Sunday, November 28, 2010

Confession of a lover!

I have been in a relationship for quite sometime now. It has not been that quiet. We had our odd differences and arguments. I have been at faults most of the time. I sometime feel I could have avoided that argument or fight. But it just happen. I just feel I have not been able to do justice to her love. More so, when your lover is an eternal romantic. The only thing that brings smile to her face is me.



I know that she cannot even stand a day without speaking to me. Everything she does is to make me happy. It makes her smile whenever she watches me smiling. My goals, dreams and objects of interest are considered to be her own. I do not how she does it, but she is just too perfect. 

She is younger to me in years, and I know this is her age to be as naughty and chulbulli she could be, but sometimes I forget. I would forget and rationalize with her of not being practical. But, Raj how could she be? she is so young and she needs my love and support to make her feel that? I feel this blog post is in a way my reconciliation to the fact of those unspoken words and deeds.

I do not know if there is something called true love or lover. But, even if someone makes you feel that the person is just there for you, then it is love. Love is a beautiful thing and I hope I can do justice to it. It is a privilege to be in someone's arms forgetting all the sadness and pathos of life. I wish to be loved and you fulfill it with all your charms. We will have to travel a lot, but I am sure we will cover the distance with a smile. Thanks is not the appropriate word here, but I am in all awe of you.

Monday, October 25, 2010

John and Raghu's wonderful Chemistry!

{Pic source:http://mtv-roadies-6.blogspot.com/2009/04/baap-of-popularity-raghu-ram.html}

I wonder why Abbas Tyrewalla had to take Palki for the role of Mishika. Apart from her, I found each one of the characters fitted perfectly to the fore. And, those of you who have watched Jaane tu he jaane na, this movie has nothing new for you. But those of you who have not watched this movie, you will like it for sure.

Shot at the locales of London, the movie is about friendship and love. It becomes interesting when love causes all the problem. Each one of the characters has a love twist in the movie. Starting from John to Raghu to Manasi Scott and Palki- each one has a love angle.



John finally exhibits some emotions; he is a tough-hearted hero who suddenly finds himself in a comical situation. Raghu is the best of the lots with his half-witted humor and sarcasm. Palki is ok. She is sensuous but she is too old to do a song and dance role. 


You will get to see a lot of youngsters and couples making their way for this movie. It has a large quotient of love added to sacrifice in it. And, I am sure they will appreciate it a lot. Usually, these movies are Abbas' forte. Abbas usually writes the script for his movies, and you could see that he has used a typical youngistan lingo in the movie. Good job! 


Raghu and John are there in 80% of the scenes in this movie. They share a wonderful chemistry. You can easily relate Raghu's character with MTV Roadies. I think it could only be the saving grace of the film. The film will run for some weeks, but I guess it is short-lived. I won't mind watching it-this time with my girl.


 

Saturday, October 23, 2010

RGV'S tribute to Tarantino-Rakta Charitra

Yes and a big No. The verdict for Ramgopal Varma's gory epic. Yes- because, I feel he has tried to create a biopic with a proper star cast without compromising on its value. No-because, blood and gory movies are easily categorized as unsuitable for a major section in Bollywood, and it will thus lose any chances of qualifying for a proper award.



There is one more thing that I think RGV needs to be applauded. He is not scared of trying out new subjects of interest in Bollywood. Hate or like him, but you will always be curious to know the plot of every RGV movies.

I did a little bit of research on RAKTA CHARITRA-The Transformation. I was horrified to read the facts. Characters like Buka Reddy, Pratap Reddy and all are not the major stereotypes characters. Their life has edge written all over. Now, my question is who would make a movie like that in Bollywood?

I am a great fan of the Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill stalwart Mr. Quentin Tarantino. I feel if there is anyone who could closely come to reach his standards would be Vishal Bharwadaj. But, RGV has proved me wrong. It is one of the blood, gory and ugly movie you will have ever get to watch. And, yes, RGV has hailed his Telegu roots very well.

Vivek Oberoi has always been called an one-film wonder. His COMPANY is hailed to be one of the best debutant performances till this date. I expected a lot from him in Rakta Charitha. Note here Vivek does not speak or grin much like Company. He is a nonsense getter, full of vengeance yet smart. The beard looks good on him and adds on to the character. I enjoyed his performance, but I expect more histronics from the second part.

Shatrugan Sinha is a great actor and he delivers a power-packed performance and so does Sushant. But, the person who steals the show is Abhimanyu Singh. He impressed me a great deal in Gulal but this character of a sadist and sexmaniac goes a long away. You could see the lust in his eyes in every of his roles. He does not mince words and personally speaking, I'ld have wanted him to be in the sequel for it would have generated a lot of interest.

For those of you watch Bengali movies, do watch ANTHAHEEN. Radhika Apte is one of the best actresses but pity she does not get much of dialogues.

RGV has made Sarkar as tribute to Godfather, but there are quite a few scenes in the movie that reminded of Godfather II. The scene in which Vivek's mother goes to meet Narasimha Reddy for her son's life is a direct take off from the first part.

I am touch disappointed that Surya is absent in the first-half, but he is there in the sequel. I am a great fan of this Tamilan actor, and I believe he is going to put a rocking performance. Watch Rakta Charitra once but I can assure you that sometimes performances go a long way to get the audience to the theaters.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Far from the Madding Crowd


I have been working for sometime now. My work location is different from the place that I spent my childhood. A place where I have memories of coming back home only to be in mother's arms, dad's stern face on watching Chitrahaar and Rangoli, brothers who were pain in the ass sometimes and of course the rains. I had a wonderful childhood, and if I could give anything back to revisit, I would not mind. Durga Pooja is one such occasion that reminds me of my childhood.


Everybody has some knowledge or the other that the grandeur of the occasion to the Hindus and especially to the Bongalis. People wait impatiently throughout the year for the occassion and when it arrives from the onset of Mahalaya to Mahadoshami people are filled up with joy. 

As a child, Durga Pooja meant new clothes & pistol toys to me. I remember distinctly coming up from an average middle-class family, how baba-maa used to meet our requirements. Maa used to ensure that the first set of clothes were bought for her children. I think of this day and tears come into my eyes. How could we even repay our debts to our parents!



Durga Pooja was a rare occasion when I used to shut down my school books. It meant that I won't touch the school books for the next 4 days. I used to go out Soptomi with maa-baa, Ashotomi again with maa and baba and Novomi with friends. Also, a visit to the Monalisa restaurant was along awaited. The entire family could have Luchi Mangsho for 50 bucks. The atmosphere was also electrifying-Kishore Kumar's music at the backdrop. I still make it a point to visit that place whenever I can.


I wish I could write a little bit more, but I have to run for a project meeting. Sometimes, I wish life would come to a standstill.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Chulbul Connection!

