Why "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" was a disappointment

More than anything else, this movie was a disappointment for the sheer lack of depth! Whether it was the lead actors or their love interests...for me, not a single character was gripping. And that's a shame because the story had potential. It was not a new story, though it looked at the 'same old' from a slightly different angle. Instead of looking at boy meets girl and they lived happily ever after, I believe the attempt here was to hero unrequited love...or 'iktarfa pyaar'!
However, there's a difference between heroing Raja from Saagar versus Rahul of Darr. For no matter how cute the guy is, no is a no. Perhaps the disappointment is so much more since Pink had helped us refocus on the all important discourse on consent. And here we are, back to square one! Whether it is a crude moneyed guy from Haryana or a jet-setting Londoner, no matter where you are, who you are, forcing another person to reciprocate, either physically or emotionally, IS abuse.
So technically, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil champions the cause of Ayaan - an emotionally 'vulnerable' 30 year old - who just won't take no for an answer. Not when the girl says she wants to be friends 'only'; not when she marries the man she loves; not when she tells him she will never feel 'that way' for him; not when she slaps him. So this man is either has a huge sense of entitlement and just doesn't comprehend the concept of rejection. OR, he is just really dense. Owing to my love for Dharma Productions and all things Karan Johar, I tried reallllyyyyyyy hard to give this movie the benefit of doubt. But bro, this isn't 1985! We don't live in that era anymore! (It was amusing to see the likes of Ritesh Deshmukh and Hrithik Roshan tweeting in praise of the movie and the "performances". Seriously guys?)
Despite all of this, the movie does pull off some lovely songs with great lyrics. And beautiful people in beautiful places wearing beautiful clothes. The Urdu dialogues took it a bit too far though. Sounded like they were trying too hard. A few here and there would have been charming, but the way Aishwarya Rai's character Saba spoke was pretty hard to follow!! Perhaps the only somewhat sensible thing that happens in the movie is her breaking up with Ayaan!
Despite my rant, I don't think the movie is BAD like some posts on Fb make it out to be. It doesn't manage to get you hooked like a KHNH or K3G, but well...you need Shahrukh Khan to be around for  more than a couple of minutes for that to happen I guess :D

Waiting - the movie

Saw this movie a few weeks ago and knew that this one I got to write about! :) To be very honest, it did not live up to my expectations. That is not to say that it isn't a great movie. It is. I was expecting something much more gripping though!

Anyway, so as the trailer suggests the movie reflects on two very different individuals' experience of "waiting" for their respective partners to wake up from a state of coma. The contrast is brought out by Shiv - effortlessly portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah - as the older, more seasoned 'waiter' and Tara - an effervescent, recently married,  expletive spouting young woman played by Kalki Koechlin. It's about how we are alone in our grief and how two very different people bond over a common misfortune.

There is a point in the narrative when Tara is struggling to come to terms with the reality of her husband's accident, and Shiv explains the "stages of grief" in a manner that would have done Elizabeth Kubler-Ross proud! It's too textbook to tug at your heart-strings though. Maybe that's what the movie is missing. I would have loved to see more depth in the narrative. Perhaps covering a longer period of time. And the open-to-interpretation conclusion may not go well with a lot of people. That's just my perspective though. The movie is definitely worth a watch!

Don 2

I don't like watching movies with violence and destruction. It is so not cool! Even if it has Shahrukh Khan in it! Saw Don 2 today. It didn't have much of a plot/story/whatever. Coming from Farhan Akhtar, extremely disappointing. There is no dearth of entertainment here. But then, it is no better than a Govinda or Salman Khan movie. Zero sense.

But all said and done, Shahrukh Khan is mighty endearing! Even as the villain :D Despite being the bad guy, you want him to get away with it. I was glad that the other baddies got 'punished'. At the same time, I was sooo relieved that Don survived ;)
Found that Roma chick highlyyyyyyy irritating. What's her problem anyway? Between her Becket-esque super cop act n SRK morphing into Hrithik Roshan, the movie kinda lost me!

