Chill Out!!

Waiting for the Mahatma…

2010-10-04T23:38:00.003+05:30

Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye je
[One who is a vaishnav]
PeeD paraayi jaane re
[Knows the pain of others]
Par-dukhkhe upkaar kare toye
[Does good to others, esp. to those ones who are in misery]
Man abhimaan na aane re
[Does not let pride enter his mind]

As we recite this favorite bhajan of our very own Mahatma, we recall one more significant day of international significance, his very own birthday. He’s immersed in our thoughts. 140 years since his birth, his universal methods continue to inspire many. His non violent principles coupled with the ferocity of Bhagat Singh,Lal Bahadur Shastri( who shares his birthday too on the very same day) emancipated the British that let India breathe a new slice of relief, a renewed sense of excitement and a splendid feeling of belongingness to the country. His life was basically a delicate but a principled one resting on the foundations of truth. Since his death, many writers, filmmakers have weaved wonderful tales of this master. These have been mild efforts in trying to emulate his methods to the younger generation. Here’s a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi through a rollicking literary gem “Waiting for the Mahatma” by R.K. Narayan.The best part of the fictional classic is that it involves a fictional character of the Mahatma himself who enthuses a young teenager Sriram who’s coming of age is marvellously reflected and equally fascinated by the legend’s simplicity. Embellished with a beautiful story that’s cultivated between the main protagonist Sriram and Bharati, both strict followers of the former.In pursuit of his love interest, Sriram discovers the purpose of life through the depth of his principles. He loves the freedom enriched in his soul and though he is in a personal conflict on the practicality he lets life find its destination. Its the nativity and connectivity established by the author between the reader and Mahatma that works so very well.

Akin to R.K. Narayan, his autobiography “The Story of My Experiments withTruth” mirrors his life through subtle and unadorned descriptions of his daily life, the situations he encountered through simple words that harbour great thoughts. It was the inner meanings of the smaller aspects he viewed that taught him a lot and live an uncompromising existence.

To take light of another work that fructifies Gandhigiri, here’s our very own Munnabhai. Introducing a character created by chemical imbalance of a person, the filmjourneys the practical application of his methods and preaching of his sayings that's viable for the aam junta. Without a speckle of violence substantiated with logic, Munnabhai renewed the vigour of ahimsa. Its a craft of a narrator to create such a plot that humourously yet convincing a viewer of its astuteness.

Ben Kingsley’s Gandhi too invoked a great sense of nationalism and its successglobally justifies this aspect. Despite varied attempts, the audiences have accepted Gandhian notions in diverse forms. Sadly, very few have embedded in our hearts to create a long time impact. Despite a mixed run in this case, its very appreciable from their side for the efforts undertaken in engendering his message conjugated with their very own creativity.

Though Gandhi has an equal share of critics for his methods and though various questions were bottled up regarding his character, one cannot disregard his honest will to visualize a battle free nation. When we accept or adore a person, we equally respect both the sides of their lives. We praise, criticize, applaud him but he would be the happiest when he sees us improving our nation in own little ways. Trust yourselves and be an ambassador for disseminating truth, that would be beneficial enough for a developing nation like ours. As Gandhi quotes in “Lage Raho Munna Bhai”“Apun Hai na, Tension nahi lene ka”Jai Hind!Hope my article justifies an unending tribute to the Mahatma….

A meticulously crafted work…..

2010-09-22T12:19:00.001+05:30

A filmmaker’s flair always lies in presenting a simple story in a visually engaging form that is entrusted with soul,substance and logic.The writers of yesteryears frankly had little to tell, but whatever they could convey, they warmed us with their utmost honesty in doing so. Hrishikesh Mukherjee was no exception. Simple presentation, beautiful situations, glorious performances is what you expect from such a legend. Here we trace back to a work that aptly glorifies his adeptness in crafting a simple story “Anupama” that’s alluring , delicate and equally delicious.

Mohan Sharma is a top notch businessman who is gifted with a daughter Uma at the cost of his wife. This very reason transforms him to drink voraciously . He continuously faults her daughter for ruining his happiness. He isolates her, torments her , traumatizes her and yet adores her when drunk. Uma is grown up in an atmosphere where she hesitates to speak, confined to her room and a heart that’s filled with sadness. She wants to speak, but won’t , she doesn’t aspire, desire or expect anything from life.She feels her life was meant to be like this and she couldn’t do anything to confront it.Meanwhile, Sharma’s friend Bakshi too has a daughter Anita whom he brought up with utmost care and love. She’s lively,bubbly and there’s nothing that could stop her from being that. Quite a contrast to Uma, she has a loveable father and he fills her world. Moses, a lawyer,another friend of Sharma is a sheer delight and enjoys his life as a bachelor. He’s ageing but his thoughts aren’t, quite noble at heart these threesome form an awesome group.

Arun, a well settled chap comes back from the US who has an able friend in the form of Ashok, a writer who’s subtle,crispy and full of heart. He falls for Anita immediately and love sparkles. They’re mad, wild and form a chirpy pair. To celebrate togetherness they plan a tour and Ashok along with his sister and mother too accompany them. Uma feels completely out of shape in such a place but Ashok’s simplicity aided by his sister and mom warms her. Ashok is puzzled to see such a person who’s uncommunicative and aloof at heart. These are the moments that connect them unbreakably and a special bond unleashes. Uma’s undergoing transformation and a positive one that too. Will her true self emerge? Will she ever stand up for herself ? The climax provides a series of interesting and intriguing answers to this empowering enigma.

As we can learn above, the story is a very delicate one and bad acting or either bad direction could have tarnished such a sensitive script. But having Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore at our disposal we dare expect a blunder. Quality actors mean a lot and this entirely proves it. Enhancing a situation beyond its capacity requires emotions at its natural best and here we see it deliver par excellence. Dharmendra who’s underrated for his comedies and simplicity rather than for his loud and booming characters portrays his role with a dignity that’s rarely seen. As a struggling writer and an able advisor to Uma, he balances his role with an unqualified ease. In a situation Dharmendra explores a statement “ Aap kuch nahin boltein hai, par Aap ki Aankhen sab Kuch kehleti hai”. This very much sums up Sharmila Tagore’s act. Minimal dialogues, wonderful expressions, she is fantabulous in a role that depicts her capabilities to perfection. The director is very instrumental in extracting such an efficient conduct from her. Tarun Bose as a despotic father is stern and stubborn, he enacts his part impeccably. David provides great relief and moments to laugh out loud in a serious film. Job Well Done! Shashikala infuses life into her role and is extremely loveable. Deven Verma has his moments and he utilises them to good effect. Music by Hemant Kumar is an asset to this movie. “Dheere Dheere Machal “, “Kuch Dil Ne Kaha”, “Ya Dil Ki Suno” are compositions which don’t come about so often. It stamps a supreme authority and satiates us wholeheartedly. Last but not the least, the master of the game, Hrishikesh Mukherjee is exquisite in harnessing such talent that’s aesthetical and soulful.He’s literally flawless in his methods and filmmakers of today can learn a thing or two about churning a deft flick that is commercially tangible, creatively satisfying with no level of compromise. He will be surely missed and this sensitive film would sure be one to remember for years to come by(as it is done now).

Go for this one rather than settling for plot less flicks that try to be different, but being no good. This is sure to make your time worthy..Grab your copy now..

My Take: 4.5/5

A marvel named Mani Ratnam….

2010-06-18T08:41:00.001+05:30

A day to go for the release of Raavan and excitement is mounting up among the masses to check on what they have in store from a true gem named Mani Ratnam.He’s directed and produced some of the most path breaking films of the decade in more than 4 languages including his mother tongue Tamil,Hindi,Telugu and Kannada.In his foray as a filmmaker,he’s never chosen a complicated story.In fact,the story line of his movies are quite simple and straightforward.The presentation is the factor that sets him a class apart.He takes great efforts to see the intensity doesn’t drop down in his movies.The characters have a lot of depth beyond the cinema hall.Not that his films lack commercial elements .His movies impress one and all with their slick treatment and a technique that has great panache and style.So on this occasion lets glance through some of the best works of this genius over the years.Here we begin…

Iruvar(1997)

The film made little fuss about its release but was in the headlines as it marked the debut of Aishwarya Rai.The director had to do a lot to convince Mohan Lal to do a non Malayalam film.But everything fell in place and Prakash Raj accompanied the former through this film.Unfortunately,the film couldn’t earn well enough at the ticket window though it deserved very much.Modelled on ace Tamil super star MG Ramachandran’s life it traverses the path through which he got into films and ultimately politics.Prakashraj plays a semi supporting-villainous role of a poet with his story based on Karunanidhi’s life.Mohanlal in the movie,is a huge star who enjoys huge mass popularity.Prakash Raj meanwhile is a friend of Mohan Lal since his early days into cinema suggests him to use his image to enter into politics.There starts an ugly game of politics and the difficulties Mohan Lal undergoes in his career.Aishwarya playing a double role fits in comfortably in a somewhat brief role.Her part in the second half suggested similarities with the relationship Jayalalitha shared with MGR.Partly fictional,partly factual the movie is a treatise on power,money,popularity,fame,lust and almost human emotion.A.R.Rahman’s music provides the perfect impetus to a story that penetrates into you.His background music speaks volumes on how he grew and still grows Mani Ratnam himself considers this movie as his best work till date.I’ve watched many politics centric movies but none have created an impact such as this.Its a must watch to know how powerful can a character get more than you see.Feel it!

Dil Se(2000)

Similar to Iruvar,the film didn’t make enough bucks to satisfy the producers but went on to become a cult classic.This film marked the entry of Mani into Hindi films though his works Roja and Bombay were previously dubbed and did quite well.So there was no one questioning his credentials.This time around,taking a break from intense dramas he chose a simple love story that had deeper meaning than it suggested.The cast too was probably the best at times with Shah Rukh Khan,Manisha Koirala,Arundati Nag.This film too had the grand launch of another bubbly actress Preity Zinta.The characters were straight and had clear intentions.Shahrukh a radio jockey,Manisha Koirala a terrorist.Love creates a bond of immense passion,love between them.This one goes straight into the topic on how people resort to the ghastly activities of terrorism and the mindset behind it.No,this one does not fantasize it but states a clear message.Love too crushes apart as a prey.The film has a tragic end quite contrary to the commercial films of that genre.Probably this is why this film has stood stall thus ensuring it a timeless quality.Mani Ratnam in his movie makes sure that the viewer gets enough of the local lingo making it look all the more natural.He sinks us in the world that we would refuse to move out from.He always has good eye for casting and having the right people at his disposal.This comes to fact yet again with this one.Music of Dil Se has stood the test of time and the classy “Chaiyya Chaiyya”,the passionate “Satrangi re”,the effervescent “Jiya Jale” will fascinate any music lover.Its one of the best tales narrated where a woman is caught between the devil and the sea and can do nothing about it.Other filmmakers should take a leaf out of his book and go into making good cinema rather than falling into the trap of the run of the mill commercial formulaic movies.

Yuva

After meeting with considerable success in his works in both languages,this time the tide turned towards a bilingual.Back at what he does best,he chose the plot of youth entering politics for the betterment of society.Though it was a commercial failure in both the languages,the Hindi version impressed me a lot comparatively.Mani narrated three parallel stories and established connections between their lives.The first is Junior AB who’s a boisterous goon in the city,an utterly passionate and a rough personality.He pulled of the role with such élan and went on to give solo hits like Bunty Aur Babli,Guru,Paa,etc.Rani Mukherjee plays his wife who had to bear the mood swings of her husband very often.Her performance had class written all over it..The second story is of Ajay Devgan who’s much against the corrupt politicians and desires some freshness regarding the same.Though a bit stale at expressions and gestures,Ajay fitted into the role with real comfort.His love life centered on Esha Deol,who was utmost sincere in delivering her part.The lighter side of the three stories was that of Vivek Oberoi who cashes in his opportunity perfectly to portray a role with various emotions.Kareena too doesn’t disappoint and the chemistry between them does evoke some of the best moments in the movie.The story could have been really be destroyed of quality had it not been presented well.But Mani Ratnam doesn’t fail,his presentation and screenplay are his biggest facets and he uses it to his best.Rahman’s music added the right composure and enhances the mood of the situation well.

Though people may have various apprehensions regarding my choice of movies,it’s difficult to satisfy everyone.I equally like his other works like Guru,Nayagan and others.But these flicks have swept like none other.Hope Raavan too makes into this list when I write about this fabulous phenomenon sometime later.Off to the theatres guys now!Will review the “Dus Sar Waale”!!

Truth should and will only prevail……….

2010-05-22T23:51:00.001+05:30

Movies,at least in India are meant for true entertainment and a stress busters for employees and many other sections of life.When they are filled with in a noble content nourished with entertainment,a viewer will have something to take home with and the filmmakers too are a satisfied lot .This one didn’t manage the latter part but touched my heart for the sincerity the movie was made with by S.M.Abbas.

After a tiring Friday,to chill myself out here came the Raj Kapoor starrer Shriman Satyawadi which was released in 1960 which focusses on how truth has become an ugly word to this society.One more aspect about the movie is that,despite the movie being made 5 decades ago it still maintains connectivity with the viewer.Probably that's why Raj Kapoor’s films have an immortal quality and his films still enchant many film lovers.

The film journeys on an honest guy who believes nothing can replace truth and ethics and those values will sometime or the other come in handy.The male lead Vijay(Raj Kapoor) is born to a businessman who runs a medical shop.Vijay is survived by his father who earns his bread and butter with utmost trustworthiness.Vijay was made to learn the harsh realities of uttering truth from his early ages.The co business men then get jealous of his fathers growing recognition for his reliability and plot a plan to bring him down.Vijay’s father by that time gets ill and the doctor informs he hardly has a few days left in his life.Later he falls a prey to the plotted plan and not withstanding the shock,succumbs to death.

The doctor then takes the responsibility of growing up Vijay and his life is built on foundations of truth and nothing can ever substitute it.He then completes his formal education and marches into Mumbai to find his living.He stays in his uncles house and ventures into their company as an executive in their ad agency.He there comes across Kishore(Mehmood)his childhood friend.Meanwhile love blossoms between Vijay and Shakila(Uncles daughter) and Kishore plays the spoilsport.As life goes on,Kishore’s father plans on an alliance with Shakila and rob her father’s worth.Kishore does a mega plan of a wrinkle free cream and makes tall claims about it.He puts forward his plan to Shakila’s father and the latter is impressed.Though Vijay insists on the chemical test of the cream before its launch,none pay heed to his advice .The cream’s then given a huge scale launch and quickly grabs the eyeballs of the customers.Confusion resumes then,when people complain of weird side effects and question it’s entire purpose.Kishore’s claims were of no basic avail.Vijay then clarifies all mystifications regarding the product and tells that the chemical test hadn’t been performed before the launch.This straightforwardness annoys his uncle and he’s ultimately fired out of the job.He soon finds the job of a salesman and he’s made to face the axe due to the same word “honesty”.A well acclaimed journalist is quite impressed with his straight forward quality and offers him a job.Vijay gleefully accepts and becomes an editor.He’s soon the talk of the town for his in-depth investigations and thoughtful writings.But suddenly an old man lands up in his office claiming that his son was dead consuming a pain killer which was brought from his uncles agency.He digs in the actual reality behind the issue and finds out that Kishore and his father were the real culprits of the situation making money selling cheap quality products that pass hardly any standard.Fate had its way of catching up with the wrong doer and Vijay earns his respect which was due for a long time and the film ends on a happy note.

Though the film has traces of Shree 420 in the honesty aspect,the other parts were quite different, well structured and enacted.30 minutes into the movie and you’re sunk into Vijay’s world and we forget the actor portraying it.That’s called acting and that’s class.Raj Kapoor’s uncanny knack of managing comedy and emotions at once is real quality to be observed.Never do the characters make us feel they 'rent believable. In the post interval the film's pace slackens and the scenes appear more clichéd.Nevertheless the chemistry between the lead pair makes it up.Shakila’s never over the top and does her bit with a unique charm.Mehmood isn’t at his best but fits in well enough.The journalist character too is very noble in character and though there’s limited screen space it’s presence adds solidity to the movie.

The movie doesn’t make it into the list of classics but will make for a good watch on a lazy evening.It has a moral and with accomplished acting performances from the cast,it’ll keep you satisfied.This movie’s far better than the crap we’re put up to by the so called actors of today.Decent script,efficient screenplay,reasonable music!It’s a well packaged neat entertainer for a family! Refresh yourself with this!!Remember ,truth will and only prevail!Though late,it yields success and ensures a purposeful existence.

A day….A life dedicated to her…

2010-05-09T09:33:00.001+05:30

“For the hand that rocks the cradle - Is the hand that rules the world”-William Ross

Mother,a phenomenon whose influence is felt every second,minute,hour….forget it for the entire existence.Its a bond between a mother and child that’s as pure as rain water,as white as milk,as soulful as Rahman’s music.From helping a child from their first baby steps of life to shaping them as mature adults,a mom is as selfless as it can get.They give everything in their heart for us,never a moment of distrust,never an act of selfishness,never a situation of betrayal.She’s a lap we can forever rest on to share everything in our life.We fight,scold,argue but ultimately we love her more than anyone in this world which cares hardly for relationships.She’s a person who’ll never ever let us down.She lives her life for us,her heart beats for our harmony.Let us be poor,rich or any economic condition it doesn’t matter for her,the only thing she ponders over her entire lifetime is the happiness of her child.She wants the best of everything for them and never a dull moment should enter their lives.This may not be true because life isn’t such an easy ride either,but she’s the one who thrives for it to be so.For that simple reason,she’s always there to guide us.A dedication of a day for Mother’s would do so much unjust since a life isn’t sufficient enough to pay tribute to her magnanimous affection.

“Mother – that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries.”-Anonymous

Bearing our womb for nine months in her stomach,she tolerates any pain in to see her little one emerge in this world.The life then changes 360 degrees for her and nothing can value her child’s contentment.From sharing our pain,happiness she’s the one who’s more disappointed or happy than one in the universe.Her soothing words of wisdom,courage give us strength to tackle any event in life.What we’re today and whatever good intent we possess in our soul is because of this beaconing and enlightening angel.From feeding her milk to us,growing us up, with her bedtime stories for us to sleep,the lullabies we yearn for, she treasures each and every moment in her mind and despite our ageing, we still appear as a child to her.

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.”-Rajneesh

Miss everything in life but not mom’s unconditional love,for it can never replicate itself in its true form again,not even your life partner.Make her feel happy and never give a moment to her that she feels anguished or irritated.We take things for granted,but never ever take this one and perish all thoughts about it.We ultimately live to make our loved ones delighted,but she lives only to make you happy,for you’re the world for her.She’ll forgive any fatal wrong you commit for she wants you to learn in life.She wants you to make the most of whatever you get in life.This very day gives us the golden opportunity to honour her for what all she has given us in life.I pray for long life of all mothers existing on this planet and let her warmth be spread across every nook and corner and turn the world into a paradise.

Recalling the famous dialogue of Deewar,

“Mere paas buliding hai,shaurat hai,daulat hai,sab kuch hai,tumhare paas kya hai?

Mere Paas Maa Hai!”

“I LOVE YOU MOM,FOREVER.YOU’RE A PEARL THAT CAN NEVER LOSE ITS SHINE. YOU’RE A WALL WHOSE FOUNDATION CAN NEVER BE BROKEN AND YOU’RE SOMETHING SPECIAL!NONE CAN REPLACE YOU !You are god”-Myself :-)

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!THIS LIFE IS FOR YOU

MOM!I’LL DO ANYTHING TO LEAVE YOU HAPPY!

A man who sets his own limits…..

2010-05-01T15:12:00.001+05:30

Mani Ratnam, a director beyond excellence has put his sweat,heart and

soul into his contemporary take on Ramayana in the form of Raavan.Pulling of an enviable cast with the likes of Abhishek Bachchan,Aishwarya Rai,Vikram,Govinda, Manisha Koirala,Priyamani,Prithvi Raj the film maker has left no stone unturned to unleash a classic.With the story being penned by himself along with Suhasini,his better half ,it promises to be one film which you don’t want to miss out on!The music which rolled out on 24 April boasts of soaring collections day by day and why not,with such experimental work and class by the humble maestro.His association with Mani Ratnam started long back with Roja,Bombay,Dil Se which were major successes in the music aspect.This time too,Raavan is coming out in 3 languages with the Hindi and Tamil versions being original and the latter one being dubbed in Telugu as “Villain”.

Aishwarya who’s growing younger day by day with her charm is an

inevitable choice for the director to portray Ragini(Sita).She has previously worked with ‘Mani sir’ as she calls in path breaking cinema like her debut Iruvar,a wonderful saga of power and po litics and Guru,a journey of a leader born from the masses.This time she returns to play a dutiful wife who falls in love with a kidnapper.She’s hardly had any make up throughout the film and had to do a lot of dances and dangerous stunts.She moreover had to essay the same role in two different versions of the movie,Hindi and Tamil which turned out to be quite strenuous for the beauty.Yet her glow isn’t an inch less,probably that’s what beauty is really all about.

Abhishek no less in caliber than his lady love is all set to play the bad guy in

the movie.In fact he’s worked an extra mile hard to get his “Raavan” act right.Abhishek and Mani Ratnam have been a lethal combination to reckon with.Films like Yuva,Guru have elevated Junior B’s position to good stature and now Raavan which is no less magical.This film has a lot riding on him and hope he doesn’t disappoint.Romancing his lady love for the 7th time on screen,he traps,fights,bruises and ultimately falls in love with her.This combination too is close to miraculous and looks to set the screen abuzz.

Vikram marks a grand entry to Hindi film industry at the age of 44 with a

revolutionary Mani Ratnam.None could have planned the script better than this.A committed professional,who had to undergo many lows in his career to establish his foothold in the industry and make it this far and Raavan is a true gift to his grit.The actor who’s done momentous work in “Anniyan”, “Sethu”,”Kaasi” will in no mere doubt come up with something monumental this time around too.In the Hindi version he will be seen in the positive role as Aishwarya's husband while in Tamil he will play Beera, a negative character being essayed by Abhishek in the Hindi version.

