Ok, I am officially pissed now! This is the second time this has happened.
I usually catch up on new authors (not really newbie authors but new in the context of my static tastes) whenever I travel. Airports are the best places to pick up authors (that sounded much better in my head :P) you haven't tried before and who you will find quite dissuaded to try if you are at Borders or Landmark, simply coz they have too many books there and filtering is a frustrating process!
Anyways, so I religiously try new authors whenever I travel, light weight enough for airline or hotel reading. Sometimes I do well and find authors who are brilliant and sometimes, well.. just your average read and leave behind types....
About 2 years ago, I hit gold with this author named Harlan Coben. He writes what I can now say, is my favourite type of fiction. The speedy, racy thrillers that are just sooo addictive. So, i managed to pick up a few while I was travelling and told myself when I go back, I am gonna pick up the entire collection from Blossom's (the go-to book store in bangalore!)
So, imagine my irritation when I got back and found that apparently hes become the novelist of the season and all the books are sold out!! I mean why! Why did everybody have to get fascinated by him the same time I did :P
Anyways, it took me a good year and a half to collect all of his books where as it would normally take me about 6 months to go thru what about - 10 odd books written by him so far.. !
This time around I decided to try the duo novelist team- Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (yes, I know a lot of you may hum and say what! You read this like now?? Haven't you seen Relic? ). But yes. I decided to try them out only like now! And I loved it. A couple of them are really scary too (if you dont believe me, try reading 'Still life with Crows' all alone in a hotel room! Goosebumps! )
But they are those racy thrillers that just grab you by the gut and you can't put them down!
So, again decided to grab all possible copies from Blossoms after I head back and guess what!! They are all sold out.. Yes, extremely coincidental and vexing you may say but thats not all..
I go to Landmark which is like the biggest bookshop chain ever and guess what- they had just 1 copy of exactly 1 book of theirs, rest- sold out! Well.. I did pick that up in case you are wondering :)
Anyhoo.. to fast forward to today morning when I am very confident I can find the books online (Fabmall/ Indiaplaza). Book search and 10 mins later guess what - ALL sold out!!
I am soooo pissed I tell you!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Aaja Nachle?
After much anticipation and speculations, aaja nachle came to the theatres last friday. Since mum was quite (in a not so subtle way) excited about it, decided to take her for the so called 'first day first show'.
I think I speak for the rest of the junta in the theatre when I say that, it was quite an enjoyable movie. Small town, extremely predictable but also full of small town, daily life moments which you don't see that often with these big production houses. Somehow the essense of the movie is lost in all that gloss and glitz. But this one somehow manages to capture that and that too in a nice un-complicated manner.
Simple story, lots of cliches and you know whats going to happen. But the director knows that, all he wants you to do is enjoy the ride and forget about the destination. And it was an enjoyable ride, awesome cinematography, very earthy songs and Madhuri is back with a bang with her typical jhatkas!
The best thing about the movie is really no glorified hero heroines. There is supposedly the central character of Dia who kinda holds the movie together but the characterization is classy in the sense that she is not shown to be this uber-woman. Her character is not faultless as typical hindi heroines go. The director has taken the liberty to not harp on her personal life, keep it simple- which pays off because otherwise the movie would have been too distracting.
Its nice to see no issues being made of subjects like inter racial realationships, divorces, single parenting and last but not the least patriotism. Its a refreshing change to see these things being a non-issue in the movie. Dia is not ashamed of her past, she is not apologetic of her impulsive dash to matrimony or the rapid decline of the same. Dia is not the wimpy single mum who is struggling, for anything ! Dia is not the super patriotic types who come back to the country for a a reason and then decide to chuck her entire life elsewhere to supposedly 'give back to the homeland' ! Dia is a character not full of at least these cliches, which I thought was a very smart move by the director. Otherwise god knows, how this one could have turned out to be.
The rest of the characters are just that, characters in a story. Strong characters who lend a definitive flavour to this small predictable tale of song, dance and theatrics. An unusual cast of misfits who come together for a purpose.
There are actors who had so much of potential but seem terribly wasted but I think thats because of the simple reason that we have come to expect so much from them. The very reason they are so understated is because their characters in the tale are understated and thats the whole beauty of it. When you have accomplished actors who can play those 2 bit roles and still leave the audience wanting more, they have done their jobs :)
Vinay and Ranvir have become the standard small budget fixtures but they do add something to a scene everytime they are in it. Even though, you really wish poor Ranvir's character had been given a chance to do some tidly bit more. But he is good as a small town cafe owner who just blends into the background but his eyes light up everytime he sees Dia.
Raghubir yadav is so cute! He is definitely one of those characters you will not recall when you exit the theatre but that just shows what a seasoned actor he is. I really have special regards for all these TV actors or NSD actors from hey days. They were really good at what they did, you just dont find such character actors now a days!
Madhuri, ah.. where do I even begin. From the time the promos have been on air, I have not been able to take my eyes off. Be it at home or at this place we go for lunch to, every single time that they have shown that promo, I have stopped in my tracks to look.
She is so awesome! 43 and she still rocks when it comes to bollywood dancing! There is simply no comptetition, when it comes to any latkas and jhatkas.
I confess, I have been a major fan of her dance numbers ever since I was a kid, whether it was ek do teen, choli ke peeche, didi tera devar or channe ke khet mein!! I admit today, that I have been one of the few (or more) teen kids who latch their bedroom doors and dance to all numbers mentioned above. And when I say dance, I mean really mimic just about every jhatka of hers to perfection.... Yes.. I was one of them and I am not ashamed to admit it :))
And believe me, since the time I have seen the promos of the title track, my brain is sub-consciously trying to memorize the damn steps !!!
Anyhoo, aside from my dancing aspirations, I really think anybody who's grown up with a good pinch of bollywood or has been a closet fan of Mads, should go and enjoy this movie..
Its about singing and dancing with all abandon, to your heart's content- Aaja Nachle !
Friday, November 16, 2007
Saturday, October 06, 2007
London, london london..
Its pretentious, expensive and realllly crowded but you can't help falling in love with London !
Charming, absolutely fascinating and takes you very swiftly between past and the present. The roads and the buildings tell a different story from what you see and the vibe that you get.
There was this lovely Blues bar that we went to the day before I left. Simply awesome, Smallest pub that I had ever seen and crowded as hell but no one was complaining. Once the music started, don't think anybody even noticed..
The most awesome part of london is the fact that there was more pubs in any street than possibly the streetlights :)) It was lovely to sit by the bench overlooking Thames.
The lovely sculptures and last but not the least the Mr. Squiggly :))
PS: Lots more snaps on my Flickr album, if you are on my list :)
Charming, absolutely fascinating and takes you very swiftly between past and the present. The roads and the buildings tell a different story from what you see and the vibe that you get.
There was this lovely Blues bar that we went to the day before I left. Simply awesome, Smallest pub that I had ever seen and crowded as hell but no one was complaining. Once the music started, don't think anybody even noticed..
The most awesome part of london is the fact that there was more pubs in any street than possibly the streetlights :)) It was lovely to sit by the bench overlooking Thames.
The lovely sculptures and last but not the least the Mr. Squiggly :))
PS: Lots more snaps on my Flickr album, if you are on my list :)
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Notes from UK
Its a pretty place no doubt about it. But I can think of quite a few other words to describe it as well. cursory mind you, but my impressions nonetheless.
Have taken a lot of pictures, too many some would say :)
Have taken a lot of pictures, too many some would say :)
Friday, September 14, 2007
Haha
After like ages, a room full of my so called extended team (basically a whole division if you must) under one roof. And I look around me( all too surreptitiously mind you!), I see people I know only too well (of course D'uh), but wait.. Whats that my brain is trying to do? As i pass each one of the them in a cursory glance, my brain is telling me- i dont like him/her!, O her! , So dumb!, etc etc etch..
And that goes on till i reach my super boss and that exactly when my brains just about fizzling with How much I don't like him :)))
I think now I can officially declare that I have absolutely no social or personal interest in people I work with :P
And that goes on till i reach my super boss and that exactly when my brains just about fizzling with How much I don't like him :)))
I think now I can officially declare that I have absolutely no social or personal interest in people I work with :P
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Tired..
Tired...
Thats how i feel more often than now now a days. Life is flying by and sometimes I have an out of body experience looking at how fast its zooming by. Days dont seem to make any sense anymore. Its only one weekend after the other.
There is really no time for anything at all and given all the time spent in damn commuting from one place to the other, there is no energy left as well. Makes me wonder if it was too hasty to head back so soon. If not anything, life was recognizable back then.
Now its just a blur.
I just wish things would slow down a bit so that:
I can spend more quality time with people
I can spend some quality time just by myself
I can get up in the morning without cringing at the fact that damn! another day
~tada and more from UK
Thats how i feel more often than now now a days. Life is flying by and sometimes I have an out of body experience looking at how fast its zooming by. Days dont seem to make any sense anymore. Its only one weekend after the other.
There is really no time for anything at all and given all the time spent in damn commuting from one place to the other, there is no energy left as well. Makes me wonder if it was too hasty to head back so soon. If not anything, life was recognizable back then.
Now its just a blur.
I just wish things would slow down a bit so that:
I can spend more quality time with people
I can spend some quality time just by myself
I can get up in the morning without cringing at the fact that damn! another day
~tada and more from UK
Monday, August 13, 2007
Chak De !
