Kites -- Reviewed

Genre: Drama, Romance

Director: Anurag Basu

Old wine in a new bottle...is it? To some extent Yes! But I liked the new bottle.

Well, its got some very filmy thrills with steroetypical car chases, backgrounds of the protagonists & dialogues. But it stands out in the way its been handled, which is quite refreshing. Here's what I liked in the movie:

1. The way the makers have handled the communication of feelings between the two main characters, inspite of the language barrier.

2. The protagonists are not the do-all-good kind of characters like our typical bollywood love stories, they show their grey side.

3. Hrithik & Barbara's acting will surely be enough to get loads of brownie points for this movie. Not to forget their sizzling on-screen chemistry. Hrithik, is probably the only actor in the industry right now who could have pulled off J's character. And he has done it with aplomb. Barbara is not only good on the eyes, she can also actually ACT, which is a far cry for our current crop of eye candies.

4.The slick camera work.

5. The song "Fire" gives something to ponder on to those who had any doubts about who the best dancer in the industry is. The song itself is enough paisa vasool for all the die-hard Hrithik fans.

6. While watching the movie, I never had the feeling that I was watching a bollywood love story. It's got the goods to appeal to the worldwide audience. Although it was also over-the-top in some scenes which wouldn't go well with some audiences.

I however, did not quite like the ending. Thats probably because I am used to masala love stories having a fairy tale ending. But that is not what happens in real life all the time, is it?

The movie certainly is not without its flaws. The supporting cast could've done a better job & it does have its stereotypes. But saying that "Kites" is the best movie of the year so far, would not be an understatement. Cheers to the makers for going ahead with this brave venture. It does augur well for the future of Indian cinema at the world stage. Time for the Chopras & Johars to stand up & be counted. I would certainly want to watch the international cut of this movie. For those who haven't watched it yet, just go without any expectations & enjoy the flight !!

Shaapit -- Reviewed

Genre: Horror
Director: Vikram Bhatt

Heard a lot about this movie before deciding to watch it. But I was totally unaware as to what was in store for me. A curse on a family that has lived through centuries of their existence by being associated to a "buri aatma". A potentially good concept, which was flushed down the toilet with aplomb. Here's how....
The scene goes like this: The parents are discussing why the marriage is/is not feasible. We see a few shots of Aditya Narayan (Aman) with a frozen face. Next shot is of a lady shedding tears. My first impression was that she was his mom. But wait, turned out, she was his girlfriend. Well, Shweta Agarwal (Kaaya) wasn't bad looking. Its just that the KID is not ready to become a hero yet. Well, he did grow a teeny-weeny-patch-of-a-beard as the movie went on, but that was not enough. Besides, he CAN'T act. He damn well gives Dino Morea & Vivek Oberoi a run for their money.
The Delhi Commonwealth games were well publicized, with Aman running like someone had stolen his candy, at the slightest opportunity.
The acting was the only thing that was close to being horrific. Rahul Dev was OK, the rest were non-existent. The special effects were amateurish to say the least. We've seen better. A few screamy moments, but they were not enough to save face.The music made matters worse & it was not what you would expect from a Vikram Bhatt movie. As I watched the movie, I waited for a chill to run down my spine, and I was kept waiting.
For all the fans of Ramsay brothers horror flicks, look no further. The face of the "buri aatma", in this unconvincing love story, reminded me of those golden "Puraana Mandir" days.
And finally, for a horror movie, the most important part is the after-effects it has on its audience & I am feeling no after effects whatsoever.
Top it all with an almost empty theatre & you have the perfect combination of a disaster. Kudos to the makers for wasting a perfect horror recipe. Not something you expect from the makers of "Raaz" & "1920".