On a whole,Raavan looks like a true winner in the hands of Mani Ratnam.The unbeatable package of drama,music,intensity will certainly hit the bull’s eye in the box office.He has definitely pushed the envelope forward for making reality cinema on par with commercial value.He surely has an eye for having the right people at his disposal.He’s been always the one who’s ready to take risks and set his own limits.Compromise is a word missing from his dictionary.Quality,substance means everything to this genius.He owes a film like this to the audiences.Here’s an honest wish for his mega venture to strike all the chords perfectly.June 18 marks the beginning of his test!

37 and still learning……

2010-04-29T22:05:00.001+05:30

Greatness is a term often misquoted and honoured to some undeserving ones.The greats hardly care about the labels given to them,just move on and on and do their best in what they excel.Fame too similarly isn’t easy to handle.You need modesty and satisfaction to accept that.Still didn’t get it?The above note was just a small description of the unassailable little master Sachin Tendulkar who recently turned 37 on April 24,2010.

21 years ago,a short chap,barely 5 foot,despite any domestic experience made his foray into international cricket against our most fancied “neighbour” Pakistan.Short balls,bouncers,yorkers against a perilous bowling attack,Sachin braved it all and how many times?Two mighty decades.Who would have thought a guy who had got a last minute inclusion in the Indian team would be the world’s best batsman alongside Bradman,Gavaskar?Born in Mumbai to Sau Rajani and Sri Ramesh Tendulkar,Sachin rose from a humble background overcoming many hurdles to reach his contemporary status in this game.

Making it to the national team was the first challenge and he had conquered it successfully.So what next,the basic thing,survival?Did he have it in to endure a long run in this unpredictable ever-changing game?This is where the master won the mental aspect of the game and worked very hard and gave everything in his stint on the field.Never have the records or achievements gone above his head and the statement given by himself clarifies this

“I have never thought where I will go, or forced any targets on myself.”

He obviously had seriously delicate times in his standing in this game.Many suggested him to retire immediately after the disastrous campaign of 2007 World Cup.He never got bothered by those tumultuous periods,but has indeed grown from it.Even till date,the preparation he undergoes for every game is the same,be it a practice match,T-20 Game,ODI or Tests.

“At least with me, the match starts much, much earlier than the actual match”

He has indeed conveyed that survival is all more remaining modest and advance in the game rather than getting overwhelmed by applause and bogged down by criticism.An owner of such great talent and unperturbed self control,he still feels Cricket is more of a team game and nothing else.This sounds so true especially when the possessor of utmost respect worldwide says it.

Off the field he has his own forms of recreation,the main feature being spending personal time with his loved ones.Father of two children,Arjun and Sarah,the champion makes it a point not to over involve cricket in his conversations and fairly distance it instead.He gives enough respect to the game though, so does personal life deserves it and he has maintained that balance so very effectively.Vinod Kambli who charmed through a brief period in the Indian team is a childhood mate of the master.He goes on to say..

”Nothing has ever changed in Sachin.He’s as child like and as naughty as before.He’s never allowed fame,glory to affect his character.He deserves every bit of what he gets.”

Despite all these he credits his captains,co-players who have had undue faith in him as a player and helped him in this successful journey.He still feels he hasn’t had enough of the game but he’s sure of one thing,he’ll continue to play as long his love for cricket never fails him or his physical fitness would get the better of him.

”I am 37 and still learning”

Neither words nor sayings would justify what he has done for the game.It’s certainly difficult to estimate how invaluable he’s as a team player and an icon.Never would just one article glorify a genious perfectly,probably never can one because

“Genious isn’t a man of words but a man of action”

.We can just say one thing at the moment.

Go on Master!Go on!

Reliving the classics of the golden era…

2010-04-21T23:09:00.001+05:30

When wondering on what to zoom into my DVD player for the weekend,there I found a copy of a movie named “Saudagar” which I hardly knew anything about.All I could recognize were the faces of the ensemble cast starring Big B and Nutan.So i was pretty much sure of a tidy fare in the offing.Eventually it has surpassed all my expectations and here’s why.

Setting of the movie…..

The movie commences with scenes capturing daily trends and chores of a villager.Mejuben(Nutan) is a widow who leads an unhappy compromising life who has nothing in life to be satisfied with.Meanwhile, Moti(Amitabh) is a trader of the essence earned from Khajur trees and converting to gur.To earn her living,Mejuben works a deal out with Moti and share the revenues earned from the business.Moti is a successful trader but has a meagre share in the money pocketed ,not even for himself.As days move on,Moti is awe-struck by a girl PhoolBanu(Padma Khanna) and both madly fall in love.In his quest for a marriage proposal to her girl’s father,the latter demands 500 bucks as a minimum deposit or a kind of security for his daughter.Moti, who hardly earns a square meal a day is left pondering over on how to arrange for the required sum and win over his lady love.Moti gets cunning this time around and plans to play a prank of a marriage with Mejuban and ensure the whole revenue to himself and when he’s able to make the ends meet,leave her on the name of divorce and marry his love interest.Poor lady falls in the trap and subsequently marries him though she’s a bit surprised of his decision.The rest of the tale focuses on twists and turns of both their lives and what fate had ultimately in store for them.

What struck me?

This offbeat movie is full of life like situations with each scene striking a chord with the audiences despite little commercial value.In terms of script,it has it’s heart at the right place.Amitabh long before his dream run in commercial cinema shows why is he called a true legend.Without any violence nor power dialogues,he redefines acting with subtle expressions and unmatchable composure.Nutan is at her very best matching scene by scene,expression by expression with Big B and handles a tough role with an admirable ease.Despite lesser screen presence,she steals the heart of the spectator scaling the film to unimaginable heights.Padma Khanna as a materialistic wife is just about passable.The music gels well with the pace of the movie and Sajna Hai Mujhe is my pick of the album.

Ultimately……

Life has many situations where we’re tested for our true caliber as an individual.The person who bails out himself safely without causing any unduly harm to others emerges as a true winner in life.The characters in the movie too are put into check their real mettle mentally.The basic reason the film works is for its simplicity and connectivity factors.Barely 2 hours,the film stands out effectively portraying the uncertainties of the unprivileged and on the whole has a good stamp of Rajshri Films in it.The director uses his imagination and turbulent realities weaving a gritty tale.Hats off! Make time for this one!This is a salute to a gem of the golden era!

A take on the “POWER” 5…….

2010-04-14T15:46:00.001+05:30

Being in India,there are always a few areas which you can never leave out of your talks or chats.They never cease to exist.Here’s my take on the most talked about 5 topics i.e. power 5

MEDIA

Which day has not started or has gone by without a newspaper,television,radio or internet?It has such a creative power on influencing people’s thoughts,ideals nationally and globally.Since its beginning,it has evolved from being a national awakening medium to a complete business object.

The sincerity,truth that had subsisted for long is slowly shriveling up.For drawing in our eye balls,media agencies are resorting to cheap gossip news, rumours ,controversies and what not.TRP’s,sensationalism seem to be the order of the day.The common man’s faith has too slackened in the media and truth seems to be completely projected out of the picture.Ensnaring the media into the trap is of course politics,about which we shall discuss later and corruption,the inalterable hazard of our nation.It’s time the big bosses come out of the so called race and put business equations off and elicit truth out in its best honest form.

CRICKET

“

If cricket is a religion,Sachin is god!”

The sport that generates excitement to every nook and corner to the country has been one of the most unifying factors of the nation.Cricket is celebrated and followed as a religion with people coming together for cheering their team with unnerving hope.You’ll never pass by a street where you wouldn’t witness a child playing this sport,for it enthuses everyone beyond the barriers of age,religion,colour,caste.Sachin’s brilliance,Gavaskar’s class,Kapil Dev’s sixes have all the more encouraged the young guns into the game.Some people play for pure joy,some to have a good hit with the bat and some to blaze all guns with their all-round capabilities.

Making into the Indian XI is a big thing and not only can talent do it but you need a combo of luck attached with it too.It takes a lot to be an international cricket player.Net sessions,Fielding practice,Fitness regimes can take toll of a player’s physical and mental capabilities.So lasting in international cricket is a true character test and not many can last the tide.Coming to the negative aspect,favoritism on the basis of zones has been existing from long and will never end probably.Money,influence can land you to any position in the game,particularly in India.This is a harsh truth every aspiring cricketer ought's to remember.

CELL PHONE

Ask any teenager what are the things you cannot live without?Definitely,cell phone would add on to the list.Such is its influence on our daily life.Multiple applications coalescing into a single portable device and put in speakers and other functionalities packaged wonderfully,you have a mobile in your hands.It has revolutionized human existence and communication making things much simpler as each day passes by.

Somewhere down the line,if it goes down to addiction,i guess it also tends to affect human relationships too.Life becomes mechanical and we tend to give materialistic things more of an importance.So balancing both of them is the key.If handled well enough,yes it’s presence is rocking!So know where to draw the line because relationships are delicate,don't let’em off the hook.

POLITICS

Politics has been far from being honest in India.Gone are the days when people enter politics for public service,gone are the days where people had hope in their “leaders”!In short,Politics has become a bad word for the masses.Money,caste,religion plays a bigger role than the service most politicians of the nation today do.Any issue or an attack,the blame game starts.The Center starts blaming the other nation,Opposition starts blaming the former and this goes on from party to party,person to person and the matter dies up so quickly and how.Forgetting on how to solve an issue,our politicians do every possible thing to deviate it.When will this change?

When will a common see a politician helping him out in a crisis,share their pain like a mother,guiding like a father and standing up like a leader?Drastic changes in the mental set up are required to solve our problem.How long can we bear it?How many a time we’ll choose the best of the worst?These are startling questions we surely need an answer to.The politicians often need to remember that people form the government,their job is to handle the state/nation.If we can make a government,we can overthrow it too.Wake up SIRS,before it’s too late!

BOLLYWOOD

Indian films always have been popular worldwide and with huge marketing boom,it’s making great business abroad.Hindi cinema always had an inner voice in it’s films in the golden era of the 1970’s and 80’s.The mix of Amitabh,Rajesh Khanna,Raj Kapoor,Guru Dutt with film makers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee,Prakash Mehra aided by the well known Salim Javed say it all.Surely such talent will make anyone stand up and take note.Though the future generation of SRK,Aamir,Salman,Akshay Kumar have done momentous work,they could never reach the classy heights of the yesteryears.

As every field would have it,there’s a bad side to this one too.Personal ego’s between actors,regular cat fights between the heroines make it look really ugly at times.But in terms of movies,they’re definitely heading in the right direction with the main focus on script rather than male or female leads.This is a wonderful phenomenon and hope it paves way for more such films like Lagaan,TZP,MNIK and so on.So Good Going Bolly!Keep it up!

These “power” 5 rule the roost in today’s chatter among our circle and this is my take on them.Do let me know yours for the “talk” to proceed!!:-)

Follow your heart,not mind

2010-03-30T23:07:00.001+05:30

Many people in life do things because it is meant to do that way and that’s the safest way to do so.They do things after various estimations in their mind,filter it and come to a decision.Here the monetary aspect is only considered.Where’s the most important factor,the heart ?Where does this find its place?Can it become a part of our life?

Passion for a field and doing well in a field are completely different aspects.Often we think its the same.What is it that separates them?Take an example,I am a student weak at math,I work on it for a month and solve problems aplenty and be perfect in it and after the exam I forget it.Passion is an entirely different facet,its the one that makes you believe you’re going to do well in that for the rest of your life.Basically we wont feel taxed doing it and we rather live in and enjoy that forgetting time and surroundings.But often life puts us in a fix to test our countenance in balancing both of them.What do we do?Passion and survival hanging in the balance equally.Often the choices we make in life are influenced by many “people”.The people here don’t know how well balanced their life is,but are ready to give advice.Advice and constructive criticism is always required,agreed but to a limit because we all get to live once and have to enjoy the journey to the fullest.Its useless to think sitting in the dying ages wishing that had I taken the bold step come what may,my life would have been more fruitful and very significantly satisfying.Remember life never gives a second chance.A person can never know the joy of life until his heart goes into an aspect and his soul is put into it.Success and failure are a part but at least the work was challenging enough to try out.Every great person had choices to make,the tried and tested path and a challenging path.They often chose the latter as nothing would be as fulfilling as winning a challenge..Its an often quoted example but a true one,Tendulkar had ups and down in his 20 long career but never he thought he has lost the love for the game for, life is nothing without cricket for Sachin.

Life is a short,puzzling ,testing journey.Its a short one too.Don’t involve unnecessary calculations.Make best of the opportunities you have around and work hard until you get your best.Childhood,first love,life,marriage all happen only once,they don't come knocking your door very often.Be sure,firm,passionate of your interest for it’ll never let you down.Follow your heart and not mind….

“Aim for excellence and success will follow you”

Teacher,an everlasting influence…….

2010-03-29T23:03:00.001+05:30

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.-Henry Brooks Adams

The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate "apparently ordinary" people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people. -K. Patricia Cross

Teaching is a rare profession of complete selflessness and the one that provides ample satisfaction.Teachers are probably the angels who guide us,instruct us,scold us but only for our good and they indeed have an impact on our entire existence in this universe.Every student has a favorite among his/her teachers who remain in their hearts and understand their feelings like a friend and there’s no exception in my case too.They’ll be etched in my memories as the golden times of my life which i may not revisit again.

What do we expect of a teacher?Keep us in good check of our behaviour,habits,carve out a wonderful personality and most importantly impart enough knowledge in their subject.Each of them have their own methods in expressing themselves.Coming to my teacher,he’s the one who’s endowed with unbelievable simplicity and a personality that’s redoubtable.His encouragement and will towards my overall improvement is unquestionable.The passion with which he teaches wows me.His patience is nearly enviable and the interest he takes in making the student perfect is praise worthy.He works for 10 hours a day but the energy and the enthusiasm will be the same to each student of his,such is the conviction to his job.He definitely earns well,but believe me he deserves every penny he gets.

A man born in a simple middle class Brahmin family,grew up with many difficulties yet his never give up attitude kept him always going.Personally too he was crushed many a time, but he never was bogged down and instead moved on in life which resulted in him getting to a position of strength.To add more feathers to his cap, here’s a real life example.His father in law on his deathbed once told “I do not have a son.I never regretted it.You have been a wonderful husband to my daughter and a formidable son in law,in fact a son.This is enough for me to die peacefully.”

The time I spent with him as a student in 4 years was a dream and days with his company moved on in a flash.More than a teacher,he was a friend to me,there were many things which I couldn’t share with my parents, but I did so with him.My foundation for Math went on from average to a top notch level under his supervision.I probably didn’t achieve as much as he expected of me,but his ethics,principles,basics will stay on with me until my last breath..To limit myself in describing him in words would do complete injustice.Hope he continues to enlighten more students and shape wonderful careers and hope he enjoys his work like never before.

WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIR!!

Good to the ears,but not eyes….

2010-03-28T17:06:00.001+05:30

Films are made for many purposes,in fact its purpose has changed many a time over the years.Its used for social messages,traditional values and most significantly entertainment.Music forms an integral part of any film as it has the power of enhancing one’s moods.Some filmmakers invest a large chunk of their interest in music rather than the script.The success though can never be predictable and we now peep into the failures of such flicks….

JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM

A YashRaj movie with an A-1 star cast and exotic locations couldn’t save the film of its delirious fate.The one aspect that stood out was music.Excellent compositions from Shankar Ehsaan Loy with tracks such as the title track,Bol Na Halke with wonderful lyrics from Gulzar was a real treat to music lovers.The magic to the ears couldn’t convert on screen with a flawed script and poor performances.This should have done far better than what it had got.

AAJA NACHLE

Another movie from the Chopra banner,the come back of Madhuri Dixit,a dance centric movie,national award winner Konkana Sen didn’t even do average business.Added to it all,the music of Salim Sulaiman was rock solid and created the much required hype among the masses.The story was too clichéd and the lack of soul in the movie was clearly visible.The audience rejected it instantly and taught the film makers that script is the head, no gloss can substitute it.

YUVVRAAJ

Subhash Ghai with Sallu,Kat,Anil Kapoor!A film centered on music!The most important of all maestro A.R.Rahman’s compositions will tempt any film buff.The excitement and the aura about the movie ended immediately after it’s release.An old wine in a new bottle kind of a concept,poor direction,dialogues added to make the movie the biggest of duds.Despite that,the music earned much appreciation from crowds.Ghai couldn’t translate the genius’s tunes in a picturesque form.

DELHI 6

Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra after his magnum opus Rang De Basanti came out with Delhi 6 with the likes of Junior Bachchan,Sonam Kapoor,Rishi Kapoor and an ensemble supporting cast.Rahman was back with a classy album which consisted of rock,folk,melody,duet,classical music that was a perfect mix and the movie only could have been better.To much disappointment,the movie lacked any pace and hardly enthused the viewers.The weird monkey man concept irked the viewer testing his patience incredibly.The heartfelt compositions were utterly wasted by the director.

So when you hear great music around,be wary of your expectations because its not as good as it sounds.

The idiocrasies of the marks system……

2010-03-28T14:49:00.001+05:30

Marks indicate the potential of the student.It shows the rank of a student.It points out the understanding abilities of a student”

These are the words uttered by every parent who wishes the best for his/her child?After all who doesn’t?Marks are serving as an estimate to the world about a student.But of late,marks have been the sole reason for killing the joy of education.People have lost their senses on what purpose does it serve and ..Ultimately are they benefitted by it?Oh God! What are we upto?Can true talent come out through a written exam?Just spare a thought and a few moments and we would not refuse to say no but it’s the system we have been following and probably will in the future too,so why go against it?Going into it’s grass roots,it has a danger of destroying the intellectual abilities of a student.Never can he enjoy the depth and application of the subject.Just force!force!Put on memory caps before an exam overnight,mug up the text and omit out in the exam.Then its dead and dusted!This is a regular pattern followed by a 1st class student to probably an engineering graduate.That's why in practical exposure,India has to climb big steps.Never can this happen without major changes in the evaluation structure of an exam.Students are indeed made to forget the essence of the subject just for the sake of marks.Perfection is never achieved,forget that the meaning of academics is entirely lost.Even if there’s enough passion in a student to excel,he always falls as a prey to this ridiculous system.

Many education forums,films,associations have often highlighted this issue but for no avail.Films like Taare Zameen Par,3 Idiots keep coming but people have failed to follow it beyond the cinema halls.A testing method is needed,sure,but not such that it affects the morality of a student.The system should be able to highlight the strengths of a student as the capabilities vary from person to person.A education must highlight the exact direction i.e. a particular field in which a student is going to show his aptitude whole through his life.The unduly stress and torture really doesn’t do any good which would mentally destroy a student.

This is not said in anger.It’s said in complete in complete sadness and disappointment.This is in fact an appeal.Never can we go along this tried and tested route ,lest Follow the heart,not mind always.This is for a developing nation which has enough depth and can raise the bars of education.Think big!Students are stepping stones of a nation.Dont crush their tender hearts!!

A fitting end :-) !!

2010-03-21T16:08:00.001+05:30

Music ka Maha Muqabla has been a wonderful experience for any music lover.It showed how good a platform television for development of budding talent.With the addition of the stars such as Shankar,Mika Singh,Shreya Ghoshal,Himesh,Mohit Chauhan,Shaan this show has raised the bars for any reality.The concept of dividing them into teams and giving young singers like Aabhas,Rahul Trivedi,Rehman,Anvesha and many more talented singers to groom with music and enhance their knowledge in able company of the giants in the field is an intelligent one.Surely ,when talent of this sort comes on the same stage,temperatures escalate and differences tend to exist.That is where creativity increases to its best level and people get to know the beauty and necessities of music.

The show as known was divided to various rounds the first one being a round to experiment,the second being a duet,the third being a DJ round and the fourth being the medley.This sort of a structure helps an artist to experiment his own talent and versatility.The telecast of the show in the weekends ensured the program reaches more audiences.The entry of movie stars to promote their movies helped it grab the eyeballs of the nation.Though the program faced stiff competition from Colors telecasting Junior Big B’s Bingo,its class and simplicity balanced the viewership ratings.With regular differences between Shaan and Mika,the scenes honestly looked ugly at times.But when it comes to quality competition,this show truly stood out from others.If to pick a favorite,mine would be surely Shreya Ghoshal whose voice just makes me bow to her.A true follow up to yesteryears Lata Mangeshkar,Asha Bhonsle and a gifted gem.The show took the responses of the audiences through a rating of 10.If any 2 of the teams were participating,the other 4 singers would be judging.There was also an award presented to the Best Singer of the day which was earned by Anvesha 6 of the 7 times she performed who later even robbed the Singer of the series award.The response of the show reached its top when the show neared the final stages.The final four teams were of lead by Shaan,Shreya,Shankar,Himesh.After a hard fought battle in the semi finals,the teams reaching the final were Shaan and Shankar.

The grand finale was visually excellent and the two teams were ready to fight it out for the ultimate crown of being loved by the majority of the nation.The special guests in the function were Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with his sons Aman Ali and Ayan Ali.With great performances from both the sides,it was so engrossing for the spectator to chose one between the two.But they had to,they did so,it was SHANKAR’s team that romped the crown home and received the 50 lakh rupees prize money with the Shaan’s team receiving 25 lakh.Filled with a wonderful mix of all types of artists,they were definitely the favorites and they didn’t disappoint.Its wonderful to see such great talent coming out and I hope the channels put more thought in bringing the best out of the contestants.Hats off to this show!

Dilon ki Rani ka visesh Janm Din!

2010-03-21T11:23:00.004+05:30

The heart beat of a million,the epitome of sensible acting Rani Mukherji celebrates her 32nd year of her eventful life.What a gift is she to the Indian film industry?!Born in a family with a film background she debuted into movies with the commercially unsuccessful Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat despite earning reasonable critical acclaim.The icing on the cake was her opportunity that knocked her doors to act with the present stalwarts of the movie industry,SRK and Aamir in the year 1998 in Kuch Kuch Hota Hain and Ghulam respectively setting up a foothold for her for the years to come for Rani.She has never looked back since then grabbing her chances with both hands and experimenting with various genres of movies.She poured her heart out in movies such as Yuva,Saathiya,Chori Chori Chupke Chupke,Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega with directors like Mani Rathnam,Abbas Mustan and anything she touched turned into gold.

