I am unable to decide whether I Love the movie or not! Honestly, after a long time I have come across such a movie, where there is an abundance of absolute brilliance coupled with really sad cliches. I think overall, I will say that its a very different, engrossing, exhilarating, yet ultimately unsatisfying movie.

The film starts off brilliantly, and the camerawork is the best I have seen in a long long time! Delhi has been captured like never before; in fact, that itself makes this movie worth a watch. The first half is really exhilarating, very pacey, and its a sheer joy to watch Delhi in its myriad hues. The problem here is that Abhishek is hardly there in the first half. There are so many better etched characters around him that he’s completely overshadowed! Sonam looks ravishing, and is an absolute natural in front of the lens. The interval raises your expectations, and that proves to be the undoing of the movie actually!

It seems that Mehra did not know how to really weave some story around Delhi, and thats where the movie fails in the second half. The central plot is cliched, and I wish Mehra would have chosen something different here. Still, Rehman’s music and the realistic ambiance keeps you hooked. I wouldn’t give away the main plot which unfolds in the second half, all i would say is that Mehra should not have chosen this path. The climax is somewhat better compared to the second half, but still leaves a lot to be desired. I am sure there could have been a better culmination to the movie. that said, there are magical moments scattered here and there throughout!

The songs are a real treat, and utilized well. “Dil dafatan” song is one of the best picturized songs I have ever seen, and this movie can be watched just for that song. Take a bow for that Song Mehra!

Ramleela scenes get on the nerves after a while, and specially during the climax. Honestly, I could not decipher the intention of the final Ramleela scene during the climax!

My biggest complaint against the movie is the character of Abhishek, and the way he has been utilized. In fact, he is the weakest link here by far. He is really miscast as an American desi. Also, many of his dialogues are not audible and unclear. When you watch the movie, you don’t feel that you are watching an Abhishek movie. The movie’s real hero is Delhi city, and Abhishek is relegated to the backseat till the climax. There are the typical NRI scenes, but they are expected and cliched. Only the climax sees him in form. His outburst with Waheedaji, and the finale stands out for me.

Overall, I would give this one a 7.5/10. 4.5/5 for the first half, 2/5 for the second half, and +1 for the song Dil dafatan. Do watch it once!

Its been a while, actually, quite long since I blogged. No reason in particular, maybe I just lost interest, or got too busy in my normal life, or whatever…

However, I have finally decided that I must BLOG again, and continue blogging!

Here’s a poem, which i Posted earlier, but it wasnt read that time!

Friendship

i shared my life with my friend,
i shared every bump and bend,
i shared all JOYs and sorrows,
so that our friendship always grows,
but he calls me an opportunist.

i laughed with him when he was happy,
i cried with him when he was sad,
i walked step by step 2gether with him,
i never let the light of our friendship become dim,
but he calls me an opportunist..

i saw the sun rise from his eye,
we enjoyed 2gether the cloudy sky,
i sat on the lush green grass with him,
i lent him my shoulder when he was grim,
but he calls me an oportunist…

i called him every week after we were distanced,
always wating for that one call from him,
alas that call never came, not even on my bday,
i still wished him personally on all his bdays,
but he calls me an opportunist….

i consoled him when he lost his girl,
i supported him when he was left all alone,
i treated him like a part of my own,
made him feel hes still on the throne,
but he calls me an opportunist…..

you ask for help only from closest ones,
bcoz u know they love you tons,
but he shot me with thousand guns,
and called me an opportunist……

dear friend i know i dint call you for a long time,
but there were myriad reasons behind that crime,
being your friend, i dint want to share my crisis with you,
always wanted to share only laughs, even if they were few,
pls dont call me an oportunist!

remember the times we have shared,
understand my problems,
dont you know why i cant come there?
we havent met since 3 long years,
stil waiting with my eyes full of tears,
but i m an “opportunist”!!

life plays games with all of us,
i m but just a puppet, in a mess,
let me finally confess,
even though you call me an opportuist,
may u have all of god’s bless!

There are myriad expressions of love,

But it’s the first kiss that has the innocence of a dove.

Yet, kiss is the most passionate manifestation of those feelings,

It is so soft, so subtle, yet leaves you trembling..

The shivering of the face, the quivering of the lips,

The meeting of the eyes, the blushing of the cheek,

The closeness of two souls, the knees going weak..

And finally when you kiss,

You feel the ultimate bliss..

When those petals touch each other,

This world around us ceases to bother,

When the taste buds feel the delicacy of love,

They want to feel the ecstasy forever..

The bodies become one,

The souls touch one another,

The warmth spreads wide,

There’s a rush of blood inside..

The hands seem to lose direction,

They too want to be a part of the action,

That’s when they find the softest section,

Albeit somewhat coyly, they break the restriction..

The heaven seems to last forever,

Alas, it has to end sooner than later,

But the feeling still is now or never,

Of course, next time is always better!

Yet you feel complete for the moment,

You feel the passion flowing in your veins,

You feel the absolute divinity of love

The kiss ends, but the ecstasy remains..

Above it all, lies pure and chaste love,

You cannot plan it, you just flow with emotions,

It rebels against all the set notions,

Sets your body fluids into rapid motions..

Governed by the feeling of trust and devotion.

Indeed, the first kiss is a fond remembrance,

Its sweeter than the sweetest sugar,

Lovelier than love itself,

Closer than your soul,

Precious than your breath,

And Livelier than your heartbeat..

If you haven’t experienced the passion in kissing your shadow,

Don’t haste, let the feelings grow,

He/She is the one, if you surely know,

Then set your feelings free, let the first kiss flow..

I drowned in her lips,

Still cant some to grips,

The fact that I finally had my first kiss,

I want to live with her, I am sure of this,

Coz with her, my life wud be more beautiful than my first kiss!

- Show quoted text -

1. Rang De Basanti – From the rocking Pathshala to the euphoric Title track, to the haunting Tu Bin Bataye, to the raunchy Khalbali, this album weaves the magic of AR Rehman yet again. But the real gem is Lukka Chhupi, the melcancholic touching poetry about mother-son relationship. Lata Mangeshkar and Rehman at their best! The best score hands down!

2. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna – Most of you hate this movie, and hence the music too, but this is a complete score, with the soulful title track, to the discoish Wheres the Party Tonight, to BIG B’s rocking Rock n Roll Soniye. Again the hidden underrated gem is Tumhi Dekho Naa, a song which owns you more and more with every hearing. SEL at their best in this song, and Alka Yagnik deserves nominations (if not awards) for the amazing rendition fo this beautiful number.

3. Omkara – Nothing was expected from this album, and it is completely different from other Film Music. But nonetheless, it works big time! The raunchy Bipasha items numbers, Beedi and Namak are a rage, and pretty addictive. The haunting O Saaathi Re is a lyrical and musical jewel. But the title track takes the cake. Sukhwinder Singh sings with authority and passion, with the perfect rustic accent, and great command. The chanting of “Omkara, He Omkara” remains with you forever onece you have heard it.

4. Woh Lamhe – If you want soulful, painful, melodious, emotional, and a song for your first/Nth date, this is the album. It has the entire gamut of emotions one goes through when he loves someone. Happiness, sorrow, ecstacy, pain, dissapointment, solitude, theres everything here. The best of the lot has to be Jawad Ahmed’s Bin Tere Kya Hai Jeena, posted here . Pritam rehashes KYa Mujhe Pyar hai perfectly from soem Indonesian tune, James rocks with passion and love in Chale Chale (listen here ), Glen John explores solitude and sorrow perfectly in Tu Jo Nahin Hai.

5. Ankahee – One of the rare albums which flopped despite every song being a gem. I was hard pressed to put it right at the top, but then decided otherwise! Actually nowadays, its promotion only which decides on the saleability of the album! Anyways who cares for soulful, emotional songs. But I just loved this album. Each and every song had a feeling, a raw emotion, and it touched myriad chords in your heart. Try this different and refreshing Tumse Yoon Milenge here . Ek Pal Ke Liye by KK summed up the way to live in the best possible manner. But the best song, which I heard most this year was Aa Paas Aaa. Here I have posted it below. Hear it and decide!

6. Jaaneman – Anu Malik returned to his best with this one. Humko Maloom Hai in typical Rehman style even surpassed Rehmans style and Gulzar’s innocent lyrics made it an instant classic. Ajnabi Shaher showed Sonu Nigam’s amazing repertiore and brilliance, and Jane Ke Jane Naa was another good Qawwali after Main Hoon Naa’s Tumse Milke. But the best of the lot was Sau Dard Hain. Wont say much about it, makes me emotional all the time! Just hear it!

7. Gangster – Naa Jane Koi was a rage the moment it was aired. And why not, it marked the debut of James, who can croon only after drinking potfuls! But Gangster offered a lot more than that, though Pritam again plagiarised to perfection with Tu hi Meri Shab Hai. Heck, the song still rocks! Abhijeet showed his prowess in Lamha Lamha, and Guitara’s popular Ya Ghali was sung to perfection by Zubin as Ya Ali in the garb of Sufi Rock! Well I dont care for originality as long as it sounds lovely! A must have!

8.Aksar – Himesh Bhai makes a late entry, mainly because there was too much of him in too little time, and only this one stood out as an album! Jhalak Dikhlaja is the second best song of Himesh the singer till date after Aashiq Banaya Aapne. Perfect Sufi Rock! Soniye was a typical love duet in trademark HR style! Lagi Lagi Lagi, another Sufiyana song, was nice timepass, and Janabe Jaaniya was painful for the ears! But overall, a deserved place in my humble opinion.

9. Don – Ok so what if the remixes were not so good, the original tracks, including the title track, Aaj Ki Raat, Moriya, and the theme by Medeival Punditz made sure that this album found a place in the top 10. Talking of the remixes, Yeh Mera Dil was pretty good, and SRK’’s rendition in Khaike was a nice change. But it was Shaan’s Main Hoon Don which was addictive. The theme by Medieval Punditz is one of the best techno lounge tracks to have come in recent times!

10. Lage Raho Munnabhai – Pal Pal was lifted from somewhere, Bande Mein Tha Dum wasnt original either, but they were still lovely. Aane Char Aane by Karunya (remember Indian Idol 2 runner up?) inspired your soul, while the title track was fulltoo timepass and brought a smile to your face. Similarly Samjho Ho Hi Gaya, with the conversation between Munna n Circuit was just howlarious and feel good! Nice Album overall!

I dont know why, but I just liked two tracks in Fanaa, so I have not included it in my list. I am sure it will be there in most lists.

Some Good Numbers: Koi Tumsa Nahi from Krissh, Touch Me form Dhoom 2, Tere Bin from Bas Ek Pal, Salam Karne Ki Aarzoo from Umrao Jaan, Kaabul Fiza from Kabul Express, Ahista Ahista from the same movie, Chand Sifarish & Mere Haath Mein from Fanaa.

I did not consider Guru and Salam-e-Ishq since the movies are releasing next year, otherwise they would be in the list too!

Another year ends, giving way to a new one, with new hopes, new dreams, new resolutions, and a new beginning. I am just doing the 2006 round up of Bollywood, my favorite topic!

1. Lage Raho Munnabhai – I am sure this is the top movie in the lists of all the aficionados. A simple, humble, believable yet heartwarming and meaningful movie. Seldom comes a movie like LRM, which makes us believe in the inherent goodness and nobility of humans, and while doing so, makes us smile and cry aplenty. A timeless and ageless movie, which can be watched with the same fervor and smile always. Munna & Circuit topped with Gandhiji, what more can you ask for??

2. Omkara – You can either love this movie or hate it, you cant be in between. I love it for the sheer intensity and honesty of it. Dark and brooding setting, intensely human characters and jaw-dropping realism. A gritty movie with a lifetime performance from Saif, ably supported by the ever reliable Ajay Devgan. Kareena looked better sans makeup than any of her glamorous roles. Vishal Bharadwaj adapts Othello to perfection to a typical Hindi heartland. This movie ultimately breaks your heart, but registers itself nonetheless strongly.

3. Rang De Basanti – Path breaking concept and novel execution, topped with rocking music and awesome performances, sums up RDB. Flawed at places, at times boring too, but overall gut wrenching and touching at the same time. Damn those bastard politicians, paint it yellow! Masterpiece from Rakesh Mehra. Another feather in Amir’s cap.

