total timepass...

After a very long time, I saw a movie as soon as it released; not because Dhoom is an amazing franchise, but only because of Aamir Khan! He has single-handedly changed people's expectations from stars nowadays, plus a hope that commercial actors can also do good movies! This time though I was disappointed... The weaknesses of the movie are many. What is Katrina doing in the movie, other than have two scenes where she has dialogues? Why is Aamir making a weird face all the time? His escapades are not well-planned at all. He doesn't wear masks, how is he not recognised? Why is every action sequence shown in slow motion, and extended unto boredom? Why another 'inspiration' from a Hollywood movie? Really, it was quite a bad movie, worse than Dhoom 2 for sure. It was still bearable because it was Aamir, but still it was a pain on the eyes and the brain! The only thing I liked in the movie was the theatre musical sequence. It has been beautifully choreographed and execut...

I went in to watch Hunger Games with a little bit of skepticism, as I had not been bowled over by the last version. Not really because the movie wasn't good, but because it made me feel very helpless, seeing what the games meant! But I came out of Part 2 feeling a lot happier than before, mostly because it ended with hope. The plot moves ahead from where it left off, Katniss is now a heroine and goes around the empire as the latest winner. Even though she faces internal dilemmas and does not want to be held to the empire's principles, she nonetheless follows them for the safety of her family. Inspite of that, disturbances break out across the districts because of her. And then she gets to go back into the games, as part of the 75th celebration which has winners from the previous games. The games feel different, and even though as tough, there seems to be an alliance around her. At the end of the games, she survives, realising she was part of a plan for an upcoming revoluti...

I am still undecided about what I felt about Ram-leela. There are some great things about the movie, and some not-so great things, making it difficult to decide if it was great or terrible! In the end, its a balance between the two, and depending on what you value more, you need to decide. For me, entertainment value is more than logic in a Hindi movie, so I am deciding that I liked the movie:). Ram-Leela is based on the story of Romeo and Juliet, but in a very Indian context, with the story being used just as an 'inspiration'. The setting is the 500 year old enmity between Sanera and Rajadi clans in the Rann. In the midst of all this, starts the love story of Ram and Leela, belonging to the two heads of the clans. They meet, run away, come back, fight and then die together. But the journey is quite a roller coaster one! What was great about the movie was the whole canvas on which it was created: colours, costumes, settings, palaces, music, dance and the whole related stuf...

This video is a must watch for people who enjoy to see what the Punjabi way of life is, in all its glory and loudishness. And this video compares this way of life with the subtleties of the British way of life. Its impressive that people actually took the time to make this long video of how Prince William's and Kate's wedding would have been, if he was Punjabi . The makers of the video first found look-alikes for all the key participants, the Queen, Charles, Camilla, Henry, global guests, a Christian priest, Pippa and so on; and then taught them enough bhangra for them to participate fully in the celebration.. Hilarious...!

This has been one of those articles online , which actually tell you something useful! We have been using a lot of products the wrong way, think its time we use them correctly:)

Rahul Gandhi has been the butt of many a jokes recently, especially on facebook where the majority seem to be pro-Modi and anti-Congress. One of the articles I found on facebook was this f unny list of comparisons that Rahul Gandhi can make in the future, depending on who he is addressing. After I had read this list, he has done another major comparison - talking about escape velocity to dalits in UP. The example seemed fine, but not given who the target audience was. He might do better to take ideas from this list:)

This is an old article I had read a month back, and its one of those news items which come in the news just once and then are forgotten, and never come to the forefront again. The article talks about the not-so-well-known fact that Indian athletes are banned from playing in any Olympic events under the Indian banner. Indian athletics wanting to take part in international events can do so only as independent athletes. How shameful is that? And this ban has already been there for almost a year!! Yet no one talks about it, and other than this one article, I have never heard about it again. And why is the ban there? Because the IOC has asked for the Indian Olympic Association to change its constitution to not allow 'criminals' to hold posts. And of course, since the head of the Association has charges against him, he will not allow the constitution to bar him from election. So the Indian athletes will continue to participate as independent athletes without either the tri-colour...

