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

Just another post

Again, a long time since the last post. I know, I know!!! I should write more frequently...blah...blah!!! Some of the anonymous ppl commenting here feel I shouldn't write at all!!! Ah, but then, I am digressing!!! Blogger's block!!! Promise it wont happen again (believe me at your own risk!!!)

It's been a very busy couple of weeks in office. A big release, a big problem, a quick solution, new problem, another brilliant solution, another release, short meeting with friends. Now, one more week to go before I proceed on vacation!!! Maybe I will write a proper post when I get bored in office!!!

Childhood Faux Pas

I just read RMLR's latest post about how his kiddie antics are the topic of conversation at most of his family functions. This set me thinking. What is it about the things we do as a kid that makes us so adorable to our elders?

I, for one, am constantly tormented by this incident being recalled at every gathering of my extended family. It seems that there used to be an 11 lakh State lottery that was advertised very aggressively on TV when I was 2 or 3. The words "Akra Laakh" (11 lakhs) were constantly shouted out during this commercial. My take on these words? "Akhkha Naak" (Full Nose)!!!

The other thing that irritates me is the tendency of the older aunties to pull my cheeks. OK, I know I am fat, my cheeks are big, but that doesn't mean that u should pull them!!! Oh boy, the hours I have spent plotting the various forms of torture that I would submit their cheeks to.....

Thoughts of an Uninspired Fatso!!!

• It is actually more fun to drive on a Saturday evening, as compared to a Sunday evening.
• I bought a camera last week and I must say that Canon sure delighted me.
• I am thinking of going for a jog in the mornings at Marine Drive but, somehow, I never get up before 9.
• It was a waste of a night watching India lose to Bangladesh.
• I wonder whether I should try GMAT this year. As of now, I haven't made up my mind, but am inclined towards it.
• It will be initially weird not having RMLR in my project.
• I wonder when I will get rid of the R** monkey on my back.
• Slowly all my friends are going away from Bombay, and that makes me sad.
• I can still put bat to ball, as Saturday's picnic showed (see pic).
  
• Yeah, I know!!! I finally made an appearance on my blog!!!
  
• I cant wait for my Andaman holiday to start.
• This post is the result of my promise to Everyman. See what happens when I am not inspired??
  

Music

I was reading my friend, AD's latest post on how people tend to say that modern music has less value as compared to the good old days. This got me thinking. When can we say that any music is good? It may be simple for those technically trained or at least, inclined towards music to quantify the various parameters which may help us decide whether a given piece of music is good or bad. But, what about mere mortals like me? For me, F and G are just letters. And why the hell do we have to sharpen them???

I guess one can figure out by now the extent of my musical knowledge. But then, I too like listening to music. I have never managed to figure out why I like a particular piece of music, though. Take for example, Jiya Jale from Dil Se. I simply love the song. It's just so catchy...well, at least to me, it is. I don't understand half of the words in it coz they are in Malayalam (or is it Tamil). But, the music, the lyrics, the vocals, they all come together in a smooth package. Ditto for Pyar humko bhi hai from Chalte Chalte. And the guitar piece from KK's Pal? Simply awesome. I just find myself rewinding the song over and over just to listen to that neat piece of guitaring.

Now, one must think that here I am speaking about music making me feel something and I mention only Hindi songs here. Well, I like a few English ones too. Like You're Still the One, or the Titanic OST, or even Candle in the Wind. The list is small but, I guess that's coz I was brought up on a diet of pure unadulterated Hindi film music. The so-called Olden Goldies. The first time I was exposed to so many good English songs was during ILP in Bhubaneswar. Even today, this exposure, although slow, continues. Maybe, that's why I still have arguments with my Dad who feels that I should listen to more "Indian" compositions. Yeah right!!!

I just read the paragraphs above and I realised that I have rambled on and on. I had set out to establish what might constitute good music, and I ended up explaining why I don't know much about English music!!! But, then let's get something from you now. Tell me...what do you think makes good music?