Her real giant step towards great acting was the inspiring “Black” by Sanjay Leela Bhansali essaying the role of a deaf,dumb,blind girl along with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and this flick will act as a learning manual for aspiring actors to know what it takes to be a great actor.Chalte Chalte,the musical hit too added feathers to her cap with simple and sensible acting.As failures don't spare even the greatest,she also had to face quite a few of them.Commercial failures of Chalo Ishq Ladaye,Mujhse Dosti Karoge,Calcutta Mail,LOC Kargil did affect her growth as an actor .But she turned the tide in her own style with the releases of situational comedy like Hum Tum,heart warming Veer Zaara portraying a role of an honest lawyer,Bunty aur Babli as a girl with high aspirations.She began to experiment with her roles with the likes of critically acclaimed movies like Paheli,Mangal Pandey,Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.While the first two were epic films,the latter one KANK surrounded the basic topic of treatment of delicate relationships.She pulled out a marvellous performance as a vulnerable wife who is yet to find the true love of her life.2004-2005 captured her real abilities of being a versatile actress.But life had other ideas for her...she did too many films for the Yashraj banner with poor selection of roles and started to seem a pale shadow of her old self.Baabul was the start of her career threatening downfall.Following it up with movies of ill sensibilities like Lagaa Chunari Mein Daag,Saawariya,Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic didn’t help her cause.Then she took a long and a much needed break in hope of better luck.

Yashraj films again became the saviour or in fact the destructor with Dil Bole Hadippa along with a seemingly young Shahid Kapoor.The unconventional pairing raised a lot of interest.That interest couldn’t return as a reality on screen with hardly any magic felt.The film was a disaster at the Box Office and Rani was at an all time low despite receiving appreciation for her acting but with a flawed story.With oodles of talent at her disposal,she probably followed a path of self destruction with wrong choice of movies.

She however,remains a Rani to a million hearts for its difficult to find a powerhouse of talent like her.We as fans,request her to choose her roles with caution and come back with a bang.Wishing success in all her career moves and endeavours,here’s wishing a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RANI!

Life in a nutshell…..Is it hell?

2010-03-20T16:46:00.001+05:30

Life is a ride,

an unbearable tide,

Still we shall sail through,

to fulfill our desires,

to earn,but never learn

for it can cause concern in the present

changing our pattern from the past…..

Life is a walk,walk in the right way until it runs you out,

You sometimes rock or fall down like a rock,

with a sudden shock

putting you in a dead lock..

Life is strange,

We can never predict its range,

For we don’t know when will it change,

and even if known,won’t be in a position to arrange..

A sweet movie with a big heart……

2010-03-16T13:18:00.003+05:30

Movies these days have exotic locations,costumes, but lack soul.Here’s where Athithi cashes in as a movie.It’s made with a humanitarian intention and with a touch of class,this one wins your heart instantly.The movie despite the existence of any big stars has good actors who perform their roles with superb conviction.Its like revisiting an old 1970 classic of Hrishikesh Mukherjee who told the simplest of stories in the most simplistic manner.

Inspired from a short story in a Hindi novel”Tum Kab Jaoge Athithi”,the movie is involved in a fast paced Mumbai where people have no time to spend for themselves,save alone relatives.Puneet(Ajay Devgn) is an enthusiastic script writer who works on his laptop continuously churning out sentimental flicks.His wife Mun Mun(Konkana Sen) is an architect who works under an always confused boss.They have a playful son who enjoys his school life and is barely good at academics.The colleagues of both the members of the couple tend to explain how disturbing is it if a guest stays in at their place.They simply laugh it off as hardly any person has entered their house since a decade.This sees an entry of Lambodar Chacha(Paresh Rawal) an old fashioned,aged man who comes to Puneet’s place.He has very strong principles and forces others to stick by it.He wins the warmth of all the residents of their apartment.His weird habits tend to irritate Mun Mun and disturbs her daily schedule irreparably.The guest slowly becomes a burden on the head for the family.Moreover,his lengthy stay at the place tests their patience.The film starts with a depiction of Athithi Devo Bhava, but slowly and cleverly deviates from it and shows how today’s generation have their lives changed with the entry of guests.

When Chacha in an unfortunate incident becomes a matter of ridicule,Puneet stands up to him.The child starts to like the uninvited guest with the latter teaching him the ethical values,traditions through wonderful stories.Suddenly there’s an incredible change, a positive one in the child’s life which start reflecting in his school life too.Though Puneet’s life starts getting dimmer day by day,the guest’s values are slowly transforming him to a better person.Few comic situations,some heart-felt scenes,life like situations keep the viewers engrossed in this family flick meant simply to entertain.Straight and smartly told.

First and foremost,the film could have gone entirely wrong without good acting.Ajay,Konkana and Paresh Rawal weave magic with their subtle acting skills.Though the first 15 minutes of the movie doesn’t give a good impression,the latter parts drool in, the senses of the viewer.The music is just par with the exception of the title song.To name a few,the characters of Satish Kaushik,Sanjay Mishra are beautifully interpreted.The naturalistic nature the film bears is heartening.The movie connects well to our mundane routine life situations.It’s difficult to predict the commercial success of the because the opinions will be mixed.If you want something practical,this one’s not a good pick for you.Surely will be well approved by family audiences and with strong word of mouth might take off well .Ashwani Dhar,the director does a commendable job in conveying a good story.

RATING:3.25/5

MY NAME IS KHAN IS A SOUL STIRRING MAGIC…!

2010-02-12T23:51:00.003+05:30

Controversies,arguments,protests…please give way for a genius none other than the Baadshah SRK,our best story teller Karan Johar and a glowing actress Kajol.Set all your apprehensions about the movie aside and go out to the cinema hall for an enigmatic saga made with such sincerity,innocence and intensity like never before.Experience an acting prowess like none.Enthrall your senses,Ready your tissues to pour your heart out to probably the best take on humanity,religion and the basic essence of it.None of the movies except for 3 Idiots,Taare Zameen Par invoked such true heart felt emotions in me.Its a journey with a passion,brilliance,striving for excellence and ultimately reaching it.

The ride begins in India when the nation was united like never before.Tragedy strikes when riots break out in 1983 destroying India communally.Rizwaan is a child affected by Aspergers Syndrome.He’s still very attached to his mom and follows whatever he tells.He was always the one to be ridiculed at school.Despite all these,he’s an intelligent child who could “repair almost everything”. One day,she tells the world has no religions but is divided on only whether he/she is good or bad.That’s it.Nothing more or less.He has a brother Zakir who feels quite neglected with the attention going more towards Rizwaan.The scene a few moments later shifts to San Francisco where his brother lives.New life,culture makes him take time to settle in there.He works for his brother’s company and in the process meets Mandira who takes him by a storm with her charm.She too is bamboozled with his new take on life and happiness.They have a great time spending delightful moments with each other.But Mandira has a different side of life too.She has a son.She was married at quite a young age of 17 and got betrayed by her irresponsible husband.That's past though,now she’s living a life of pride and satisfaction.An addition of Rizwaan would only make life more enchanting for her.So both decided to tie the knot and move on to a new house with new hopes,ambitions for their future.Suddenly a shock.World Trade Center in ashes.Twin towers no more.Nation in complete tantrums.Just like how B.C and A.D existed ,there started another era of 9/11 to put the issue of Islam as the central cause for destruction and havoc.Every Muslim being suspected,tortured.Where had humanity gone suddenly?Where had religion started as a root cause for destruction?These very basic things affected Rizwaan and Mandira in their life thereafter.They are shook by an unfortunate incident changing their lives forever.This forces Mandira to break out of her relationship with Rizwaan.The latter was mentally devastated by the untold incidents happening in the country and his life.He was desperate to prove a point out to the world and who better than a President of his country to convey his anguish.He is determined and capable and moreover he has god with him,then why fear?He began his journey with an untold confidence,child like innocence and a wide heart.He crosses every hurdle he comes on his way and come what may,no one can stop him from reaching his destination.He ultimately does it and wins back his love teaching the whole nation the power of goodness and humanity in life.

The movie is no more than a fable with a noble intention of conveying in what way can true love,passion and determination can do making us stand tall and accept any shortcomings.The path taken by Karan Johar to tell his story is a risky one but he pulls it off with aplomb.Never he allows the drama to slip off the balance.He takes giant strides as a story teller with MNIK ,proving he can handle stories much beyond romance,family dramas.Its a craft that he’s only gifted with and he’s mastered it with MNIK.Kudos to KJ.He makes you drool into Rizwaan’s character in the first half and empathise with him.The 2nd half especially is a lot moving and special with the climax being the sure highlight.We’ll fall short of words for describing SRK’s finest performance over 2 decades.He’s breath taking and surprises you in every way in almost every shot possible.He instills soul into the character of Rizwaan and suits the role to perfection.His charm,honesty,involvement in this performance is unquestionable.He shakes every bit of your heart with a sincere and a yet heart warming effort.Kajol fits the bill perfectly.She looked effervescent with the able company of SRK making us feel that DDLJ,KKHH,K3G were just yesterday.She matches SRK scene by scene,dialogue by dialogue.She’s simply at her very best.Charming,comfortable and endearing.The music and the back ground deserve a special praise for its subtleness.Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s compositions strike a chord immediately with the audiences and keep the soul of the movie afloat.Its such a remarkable thing that the music never dominates but stays with you throughout and after the film.Shibhani Bhathija has pinched in a balanced story and an intriguing screenplay with enough scope for entertainment.Its a wonderful take on human emotions,relationships and how delicate are they.Dialogues are easily the high point of the movie.In a movie as sensitive as this,lack of proper dialogue could have shattered the entire purpose.Niranjan Iyengar with Shibhani Bhathija provide thoughtful and catchy dialogues.Dialogues such as “Namaz jagah se nahin niyat se pada jata hai” fill your heart with tears..The cinematographer has captured US wonderfully like never before and gives in wonderful pictures to behold.The supporting actors such as Jimmy Shergill,Neena,the child of SRK add substance to an already rock solid movie.The movie unlike Kurbaan,New York doesn’t step into the terrorism angle but it starts going much beyond what the former conveyed.The characterisation and the simplicity depicted is exemplary.It simply is a Hindi film industry’s answer to Hollywood.I would rate it to the level of Oscars.Indian film makers are coming of age and i hope the audiences too surely will and accept this treat.The 8 year wait to see the golden trio in action together is truly worthy and justified.

Overall the movie is outstanding,be it any department.Its a collective effort and it shows.Brilliance is simply one term which can define the movie.This movie will keep Islam in good light and the kind message it spreads.This is a welcome change to the Indian audiences who experienced many pointless duds in 2009.Wait no more for me tell anything about MNIK,instead get moving to the theaters and you’ll be more than satisfied to spend the best 2:40 minutes of your day.Looking for a few more like these from SRK,Karan,Kajol and a better 2010 for the Industry….Wishing the readers a HAPPY MAHA SIVARATRI..My Name is SRIVATHSAN,I am a Blogger.

RATING:4.5/5

WITH THIS, I HAVE COMPLETED MY 50 IN BLOGGING! IT FEELS GOOD!THANKS BLOGGER!

Indo- Pak relations on the knife edge…….(2)

2010-02-10T22:00:00.001+05:30

India –Pakistan have had very few moments of positivity.Its been 3 decades and nothing has changed.The relations between the two countries have always moved the darker side by each passing day.Neither of the two have come forward to address the issues at any point of time.Controversies,arguments,fights,wars have more been on the headlines between the two countries.The one thing that unites both is cricket.This has at least remained common interest and passion between the neighbors over the years . The cricketers in both countries are given great status and enjoy a wonderful fan following.Not even cricket but even Indian stars do have a sizeable attraction in Pakistani crowds.The platform for entertainment ,movies,dance together has nevertheless been the IPL.But this organisation has let itself down by blacking out the Pakistani players from this year’s decision.It was more shocking than a dubious decision taken by the franchisees to ignore them.The 26/11 blasts have surely created an impact over the already strained relations between both the nations.But sports is something entirely different from politics.It has always been a peace Bridger between the two.Various people have expressed their objection in IPL’s mismanagement of this sensitive issue in support of Pakistan and the result is there to see.Attacks on individuals,protests,damages all over.Who is in benefit?NONE.First of it,is it all worth the fuss?

Coming to my personal point of view,I feel the issue has been entirely blown out of proportion.Instead peace making methods are more advisable.Come to real terms.We do have issues between the countries.Lets not ignore that.We indeed have to plan out effective strategies to work this out.Me,really proud being the citizen of this great nation.The country is an epitome of culture,religion,traditions,monuments,hospitality.Hospitality doesn’t need to be restricted among ourselves.Lets show them,despite all the issues we both have,we invite them with them with great pride and treat as our relatives.Wars,attacks,killings in the name of Islam,arguments are never going to improve our relations even by a whisker.The Indian government to say the least has reacted sluggishly in imrovising talks and clearing out all required issues.We all of course as citizens are very angry on what happened in Mumbai.The deserved should be punished but that doesn’t mean us pointing out our fingers on Pakistan on a whole.We have to be mature enough to understand we are humans first,then citizens of any country.We have the nature of “forgive and forget”.A single person can’t awaken a whole nation.Individually we have to put our nation above ourselves and provide support to the unity.That's the only way we as a nation will achieve a break through to this serious issue and move forward to avoid another 26/11.Hatred is such a strong feeling which needs to be put aside.Ultimately think for how long will we be fighting?There has to be a full stop.In this fast changing world,imagine what would be the outcome if all the problems are sorted out between these countries?What a welcome change can it be to the world!No more deaths,blood shed!It’s a great feeling even in our imagination.We should be the start in making this a reality.

Peace making methods should start from the grass root level of both the countries.Indian singers,actors and many other artistes of various fields could start conducting concerts and programmes in Pakistan.Contrary to what we have seen from the recent years,India and Pakistan should play regularly and competitively ,be it any sport and stand united against all the odds.Indians and Pakistanis should be encouraged on regular tourism visits to watch the grandeur and culture of both the nations.Movies depicting ideas of peace between India and Pakistan should be encouraged and supported by the governments of both the countries.Indian companies should set a foothold for their branches in Pakistan and vice versa.Better knowledge of Islamic notions are to be developed to avoid destruction in the name of god..Better securities between borders to avoid infiltration of terrorists could prove handy in avoiding destruction.The media should play a large hand invoking youth in the favor of peace and its necessary advantages.

This shouldn’t be limited with thoughts.Acting at the right time will be the key.This is the beginning.An initiative by THE TIMES GROUP in support of this noble intention is “AMAN KI ASHA”.Slowly the warmth of our nation should spread through Pakistan and hope these two come together to share their love.Not only these but the whole world should be united.After all a human life time is very short.Why fill it with anger and distrust?

“HEAL THE WORLD,

MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE,

FOR YOU AND FOR ME AND

THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE”….

...JAI HIND!

Change is the essence of life…

2010-02-07T00:50:00.001+05:30

Life is a long,short,challenging,puzzling journey…call it whatever.As our journey called life begins,our basic requirement is variety or change in our normal life.We never want the expected ones or we don’t like something too much for a long time.Why is it like this?

Lets go back our memories down the lane to find out an answer to this..Right from 3 years when we barely learn to speak ,we have required many things .We like dolls,teddy bears,motor cars at that tender age.Whenever a new model of our piece comes in, we hang onto that.Our perception of world is very sweet then,because everything seems to be going in our scheme of things.No arguments,responsibilities,problems,just pure bliss.We feel our life is going smoothly without any hiccups.We think every person we meet is really sweet and wonderful.Slowly the wide picture sets in..We involve in fights,have arguments,have demands that a normal middle class family cannot put into,get bad influences,hate people.Imagine how many impure feelings peep into our souls as our body matures.The ultimate truth is that only few will be not tempted to resist their demands,not fall into the ugly side of life.But still ,everyone will have moments in life where we has to choose between a compromise and truth.That’s the decisive test he undergoes to prove how strong is he mentally.

Changes have its own share of advantage and disadvantages.It helps some persons and spoils the others,i.e.some take changes to their advantage and some not.This helps a person to mature.For example we cut down trees for our selfish needs disturbing our ecological balance.What’s the answer to that?Nature too has its own way of expressing its change or honestly anger in the form of tsunamis,cyclones,earthquakes.In fact its the inhuman things we do leading to such destruction.A change like the above keeps us always in check.Sometimes we want changes and at other times we are made to change.Without change the life comes to a standstill.None of the technologies,advancements,achievements would have taken place had we not accepted it.We are so laid back to accept the fact of it having an influence on our lives.What we are today is because of our past.We learn from our mistakes and try not repeating it which doesn’t mean the intention of committing new mistakes,instead being positive about it.No human is perfect,in fact we have to mould our character with respect to our surroundings.

Changes in fact have made us almost reach the skies.The luxurious lifestyle we have today was hardly dreamt of, 50 years ago.Our communication methods,relationships,our perception about life have all undergone rapid changes.It has brought out the process of multitasking which ultimately saves time.”Stitch in time saves nine”.It has given us scope to experiment a lot more things in a limited period of time.Changes can be creative too.We have our preferences in the form of arts such as music,dance,writing and many other things.Do we do it for any profit?No..The answer is that, these activities bring our creative side out giving us a sort of mental relaxation and relieve us from our mundane daily lives.Not only these but sports.movies,parties,hanging out with friends during weekends,spending time out with the orphanages are a part of it.The method varies,but the purpose of having a break is the same.In fact this is the kind of change that refreshes us and drive us to perform even better at work.Coming to another side of change.success and failure are like two sides of the same coin which may change our lives forever.Success is a result of effort,hard work and sweat and if not it wont last the tide.Failure teaches how challenging is it to be at the top making us gritty and determined to achieve our destination.Both these aspects should be handled carefully and in the right way,if not bear the brunt.

In all these events in our life,what doesn’t change throughout our existence?Its nothing but the parents love.They argue,fight,quarrel with us but with only one noble intention of his son/daughter to go in the right path.Its our responsibility to satisfy them and never let them down.It doesn’t mean shaking our heads to whatever they tell,implementing them would be the biggest challenge.Besides,we have to be independent and not be over attached to them.On the course of penning down this article too,i have gone various mood changes.That’s how often changes occur in life.So be prepared for anything and everything in life.Its a compelling ride.Move on with it and never give up hope coz Change is the essence or spice of life….

Indo-Pak relations on the knife edge

2010-02-06T15:03:00.010+05:30

The war of words between two nations in the past 20 days had everything so well packaged like a Bollywood movie.It had politics,cricket,movies,arguments and what not?It all started with the IPL snub of the Pakistan players with the franchises refusing to pick a single player of their nation.The decision wasn't shocking but the way it was conducted definitely raised a few eye brows.Its so very sad when a nation which is so passionate of a sport like cricket gives a cold shoulder to its neighbour.It was sad to see the mother of all leagues IPL doing it and it looks more awkward when they actually deny any decision taken regarding this issue.

It was finally heartening to see Shah Rukh Khan coming out in objection of this official snub.He was right in telling that politics and cricket should never be brought together.He ven went on to tell India wasn't a nation to brush off a nation like Pakistan.He insisted on basic Indian culture to be affectionate to all our guests and treat them like gods.He added that he was disppointed with IPL in managing the whole drama.Not with standing,a few days later Shiv Sena and MNS,the Maharashtrian bugs targeted SRK and demanded his apology at immediate effect.SRK stood firm and the former groups started creating havoc around SRK's home Mannat.They even threatened to disript the release of his forthcoming movie "MY NAME IS KHAN".The idiocracy continued and finally Bollywood came up for ShahRukh.Chidambaram too made a comment questioning what made the franchises Pakistani players unhospitable atmosphere.So,politically too this issue was gaining much strength.The Pakistani government and the PCB procliamed it an insult.This news became the TRP fetcher for various news channnels showing it like some enterntainment news.In fact channels have become more a medium to attract eyeballs rather than focussing on their main job of delivering the truth to its audiences.The government could no more sit quite and deployed additional security across SRK's house and lathi charged the protesting sainiks.Forgetting all our principles,MNS and Shiv Sena are such a nuisance to the country who fail to realise that India has earne democracy a long time back.Everyone is free to express his/her opinions.No one can ever get above a law,that applies for a common man and a political party,no more and no less,they have to obey the same.Who are these to deny an opinion or comment,that too a laudable one?
This is not the first time this has happened and Bollywood is becoming an easy prey for this nuisance.The government has to take drastic steps to avoid India getting communal.This is such a sensitive issue,we instead of polishing our relations are completely falling apart from the required direction.The program Aman KI Asha by the times group is a wonderful initiative to bond our faltering relations.Never should an doubt Pakistan or the other way round.The fools in that nation may have caused serious problems,but lets remember we are humans first,lets live and let live.Let peace prosper and unity win over the clouds surrounding the tortured relations between both the countries.

Salute to the spirit of India…..,but way to go………..

2010-01-26T11:57:00.001+05:30

6 decades later after we adopted our Constitution and the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950,the spirit still stands tall.Though our unity,culture has undergone drastic changes,we get another chance today to get together and salute our martyrs for our very existence today.We always get carried away with the efforts that our freedom fighters have done and remember it for just 3 days in a year and leave rest to god.Its very shameful to see such an attitude developing.The basic purpose of independence was to stay happy being free.Now we’re getting more divided into smaller states baselessly for castes ,religion,the latest being the protest for a Telangana divide.This is so disturbing for a country like India which is known for being culturally diverse and united.Lets remember we are a human first,every thing comes next.In this fast-paced world we hardly have time for humanitarian feelings.Such a harsh truth to know.Lets pause for a second and think to what extent India has moved ahead in these 60 years of being a republic.Be the one to contribute,be the hero to the homeless,poor.Be the one to be clean and make your surroundings clean.Your contribution might be too small for a big nation but it’ll inspire many to step a foot forward and think of improving our nation.Before focusing on development,we have a lot of pending jobs to do.A lending hand in building a nation creates such a satisfying and a happy feeling in our heart that can never be replicated.Just think what's a life when you contribute nothing to your nation.Today’s the day,begin your contribution and remember to pay a tribute to all who gave us independence. JAI HIND!!

