Office office...

Office office 'khelna' is not a fun game. Especially when you presume that you will enjoy all the comforts of working in an IT organization but land up in quite the opposite situation! People say it's a goverment company like atmostphere and you can chill out.. cool it. But here you are all heated up. Ugh...

People 'busy' with all sorts of activities from certifications to 'increasing'one's knowledge online; that's a life one (read I) would love to live. But fortune... oh my fortune that had a ugly role to play. Destiny had other plans in store. Life became running around and trying to catch buses which never seem to arrive. Trying to get to office and back home which consumes more effort than the job in itself... well well.. that's an example of bad utilization of resources. And what more to add to this pitiable situation than the fact that all that glitters is not gold; physical appearances aren't the truest manifestation of health conditions!!

To add to this crowning glory is all the paperwork and formalities, which seem to be going in circles- a vicious one too. No one will do anything until a request is raised! And no one will accept a request from another's account. So how does one log into his own account without a password to retrieve which a request needs to be raised... Catch-22; what say?

Closing comment: Yeh hai life meri jaan...

Jab We Met

My first comment would be: a movie completely worth your time and money. Although the story presented is nothing unique, the script, the acting and the direction is really amazing resulting in one of the greatest entertainers of recent times. Shahid and Kareena are of shown to be of diametrically opposite characters with the former being serious and reserved and the latter a complete chatter-box and fun-loving person with evident streaks of immaturity. When Kareena misses her train, she forces Shahid to leave her till her home-town Bhatinda. What happens during the journey will leave you in splits. The later half of the movie loses its momentum for a while but somehow the audience will not lose interest since there is enough comedy interspersed even during seemingly serious situations. The end is quite predictable with the hero finally getting the heroine but their performance is truly commendable. This romantic comedy is a must watch - will really help you de-stress amidst a hectic schedule :)

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

Forewarning: Don't start forming ideas on my taste and choice of movies :)

Well now since I eventually ended up watching this movie, I guess I should give an honest opinion on it.

A very predictable sob-story - a cash strained family which forces the eldest child to choose a not so respectable means of earning-which has left very little to the actual event of the movie-watching. The only worth-watching aspect is Rani's and Konkona's acting. Being a predominantly woman-oriented movie there's hardly any role of the men and they are nothing more than show-pieces or rather support factors to complement the women's presence on-screen.

A different treatment of this oft-used theme was conspicuous when unlike in the olden days they harped on the 'laachari' and 'majboori' of the 'bechari' woman for choosing this profession, Rani doesn't offer any excuses, rather says that it was purely by chioce and a consciuos decision that she has opted to become an escort to earn money for her family. Another rather amusing scene was when she actually gets advice from a friend saying that she was not to be an ordinary call-girl but would be a sophisticated and expensive escort. Well well.. whatta training did she receive to get converted from a simple girl to a sophisticated and much sought after escort :)

Jokes apart the film hasn't received a mature handling which shows streaks of 'purana zamana' style tear-jerker movies which can get rather irritating for the present day multiplex audience. A very pertinent issue but presented in a rather amateurish manner which can hardly evoke any interest. After Parineeta most people certainly had high expectations from Pradeep Sarkar; but what a disappointment we had to suffer! Absolutely no excuses to watch this movie unless you are a die-hard Rani Mukherji fan.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa

A remake of the original Malayalam movie Manichithrathazhu. The same was remade later in Tamil and Telugu- Chandramukhi and Kannada-Apthamitra. Apparently these were superhits.
Since I haven't watched the original version no question of 'movie' comparison arises but what I feel is worth a mention is the fact that Vidya Balan is no match a dancer when compared to Shobhana. Shobhana's dance to 'Oru Murai Vandu' in the Malayalam movie exudes excellent expressions and graceful movements. But on the other hand Vidya Balan, who dances to the equivalent 'Ami je tomar' in Bhool Bhulaiyaa does nothing but some amateurish body movements which is deftly covered by clever videography. No wonder this dance never features in the promos.
The movie overall is an 'okish' one with a very obvious lack of originality and pathetic display of forced humour unlike what is expected from a 'Priyadarshan' product. The idea of ghosts and spirits is presented in the garb of a mental illness just to cater to the scientific and inquisitive temperament of the present day audience. On a positive note it is able to create a moderate amount of suspense holding people to their seats, though I wouldn't say that it was enough reason to make one watch the movie. Go and watch the movie if you have plenty of time to spare and are fond of 'bhoot-pret' stories albeit with a scientific explanation. :D

Just in case you are interested in dance make it a point to watch Shobhana's moves in the video below.

