I, Me & Myself

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Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
If you know me, you know about me and if you don't... well then read my blogs and you will find out

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

In Defence of Salaam-E-Ishq

salaam

I am quite frankly a little bit piqued at the reviews of Salaam-E-Ishq (SEI) in almost all mainstream papers & magazines in india. I watched the movie and personally liked it. It was no masterpiece (it did not pretend to be one either) but it definitely was not boring or bad.
It was fun and the best example of "Bollywood" as it is actually supposed to be and not trying to be like hollywood.
Let's look at some of the gripes from some of the 'critics';

Too Long. Some wit even called it Thaakan-E-Ishq. Dont go by the 3 hr+ running time. If need be, a 2hr film can be boring too. Watch Paheli or Naach or Kisna or ....

Salman & Priyanka were hamming. Yes but that was what they were supposed to do. She's playing an Item Queen for god's sake and Salman was required to just be a Rock Star and he was. With all his accents and strutting and constant reference to Raoooool.

The John-Vidya track wasn't moving. I dont know what this critic meant, becoz if it meant moving as in emotional, then his cardiac valves are not in their right place or maybe he is so used to loud melodrama that subtlety is not within his comprehension.

Anil K looks ridiculous in a shaven-hip-hop look: Again, that was the whole idea. Duh!

The Sohail-Isha Track is crude and unnecessary: The director has mentioned that this track is his indulgence and we all deserve one. It is not crude and quite funny actually. If you are from VHP or RSS or Shiv Sena and think that sex is crude and should be banned, then you should not be watching this film in the first place. Hypocrites.

Now about what was good:

Govinda: Quite a pleasant change. He was high on my list of irritating actors and if i say pleasant then it means a lot. Likeable, funny and not slapstick for once.

Shannon: She spoke english through out most of the film. Thank God! Quite natural too.

John & Vidya: They have the kind of frickin chemistry that Ash-Abhi can only dream of. Best story of the lot.

Juhi: A short one dimentional role but played with pure dignity and class.

Akshaye K: Who knew he could be so funny. (apparently Saif wanted this role and why not.)

Songs: SEL at their best.

Choreography: Just picture this: Salman on horse, in a bright yellow sherwani, dancing/strutting with a brass band, in & around the streets of london and the surrounding, very british, countryside. It is the arrival of Bollywood at its best. Fabulously camp.

and 3 virtuoso scenes :
(i) When John takes Vidya back to his parents' house, watch the background flit seamlessly between the present and past. Perfect use of special effects and flawless too.
(ii) After Juhi cathes him red-handed, Anil K is standing in the street, in front of the young girl's glass door deciding whether to go to her or go back home. She can be seen in the brightly lit interior and the door is swaying. Watch how Juhi's reflection appears on the door and dissapears again. Magic!
(iii) The pre-climax scene in the empty pub with Anil and Priyanka. Well written, beautifully timed and perfectly acted.


Most Indian reviewers don't know their Kurosawa from their Kachoris so don't trust them.
Yeah! and Don't trust me either.

Check it out for yourself.

Vish

5 Tips On Writing

Many business people faced with the task of writing are quick to say:
Hey, I’m no Hemingway!
But really, who better than Hemingway to emulate? So let’s see what Ernest can teach us about effective writing.


1. Use short sentences.

Hemingway was famous for a terse minimalist style of writing that dispensed with flowery adjectives and got straight to the point. In short, Hemingway wrote with simple genius.
Perhaps his finest demonstration of short sentence prowess was when he was challenged to tell an entire story in only 6 words:
For sale: baby shoes, never used.
This also reminds me of the recent chain-mail about the shortest resignation letter which said:
Dear Sir. I love your wife.

2. Use short first paragraphs.
See opening.

3. Use vigorous English.

Here’s his take on this one:g>It’s muscular, forceful. Vigorous English comes from passion, focus and intention. It’s the difference between putting in a good effort and TRYING to move a boulder… and actually sweating, grunting, straining your muscles to the point of exhaustion… and MOVING the freaking thing!


4. Be positive, not negative.
Since Hemingway was not necessarily the cheeriest guy in the world, what does he mean by be positive? Basically, you should say what something is rather than what it isn’t.
By stating what something isn’t can be counterproductive since it is still directing the mind, albeit in the opposite way. If I told you that dental work is painless for example, you’ll still focus on the word “pain” in “painless.”
• Instead of saying “inexpensive,” say “economical,”

• Instead of saying “this procedure is painless,” say “there’s little discomfort” or “it’s relatively comfortable,”

• And instead of saying “this software is error-free” or “foolproof,” say “this software is consistent” or “stable.”

