This week I thought there was no movie to catch up with. On a busy Thursday afternoon, I just checked bookmyshow.com to find that Do dooni chaar was running to an empty theatre. I immediately booked 2 tickets, praying that we are not disappointed. Do dooni chaar is a story about the Duggal family which has a papa duggal, mama duggal, bhai duggal and behen duggal. It's about a middle middle class family based in Delhi and how they go about their everyday chores. Their mundane lives are also complicated by the lack of money through a salary that Papa Duggal earns as a modest and honest school teacher. The kids in the movie, played by Archit Krishna and Aditi Vasudev are astonishingly refreshing and to the point. At no point in the movie do you get the smell of a star studded movie. The protagonist, Santosh Duggal, played by Rishi Kapoor, who himself was a superstar in the 70s and the 80s, is a lovable character which every normally brought up Indian can relate to. If you were born in the eighties and were middle class, that's probably how your Dad would be! Neetu Singh, playing Kusum Duggal was endearing and had a very earthy character which she did full justice to. All through the film you would never feel that this woman has come back to face the camera after 30 years. The real-life couple also extend their chemistry to this movie which lends it the soul of the movie. Much of the movie can be relished only because it was Rishi and Neetu. Their real life charisma also rubs off on the screen to recreate magic that one would not expect, atleast out of a small budget film like this! Archit who plays the role of Sandeep Duggal is Rishi's son, a typical Delhiite, a guy lost in translation. He loses his way in between and when he finally admits it in front of his family, unlike Indian cinema, his dad takes him out and does an uncharacteristic thing to bring him back on track. Watch out for the scene where the dad-son talk happens on a road side thela eating paranthas. That's as real as it gets. There is simplicity in the scene, yet it is so refreshing that the audience gets transported back in their lives, when their dad must've given them a lesson for doing something wrong. The sister, Payal Duggal, played by Aditi Vasudev is a very well potrayed girl brought up in urban surroundings, but wanting to break away from the mould. She is a typical bubbly, effervescent middle class girl who is a little ashamed of her dad's salary. She has a boyfriend, Micky, who is a son of a gun. But when the time comes to stick by her family, she very clandestinely supports her dad towards the climax. She is definitely better of the two siblings when it came to the role. For a debut role, it was a more than decent performance by her. But, again I would say, that this is a movie meant and written for Rishi and Neetu. The sheer chemistry between them is what makes this film work. They share a lot of witty moments between themselves. Do dooni chaar is a story about a very normal, very earthy, very middle class family who make their ends meet with a lot of difficulties. Yet, what is endearing is the love that they share and the eighties feeling that most born at that time would be aware of. It is not flashy. It is not preachy. It's just a light movie which touches your heart. You will not come out heavy from the cinema theatre because there is no melodrama. Yet, you will be refreshed because it is your story, my story and a story which millions of my countrymen would share. It's like a mirror of your household in the eighties, which would bring a smile to your lips. This movie is right what it was meant to be. A middle class story. A Hrishikesh Mujherjee kind of film, which has a message but said very subtly without preaching. Watch it for Rishi and Neetu. Here I would make a comment and exercise my discretion and say that Neetu Singh is still as beautiful and graceful as she was when she quit acting at the age of 18. Time has only brought more grace to her face and she managed to pull off a very middle class role with aplomb. No wonder Ranbir's good looks come from his mom. Rishi was handsome too, but Ranbir is Neetu's son. The mothers don't get more beautiful than this and he should be glad for that! I would go with 3 out of 5 for this wonderful rendition of a common man's life. Don't miss this movie. If nothing else, then Rishi and Neetu would make your weekend worthwhile.
Also, as an after note, do check out the way, Mr Duggal picks up the phone everytime and says : "Hellooo, Santosh Duggal this side"!
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I happened to be another victim to the monstrous hype that was created around a film called My name is Khan.