“Aal Izz Exceptional” with 3 Idiots

2009-12-28T21:18:00.001+05:30

“Aim for Excellence,Success will follow you”

Aamir+2 Idiots+Kareena+Raju Hirani=A COMPLETE WINNER

.Christmas this time has provided a special gift from the Santa Claus in the form of 3 Idiots.Aamir Khan is back yet again with his magical touch after the 2008 Christmas Blockbuster Ghajini.This time he’s accompanied Madhavan,Sharman Joshi and Kareena Kapoor too to join his success ride.Filled with heartfelt comedy scenes and a noble message,the movie is rock solid.Never does the drama tilt off its balance.Its neither a lecture nor a lesson based on career.Its in fact a bold step challenging our sada hua academic system and the basic purpose of studying with interest.Added to that,Aamir Khan,a 44 year old playing 20 around on screen is no short of a challenge and Aamir does it with an impeccable ease.Every student and a parent can connect with this movie and that’s its USP.You get drooled in your college life throughout the film and wish ourselves to be Rancho(Aamir).Besides,the movie is a treatise to how special a bond friendship is.It shows how memorable can college days be in our short life span!The filmmaker Raj Kumar Hirani sets a bench mark with 3 Idiots for other directors to achieve.Its a wonderful cinematic journey that you wouldn’t wanna miss.

The movie starts off with Farhan(Madhavan) and Raju(Sharman Joshi) searching for their long lost friend Rancho with their classmate Chatur Ramalingam.Along their journey they recollect the moments of bliss the trio shared during their college life….Farhan is a teenager from a middle class family back ground whose family are really desperate to see him as an Engineer.Raju mean while is from a family who can’t go past a square meal a day.The first day of their college sees them being ragged and that's the first instance they get to know Rancho .In fact ,he is their room mate.Then the next day, Viru Sahastrabuddhe,(Boman Irani), college principal just gives a glance on how life is a race and how tough is it to the students ,during his first meet.There starts a series of comic events happening between the 3 of them and Virus(nickname of the principal) getting them to trouble often.Rancho is a smart free spirited guy who focuses on understanding the concepts rather than simply mugging up pages and pages like his classmate Chatur Ramalingam who’s jealous of him.This is where he gets ahead of him and many other students in college.Suddenly a student in the college hangs himself and commits suicide.The reason being the failure of project submission on the required timeline and Virus rejecting it, stating that he can show only sympathy but cant break rules for the sake of anyone.Heart broken,this forces him to commit suicide and Rancho is completely at shock.After a while under weird situations,the trio meets Pia(Kareena),daughter of Virus at her sister’s(Mona Singh) wedding.Rancho makes Pia view a new side of life and his immense joyful attitude and his commitment to friendship impresses her.

As a result love blossoms between the two.Mean while,Raju’s dad is paralyzed and suffers an attack.Rancho immediately offers timely help and Raju’s deeply moved.These are the moments here and between that make the movie so special.Then comes the preinterval scene dating back to the present life,which leaves everyone in shock regarding Rancho’s identity .Post interval,coming back to the flash back,Rancho makes everyone realize how passionate one must be about their interests without giving up to parents demands.This enthuses Farhan to explore his passion of wild life photography.He feels this is the last opportunity to have a satisfying job rather than a well paid hellish one.He also convinces his parents about his future and henceforth they give a green signal to his choice.

So few days later,Raju gets caught by Virus for some serious mischief and the latter threatens him to be rusticated from the college.He even gives him a choice between Rancho and himself, on whom to be sent off.He being clueless, jumps from the window succumbing to a serious injury.Rancho,again with Farhan come to his rescue .A Fortnight later,Raju too earns a job in an interview and is thrilled.Virus previously had ridiculed him of not worthy of getting a job and he would shave off his moustache had he got so.So,not able to bear him getting a job,his ego gets the better of him and he tries to set a paper which is so difficult ,such that he(raju) fails in the exam.This leads to some ugly sequences where he loses his temper and Pia too disapproves her father to be rude and leaves the house.Ultimately,the 3 Idiots are suspended from the college after a misunderstood incident .That night,Pia’s sister being pregnant suffers from incessant pains needing to go to the hospital urgently.Due to continuous rains,the transport comes to a standstill giving her no chance of going to the hospital.Then the trio leaving with their bags packed take notice of this situation and inform Pia.So using their limited sources with the help of Pia with the web cam,the the baby is delivered and kudos to the ideals of the director.Finally “Aal Izz Well”and impressed by humanity of the 3 Idiots t,heir suspensions are cancelled by Virus,and all successfully complete their engineering course.Unexpectedly Rancho is suddenly missing from the scene and disappears from all their lives.When the truth comes out,we feel really sympathetic for his cause. So coming back to the present,then the rest of the story lies in how Farhan and Raju win him back and make him meet Pia.The climax is easily the high point of the film.

Aamir Khan is the soul of the movie.He is such a talented actor and this performance of great multitude proves it.He thrives on challenges and success is just a formality.He’s made it a habit.Madhavan and Sharman Joshi sparkle with Aamir sharing great vibes and proving their mettle as good actors.Kareena is excellent.She confirms it yet again that she’s the no.1 in acting.Though a limited role,she performs comedy with ease and holding her presence on screen amidst legends like Aamir is no mean task.Boman Irani shows how classy he’s ,enacting a role of a heartless principal Virus.Omi Vaidya as Chatur Ramalingam is awesome and provides good laughs especially in the speech he recites in Hindi.Music deserves a special mention which maintains the flow of the movie instead of interrupting it.Cinematography is wonderful and so is the choreography.Most importantly, for carving out a flick like this with a child like innocence,hats off to Raj Kumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. who use Chetan Bhagat’s novel to their advantage

Bollywood has had a dull year, but this movie for sure will bring smiles to the distributors ensuring good business because of its quality content.This is a gem…You’ll miss something important in life if you don’t watch this movie..So rush to the theatres!!!

RATING:5/5

Wishing all the readers a very Happy New Year…

An unwanted break?

2009-12-28T15:01:00.001+05:30

The recent demands for Telangana has created a hostile atmosphere in the state dividing people with varied opinions.The root cause of the protests being students is a huge matter of concern.Students have acted in a very immature way to satisfy their demands.This has resulted in bandhs,holidays for many educational institutions thus breaking the much needed momentum in academics.This situation can be used by the students either for a break or sharpening the so- called essential skills.

Holidays provide an ample opportunity to students for creativity.Book Reading is a wonderful habit at any time and reading classics of Shakespeare,Sidney Sheldon,Robin Cook,John Grisham,Jeffery Archer,Erich Segal is a wonderful idea.Updating ourselves with technical knowledge such as C,C++,Windows,Java with short term courses would help us go beyond the classroom.Reading good articles from the Internet by experts in respective fields will polish our skills.Besides, a glance of the future portions to be studied at college would keep us busy and finishing off the pending writing work may save time once the colleges reopen .Movie,documentary viewing once in a while from the video libraries avoiding the theatres could prove economical as well as entertaining.Jogging and brisk walking in the parks amid fresh air for an hour or Gym is advisable to keep the body fit.In addition,Yoga and Meditation would be best tonic to keep our minds fresh devoid any unnecessary thoughts.Listening to soulful music we enjoy would relieve us from the unduly daily life stress.Aiding our parents in the daily chores would save time for them.Ultimately it all comes to time managing balancing relaxation and our basic duties.Lets hope the unrest in the state comes to a halt very soon and we are back to our daily routine once again.Wishing everyone A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year…

N.SRIVATHSAN

SREENIDHI ENGINEERING COLLEGE

HYDERABAD

De Dana Dan is a rib tickling laugh riot

2009-12-11T20:41:00.001+05:30

Technorati Tags: Movie Review

The Hera Pheri Jodi work magic yet again.Priyadarshan with the trio of Akshay,Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal tickle your fun muscles wonderfully.This time the situations get whackier and more funnier.After a series of duds in the year,Akshay is back in full form with his lucky lady girl Katrina Kaif.The basic essence of the movie remains the same.Leave out your brains and enter the theatre.

STORY

Akshay Kumar and Suneil Shetty are two carefree men settled in Singapore.They lack spice in life but always believe that life will give them an oppurtunity to become rich.Akshay works as a care taker in a millionaire’s house while Suneil works as a courier agent.Akshay is very dissatisfied with his treatment in his owners house but he couldn’t do much to escape from this mundane routine as his father borrowed money from the former for Akshay’s education and failed to return it due to his untimely death.Both are having girl friends in the form of Katrina and Sameera Reddy.Katrina and Sameera come from rich backgrounds.Their parents normally want them to marry a rich person.Their respective parents try arranging a marriage for both of them and Katrina ,Sameera warn their partners that this is the last chance for them to get together if not they had to part ways.

Akshay was seemingly helpless.He starts planning out a few ideas with Suneil Shetty to earn quick and easy money for a tension free life satisfying their lady loves.Cashing on the love the owner of Akshay’s workplace ,has for her dog,they kidnap it.Their plans go awry when the dog escapes in the middle of the journey and returns back to the house.They still don't have a knowledge of it though.They scribble in the owner’s house that she had to pay a ransom of 1 crore to avoid death.She gives a police complaint and mistakes that Akshay is kidnapped.Akshay believing his life is settled calls Katrina to join him in a hotel until they get the money.He was shell shocked to see his kidnapping news in the headlines realizing they were in a big mess with neither the dog nor the money.Then the entry of Paresh Rawal and many other characters rallying around him turn you into splits.The script is ultimately the tricks the Roadside Romeo's try to win their girls.As like his other movies, “De Dana Dan” borrows its source from a Malayalam film “Vettom”.

PERFORMANCES

Akki works big time in this comic caper.He proves yet again his ease in handling comic movies.Suneil Shetty after a lull seems to have earned his comic timing back and shares good chemistry with Akki.Katrina Kaif is stunning in the songs and adds the glamour quotient to the script well along with an impressive Sameera Reddy.Paresh Rawal as a corrupt businessman performs his part with an admirable ease.The supporting cast including Johnny Lever,Rajpal Yadav,Chunky Pandey and many more do a sincere job to entertain the crowds.Priyadarshan has handled an average script admirably well to his advantage and his mettle in creating comic situations out of no where comes to the fore in Dana Dan.The music is quite good by Pritam who has delivered great numbers this year.Gale Lag Jaa and Paisa stand out among the songs.The cinematography is quite good capturing Singapore at its very best.The climax sequence too is shot really well and kudos to the producers for investing on a good Director and a comic script without any compromises on the budget.

What works for De Dana Dan?

The Hera Pheri combination
Picturisation of music
Hard-core comedy

What doesn’t work?

Excessive length
Too many characters
Repetitive story line

Ultimately what an aam aadmi wants is pure entertainment keeping his worries away and enjoying the 2 1/2 hours to the fullest.De Dana Dan is a winner among the first benchers and family crowds for sure and the cast do every bit to satisfy the audience.Don't miss this!

Paa is a heartful masterpiece

2009-12-10T01:57:00.002+05:30

Bollywood has truly come of age.Its blessed with extraordinary talent but most importantly its being used now.Movies are focussing on rare and unique themes which are being appreciated by an intelligent audience.Paa is no different.Based on a rare disease named Progeria it speaks volumes on human emotions.It doesn’t get preachy in the process,infact Balki’s work contains many funny and light moments connectable to our daily life.

STORY

Vidya is a gynacolologist by profession.Amol Aarte is meanwhile an aspiring politician who wants to change the face of India and remove corruption.Both love each other but unknowingly Vidya gets pregnant.She is in a dilemma on whether to give birth to the child which might affect both their careers.Here Amol isn’t convinced about having a child and in turn wants her to abort the child as he wants to focus on his future.Vidya though is very much disappointed by Amol’s irresponsibility sheand both break up.Vidya decides to give birth to the child with the help of her mother.Her problems doesn’t end with this.She gives birth to a baby boy Auro suffering from a one in a million disease Progeria which is accelerated ageing with premature death.She is heart broken.But still she puts up a brave face and makes him grow like a normal child.Few years later Auro accidentally meets his father who is a famous M.P by then known for his great visionary.Rest of the story deals with the bonding of Amol and Auro and the weird eqations they share.Ultimately,Auro comes to know the truth of Amol being his father and is desperate to see his mom and dad patch up.The rest of the story deals under what circumstances Vidya and Amol had to face and show their love for Auro.

PERFORMANCES

Abhishek as Amol shows an immensely growing actor getting better movie by movie.Vidya is simply superb as a mom who had to face
many difficulties in life.Amitabh Bachchan pitches in a career best performance as Auro.His sterling on screen presence at such an age speaks volumes of the legend’s class.Arundhati Naag as Vidya’s mom fits the bill perfectly. The classmates of Auro perform very well.Though the actors have given in marvellous performances,this is R.Balki’s film and full marks to him for extracting the best out of his cast.The simplicity in the narrative style of the movie is beautiful.The music by Ilayaraaja is soothing and a treat for the ears.The film’s theme is such that it doesn’t require a lavish setting, but still ,the locations impress..Infact the movie nears perfection in most of the departments.

What works for the movie?

• Amitabh’s awesome performance
• Music
• Balki’s direction
• Unique theme

What doesn’t work?

• The political track of Amol
• Lack of pace in the script

Ultimately Paa is endearing experience which is so rare in these times.It will move everyone with a heart.It shows how delicate human emotions and relationships are,infact it pays a tribute to it.Go for it without any more suspicion.Dont miss it!!
RATING:4/5

Kurbaan sends a bold message on global terrorism

2009-12-05T07:24:00.003+05:30

Well,this birthday the movie i chose was Kurbaan.The trailers,the cast,the theme made it all the more interesting.After the movie,i felt probably this this was the best thing i planned for my b’day.

Directed by Rensil D’Silva

Produced by Karan Johar, Hiroo Johar

Written by Rensil D’Silva, Niranjan Iyengar, Anurag Kashyap

Starring Saif Ali Khan
Kareena Kapoor
Rupinder Nagra
Om Puri
Kirron Kher
Vivek Oberoi

Music by Salim-Sulaiman

Cinematography Hemant Chaturvedi

Distributed by UTV Motion Pictures

Country India

Language Hindi

Movie

Kurbaan takes it ideals from Fanaa and New York but turns out to be much better than the other 2.Avantika is a proffessor settled in the US.Her father’s heart attack forces her to come back to her homeland India.There she meets Ehsaan Khan with whom her love life blossoms.But Avantika is called back to return to the US and as a result,Ehsaan and Avantika decide to marry.Avantika’s father has apprehensions about giving his daughter to a Musilm but later reconciles and accepts their proposal.The scene then shifts back to New York where they both settle in a beside an Indian neighbour.The neighbour invites them to a party to their house.A few days later a girl named Salma(a girl in the neighbourhood whom she had dinner with) in the name of giving sweets to Avantika, expresses the danger of being killed by her husband.She further tells to inform the news to Salma’s only friend Rihaana who works as a TV reporter and is in a relationship with Riyaz.Avantika conveys Salma’s message to Rihaana. Avantika soon realises their neighbours are nothing but terrorists and killing innocent lives in the name of god. She gets trapped in a game plotted by none other than her husband Ehsaan Khan.She realises that she was nothing but a tool used by Ehsaan.By the time she knows this ,she’s a pregnant.She even comes to know that the flight by which Rihaanaa was travelling that night was the next on the list of the terrorist attack.She informs this to her by voicemail,but it becomes too late and the latter loses her life in the airline crash.Heart broken journalist Riyaz is determined to find out the roots of the attack.Now he recognises Avantika’s voice message that night and intelligently gets close to Ehsaan to revenge his partner’s death.Avantika and Riyaaz plan out things so delicately to reveal this dreaded truth out though the former is under house arrest.By the time they try their tricks,the gang plans out another triple attack in 3 stations.Then the climax reveals whether Avantika and Riyaz are successful in their attempt.But ultimately Kurbaan is a love story,believe me it is.

PERFORMANCES

Saif Ali Khan takes giant leaps as an actor with kurbaan.Kareena as usual is top class and shows her acting prowess to the fullest extent.Their chemistry is burning hot and works wonders for the movie.Om Puri is commanding.Kirron Kher is first rate.The surprise package is Vivek Oberoi who pitches in a memorable performance with great sincerity.In fact all actors have fitted the bill perfectly,credits to the casting director.Rensil’D'Silva couldn’t have chosen a better script than Kurbaan.His freshness impresses.The dialogues in the movie are top class and no less are the lyrics in the songs lending novelty to the situations well.Salim-Sulaiman have composed some wonderful tunes for this movie especially Shukran Allah and Kurbaan Hua.The Cinematography of the movie is top class capturing beautiful locations of India and the US remarkably.The movie is truly a Bollywood’s answer to Hollywood.Such is the quailty of this movie.Previous movies on terrorism dealt only with the emotional aspect of terrorism but this movie highlights the basic psyche of terrorists and the solution to it.It sends down a novel message.Coming to the location,casting,music Kurbaan is a winner all the way.

+ves and -ves

What works for Kurbaan?

* Kareena’s acting
* Vivek Oberoi
* Salim Sulaiman’s music
* The suppporting cast
* Direction
* Production values

Whats against Kurbaan?

* Too straight
* Violent second half
* 2:37 min running time

K’Jo has done it this time too.Dharma productions is yet again successful in bringing out a quality film.Go watch this movie to see the Indian actors proving their mettle and equally world class production values.Kurbaan should be a treat to watch.It has its own charm despite the theme of terrorism.Leave out those baseless comedy capers,come out and watch Kurbaan for an ultimate answer and I’m sure you wont come out dissaopinted.

Rating:4/5

Tribute to our "chacha" this very memorable day

2009-11-19T14:50:00.002+05:30

Oh God! Probably this is the last children’s day I have celebrated being a child(I’ll be 18 by Nov 27). Down the memory lane, children’s day has been full of cherishable and beautiful moments that can be treasured life-long. The innocence, purity of childhood is so unbelievable and so touching that we long for those days we spent as a child. Probably that’s the basic reason our Chacha Nehru loved children to a great extent. We hardly retain the charm growing as an elderly person. Our minds get polluted with unnecessary thoughts that lead into a mundane life. The ultimate purpose of life, honesty and truthfulness holds no value in this heartless society. People tell to move on with life but hardly anyone realizes what we are leaving behind. For now, let’s forget these harsh realities and spring back those moments of bliss during childhood..

Abdul Kalam’s statement that children can convert a nation from nothing to everything holds true to a great extent. Let’s spare a thought to think what we are today is because of our childhood. Let’s bring back the joy seeing our glorious childhood, recall the cry for not going to school, not doing homework, for not finishing our tiffin boxes. Let’s open our old family album which is in dust for long and be a child again for this one day. We’re so much in stress such that we hardly have time for such small things. But these small things are the ones which make life special. If you’re a parent, see yourself in your daughter/son and share their happiness. We also as citizens could do our bit to the helpless children who hardly have any luxury in life. Let’s make their life special and the satisfaction we get is immeasurable. Life always provides us opportunities, for nurturing a good individual probably childhood is one. Inspirations are so many in lives…take the late Princess Diana, Mother Theresa. They never expected anything back for what they did. So all the kids out there, enjoy these moments, you have life only once, so is childhood, live it to the fullest, realize your responsibilities and be a happy person in any situation,come what may.The below article has been exclusively written by Nehru for children.So,have a glance in his own words to how much he loved children.

Love and Happiness: Nehru's Letter To Children
By Jawaharlal Nehru

Dear Children,

I like being with children and talking to them and, even more, playing with them. For the moment I forget that I am terribly old and it is very long ago since I was a child.

But when I sit down to write, I cannot forget my age and the distance that separates you from me. Old people have a habit of delivering sermons and good advice to the young.

I remember that I disliked this very much long ago when I was a boy. So I suppose you do not like it very much either. Grown-ups also have a habit of appearing to be very wise, even though very few of them possess much wisdom. I have not yet quite made up my mind whether I am wise or not.

Sometimes listening to others I feel that I must be wise and brilliant and important. Then, looking at myself, I begin to doubt this. In any event, people who are wise do not talk about their wisdom and do not behave as if they were very superior persons...

What then shall I write about? If you were with me, I would love to talk to you about this beautiful world of ours, about flowers, trees, birds, animals, stars, mountains, glaciers and all the other beautiful things that surround us in the world. We have all this beauty all around us and yet we, who are grown-ups, often forget about it and lose ourselves in our arguments or in our quarrels. We sit in our offices and imagine that we are doing very important work.

I hope you will be more sensible and open your eyes and ears to this beauty and life that surrounds you. Can you recognise the flowers by their names and the birds by their singing? How easy it is to make friends with them and with everything in nature, if you go to them affectionately and with friendship. You must have read many fairy tales and stories of long ago. But the world itself is the greatest fairy tale and story of adventure that was ever written. Only we must have eyes to see and ears to hear and a mind that opens out to the life and beauty of the world.

Grown-ups have a strange way of putting themselves in compartments and groups. They build barriers... of religion, caste, colour, party, nation, province, language, customs and of rich and poor. Thus they live in prisons of their own making. Fortunately, children do not know much about these barriers, which separate. They play and work with each other and it is only when they grow up that they begin to learn about these barriers from their elders. I hope you will take a long time in growing up...

Some months ago, the children of Japan wrote to me and asked me to send them an elephant. I sent them a beautiful elephant on behalf of the children of India... This noble animal became a symbol of India to them and a link between them and the children of India.

I was very happy that this gift of ours gave so much joy to so many children of Japan, and made them think of our country... remember that everywhere there are children like you going to school and work and play, and sometimes quarrelling but always making friends again. You can read about these countries in your books, and when you grow up many of you will visit them. Go there as friends and you will find friends to greet you.

You know we had a very great man amongst us. He was called Mahatma Gandhi. But we used to call him affectionately Bapuji. He was wise, but he did not show off his wisdom. He was simple and childlike in many ways and he loved children... he taught us to face the world cheerfully and with laughter.

Our country is a very big country and there is a great deal to be done by all of us. If each one of us does his or her little bit, then all this mounts up and the country prospers and goes ahead fast.

I have tried to talk to you in this letter as if you were sitting near me, and I have written more than I intended.

