Lazy Winters

Winters inherently have something lazy about them and that has got to be the main reason for my love affair with winters. In the same context, I often feel that this season is an extension of me.

"Tangibly" speaking, the layers and layers of winter clothing make you almost partially inactive. I simply love that feeling. You are just happily forced to slow down your movements. When you are bored of that minuscule amount of activity too, simply tuck yourself under a warm fuzzy fat blanket for insane number of hours- Magical.

The season offers lazy heavy food, unlike other seasons, which you can enjoy over an enormous number of seconds and minutes and (and even over a few hours, in my case). Winters let you just bury your hands in the deep warm pockets of your coats and pullovers and walk. And feel the chilly lazy breeze on the skin of your face.

The whole world around seems to have lost its sense of urgency during winters and that is my idea of a perfect life or a perfect season atleast. It is all very very lazy, slow and immensely sweet.

Recommendation Of The Week

Yo people. From this week onwards, I am going to start posting "Recommendation of the week" once a week (any day of the week) Basically, it will feature some Internet gems that I have discovered including web links and blogs :)

This Week's Recommendation (1)-InstantFiction

If you are on Twitter, then InstantFiction is definitely worth following. Sweet little interesting snippets are definitely clutter-breaking in the hyper Twitter world..Even if you don't use twitter, just read through some "tweets" directly from this link. Its totally worth it!

Save some for me

The winter snuggles
The warmth of snow
Cranky sun
The depth of rain

Save some for me

A heart wrenching love story
A walk on a leaves laden lane
Words that you walk on
Butterflies in the stomach

Unplanned time travels
Dream saddled eyes
Mischievous smile
The twinge of lie
The lark of truth

The view of the sea
Luminous twilight
A dark day and a bright night

Save some for me

A day in your life
A moment in your day

Save some for me

The Solitude of Prime Numbers

The Solitude of Prime Numbers-What a fuc**ng sexy title. FYI, Its a book which then got adapted to a movie..But that's not important. I am in love with this title. Its a story in itself! Brilliant!!! Really like it.

Im Juli

I first saw Fatih Akin's German movie 'In July' about a year back and then re-watched it recently. I have just seen two of Akin's movies- his most famous 'The Edge of Heaven' and 'In July'. Comparing the two movies would be to compare an apple to a banana. The only thing I would like to mention is that 'The Edge of Heaven' is a complex movie (in a very very good way) and 'In July' is sort of simpler in its narration. I can't even pick out my favourite of the two because it would involve comparing. Its just that I relate to 'In July' a lot.

It has a number of cliches but the protagonists in this movie are sort of "Everyman" which we used to read about in our English Literature classes in the context of plays written by people like Christopher Marlowe. A rather staid term to describe "everyman" would be a common man.What I really mean here is, the movie fleshes out very normal contemporary characters on the screen. You could just tear apart the screen and exchange your souls with those characters and nothing would change (if you know what I mean!).

Not surprisingly enough, the female protagonist of the movie, named July, is one of my most favourite characters of all time. Its such a simple character but with all the relevant layers of complexity. She sort of defines or projects a very common predicament of "today's woman" (Ahhhh, resorting to stereotypes again!!!) She is soo adventurous in her spirit that she is ready to decide her next holiday destination according to the first car that comes her way. It could be anything, any place. She once went to Afghanistan like this, she tells the male protagonist in the movie, much to his amazement.

However, the beautiful and a rather poignant irony comes from the fact that during this particular trip (the course of the movie), she is so badly in love with this guy and her free spirit sort of clashes with this part of hers which is clinging onto someone who is apparently not even in love with her. She is now changing her adventurous decisions based on this guy's "directions" and allows the strong adventurous streak in her to mellow down. Its all very subtle and well-played out. I just think that it is just such a beautifully etched out character.

Even the male protagonist's character is like "everyman" but it still has some unique personality disorders but this woman's character is bang-on, atleast for me :)

(PS: Btw, check out the picture above, thats Akin in the middle, playing a cute cameo in the movie)

Some favourite lines from 'Kafka on the Shore'

"No matter how far you run. Distance won't solve anything."

"Chance encounters are what keeps us going."

"Its hard to tell the difference between sea and sky. Between voyager and sea. Between reality and the workings of the heart."

"I am alone, inside in the world of the story. My favourite feeling in the world."

"A dense artistic imperfection stimulates your consciousness, keeps you alert.....-that a certain type of imperfection can only be realised through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect."

"just like Adolf Eichmann, caught up-whether he liked it or not-in the twisted dreams of a man named Hitler."

"What I imagine is perhaps very important. For the entire world."

"You are seeking something, but at the same time you're running away for all you're worth."

"How we stumble through our lives desperately fumbling for our other half."

"The library is quiet enough most of the time, but on a day like this when it's closed its like the land that forgot time. Or more like a place thats holding its breath, hoping time wont stumble upon it."

"But tolerant, narrow minds with no imagination are like parasites that transform the host, change form and continue to thrive. They are a lost cause and I dont want anyone like that coming in here."

"But irony deepens a person, helps them to mature. Its the entrance to salvation on a higher plane, to a place where you can find a more universal kind of hope."

"Time expands, then contracts, all in tune with the stirrings of the heart."

"Oshima told me people cant be in two places at once, but I think its possible...Infact I'm sure of it. While they're still alive, people can become ghosts."

"You have wandered into a labyrinth of time, and the biggest problem of all is that you have no desire at all to get out."

"Artists are those who evade the verbose."

"Anyone who falls in love is searching for the missing pieces of theselves. So anyone who is in love gets sad when they think of their lover, its like stepping back inside a room you have fond memories of, one you havent seen in a long time."

"But beyond any of thsoe details of the real, there are dreams. And everyone is living in them."

"Time weighs down on you like an old, ambiguous dream. You keep on moving trying to slip through it. But even if you go to the ends of the earth, you wont be able to escape it. Still, you have to go there-to the edge of the world. There is something you cant do unless you get there."

Jim Morrison-The Phoenix

A story that I had written for Suite101 a few months back. Click here

Idiot and the Idiot Box

“When I got my first television set, I stopped caring so much about having close relationships,” said Andy Warhol. I couldn't agree more. The cute little idiot box is indeed my best friend. Anyways this post is not about delving into the nuances of my relationship with it.

I just realised that I am currently completely addicted to STAR World. Initially, it started because my cable guy did not broadcast half of the the channels that I usually watch and also because of my dad's totally ridiculous and pointless theory that his laptop will get spoilt if I watch movies on it! Anyway, so broadly this is how I got hooked on to STAR World. It has awesome programming, atleast during the prime time. Some of the current crop of shows on the channel including Masterchef Australia, Modern Family, Simpsons, How I met your Mother, Lie to Me and the newly launched Burn Notice are pretty cool.