Finally here's a movie that can be called detached from the Mumbai glitz, Bollywood masala and the ritzy glamour. This movie, according to me, reminds you of the NSD and the Delhi school of drama, the same genre of acting and direction that gave us the likes of Fauji and Nukkad.
Even as early as 10 minutes from the time the movie starts, you are gripped. As soon as you see the girls arriving one by one for the national games registrations, you are falling hook, line and sinker.
There is just about everything in here for everybody (except for ones who want item numbers and nonsense masala). There is fair amount of patriotism thrown in, there is oodles of viva feminism thrown in, there is so much of the fun that we thought we would never see past our school days and of course there is ample hockey thrown in :)
The screenplay and editing is simply mindblowing, despite that fact that the script is so predictable. From the time you see the promos for the first time, you know what the movie is going to be about. A failed player, india as the underdog in the arena of world sports, an uncommon team of female players and of course the fact that in the end, you know who will emerge victorious.
But despite all the preconceived notions, the screenplay grips you from the beginning and you are enjoying yourself completely. I had taken my mum for the movie and believe me, I don't remember the last time I saw her enjoying a movie like this! My own mum was enjoying not just the movie but the game as portrayed on screen. For every damn goal, she was actually clapping :)))
Now, if thats not good cinema, I don't know what is.
Something that can make a movie bluff like me appreciate the sheer brilliance of the director, an anti-shah rukh hubby actually smiling thru out the movie and my 50 year old mum enjoy herself shamelessly !!
Its a movie simply about grit, determination and self belief. Its a movie about woman power (Yea, more power to us!) and team spirit. Its a movie that transcends languages barriers and class systems in our society.
So, as you can see, I completely enjoyed watching this one and to me this is definitely one of the best movies of the year.
The screenplay is so impressive, you have to give the credit to the writer Jaideep Sahni and the director Shimit Amin. In a movie where you have 20 odd characters, its so easy to lose your way and churn out half baked stories. There are so many multi starers which fall flat on its face because of the screenplays. But this one, with each characterization so perfect, takes the cake.
Each and every character is well though out, there is enough given for us to make out the character and not a single irrelevant, dwindling flashback (which is what usually happens!). I believe that in a story which has a lot of characters in the story, sometimes the focus is lost in telling the story of each and every person on screen. Which incidently is not really required because your story doesn't revolve around 15 odd autobiographies. But around the story in hand which is quite situational. Sometimes an applicable context maybe required to set the precedent for the incident depicted but long winding flashbacks are completely unwarranted.
There is decent amount of footage for just about everybody even the supporting cast of the movie like the female assistant for the coach and the cook :) Everybody has their 5 mins of glory and thats such a sweet thing.
I didn't really think Bollywood had in it the spirit and technical expertise to weave a really decent story around field sports. We know, live and breathe cricket so that comes easy. But even those movies don't always hit the mark such as Hattrick or Say Salaam India (although I thought the latter was good). Lagaan and Iqbal were probably the only 2 decent movies we have seen so far. Any other field sport seem quite a far fetched thought. But I hope this movie works for the sake of Field Hockey more than anything else. Its a movie that has really done justice to portraying a seemingly unknown and definitely less appreciated game like Hockey. On top of that put together a women's team to bring glory to the game and you have a winner :)
I really hope, this movie inspires more and more people to take interest in something apart from Cricket as far as sports go. I hope games and teams in India get more sponsorships and encouragement even if its because of a bollywood movie. If RDB can purportedly bring justice to the Jesicca Lal case, then why not this be the sweet beginning for Hockey as the re-instated national game.
Even as early as 10 minutes from the time the movie starts, you are gripped. As soon as you see the girls arriving one by one for the national games registrations, you are falling hook, line and sinker.
There is just about everything in here for everybody (except for ones who want item numbers and nonsense masala). There is fair amount of patriotism thrown in, there is oodles of viva feminism thrown in, there is so much of the fun that we thought we would never see past our school days and of course there is ample hockey thrown in :)
The screenplay and editing is simply mindblowing, despite that fact that the script is so predictable. From the time you see the promos for the first time, you know what the movie is going to be about. A failed player, india as the underdog in the arena of world sports, an uncommon team of female players and of course the fact that in the end, you know who will emerge victorious.
But despite all the preconceived notions, the screenplay grips you from the beginning and you are enjoying yourself completely. I had taken my mum for the movie and believe me, I don't remember the last time I saw her enjoying a movie like this! My own mum was enjoying not just the movie but the game as portrayed on screen. For every damn goal, she was actually clapping :)))
Now, if thats not good cinema, I don't know what is.
Something that can make a movie bluff like me appreciate the sheer brilliance of the director, an anti-shah rukh hubby actually smiling thru out the movie and my 50 year old mum enjoy herself shamelessly !!
Its a movie simply about grit, determination and self belief. Its a movie about woman power (Yea, more power to us!) and team spirit. Its a movie that transcends languages barriers and class systems in our society.
So, as you can see, I completely enjoyed watching this one and to me this is definitely one of the best movies of the year.
The screenplay is so impressive, you have to give the credit to the writer Jaideep Sahni and the director Shimit Amin. In a movie where you have 20 odd characters, its so easy to lose your way and churn out half baked stories. There are so many multi starers which fall flat on its face because of the screenplays. But this one, with each characterization so perfect, takes the cake.
Each and every character is well though out, there is enough given for us to make out the character and not a single irrelevant, dwindling flashback (which is what usually happens!). I believe that in a story which has a lot of characters in the story, sometimes the focus is lost in telling the story of each and every person on screen. Which incidently is not really required because your story doesn't revolve around 15 odd autobiographies. But around the story in hand which is quite situational. Sometimes an applicable context maybe required to set the precedent for the incident depicted but long winding flashbacks are completely unwarranted.
There is decent amount of footage for just about everybody even the supporting cast of the movie like the female assistant for the coach and the cook :) Everybody has their 5 mins of glory and thats such a sweet thing.
I didn't really think Bollywood had in it the spirit and technical expertise to weave a really decent story around field sports. We know, live and breathe cricket so that comes easy. But even those movies don't always hit the mark such as Hattrick or Say Salaam India (although I thought the latter was good). Lagaan and Iqbal were probably the only 2 decent movies we have seen so far. Any other field sport seem quite a far fetched thought. But I hope this movie works for the sake of Field Hockey more than anything else. Its a movie that has really done justice to portraying a seemingly unknown and definitely less appreciated game like Hockey. On top of that put together a women's team to bring glory to the game and you have a winner :)
I really hope, this movie inspires more and more people to take interest in something apart from Cricket as far as sports go. I hope games and teams in India get more sponsorships and encouragement even if its because of a bollywood movie. If RDB can purportedly bring justice to the Jesicca Lal case, then why not this be the sweet beginning for Hockey as the re-instated national game.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Thailand !
First impression of the country is a little awe inspiring, especially because of its new international airport. Its simply splendid. Absolutely comparable to any international airport anywhere in the world. Its huge, has just about everything to make arrival, departure or just transit a complete pleasure. All the while that I was at the airport (and I was at the airport for a while as Mr. Hubby assumed that it will take me hours and hours to complete the immigration process while it took me a whole 10 mins!), I kept wondering why there was so much disparity between the infrastructure we have in India and Thailand. All this speculation is quite cursory and after just seeing the airport for the first time, mind you.
In my head, the economy for any country is put simply the comparision of the local currency with indian re. So, from that skewed perspective, we are not that far behind. In fact for every 1 Thai B, we can match for 1.33 INR. So that in my head is almost equal. Considering that flattening analogy, I kept wondering why we cannot even come up with a single international airport in India which could even try to compare with the new International airport in Thailand (its called the Suvarnabhoomi airport)?? There was not a single rationalization that I could think of except that we are a country of corrupt or lazy individuals.
Anyhoo, after a bit of roaming around and checking out the book stores (Oh btw, a copy of US weekly or People magazine in Bangkok will cost you precious 350 bucks!!), hubby finally arrived. Our next flight to Koh Samui was about 4 hours away and I was itching to get outta the airport and maybe, just maybe go shopping! Alas, my precious ideas were soon crash landed as the tourism helpdesk prompty informed us that we simply did not have enough time to set out for shopping! Mmppffft
Wiled away some time at the airport before we checked in for our next flight. The aircraft to Samui should really give you an indication of the island itself! Its a bright aircraft with flowers and splatters of paint ! I guess its supposed to kick start your vacation mood even before you set foot on the island :) The flight was completely full of tourists and vacationers like us, I don't suppose there was anybody at all who was visiting samui for any mundane reasons..
The flight is really quite a short 75 mins flight, just right for a quick nap post lunch :) The island as you dip close to the landing is a treat for sore eyes. But I have to say, barring that half a day when we landed, the rest of our entire vacation was gloomy all thanks to the monsoon season. But the day we landed was glorious :)) Sunny and the water was as azure as possible. The airport at Samui does not look like any other airport you may have seen anywhere else! Samui is an ideallic vacation spot and the airpor proves it. It could easily be mistaken for a resort itself ! Complete with landscaped lawns along the runway and thatched huts which have the baggage claim areas, tourists center kiosks and even the restrooms ! All A class mini airport designed with International tourism in mind.