5. Never have only 4 rules.


Actually, Hemingway did only have 4 rules for writing, and they were those he was given as a cub reporter at the Kansas City Star in 1917. But, as any blogger or writer knows, having only 4 rules will never do.
So, in order to have 5, we have to dig a little deeper to get the most important of Hemingway’s writing tips of all:


“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety one pages of shit,” Hemmingway confided to F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1934. “I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.”

Happy Writing! Hope you like the picture below.


Ciao
Vish

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Just Did It!

Dear Friends,


As mentioned earlier a dear friend of mine from Gangtok, Jashoda had promised to show my articles to a few media persons in Sikkim. I believe they were quite impressed. (lord, my nose is getting bigger)


I am hereby honoured to announce that a recent blog (What Nepal Needs) was selected and has been published in today's (30 Jan 2007) edition of The Sikkim Express.

The Sikkim Express, i believe is the first English newspaper of Sikkim and the first to start the trend of daily newspapers in the state.


As humbled as I am, I cannot possibly take the credit for this. As much as i enjoy posting my blogs on the site, i am too lazy to actually go and submit my articles to newspapers etc.


The real credit here should go to Jashoda, who actually took the time and effort to show my article to the Editor/s.


Thank You Very Much.



We are indebted to you.


Happy Reading!


Vish

Monday, January 29, 2007

Time heals everything.... Everything

NEW: I am sure dedicated readers of this post will have noticed that the blog has been upgraded. The colour scheme is a little different and more soothing to look at. New features have been added like Eye Spy (for short & crisp observations of mine); A Penny For Your Thoughts (that's me being a responsible citizen of the world); What I'm Watching/Reading/Surfing (so that you can, you know, get inspired like... )
Please do write in and tell me how you like it.
Now, I was just reading about an upcoming wedding and it struck me how true it is, that time, indeed heals everything.

The wedding i am talking about is of Ms. Devyani R L Rana with Mr. Aishwarya Singh.
She is the daughter of Mr. Pashupati SJB Rana & Mrs. Usharaje Scindia-Rana and he is the grandson of the Indian HRD minister Arjun Singh himself a scion of one of the erstwhile families of Madhya Pradesh.
Ofcourse all of you may know Ms. Rana in a different context. When Crown Prince Dipendra shot dead (yes yes the Crown Prince. Sorry to all of you who think H.M. Gyanandra did it. You guys should probably get back to your vigil for Elvis to resurface again) his entire family over their refusal to let him marry Ms. Devyani Rana, it was hard to imagine how anyone could survive such notoriety & scandal. She took refuge with her maternal uncle Mr. Madhavrao Scindia the Maharaj of Gwalior. He too sadly passed away soon in a plane crash.
Now she is getting married to a person who will hopefully give her lots of love and happiness.
I dont know either of them but this example is just to illustrate how life gets back on track after even the worst tragedies. We just need to hang in there and more importantly move on. What If's.. are just a waste of time. (check out the pictures in this post for your share of What If's...)
what if......
By the way, quite a co-incidence wouldn't you say that she is getting married to someone named Aishwarya which would have been the name of her mother-in-law had she married the Crown Prince. What If...... Huh?
And i wonder if my friend His Serene Highness Prabir SJB Rana has been invited. He was, to Devyani's sister's wedding way back while in college. I had also tagged along and nearly drowned in champagne, to put it mildly. I think i'll leave the details for another time.
what if......
By the way you must also be wondering why i am being so particular over titles and salutations. Well for those of you who dont know, Prabir SJB Rana is my oldest and closest friend. Infact we have been friends for over 1 score and 3 years (A little nod to Lincoln there) and ever since we were in middle school, he has been quite clear in hammering into my head that honours and titles are 'earned' and should always be used.
"It is the 'propah' thing to do" he still insists today as he did while still in the 4th grade, twirling an imaginary moustache and all of 3 foot tall.
"I am His Royal Highness Prabir Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana," he would bellow and turn to us, almost expecting to see us standing at attention. "We are 'Shree teen' as the British themselves christened us Ranas" he would add in a tone that hovered somewhere between ominous and theatrical.
However after the recent proclamation of parliament the Shree Panch Shahs themselves have been 'demoted' and so my dear friend too has been downgraded from Royal Highness and is now a Serene Highness. (Quite apt though, considering how much he likes to sleep or as he calls it, take 40 winks)
FYI, the royal family of Monaco are also Their Serene Highnesses, while the sheikhs of UAE are further down the protocal chain and are just Their Highnesses. No Royal no Serene. Just Highness.
So let me take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to our dear friend.
Footnote: 20 odd years down the line his moustache hasn't materialised but to be fair, he is now nudging the 5 foot mark.
The Royals are Dead. Long Live the Royals.
Ciao
Vish