Itna confuze ho jayoge ke tumi saansh logon kaha se aur.... we had been overhearing these Dabaang dialogues for the past few weeks and it was the same last evening too. As I walked into the Rex theatre for a late night show, I saw history had remained still for this theatre.

As I took a comfortable seat I found myself in an atmosphere unlike multiplexes. There were hootings, screaming, indecent gestures and so on, and you could possibly know that Dabaang had scored and hit amongst the intended viewers. Ironically, this is how Bollywood pundits labels a movie 'hit' or 'flop'-viewers reactions. What Salman did was he connected me with his madness. Well done!

The REX theatre in Bangalore can accommodate 400 viewers. Out of this,  last night show had viewers in the range of 18-38 years. And, trust me right from the first intro scene where Salman aka Chulbul Pandey stormed into a goonda's den to the climax, Dabaang has hit the masses. Every dialogue had glimpse of Rajni's avtaar in Salman. But, it is believable for Salman behaves the same in real life too, atleast seen in the television promos.

Sonakshi is graceful and beautiful. She is a hit with me. I love the way she acts and smiles. And, yes I loved her backless cholis and her cute nose ring. She reminds me so much of my gf though she screams less on me. 

Dabaang is an out-and-out masala movie. You have to watch it for Salman's appeal. His dialogues and mannerisms have Rajni trademaark. When asked once by Anupam Kher to Salman's reason keeping his googles behind his collar, he quickly reacts taki humhe samna aur peechura dekh sakhe. And , not to forget, hamari meherbani hain to pehle ham shaadi kar le. All these dialogues and much more captured viewers' attention.

Directed by Abhinav Singh Kashyap, brother of Anurag Kashyap Dabaang will not disappoint if you go to the theatres without any expectations. Kids may be kept out of this. I loved the movie but not something that will be in mind, come next week.On the other way, Dabaang will be unstoppable in the first few weeks of its release.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

My take on Aisha

It was one of those precious moments when I kept pin drop of silence. My girlfriend decided to surprise me this evening. Post-lunch, she took out her purse and showed me two cinema passes for a PVR show Aisha. I will not reject the opinion that I was all disinterested. Though the fact that I will be watching Sonam Kapoor again in the theaters in a span of one month was tempting. I just came out from the theatre and while she is on the phone with her friends let me quickly jot down couple of observations of the movie, AISHA.

Observations:
a) It has a large quotient of feminism. Everything from the costumes to the make up, from the color of the walls to the dialogues had a lot of feminist touch to it. I will be surprised if it maintains the interest of men. There is no F word used in the movie, which is quite a surprise when you watch a Hindi film this days. I loved the concept.

b) Yes, it has a different plot and characters but you will not be able to reject the opinion that the movie can remind you of the recent Sonam starrer I HATE LOVE STORIES. Though she played a matchmaker in this movie, people get to see similar shades of Sonam's character- romantic, hyper, self-centered, attitude wali and so on.

c) Delhi has been the city to talk about in recent Hindi films. You do not need to go far. Right from Rang De Basanti to Delhi 6 or Dev D, directors have a fascination to take a leaf out of it. It is bearable though this is not in the ranks of Mira Nair's MONSOON WEDDING, which was incidentally shot in Delhi.

d) The climax is as-if-I-know it. I do not blame the writers for they have been told to write the script in such a fashion that even before the film is finished you know it. This is why a movie like Inception or Borne Ultimatum is only produced in West.

e) The songs especially 'Gal Mithi Mithi Bol' arrives so late in the movie that half of the audience had left.

f) I give it a 2 star out of 5.Join the confusion if you wish to.


Sunday, August 01, 2010

A few friends

Life has been good and bad to most of me. It has been selective in allowing me the freedom to pick and choose the good and bad. But, one thing it has never compromised is giving me good friends. My friends have been the best. Since childhood I have been brought up amidst much shor gol. The youngest lot of the three kids, I was socialable. I used to make friends easily. In the years went by, I chose to make more female friends rather than male friends.

I was not that good looking guy to get the attention of girls, but maybe I know how to talk. I made good friends during those days who have been with me. In midst of miseries that life offers now and then these are the pals who took a great deal of care for me. They pamper me, pull my legs now and then but never forget their concern.


My girlfriend is perhaps the mose beautiful and adorablea thing God has given me. She is a dear friend who undestands me completiely. She knows when I am silent. She hates my silence. She comforts me in times of agony and above all she loves me day and day I am lucky to have a friend who makes her presence more comforting to me and is always there for me.


My best friend, Mickey works in Kolkata.We have been childhood buddies and he has been always there for me.I take often a quick time to call me up and remember our past.


My mother is a dear friend of mine. In a family, where you do not have a sister, she completed her presence. The word MAA means not only devoted and caring mother but it also means the symbol of God. I love you maa.


I will be selfish if I miss out the names of people who have made their presence in my life. But God, for me they are ones who make my life complete. Friendship day and all the best to my loved ones. Thank you for being part of my life.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

U should hate love stories!

There are certain assumptions created largely by media which more or less becomes plots of many stories. I have an assumption that more or less revolves around Karan Johar and Yash Chopra. I wonder what makes them produce romantic movies. Are they eternal romantics or they can't picture a movie without romance?

I think Karan Johar has these thoughts running 24*7 and through this movie he has tried to answer couple of questions, which keeps on coming back to him. I Hate Love Stories is such an attempt and credit goes to the director for making it realistic.

Cut 1: Yes, Karan Johar produces and directs romantic movies and yes, he has a cast that features names likely to be Raj and Simran. Yes, Karan has a crew that obviously feels he has gone nuts. There are depressed souls working for him because for a living.

Cut 2: Yes, there is Shahrukh ala Saif ala Imran who do not believe in pyaar-syaar. For him, its crap, waste of time and ekdom faltu. But he loves flirting and making out with girls. For him love is waking up everyday with a hot new chick, who does everything but not pyaar. One day he realizes that he has fell for someone and is desperately trying to be noncommittal.

Cut 3: Yes, there is Kajol ala Madhuri ala Kareena Kapoor ala Sonam who are those Archie Greetings cards slasher who sees romance in everything. But ends up wih a wrong man at a wrong time.

I have not seen anything new in the movie. Yes, it has some slick dialogues, good cinematography and nice songs but that' it. Obviously, Imran Khan will do what he can do best- Jaane Tu Naa Jaaane Na roles. Sonam Kapoor is pathetic. Her acting sucks big time though I must admit she is by far the best dressed actor in Bollywood.

It has opened well and do good business for some time but just like any other love story it will wizzle out. Take my advice- watch Mr.Singh and Mrs. Mehta. Atleast, you do not have to see the pathetic dancing act of Imran Khan.

Sunday, July 04, 2010

I should but sorry I can't!


Dear Raj,
I was surfing net when I chanced to get your number on a portal. Interestingly, the portal speak volumes of your intelligence discussing topic-based issues. I do not think it is an issue at this moment, but I fear it may gradually build up to be an issue. I wish to know what you sense about the topic, and what should I do at this stage. 

