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!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Thursday, October 05, 2006
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.. ;)
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.. ;)
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Fanaa
Ahhhh...fanaa...
When I had come out of the theatre with a long face...I had thought I couldn't enjoy the movie because of the nasty backache I had which lasted throughout the movie n cured miraculously as soon as I sat in the car..(guess they got something in the seats.. ;P)
As for the movie..I second with everybody that it was an Okay movie..i found it to be very impractical..but then most of them are..
Kajol luks fabulous in the muvi..The glow on her face can't go unnoticed..n her smile just lights up the screen..
Amir..just when u think..awwww,he luks soooo old..he luks so strange..His new look in the second half makes u say..oh he lukd so better in long hair..
Then there is this kid..n he's the most beautiful part of the movie..I was so much in a hurry to leave the hall that i cudnt stay to look for the name..but this kid is very cute..n the dialogues that were given to him were very cute too..It was a treat to watch him..
Performances were gud..storyline..naah..n sum things in the muvi just get to you..especially in the first half..all that sick sms shayri..n that ws too much of it actually..I mean,if at all it was required..cudnt they put their lyricist to sum work n write new ones 4 them...??instead of directly stealing it all..except one or two..all were lame..n their romance..in the start..that makes u feel so uneasy..soooooo..u know.. :D
n second half was disappointing too..or mayb it was just my backache..i jst dont know.. :D
Songs..Subhan-allah is as everyone knows a lovely song..but i really loved the video of "mere haath mei.." a lovely song n a beautiful video to go with it..that rain song was okay too..apart frm tht rest two r just ordinary..If sumbdy's havin MCs..i think fanaa's remix is also very gud..n tht instrumental theme..
N then there wre lot of random characters..added just to put weight in th muvi..in random 30 seconds roles..some lasted till 1 minute of the screen time too..n they hv hiked ticket rates fr fanaa..i wnder why..As if 150 wasnt enough.. But still..the movie is okay for a one time watch...not good..but not too bad either..But kajol fans shudnt be disappointed at all..both luks wise n actingwise..she dusnt disappoint..
When I had come out of the theatre with a long face...I had thought I couldn't enjoy the movie because of the nasty backache I had which lasted throughout the movie n cured miraculously as soon as I sat in the car..(guess they got something in the seats.. ;P)
As for the movie..I second with everybody that it was an Okay movie..i found it to be very impractical..but then most of them are..
Kajol luks fabulous in the muvi..The glow on her face can't go unnoticed..n her smile just lights up the screen..
Amir..just when u think..awwww,he luks soooo old..he luks so strange..His new look in the second half makes u say..oh he lukd so better in long hair..
Then there is this kid..n he's the most beautiful part of the movie..I was so much in a hurry to leave the hall that i cudnt stay to look for the name..but this kid is very cute..n the dialogues that were given to him were very cute too..It was a treat to watch him..
Performances were gud..storyline..naah..n sum things in the muvi just get to you..especially in the first half..all that sick sms shayri..n that ws too much of it actually..I mean,if at all it was required..cudnt they put their lyricist to sum work n write new ones 4 them...??instead of directly stealing it all..except one or two..all were lame..n their romance..in the start..that makes u feel so uneasy..soooooo..u know.. :D
n second half was disappointing too..or mayb it was just my backache..i jst dont know.. :D
Songs..Subhan-allah is as everyone knows a lovely song..but i really loved the video of "mere haath mei.." a lovely song n a beautiful video to go with it..that rain song was okay too..apart frm tht rest two r just ordinary..If sumbdy's havin MCs..i think fanaa's remix is also very gud..n tht instrumental theme..
N then there wre lot of random characters..added just to put weight in th muvi..in random 30 seconds roles..some lasted till 1 minute of the screen time too..n they hv hiked ticket rates fr fanaa..i wnder why..As if 150 wasnt enough.. But still..the movie is okay for a one time watch...not good..but not too bad either..But kajol fans shudnt be disappointed at all..both luks wise n actingwise..she dusnt disappoint..
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
"I knew from the first few pages of Gladwell's Blink exactly what I thought: I'm gonna be up all night reading this..A smart,breezy celebration of intuition..kept me hooked to the final page."
This is one of the statements made in 5 page acclaim for Malcolm Gladwell's Blink..So,can this book keep you up all night? No,it can't..But as far as hooking you to the last page is concerned..It sure scores high!