4. Krishh – Stand up for the Desi Superhero folks, and who else than Hrithik can do it??? Hrithik found a new fan in me with this movie (and Dhoom 2 just increased it!). Hrithik all the way in this one, intense yet childish, brawny yet mellow, grand yet subtle. First half bores, except for Hrithik’s scenes, 2nd half entertains. Action, dance, emotions, double role, give this guy anything, and he comes out triumphant. Hail Krishh!

5. Vivah – Honest, simple, graceful, soulful, and touching, that’s Vivah for you. Earnest, emotional, natural, and traditional, that’s Vivah for you. Sooraj Barjatya emerges triumphant yet again, after the mishmash Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. Simplicity was never so beautiful, traditions were never so identifiable, characters were never so believable!

6. Woh Lamhe – One of the least talked about films of the year, this is one of the most soulful films to grace the big screen in recent times. Starring newcomers Shiny Ahuja & Kangana Ranaut, by a new director Mohit Suri, this movie based on the life of actress Parveen Babi and her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt, gives you goose bumps all the time. Music is just amazing, and performances are amongst the best of 2006. You feel like you are part of the movie, and the movie succeeds there.

7. Don – This will be surprising to many, but heck, I loved this one (maybe becoz I am a diehard SRK fan). Nothing comparable to the BIG B, but swashbuckling nonetheless. Master twist, great performance from SRK and funky music, make Don an entertainer from start to finish. Takes time to build up and engulf you, but once you are in, Don se bachna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai!

8. Golmaal – Arshad Warsi, Ajay Devgan, Sharman Joshi, and Tushar Kapoor, and just one babe Rimi Sen. Add Paresh Rawal, and serve up hot, and you have a fresh laughathon about 4 male friends looking to make ends meet and trying to con an elderly couple. Rollicking and original fresh comedy, with some nice spoofs of famous movies (like Black) and spiffy music thrown in, this movie makes you laugh everytime you see it. A great stressbuster by director Rohit Shetty.

9. Gangster – Boring at times, and extremely emotional at places, ultimately this movie hits you hard. Love story of a Gangster, who transforms in love, story of an innocent girl deceived in love who ends up killing her love and herself. Slow, but haunting, that sums up Gangster. Music uplifts the film to a great extent. Performances again stand out, with the Woh Lamhe couple and Emran Hashmi taking all the honors.

10. Bhagam Bhaag – Saw this movie yesterday, and was laughing for 80% of the movie! Great laughathon from the master of comedies Priyadarshan himself. Starring Akshay Kumar, Govinda, Paresh Rawal, Lara Dutta, Rajpal Yadav and other Priyan usuals, this movie is a mindless laugh riot with some suspense thrown in. Akshay Rocks, while Govinda should really lose weight now!! Paresh Rawal is wasted kinda, and the ending is awesome! Must watch!

Just Missed It – These movies just missed my list. KANK (for lack of any soul stirring emotions, but great performances and music), DHOOM 2 (For Hrithik, Uday and Aish I mention this movie, nothing else here), KABUL EXPRESS (Amazing Afghanistan, honest portrayal, but a tad slow, just loved Arshad and the Paki guy here), ANKAHEE (amazing music, sincere and real emotions, needed better actors), JANEMAN (Salman n Akshay n Preeti rock, music rocks, but somewhere misses the bus), FANAA (highly formulaic, but KAJOL rocks, and so does the music and the 2nd half)

Please fee free to comment/post your list too, my music list will follow soon! Also in line are the disappointments of the year, and my awards.

This is the song which I breathe as of now. It really soothes me. Sung by Jawad Ahmad, from the movie Woh Lamhe, from which I posted one more song here. I present the Hindi/English lyrics here. Enjoy!

Hoonhhhh… *Sweet Humming*

Bin Tere Kya Hai Jeena (What is life without you)

Bin Tere Kya Hai Jeena

Meri Dil Ki Rani Tum (You are the Queen of my heart)

Meri Khushiyon ka Mausam (You are the season of happiness for me)

Mere Khwabon Ki Taabeer (You are my hopes personified)

Mere Sapno Ki Tasveer (The Reality of my dreams)

Bin Tere Kaisi Aar (There is no excuse/barrier if you are not there..)

Woh Jeet Ho Ya Haar (…Whether its win or loss)

Tere Sang Hai Sab Kuchh, Tu Naa Ho To Bekaar (Life is complete with you, it is meaningless without you)

Bin Tere Kya Hai Jeena

Sooni Khali Raatein (Lonely Empty Nights)

Rookhi Feeki Baatein (Worthless, Soulless words)

Har Aahat Pe Chonkoon (I get startled at slightest sound)

Tujhko Harsu Dekhoon (I see you everywhere all the time)

Tujhko Hardam Sochoon, Tujhko Har Pal Chahoon (Thinking and loving you every moment)

Tere Bin to Jeevan Mera Hai Intezaar (Life in an eternal wait without you)

Bin Tere Kya Hai Jeena…

Tere Saath Jiye Jo Pal, Kuchh Unse Nahi Badhkar (I spent the best moments of my life with you)

Tere Khatir Saans Main Loon, Teri Khatir Jeeta Hoon (I breathe and live for you only)

Marne Ki Tamanna Bhi, Tere Saath Main Rakhta Hoon (I want to die in your arms)

Tu Hai Jeene Ki Wajah Kar Mera Aitbaar (You are the sole purpose of my existence, believe me love)

Bin Tere Kya Hai Jeena.. continues.

This is an interesting piece of news I read about cranky wives using the law to their advantage in order to extort their poor husbands. For the first time, I realised there is another side to this whole Dowry related shit that goes on in India. It is not always the male side, the females now are getting all powered up and intelligent to make money and abuse the law which was formulated to protect them. Instead, we have rising cases of poor husbands lying unprotected at the mercy of their stupid wives. The %ge might be low, but this misuse is unexpected and alarming.

Here is the piece from http://www.khaleejtimes.com

Indian husbands become victims of dowry law abuse
(Reuters)
12 December 2006

NEW DELHI – Indian husbands are becoming victims of an anti-dowry law which is being misused by their wives to extort money, a group representing men who have been accused of dowry abuse said on Tuesday.

Dowries — often jewellery, expensive clothing, motorcars and money — are given in India by the bride’s family to the groom and his parents, traditionally to ensure the bride will be comfortable in her new home.

The custom, outlawed more than four decades ago but still widely practiced, is often exploited with the groom’s family demanding more money in return for not abusing the bride.

But members of 498a.org — a group representing thousands of men and their families named — claim there are growing numbers of false cases being registered under the anti-dowry law or Section 498a of the Indian Penal Code that seeks to protect women.

“There are thousands of men and their families who are victims of the abuse of this law, who are locked up in jail and undergo severe mental, emotional and financial and social trauma as a result,” Anupama Singh, a member of 498a.org, named after the dowry law told Reuters.

Singh said the main reason for registering false cases was to extort money, or gain custody of children during divorce.

The number of false cases against husbands was growing by 20 percent every year as “unscrupulous women are realising there is a money to be made by the divorce industry,” he said.

According to statistics 498a.org obtained from the ministry of home affairs, 18 percent of the 58,319 cases of dowry abuse registered in 2005 were dropped due to frivolous grounds.

But women’s rights activists say there is no clear statistics to prove that law which came into force in 1983 is being intentionally abused.

“489a is one of the most important tools in the hands of Indian women who have suffered abuse,” said Yogesh Mehta, legal officer for the National Commission for Women.

“The Commission is of the view that so far we don’t have clear statistics that the law is being intentionally misused.”

Police say the most common form of domestic violence is dowry-related and that there one case of cruelty committed by the husband or his relatives every nine minutes in the country.

Flawed

But 498a.org says the anti-dowry law, as well as a new domestic violence act which came into force in October is biased in favour of women as no evidence is required by the wife to prove that she has been harassed or abused.

“Under the law, the accused can be arrested and jailed without warrant or investigation, the complaint cannot be withdrawn by the petitioner and it is non-bailable,” said J.K. Grover, a member of 498a.org.

“It’s ridiculous. We don’t want to scrap the laws, we just want to ensure that it is fair and balanced. The government needs to plug all the loop holes in both the laws.”

I wrote this poem 5 eyars ago, and when I read it yesterday, it felt childish, impractical, yet innocent. So I asked my sister to type it out (at that time I had no PC, and I had written it on a paper!). Here it is folks, enjoy!! Comments are welcome. BTW, this is the first shit I ever wrote in my life!

Are you in love?

You know you are in love

When u cant sleep at night

You know you are in love

When she insults you and u don’t put up a fight

You know you are in love

When she comes in every dream

You know you are in love

When, on seeing her, your eyes gleam

You know you are in love

When u start dreaming while awake

You know you are in love

When u only give her and never take

You know you are in love

When you miss her if she’s not there

You know you are in love

When she is present and u only stare

You know you are in love

When u feel a lot of changes in u

You know you are in love

When, for every matter, u have a different view

You know you are in love

When u feel very responsible

You know you are in love

When suddenly people say that u have become sensible

You know you are in love

When u keep talking about her

You know you are in love

When your friends call you a mad lover

You know you are in love

When you avoid her in front of others

You know you are in love

When u suddenly start befriending her brothers

You know you are in love

When u never feel alone

You know you are in love

When u think of her as a part of ur own

You know you are in love

When, for her u start fearing

You know you are in love

When u love every dress that she is wearing

You know you are in love

When u are afraid to lose her

You know you are in love

When each and every time you choose her

You know you are in love

When, without her u feel incomplete

You know you are in love

When, as soon as she is around u, u feel complete

You know you are in love

When u overlook her faults

You know you are in love

When, u find sweetness even in the salts

You know you are in love

When u feel that u owe something to someone

You know you are in love

When seeing her u realize that she is the one

You know you are in love

When u feel u can’t do anything wrong

You know you are in love

When even the shortest distance appears to be long

You know you are in love

When all of a sudden u start respecting god

You know you are in love

When, for every action of hers, u only applaud

You know you are in love

If you have read till now

You know you are in love

If on reading this u exclaim wow

You know you are in love

For sure, if you also start writing like this

And while writing this, u think that on reading this she will give you a kiss

In a nutshell, Babul is just what you’d expect it to be, a syrupy family flick, with dollops of emotions, melodrama, nice locales, melodious songs, and great performances. Maybe that’s why I wont watch it again, because it did not surprise me!

That does not mean I did not enjoy the movie. I did enjoy it a lot, but there are myriad reasons for that enjoyment (Secrets!). So Babul basically tells us the story of a widow, and about her return to normality, acceptance by society, through her remarriage. It addresses some worthy issues commendably, but misses out on some too. More on that later.

The first half is a breeze, with nice feel good scenes and some good comedy by Rajpal Yadav. It concentrates on the love story between Salman and Rani, while balancing it with the family bonds between Salman, Big B and Hemaji. John Abraham is just about there in the first half. There are songs galore, which flow smoothly with the movie, but not the types that you would want to go and listen at home.

The second half is complete tear jerker, with Salman’s accident at the interval, and the consequences thereafter. There are some really touching scenes, which resonate with your raw emotional chords, but they are in bits and pieces. There are some moments which just seem forced. The climax song by John Abraham is awesome, and so is the title track sung naturally by Big B himself which plays in the background.

The editing is the worst culprit in the movie, it seems the movie had become too big, and so there are some highly unbelievable transitions between scenes, and a few seem incomplete. The music, as I said, is pleasant, but there are just a couple of songs which stay with you. Cinematography is usual, background score is effective.

Salman is endearing while he is there, but a college return is too much to digest! Rani is good, but nothing different from her other movies. There are two scenes though which really show her prowess. Hema Malini is a treat to watch. She looks good, speaks eloquently, and acts effortlessly. The real performance, yet again, comes from Big B. He is just amazing! He carries the movie in the second half almost alone! Special mention must be made of John Abraham, I just loved him in the movie. His expressions at his childhood love Rani choosing someone else, and at her marriage, are just so real, and so painful, it just broke my heart! It is better than being a smiling sacrificer, this portrayal is more real.

Now coming to the issues I had with the issues discussed in the movie. The director Ravi Chopra shows that Rani remarries not because she loves John, but because Big B shows her the way. This is understandable, since it is hard to love someone after being with your love for so long. But, surely there could be some reasons for a woman herself to feel like remarrying, other than the kid getting a father! I mean, being practical and progressive, physical needs, emotional support, friendship, companionship, there are myriad reasons why a woman can wish to wed again! This movie misses those reasons. But then again, that wasn’t expected! So, all in all, money well spent, and movie well enjoyed, for reasons not limited to the merits of the movie!