We had asked for an airport pick up and drop to our resort which happened promptly. Its such a pleasure to see tourism taken so seriously, I can't even begin to describe it. No wonder there is a lot of money flowing into their economy via tourism. They really know what a service industry is supposed to look like and function. Just about everything can be arranged and the service is impeccable.
The resort we booked for the next 4 days was 'Amari Palm Reef', an upscale 4 start resort on the beach. The welcome there was just awesome. There was personal attention from the time you set foot there. I mean, at every possible hotel or resort that I have been to, we feel the service when we step into the recepion desk. But here from the time our luggage landed on the ground, there was a lady who came to welcome us. Resort PR reps were not confined behind a desk to service you when needed. They were on their foot, each one attaching themselves to each party of guests to make sure that everything from the welcome drink, to the luggage to the check in was comfortable. They made us sit in a lobby area which was beautiful and she checked in for us. I mean, thats service. We didn't even have to lift a small finger to get us all set. Our check in was automatic, our luggage reached our rooms before we did. Hubby being the sneak that he is had called in advance and told them that it was an honeymoon vacation (he forgot to mention the teensy detail that it wasn't the first one technically :p). So, that lady infact told us that they were upgrading us to a junior suite absolutely complimentary !! What bliss!
The rooms were very spacious with flowers and thai welcome nic knacks everywhere :) Every room or suite is self contained with a dining area and a seating couch or sofa apart from the usual beds and entertainment units.
The beach was absolutely a delight, especially when the weather was so misleadingly beautiful. The sand is white and so powdery that its such a bliss to walk endlessly. The water is quite shallow and you can walk on and on into the sea before its gets even 5 ft deep! So, the good thing is you can frolick as much as you want seemingly far into the ocean although the water is not even waist deep for almost 100-200 meters..
Evening was a time to relax at the bar by the beach which is done up so beautifully. The happy hours are definitely worth it. They have happy hours from 5 in the evening to 9 PM :)) What else do we want isn't it ? The bar also boasted of a well stocked cellar and the wine list was definitely impressive. Another interesting offering is a so called 'unlimited wine buffet' whereby you could taste how many ever wines you wish to from their wine list for a fixed price. Yes, like a buffet :)
The next day was almost entirely spent going around the island and visiting different temple ( Vats as they are called) and exploring the general natural bounty of the island. The transportation options are unlimited, you can hire a taxi, opt for a public bus/van or even rent your own vehicle. Rented vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, from the macho bikes to rugged jeeps, everything could be procured for a very nominal price. We opted to go for a gearless honda bike so that yours truly could drive too. Wonderful as they are, in the entire samui nobody really asks for a licence. They only need to see a passport to give you a bike, wonderful isn't it !! :P
Food options now, can be daunting in the begining because a non meat, non sea food - food is not considered food by the thai :)) They do find it quite strange when you ask for no meat, no fish sauce kinda dishes. But I guess they have figured over last few years that providing vegetarian/vegan option is quite important so they have learnt not to quite show a surpirse face anymore :) But the options are limited and not available at every restaurant. Having said that, its not difficult for a vegetarian traveller in thailand, its just a question if getting yourself acquainted with the local surroundings and scout for restaurants who offer vegetarian options. You will be suprised at how accomodating quite a few restaurants can be. So, if you scan thru menus that are displayed outside the restaurants and do not find any veggy options, don't be hasty to write it off as they just might be quite willing to accomodate your vegetarian preferences.
Thai food as always, does not dissapoint you. There is something for everybody, it can as meaty as you want, as spicy as you want and as as flavorful as you may like. But after having really acquired my taste for thai from the US, I have to say that original thai food can be a little different from what you may imagine. As all minority foods go, I think a lot of them are tailored for the local tastes, e.g. Chinese in india is hardly chinese by any standards. Same goes for american thai, it is a little different from the original thai. For one, you cannot expect the thai ice tea at every restaurant no matter how obvious you may think it might be :)) Vegetables that you find in dishes vary in a major way from what you may generally expect to see. E.g. I love bamboo shoots and would have thought that its quite a staple thing in their curries. But I was sorely dissapointed as I did not find that anywhere at all.
Another interesting tit bit is the spurt of italian restaurants that you can find scattered almost entirely in all touristy areas in Thailand. I had an opportunity to talk to the owner cum chef of one of them who had opened an italian cafe along the beach in samui. He told me that most italians restaurants there have been opened by italians who came there as tourists and fell in love with the island. Now, I found that extremely interesting as a restaurant is a huge commitment and you definitely need to make sure that you have a solid clientele before venturing into something like that. But according to him the major percentage of tourists to places like Samui and Phuket are Europeans, infact almost 70% so there is no need to sell italian/euro food to them. They already know and appreciate it. Infact they are happy to have a familiar food option made available to them as opposed to a more pungent and spicy thai option.
Apart from these, there are your typical american fast food joints (which by now, I have stopped exclaiming for! Think its only a matter of time, we will see KFC and Burger King in every remote village all over the world)
After an ideallic 4 days in Koh Samui, we headed towards Bangkok. We decided to be a little adventurous and take a train to Bangkok. We had an extra day so time was not really a concern (it takes 11 hours by train, overnight). The train system or the railways in thailand is so much like india, its almost uncanny. If you disregard the fact that you see thai people around, you can almost believe that you are in an indian station about to board Karnataka express or Rajdhani. Same kinds of smells and sights greet you as soon as you reach the station. I think for tourists its a certain rude awakening that no matter how touristy and comfortable certain parts of the country was, countries like India are Thailand are still the so called thrid world countries. We could have very well taken a flight and saved 10 hours or taken a high speed cruise boat which would have been 10 times more luxurious, but I think it was a good choice to take a train to Bangkok. Things like that really help you see, enjoy and feel the country a lot more as opposed to a packaged tour full of comforts.
Bangkok, is like any indian or international metro. Absolutely the same fundamentals. There is a city center which buzzes with activities, sky scrapers which let you know that a lot of money is being generated here. Residential areas which are quite off limits to tourists and the general hustle and bustle of the city. There is a huge influx of tourists here and its such a different experience to see how the city will take you in no matter who you are and what you are there for. Tourists come there to shop, to see the different sights in the city, businessmen from all over the world come here for silks, gems and more. Despite all that influx, you see hoardes of people going on with their day to day lives being compltely oblivious to everything. Its simply amazing.
Whats also amazing is the fact that the city is alive. And when I say alive, i really mean it, its just throbbingly alive. There is a certain pulse to it which can only be compared to cities like NY or Mumbai. The city has things to do and multitude of options no matter what time of the day or the night. We were up and about till almost 2 AM one day and the city was buzzing till the time we retired so I really have no way of saying when they do relax or shut. If you want to catch a movie or eat or even shop, the city has options for you no matter what time it is. There are at least 2 night markets in the city. I am guessing they start at dusk and go on way past midnight. And these markets are not just rows and rows of shops, but its structured in such a way that there is a common area in between where there is live entertainment and food stalls along the entire compound like a carnival!
It is simply amazing. Having said that, I think wherever you have so much of tourism, you will have a lot of blatant money making! It happens in india where we charge foreigners almost 10 times more entrance fee for every damn national reserve or tourist spot. I think the notion behind this is that this is how tourism industry survives and on a more obvious note, they can afford to pay that much ! Similiarly in case of thailand, they know that the currency exchange makes every thing damn cheap, so they do not hesitate to ask for even 100 times the cost of an item. Its actually quite funny to see any negotiation in that country. They will start with 350 baht for anything. I am not kidding, out of 10 items you ask for 8 of them will be 350 baht! I am not sure what the rationale behind that is. Anyways, from 350 depending on the article, believe me the price can drop to 20 baht , also depending on how good you are at negotiating. :)
Its also a country brilliant at duplicating just about anything. If you thought India and China were experts at manufacturing fakes, you have to visit Thailand. Now I am not that brand conscious but hubby is, and he was quite stunned to see how absolutely fab those fakes are! Apparently they do a damn brilliant job at making fakes :)) Since the manufacturing industry thrives there, shopping is sheer pleasure. We shopped a lot but not as much as I might have, given the kind of shopaholic that I am! I think my mum's prayers are finally working :)) After about 3 pairs of footwear and a handful of clothes, I called it a day ..
This post has become much longer that I had intended it to be but there was just so much to take in for a week :) Its a lovely country and you should definitely put it in your next top 10 destinations!
ps: Due to the absolutely sucky bandwidth here, interspersed pics are only a fraction of what I intend to upload, plz check back again (an again) for the entire set :)
ps: Due to the absolutely sucky bandwidth here, interspersed pics are only a fraction of what I intend to upload, plz check back again (an again) for the entire set :)
Monday, June 25, 2007
Alternate careers
Makes me wonder if there is something else out there.
There has been a feeling of being caught in a rut lately and nothing I do makes it any better. Think, its really a time to take a break and do something drastically diff for about 6 months!
Drop me a line if you think there are alternative paths out there :)
There has been a feeling of being caught in a rut lately and nothing I do makes it any better. Think, its really a time to take a break and do something drastically diff for about 6 months!
Drop me a line if you think there are alternative paths out there :)
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Ho Hum....
Back in good ol' B'lore.. At least for a while.. At least thats what I think :))
With all the uncertainity and constant upheavel, it feels good to be in the midst of familiar surrounding and family. Nothing compares to it !