20 Years of Sachin Magic!!

When I was a kid, I didn't see much of cricket. To watch an away series, we had to wake up real early & I hated that. So I didn't share much of my dad's enthusiasm in terms of cricket. As I grew up, the interest slowly picked up. Kapil Dev was my favorite cricketer in those days. And then Sourav Ganguly came along & I loved the grace of this guy as he effortlessly caressed bowlers through the offside. He remained my favorite till the time he retired. But all this time, I never really idolized Sachin Tendulkar. I loved it when he played, but I wasn't a Sachin fanatic, and I am not, even now.
For bowlers all over the world, this small guy with a really compact technique had become one of the most feared batsmen to bowl at. Among his several innings, my most favorite were the 100's he scored @ Sharjah against a mighty Australian side as he won the triangular tournament for India, single-handedly. He, along with Sourav Ganguly, had forged one of the most deadly opening partnerships that the cricketing world has ever seen. And I am pretty doubtful if I would ever enjoy any 2 batsmen play, the same way as I enjoyed watching the Sachin-Sourav pair. And now, as the nation celebrates 20 years of Sachin magic, I don't think words are enough to say how I feel. I could go on listing stats to show he is the best batsmen of all time, but what the hell, we all know this fact.
I have lost all interest in cricket in the past few years. The T-20s have somewhat killed the excitement I had & the IPL was perhaps the last nail in the coffin. I only follow test matches nowadays.
As more & more players have become eagerly concerned about the IPL, rather than playing for India, watching international games has become just a waste of time for me. The reason is that I do not think these so-called "YOUNG" players today play with the intensity that they should demonstrate when representing a nation of cricket fanatics.
I did not watch even a single game in the recently concluded India-Australia series. For me the series had got over even before it started (WTF, I had even predicted the final scoreline of the series correctly :P). But amongst all these things, there was just one small flame that made me sit down with amazement. I did not have the privilege to watch Sachin's innings of 175 unfold LIVE, but the highlights were enough for me to get the spark back. As he hammered the Aussies all over the park, I was watching utterly amazed at what this man could do, even after so many years.
Frankly speaking, I really felt that there was just one man playing for INDIA that day & everyday in this series. The rest were TEAM BCCI. Nothing much has changed since the 90's. Sachin still takes us near the end & all he asks for is support from the team. But rarely does the team answer back. "YOUNGISTAN" players have replaced the so-called "OLDIES" because they are supposedly more fit. These FIT players of ours do not even want to dive when there is a need to do so. All they do is smile for the camera, those shameless smiles.
People say Sachin is GOD. I beg to differ. I say, he is a mere mortal like you & me. And I believe that the GOD above created him for a reason. The reason was to give us a belief that a mere mortal is capable of great things, things that we can be in awe of. A belief that if an individual is committed, focussed & hard working, the impossible can be achieved. A belief that if we get a chance to represent our motherland at any stage, we should make it count & give it our all. Because, even today, when a bowler begins his run-up & sees a small man with an Indian flag on his helmet, he has this feeling in the back of his mind, "I am not bowling to this one man...I am bowling to an entire nation!!"
Thanks Sachin, for giving us those wonderful moments & I hope you keep giving us more in the years to come!!

Call of the Heart or Call of the Mind ?

So how should we handle relationships...by being emotional or being practical? Now, by relationships, I mean all kinds of relationships that we come across in our life since birth. Be it with our parents, family, friends or the one we love.
I, for one, believe that the decisions I take when dealing with relationships are more emotional than practical. To put it differently, I listen more to the heart than to the brain in these situations. Am I wrong in doing so?
Well,I have always felt that its the connection of the hearts that keeps these bonds intact, so for me it makes perfect sense to go with the heart. People tell me that I care a lot for the people I know, most of the times I care about them even more than I care for myself. Yes, I do.
They tell me its a bad thing. They tell me it gives pain, one that is far more difficult to endure than any kind of physical pain that one can imagine. And from what I have learnt till now, YES, it does give pain...a hell lot of pain....but should that be the reason for me to change myself?
You can call it a manufacturing defect, but the truth is that I don't want to change ME. May be it's too late for me to change. May be I have crossed that threshold where we can actually change the way we think & feel about people. But, I am not very sure if there is any such threshold. And I believe that's how its meant to be. We are not meant to be PERFECT. That is what gives flavor to our life.
And so, that is how I will remain, always trying to spread smiles among each & every person I care about & who are important to me. And for them, I will be ready to endure any kind of pain or suffering. Its worth it, because to me, the call of the HEART is more important than the call of the MIND!!

One More Round...

Wrote this down about a month ago, but never really found the courage to post it...

"It was a lonely Sunday afternoon. Nothing much happening & I was just lazing around unable to sleep. Tried watching a movie, but then decided not to. I ended up sitting on the couch and swapping channels on the tv, not particularly interested in what was being shown. To summarise, I was doing absolutely nothing & was with a BLANK mind. And then it hit me, all of a sudden.
It hit me like a speeding train & I was helpless. It was the feeling that I am going to die ALONE.
To tell the truth, I dont realise why this happened to me. May be I am out of my mind or something. But it did & it grew stronger every second. The transition of my mind from being completely blank to being occupied by this solitary thought was suffocating to say the least. A lot has been going on lately, this was probably a side effect of it.
I am not really this kind of a person. My friends tell me that I spread the humour around all the time. But very few have actually tried to understand the real person inside of me. One who is emotional and passionate. Is it a weakness? I dont really know that either, but that's how I am..and that's how I will remain.
We sometimes spend a portion of our life running after something passionately & then all of a sudden we realize that it was just a mirage. Something that didnt exist actually, but the false impression led to its pursuit. A fruitless pursuit in the end. But for me the real question is, was this pursuit worth it? Truthfully speaking, I really don't know right now. But I am still trying to figure out the answer.
Its hold on me was broken when my mom came in and asked if I wanted to have tea. But its still there, even though the effect has calmed down a bit. It is still eating away my brain slowly & gradually. And I cannot do a thing about it.
And today, whenever I've said " I am fine", the line from the movie "The Italian Job" has popped up in my mind, (Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional)
GOD help me..."