I have been married for last two years and been blessed with a loving husband. Ritesh is extremely caring and God-fearing man. He works for an advertisement firm in Bangalore looking after the client services department of the firm. At a young age of 35, Ritesh has build a name of his own. I am proud to see that he has build up everything from scratch. 

We have a lovely bungalow in a posh locality of Cunnigham Road and he has provided me with every luxury which life can offer. It is at this behest I stopped working and though I take a week off to do some freelance work, I have been  detached from professional assignments for a long time.
Honestly, I am enjoying this break- it was getting a long, monotonous journey of working on software applications and I feel good now.

Offlate, I see Ritesh coming late to home. He has also stopped calling me up during office hours and there has been quite a gap in our relationship. Though we make love occasionally the heat has dried up. We seem to be in bed -two bodies but there has been something missing. I have confronted Ritesh on this but he feels that everything is going good, and I have been apprehensive of nothing.

It was at this moment I started browsing Internet and in one of the social networks I met Javed. My purpose of surfing, trust me, was to kill my boredom. How would I have known that I would get into this situation? Javed is a painter, roughly around the age of 26, well-built and carries a beard. He resembles that of a Shantiniketan artistic fellow. Since, I come from a creative junk of people from Chakroborthy family, I liked him.

Javed' profile and albums were interesting. To think from an artistic sense, the paints were all of women who were lonely in their lives and needed some thing to fill in. I sense I understood those superficial acquaintances that can cure social loneliness won't touch the emotional variety, and Javed seem to touch them.

After a few days of chatting, I met him for coffee. It was nice meeting him. But, not something with a love relationship, any close relationship requires a certain amount of "chemistry," that click that comes with finding a kindred spirit. Again, just as with chemistry and love, it becomes a "numbers game." We need to meet a lot of people to find our kindred spirits. Meeting a lot of people requires a lot of effort. And it does not happen quickly. What do you say?

We started meeting and slowly and I have started coming closer to Javed. I am wondering if I am suffering from any type of loneliness, which is perhaps one of the reasons why I am getting so attached to Javed. I hope you have time to go through this mail and patience to respond.
Best wishes,
X

Sunday, June 06, 2010

The Mark of a Craftsman-Rajneeti

For the various political campaigns and social activities that Prakash Jha has veen involved earlier in Bihar, this film comes straight from his heart. You know when there is a National Award winning director delivering a hard-hitting political drama, he inserts his personal ifs and bits of political experiences into the reel. And, that is exactly what Prakash Jha does in his characters. 



Yes, Rajneeti' story is set in the backdrop of epic Mahabharata. Prakash Jha has tried to make us realise how the Mahabharata is relevant today in the political dynasty. The Indian political clan is more or less starts with the Gandhi parivar and he tried to show the same with the Pratap familiy. The Pandavas and Kauravas confrontation were to be constantly seen amongst Manoj Bajpai and Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor. Lord Krishna as Nana Patekar  and Karan as Ajay Devgan lends power to the show.

This is not a song-and-dance movie, so you are for some real acting. You have some intense actors like Ajay, Manoj, Nana Patekar and they exactly played their parts to the core. Ajay has played off shaded characters such as this in Yuva so the Dalit hero character suited him pretty well. Ranbir and Arjun are brillaint in their performances.

What do I take from this movie? I see and get glimpses of how Indian party elections are run, how tickets are provided, how you get the vote banks and so on. It is a common truth that politics is dirty and its not for us.But, politics is interesting and needs young people to cleanse it.

Rajneeti is a good movie, but if someone asked me would I ever decide to contest elections or get into politics. My answer is NO. It is indeed a difficult arena where you have to think miles ahead before you consider taking any decision. Prakash Jha-right from DAMUL to RAJNEET you have the 'master of a craftsman' written all over.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Yet Another Excuse!

This nation should be called a "nation of excuses". Anytime anywhere and any mishap occurs, the nation comes out with a bag of excuses. Whom to trust and whom to not? I sometimes wonder if it would rather make sense to worry about the excuses rather than wasting our time on pondering over the incidents. Let us take for the case- the recent Mangalore Air tragedy in which countless lives were lost or the Indian cricket team dismal performance in the T20 World cup. 

The nation witnessed and heard in both the cases administrations who out rightly rejected any blame on the center and attributed causes to counterfeit reasons. While the former known for abstaining itself from any political chivalrous methods and declaring it was the pilot' fatigue, the latter declared the IPL parties.

Are we a nation of idiots blinded by the ideology that our the man in the chair can only speak the truth and so when he does something wrong we have no other options? I am dismayed and sad at the state of the affairs.

The Mangalore air tragedy occurred in the wee hours of the morning that probably meant dusk in many of the families. I am not an aviation expert to sit in the armchairs of NDTV, CNN IBN and so many media channels and describe what went wrong, but I could just tell you that those images disturbed me a lot. The newspapers reported that the pilots could have averted the tragedy by taking off when they had noticed that the thrust would have taken them across the reins.

All I can say is I can hear what the experts, government and rest can say, but you heard just a party. The pilots are no more with you us to tell us their stories. I also read the certain experts had already showcased government of certain airports' standards norms not matching the industrystandards. But still and for what price!

The T20 World Cup and India' exit is nothing new. I am appalled by the way Dhoni blamed the IPL Parties for the debacle. It was like a naive student who wanted all wanted Roti, Kapda and Makan, and when he got in abundance he forgot that he needs to work for it.

India plays most of the time in the sub-continent pitches, and the IPL show is another example of emptying your pockets for glitz and glory. How many players from IPL have come out to play for India in test cricket? All we need was a statement from the team that yes, folks we need to work on the short-pitch stuff. Would admittance have really made the team low?

Look, I am not sadist or hyperactive by these incidents but I am sad. I have lost all the hopes that this country exhibits. I would have still be contented kid had my heroes or the leaders be honest to admit their follies but no! It happens only when you take people for granted. I sense that these chaps feel that the common man is an idiot and all we need to do is sparkle once or twice.

I know every country will have officials and players like this, but not every country can boast of a rich and divine culture like India. All I can pray is that the next time a fellow makes an excuse it would hurt a little lesser.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Tale of Hrithik' Kites

One question, Mr. Rakesh Roshan, "how many times have you watched Mexican movies that made you certain of a superhit in Bollywood?" I am sure there have been plenty but please do not tell me that out of the numerous flicks that you have copied right from Khoon Bari Maang to Kites, there has been anything original about it. 

Watching Kites made me realised that Bollywood simply cannot come out of its commercial aspect. And, even the best of directors or wanna be ones feel direction under a huge banner is a great thing, think twice. If Anurag Basu feels Kites has done justice to his career, I think he needs to go back to what he does better. Kites is a super boring, faltu and nonsense flick.