It is still awesome to watch a movie on the big screen. Happy times continue :)

Don't you just *love* a movie that makes you want to write?!

Having spent what seems like an eternity on the down-swing of that most unpredictable of things - mood swing - it feels great to finally be up again! :D And what brought me here? As I stand here accepting my good-mood-award, I'd like to thank good food, a happy movie and last but not the least, my hormones! (They do know how to play one hell of a havoc with your life, don't they?)

So well, the (latest) movie that I've been smitten by is I Don't Know How She Does It. Sarah Jessica Parker n Pierce Brosnan! I must admit that I've been living a super dull routine lately. Can't blame anyone but myself for it! Oh wait, I can blame those ghastly hormones, can't I? Don't I just LOVE being a woman!!? haha

As you can tell, I am in a manic phase right now. So it is a little difficult to stay to the point. But I will try. The point is, the movie was such a feel-good-smiles-n-awws kind! I don't have anything to say about the movie as such. Apart from the fact that I am so sooooo grateful for not being blue any more!

If it's all about living the moment, we need more movies like this one :)

Happy holidays everyone :)

Oh wait! I started out this post thinking of how I have 'grown' in my choice of entertainment...but well, that will have to wait till the mania subsides to a more manageable euphoria!

Could it be true that what you do on the first day of the new year is indicative of how you will spend the remaining year?! In my case, it seems to be! I slept most of 1st Jan. Actually...it would be fair to say that I slept through most of Jan!! Not the gosh-its-cold-and-I'm-sick-sleep...but the awww-don't-I-just-looooooooove-sleeping-sleep!! Not good I tell you...not good at all! Specially when you have at least five deadlines zooming towards you at the speed of light!

Things got a little better after a full blown panic attack a few days ago. I feel more 'sorted'. (Actually, what does that mean? I've been saying that a lot! Maybe it's something I picked up in the counselling classes! haha). Motivation to complete the work still alludes me. But I'm getting there. Which is to say that instead of sleeping, I now watch movies and castle. So I'm definitely out of bed! And thanks to watching Social Network, I'm even more in love with Fb :D

Oh n did I tell you about my addiction to Gossip Girl?! One would have thought I had outgrown SweetValley-type stuff. Apparently not. I have just graduated to sleeker things! haha. Maybe you've already seen GG...maybe you loathe it (I did too, initially....but was hooked nevertheless!)...maybe you love it...despite the fact that everyone has slept with everyone (no exaggeration here), the people are good at heart! ;) Honestly! You have to see it to believe it!

Love. The many splendoured, multi-faceted, much talked about, mostly over-hyped...and even undermined emotion...which manages to cover such a wide variety of human experiences. Something that evokes as much cynicism as gooey romance. Something that is a one word explanation for all things good and bad.

What do I say about love?...so much has been said already! If I did decide to write about it though, it would be something like a Wikipedia post on 'Che Guevara' or the 'French Revolution' or something like that which has numerous sub-points and sub-subpoints and sub-subsubpoints!! You get the point? ;)

Coz there's romantic love, platonic love, unconditional love, friend-ly love, louve, pseudo love, rebellious love, love for animals, love for the country/planet/universe...there's just so many loves!!! Love can be 'pyaar'...or 'mohabbat'...or 'ishq'...each one with its zillion unique connotations! So, no point trying to describe it...But, how about stuff I've read/heard about love. Stuff that defines how I see the...'concept'? Here goes...

The first thing that comes to my mind are Karla's lines from Shantaram: "She loved the guy. She did it for him. She would’ve done anything for him. Some people are like that. Some loves are like that. Most loves are like that, from what I can see. Your heart starts to feel like an overcrowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, and your self-respect and your independence. After a while you start throwing people out—your friends, everyone you used to know. And it’s still not enough. The lifeboat is still sinking, and you know it’s going to take you down with it. I’ve seen that happen to a lot of people here. I think that’s why I’m sick of love."