Lotsa pix to upload, lotsa stuff in my draft folder.... yes I will get to it someday in the near future, till then..
Heading to Thailand for a week, yiipeeee doooo !!
ps: Watched 'Life in a Metro', enjoyed it immensely..
With all the uncertainity and constant upheavel, it feels good to be in the midst of familiar surrounding and family. Nothing compares to it !
Lotsa pix to upload, lotsa stuff in my draft folder.... yes I will get to it someday in the near future, till then..
Heading to Thailand for a week, yiipeeee doooo !!
ps: Watched 'Life in a Metro', enjoyed it immensely..
Friday, May 04, 2007
Thursday, May 03, 2007
2 down, 1 more to go.
Small budget movies are blink and you will miss kinds mostly due to all the crunching which leads to a certain lack of marketing. But if you do blink and miss these 2 movies, boy you sure are missing out on something.
Whoever says that small budget movies by relatively unknown directors don't usually do well should eat their words. These may not show you the kind of first day turnover that a Fanaa or Krishh may get but believe me, to me they are infinitely better.
Say Salaam India.
There have been many cricket movies like Lagaan, Iqbal etc, but this one stands out from the rest due to the sheer non star ensemble that he movie has. Absolutely wonderful to see a whole movie where you can see normal people and kids. Some known faces do feature out of which Sanjay suri has most footage and he has done a good job. Its not a perfect movie but believe me, if a movie can make me enjoy cricket, it better be good! (considering how completely oblivious to sports I am, yes even cricket!)
I do think that the timing of the movie sucks, considering how badly we lost. There is so much resentment against the cricket team that the constant mention of them in this movie may not be received well. I just wish they had released his before the world cup, the team may have played a wee bit better after seeing this :P
I do not intend to make this a review of any sorts but this movie will definitely find a niche with the younger crowd of today. Its almost like JJWS sans the babes :))
Bheja Fry
So much said and written about this movie. Some loved it immensely, some found it to be a damper. All said and done, this movie is funny. I mean in a deliberate manner, sometimes even annoyingly so. Storyline drags a bit and I wish it was racier, but it has its moments. Vinay definitely deserves the footage he has in this movie. I just wish Ranvir had more to do, he is just so damn funny. He is one of those people like Mahmood or Johnie lever or hey days who look funny. When they come on screen, you are already ready for a goofy time.
The movie for most parts is very very urban even though the core of the movie revolves around this very regular 9-5 kinda guy. Just wish it was breezier.
hmmm.. all in all very watchable...
ps: The title was meant to indicate that as of the moment i wrote this, I had 1 more movie to go (TRRP). But that yes.. was not even worth writing about.
Whoever says that small budget movies by relatively unknown directors don't usually do well should eat their words. These may not show you the kind of first day turnover that a Fanaa or Krishh may get but believe me, to me they are infinitely better.
Say Salaam India.
There have been many cricket movies like Lagaan, Iqbal etc, but this one stands out from the rest due to the sheer non star ensemble that he movie has. Absolutely wonderful to see a whole movie where you can see normal people and kids. Some known faces do feature out of which Sanjay suri has most footage and he has done a good job. Its not a perfect movie but believe me, if a movie can make me enjoy cricket, it better be good! (considering how completely oblivious to sports I am, yes even cricket!)
I do think that the timing of the movie sucks, considering how badly we lost. There is so much resentment against the cricket team that the constant mention of them in this movie may not be received well. I just wish they had released his before the world cup, the team may have played a wee bit better after seeing this :P
I do not intend to make this a review of any sorts but this movie will definitely find a niche with the younger crowd of today. Its almost like JJWS sans the babes :))
Bheja Fry
So much said and written about this movie. Some loved it immensely, some found it to be a damper. All said and done, this movie is funny. I mean in a deliberate manner, sometimes even annoyingly so. Storyline drags a bit and I wish it was racier, but it has its moments. Vinay definitely deserves the footage he has in this movie. I just wish Ranvir had more to do, he is just so damn funny. He is one of those people like Mahmood or Johnie lever or hey days who look funny. When they come on screen, you are already ready for a goofy time.
The movie for most parts is very very urban even though the core of the movie revolves around this very regular 9-5 kinda guy. Just wish it was breezier.
hmmm.. all in all very watchable...
ps: The title was meant to indicate that as of the moment i wrote this, I had 1 more movie to go (TRRP). But that yes.. was not even worth writing about.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Its official!
I am officially one of those people now !
she - Oh, guess who I saw the other day?
she 2 - No, who?
she - <>, you remember <>?
she 2 - Yeah, i do.. so how is she ? same ol same ol ??
she - nooooooo, you will never believe! Remember how she got married 2 years ago an we havent seen much of her since? She's become fat! And I mean really...
she 2 - wow...
yes... I have become > :P
she - Oh, guess who I saw the other day?
she 2 - No, who?
she - <
she 2 - Yeah, i do.. so how is she ? same ol same ol ??
she - nooooooo, you will never believe! Remember how she got married 2 years ago an we havent seen much of her since? She's become fat! And I mean really...
she 2 - wow...
yes... I have become
Friday, April 13, 2007
Whats the deal with sneakers ??
I just don't get it..Its almost like people at work are waiting for friday to get their sneakers an keds out. I mean, is that all friday dressing signifies now a days or vot!
Me just not getting this..
I mean, they are all wearing more or less the same drab clothes but on fridays, they have n addition. yes, sneakers!
Whatever happened to colorful clothes people !! Jeez its almost summer now, not even spring.. Its time for those summery colors and bright clothes.. Sandals and flip flops. capris and shorts (umm maybe not shorts but what the heck.. ok shorts!)
Really most people here today to me look liek they r just gonna get out of here an go for a game of something.. I mean good an all, a sporty look. But really, thats what friday dressings become?
Live it up..
Me just not getting this..
I mean, they are all wearing more or less the same drab clothes but on fridays, they have n addition. yes, sneakers!
Whatever happened to colorful clothes people !! Jeez its almost summer now, not even spring.. Its time for those summery colors and bright clothes.. Sandals and flip flops. capris and shorts (umm maybe not shorts but what the heck.. ok shorts!)
Really most people here today to me look liek they r just gonna get out of here an go for a game of something.. I mean good an all, a sporty look. But really, thats what friday dressings become?
Live it up..
UnfaiR!
Look at the Filmography these guys have, despite that soo many people do not know them?! Hmmppfff!
Vishal- Shekhar (the ever talented Music composers/singers/lyricists)
Awesome I say!!
Vishal- Shekhar (the ever talented Music composers/singers/lyricists)
- Ta Ra Rum Pum (April 27, 2007)
- Cash (film) (April 2007)
- Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd. (February 2, 2007)
- De Taali (2007)
- Happy Birthday (December 2007)
- I See You (2006)
- Golmaal (2006 film) (2006)
- Tathastu (2006)
- Taxi Number 9211 (2006)
- Zinda (2006)
- Bluffmaster (2005)
- Ek Ajnabee (2005)
- Salaam Namaste (2005)
- Dus (2005)
- Shabd (2005)
- Musafir (2004)
- Stop! (2004)
- Shukriya (2004)
- Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao (2004)
- Shaadi Ka Laddoo (2004)
- Krishna Cottage (2004)
- Rudraksh (2004)
- Plan (2004)
- Jhankaar Beats (2003)
- Supari (2003)
- Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999)
Awesome I say!!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Audiology :) (close to my heart)
repeated tho'
Pyaar ki yeh raat hai, ab na jaa
choti si ek baat hai, ab na jaa
pal do pal ka saath hai, ab na jaa
Jadoo si yeh raat hai, ab na jaa
Pyaar ki yeh raat hai, ab na jaa
choti si ek baat hai, ab na jaa
pal do pal ka saath hai, ab na jaa
Jadoo si yeh raat hai, ab na jaa
Aksar
Aksar ek sawal sa mere zahan mein uthe
Hum tum gar bichad gaye, honge kaise silsile
Ghabraake is khayal se, main tumse phir lipat gaya
tum ho to main bhi hoon, ab tumse mein jaon kahan
tumse jaon main kahan, haan tumhe soch kar dil hi dil aksar.
aksar.. dil hi dil aksar..
Hum tum gar bichad gaye, honge kaise silsile
Ghabraake is khayal se, main tumse phir lipat gaya
tum ho to main bhi hoon, ab tumse mein jaon kahan
tumse jaon main kahan, haan tumhe soch kar dil hi dil aksar.
aksar.. dil hi dil aksar..
Monday, April 09, 2007
Constant
The only thing thats been unchanging and invariable in the last 5 years ??
- My airtel mobile number :)
- My airtel mobile number :)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Rocking!
Maybe i haven't kept up with times but I have always wished for a website in which allows you to view all hotels in india (and their amenities) and book online.
Not sure what else is out there, but this I like.
http://www.inasra.com
Not sure what else is out there, but this I like.
http://www.inasra.com
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wicked pleasure for the day :)
What is the deal with girls and the eternal fascination for so called bad boys? Now, I do think I need to define bad boys here. I am talking about the complete antithesis of the good guys out there. These are guys who believe on living on the edge, these are guy who do not believe in commitment, even if they do they definitely show no indications of it, these are guys who thrive on being non conformists and these are guys you definitely have to think about before introducing to parents.