Jawaharlal Nehru December 3, 1949

Imtiaz Ali recreates magic...back with a bang

2009-08-09T11:42:00.003+05:30

Sorry guys ,i'm quite late with the review.The well hyped flick has opened up to full houses all over India and rest of the world.Its cast,music,direction,dialogues,production values have all worked wonders for the movie.So here's the analysis of "LOVE AAJ KAL".

Directed by Imtiaz Ali

Produced by Saif Ali Khan
Dinesh Vijan

Starring
Saif Ali Khan as Jai Vardhan Singh/ Younger days Veer Singh
Deepika Padukone as Meera Pundit
Rishi Kapoor
Rahul Khanna
Giselle Monteiro
Vir Das
Florence Brudenell-Bruce

Music by Pritam

Cinematography Natarajan Subramaniam

Distributed by Illuminati Films Pvt Ltd

STORY

Jai Vardhan and Meera are carefree lovers who know nothing about commitment,sincerity in love.They date for a few months in London and then decide to break up in the wake of shaping up their careers and decide to give a party for that.Jai there meets Veer Singh,the party co-ordinator who narrates his tale of love situated in those sweet 50's.Then the movie picturises a beautiful parallel between these two love stories and draws out the similarities,changes in both the eras.The scene now dates back to Punjab where Veer Singh's love Harleen is present.Their love shows how expressions speak for themselves rather than mere talk.Then the story moves on to Delhi where Meera pursues her career and Jai continues his jobless,chilling days in London.Veer Singh is desperate for Jai to understand the meaning of love and realise his true love.He by then falls for a British girl.Meera too zeroes on Vikram,her boss as a partner. Jai with his fiancee decide to go on a holiday to India and decides to surprise Meera.Meera and Jai then have a day off from their partners in Delhi and have fun roaming around.Time closes on in for Meera to take a final decison on her choice for a better half.So Meera warns Jai to stop being in touch with her and go ahead in their lives.Meanwhile Veer Singh in his tale,tries every trick to woo Harleen.Harleen then departs to Kolkatta leaving Punjab and Jai too follows suite to win his love.Harleen too accepts him and this love comes under great scrutiny from her parents.In the other story,Meera marries Vikram and invites Jai too on the occassion.Both are still confused on their interests.Both really miss each other in life.To add another dramatic twist,Jai has a good career on hand in contrast with Meera who wants to meet Jai the final time.But isn't it too late for confession?Does Jai realise his inner truth?Will their love last the distance?Will Veer Singh be able to convince Harleen's parents?forms an interesting warm climax.

PERFORMANCES
Saif Ali Khan gives a career best performance fitting into the double role amicably well.Deepika Padukone gives a honest performance and tries her every bit make the character look natural.Giselle Monterio,the Brazilian model is the surprise package of the movie.With hardly any dialogues at her disposal she gives a handful,impressive performance as a Punjabi girl.Rishi Kapoor's mature performance adds a bonus for the movie and he really induces life into his role.Rahul Khanna gives a modest performance.Neetu Kapoor's special appearance at the end is sweet.The supporting cast have done well enough to support the lead pair.Saif's chemistry on screen with Giselle and Deepika rocks onscreen.Music by Pritam is pleasing and he tops the chart with this album especially with the song "Chor Bazaari".Irshad Kamil,the lyric writer does an extremely professional job.Imtiaz Ali is masterful at storytelling and the parallel between modern and previous era's is depicted beautifully.Dialogues are really simple and thoughtful.The production values just add to the glitz of this flick perfectly.Barring all, screenplay looks a bit wagging though.Still the movie is a sure winner and will rake in the moolah perfectly.

PLUS POINTS OF THE MOVIE

Saif Ali Khan and Rishi Kapooer's expertise
Deepika's performance
Giselle's charm
The maturity with which the script is handled
Imtiaz Ali's dialogues,direction

WHAT DOESEN'T WORK?

Wagging screenplay
Average second half

OVERALL ANALYSIS:
We can see the truth glaring in front of us.The plus points are too much to outweigh the negatives.It has its heart at the right place.A really matured take on relationships.Will work wonders with the youth and convince the aged well.The freshness is simply superb with this one..Well, I am falling short of words....if you haven't seen this..just step out and watch it the nearest cinema hall.These movies are rare and come once in a lifetime....Go Go JAI HO!!

RATING:4.25/5

Katich and Ponting put Australia on top

2009-07-10T14:55:00.004+05:30

Day 2 witnessed more drama.Australia piled on the agony for England despite the latter building up a healthy total of 435.Katich and Ponting scored chance less hundreds to take Australia to 249/1,thus in a commanding position on the second day.England worked really hard but Australia always had an answer to them.The lack of swing and poor direction lead to a dismal show by England.

Ending on a healthy 336/7,England tail continued the onslaught on the patchy Australian bowlers.Johnson sent back Broad early but Anderson and Swann put in a display of sensible batting.They did really well to take their team past 400 and put the kangaroos on the backseat.Anderson made 24 and Swann made 47 to power England to 435.Australia need a solid start to pep England back and the openers Phil Hughes and Katich did exactly that.Australia were 39/0 by lunch but the onus was on England to continue to their positivity.

England came back from lunch firing.Flintoff bowled a fiery spell of fast bowling and removed a dangerous looking Phil Hughes for 36.There were a few nervous moments later but such was Australia's determination they didn't even offer them a half chance.Katich and Ponting batted splendidly and built the innings step by step,session by session.The left hand-right hand combination did it for the kangaroos.It was a delight to watch them bat.England didn't have any joy though and were left spellbound.Australia built a perfect platform for a 500+ score.Well still England can make amends with a good performance in the morning session of the third day.

Honours even on day one

2009-07-09T18:34:00.002+05:30

Ashes has begun.Such was the intensity between the both teams that both were trying to roll upon each other.England always had managed a good run rate for which they eventually managed a healthy 336/7.Looking in Australia's point of view,they just managed to put the breaks when required but in doing so, they failed to keep a lid on the runs.

Strauss won the toss and and batted on a good Cardiff pitch.England lost Cook early to Ben Hilfenhaus.Bopara and Strauss entertained a lively crowd for a while.The joy was short lived by Mitchell Johnson when Bopara was bamboozled by a slower one.Strauss too departed after a 23 run partnership with Pieterson to Johnson again.England were 97/3 at lunch with Australia looking good.Collingwood and Pieterson revived the English in the second session putting in a 100+ partnership.Nathan Hauritz and a few part time spinners couldn't pick up even a single wicket in the session.So,Round 2 belonged entirely to the English team.

Australia and England fought it neck to neck in the final session.Both teams weren't ready to give an inch.Collingwood completed a wonderful fifty and got out to the impressive Ben Hilfenhaus.Pieterson too followed suite for an enterprising 69 with Nathan Hauritz getting the prize wicket.Then started a counter attack by Flintoff and Prior who matched each other shot to shot,ball to ball leaving Australia bewildered.They managed 86 runs in 15 odd overs taking England past the 300 mark.Peter Siddle who was wicket less till then pulled Australia back into this one with a fiery spell capturing Prior and Flintoff.Broad and Anderson then negotiated a few balls to ensuring no further damage.It was a great start for what is going to be an intensely fought series.

for live commentary from the BBC click
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bbc_radio_five_live_sports_extra

Ashes battle kicks off today

2009-07-08T16:32:00.003+05:30

All the pre-match talk is being put into dust as the mother of all battles, only second to India vs Pak though, commences today.Cricket is back in business but in its unique form now.Australia and England have had a gloomy season till.England suffered a humiliating 5-0 loss in Australia but they are fitter,stronger both physically and mentally to test the fading cricket giants.Australia too with their young team are ready to prove a point to the critics.This series has taken the "home of cricket" England by a storm.Everyone has something to say or comment about in the series and will continue to do so in the future.Watching it as a neutral spectator makes me all the more excited.To go for the predictions,i would favour England a notch ahead of the kangaroos but just.My college too begins in the third week of August,so i wont miss any action of this high drama.I just cant wait for it to begin.Stay glued to your television sets and be ready to view an evenly balanced contest.

Kambakkht Ishq does just enough to tickle your funny bones!!

2009-07-07T21:22:00.004+05:30

Directed by : Sabbir Khan

Produced by: Sajid Nadiadwala

Written by : Anvita Dutt Guptan ,Ishita Moitra,Sabbir Khan

Starring: Akshay Kumar,Kareena Kapoor,Aftab Shivdasani, Amrita Arora

Music by: Anu Malik

Release date: July 3, 2009

Well,the movie season is back with a bang.New York and then now Kambhaqt Ishq...To begin with,this movie is a rip off a Tamil movie Pammal K Sammandam starring Kamal Haasan and Simran.The plot is basically the same but the latter has been shot and promoted at a lavish scale.

STORY:

Viraj Shergill(Akshay Kumar) is a stunt man working for Hollywood movies.Lucky Shergill(Aftab Shivdasani)is Viraj's lone brother. Simrata Rai(Kareena Kapoor) meanwhile is an aspiring surgeon and a part time super model who is a feminist feels men are fit for nothing.Kamini(Amrita Arora) is Simrita's best friend and takes her advice for almost everything.Lucky and Kamini are dating each other and sparks fly when they engage each other much to the dislike of Viraj and Simrita.Viraj and Simrita dont at all get along. Both of them try their own weird tricks to break the marriage of Lucky and Kamaini.Here comes the twist.Viraj is injured during a fatal fire accident and had to undergo a stomach operation under the co-ordination of none other than his foe/enmy (call it whatever) Simrita Rai.Simrita unintentionally drops her watch in Viraj's tummy and lands up in big trouble.More trouble lands up when his X-ray report gets thrown in to a wrong person.The watch was gifted to Simrita by Dolly(Kiron Kher) which has an alarm of the mantra told during Hindu marriage rituals "Om Mangalam".Viraj does everything to find out the source of the mantra "Om Mangalam".Then the rest of the story deals with how Simrita skillfully woos Viraj to save her pride.But she some where feels Viraj likeable but ends up cheating herself.Will she realise it? Will she able to win Viraj?Why does she wants Viraj back? forms the crux of the story.

PERFORMANCES:

Akshay Kumar is the backbone of the movie.He's back to fine form and makes this work big time.Kareena Kapoor looks great in the movie and excels as Simrita.Aftab & Amrita make a good pair and do justice to the given roles.Kiron Kher disappoints and Javed Jaffrey too doesn't get it right this time around.The special appearances by Denise Richards, Brandon Routh ,Sylvester Stallone and Holly Valance fall flat and don't fit in the script well.The music too falls short of expectations.Debutante Director Sabbir Khan gives a sincere effort though.

HOW WAS THE MOVIE?

Though the movie has many flaws and setbacks,its definitely watchable for the credible performances from the lead pair.The comic tracks in parts are really funny.The first half promises good humour while the second half stammers.Go to the hall without any expectations and chances are that you wont come out disappointed.

RATING: 2.5/5

A decision taken in life........finally

2009-07-06T02:53:00.006+05:30

Career is something which a student has to take up for achieving personal satisfaction and happiness.This article is just a peep-in on how i finally backed my final decision,i.e engineering at SRM.Despite having limited choices to make my decision,i made a complete mess of it.My brain was hearing and facing all kind of chin music.I was getting all kinds of advice from all sorts of people adding to my misery...

I had three choices firstly Amrita,Eamcet,SRM.Amrita was ruled out at the earliest due to unavailability of seats in Coimbatore and Bangalore.I had only Kerala one left which was quite mediocre.So Amrita was removed off my list at the beginning.Then i got an OK rank/score in EAMCET i.e neither too good nor too bad making the matters worse.But a local college would prevent any kind of homesickness,i mean at least the satisfaction of reaching home's there.The local colleges though were good but not great.That made me unwillingly go to SRM counseling to block my seat for the safer side.Now i had done that and 2 more weeks to have the final go at my choice.Both sides of the coin had its share of advantages and disadvantages,but time was closing in and the choice had to be made.......After a series of uncertainties i was firm to join SRM.

Sustainability of our jobs is quite important in our lives.So a good background always adds as a bonus to students in such situations.This factor and the lackluster quality of education indeed made me go against the local colleges .I am not infact telling that SRM is the best in providing a good base ,but just hinting that it is the best of all choices available for me.So i hope my decision is justified.I am looking forward to perform at my best of the abilities in SRM and set up a path for a successful career.....

A purposeful “New York” lives up to the expectations

2009-07-01T10:55:00.007+05:30

NEW YORK
Directed by Kabir Khan

Produced by Aditya Chopra

Starring John Abraham

Katrina Kaif

Neil Nitin Mukesh

Irfan Khan

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Music by Pritam

Cinematography Aseem Mishra

Editing by Rameshwar S. Bhagat

Distributed by Yash Raj Films

Release date(s) June 26, 2009

Running time 153 min.

Country India

Language Hindi / English

New York catches your pulse and emotions perfectly.......

STORY:

New York has come out as a much expected film after the multiplex fiasco.The film deals with how the 9/11 effect on the normal daily life and never steps a foot wrong.Omar(Neil),Sameer(John) and Maya(Katrina) are good buddies in college.Omar is a disciplined brat while Sam and Maya are cool with a carefree attitude.Omar falls in love with Maya but is forced to leave her out as Sameer and Maya are fond of each other.Ad mist this love triangle,the World Trade Center blasts rock the country and changes their life completely.Omar stays away from Sam and Maya while Sam gets thrown in the detention center as a suspect bomber of the 9/11 blasts.He is subjected to repeated torture by the FBI.Later though, he was released due to lack of evidence against him.Sam and Maya then get married but Sam takes a wrong route to regain his pride in the society.His friend Omar though was unaware of this truth.Roshan(Irfan Khan),FBI officer then purposely catches hold of innocent Omar and sends him to Sam as an undercover FBI agent.Sam and Maya by then have a child.Maya works as a civil right activist.Omar then uses his wits to stay in Sam’s house to keep a check on his activities.Then will Omar be successful in changing Sam?Which wrong route does Sam take up?Will Maya get to know the truth? forms an enthralling ride.

PERFORMANCES

The cast does it all for the movie.Neil as Omar who brings out a career best performance is the heart of the movie.John too is not very much behind with a sincere heart warming performance.Katrina as Maya looks stunning and does her part to the best of her abilities.Irrfan Khan,as ever dependable gives a stunning and a controlled performance.The supporting actors also do nothing wrong and do justice to their roles.The background score is apt.Pritam does very well with his compositions.Kabir Khan,the director does his job to near perfection.

MOVIE

This movie offers something for everyone.It simultaneously entertains,thrills,makes us cry and a lot more.The freshness of the performances of the cast is pleasing.The locales and production values are wonderful by Yashraj & Co.Thumbs up for all the sincere effort the unit has put in and it shows onscreen.Quite a meaningful flick,considering the recent tensions between Indians particularly Muslims in the US and Australia.Go watch this one and you’ll come out smiling & having your every penny worthy.

RATING:

****/*****

South Indian damsels reigning Bollywood

2009-06-22T17:27:00.004+05:30

Bollywood fortunately has a bulk of talent from all sides of the country. Here we try to glorify the south Indian queens who have made it, going to make it and who almost made it big in Bollywood. This is a tribute to the hard work and commitment shown by these angels…….

Sridevi has been a force to reckon with in the Indian film fraternity. Shree Amma Iyengar/Sridevi was born in Sivakasi,Tamil Nadu to Mr.Ayyapan and Mrs.Rajeswari on August 13, 1963. She admirably made her mark in the south industry acting in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam before her stint with the Bollywood. Acting from the age of 5, she has won innumerable laurels with her credible talent. She did her first Hindi film in 1978 and has never looked back since then. Her charm is unforgettable in movies such as Chandni, Mr. India, Judaai to name a few. She bid good bye to this industry in 1997 and married noted producer Boney Kapoor. She had a brief stint with the small screen too as “Malini Iyer” and her husband is now planning to re-launch her with a sequel to 1987 runaway hit Mr. India. She is now a mother to 2 daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi. She’s been a gifted child and her success is all possible due to her hard work, efficiency and commitment. None can ever take her place from our hearts……..That’s her charisma on screen.

Asin Thottumkal has taken the audience by storm with her unforgettable presence and her undefiable beauty.Now a leading actress in the South Indian film industry,she started her career with a Malayalam film Narendra Makan Jayakanthan Vaka in a supporting role.She entered Tollywood with Amma Nanna ,O Tanil Ammaye portraying the role of a Tamil girl and won a Filmfare award for her fine work and offers poured in since then for Asin.She gave a tough ride for all the leading ladies in the South.Ghajini provided a major break for Asin starring with Nayanatara and Surya. Then she became more choosy on her roles and her films started getting good responses. Dashavataram, magnum opus of K.S.Ravi Kumar opposite legend Kamal Haasan proved her mettle as an actress and the film opened to huge box office collections worldwide. This was just her first taste of big success.Future,though had much in store for her.She then went on essaying the same role (Kalpana)in the Hindi version of the movie Ghajini opposite Aamir Khan and it turned out to be the highest grosser in Indian film history. She is now giving sleepless nights to the likes of Katrina, Aishwarya ,Deepika.She has a Hollywood project in hand opposite Kamal Haasan again and another Vipul Shah’s “London Dreams” playing the love interest of Salman and Ajay Devgan.She is a serious talent capable of achieving the heights of yesteryear actresses such as SriDevi, Hema Malini, Nargis and all. She has barely done 20 movies but she’s carved her own niche in this glam world.

Deepika Padukone born to noted badminton player Prakash Padukone is having a dream run in her career.Deepika was quite successful model before her foray as an actress.She starred in a music video opposite Himesh.She made her debut with the Kannada film Aishwarya opposite Upendra.Farah Khan then roped her in for Om Shanti Om opposite the Baadshah Shahrukh.She made the best use of her luck,opportunity call it whatever,this film went on to be an international hit and her acting abilities won her almost an award in each of the main stram award ceremonies.Offers flooded in and she joined the big league of the highest paid actresses in this industry.She almost appeared in every advertisement,forget any brand.This glam doll then acted opposite Ranbir in Bachna Ae Haseeno and is now dating him.Her next big one was with Akshay Kumar starrer Chandni Chowk to China.It flopped miserably but she’s now pinning hopes on Love Aaj Kal with Saif stated for a July 31 release.Her acting abilities plus her beauty could take her ,places.

Hema Malini,the dream girl was born as a gift to.S.R. Chakravarty and Jaya on 16 October 1948 in Ammankudi,Tamil Nadu. She’s one of the ladies who wooed the audiences with her slim and attractive personality. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer,she always was notable for her ease in doing comic roles, more so with her husband Dharmendra.. She marked a glorious entry into Hindi films with Sapnon Ka Saudagar in 1968 and appearing in over 150 films in a career span of 40 years, she has starred in a large number of hit films, and her performances in both commercial and art house cinema were often recognized. Sholay,Seetha aur Geetha, Johnny mera naam, The Burning Train just shows her acting prowess and the wide variety in her choices.She married Dharmendra on 2 May 1980 and gave birth to Esha and Ahana.She then gave a few hits like Naseeb, Satte pe Satta,The Burning Train and took a break from acting in 1988.She tried out her luck as a director with Dil Aashna Hai starring Shahrukh Khan and the late Divya Bharati.She joined active politics from then and coached her daughter Esha to be classical dancer.She’s an inspiration and the dream girl still sizzles with her slim figure…….

Trisha Krishnan is a leading actress in the Tamil and Telugu industry. She shot to fame with a cameo in Prashant-Simran starrer Jodi. Priyadarshan then caste her as a leading actress in Tamil movie Lesa Lesa.This movie gathered good responses and a flurry of offers since then ensured no setbacks in a glorious career. She kept her good performances going in Tollywood and she’s acted with all the major heroes in the south except for Rajini and Kamal Hasaan.Abhiyum Naanum released in 2008 brought out her best performance till date and her simplicity just rocks. This looked great and Akshay Kumar was convinced to cast her in his next movie Khatta Meeta to be directed by Priya Darshan .She’s a confident girl and looks to carry her good run in Hindi films too. Let’s wish her success in all her attempts! Keep it going!!

Vidya Balan was born in Palakkad, Kerala in a Tamil Iyer family to P. R. Balan, who is the Vice President of ETC Channel and a housewife mother.Vidya Balan was previously an actor in advertisements.Balan started her film career with a Bengali film in 2001 titled Bhalo Theko and later was supposedly signed for a couple of movies in Tamil.Reasons undisclosed,she was dropped from both of them.That indeed turned out as a blessing in disguise for her career as she had something better and exciting in store for her future.She debuted in Bollywood through Parineeta(2005) which the critics acclaim as her best performance till date.She went on to star in box office hits like Lage Raho Munnabhai,Guru,Hey Baby and Bhool Bhulaiyya.Her film Eklavya,though wasn't a commercial success went on to be nominated as India's official entry to the Oscars.She's often criticized for her wardrobe selection.Barring all these,she's a charming presence on the big screen and more than a handful at acting.

New York audio released

2009-06-10T18:33:00.002+05:30

After the stupendous success of the music of ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’, the music of NEW YORK is out at a store near you. The movie releases on 26th June in theaters worldwide.Pritam is back to wielding his magic with this wonderful album.The whole film is centered on friendship making the album more fresh and youthful.Here's the details on what this album has in store for you!

Hai Junoon:This wonderful number gives a rocking start to the album.K.K is back with his charisma and he just spins magic to this number.This number dates you back to sweet times spent with your friends.Probably the best one in the album..

Mere Sang:Sunidhi Chauhan voices this melodious number filled with hope and gives you strength.A perfect number as a follow up to Hai Junoon.Sets you in a good mood with a different feel to it.

Tune Jo Na KahaAnother Chauhan,this time Mohit the Masakkali singer to render a slow romantic duet which might remain ever lasting in your heart.His unique voice adds versatility to this wonderful album.

Aye Saye Mere A Sufi rock number sung and composed by Pankaj Awasthi.Though this track doesn't live up to the previous songs,this song has wonderful lyrics penned by Junaid Wasi and has an emotional feel attached to it.

New York Theme:This score captures the soul of the movie and the musical instruments used give a great international feel.

Remix versions:The remix versions of the songs are well paced and keeps you going and we need not be surprised if these tracks rock the dance floor.

Well,the music is gonna top the charts.No matter how the movie fares,this score will definitely win over audiences for its uniqueness.Pritam after a lull bounces back well.