I don't know why, but after watching KCK on Friday night, i asked my parents if they would like to watch MNIK on saturday! My luck too was on leave that day.. they said yes.. and we set out in my gaadi. We reached the theatre half an hour in advance.. that was a sign of things to come, maybe God wanted us to get bored and leave the place before the ordeal started... but nahi.. we are destiny's children! and our destiny that night was KJo. The movie started promisingly with the protagonist getting frisked on the airport.. for reciting a few muslim verses. The intent was good. I thought I had done justice to myself by breaking my 2010 resolution of not watching SRK films. A few scenes later, SRK started getting repetitive. Whatever sympathy the audience had gathered for him were now turning into uneasy oohs and aahs and uncomfortable shifts in their chairs. He was now royally irritating people in the theatre. Whatever the syndrome was, I really dont think KJo researched it enough. At the end of the movie you dont even remember what the disablility was called. To add to the pain, it was so horribly potrayed in the script that Khan was only too glad to make it worse by multiplying the pain by 10. Whatever the disablity was, all he did was repeat the last two words of every sentence he spoke. There was absolutely nothing more to the character. If you minus those 2 repeated words, he just seemed like his usual 'Rahul, naam toh suna hi hoga' avatar. He is always so hopelessly affluent and so cool that he forgets that this is not a stage show or an awards night, but a film where he should be getting under the skin of the character. To draw a parallel, it is so easy to say that SRK can never ever in this life play a progeric Auro or even a Ghajini. He just cannot, he does not possess the ability to. To be different, everyone in Bollywood these days plays a disabled character, so how can this hyped Khan be left behind? But to everyones horror, he neither seems disabled nor is interested in pretending to be disabled. He is the cool Rahul in every film with the same hairstyle and with the same dirty smirk on his nicotine blackened lips. The problem with him is that he just doesn't want to try, he is happy in his zone where the mindless supporters love him for being a fool. He is in Madame Tussauds too... err.. but then so is Salman. So that doesnt count as an achievement. He is very very obnoxiously repetitive. Thats is all I want to say. Moving on, the film was no better. How could it be? It was made by the stupid coterie of Khan, KJo and Kajol. Kajol just continued from K3G. She was too loud in that movie and she just took over from there. In MNIK, she was so loud that the people in the adjacent screen couldn't follow their film properly. She keeps yelling when she's happy and also when her son dies. Yelling is what she does to keep her weight in control. After K3G, she hadn't got a chance to yell, so she put on weight like a water hog. But now she's determined. She's determined to scare the people of this country by yelling, yelling day and night, yelling in health and death, yell, yell all the time .. yell so much that we get scared and settle in Pakistan. The Taliban too are scared of her now. Ab aaya KJo... bhai iske liye toh koi kuch bhi bole kam hai. He is like a bucket of emotions, a bath tub rather. I thought it couldn't get more heavier than K3G. All the people, hail Kojja.. sorry KJo.. here comes MNIK. (By the way Kojja in Telugu, a prominent south Indian language spoken by more than a 100 million people, means hijra, a colloquial word used for the term eunuch). Sorry to get personal KJo, but that is what you deserve, because of what you subject us to. You have one Kojja friend with whom you make all the films, which are all affluent, which always show people crying out of love and ruling that love for friends/mother/father/neighbour/dog/cat/sheep/wolf and love for anything that is human or non human is everything in the world. You are such a bucket of mush. You are sooooooo sweet. Your films are also sooooo sweet that they generally taste like a concoction of cocoa and sugar syrup. You were born in a sugarcane field. But wake up man, what do you expect us to do? expect the common indian to do? what do you expect the average progressive NRI to do? Sit with you in the sugarcane field every 6 months and weep with you for the sugar shit that you dole out for us? Enough of this coochie coo friendship with the superstar. People call you gay.. do you know that? (Oh yeah, you must be knowing that.. not too long ago, people did a graffiti on SRK's mannat wall calling him gay). You cannot change your image by showing hapless people crying in your movies... what did you want to do in MNIK? Show a disabled fellow, swimming through the swirling floods and saving an african community. What was with that african community who were crying with SRK? Crying with SRK?? My god, this is nonsensical. The 10 yr old african kid starts singing 'We shall overcome' .. hum honge kamiyaab when the flood comes. What the fish?? Why would he sing 'We shall overcome'?? He loves shaggy, akon and 50 cent... but then KJo uncle ne paisa diya and bola.. beta bolo.. We shall overcome... ok uncle... We shall overcome... To all the shit in this world, you are much better than MNIK. Hail your existence because there is something far more inferior existing in this world. Watched Karthik calling Karthik yesterday night...