Shuddh Desi Romance got positive reviews from most reviewers (an average of 3+ from 13 reviews which is quite amazing for an Indian movie) but I don't agree fully with them. Not because of how good or bad the movie was, but because of the message of the movie, which I do not agree with. But more of that later... First let me start with what the movie was about: (its confusing actually, but will try). The movie starts with Raghu (Sushant Rajput) who works as a fake baraati in marriages, running away from his wedding because he had met Gayatri (Parineeti) while his baraat  was on its way. He runs into her later, and they start a live-in relationship soon. They have fun, till they decide to get married, and this time its Parineeti's turn to run away from the wedding. Now Raghu runs into and then falls in love with Tara, the bride he had left on the wedding altar. And this is where the movie becomes confusing. When Raghu is ready to propose to Tara, he runs into Gayatri again...

We're the Millers is one of those Hollywood movies, which are fun to watch once; good for a couple or two of laughs and then you forget about them. They deliver what they promise to, nothing more and nothing less. So don't expect any pathbreaking message from the movie, just go with an open mind and enjoy. We're the Millers is the story of a motley group; a middle-aged drug dealer, an out-of-work stripper, a nerd boy and a homeless tough girl; all trying to act like a normal family, while smuggling a busload of drugs from Mexico into the US. The sequences in the movie are hilarious: trying to bribe a Mexican police officer, a spider mishap, a night of camping with an DEA officer and so on. All sequences are laugh-out-loud funny though they sometimes involve adult humour. The end is as would be expected, this group becomes a real family. Would go with 3 for this one, a true value for money. Good for a funny evening out.

Again, like the last time, I absolutely fell in love with the play but more so with the whole experience. I am sure the characters, the acting, the story and the music, all had a part to play in it, but I still think the amazing setting in the open air in a park was the main reason I had an absolutely amazing experience. The story was the same as the movie, Sound of Music; the songs were the same, the ones we have heard from childhood. The stage was set in the facade of an old country home. And the singing was clear, the dancing fun, the flow smooth. And the open air, setting sun and warm weather providing a natural background. What was not to love about this amazing production? I was not a fan of the lead actress who played Maria though; she looked older than she was supposed to be and was louder than she was supposed to be. But so what? The cute children made up for it:). The movie is a timeless classic and the play did full justice to it. It was as fun and beautiful as someth...

The Heat is one of those not-great-but-still-enjoyable-for-2-hours kind of movie which abound all over Hollywood. Its the story of an arrogant but capable FBI agent (Sandra Bullock) who goes to Boston to bust a big drug dealer, and ends up teaming up with the local shoot from your hip kind of cop, Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) to achieve this. Both of them are as different in their attitude and thinking as could be possible, and what follows is a tale of how these two women become friends and are ready to do anything for each other. Its a funny movie, with awesome laugh-off-your-seats kind of dialogues. Nothing more to talk about though! Would go for 3 stars for this one.

Recently, there has been a spate of relatively good movies, 'Bhag Milkha Bhag', 'Lootere', 'Ranjhanaa' and 'D-day'. All of them are a little  hatke , which always feels like a good change. The premise for D-day is a mission by the Indian Intelligence Wing, to bring back a wanted criminal from Pakistan to India. This mission is carried out by 4 undercover agents, and after a failed attempt, abandonment by the Indian authorities and death of two of the agents, they finally achieve what they had set out to. The storyline for the movie is pretty racy and well portrayed. The acting by all the key players is worth a mention. Rishi Kapoor played his short part well. Surprisingly, Arjun Rampal acted well too:). Huma Qureshi and Irfan Khan were good as usual. The whole setup and story was played out realistically. Characters were well etched. Patriotic jingoism was kept under control. Music fit in well too. What was there to not like? And even though it wa...

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani had the potential to a fun-filled movie about friendships and relationships but all it turned out to be was a badly mashed-up directionless 3 hours of drama! Would rate it as one of Ranbir's worst movies and was very disappointed with his choice for the first time. The negatives of the movie are many. The characterisation of the characters was very weak. How could Deepika wearing minis all the time be a padhaku ? Just wearing specs does not make anyone studious, there is a lot more that needs to go in the development of the character (she looks hot though!). Ranbir's character wasn't clear either. Did he just not care about anyone other than himself? Sometimes he was that person and sometimes he was the typical Hindi movie nice guy. So confusing! Plus he looked a lot older and maturer in the movie than earlier which did not fit either. The story was weak too, going all over the place and not convincing at all. How does meeting someone for a week...