Rating:3.25/5

Amitabh and Ranbir in brand new looks

2009-06-10T18:10:00.004+05:30

Amitabh is back to his unique best.R.Balki, the Cheeni Kum director’s new venture will see Amitabh playing son to Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan.Amitabh’s role will be such that he’ll be ageing more quickly than a normal human life. Sources reveal that special make up artistes have flown in from US and ready shock the audiences. In fact he’s been traveling like an under cover agent covered with a towel to hide his look. But doesn’t this suggest the similarity between “The Curious case of Benjamin Button”? Well we have to wait for quite a while to reveal the secrets. Now, just be amazed to see the snap below….Big B is surely young and raring

Ranbir Kapoor too joins the list to don a turban in his new film Rocket Singh. This movie brings back the Chak De India pair of director and writer Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni.This movie is sure to provide rib tickling comedy to the viewers.Yash Raj films will be producing this comedy flick and the female lead is still kept in wraps.

TREAT FOR MOVIE BUFFS

2009-06-09T22:45:00.010+05:30

Bollywood has probably come out of its dull patch and is ready to bring in the crowds after the multiplex issue finally was sorted out.This year Bollywood is going for the off beat and variety movies to test its fate at the box office.The bucks are too running high on these flicks.Here's a glimpse on what can we expect of these much hyped movies....

NEW YORK

Well this movie surely boasts of an efficient star cast with the likes of John Abraham,Neil,Katrina and the dependable Irfan Khan.Trailers suggest this movie has the back drop of 9/11 attacks and the ill treatment of Indians and basically Muslims in New York and how innocent lives get into danger.John Abraham is baring it all for this movie while the chemistry between the lead pair looks like it'll set the big screen on fire.Katrina Kaif probably for the first time takes the challenge of doing a performance oriented role while John will look to cement his place in this industry carving his own niche and Neil continues to experiment with his roles.Expect an intense drama like never before and with yashraj films producing it ensures that there'll not be any compromises in the production value.

LOVE AAJ KAL

Saif Ali Khan is trying his luck as a producer with this movie.Saif and Deepika are ready to set the screen alive.Jab we met director Imtiaz ali promises an entertaining love story in which Saif is playing a role of a Sardarji and this movie takes on the couple's journey of love.Saif Ali Khan and Deepika too are in desperate need of a blockbuster and lets hope it has all the ingredients to be one. The first look of the movie promises a nice and a fresh feel which in fact worked for the director’s earlier Jab we met. Well, even though the movie seems to be hitting the right notes among the audiences, it’s bound to face tough competition. Expect a chilling heart warming movie with good music.

KAMINEY

Vishal Bharadwaj,the director of the movie has his own brand of movies with a touch of commercial elements in it. Maqbool, Omkara are just examples of his versatility. Shahid is mean while playing a double role in the movie pairing with the charming Priyanka Chopra while Taare Zameen Par script writer Amol Gupte is playing the bad guy. The public interest generating to this movie is astounding and surely gonna give a tough fight for the other movies releasing around the same time. Expect an action packed thriller with wonderful performances from the cast.

LONDON DREAMS

Vipul Shah is back after a gap from his previous movie Namastey London. The “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” heroes Salman Khan,Ajay Devgan are back together again with Ghajini girl Asin.Music, well has been composed by the academy award winner A.R.Rahman. Rumours of a link up between Asin and Salman were doing all the rounds giving the movie some kind of publicity despite denial from both the lead actors. The movie’s based on a music band “London Dreams” which is introducing MTV VJ Ranvijay as an actor.Salman probably needs to get a break from his flop run which has continued over 2 years. Expect a unique and a fresh musical and great on screen chemistry between Salman and Asin……

KAMBHAQT ISHQ

After a long wait the movie’s ready to entertain us. Akshay and Kareena pair up for the 7th time in this Sajid Nadiadwala’s summer treat. With guest appearances of Sylvester Stallone and other major Hollywood actors this movie falls nothing short of having an international appeal. Kareena, who’s playing a supermodel too is gonna sizzle in a bikini.The presence of Amrita Arora and Aftab Shivdasani too will add glitz to the movie.Expect a commercial ,entertaining fun based movie .

KITES

Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori and Kangana Ranaut star in this big budget venture which is set for a Diwali release..This movie is releasing after almost an year after Hrithik’s previous “Jodha Akbar” ,so the expectations are soaring up and the wait seems to be worthy Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu have left no stone unturned for this movie to reach out to the audiences worldwide and the promotion of the movie in Cannes too evoked a good response.Expect a beautiful love story and eye catchy action sequences.

MY NAME IS KHAN

The successful combination of Karan Johar,Shahrukh and Kajol are back with a message oriented movie again on backdrops of 9/11 attacks and the ill treatment of Muslims and so on. Shahrukh is infact co-producing the movie along with Karan Johar.The latest buzz is that FOX studios are willing to distribute the movie and the talks are on with KJo.The movie is slated for a year end release in 2nd week of December. Expected power packed performances from this golden jodi.

THREE IDIOTS

Raj Kumar Hirani after his famous Munnabhai series is back with a comic caper again.This film boasts of a wonderful star cast including Aamir Khan,Madhavan,Kareena Kapoor .This flick is inspired from the famous novel “Five point Someone” penned by Chetan Bhagat which highlights a journey of 3 guys in IIT with Aamir’s love interest played by Kareena.The movie is slated for a Christmas release competing with Shahrukh once again.The battle begins again .Expect a youthful college fun movie.

FADING CRICKET GIANTS KNOCKED OUT OF ICC T-20

2009-06-09T17:17:00.004+05:30

Australia winner of three world cups, one champion’s trophy and the owner of No.1 spot have now failed to qualify even for a super 8 spot in the mega T-20event. This defeat will hurt them till years, not because they lost, the way they have lost .Sri Lanka playing their first match in tournament won the toss and put Australia into bat. The kangaroos were starring down the barrel from the very first over with David Warner getting out for a 3 ball duck. Watson and Ponting then took the attack to the bowlers until Mendis appeared in the scene. This spelled disaster for Aussies, lost Ponting to Mendis and then never got going. Watson too followed suit in his next over. Malinga then bowled a slower one which rattled the stumps and it was now Haddin’s turn to head back. Clarke too didn’t last much either got out to an excellent reflex catch by new comer Udana. The Hussey’s brothers ticked the scoreboard on for a brief period before Mendis got Hussey cheaply. David Hussey was trying his best and Johnson came in and provided some impetus to the Australian innings. Aussies suddenly looked to get more than 150 and Brett lee joined the party with 15 off 5 balls and few lower order contributions helped them to pile on 159/9 a far outcry from the position they were previously in.Mendis and Malinga picked three wickets apiece while Murali couldn't pick any.

Jayasuriya and Dilshan opened the account for the Lankan reply.Dilshan batted like a champion and looked in ominous form while Jayasuriya was taking his time to settle in. But he was sent back by Brett Lee with Warner taking an athletic catch.Sangakkara and Dilshan ensured no further hiccups and gained control over an under strength Australian attack. Dilshan completed a strokeful fifty in 26 balls until Clarke bowled him out. Jayawardene couldn’t spend enough time either in the middle and gave his wicket to the impressive Nathan Hauritz.Australia looked like pulling them back with the wicket of Chamara Silva too but the calm and composed Sangakkara was too good to allow the kangaroos to snatch this one.Mubarak and the newly appointed captain ensured a comprehensive 6 wicket win with an over to spare. This probably marks the death of a domination lasted probably over 2 decades.

England outplay Pakistan cruising to a 48 run win

2009-06-08T20:40:00.004+05:30

The hosts were in dire danger of missing out of the Super 8 stage. England turned in a lion hearted performance to bring them back in the hunt. This match was played on the same pitch as South Africa and Scotland did. So the pitch and conditions tempted Younis Khan to put England into bat. England lost Bopara in the very second over. Pieterson who missed out the opening match came at No.3 position. England never looked back again. Wright and Pieterson took the charge on Pakistan giving England a dream start. Wright was severe off Yasir Arafat and he powered to 34 runs in mere 16 balls. Gul got his yorker right and cleaned him up. This dismissal hardly deterred England. The promising Owais Shah continued the good work with the rampaging Pieterson. Afridi briefly threatened to bring down the run flow. Both the batsman kept the going smooth though with big hits once in a while. England always looked commanding until Gul came back with his gem of a delivery. Pakistan fielded horribly fumbling chances, missing run outs,nothing was going for them. England just when looked like would go on to make 200 got a jolt from Saeed Ajmal removing Collingwood and Pieterson off successive deliveries. Maschereunus and Foster ran in hard and set the Pakistani’s a challenging 185/5.Pakistan had only themselves to blame giving in a below par infact disastrous performance with an over hyped bowling attack which surprisingly didn’t find a place for Tanvir.

The match was set up for an interesting chase but definitely the balance tilted in advantage of the hosts . In came the 19 year old Shehzad and Salman Butt to opent he innings. Maschereunus was intentionally was used by the England captain due to lack of his pace on the ball to bowl the first over. Shehzad was out caught by Collingwood in the opening over. Butt looked in good touch and the new batsman Akmal was never allowed to settle through. It required just 2 balls for Stuart Broad and England to send them back packing to the pavilion. Malik and Younis were bailing out Pakistan from a hapless 41/3 but probably at a slower rate which in the end cost heavily for Pakistan. Malik didn’t do justice to his ability and got out to Luke Wright at a crucial juncture Younis waged a lone battle and he was regularly in short of partners. Good consistent bowling and Pakistan’s shocking shot selection helped England move ahead(almost) to the Super 8 stage with a 48 run “super” win.The latest news is that

Scotland crash out of the tournament

2009-06-08T11:24:00.002+05:30

Scotland gave New Zealand a reasonable scare in their first outing. So, SA would have done well to not take them lightly. Graeme Smith and his men after a good run of IPL came to England with great hopes. Scotland won the toss, putting in South Africa. Kallis opened with Smith with Gibbs being sent in the middle order. They were cautious in their first few balls but opened up grandly. Kallis got a handful of boundaries through the covers and he was the more attacking partner. Smith was no less charging on to the spinners and smacking them out of the park. They gave a 85 run foundation to the side before both departed to the guile of Scotland spinner Majid-Ul-Haq. This infact slowed down the tempo for quite a while. A B Devilliers showed his class and gave no respite for the Scottish bowlers. Gibbs was done in by flight of Watson and was easily stumped. Morkel and Devilliers had an outstanding partnership. A B Devilliers lost his partner Morkel who mistimed a shot and got out. Boucher came in and he was out due to a fielding gem by Coetzer in what we can call the catch of the tournament. South Africa annihilated Scotland to post a healthy total of 211/5 Devilliers top scoring with a 34 ball 79.

Scotland’s reply had nothing to particularly discuss about.They collapsed to13/4 inside 3 overs and that was it for Scottish. All bowlers chipped in with wickets and their ground fielding as usual was world class. Coetzer played a gutsy hand scoring 42 off 32 in a beleaguered chase. Scotland gave up even before getting a three figure total.It was an ultimate collapse quite contrasting to their first showing.As a result they bid good bye to the T-20 world cup with a huge 130 run loss…..

Defending champions off to a strong start

2009-06-07T19:08:00.004+05:30

Well India would have been a touch nervous entering into the match considering the upsets generated in the first few matches of the tournament.Bangladesh have beaten India at a similar stage in 2007 and still that defeat hurts Indian cricket.Dhoni,nevertheless looked confident,won the toss and chose to bat on a good Trent bridge pitch even though there was no match won by the team defending their target in this event.India opted for an extra fifth bowler with Ojha playing and R.P.Singh getting the royal axe.Sehwag wasn't fit for this opener while Zaheer returned to the side after an injury.Rohit and Gambhir gave a solid start with Rohit doing the bulk of the scoring and Gambhir providing boundaries when required.Spin was introduced and rohit trying to dominate them ,threw away his wicket.Dhoni came at one down and stabilised the score.But the run rate was always kept under check by the spinners.Dhoni wasn't at his fluent best and gambhir too with his high standards couldn't keep the runs ticking in.Dhoni just when was looking dangerous was done in by Naem.Yuvraj came to the crease with the indian team at 113/2 after 15 overs.He just did what was expected of him.India's last four overs yielded 59 runs and Yuvraj smacked 4 sixes off a 18 ball 41 and Irfan too didn't do that badly either.India powered on to a big total of 180/5.

Bangladesh would have had eyes on a quick start to chase this one.Siddique and Tamim Iqbal brought back memeories of 2007 world cup scoring at a great rate.Yusuf was vital in breaking that partnership removing the dangerous Tamim Iqbal.Ashraful couldn't get his touch back and thus hold out to Gambhir off Ishant.Ojha then stepped into the party and ripped off 2 quick wickets of Siddique and all rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan.Bangladesh could never quite recover and Ojha turned a remarkable spell and picked up 4 useful wickets,priceless indeed.Zaheer didn't do that badly and all other bowlers chipped in with useful performances.Though yuvraj fumbled a chance he more than made up for it by picking a great catches offered by Naem and Mahmudullah.India completed a comfortable 25 run win without any major hiccups.GO GO India!!

Australia overwhelmed by West Indies

2009-06-07T16:18:00.002+05:30

We were in day two of ICC t-20 world cup.A scratchy West Indian team had to play an under strength Australia.The pitch looked good for batting,Ponting won the toss and chose to bat first.West indies got a rocking start to their world cup campaign.All rounder Watson and ponting were done in by jerome Taylor.David Warner though set the scoreboard alive with strong hits.Clarke too followed suit to the pavilion leaving Australia in tantrums.Warner found a suitable partner in Haddin and put on a 50+ partnership,later Haddin departed at 81-4 at the end of 12th over.Australia decided to take the charge and David Hussey showed his class with hefty hits.In the mean while Warner in trying to up the anti, departed after a well made 63.Then Hussey bro's looked dangerous and put on 30 runs in no time.After D Hussey's dismissal Johnson was sent in to boost the score,it couldn't happen though.Micheal Hussey once again showed his true colours and West Indies's average fielding effort lifted Australia to a defendable 169/7.

Gayle and Fletcher had a tall target to chase.They began destructively scoring at a hefty pace.Australian bowlers were thrown apart with the counter attack.Gayle found back his lost form and it was just what the doctor ordered for them.Australia's fielding stumbled under vigorous pressure and they didn't help themselves with Micheal Hussey spilling a chance offered by Fletcher.They smacked 75 runs of the powerplay making it a no contest.Gayle played the innings of his life well aided by Fletcher who completed a glorious fifty.Gayle mustered 88 off 50 balls with 6 sixers.By the time the openers departed very little was left to do for the middle order.West Indies finished the target with around 4 overs to spare.Well it just wasn't Australia's day.Gayle unsurprisingly bagged the man of the match for his whirlwind knock.Captain's opinions after this roller coaster match .........

Ponting: "I didnt think it was a bad total to be honest but when Chris and Adrian came out batting as they did there, it was going to be hard for us. They just went with the flow. They threw caution to the wind; they outplayed us ..."
Gayle: We weren't best on the outfield but 170 was gettable. I have to give credit to Fletcher. He played really really well. I looked to bat till 15 overs and the game should be settled by then. I am disappointed on how I got out ..We just have to rally again, put this game behind and try to win against Sri Lanka. It's not over yet."

Scotland thrashed by New Zealand despite a reasonable show

2009-06-07T15:33:00.003+05:30

The rain gods weren't smiling today either.The rain poured down for over 2 hours destroying the most part of the match.Finally there was some respite for the crowds and the match was reduced to 7 overs by the umpires.Newzealand lead by Mc Cullum in the absence of Vettori put Scotland into bat in rainy conditions.This reduced match truly provided some hope to clinch an upset again and they almost did.Scotland began a counter attack and runs flowed heavily.They were going at a great pace of 10+ runs an over.Thanks to their top 3 RR Watson, NS Poonia and KJ Coetzer.Every bowler got a thrashing by the Scottish players.Vettori was truly missed.A good last over by Butler helped them to at least not worsen the damage done.Scotland managed a huge 89/4.

Mc Cullum and Ryder got Newzealand off to a memorable start.Scotland were left spell bound by the NZ openers.Ryder especially scored 33 of 12 setting the run rate up for the chase.Mc Cullum too did a good job scoring 18 off just seven.The departure of these two players created a sense of nervousness in the dug out.Oram too couldn't last long either.Scotland looked like it would pull them back.But the cool Ross Taylor and Styris finished the job for their team and that too with an over to spare.Scotland didn't get the tight overs in and their fielding too wasn't up to the mark.Newzealand was too good for Scotland.But still it was more exciting than expected.Here's what the captains felt after the match........

Hamilton: "We had plenty of runs. We had a plan of around 75-80, but it just didn't come off in the end. We were well aware of New Zealand's potential but we didn't execute our plans quite well. "

McCullum: "We were pretty nervous at around half time. They put us under pressure, we need to rectify our bowling a bit. We didn't have a lot of time to get ourselves in, but Ryder struck the ball really well. We needed a 11-an-over towards the end, but in the context of the game that's pretty under-par. Hopefully, we can put our best performance against South Africa."

Netherlands shock England script history at Lords

2009-06-06T11:42:00.002+05:30

T-20 World cup sets off to a grand start.England,the hosts capitulated to a dream performance from the team in orange.The weather gods weren't kind enough for the start of the match.Unfortunately the opening ceremony got canceled.So then the toss was won by Smits,the Netherlands Captain who put england into bat to make use of the moisture in the pitch.Dirk Nannes was the only recognizable name in their team list.England had to miss Pietersons services and Graeme Swann too had to miss out aking way for all rounder Rashid Ali. .So,England then brushed aside their bowling getting around 9 an over with a 100+ partnership.Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright were in full flow smashing boundaries to all parts of the park.Just when the game was getting one sided,Netherlands bowler Doeschate struck removing Bopara after a well made 34 ball 46.Soon Wright completed his fifty.Owais shah was struggling to time the ball and gave up his wicket to Schiferli and then started the middle order blues for England.Morgan,a new addition to the England side couldn't contribute much and was out for a mere 6.The ground fielding and catching of Netherlands was admirable.Wickets kept tumbling at every end for England.Paul Collingwood,Key too couldn't get the big hits going and Netherlands put up a good show at the death overs.Though Luke Wright fought a lone battle England could muster only 162/5.Robert Key who replaced Pietersen having a sore back disappointed and he batting at No.6 position meant that he batted at a position he has done never before.So England still managed a useful total and England were expected to sweep through Netherlands.

Netherlands had to get a quick start to threaten england.Netherland lost their opener AN Kervezee in the very first over to James Anderson.Then the well built DJ Reekers smashed Broad out of the park and threw away his wicket after a quick 20.Still Netherlands had a decent runrate going but they had lost 2 wickets in the mean time.Then started the spirited chase for Nethertlands.England stumbled on the field droping catches,missing runouts and TN de Grooth took heavy toll of that.He scored a rapid 49 off 30 balls dashing England's hopes.Netherlands always looked for singles and each batsmen held his nerve on the right occasion.TN de Grooth also involved in 2 useful stands of 43 and 50 to keep the momentum with them.The chase was meticulously planned by Netherlands.
PW Borren and RN ten Doeschate made useful contributions ensuring the big hits just when neede.england needed now a miracle to save the match from the blushes.Rashid Ali their lone spinner spinner too got a beating from the team in orange.Though the wickets kept falling down,Netherlands was always ahead of England by Duckworth Lewis method.James Anderson gave a lion hearted performance to pick up 3 wickets.Two overs and 17 runs to get.Sidebottom who bowled well till then came on.England though could avoid boundaries could never stop the ones and the twos.A good over for Netherland yielded 10 runs.They required just seven off the last over which was to be bowled by Stuart Broad.Broad wasn't at his best.Netherlands just had to play sensibly to pouch this one.They took 5 singles of first five balls.England couldn't hit the stumps regularly enough and thus faltered.2 runs off one ball.The whole stadium erupted.England needed a dot ball or a single to have a chance while Netherlands needed a two to ensure they reach home.E Schiferli was on strike.Stuart Broad bowled a tight one,they went for a single,Broad aimed at the stumps missed it,overthrows and Netherlands leave England shell shocked completing a glorius 4 WICKET victory.The match has set the tone for the event.expect much more like these.Her's what the captains of both teams felt after the match.
Jeroen Smits: "No. It's unbelievable. This is something special. I think I can sleep well tonight. After the first ten overs we fought back quite well. We thought we were in control [of the chase] from the start, so we felt we were in control. We did well. I'm sure [we'll party tonight]."
Paul Collingwood: "Give Holland a lot of credit. They knocked off a total that we thought was enough. They played exceptionally well; we expected to win but they put a major performance in. I still think we could have defended a total like that, but unfortunately they were better on the day."

T-20 carnival hits England today

2009-06-05T15:17:00.014+05:30

ICC World T20 2009 Group Table

Group A
India (1),Bangladesh (8),Ireland (9)

Group B
Pakistan(2),England(7),Netherlands(10)

Group C
Australia (3),Sri Lanka (6),West Indies (11)

Group D
New Zealand (4)South Africa (5)Scotland (12)

IPL well has entertained the crowds and spectators all over April and May.T-20 world cup in contrast may not well match up to hype provided.well the tournament is short and good for the viewers.England hosts,begin the tournament with the match against the Netherlands.Just the day the T-20,world cup is ready for a kickstart, here's an analysis of the teams fighting it out for the big trophy.

INDIA

The T-20 heroes of South Africa are back to defend their champions tag.The team is moreover the same with a few minor additions to the team that won the cup last time around.Well,India couldn't have asked for IPL to come at a better time.most of the players used it well for T-20 world cup.India is a team that has match winners more than any other team in the world with Sehwag,Yuvraj,Dhoni,Raina,Gambhir,Rohit,Yusuf and bowling aided by Bhajji,Zak,Irfan,Praveen and Ojha.They are quite a balanced team
and still a worthy contender.Dhoni's leadership,India's fearless form just contribute to the team's menace.They are placed in quite a easy group,so at the initial satges they might not have any hiccups but in the later stages teams like NewZealand ,Srilanka may surprise them.Still a worthy semi finalist.The only way probabaly India can lose is through overconfidence,fatigue or complacency.Just when even everything seems to be going right,reports of Sehwag-dhoni tiff doesn't help the matters.Well overcoming all this ,India start their T-20 world cup with party-poppers Bangladesh.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand has always been a competitive team in big tournaments.The previous editions semifinalists are now oozing in confidence with recent wins over India.So their team is nevertheless a typical Newzealand one which is qute talented and hardworking but lacking in consistency.Their lack of big match players except Vettori doesn't help their cause.They are fighting it out with South Africa in the group stages.Taylor,Mc Cullum,Oram,Ryder,Styris add to their batting power.Bowling though looks like the weak link.There are too many bits and pieces players who may not fire at the big stages.Anyway,they might runaway with the tournament.So other teams too cant leave them out.The best part of new zealand is their fielding prowess.Just be ready for surprises with this team.