Look around you, they are everywhere. It could be that long hair-d fella in your college who wears a leather jacket or it could be that utterly charming guy with an impeccable fashion sense at your work.
Although, I don't think they stay that way for life, I really do not think so. I think that stage is contained by the time they hit 28 or so, definitely by 30 :)
But thats enough time for plenty a hearts to be broken isn't it ?
I am sure if you are a gal reading this, there is definitely one person that you can think of from the past (or not) who fits that bill. It could be that senior in school who would be caught smoking by the principal. It could be that guy in college who sang like Bon Jovi but whose attendance was probably in single digits :) That guy at work who would be the DJ everytime there was an office party but not someone you would go to if you had an ethical issue to be resolved at work.
Rings a bell? Doesn't? Now lets try something else then :)
What about that guy who always paid you a lot of compliments till you realized that he also flooded your best friends' inbox with compliments. Or the guy who always seemed to know how to resolve every single bug but always came to work on mondays with a killer hangover. Or the guy who was just so much fun that it was almost scary to think how it would be if not for him.
Or what about all those guys who were such great guys to hang around with, absolutely wonderful as boyfriends but completely disinterested in declaring themselves as that.
Come on, don't tell me did not ring a bell at all. :)
Although not every single girl is fascinated by such guys. But unfortunately, a lot of us are :)
What is it about them ? Is it about the difference in personality that you share with him that seems so exciting? Or is just about a good time?
I think more often than not, its a mix of both. Despite all the bad, they do have that knack of bringing out the fun you even if you believed that there is no such thing as a fun you :) The plans are impulsive, the days are impromptu, its all about living in that moment. I think Fun being the motto of the time, anything non fun is just not tolerated. Whether its chiding from your best friend or even your mother or just about everybody around you.
I am sure if you strand a gal in a room(or an island) with a nice guy and a grungy looking guy, the odds are she will end up talking to the grungy guy strumming his guitar ,who reminds her of Saif ali khan :P, Even if he has absolutely nothing sensible to say.
And you can't help it, there are guys are just.. umm sexier !!
I guess its the same stereotype as men fascinated by blondes :)
You gut will tell you nothing good can come out of this (so will everybody around you), everything about him will scream unstable ? But will you listen?
No, I don't think so. Partially because you don't want to care, partially because in your hearts you sincerely believe that he will change, change for you and change because of you. You poor soul ! :)
There is no doubt that you will have a good time for a while. Thats what draws you in any case. But you do realize your mistake after a while. (while = months and years). At least we hope you do.
And I guess eventually these guys grow up too :)
But the sad part of this is that the so called nice guys lose out. All those nice guys you didn't even give a second look to. They are always the ones who take you out for dinner (or jhal muri) when that moron you are seeing does not show up. They are always the shoulders to cry on but never the shoulders you chose. I should actually write a separate ode to all these nice guys out there :) You can only hope and pray that you will end up chosing a nice guy someday. Sadly though and its true, the nice guys will always be short changed when it comes to evoking that passion or zeal like the bad boys.
Also, and this is important, the damage to your psyche by the time you realize what a waste of time that guy was. This is really excruciating because it could have long term effects including low self esteem, extreme cynicism, complete distrust or even commitment phobia on your part . Shudder!!!
Thankfully at least some of us are sensible.
ps: This is not a feminist-ic post, I am sure there are enough and more specimens of such in the opp sex too.
Look around you, they are everywhere. It could be that long hair-d fella in your college who wears a leather jacket or it could be that utterly charming guy with an impeccable fashion sense at your work.
Although, I don't think they stay that way for life, I really do not think so. I think that stage is contained by the time they hit 28 or so, definitely by 30 :)
But thats enough time for plenty a hearts to be broken isn't it ?
I am sure if you are a gal reading this, there is definitely one person that you can think of from the past (or not) who fits that bill. It could be that senior in school who would be caught smoking by the principal. It could be that guy in college who sang like Bon Jovi but whose attendance was probably in single digits :) That guy at work who would be the DJ everytime there was an office party but not someone you would go to if you had an ethical issue to be resolved at work.
Rings a bell? Doesn't? Now lets try something else then :)
What about that guy who always paid you a lot of compliments till you realized that he also flooded your best friends' inbox with compliments. Or the guy who always seemed to know how to resolve every single bug but always came to work on mondays with a killer hangover. Or the guy who was just so much fun that it was almost scary to think how it would be if not for him.
Or what about all those guys who were such great guys to hang around with, absolutely wonderful as boyfriends but completely disinterested in declaring themselves as that.
Come on, don't tell me did not ring a bell at all. :)
Although not every single girl is fascinated by such guys. But unfortunately, a lot of us are :)
What is it about them ? Is it about the difference in personality that you share with him that seems so exciting? Or is just about a good time?
I think more often than not, its a mix of both. Despite all the bad, they do have that knack of bringing out the fun you even if you believed that there is no such thing as a fun you :) The plans are impulsive, the days are impromptu, its all about living in that moment. I think Fun being the motto of the time, anything non fun is just not tolerated. Whether its chiding from your best friend or even your mother or just about everybody around you.
I am sure if you strand a gal in a room(or an island) with a nice guy and a grungy looking guy, the odds are she will end up talking to the grungy guy strumming his guitar ,who reminds her of Saif ali khan :P, Even if he has absolutely nothing sensible to say.
And you can't help it, there are guys are just.. umm sexier !!
I guess its the same stereotype as men fascinated by blondes :)
You gut will tell you nothing good can come out of this (so will everybody around you), everything about him will scream unstable ? But will you listen?
No, I don't think so. Partially because you don't want to care, partially because in your hearts you sincerely believe that he will change, change for you and change because of you. You poor soul ! :)
There is no doubt that you will have a good time for a while. Thats what draws you in any case. But you do realize your mistake after a while. (while = months and years). At least we hope you do.
And I guess eventually these guys grow up too :)
But the sad part of this is that the so called nice guys lose out. All those nice guys you didn't even give a second look to. They are always the ones who take you out for dinner (or jhal muri) when that moron you are seeing does not show up. They are always the shoulders to cry on but never the shoulders you chose. I should actually write a separate ode to all these nice guys out there :) You can only hope and pray that you will end up chosing a nice guy someday. Sadly though and its true, the nice guys will always be short changed when it comes to evoking that passion or zeal like the bad boys.
Also, and this is important, the damage to your psyche by the time you realize what a waste of time that guy was. This is really excruciating because it could have long term effects including low self esteem, extreme cynicism, complete distrust or even commitment phobia on your part . Shudder!!!
Thankfully at least some of us are sensible.
ps: This is not a feminist-ic post, I am sure there are enough and more specimens of such in the opp sex too.
Audio post again
Don't like the singer too much, but the song is lovely
iru vizhi unadhu imaigaLum unadhu
kanavugaL mattum enadhae enadhu
iru vizhi unadhu imaigaLum unadhu
kanavugaL mattum enadhae enadhu
naatkaL neeLudhae nee engoa poanadhum
aen dhaNdanai naan ingae vaazhvadhum
orae nyaabagam orae nyaabagam
iru vizhi unadhu imaigaLum unadhu
kanavugaL mattum enadhae enadhu
naatkaL neeLudhae nee engoa poanadhum
aen dhaNdanai naan ingae vaazhvadhum
ohoa hoa...orae njaabagam
ohoa hoa...undhan njaabagam
kaadhal kaayam naerumboadhu
thookkam ingae aedhu
orae nyaabagam orae nyaabagam
iru vizhi unadhu imaigaLum unadhu
kanavugaL mattum enadhae enadhu
iru vizhi unadhu imaigaLum unadhu
kanavugaL mattum enadhae enadhu
naatkaL neeLudhae nee engoa poanadhum
aen dhaNdanai naan ingae vaazhvadhum
orae nyaabagam orae nyaabagam
iru vizhi unadhu imaigaLum unadhu
kanavugaL mattum enadhae enadhu
naatkaL neeLudhae nee engoa poanadhum
aen dhaNdanai naan ingae vaazhvadhum
ohoa hoa...orae njaabagam
ohoa hoa...undhan njaabagam
kaadhal kaayam naerumboadhu
thookkam ingae aedhu
orae nyaabagam orae nyaabagam
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Time travel
Looping in my player now. Can't get myself to move on or forward or shut down.
Reminds me of me way back when
Reminds me of something old and gone
Reminds me of an old time..
but a happy time..
Reminds me of me way back when
Reminds me of something old and gone
Reminds me of an old time..
but a happy time..
Roof Top Film Festival!
Courtesy: http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h220/jdsteen/MovieScreening.jpg
Ardent visitors and ahem.. lurkers...
If you are anywhere within 100-200 km of chennai during the next week, this is where you should be heading towards.
In their own words - RTFF is an open-to-all many-times-a-year, anytime-in-a-year event for cinephiles to camp out for a couple days.
Sounds too good to me and these are some typical moments when I curse myself for being so far away.
Great job guys, hope its a huge success and looking forward to all the posts about it.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Looking forward
to this.
Courtesy: www.nowrunning.com
After reading a much well written review by the much revered blogosphere reviewer here :)
Courtesy: www.nowrunning.com
After reading a much well written review by the much revered blogosphere reviewer here :)
Monday, March 19, 2007
The Namesake
Ok I told myself I will not do another review for a while. but there !