The saga is finally over.. And a not so bad end I would say. A lot lot better than Hangover 2 for sure! On the whole though, this movie is forgettable except that its the last of the trio and so you would see it anyways just for closure. The plot is slightly different this time, there is no bachelor party to have the mix-ups. Just a criminal boss kidnapping Doug (yes, again!) for the entire movie while the wolfgang are out to get the gold back from Chow for this crime boss. What follows is a gold heist with Chow, a double crossing, the Gang chasing Chow in Vegas and the finale with the crime boss dead. There were not that many over-the-top moments in this version, just some exotic locales, some good jokes and an entertaining feel about it. The after credits scenes of course had something the other Hangovers were famous for, be sure not to miss it! But at least this episode was not a total failure like the second one. At least it was different even if not as good as the first Ha...

I have wanted to see a play in the open-air theatre in Regents Park since 2006 but somehow had never managed to find tickets earlier. And so, when I was able to get last minute tickets from a colleague in office to see, 'To kill a mockingbird', at the Park, it was almost like a dream come true. And to be honest, the experience was all I had always imagined it to be.. and more..! First about the setting: the play is staged in the middle of Regents Park, in Queen Mary's Gardens. The path leading to the theatre builds up to the experience; walking through beautifully landscaped gardens, moving along the green path laced with colourful flowers on both sides. It sets the mood for a warm and fresh evening, close to nature. And then you come to the theatre, its done up so beautifully, its almost feels christmasy. Cafes and coffee stalls everywhere, decorated with lights and surrounded by a green background. And then when you enter the theatre, its also in the open. Laid out ...

Who is going to be the next Prime Minister of India is going to be an ongoing debate for the next one year, with continuous comparisons drawn between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi. And it is going to be fun and colourful times; Rahul's inexperience and Modi's nonsecular credentials thrown at all of us throughout this period. With barbs and re-barbs on pages after pages, and supporting fire from all the loyal comrades. As I said, it will be fun. In between this whole process, the fact that the biggest democracy in the world is going through a vote for its next government will be lost. The government is expected to bring about change, reform and development to the country. There are many aspects of this change which need to be talked about, stressed on and promises made for (irrespective of the fact whether those are kept or not). However what will happen is that the personalities of the leaders will be the focus of the campaigns, and with whatever little airtime issues get...

For a sports illiterate like me, my knowledge about players in sports other than cricket is very limited. I know a couple of famous ones; Ussain Bolt, Phelps, Tiger Woods, Messi, Lance Armstrong... The list is not long. And of those, the only one about which I know more than their name and game they play is Lance Armstrong. I read his book, one of the rare biographies I have read and was very impressed and motivated. Maybe because have not read about people coming out of cancer and achieving as much as he did in one of the most physically challenging sports, it felt really unreal and great. His book was inspiring at many levels and I took each of his words to be true. Including his tirade against people who 'wrongfully' accused him of doping. It had to be true, how could a person going through such tough times do something as wrong as that? And then it all came crashing! I don't know why, but I felt personally let down when the truth about him came out. I had read his...

Saw the movie 'Trance' by Danny Boyle recently and was not impressed. The movie is a thriller, with too many overlapping sequences that gets you confused between reality and dreams, present and the past. So what could have been another Memento or Inception turns out to be just a poor copy of it. The premise of the movie is very interesting; an art house employee steals an expensive work of art and then forgets where he hid it. Hounded by his fellow partners in crime, he uses the help of a hypnotist to delve into his mind to find where he hid the painting. What follows are a sequence of thriller chases, ego clashes, betrayals, dreams mixed with reality and so on till the final curtain on the truth opens. The climax is quite unexpected, and would have made it a great movie, except that it was lacking on clarity, Maybe if the storyline had been clearer, the movie would have been worth watching. The acting was good, the action sequences thrilling but the confusion killed it...

