Monday, July 26, 2010

Udaan

Movies which have been a slight offbeat from the regular ones, have always captivated the hearts of audience in more than one way. The way movies have started being made in India recently, has changed the visage of Indian Cinema, bringing good news for real movie lovers to experience the real cinema rather than just getting lured towards the regular chick-flicks which costs crores, not-even-guaranteeing to be a box-office hit.

One such recent movie is Udaan, that depicts the dogmatic endurance by a teenager which gradually dissolves into an infiltration of his own dreams and an ambition to become a writer, coerced him to lead a life on his terms. The movie also touch based upon the small kid who is extremely innocent and facing similar challenges as his brother, for whom every heart drops a tear of sympathy. Emotions soared high, and conveyed explicably in some parts - with no words uttered. Intensity of the acting reached a level where dialogs could be heard from the eyes and the body language of the protagonist. The maturity level which one attains through the events that can occur in one’s life cannot be articulated by the age factor. Once attained, it gives clarity of what one wants to make of his life and really needs to cut through all the barriers, as he moves on to live this vision of his life. Though the contemplation of the movie, surely can bring in more words than written in this blog, but I have sure highlighted the reasons for the movie being a – “Must GO for”.

My verdict of the movie is – one of the best made movies, which deserve a huge round of applause for the director, the writer, the cinematographer, and the actors who pulled out the very essence of the movie. In today’s society, the very existence of stubbornness and severity amongst parents in a child’s upbringing, builds in rage and anxiety amongst the teenagers, resulting in the disquiet family atmosphere and that is when drastic steps are adventured. The touchy subject of a parent child relation has been brought out beautifully by the movie makers where each dialog and expression uttered by the protagonist stirred the emotion in one’s heart and ached for him, thereby perfecting the character and doing justice to the role.

**** (4-star)

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Review of the book - Right Fit Wrong Shoe by Varsha Dixit

Saturday afternoon, I wondered how I could spend the remaining of the day, with a cancelled plan and no-good-to-see anything in the TV. I had picked up a book from a library nearby named “Right Fit Wrong Shoe” magnetized by the title of it. I tried to read the book, the same night after having worked late, realizing that I made a wrong decision to return the book unread, that day. But luckily flipped some pages of it, today

The book will be loved by an ardent bollywood follower or bollywood lover or may be just a viewer. But more could be associated by people, who sometimes live the light moments of their day-to-day life quoting some of the bollywood pick-up-lines or some catchy songs. Well the songs might range from being an “irritator” having some of the repeating phrases, to some having undiscovered-words-making-no-sense, but stick on to our tongues from nowhere and are just lingering in our mouths, till the end of the day getting strange looks from people around you, initially and getting promoted to angry looks accompanied by words, towards the end of it.

As the characters of the play, begin to unwrap themselves in the story, and the center of the plot being a heartbroken woman, who was “terribly” in love, I got deeper into the book. The best part of it, which distinguishes it from the other chick-flick novels, being the way the characters were revealed. The “hero” was not described as a rich handsome attractive young business man all in one go, but just got pictured as one, as the story took its route. The same was replicated for “Nandini”, the female lead. During the read, just when you start feeling bad or (for more the emotional) shed a tear for the heart broken, you will immediately cast a smile on your face with the famous ol’ bollywood dialogs cited by the characters in the plot comprising of a fourth of the words which were used to write the book. It had all the important highlights of the bollywood, including dialogs from the recent n popular – Jab we met. Even each name of the chapter was an excerpt from a bollywood movie or the name of the bollywood movie itself. The capstone during my read, was the famous pick-up line from the movie – “Maine Pyar Kiya”. The line from the book as it is – “How dare you forget the first tenet of love set by Maine Pyar Kiya? Ek Ladka ladki kabhi doost nahi hotein. Kapkapati raatein, bhadakti aag, dhadakte jism etc., remember”. And the line was uttered during a serious conversation of trying to induce the female protagonist to come out of a broken relationship by a friend. And I personally would buy this line - a friend saying this… J

I just loved the narration of the story and successfully recalling the flashback love-story to the readers, keeping - love, lust, heartbreak, tears, laughs and all other human sentiments in equal proportions with an analogy to the bolly-kind-of-movies and at the same pace throughout the read. Wow! That was almost like picturizing a super-hit movie.

Varsha Dixit has brought in a new style of writing which is simple, yet so enjoyable and entertaining 4 hour read, with mixed emotions flowing through the readers’ mind and keeping the fingers glued to the book except to turn the leaves of it. Though the story might be one of those cliché kinds, but the narration and its “exclusivity” is what one might like. A sure-shot try for our film-makers to get their hands on this story, is my suggestion ;).

Monday, February 1, 2010

Ek safar ki shuruat!!

Sab kuch sametkar ek safar ki shuruat huyi
Lagta tha dar, zindagi meri hogi, kitni nayi

Sab kuch badal jata hai pal bhar main
Palak bas jhapkane der hain

Kadam badhe aankhon mein sapne hazar liye
Bojhal naino se intezaar zindagi ka hum kiye

Raste bante gaye, raahon mein kante bhi aaye
Kuch khushbu lekar, hum chal diye

Kuch bunde chalki badalon se
Khusbu bheegi si aaye baharon mein

Jharoke se haath badhte hi
Chooti hun boondon ki ladi

Waqt tham si jaati hain aisi hi kuch palon mein
Aati hain yaad un hasin lamhon ke