Namesake - Mira Nair.. Lazy saturday evening, SFO
I always have high expectations from movie adaptation of good books, at least for that brief moment when i am waiting outside a theatre. Although on a lazy evening in mood for an intellectual debate and with a drink in hand, if you asked me if I ever have great expectations from novel inspired movies. I would most definitely say no. But I guess its mostly coz I want to see a good adaptation but we seldom get to see one. Very very rarely.
The problem also with a visual medium like a movie is that its very limiting. All you can perceive or imagine is limited to that screen you see in front of you. The very magic of books lies in that undefined imagination territory that it dwells in. A scene is described in detail from an acute perspective of the writer but when you read it, its not just the details that draw that picture but there are too many bits of your own imagination when that scene plays in your head. I am willing to bet that if you take the same paragraph from a book and ask 2 people to describe it, they will probably start with the same canvas but the colors and shapes will most definitely differ. (I also think one of the reasons why many people do not indulge in reading is because of a certain lack of that visual imagination capability)
Having said that, sometimes a genre like fantasy or sci-fi probably has a greater success rate simply because they are very suggestive (and I did not intend to trivialize the art and technology involved, i take that as a given). And the visual suggestions of that nature are better welcomed by our minds rather than the depiction of a mundane suburban household. We do not give much importance to how close to life that street scene looks or that school scene looks. But we are definitely captured by yoda's and marvin's and gollum's. We may have imagined a fictional characters like the ones stated above but to see a representation on the screen ! Oh so very nice.. And from there on, the characters are etched in our minds as we saw them on celluloid. Its image selling at its best!
Anyways, coming back to a general book adaptation, I think a director or a screenplay writer's worst nightmare is having to shrink those 500-900 pages into a 2 hours format. And how well the movie is received is very highly dependent on that. Many may argue and say its about the performances, its about the direction blah blah. But I believe that if your end canvas is shoddy or incomplete, you are only setting yourself up for a failure.
Namesake by Mira Nair is an ambitious effort by the lady and shealmost succeeds too. When you see the credits in the begining, english merging with bengali gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. And I am sure it gave Jhumpa Lahiri that feeling too. A certain sense of comfort in knowing that yes, the child aka my book will be taken care of.
Tabu for starters, is classic! Man, she is one underrated actress in bollywood. Incidently I saw 'Iruvar' yesterday and much to my dismay I never knew Tabu had acted in it! I just could not believe I did not know that. Of course I had never seen the movie completely but thats no excuse !
In namesake, she is not tabu, she is Ashima from begining to end. It is so nice to see an actress who can slip into a character so effortlessly and not to mention look so pretty doing it :) Ashima is the backbone on the story, the movie starts and ends with her. You seen her transformation as an simple and intelligent girl from calcutta to a very independent and intelligent woman returning home to calcutta. The impish nature of the character is extremely endearing.
Irfan Khan is also outstanding. What a performance, i mean so brilliant. Its so difficult to play a role where you don't distract the audience but at the same time, make a mark.
Kal Penn, I thought was quite well suited for the character. But sadly for him, he comes with a lot of media baggage. I am glad that he decided to break away from that funny american indian sterotype but somehow the hangover of that still shows in so many scenes. Maybe, just maybe because we have quite a wisecrack picture of him in our minds that we are not convinced during scenes where he is required to cry or portray that imminent gloom. It just does not look convincing enough. But like I said, he needs to do more roles that get him out of the stereotype, has a lot of potential.
Jacinda Barett, very pretty and very wasted in this movie..
Zuleikha Robinson, now that one was a pleasant surprise, I was always very curious to find out who would play that role in the movie. Very very sexy.
When i was reading the book, I have to say the final 50 pages are distracting and somewhere towards the end you are torn between deciding who is the focal point of the book? Is it really the namesake Gogol or is it Ashima whose character is the only one the author has painstakingly progressed developing against all odds. And the same confusion comes across in the movie. The movie begins and ends with Ashima but obviously she is not the namesake.
Also, no matter how you twist and turn the character of Gogol, there is nothing creative that comes out of it. If Mira had stretched it even a bit more, she would have bordered on being preachy about indian roots and culture and what not.
I think it was an intelligent decision to keep it limited to the intellectual and emotional growth and journey of Ashima with the so called coming of age of Gogol.
But having said that if I have one nit to pick with Mira Nair and Sooni Taraporevala, its about how little of Ashima's initial foray into the new country is shown. That so sad because thats where the book wins hands down, thats the first half of the book thats so endearing that you just cannot put it down. Even the small scene where she makes jhal muri out of Rice crispies is not forceful enough. When that scene was playing, I could hear giggles from the audience but believe me, these were people who had read the book and recognized the subtle pain of homesickness. For the uninitiated, it was just another scene. And there are many incidents like that for the young Ashima in an unknown country.
I think Mira lost out a bit somewhere by not incorporating that in the movie.
But there is so much sensitivity in the movie that I can proudly say only a woman can bring across. There are scenes where you will have that sneaky smile and there are definitely a couple of scenes where you will reach out for that kleenex.
Bottomline, a really nice movie but please watch it after reading the book and also watchable only without any preconceived bias.
Namesake - Mira Nair.. Lazy saturday evening, SFO
I always have high expectations from movie adaptation of good books, at least for that brief moment when i am waiting outside a theatre. Although on a lazy evening in mood for an intellectual debate and with a drink in hand, if you asked me if I ever have great expectations from novel inspired movies. I would most definitely say no. But I guess its mostly coz I want to see a good adaptation but we seldom get to see one. Very very rarely.
The problem also with a visual medium like a movie is that its very limiting. All you can perceive or imagine is limited to that screen you see in front of you. The very magic of books lies in that undefined imagination territory that it dwells in. A scene is described in detail from an acute perspective of the writer but when you read it, its not just the details that draw that picture but there are too many bits of your own imagination when that scene plays in your head. I am willing to bet that if you take the same paragraph from a book and ask 2 people to describe it, they will probably start with the same canvas but the colors and shapes will most definitely differ. (I also think one of the reasons why many people do not indulge in reading is because of a certain lack of that visual imagination capability)
Having said that, sometimes a genre like fantasy or sci-fi probably has a greater success rate simply because they are very suggestive (and I did not intend to trivialize the art and technology involved, i take that as a given). And the visual suggestions of that nature are better welcomed by our minds rather than the depiction of a mundane suburban household. We do not give much importance to how close to life that street scene looks or that school scene looks. But we are definitely captured by yoda's and marvin's and gollum's. We may have imagined a fictional characters like the ones stated above but to see a representation on the screen ! Oh so very nice.. And from there on, the characters are etched in our minds as we saw them on celluloid. Its image selling at its best!
Anyways, coming back to a general book adaptation, I think a director or a screenplay writer's worst nightmare is having to shrink those 500-900 pages into a 2 hours format. And how well the movie is received is very highly dependent on that. Many may argue and say its about the performances, its about the direction blah blah. But I believe that if your end canvas is shoddy or incomplete, you are only setting yourself up for a failure.
Namesake by Mira Nair is an ambitious effort by the lady and she
Tabu for starters, is classic! Man, she is one underrated actress in bollywood. Incidently I saw 'Iruvar' yesterday and much to my dismay I never knew Tabu had acted in it! I just could not believe I did not know that. Of course I had never seen the movie completely but thats no excuse !
In namesake, she is not tabu, she is Ashima from begining to end. It is so nice to see an actress who can slip into a character so effortlessly and not to mention look so pretty doing it :) Ashima is the backbone on the story, the movie starts and ends with her. You seen her transformation as an simple and intelligent girl from calcutta to a very independent and intelligent woman returning home to calcutta. The impish nature of the character is extremely endearing.
Irfan Khan is also outstanding. What a performance, i mean so brilliant. Its so difficult to play a role where you don't distract the audience but at the same time, make a mark.
Kal Penn, I thought was quite well suited for the character. But sadly for him, he comes with a lot of media baggage. I am glad that he decided to break away from that funny american indian sterotype but somehow the hangover of that still shows in so many scenes. Maybe, just maybe because we have quite a wisecrack picture of him in our minds that we are not convinced during scenes where he is required to cry or portray that imminent gloom. It just does not look convincing enough. But like I said, he needs to do more roles that get him out of the stereotype, has a lot of potential.
Jacinda Barett, very pretty and very wasted in this movie..
Zuleikha Robinson, now that one was a pleasant surprise, I was always very curious to find out who would play that role in the movie. Very very sexy.
When i was reading the book, I have to say the final 50 pages are distracting and somewhere towards the end you are torn between deciding who is the focal point of the book? Is it really the namesake Gogol or is it Ashima whose character is the only one the author has painstakingly progressed developing against all odds. And the same confusion comes across in the movie. The movie begins and ends with Ashima but obviously she is not the namesake.
Also, no matter how you twist and turn the character of Gogol, there is nothing creative that comes out of it. If Mira had stretched it even a bit more, she would have bordered on being preachy about indian roots and culture and what not.
I think it was an intelligent decision to keep it limited to the intellectual and emotional growth and journey of Ashima with the so called coming of age of Gogol.