A request from a friend, and my personal favourite from Babul. Great song.

Enjoy folks!!

I came across this piece in Khaleej Times, about this village in Eastern India in the state of Jharkhand. Apparently, there hasn’t been any reported crime since the past 50 years in this village called Chakulia. How I wish the whole world would be like this!

Below is the entire piece reproduced from http://www.khaleejtimes.com

A village with no report of crime for 50 years

(IANS)

9 December 2006

RANCHI — A village in Jharkhand holds the unique record of none of its residents ever filing a police complaint in the last 50 years.

Chakulia is a picturesque village surrounded by hills in the East Singhbhum district, 190km from here. Its 85 families have never reported any crime — for five long decades.

Most families — belonging to the Munda and Bhumiz castes — are extremely poor. Education levels too are low, with not a single graduate in the village.

But peace and harmony prevails in the village.

Rajendra Nath Singh, 60, is the village headman before whom petty disputes are settled. The villagers accept his decision as the last word.

“When I was 10 a villager approached the police to lodge a complaint against two people. That was the last time anyone had complained. Since then no one has gone to the police to resolve any dispute,” Singh said.

“We sit together and decide disputes in a way acceptable to everyone,” he added.

Yogendra Singh, the only teacher in the village, said: “I have never heard of anyone ever approaching policemen. The villagers respect the village headman and everyone accepts his rulings.

“The judgement is always humane and the headman never fines anyone,” he added.

Woh Lamhe, which means those moments, was a great movie, with soul stirring music to say the least. Though the most popular track was Kya Mujhe Pyar Hai by KK, the best track in the album according to my opinion is Chal Chale by James.

Yes, the same James who rocked us with Bheegi Bheegi from Gangster. Since Woh Lamhe wasn’t a big hit despite being touching, the song did not quite achieve the success it deserved.

It has been composed by Pritam, who has been accused of plagiarism and blatant lifts in almost all his films (Kya Mujhe from this movie is lifted from an Indonesian track), this particular song does seem to be original, until of course someone finds out the source.

This guy James is one helluva singer! He lifts a normal song to unprecedented levels through his naturally soulful rendition. Soulful is the keyword here, the song smashes into your soul! It is a passionate love song, about a couple escaping from everyone, kinda to the paradise. The song was filmed very well too, adding to the delight.

The piece (I couldn’t identify the instrument, maybe a violin or mouth organ?help!) at the beginning sets the tone, and it continues throughout the song. Alas, the song is hardly 3.5 minutes! Just when you get immersed in it completely, it ends, leaving you in the worst lurch!

Here is it, for your ears.

Drops fall like pearls on the parched earth,

And, they enter as memories in my heart.

Yes, it is true when it rains,

My heart, a thousand daggers thrust into it, pains…

Drops fall on my barren palms,

It feels like she is holding my hand,

The music of those drops,

Feels like her sweet nothings in my ears.

Yes, it is true when it rains,

My soul, burdened by debris of time, pains…

I see innocent children singing and dancing,

I see her innocent face in each of them,

I see her dancing, I hear her singing,

Yes, it is true when it rains,

My love, unrequited and alone, pains…

I see everyone hugging and cuddling,

I feel her in my arms, I feel her embrace,

I smell the air, I feel her scent.

Yes, it is true when it rains,

My emotions, incomplete and buried, pains..

The drops come alive in front of my eyes,

I see her eyes, inviting me to paradise

I see her lips, saying she loves me

I am drenched in the rain, it feels like drenched in her love.

My eyes gleam, I feel her warmth.

Then, the drops ditch me,

Leaving my thirst unquenched,

The memories vanish into thin air,

Like she has vanished from my life.

My heart pains, because there is no rain.

This is a song which is closest to my heart for myriad reasons, and I have been listening to it continuously since it released! Composed beautifully by Anu Malik, and written profoundly by Gulzar, this song never got the love it deserved. So, I am revisiting this song, in order to remind you guys that there are unheard gems scattered all over, one just needs to have an EAR (in this case) to find them!

This song celebrates life, to say the least, and is a heartwarming composition. The melody of the tune, coupled with simple yet touching words, instantly enters your heart, and remains there forever.

Do lemme know whether this song was worth being reminded of!

jo bhi likha hai, dil se jiya hai,

yeh lamha, filhaal jee lene de..

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!

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!

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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!!

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.

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.

This is the first time I am attempting a concise review of an English film, so give me some room here fellas!

I havent watched the earlier Casino Royale, and so I cant make any comparisons here. This one though, rocks!

A fairly simple plot is complemented beautifully by a great screenplay, and great performances. But what really impressed me was the very “UnBondish” action. Yes my friends, the raw, intense, and awe-inspiring action scenes are used deftly to forward the plot, and there are hardly any SFX. There are no out of this world gadgets, no real vamps tricking Bond into some situation, or a hi-fi car working more than any other weapon. There is the gorgeus Aston Martin DB5 though, but its life is pretty short!

So this time around, our great double ‘0′ is trying to bust the terrorist funding business in post 9/11 era. This basic plot comes alive with various elements like manipulating shares, using terrorist money to make money to make money for oneself, while at the same time making their finance available to them anywhere.

There movie grips you in the initial 15 minutes itself, with probably one of the longest chase scenes in recent times. You have got to see it to beleive, it is jsut amazing. There are clever dialogues all over. Sample this: Bond tells the agency accountant, played by Eva Green “You are not my type”. She retorts “Smart?”, and Bond says “Single”.

Daniel Craig is amazing! He is more convincing then Pierce Brosnan in many ways. He has a great physique, tough brooding face, piercing eyes, and fantastic screen presence. He comes very close to Sir Sean Connery. A great new Bond is born my friends! Dame Judi Dench is convincing as usual, this time a bit more stricter, yet more funny. Eva Green looks a million bucks, and actualyl steals the show in many scenes. The “bloody tears” bad guy money launderer looks coolly evil.

The real winner here is the director Martin Campbell. Three cheers for him for showing us what Bond can do on his own, in the most realistic fashion possible for any James Bond 007. The track during opening credits is a pleasant departure from the usual stuff. Cinematography and editing are crisp, complementing the film very well. Not once during the 2:30 length you feel bored. You are constantly on the edge of your seat.

So guys, go and watch this great popcorn flick, and kick in your comments!

Today I got a forward from one of my friends, about the nitty gritties of life of a working individual in UAE, or Dubai, as it is popularly known. It was a truly insightful one, and it has inspired me to write this article. This should be of help to people from the subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Srilanka, Philippines) who decide to come here.

Dubai is a lovely place to live. Dubai is a wonderful place to shop. Dubai is a great tourist destination. Dubai is a melting pot of all cultures and traditions. Dubai is a major travel hub.

All the above statements are true.

The inflation is 15%. The average rent without family is AED 2000 per month at least, and with family, it is a cool 3-4k minimum. If you choose to live in Sharjah or Ajman, deduct 25% from the above figures, and add at least 3-4 hours of transportation every day to your workplace in Dubai. And if you work in Jebel Ali, may god save you if you don’t live there!

The above statements are also true.

If you are multiplying your salary by 13-14 rupees and that forms the prime criteria for your decision to work here, think again! Firstly, nowadays you get roughly 12-12.5 rupees per AED at max. Secondly, the money is useful only if you manage to save. That brings me to the main point, Savings!

The average salary of a decently educated and experienced person in Dubai is around AED 4k-8k. Most of the subcontinent expatriates who are well educated and have 3-5yrs experience fall in this bracket. There are companies that pay you more than that, but then there are ones which pay lesser than that!

40%-60% of your salary would go in rents, which, by the way are mostly unregulated. Today if you are paying 30k annually, next year you might be asked to pay 45k for the same flat, and you would be mostly helpless! For example, I used to pay 18k during 2003-2004, which was increased to 24k during 2004-2005, furthermore to 30k in 2005-2006, and I am currently looking at paying 38k.

Take out a further 20% for your food, electricity and water. Basically, 70% of your salary goes for your basic living amenities. And if you are unlucky not to be provided transport by your company, shell out another 10% for that. In effect, 75% of your salary is going towards living in the most reasonable fashion! And if you decide to buy a car, or other such luxuries, well manage your calculations yourself. That leaves you with 25% savings. But wait, I haven’t talked about entertainment, child education, credit card payments, etc etc. Does that make the picture clear?

The traffic situation is worse and deteriorating further. Until the Metro is completed by 2009, there is no hope of improvement there. The authorities are trying their best with new projects and expansion of current road network, but the results are yet to show. 4 years ago, it took me 30 minutes to travel to my college. Last time I went to collect my certificates, it took me 1.5 hours, that too, with not “much” traffic.

But if you are offered 5 figure salaries per month, and have a lot of Experience, the picture is rosy. And if you decide to let your family stay peacefully in your motherland, and prepare to slog it out here, you can manage well. But not with a meager salary like 3k-5k. Any decent individual needs that much to survive here.

So next time, before you jump onto this bandwagon, think about it deeply. The quality of life here is extremely good, and you get proper facilities for your bucks. But then again, if you convert and see, some facilities are expensive too. For example, calling from UAE to India is around $0.65 normally, and $0.50 off peak. The rates for the other way round are $0.23 roughly! (AED 2.4 / 1.9 vs Rs.10). VOIP is banned too! Internet facilities are good compared to India, but costly again compared to most developed countries.

To sum up, an individual without family having a salary of 6k all inclusive can manage pretty well, with minimum savings. If there is family, you will be hardpressed. If you are looking for good life here with family you need a minimum of 8k-10k.

That’s my analysis after 4 years of life here. Having said all this, I would still prefer to live and work here as long as I can, since there are no Taxes, the people are great, the infrastructure is proper (except transport!), crime is almost nil, no religious tensions, and no dirty politics. However, you will always be an “expatriate” here!

DON: 44.5 crores after 3 weeks (This week 6.3 crores)

Janeman: 24 crores after 3 weeks (This week 2.8 crores)

Umrao Jaan: 6.25 crores after 1 week

Lage Raho Munnabhai: 70 crores so far (arguably the biggest film ever in India, beating Gadar)
The new releases this week were Vivah and Apna Sapna Money Money.

While Vivah is doing surprisingly well with a limited release stretegy, Apna Sapna Money Money has dropped after a good weekend. More prints of Vivah will be added next week.

Source: http://www.boxofficeindia.com

This is some US radio show, where married/engaged people call up to complain about their better half (is it really?). This is a hillarious conversation, some Indian female calling up and then, just hear what happens.

Might be a bit mature, but a hell lot of funny. Do kick in your comments.

After seeing the amount of hits my post about Umrao Jaan’s music has been getting, I decided why not post a great song!

So here it is folks, specially for you all, listen at leisure.

A melodious gem, to say the least!

Sad to say, but this movie has flopped big time in India. The first week collections are just around 7cr at max (around 30-40%).

Vivah. The name itself says it all. In today’s age of using English titles and titles like Shaadi no. 1, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, there is a film with the title Vivah, which is as chaste as you can get. The name symbolizes a chaste Indian film, but does it work? That’s a question you will have to answer yourself after reading this humble piece.

There are two ways you can look at Vivah. The first is the obvious cynical way, wherein this movie would be like a pseudo-real Indian traditions movie with no negative characters, and everyone as good as you can get (rather, such good people don’t exist today). The second way would be two look at it from the inherent goodness present in us, which makes us feel the world can be so simple yet so good, a feeling similar to Lage Raho Munnabhai. I chose the second view.

Welcome back Soorajji! Vivah should have been made instead of the “trendy” MPKDH. But then, I guess MPKDH works to Vivah’s advantage by lowering our expectations from the film. Let me make it clear, this movie is not a patch on MPK or HAHK, two of Soorajji’s classics. But then, that’s why the two previous ones are classics in the first place, you just cant have such movies again!