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Predictions

"BABY STARS"
- for all fans of movies & my blog

Its Oscar time again and knowing that i am a movie-fanatic, you must have all guessed by now that i will be blogging on that. So here goes.... but

first of all a few things before i begin.

A dear friend Jashoda has offerred to make arrangements for the publication of some of my blogs in a couple of dailies in Gangtok. "I am sure readers will enjoy," she further added. I am, ahem ahem, a modest person but i have NO objections whatsoever to seeing my name in print. You Go Girl.
Coming Back to the oscars: Here are my predictions:
Best Film: Who will win: Babel Who should win: Little Miss Sunshine. Misc: Why is that Eastwood film there?
Best Actor: Who will win: Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland). Its caricature not acting unlike Dame Mirren in the Queen. Who should win: Peter O'Toole (Venus) because as a lecherous paedophile-ish man, this role is like a masterclass in acting. Misc:Political correctness is Ok but Will Smith? What is this? The black Oscars.
Best Actress: Who will win: Helen Mirren (Queen) Quite superb. Who should win: Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal) Another Dame but her role was edgier and unlike anything she's ever done before. Misc: Meryl Streep's is her 14th nomination but hers is actually a supporting role not lead.
Best Supporting Actor: Who will win: Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls) Comeback role et al. Bah Humbug. Who should win: Mark Wahlberg (Departed) Come on... for a former rapper and an underwear model he is frickin good. Misc: Djimon Hounsou. Being black, sad & ugly is no reason to be nominated. Your nomination is your award.
Best Supporting Actress: Who will win: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) OK she was pretty good and should win if only to spite Simon Cowell. Who should win: Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) Watch Babel and you will not ask why. Misc: By the same standard it should be a tie between Rinko and Adriana Barrazza (Babel).
Best Director: Who will win: Martin Scorcese (Departed) because he is long overdue and is the greatest living american director but this is not his best film. Sorry. It just isn't. Who should win: Paul Greengrass (United 93) Watch Oliver Stone's WTC and you'll understand how Greengrass has avoided all the melodrama, typecasting, blame-game etc in this gem of an film which was overlooked otherwise. Misc: How can Little Miss... be nominated for Best Film and the director not be. What? Did it direct itself?
Best Foreign Film: Who will win: Pan's Labyrinth. Who should win: Pan's Labyrinth. Misc: Sorry but Water is not great. Its another "issue" film masquerading as good cinema. And how in Gods name was Volver not nominated here?
I will keep the other predictions to myself. As much as i appreciate your patience in reading my blogs, i am pretty sure, you (except Shyam maybe) will not tolerate me going on about Best Sound Mixing & Editing etc. By the way as far as Rang De Basanti not being shortlisted, well.... it was a favourite of mine but my guess is this;
a) It didn't touch a chord in the US as it did in India.
b) We are still being punished for sending films like Jeans earlier.
If you have predictions of your own do send them in. We could even have a sweepstakes here.
Ciao
Vish
Elsewhere: Singer Britney Spears was voted “Worst Celebrity Dog Owner,” reportedly because of her treatment of estranged husband Kevin Federline

Saturday, January 20, 2007

sorry..... so sorry

A wise man once told me that the sign of a mature & confident person is not only his willingness to accept that he will always continue to make mistakes but more importantly it is his ability to own up to his mistakes when he makes them. I neither claim to be too-mature nor overly-confident but today I’d like to admit to one of my mistakes. In one of my previous posts (dated:09 Nov 2006 ) I had critiqued Kiran Desai and her book “The Inheritance of Loss” without even reading it. Though to be fair, I had admitted then, to not having read it.

