccably wonderful traits.He has shown feminine characters in such myriad shades which few others have ever done.And millions of copies sold across the globe are a testimony to his magic.Sensuality and brilliant characterization were perhaps his biggest strength which make him one of the most celebrated authors(he has won emmy and oscar...and numerous others) with a huge fan following(nd hey anyone remembers I dream of jeanie?...it was his creation...).
Sydney Sheldon books were the primary reason why I started reading English novels. I m one of those million fans who will miss him dearly.
because Sheldon seldom disappointed me....

"infy"nite Dreams-A new life has come

2007-01-21T17:28:00.000+05:30

This christmas my life was rechristened.The reason?..i joined infy.Gone were the days of college fun, restlessness, laziness and a new life of endless opportunities,responsibilities and chances to discover a new,hitherto unknown 'me' ,came calling!! It feels great to be the part of such a wonderful organization.But did i mention the rigorous training!! boy!it has to be one of the toughest academic drills i ever encountered !! sample this ...it took me one whole semester to finish java in college...and here it was a matter of just two days...... I guess its not that tough given the fact that we are provided with gud teachers and course material to study, but the fact that 4 years of Btech has ingrained so much of "kaamchori" in us that even a sand dune looks like a mountain now!!;)I guess a serious attitude reversal is required here!! Anyways, it has been great till now....and i hope it continues to be so.

Reality Bites

2007-01-21T16:54:00.000+05:30

So, they are saying its a national shame.And yes i do understand that blogosphere and media are saturated with the views and counterviews.But still i thought this issue deserves a place in my blog.For those who are virtually unaware of the happenings,( a couple of my friends who are least bothered about such trivialities), here is a quick recap.shilpa shetty , the lady in the middle o f a racial fiasco, had opted for big brother.And wat prompted her to take up the offer? the question is not difficult to answer.a bollywood career which is going downhill, lucrative 3.75 crore fees for the show(pretty understandable why shilpa opted to go!).The way the government of india reacted on all this was real too fast.And shilpa episode was everywhere,whatever channel i tuned , every where it was the same story, there by ruining my plans to catch some infotainment.
Its not that i didnt fel bad for poor Ms shetty.But the incident has raised too many questions.are we Indians too fragile that we cant bear remarks by some second rated celebraty.does shilpa represent india?The real India?Are Indians correct in protesting against the so called racial attack when back home we still have deep rooted casteism and regionalism?Do we have the right to get angry when someone else has done this to us, while we treat our own fellow people with humiliation.But one thing is for sure , it has boosted the TRPs like anything.But yes i fully agree with vir sanghvi who wrote this morning marking this incident as coming of age of the new india , india which raises its voice vociferously against any assault.

And now that shilpa is touted to win, riding on huge sympathy wave,lets c what is in store for her.....

till then its sensational journalism at its peak!

phir Dhoom (Optical Orgasm)

2006-12-14T19:43:00.000+05:30

I was yearning to watch D2.Today finally I got the chance. And after a few shots I was more than convinced that there is absolutely no need to apply my brain here.The film is an optical orgasm.Its hrithik's show all the way.He simply rocks!!he is fantabulous(is there any such word!! )He dances like a dream(a hackneyed but very apt phrase!!).the film has all the visual glitter that u cud think of, hrithik and aish are wonderful together, probably the best looking couple on screen ever .Together they r screen scorchers!!for a change i liked bipasha as well..she seemed to have lost some gud kgs.
Although there is nothing more on story front, but do i seem i care!!I mean who gives a damn when the packaging is ultra glam,the stunts quite unconvincing yet pulse quickening, and above all hrithik and aish.I am sure i am going to buy the DVD when its out and will learn all the dance steps of hrithik(i guess i ll b able to do that atleast in this lifetime ..he he).
Abhishek disappoints a little, nothing much that he did, other than chasing the greek god!!And uday frankly outdid my expectations.He was gud and far better than wat he has ever done before.
this is glossy cinema at its best and hey i m not complaining!! and if u dont apply logic to the gravity defying stunts and neglect a "nothing much" story then D2 rocks!!Its a visual spectacle thats surely goin to take ur breath away!!
somebody on the net referred to the movie as Optical orgasm...
i just had one.....go have urs!!

