In three steps from living room to bedroom!

                                   

      10th of July 2013, I shifted to a new place, quiet a tiring experience, given the fact that I was going through the rigors of a full time MBA course simultaneously. The same evening I had to do an interesting class assignment, watch the movie,'Ek chottisi Baat' a timeless classic. The movie based in the 1970s is basically about how a guy uses many tricks of the trade to woo the girl he liked a lot. (Reminds me of a nightmare that was called Partner) Now the tricks that were taught to the actor were garbed under the heading 'In three steps from living room to bedroom'. Be rest assured this post is not about how to achieve the aforementioned. I am not even close to being qualified or experienced to preach about it :P. While watching the movie my thoughts drifted into a tangential direction as to how builders and real-estate have made a killing using the line 'In three steps from livwing room to bedroom' as their pseudo-mantra, or in proper MBA terms their 'Mission and Vision statement'. Many people who go house-hunting especially those who come to Mumbai for the very first time face this huge shock when the size of the house is nowhere comparable to the amount they will end up paying for it. And it wasn't very different for me. After watching the movie I actually went and counted the number of steps it takes for me to reach from my drawing room to bedroom... and guess what just Three!!! And thats not all while house-hunting you'll be confronted with some of the most hideous  places ever created by mankind and these agents will present them to you as being a totally customized Taj Mahal only for you. Its not a surprise that they are called 'dalals' and other choicest words that I would not like to mention for maintaining the sanctity of the blog. For instance one of the apartments that was shown to me opened out to a stunning vista of a nullah running 24 x 7, breeding mosquitoes of such size and stature that it seemed they could down shots of All-out every friday night. Seeing the disappointment on my face the beautiful reply that he gave was "Sir, River facing view, bahu saras chhe"(River facing view, its very beautiful). Take that for concepts in sales and Marketing.


Coming to the size of the apartments, There was a report by Jones Lang LaSalle, that the average size of apartments in Greater Mumbai has significantly reduced in the last five years. But somehow the number of rooms has magically increased simultaneously. There is a strange mathematical calculation that governs here, the size of your apartment remains the same, just depending on the number of members in your family, the same apartment can go from being a 1BHK to a 3 BHK. In such a case you shouldn't be surprised if the bathroom in your brand new home is bigger than your bedroom. And believe it or not that would be the USP of the apartment. I mean if ever the realtor made an advertisement for such an apartment it would show a svelte model dropping off her negligee and tiptoeing into a bath tub about the size of a double bed and romancing the rose petals all over her, while a hoarse voice would say " We provide bathrooms which are so large that they can even accommodate all Bangladeshis who have crossed over to India." ...There are so many more instances that the post could run  into reams, but eventually we did find a decent place which is in itself quite a story which I will covered later.

Cheers!!! 

Fukrey- A Review

I had not decided to make a purported effort to watch the film but then when the opportunity arrived I thought 'What the Fukrey' and dashed to the theater. The ‘Dilli wali film’ has become somewhat of a trend in Bollywood. You have smart dialogue, actors speaking in a Punjabi accent and chase sequences in the bylanes of old Delhi.

Mrighdeep Singh Lamba’s “Fukrey” falls in the same mould – the story of four young men who come up with a convoluted idea to acquire some quick buck, so that three of them can get into the coolest college in town , knowing very well that merit is out of question. 

Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma play Hunny and Choocha, two friends who would rather spend hours fantasizing about how beautiful their college life will be; without worrying about attendance or studying; They have just one aim in college: GIRLS. Hunny is the street smart charmer while  Choocha the idiotic and garrulous character whose dreams start the entire mess. Choocha is a gifted dreamer who dreams a random sequence where  his dearest friend Hunny is being battered by some animal or the other and Hunny is the only person who finds some logic in those dreams and comes up with some number which they use to buy a lottery ticket. To help achieve their goal of getting into the coolest college they find a willing accomplice in Panditji (Pankaj Tripathi)  who promises to get them the papers, provided they cough up the money.

They come in contact with Lali (Manoj Singh); who has a similar need to get into college so that he can be a part of his supposed girlfriend's gang and  Zafar, played by Fazal Ali, a melancholic musician whose career is not going anywhere. The film just drags along until the arrival of Bholi Punjaban (Richa Chaddha) whose range of businesses would even put 'Bhai' to shame. the riot that follows even though entertaining gets more and more unrealistic. 

The film overall continues to get the laughter out of you even though it is through fillers and not the actual plot. The elderly gentlemen in the park who are a part of a laughter group. The drunkard who keeps on robbing parts of Lali's bike only to turn out to be a wealthy gentleman with a heart of gold. The  love stories between Hunny and Priya and also the triangle between Zafar and his former girlfriend and Lali could all be done away with.  None of these carry the film forward. 