Hrithik is our Antonio Banderas who falls for Salma Hayek in Barbara Maori. Then after they have lip locked quite a few times, they discover marriage could be a nice plan. When marriage does not work, then death beckons. To start with the story has been dealt so many times earlier that it miserably impressed me. The dialogues are out of blue, plain and sub-standard. The movie keeps on going back and front as if Quentino Tarantino' aatma has got inside Anurag. 

Fair enough, Hrithik has got an awesome figure and he lets the teenyboppers whistle with his dance. The only saving grace of the movie is music. KK lends his voice in Dil Kyun mera shor kare and Zindagi do paal ke, and I must say he stands in contention for most of the awards this year.

I watch movies for entertainment but I do not want to be entertained by Rakesh Roshan over and over again with old formula. And, yes if you shoot a movie in Mexico and you have subtitles running throughout the movie, you stand a chance of missing the target audience. Hope luck prevails and Hrithik puts on a good performance else it will be just brawns only. 

As for Barbara, Rakesh Roshan could have got Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruze for this movie. Trust me! they would have been more sensuous for she was only there for the oomp appeal. Do not watch Kites unless you are blackmailed.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

What' s Wrong in being a Gay!

It is a historical day in the land of Vatsyan. Homosexuality or Gayism has been tagged off from the brand of ‘achutness’ and 'criminal offences’. Long parades of demonstrations and celebrations of juvenility have been exhibited by the homosexuals in the various parts of India.

Bollywood stars have come in full support with actors like Celina Jaitley standing arms in arms with gays, pictures being displayed in the front covers of all the leading newspapers and magazines.

As the Indian media contingent continues to publicize and broadcast this news everywhere, I found myself with four of my colleagues debating on this issue. One of them started with a scrumptiously disgust look in his face,“now, we will see man-man having sex, it is cheap and so ridiculous.“ This debate continued for a while.

My take is and you are open to debate on it:"God has created both man and woman, and they have been entrusted with the responsibility of choosing the right and wrong, good or bad.

Your actions in this world have nothing to do with what other people think about it. You are and you will be the sole responsible for your actions. Therefore, choosing upon your partner should be your own decision. God has given you the right to choose your partner. Then, how does choosing a male or a female partner matter?

I also agree that God created woman to see that this beautiful world flourishes. He gave women the most beautiful gift- to give birth. She struggles endlessly for nine months to bring that precious thing in this world. However, this organ is missing in man.

Man has and never been able to procreate naturally. It is next to impossible. Now, does this mean a man cannot marry another man? I think it is ridiculous to think so in terms of only physical desires. No body is asking every one of us to be turned into homosexuals.

I fear that in India, parents conceive their kids to act by the way they judge one. You are supposed to obey and marry the same boy or girl your parents select. Pre-marital sex and live-in relationships are still considered by the Indian society as a taboo. But, my question is, whether listening to each of their actions is justified? Actually, people are not looking love here. They have already started looking into its evils and loopholes.

The first thing is SEX. The Supreme Court has banned anal sex between males, and I am not getting into there. However, try to analyze that Homosexuality is just another common way of man leading their lives. Questions have started pouring whether Lesbianism is OK? Yes, so what is wrong here? Both are ways of living their lives. A society will not get spoil for them, for God's sake.

The more these social restrictions are erased, the more people will enjoy their livelihood. The moral tenet of any marriage in every religion is ‘to have a blissful life’. So, why should a person be morally discouraged to marry a woman when he likes a man?

Neither the man nor the woman will be happy in that sense. I think it is time the society grows up and accept Homosexuality as a common thing. There will be polls conducted, debates held and what not in television and online media, but you have to listen to your heart, and not go by the polls. Because, the society doesn not come to help you when you do not have work and are living in damned walls.

If it makes two people of the same sex live in peace and harmony, who are we to crib about it? Let’s broaden our outlook. Lets get our educational institutions teach right and wrong. Let's not shield away from truth.

We have enough problems in our country. Let us use our energy getting them rectified, instead of maligning homosexuals.

I am straight, and I hope that when I get married, my wife and I will have no issues if we have a son that grows up to be a gay. It’s after all an individual choice. Let’s learn to respect it."   Into that Freedom my father! let me country awake.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

The Lakes of Kumaon

The shoelaces seem to be tied at wrong places. And, the legs were definitely tired after the prolonged classroom hours. Heads bedazzled by the fiery equations and logarithms of professor Pinto'Advanced Mathematics classes. One could not but for a moment compelled to ask: was Alex destined for all this? Beyond this square feet classroom lay his desire, his ambition and his camera.

The greenery, the valleys of Kumaon were his interest. Alex' dad often travel places and he had bought a Pintex 500 from London. Ah! it had remained such an upheaval interest. All day long Alex would go out in the valleys with his camera and kept on shooting photographs at will. He had this knack of capturing the slightest moment and transforming them into radiant beauties. Perhaps, Joseph Chenni, the principal and art teacher of ST. Peters Catherdal School attributed Alex' taste of photography to his 'delight in loneliness'.

Alex was the single child of his parents,which meant due to any siblings he grew up all alone playing with toys and trying hard to embrace the solace. In comes art in his life. The flush of colors and the crayons struck a magical portrayal, and deep down in his heart Alex knew that he was building a world of his own. At first Alex started with his drawing books. He used to open a chapter and start coloring the objects on the chapter- animals, monuments, statues and so on. Then his father got transferred to Kumaon, a beautiful town in the beat of Uttarakhand, India.

Here unlike Jim Corbett,Alex took out his camera and started clicking pics. First it was a hobby and slowly and gradually Alex started taking more interest in the intricacies of the cameras. The technicalities did not seem to be easy for him but he did not mind. He was so good with it that slowly the school found an official photographer.

Alex wanted to pursue his career in photography but he knew that it was not going to easy for him. The family never approved his decision and soon enough he decided to quit his dreams.

Years later after a broken relationship and enough cash in the bank, Alex got a chance to pick up his camera. He had come down to Ladakh to write his new novel. The tall mountains and chillness of Ladakh forced him to take his camera and start clicking the pics. Though it took him sometime to get to the original form, Alex still fancied an award or so.

As he sat down after a hectic day of shooting, he realized his biggest folly. He understood that he was late in achieving his dreams. That he was always destined to be a photographer and inspite of all the odds that life offered he still had the camera with him today. Perhaps, the strength to face your own father while discussing your dreams or careers comes from within and he did not have it anytime. Alex could understood that he could not blame his father for this delay. It was him all along.The reflection on the water bore seem to get bigger every second but much happier to Alex. Perhaps, it was time to click more pics and get them enlarged.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

On the Walk to Brigade Road

Old adages are repeated more often when you visit places or address situations that deliver its worth meaning. I sense this is why the adage 'Old Is Gold' is prominently true when you visit the shops and restaurants of Brigade road in Bangalore. At the outset,let me confide: my intentions were not to write some nice words for Brigade road, but accidentally I found myself in no other choice but to use it.