So on a usual weekday, I generally kick off the STAR World marathon at about 9 pm with Masterchef which is in its finals now. I am completely in love with the show and its contestants ;)

After this, I used to watch Lie to Me but now that has ended. The new show that comes at 10 is Burn Notice whose protagonist was initially publicised as "James Bond of TV!!!!"...Yes, advertising can be misleading, as someone on Twitter just pointed out. However, the show seems okay so far (its two episodes old).

This is followed by my most favourite show currently 'Modern Family'. Its a "mockumentary" style of a comedy sitcom.Its simply superb. (I watch the repeats also!!!) Must Watch

This is followed by repeats of Simpsons. Then at 12, there is "How I Met Your Mother" which is a sort of a 'Friends' me too but grows on you gradually and is fun. Then I wind up with re-re-re-re-re repeats of 'Friends' at 12.30.

A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky by Lewis Carroll

A BOAT beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July —

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear —

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream —
Lingering in the golden gleam —
Life, what is it but a dream?

Haruki Murakami and Kafka

'Kafka on the Shore' is the first Murakami's book that I am reading. Honestly, I was introduced to Murakami through a very dear friend who had suggested that I should read 'Sputnik Sweetheart' because (as per my friend) I bear some sort of resemblance to one of the characters in the book. When I couldn't find that book at a bookstore, I impulsively picked up Kafka.

Kafka has been one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. I am yet to finish the last 100 pages but I am actually clinging on to it because I don't want to put it back in the bookshelf. Kafka has been like a dream, a mesmerizing dream, a kind of dream that you don't want to get over.

After Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I think Murakami has made the most wonderful use of magic realism. He treads into the deepest recesses of mind and dreams and takes you, the reader, along with him. There are instances of subtle play between reality, dreams and the subconscious.

Each and every impossible thing that he talks about seems more real than the actual reality. His narration is flawless and especially unique in this particular book. The way the two seemingly parallel stories are running only to intersect at some of the best parts in the book.

Will post some awesome stuff from the book once I finish it. For now, I leave you with this.

"The pure present is an ungraspable advance of the past devouring the future. In truth, all sensation is already memory."

FIR for an opinion

I am pretty surprised at myself these days. I have always been unfazed by what is happening around me specially when it comes to Indian politics. I am the last person you should expect to get any answers from on any current affairs question. I have often avoided the politics and current affairs parts in newspapers and news channels almost like a plague.However, since quite sometime everything happening in this country has been following me.

Anyways, the point of this post is about something that I actually have a very strong point of view on. I just read in today's Indian Express that a Delhi court has filed an FIR against Arundhati Roy. I am not even going to get into any details on the controversy since the world wide web is full of them. My point is that when the Supreme Court declared that Arundhati Roy cannot be charges against charges on sedition (Conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state) unless there is a call to violence then how the hell can Delhi Court file this FIR. Whatever might be her views! How can we be denied the Freedom to Speech now! Has the country run of out corruption charges to combat with and is now channeling all its negative energies towards activists!

Like I said, I don't want to go into whether what she said on the occasion was right or wrong. The point is that Arundhati Roy and other activists or for that matter, normal citizens of India have a right to air their opinion. We also have the right to agree or disagree with someone's opinion. Its as simple as that. Express your disagreement. Have a debate! But how the hell can you file an FIR for expressing an opinion!

I am beginning to get more and more disillusioned with the system. The word 'System' actually seems pretty ironic. I know its rather naive and gullible to expect anything close to a utopia but this is dystopia that we are living in, at its best.

Novel Concept

I was watching this really wonderful interview last night on Lok Sabha TV of one of my most favourite people on earth-Gulzar.At the end of the interview Gulzar confessed that one thing he would have liked to tried his hand at but couldn't was writing a novel. The canvas of a novel is too different from a short story or a screenplay, said Gulzar.I couldn't agree more

The space of the Novel is really something else. As an amateur writer, I can say that writing a short story is really easy as it is just a description of a thought I have in Mind. A short story is like a moment. A moment is easy to flow with ink on a paper.

However, I guess that putting a lot of coherent moments in a string to make a novel must be a tough task. Recently, I am writing about something very close to my heart. While its has gone beyond the realms of a short story but I will still call it that. I am not able to string it all together. Even though this piece of writing is absolutely for my personal pleasure but I am almost struggling with connecting the numerous snippets that I have written.

I have a new found respect for all the (good) Novel writers. The dedication and craft that Novel writing requires is monstrously huge!

26

Almost one month from now, I would be in the other half of the 20s. Just a few months back I quite dreaded this age. Not because I don't like ageing but because I was scared of going towards the other side.

There was this uncertainty looming large over my head about my personal life and professional life. I had no idea where I was headed to. There hasn't been an earth shattering event in my life which has changed my perception now. Just a few moments (and months) of some self introspection have helped!

I am actually reaching one of the best phases of my life.My insecurities which have almost encircled me throughout my life are actually starting to fade away now. For the first time, I feel I am more dependent on myself emotionally than anyone else. I have started to not saddle myself with the baggage of anyone's expectations.

I have started to not waste too much time in understanding the intricacies of human behavior. I have started absorbing more than I express. I have almost started loving unconditionally.

Also, I have started enjoying my drinks rather than gulping them down to get drunk asap ;)

I am more than eager to be 26 and to have the time of my life in the second half of twenties.

Few resolutions: 0.5% less alcohol, 7% less whining, 30% more savings, 97% more reading, 98% more movie watching, 99% more travel

Stranger seems to be in love

There is a house at the corner,
Asymmetrical and huge.
It inhabits a stranger.
Stranger seems to be in love.

His face is parched,
Can be crushed into powder.
The moon falls on it,
Then goes back into the sky.

The smell of flowers fades.
The garden flows like a river,
With only stones left now.

Stranger comes out,
Comes out for a stroll.
After ages and ages,
On the stones, he rolls.

Stranger knows he is alive,
While the house burns down.

This is the end,
Of the broken days he spent.
He is free of the demon,
And the angels who had fallen.

Kaam Ka Plot

Well, it truly was Kaam Ka Plot. I think its a great initiative by Zoom to feature miniscule budget-truly creative movie premiers like Kaam Ka Plot. The movie is directed by journalist Minty Tejpal and features Ranvir Shourey, Sandhya Mridul in lead roles and Vinay Pathak in a kickass guest appearance.

