Waiting for the Mahatma…

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…..

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….

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……….

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…

“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…..

 

 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……

                                     

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…

                                          

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…….

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

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…….

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….

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……

 

 

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 :-) !!

     

 

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!

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?

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……

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…!

 

 

 

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)

 

   

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…

 

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

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.