The story is simple. Two Indian families, one based in Delhi (rich, but very humble and down to earth), and the second based in Madhupur (not so rich, but honest and good); boy (Shahid Kapoor) from the rich family, girl (Amrita Rao) from Madhupur; their marriage is fixed in the arranged marriage way, where a third person known to both families gets the ball rolling; boy first sees the picture of the girl, then meets and “sees” the girl, they talk for a while, and after those 10-15 minutes, they decide whether they can be life partners or not. As unbelievable as it may sound to some, this is very true for most Indian middle class families. The marriage date is then fixed after 6 months (in this case) and Vivah shows the development of a relation within those 6 months, right till the Suhaagraat! It also tells the tale of acceptance of a child by her mother. And how beautifully it does so!

The first half is a breeze, and you don’t realize that interval is just round the corner. Sugar coated scenes and dialogues, extremely honest and simple characters, and very nice songs. There is a constant smile on your face throughout the first half, with occasional bursts of laughter. None of it seems forced, it all flows smoothly. There is the engagement scene, the family holiday, nice songs, good locales, but all presented in a simplistic and believable manner. Nothing is over the top, the treatment is most realistic. The only complain is such characters are hard to find in today’s times. But then again, this is acceptable, since we all desire, in some corner of our heart, to be perfectly good, to have such a great family.

The first 20-30 minutes of the second half looks a bit contrived, but from there on the movie really catches you by surprise. The real “twist” in the smooth story starts during the last 40 minutes or so, and from there on its an emotional ride. I wont divulge any plot details so that you enjoy the movie completely.

There are just about 10 main characters in the movie, which helps the flow of the movie. There is not a single negative character, though one of them shows some human traits of jealousy and insecurity. There are no pets aka Tuffy or Parrots or whatever, and there are no extended family members and friends.

Coming on to the performances, Amrita does very well as the simple and shy Indian girl from a small town. Her expressions, her getup, her nuances, her dialogue delivery are just perfect. The only grudge is she looks too thin in the movie. A little weight would have made her more authentic. Shahid as the city bred traditional family guy is awesome. This is indeed his best performance so far. His eyes speak more than his words, which is to his credit, and an achievement for Soorajji’s. Shahid is sure to be nominated this year in the awards. Aloknath as Amirta’s uncle-cum-father is like he usually is in all Rajshri movies. Another nice endearing portrayal from him! Anupam Kher as Shahid’s father does well too, as a rich business man who is humble to the core. Samir Soni as the elder brother of Shahid does not have much to do, but his newspaper antiques are genuinely funny! Shahid’s bhabhi’s part is well enacted by the actress (sorry for not knowing her name!). Seema Biswaas as the insecure chachi of Amrita is the only not so good character in the movie, and she does complete justice to the role. Shahid’s nephew, the small kid, looks cute and delivers some funny lines very well. Manoj Joshi does well as the jeweler who brings together the two families for the Rishta. Amrita’s sister is good too.

The real winner is Sooraj Barjatya, who writes a simple story and then portrays it in the most honest way. Dialogues by Aash Karan Atal are very real and good natured, and they propel the movie in a big way. Cinematography could have been better, comparing it with the current trend, but then again, it suits the movie overall. Music surprises you when you watch the movie, because it is so well integrated with the movie! The songs are pleasing to the ears, and Mujhe Haq Hai stands out. The tunes are melodious and Indian, and work with the movie on the whole. At 2.45 hours, the movie just about manages to be not long. I don’t believe editing could have been crisper. Costumes too, are straight out of real life, and suit the characters. Credit must be given to Soorajji for choosing his locations. The locations are seeped in Indian traditions.

Honesty, sincerity, trust, sacrifice, jealousy and insecurity are portrayed in true traditional manner by Soorajji. There are trademark one liners: “Main tumse shaadi ke mauke par ek tohfa mangtaa hoon. Mujhe apna dard de do!” Simple yet amazing. This is where the movie succeeds. It connects with your heart, your inherent but buried nobility. It reinforces your belief in all the morals and values you have grown upon, without being preachy. It makes you trust the human nature in general, without being dramatic. Soorajji reinstates our faith in him with Vivah. The Rajshri house can proudly claim Vivah as their comeback.

Overall, Vivah is a perfect family film, which makes you feel good about yourself, about people around you, and about the world in general. It is not a classic, but it is close. There are some flaws, but you can overlook them easily for the noble purpose of the film overall. Above all, it makes you believe in an arranged Vivaah yet again!

For everyone who loved the previous Arabic Song by Nancy Ajram, here is another treat. Another song from the same album Ah Wi Nous.

This song is basically about marriage and the dreams, love, and other mushy stuffs associated with it. Great Song, though I dont understand it one bit.

And as usual, here is the video, which is just awesome. Nancy looks so beautiful and pristine in the wedding dress!

Here is another one of my poems from Ankit’s Blog, I just cudnt resist putting it here. One of my personal favorites, this is an extremely mushy poem. So read at your own risk. Comments are welcomed!

Yesterday…!

yesterday, when i was crossing the road,
i remembered how i had held ur hands and crossed the road together…
yesterday when i was eating this chocolate,
i remembered how we had that chocolate bite by bite….
yesterday when i was having tea,
i remembered how we had the tea that u made, together…
yesterday when i was watching this movie,
i remembered how u had leaned on my shoulders when we had watched it together….
yesterday when i was buying pastry for my sister,
i remembered how we had the pineapple blossom together…
yesterday when the scorching sun drenched me,
i remebered ur face would have a sweaty shine when we went for long walks…
yesterday when the AC chilled me,
i remembered how u had hugged me chilled by the AC…..
yesterday when i was listening to this song,
i remembered how u we had gifted each other that same audio cassette…
yesterday when my mother consoled my crying sister,
i remembered how i had wiped ur tears after making u cry…
yesterday when i heard this dedication on the radio,
i remembered how i had sung that song for you in front of everyone…
yesterday when i went to the barber shop,
i remembered how i had cut a strand of ur lovely locks to keep as a souvenir…
yesterday when i saw my sister talking to her bf late at night,
i remembered how we had spent 89 sleepless nights talking….
yesterday when i was having Cold Coffee with Ice Cream,
i remembered how we had shared it from the same straw…
yesterday when i saw my cousin’s marriage photos,
i remembered we had decided to get married in the church…
yesterday when i saw my parents’ honeymoon photographs,
i remembered we had decided to go to this lovely(its a secret!) place for our honeymoon…
yesterday when i heard my aunty gave birth to a son,
i remembered we had even decided the names of our son and daughter…
yesterday when my best friend broke up with his love,
i remembered how u left me in the lurch all of a sudden…………
yesterday when i was reading your sms…
i realised i now loved you more than ever….

Whatever happens with me today,

reminds me of the time i spent with you

Though we are no longer together,

those days just seem like Yesterday…

~Devesh

January 25, 2006 (another old one!)

Is saving the life of a person more important than live coverage of his death? Apparently, the answer to the above question is NO.

While all news channels today broadcasted the self-immolation of a frustrated Indian citizen live, none of the media persons actually tried to save his life while he was burning to death. the images were shocking. You could easily make out someone clicking his camera, and another person recording the event. they repeated the visuals myriad times, apparently to raise an issue. but all I could think while watching the shameful, horrendous visuals was that what were the recorders of the act doing. should they have tried to save the man rather than get footage for their channel to translate into hefty TRP’s? Media Ethics. Maybe the freedom isn’t always good. the simple excuse is that they were doing their job, so that people come to know about the incident.

I am sure all of us would have been happier had they reported how all the mediapersons got together and saved the life of the man.

At this time of the night (1 am), a hot cup of french vanilla cappuccino tastes like heaven,specially after a nice bath! and its that much more relaxing after you have failed your 5th driving test .

cheers!!!
PS: I have failed 8 driving tests now, and left it all together for now!

After watching RDB the other day, the next day passed thinking about it, and reading all reviews! I was supposed to start preparing for the exam I have on 1st Feb, but havent started it till this moment! The lazy holiday mood is hard to overcome…

Coming to the main topic today. The basic question or rather, fear, for most of us Indians while “rising” in love is whether our family would accept it or not! What one fails to understand is: Why do the families oppose love, by threatening to harm themselves? Do they think we cant choose the right one for ourselves? Why cant they at least judge the one we love? Are they bothered more about their position in society or their offspring’s happiness? Maybe we would better understand their position when we become parents.

Living here in UAE, I cant help but laugh at the incident that happened with someone I know. A 21 year old girl was forced to agree to marry, not any particular guy, but just to agree to marriage, by threatening parents trying to harm themselves. The poor guy whom I happen to know is helpless!

The most baffling part in the entire episode is the girl losing her senses, and telling the guy she does not love him anymore! Its understandable though, when you consider her parents threatened to kill themselves. How foolish! What about their other children? The question here is that would they really kill themselves, if he/she wont listen to them, forgetting about their other children? Will they end their life without thinking about those who still need them? Or will they kill everyone in the family? Its getting serious here!

I better leave it here… as i dont want to offend anyone.

I just pray that true love somehow finds it way, and if not, then I will keep blogging about it!

Can you forget your first love?

the haunting feeling of first love,

the enchanting feeling of first touch,

the mad rush of adrenaline,

the pulchritude of innocent selfless care,

the unrealisitc yet sweet insecurities,

yes it was first love..!

the stolen moments spent together,

the conspicuous glances in that direction,

the unspoken sweet nothings through eyes,

the blushing halcyonic smile,

yes it was first love..!

the broken unbreakable bond,

the lost sweet innocence,

the exhausted exchange of words,

the debris of unfulfilled dreams,

do i still love her..?

the forced relation of friendship,

the pretentious superficial care,

the awkward meeting of eyes,

the remembrance of perished….

do i still love her?

it does not matter whether i still love her,

as love cannot sustain a life,

love can just ameliorate a life,

even in that, there are speculations rife!

~Devesh

stolen moments were never stolen,
we snatched it from time,
now they are stolen from us,
now that you are not mine.

the sweetness in salt never existed,
but we found it through our love,
now salt is tasteless,
you are not mine.

i am happier without you,
not because I dint love you,
but because you are happier without me,
good you are not mine!

the sun rises, and it sets,
the moon appears, and then gives way to sun again.
our love rised, then it set,
now you are shining like the moon,
and this time there wont be the sun after the moon.

~Devesh

Barkha Dutt
Thursday, March 16, 2006

Taken from http://www.ndtv.com

Swimming in the sea of India’s cultural complexity has taught me that I can no longer carry my agnosticism lightly.

Time has convinced me that my resistance to institutionalised religion is the defining character flaw of the progressive elite; a discordant note in an otherwise full-throated symphony; a disconnect so deep that sometimes people like me are just left watching from the side lines at the tumultuous fight for India’s future; spectators, not participants because we speak the language of disbelief.

But there are times, I am grateful that I am neither Hindu nor Muslim, but just a devout skeptic. Right now, is one such.

Despite the lonely corner non -believers like myself inhabit, I am reasonably confident that the ordinary Indian is as mystified as me by the hysterical debate that has consumed our media these past few weeks.

The theme song, actually it was a duet, went something like this-Hindutva is simmering under the surface, waiting to leap out from the political grave into the warm embrace of a new life; and “moderate Muslims” must speak, not just speak, they must shout, scream, holler, be heard, so that there is no “backlash.”

Apparently, the horrific twin blasts at Varanasi have given all this the force of an emergency. If I were either Hindu or Muslim, I would be deeply insulted at the generalised and simplistic assumptions made about me, my intelligence, and most importantly, my faith.

On the evening of the blasts, Renuka Narayanan went on NDTV and said “Varanasi is to Hinduism what Mecca is to Islam, this is the seat of Hinduism that has been attacked.” I can still feel the slight shudder that went down my spine. The stakes seemed so high.

Gujarat 2002; New Delhi 1984, has made us forever fearful. The fear isn’t entirely misplaced; every terror attack, especially those targeted at the nerve centres of faith, pushes us that much closer to the edge; to the precipice of polarisation.

But the argument lapsed into absurdity, when the politicians began talking. If the Varanasi blasts were a consequence of the UPA’s “minority appeasement”, then how does one explain the shadow of terror that tailed India during the NDA regime? From Kandahar to the Parliament attack?

If the blasts were a result of this government being “soft on terror” then how does one explain that there is no empirical difference in the level of violence today, when compared with last year? And has a shrill BJP forgotten that Atal Behari Vajpayee’s lasting legacy is the creation of a peace process with Pakistan and a peace initiative with Kashmiri separatists?

