Dil ‘Nahi’ Bole Hadippa!
My blog becomes alive again after two months!
So i went to see ‘Dil Bole Hadippa’ ( last day, second last show at Shakuntalam)…braving all warnings ( with a skull and two bones…yes literally that!!). but sorry guys i might disappoint u but the ‘joky’ factor is quite high in DBH…and i even liked all the intentional PJ’s ‘maaroed’ by Rani and Shahid!
SHahid hasn’t looked more HOT in any of his previous films and Rani hasn’t looked more fat and ugly! I love and hate Yash Raj films …and that is how it will always be!( and you will get to know the reason soon!) Yash Raj films has become the epitome of drama genre in Bollywood…and they do this exaggeration bit quite well! The ever famous Yash ‘twist’ n ‘turns’ are yet again to be seen in DBH…some are lame like Shahid’s mum suddenly appearing during the final match from nowhere at all…and other more sensible one’s like shahid getting a call from Anupam Kher (his dad) at the start of the film…from India and he deciding to stay back in India and coach a local cricket team. ( and i became nostalgic watching Wagah border too 
]
It has comedy…it has romance…it has high drama quotient and finally India-Pakistan cricket match at it’s backdrop. I loved the last ball of the match- ‘India to win : 4 runs on 1 ball’ scene…the tension rising…and the final result ( yes, it was enough dramatic to make me go back to my earlier days as a kid , when i would sit in the drawing room with my bhai and dadu …cross-legged on the sofa …watching a cricket match …religiously hours at a stretch!!). And how can i forget the long sombre…so called ‘emotionally- moving’ ‘Pro-women’ dialogue ‘maaroed’ by Rani at the podium after her victory over pak in the match. ( you can call it ‘Maa- Take 2′…arre ‘Maa’…’Deewar wala dailogue’!!!) ( another Yash Raj Films Trait!!!)
And Lastly- The Hadippa song! lol…the lyrics..have been trying to memorize it for a while now…!!…but rest of the songs are quite a trash…they need no mention…absolutely insignficant!! Viewers might take an hour or two-to get used to the overly colorfull costumes and the sets…but well if it’s Punjab and Yash Raj films that’s how it’s going to be- re-inforciement of steretypes!!!!!! Anyway enough of Yash Raj bashing…It’s Rating time guys!!!!- it’s worth one time watch for sure.(ConDitiNs AppLy* ).
My Rating- * * 3/4
*Condition- If oNlY you are watching it at Shakuntalam Theatre, Delhi and that too not on Rs 75 but Rs 50/- ticket!! :p
Filed under: Films | 3 Comments
Turf Wars
Don’t know how many times i have thought over this in these many years. Delhi, Bengal, Uttarakhand, Sunderbans it’s always the same story- and comes down to to one simple question in the end-who ‘will’ win it this time or who ’should’ win it tthis time?
Excerpt from ‘The Hungry Tide’ by Amitav Ghosh-
Kusum: “This island has to be saved for its trees, it has to be saved for its animals, it is a part of a reserve forest, it belongs to a project to save tigers, which is paid for by people from all around the world”. Everyday, sitting here, with hunger gnawing at our bellies, we would listen to these words, over and over again. Who are these people, i wondered, who love animals so much that they are willing to kill us for them? Do they know what is being done in their names? Where do they live, these people, do they have children, do they have mothers, fathers? As i thought of these things it seemed to me that this whole world has become a place of animals and our fault, our crime, was that we were just human beings, trying to live as human beings always have, from the water and the soil. No human being could think this a crime unless they have forgotten that this is how humans have always lived- by fishing, by clearing land and by planting the soil…
I often wonder… the peice of land that my house, school, college, office is occupying was also once a greenland…why are our needs and a certain kind of lifestyly better justified than others?
Amitav Ghosh in an interview with UN Chronicle :
“In the Sundarbans, drinking water is a huge problem. There was a German biologist who went there and decided the reason why the tigers were killing human beings was because they didn’t have fresh water. At enormous cost, fresh water wells were dug for the tigers and water was plentiful, while human beings there had no fresh water. They were looking on these wells being dug for the tigers while they themselves and their children were dying because they didn’t have access to fresh water. We can’t elude the issue. If you care for the environment, does that mean you don’t care about the plight of human beings, especially impoverished people?”