These lines have kinda stayed on in my mind...despite my preoccupation with fairytale-ish happy endings! Don't you see this all around you? People working so hard to keep alive what is evidently a lost cause... It's sad, but it's one of the many things which you come across and think 'it would never happen to me/us'. I'm not sick of love, but I totally understand what Karla's talking about!

"Kehte hain ishq jise Ghalib/ khalal hai dimaag ka"

I am unaware of the source of this piece of wisdom. I love the all-in-the-mind connotation though! :)

"Love is patient, love is kind. Love is slowly losing your mind!"

:D 27 Dresses...no prizes for guessing! Chick-flicks are fulllllll of gyaan!

This one gives me respite on all those blue days :)

"Haar nahi, jeet nahi, jahan pyaar hai/ Jisme haar jeet hai woh kahan pyaar hai"

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

As cheezy as it gets. From a Yashraj movie, no less! hehe...I have no idea whose lyrics these are. But they feel so right! What's the point of contested love anyway?

"Sach mere yaar hai/ Bas wohi pyaar hai/ Jiske badle mein koi toh pyaar de/ Baaki bekaar hai...yaar mere"

Sagar

This song made me feel so understood during my teens you know! hehe...Unrequited love has it's own charm! I am kind of a self-confessed champion of the same ;) And though it isn't much fun on most days, it's entertaining to look back on past 'crushes' and fantasize about what could have been :)

"Mohabbat bhi zindagi ki tarah hoti hai, har mod aasan nahi hota, har mod par khushiyan nahi hoti; toh jab hum zindagi ka saath nahi chodte to mohabbat ka saath kyun chod de?"

Mohabbatein

This is the awesomest of the lot. Awesome = cheezy here ;) If, for just a moment, you lay aside your prejudices against Shahrukh Khan and his kinda movies, you'll realize, that these are very profound lines... Don't laugh!!! :P

"...love burns brighter than sunshine...Love will remain a mystery/ but give me your hand and you'll see/ Your heart is keeping time with me..."

Aqualung (from the Soundtrack for 'A Lot Like Love')

My favourite song from my all-time favourite movie! Need I say any more? :)

The top reason for why you should watch Inception is that everyone is talking about it and its mighty irritating to be left out of a good conversation ;) I wouldn't say it's wrongly hyped. But honestly, it's too much of an effort for a movie! As in, you have to pay 100% attention to it alllllllllll through. That's pretty taxing if you ask me!

Super cool concept. A li'l too 'technical' for my liking. But I like the idea of getting into someone's subconscious....or sharing a dream. Designing and manipulating gets a bit too much though! And it beats me why there's so much wreckage...what's with these hollywood film makers huh? I think they should stick to rom-com/chick-flicks :) I love those best :)

I Hate Luv Storys

NOTE: The following review is a result of the author's unfailing love for everything Karan Johar makes and everything Imran Khan features in.

After ages, a movie that calls for a review! Okay not a review review...but there's so much to say about the movie. Definitely more than the 140 characters that twitter provides for :P

From the minute I saw its first promo, I was suuuuuper excited about seeing the movie! It was such a slick n well-made teaser! But then, these days we have promos looking better than the actual movie! Luckily, it did not disappoint :)

IHLS is as typical as a Hindi movie can get without boring you to death. It's your regular chick-flick: 1.cynical boy meets dreamy girl 2.they fight incessantly till one day they end up friends 3.girl falls for boy only to realize he's not quite at the same place 4. boy falls for girl only to realize SHE is now back with the ex 5.a lot of drama n song-n-dance later...both of them are finally at the same place at the same time! And then it's happily ever after :)

Just the way I like it :) :D With all the prettiness that comes with a Karan Johar production. Good looking people..funny punchlines...relate-able humor. The entire package. The lead pair looks terrific together. It's asking for too much to expect them to act as well! ;) Imran Khan looks super uncomfortable dancing...n mosta the time you have to take a guess as to what exactly his expression meant. But hey! He is awfully cute :) 10 on 10 for cuteness. And he's gotten better in comparison to Jaane Tu and Luck...so there's definitely scope for improvement! My opinion that he would make a better Edward than Pattinson has been reinforced! Maybe they deliberately gave him that look. Dunno. But if anyone can pull it off, it's him!