Lamba peppers his film with smart lines and extracts good performances out of almost all his cast members. But he does loosens his grip on the proceedings at several places and the script does waver time and again. Ram Sampath’s music also sets the right tone though it isn't that exemplary.  The film is watchable thanks to superb performances by Richa and Panditji and Choocha which i felt was loosely inspired from Alan's character in the Hangover series. In fact apart from Pulkit none of the characters define the title of the film 'Fukrey'.

“Fukrey” doesn’t have any big stars or glamour, but coming from the Farhan Akhtar house of production I was left a tad disappointed.

Kai Po Che - A Review

I have always maintained that Chetan Bhagat's novels are good Bollywood material but for once a decently written novel has been converted into a pristinely flawless film.

Star cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh, Amrita Puri
What’s Good: The magical Bromance well fitted in an enigmatic story, enacted to delightful perfection.
What’s Bad: The interval.

The film rides heavily on Abhishek Kapoor's engaging narrative and power packed performances by all the three lead actors. Their non-star status working strongly in their favour (which I hope they will achieve  soon).  Even though I was well aware of the story it was the film-making that rendered it a new version. The story which begins as a fun filled, quirky tale of brotherly romance transitions into a hard - hitting saga of social commentary with utmost brilliance. The film puts together the gruesome events of Gujarat earthquake and the Godhra riots with a mystic touch of humanity (at the same time being very politically correct). What I personally liked about the film was though being based in Ahmedabad and thereabouts, it doesn't go overboard while  showing the local Gujarat connect which was quite a refreshing change from the past films.

Set in Ahmedabad, the story narrates the obsessive fixation of Indians with Cricket, Politics and Religion –all of which cross paths quite occasionally in this country! The main protagonists Govind(Yadav), Ishaan(Rajput) and Omi(Sadh) have been friends forever. While Govind is the geek who falls in love with Ish’s sister Vidya, he is also a fiercely ambitious businessman. Ish is the valiant crusader struggling to harbour his desires of playing cricket and fit into a regular mundane life battling failure From the looks of it Sushant seems to be a pretty good batsmen and if not then a brilliant actor :) . Omi, religiously inclined by proxy politics, entangles himself in a web of right wing and saffron colored politics. While Govind and Omi pull out a very good performance, It is Ishaan who clearly  packs a punch. He portrays a very complex character with utmost ease which is highly praiseworthy given it is his debut performance. He gives the notion that he has been living the character for quite some time.
Cutie pie Vidya (Amrita Puri) does establish her character pretty well as the bubbly adolscent though being separate from the bromance track.

Abhishek Kapoor deserves credit for  reinvigorating freshness into a well read story and make a film on it which still somehow manages to pleasantly surprise you at every scene. He is becoming the director to watch out for. Amit Trivedi’s music as always is soothing and doesn’t intervene with the film’s flow. Manja is one gorgeous song! The background score rather enhances the depth of the film. The film cinematography does bring life to the mundane frames through the very smart use of  vibrant colours.

Though the film could do away with a few factual errors. but overall Kai Po Che is a film with a strongly weaved story brimming with realism and excellence. A film that I hope  attains cult status and does not blur out in the plethora of mediocrity.