To read the complete interview you can visit: http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2005/issue4/0405p48.html
Filed under: Environment | 2 Comments
Love Aaj Kal…
The movie started and for next thirty minutes I couldn’t figure whether what Deepika was doing (I mean acting) which was really bad and amateurish, was done purposely or not. I thought it has to have a bigger purpose behind ‘she’ performing this bad…may be that’s what story is like, demands her to be; for first few scenes!. Well, I eventually managed to figure that it’s Deepika who quite sucks at the acting part and not the story. Somehow, Saif seemed to have got inspired by her in some of the scenes and performed as bad as her. Believe me they both in first few scenes do look as if they are enacting some school scene…they both just tried way to hard to fit into their roles I guess.
I loved the ‘break up- party’ concept, though to me it’s quite unrealistic (!) but anyway. I also found all the songs extremely appealing, particularly, ‘chor bazaari’…Deepika’s purple kurti and red churidaar…she was awesomely styled, and all this was well timed to save the film from further embarrassment of any kind. Apart from this I loved the scenes which were shot around various Delhi monuments and the ‘chemistry’ between Saif and Deepika worked quite well in the film.
I ofcourse hated Deepika’s acting but there was something more annoying than that as well…every thrity mintutes we would get to hear Saif saying this to deepika- “Har baar tu sahi baat keh deti hai…jaanu’!…yes that deserves to go in the ‘Most Trash Dialogue of the year category’! (Saif….you CANT be dramatic and overly filmy like Shahrukh Khan and carry it well…it’s just not you….don’t try make another attempt on that…plz!)
BUT, in spite of all the negative things I’ve said…it’s a ‘nice’ film. Worth one time watch and music surely rocks!. Just don’t go with high expectations and who knows you may actually quite like it!
My Rating- ***
Filed under: Films | 5 Comments
New York….Old York…Yuck Yuck!
Well this piece of review has come; a little too late…but I was also ‘a little too late’ in watching this film. I think I was some where reluctant to watch it. I didn’t want to be bothered by unhappy films given my happy mood these days. Anyway I finally went for it 11 in the night because we didn’t have a choice to see something else at Saket that nite.
So this was one film which I saw from its very beginning, I mean even the adverts…I still remember the Hero-Honda advert, the long 10 min one, 50 yr celebrations- with Hrithik Roshan and all super duper cricket stars in it. I can only feel sorry for a brand like Hero-Honda which I think somehow stupidly has been cheated by some cheap ad agency which created that advert! (and what exactly is priyanka doing in it, wearing some ill fitted white top and trousers and jumping like a mad woman!) One has to watch it to understand this level of frustration! Well here goes the link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDjbprBwO4Y … adore it, if you can! And if you do, then do leave a comment…so that I can appreciate your taste as well as your patience!
Coming back to the film I think somewhere I felt cheated in the beginning itself….it hardly had anything to do with romance and all the three guys being together and their strong friendship and what not I had imagined earlier! (all the blame goes to the main track…Junoon…which got me thinking all that!) May be next time I should read both the synopsis and the review of the films before going out watching one!
Yes I know it’s about post 9/11 etc. hmm…I think I didn’t like the film because I think the whole thing…the film…the story etc looks really amateurish to me, given the no. of films already been made on the same issue. But I would always want to give a pat on the back to these film makers who make a socially relevant film in the mainstream, Bollywood.
I didn’t like silly loop-holes in the film like Katrina suddenly confessing that she knew about john being a terrorist all this while. I didn’t like Irfaan khan’s subtle humor either. An FBI agent cracking a joke in a super serious scene can only happen in Newyork! (well if it was intended…which I think it was …to lighten the sombre mood of the scene or whatever…it still doesn’t make me like the film because this formulae didn’t work for me at all!) and to top it all it was nearly 3 hours long!
It may sound really kiddish but I actually loved the gyaan giving part by Irfaan khan in the last bit of the film. When he kept posing the ever-wonderful questions related to America, Asians, acceptance, non-acceptance, the new gen of America and all. (may be I should just stick to documentary watching…if that’s what I want or liked in the whole film!)
Anyway I think I would only suggest people to rent the film and watch it at home…not the multiplex watching types…any which way my suggestion isn’t of much use now!
My Rating- * * 3/4
Filed under: Films | 3 Comments
All about Abhay Deol!
If I have to talk about Dev D I will also have to then mention GX and Kishangarh in Rajasthan, because that is where and with whom I saw the film. The movie ended and I was like “wow…what did just happen!” My eyes didn’t dilate either way but were fixed like a glue on the screen through out. I will probably never get it, how these filmmakers come up with amazing concepts, scripts and even better films!