Footloose in Delhi

2006-12-14T19:41:00.000+05:30

How to ruin a perfect sunday, ask me!!The picture here surely wud give u an idea about my state of mind this weekend.
"You havent been to laal quila" my roomie barked at me as if I have done a heinous crime."No" I retaliated, "I have been to the Agra wala laal quila and i guess both are the same". My roomie was however in no mood to give up. He suggested we should go to laal quila and have fun this sunday afternoon.Finally I agreed.I thought it would b a gud idea to relive history!!
i cud not have been more wrong. we landed at the laal quila only to find a serpentine queue which was nearly 2 kms at least. I gave up, and was in no mood to waste my one hour standing in the queue(Population explosion u c!!).My roomie had a better idea, "why dont we go to chandni chowk"the images that flashed instantly in my mind was of K3G kinda stuff.I agreed enthusiastically.But I didnt understand that this was the beginning of another endless journey.Chandni chowk was nothing close to wat i have heard about its perennial glory.The shabby structure and many dilapidated buildings about to fall were everywhere!!and crowded unlike anythging u could ever imagine.The Indian middle and lower class were buying as if there is now tomorrow.(every one seem to be in a buying spree!!).The only gud thing we had was "daulat ka halwa", a melt in the mouth, sweet, creamy stuff!!we traversed all the way till sadar and then paharganj area,and that too on foot!.
I was virtually broken by now.We thought of catching a movie at the nearest filmistan theatre(another piece in itself!!).the movie being screened was "dead or alive".But the crowd at the box office sggested u cud b either dead or alive if u get in.we chose to live.(liitle wonder that almost 23 million people watch movies everyday in india which is far more than wat americans do!!)
okay so we somehoww mustered the courage and headed for our last resort CP.My roomie still had shopping plans.i cursed him enough but accompanied him all the way to palika bazar.But surprisingly it turned out to be a nice option.The shopping was a great stress buster.(now whoever said palika was downmarket,needs to do a reality check,at least with the prices!!)
that was perhaps the only gud thing we did this sunday.After a quick bite at one of the many
dhabaas that mushroom in the outer CP circle,we headed back home.
Bed was wat i needed the most now.And a blissful sleep.

Pappu ghar !

2006-12-14T09:35:00.000+05:30

I am really glad they are closing the Appu ghar in delhi. I m perhaps the only one who seems to be happy with this decision apart from the MCD , metro corporation and the supreme court(who are geting this land for expansion).
I m as much in love with the rides as any other child would be. If I would nt have been to Appu ghar this weekend then probably i would have vociferously supported the cause and the post would have been written the other way round, ripping the metro authorities, criticising MCD and so on....
But no, after I visited appu ghar(and made a pappu of myself and my friend !) this weekend , all the stories of its glorious days turned false.
Okay so we reached Appu ghar, which looked crowded and packed to its utmost capacity(as most of the places in delhi usually are!!) , with children flocking around, mostly in school uniforms, we headed for the ticket window.
I asked for two tickets..and paid 40 bucks.."gud deal" I thought.But once we reached inside, more was supposed to be paid.There were many options available ranging from 50 to 200 rs for the rides. I was wondering why I paid rs 20 for nothing !anyways, since we had a gud impression of appughar thanx to the numerous stories we had heard in our childhood from our friends and relatives in delhi!!.so we opted for 100 bucks for four rides kinda ticket!!

once we entered another gate we were inside appu ghar!!we walked for just 15 mins and it was over!!Gawd one look around at the rides and my heart sank and my 120 bucks seemed to go down the drain!!okay.....i reassured myself.... so we thought its appu ghar after all, it has to have this sort of old charm and all.we had the option of just four rides so we chose four best (and which we assumed most thrilling and dangerous)rides.
The first ride was more than an eye opener!!It lasted for hardly three mins , no thrills nothing.The second was certainly better.we had to satnd in a queue for sometime and the we finally managed to get in.it was just okay..better than the first one.Then we thought okay two more to go..lets go to roller coaster !!the sight of roller coaster was enough to make me laugh(or rather cry), it was nothing of the sort a normal coaster is supposed to be...it was for children, no not even for children.....it was so small!anyways we thought we will have some fun with the speed atleast..we took our seats and the coaster started.but voila! there was more in store....it didnt move ahead...one more try and it still glided a few metres and stopped unceremoniously.My nerves were about to break by now, and then the operator exclaimed that the machine is not able to lift so much weight, so it wont work!!gawd!!(i was seriously thinking of losing some pounds !!)
we ,however were detremined to make it a gr8 day, after all its appu ghar man!!.we headed for another jhoola, but the opertor said that he requires at least 16 persons.The jhoola looked like ias if it had last operated some 50 years back!!man somehow 16 persons were arranged.this was ceratinly better!but no thrills no chills , just plain gudgudi in the stomach.After this "no show", neither my friend nor me cared for the fourth ride, we just sat on something which was working properly and didnt give a damn!!My heart was bleeding, 150 bucks gone for nothing...and 25 bucks per ride...my friend screamed"it was not eeven worth 5 rs".i couldnt agree less!!.on our way out we walked past bhoot bangla, even children aged 5 were laughing at those bhoots !! scary anyone!
a normal gaaon ka mela boasts of better jhoolas and that too at a very affordable price.I thought we could have seen Baabul at pvr ..wahan bhi rote, yahan bhi ro rahe hain.....:(
after makin a gud fool of ourselves at pappu ghar, we haeded to CP and finally returned home!!
i m in full support for the removal of this utterly disgusting scar on the face of the city which is no more a specialty , but just a way to extract money out of fools like me!!And those who say its for children then they should have asked the tiny totts there..they were hardly havin any fun..not even remotely fascinated by these archaic rides...and moreover, most of the rides there sported a tag scraeming "children below ten are not allowed" The ulterior meaning of which was children below ten are not allowed and children above ten are surely not goin to have fun!!Better stay away
next time anyone asks u whether u have been to appu ghar in delhi , give him one tight slap and say Doobara mat poochana!!