As for the other half of the 'lead pair'...well, I wish I could say she has improved too :( Pretty face. Can't act for nuts. Yet. We will pray for her to get better.

The good part is, the supporting actors are all very good. Right from Ketaki Dave to Samir Soni. And Huzefa from Rishtadotcom (dunno his name). Umm...not Samir Dattani though ;) And the best part is the dialogues! Super funny. Mostly cheezy. But had me crackin' up all the time!

All in all, a good film. PERFECT if you ask me. If melodrama and predictability gets on your nerves though, you'd best avoid it.

I am crazy about movies. Especially Hindi movies. And contrary to popular belief, I read only HT City/Delhi Times/ Brunch. Oh not to forget What's Hot! hehe...

It's no secret that I adore Imran Khan's weekly columns. The guy is actually very good at it. Hence, even though I didn't think he'd actually read it, I sent him a mail. Mentioned my blog in it too. And guess what????? He actually mentioned that in his column this week!!!!!!! How cool is that!!???? Here are his exact words: "Aditi, I actually remember you messaging me on twitter... but you don’t tweet very often. I checked out your blog, I like the way you write. Kind of has a similar feel to my style, I think (minus the emoticons). You should write more frequently, though."

Ahhh.......feels like I've died n reached heaven. This is even better than the 80% discount at Landmark!

The rational part of me says that since half the world's girls are called Aditi (Exaggeration is my middle name btw), and the reply so vague...it could be addressing anyone. And it's not necessary that the real guy does the replying no? Must be some overpaid assistant. But being rational is so DULL. How many Aditis write blogs n don't 'tweet too often' and use a lotta emoticons??? (Rational me: Quite a few). Oh shut up rational me!!!

Twilight

Braving friends’ /family’s don’t-tell-me-you-hadn’t-read it-till-now-comments…I recently read Twilight and the books that followed. And it’s safe to say, I haven’t been hooked-on to any series like this since Harry Potter! Of course, it is foolish to compare the two. I’m just talking about the addictiveness factor here. Having blackmailed everyone who’d read the books/seen the movies into not uttering a Word about it, when I was around…it was fun reading without having the slightest clue about what was next! Okay, I did know that Bella and Edward wouldn’t ‘die’ in the first three books...lol... But that was it.

So anyway, I loved the books. When I started out with Twilight, it seemed like your regular high-school drama. And essentially, that’s what it is – girl falls for the most unattainable boy and by some sheer luck, boy falls for her too. Quite simple. So I was a li'l wary…coz hey! I have been outta high school for over half a decade now…But it wasn’t quite as run-of-the-mill as I expected it to be. By the time Edward realized that he was irrevocably in love with Bella, I had let my guard down and was totally enamored by the story. I just had to read the whole thing. The entire series was just so…'gripping’! (yes, the flavor is essentially teenage-romance, but what the heck ;) ) And after reading the draft of Midnight Sun (here), it felt kinda incomplete and frustrating to not have Edward’s take on everything!!! Let’s all request the author to do the entire series from his point of view! ;)

Out of the lot, Breaking Dawn is my favorite! I love the filmy flavor! :D n I louuuve Renesmee! Perfectly concluded! New Moon is great too (considering the sucker I am for happy-endings, this is no surprise). Bella’s insanity seemed so justified! Eclipse though was a super bummer. What with Jacob being a royal pain and Edward being frustratingly nice. Ughh. All the more reason why I wanted to know what he was thinking! You know, after a bit, I started feeling inadequate for not being able to read people’s thoughts! Haha…