Bihar was proof that the NDA is a combative, shrewd political force that the UPA cannot afford to be complacent about. But surely there was a lesson in it for the BJP as well- another state won not on the strength of religious mobilisation but on the promise of change.

Even the complex caste arithmetic could not save a Lalu Prasad Yadav; clearly identity politics could only travel this far, if governance and development were not equal companions on the journey.

So no matter what the public opinion pundits write (and I suspect, even the BJP’s master strategists may just have lifted the idea off the edit pages), I would argue that in the absence of an extraordinary event, religious identity is now more the EX-factor, than a decisive, intangible, X factor; Hindutva I think has served its time and outlived its political utility.

All generalizations are a gamble, but I would take the risk and say that Middle India (as distinct from both the fundamentalists and the liberals) wants to travel down the Middle Path; the age of shrill rhetoric is over, Indians, are increasingly impatient with extremism of any kind, in any faith, Hindu or Muslim.

I’m pretty sure that the ordinary Hindu, angry as he or she may be about the assault in Varanasi, and before that, Ayodhya, will also find L K Advani’s Rath Yatra disingenuous and unnecessary; a poor caricature of himself.

I’m equally sure, that if I were a Muslim in India today, I’d feel under siege; claustrophobically caught between those who claim to speak on my behalf, and those who are demanding that I must speak up as a “moderate.” Lost in the cacophony of argument is the clarity of exactly what we are asking them to speak up against.

If it’s about the politicians like Haji Yaqoob Qureshi, the minister in Uttar Pradesh who dared to declare a reward of Rs 51 crore for the Danish cartoonist’s head, Muslim after Muslim that I have interviewed has condemned him and asked that he be removed from the state government.

It’s a non-Muslim chief minister who continues to keep him in public office. It’s India’s party in power, the Congress, that continues to maintain a shameful silence on his utterances; the same Congress that will use textbook rules to secure a vindictive expulsion of Jaya Bachchan from Parliament is conveniently inert when it comes to Qureshi.

And it’s the Marxists, who need to march with Mulayam, who are silently looking the other way. So aren’t newspaper columnists framing the question incorrectly? Sure, there is a conspiracy of silence, but look who is not talking.

Or is it the anti-Bush protests that we are alarmed by and object to? Apparently the worry is that Indian Muslims are joining hands with the Global Islamic Community, if they march against Bush; that this heralds the ominous arrival of Political Islam at our doorstep. But isn’t this a wildly insecure, and mostly hysterical reaction?

First, the protests spoke for a fragment of Muslim opinion, and it would be presumptuous to assume that the protestors represented 14 million people.

Secondly, so what if they don’t like Bush? Why isn’t their right to protest legitimate? This weekend, on We the People, a cross section of Muslims made the same point: to oppose George Bush’s politics in Iraq is not the same thing as opposing a nuclear deal that’s clearly good for India.

To lose that distinction is to question the patriotism of the Indian Muslim, not just a dangerous argument, but also a deeply offensive one.

Mehbooba Mufti from Kashmir summed it up when she said the cause of an Independent Kashmir had been championed by Islamic militants from as far as Sudan and Afghanistan, but never by an Indian Muslim outside of the valley.

Are we becoming like the United States? Fearful of minorities? Alarmed at their assertion, superior and scornful about their conventions? Unable to see them as anything but the “other?”

Finally, are media clichés the biggest disservice at a time like this? What or who do we mean by a Moderate Muslim? Mohammed Ali Jinnah was barely a believer, hardly followed the Quran, but created Pakistan.

So who is “moderate” enough for us, and who sets the benchmarks? The day of the blasts, I got a call from a member of the Muslim Personal Law board, scared and worried about a “backlash”, wanting to condemn the blasts on national television, so that nobody misunderstood their response. The subtext is clear.

Fifty-nine years after India was born, in a country where there are more Muslims than there are in Pakistan, we are still asking Muslims to wear their nationalism like an identity card; we are still asking for proof of loyalty. This is not their failure. It is ours.

Cant help but praise her. !

Here is a song which I absolutely love, without even understanding what it means. The melody and the pain in Nancy’s voice leave me spellbound.

I will be very greateful to the person who can translate this song into English for me!

The album is Ah Wi Nous, and the video of this song is available online.

Here is the audio only:

Here is the YouTube Video:

And here is the english translation, thanks to great Hulya:

here is the english translation of enta eih

what are you (how cruel are you) Is it not enough
That you hurt me? Have pity. How cruel are you?
Why my love, is it so easy for you to bring me to tears
And why do I accept that you hurt me when my soul is part of you
And why am I accepting this torment at your hands?
(x2)

If this is love, my misery is from it
And if I am to blame, I cannot say never again
And if it is my lot to live in torment
I shall live in torment
(x2)

Have you no pity? Have you no shame that you cheat me knowing the love I have for you
Is it not a shame, the passion and the years and longing that I am living for you?
Was the love lost completely? Or has it been a game
Was the love and tenderness and my heart and faith in you all lost?
(x2)

If this is love, my misery is from it
And if I am to blame, I cannot say never again
And if it is my lot to live in torment
I shall live in torment

This is a song from the movie Ankahee (2006). The movie was a flop, and the music wasnt promoted well enough. This song is composed by Prtiam and sung brilliantly by Kunal Ganjawala. An amazing song, the guitar at the beginning, and the fresh lyrics, make it one of my all-time favorites. Just to share with you, I am posting it here. Share your thoughts about it.

For a mini lyrical review, scroll down.

“and then the mystic figure embraced me tightly,with my hands in its hands,and its arms engulfing me; i had never felt so protected in my life, never felt so calm, peaceful. i was torrid, yet feeling cold.”

“my head burst out, and i could see myriad hues of red all over; of course i was bleeding profusely.i had learnt and seen blood is red, at most deep red, why these bloody attractive shades?”

“then it smiled at me; i could see a bluish streak in that smile, the streak slowly deepened, or was it coming closer to me? it soon surrounded me; yes there it was smiling all over me, with lavender drops of dew falling on me”

I died.

~Devesh

Santa Singh, the part-time Sunday sweeper, entered the ward and unplugged the life support system & plugged in the vacuum cleaner.

I know you feel like tearing your hair apart.. and kicking my ass.. and if you dont.. then you are abnormal.. or you identify with Santa .. So KICK IN UR REACTIONS!

Hi,

Just thought I`d share this with you. Because many people forget to
respect females as well as each other many times.

An incident took place in Pune – a young girl was raped by a man posing as
a plain clothes officer; he asked her to come to the police station when
she and her male friend didn’t have a driver’s license to show. He sent
the boy off to get his license and asked the girl to accompany him to the
police station. Took her instead to an isolated area where the horrendous
crime was committed.

The law [which most are not aware of] clearly states that between 6 pm and 6 am, a woman has the right to REFUSE to go to the Police Station, even if an arrest warrant has been issued against her. It is a procedural issue that a woman can be arrested between 6 pm and 6 am, ONLY if she is arrested by a woman officer and taken to an ALL WOMEN police station. And if she is arrested by a male officer, it has to be proven that a woman
officer was on duty at the time of arrest.

It is good for us to know our rights. To what extent it comes of use
remains to be seen in any situation. But as they say, knowledge is power.

I did not know this and am sure lot of us don’t. Please be informed.

i am not a movie critic. i am not a professional reviewer. i am not those “mai ka laal” types. i am also not the india is my mother types. i have my mother and father and i just watch movies for time pass.

Priyadarshini, which means beautiful to look at, has become a ray of hope today for millions of Indians. Unfortunately, and regretfully, she is not there amongst us today to see how she has influenced our lives, and given a ray of hope to all of us. A ray of light in the dark and murky+ Judiciary Sytem of India. She has reinstated our faith to a great extent on the strength of democracy, public opinion, and made us believe for once that justice might be delayed, but not always denied.

Priyadarshini left this cruel world on 23rd January, 1996, at an age of 22, when most of us really begin to ‘live’ in the truest sense of the word. She was a brilliant law student in the 3rd year at Delhi University, when she was found brutally raped and murdered at her home on that fateful day. She had been raped, injured 14 times with a motorcycle helmet, and finally strangled with a wire. It was worse than the actions of the wildest of beasts.

The culprit was Santsoh Singh, the son of an IPS officer, and her senior in college, who had been stalking her for quite some time. He was arrested and tried for 3 years, before he was acquited by Additional Sessions Judge J.P. Thareja in 1999. Thareja said that though he knew that “he is the man who committed the crime,” he was forced to acquit Santosh, giving him the benefit of doubt. The judge blamed it on the poor investigation and inaction of the Delhi Police, as the accused’s father was then the second in command of the police forces in Delhi.

This came as a shock to all and sundry, and there was a national outcry against the judgement. The case was then handed over to the CBI, who filed a case against the previous judgement in the Delhi High Court. The CBI’s efforts proved fruitful finally in 2006, when on the 17th october the High Court found the accused guilty, and sentenced him to death on the 30th of the same month. The High Court decision was widely perceived in India as a landmark reversal and a measure of the force of media pressure in a democratic setup.

This victory was not only unprecedented for Priyadarshini’s ailing father, but for the whole nation as well. Public opinion and protests had played an important role in this victory. It also showed that Justice is awarded, albeit with much fight and struggle.

Priyadarshini lighted many lamps of hope in the dark Indian system, in our hearts, but in doing so, she had to sacrifice her life. Priyadarshini, you will forever be alive in our hearts and minds, and the lamps that you have lighted will continue to show the way to many others suffering from this archaic justice system.

To the departed souls of Jessica Lal and Nitsh Katara, who have also been victims of this justice system more than the victims of their high profile murderers – “You will be served shortly, now we are wide awake. Please have faith and hope.”

Recently, I upgraded my Desktop. Now many would wonder why not buy a Laptop rather than upgrading the bulky desktop. My simple answer is that I don’t need a Laptop. And being the audiophile that I am, I prefer my desktop with a great sound card and 5.1 speakers to a HTS (Home Theater System). So here are the specs of the new system:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 (2.13 Ghz) – from P4 1.5 Ghz

Gigabyte 965P-DS3 Motherboard – from Asrock Don’t know what shit.

Nvidia 7300 GT (256mb Dedicated) – from onboard graphics

1 GB ddr2 667 MHz FSB from Corsair

Creative X-fi Xtrememmusic – from onboard, again.

Creative T6060 5.1 Speakers – from creative 2.1

Before buying my new processor, I was warned by everyone not to go for Intel, but AMD, as Intel suck nowadays! But I stuck to my guns, my instincts, and went ahead and got what I wanted to. And what a wise decision I made!

I am not a gamer, so my config must be like a mystery to many. Honestly, I was fed up of my 5 yr old desktop, where I couldn’t run many applications, movies would skip, audio sounded muffled.

I was most impressed by this new processor from Intel. I am not a technical man as far as processors go. But I have used AMD X2 processors on my friends’ desktops, and so could make a comparison between the two. And Intel is the winner hands down. It is a dual core processor, consisting of two complete execution cores in one physical processor, both running at the same frequency. Both cores share the same packaging and the same interface with the chipset/memory. It is built for multitasking.

Running multiple applications is a cakewalk now. Music plays whenever am at home, while simultaneously I burn my DVDs, and my torrents are always on download. Not to mention the messengers and browsers running. Audio ripping is blazing fast, and defragmentation and disk cleanup are a lot speedier. I can use Windows Vista now, though I just use the transformation pack for now. Movies and music play better than my crappy HTS. Searching on the hard disk is also faster. Converting Divx to VCD and converting DVD to Divx was so fast I could not believe it was done in 30 mins flat (took 2+ hours on my earlier config)! WMP searched my 120 Gb hard disk for around 2000 mp3 files in 1.5 minutes flat (compared to 10+ minutes earlier, and 3+ minutes on AMD X2).And did I mention what a cool customer it is! The temperature hardly goes beyond 40 degrees C, even during the worst cases of use. And its an overclock darling too! With my motherboard I overclocked it to 2.5 Ghz easily, with just the AC as extra cooler! Don’t forget I live in the Middle East. I could have overclocked more, but dint wanna mess too much with it. With proper cooling, I have read online you can easily clock it to 3.04 GHz!!! Mostly my temperature is around 30, with no AC. And I turn it off only once in 4 days, sometimes even once a week!