The magic that spunky Sandhya Mridul and versatile Ranvir Shorey create on screen is fabulous. I think great performances is a given thing with Ranvir, Sandhya and Vinay. The plot (story) of the movie is the best part about it. Its woven jazzily, its simple, its tricky (where it needs to be) and its well written. The climax will unfurl fantastically. It beautifully captures the nuances of a middle class, married, unemployed due to recession character played by Shourey who is smoothly glided into a big scam being plotted by the foreign returned, unhappily married photographer Mridul. Now this is scam is the biggest twist of the movie which you gotta watch out for. Ofcourse, special mention for Pathak who is simply Brilliant in his truly "special" appearance as a marathi cop.

Another small wonder from the world of Indie films. Refreshing
Must watch if you haven't. I am sure Zoom will have repeat shows!

Aloo and me

Aloo and me go back a long long way. Presumably, after milk, the next form of food that I was fed with was aloo and thus begin my tryst with Aloo. Now, its actually more of a never ending saga with me trying to run away from it and aloo trying to always magically land at my breakfast/lunch/dinner plate in a desperate hope to please me.

So the story goes like this-As a marwari family, aloo is supposed be our staple diet. So be it Holi, be it Diwali, be it birthdays, be it anniversaries, be it any of the zillions of other festivals and occasions, one thing that unfortunately has been an integral part of the celebrations is aloo-desperate seeker of attention.

Okay, I will some credit to it as, after all, it is considered to be the "king of vegetables" (whatever shit that means!) But does it have to mess with all the other existing vegetables that are capable of having their own individual identity. Have you ever asked beans or capsicum or brinjal if they even enjoy aloo's company? I am sure they are sick of it. And so am I.

Aloo hijacks every alternate meal at my home. While I have had the luxury of ignoring aloo for almost five years when I stayed on my own but now since I have come back to live with the marwari family (my folks), aloo is acting vindictive and attacking all my meals. Ofcourse, the rest of the members of my family would not dare offend aloo. So on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Friday, Wednesday, and Sunday, its aloo that sarcastically smiles at me from my own shiny glass plate and sometimes it is in an awfully uncomfortable liaison with poor other cute vegetables, without their consent! Hate you aloo. Hate you.

Dont ever ask me why I wana move back to Bombay

Delhi. This is a city which should be awarded for having the largest chunk of horny perverted men roaming freely on the road
This is a city which is cold (And I strictly refer to the metaphorical meaning of the word cold)
This is a city which is frigid.
This is a city which wants to keep staring at you and make you feel uncomfortable
This is a city which makes you feel alienated
This is a city which does not have a sea
This is a city which is slow
This is a city which does not respect time
This is a city which doesn't inspire me
This is a city which does not smile at me
This is a city where I hate even stepping out of the confines of my house
This is a city which is not polite
This is a city where neighbours are nosey
This is a city where I dont get a cab as soon as I get down
This is a city where I am completely lost
This is a city which makes me feel more lonely then ever

Now, don't ever ask me why I want to move back to Bombay!

Drinking a glass full of dreams
Trail of light follows my path
I am wobbly but alive
The world is a bit lost
I am thriving in the madness

Corruption is good

Today morning was pretty bizarre. How would you react if there are two police men standing outside your door and announce that they have a non-bailable warrant against your father from Ghaziabad court?

As my dad wasn't at home, initially I reacted like how a panic stricken person would react but then I decided to be the man of the house and tried to make sense out of a fictionalised nightmare kind of a problem as my dad is a simple sweet humble middle class working man and I don't really think he even has the potential to try out any cool illegal activities. So after much prodding by the three worried ladies in the house, the issue was explained to us. Anyways, so the issue was this-Me and my brother were in our car about two years back and were given a challan for not having a pollution certificate and out of forgetfulness and carelessness we forgot to pay that meager amount of challan that we had to. There was never a further notice after that and obviously it faded from our memory. And for this "crime" they issued a fucking non-bailable warrant!!!!

This is as ridiculous as it gets. Though we have been assured that, thankfully due to corruption, we can deal with this problem easily. Apparently, this has become a common problem. The police guys easily dismiss the cases if you "deal" with them nicely.

This puts me in a strange strange position! I cant get over the ridiculousness and banality of the law in this country which issues a non-bailable ARREST WARRANT for someone who could not/did not pay Rs 400-500 challan for an expired pollution certificate of a car without even a prior notice. I want to thank Corruption for helping poor people like us in bizarre situations like these where we can save our poor little lives by dispensing some hard earned cash!!!!

The show is on time

The show is on time.
The audience dispensable.
The stage empty.
Soliloquy of the soul
Yours or mine?
A loud shriek,
a deep wail,
a somber smile,
and a few lines.
It is now or never.
Get on the stage.
Die under its debris.
Feel the guilt of its weight.
Its lonely without you.
The co-actors are missing too.
Let me see you fall here.
Let me see you rise.
Turn the stage upside down.
Inhale it and exhale it.
Let the smoke shine with you.
What are you waiting for sweetheart?
Come and take the stage.
The show is on time.
The audience dispensable.
The stage empty.

Political Cartoonists- Abu and VIjayan

At the outset, I have to declare that this post is completely inspired by this amazing piece on 'Death of Political Cartoon' published in the Open magazine on 14th August 2010. This is written by a cartoonist himself Hemant Morparia.

In the article , Morparia mentions two cartoonists who are an integral part of the political cartooning "history" of India- Abu Abraham and OV Vijayan. And this is where this post comes into the picture. Have tried to find some old cartoons of these two geniuses.



The next one is from Guardian













Found some of OV Vijayan's cartoons here and some more here.

From Twitter and Facebook, With Love

Dear everyone,

We recently heard from a friend of this blog (owner) that she doesn't have access to us in her new office. Now the fact is that we are used to such step-motherly treatment at many of those staid boring corporations which believe that their employees should never be exposed to our "big bad" social network work. We feel sorry for those poor folks but we are dealing with it.

But here, we were shocked as this friend works in a publishing house. Now come on guys. Media without social media? What the *&%#! As our users know that we have opened a wide range of opportunities and a unique platform to express yourself. Of course, we expect you to use your discretion while you are using us. While we help you keep in touch with your friends (which we are totally proud of), you can use us for a lot of professional networking and to show that hitherto unacknowledged intellectual side to you and other such high level stuff. This is specifically for me 'Twitter'-A lot of news first float in my body before I vomit it out to the world wide web.

We have been subjected to a lot of shit since the time we started but we continue to take it in our stride. This blogger gentleman on Guardian, for example, has tried to quantify my (Facebook) evilness! See even if a dog wants to use us using a human face, where is the problem. Since when did we start doubting dogs' intelligence!

So come on guys. Just try us out once and we promise you you will fall in love with us. We appeal to the current users that do not take the detractors seriously. We can be of much help. Just be careful with us and we will shower a lot of love and affection (and friends and followers) on you.

Cheers,
Facebook and Twitter

Muebles and More

Guys, have started a new blog
Its basically all the cool stuff in the furniture market. I am damn kicked about it. Do let me know what you think.

