Great Sardar Jokes

Here are some great Cartoons on Sardars, the most loved people in this world, who always bring a smile to the face. No offence intended.

This is courtesy Kavita, one of my colleagues at work. Smile, laugh, enjoy!

Forgive Me Dad!

 

That’s what I asked for after a bitter fight with him. I don’t remember ever asking anyone in my family for forgiveness. But I don’t know what happened to me that fateful day last Tuesday (21st November), I just felt an urge to apologize.

After almost 4 years, I cried like a newborn baby. It was a very minor issue, but I ended up saying things I should not have said. Got excited unnecessarily, completely misinterpreted my parents’ views and arguments, and ended up incensing my dad. To top it all, this happened at the dinner table!

Actually this has been happening to me since 3-4 years. I live two lives, one at home, and one with friends at college and work. My life at home is full of frustration, anger, despair and negativity, while I am an escapist in my other life. The biggest irony is I am the best friend for most of my friends, while at home I am the worst child!

Last week, after that fight and the emotional outpour, I feel I have become one with myself. I haven’t shouted at my little sister, haven’t been sarcastic with my mom, and haven’t argued with my dad. I feel good about myself, and since a week, I have remained as cool as a cucumber! I talk to my dad more often now, joke with mom, and treat my sister the way a brother should.

I know this would be a big surprise for most of those who know me, and some will feel I shouldn’t make this public. But I feel I should ask God for forgiveness, and the best way is my blog!

Toodle!

Bhagam Bhag – Promo

This movie looks like the real comedy film of the year. Releasing on Christmas, the movie stars Akshay Kumar and Govinda together for the first time, along with the stalwarts of comedy Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani and Sharat Saxena, and 2-3 heroines whom I could not identify.

Directed by Priyadarshan, the king of modern comic classics, this one promises to bring tears to eyes due to excessive laughing!

Here is the promo: http://www.bhagambhagthefilm.com/theatrical.htm

Shahrukh Khan to host Kaun Banega Crorepati 3

After BIG B refused to return to KBC, STAR roped in SRK to do KBC 3. Here is the complete news, courtesy, The HINDU.

Shahrukh to replace Amitabh as host of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’

Mumbai, Nov. 26 (PTI): Amitabh Bachchan fans are in for a disappointment but admirers of Shahrukh Khan can rejoice as he will take over from the Big B as host of the hugely popular TV game show “Kaun Banega Crorepati”.

Shahrukh said he was “pleasantly surprised” when the STAR network offered him the show but admitted it would be “a huge act to follow” in the footsteps of Amitabh, who made “KBC” one of the country’s most watched TV programmes.

Samir Nair, CEO of Star Entertainment that airs the show, told PTI here, “Mr Bachchan expressed his disinclination to do the show and we respect his decision. We are indebted to him for what he brought to the show but now it is time to move on and who better to hand over the baton to than Shah Rukh Khan.

“We have been in talks with Shah Rukh Khan for over a month now and he expressed his willingness to do the show. Shooting will begin by December-end and we expect this season to be on air by January-end,” Nair said.

Shah Rukh Khan was quoted in a Star India release as saying, “I was pleasantly surprised when STAR offered me the show. I was a participant in season one of KBC…and little did I know one day I would be hosting it. “It is a huge act to follow, that of Mr Bachchan…but it also excites me that I am getting an opportunity to reach out (and) talk and interact with my audience through a medium where I began my career as an actor years ago.”

The hugely popular show, characterised by Bachchan’s baritone and personality, was in its second season when it had to be cut short due to the star’s sudden illness. Since then Star had been in talks with Bachchan for the next season of the show based on “Who Wants To Be A Millionnaire”, but those fell through.

Dhoom 2 – Movie Review

I will put it in plain and simple words, Dhoom 2 did not work for me on the whole! The sequel to the surprising Dhoom overdoes what it is supposed to do. It’s lavish, it’s breathtakingly beautiful, it’s the most hyped film this year, with a huge starcast! But, somewhere it lacks something…

It is the same cops and robbers story, but this time it is mounted on a global scale, from the beautiful deserts of Namibia to the hitherto unexplored Brazil, sandwiching Aamchi Mumbai in between too! Hrithik plays the greatest thief Mr. A, and Abhishek and Uday continue where they left. Add Aish and Bipasha to the mix, and voila, you get Dhoom 2!

