Pyar ke Side Effects

This is what you get when you set out on a Sunday to watch 'Lage Raho..' without giving it a thought that halls in Gurgaon are jampacked on weekends.You go for any movie whose tickets you can lay your hands on even if it has Mallika Sherawat in it.You go with no expectations at all & in comes your surprise--A feel good & cute Romantic Comedy that will leave you feeling just as fresh..

Now,this review might be biased owing to my personal excessive admiration for the lead actor(Read 'I love Rahul Bose' :D )So,you can skip it if you want..:D

Best thing about PKSE is that it doesn't focus endlessly on the mush factor of love viz. ultra torturous Humko deewana,Fanaa,Kya yehi pyaar hai..n Oh my Gawd!!KANk :/That means,it doesn't have dialogues like "I love you Rahul.Abse main tumhara roz subah usi bus stop pe intezaar karungi,jahan tum mera kiya karte the.." or "Apni aankhe band karlo..ab mera haath thaam lo..Socho ki hum yahaan se bahot door nikal aaye hain..daro mat jia..batao tumhe kya dikhai de raha hai" & KANK's gem "Tumhari train aati hai 10:55 pe..meri aati hai 10:45 pe..fir bhi main kyun roz apni train miss kar deta hoon taaki kuchh lamhe tumhare saath bita sakoon?" :o :oHere,dialogues aren't half as ostentatious (thank heavens) but very witty & humorous.

No unsituational songs & running around the trees in transy saaris & even when it means Delhi/Mum ki galiyaan instead of Switzerland's vaadiyaan,I'm fine with it!Coz cinematography is anyway just as good..

This movie is unconventional & here's where lies its strength.It takes you behind the scenes of an affair without being bitter.And even when Rahul is talking about Pyar ke side effects,engagement ke side effects,shaadi ke side effects & break up ke side effects,you can't trace a hint of cynicism.You know all of them are true & yet you laugh.

The film's characters haven't landed from fairyland.They aren't perfect.Guy isn't taller than the girl here,he doesn't earn more than the girl here,he doesn't win every competition,he isn't a perfect dancer,he isn't afraid of talking about his problems with a girl n he's not ashamed of crying!These are real people.Here,boy & girl don't transform themselves or each other.It's more like men will be men,& girls will remain girls.Be it Cricket,Commitment phobia,aversion to shopping,nasty friends,domi father & blah blah!

Rahul's awesome as always,no one can carry off those one liners like he does..but Mallika's good too.She looks so beautiful & quite amazingly so gracefully feminine.Hers was the best act in 'Darna Zaroori hai' which I thought was by luck but here,she does deliver but Rahul steals the show..:D

Sophie on the other hand is awful as always.Vulgarity impersonified! & She must get a jaw surgery done ASAP!!!Ranveer shorie..:D is at his disgusting best but he's so incredibly funny.You might say "EEEEEEE" at his actions,while he sends you into splits..

Songs are lovely,be it Is this love,feeling blue,pyar karke,dil tod ke or Baby Doll..I loved 'em all (kindly note the rhyme..:D)

& I didn't mind the OTT & senseless climax even.Afterall,in which movie will you ever see heroine fleeing from her wedding in an Auto while her groom's chasing her on a ghodi..;)
That's anyday better than the climax where bride's car rolls off upside down after the wedding(with her unharmed)& hero tries to take her out ignoring her pleas of "mujhe mar jaane do"(??) while the groom stares at the scene thinking.."ye dono ek doosre se kitna pyar karte hain.." D'oh!

KANE & ABEL by Jeffrey Archer

Kane & Abel is a remarkable tale of two extraordinary men,one born as an orphan struggling to take his first breath on the unfriendly soil of a forest while the other brought into world safely in hands of a highly ambitious father to inherit his millions and..his sharp business acumen.

Born on the same day but in different parts of the world,leading lives so completely disparate that only fate could bring them both together or..Jeffrey Archer's typewriter(or maybe MS word :) )

While one conformed effortlessly into his father's shoes to extend the legacy he was left with delivering every bit of what was expected of him while the other was gathering pieces of his shattered dreams,bearing the loss of everyone he loved & bending the leering jaws of death to build his grand empire..

Their lives intertwined by destiny(& Mr. Archer's genius) to save,to hate & finally,to destroy each other in the backdrop of an all consuming World War II & Great Depression of America,giving us a story that'll be remembered for years to come..

Very well written & engaging,the best thing about the book is undoubtedly its story & then its language.The language isn't very articulate but nevertheless exudes intelligence.Unlike John Grisham,Archer doesn't engage you with unnecessary & tedious(read useless) details,often leaving things for the readers to comprehend making it even more interesting!

Here's one excerpt:

"He turned to go home & saw an old man standing a few yards away in a black coat,with a hat pulled way down on his head,& a scarf around his neck.Not a night for old men,thought William,as he walked towards him.And then he saw the silver band on his wrist,just below his sleeve.In a flash,it all came back to him,fitting into place for the 1st time.First the Plaza,then Boston,then Germany & now fifth Avenue.The man turned & started to walk towards him.He must have been standing there for a long time because his face was red from the wind.He stared at William out of those unmistakable blue eyes.They were now only a few yards apart.As they passed,William raised his hat to the old man.He returned the compliment,and they continued on their separate ways without a word."

One thing I didn't like about the book is Archer has been very partial to the character of Abel :/& kane's end wasn't justified at all! :(
I wonder if it's sequel 'The prodigal Daughter' too will concentrate more on Abel's daughter,sidelining Kane's son. :/

Someone once told me he had read all of Archer's by the time he was 20.Well..this might be my first but I'll surely read them all,while I'm 20.. ;)