Gladwell entered the best seller arena with The Tipping Point & it seems he's all set to stay there with blink..for long!Blink talks extensively about how brain works in the Blink moments,your first impressions,instincts,snap judgements et al. and how they can be startingly correct & just as startingly--Wrong!
As the author himself says the first task of Blink is to convince you of a simple fact: Decisions made very quickly at the spur of the moment can be as good as decisions made cautiously & with deliberate research.It in a way tries to probe into the age old issue of how powerful is your unconscious.But instead of rattling endlessly just about how influential one's unconscious is (which most of the psychology books tend to do..), this book also talks about its fallacies.How at times,your instincts deceive you into making wrong decisions,how your powers of rapid cognition tend to go awry for a very specific & consistent set of reasons & how your snap judgements can be educate,controlled -- Influenced!
Best thing about Blink is that it doesn't deal with hardcore & sadly, boring scientific terminologies..Not for once does it talk about Oh-My-God-How-Do-I-Pronounce-It type chemicals & hormones.Rather,it uses a series of interesting anecdotes & compelling stories from completely different walks of life to make his point.
One thing you can't deny is that this one is a very exhaustively researched book.Also,most of the events described in this book happened in the recent times,so it was easy to relate to them.Though,Gladwell has been a journalist,still all the incidences described give impressions more of a storyteller than a journalist.His dissection of the events make a very interesting reading.
But what beats everything else is his ability to find similarities between completely disparate fields of study & not only that,he startles you with the revelations that are completely going to bowl you over,for most of the times they give some really powerful insights into marketing,advertising,business strategies,political tactics,relationships,defence & what not!
And come to think of it,some of them are very ordinary pieces of information which we would generally skim over & he turns them into delightful & gripping case studies!
Like we have one Pepsi's challenge where Coke lost onto Pepsi due to blind sip tests, the phenomenal victory of a team led by a retired millitary commander against one equipped with high powered satellites & sensors & supercomputers.How adrenaline rush led autism & unconscious led bias led to one unfortunate & infamous death,how an estremely talented singer's career went into jeopardy inspite being acclaimed by experts due to fallacies of surveys,how a chair once written off as chair of death later went onto change the norms of ergonomics.How during speed dating people end up choosing partners exactly opposite to what they wanted.How a product's packaging dominates over its content.How salesmen decide bargains based on prejudicesregarding gender,race & looks and so many things that will leave you gaping for more.
The message is simple -- Every moment - every blink - is composed of a series of discrete moving parts & ever one of those parts offer an opportunity for intervention,for reform & for correction.
Only problem with the book..too much repetition..& tends to get really confusing at places..Certainly not something you can digest in one go..But,a good book..As one Library Journal says.."For once a best seller will be more than worthy.."
This is one of the statements made in 5 page acclaim for Malcolm Gladwell's Blink..So,can this book keep you up all night? No,it can't..But as far as hooking you to the last page is concerned..It sure scores high!
Gladwell entered the best seller arena with The Tipping Point & it seems he's all set to stay there with blink..for long!Blink talks extensively about how brain works in the Blink moments,your first impressions,instincts,snap judgements et al. and how they can be startingly correct & just as startingly--Wrong!
As the author himself says the first task of Blink is to convince you of a simple fact: Decisions made very quickly at the spur of the moment can be as good as decisions made cautiously & with deliberate research.It in a way tries to probe into the age old issue of how powerful is your unconscious.But instead of rattling endlessly just about how influential one's unconscious is (which most of the psychology books tend to do..), this book also talks about its fallacies.How at times,your instincts deceive you into making wrong decisions,how your powers of rapid cognition tend to go awry for a very specific & consistent set of reasons & how your snap judgements can be educate,controlled -- Influenced!
Best thing about Blink is that it doesn't deal with hardcore & sadly, boring scientific terminologies..Not for once does it talk about Oh-My-God-How-Do-I-Pronounce-It type chemicals & hormones.Rather,it uses a series of interesting anecdotes & compelling stories from completely different walks of life to make his point.
One thing you can't deny is that this one is a very exhaustively researched book.Also,most of the events described in this book happened in the recent times,so it was easy to relate to them.Though,Gladwell has been a journalist,still all the incidences described give impressions more of a storyteller than a journalist.His dissection of the events make a very interesting reading.
But what beats everything else is his ability to find similarities between completely disparate fields of study & not only that,he startles you with the revelations that are completely going to bowl you over,for most of the times they give some really powerful insights into marketing,advertising,business strategies,political tactics,relationships,defence & what not!