Loved it! Loved the witty lines in the first half and the gripping second half... there were people who gave it a bad review. To all of them i have a thing to say. This is not a Govinda movie. You need your thinking cap to be on top of your head. Its a nice intelligent movie.. not meant for the average cine goer. There were lots of unbelievable moments throughout the film.. but then as Indians we deserve a few of such moments even in an art movie. The shots were professional and the script crisp. Deepika was stunning too. But as usual, she disappointed the country with her acting skills or rather the lack of it. Watch out for the scenes where she slaps her 1st boy friend in the movie.. those expressions are there even on my security guard's face on demand. Also another scene in a song sequence when Farhan pulls the ciggy outta her lips and flings it away. She looks ravishing as long as she is not asked to emote or even talk. Farhan did a fine job yet again.. and though he is not blessed with good looks like conventional heroes.. there's something about him that carries off a film solo. He also acts quite well and there is no tinge of inhibition like Deepika. On a lighter note, i liked the scene where Farhan transforms for the first time and comes out in a smashing suit all decked up. The way he goes and beckons his boss.. "Kamath.. we need to talk". That was a nice break from the otherwise 'safe boy' image of his. The film delves into the mind of a person who is low on fuel so beautifully that you almost feel sorry for Farhan. A phone call changes his life forever. He doesnt know who's on the line. All he knows is that its a well wisher. And with that, when he transforms, & instead of pooh-poohing, you tend to celebrate with him. From then on, everything's goody goody in his life. The second half takes a complete turn and builds a complete suspense which carries itself well till the end of the movie. I'll leave it at that. Don't miss this one. Verdict : Highly Recommended. The below journal is a travelog which will help fellow surfers in knowing more about Lakshadweep islands.
We started our Lakshadweep trip after the trip from Agra. Reached Kochi airport at noon, from there we proceeded to Willingdon island(that’s where the ship starts from). Willingdon island is 40 kms from the airport and a simple, no frills indica cab would charge you about 700 bucks to reach the island. At willingdon island, we had booked accommodation at a place called Maruthi tourist home, which was a decent place to stay, not too expensive either.. the main plus point was that it was just 1 km away from the SPORTS office(SPORTS is the organization which controls the tourism at the Lakshadweep islands). The introduction done, time for the movie to roll . We were booked on the ship MV Kavaratti which runs from Kochi to Lakshadweep islands on designated days. We collected the boarding passes from the SPORTS office. From there, they arrange transport to the jetty for boarding. Now, this place resembled a war torn country area where people were lining up for free food. One of the foreigners with us quipped that this resembled a refugee camp. Picture this, a small walled area of about 200 sft and about a 100 odd people waiting to rush in through a small door. Everyone had luggage, but we were stunned when we saw the islanders. They generally travel from Kochi, which is their only source of shopping. Everything from vegetables to blankets to cartons full of provisions to LCD tvs were lined up as luggage. Me and my wife shuddered at the thought of all this luggage being scanned and then each person going through the small door one by one. There is no separate line for tourists. You need to jostle your way through. Just then, the small door opened and one by one, all the luggage belonging to the islanders was put in. But, we were amazed that in about 10 mins, all of it was checked in and we were at the counter with our luggage. It felt great, the staff was efficient, if only they had managed the crowd outside the counter too. Then we got our luggage scanned and we were quickly taken to the jetty. There stood the impressive MV Kavaratti. Majestic from the outside, we expected it to be the same from inside as well. The luggage was efficiently tagged with room numbers and whisked away by porters. We boarded the ship and by the time we found our cabin, we saw that our luggage was already at the door. Impressed! We had nothing to complain about the ship and its staff!! The ship then waited for I don’t know what… by the time it started moving, it was 2 pm. The first class cabin allotted to us was quite nice, it had bunker beds, a table, a fan, cupboards, an attached bath and