Cheers

That Girl in YELLOW BOOTS

Ladies and gentlemen, the first look of much awaited film of one of my most favorite directors, Anurag Kashyap, is here.

Enjoy :)

LSD in tellyland?

The queen of highly melodramatic soaps, which are often criticized for being regressive by audience of my demographics, shocked her critics by producing one of the most avantgarde and bold Indian film 'Love Sex or Dhokha' and now critically acclaimed 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbai'. Is it time for her to bring in some of the LSD flavour to Indian television?

It will be quite silly to talk about the condition of soaps in the tellyland. Too much has been said already.Finally ToI has published some good stories to bash up the Indian Tellyland. And for the life of me I cant understand what has gone sooo wrong with the my mother's generation. Its horrendous to watch even five minutes of any of these family cum circus dramas and ofcourse the trash they have been making in the name of period drama. Anyways, I dont want to waste my energy in putting out volumes on the level of trash that is being served in the tellyland (But have to mention some good reality shows here which are a much needed breather like Indian Idol, India's Got Talent, Saregama and now ofcourse Khatron ke Khiladi with the spunky Priyanka Chopra , oh and also KBC's new season.)

See, its not like we don't have stuff to watch on TV. We do have our Star Worlds, Zee Cafes, TLCs, NDTV GOOD TIMES, Discoverys etc and a huge number of movie channels. However, that's not the point.

Why cant we have good quality and progressive Hindi soaps too.

Can the bold and progressive Bollywood producer Ekta kapoor please stand up?
I know she sort of started all this but give the lady a break and lets also please request her to come back to tellyland with a vengeance again and this time with some fun family dramas for our moms where the bahus are not laden with three gold necklaces while making chapatis in the kitchen, where they talk to each other like fellow human beings and not like rats and cats.

Lets get a bit quirky and innovative and experimental and bold.

MOO Point

Well most of you are acquainted with the great concept of Joey Moments
Basic Background: So our dear Joey has acquainted me to another super scientific and highly insightful concept of "Moo Point". So when Rachel once asked him that how much should one wait before making a move on someone who has just broken up with someone, Joey obviously gives her the best advice possible: half an hour. But after Monica and Phoebe convinces her against Joey's plan. Then comes the moment when Joey talks about the great concept.
Joey: All right, Rach. The big question is, "does he like you?" All right? Because if he doesn't like you, this is all a moo point.
Rachel: Huh. A moo point?
Joey: Yeah, it's like a cow's opinion. It just doesn't matter. It's moo.
Theory: Basically, Moo point is like a "cow's opinion"!! Doesn't Matter, you see. Wonderful.
Application: Well, all my life I have come across various cows. Most of us have, I guess. Those wannabe "wise ass punks" (borrowed from my last to last post, which is borrowed from Leonardo Di Caprio's dialogue in Basketball Diaries, anyways....)who always want to saddle you with their opinions and unwanted suggestions about everything under the sun. Now that's what I call a collection of Moo Points. I sometimes do get influenced by these shallow, scum of the earth, "wiseless punks".
However, after Joey's theory. I have decided that all these unwanted scraps of advice, opinions and suggestions would be clearly defined and sharply cut moo points in my life. Like a cow;s opinion. Doesn't matter!!
Thanks Joey for always enriching my life with your valuable suggestions (I also take your advice seriously about making the move when someone has just broken up. Half an hour is brilliant):p. Love, Me.

Twist it

Twist it
Turn it
Turn it back around
Pain
Dark
Loneliness
Plunges deep into the abyss of bliss
I miss one
One out of all
Chaos
A brilliant sparkling light
That's what you are
You know that
Nothing can break this awkwardness
Nothing can take this closeness
Stay away for years if you want
Million
I like this space
I will stay here
Purple
Numb senses
Few questions
No answers
And a lot of love
I wont say it again
Ever!

"Every wise ass punk on the block says it won't happen to them, but it does"

Finally got to see Danny Boyle's much acclaimed film 'Trainspotting' yesterday. Just had some thoughts after watching the movie. The movie is based on heroin addiction and the follow up destruction and resurrection of some characters.Ok, don't get me wrong. I am not comparing movies here but I automatically started thinking about another great movie in this genre after watching this- 'Requiem for a Dream'.



Both the movies are quite different in techniques and even in the type of substance abuse..But one, sort of a, holistic moral theme ( if I can call it) is the fatal destruction of the characters. Now Danny isn't that harsh to the characters I feel and I like this. I know it sounds too moralistic but I always like the open ended endings.I don't necessarily mean "happy" endings.

Anyways, I like the fact that in 'Trainspotting' after repeatedly trying to make the effort to quit, Renton walks away with that money to start a new life. Now this will sound like a cliche but you never know, he might just go crack another heroin deal.He might not be able to quit after all. He did have a cool life in London earlier but he still got back to his smack "for the last time" two times after that. Anyways, the point is that 'Requiem For a dream' shows the complete nasty annihilation of its characters. It goes down and down and down and so deep that the only positive ending can be in "heaven".

Even 'Basketball Diaries' for that matter (which btw is Leonardo DiCaprio's one of the best films) shows the character in real deep filthy shit but I like the way it ends.

In terms of depiction of destruction, I think all the films have excelled. I love the way all these three are shot. Obviously in terms of cinematography, I think the most gorgeous one is 'Requiem for a Dream'. Love those snappy snapshots..Brilliant stuff.

My date with an astrologer

Confession time! Even though I don't "believe" in astrology, I am definitely curious about this business. I am one of those who love to read the 'Bombay Times' (now Delhi Times!)astrology section every day for fun and now out of habit and our dear old Mr Bejan Daruwalla's section every Sunday. Okay to cut the long story short, I really don't believe in them but I am very very curious to always know what's written and what's being spoken at the fortune teller's shop!

So when I came back to Delhi, one of my aunts couldn't stop praising this astrologer that she has been meeting. According to her, the astrologer had a proven track record in narrating her personality traits and her past, present and yes, even her future "afflictions". So I thought that this is the best time to make use of my dozens of free hours and ennui! I took my "horoscope" and then me and my aunt headed to meet the supreme power. These are the excerpts of the conversation:

Guruji (After looking at my horoscope for about 10-15 minutes): Have you hurt yourself lately?
Me: No
Guruji: Are you sure that you haven't hurt yourself recently?
Me: NO
Guruji: Ok. Then you might have a little accident in the near future. Nothing to worry about. You have rahu ki dasha on you. It generally lasts for about 16 years. But I assure you that you will be really happy post 2016
Me (in my thought bubble): WTF
Guruji continues the monologue: Your coming year will be really bad. Even after that some more years will be bad. But post 2016, everything will be ok.
Me (in my thought bubble) : Wow. I am so grateful
Aunt: Guruji,please tell her where will she be based in the near future. She has just shifted to Delhi for some time but she likes Mumbai.
Guruji: For some time, she will stay in Delhi and then she will move to Bombay
Aunt: When will she get a good job?
Guruji: She should keep trying. She will definitely get a good job. Its there in her kundali!
Me (couldn't control myself): Giggle
Aunt: Will she get married?
Guruji (after a long pause and an intense look at my horoscope): Yes, I am positive. She will get married.
Me (in a thought bubble): Wow. Revelation!!! I am relieved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There were more inane questions and more great revealing answers. But I guess, you get the picture...hehehe

My Name is Red

“Time doesn’t flow if you don’t dream.”