Rating: 4/5

Jab Tak hai Jaan - A Review

SRK broke his promise of no-kissing, no-making out on the big screen, and I broke my promise of not watching SRK on the big screen. While the former enjoyed to the fullest the latter had to suffer for 3 painstaking hours. Well...cannot blame SRK for it who wouldn't enjoy making out with Katrina Kaif ;P Breaking promises and its consequences that is what Jab tak Hai Jahaan is all about. Flagged as the film that marks the Late Yash Chopra's return to the director's chair and sadly his last film, the film remains true to his character till the end, and well  thats about it. The larger than life world created by him,in the beautiful locales of London and Kashmir, where rich , beautiful heiress Meera (Katrina Kaif) falls for a waiter Samar.  Where else would you find such an idealised love story. Katrina Kaif looks stunning as always, easily fits into the garb of Meera , but when it comes to doing the intense scenes, she is nothing more than a plastic doll. Shah Rukh Khan again stamps his authority on the genre of romance and makes the film bearable in the first half as the happy-go-lucky Samar Anand singing Chhalla on the streets of London though very unconvincingly strumming the guitar. (Hadn't expected that from a supposedly top notch actor like him). The second half which shows the only physically alive SRK defusing bombs (in a manner akin to a child going to play on the field.) completing almost a century without wearing a safety jacket. To hell with army protocol!!! He is very good in just parts of the film. And he carries the burden well. But he could have had a little help from Katrina, who does nothing to bridge the gap between the awkward and the sublime. Sadly this time around I cannot put the blame completely on him for doing not a great job with the character.
Anushka is quite a revelation. I feel Anushka is going to be the biggest gainer from the film, apart from the producers offcourse! From her first scene itself she sets a different tone for the film. Though her constant 'on a high from marijuana, booze, LSD, charas, ganjaa.....' expressions do become a irritating  as the film progresses. She should have got a more meaningful role. The music by A.R. Rahman is impeccable , the back ground score is too good and the songs carry the movie forward very well. So is the cinematography. Age does tell on Shahrukh who nevertheless does a good job at dancing. The biggest downfall for the film is the over-written story line, which is first very long (I mean when was the last time did you see a 180 minute looonnng film) and includes relentless twists and turns which go from being unreasonable to out-right ridiculous. Only because it is a Yash Chopra film doesn't mean it has been created in a fantasy world, where rules and regulations stand for nothing. For eg. the London station scene where SRK is allowed to defuse a bomb only because he knows a few jargon related to the bomb industry. His unexplained journey from the heart-broken Samar Anand to the bomb expert Major Samar Anand in just around 10 years is hard to digest. And Hurt Locker...really !!! Agreed Yash Chopra is the big daddy of bollywood romances, but he did leave a gaping hole when it came to realistic in the film. His lack of being with the times was very clearly evident.esp the first kissing sequence at the tube station. He did manage to put up a pretty good love story in terms of the purest essence of love, but in terms of film-making, the execution he has left a lot to be desired.Surprisingly I could easily draw parallels to his earlier work Veer Zaara. My suggestion , if you plan on watching the film, you will need a lot of patience to sit through the entire 3 hours, and you can only bear it if you are head-over-heels in love with LOVE itself ;P

Source Code-A review

As my friend Samir said, "After watching this movie I have started wondering whether I am really real"
It started with 'Quantum leap' in the 90's then Matrix, Inception and now 'Source Code'...Hollywood directors are proving a point stated by the Hindu Mythology with increasing conviction.

Every movie once clearly fell into one genre. Today, as writers and directors push harder, we have mixed-genres movies. "Source Code" is an example that is a romance, sci-fi, action and thriller in equal measure. And it is one that works delightfully.

When deciding whether to watch ‘Source Code’, it’s a good idea to ask yourself if you’re a fan of Inception or Groundhog Day; this is a similar kind of tense, intelligent film in the sci-fi space. If the answer to the question is yes, chances are you’ll enjoy this complex but fast-paced science-fiction thriller that combines the best bits of both those brilliant films.

At the face of it, the film takes its source code from a host of other movies and series, most obviously "Groundhog Day" to "Deja Vu" to the TV series "Quantum Leap" and every time-travel movie you have seen.

And that is obvious since the film also picks up generous servings from other films like "Tron", "Matrix", "Minority Report", among others. Yet, where it succeeds is in not looking like any one of these films. Despite many sources, "Source Code" has a code of its own.

The film handles its different genres well. Yet, at its source, it's a love story which till the end makes no sense . The sci-fi and thriller bit is more like a sugar coating on an already very sweet pill.

For a film about time, a director's grasp of this dimension is key to its success. And it is to director Duncan Jones' credit, who has earlier given the brilliant but underrated "Moon", that he handles key moments extremely well. He has a mastery of both mystery and cinematic time - speeding it up and slowing it down as the audiences watch the film at his mercy.

The script by debutant Ben Ripley is brilliant in its handling of various mysteries. Thus while our protagonist is busy figuring out the bomber, the audience is busy figuring who he is. Not sagging even for a moment in its 93-minute duration, "Source Code" is an achievement of a writer and his director working in perfect harmony.

There are, however, a few discrepancies in the logic of its sci-fi bits. If the explosion blew up all the passengers, you wonder where the brains to tap into them to recreate the last eight minutes were found. Also the logic given by the bomber is extremely simplistic.
Also to some extent the repetitiveness of the scenes which although forms the crux of the plot gets a bit irritating.

The ending and the creation of a universe might also jar for a few audiences. However, enough foreshadowing of it is done earlier in the film when Colters is shown connecting to the world outside the train compartment in his stipulated eight minutes, especially to connect with his father's image inside the source code. Yet, even if you consider them aberrations, they are minor ones in an otherwise stellar effort.