was air conditioned. Don’t expect it to be of the class of the star cruises, but then its not bad either. I would say, it does justice to the amount charged. Now, there are constant announcements on the ship which are audible in each of the cabins. The first announcement was for lunch, the horror was about to begin. It was now that we realized that on the ship, were 2 groups from 2 states which were about 20-30 people in size each. The groups were also aged between 50-70. They were also ignorant of basic rules like following queues etc and this is where ship crew failed badly, there was absolutely no attempt from their side to rein in the mob. We were aghast at the aunties pushing and prodding their way through like they would at the local sabzi mandis. At times, there were a lot of intrusions in the queues, they would reserve places for their brethren. They were loud. People from state X thought that they were the only people on the ship and made loud noises… they made fun of the state Y people in their language. The state Y people reciprocated their feelings. Caught in the cross hairs were a few couples like ours and a sensible uncle aunty from Gujarat. Somehow we managed to withstand them just stopping short of retaliating, because our traditions teach us to respect elders. How I wished, elders followed basic rules of civic sense. I was a little upset with the way the trip started, thinking that this would mar the whole trip ahead because we would be spending time with these people. Then me and my wife thought, why should we even care? Believe that you are on your own and things would not seem so bad after all! And yes, this worked!! Ah, we were so happy. When we went out for dinner, we cared a damn.. when an aunty tried to break the queue, we kept her a name(just for our consumption) .. and had a hearty laugh. One important info about the food. The food at best can be termed bland for the Indian taste buds. Food is decent, but you would be much better off carrying some pickles along with you. Day 2 : Minicoy The ship reached Minicoy early in the morning, we all disembarked and were taken in smaller boats to the island. All the worries about the crowd and other things got sidelined when the island started approaching, it was amazing! White sand beaches were visible from a distance. The lighthouse made a perfect setting too! All too excited, we were welcomed on the island with tender coconuts. We spent the first few hours on the beach, clicking pics, sea bathing and swimming in the ocean. Then in the afternoon we went scuba diving, which was 750 bucks per head for a 20 mins dive. It was great fun! The corals and fishes amazed us. But according to the instructor, the visibility in the sea wasn’t that great on that day because of the strong currents. However, I found it quite good because I had only seen the sea water elasewhere in India After the scuba diving trip, we had lunch, it wasn’t that great, but since we were very tired, the hunger took precedence over taste. We then toured the lighthouse. To reach the top you would need to climb about 200 stairs. Most people backed out. My wife said we should do it, and when we reached the top, we were glad we did it. Those were the best views of Minicoy island. The island had already amazed us, but the all round view of the white sand beaches along with the cast coconut trees are too good a sight to be put in words. The lunch and evening tea were served on the island. Once back on the ship, the journey resumed, we were to reach Kalpeni island by the next day. Day 3 : Kalpeni island. This is the most low profile island on the trip. To be frank, there is not much to do on this island. When we reached there in the morning, it was beautiful, but nothing compared to Minicoy. Minicoy had set the expectations so high that we were a tad disappointed. Then came the snorkeling bit, that was when some pride was salvaged and this island too looked interesting. There is a huge lagoon near the shore rich in marine life and coral reefs. They give you the gear which can be used for snorkeling. We did it for almost 4 hours, there was a huge variety of corals and fishes. Initially I was overawed by he size of the things in water, and I swan cautiously, but as the first hour passed, all the cautiousness turned into curiosity and I was swimming away with ease on the surface exploring the coral reefs and the marine life. But there is a caveat here, this should only be done by people who can swim. If you cant swim, its better to walk and put your head in the water as soon as you encounter a coral reef. This walk too would become difficult in time of the high tide. So its better if this thing is attempted only in