And come to think of it,some of them are very ordinary pieces of information which we would generally skim over & he turns them into delightful & gripping case studies!
Like we have one Pepsi's challenge where Coke lost onto Pepsi due to blind sip tests, the phenomenal victory of a team led by a retired millitary commander against one equipped with high powered satellites & sensors & supercomputers.How adrenaline rush led autism & unconscious led bias led to one unfortunate & infamous death,how an estremely talented singer's career went into jeopardy inspite being acclaimed by experts due to fallacies of surveys,how a chair once written off as chair of death later went onto change the norms of ergonomics.How during speed dating people end up choosing partners exactly opposite to what they wanted.How a product's packaging dominates over its content.How salesmen decide bargains based on prejudicesregarding gender,race & looks and so many things that will leave you gaping for more.
The message is simple -- Every moment - every blink - is composed of a series of discrete moving parts & ever one of those parts offer an opportunity for intervention,for reform & for correction.
Only problem with the book..too much repetition..& tends to get really confusing at places..Certainly not something you can digest in one go..But,a good book..As one Library Journal says.."For once a best seller will be more than worthy.."
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Doctors by Erich Segal
Erich segal's Doctors..Liked it a lot..n ws a better read than love story..
I mean i just dont know why I didnt like love story much in the first place..ther's a book by danielle steel "Fine things" I happened to read that before love story..mayb that's y..:
I kno that Fine things n others many in the league are inspired frm love story only..n original is original..but as i said..I cant help it!
As for Doctors..It ws very moving..wud hv been better if shortened a bit..The climax went too overboard n filmy..n lukd like n attempt to connect the characters of the book..the "platonic" frdship between the protagonists laura castellano n Barney livingston ws really remarkable..
But most of all i liked th character Bennet landsmann..but he ws put to n abrupt n fast end..while he ws the most promising characters of them all..I wish I cud hv more of him in the book..
I like the starting n ending lines of segal..they r quite well written..enuff to create interest..but the matter inside is not always too good..I mean,though its all very moving..emotional..but still very filmy..There r places where u expect miracles for ur favourite characters..n they dnt happen..n there r places where thz miracles happen out of the blue n sudden..
What i din like..How stories of sum of the characters were left just like that..I mean partiality towards laura n barney wsnt justified..But all in all....I luvd reading it..parts abt barney were cool...n bennet..n okay laura too at times..n the frdship they all shared...I even liked seth lazrus..n i wantd 2 read more about lance mortimer...
A gud book..
I mean i just dont know why I didnt like love story much in the first place..ther's a book by danielle steel "Fine things" I happened to read that before love story..mayb that's y..:
I kno that Fine things n others many in the league are inspired frm love story only..n original is original..but as i said..I cant help it!
As for Doctors..It ws very moving..wud hv been better if shortened a bit..The climax went too overboard n filmy..n lukd like n attempt to connect the characters of the book..the "platonic" frdship between the protagonists laura castellano n Barney livingston ws really remarkable..
But most of all i liked th character Bennet landsmann..but he ws put to n abrupt n fast end..while he ws the most promising characters of them all..I wish I cud hv more of him in the book..
I like the starting n ending lines of segal..they r quite well written..enuff to create interest..but the matter inside is not always too good..I mean,though its all very moving..emotional..but still very filmy..There r places where u expect miracles for ur favourite characters..n they dnt happen..n there r places where thz miracles happen out of the blue n sudden..
What i din like..How stories of sum of the characters were left just like that..I mean partiality towards laura n barney wsnt justified..But all in all....I luvd reading it..parts abt barney were cool...n bennet..n okay laura too at times..n the frdship they all shared...I even liked seth lazrus..n i wantd 2 read more about lance mortimer...
A gud book..
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
36 China Town
If your brain works too fast..If you don't have a sense of humour..Please stay away from this one..
Wht do you get when you try to mix comedy with a murder mystery with a romance between shahid-kareena,paresh-payal,johnny-tanaz?
Answer..a piece of crap..called 36 china town..
A loose plot..predictable..the directors forget at times what they want..suspense,drama,thrill..or romance,comedy..?coz this muvi has none of them..
First the story..
A casino heiress is murdered n 6 ppl are the prime suspects..n you automatically know..none of them is the killer..They get to the scene of the murder due to some or the other reason..n are scared to their wits when the investigating officer comes in..