E6400 is the second in the series of 4 processors Intel introduced 4 months ago. There is E6300 (1.86), E6600(2.4) and E6700(2.66). I believe E6400 is the ideal processor for anyone looking to upgrade his desktop, or even buying a Laptop. I fall in the Entertainment category of PC users, and I demand more from my system than an average user. E6400 just sleeps through my demands, and surprises me whenever I try to test it. Even my friends having AMD X2 now look at it with envy!!

The series is called Conroe, and it supports Windows 64-bit OS, including Vista. For more techincal details refer this article from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_2

For a comparison of Intel with AMD along with E6400 review, refer this article:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/intel_core_2_duo_e6400_review/

Although it has been one year since this happened, I have come to know of this now, thanks to NDTV. An IIM Lucknow alumnus, Shanmugam Manjunath, was murdered in November, 2005 for trying to prevent a petrol pump in Lakhimpur Kheri (UP,India) from selling adulterated fuel to consumers. He graduated in 2003, with the typical values of an IIM Graduate, visions of buliding a better India, through honesty, diligence, and inherent goodness of human soul. Alas, what did he get as a reward for his efforts? Premature death, and mourning old parents!

It has been an year, yet there is no sign of justice, his murderers are yet to be punished. I feel somehow the IIMs are responsible for this, for not teaching him how the real India works, and how you have to compromise with your morals in this country to survive. Not to mention the utter lawlessness prevailing in states (do they deserve to be called so??) like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. No one seems to be bothered about the brightest youngsters of India, and I will not be surprised if in 2-3 years, all IIM graduates run to multinatonals, and shun India.

Here is the entire case update.

UPDATE, Oct 6-7 hearing get adjourned

As neither the Investigating Officer (IO) nor another Sub Inspector could be produced on the 6th, the Judge expressed his annoyance and gave us dates of 7th and 8th November only.
The IO had to attend another hearing on the 6th in Lucknow High Court where the IG and SSP had to depose. We made about 10 phone calls to ensure that he left at least on the 6th to be there for the 7th at Khiri. The Police bosses have been very co-operative in this regard.
The other SI was not released as, per the DIG of that range, he was needed for the VP Singh rally on that day. Annoyed at neither the SI nor the IO being there on 6th – though the Public Prosecutor informed the Judge of the circumstances and that the IO would reach that night in time for the next day’s hearing – the Judge gave hearing dates a month later.
It’s difficult to continue hope and motivation at such unnecessary setbacks and delays. It’s difficult to convey these to Manju’s parents. It’s astonishing that such huge effort – much of which we do not and cannot put up on public fora – is required for one relatively ‘open and shut’ case. What of the 99.99% other cases who do not have the IIM community’s enormous support??

UPDATE, Sep 25th – One of the accused gets bail

One of the accused, Harish Misra, has been granted bail by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. While he is not one of the main accused – he was a pump employee and charged with destroying evidence – there are several surprising issues with his being granted bail:

• Our lawyer, I.B. Singh, an eminent high court lawyer, is on file to be called by the Govt. Public Prosecutor if any of the 8 accused’ bail pleas come up for hearing. He was not called.
• Earlier, another accused, Rajesh Verma’s bail appeal on the same grounds had been successfully opposed by I.B. Singh and turned down.
• The case is far advanced, with 19 witnesses produced and just 2-3 more to go. At this stage, granting bail is not easily justifiable

We have taken immediate action. An appeal to cancel bail is being filed in the Supreme Court by our lawyer there – Ms. Kamini Jaiswal

UPDATE – FOURTH TRIAL DATES 21-22 SEP

These hearings were tense and fraught with drama. They wereattended by various IIM alumni – S. Ramakrishnan, Head, Branch Banking North India – HDFC bank, IIMC ‘93,Reena Yadav- S. Ramakrishnan’s wife, Akhil Krishna – SAP Labs, IIML 2003;Sushant Pote and Sanjeev , IIML PGP 2 students and Anjali Mullatti, Trustee – MST, IIML ‘93; and Day two, two more IIML PGP2s attended.

• An important witness , RK Zutshi , Manjunath’s erstwhile boss at IOC was presented in court. Manjunath had a long telephone conversation with Zutshi on November 19th – the day of his murder. Manjunath was , Zutshi said , headed to inspect a few pumps suspected of adulteration; one of which was the Mittal Automobile petrol pump
• As per an earlier inspection conducted by Manjunath on 13th September 2005,a fine of Rs.75000/- was imposed and paid by the Mittal petrol pump. As a result the pump had remained closed for a month.If adulteration had been detected again, the dealership would have been terminated.
• Zutshi also confirmed the finding of 3 bullet cartridges from the diesel tank at the pump .
• On the second day of hearing i.e. 22nd Sep, during cross-examination of Mr. Zutshi, the defence counsel claimed that it was because of Manju’s intervention that a pump in Monu’s sister’s name was established at Sisokand. Zutshi’s answers proved these claims false as Manju had only recommended that a pump should be set up in the area and the same was set up at his (Zutshi’s) orders
• One witness turned hostile , making it a total of 4 thus far. A local journalist (’Amar Ujala’ publication) who had earlier submitted in writing that Monu had indeed called him, among 2 others, for help after the crime,claimed to have done so under police pressure. This witness fumbled under cross-examination by prosecution after he was declared hostile;and was not critical to the case, maintains our lawyer, Mr.I B Singh who was present through the proceedings.
• Two police men ,a constable Kaushik Prasad and a sub-inspector TN Tripathi were also examined.The latter had conducted the enquiry against Monu(main accused) and Rajesh Verma(an accomplice)as both these men were found armed without carrying a license which is mandatory as per law
• Zutshi’s statements bring in a lot of much required hope to the prosecution as they help establish the immediate motive of murder and prove the strength of our case

For more details read the news articles. Next hearing dates slotted for 6-7 Oct (fri-sat)

UPDATE – THIRD TRIAL DATES 1-2 SEP

• 3 witnesses produced by prosecution – (a)the person who actually went into the diesel tank and recovered the cartridges, with IOC and police as witnesses (b) the doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination and (c) a constable – small role, who transported papers from local to Gola main police station.
• The first person, Babu Khan, was obviously important and held strong and consistent during cross examination. The recovery of the cartridges from the Mittal petrol pump diesel holding tank – which is locked and only Monu had the key – is a key piece of evidence. The other two were routine and hardly cross-examined.
• Day two saw havaldar Krishna Mohan Mishra being produced. He was present at most of the arrests and recovery of Manju’s cell phone,and other items. Defence raised queries such as: (a)The inspector didn’t book Rajesh etc., when they were found on the Alto with no valid papers of the vehicle, under the Motor Vehicle Act.(b) Why any member of the public wasn’t made a witness to the arrest near the railway station., and so on. Nothing major.

With this, 15 witnesses have been produced. One turned hostile. A key witness it to be produced on next dates – Sep 21-22 . He was Manju’s boss. There is herculean effort going on to ensure co-operation. We cannot reveal more in an open forum.

JOIN HANDS. WISH.STORM THE HEAVENS; WE WILL KNOW SOON IF JUSTICE WINS.

UPDATE – AUG 4-5 & 18-19 DATES POSTPONED

The third set of trial dates scheduled for Aug 4-5 were postponed. Due to a lawyer strike, courts were closed on those dates; the next set of dates scheduled for August 18-19 got postponed as well. We spoke to five newspaper editors and requested them to cover the strike pointing out the futility and cost of courts not working. Courts resumed and the next dates are scheduled for Sep 1-2 2006. A group of volunteers from IIM Lucknow will be attending.

UPDATE – SECOND TRIAL DATES, 6-7 JULY 2006

• Media informed, including editor of leading Hindi newspaper.
• Group of IIML student volunteers formed; they will attend the hearings in groups by rotation, ensuring continued, strong and broad-based attention on the case. IIML campus is 2 hours from Lakhimpur Khiri
• Trustee also travels to Khiri.
• A couple living next to the petrol pump, who were to be produced during the last hearings (refer ‘Day Three’ below), are declared hostile by us (prosecution team). They retract statement made before police that they heard shots on NOv. 19th night. Declaring them hostile enables us to cross examine them. But they stick to their retraction.
  Given the nature of the case and the accused, we are not surprised. We have had indications. It illustrates the uphill fight ahead.
• For the IIML students, it is an eye-opener; far removed from the ‘case discussion CP’ world on campus. They are shaken, but ‘happy they have come’
• Day two sees three more prosecution witnesses produced and cross-examined; part of the poice team who did the ‘panchnama’. Also the hotel manager where Manjunath stayed the previous night, provides hotel records and testifies. This proves Manju was indeed at Gola on the 19th.
• The case is moving,11 witnesses produced and cross examined so far. But unfortunately the next set of dates we get are again a month away – 4th, 5th August. At least we’re getting 2 days in a row. IIML students handed over a letter to the Judge from all IIM Directors, requesting for expedition of the case. They were also introduced to the Judge.

Bail situation: We are often asked about this. All eight accused are, and have been in custody. Two bail applications were rejected at the Sessions Court level. The bail appeal of one of them – Rajesh Verma, whose gun was used in the murder – came to the High Court. We filed an application opposing it and bail was rejected. One of the reasons was that the case is moving. Else a common plea is that nothing is happening in the case and accused are unneccessarily being kept in custody.
Now, another – and a key – bail appeal has come up in the High Court. This is of Devesh Agnihotri, main co-accused along with Pawan Kumar Mittal. Our lawyer is on watch for the date.
Read the news links for media coverage of the case. Write in to us to attend the hearings.

UPDATE – FIRST TRIAL DATES, 5-7 JUNE 2006

• Media informed; press note released.Much preliminary preparation done by the prosecution team.Mr. IB – our lawyer – has been completely committed, involved and done star quality work. He is well known with a strong and good reputation, even amongst the media.
• Trustees met with HT editor in Lucknow and reached Lakhimpur Khiri on 5th morning.
• Big crowds; 5-6 TV channels, plus TOI, IE and HT reporters apart from local press.
  Our endeavour – no individual names, photographs or quotes. Press note only, which talks of the Trust as a group.
• All eight accused brought in with larger police contingent as they got violent with the press and raised slogans of ‘bandhi union zindabad’
• Hearing started at 12.30 p.m, and this was the only case heard till court closed.
  Two policemen – who caught two of the accused with the body – gave evidence and were cross examined.
• There are seven defence lawyers, as except for two of the accused, every one else has his own lawyer – and each is given an opportunity to cross examine.
• That ended Day One. Trustees returned to Lucknow and thence back – on Day Two, Kamini Jaiswal, the noted Supreme Court lawyer, with a Trust volunteer (also a friend and batchmate of Manju’s) – took over.
• Ms. Jaiswal’s presence also created a big impact. The volunteer’s presence showed that more people are involved, and he was asked for quotes on Manju.
• Day Two was the start of examination of the non-state witnesses: Manju’s landlord, and a neighbouring petrol pump owner.
• All three gave proper and relevant evidence. This was important.They were confident during the intensive cross examination.
• Ms. Jaiswal and Mr. IB left after discussing the strategy for Day Three.
• Day Three saw the proceedings being adjourned. The witnesses could not be produced due to unavoidable reasons.
• The Judge is proceeding on vacation and has given us next dates only of 6-7 July
• We have sent letters requesting daily hearings to The Hon’ble Sessions Judge, The Hon’ble Chief Justice, Allahabad High Court, and The Hon’ble CJ, Supreme Court.
• If necessary we will meet the CJs to push this.

Days of mixed feelings – relief, optimism, and much sadness. It is distressing to see the accused; to hear the graphic details; see the photographs. The resolve gets reinforced.. Quote from one of the Trust attendees: “I am happy that I came. I can’t express the way I am feeling.”
PLEASE JOIN US AND ATTEND THE HEARINGS. NEXT DATES 6-& JULY. EMAIL US. THIS WILL HELP PRESENT A SHOW OF STRENGTH.ALL OF YOU.
For news items on the hearings, read the News Items and Articles.

Important Update: May 20th 2006

• The order for framing of charges against all eight accused was passed at Lakhimpur Khiri Sessions Court on 19th May, 2006.
• Two prior dates – 29th April and 8th May – had passed because the accused said they did not have lawyers and the Judge was travelling, respectively. The charges were heard on 11th and 12th May, with the Judge passing the order on 19th May.
• Press coverage, especially in the Lucknow editions, has been extensive with each of the above mentioned dates seeing articles in the Indian Express and Times of India.
• All eight accused have pleaded ‘not guilty’: therefore the trial now begins. Dates for trial have been given on 5th, 6th and 7th June.
• Our lawyer and the Public Prosecutor tell us that usually, trial dates are given 1-2 months after framing of charges, and that only a date at a time. It is good that we have got dates just 2 weeks away, and 3 days at a stretch.