Today was a day for couple of my bachelor friends, and it made more special for us because of many of our girlfriends were away or let us just say out of station. The plan was to hitchhike, play lots of games, eat at our fav den and maybe just maybe a bit of old flirting game. I was a little tired after been standing in the queue for getting the refunds for the IPL Semis, which never took place in Bangalore.

The gang had already joined in Nava Arya, a Maharastian Restro, which is located at the dead end of Brigade road. The gang had already started feasting themselves, and I did not waste much time in ordering my favorite Chole Bature and Masala Chai. Trust me readers, a chole bature worth of Rs. 30 from this place would take you to seven heavens of taste. The bature is very smooth and devoid of oil and choles absolutely yummy. As we ate, I mentioned this to my friend how this same item cost Rs.50 in the Embassy Golf Links, Bangalore.

After this, we hit upon Bowling Zone, an exclusive Bowling zone unit in Vasanth Nagar. We did some shopping in the old pashmia shops in Brigade road. The shop owners had been prominence from the last century and a visit to these shops makes you realise the reasons. Courteous, knowledgeable and helpful-the shopkeepers make you realise why shopping in India is such an interesting phenomenon. 

First, there will be the customary smile, the interest of exhibiting their products, then the routine apology of inability to show the best products, and finally a no-no to money. It looked as if the entire cycle of marketing is followed here. And, one more thing, the shopkeepers definitely know the purchasing powers of the customers.

Everywhere we went we saw banners related to IPL merchandise and products. While Empire Restaurant of Church Street invited you try their chicken biriyani and try your luck. How? by a mere purchase of biriyani and if your luck favors it you get a chance to meet player of Royal Challengers Bangalore. And, if that was not enough Nyx offers go to a length more by offering 50% discount on
alcoholic drinks during the IPL matches timings.

A visit to the Deccan Herald office in MG Road, and you can still get a chance to see a library inviting readers to browse and read. History cames alive as I scrolled through the newspaper pages of post-independence era.

Back to the present and my eyes could not stop the glimpse of a box, outside the library but right at the center of the reception bay. It read "Drop your visiting card to win an IPL Tickets." Ironically, a few days back a bomb was found in The MG Road area, which made the organisers shift their venues.

It was a day spent in the company of friends in an alley where I spent a lot of college days. But, maybe the tall buildings constructed these days decementing an India Coffee Day and metro work has taken the charm of my old Bangalore. But, the zing is and Brigade Road still beats as I could find the age old Kohinoor restaurant beating with crowds. Guess, the only thing constant is change, but you cannot change good habits for they make wonderful memories.


Saturday, April 17, 2010

Whose Line is it Anyway

I have a wide friend circle, boys and girls included, and most of them are working in call center organisations. I meet them quite regularly and have long hours of conversations. It was this Sunday when all of us had assembled to Raj' place. Raj stays at a posh residential colony of Indiranagar, Bangalore.

Infact, he owns the place for along time after his elder brother left for States. His house is right next to Indian ace Cricketer Rahul Dravid, which meant that we got a glimpse of the cricketer once or twice. Dravid is a nice human being with no attitude.

After our lunch got over couple of our friends started talking about the week that went by. One after one each spoke and it was the turn of Jitin now. Jitin, a Malaylee born and bred in Abu Dubai had been working @24 hours for a long time now. He also had a French girlfriend, which made couple of us took more notice to him than others. It also made couple of us jealous but then we dare not say that in front of our girlfriends.

Raj was a senior tech support in XYZ process, and it meant he used to do long hours of sales calls for business purpose. In short, he was the late CK Prahlad, a management guru in his own right. But, this job also had its own stress and pitfalls of it. He had to make this deal. I was sitting with him at the moment and quickly notice the name that he was going to call up. It was Mr.Hickley.

"Mr. Hickley, we have studied your organization and we believe there is a good fit in terms of our capabilities and your needs. Our services cover the range of activities from back office management to payroll."

There was an interrupt from the other side as the voice on the other side of Hickley meant to say something. But, Raj kept on speaking. "Mr.Hickley, we will get all the background work done here in India while you sleep blissfully and it would cost much lesser than what you pay  for your services in USA. What do you think about this idea?"

There was a minute paused and then Mr.Hickley spoke, "Son, I do not whom you wanted to speak to, but I am Lieutenant Hickley and am going for a war in a month or so. I do not think you would like to offer your services to me in a war.".

Raj was speechless for a moment; the phone fell down from his hand and he looked like a ghost. Till this day we could not stop but pulled Raj' legs for the mistaken identity.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Onsite Opportunities!

If there is a logic to justify Akram' obsession for overseas opportunities, you may pronounced it as an entry to the solutions department of Rubik' cube. Yes, it is next to impossible and Akram was short of intelligence, which Aamir Khan' of 3 Idiots fame to successfully solved it.

But, in my distant memory, as much it serves me, he was this large hearted character straight from engineering college to the massive giant of IT company "come on! I am ready for all of you!" "Get me all the java tava, webspheres and circles and I am game."

This kind of passion from engineering grads most of the time, do not go missing. Easily noticed by the project managers, their passion are used and energized in every 365 days. Soon enough, Akram realized it was just work and more work. The performance appraisals never displayed any sort of appreciation, and all he got was a pat on the back and continue learning.


It was his first year in the organisation,and he was expecting something pretty nice on his birthday. Instead he received a fatty bill of Rupees 1500 for the pizzas. All along he thought that things would turn up for better sure. While paying the bill Akram politely directed a remark to his project manager that he expected him to remember this pizzaa treat during Akram' appraisal.

Recession struck and the first thing that every IT company decided to follow the other was reducing the work force or a zero hike. Unfortunately, for Akram he was put in a project that demanded him to work late hours. It got worse as he had a manager who was known to take all the credit.

Senior colleagues of other projects told him to push his manager for onsite assignments. The H-1 B Visa application and subsequent the stamping made him a clear candidate for the upcoming project.

Akram knew that there were lot of contenders, but he decided to have a talk with his manager. It was quite cloudy that evening; the sun had decided to make a quick exist and allow the rain Gods to have a peek-boo.

Akram knocked at the manager' cabin only to receive a morose and dry smile. The manager clearly demonstrated that he meant business and any sort of non-chat working hours was not acceptable, atleast to him. "What is it Akram? no work, huh". Akram stammered a little bit, but quickly replied that he had done with the work for the day and wanted a quick chat.

The manager clearly was not interested to have a chat, but asked, "what is it then?" "I have got my H-1 B visa and wanted you to know that I am interested in travelled", Akram applied. "Oh is that so? so where do you want to travel? The Pyramids, I say. What do you think this company is, a Tourism Agency." The manager did not stop here and continued giving gyaan to Akram.

Akram was speechless and to an extent motionless. He did not expect this kind of response. He came out and went to his work station and sat on his chair. A ten minutes paused followed. But, deep down in his heart he realised one big thing- you do not need to have sex every time. Your company f**** you regularly.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Candid Love!