The first thing that built my relationship with this book was the titles of its chapters. Before I even read a page of it, I knew this was something which would be enchanting. Now how many times do you see chapters like “I am a Corpse”, “I am a Dog”, "I am Red" and “I am a Gold Coin”!

I had never read Pamuk before this but had read a lot about him which had intrigued me. For starters, he writes on Istanbul, a country I have always been fascinated with (where I would go for my honeymoon, if I ever decide to get married :p)

“If you stare long enough your mind enters the time of the painting. All time had now become this time.”

The book revolves around the lives of miniaturists in ancient Istanbul. It is a fantasy fiction fable which has intricate layers of a murder mystery and a love story. I loved the entire journey throughout the book. The book is interspersed with a lot of mythic legends like Shirin and Khusrev which is truly delightful.

“For if a lover’s face survives emblazoned on your heart, the world is still your home.”

Each chapter is a point of view of a character, living and sometimes “non-living”.
By the time I had reached the climax I did not really care to find out who the murderer was because I was so bloody immersed in the world of the artists and their fables and notions about art. And I absolutely loved the way the book ends. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the last line of the book.

“For the sake of a delightful and convincing story, there isn’t a lie Orhan wouldn’t deign to tell.”

Par excellence.

Aisha

The promos had made me believe that it will be a good looking movie. The promos absolutely lived upto my expectations. It was surely a good looking movie and by "good looking' I don’t only mean the zillions of beautiful, exquisite, quirky and sometimes funny costumes adorned by the ladies in the film. I liked the overall look of the film. It was shot pretty well. The music was superb. Loved almost all of it.

Now let’s get to the part where I wanted to scream the hell out and slap Sonam Kapoor. May be I am being too bitchy here but seriously there is something very screechy about her, if you know what I mean. She could not really bring the character alive on screen. However, to put the complete blame of the movie not exactly working for me would be wrong and unfair. The scriptwriter has got to take some blame here please. The script was wayyyy too confused. Everything went pretty haywire after the intermission including the wannabe feisty Ms Kapoor.

Anyways, there were some pretty interesting and well played out charcxters there though including the typical delhi ka rich munda (boy) Ranbir Gambhir played by Cyrus Sahukar, the super quirky Pinky Bose played by Ira Dubey and last but not the least Bahadurgarh’s gift to Delhi, Shefalee, played by Amrita Puri.

And poor Abhay Deol. Felt bad for him almost throughout the film!

8 ½

"I really have nothing to say, but I want to say it all the same."

It’s just a coincidence that I recently saw 'Wicker Park' which has a funny reference to Federico Fellini’s masterpiece 8 ½ as it happens to the shoe size of the leading lady in the movie. Josh Hartnett, who plays the lead, cracks an intended non-funny joke linking the shoe-size to Fellini. Just a day and a half later, I got my hands on Fellini’s movie.

According to the way I understand the concept of surrealism, I would call this movie a surrealistic expedition. Well, those of you who are familiar with the movie would know that the title comes from the number of movies that Fellini had directed till then. This movie was supposed be his 8 1/2 th movie.

I, as usual, would not delve into the story of the movie as that would be a complete injustice to it. The only thing I can say is that it is a semi autobiographical movie based on the “life” of a director and the movie project that he has currently undertaken.

The opening scene where the spirit leaves the cocooned and claustrophobic car to reach the sky and then to be pulled down again is enough to make you sit back and absorb the screen.

The construction and narration of the movie are a part of each other and are inseparable. The movie flows backward, forward and into the subconscious and sometimes into the really deep dark worlds. There are themes of personal conflicts, people that the director is associated with, spirituality and vague and distinct childhood memories.

After a long time, I have watched a movie which has left an indelible mark on me. I really fell in love with it. Must watch.

"And how do you benefit from stringing together the tattered pieces of your life? Your vague memories, the faces of people that you were never able to love..."

Leave this space for me
It is truly mine
I have earned it
With my heart and my soul
I was born to be here
To live in this vacant space
Full of vibrant air

Don’t make a book for me
I know how to write too
I am not a good writer
But I can read you
My soul might be empty
But I don’t believe in souls
I need to breathe as much as I can

Don’t you dare compartmentalize
I am not a part of your little vain world
I know I am forever struggling
But deep down
I don’t belong
I belong to this insanely beautiful space
Leave it for me

Let me say whatever I want to
Let me climb the mountain of mirth
Let me fall flat on my face

Enough of those words
I am sick of them
I need to write gibberish
I need not talk anymore

I have confessed enough to people I love
Some try to love me
One I wait for, in vain

I am weaving a dream
The curses have passed through it all
Now it’s time to move on
It is a beautiful painting
I fight existence and walk into the dream

Bombay to Dilli

I think one of the toughest and bravest decisions I have taken in my life so far is to move back from Bombay to Delhi after five years. I started my work life in Bombay after doing my post grad from Xavier's! It sounds like a cliche now but I feel I have actually grown up in Bombay. I have had the most good times and some of the most bad times in Bombay.

Not that Delhi did not offer me its share of experiences. After all, I have been born and brought up in this city. However, may be I was too cocooned and too naive till the time I was in Delhi. Bombay made me grow up and learn things on my own. The last five years have introduced me to so many interesting and so many weird people. Some of the people from each category will be friends for life.

This blog post is not exactly supposed to be a nostalgic trip to the past. This is to look forward to my time in Delhi. I want to explore the "artistic" and creative side of Delhi which I have not explored till now. I want to make the most of this "comeback". Excited!

New love

It was the day for new love
Fresh like water drops on cherries
Crispy red and gorgeous
I met him after ages
I knew I will be in love all over again
I was in love
All over again
It wasn't the same though
It was a mended heart
It was a broken heart
The world seemed to be snoring around me
Or so I wished
It was just the night and me
And my love
New Love
Strange and natural as night dreams

Chakra

The reason why I particularly want to write about this movie is that it sort of, in a weird way, resembles French style of cinema, fluid and extremely broad minded. Ironically, the story is set in Bombay's shanties. It essentially has three main protagonists: Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Ranjit Chowdhary.