supervision of someone. The problem here is that there are instructors, but the number of people are too huge to control. They start moving in all directions. I have been swimming for many years(in the pool of course), but I was overawed by the sight of ocean grass and corals spanning over large tracts of the ocean floor.. initially all that looked scary and I stopped every now and then and stood on my feet… imagine what would an elderly person do at this sight.. coupled with the fear of the marine life… although everything there is harmless. One very sad accident happened at this place, when we finished our snorkeling after exploring different areas in the lagoon, one of the instructors spotted a floating life jacket drifting down. It was an elderly lady in our group who had strayed too far away from everyone’s sight. She was rushed to the hospital and was put on ventilator, but couldn’t survive it. Her lungs were full of saline water. Nobody knows what exactly happened, but the most probable reason is that while watching something, she must have bent too far and water must have entered from the top section of the snorkeling pipe. Then there could have been a panic attack which prevented her from raising an alarm. Really sad. That is why I would stress again, that all these sports are very interesting, but they come with their own bit of risk especially for the old people. I myself have seen the lagoon, nowhere was the water over 3 feet. But when there is panic, the depth doesn’t matter. The life jacket also did not help. If you know to swim, then you are at ease. If you don’t know how to swim, then make sure you walk on the white sand and only put your head in water when needed. Make sure you are around the instructor at all times, so that he can spot you in times of distress. Everyone was oblivious to this accident till evening, we then went to the beach on the tip of the island. It was totally untouched and beautiful. One of the few interesting places in Kalpeni. The ship then sailed to the last destination, Kavaratti, for the last day of the trip. Day 4 : Kavaratti, capital of Lakshadweep islands. This was by far the best managed part of the trip, everything from the welcome drinks to the boat rides to the lunch and further program was very well managed. The beach was again amazing with white sand. We clicked a lot of pics here again. They take you for a glass bottom boat ride also into the sea for a coral reef tour. The water is absolutely crystal clear. You can clearly see the aquatic life and the corals from the bottom of your boat. I shot a few videos of it. The trip lasts for about 45 mins. Once back, we lazed on the beach again. Then I went kayaking, this was really cool. The sea breeze was on the opposite side to my kayak, I thought I would fall into the sea But with practice I managed to stay afloat! I spotted 3 turtles swimming from my kayak too… had a small race with them, but they outpaced me After an hour of kayaking, I came out tired, then the lunch was served. The lunch was good here. There are paid options for snorkeling here. I did not go snorkeling here because I had done it in Kalpeni, but the corals and marine life seemed better here, so if you wanna do it, take a shot. They charge reasonably. 200 bucks. Then there are other options like para sailing, water skiing and scuba diving. You name it, you have it at Kavaratti. But if you ask me, Minicoy was the most beautiful island. There was bon homie all around. The last day, people were all friends by now. On some stupid reason, one member from the state Y picked up a fight with one member from state X. Immediately, people played the song “Tum rootho nay un hasina” from an old hindi movie…. Some people danced and the mood was light again The ship then sailed back to Kochi on the fifth day. Lakshadweep is one paradise of a place. Totally untapped, untouched. Very serene. The water always so clear at all islands… This is nature’s beauty at its cleanest best. By the end of the trip you would be left gasping and asking for more. If you are going with your wife or girlfriend and you are below 35 years of age and want to be alone or want to be yourself, I would strongly suggest you not to book the Samudram package because of the company you would find. Although if you can ignore the people around you and have fun, just like we did, then there is no place like Lakshadweep islands. There are other packages like swaying palms etc which offer you accommodation on the islands. That would save you from group travel. Either ways, the thing that cannot be ignored is Lakshadweep. The most amazing beaches and as good as the best in the world … coupled with a totally non commercialized