Last week I managed to get hold of a copy and I stand corrected in everything I said. It is a masterpiece. Period!

And to show penance I have painstakingly taken the trouble of selecting certain passages for your enjoyment. If you have not read the book, I hope it will encourage you to do so and if you have then I hope it will take your mind back again to the beautiful book.
The selection isn’t meant to tell you the story but just to give you the taste of the exquisite prose and her sometimes wry and sometimes comical understanding of human nature.

Cast of some important characters:

Judge : An old cranky old man from the British era living his last days in Kalimpong.
Sai: His innocent 16 yr old grand-daughter from his estranged daughter and son in law who died in Moscow.
Gyan: A young 19 year old nepali boy who tutors Sai and is her first love too.
Cook: The faithful family retainer of the judge whose son, Biju, is in the US.
Biju: Cook’s son who is struggling as an illegal alien in New York
Lola & Noni: Widowed and Spinster Bengali sisters living retired in Kalimpong. Serious Anglophiles.

And for the non Nepali readers of my blog: Momos are a Nepali-Tibetan delicacy akin to Chinese dumplings. Hubshi is rude Nepali slang for Negro.
Happy Reading.

----- * -----
The judge remembered his wedding. She came to him with a garland. They did not look at each other. He was twenty five, she was seventeen. “So shy, so shy” – the delighted crowd was sure of having witnessed the terror of love. What amazing hope the audience has – always refusing to believe the nonexistence of romance.
----- * -----
The wedding party lasted a week and was so opulent that nobody in Piphit could doubt that the family lived a life awash in ghee and gold, so when Bomanbhai bent over with a namaste and begged his guests to eat and drink, they knew his modesty was false – and of the best kind therefore.

----- * -----
When her parents died, Sai had not seen them in two whole years of her young life, and the emotional immediacy of their existence had long vanished. She tried to cry, but she couldn’t.
In the office, beneath a Jesus in a dhoti, pinned on two varnished sticks, the nuns searched long and hard and finally found her grandfather who possibly could take her in. In a country so full of relatives, Sai suffered a dearth.
----- * -----
Lola panicked as a bat swooped by her ear.
“What does it matter, just a bit of shoe leather flying about,” said Noni, looking, in her pale summer sari, as if she were a blob of melting vanilla ice cream.
----- * -----
His dog Mutt followed the judge to his room. As the judge sat brooding, she leaned against him with the ease that children have when leaning against their parents.
----- * -----
When Gyan tried to test the depth of her eyes with his, her glance proved too slippery to hold; he picked it up and dropped it, retrieved it, dropped it again until it slid away and hid. ……When they finally kissed, she closed her eyes and felt the terrified measure of his lips on her, trying to match one shape with the other.
----- * -----
Eating momos dipped in chutney, Gyan said: “You’re my momo
Sai said: “No you’re mine.”
Ah, dumpling stage of love – it had set them off on a tumble of endearments.
----- * -----
Could fulfillment ever be felt as deeply as loss? Romantically Sai, decided that love must surely reside in the gap between desire and fulfillment, in the lack, not the contentment. Love was the ache, the anticipation, the retreat, everything around it but the emotion itself.
----- * -----
Lola: “When did Darjeeling belong to Nepal? Darjeeling was in fact annexed from Sikkim and Kalimpong from Bhutan.”
Noni: “Very unskilled as drawing borders, those bloody Brits.”
Mrs Sen, driving right into the conversation: “No practice, na, water, water all around them, ha ha.”
----- * -----
“Tenzing was the real hero,” Gyan had said and everyone agreed. Tenzing was certainly first, or else he was made to wait with the bags so Hillary could take the first step on behalf of that colonial enterprise of sticking your flag on what was not yours.
----- * -----
“And what is the purpose of your visit?”
“What should we say, what should we say?” they nervously discussed as they stood in line at the immigration counter of the US embassy in Kathmandu.
“We’ll say a hubshi broke into the house and killed our sister-in-law”
“Yes Yes” they agreed – it was a fact known to all mankind:
“It’s black people, hubshis who do all this”
They were, then, shocked to see the African American lady behind the counter. But this fear quickly gave way to hope.
God, if the Americans accepted the hubshis, surely they would welcome Indians with open arms.
----- * -----
“They say they will try your house in Brooklyn next” Biju gleefully informed an agitated Saeed. He felt a measure of pride in delivering this vital bad news. Realized he missed playing this sort of role that was common in India. One’s involvement in other peoples’ lives gave one numerous small opportunities for importance.
----- * -----
“Jesus is coming,” read a sign on the landslide reinforcement.
“To become a Hindu,” someone had added in chalk underneath.
----- * -----
“The Dalai Lama must be thanking his lucky stars to be in India instead,” Lola said “better climate and let’s be honest, better food. Good fat momos”
Noni: “But he must be vegetarian, no?”
“These monks are not vegetarian. What vegetables grow in Tibet? And anyway Buddha died of greed for pork”
----- * -----
The librarian said: “We Hindus have a better system. You get what you deserve and you cannot escape your deeds” quickly adding, “And at least our Gods look like Gods, no? Like Raja-Rani. Not like this Buddha, Jesus – beggar types.”
----- * -----
Why is the Chinaman yellow? He pees against the wind, ha ha.
Why is the Indian brown? He shits upside down. Ha Ha Ha
----- * -----
As the political situation in Kalimpong worsened, Lola thought a lot. What was a country but the idea of it? She thought of India as a concept, a hope, or a desire. How often could you attack it before it crumbled? To undo something took practice; it was a dark art and they were perfecting it. With each argument, the next would be easier, it would become a compulsive act, and like wrecking a marriage, it would be impossible to keep away, to stop picking at wounds even if the wounds were your own
----- * -----
After the boys encroached on her land, Lola went to the local chief. “Side of road, my land” she mumbled, weakly in broken English, as if to pretend it was English she couldn’t speak properly rather than illuminate the fact that it was Nepali she had never learned.
----- * -----
“What is this GOrkha? It was always GUrkha. And there aren’t even many Gurkhas here anyway. All in Hong Kong. And anyway why are they writing their posters in English if they want Nepali to be taught in schools.” Nona moaned.
----- * -----
When Biju finally called from America, the local village people all gathered around the cook in the STD booth, giggling in delicious anticipation.
“Hello, Pitaji?”
BIJU?”. By natural logic he raised his voice to cover the distance between them, sending his voice all the way to America.
“Biju, Biju” the villagers chorused, “it’s Biju” they said to one another. “Oh, it’s your son,” they told the cook who was already speaking to his son. “It’s his son,” they told one another. They watched for his expression to change, for hints as to what was being said at the other end, wishing to insinuate themselves deeply into the conversation, to become it, in fact.
The atmosphere of Kalimpong reached Biju all the way in New York.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