Abhay Deol is what I want to focus this post on. I think I discovered his talent or at least his ability to judge good scripts in his first movie itself (‘Socha na Tha’ with Ayesha Takia). It was the film or Mr. Deol, I am not sure but I instantly liked him. I think it was also the story…which deviated from the usual non-sensible, monotony of boy and girl falling for each other. It broke away from these simple patterns of love and actually risked to dwell in the complexities of relationships. Well, my love has never been simply about I liking a guy and he liking me back. There’s always been lot more to it than that. That is what ‘Socha Na Tha’ was about.
So, I have finally discovered the key to my liking for Abhay Deol!. It’s about he choosing certain roles, characters which are not linear (As my grey head prof would say in the lectures of ‘pride and prejudice’ in the first year) but that are multi-dimensional. What I mean is that he cries, shows love but also apathy at times, can only punch ones and gets nicely wounded when beaten up by goons, drives Santro or esteem unlike our other more fashionable heroes, doesn’t over do (or act…??) in the kissing scenes, his lady love is also usually simple and her dressing sense is also uncluttered mostly, unlike many others. He doesn’t act with super confidence levels like that of SRK; there is some unsurety in his speech each time. And that’s what I like about him!
Going beyond Abhay Deol and crediting him solely for his success would not be fair. So, I think I should give some good share to the amazing music of his films as well. He has been as lucky as Mr Hashmi. At some level I don’t dislike Emran Hashmi but I would prefer listening to his songs on radio than watching it on TV. Abhay Deol has similarly been blessed with great music composers each time in his films. Dev D music was nothing less than mad!…[’tauba tera jalwa, tauba tera pyar….emotional atyachar…jao jao jao dilbar…you whore’ (???!!!!)]. And WTF was ‘super chor’ all about…I wish I could get one made for me! Anyway I have danced to ‘pardesi’ don’t know how many times. No other song can beat it surely…it’s like the ultimate one, especially the video!
Now I am just waiting for the new ones to come out and i would run to catch his films first day first show…something I’ve never done before but would love to make one such exception this time with his film!
Filed under: Films | 2 Comments
Sitting at home, suffering from cold, dying of an ear ache and listening to Bryan Adams tape is how today was for me. I finally sat to make my portfolio for the media college, getting arty and all, but it does give me a lot of satisfaction to see how this so called mni-project is turning into a very creative thing. (I love to call it pretty!)
So, I thought of pepping up my portfolio task with some old music. (People might just kill me for calling Bryan Adams old!) I got the evergreen ‘on a day like today’ tape out and after cleaning my recorder ‘inside out’ started the music. But, to my surprise it was… ‘All right’, not out of the world kind of experience, (which I was hoping…). I think it’s more got to do with the mood than the music. I would still say that I love it but just not the perfect day to listen to BA.
In fact I also ‘tried’ listening to Outlandish, but all I could think about was the word ‘peelo’ and kept trying to decipher whether the first line on ‘peelo’ is actually in Hindi or not, because the word ‘gutter’ is also there.
Anyway, coming back to BA, I would like to share that I was introduced to his music somewhere in 8thh class by my bhai. Every time he would come down to Delhi from college, he would bring along one more tape of BA. I think the one I got most addicted to, was ‘the best of me’ tape. And after listening to it (god knows how many times!)I hooked on to a wish of seeing him play live at a concert one day! (I would probably want to go for BA concert also because he is the only artist whose songs I know by heart!)
Back then in school, most of my friends respected my choice of music but the college scene was right opposite of it. There was this guy who loved to tease me and make me feel extremely guilty of the fact that I loved BA. He would call it ‘soft rock’ like so many other idiots. I don’t mind calling it whatever one pleases but then I started listening to other cool stuff, like you know, Floyd, Morrison and all. Not that I didn’t like them, I think they are great but they don’t make me as happy as BA does. It’s got to do with the mood of the song…and BA has that!( on most occasions… though with some exceptions for sure!) (On 2nd thoughts even Morrison rocks and I know how much I’ve loved his songs- ‘L.A Woman’, ‘light my fire’ etc.)
The very first English song that I ever heard in my life and learnt it by heart was (not sure how to spell it…) ‘kita din for kot ni jo, I’ve been waiting…long time ago, where did you come from…where did you go…kot ni jo’. I am not very confident whether anybody got it but that’s the first one for me. And from there on I got familiarized to MJ and them BA and then many more as I got cable and Delhi got its many privatized radio stations!