setting where you would find only nature and the islanders who love the nature. Miss it at your own peril. You would have missed a paradise on the Indian map. PS : The SPORTS staff in the ship and the islands is one of the most amazing staff I have seen with total regard for efficiency in service. They are always courteous inspite of the annoying tourists. They will never ask you or even hint for tips. Very well mannered too. Bharatpur, inspite of reviews of birds not being spotted this year and the water problems did not disappoint me. I am not a bird connoisseur, but still I could see many birds. We started the trip at about 12 pm. I had hired a guide to take me around the park. The bicycles were out of stock by the time we reached. So the only option was to take a cycle rickshaw. My wife and sis-in-law on one rickshaw and me and our driver on the other, we were all set to begin the journey. The only loophole is that the rickshaws tread on the main roads in the park. So a good part would have to be covered on foot if you really wanna capture the birds on cam. The guide was knowledgeable and helped us spot birds. It also made sense for me to keep noting the names of the birds which I spotted because there were many I did not know of. So, do keep a piece of paper and a pen handy when doing such trips. We spotted a total of 23 different species of birds, most of which I managed to capture on camera. Few pics and names are available at the end of the page. We had already spent about 4 hours on the park bird spotting. Then when we returned from one stretch of the park, I asked the guide how much of the park was left because we needed to get back to Agra before darkness sets in. There are a lot of accidents on the highways because of fog these days. The guide said that we had 2 options, one was where there were bigger birds like cranes and many other birds near the watering holes in the park. The other option was the Python point. The difference between these 2 points was that, bird sighting was guaranteed, but Python sighting was quite rare. I asked him a few more details like what’s the probability of sighting pythons especially with the sun beating down .. because it is winter season and the pythons too would love to sun bathe. He agreed with my logic, but still said, that there is no hard and fast rule.. and moreover to sight pythons you will have to walk about 4 kms one way. I looked at wifey and sil(sister-in-law) .. they looked tired and wary, but they were aware of my instincts and that my day would be made if I captured a wild python moving on my cam. Very sweetly, they said yes, I felt bad bad because that would mean that both of them would have to walk 8 kms up and down at the risk of not seeing a python. But then, the same feeling was there even when I was at Corbett, wild life spotting is all about taking chances All of us started off, it took roughly about 30-35 minutes to start reaching the first burrows where Indian Rock Pythons hide. Porcupines make these burrows, but during monsoons, when the rain comes down hard, the pythons have nowhere to go, so they occupy these burrows. One, two, three, four, we kept on spotting burrows, but no pythons… I knew, the chances were bleak.. but I was only feeling bad for my wife and sil. Then we spotted a skull of a cow, our driver excitedly asked if it meant there was a python around? The guide brushed aside his question and we kept looking. Then the guide said, there is another place, but that’s about half a km inside and there is thick dry grass all over. I agreed to go, but I asked my wife and sil to stay put on the main path, because the terrain looked scary. Me, guide and the driver set on the path full of tall dry brown grass. I asked the guide how he would he able to sight it? Because it would easily camouflage itself. The guide said that they are lazy creatures and would be near the burrows only.. so you would need to spot the holes.. not the pythons, that’s the trick. We kept on walking and after 6-7 mins, saw a burrow, empty again .. I kept standing there, reluctant to move further, the guide was moving and as I turned, I saw him quietly signaling to me to come over. Amazed, I asked, if it was a python or a bird that he wanted to show… his expression was very cautious.. immediately without asking another question, I moved silently to him. I saw four fully grown pythons basking in the sun. Totally awe struck, ,my driver ran back to the main path to call my wife and sil. Meanwhile, the first python made a movement and started slithering to the burrow and in no time disappeared. Now, the second also started moving, I knew that this would enter the hole too.. so I ran to the burrow