As for the movie…the dumbest thing one can do with a movie adapted from a book is to expect it to live up to the book. It can’t. It mostly doesn’t. (Unless it is Namesake) So all I wanted to see was whether the characters looked like what I had imagined them to be...I wanted to see the Cullens... And I wanted to see what Forks was like. And the school they went to. And La Push…

I think it’s Stephanie Meyers fault :) She makes Edward seem so flawlessly perfect in the books that no one can possibly match up to the description. And Robert Pattinson…well, he is just too human! He’s a cute boy, no doubt…and I loved him as Cedric Diggory and love the connection with HP. But as Edward…nah-ah. But then, I don’t think anyone else would measure up either, so we’ll let that be. Bella was…pretty close. Though I had imagined someone more petite. The others pretty much fit the bill. Just that, weren’t vampires supposed to be white white? Bella and Esme were the same colour!

All this ranting apart, the books were a good distraction. When I really needed one. Do you notice how the time just before you fall asleep is the time you are only with yourself. I wouldn’t call that loneliness. But it’s a sorta not-so-great situation when you have a painful lot on your mind that you’re trying to push out of your consciousness.

Now that this is done, any more suggestions? I’m up for more distraction! :)

"Power in all relationships lies with the one who cares less...but power is not happiness"

-Connor Mead (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, 2009)



Movies are so typical sometimes. They feed you the same mush, one way or the other. But sometimes...it still moves me. Like the lines above.

Sid from Wake Up Sid is by far the Most lovable movie character till date (and the fact that RK is lookin so hot throughout just adds to his charm!). He is just so supremely adorable! He's even nicer than Aditya Kashyap of Jab We Met...or all the Prems and Rajs... In comparison, even Oliver from A Lot Like Love and Noah from The Notebook seem pale! Just imagine!!
He's eyecandy... but isn't perfect. He has his own flaws. Each more endearing than the other in my opinion ;) And he seems so real. And unreal at the same time! Like, he is too good to be true. But he isn't this always-right-goodboy-person either. Neither is he the stereotypical 'bad-guy' that girls are 'supoosed to' fall for. What I liked best about him, I think, is the fact that he is a Nice person. Awwwww :)

As for the movie, pretty well made yaa! Looks lovely (Thank you Karan Johar). And the direction n all that is in place too. So the story flows pretty smoothly without any major glitches. And the music if FAB!!!!! What's even better is that it totally fits in the movie. Goes with the mood of the story completely! Couldn't help comparing this with Love Aaj Kal (another movie with fab music) though! In that one, the songs seem like such a waste!! I mean, ajj din chadheya was like MAJOR bummer in the movie man!! Anyhoo...! Wake Up Sid does full justice to everything. Very 'paisa vasool' as they call it ;) Kept me in a euphoric mood for quite a while. Been in a happy-bubble since last night. hehe... Feel good movie of the year. Though minus the usual mush. Near perfect blend of fantasy n fact. Louved it. You must've guessed as much by now ;)

Goonja sa hai koi iktara iktara
Goonja sa hai koi iktara.... :)

Rehna tu, hai jaise tu/thoda sa dard tu…thodaa…sukoon!