What Nepal Needs


As Nepal begins the difficult and potentially hazardous road towards democracy, a few things must be kept in mind.

The Hype over the Maoist–8 Party alliance is just that. Hype! The true measure of that will be seen in the coming months and years when we can see if they are truly serious about what they are saying.

For now the ‘new’ democracy that is now in its infancy has many stumbling blocks it must overcome before becoming a robust self-sustaining institution. The biggest concern however is the anger and discontent that is simmering below the surface among many parties.

Democracy should, by its very definition be inclusive not exclusive. The 8 party coterie is anything but democratic. They have given themselves the power to decide which parties can & cannot enter parliament and by shutting out national parties like Janshakti & RPP they are propagating the very thing they fought so hard against. Dictatorship. We the People has turned into We the Parliament. We are feting the Maoists as saviors now but look what the similarly feted Ayatollah has done to democracy & civil liberties in Iran.

The fate of the Monarchy & its many supporters. Decisions must be taken by consensus and based on facts and proper discussions rather than emotions. I personally believe very strongly that a Constitutional Monarchy is what is necessary for Nepal as I’m sure do a lot of people. Nepal, believe it or not, is a diverse country of many ethnic divisions and we need a unifying force. Initially the 3 things uniting us were King, Language and Flag. Now we have as many languages as districts and Nepali isn’t even spoken well in the terais. The flag with its obvious Hindu overtones, in a newly secular country, is not immune to change either. The monarchy is the only thing that remains. We have already ‘safeguarded’ the country against the current Crown Prince be leaving the decision of the succession to Parliament so why do away with the monarchy. Its like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The problem is that we are confusing the Monarch with the institution of Monarchy. The current monarch may not be liked, but don’t direct that dislike towards the institution itself.