The opening sequence is unbelievable, but Hrithik manages to make it believable! Namibia looks awesome! The second heist is great too, and Hrithik’s disguises are cool. Bipasha plays a double role, as the cop Shonali Bose, and the NRI in Brazil, Monali Bose. She looks a million bucks, but adds nothing to the plot. Aish plays Hrithik’s muse, and looks stunning and acts well. The couple looks great. Abhishek’s role is paled compared to Hrithik’s but that was expected. Uday Chopra is a scene stealer. Rimi Sen has a 5 minute role as the pregnant and jealous wife.

The main culprit is the plot. The screenplay is not worth calling a screenplay. It tries to balance romance with action and coolness, but fails! While the heists are cool, the romantic portions drag endlessly. There are loopholes galore, but I will ignore them here. There is absolutely no real surprise/twist anywhere in the plot, it is very predictable. Simply put, the movie is basically some sequences of heists and romance strung together in a convenient fashion. There are very minor and expected “twists”, for the lack of a better word.

What did work for me was Hrithik, Aish, Uday, and Abhishek (not completely). This is Hrithik’s movie from start to end. Abhishek looks supporting type, and in fact Uday has more meat in his role than Abhishek. Bipasha is wasted, and Aish should do more such kind of roles. Hrithik carries the movie on his shoulders. In fact, Hrithik overpowers the movie, and makes it watchable at least once. He is not the villain, I would call him an artist instead, a superhero, with a demented mind. He looks better than the two hotties Bips and Aish. Aish looks scorching and does justice to her role. Watch out her “trust” scene with Hrithik, she rocks there. Uday steals every scene he is in, and brings the much needed comic relief every now and then. This guy has a lot of potential, Priyadarshan where art thou? Bipasha is wasted, but looks good in the bikini.

I think the biggest problem here is that Abhishek’s character has been relegated to the background for most of the movie, and the guy has to maintain the same expressions throughout the movie. There should have been more shades and nuances to his character. The ending scene of the movie is the best for Abhishek. Abhishek, to his credit, does well with whatever he has been given.

There are great one liners, the dialogues are witty, cinematography is top notch, and background music is great too. But the music is the weakest link here. Songs come randomly, and none of the songs, barring Hrithik’s dances, work here. They slow down the movie excruciatingly, and make the viewer restless. Action is good, some of the best action seen in Indian cinema, but the SFX should have been better, specially considering the budget of the movie. But one feels the slow motion technique has been overused here. There should have been more action, but instead, some jarring romantic scenes are interspersed.

Instead of being cool and slick, the movie comes across as overcool and too smart to be good. There is really too much slick to digest, and many elements are overdone. Director Sanjay Gadhvi does a fine job, but his previous two efforts were better. This movie doesn’t come across as his movie, any other director with the starcast and budget would have made the same movie, and who knows, maybe even better! There is no real “direction” in this movie, and this is precisely what the movie lacks. It goes haywire trying to add every masala ingredient, out of which, only some work.

There are far too many Hollywood inspirations to count, so I would not go into all that. So for those of you who follow Hollywood closely, Hrithik is your sole reason for watching this movie. Even Aish pales in comparison.

To sum up my thoughts, I would recommend watching this once, just for Hrithik. Other than that, Namibia and Brazil are beautiful, and Uday makes you laugh. The rest of it is all been there, seen that. Expected much more from this, and I am disappointed!

Indian Cricket – Wake Up You Sleepy Zeroes!

Yeah, you heard me right, ZEROES, and I am referring in unequivocal terms to the GREAT Indian cricket TEAM (for lack of a better word), though it is anything but a team at the moment. (well, if a bunch of losers form a team sure we have the best TEAM in this world)

Indian cricket has arguably sunk to its lowest level in recent times. There have been debacles galore, and little to cheer for the fans! Personally, I don’t follow it anymore, except the final scores. And today’s score of 91 all out in 30 overs flat chasing 250 odd just reaffirms my FAITH in our team turning into a bunch of jokers. Well, the real blame must be put on our GREAT WISE HONORABLE selectors and the greatest of them all BCCI. BCCI, or Bunch of Chimpanzees Commercially Inclined, has forgot cricket in all its politics, and I am sure it is going to continue doing that. They don’t care a damn, as long as they keep getting richer, after all MR SP has to fund his political party too!