Dilli 6. Great movie. An out-n-out entertainer. The kind you can call typical-Bollywood-masala. But it’s meaningful masala. And it deals with something that’s close to my heart – communal harmony and communal discord.
Amidst all the Indian madness (what else do you call breaking-news-crazy-baba/gau mata-following-kaala-bandar-smitten people!?), the movie succinctly shows how fickle we are. How we are moist-eyed at the Ram-Lila, but blatantly flout what we praise. Despite all our breast-beating ‘bout Dilli-walon ka ‘bada dil’ and ‘mehmaano ki khatirdari’, we are in fact, very shallow people. I soooooo agree! We are wonderful, we are full of eccentricities…and we love ourselves for that. We should. But we should also take responsibility for our flaws…for being hypocrites, for being champions of mediocrity and bhed-chaal. Why are people so enraged at seeing the ‘poor depiction’ of India in Slumdog (which btw, is a fab movie)? Is it that we can’t really take the truth? Are we so infatuated with our self-professed image of people-loving -people, that we will disregard any evidence to the contrary? Yes, there are a million good things about India. Many which each Indian should be proud of. But parents don’t disown their dud-offspring while celebrating the genius, do they? At least the sensible ones don’t ;) The apnapan of Delhi, or even India, to me, is an over-hyped concept. It’s a façade. Or maybe it isn’t…it really is up to us, isn’t it??
Anyway, more about the movie. Abhishek Bachchan has re-clinched his position as my personal favorite. Yes AB, you can heave that sigh-of-relief now…lol. He’s back…and how! He is good. Realy really good. And pretty convincing at what he does. Sonam Kapoor doesn’t have much to do. Neither does the much hyped ‘masakalli’! The songs are mostly out-of-nowhere। But the direction/editing or whatever the on-screen presentation is called is neat. In a different sorta way. This movie is no RDB. It’s not the kind that would inspire a cult movement. But how I wish it makes all of us see how meaningless the Hindu-Muslim debate is. And how tiny things are blown scarily outta proportion… I wish its viewers take home “the moral of the story”. I soooooo wish they do.

ज़र्रे ज़र्रे में उसका नूर है
झाँक ख़ुद में वो ना तुझ से दूर है।
इश्क है उस से तो सब से इश्क कर
इस इबादत का येही दस्तूर है।

Amidst all the bickering and politicking and complaining, I had forgotten that having cousins over is the most FUN thing ever!! Even if it's just one of them, it makes things so much brighter! Last night, we had the most mundane conversation ever, where my contribution was negligible... but my super cool bhai-behen were discussing rough columns and margins (on exam papers) so as to decide who should get how much space on the bed on each side. It was veryyyyy entertaining!
And then we went to see Billu Barber yesterday, despite knowing that it's not going to be anything great! I looooove doing that! hehe..n there was no convincing, managing to do! wow! :) And the movie was pretty nothing...What is wrong with the word barber now?? Or with any word for that matter? Ughh!!
Anyway, the bottom line is, having cousins over rocks! And we're planning to see Dilli6 too!...how cool is that? ;)
P.S. Shaadis are fun if you know just a handful of people present and there's good food!

two books and a movie

Okay, it’s actually not about two books and a movie, but this sounded cool: )
These hols have been near-perfect. I have been reading books and watching movies. And have even managed to get some work done, mostly thanks to Shilpa!

Message from Nam. My first by Danielle Steel. It was a good read. And any book that can make me cry can’t be bad. Hehe. No seriously, a boring book can’t touch you enough, right? And I was sooooo relieved that it was a happy ending. It was kinda funny how all the men Paxton loved died eventually! Very melodramatic. But well written. And held my attention till the end. Not proper chick-lit, more filmy than girly I guess.

Madagascar 2. …we like to…move it! What do I say about the sequel to my all-time-fav-animated-movie! It was great! Hilarious from start to end…with a generous dose of heart-tugging moments. King Julian is the best. The penguins were brilliant too. Such meanies!!! Hehe… baki sab were okay…not great as individuals…but they make a lovely gang! And I kept hearing Ross when Melman spoke. Overall, good movie. As a sequel, 4 on 5. But the first one is undoubtedly incomparable!

Oye Lucky Lucky Oye. Much anticipated and honestly, pretty disappointing. I mean, I don’t know what to make of it! In the beginning I kept hoping that the story would pick up pace soon…but that never happened. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected a funny movie. But the promos suggested that it was…and the only funny moments were those I’d already seen in the promos! Abhay Deol is cute. Apart from that, I wonder what got the movie such raving reviews!