Power Corrupts and the Absolute Power that has been vested in the Prime Minister is bound to corrupt too. As much as we appreciate what G.P. is doing let us not forget what happened with Lauda Air earlier. And we don’t even know who the future incumbents are going to be. They are even going after the independence of the Judiciary so that should be a clear precursor of things to come.

Last but not least, the atrocities committed by the Maoists, Royalists and LokTantris have not been forgotten. They are lying dormant and will surely erupt once the initial euphoria dies down. What we need to do is get out of the revenge mood and look to South Africa and begin a similar Truth & Reconciliation phase. New futures cannot be built on the festering quick-sands of old wounds.
Girija, Prachanda & Gyanendra are fine, but what Nepal needs is a Mandela.


Vishal Subba
Abu Dhabi UAE.

Monday, January 15, 2007

A MUST Read


This is an excerpt from some guy called a Andy who is a satirist who also writes for NEWSWEEK.

Hope you'll laugh as much as i did. If not, you probably need to loosen up a bit.


OSAMA BIN LADEN TO SUE BLACKWELL OVER INCLUSION IN LIST

A furious Osama bin Laden appeared on the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera network last night to denounce his inclusion on the latest edition of Mr. Blackwell’s infamous Worst Dressed List.

In his half-hour tirade, the world’s most wanted man left no doubt that he was incensed at being considered one of the world’s worst dressed men as well. Wearing his trademark robe and sporting a white, flowing beard, the al-Qaeda terror mastermind lambasted his inclusion on a list that also featured such Hollywood notables as Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan.

“The infidel who placed me on this ignoble list will be forced to pay,” warned Mr. bin Laden, who used his television appearance to declare a global jihad against Mr. Blackwell. But reached at his office in Beverly Hills, Mr. Blackwell seemed unruffled by Mr. bin Laden’s threat, and even went so far as to criticize his appearance on television:

“If you’re going to complain about being on my list, why would you go on TV wearing that dress?”

Calling Mr. bin Laden’s sartorial sense “tacky, tacky, tacky,” Mr. Blackwell said, “Half the time he looks like an extra in ‘Lord of the Rings.’”

While Mr. Blackwell said he had no regrets about placing the al-Qaeda leader on the Worst Dressed List, he stopped short of putting him in the same echelon as Ms. Hilton and Ms. Spears, who tied for #1.

“At least he wears underwear,” he said. “I think.”

The Guru of Ashes

HI All,

I guess you must have all heard about the engagement announcement of Ash & Abhi which even though real, was timed suspiciously like a publicity stunt for Guru which contrary to reports is doing just about OK and not great business. If a SRK film would have opened like this it would have been crucified. Indian media is not one to be fair and true except maybe for NDTV and CNN-IBN.

Anyway wish them a great life ahead or Whatever.

From this post onwards I will be ending each article with a section called ELSEWHERE: It will be a short 1-2 line report on news compiled from around the world and not necessarily written by me but which i feel you will enjoy. And hopefully it will be funny and witty too. Do comment!

About Guru, well i am sure many of you have watched it and if you have not then you should. Watch it for the camerawork (Rajiv Menon quite exemplary), music (A.R.Rehman as usual a genius) & Performances. When i say performances i presume you are all thinking of Abhishek. Well to be fair to him he does do a good job here, with the operative word being 'good'
People's opinions seem to be directly proportional to the length of the role and going by that they have been all raving about Abhi but if you watch it he is just about okay. The ageing second half is more makeup and caricature than subtelty and nuance. If you don't agree with me watch Kamal Hassan in Nayakan and you will see how hollow Abhi's performance is.
The 3 performances that actually stand out are
(i) Mithun who seems to have found his way back to acting after digressing all these years in disco.
(ii) Ash whose role is generally supporting but is so beautifully nuanced that it almost gets mistaken for "simple" and..
(iii) Vidya Balan in a thankless role but proving very effectively how there are only small actors not small roles. Just before the intermission, at the end of the confrontation between Abhi, Mithun & Madhavan watch Vidya's face display a variety of emotions in less than 30 seconds. All without speaking a single word. If you don't get it then you are probably one of those people who objected to Dame Judi Dench getting an Oscar for her 8 minute role in Shakespeare in Love.