And how can we forget the BEST coach Mr. *****, who is not even worth a CHAPPAL! I fail to understand why do we have to choose foreign coaches despite having some of the greatest players in our country. Oh, its again the BCCI at its best. It has the sole right to choose the coach, and since a foreigner is out of the political games that Indian coaches might have to be part of, voila, they choose a foreign coach! Simple and effective political solution. But what’s worth pondering here is that is money inclination enough to coach a foreign team for an individual? I believe one needs to have patriotic motivations and nationalistic fervor apart from the technical finesse to become a coach. And how can a foreigner have that? He just cant have the passion that an Indian has! Someone who shows his middle finger to disappointed fans cant coach the national team for heaven’s sake!

The less said about the players the better! You cant really blame them, though I must say Dravid’s form is on a decline, and the team composition is just pathetic! Yuvraj is being sorely missed, and I might add, bravely, that Ganguly can be some kind of a solution to the current misery. Get out of your politics and look at the national picture folks! If all your “CHOSEN ONES” fall like nine pins, why not try someone who is expected to fall anyway? At least you would have tried your best! Who knows what the Bengal Passion might do to the lack of passion of the current team!

And don’t think one win can change my stance! These emotions have been there, burning deep inside, and all my ignorance could not prevent me from venting them finally. Please vent your emotions too friends!

The views expressed here are the writer’s personal opinion and they are not intended to be derogatory to anyone whosoever.

Box Office – 10 – 16 Nov

Three new movies released this week, Vivah, Deadline and Apna Sapna Money Money. Among the three, ASMM took the cake, while Vivah was an unexpected success. Obviously in terms of money, Vivah grossed less than ASMM, since it had about one-third of the prints ASMM had. The third release, Deadline, despite being a good film, and garnering good reviews, got sandwiched between Vivah and ASMM. While Vivah looks set to gross more in its second week and than the first week, ASMM will expectedly drop.

Dhoom 2 is releasing on 24th, and is sure to fetch the best opening numbers of the year!

1 Apna Sapna Money Money – 8.5 Crores
2 Vivah – 5 Crores
3 Don – 47.5 Crores (3 crores this week)(4th week)
4 Umrao Jaan – 7.2 crores (1 Crores this week, this ones a disaster) (2nd week)
5 Jaan-E-Mann – 26.15 crores (1 crores this week, got clobbered by DON)
6 Lage Raho Munnabhai – Awesome, manages 3.5 million in 11th week!
7 Deadline – 2.2 million

Vivah Music

After watching Vivah, I have really started liking its music. Well, not completely, but there are three songs which have really grown on me. In my opinion, these three songs are one of the purest I have heard this year in terms of originality of music, melody, and the innocence of the lyrics. And the best part, it is heavily Indian, with no western arrangements, rather traditionsl Indian instruments, like Tabla, Santoor, Shahnai.

The first one to strike me is Mujhe Haq Hai. A song about two lovers, destined to be together forever, meeting on the terrace at night, hiding from their families. Trying to steal some precious moments from time, before the guy departs the next day. There are myriad desires going through their young and excited hearts, and at the same time they have to control themselves! The song deftly portrays the entire gamut of emotions going through two hearts, which are madly in love, yet shy, and at the same time excited and afraid! The setting of rooftop is just perfect, with flowers all round, and the romantic moonlight to accompany them. Its a dream setting for everyone who has experienced love. Just listen to it a couple of times, or more, and you will fall in love with love itself!

Sung beautifully and sensuously by Udit Narayan & Shreya Ghosal

Here is it:

 

The second one is Do Anjane Ajnabi. This is a song about two people seeing each other for the first time, trying to steal that furtive glance, while being surrounded by everyone. The song plays in the background, and the future lovers try their best to observe each other, while pretending oblivious to each other’s presence! It might appear silly and funny to some, but to most people mushy at heart, its a treat to watch, and that includes myself! The song ambles on gleefully, and after 2-3 hearings it has marched into your heart. The beauty of the song is that even though it plays in the background, it grabs your attention, and the first thing I did after watching the movie was listen to this song!