I love early morning candid conversations and occasionally over a jog. A childhood buddy of mine who had been to the Garden city for a short-time professional assignment accompanied me to these early morning trips. This fine day, when we had finished with our usual round of jogging, both of us sat down on a neat wooden bench.

The park usually at this hour had visitors of all ranges. While some were seen strolling, most of them were engaged in Yogashanas, some found time to sit around a cup of chai and so on. The scene gets a completely different look in the evening when most of the young couples invade the park, and then the mundane routine of laughter is overspread with romance.

Rony wasn't looking in his best spirits today, and I could make it out. He is that out-of-large humorous guy who keeps on spreading love everywhere. Incidentally, he had a breakup sometime back and though he told me about it, I never quizzed him on the serious aspect of it, but I sensed that he was a little disturbed and kept staring at the cell phone for time and again. Unable to resist myself I finally asked, "what is wrong?"

At first Rony was not willing to open up and share the thoughts but after sometime he started talking. It was about his past relationships and how he missed her. This is not something new. I knew Rony was a committed person and spend a great deal of time in adjusting and nurturing his relationships. But, apparently, he did not understand that girls sometime fall in love just to come out of a bad relationship.

And, this was true in his case. His ex had never cared for his emotions, never cared to understand what he had seeked in their relationships and left him all straddle. She came into Rony' life after an immediate break-up in which the guy used her for physical gains. Rony gave her the support she needed in
that emotional relationship, but she used him and left him of a saddle.

It was Rony' birthday and after whatever had happened between them he still thought she would ping her. But she did not. "Fine, we didn’t work out. I’m not gonna talk to her again. Not in a million years. Not even when she sends me a message to say she’s in some trouble. Am I being hard hearted? No I’m not. After whatever happened it’s only logical that I maintain a stony silence. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. I’m not a saint .

I can’t behave like one either; forgive/forget and speak to her is not possible any more. If in a relationship one person doesn’t respect the other, calling her/his only in the hour of need then the whole thing stinks- not of friendship, not of lust, but a rotten kind of love. There’s love here. No denying that. But it’s gone bad. And what do you do with something rotten? Throw it away… "

Rony felt relieved now. It was time to leave the place, but this time Rony left with a peace of mind.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

That Love for Tintin!

This post is a tribute to my favorite comic hero: Tintin (http://www.tintin.com/).

As a kid growing up in a middle-class family, I used to impatiently wait for my birthdays. It was a very special day for many reasons, but mainly because my maa would prepare payash, baba brought Elish mach and aunty gifted me another edition of Tintin comics. And, the latter was the dearest to me.
Amongst all the gifts that I have received till so far, Tintin always drew more interest than anything in my life. The comics, its characters, design and layout and the content-everything was so special. It was like I was one of those characters of the creator Herge. Tintin was special to me in many sense maybe because I could easily identify me in him.

Like Tintin' miniature figure, I was of an average height, of feeble strength and good at solving crossword puzzles. But what clicked for both of us were our ability to love mysteries.Tintin was a figure in my bed room; my friends presented me a poster of him, which I believe is still hanging in the wall of my room though these are decorated by the scores of telephone numbers today and my matriculation roll no..
I think I first read Tintin at my aunt' place, and if I am not mistaken it was titled The Shooting Star, and I did not get up from the sofa after reading it. I loved the content especially dialogues of Captain Haddock, friend of Tintin notably 'Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles' and 'Thundering Typhoons', Snowy', Tintin' dog who could possibly found a piece of bone even on the moon.

The murder mysteries and Tintin adventures were something to read and reread. It was an absolute delight! The manner in which he used to do research, put on his thinking caps, dived into dangers and so on were something to fall in love. Even in my days of childhood, when I used to play chor-police, I was always that clever Tintin.

Time passes and today I have the complete edition of Tintin comics-something that I couldn't possibly purchase when I was a boy. I also read somewhere that ace director, Steven Spielberg is going to come up with a movie shortly on the life of Tintin. It will be worth waiting. And, to conclude with a secret: I love Tintin more than my girlfriend.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

The Great Bengali Escape of 1971!

The 71’ war of East Bengal, now Bangladesh has left miserable rhymes in the hearts of many. Thousands of Bengali Hindus were stranded homeless and fled to India. The word ‘refugee’ came to haunt again and retold a many stories.

One of them was the great escape of a Bengali family in Sylhet- a father in his sixties with seven sons, five daughters and an ailing wife. The family of Purakayasta ensured that life was simpler and enjoyed their companionship.
Their father, a strict disciplinarian to the children and a dutiful husband to his wife ensured that the family upheld the values and practiced every Hindu custom in an Islamic environment. Bangladesh was not formed then, and though there were a sect of people who were anti-Hindu customs then, it still had a large section of people living at peace with other communities.

The moment had arrived when any longer of their stay in Sylhet would mean a sure 'death' for them. Their Hindu neighbors most of them had escaped to India without even telling them. It was a case of fleeing but where to run?

India was the only county who had kept its arms open to East Bengal. The then Prime Minister of India, 'Iron Lady' Srimati Indira Gandhi had been a strong advocate for the formation of Bangladesh, and she had clearly embraced the refugees coming from East Pakistan.

The family had two daughters married in India; the eldest daughter married to an Accountant in Shillong, Meghalaya and the other married to a Banker settled in Silchar,Assam. Shillong would not be the correct option for them as the route was not that easy. So, they settled for Silchar. Their daughter was wired of it. But now how to flee?

They knew that had to escape during the night hours and without any luggages. But, it was easier said then done. How could the family leave everything and flee all of a sudden? But they had to flee. So, they started digging holes in their backyard and stuffed all their objects- sarees, ornaments and so on. They kept the radio switched on at nights, so that armies knew everything was safe.The family hired two boats to take them from Sylhet to Karmigang in India. It was one of the safest routes for them-via water. The women wore burqas and men were in lungis. As they were sailing, the boats used to often encounters other passengers, who were thrown coconuts for FREE. All this were done to avoid any sort of disturbance.

Anyway, the family arrived safely to Silchar and soon the war also got over. Couple of the daughters also got married, and when they went back to Sylhet they were surprised to see the armies didn't touch their backyards and all.

"And, that is how I met your Baba in Silchar." said Maa. There was a sense of nostalgia that crept a shiver of tension in the spine from a far distant. I went to the nearest window and saw a boat sailing by.

The night had just arrived, and I felt maybe it was one of those nights that the family had escaped from Bangladesh by their sheer wisdom and bravery. Indeed, apple and blackberry were just fruits then.

Saturday, March 06, 2010

The Poster Kiddo!

A smirk on his face may be considered by most of the commuters of Sulaiman street of nothing substantial. But, for the barefooted kid wearing rags, a torn pant and a white shirt, enough to cover his lean body, but enough to show his bones, he was the happiest kid in around.