Remember Me. Sophie Kinsella’s latest. Hilarious. Kinsella is at her witty best in this one. But somehow, the story is kinda bland. Again, this could be a case of wrong expectations. I expected the love story to be central to the plot. It was, in a way…but not quite. And the guy she falls for … his character isn’t that well sketched out. I had a great time reading it. But don’t expect the magic of Can You Keep a Secret or Undomestic Goddess. The plot somehow reminded me of 13 Going on 30 (the movie is better!). But it’s chick-lit. And good too. Not great, but good. 3 stars on 5.

And finally…*drum roll* Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. This movie was all that I had hoped it would be. It was pathetic, just as Saloni had warned me. It was veryyyyy cute, just as Praggy had said. And it was VERY SRK…Ranjoo is seldom wrong! Hehe I looooooove Shahrukh Khan. It was a cheesy movie. My first reaction to it (about half an hour into the movie) was ‘mindless-cinema-at-it’s-best’. That kinda changed as the movie progressed. It was mindless alright. But not as-good-as-it-gets. SRK cannot go wrong, and he was brilliant as always. Yea yea, half the world (n a few more) think that he overacts, repeats the same mushy stuff over n over again n endorses a genre of cinema that’s mindless and demeaning at the same time. WHATEVER!


The movie dragged on a bit. It could’ve been made slicker. And the woman is shown to be a very stupid character. And there are too many stereotypes in-your-face. The girl has to marry coz her father is about to die and she has no other relatives; a good wife cooks, cleans, looks pretty and cleans some more; a caring husband shifts to the barsati, vacating the room for his new bride. Ughhhh…all this is not nice!! And the Suri character, who is charmingly cute throughout the movie, turns into an MCP-ish creature when the girl falls for his alt-ego (who by the way is a sad clone of all of SRK’s movie characters put together! But only he could pull off a spoof on himself!).
Okay, the movie has its flaws, and only die-hard melodrama buffs like me might like it. Might.
Now for the good things about it. 1. SRK 2. Tujhme rab dikhta hai n Haule haule. Lovely songs. 4. the haveli/ghar And 3. the video for Phir milenge chalte chalte. Me likes. Not to forget the brilliant explanation of “macho” given by Vinay Pathak!
And the award for the longest post on this blog goes to… he he

Now I know...

When I was in school...mosta my friends would write “Hugh Grant” in the favourite actor section of slam books (which btw were a rage ‘back then’...wouldn’t be surprised if they’re uncool now..). I never really gave it much thought and given my absolute ignorance for everything un-bollywood, I wasn’t even sure who Hugh Grant was. I always associated the name with someone who was...uh...not him.
The reason why I’m mentioning this now is that I just saw ‘Music and Lyrics’ and ‘Love Actually’...and for the first time in 23 years of my existence I found out who Hugh Grant IS! Talk about Ignorance!!!! And NOW I understand WHY so many people have/had a crush on him! He is adorable! Really! (I’m sure all of you already know that...anyway!). As in, not just your yea-this-one-is-cute-ok...but oh-my-god-is-he-adorable-or-what!
Ahh...is twenty three too old to have ‘crushes’?? I guess not... : ) I’d read in some book (emm...about Labradors) that a lab is old only when he is treated as being old. Same applies to me I guess! So for the next forty years or so... I can’t feel “old”! Remind me if I forget! ;)
Chickflicks rock! N yea Runjoo, so does Chicklit! : D