SRILANKA

This talented team arrives to the tournament with mixed form on their back.Their lackluster performance last time doesn't look good for their confidence. Jayasuriya,Sangakkara the new captain,Jayawardene with the bowling line up bolstered by the spin duo Muthaih Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis.The thing going with them is the fact that they have always done well in England.With potential match winners in their disposal Sri Lanka will be a handy team in the tournament.Their group stages might lead them to an early exit.So they have to be on their toes right through the tournament.They have to battle hard for the semis.

ENGLAND

England,the home of cricket probably isn't the team for the trophy.Bundle of talent in both the departments but still England is the same always.The lack of proffesionalism and proper attitude in tournaments have cost them.Just when they look like they are about to make it big,they give it up.They might scrape through the group stages but cant even dream of making it to the final four.Collingwood has to set things straight for the team to progress in the right direction.If handled properly,the English boys can do a good job.Flintoff's abscence might prove costly for them.This T-20 world cup should be the path for top spot for England.Inconsistent,interesting and surprising is the code for England.Never write them off though.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa the current no.1 team will have their chins up entering England.Good IPL performances,balanced an united line up,a tight fielding unit will surely make it to the semis provided they don't blunder against the "minnows".Luck hasn't favored them in any big event.They're the ones who can stop India from clinching hte cup more than any other team.Gibbs,Kallis,Smith,Morkel Bro's,Steyn.Harris,Ntini,Boucher form a dream team.They give sleepless nights for many teams.This squad looks fit energetic and enthusiastic.Newzealand might prove a formidable opposition for SA in their group stages.Their inability to play spin comfortably might just give the advantage to spin aided Asian teams.

AUSTRALIA

This season Australia has been in the news for all the wrong reasons,especially the Symonds issue.Australia arrived in England without any expectations or their ususal favorites tag.Every expert is counting them down and giving them no chance.They have a world class batting line up and useful bowlers suited for T-20.Their recent down the hill performances may inspire them to bag the trophy this time around.Gilchrist and Haydo's retirement meant that they required big players to fit in their shoes. Their spin strength is too weak which might weight them down on spinner friendly pitches.On the whole the loss of Symonds is a huge one for the kangaroos.

PAKISTAN

The finalists of 2007 is still proving to be a dangerous force in this format of cricket.Their big match players,unpredictability,variety in their bowling line up could take them a long way in the tournament.Akhtar,Malik,Afridi,Younus,Gul can crush the opposition at any situation.Their fielding abilities leave a lot to be desired though.Their presence is intimidating and their cool attitude will give them an edge over the other teams.

WEST INDIES

Australian former cricketer ian Chappel commented that the probability of WI doing well is similar with the economy flourishing in these times.West Indies have hardly shown the spark and the magic required for a side to win ta big event such as this one.Gayle hasn't led from the front and the assistance from Sarwan and ChanderPaul too has been missing.West Indies is in a mess.They require nothing short of a miracle to play competitvely.They are placed in a tough group,so their problems start early in the event.Getting past Australia and sri Lanka isn't a mean task.The younger players too have failed to mature and emulate their cricket giants.They should probably be ready for an early exit.

THE PROBABLE BOTTOM FOUR

These teams have just been added to fill into the list of 11 teams.Teams like Scotland,Ireland,Netherlands willjust have to add 2 losses to their list and make an early departure from the tournament.Bangladesh among these teams looks good but is in no comparision with the other top ones.Their inefficiency,inablity to learn from their losses have kept them int he same position right through the decade.They might be the party spoilers for teams like India on occasions but still an easy meat for other teams.

MY SEMI FINAL PROBABILTIES

INDIA
SOUTH AFRICA
AUSTRALIA
PAKISTAN

My pick for the finalists:
SOUTH AFRICA VS INDIA

Winners:
SOUTH AFRICA(not guaranteed c'mon this is 20-20)

India "warms" up with an emphatic win over arch-rivals Pakistan

2009-06-04T12:26:00.002+05:30

This was a warm up match only for the ICC and the officials but not for the crowd and the players.The two finalists of 2007 world cup were fighting it out at the Oval.Security arrangements top class,filled stadium people were set to witness a spectacle.Pakistan won the toss and batted first.India had the luxury of an extra bowler as this was a warm up match.Praveen struck a wicket in his very first over.Shehzad and Akmal then showed their class and ability of beautiful stroke play.Pakistan had raced on to 45 in the first 4 overs.Dhoni brought his best bowler Ishant sharma in and Raina sparkled with his fielding with a smart run out of Kamran Akmal and his partner too departed the very next ball.India bounced back in a flash.To add on the list of woes to Pakistan Afridi headed back to the pavilion with his very first ball and a great take from the Captain Dhoni.Malik and Younus Khan looked set for a big partnership.Malik looked in good touch.Just when we thought Pakistan were running away with the game, Ojha tricked in Malik with his flight with Dhoni Stumping him in a flash.Then the rescue act began,the ever dependable Misbah and younus stabilizing the innings.Younus soon departed but all rounder yasir Arafat provided them the big ones at the end.India bowled poorly at the death giving away aroud 40 runs in 3 overs.Dhoni's plans didn't work but India's good job in the middle overs restricted Pakistan to a reasonable 158/6 Misbah top scoring with 37.

India had to get a good start.The pitched looked great for batting.India just had to get their act right.The makeshift opener Rohit and Gambhir began the innings for the Indians.They got a thunderous start with boundaries flowing all over from the openers especially Rohit Sharma.Pakistan's famed bowling line up lacked the agility required and the openers cashed in heavily.The chase was like icing on the cake for Indians.A 100+ start ensured no further hiccups.Openers just when looked like completing the job for a 10 wicket win,Rohit departed after an outstanding 80.Gambhir too got his touch back with a well earned 50.Dhoni and Gambhir hit the winning shots to complete an emphatic and a comprehensive 9 wicket victory.Surely INDIA sounded warning signals to other teams with their fearless form.Lets hope India brings this cup back home in 2009 too.Definitely,this match was much more than a warm up!!Yeh Cup kahin nahin Jayeega!!

99 unexpectedly impresses

2009-05-29T15:19:00.003+05:30

Firstly my exams finished,was more relieved than anything else even though the last BITS exam was a big flop.So as usual after a tired and dull 2 months finished,I thought to watch a nice movie.I caught on the newspaper, it had some old films running and recently acclaimed release 99.Seriously speaking i liked no other movie so i had no other choice but to book a ticket for 99 in the newly opened GVK one mall.99 did have a interesting cast with Kunal Khemu,Cyrus Brochoea,Boman Irani,Mahesh Manjrekar, with the female lead played by Soha Ali Khan.

CAST AND CREW

Movie Review: 99; Star cast: Kunal Khemu, Cyrus Broacha, Boman Irani, Soha Ali Khan, Mahesh Manjrekar and Vinod Khanna; Directors: Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK

STORY:
So lights off,the movie began.The first scene dates back to 1999 at a time where outgoing calls charged at 40/min and incoming 20/min.So A group of two people Sachin(Kunal) and Zaramud(Cyrus) were the guys who were faking the SIM and making money and a mockery of the business.But some unfortunate events lead them to work under a goonda AGM played by Mahesh Manjrekar.Rahul(Boman Irani) who bets on India for a cricket match with AGM but he loses the bet here and escapes out to Delhi without paying the money he had lost during betting.Some other characters pop out from no where in the movie and add to the comedy of errors.Kunal meets Soha in a hotel and they develop good "friendship" and help each other out at tense moments.Vinod Khanna surprise package of the movie plays gambling and is known to be a match fixer.How are all these characters related?for what are they playing the catch and run game for?This forms an interesting drama with good twists with commendable performances.The match fixing fiasco is brought out in the movie wonderfully.(yes)

PERFORMANCES
Kunal Khemu could not have got a better movie to break his flop run.His comic timing is excellent.Cyrus comes up with a strong and an efficient performance and converts his small screen magic to the big screen excellently.Mahesh Manjrekar leads from the front..probably the best show of the film.Vinod Khanna suits his role to perfection.Boman Irani is stunning his performance boasts of great epitome.Soha Ali Khan though didn't get a proper role to justify her acting skills ,does her bit with good charm and innocence.Few new additions of comic actors works wonders for the movie.Full credit for the screenplay writers and the new set of directors.The freshness in the movie is just pleasing.While there are hardly 2 songs in the movie(they aren't that bad either)but the background music was on top,a really good score.The title of the movie too is totally justified.

HOW GOOD WAS THE MOVIE??
Well,do you need more?This movie is just the right tonic to set aside your normal stressful life and i promise you shall have the ride of your life and will come out of the hall smiling.This hatke movie well, should do good business.Dont miss this one go watch this with your loved one's and friends..

FINAL RATING:****(yes it deserves it)

After IPL what else?!

2009-05-27T09:54:00.001+05:30

IPL has entertained the spectators in SA and Tv viewers for almost a month and a half now.We used to sit down and enjoy the action thoroughly but what next?Nothing so interesting on TV and no multiplex releases means that u almost remain jobless at home.The malls are there for window shopping but probably there's an overdose of that too.For us some change is required to kill time.Holiday season too is coming to a sudden halt by around 2 weeks from now.For a few "aspiring"(forcedly) engineers its time their results are out and the idiotic counseling sessions begin from nowhere.Career choice is not at all provided to these students so a month simply goes waste in travelling for registering a seat in some crap college.

Cricket lovers though have some consolation as the 20-20 world cup is marching on close from June 5th.Movies too might come back to entertain the multiplex crowds from the end of june as some high budget films are coming out in the market.So producers might indeed go for a compromise deal with multiplexes as the industry has barely had a big hit this year.Internet with its unending resources might prove to be just the right tonic at these boring times.The DVD's and VCD's are releasing at a reduced price to reduce piracy.So a wise selection could make things economical for us.But still as things suggest its a dull time for holidays as ther's nothing interesting happening to catch on.The television too these days is dominated by politics and Sri Lankan issues.So the holiday season which started promisingly ends up on a sad note!!

Chargers edge Bangalore by six runs to clinch IPL trophy

2009-05-25T11:39:00.002+05:30

Two teams with big heart recovering from their failures last year were ready to fight it out for the big trophy.Both the teams were unchanged.Bangalore won the "royal" toss putting in Gilly's men to bat first with the captain himself bowling the very first over to knock out Gichrist for a duck.Chargers were jolted by this dismissal.Suman too couldn't stay for long and went soon in the 4th over.So entered Symmo with a purpose.Gibbs too was shaky at the start and couldn't time the ball at all.Symonds scratchy,offered a chance to Dravid on 5 which he couldn't gracefully accept.Symmo suddenly looked threatening ,smashing boundaries to all parts reminding Dravid of his costly mistake.But the jumbo captain was back to break the dangerous partnership and Chargers were reeling at 59/3.Rohit Sharma and Gibbs played cautiously at the start but got their touch back soon propelling the chargers to 100 in 15 overs with a few good hits.When everything was falling into place for chargers in came Kumble again to grab 2 wickets in a over with the wickets of rohit and venu.Gibbs was short of company but Bangalore again stuck to their task and took care that Gibbs was off strike most of the time.Two reasonable overs in the end took them to exactly 143/6.But this time around pitch was a bit slower than the prevous match so the occasion was posed for an even contest.

Bangalore began well with a few good timed shots but the purple cap owner R.P.Singh was back with a big wicket of Kallis.Chargers looked quite energetic on the field and their ground fielding was excellent.This contributed to the dismissal of the promising Manish Pandey getting out to the off spinner Ojha.Soon there was some aggression from Roelof van der Merwe hitting Ojha handsomely quite a few times.He provided the momentum for the RCB innings but he soon was done by Ojha's flight and Gichrist dsilodged the bails in a flash.Dravid and Taylor were desperate for a 50+ partnership.Taylor looked in good nick while Dravid was steadily moving on.But the surprise package Harmeet Singh bowled Dravid making RCB lose their 4th wicket.Virat and Taylor looked like they would finish the match off for bangalore.Symonds as a bowler was too good for both of as he ripped them off 2 consecutive balls giving a crucial advantage to the hyderabadi's.Boucher too didn't last for a long time either and the lower too gave up the chase.But Rcb looked for a hero in Robin Uthappa.Chargers were edging them and the run rate was plunging on.Uthappa wasn't in any control of the situation and with the exception of one big hit he could do nothing much to the scoreboard.Kumble looked really angry with him and Why not??Then Chargers bowled excellently at the death to edge Bangalore by six runs.

Bangalore score a 'super' win to cruise into the finals of DLF IPL

2009-05-24T08:23:00.004+05:30

The Challengers and Super Kings both had a great run coming into the semis.So it was truly a hard battle being fought among them.The tension,nervousness and excitement was visible on the teams.The toss was won by Jumbo Anil who was clear that he wanted to put Chennai into bat while the Super Kings too didn't complain much about it.Dhoni's boys were the true favorites in the match but challengers were a team which you couldn't underestimate.Hayden and Patel opened the account for the Super Kings.Parthiv started off things in style outscoring Hayden.Hayden made a slow start but was getting into his own.Chennai made a 50+ start in their 6 overs as usual but just when they were running away with the game Bangalore got the openers out.Dhoni and Raina saw off the remaining overs till the strategic time out.Chennai still looked set for about 160.Raina was getting his big shots in and he top edged one to lose his wicket.Dhoni fought hard for his runs and was held going for a lofted shot in trying to up the run rate ,wonderfully caught by Vinay Kumar.That was it for Chennai,irresponsible batting and their famed middle order failing,nothing was going right for them.Bangalore's disciplined attack restricted Chennai to a paltry 143.So Dhoni had to get his get his luck back to win this one.

Bangalore had a racy start going until they lost two quick wickets with Chennai bouncing back.Manish pandey played a few magical strokes with the most dependable Dravid.Lofted shots,straight drives,hooks and pull shots were dispatched to different parts of the ground.Dravid was giving great support to Manish and Bangalore couldn't have asked for anything better.By the end of ten overs they scored at a heavy pace which meant that they had to just get around 6 an over in the next ten.Muralidaran was the only lionhearted performer for Chennai in this big game.He bowled a masterly spell but the Super Kings needed now a miracle to scrape through this match.Though both Manish and Dravid got out soon,their middle order eased the nerves and won the game for Bangalore by 6 wickets.Manish Pandey won another Man of the Match award for his confident strokeful effort.The teams which ended up 7 and 8 last year are playing for 1st and 2nd spot in the table.This calls for a great final no less than the semifinals.Bangalore seems to have their noses ahead for the finals considering their momentum but Deccan too is a formidable opposition and will give a good run for its money.

Gilly routs Delhi "charging" to the final of DLF IPL 2009

2009-05-23T10:16:00.007+05:30

The stage was set for a spectacle.Crowds rushed in full strength to the stadium to view a thriller.Finally it was a knock out game.Delhi entered the semis with great run in the league stages while the Hyderabadi's had a mixed run in the former.Pitch was fresh and placid.Looked like a batting paradise.Adam Gilchrist won the toss putting Delhi into bat despite his side's inability to chase.Gambhir and Warner opened for Delhi and Vettori couldn't find a place in the final Xi for the Daredevils.Ryan Harris ready to bowl and Gambhir on strike.A splendid over and Harris sent back the the openers in the very first over.Deccan had made their mark by then.Sehwag and Dilshan lead a counter attack lasting about 11 overs scoring at a healthy pace.Symonds quite underrated as a bowler,with his medium pacers proved too good for Sehwag.This started Delhi's downfall.Though Dilshan was playing a handy knock the middle order collapsed and Deccan clawed their way back in it.Few tight overs at the death helped Deccan restrict Delhi to a reasonable 153/8.They definitely fell short of around 25 runs and Deccan felt confident on winning this big game.

Deccan right through the tournament have relied too much on their openers to fire.The first over started with a bang.Nannes rested for the previous match was hammered in the very first over for 21 runs.There was no more looking back for Deccan.Gichrist charged on to all parts of the ground and powered on to the quickest fifty of the DLF IPL in just 17 balls.That was it for Delhi,few captaincy and fielding errors cost dare devils heavily.Few minor setbacks, but by the end of 10th over itself Chargers had rushed on to 104/3.Gichrist had done the damage with 85 off 35 balls.So the middle order finished the job for Deccan registering a 6 wicket win over Delhi.Sehwag by now would have understood how big a blunder he had committed by not playing Mc Grath and still going with Nannes.Nannes was definitely a good bowler for sure but you need big match players for the semis.So it was a costly mistake.On the other side Deccan had wild celebrations going on.Their side who finished last on the list a year back, now have an outside chance to be the no.1 team.The team playing Chargers in the finals no matter Chennai or Bangalore have to be on their toes to grab the trophy.

The show gets more exciting,Bangalore shock Delhi keeping its semifinal hopes alive

2009-05-20T08:43:00.002+05:30

Bangalore was certainly on a roll lead by Anil Kumble while Delhi's mixed performances in the last few matches wasn't such a good news.Delhi won the toss and batted on a reasonable dry wicket but a slow one.Bangalore's bowlers stuck to their basics and never let Delhi settle.Delhi kept losing wickets at regular intervals and their batting failed miserably.Few low order contributions and useful knocks from A.B.Devilliers and Dinesh Kartik took them to a chaseable 135.So advantage Bangalore for their disciplined efforts with the ball .

Bangalore too didn't begin well either.They lost Uthappa in the very first over with Nehra getting the wicket.Probably he's been the biggest disappointment in the tournament.Then Dravid entered and took the control of the situation along with Kallis.By the half way time ,they were 54/1 still around 80 away from the target.The foundation was set but there were some good cameos required from the middle order to ease the nerves out there.Dravid got out soon after scoring a useful 37 while the in form Ross Taylor gave company to the steadily moving Kallis.Taylor played a good cameo innings hitting 3 hefty blows and a boundary.The work was almost completed by then.Kallis and Boucher then finished their jobs skillfully to hand over a 7 wicket loss to the fading Delhi Dare Devils.So Deccan Chargers,Royal Challengers and Kings Punjab XI are fighting out closely for the semi final spots.Chennai too need to pull their socks up against Kings XI to safeguard their position in the top 4.

Biotech creating waves across the world

2009-05-17T11:49:00.003+05:30

Biotechnology is a vast and a complex subject and mainly it has some purpose attached to it.People though in India are quite scared of taking it as a proffesional course it definitely is the one giving a lot of satisfaction.Thats what is lacking in India, students are opting for courses having ready jobs even though they dont like it.They lack the passion required for the subject and even the colleges offering this courses have a lot of catching up to do.Students need a varied exposure that is they need go through this subject beyond the text into their world of imagination.Though its still in early stages in India it promises a lot for the future.As in every field there are pro's and cons ,those are applicable for this field too.The new biotechnological processes, including genetic engineering, offer a vast spectrum of applications in agriculture and industrial production, but the social consequences of these technology-driven innovations will only be fully recognized over a period of years and decades.

Biotech has a lot of uses in our daily life.Its uses in pharmaceutical industry is unbelievable.Treatment of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cancers, arthritis, haemophilia, bone fractures, multiple sclerosis, and cardiovascular disorders are aided by new advanced techniques.
Modern biotechnology can be used to manufacture existing medicines relatively easily and cheaply. The first genetically engineered products were medicines designed to treat human diseases.Sewage treatment is divided into various stages like primary treatment,sedimentation etc.But these uses are only one face of the coin.

There are quite a lot of issues dealing that whether few techniques are ethically or morally right such as growing organs in other mammals for use in humans.Scientists worry that plant-eating insects and weeds will develop resistance to BT crops leading to the creation of super-bags or weeds that cannot be destroyed.Companies often hold patents on GM seeds and licence and protect these patents.Added to that some people are allergic to GM.So it's a subject that keeps you interseted always.Definitely as people tell job opportunities could be better atleast in India.But this field spells a lot of imagination which any field may not do that much.

Delhi finally takes a break from winning ways

2009-05-16T09:20:00.003+05:30

Punjab have had a series of mixed and unfortunate results.They weren't the same consistent lot as of last year.So they had every reason to play for while Delhi cruising in the tournament would have liked to continue the momentum.Punjab won the toss and put Delhi into bat.They had to do this because Delhi's line up was such that they could chase down any big total.So bowling first surprisingly clicked for Punjab.Delhi hardly had momentum in the batting and their mainstays A B Devilliers and Dilshan disappointed.Dinesh Kartik found an able partner in Manhas and put on a quick fifty run stand taking Delhi past 100.Sreesanth had bounced back with two wickets at the top and Brett Lee with Pathan bowled excellently in the death overs to restrict Delhi to 120.It was quite gettable even though Delhi's bowling seemed wily.

Katich began KingsXI innings with a flow of boundaries to all parts of the park.But the comeback man Maharoof picked up 2 wickets and Ashish Nehra too impressed with the ball.Nehra could have had one more with Gambhir dropping a catch of Yuvraj.But Punjab was still struggling at 35/3 with Yuvraj and Sangakkra in the middle and the match equally balanced.Yuvraj couldn't get the scoreboard moving along but gave good assistance to Sangakkara.Punjab had to work hard for their runs.Punjab's cool attitude in the run chase helped them secure a 6 wicket win over Delhi.As expected The man of the match honours went to Brett Lee with a lethal bowling spell giving away 15 runs and 3 wickets.Punjab though secured a win today have to win their remaining 2 matches to stay in the top 4.The match thus today between the Chargers and Knights becomes more crucial.