Now starts..events..which at times will send you into splits..n at times..will make you feel like pulling your hair..
Abbas-Mustan???:o
Whts wrong????
Songs..AA aa ashiqui is one awesome song..n so is rock your body n one party song at the end..rest is soo soo n absolutely all of them unsituational.but choreography???oh my god..you see so much of red in them..you feel like puking..
Actors..Shahid is at his overacting best..he was far better in dil maange more..
Kareena..thank god..she doesn't have much of dialogues..she looks like a doll in the muvi..n that's what she has done..pinned up like a doll..no acting,nothing..just weird facial expressions..
Johnny lever..His time was finished right then when he came as the second lead in govinda's Joru ka gulam(one of the worst ever made),but i must confess..at times he was really funny..rest of the times..looked repetitive & stale..
Paresh raval..better than all the rest..but story was so awful..his role of a gambling prone hotelier..couldn't do anything to save the movie..but the funniest sequence of the movie comes from him..
Tanaz n Payal Rohtagi..The lesser said the better..
Upen patel..9820 420 420..oh my god!!!!n his pick up line..Is your dad a terrorist..??Can any joke be older than this???His long drive action is funny..Dances well..but acting???not his cup of tea..
Only good thing about the movie???????
Akshay khanna..had it not been for him n his million dollar smile..film would be a disaster..Every scene he is in..you can watch without sulking..
This guy rocks!:)
All in all..a disappointing film..
Wht do you get when you try to mix comedy with a murder mystery with a romance between shahid-kareena,paresh-payal,johnny-tanaz?
Answer..a piece of crap..called 36 china town..
A loose plot..predictable..the directors forget at times what they want..suspense,drama,thrill..or romance,comedy..?coz this muvi has none of them..
First the story..
A casino heiress is murdered n 6 ppl are the prime suspects..n you automatically know..none of them is the killer..They get to the scene of the murder due to some or the other reason..n are scared to their wits when the investigating officer comes in..
Now starts..events..which at times will send you into splits..n at times..will make you feel like pulling your hair..
Abbas-Mustan???:o
Whts wrong????
Songs..AA aa ashiqui is one awesome song..n so is rock your body n one party song at the end..rest is soo soo n absolutely all of them unsituational.but choreography???oh my god..you see so much of red in them..you feel like puking..
Actors..Shahid is at his overacting best..he was far better in dil maange more..
Kareena..thank god..she doesn't have much of dialogues..she looks like a doll in the muvi..n that's what she has done..pinned up like a doll..no acting,nothing..just weird facial expressions..
Johnny lever..His time was finished right then when he came as the second lead in govinda's Joru ka gulam(one of the worst ever made),but i must confess..at times he was really funny..rest of the times..looked repetitive & stale..
Paresh raval..better than all the rest..but story was so awful..his role of a gambling prone hotelier..couldn't do anything to save the movie..but the funniest sequence of the movie comes from him..
Tanaz n Payal Rohtagi..The lesser said the better..
Upen patel..9820 420 420..oh my god!!!!n his pick up line..Is your dad a terrorist..??Can any joke be older than this???His long drive action is funny..Dances well..but acting???not his cup of tea..
Only good thing about the movie???????
Akshay khanna..had it not been for him n his million dollar smile..film would be a disaster..Every scene he is in..you can watch without sulking..
This guy rocks!:)
All in all..a disappointing film..
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Life Or Something Like It..
On this stage called life
God gave me a wholesome part...
I took it up as a liability..
Never realising that it was a gift,
A chance for me,to grow as a soul..
I whined over the obstacles I faced..
Never realising that they were blessings,
Given to me to polish my abilities..
I yearned for the wordly pleasures..
Never realising that the biggest wealth is love,
Which was already given to me as a family..
I asked for strength,I asked for power..
Never realising that strength lies not in being a winner,
But living as a survivor..
I asked for opportunities to make it big..
Never realising I already had it in form of time,
Which I always let passby,dreaming about the future..
I asked for good luck..
Never realising it was all in my 10 fingers,
To change my lines of fate..
I despised griefs & ran after happiness..
Never realising that griefs were what made me humble,
And taught me the art of thankfulness..
I took failures as setbacks..
Never realising the failures made me level-headed,
And strived me to give my best..
I asked for this,I asked for that,
when it was all there right in front of me..
I longed for what I did not have,
When all I needed was what,I already HAD..!
---
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