Please keep visiting the site and join hands with us: the real battle now starts.

The charged & the charges (from the Indian Express, 19th May 2006)

• Pawan Kumar Mittal alias Monu, prime accused, son of pump owner: directed Devesh Agnihotri to kill Manjunath.

• Devesh Agnihotri, Monu’s friend: Shot Manjunath at the behest of Monu Mittal.

• Sanjay Awasthi and Harish, pump employees: Trapped Manjunath, destroyed evidence.

• Rakesh Kumar (Monu’s driver) and Vivek Sharma, employee: Arrested with Manjunath’s body in Sitapur district.

• Lalla Giri, employee: Tried to destroy evidence.

• Rajesh Verma, friend: Sheltered the accused, had weapon.

Update: May 1st 2006

Charges were not framed on 29th April – the accused asked for more time as they have not engaged legal counsel (a delaying tactic). The judge has given them a final extension till 8th May 2006. The presence of Indian Express and TOI reporters during the 29th April adjournment provided timely pressure. Both papers published articles (See section “News Items and Articles”)

Current Status: April 25th 2006

Following a visit by the trustees to Lakhimpur Khiri Sessions Court and a meeting with the SP, the current update is:

1. Two trustees, our lawyer, his assistants, and IOC law manager visited Lakhimpur Khiri Sessions Court.

2. The date for ‘framing of charges’ (stage prior to start of trial) is on 29th April 2006.
3. Public Prosecutor (PP)has agreed to have our lawyer as part of the prosecution team. With this, we now have direct representation. We have now got all the documents related to the case and our lawyer – a man of quality and integrity – is working to push the PP and IOC lawyer to join him in analysis and decision of how the case should be fought.
4. Met with the SP, Zaqi Ahmed, an extremely nice and dedicated IPS officer; as also the Investigating Officer (IO). The IO has done a painstaking job of the investigation. A meeting is scheduled with him and our lawyer and the PP to analyse any gaps in the chargesheet and how they can be filled.
5. Indian Express and TOI editors met and updated – ongoing relationship till the end; articles in both (national editions) will come out before the 29th April date.

Status – As of April 10th , 2006

1. Police Investigation is complete and the Chargesheet was filed on Feb 20th,2006.

2. All the accused are in custody. The accused are, in the order of accused -

Monu Mittal, Sanjay Awasti, Devesh Agnihotri, Vivek Sharma, Lalla, Harish, Rakesh Kumar, Rajesh Verma

Of these, Vivek Sharma and Rakesh were arrested with the body after the police intercepted their car. Rakesh was a filling attendant at the Mittal petrol pump and Vivek was a driver. Sanjay and Devesh are business partners of the main accused, Monu Mittal.

3. The charge-sheet was reviewed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate. He has now committed it to the Lakhimpur Sessions Court.

4. Next comes the stage of ‘framing the charges’, wherein the accused will have a chance to dispute the charges. The case will thereafter start trial.

5. A Public Prosecutor has been appointed by the Govt. IOCL , an interested party has also appointed their own counsel to assist in the case. Both are based in Lakhimpur Khiri.

Our Efforts on the Case, and how you can help -

Our Legal Team

We have lawyers at Delhi, Lucknow and Lakhimpur. Noted senior Supreme Court advocate Kamini Jaiswal, based in Delhi, has committed her whole-hearted support and assistance. She is currently in an advisory capacity. Ms. Jaiswal is well known for her integrity and work in PILs. Mr. Indra Bhushan Singh, a prominent lawyer of Lucknow is driving the case. He has acted as Special Public Prosecutor for most of the narcotics cases in UP; has acted to secure the release of women imprisoned for over 20 years and forgotten by everybody; and has shown immense commitment and involvement with the case. Mr. I.B. Singh has appointed an assistant lawyer at Lakhimpur Khiri.

Media Pressure

The media pressure continues. We are in touch with the editor of the Indian Express – Lucknow edition – the last article was on Mar 19th, where the url of the trust was also mentioned. (http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/682.html). Indian Express and The Times of India have both committed any help we need till the resolution of the case.

Anybody who would be able to handle media management, let us know.

Support From the Police

Senior IPS officers are also advising us on an ongoing basis.

Close follow-up by Trustees

One trustee/core team member will attend key hearings. The trustees have made two trips, and met with senior lawyers, media, IOCL managers, a politician and senior police officials in Delhi and Lucknow; they have visited the sessions court at Lakhimpur Khiri, met with the Public Prosecutor and got our lawyer included in the prosecuting team; and also met with the SP and Investigating Officer (IO).

We have got a copy of the chargesheet, which is being evaluated. Three bail applications have been rejected at the sessions court level and may now come to the Lucknow High court on appeal. As soon as this happens, they will be opposed by our lawyer in Lucknow.

The case is yet to start – more action will happen then.

It is extremely important to let the local prosecutor, judge and politicians know that the public eye is on them. Help us to do that. We plan a team of senior CXO level IIM alumnus to travel along with reporters, to attend the first hearing at Lakhimpur. Please write in to be part of this team. It will serve to bring out your firm’s corporate social responsibility as well

The above has been reproduced from the following website: http://syg.com/web/manjunath/?page_id=14

i shared my life with my friend,
i shared every bump and bend,
i shared all JOYs and sorrows,
so that our friendship always grows,
but he calls me an opportunist.

i laughed with him when he was happy,
i cried with him when he was sad,
i walked step by step 2gether with him,
i never let the light of our friendship become dim,
but he calls me an opportunist..

i saw the sun rise from his eye,
we enjoyed 2gether the cloudy sky,
i sat on the lush green grass with him,
i lent him my shoulder when he was grim,
but he calls me an oportunist…

i called him every week after we were distanced,
always wating for that one call from him,
alas that call never came, not even on my bday,
i still wished him personally on all his bdays,
but he calls me an opportunist….

i consoled him when he lost his girl,
i supported him when he was left all alone,
i treated him like a part of my own,
made him feel hes still on the throne,
but he calls me an opportunist…..

you ask for help only from closest ones,
bcoz u know they love you tons,
but he shot me with thousand guns,
and called me an opportunist……

dear friend i know i dint call you for a long time,
but there were myriad reasons behind that crime,
being your friend, i dint want to share my crisis with you,
always wanted to share only laughs, even if they were few,
pls dont call me an oportunist!

remember the times we have shared,
understand my problems,
dont you know why i cant come there?
we havent met since 3 long years,
stil waiting with my eyes full of tears,
but i m an “opportunist”!!

life plays games with all of us,
i m but just a puppet, in a mess,
let me finally confess,
even though you call me an opportuist,
may u have all of god’s bless!

~Devesh

image courtesy: http://www.aupair-friendship.de

A hinid Poem, excuse me for the language!

aisa kyon lagta hai?

aaj kyon aisa lagta hai,

jaise beeta hua kal hi aanewala kal tha.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

tere saath jo pal beeta, wahi zindagi ka sabse haseen pal tha.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

ki teri aankhon mein hi mera astitva doob gaya ho.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

ki tere saath chhodne par tinke ka sahara bhi chhoot gaya ho.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

jaise tera pyaar pyaar nahi kuch aur tha.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

ki tune jo din mere saath guzare, woh tere liye ek bura daur tha.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

ki pyar mein mere bhi kuchh kami thi.

aa aisa kyon lagta hai,

jab tune mujhe chhoda, tere aankhon mein bhi woh nami thi.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

ki wafayein hum dono ne hi nahi nibhayi.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

humare pyaar ki taqdeer hamesha se hi thi judai.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

ki tune mujhe kabhi chaha hi nahi.

aaj aisa kyon lagta hai,

ki tune kabhi dil mujhse lagaya hi nahi.

Let me make it very clear at the outset that this is my view, and not a definitive guide of what to expect from the movie. So, here we go.

Comparisons are inevitable, but not for me, because the old Don was released much before I was born, and I saw it at the time when such thrillers were being routinely made. All said, the old Don was a cool movie. Come to think of it, it was surely ahead of its time, and hence could fit relatively better in today’s times. Amitabh rocked in the movie!!

Now lets some to the subject of this piece. Don (2006), directed by Farhan Akhtar, and starring SRK, is an intelligent movie, a well crafted thriller, that takes time to involve you, but leaves you satisfied at the conclusion. It is stylish, cool, modern, and very hip. A tad slow at times, the first half doesn’t spring much surprises, with most of the story being same as the earlier Don. That said, it is still watchable, mainly because of SRK. It is refreshing to see him so controlled, and yet so cool and DON’y’ (for want of the perfect word!). Not once does he overacts, and such a restrained performance makes up for a slowish first half. He is very well supported by Boman Irani, who is just remarkable! This man is a true actor. About 20 minutes or so before the interval, the film begins to grow on you, and you actually forget the earlier Don. What I mean to say is, you stop thinking whether this scene is the same, this situation is identical. By this time, the supposed remake has evolved!

The second half is more than just gripping; it just changes the entire texture of the movie! There are a lot of twists and turns, and all of them unpredictable! At the end of it, you have a movie, which has the basic body of the earlier Don, but the character has changed completely. It feels like you have watched a movie which isn’t a remake, but a movie with similar story as the earlier one. That said, it would have been better had this movie not been publicized as a remake, it would have aroused less expectations, and thus made more impact.

SRK outshines himself this time, and manages to act out the character he portrays, be it the innocent Vijay, or the menacing Don. There is not a hint of overacting, and it only shows how much a director’s actor he is. Comparisons would be unfair, lets just say this Don rocks too!!

Priyanka and Isha look good, so does Kareena in a minuscule role. They don’t have much to act, and they manage to support the film in the best possible manner. Arjun Rampal is a tad wooden for an aggrieved man, but his voice makes up for his expressions. Maybe some people do not really act out grief, they just speak and see! Boman Irani is excellent, and the way his character develops, only he could have played this part. He even triumphs over SRK in some scenes! This guy should win some awards. Om Puri has a small part to play, and he is as usual. Actually, he has been wasted!

Cinematography is good, locales are a visual delight. The only sore point is the music. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t consistent. The title track, and the original track rock, while the tracks retained from the earlier Don pass muster. The picturisation of Khaike looks odd when it comes, but at the end you realize why it was like that. Background score is electric, and really complements the mood of the film. Special effects are very well executed, and do not look tacky like they usually do in Bollywood. Stunts are nice too, though nothing extraordinary.

So I come to the most important question. Will this film be a huge hit? The answer would be NO. The reason is not because I liked the movie, but because it is an intelligently made movie, where you have to carefully watch and infer, and remember the clues dropped to you. To enjoy this movie, you have to forget that there was an earlier movie with a similar story. And that’s where the movie will fail, because it has been publicized as a remake, and so the public will go and start making comparisons there, remembering the earlier Don. Also, the sluggish first half won’t help the film, and the classy treatment of this massy plot won’t find universal acceptance. Maybe some high octane stunts, though unnecessary, and some power packed dialogues, in the typical Bollywood style, would have helped the film. But then again, this is not what the movie intended to be, and what Farhan wanted to make, he has made well. This movie has everything it needs, and nothing extra. Even SRK is not the usual hyperactive that he is, and that for me was my money’s worth!

Don ko dekhke bhool paana mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai.!

P.S.: 7 of us went for the movie, with 3 being perennial SRK haters. Even they appreciated him, and liked the film.

This is the biggest news, DHAMAKA..

Looks like SRK is changing gears at the best time. After DON, it seems he has apparently been chosen to play the villain in Dhoom III. Here is the complete article, thanks to http://www.naachgaana.com. Great news, I must say.