For a long time, I have been looking for comedy plays in West End, and looks like there are not many left which I haven't seen. So when someone mentioned One man two guvnors, I booked it as soon as I could. And I wasn't disappointed; we had a great afternoon, laughing a lot and all the time trying not to fall over laughing! Its the story of a ruffian, Francis in Brighton, who gets hired by two masters (or guvnors). One is a local goon, Roscoe but actually his twin sister (Rachel); and the other master is a murderer on the run, Stanley but actually Rachel's fiance. What follows is a comedy of errors with Francis trying to serve both masters simultaneously without getting confused or letting either know about the other. Francis played by Rufus (?) is a great actor, and holds his own on stage. He is a treat to watch; confused, witty and doing all kinds of antics on the stage (like pretending to fight with himself) with such a flair that it makes you laugh all the time, wonde...

The Iron Lady is no more. And parts of UK are celebrating her death! Other than being a very sad thing to do, it makes you wonder about her, what kind of a person was she; how extraordinary would she be (not necessarily good or bad) that her death brings out such kind of emotions in some people. Hearing about it led me to research her views, her actions and her decisions, to understand how can people either hate her so much or not hate her (I still haven't found people who love her yet, but think its the same as don't hate!). And so I realised how split the country is when it comes to her. On the one side, there will be a ceremonial funeral for her (something rarely accorded to politicians) and on the other side, there are street parties on her death. Just goes to show what an extraordinary woman she was! And as I learnt more about her, I realised what she stands for, is taking decisions, and bold ones at that. They might not necessarily have been all correct (this can ...

This is an old article from last year I think; Karnataka government spending 18 crores to conduct pooja across the state for the rain gods to give rain to the drought hit land . And all I thought after reading this was that either the ministers in the state are stupid or they just needed 15 crores urgently and cooked up this idea! And honestly, both are equally plausible reasons! In this day, who would think that praying in temples across the state would help! I can understand we are a religious country, but this is taking it to a ridiculous level. It doesn't work this way and am sure the ministers of the state know it as well. Anyways, I never read about whether it worked or not, so don't know if the 18 crores worked or not; but am sure 15 crores of it did make some people happy!

Indian cricket and Sachin have been synonymous for so long now; and our fascination for all kinds of statistics related to Sachin have been talked about for so long now, that a new one coming out does not make us bat an eye anymore. On top of that is the hotly debated question on when he should retire, its been a national obsession for long now (after how Abhi-Ash got married and what Aradhya looks like that is). It doesn't matter anymore what people write about Sachin, most of it doesn't matter. He is going to do what he wants and play how he wants. Thats it, what can anyone do about it? But then I read this today, and again felt like laughing. Everytime Sachin scores a duck, Mumbai wins . Hahaha! Do the statisticians really have no work other than coming out with such stats? And honestly, to give a complete picture, they should also mention how many times does he not score a duck and Mumbai wins! Anyways, I found it funny, so thought of posting it to my blog.

A lot of news item that I read in the Indian newspapers make me feel sad and want to write about them. Not all of them are about our major problems: illiteracy, poverty, population, female exploitation, corruption and so on..; but about other facets of our society and nation which though not critical are still important for us as a country. And this falls under the same: 35 protected monuments in India are not traceable anymore!  I know that we have bigger problems to focus on than historical monuments but still how can such things happen? There is an ASI formed for just this purpose, can they not keep track of our historical heritage so that it doesn't get lost? I wonder how tough would it be. As of today, this does not harm us at all. But in the future, we will miss these remnants of our past. Plus, a lot of times when I compare historical monuments in Europe with India, I find that Europeans preserve their heritage so well and earn so much off tourism even though ...

I recently saw Kai Po Che, and after watching the movie, I have been confused on what I felt about it. There was such a mixture of emotions, thoughts and feelings going through my head, it took a long time to put it to paper. One, I realised that Chetan Bhagat does write serious books with some depth which was a revelation. Second, the movie was different from the other three-men-friendship movies - Dil Chahta Hai, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara etc. - this one was about non-rich average middle class men with real life problems. It was just so real and different from the other such movies we have seen recently, it almost felt unreal(!).  The scene when the three are drinking and talking in a car felt just like the other movies and then you see that it is not their car. Scenes like this get you back to Kai Po Che; this is not a DCH or ZNMD. These guys are friends without swanky cars and they also have friendship issues, just different than whether they are ready to commit or not. Thi...