City of Gold

Started reading "City of Gold" by Gillian Tindall this weekend. Felt really nice to read about the history of Bombay. Gillian presents the topic with an admirable amount of honesty, in spite of being a Brit, herself. There is no glossing over the materialistic motives of the British behind developing Bombay. At the same time, there is also a definite mention of the resistance of the original inhabitants against establishment of any sort of order.

The complete cycle of development that Bombay has gone through, from a small forgotten group of islands with coconut jungles to a bustling port to the Gateway to India from the west to a metropolis. Since this book was written in the 1980's, the recent developments of Bombay are not covered. The roads are described in graphic detail. So much so, that you can actually imagine walking down those roads and recognising the landmarks mentioned. Nothing much seems to have changed today.

One also gets to discover the origin of the names of certain areas, which we simply took for granted. For example, Pydhonie gets its name from the foot wash which used to exist on the shores of the creek that separated the islands. Although the creek has long since dried up, the name sticks. In fact, I got to know from the book that the garden I used to play in as a kid, near Charni Road station, was once a cemetery!!! Spooky, huh??

Bombay again!!! This time it's the view from the Oval Maidan!!!

Salaam-e-Ishq - A Review

Went to watch Salaam-e-Ishq at Regal yesterday to see what the hype was all about. Huge starcast, nice songs, catchy promos. But, somehow, to me, it didn't live up to expectations. Read on to find out why.

The movie is about 6 couples. About how they go about their respective lives and how love supposedly keeps them connected. Err...make that 5 couples. Coz the Sohail Khan - Isha Koppikar pair seems to have been picked straight out of your local porn movie. There is nothing much in terms of a storyline. But, 3 couples seem to have a justified presence here. The first one, Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, leads a very boring city life in London. But, Mr. Corporate is bored coz he wants "more"!!! Enter the bimbo who, expectedly, falls for him, and even goes to the extent of asking him to elope with her!!! All this when wifey dear is at the door. Whoopsy daisy!!! An argument, a night at the coffee shop and a scene in a plane later, Mr. Corporate gets wifey dear back. Sniff!!!

Then, we have Akshaye Khanna and Ayesha Takia making up the second pair. Mr. Monkey is confused and panics at the thought of marriage. Ms. Goody Two Shoes wants marriage at any cost. Result? Breakup, loneliness, a scene at another marriage, and our lovebirds are together again. No questions asked!!!

In both the above cases, the acting is pretty good. Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla maintain the high standards expected of them, but there really isn't much for them to do. However, there is damn good chemistry that sparkles between the two. Also, the bimbo (Anjana Sukhani) does a really good job, and certainly deserves a mention. Akshaye Khanna tries really hard to do justice to a Chandler Bing-like character, and does a pretty commendable job of it. Some of the expressions this guy can give are really funny. Ayesha Takia seems to be improving as an actress with every film, but I still think Dor was her best performance so far.

All this is fine, but the third couple is what makes the film really worth watching. Govinda, as a happy-go-lucky taxi driver and Shannon Esra as the American in search of her boyfriend, come across as a made for each other couple. This movie is like a second innings for Govinda and he certainly proves himself here, a la Sourav 'Dada' Ganguly. This role is tailor-made for him and not once does he overact like he did earlier in the David Dhawan movies. It makes you realise that this veteran is actually capable of acting!!! Shannon Esra does a brilliant job here. Full marks to her for her efforts. She looks and sounds really cute pouting out those Hindi dialogues in her firangee accent. The two share a brilliant camaraderie on screen.

Now, this leaves John Abraham-Vidya Balan and Salman Khan-Priyanka Chopra. God knows what they are doing in this movie. I certainly have no idea!!! One gets the feeling that their individual storylines could have been spun into movies on their own. And the acting isn't much to talk about either!!! John Abraham, Vidya Balan and Priyanka Chopra are strictly OK. And Salman Khan looks really old and deprived of sleep!!! Don't even get me started on Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar!!!

All in all, a true Bollywood style masala movie. But, with its long running length of around three and a half hours, it tends to drag on endlessly. So should you watch it? Yeah, go for the night show if you have lots of time to spare and dont have to catch the last train home from Churchgate!!!