Sung extremely well by Udit Narayan & Shreya Ghosal

Here is it:

 

The final one is Milan Abhi Adha Adhoora Hai, which captures the theme of the movie. It actually is the theme song! It conveys the essence and purpose of the movie in the most beautiful manner. The basic premise of the movie is the journey is from engagement to marriage, and the song is about togetherness of two souls. It says that the Milan (coming together) is not yet complete (Adhoora), it is just partially over (Adha). The journey is half done, the destination is yet to be reached. This song is racy compared to the previous two, yet is subtle and melodic. No heavy beats, no excess bass and groove, just pure Indian melody!  Imagine these words: somethings have been said, some are still unsaid. drops have fallen, rain is yet to pour. Simple yet amazing!

Sung once again by the same duo as above.They simply rock in this album!!

Here is it:

Three cheers for the music director Ravindra Jain, and director Suraj Barjatya!

 

PS: I have just heard the music of Kabul Express, and it is fabulous!!

Tere Bina – Guru Song

Well, I just couldnt stop myself from posting this awesome piece. If you like it, go and buy the CD. Use this as a sample to judge the album.

Guru – Music Review

Mani Ratnam is back after Yuva, along with A.R. Rehman and Abhishek Bachchan. And this time, we have Aishwarya, Madhavan, and Mithun added in the mix too. A most awaited movie, the music was also most awaited. Does it match up to ARR/Mani Ratnam standards? Read this short peice to find out.

The album opens with Barso Re, another song about rain by ARR, sung very well by Shreya Ghosal. There is a singature “nanna re nanna re”, which is addictive, but sounds like you heard it somewhere. It is vintage ARR song, in the league of his other rain songs, like the one from Lagaan. It grown on you with time. Nice opening to the album.

Tere Bina, sung by ARR is in one word, fabulous. It is a classic, probably beating his tunes in RDB. This is ARR at his best, both at vocals and melody, and great lyrics by Gulzar Saab. Again there is a signature tune, “dam dara dam dara mast mast”, which you keep humming for long. The female voice supporting ARR is sweeter than sugar!

I remember its a mini review, but I had to explain the two best songs in the album!

I am onto the third song, Ek lo Ek muft, sung extremely aptly by Bappi Lahiri. Its a “lafanga, drunk” song, which brings a smile to your face, and makes you “jhoomofy” like a drunk. Typical earthy song, with “desi” beats. Sample the words “Babu Bhai Pranam, Raju Bhai Salaam, Kanta Ben Ramram”. Great variety here in the album.

Mayya, the next song, is unlike any other song you have heard in Guru so far, it is in the league of the dark item songs. I noticed an interlude from Asoka here, which also ends the song! Looks like Mallika Sherawat will be making this song memorable. The song is likeable, but not in the league of the previous three. It is more in the league of Khalbali.

And what a great song to follow the average Mayya. Aye Hairathe, sung by Hariharan and Alka Yagnik, is another masterpiece in every sense of the word. The song begins with the Tere Bina tunes, and is interspersed with the siganture line from that song “dum dara dum dara”. Great earthy classical melody, and the 2nd best song in the album.

Baazi Laga, is a situational song to celebrate money and hard work. This one has the same tempo and feel as Chori Pe Chori from Sathiya, and is enjoyable. It will surely be best viewed in the movie. A fast paced song, well sung and arranged.

Which brings us to the last song in the album, Jaage Hain. It is a minimum arrangements song, more of a theme music, sombre, soothing and melodious. ARR comes in the middle of the song, beginnning at a low pitch and dark voice, and then elevates the proceedings. Must mention the lyrics here, just amazing. The most fitting way to end a great album.

So, to sum up, except Mayya, all the songs are praiseworthy, and different from each other. I would be tempted to say this is better than Rang De Basanti. All the songs complement the main theme and setting of the movie, and you can actually imagine where the song would be palced in the movie.

Buy this CD folks, its one helluva score. And to entice you even further, it inlcludes 5 great Rahman hits from his previous films.