Radio of then reminds me of, (I know many of you would have figured it already!) 102.6 FM…’Livewire’ and ‘Matchless’ for sure…but few others as well like ‘take off’ ‘time-out’ ‘just for you’ ‘heart of the matter’, the 1 o’ clock show in the night, lokesh (lovingly called loki by some of us 
, and I heard he got married, went to middle east for some reason, came back and now we can hear him on 104 FM) Jobin then on that 5’ o clock show, PKJ, Vandy and of course Raman Bahnot. I’ve been thinking lately that I should write to these shows….may be next time I listen to them I should try catching the emails id’s. (After all it’s all most been over a decade since I have been listening to 102.6 fm!)
Well something none would know is that I grew up listening to the old 102.6 jingle (which without any disagreements is better than the lame new one…well it’s not exactly new but I guess we can call it ‘relatively’, though it doesn’t deserve that tag either!) since the age of 5 when I would be getting ready for pre-school (Green Fields School to be precise…well I would refuse to even get on the matador then, like any other kid and cry my heart out. My dad would then tempt me by offering Cadbury nutties; I think it was called something else then. It used to come in a round or square purple and red tin box, something I would get from every auntie and uncle on Diwali) and my father would be busy shaving with the radio on and everyday religiously listening to “7 o’ clock sargam”.
Well its different now with so many radio stations around (definitely for good!). I still try to catch ‘take off’ when ever I can but ‘matchless’ doesn’t interest me that much anymore. I think 102.6 definitely needs a revamp, again for the good and well if some one out there in 102.6 is actually listening, can we please not have ‘AIR FM Rainbow’ jingle at all! (Who suggested the name ‘Rainbow’ anyway???!!!).
Filed under: Music | 3 Comments
The changing times
Last Sunday, Delhi witnessed the gay pride march, yet again. And a day before that I couldn’t stop flaunting my picture in the front page of HT, thanks to I being enough inspired to participate in last years Gay pride march unlike this time.
But I thought I had enough valid reasons to not to go this time….it was really hot that day but just few hours before the march started, Delhi witnessed its first monsoon showers!
But it was 4:45 already and I had made up mind…the march was about to start at 5 30PM. And to top it all I was broke to the shreds!
On second thoughts I should have gone. Talks on active citizenship has become an intrinsic part of my life in past three years but I fail to understand how I sometimes become too complacent and hook on to my own sweet cocoon.
Remembering all the above, I am glad to have woken up to my friends text today which sounded not just happy but very excited about the changing times in India today….it was the benchmark verdict on Article 377 and decriminalization of homosexuality. The text carried two smileys and an exclamation mark nearly after each word, not to forget J!
First thing I did was open NDTV and TOI on internet and frantically looked for re-assurance, hoping that it’s not just another misunderstanding of my friend. Well, I was happy to know that it wasn’t and that it was the talk of the town already! I planned to change my facebook status and in the next one hour saw numerous changes in FB profile like mine.
Some of the facebook status said-
“Gay Sex legalised in INDIA. Maulana Abdul Khaleeq Madrasi, pro-vice chancellor of Darul Uloom, India’s biggest Islamic seminary says ‘Scrapping such law is not justified. Islam does not allow such relationships. This is an attempt to impose Western culture on Indian society.’ Lets wait and watch how far this goes…” – followed by 17 comments within minutes!
“legally GAY!! hehe! Kudos to Delhi HC for scrapping 377! High time now!!!”
“yaaayyyy-ing at the demise of 377!!! *happy dance*”
“Bi the way 
“
And above all I was impressed to see my friend from Lahore supporting the cause happily by posting the link of TOI article on decriminalization of homosexuality in India.
Indeed these are changing and happy times!
Filed under: Sexuality | Leave a Comment
Welcome Note
Having kept my wonderful thoughts to myself all these years, I thought of bringing them out of the closet (a word extensively used today in reference to homosexuals ) putting them not just on the ‘dashboard’ but laying it bare in front of everyone. I hope to create a life story of mine, trying to document memories, hopes and aspirations and sometimes adding other not so important things as well but which would definitely be relevant to me.
I don’t guarantee any pleasure or fulfillment of any expectation….lol…now I have just lost the track…so, here I finally present my utterly delightful blog (I don’t believe it, 2003 version of Microsoft word doesn’t have the word ‘blog’ in its dictionary!) : “Lost and Found”.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Recent Entries
Categories
- Environment (1)
- Films (4)
- Music (1)
- Sexuality (1)
- Uncategorized (1)
