@ 25

This is a random blog...a random post with random thoughts.

Actually there are many things that I often want to pen down (or blog down) but most of them end up being just drafts. So thought of publishing this one.

Last month being a bit difficult for me, My 3 very close friends left Hyderabad and ultimately me in really quick succession. Call it moving ON or moving OUT but yeah they made their decision and happy with that. (and I am happy for them) But that made me realize how stuck I am with my life. Last three years I am with same Job, Same Project, Same Place, Same people, almost same salary and without any girlfriend.

Change isn't good always. But am I so reluctant to change? Like 'Narayan Shankar' from Mohabbatein "Mujhe Parivartan pasand nahi". There are 2 characters I found very close to me these days. As mentioned Narayan Shankar being the first or Second 'DJ' from Rang De Basanti.

Even I can quote just like DJ "Gulabo! menu 3 saal ho gaye iss projecct mein. Still I am here. Ethhe meri kuchh ijjjat hain. Log kehate hain mein kuchh kar dikhayunga. Fir woh bahar ki duniya arey bade bade piss gaye is duniya ke jhamele mein. Tim luck luck" In a recession time where onsites, promotions and salary hikes are like a distant dreams, changing a job is a good option? or perhaps its the comfort I have got in this project pulling me back from moving on.

That's on professional level, on personal front story isn't different at all.

25 and I am still single. My parents already asking me if they can start their 'bahu quest'? but the question is "am I really ready for the commitment?"

There are at least 2 of my friends getting married per month looking at that I often think 25 isn't too early but isn't too late either to get married. Should I just stop now hoping that I will fall in love with someone , someday and surrender my future in hands of marriage bureau. Love stories happens either in books, movies or in your crush's life. Most of the girls I know are either married, engaged or committed.

I am not that kind of person who have all the control on one's life. I like surprises but am I so lost these days? Or is it just a quarter life crisis that everyone have gone through or (going through it)

well I need to find these answers till then don't worry. I will be fine.

'aatli baatli futali'

True, 'aatli baatli futali'

Every time when we used to play Hide n' Seek and whenever someone mistakenly spot anyone assuming that he is someone else, we used to shout 'Aatli baatli futalu'. No matter how silly it sounds we never stopped shouting.

Somewhere 'aatli baatli futali' symbolizes a reality check, something that you have thought of is not there, never been there.

I have always believed that Mumbai is the most lively city in India (Perhaps in the world). Be it's festivity, it's chaos, it's craze about movies and cricket, it's social and political awareness all this entirely sum up the so called SPIRIT OF MUMBAI. But what I saw on 30th made me think that, are we Mumbai-kars are just bunch of losers? Who can only crib, complain, comment on existing system? Are we united only for candle vigils or city marathon race? Are we worth blabbering on television talk shows?

Ministers and politicians are so easy targets but when it comes to us, aren't we equally responsible for this system. Karan Johar says "Kuchh nahi badalega" , it sounds so true dude!

Less than 40% voters turn-out and why not most of the hotels in Matheran and Mahabaleswar were 100% booked. That's what we are. And we deserves politicians like this.

And for those who were at home, just did not vote. Because they think that their vote won't change anything then they belong to the country where you need to make wearing helmet compulsory and need to ask people to stand up in cinema halls for national anthem.

Is it so difficult to understand that elections not only gives right 'to elect' but also 'to reject' somebody whom you do not want to see in Power. And 57% Mumbairs just blew their right in air.

If next time someone complains about the system, just show them a middle finger.

Tasveer 8*10_Reviewed

The first thing I did after watching the movie that I unjoined 'Nagesh kukunoor fan club' community from Orkut. And I pledged that I will never join 'We Love Akshaye Kumar' community, on the other hand thinking of creating 'Akshaye you stink' community (both on Orkut and Facebook). Some movie frustrates me....8x10 Tasveer is one of them.

Reasons

a) The amount of efforts we have inWASTED in the movie.

As it was Friday eve all of us were busy in filling Weekly status reports and winding up the project relates stuff. I almost forgot that this movie is releasing over the weekend, then someone ask me if I am going for it.

I have group of 'Weekend Movie Maniacs' the bunch of us who watch anything and almost everything that comes on silver screen (but still we did not dare to watch Jai-Veeru and Dhoondate Reh Jaoge!) So I called my partners in crime. They were so busy in their deliveries (Project deliveries) but still somehow (I could have actually explain how but I do not want to spend any effort on even writing about this movie) managed to get to the cinema hall.

In Hyderabad We have found a place of heaven called 'Talky Town, Miyapur'- a twin cinema halls almost 5 KMs away from my place (total auto fare: Rs. 24/- to and fro) and cinema tickets for Rs. 35/- (Yes you read it right ), yes we are quite stingy people, we still prefer GOLD tickets for Rs 35 over Platinum tickets for Rs. 50/- And we got 3 GOLD tickets of A-row.

b) I had a great expectations from the movie. Look at Kukunoor's past record, he got Iqbal, Dor, Teen Deewarein, Rockford and Hyderabad blues on his name. I had every right to be optimistic about the movie.

And you get...

NOTHING, absolutely zilch, If your movie has nothing sensible to offer then at least it should entertain. The so called thriller never sends any chill in your spine, all you can see is scenic Canada, overweight Ayesha Takiya, Same scenes repeated from different angles, Javed Jafry trying so hard to make you laugh (but of no use) and Akki jumping here & there (mostly unnecessarily). Tusshar Kappor's Gayab got in my nerves, this movie reminded me the same experience.

A forest ranger blessed with a unique gift where he can travel in past through photograph for just 1 minute, Now this is one helluva interesting premise, just to add to it there daddy Benjamin who accidentally dies. Now there is weird detective smelling something fishy in this not-so-good accident. Now beta akki decides to take control and with the help of psycho detective and his 'special' power tries to get to the truth. And truth reveals after pain of 120 minutes. Even while penning down the central idea I found it interesting but kukunnor just FAILED to make any impact throughout the movie.