Now, about a month later, something has changed. Some part of me has died & will never return back. But I still believe that "Whatever happens, happens for the better" and this will keep me going. I am now looking at life differently and this is thanks to all the support that some people around me have provided. Its time to move ahead now, coz its not over yet...."ONE MORE ROUND"!!

The Almost Night Out & Moments of Nostalgia...

I Hate exams... I really do. My job requires me to give atleast a fixed number of certifications every year & the whole ordeal is a real pain in all the wrong places. I gave one of these today. It wasn't rocket science though. It dealt with the resellers, distributors & how they are playing a major role in shaping the discrete manufacturing supply chain in the ever evolving global environment.But its not the technology distributors that I want to talk about.

I reached home at midnight, after attending an office party. Struggling to keep awake, I started having a look at the presentation that was the key to pass the exam. "Hmm... I think I can cover this by 4:00 AM", I thought. Just 140 odd slides, plus I already had a look at them before & knew the context. Shouldn't have gone to the party though, would've given me some more time to get this over with. But then, in the fight between exams & chicken, who would be the chosen one? Naah... chicken wins..hands down!!

So,I get started. One slide after the other. But where did these dogs come from & why are they jumping in and around the pillars. Hey, wait a second...pillars, what pillars. Wake up boy...these are bar graphs. They are supposed to show the revenues generated as a result of blah blah blah. I decided to sit & turn to the WWW to keep me awake. The orkuts & facebooks of the world. Somehow I reach slide 40....huh 100 more. Okay...lets get some music going.

As the music got me started again, I couldn't help remember the final days of MBA. The last semester. The last minute glances at the pages that remained unseen for 4 months or so & the ones that would get us through the last hurdle remaining. Those late night meetings to decide what to read, what not to read, or whether to read anything altogether. The rush to get the notes before the test & the parties in "Chandaal gali" following them. Then, before I knew it, I was growing all nostalgic & browsing through some old photos, remembering some really great people & the times I've had with them. Times that changed my life forever. Times that were fun & hectic at the same time. Times that were full of life & unforgettable.We the "GHANTAS" sure had a great time together @ KGP. The bakar, sort of never ended. Now in the hectic rush of life, that spark has faded a bit. We had met each other a long time back & have never had a real get together for over a year now.But that sure doesn't take away the effect these precious people have had on my life.

I've had to go through some 'not so good' situations in my personal life in the last few months. But these memories have always brought a smile to my face even on the worst of days. And the feeling that these people will always be there when I need them is what keeps me going every single day!

I glanced at the clock & it was already 3:00 AM. Still had almost 80 more slides to go. I then started rushing through the slides & somehow got done by 5:00 AM (I am still bad at managing my time, but I sure am on the path of improvement). And Yes...I passed the test today ;)

P.S: To all the "GHANTAS"....Thank You for touching my life the way you did & giving me those delightful moments that would stay with me forever. "Babaji ki jai ho !!"

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Genre: Action

Director: Gavin Hood

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Ryan Reynolds

Wolverine has always been my favorite character from among the X-Men. A dangerous fighting machine with raw animal instincts, indestructible in every sense with retracting claws of adamantium, the character truly is a treat for every action fan. Needless to say that when I heard about this movie, I simply couldn't wait to watch it. But was the wait worth it? I still can't decide....

Efficiently choreographed stunts, good camera work & an amazingly stylish performance by Hugh Jackman. There are some awesome action sequences in the movie that are unforgettable.

But, by the time it got over, something just didnt click. I still don't understand what was missing, but it failed to hold my attention for quite a good amount of time. Has some breath-taking scenes that deserve praise, but it leaves the viewer asking for more. I kept asking...but didn't get any. May be next time!!

A decent watch for the weekend, it will get a BIG thumbs up for the action & style, but, a thumbs down for the overall cinematic experience. However, it certainly is better than the run-of-the-mill action they churn out nowadays!!