as quickly as I could with my camera.. and waiting for the second python to come to the spot. As soon as it came, I clicked a few pics of it along with the third one. Now, I wanted a video, there still was a fourth python which was unperturbed by all this activity. By this time, my wife and sil also came to the spot. I moved swiftly again back to the burrow. I was ready. In seconds, the fourth python came, tongue wagging, probably seeing the camera too I was too close for comfort, hardly couple of feet away, but the joy of capturing the video kept my feet glued. Finally it started slithering down the hole and the trip to the python point was a success. On the way back, all of us were happy and satisfied that the last leg of 8 kms had paid off. We left the park by 630 pm and reached Agra on time. For all people who wanna visit this park, you definitely should consider visiting it. It’s not all that well managed, but its not bad either. Birds would leave you smiling at the end of the day … and if you manage to spot an Indian Rock Python, then that’s a welcome bonus. Also, the rates have been fixed and are to be paid as per the charts. Please do not pay tips to either the guides or the rickshaw people. This is also clearly stated on the ticket windows there. Because if people start this trend, then it becomes an expectation from their side, they keep pestering tourists at the end of the trip. Personally, I feel, this leaves a bad taste at the end of an eventful trip. The standard rates are as below : Entry : Adults(Indian) : Rs 25/- Rickshaw : Rs. 70/- per hour Guide : Rs. 100/- per hour Bicycle : Rs 10/- per hour Video of the Indian Rock Python that I shot from a distance of 5 feet : A few of the birds and other things that I clicked : Indian rock python The common sparrow The sparrow again! Green pea art A few more peas Some flower, I don't know the name of Mynah Indian Roller or the Neelkanth Purple sunbird Common parakeet Dusky eagle owl Indian Hoopoe Indian Hoopoe Collared scops owl Monitor Lizard Spotted owl Blue throat Kingfisher Kingfisher silhouette Water hen Ibis Kingfisher silhouette 1 day, two movies.
10 AM : Huffing and puffing, reached the cinema.. got the 3D glasses on and quickly settled into the seats. That was the last time before intermission, that i looked at Tina and another dear friend. The concept was new and the movie was AVATAR. The name sounds pretty Indian, but that's where the similarity ends. After that the way we were taken into a dream of fantasy was so fulfilling that were left gasping for breath by intermission. The visuals, the world, the creatures were so stunning that maybe God could take a cue and create a new planet like this once ours comes to an end. The Na'vi tribe had a language of their own language to speak.. they had customs, love for the fellow creatures. It made me cringe to feel like a human being. We are, yes we are the most hypocritical race ever produced. We lie to ourselves when we say that we want to save the planet. We kill all other living things in our sight, so that we could reign. We are 'THE ALIENS', we pollute the world and if its anyone who doesn't deserve to live on this beautiful planet, it is us, it is you and it is me. Every single thing that we do, pollutes our planet. This feeling of mine, was vented by Cameron too, through AVATAR. And that's why I respect him. He showed a mirror to the world by making a film which shows the human race's real ugly face. We are the villains. Now the technical brilliance part : This is THE BEST cinematic experience unfolding in front of you in terms of stunning visual effects, dramatic 3D, hair raising fights and the oh-so-brilliant creatures. Nothing might be real, but the intent of the film is... So real, that it tells us what garbage we actually are and how we are proud of being this garbage. I liked a few lines from RGV's(Ram Gopal Varma, a weird and erstwhile intelligent indian film director who gives a few good ones in between) blog. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "When someone asked me if the special efx of AVATAR will inspire other filmmakers, I said that on the contrary they might have a reverse effect. What I mean is that we can only aspire to become someone when we can atleast have a belief that we can reach someone’s potential but James Cameron in AVATAR created a bench mark so high that it will take years for us lesser folk even to comprehend it let alone attempt to execute it. It’s like if you aspire to be a runner and somehow hope to run at a speed of 20km per hour which may be the world record and then when on the track you see a guy running at 200kmph you would rather give up and come back and make family