Boys of his age go to the nearby English schools wearing the brightest of uniforms and in fancy cars, but the kid never ever bore an interest. He was contended in his world adoring the walls of Sulaiman street with posters of the Southern film stars. He was provided errands for it, and he loved his job. Everyone used to call him the poster boy, and he loved the name and so the job.Investigative journalists of Kab Tak channel were doing a series of programs on slum kids in Mumbai. It was probably due to the recent success of Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. And, the channel started visiting the slums of Mumbai to collate more information on them. Sulaiman street housed more than 500 slum kids, mostly cobblers and beggars. Some also had taken the notoriety of turning them into the next underworld Don.

Mahesh Bhatt and Madhur Bhandarkar, notable directors were interested to do a movie on those kids. Sometimes international accolades can nurture national interest, but whether it is limited to Box office business, a case to be seen.

The poster kid those days were busy adoring the walls and theaters for the upcoming Rajnikanth movie. Interestingly,he was one of the few slum kids to be interviewed by Kab Tak channels had no emotion to express. The interviewer quizzed him enough, but she found nothing substantial to be announced as BREAKING NEWS.

Finally, tired and sweat pouring incessantly from her brows, she sat down in a chair. There beneath those curious brows, her eyes could see the poster kid getting inside a five feet municipality cemented pipe. She asked the vendor selling bhelpuri about it and was dumbstruck to hear that the kid stayed in that cemented pipe.

Curiosity she stood to get a glimpse of the place and suggested the cameraman to tag along. A foul smell hit her at the first instant as she came near the pipe. The lady could see everywhere dirt and poverty.

A sewage coming from the nearby apartments passed across the pipe. You could see it inhibited by mosquitoes, and amidst this saw a pipe. A pipe in which you have a small stove, some papers lying here and there, and in one of these you see the kid sleeping. She is left stunned to see how this kid manages to smile and sleep in this place? How?

After a few days, in one of her trips to this slum, she could see that same kido putting a poster on the wall. She could see that smile intact. She could not fathom the reason behind it.

Does he never cram to have a family and happiness or has his tears dried, after all he is just a child. She took courage to ask the kiddo one fine day and when she did, pat came the reply, " Aap to Aadat ho gayi hain". (I am used to it!) . Befitting Bollywood reply from a poster kido.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Reverse Ratings!

At some point in every man' life, he tends to use his high school Mathematics for a woman. Needless, to say, a man has already scored a quarter of a century figuring it out. But when the time comes, he is left with a sorry statement and an incident. Guess, I am left to share a piece here with you on this.

It was during our evening coffee break when Vikas and I were found strolling near the main entrance gate of XYZ Multinational company. Circles of smoke was coming out from the Viks chamber quite heavily. The client was very demanding and just an hour
ago, 51 customer requests had come. But, we wanted to keep ourselves away from this, even if it meant for a while.
While we were busy having a little chit chat, in came a cab with a new batch of freshers. The tech support team used to sit in the same floor with the engineering team. If you keep straight and take the first left, you will directly come across the tech support team-the only solace for us in the mundane environment.

The cab had some pretty faces and Vikas threw the bait to me-let's rank them kiddo. The Kiddo word had struck with me for a long time mainly to do with my coyness in demanding situations. I did not mind it though. But, at times, I felt I wish I could have changed it. Maybe, this was the perfect occasion to erase the tag. I said, "I'm on."

In walked couple of them from the cab and we started to rank them. Some had a '6' while very few earned a '9'. While we were about to complete the ranking, they walked in absolute gorgeous. We were about to say something, when we heard them saying, '5'. Yes, they ranked us 5. Jeez! I have stopped standing near the entrance gate after that.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Proposal Policy of a Call Center!

Dear readers! wishing you all a colorful Holi!

I was in a senior management role when this incident happened. It is one of those incidents that has found a room in my long-term memory aware of the cause that there is always a joke or two life offers you from nowhere. It is upto one to share that smile with others or to be locally confined. I tend to do the former one for this blog is in some way a medium to get united to a family of mine- you and me.
A batch of new entrants to the XYZ process had just arrived. And, being the operations manager of this giant call center organization, I had been entrusted to the setting up and managing of the team involved in the process. In this team of 15, a most noticeable was Shruti. She would be in the age of 20, tall, fair and an extremely noticeable nose. She had fared exceedingly well in her interviews and her angrezi accent, which came from her mother, was just icing on the cake.

From the first day I had taken a likeness for Shruti. She used to sit at a bay, which was not at a far distance from my cubicle. Since, I had been involved with this product and process for a long time,everyone had to seek my opinion/suggestions/help. Shruti did too.

And, I was more than happy to be her friend. As time went, Shruti and I became very close; we were not colleagues only but true bosom friends.

In those days, it was a ritual for call center units to go for trips to a day or two. Shruti and I too went out on a team trip. Amidst all those playfulness and laughter, I discovered that I was in love with her. One night while returning back from a movie, I proposed her, "Shruti, will you be my girlfriend?" There was a stone of silence. But came the prompt response, "No!".

It ended there, and I didn't quiz her the reason. Times went by and I decided to never ask her again for didn't want the friendship to end. But, the damn heart.You can't befool it.

One fine evening, during one of those breaks, I gave her a bouquet of flowers and proposed her again. This time it was a brisk walk leaving me in front of a gang of Hooters who till this date never ceased to amaze me with their retakes on the incident.

The following day I received a mail from the HR. It read, "you have exceeded your attempts of proposing Shruti. The company policy bars anyone from working in the call center organisation if he/she proposal has been rejected twice. You are suspended with immediate effect."

I remained seated in the Nirmala chair for a period of I-do-not-know-how-long only to be awakened by the coarse tone of the security guard,"chaliye sir."

I still laugh over the incident till this day. It was unfortunate that I didn't get a chance to meet Matrimonial Guruji; I hear that he is a master in providing love solutions. Wonder what he would have done at this situation!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Advantage BPO Cab Drivers!!!

"Ek Mard ko apni job Main Kya Chaiye?" What is it that a man looks for in his job? Good perks, decent salary and excellent environment to work. Do you think, you can only get that in a software industry and not somewhere else?

Get out of the box for you will be surprised to know that the cab drivers of today are enjoying the most hospitable profession in India.

And, especially Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) drivers of India. To this fact, I could not easily nod my approval, but for the sake of humanity, I decided to do some research on it.

Figuratively, I was left stunned as couple of my friends still working in call centers told me that not only the BPO drivers get excellent salary and perks, but also most of them are darling of the girls.
After my research, these are the few points which makes a BPO' cab driver' profession such a lucrative one:

1)He is surronded by more women than James Bond.

2)If you are in driving in Delhi (NCR), most of the times you may end up in an air-conditioned cab. Apart from using it for your regular routine, you can use it get your family on-board for hawa pani'.