One of the few scenes which really impressed me was when Smita Patil has a casual fling with Naseeruddin Shah, the local goon who is a regular at her house and is a role model to her teenage son and that same night she asks him to leave the house when her "lover" Kulbhushan Kharbanda is back. Its interesting that even though she is having a stable affair with Kharbanda who is a good potential husband for her, she doesnt even think twice before giving into the temptation of having casual flings with Lukka. The most amazing part is that its all woven as an absolutely normal part of life. No guilt. No remorse. Lovely.

The other scene which seemed almost psychedelic to me was the entire village (Including all the women) getting drunk after someone in the village has passed away. It is a custom there that the person whose kith or kin has died will treat the entire village to a round of drinks. The whole village is tripping, some are expressing sorrow, some are lost in their own world and some express lust and love. Its a really interesting scene.

I think its an extremely interesting movie made in early 80s. One of Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah's best!!! Must catch it if u can. It is directed by Rabindra Dharamraj.

By Chuck Palahniuk

"Our real discoveries come from chaos, from going to the place that looks wrong and stupid and foolish."

"What I want is to be needed. What I need is to be indispensable to somebody. Who I need is somebody that will eat up all my free time, my ego, my attention. Somebody addicted to me. A mutual addiction."

"I want to find something else, unknowable, some place to be that's not on the map. A real adventure.
A spinx. A mystery. A blank. Unknown. Undefined."

"More and more, it feels like I'm doing a really bad impersonation of myself."

"What we call chaos is just patterns we haven't recognized. What we call random is just patterns we cant decipher. What we can't understand we call nonsense. What we can't read we call gibberish. There is no free will. There are no variables. There is only the inevitable.”

MUST READ!

Wow. I have always felt like clutching onto pieces of writing that I can relate to. This blog post by someone has answered way too many questions for me and has acknowledged some of my deepest feelings. Anyways, I am putting it up here beacuse I think its very insightful and interesting. Enjoy :)

Three days. Three movies. Three good movies

I am a weird person. Sometimes, watching a good movie makes me feel that this life is worth living. So you can well imagine the level of my optimism and happiness when I have watched three spectacular and brilliant movies for three days in a row.


First-Abbas Kiarostami’s Shirin. The title took a major chunk of my attention because I am currently reading Orhan Pamuk’s ‘My Name is Red’ which is permeated with the iconic semi-mythic legend of Shirin-Khusrev. Thus, I was quite curious to know their story. However, what made it extremely special for me was the way this story was told by Kiarostami. The entire movie is a spectacle of a number of women who have been doctored by the director to elicit various emotions and these have been cut and pasted at appropriate moments of the story which is narrated only by voices. The story is a highly melodramatic one which I felt was interesting because that made me a captive to the movie. The post movie discussion revealed that Kariostami had shot all these women (including Juliette Binoche) at his house when he did not even know what story he was going to run along with the myriad of emotions that he was capturing. This was my first Kiarostami’s movie and his wonderful experiment has converted me into a fan. Time to source more of his experiments.


Second-Tom Ford’s A Single Man. Features Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. It’s based on a life of a gay man Firth who has lost his partner of 16 years. The movie is like a series of splendid photographs. Each and every shot of the movie is breath-taking, especially the close-ups. Mesmerizing. The relationships are dealt with beautiful complexities. I won’t go much into the story of the movie. Julianne Moore has a short and powerful presence. She looks like the perfect example of vintage beauty and plays her part of a single lonely middle ages woman with extreme panache. It’s a beautiful movie whose each shot is to be savored. PS: All the gay men in the movie are insanely good looking!!


Third-Martin Scorcese’s Shutter Island. This one is a treat for the brain. It is the epitome of edgy psychological thriller. The movie features one of my most favourite actors-Leonardo DiCaprio who has once again excelled himself. The movie takes you through the realms of real, imaginary, dreams, murders, hallucinations, sanity, insanity in a bizarre and eerie land Shutter Island. It gripped me from the very first scene and refused to let go of me even after it ended. Me and my roommate, with whom I had seen the movie, could not let go of it long after we left the theatre. The credit of the story obviously goes to the writer of the novel on which it is based but Scorcese has left no stone unturned to make a chilling, thrilling and fascinating brain twister! Must-Must-Must Watch!!!

A quaint little town in Rajasthan-Pushkar

The scorching heat was a bit too much to bear but the enigmatic search for the highly talked about Pink Floyd Café in Pushkar distracted me from it. I and my friend found ourselves in a land covered with sun rays, colors and silence in the middle of a hot day in May.

After religiously following people’s directions and a 20-minute walk, we managed to reach our destination-Pink Floyd Café which was safely hidden under a mishmash of lanes. The first two floors have rooms to stay and the third floor is dedicated to the café. As we moved up to the third floor to deal with our hunger pangs and to quench our thirst, we saw rooms with psychedelic appearance, each based on a Pink Floyd song theme. The place was adorned with interesting posters on Pink Floyd, beer, Pushkar Camel Safari etc. There was an almost ubiquitous sign of ‘No Photography Please’. “That’s a bummer”, I thought. The third floor café was pleasantly airy but non-AC. The only thing that irritated me was a huge poster which talked about the heavenly experience of having chilled beer! Well, Pushkar is a no-alcohol land. So if you can’t effing serve me some, don’t tease me about it! Anyways, after a plate of oily pasta and gallons of fresh lime water, we went out to hunt for a comfortable and affordable hotel.

We zeroed in on Kanha which is run by a rather haughty old Rajasthani lady and is actually a haveli turned into a hotel. In fact, there are a number of havelis in Pushkar which have now been converted into guest houses and hotels. The hotel manager was gullible and we easily convinced to give us a discount. This was off-season as the cattle fair, which attracts tourists from all around the world, happens in the month of November. After a short nap, we geared up for the main part of our holiday which was to explore this dry, colourful, spiritual and humble town- Pushkar!

We started with a chocolate shake at Enigma Café which tried its level best to live upto its name with colourful prints all over its walls and a really mysterious café owner/care taker. A chat with the owner revealed the secret of the exotic menu. He explained to us that there are a number of foreign visitors who have now made Pushkar their home.

After this, we meandered through the narrow lanes to reach the main shopping market of Pushkar where one can pick up pyajamas, pants, kurtas, dupattas, stoles, chappals, wall hangings, vibrant umbrellas etc. I landed into a shop where I saw some western dresses which I had seen in the Janpath market at Delhi and I was curious to know if they were exported from Pushkar to Delhi or vice versa. The shopkeeper tried his level best to convince me that all the stuff is manufactured in Pushkar.

