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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...