But having said that if I have one nit to pick with Mira Nair and Sooni Taraporevala, its about how little of Ashima's initial foray into the new country is shown. That so sad because thats where the book wins hands down, thats the first half of the book thats so endearing that you just cannot put it down. Even the small scene where she makes jhal muri out of Rice crispies is not forceful enough. When that scene was playing, I could hear giggles from the audience but believe me, these were people who had read the book and recognized the subtle pain of homesickness. For the uninitiated, it was just another scene. And there are many incidents like that for the young Ashima in an unknown country.
I think Mira lost out a bit somewhere by not incorporating that in the movie.
But there is so much sensitivity in the movie that I can proudly say only a woman can bring across. There are scenes where you will have that sneaky smile and there are definitely a couple of scenes where you will reach out for that kleenex.
Bottomline, a really nice movie but please watch it after reading the book and also watchable only without any preconceived bias.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Yes yes, I am making this into an audio video blog :)
But I just could not resist this :)
Ab yeh bajaya hai to fir yeh bhi bajana padega :P
Ab yeh bajaya hai to fir yeh bhi bajana padega :P
Monday, March 12, 2007
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Loopin thru
Tere Bin Sanu Sohnia
Koi Hor Nahio Labhna
Jo Dave Ruh Nu Sakun Chukke Jo Nakhra Mera
Ve Main Sare Ghumm Ke Vekhia
Amrika , Roos, Malaysia
Kittey Vi Koi Fark Si
Har Kise Di Koi Shart Si
Koi Mangda Mera Si Sama
Koi Hunda Surat Te Fida
Koi Mangda Meri Si Vafa
Na Koi Mangda Merian Bala
Tere Bin Hor Na Kise
Mangni Merian Bala
Tere Bin Hor Na Kise
Karni Dhup Vich Chhan
Tere Bin Sanu Sohnia
Koi Hor Nahio Labhna
Jo Dave Ruh Nu Sakun Chukke Jo Nakhra Mera
Jiven Rukia Si Tun Zara
Nahion Bhulna Main Sari Umar
Jiven Akhia Si Akhan Chura
"rovenga Sanu Yad Kar"
Hasia Si Main Hasa Ajeeb
(par) Tu Nahi Si Hasia
Dil Vich Tera Jo Raaz Si
Mainu Tu Kyon Ni Dasia
Tere Bin Sanu Eh Raz
Kise Hor Nahion Dasna
Tere Bin Peerh Da Ilaaj
Kis Vaid Kolon Labhna
Tere Bin Sanu Sohnia
Koi Hor Nahio Labhna
Jo Dave Ruh Nu Sakun Chukke Jo Nakhra Mera
Milia Si Ajj Mainu
Tera Ik Patra
Likhia Si Jis 'te
Tun Shayr Varey Shah Da
Park Ke Si Osnu
Hanjnu Ik Duliya
Akhan 'ch Band Si
Seh Raaz Ajj Khulia
Ki Tere Bin Eh Mere Hanjnu
Kise Hor Nahio Chumna
Ki Tere Bin Eh Mere Hanjhu
Mitti Vich Rulnha
(tere Bin Sanu Sohnia
Koi Hor Nahio Labhna
Jo Dave Ruh Nu Sakun Chukke Jo Nakhra Mera
Ve Main Sare Ghumm Ke Vekhia
Amrika , Roos, Malaysia
Kittey Vi Koi Fark Si
Har Kise Di Koi Shart Si
Koi Mangda Mera Si Sama
Koi Hunda Surat Te Fida
Koi Mangda Meri Si Vafa
Na Koi Mangda Merian Bala
Tere Bin Hor Na Kise
Mangni Merian Bala
Tere Bin Hor Na Kise
Karni Dhup Vich Chhan
Tere Bin Sanu Sohnia
Koi Hor Nahio Labhna
Jo Dave Ruh Nu Sakun Chukke Jo Nakhra Mera
Jiven Rukia Si Tun Zara
Nahion Bhulna Main Sari Umar
Jiven Akhia Si Akhan Chura
"rovenga Sanu Yad Kar"
Hasia Si Main Hasa Ajeeb
(par) Tu Nahi Si Hasia
Dil Vich Tera Jo Raaz Si
Mainu Tu Kyon Ni Dasia
Tere Bin Sanu Eh Raz
Kise Hor Nahion Dasna
Tere Bin Peerh Da Ilaaj
Kis Vaid Kolon Labhna
Tere Bin Sanu Sohnia
Koi Hor Nahio Labhna
Jo Dave Ruh Nu Sakun Chukke Jo Nakhra Mera
Milia Si Ajj Mainu
Tera Ik Patra
Likhia Si Jis 'te
Tun Shayr Varey Shah Da
Park Ke Si Osnu
Hanjnu Ik Duliya
Akhan 'ch Band Si
Seh Raaz Ajj Khulia
Ki Tere Bin Eh Mere Hanjnu
Kise Hor Nahio Chumna
Ki Tere Bin Eh Mere Hanjhu
Mitti Vich Rulnha
(tere Bin Sanu Sohnia
Koi Hor Nahio Labhna
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Hazaron khwahishen aisi
Mid week movie marathon last night. This movie has been in my netflix q for a few months now and in my head for almost an year. Finally decided to see it last evening when hubby was in a call. (Warning - some spoilers ahead)
At the outset let me say that I have a lot of respect for Sudhir Mishra as a director, he has done a brilliant job in this movie too. The whole setting of the movie, the essence of late 60's and 70's has been captured well. Old delhi always brings a smile to my face. Every small details from the songs of that genre to the cotton sarees to the vintage cars effuse attention to detail on the directors part.
As always its nice to see actors who are articulate in english when you make a movie thats predominantly in english. It would have been a disaster if you had people who had to make that effort to speak in english like a local dialect. But it did make me wonder why he chose to make the main characters speak in english so much, was it for the global appeal?
I mean, it could just as well be in Hindi, would not have mattered so much except perhaps made it more aligned to mainstream movies.
Now, coming to the story line itself- I think its an out and out love story, even a triangle if you must. With politics, fundamentalism and idealism as the background canvas. Its a beautiful movie for most parts.
The first half of the movie is so awesome that it makes you crave for more. The chemistry between the central characters is brilliant.
A confused girl educated in London but trying to adapt herself to normal student life in Delhi. She is dangerously fascinated by the revolutionary. You can see hesitation and even a sense of disinterest in her eyes when they talk about protests and strikes. At the same time you can feel the adulation and that young 'but I want you' look in her eyes. Chitrangada Singh is a very good actress, brilliant screen presence.
A young revolutionary, comes from an upscale and privileged background. On the surface you wonder why does he need to be so rebellious, where is so much angst coming from? But I am guessing the spark signifies post independent newly emerging face of india and the youth of india. There is so much energy and enthusiasm that you see in the character, the will to make a difference and the optimism that they can bring about a revolution. I could probably not have imagined anybody other than KK for this role. But then its probably because he is so talented that every time you see him on the screen you don't see KK but the character he is playing.
Another young man, a typical guy next door. He is from a typical middle class family in a small town who dreams big and wants big. In his own words-"You upper class people are trying to get out while people like me are trying to get in". He wants to be somebody, nothing wrong with it. He even wants to bend rules a bit to get what he wants. Cocky and confident. His only weakness is Gita. No matter where he is, who he is, that is one person who will bring him down to his knees. In her presence, he is devoid of any pretenses, any cloaks and you see him for exactly what he is. Completely smitten.
As the story progresses, you can see the characters evolving into completely different personalities in a span of less than 10 years. Almost goes to say how the 20's are really the formative years of your life. The final results are almost paradoxical :)
The confused girl goes from being an outsider to being completely involved in the betterment of a small village. She also redeems herself from the ghosts of her past and most importantly rids herself of the absolutely consuming relationship with Siddharth. Although, it may not have been a voluntary action on her behalf, she does come to realize who she is and what she really wants.
The so called revolutionary goes from being the hot blooded youth to the man caught in the throes of corrupt politics and a certain helplessness towards understanding what he really stands for. He begins with the notion that sometimes a strong stance, even violence may be required for a revolution but is quickly caught in the quagmire when he realizes that he is surrounded by the absolutely disinterested officials who are bigger and better at violence. To see him go back to his roots is almost satirical.
Perhaps Shiney Ahuja's character is the most unchanging in the whole story, you see him as a determined youth humbled by his love for Gita and the movie almost ends on that note.
But.. yes there is a but, the movie completely falters in the second half. I mean, I was confused and I think Sudhir was too. He should have left the politics and fundamentalism as a backdrop and not bring it so much to surface.
Post interval, you begin to question so many things that it almost negates the whole first half of the movie. After about 2 hours, you want to ask yourself, where is he going with this? There is too much unnecessary stuff in the movie e.g. the final accident scene, the wrong doings in the police station and of course the penultimate scene where Shiney gets beaten up.
There was a point when i wanted to scream out loud- Where the hell did Saurabh Shukla come into the picture???? I mean, his character almost didn't exist for 2 hrs!! In the end you almost feel that Sudhir wanted to reach the final scene by any means. He knew his destination so he was just steering blindly towards it. It just becomes a huge mess.
If there was one aspect that I want to be picky about, I think its a certain sensitivity thats almost missing when it comes to sketching a female protagonist. Gita is a strong woman, she is an intelligent woman. I give that much to the writer/director. But if you are going to add components like cheating, birth of a child, rape and separation of a child, at least get to know a female psyche before doing that. Don't just paint the picture black and white.