Dhobi Ghat - A review

While the West boasts proudly of itself classless, Dhobi Ghat tends to honestly acknowledge the reality of social strata, however harmful, and so, a serious film about class disparity by the Indian filmmaker,Kiran Rao has rich potential for insight. It is quite a risk when novice filmmakers come up with absolutely ‘nonconforming’ themes, for the chances are just either ways - the film would either bomb completely or would be appreciated absolutely. To her and our relief, ‘Dhobi Ghat’ falls under the second category.The film can be said to be an enriching tale that of five (Mind you i have definitely said five here!) entirely different and unrelated characters; Arun, Munna, Shai, Yasmin and most importantly 'Mumbai' ;of how their life crisscrosses and remains like never before.
Though the film rides heavily on the heavy and very capable shoulders of superstar Aamir Khan, it should in a way credit all its success to the stars personna.Coz had it not been for Aamir Khan, i'd dare to say this the film wouldn't have even made it to the box office.
The film begins with Aamir Khan- a celebrated artist who is just as snobby as the high class patrons at his shows, one among them being the vacuous investment banker Shai back from New York for her leisurely sabbatical played convincingly by newcomer Monica Dogra ...i tell u this FB is really helping in nursing great talent :) who ends up spending the night with him and is just fine in the morning.(I bet u all men would definitely want their one night stands to end like this.)
Munna is a dhobi, a washerman to both Arun and Shai—along the ghats near the water, but he dreams of becoming a movie star and works hard at sculpting his magnificent muscles. A bit to polished to be a dhobi in his mannerisms, Prateik tries to pull off his bit but convincingly fails not because of his acting but just the script (I mean just look at his role as someone from the lower strata of society falling for an upmarket woman ...sounds a bit more convincing isn't it).
Yasmin, played by Kriti Malhotra plays the lonely bored wife who uses her new handycam to take her brother for a ride of Mumbai and later ends up blurting out all her feelings in front of the camera. Well in my perspective Yasmin was the only true character somebody totally identifiable and real no cinematic liberties taken here unlike the other stories of the film.
‘Dhobi Ghat’ scores well in terms of screenplay and cinematography. Well i would definitely be a bit biased towards the director in this department since it it tries to depict the city i love the most. While the crisp, water-tight script infuses life and emotions to this otherwise unrelated foursome tale, the cinematography pitches in the much-needed flavor, encapsulating Mumbai in all its moods - black, grey, vibrant, chaotic and desolate. The director does not shy away from showing the opulent and classy apartments to the slums of Mumbai, with each frame getting more and more intrinsic, picturesque and scenic. Such is the camera work that the drops of rain seem to travel from screen to skin, drenching and immersing the audience sitting in the plush couches of the multiplex.
On the whole the movie is not for a regular bollywood-fare lover but for the intellectual masses. A must watch for those interested in making a career in film making especially the style which closely resembles its European counterpart hardly ever touched in bollywood. Watch the movie for its portrayal of Mumbai and Mumbaikars like never before.
The music score of the film, given by renowned musician, Gustavo Santaolalla, also deserves a special mention as he delivers an enchanting and soothing melody.

How's Life

How's life ?
This is probably the first thing your long lost friend asks you when you meet after a long time ( by long time, i mean the time that you've exactly taken to forget the poor dude(tte) in front of you and vice versa ) .
In fact, cut the sarcasm, this is probably the first thing just about anybody asks you when they are in terrible desperation to start a conversation. So, how exactly are you supposed to answer this question without actually meaning to answer ? Because, face it.. your life is not something you can actually explain as an answer to a question with 2 words in length.
We say,
1) "Am fine, how's yours ?" - Which means, i really dont wish to discuss MY life with you and am certainly not interested in yours !
2) "Going on.. " - Which means, Its going on BAD ! or in simpler terms a bit fked up.
3) "Ya... going on" - For those you who are thinking, whats the big "ya" going to make a difference to point 2 and 3 ? Well, the much prolongated "ya" simply means... hmm, its not too bad.. but nothing's happening.
A smaller "ya" would mean, am just trying to answer your question faster cause my life is boring anyway !!
4) "Super" - This one's tricky, The answer can be either sarcastic, more like "duh... am dying and you ask me how is life ?" Or it can actually be Super ! ( Yeah, dont be surprised.. some life stories are actually "super" !!)
5) "Bindaas" - Okay, that's the hindi slang. And this means, the dude doesnt give a damn to his life or your question!

Anyway, Apart from all the amazing gyan that am boring you with, i think "how's life?" is a question thats used quite liberally. Imagine the poems it can bring out of a person when asked at the right time, in the right tone, with the right emotion and right look !
Hmm....