He might be good director but Abbas-Mastan rocks when it comes to suspense thriller, period!

The movie lacks pace, grip, performance and everything that required for a chilling experience, The last week release 'AA DEKHE JARAA' was far better than this one (in spite of Neil Mukesh's dud performance) and 13B in fact was quite a surprise where even a TV set can make you go crazy.

This is high time for Akshaye to re-look at his past using his special power, Akki please go back in past and check out Tashan, Chandani Chowk, Heyy Baby, Welcome and Singh Is Kingg(though last 3 were big hits)

Jai Ho!!!

There is fun in re-looking at the things that we have done. May be this human nature sum-up all the recap shows we see at the end of the year. As I look back to 2008, all I can see is Mumbai.

Yes, for all right and wrong reasons. I wonder, how can 1 city influence the entire country throughout the year, but in case of Mumbai, you never know!

People say, it's impossible to take out Mumbai from 'Mumbaikar'...I am a Mumbaikar, Born & brought up in Mumbai, but guess with new norms that is not enough. We discovered a new face of Mumbai at the first half of the year. 'Marathi Manus' (son of soil) Vs. Outsiders (Bhaiyaas)

Uncle Wiki says "With a population of approximately 13.66 million it is the second most populous city in the world" that means 22000 persons\Sq KM, well that's something special. I have been away from the city for last 3 years. But every time I go home (and that happens almost once in a month) I found streets, trains are more buzzing than the before, it's getting more filthy, infrastructure is collapsing by every passing day in short Mumbai is dieing. And what worse no body care about it.

Be it out of political mileage or appeasing voting banks, but the question of migrants came to forefront for Mumbai. Ideally, there should be no restrictions for any Indian to travel\work\live in any part of the country. But having said that...we should address that every city has limits too. May be Mumbai has crossed those limits way back.

As Economic meltdown started to happen, all eyes glued to BSE, Mumbai being the economical epicenter for India.

But what surprised me most is Bollywood's tribute to Mumbai. Last year I saw some of the excellent work by new directors dedicated to Mumbai. Aamir, A Wednesday and Mumbai Meri Jaan, 3 movies set against the backdrop of Mumbai and terrorism. All 3 were so different in their story telling still having the common thread binding all of them together.

But guess, Bollywood was not enough as we received 'Slumdog Millionaire' at the end of the year.

I have seen Dharavi (Mumbai's- rather World's biggest slum) very closely, and I must say The director captured it exactly the way it is. Some of my Friends asked me "What's so different about the movie?" May be to make a good cinema, you need not make it differently. Slumdog's success lies there, it shows the Mumbai just the way it is and to large extent captures the pulse of India too. A triumph of underdog, the sure success formula for any movie (that is what we saw in Lagaan, Chak De etc.) with some really catchy tunes by Rehmaan and yeah the most importantly the city

Slumdog has 4 main characters at it's centre stage, besides 3 main leads, Mumbai plays the 4th character, this city is crowded, unfair, sometime even brutal, really difficult place to survive but still kicking.

But all that has changed on 26th Nov, 26 never been an auspicious date for Mumbai, but this time it went a way ahead. A Wednesday, that is impossible to forget for any Mumbaikar or for that matter any Indian. Have you seen dementors in Harry Potter movies? they live on every good memory...yes, I find these terrorists like dementors. They have power to rip off your good memories and replace it with sorrow. May be Taj \ Trident will get back to normal but the scars will remain. And I wish, it should remain for some time. Those would be indicators of our incompetency to fight against terror. As I write this post today, I remember the TV footage of Mumbai Marathon happened on 18th Jan 09. Mumbai's attempt not just to get back to normal but also start kicking as it used to be.

2008 may not be an ideal year but if there is 1 thing that 2008 left for 2009, that is a HOPE. A hope for better tomorrow. I wish the same to Mumbai.

Memento....Tera emosanal atyachaar

Dev D is releasing soon...I like to call myself an intellectual movie viewer..though I equally enjoy Bol Radha Bol and Dulhe Raja.

So Dev D is Anurag Kashyap's interpretation of Devdas , Anurag Kashyap is the same guy who made NO SMOKING, Perhaps the most unaccepted movie in Indian Movie history. The movie was equally carcinogenic. I hardly confess, but yeah, I did not understand the movie.

However there are some more movies that make me feel like an idiot. I feel dejected and wish I would have never gone for it.

I happen to mention couple of such movies earlier..Babel and Via Darjeeling were just some example and there are few more like 15th Park Avenue and the latest one is Memento.

Those who do not know, Memento is an inspiration for Ghajini

Well I had many reasons to recommend this movie to my 'Weekend movie maniacs' group. Yes, I have such group and we watch movies like maniacs..preferably English.

So last weekend, it was 'Memento'- well if you are planning for the movie, please note down the pre-requisites;

Be attentive...This is definitely not a for Time pass. You can not enjoy this with pop corns...all u need is an attentive mind and the playback button. The movie proceeds in reverse order...now that is something very difficult to explain. There are two sequences going on...out of which one happens in parts and that too in reverse order and there is a point where both sequences merge...Hushh! ok don't even try to understand....

Be patient...This movie take its time, you won't understand much for first 30 minute..all you can see is repetition of some scenes and you spent most of the time to remember what happened before...(Yes, you do not care about what happened NEXT...As we already know that) It's like attending a test for which you know all the answers and now you need to look for the questions.

Be clever...and stop guessing

I wont fall into a debate if Memento is a good or bad movie. Some movies are never meant for it. All I can say it's a different...