3) He is more likely to get FREE snacks and lunch and dinner at the company. Also, after repeated requests of bhaiya are approved, the behenas will invite them for birthday parties and weekend booze.

4) He can soon write a detective novel featuring the gossips and scandals related to the BPO workers. The only requirement is that he should be a good eavesdropper and a conversationalist.

5) He will be friendly with most of the shops selling pans and cigarettes. The behenas will persuade him to make a quick buck by getting them nicotine. In some cases, he may also act as a druggist too.

6) He can make extra money on the side by picking up other passengers. Beware! if you get in a cab at ITPL or Electronics City in Bangalore, you are more likely to be drugged and robbbed. Yes, in that way, you can soon get into an international racket.

7) His mobile bills are paid by the company.

8) He can poach employees for other competitor' companies and thus becomes a vendor.

9) He becomes punctual and is aware of the terms like GPS, Tracking and so on.

10)He can call himself the Batman and drive on those roads and lanes at speeds that even Michael Schumacher would even fancy!

The BPO Industry in India currently has a staggering count of 50,000 drivers and its growing daily. So, if you are planning to start up a profession, learn to drive and who knows you may soon find yourself in a Kingfisher party with Vijay Mallya.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Vishal Bhardwaj VS Karan Johar

The next time you call me romantic, you have to bite your nails. I am an incorrect choice. I usually end up scoring disastrous notes in romance, and my girlfriend can just pray that God, make him a little romantic. As a result of which I do not advise and practice watching Karan Johar'candyfloss movies. His movies causes me an acute pain, bit like Sinus.

It starts right from the time I hear and watch Switzerland choreographed songs one after one, and gets on higher as I see Shahrukh Khan running after the heroines, usually 3,trying his level best to mimic Dilip Kumar and breaks done as I see all Mummy-ji.

OOf! writing only makes me sad. And, to add on to that, when I find scores of people purchasing tickets to watch the melodramas and coming out in tears, I just can't take it anymore! You have to be in person to understand the pathos.
And then, when all I felt is over in Bollwood in terms of creativity and originality, in comes Vishal Bharwadaj. His movies- Maqbool, Omkara, Maachis, and most recently Ishqiya are hard-hitting dramas with superb starcast, rich in content and style and most importantly, movies have a language which aap or main can co relate. It makes me sit,watch and concentrate on the theme rather than on the costumes and locations.

It has a message and more often than not, it allows you the option to counterattack the theme with your views. For example: would Irfan Khan'character done different in Maqbool had he not listened to Tabu? Would he have killed Pankaj Kapur? The perspective is upto you, and Vishal leaves it us and make a decision.

Yes, but movies are for entertainment and Karan Johar is here to make money out from his movies. He has his distributors who are vying him to take a super-duper starcast and get viewers in the theatres. His best shot is to make movies with romantic actors and who else is better than his partner, Shahrukh.

Both of them understand each other' limitations and strengths, and encash it on their hits. Karan would never try to experiment with SRK in something that he feels he cannot pull it of. Hence, a SRK has to do occasionally do a SWADES, however convincing he may make it sound, it is never a commerical success. Hence, SRK will have to keep in touch with Karan for Johar knows SRK' quotient lies in romantic shades.

If its only for entertainment, then maybe one should start watching movies like The Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Casino, Forrest Gump and so on. Neither of these movies can be labelled as commerical success, but you will be left spellbound watching these movies. I am a fond of Pankaj Kapur and Naseer Bhai' acting. They take a movie to another level, and seriously it works a great deal.

And then the sponsors of film awards- these guys are to be blamed for the current situation. I do not under what basis they adjudicate but seem utterly rubbish to me. My Name is Khan has already been crowned as the best feature film of 2010. How? did you see it? Nope, but it has to be no because it has SRK and Kajol in it.

How does it make other films like Road to Sangam, Teen Pathi and so on? Even if the content and theme are excellent, you can't do anything, because the verdict has been declared.

I just hope we have directors like Leena Yadav, RGV, Madhur B and Vishal B continue coming up with excellent original scripts and create movies which talk a lot. Else, a guy like me will stop watching movies. And huh! Karan one more thing- I know it's all about loving your parents, but it's also about telling the truth.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

What's with the 'Firangi' Bahus!!!

I am penning this piece post-conversation with a friend, who refuses to acknowledge that he would be compatible with Indian girls (hereafter, referred to as 'desis')or girls who are born as Indians. He has been in look out for an 'angrez' or 'European' girl right from the day, he left India for his first onsite trip.

His parents, a scene right from a Bollywood movie, are searching for a bahu, who will bear the mark of sati-savitri. But though he has vehemently denied any request of him getting tied up with a desi bahu, he does not have the balls to raise voices against his parents.

The situation presently is that he has met a single mother from Germany, and is all set to marry her, with yours truly being one of the witnesses.
My friend, who also is one of the domain experts of the Banking product, that I am involved with, is a nice human being. Our friendship blossomed first with work, and then it scaled up with Rock music.

During one of the frequent trips to the Legend of the Rocks, Bangalore when I was hitting on some desis' chicks, I found him to be extremely aloof. Thinking it may be one of his prayer days, I decided to quiz him later.

To my amusement, he sternly responded "mujhe yeh Indian ladkiyas pasand nahin hain". I thought maybe it is a case of the heated moment, but the day he pronounced this directly to another colleague, she was all in red eyes. I then thought "Boy! it is an issue with him."

His logic is simple: I am incompatible with desis, and I do not like the way they think, act and talk. I do not wish to live them and make my life a mess. I have been hearing this for a long time, and I think it is everybody' preference to choose and marry the girl they wish to. Religion or caste should not come as an hindrance. I too like angrez and vidhesi kudiyas, but to demarcate a line and say Indian girls are poor in every sense-I find it extremely hurtful and basically fake.

That he is born of Indian parents- a mother who taught him how to crawl and walk, the first language of his mother tongue. She is even ready to accept a videshi bahu, but she wants to have a talk with her before she does that.

If you have spent some years in Kerala, you will know how orthodox people are there. She also has to stay with the society, and bear the brunt of it. They are even contemplating of selling the property in Kerala and settling down in Ahmedabad.

My ex-gf, a Malaylee told me once that even if she told her parents that she loves me and will not marry anybody except me, her parents will find it difficult to accept. Because:they all have to live in a society, and have to contastly get this nagging. Sometimes, I wonder if we choose the society or the society does.

I feel he is doing the correct thing; there is no point in getting married to a desi, and then getting separated. You are doing a great sin for you have no right to play with a sacred institution like marriage. I think, if he is sure that he will be comfortable with a videshi wife, then let it be.

The big thing is he should not cheat his parents, and should not hide and get married to her. It may come as a shocker to them, but all they want is their son' happiness as does every parents.

As I get prepared to attend another client call, I hear that my friend already has put on an angrezi accent and started talking to the client. Good for him!