Gita's reactions to certain aspects in the movie is almost like a Man's and I am not being derogatory mind you. I just think there is more to it than what has been portrayed. A woman's ideologies are not so stark and trudging unidirectionally. Its almost a myopic vision and I found it jarring.
If you ask me, the movie should have stuck at its core being just a love story without getting any political, fundamentalist indian issues in the foreground.
But obviously no one is asking me :p.
That aside an extremely watchable movie for at least 90 minutes :)
hazaaron Khvaahishen aisii ki har Khvaaish pe dam nikale
bahut nikale mere armaaN lekin phir bhii kam nikale
nikalanaa Khuld se aadam kaa sunate aaye hain lekin
bahut beaabaruu hokar tere kuuche se ham nikale
muhabbat men nahiin hai farq jiine aur marane kaa
usii ko dekh kar jiite hain jis kaafir pe dam nikale
Khudaa ke vaaste pardaa na kaabe se uThaa zaalim
Kahiin aisaa na ho yaaN bhii vahii kaafir sanam nikale
KahaaN maiKhaane ka daravaazaa 'Ghalib' aur kahaaN vaaiz
par itanaa jaanate hain kal vo jaataa thaa ke ham nikale
Friday, February 02, 2007
Grrrrrr
After reading the write up by RJA here, decided to head towards it. Like some other counterparts, this one needs the reader to register before reading anything off the site. I personally find that very annoying.
If you are posting editorials and public posts, why insist on gathering just about every damn information about your reader (including the slabs on household income) before letting them read anything. And making 70% of the fields mandatory does not help at all!
So, anyways, considering that during mid afternoon I do have a certain lethargy and lotsa time, i venture into registration.
As soon as I register and want to log back in, this is what I get:
So, i retry and the same error.
After much deliberation and mind you I dont' do this often, I want to send them an email or leave a feedback.
I have to say I did not find a feedback section but a 'Contact us' instead. So assuming thats the way to go, i land at the contact page and guess what. Somehow they are presumptuous enough to not have a technical feedback section. I admit for any editorial, newspaper like website, you need a content based feedback.
But hello, in this techy world, when you are so heavily relying on the platform like the web to render your content how can you not enable yourself to receive technical feedbacks?
Personally very annoying this is.. Mind you, this is not an attempt to tech review the website. Its an observation (although would not mind reviewing it too). But for now, this has put me off.
So, anyways, I had these screen shots and i load my picasa to blog the pictures and guess what!
Guess its just not my day !!! grrrrr
If you are posting editorials and public posts, why insist on gathering just about every damn information about your reader (including the slabs on household income) before letting them read anything. And making 70% of the fields mandatory does not help at all!
So, anyways, considering that during mid afternoon I do have a certain lethargy and lotsa time, i venture into registration.
As soon as I register and want to log back in, this is what I get:
So, i retry and the same error.
After much deliberation and mind you I dont' do this often, I want to send them an email or leave a feedback.
I have to say I did not find a feedback section but a 'Contact us' instead. So assuming thats the way to go, i land at the contact page and guess what. Somehow they are presumptuous enough to not have a technical feedback section. I admit for any editorial, newspaper like website, you need a content based feedback.
But hello, in this techy world, when you are so heavily relying on the platform like the web to render your content how can you not enable yourself to receive technical feedbacks?
Personally very annoying this is.. Mind you, this is not an attempt to tech review the website. Its an observation (although would not mind reviewing it too). But for now, this has put me off.
So, anyways, I had these screen shots and i load my picasa to blog the pictures and guess what!
Guess its just not my day !!! grrrrr
Monday, January 29, 2007
Blip.
Do you have times in your life when you are not sure if its the mind or the heart which makes you do things? I do. And I am at a loss to understand which one. You would think that its the heart, coz thats the fickle one, but I am not so sure. Somehow there is a more intelligent mechanism behind it. All signs point to the so called stable, intelligent thing, aka the mind. Its the mind that shelves and maintains those partitions of your thought processes, memories and moments.
Almost like this huge RDBMS where all you need is a random trigger or a key of a thought. (Sorry, geeko that i am!) Ram wrote once about emotional triggers and such. I agree with it so much. But i think there are times when that rapid time traversing in your mind does not even need a trigger.
The heart is a very inexplicable thing. It really is the most unscientific working object that you will come across. Absolutely without any rhyme or reason, it makes the mind to race between all those partitions you have in your head.
Absolutely no reason...
Friday, January 26, 2007
TOI
There are many an issues I have with TOI and the way it has shaped itself over the last decade or so.
But.. sitting so far away, trying to clutch at whatever semblance I see of home country, to feel being a part of the bigger scheme, to take pride in being a fraction of what can only be seen as a significant phase for the country..I find myself putting up this link.
But.. sitting so far away, trying to clutch at whatever semblance I see of home country, to feel being a part of the bigger scheme, to take pride in being a fraction of what can only be seen as a significant phase for the country..I find myself putting up this link.
First language
Convo with my 8 years old cousin last year:
Me: Ok Anju , whats your mother tongue (yes, I have weird convos like this, my way of keeping the kiddos entertained :p)
Anju: English
Me: ??
Me: (What ? How ? ) Why do you say that pappu ?
Anju: Thats what we speak na Radhika didi.
Me: Ya (and realizing that it is true and I was speaking to her in english).. hmm .. ok do you know what a mother tongue is ?
Anju: No (:) Shez only 8, give her a break!)
Me: Ok, its the language you speak at home.
Anju: So thats english na Radhika didi.
Me: What? How? (slowly feeling like the dumb one in this conversation) You don't speak in english with mummy and papa.
Anju: Yes, I do. Everyday.
Me: Umm. Ok let me put it this way, mother tongue is what your mummy speaks in. So what does you mummy speak in..
Anju: (confused for a while) Malayalam
Me: (Oh no!)
Me: Well .. with some people, but what she talk to your papa in? (My aunt is from malluland, can't blame the kid!)
Anju: Tamil
Me: Seee (with a sense of accomplishment) Thats what I mean, she speaks in tamil with everybody right?
Anju: Ya but she talks to me in English na Radhika didi.
Me: (Stumped)
This was a while ago and I should have got the message. English is fast replacing all our local languages even at home. All these kids who go to private or convent schools are taught to speak in English thru out the day. And they bring the same back home with them, either due to just being used to talking like that during the day or to impress folks at home. And impressed we are, every time we hear a kid talking ever so nicely in english we are so impressed. Ah new words, new sentences, all so impressive..
Slowly the language creeps into every conversation with every member of the family.
And this phenomenon is not prevalent only among the kids (tho it is more scary that the future generation is oriented that way). We all are falling in that category where English is not the first language just in schools anymore, its rapidly becoming our first language anywhere.
In most metropolitan/cosmopolitan cities, the companies we work for demand that we speak in English. I know I can't generalize it, I still see people talking in local languages in many cities and believe me I am the first one to get pissed about it! Its quite unprofessional too if you ask me, essentially because a workplace especially in IT is an amalgamation of people from different parts of the country and most of who do not speak the local language.
In this situation, its quite unprofessional (and irritating) to talk in local languages.
Which reminds me of an episode about 5-6 years ago when I was in this project which had this one guy who was ever so quiet. He was generally soft spoken and quiet so when he chose to be like that even during our team meetings and all the name calling meetings (:p), we just thought maybe thats how he is. After about 8 months, the project gets over and we have this gala project closure lunch at a restaurant.
We: So S, are you always so quiet, you hardly speak during the meetings?
S: Oh, thats because I don't understand what you people are saying, you all talk in Hindi and I don't understand Hindi.
We: ????
This was 8 whole months of a project mind you! I must admit, that by some quirk of fate, we were all Hindi speaking people in that project so talking in Hindi I guess became natural (not that I endorse that). But imagine this poor south Indian guy who went thru 8 months of really not understanding completely what the rest of the gang was saying!!! I was quite appalled...
Anyways, i digress.
What we also do not realize that we are at work for most part of our day anything ranging from 8-10 hrs. And things like the language we speak for 10 hrs a day tends to seep into our personal lives whether we like it or not.
I find that hubby and me talk in English more often than not, its really not like we cannot both talk in Tamil. But we talk in English... Somehow its becoming the most convenient language that we can communicate in.. Soon we will really forget how to form sentences in our respective mother tongues I am sure..(yes, we have a couple of languages we consider to be mother tongues :P)
I remember when my family moved to Bangalore from Delhi and we were living with my grand parents, thatha wud rap me on my head everytime he would find me speaking with my bro in Hindi. But we just couldn't help it, speaking in hindi was/is second nature to us. In fact till date, i dont think I ahve ever spoken to my bro in tamil, we always always talk in Hindi. Its weird, I know.
But the point is, after a while, thatha gave up and said you guys are useless.
Now, I find that happening with English. I am sure very soon 2 generations from now, kids especially from nuclear families will have very little linguistic skills in their respective mother tongues (so called)
As for my children, I can only feel sorry for them, they will get telugu from the dad, tamil from my mum, hindi from me, kannada from the school (its become a mandatory language in primary schools), mallu from the rest of my family and of course english from.. hmmmm just the air I guess :)
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