Exhausted with all the shopping, we headed to the Pushkar Lake which is sort of misnomer because the lake is non-existent now. It is just a vast chunk of baked land. Nevertheless, the view was peaceful and beautiful.

As me and friend both aren’t even remotely religious, we decided to skip visits to various temples for which Pushkar is famous. It boasts of the only Brahma Temple that exists in India. When the town began to brighten up with artificial lights in the night, we decided to have one more walk through the town. Technically, you can walk through the whole town in an hour.

The bright day and the silken twilight were wrapped up with sumptuous dinner which included freshly cooked dal, matar paneer and chapattis at our hotel and a conversation session accompanies with twirls of smoke.

The mister and his mistress

The mister
And his mistress
Longing to be in the dark light
Moaning for their love like it would die
The mister is very headstrong
Mad and always pretending to be wrong
He is an officer and partner in crime
Beats the crap out of mistress’ tears
Eats in a lonely dimly lit café
Eats bread crumbs and drinks port wine
Forgets his house when the moon shines
Mistress is a wannabe poet
Writes on the moon with a chalk
Sneaks in the empty bed in the middle of the night
Drinks whiskey and loves to fight
Breaks the mirrors and then tapes them again
Acts in plays when the sun dries up
Can’t laugh, can’t cry
Till she goes high
Mister and mistress walk in shadows
Cris-crossing one another
Falling in love each day and each night
They haven’t met yet ever
They hope not to!

What if the mad seer was right?

What if the mad seer was right?
What if his thought wasn’t so juvenile?
What if I am a part of a dream?
A hazy dark tunnel’s end
Which leads to everywhere
And reaches nowhere
Nowhere is the land where I have always wanted to be
Shimmery powdered stars with a dash of moon
This life is all but a vain then
The struggle for happiness empty
As I can be nothing but happy
Insouciance covers this dream
Even when it dons the shadow of a nightmare
It can be your dream
I sit pretty as the calm and turbulent sea
It can be my dream
I keep opening the doors
One after the other
One after the other
Repeatedly, with a new vigor each time
I can even split the two dreams
And merge them and take the one I like
I would love you forever
Love would not be caged in life
It would float in the dream
Redolent of all the memories over centuries

Ek haseen ittefaq

The only incentive of accompanying my friend for her boring meeting with someone was a cuppa coffee at Prithvi Cafe. Even though I act all cool and non-chalant, I am star struck whenever I see really talented actors meandering in Prithvi Cafe.
This time, however, I had more than my share of star-struck-ness when I see one of my MOST favourite actor sitting right across me at the dimly-lit and soaked with flute-music cafe-It was none other than Naseeruddin Shah.















For the first 15-20 minutes,Makrand Deshpande's back averted any direct eye encounter between me and one of my muses. After Deshpande left, my eyes could only look at the ground and I was conscious of my presence as an awkward geeky looking ordinary speck in this talented little universe around me.

My ears were quickly trained to block all other sounds except for the conversation he was making first with a young girl sitting next to him and then to another talented actor Suhasini Mulay (has a number of films to her credit; she plays Akshaye Khanna's mother in Dil Chahta Hai and essays a very impressive role of a politician in Gulzar's Hu Tu Tu).He mentioned something about going to Coorg soon for a shoot :)















I am definitely one of the strong contenders for Naseeruddin Shah's biggest fans ever. I can claim to have seen atleast 90% of his movies. The most recent one has been Aakrosh featuring him alongside stalwarts Om Puri and Amrish Puri.



I think it will be foolish to even talk about his acting skills or his talent. I have always had the hugest crush on him. Not only he is super duper handsome according to me, he has always in a strange way inspired me.

Bliss

Two plays. Two men

The last two plays that I saw have been the best plays I have seen so far. First one was Rajat Kapoor’s ‘Hamlet’. Second is Naseeruddin Shah’s ‘Ismat Apa Ke Naam-2’. One common thread, according to me, between both the plays is the unique style of narration. Actually the style of narration in both is equally important as the story.



Hamlet is the Shakespear’s ‘Hamlet’ narrated by Rajat Kapoor’s clowns. Needless to say that the performances by each and every actor is spectacular. The play is extremely funny in terms of the narration. But the commendable part is that when it is deep into the story of Hamlet, it assumes great proportion of tragedy. The audience is on a roller coaster ride with one funny moment, then back to tragedy and then again back to a laughter riot. The transition is a great experience. The play is not tough on those who haven’t read Shakespeare’s tragedy. Actually, it’s a great way to learn the basic plot. But obviously puritans wouldn’t agree on that! So go catch the play and then munch on the original text later. BTW extremely handsome Rajat Kapoor sneaked in the Prithvi auditorium a number of times during the play to have a look at the lovely audience and their expressions.


The second play ‘Ismat Apa Ke Naam-2’ is, obviously, a sequel of ‘Ismat Apa Ke Naam’. However, they are both standalone plays. These are stories of famous Muslim radical feminist writer (Saadat Hasan Manto’s contemporary) narrated by different artists. The stories are narrated in a unique way. Basically the actors are reading out the stories while enacting the dialogues. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen part one yet. Part two had three stories by Chugtai: Amar Bel, Nanhi Ki Naani and Do Haath enacted by Manoj Pahwa, Loveleen Mishra, and Seema Pahwa respectively. Great great great performances. The Urdu diction of each actor was impeccable. And ofcourse, I am not even getting into the immensely beautiful writing by Chugtai,. That deserves another post in itself. Must watch. Dying to see part one now!

Love is mundane

Love is mundane
Its no art
There are no strokes of brushes
No sense of a lovely, spectacular frame
No heart wrenching beautiful words
No great poet's verses
There is no insane imagination
There are no gypsies, there are no dwarfs
No feeling of daze, no feeling of floating
No holy smoke out of a fake saint's mouth
Smiles are extended through lipsticks
Tears through rain water
There is no freedom
There are no dreams

It is life at its root level
Low, low, really low
You had reached so high
I saw you there
What made you come back?
Did I hear you say love!
Oh!
Sad!
Told you
Loneliness is the most common excuse
Oh, so love made you less lonely.
Or more?
Go figure...

Food Addas

One of the big advantages and luxuries of coming to Mumbai is my tryst with Mumbai eating addas of all sizes and luxuries. I have divided my experience broadly into three parts and have included the places that my memory cooperated in remembering!

My first phase in Mumbai after I arrived and survived with a very meagre and limited pocket money from my loving dad was the Anna’s mess/ Xavier’s canteen/ Krishna Vihar/ Food Inn/ Jaffer Bhai/ Boiled egg wala/ Sasanian/ Five Spice/ Kayani/Mama Mia/ Monginis phase/Leopold/Mondegar.