i've been trying to avoid posting about movies...but this one was really good. i'm talking about summer 2007. remember? the one with sikandar kher, gul panang etc? very good promos (at least i thought so) and veryyyyy forgettable reviews...! from what i remember, sikandar kher was the only one who got 'applauded' for the effort...which is kinda surprising! Coz no offence to anyone, but he wasn't that great. n honestly, he looks kinda repulsive (i hope he gets better a few years later like most star kids manage to).
so anyway, coming back to the main thing...it was a very good movie. but no wonder it was a super flop. the first half goes about establishing how the protagonist (kher) and his gang (a smooth-talker, a hung-over ex, a despo and a preacher) are the representatives of the care-a-damn generation...sadly, the effort is a lil short of pathetic. or no, it Is pathetic. and these people have hideous nicknames like 'butter' and 'pepsi' and 'mother T' (which Could be short for mother teresa...who knows!) so, after a casual attempt at college politics backfires, this gang of five decides to escape...their idea of escape? going for the mandatory 'rural service' visit. What's funny is, they just 'decide' to go, and the college provides a nice bus n all to get them to their destined centre. just the five of them! very la-la-land types!
once they get there, the plan is to get the required certs n go on a month-long holiday. but circumstances are such that they get sucked into the village issues...what follows is a grim portrayal of what is now typical of a lot of villages in maharashtra and many other states. farmers being tortured by money lenders...being forced to give up their land, the dignity of their women...their lives...everything!
it's an issue hardly talked about...i know mere talking doesn't get problem solved, but it's an essential first step no?
i'd rate this as a "must watch"...if for nothing else, then just to bring to our consciousness the enormity of the problem which we are more or less blind to.

...aur kabhi khud pe ro-ya!

Na-na na na na
Na-na na na na...
kabhi khud pe hassa main
aur,
kabhi khud pe ro-ya!
I lurrrrrrrve that song! oh by the way i'm talking about 'pichle saat dino me' from RockOn!
Such mindless lyrics...totally not my type...but amazzzzing anyway!

Aamir.

First things first – Aamir is a brilliantly made movie. Very real type. I won’t say ‘believable’ ‘coz that would undermine its credibility…considering that I found Main Hoon Na and HAHK pretty believable too! So, it’s a Must Watch kinda film…at least for people who like the kinda movies that I do.
The intricacies of how the protagonist's mind works… his dilemma, his frustration… has been portrayed beautifully. Kudos to the actor and director!
As the movie progressed, I could not only feel for Aamir, but I often identified with his angst so completely that it felt like my own. For how long can one hold on to a lifelong baggage of beliefs when faced with such a situation? How does a person choose between life and death for his loved ones? How do you choose between You and the world? How do you decide if selfish is a better option than selfless? And what if selfless is in fact selfish?

There must be at least a few Aamirs in real life too...and that's scary. Makes me wonder, is being a non-radical Muslim in our country so difficult? Why do broadminded, tolerant people have to pay the price for the narrowmindedness of a fundamentalist few? It's really really sad!
The song that accompanies the credits at the end... "Ek Lau" is ... beyond words actually!

dhoop ke ujale si

os ke pyale si

khushiyan miley humko...

zyada manga hai kahan

sarhadein na ho jahan

duniya miley humko...

par khuda khair kar

iske armaan mein kyun

bewajeh ho koi qurbaan...

(And the rendition by Shilpa Rao is amazing...)



Is that too much to ask for?? When will we learn to live in peace? Or is violence so much a part of humans that being "human" takes a backseat?

Religion, God, faith...what are these? Are they doing us any good? Would we not be better off if these ‘social’ phenomenona were more personal than communal?? Would we not be much happier if God was personal...if each person could choose his own ishwar, allah or rabb...if no one had the authority to decide this for anyone else? Not in the name of religion...not in the name of anything!

Religion is something that man created to give structure to his unexplained experiences...but the convoluted sense in which most fanatics portray religion and religious beliefs is not just pathetic, but ridiculous!What I'm trying to say here is...let us practice 'to each his own'...let us Believe in whatever we want to with all our heart...but let us not force our beliefs on anyone...'coz that only undermines what we believe in. No?