I also managed to catch another movie on TV "Aahista Aahista" starring Soha Ali Khan & Abhay Deol. That's Saif's sister and Sunny's cousin to the uninitiated.
This movie did not do well at the box office (big surprise) but if you get a chance, do try and catch it on TV or DVD. A simple story. Simply told.
Everything in this small film is First Rate.
The acting (Soha & Abhay), ambience (old delhi) & the climax.
Watch the film and then ask yourself if any of the characters behaved in a way that they should not have. Every action is what any of us in that situation would have done.
Now honestly, how many movies can you say that about?
Just that makes it worth a watch doesn't it? If you have a lazy evening free sometime do watch it. You won't regret it.

By the way a bride is wanted for a guy settled in Mumbai but from Bangalore. Christian. Age 30ish. Works in a Bank. Making lots of moolah. Interested parties can forward their resumes to me and i will match make.

ELSEWHERE:- the world’s oldest person died at age 116 in Japan, while the world’s second-oldest person is starring in “Rocky Balboa.”

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Get Well Soon


Just Heard the news that Mrs Shraddha Singh nee Rana, who incidentally is 6 months pregnant took a tumble recently.

Both mother and son, after check-up, are thankfully safe.

Our prayers and best wishes are with them.

Now according to a 'reliable source' this is how it happened.

a) Shraddha got a chic bob hair-cut.
b) This led her to belive she was a cutie pie a la Ms. Spears
c) The new found confidence made her feel invincible a la Ms. Hilton
d) This led her to believe that it was a good idea to totter around in stilettoes a la Ms. Campbell
e) She then began a catwalk down a flight of stairs a la Ms. Moss
f) Next thing she knew, she was down 12 rungs in 6 seconds.
g) And she finally realised that she was a "big" girl a la Ms. Dumpty

The 'source' also tells me that this happened in her house which:-

a) Rules out Prabir's mother and sis in law, Sanjok, in the conspiracy.
b) The Rana klan cannot be sued in any way and..
c) Prabir did not have to carry her to the hospital (which would have been techically improbable)

Get Well Soon.

Regards from Mr. V and the rest of the loyal blog fans.

P.S. For those of you who felt that i had misspelt clan when i wrote klan.... Ahem.. I Didn't.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Happy New Year

In case it isnot clear, the piece of paper under the lamp says;
New Year Resolution: Don't Mess With Perfection
(my thoughts exactly)
Happy New Year
I dont know if i am getting old or am still young.
No, no its not because another year has passed and so on...
It's because of the conflicting signals i got during New Year's Eve.
Some friends i called either had their phones switched off or did not pick up or worse, were soundly asleep. I can understand that midnight is late, but just once a year, is it really that difficult to stay awake. On the other hand most of my family members seemed to be in quite high spirits, in more ways than one if you catch my drift.
Both my sisters in Delhi & Katmandu barely had the time to scream Happy New Year before they got back to dancing. Infact one of her friends, Dalamu, even took up my offer to have her match made with one of my friends. I'll hold her to her word, even if that word was a bit slurred.
Anyway, I wish all of you continued joy, happiness and success throughout this year.
As some line in an ad says, "Its Your Life, Make it Large".
As far as resolutions go, please feel free to send me yours and maybe i will compile them all and post it as a blog someday to check on other date in future.
I personally am not that great in making resolutions but being a trainer i will make some for others.
My Friends and Fans: Its simple! Keep reading my blog. I promise to keep up the good work :-)
Britney Spears: Wear Underwear. Actually come to think of it. Don't!
George Bush: Don't get out of Iraq. Get out of America.
Dick Cheney: Doesn't George W look like a giant turkey? Huh? Huh? Ok now Shoot!
Ash & Abhi: Get married already!
HM King Gyanendra: Shoot the Crown Prince. That will endear you to the people forever.
TomKat: Go fly to space with Thetan or whoever it is that you worship.
Manisha Koirala: Stay off politics, and booze, and losers, and bad movies.
Rahul Gandhi: Take a decision, any decision. Or just let Priyanka take over.
Amitabh Bachchan: Retire. Please. Yeah and from TV ads too.
and closer home....
Prabir: Eat something. Anything.
Shyam: Get back to work. Enough Honeymoon.
Cathy & Prash: Get married. (Note to self too)
Dom: "How to Earn Money and Lose Friends" is not a book.
Kiran: Resurface again please.
Persis: Let the poor giraffe be.
Others: Be Good to me.
Ciao
Vish