Ganapati celebrated in Bombay

Well, it feels nice to be here in Bombay once again for the Ganapati festival. Last year, I had to give it a miss because of my ILP in $#%^%$ Bhubaneswar. Now, don't get me wrong!!! I did enjoy my stay in Bhubaneswar and getting away from home was not as bad as I thought it would be. But, one does yearn for home when typical Bombay festivals like Ganeshotsav come along. And believe me, hearing your friends describing the sweets they got to eat and the fun they had at the various places they visited, in graphic detail, does not exactly tickle your funny bone!!!

Well, enough of last year. This year too, there was lots of stuff to do. And mainly, good food to eat!!! However, one thing turned this otherwise enjoyable festival sour for me. Today, wherever I went, there were old aunties and grannies asking my mom about when she was gonna get a daughter-in-law for herself!!! The general conversation went something like this....

Aunty/Granny : When are you getting a lady for this young man?

Mom : Errr......he wants to study further before thinking of that and plus, we think it's too early for all this.

Aunty/Granny : What nonsense? Early? Look at him, such a big fellow, he should settle down and give you some nice cuddly grandchildren to play with!!!

Mom : We really don't think so!!!

Aunty/Granny : Don't be stupid!!! If you ask me, its good to have these youngsters settle down early in life, else they get out of hand!!! Trust me, I have some experience in these matters.

(All the other "wise people" around grunt their assent!!!)

Hello!!! Who gave you guys the right to decide when I should settle down? And what's all this about cuddly kids to play with? And since when did the ultimate aim of "settling down" become providing your parents "cuddly" grandchildren to "play with"????????? GOD!!!!

Sometimes, I really wonder why these people cant mind their own bloody business!!!

Omkara - A Review

Had been to G7 at Bandra to watch Omkara alongwith V, P, SC, RK and RS. Unfortunately, we didn't get tickets for the 3.30pm show we had planned on watching. For some reason, we hung around the area and went for the 6.30pm show. I must say I wasn't disappointed.

The movie starts off with a bang, an expletive in the very first dialogue!!! Wow.....this movie must be something, you think. Vishal Bharadwaj builds up the story nicely from this point on. We slowly get to know the characters, their peculiar traits and their common background. Now, comes the acid test of the movie. One wonders whether it will live up to expectations, especially considering it tom-toms itself as an inspiration from the bard's Othello. I think the movie delivers what it promises, and maybe, more. I do not need to get into the story here.....anyone who is familiar with Shakespeare's work will already be knowing it well. Ah, the jealousy of Othello, the cunning of Iago, the beauty of Desdemona!!! Substitute these names with Omkara, Langda Tyagi and Dolly, and the effect, quite surprisingly, isn't diluted.

Bharadwaj makes excellent use of the rugged, barren landscapes of UP very effectively. The rustic setting simply adds to the charm of the movie. Satara has also been used here, notably in one road sequence, a road which regular visitors to Mahabaleshwar via Pune will recognise as the road to Wai, at the base of the ghat leading to Panchgani. Camerawork is great, with the full starkness of the barren land brought forward. One noteworthy scene is the last one with a prostate Kareena on the swing, moving back and forth, while Ajay Devgan lies underneath. You have to watch it to experience it.

Performance-wise, the movie is filled with excellent actors, who do full justice to their characters. Kareena Kapoor, as the beautiful and faithful Dolly and Vivek Oberoi, as the upstart Kesu, both turn in credible performances. One thinks these roles have come to them at just the right time in their careers. Naseeruddin Shah, as the big boss, is dependable as ever. So, is Konkana Sensharma. There is simply no need to describe their performances. The audience expects the world from them, and they deliver. Period. Ajay Devgan, as the brooding Omkara, overcome with extreme jealousy, is menacing as ever. One never even doubts for a minute that his character could lose in combat, such is the life that this talented actor infuses into his role. Finally, we come to Saif Ali Khan. WHAT A PERFORMANCE!!! Simply mindblowing!!!! The transformation from the suave and sophisticated nawab to a rustic UP goon is complete. Boy, do you hate his character when you watch the movie. That evil smile, the stained teeth.......marvellous!!! And the expression in his eyes, when he is denied his coveted position....that is the mark of a good actor and we certainly have one in Saif. Saif, I bow to thee....award winning stuff, this.

At the end, one feels the movie could have been more crisply edited. That is just about the only grouse I can recall. Something, huh???

A motley missed!!!

Ever had that feeling?? You get out of bed and look forward to 3-4 hours of blissful quizzing. Ahh...Utopia!!! Alas, Utopia is fictional!!! The quizzing is thwarted by the infantile insistence of Dad that I meet some stupid relatives who are coming over to India after 15 years!!! They had some idiotic desire to see their long-lost nephew, who was soooo small when they saw him last!!! As if that's ever possible where I m concerned!!! Now is it my fault that they chose not to return for 15 whole years??

And Dad's attempt to mollify me?? Tickets to Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna!!! Aaarghhh!!!! Read about it in the post below.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna - A Review

An urban setting, a director with an excellent track record, good music and a star cast to die for. These are the ingredients which will draw the crowds to the theatres to watch one of the most awaited movies of the year - Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna!!! And does the movie live up to the hype surrounding it? Read on to find out.

One of the first things to strike you in the movie is the camerawork....stark grey landscapes from urban New York have been captured very nicely in the movie, be it the parks, the crossings or the railway station. It makes a very striking contrast when you compare it to a movie like Parineeta, which makes use of vibrant colours to capture the Kolkata of the 60's.

The movie revolves around two individuals, SRK and Rani, who are unhappy with their respective marriages. A chance meeting on a park bench and a poorly executed chase spark off a series of meetings, which finally culminate in love. However, social and marital obstacles thwart them at every step. How they overcome these and finally manage to get together after aeons, is what seems to be the gist of the story. I use the word 'seems' because I can never tell for sure why the characters in the movie do whatever they do!!!

The movie seems to finally have a different storyline - a rarity in movies from the Dharma Productions stable. However, Karan Johar seems to have stretched a promising story almost to the point of mediocrity!!! He sure seems to need a shot of Koffee!!! Rani cries all the time, pausing only briefly to push off an "eager" Abhishek!!!! Believe me, tear stains on such a pretty face are not very good to look at!!! SRK is grumpy all the time. God knows his character could give me some serious competition for surliness!!! Preity appears confused all the time, alternating between the all-conquering career woman and the hurt wife!!! The kid is cute, and brings a few smiles to movie-goers' faces. But, the real stars are the father-son duo of the Bachchans. They share a fantastic camaraderie on screen. Abhishek's goofy look is the perfect foil for the casanova-like Big B. Truly, he is the best actor in Indian cinema today, and by a long way!!! Kirron Kher delivers a very compact performance, something we have now come to naturally expect from her.

The movie does tend to disappoint, given the high expectations from it, but somehow, it isn't as bad as many people make it out to be. Go for it, but be prepared to stare periodically at your watch and wonder how much more time's left for it to end!!!

Town Hall / Asiatic Library

The Sea at Bandra Bandstand