Highly recommended: Anna’s mess and Xavier’s canteen (simple and sweet and super easy on pocket). Me and my ex-roomie were obsessed with Food Inn in Colaba. We would dig on Chicken Manchurian and egg fried rice EVERY Sunday and then walk back home to Marine Lines and doze off! Five Spice has maintained its charms for me even till date. Yum Chinese food. Leos and Mondys: I dont even need to spell out the reasons!

Avoidable: Sasanian, Krishna Vihar

The second phase was when I had just stepped out from Xavier’s comfortable existence to the big bad world of work. This was the Picaddily/ Candies/ Stadium/Indian Express canteen/ Janta/Ambience/Delhi Darbar/Sports Bar/Spaghetti Kitchen/Bombay Blues phase

Highly recommended: Candies (Had my first date in Mumbai there) and its obviously one of the coolest places ever. Janta and Ambience have decent food if u wana accompany it with binge drinking. It wouldn’t taste so nice sans the alcohol. And ofcourse, Delhi Darbar for some good old nostalgic Punjabi food. Delicious!

Avoidable: Indian Express canteen, Stadium

The third phase was more about discovering and sometimes, splurging. Britannia Café/ Mainland China/ Madras Café/ Mia Cucina/ Crepe Station/ Blue Frog/ Hard Rock Café/Café Goa/ Swati Snacks/Mini Punjab phase.

Highly recommended: Most of them actually. Britannia Café for some super authentic Parsi food, Madras Café for binging on sasta, tikau and super tasty south India VEG food, Swati Snacks for some fun gujju veg food..Mia Cucina for food+wine_ambience (my current fav place), Hard Rock for lunches. Blue Frog (when u really have loadza money) and Crepe Station for a fun-filled lazy Sunday brunch. Mainland China for a fancier and more bland version of Five Spice!

Avoidable: Mini Punjab (I personally don’t like their super oily food. But go check it for yourself)

Road,Movie

The time has come. When random is fun. When fun is random. When it’s about letting your passions flow the way they want to. When you just know the best part about life is open-endedness. I wont say that Road, Movie is one of the most experimental movies ever but it is definitely one of the purest form of genuine creativity. It's simply lovely and enchanting.

Dev D Abhay Deol wants to get the hell out of the messy oil family business. He takes a friend’s truck which is to be delivered to Samudrabad…what a beautiful name for Mumbai…The road to Samudrabad is this vast expanse of desert and varied people and love and dacoits and water scarcity and water and gypsy woman and life and most importantly cinema which is ironically the junk inside the truck. There are nights of ganja, rum and pure magical classic cinema. Truly enthralling. There is a little bit of everything: Cinema, water problem and oil that can make you look young, really young...

For me, the last scene takes away the cake when Dev D Deol gets the truck into the sea and sits and stares and then eventually zooms in a motorbike. Sheer brilliance. Defies cliches. I like.

And ofcourse, thanks to the firang woman for reviving one of the most outstanding classics 'Sar jo tera chakraya'.

Tanishtha Chatterji was quite cool as the gypsy woman and the child actor is the next great find after the child actor in Ishqiya...Sorry, I am too lazy to Google the names. Satish Kaushik's performance is ok, breezy.

Good cinematography and great background music.

Mediocre

There is something about me that makes me mediocre
Benchmarks are hazy and that's a virtue
Living through the great
Laughing through the mundane
Escaping through the ubiquitous air
Trapped in a frothy bubble
I asked you if I am mediocre
You agreed to be my muse
And now begins a quest to rise above it
The pigeons rested at the two tier pillar
Symmetrical and linear
I scared them away
That was a good start
The night ended with a dream to rise
Die and then live again next day
I am happy that you are always there
Inspire me, take me closest to where you are
This mediocre life exudes predictability
I know you hate it
And I hate it too
Let me give it another try
Let me dance through the shadow
Let me dream through my senses
Let me breathe it and swallow it deep inside
This one is especially for you
Inspiration to put the stars back into the night
Inspiration to put the moon back into the sea
Inspiration to dedicate words to my muse
Thanks
Love.

karthik calling karthik

There are some people who rediscover themselves at every step and some who make people rediscover them. Err…that was a rather twisted sentence to describe what I wanted to say about one of my favorite directors and now one of the favorite actors-Farhan Akhtar.

First few lines about the movie. Firstly, I don’t know if the concept is taken from a Hollywood flick and secondly even if it is, it simply doesn’t matter. Even if this movie was a scene to scene copy of a movie, I would have given it equal quantity and quality words of appreciation. It is a brilliantly directed semi-thriller and suspense flick. The direction is almost flawless. Not even a single scene is wasted. Seamless editing. Great cinematography. My favorite scene (in terms of the camera work et al) is the last scene where Farhan collapses on the floor…Love the red flickering light and the composition.

In terms of performances, do I need to say that Farhan has outdone himself? He sort of defines brilliance through the enactment of an extremely difficult and challenging character. He switches from a loser to a charmer and vice-versa with an amazing sense of fluidity. I wouldn’t go much into his character because that could give away a little bit of the plot. Love the part when he flirts with Deepika…Soooo cute…hehe..

Nothing much to say about Deepika Padukone (who is becoming an archetypal urban working woman by repeatedly portraying the same sort of character), Ram Kapoor and Shefali Shah. All average-decent performances and all obviously overshadowed by Farhan.

Please go catch the movie asap…Just not worth missing!

Old Monk

I am not much of a brand person but over the last few years one brand that I have been particularly in love with is Old Monk. There are very few brands which inspire such a strong group-ism and solidarity amongst the users and one of them is surely our very own Old Monk.

When I was first introduced to Old Monk, it was a sort of an experiment of trying out rum for the first time. After that there have been many sorts of brands/drinks that I have tried, tested, liked, hated, wasted! But there is just no one like Old Monk.

Initially, I often wondered why people who drink Old Monk are so obsessed with it. Now there is nothing to explain and nothing to understand. It’s just a feeling. You and the other person who is equally devoted to Old Monk simply know why you both like OM. It’s a cult.

I have had countless good memories attached with Old Monk and I am sure there are many more crazy lovers of Old Monk like me.

Hail Old Monk.

How does one make a new beginning?

The stars are darker and darker
The night is just dozing off
Our eyes are sick of each other
Smiles are sarcastic
Dreams are farcical
We are sitting by the sea shore since eternity
And talking to the forever blackening moon
The words for each other are now less and few
I am not looking for you
Yet the only one I look at is you
The night is zooming past
I am too lonely for the day to come
Yet I know how badly I got to try
This is getting highly predictable
We are no longer in the bubble
The moon is finally melting
And I dont want to burn in the debris
So I think I should get going
It was really nice meeting you
But just one question
How does one make a new beginning?