Cheeni Kum - A Review

Went to watch Cheeni Kum at Sterling today. The promos of the movie had interested me greatly and I was interested in seeing whether the movie lived up to the interest it aroused in me.

The movie starts with a quick introduction of the lead characters. No grand entry, no loud music. Just the beginning of a story. The story of a romance between a 64 yr old man and a 34 yr old woman. The story of the pitfalls such a romance must inevitably face.

The movie-makers have been very wise to choose AB and Tabu for their respective roles. For, it is very difficult to imagine two people more perfect for this story. Both of them shine in the movie, be it the restrained emotion, or the tacit understanding between the two. Especially entertaining are the witty potshots that both characters can't resist taking at each other.

Tabu makes a return after a long hiatus and the wait was simply well worth it. She certainly delivers what is expected of her. AB, as always, is perfect. He portrays the character of the "khadoos" but lovable buddha quite well. Very often, he irritates you but, you still manage to feel sorry for him, at times. And, just when you have begun to feel that this fellow is not all that bad...BAM...he snaps at someone again!!! Zohra Sehgal, as AB's mom, packs in quite a punch. It is amazing to see this versatile actress still deliver such great performances in her 90's. Also, deserving a special mention is Baby Svini. Her scenes with AB are simply delightful and she effortlessly manages to keep pace with the Big B. This young lass sure has some potential. Hope she doesn't fade away, for one feels that there is surely more to come from her.

So, did Cheeni Kum justify my interest? You bet it did!!!

Now, if only all companies could advertise honestly like this...

Lessons in Two-Wheeler Riding - A Dummy's Viewpoint (Part 1)

Started learning how to ride a two-wheeler today. The vehicle? My dad's trusty LML Vespa 150 NV. Turns out the learning process was just the opposite for me. No need for any coaching regarding clutch release, gear changing, braking distances etc. What I needed was help with balancing!!! So, I suppose it must have presented a very comical sight to the passers-by at the Marine Drive service road. I mean, a greying man holding onto a scooter trying to make a fat 23 yr old learn how to balance a two-wheeler, must be funny to watch. Pathetic!!!

Next lesson scheduled for next Saturday. I am beginning to get a hang of the balance now. Hope I manage to keep the scooter moving in the intended direction for more than 30 seconds now!!!

Impressive Service!!!

Looks like the 24 hr time period has not yet started.

Apologies for the picture quality. The guard just wouldn't let me take a front-on pic.

Paradise on Earth

When I checked my blog today, I found that my last post date was 15th April, 2007. Whew!!! Almost a month ago!!! Yeah yeah...I know!!! I should have posted a long time back, especially considering that it's been a week since I have returned from vacation. But, hey!!! The laziness has finally subsided and I have finally decided to put pen to paper...well, fingers to the keys, at least!!!

Hmm, where do I begin? The entire vacation was full of pleasant and a few not-so-pleasant experiences (which I shall not mention here). It began with a sojourn to Calcutta which was going to be our hub for Port Blair. A couple of days there and we would be off to the Andamans. Well, Calcutta proved to be HOT!!! A sizzling 38 degrees and there would be an uncomfortably warm breeze coming in through the windows of the old crock Amby taxis. But, it was something different as compared to Bombay.

The flight to Port Blair certainly cannot be called uneventful. I don't mean that there were any close calls or any other such thing inflight. I mean that the first view of the Andamans was such that it shall forever remain etched in my memory. No amount of description from me is going to do justice to that sight. It would be better if you saw the pics for yourself. Link to these pics will be at the end of this post.

Port Blair is like any other British town. Small, quaint houses dotting the well maintained roads which curve steeply around the stunted hills, glimpses of the brilliantly blue sea, small and crowded marketplaces which sell all sorts of knick-knacks, half-naked foreigners moving about on rented two-wheelers. The weather was just like Bombay. The only thing that struck me was that the air was extremely clean, people followed traffic rules religiously and the service industry there was interested in just that - service. No expectations of favours or tips. You pay me the fixed rate, I will do what I promised. As simple as that.

The main tourist attraction of Port Blair was the Cellular Jail, notorious as "Kaala Paani". The walls of this infamous jail, which incarcerated many of the freedom fighters, still look pretty imposing. Originally, there were seven arms radiating out of a central watch tower. Now, only 3 of these arms still exist. One look at the cells and you realise from the outset that all the gruesome incidents that we have read about in the history books must have been true. A peek at the oil extraction machine and the gallows only serve to strengthen this conviction. A recently built museum serves to dispel all remaining doubts one may have about the brutality and hard-heartedness the British displayed while dealing with the prisoners. Quite a bit of information is also available there about Veer Savarkar, the jail's most famous prisoner.

The other sites around Port Blair are pretty much like the ones you will find near any coastal tourist spot, only much cleaner and greener. However, what one could call a paradise on earth...well, at least in India, is Havelock Island. This place is home to Radhanagar beach, Asia's best beach according to Time magazine. Turquoise blue and emerald green waters, pristine white sand and rides on tusker elephants are the highlights of this place. There are so few people on this beach that you almost get the feeling that you own it!!! The only things strewn on the beach are dead branches, fallen coconuts and sleeping foreigners!!! Anyone with marriage on their minds may note that this is just about the perfect place for a honeymoon!!! Also worth a mention are the coconuts sold here. Enormous green fellows with sweeeeet water which never seems to get over. All this for only 10 bucks, and that too at a tourist spot. Compare that with Bombay where I get sickly looking brown coconuts for 14 bucks each. Havelock Island also has other beaches like Elephanta beach where one can do snorkeling for viewing coral. The water here shows shades of brown, green and deep blue, all at the same time, depending upon the depth of the water.

The tour of the Andamans certainly convinced me that this is truly the last place on earth that is yet to come into its own as a tourist destination. And for it's sake, I hope it stays that way.

PS : Pictures are available here.

Here's a glimpse