Wishing Madhuri Dixit on her 42nd Birthday

2009-05-15T10:30:00.002+05:30

Madhuri is going ahead in life by another year celebrating her 42nd birthday.Well she looks 42?? I dont think so.The charm is there still and was quite evident in Aaja Nachle her comeback film.Though it bombed she promised more for the next few years well thanks madhuri for entertaining your fans these years with memorable films like Dil to Pagal Hai,Saajan,Dil,Devdas and Hum Aapke hain kaun.She was and is a master at her art.Her dancing skills are world class.Her acting style is unmatched.
Well come back!! Madhuri is now too stepping "Dhak Dhak" in our hearts.

Cannes festival kicks on

2009-05-15T10:04:00.002+05:30

The hugely awaited Cannes festival had a great start.As usual the ever beautiful gorgeous Aishwarya Rai did the ramp walk at Cannes for a third time in a row, with her husband Abhishek Bachhan.Earlier Akshay and Kareena were too scheludeled to arrive at Cannes but reasons unknown they cancelled the trip.

Sharmila Tagore formed an integral part of the jury along with the jury president Isabelle Huppert (left) and US actress Robin Wright Penn (right).While speaking to the media Aishwarya who seemed to be happy with Abhishek blasted the media by telling that had Abhishek not accompanied her the media would have sparked rumours about a break up.However she lavished praise on Abhishek for all the support he has given her.

Actors in Cannes today

Expected or spotted in Cannes today: Claudine Auger, Juliette Binoche, Mathieu Demy, Michael Fassbender, Kerry Fox, Pascal Greggory, Rona Hartner, Gabrielle Lazure, Samuel Le Bihan, Jerry Lewis, Sarah Marshall, Rowan Mc Namara, Aishwarya Rai, Tilda Swinton, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Félicité Wouassi.

INOX opens in Hyderabad

2009-05-15T09:38:00.002+05:30

Finally the wait is over.The mall which was under construction for over an year and a half is finally open for public.The INOX multiplex which is one of the leading multiplexes in the country has entered Hyderabad.The mall spread over a large area makes for an engaging view.Although the whole construction isnt done yet,the mall will be at its full strength from early june.

But probably the timing of the opening of the mall could have been better.This is a time where the country is facing an economic crisis.The generation today too have been choosy to spend their money.Pricing of a film ticket to an extent of Rs.200 is not quite affordable to a normal movie goer.Though the owners are insisting that the shoppers would like to spend in things having class and quality still the pricing needs to be in check.Only time will tell how will it stand up to these issues and rise in the city.The start though looks promising.Its just that that it could be made more accessible to a common man.

The Hyderabad curry falls short of spice and Warnie's boys cant bear the Chennai heavy meal

2009-05-10T14:38:00.005+05:30

Deccans were still rolling on with their initial success.While Punjab were pretty desperate for a win after a string of losses.Deccan celebrated the return of Andrew Symonds Punjab were boosted with the comeback of speedster Lee.Deccans lost the toss and were put into bat.The openers failed once again for the Chargers.But this time the middle order had something to boast about except Rohit Sharma.Symonds started scratchily but never looked behind later.He smashed a quick fire fifty with the assistance of Venugopala Rao.Deccans finished on a reasonable 168.Another comeback man Brett Lee too impressed with the wicket of Rohit Sharma.Punjab had a great start with 40 runs in 4 overs.But the golden arm of Sharma did the trick again.He picked up 2 wickets of consecutive balls removing the openers.Then Sangakkara and prince Yuvraj stabilised the situation.But just before the tactical time out Maqsusi's fiery bowling cleaned up both of them.Deccans had their noses ahead in the game.Pathan and Jayawardene had to see off this period carefully without any further damage and they just did that.But just when they were looking set for a comfartable win Pathan and Mota got out.Jayawardewne was joined by Lee.He moved on greatly with a well paced innings.Suddenly a foolish shot from nowhere, and Kings XI were 7 down with Brett Lee and Piyush Chawla in the crease.The run rate kept creeping up but just at the right time Lee came up with a sixer off Ryan Harris dashing the hopes of Hyderabadi's.Punjab needed 8 of the last over and R.P Singh who was patchy till then came to bowl the final over.Gilly took his time to set his fields but nothing worked Chawla hit a boundary of the very first ball and few cheeky singles and good running in the next few deliveries ensured Punjab's victory to the delight of their team owner Preity Zinta.

The season 1 finalists were back to fight it out for the top position in the points table.Rajasthan and Chennai no different in terms of wins,points.Rajasthan batted first and received a jolt immediately with Ojha dismissed in the very first over.Smith and Asnodkar tried to resurrect the innings for a while but fell short.Their misery with the bat continued once again with the middle order failing to cope with the medium pacers and the spinners.their over dependence on Pathan didnt help them either.He was dismissed for 7 odd runs trying to hit a six off Jakati being superbly caught by Jacob Oram.Few hits helped them to a gettable 140.This was never going to bother Chennai which boasts of an in form batting line up with Hayden,Raina,Dhoni,Oram and Morkel.Vijay and Raina threw away their wickets this time around leaving the clean up job the redoubtable Hayden and an inconsistent Badrinath.Badri found form this time around smashing fours,sixes with able help from Mathhew Hayden.Chennai completed off a neat win emerging top on the table.Chennai and Delhi are now looking set for a semifinal spot while Rajasthan clinging to the third spot.The 4th spot though occupied by the Chargers were up for grabs.

SURPRISES AND SHOCKS IN STORE

2009-05-08T10:55:00.005+05:30

Cricket is back with the element of shock and surprise. The IPL is reaching the final stages of the tournament and certainly it cant get any closer.The matches yesterday between RR & RBC and KPXI & CSK were quite contrasting.One game seemed a no match and the other went for an incredibly tight finish.Going to other matches played in the world Pakistan continued to amuse Australia with a 7 wicket win in the 20-20 match.Umar Gul proved quite a handy picking up four wickets and the afridi picked up three wickets making the Austraila crumble to 108.Their chase was handled by a gritty Kamran Akmal scoring a useful fifty.While somewhere in England,West Indies are staring at an innings defeat following on with 150 around in the first innings with Onions and Swann picking 8 wickets together and 39/2 in the second innings.England had earlier scored 377 with Bopara top scoring with 143 holding on with Swann.

Bangalore promised a lot before this no show with 3 consecutive wins and Rajasthan too were in good nick before this match.So it looked like the stage for was set for a great spectacle.Bangalore did the unexpected ,their famed batting collapsed to the guile of Warne's boys.None of them could settle in the middle and so they were no effective partnerships and ended up with a messy total of 106 which posed no challenge to Rajasthan.Rajasthan started cautiously but opened up and good knocks from N.Ojha and the middle order made their task like a walk in the park.suddenly Rajasthan looked set for a semifinal spot with 5 wins in their bag while RCB have to win all their matches from now to get a look in to the top 4.

Chennai were in gear already with three consecutive wins.Punjab had everything to play for to step up in the points table after their crashing defeat against Rajasthan.The match was rain affected but that didn't stop the intensity of the game at all.Hayden and Badrinath opened the innings.Badrinath was out for a duck but the in form Raina arrived.He was timing the ball like god and was blasting all the way.In the mean time Hayden continued his intimidating form.Raina was out soon after the Rain break with the match reduced to 18 overs.Dhoni joined the party.Hayden and Dhoni put on a 100 run partnership in hardly 7 overs with Dhoni scoring a quick fifty and Hayden missing a century by 11 runs.This propelled Chennai to 185 in 18 overs.Punjab was always in the hunt during the chase aided by fifties of Mahela,Katich and Yuvraj.Chennai were messy on the field and fluttered many.In a tight finish Chennai edged Punjab by 12 runs went ahead in top 4.Punjab were truly let down by their bowlers this time around.But the match nevertheless turned out to be a thriller.Quite good for cricket.

Rohit's all round show brings Chargers back in the hunt

2009-05-07T10:08:00.007+05:30

Finally we have won, sorry Deccan Chargers HAVE WON.They stopped their losing streak against Bombay registering a tight 19 run win.This brought them once again in contention for a semifinal spot.They won the crucial toss and Gilly as expected chose to bat.But Gibbs had an uncertain start and was out for a duck once again.But Chargers came determined this time though.Their run rate was never dominating and they never looked like in control until Rohit Sharma put on 38 runs with considerable contributions from venugopala rao scoring 28.Finally they ended up at around 145/6.Certainly gettable for the Mumbai Indians and with Deccans missing Edwards and Ojha things were looking bleak for the Chargers.

Mumbai relied too much on its openers and they were sent to the pavilion in flash by the in the form R.P.Singh.Duminy who has been incredibly consistent through out the season came to the rescue of the Mumbai Indians and they were looking comfortable till the 10th over at 71-3 with just 74 to get from 60 balls.But the unexpected heroes arose for the Deccans.Suman who hardly bowled in the tournament got Bravo for 13.Suman bowled economically too adding to the woes of Mumbai Indians.Duminy was fighting a lone battle.Unexpectedly Gilly threw the ball to Sharma's hands at 15th over where Bombay had around 46 to get from 30 balls.Certainly looked like a gamble but it finally paid off.A tight over followed by 2 wickets in consecutive balls thrashed Mumbai's hopes.He had other plans too.He bowled next the 17th over and picked 2 wickets with one of them including Duminy's who just completed his 3rd IPL fifty by then.A hattrick and another wicket!!Wild celebrations were on in the Deccan camp and why not.That was it for Mumbai.A tight over from R.P ended the game in style for the Chargers who came back to their winning ways while the Mumbai Indians proved once again how inconsistent they can get to.As expected Rohit Sharma won the MOM award for his all round performance.

Flicks chilling you out this summer

2009-05-06T12:16:00.007+05:30

The summer in Hyderabad probably has been the most severe in the recent times.The multiplex no show too is making matters worser.We can just not dare to put our foot steps out of our houses.We require a good pastime to pass through the holidays in summer.So here are a few flicks which might force you to get glued to your TV and DVD sets.So keep your pop corn ready and just sit back and relax...

Firstly we'll start with the mother of all romantic movies,the king of all Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.This movie released on October 20 ,1995 with Aditya Chopra staring his directing career with a bang.This movie was centered mainly in London and a few beautiful villages in Punjab.Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were a rage quite before this film.Their earlier hit Baazigar too fared extremely well.Amrish Puri,Karan Johar and probably all the support actors did their job with great commitment and their effort just shows on screen.This movie had no real competition and just swept all over India with record collections and stood out as the highest grossers of bollywood running for more than a year at the theatres.The songs,cast,locations just speak for itself and we can even now find that this happy go flick is running in a few theatres in bombay.Songs such as "Doli Sajake Rakhna" ,"Ruk Ja o dil deewane","Tujhe Dekha To" just echoes in my ears now too.Such is the beauty of the movie.Shahrukh Khan's common guy look and Kajol's innonce worked magic.This movie was the one which gave all the actors something to prove.Just grab the dvd of this movie and watch it.You'll love it, even though you have watched this before.Just watch it with your family.Its a movie for all ages.

Yash Johar's production,his son Karan Johar's directorial debut and more than that Shahrukh and Kajol with the addition of the talented Rani,surely sounds great and it was indeed ,its none other than blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota hai.The film released on 16 October 1998 worldwide.The love triangle between SRK,Rani and Kajol was just there to just make the audience spell bound.College romance was back and how!This was definitely made for the youth.Kajol brought all her acting prowess into place and Rani brought fresh charm and Shahrukh was in form with his energy onscreen.The comedy too created ripples in the viewers from Johnny Lever,Anupam Kher with their unmatched comic timing.Nadeem Shravan composed just the right tunes for this romance flick which is still in my i-pod now.This movies offers something new with every watch and you just have rollicking time sitting through this movie.Though the story was quite predictable it still holds good for an engaging watch.Karan Johar came as a new fresh package as the movie and not surprsingly he's the top most directors of today.We just await more movies like these from him.Njoy this 177 minute flick with your partner.:-)

Sanjay Dutt has reinvented himself with the Munna bhai series.The first part i.e Munna bhai M.B.B.S was a surprise run away hit.So all eyes were on the second part but not a sequel titled "Lage Raho Munnabhai" which released on September 1st 2006.The theme was the same situated around the goons and the Bombay mafia look.Arshad Warsi,Boman Irani and the female lead Vidya Balan formed an interesting cast.This movie was based on a guy who could see Mahatma Gandhi due to a chemical imbalance in his mind.The reason why Gandhi appears to him,how uses it for a good will and how will it turn as a problem for him forms the rest part of the story.Its a humorous one with a lot of heart.Its unique way of conveying the messages of the Mahatma was well accepted by the audiences.This movie revoked Indian traditions and values back but with a touch of humour it worked well commercially too.This clean movie was nominated to the Oscars too.This movie will tickle your funny bones pretty well and relive your moods.Don't miss it.I can guarantee your satisfaction surely.This is just too good a work.Hats off to everyone involved in the movie.Grab it from the shop now!!

CHENNAI SWINGS BACK WITH A BANG

2009-05-05T10:35:00.001+05:30

This match was touted to be between the two south giants Hyderabad and Chennai.Undoubtedly Hyderabad started as a favourite and Chennai not too behind with 2 consecutive wins in their bags.As this was a night match the first aim was win the toss bat hard and nail down the opposition.Chennai did exactly that.The moment they won the toss and elected to bat they never looked back.All batters were getting back to runs.Added to that they got a thunderous start from Hayden.Deccans were missing the lethal Edwards who proved to be more than handy in the previous matches.Dhoni promoted himself up the order to get some time to play a big innings.The other opener Vijay too gave good company to Dhoni and Hayden.Once the openers got out the middle order took charge.Dhoni and Raina provided good impetus to the innings.Dhoni's lean patch was over and he raised on to a powerful quick fifty and Raina's 32 of 17 balls was just what the doctor ordered for the day to Chennai.Hyderabad never looked the same dominating side as they were in the last few matches.It just wasnt their day.Ryan Harris inclusion didnt make any impact.These all issues powered Chennai on to a total of 178/3.Chennai truly in the box seat.While Hyderabad had to get their sweat out to chase this one.They relied too much on the openers.

Hyderabad began disastrously with their captain Gilchrist out to a golden duck and Gibbs,Laxman too joined him very soon to the pavilion with the Deccan Chargers reeling at just a run and three wickets down.They were down to the core.Dwayne Smith and Rohit Sharma at the crease tried their bit but Chennai were too hot to handle.It was probably a day where they didnt even put a step wrong.Middle order of the hyderabadi's was too fragile and simply gifted their wickets and once again for Chennai, Jakati stood out.The deccan thought it was enough and just gifted the wickets and were cleaned for a meagre 100 all out.This was probably the worst night mare expected from them.They promised a lot for the tournament but couldn't hold on to it.Laxmans inclusion again failed for the deccans and probably a few tailenders average more than him.Me too being a hyderabadi was pretty disappointed.But time is running out deccan they just need a morale booster and they have in it to reach the heights in the tournament.

Bollywoods dull run continues

2009-05-04T11:30:00.000+05:30

Bollywood this year started with a bang with "Ghajini" with all time record collections and sharukh as suri sahni in "rab ne bana di jodi" too impressing the family audiences.But both these movies relased in December so by the time 2009 began profits were done for the producers.A lot was expected in the early movies in January with movies like Chandni Chowk to China,Raaz,Luck by chance and a few other promising small budget films slated for release.

Shockingly only two of these movies could get its money back which was Raaz-2 and Luck by chance which was well appreciated by a good section of horror and dramatic movie lovers.Its unique treatment of horror and its performances from the impressive Emraan Hashmi and Kangana Ranaut in great form after Fashion could save the film.Akshay Kumar just went through an all time low with his film cc2c suffering huge lossses.This was all due to the magnificient Slumdog millionaire sweeping off the crowds with its boild message to the slums of the Bombay.

February too was a month with starry releases but bollywood couldnt smile again.Sharukh's much hyped up billu too earned rave reviews from the critics and with an ensemble star cast it was expected to pull off big crowds but that never there to happen.Billu flopped miserably.Finally all hopes were dished on Abhishek and Sonams DELHI 6 coming frm an in form Rakesh mehra the one who directed Rang de Basanti.The movie had great music to boast about with Oscar champion A.R.Rahman doing the compositions.But the producers too should understand that they cant run a whole fim based on a monkey man who rocked delhi a few years back.Delhi 6 had its good moments but was too minimal.Sorry got worser then.
In between this hulla came the unexpected cocktail of the devdas DEV D.It shocked the audiences but still its unique way of moulding devdas according to todays time went on well with the viewers.It was surely unexpected but to the relief of bollywood it was a good success.
March had a very interesting start with dhoondthe reh jaaoge and 13 b releasing.Both were unique in its own ways and with many films not doing too well in Feb people crowded to the theatres to catch on these movies.Dhoondthe flopped with a miserable 20% collections while 13b wooed the crowds well.Its unique theme and good performances from madhavan and neetu chandra.This was it for march many idiotic films like jai veeru,the critically acclaimed little zizou and gulaal all failed to bring out collections.This was also the cricket season and exams time so bollywood was hugely affected by this.Adding to the long list of problems,differences cropped up between distributors and the multiplex owners over sharing issues.So it was decided not to release any new movies after April 4th.A serious jolt to the multiplexes and the crowds.Aamir Khan and Sharukh too joined hands and supported the cause.It definitely couldnt get worser.Admist this high drama Aa dekhen zara entered the theaters followed by bobby deols ek the power of one,a remake of a telugu film athadu starring mahesh babu.Both were action thrillers and especially very important for actors like neil nitin mukesh,shriya saran to shape up their careers and bobby deol to revive his faltering career.But few multiplexes due to their fight didnt screen adz and ek.it affected the business badly so by the time people thought to go for it ,it was out of the reels.
The sad story continued.Akshay kumar who deperately was in need of a big hit came out with 8x10 tasveer with nagesh kukunoor and ayesha takia.Its new concept of supernatural power promised something thrilling and it was particularly marked as a supernatural thriller.It was just barely a 2 hour movie.The director just couldnt catch the pulse of the restless viwers and gave the film a tame end.It was a sorry tale and as expected the box office collections too weren't withstanding.Nothing after that.No screening in mutiplexes meant that the producers had to postpne their releases.A flurry of english movies and old hindi movies are now being screened in the theatres.But all the excitement is gone...It was a disatrous phase for bollywood and it ll take a month or two to settle down.So an intersting set of movies like kal kisne dekha,kaminey,kambhaqth ishq,3 idiots,wanted,dulha mil gaya and main and Mrs khanna are slated for release in the next few months.So the biggies will start fighting it from the early weeks of june.

SRM BRINGS BACK CHEERS

2009-05-04T00:20:00.001+05:30

The exam season is hottening up and so is the weather.Though i can remember AIEEE for the wrong reasons,AMRITA for the terrible center,IIT for the long irritating paper for 6 hours but SRM can surely be remembered for the positive vibes it generated in me.
After Aieee i nearly went into depression.The paper was written the worst possible way by me and a lot of boos to the CBSE guys for the unpredictability in the pattern in every ongoing year.This paper couldn't get worser for me.I was sweating,tensed and every kind of emotion was going through in my mind during the exam.Finally the shocker ended and it was the time to move forward.
But worse was bound to happen.My coaching center students repeatedly kept commenting the paper was easy.I was trying to deviate the topic but it was never going to happen.So i couldn't digest this so went into sadness completely.But two days later ultimately i forgot about the nightmare and thought about what could I achieve in the next few days.Efforts started pouring in from my side and the self-belief too came at the right time.Scheduled preparation and punctual study helped me to keep in god stead.So the next exam was SRMT and finally the the time had come make the preparations count and perform.Though the objective paper was quite easier than i expected i had done extremely well.It was more than a sense of relief rather than anything else.So mission achieved now target EAMCET preparations on from tomorrow with a break today from academics.

BYE FOR TODAY......:) TAKE CARE

IPL to the surprise of everyone

2009-05-03T23:41:00.001+05:30

This IPL has been full of shocks and surprises.Though the matches were low scoring every match promised something exciting.But one of the matches today just lacked the quality it should have had.
Todays Ist match between Kolkatta and punjab meant a lot to the both teams.punjab was desperate to avenge its loss against bangalore challengers while kolkatta were finally looking for some momentum.Kolkatta elected to bat themselves in and started quite slowly and Chris Gayle bid good bye to the tournament with quite lacklustre performances impressing none.Certainly the Knight riders lost it out here due to the same reason the lack of team spirit truly echoed on with their batting and bowling performances.Late strikes from the promising Bradd Hodge and Wan Vunder Wyk help Kolkatta post a heathy total of 153/3.So it was all upto the bowlers now.they had reasonably good total to play it out.Kings Punjab never looked like in trouble whole throughout the innings except a few nervous moments after the dismissal of Yuvraj Singh.However there was some spice added to it.Yuvi and ishant had a steamy exchange of words between them which the referree is sure going to take a note of.finally all done mahela playing a responsible innings and 7 to win of the last over.mahela and irfan tensely managed it with irfan hitting a boundary of the last ball of the 20th over bowled by agarkar,the chucker and punjab march ahead on the table while kolkatta continued their dismal run of form.So Kolkatta is now starring down the barrel with just one win of 8 matches.Quite a disaster!Shahrukh should think more carefully on investing on this team.Its certainly a talented team but results do matter so the better they plan their team the more better for them in the next season.
The second match was termed to be a no contest between the inform mumbai indains and a mismatched opponent royal challengers.But the bangalore team has pulled off a rearkable victory against the bombay team with a bg margin that too by 9 wickets.Mumbai Indians had their worst of starts in the tournament with the top order reeling at 34/3.But they found a hero in the ramp"ageing" Jayasuriya and gritty contributions from Bravo and the lower order helped them to manage a total of 149/7.This was considered good witnessing the batting collapses of teams while chasing totals.B'lore opened with Kallis and Jaffer.They kept the scoreboard ticking until Jaffer was hold out for 7.There started the recovery of the extremely talented but underperforming challengers.Kallis found out his lost aggression from somewhere and robin uthappa too didnt falter.They never looked in trouble.Sachin looked bemused at their batting nut nothing could stop the both today.This was probably was their one of their most comprehensive wins in this season.Mumbai Indians were truly outclassed by a resurgent challengers team.