dramas and TV serials and leave the running to James Cameron. Titanic was fantastic but it did not shake me up inspite of everyone else around me back then saying that James Cameron is God of cinema. But with his second coming “AVATAR” I have surely turned religious. I want to pray to him for making “AVATAR”. I hate him for making all us so-called filmmakers in the world feel like ants. " -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I came out after the movie, the hangover remained for a few hours. I am still ashamed of being a human. The human being is the most intelligent creature on this planet, but also the most selfish, calculative, manipulative, hideous, ugly, sinister and unfriendly creature on this planet. Avatar is par excellence. If you miss it, you miss knowing the real face of being human. I give it a 10 out of 5. **************************ROCKET SINGH************************************************************** Movie over, had nice lunch, chatted, bought a new carry case for my nice 'near -professional' new camera! Time to head for another movie now.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Avatar had taken the wind out the the sails of other movies and that's the reason why another brilliant movie "Rocket Singh" was 'easily-available' on a weekend. The movie starts with Ranbir Kapoor, who's a duffer at everything passing his BCom just marginally. He thinks of taking a sales job. He gets rebuked, beaten, bruised and screwed all in the first few days of his job. He does everything he can for his job and his boss, but he cannot be unjust to his job and this rubs his boss the wrong way. How Ranbir puts every piece together to make a company of his own to bring his boss's company to its knees is the main plot of the film. I wont give away more. Now talking about this boy, Ranbir, I somehow am impressed by him, he acts, dances well, looks good and is confident. All these are really difficult to find in today's actors, more so in star kids. He manages to pull off the whole show on his shoulders. The scenes where his boss finds him doing some odd job in an electronic store really touched my heart. My heart went out to him when he said to his manager "har aadmi ke paas do qualities hoti hain.. upar jaane & neeche aane ki, aapne mere liye sirf neeche aane ka raasta chhoda, what could i do? what did i come to you for? just one chance" Now at most times, all of us working in any industry have felt this against our bosses. Bosses are not friends, they just pretend to be friends. Kaam nikla, fir tu bhi nikla. That's what bosses are about. Aah.. let me not get started about the boss thing.. These days there is very high amount of negative polarization against him and if someone just nudges me, i will burst out and spew ash and lava like volcanoes :) So lets stop here.. Ranbir Kapoor was brilliant. A must watch for all people who feel that they can do something and hate their bosses for not letting them do it. I knew what was coming my way.. when i saw the tacky guy naming his tacky production house 'Illuminati'....
What?? does he operate that secret society or something?? or is he Robert Langdon?? Fine.. i have a negative bias against the one time national award winner... but then i thought deepika and rishi kapoor might neutralize the strong negative undercurrent. but no... 1st scene of the movie.. deepika and saifoo (sounds like a dog's name... saifoo - sheroo .. nahi?) main pile on nahi karna chahta... bullshit.. i know where this is going... bloody youngistan lingo. Deepika had a plastic expression.. her voice never conveys the feeling that her face wants to. She is a perfect depiction of a plastic doll gone famous! She would now have to learn acting after becoming a superstar! Similar things were said about Aishwarya 'Plastic' Rai... during her 'Taal' days.. but now she has brushed up her skills and also got herself the tag of first lady of Bollywood... so what's wrong with Deepika.. so i discount her! afterall she is a newbie. But Sheroo.. sorry .. Saifoo... man this guy amazes me.. i sometimes think i shouldn't be discriminatory about his Donald duck voice modulation.. but then his acting pisses me off so much that i end up targetting him :) His dances so badly that i can dance better than him. he looks old now... and when he does the youngistan lingo.. it pretty much looks like the neighbourhood friendly uncle trying to flirt with the girls on the streets. The sardar scenes were quite nice .. though sheroo looked unconvincing as a sardar.. but the intent was good and the romance looked fresh.. so liked that part. Apart from that.. pretty avoidable fare. |
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