If only...

The following is an excerpt from the book 'The Joy of Achievement' by R. M. Lala. It is about his conversations with the legendary J. R. D. Tata.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JRD : My recollections of very early babyhood days are nil. But I remember when I was about four, must have been 1908, I got a thrashing from my father for having kicked the ayah.

RML : That is one of your first recollections?

JRD : Yes, and when she remonstrated with me I said,"I can hit you, kick you because you're poor." Can you imagine (me doing it)? So when she repeated it to my mother and my mother told my father, my father quite rightly gave me a thrashing. Never understood how anybody could ever say something like that.
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Now, if only even a quarter of India's elite would curb snobbish behaviour like this, right in the beginning, we may have had more J.R.D's today. Sigh...if only...

Help!!! I cant see A future!!!

It's been 2 weeks since I last wrote a post. Holiday season...long break. Actually, a lot has been happenning. Most importantly, CAT results were declared. I ended up scoring a wee bit less than around 6000 other ppl taking the exam!!! With such a stellar performance, a double I tag was as likely as seeing a bikini clad girl in Saudi Arabia. I still have hopes of a call from a couple of other institutes, but they too are slowly evaporating into thin air!!!

Maybe XAT had the potential to deliver me from this madness. Alas, it wasnt to be. A not-so-easy paper and plus, I screwed up my nemesis - QUANT!!! Or rather, QUANT screwed me up!!! Whichever way it may be, fact is that I dont expect anything to come of yesterday's performance.

The only silver lining about yesterday was that the exam venue was my school. In fact, even the class was my former class!!! Talk about serious home advantage!!! It felt nice to be back in those huge corridors, the stern grey stone walls, the high ceilings with the pesky crows, the gravelly ground. The only thing that was missing was my school uniform.

Ok, but back to reality now. After yesterday's debacle, I dont know what I should expect. Future predictions, anyone??

Ahh....Bombay!!!

It is always fun to watch a row of double-deckers. Add to that, a sunset over the slums, and you have a very nice Saturday evening.

Dead or Alive????

Hectic weekend? You bet!!! On Saturday, my cousin got married. Now, under normal circumstances, that's OK, but when the stupid priest decrees that the solemnisation should take place at 10 am sharp, that's danger bells ringing. An early rise at 5.30 am, a quick shower and we were off. Well, at least me and Dad were!!! In Mom's case, it was get up, check face, have bath, check face, check saree, wear saree, check fit, wear jewellery, check effect of jewellery and she was off!!! A brisk 20 min drive later, we were at Andheri. But, not before I had my driving skills criticised to the greatest degree possible. That I managed to take everyone to Andheri in one piece seemed to escape every one's mind!!! Strange!!! ;-) Blah...blah...wedding over, back home, this time in 70 min!!!

Next day...JMET!!! At Ghatkopar!!! Good paper, though. Let's see if something develops here. Out of the examination hall at 12.30 pm. At Kanjurmarg at 01.00 pm to watch a movie with friends. Which movie?? I don't know!!! Well, at least, until I get into the theatre!!! Dead or Alive!!! How was it? Quite OK, actually. Stunts that could put apna Rajnikanth anna to shame!!! And one EXTREMELY HOT chick. Character name, Christie. I never bothered to find out her real name!!! At 6.00 pm, Bandra for a puja at my cousin's new home!!! A nice salad meal at Just Round the Corner later, I m home at 11 pm.

Rest until afternoon the next day?? No, siree!!! Coz aunty got fits over her upcoming audit!!! What a life!!! Whew!!!

Model House in the news for the wrong reasons

Today, I found an article in the Mumbai Mirror, giving information about a suspected murder that took supposedly place in Model House, last Saturday. The accused have now been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. All this brings to mind the days when it seemed they would get away with, even, murder. One should have been there to believe the amount of bullying the accused would resort to in the society, in order to get things done their way. Naturally, anyone opposing them was subjected to the vilest of threats, sometimes even becoming so unlucky that they would get bashed up. A decade of such hooliganism later, the law seems to have caught up with them. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not trying them here and pronouncing them guilty. But, one has to admit that on reading the public facts of the case, one is certainly very likely to believe that there is some foul play. Well, now, the onus lies on our judicial system to uncover the truth and serve justice to both, the accused and the victim, now unfortunately dead!!!