Lavz honton ko sil dete hain
Badhi hui haath vapas le lete hain

Palkein jhuk jaati hain
Dil sambhal jata hain

Sunti hun mein badalon ki garaj
Waqt lag sakta hai, par uge ga wo suraj

Madham si hava behti hui
Khwabon ko fir bunti

Aanchal ko lehrake hawa le gayi
Maine apne aap ko bahon mein le li

Ek sundar hasin sapne ki kaamna se
Jeevan naye sire se sajane hain

Friday, December 25, 2009

3 Idiots - My Verdict

As the movie starts off with very high expectations, I am all bucked up to see it, after paying a higher (than average) cost for the ticket. As the movie goes on, and hits the highest with the nerd’s speech in “Hindi” sequence, where I laughed my lungs out with tears in my eyes with stomach crunches and paining cheek muscles, I began to expect higher and higher from the movie. I was no longer resting my back in the cushioned seat, and curiously looked at the screen, anxious to know what next would happen. Every part of it was funny and a pun on the current education system though I was completely in disagreement with the few parts of the movie, which if edited would have taken the movie to a different height.
So, coming to the low points of the movie, the whole “Labor Scene” sequence was presented stupidly. Second, some places, Kareena and Aamir looked older. I wish young newcomers could have been taken, but may be the risk factor would have been a problem for the movie makers. And, finally, leaking out the exam paper and the friend not even having a glance at it was indigestible. Now c’mon, anyone would at least have look at the questions, though, might continue to prepare for the complete targeted syllabus, as, before getting the leaked questions. At least I did that, in my so called “Engineering Life”, just like a larger population of other students.
But, I would let that go, and forgive the story of the movie, and completely give all the credit to the humor put into it, which completely justified the movie, in itself, to be, a big release and a hit. I would rate “4 STAR”. I might be a bit harsh in bringing out the flaws in the movie which everyone would have loved, but I wanted it to be a “5 Star”, which it could have, if not for those parts. Well I just wish that the level of comedy in other Bollywood movies will also be made competent enough in the coming year.
With that note, I would say - watch the movie. It’s worth one watch!


Merry Christmas!!!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

2 -states

Not being able to take out time from my regular schedule, has opened yet another option for me to stay late in the nights till 3 so that I can complete a book, and if the book is interesting, how can I resist myself?

After seeing a movie followed by dinner on a Sunday evening, I was in my usual trauma, of having to go to office the next day. But who knew that I will have an amazing 2 day read about an almost masala-movie-cum-novel – “2 States”. I had decided earlier that, I would sleep by 11:30, so that getting up @ 6:30 will not be as painful as it had recently become, because of my Late-to-bed habit. As I read, continued to flip the pages lying on my bed, rarely getting my eyes off the book, at a point of time, my eyes felt heavy. I wondered if I was fine. Then I looked at my mobile to a shock! It was 3:00 in the morning. I just had three and a half hours to sleep. Oh shit! I said to my self – “Sleep, otherwise you will have a tough Monday to fight” and as I turned over to face the wall on my right, thoughts of, what would happen next, pondered in my mind. Will Krish and Ananya, the lead characters of the story, be able to convince their parents who had just arrived IIM-A for attending the convocation ceremony of their children respectively. Next, I was overpowered by the temptation to know more about what “will happen”. And I opened the book. Somehow, I could no longer keep my eyes open after half an hour, as it had started hurting me.

Yesterday after I came back from office around 9, I was stuck with the book again. I had completely forgotten that, I had not had anything for dinner. At around 11, realizing I had skipped my dinner, I went to the kitchen. I thought for a while I stood there in a strange stupefaction, I came back to my bed again and let my laziness win over the hunger. I will put it better – “Let my curiousity win over laziness”. But I wondered if I was really hungry!

Story continued. I kept moving from one page to another, one chapter to another. As Krish, one of the protagonist of the story trying his level best to convince his girlfriend’s South Indian parents, bearing the brunt of their behavior and followed by Ananya, the girlfriend, looking up to getting her would-be-mother-in-law convinced to accept her to prove herself the perfect “bahu”.

I shed a drop of tear as Krish had stopped having his food and fell ill due to a small misunderstanding with Ananya, though not very sure, if tear drop was because I was hungry and I could feel his pain. I would go with the second option. :)

The story continued with the dark colored shades of cultures from respective states merged to end into a beautiful color of happily-married-ever-after ending.

Oh, how much I love happy endings... :)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Why -
1. do i wish to have something and can never have it?
2. do i not have the power to revert time back?
3. do i think too much about what is "past"?
4. do i not take my decisions seriously?
5. do i sometimes think "if this would not have happened"?
6. do i sometimes take things too much to heart?
7. do i make mistakes and repent over the spilt milk?
8. do i smile when i repeat my mistakes?
9. do i yell at small things and keep mum for bigger things, when actually required to be yelled?
10. do i always expect for everything to fall in place?
11. do i sometimes like rains, even though i don't like it other times?

Friday, November 27, 2009

(-No Topic-)

Lately, the number of people who are discussing about my plans of marriage in - direct or indirect way has increased exponentially. Well, do I hear the wedding bells ringing, or is this a sign that I soon will be shopping, all kanchi pattu sarees and gold and… Okay, I will stop my scary dream there… :)

It has been a year, since I have started with my job, and the next thing that comes to everyone’s mind is “Wedding”. And the maximum of these conversations come from none other than, people of my age group. Now can you beat that!!! Oh lord!! Save me. Just because I stay alone, does it mean, I need to get married to someone who can take care of me! I CAN take care of myself. And, thinking of yet another option, I can keep a full time “Domestic Helper” to accomplish this concerning task, of taking care of a 22 year old girl!!!

I guess, I am exclaiming way too much, but I hope, every girl of my age would surely freak out at the very mention of “Marriage”. And so do I.

Though I don’t know, what will happen in near future, there are some things which I really want to do before getting cuffed, into the chains. I have a long wish list, which needs to be fulfilled. I just hope I can hold on and get away with at least half of them.

In the meantime, I will continue to keep my cool, with all the sort of direct and indirect questioning. :)