Durga Puja - The spirit of Bengal in Mumbai

This was the first Durga Puja celebration which I attended in Mumbai. As members of the 78 year old Bombay Durga Bari Samiti which organizes the Puja at Tejpal Hall, my family and I were present during the Puja as well as the cultural programmes held in the evening beginning from Panchami to the last day of Puja on Navami before the immersion on Dashami. Needless to say the scale of celebration is miniscule when compared to that of Kolkata, but still the Mumbai celebrations are quite a large scale when compared to those of the other smaller cities in India. It begins with the 'AnadaMela' on Panchami evening when families set up stalls with delicious home made goodies like rolls, luchi -aloo dum, singhara, kachuri, ghoogni, sweets etc. which leave your taste-buds craving for more. Then on 3 main days of the Puja i.e. Saptami, Asthmi, Navami, people come down for the Pushpanjali which is followed by distribution of fruit-prasad. Every one's invited to join in these celebrations and in the afternoon there is the tasty bhog of kichudi, labra, payesh and mishti. In the evenings there are plenty of entertainment programmes performed by the members themselves, invited professional troupes from Kolkata and other places , celebrity singers etc.

The other famous Pujas in Mumbai include the ones at Shivaji Park and Lokhandwala. The latter is famous as the one begun by the Bollywood playback singer Abhijeet and attracts lots of celebrities. Also there is the famous Mukherjee family's Puja ( Rani and Kajol) which is quite old and revered that is held at Poddar school.

Well, the spirit of Bengal is carried anywhere, where a few Bongs get to meet; could we ever doubt that?

Chak de! India

Finally!! After quite a bit of a long wait, appearing especially prolonged owing to the 'hero' in question being none other than King Khan, who by no means can be given diminutive importance by one of the many ardent fans of his, I watched Chak de! India.

My preliminary preparation began by hunting for the meaning of 'Chak de' and a Punjabi friend of mine came to rescue with the meaning - 'Dhoom macha de', 'Waat laga de'. A quick google search yielded 'Buck Up India', 'Come on India' as the equivalent of' 'Chak de India'.

Wow!! What a movie it was. A power packed performance by Shahrukh Khan bringing out the best of his histrionic capabilities supported by 16 young girls portraying the members of the Indian Women's hockey team.

What better way to kick alive the patriotism lying dormant in every Indian's heart than to release it close on the heels of the Independence day. SRK, patriotic fervor, sports, women's issue-couldn't have been a deadlier combo and perfect mix to deliver a sure-shot hit.

It is the story of Kabir Khan (SRK) who had been previously blamed as a captain for the loss of the Indian hockey team at the World Cup by missing a goal, and hence proclaimed a traitor. Seven years later he vows to redeem his honour by coaching the Women's hockey team and leading them to victory at the World Cup and successfully does so.

Of all the scenes portrayed the one which really struck me was the one where the entire team of women unite against a gang of eve-teasers and give them a taste of their own medicine by showering them with a sound beating. Though a little impractical as it may seem in our current scenario, and the objective of the scene being altogether different - that of team effort and building unity - I believe it really serves as a wake up call for all women to stand up and fight instead of meekly resigning to their destiny.

Overall a really classy and standard movie made without a minimally dressed lead lady or hip-swinging item girl and definitely worth a watch considering that such movies are rare to come by.

Lajja(Shame) by Taslima Nasrin, 1993

A book that I read a couple of days ago which really moved me was Lajja. Post-reading I realized the guts the lady had to write such a book which bares the inhuman side of one's motherland.

This book captures vividly the aftermath- the riots that the demolition of Babri Masjid in India (U.P.) on 6th Dec 1992 sparked in Bangladesh. The inhuman torture meted to millions of Hindus in the Muslim dominated country and the resulting outflow of Bangladeshis to India and how a patriotic Bangladeshi Hindu family clung to its roots, and homeland through all the travails and gruesome murders only to be finally ousted from their motherland when the daughter of the family is carried away by young fanatic Muslims.

It's a heart-rending story which shows how deep a patriotic fervour can run in a family which crosses over the distinction of religion, bound together by the common thread of nationality and held strongly by beliefs of humanity only to be shattered and rudely awakened when the bitter truth finally hits them that in such a situation of crisis, the country really doesn't come to the rescue or try to protect its citizens and finally it's the religion which triumphs. Despite being declared secular this goes on to prove the deep rooted communal hatred that rears its ugly head in a country which fought for its independence with the combined efforts of all its citizens irrespective of religion.

It is a must read if one wants to get a peek into the post Babri Masjid demolition impact on Bangladesh free from the media 'make-up'.