But, all this apart, how is this going to affect the image of the society in the eyes of the public at large? A place well known for producing many noted doyens of Marathi theatre, has now been subjected to public scrutiny of the unpleasant kind. Will the place be able to redeem its status in the eyes of the local populace? Or will the residents of this place go back to living in fear that they may be, one day, simply drop dead for no reason?

The CAT makes me feel like a lost dog!!!

Gave the baap of all exams, CAT on Sunday, the 19th of November, 2006. I still don't know what I am supposed to expect. It turned out to be ridiculously easy. Now, if only I could solve Maths fast!!! Sigh!!!

I expected the next exam (IIFT) to deliver me from the excruciating agony of waiting for the CAT result. I should have known better. For the first time since times immemorial, IIFT was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay tougher than CAT!!!

It seems all the institutions have ganged up to try out new things in the year that I give their exams!!! Next on the cards - JMET. IIT-Roorkee, what have you got in store for me??

Long Due Post

It's been a long time since I have written a post. Principal reason
for this being the inhuman amount of work being piled upon all of us
in office. Lots of things have happened since the "fish" incident. For
starters, I went for the Champions Trophy final at the Brabourne.
Pretty exciting stuff, totally paisa vasool. I experienced the
pleasure of watching Chris Gayle cart McGrath to all parts of the
ground. Then, the blink-and-you-will-miss-it stint of Lara's in the
middle. Then, some superb Aussie bowling/fielding. Then, I watched
that smirk being wiped off Ponting's face, albeit temporarily. Then, a
classic display of sensible batting by Martyn. Then, our
oh-so-competent emcee Rameez Raja forgetting all about the reason the
match was being played!!! Oh, and yes, unseasonal rains, the super
sopper, the covers and Andy!!! I suppose the only thing I didnt get to
see was some batsman carried off the ground, injured (Thank God!!!). I
took home a wide smile from that game and some nice chants by the
crowd, most notable of them being

1) Aussies suck!!!
2) Aussies suck!!!
3) Bhaag Chandu...aaj West Indies ki izzat ka sawaal hai!!!
4) Aussies suck!!!
5) Aussies suck!!!
6) Hoggy is a doggy!!!
AAAANNNDDDD

7) err...Aussies suck!!!
No points for guessing which team was the crowd favourite!!!

When I started writing this post, I thought I would mention all the
events that took place in the past 2 weeks. However, I am bored and
zzzzz........

Seafood Restaurants?? Naah!!!

Had gone to the famous restaurant Gajalee, at Phoenix Mills, on
Tuesday for dinner. The place had been recommended to Dad by many of
his friends, plus Bombay Times had also waxed eloquent about it. So,
we decided to give it a try. I must say we were totally disappointed.

The menu was way too limited. And all their specialities were charged
'as per size'. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't generally pay too much
attention to prices of individual dishes in a restaurant, just the
overall bill. But, here where you could be docked 900 bucks instead of
700 for a small increase in the size of the pomfret, you had to be
careful!!! Unfortunately, neither me nor my Dad have salaries that are
so fat that we can afford to blow close to a grand on a single dish!!!
So, alas, we had to opt for the plain jane Crab Masala, instead of the
Butter Pepper Pomfret.

But, wait!!! There was a feast in store for us the next day. Stung
that the maitre d' should choose to smirk at us when we declined the
pomfret on offer, Dad went off to the market and got home a huuuuge
pomfret. The kind Gajalee would charge 1200 bucks for, I guess!!!
Then, it was down to some good tasty homemade masala, courtesy Mom and
we had one of the most sumptuous meals we had had in a long time.

Cost of the fish - Rs. 250
Cost of the masala - Rs. 50
Cost of electricity for the microwave - Rs. 10 (approx.)

The feeling of satisfaction after preventing oneself from being looted
by a fancy hotel - Priceless!!!