It looks like the Bangalore police is on a roll, taking its role in maintaining law and order seriously! First they come up with the Facebook page where people can put in complaints and the police can take action on and even update their actions. And then they come up with this brilliant idea ! Its a great idea and may actually lead to people following the traffic rules more. But how sad is it, that we don't do the right thing unless there is someone to police us? Is there something inherent lacking in us as a country and as a people that we need to be beaten with a stick to do the right thing? Anyways kudos for the police for taking the initiative and it might just work?

Given that my dad was in a transferable job and that we all have a love of travelling, I have visited numerous places across the length and breadth of India. And given my mom's love for reasonably priced and variety shopping, I have been long exposed to the local handicrafts of almost all the places I have traveled to. Whether its silk sarees from Kerala or beautifully crafted Kashmiri antique jewellery or Manipuri sarees or Bhuj printed cotton.. the list goes on. Maybe because of this early exposure to an assortment of handicrafts across the country, I have a deep interest in the local artworks available at all these places (and nowadays a concern that these may not even be produced anymore in a couple of years!). So as expected, on my recent trip to Banaras, (as like last time) I spent a considerable amount of time shopping for Banarsi sarees. And this time again I felt the same dread; these beautiful works of art are on the path of vanishing completely. Already, the cur...

In recent couple of years, I have begun to be more and more disillusioned with India as a country. Am not sure for the reason for it; Is it because I reside out of the country now? Or because the current government has sunk to new lows in corruption and apathy for the public? Or that more and more news comes to light which earlier did not? I don't know but every few days, there are events which make you feel even worse about the current state of affairs. And its about everything about the country, whether social or moral or political , there seems to be decay everywhere. The brutal gangrape in Delhi was the most recent such event which shocked us so more that I still feel unable to even express my emotions and anger and helplessness at the happenings even now. This article is not about any such happening though. Its just about a smaller event, but which just makes me go 'wow! really?'. Italian guards who were released in good faith by Indian jails on the guarantee of t...

Where do I start with? There are so many different thoughts going around in my head when I start to think about the movie, its difficult to know where to begin! First of all comes the title. Where did Vishal Bhardwaj come up with this? Its so interesting the first time you hear it and when you realize its made up of the names of the three leads of the movie, makes it sound even more cool. And makes you wonder, how will a story with someone named Mandola go? And then there is the trailer, it is so wacky and over the top its enough to peck up your interest. It makes you wonder, can something BE so random? And the movie does not disappoint. It IS as wacky as the trailer promises it to be! The setting is a village in Haryana (my des !) where all the three characters in the title reside. Mandola is the rich guy in the village who wants (by hook or crook) the farmers of the village to sell their farmland to build his factory. Matru is his driver who sides in secret (and as Mao Tse Tun...

To be frank, I had read the book 'Life of Pi' (because of all the hype the book had around it) and not liked it. And the same happened to the movie. I did not want to watch it initially but with the number of Oscar nominations it received, landed in the theatre but with the same result. The best aspect of the movie of course was all the animation and special effects. Shooting a man with a tiger, on a boat lost at sea is not an easy setting to shoot. The whole part was shown realistically and was impressive. But there was something which was missing in the movie as well as the book. I can't place my finger on it, but maybe it is realism? or a link to reality? or the link to God? I don't know what it is, but I came out of the theatre completely unmoved. Will go for 2.5 for this.

First things first, Dabbang 2 is not Dabbang but just a not-so-successful try to copy the original movie. It has all repeated ingredients: a big bang entry for Salman, a police station song, a junta song on the streets, an item song, couple of romantic songs with Sonakshi, hard-hitting and funny dialogues all along, multiple slow motioned action sequences, a villain with whom Salman plays throughout the movie and the last fight sequence where his shirt rips off! Some of the sequences are so reminiscent of the original Dabbang, the resemblance in uncanny! Frankly,  it has all the ingredients that made part 1 such an enjoyable outing and a big hit, but part 2 wasn't as creative and innovative and so falls flat. It does make you laugh though but not as loud as the last one. So what worked for the movie was Salman and only Salman. He was himself again, funny, lovable and naughty (whether playing pranks on his brother, father or the villain). His dances, his movies, his an...