Yashraj films plan Dhoom 3 with SRK
By Ashok Anchan
15 October 2006, 11:48 PM

MUMBAI: Carry-on series in Hollywood are not a new phenomenon. We’ve seen it with the likes of the Rambo series, Carry On Doctor series and Police Academy series, amongst others.
The trend is now picking up in Bollywood too. First we saw N Chandra’s Style and Xcuse Me. Then came Sajid Nadiadwala’s Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri, Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai and Krrish and then came Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Munnabhai M.B.B.S and Lage Raho Munnabhai.
The latest on this front is from Yash Raj Films. While Dhoom 2 (D:2) starring Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu and Uday Chopra is all set to release on 24 November; the makers are already readying the third film of the series. According to sources close to the development, the scripting and pre-production work and the casting for the film is currently underway.
While John Abraham played grey shades in the first part, one will get to see Hrithik Roshan in its sequel. What’s more, sources reveal that none other than Shah Rukh Khan will play the negative character in the third part. On the other hand, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra will also be cast in the third part along with Aishwarya Rai and Ranbir Kapoor (son of Rishi Kapoor).Confirming the developments, a source from Yash Raj Films’ says, “The scripting of the film is nearing completion. But possibly Sanjay Gadvi, who has directed Dhoom 2, won’t be directing the film. The film will be launched shortly.”

Exciting times Ahead friends!

HT also confirms this news, here is the link:

http://img88.imageshack.us/my.php?image=srkdhoom3ks7.jpg

Cast: Shabana Azmi, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Suniel Shetty, Divya Dutta, Himani Shivpuri, Puru Raaj Kumar & Kulbhushan Kharbanda

Director: J.P.Dutta

Music: Anu Malik

Lyrics: Javed Akhtar

The expectations from this movie have been enormous, as it stars some of the biggest names in Bollywood currently, and has been directed by J.P. Dutta, who has given us some memorable films, with equally memorable music. The choice of Anu Malik for the music of this period classic came as a shock to many, including myself. But then, if you look at Malik’s work for J.P. Dutta, you cannot question his obvious choice. What remained then was how authentic and original will the music be.

I must say, Anu Malik has outdone himself here. The music is mesmerizing to say the least!

Song: Salaam Karne Ki Aarzoo..

This is an instantly likeable song, moving at a smooth pace, and engulfing you with its melodious simplicity. Alka Yagnik’s voice is touching, and Javed Akhtar writes simple yet powerful poetry. Sample this: Jise Bhi Hum Dekh Le Palat Ke, Usi Ko Apna Ghulam Kar Lein. I wonder how did Anu compose this absolutely awesome track, which is classical, soothing, touching, and popular at the same time. It only proves Anu has class, you just have to harness him.

Song: Pehle Pehel..

This song is slow and haunting. Once again having a classical base, it has really meaningful words, which are yet again very simple. Alka Yagnik again shines with a controlled voice. She surely shows she is the best when it comes to Indian Classical music. The song conveys the aura of the first meeting between lovers in a very subtle and touching manner. Sample this: Dekha Ye Khwab To, Dil Hai Betaab To, Dono Ghabra Gaye, Tum Bhi Pehle Pehel, Hum Bhi..

Song: Jhoote Ilzaam..

This is the best song among the previous ones. The trademark in this album so far has been classical music with simple yet effective words, and topped with exquisite singing. This song follows the same tradition, but manages to touch just a bit more, with the words conveying pain while being understandable. Sample: Tum Kisi Aur Ki Kismat Mein ho, Tum Mere Nahi.. Yeh Agar Sach bhi Hai to Mujhko Bataya Na Karo..Dil Hai Nazuk Ise Tum Aise Dukhaya Na Karo. The song is basically a complain by the girl, requesting the boy not to play with her emotions. Alka Yagnik rules.

Song: Main Na Mil Sakoon Jo Tumse

This song makes it difficult to rank the songs, a fantastic number again. Yet again, it is classical, relaxed, simple, and conveying the ethos so well. It is about the girl explaining her helplessness to the guy and telling him to forget her, while complaining about his behaviour also. Remarkable song, once again. This makes it 4 on 4 so far, which is reason enough to buy the album. Alkya Yagnik is the soul of this album. Sample: Maine Chaha Tha Kisiko, Mera Haal Kya Hai Dekho… Jo Kasoor Kiya Tha Maine, Woh Tum Kabhi Na Karna..

Let me make it clear at this point that this album is classy, having slow haunting numbers, and not the high octane type, with thumping beats. It is simple, Indian classical music at its best. So take your pick.

Song: Pooch Rahe Hain

This song takes time to grow on you, unlike the other instantly likeable songs. But it slowly owns you with repeated hearings, with its sheer melody and pain. This song has more classical background, in terms of Tabla and other instruments playing in the background. Basically, it has more instruments in its arrangement. Yet again slow, simple, yet touching. I am at a loss of words here, using the same words everytime, but beleive me, this itself the hallmark of this album. The song is again about the girl sighing about the pain in love. Sample: Kaun Yaha Hai Sunne Wala, Dil Ki Baat Sunayein Kya, Daag Yeh Dil Mein Aaye Hain Kaise, Unko Hum Samjhaye Kya.

Song: Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya

This song really makes you cry, with its emotions. This is about a mother requesting hte God not to give her a girl child. It has two versions, one by Anu’s daughter Anmol, and the other by Richa Sharma. Anmol’s version doesnt register the same impact as the other version does, though she does well for a debutant. For the first time, Alka Yagnik gets a break in the album. I guess one version is sung by young Aishwarya, and the other by Shabana Azmi. The melody is once again brilliant with minimal arrangements, which is in sync with the demands of the song. The lyrics have a UP touch in terms of lyrics, which makes it even further rooted to reality. Brilliant, Mr. Malik and Javed Saab!

Song: Dekha Humein Aise Ke

For the first time, we have a male voice, in the form of Sonu Nigam, along with Alka.Sonu does wonders in this song, proving his worth yet again. This song is the least classical among the lot, and grows on you with repeated hearings. This song is a love song, yet manages to be different than the routine love songs, thanks to the lyrics and the music. This is probably the most upbeat and happy song in the album. Another gem. Sample: Aankhon Mein Hai Nasheele Bhanwar, Zulf Mein Lahar, Dariya Yeh Kaisa Husn Ka, Dikhla Diya Humein.

Song: Ek Toote Hue Dil Ki..

This is a small song by Alka (yet again!), with absolutely minimal arrangements, and yet it conveys the pain with the combination of lyrics, music and voice. It makes you look forward to a great song, but ends just when you have warmed upto it. Kind of deceives you, with its small length.

Overall, the music is fabulous, and a welcome break from what we have been getting in recent past. Though it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but none can deny the honesty and sincerity of the people involved. Anu Malik deserves yet another National Award, for being so true to the period, and living upto the original’s music. Javed Akhtar shows his class yet again. Alka Yagnik makes an indelible impression.

I cant judge which Umrao Jaan has better music, and there should not be any comparisons made between the two. This music has its own identity, and it recreates the bygone era in the most infectious manner. Another winner for Anu Malik after Janeman.

My family is the most important to me, and I spend most of my time with them. I dont have a girl friend, and dont really feel the need for it.

There are times though, when I am by myself, alone, and feel an unexplainable loneliness. At that time, I want to run away from my family, but dont know to whom/where. I want to be alone, but then feel very lonely. During such time, even my otherwise faithful PC ditches me, and fails to make me happy. I am englufed in a cloud of darkness, a solitude, which I fail to explain to myself. All logic fails, all hell breaks loose, and I feel a crushing weight over myself. I dont even like talking to any of my friends then, I just shut myself up in my room, and play some soft music. Yes, music does not ditch me then!

This inexplicable madness occurs frequently nowadays. Does it happen with me only? Sometimes I think it is only because I dont have a girl friend, but I am sure even people with girl friends must have felt this at times. To make myself clear, let me add that it is not the reason of something bad at work, some fight with someone, or anything bad. It happens all of a sudden, out of a blue moon.

This has brought me to a realization, that whoever we are, whatever we do, however happy we may be, there is a moment of desperation, sadness, pain, loneliness, which appears illogical and is unexplainable, every now and then. The result of such a thing is still unclear though. Most of the times I just keep thinking, staring blankly, or humming along with the music. Then mom calls me for something, or some other work pops up, and I get on with it. Maybe its the time when we connect to God, or a time for introspection, whatever it is, it is strange, vague, and unexplainable.

The credit for the title goes to Ankit, one of my greatest pals. This poem is abstract, heartfelt, and refreshing for me.

There is something unique in the air today,
My heart is beating faster,
There is something unique in the air today,
Today, I am finally my own master.

There is effervescence in the air today,
The world around me is smiling,
There is effervescence in the air today,
The aura has an infectious styling.

There is sweet mist in the air today,
The tears in my eyes have dried,
There is sweet mist in the air today,
The smile on my face is innocence personified.

There is positive energy in the air today,
I can feel the positivism in my veins.
There is positive energy in the air today,
I feel like crossing all the rocky terrains.

There is innocence in the air today,
My heart is pure again,
There is innocence in the air today,
My sky is azure again.

There is love in the air today,
Love, which is selfless and intoxicating,
There is love in the air today,
Love, which is restless, but not heartbreaking.

Oh,
This air is nothing but my life,
There is no YOU in my life today.

~Devesh

“Gosh! I have no time to get bored”. This is an often heard line. Well, I am happy for people who are so busy, always engaged something or the other. But I prefer getting bored at times. By getting bored, I mean indulging in your thoughts, immersing youself in ur your own little mind, and sleeping with eyes wide open. Thats the only time I feel like I am dead, and my soul is living. Sounds weird? Here is a quirky writeup.

When boredom knocks on the door,

It knocks you out.

It captures your senses,

Crosses all your defenses,

Causing nothing but grievances,

And faster than a bullet it advances.

It all starts with the joy of freedom,

Freedom from work, freedom to enjoy,

Freedom to play, freedom to rejoice,

Soon you become the slave of this freedom,

And then the freedom turns into boredom.

You try to simulate a work environment,

You try to put on a brave face,

Try to handle it with utmost grace,

Try to leave absolutely no trace,

But you cant escape its embrace.

There is a limit to what you cannot do,

But bigger is the limit to what you can do,

Options available are just a few,

All you manage is to search for a cue.

My friend, if you think this is not true,

You just have a very optimistic view.

My schoolmates, if any of you are reading this, then just know that you people have played a very large part in making me last till date.

These photos are from the class party at the end of our journey in school together.

More to follow if I see interest.

Enjoy!!

As long as it lasts, is the most appropriate way to describe this Blog. My thoughts, during their life time, or as long as they last, would be expressed through this blog. My experiences, which I want to last longer than they did, would be shared.

As for you all, as long as this blog lasts, and the desire to read it lasts, you can drop in anytime.

As long as we all last, we live.

Against Quota System
Friends please sign this petition against the quota system in India.

http://www.vyomworld.com/petition/view-signatures.asp

I beleive rather than having this quotas, All governements should enable free quality education for all deprived castes till class 12th, ably supported by the federal governemnt. The PM and CMs should themselves look into this matter personally. The SC/ST/OBC should be empowered to compete in all competitive exams for admission to colleges. Rather than giving them direct admission to undeserving candidates, we should think about making them capable fo competing with everyone. This will make them more confident, and give them a great college life. If they are always treated as seperate, when will they have the confidence of facing the world. Removing quotas is a step forward against eradicating the notorious caste system prevalent in our booming country.

What do you say guys?

Agree with me?

Comments are really wanted this time! And please dont forget to sign the petition!

What happens when accomplished thriller makers attempt a different genre?
What results when you combine comedy with suspense?
What is the outcome when Subhash Ghai influences Abbas-Mustan?

The product, my friends, is 36 China Town. And it wont get worse than this!
Oh I forgot, what happens when Himesh Reshammiya sings more and more ?

Isha Kopikar (gorgeous guest appearance) is the owner of some casinos in China Town in Goa. I would love to go to a place like that, if it exists beyond Whistling Woods (watch the movie to understand what I am saying). Her son gets lost somehow, and ends up being found by our lead pair, Shahid and Kareena. Now this couple (well, they do become one later!) left their respective homes in search of greener pastures, but now find themselves in a lurch in need of money (might have just sold their designer clothes!). The child carries a reward of 25 lakhs, which our couple decides to… … share, and thus, they call up Isha and inform her they are coming to China Town to take the money (and of course, to return her son!).

Other than this, there are 3 parallel stories running. Johnly Lever is a wannabe gambler, who is also in China Town to make quick bucks along with his wife Tanaaz Currim. Paresh Rawal is the expert gambler turned no-gambler, who has supernatural powers pulling him back into gambling, and so he ends up gambling with Johny. Then there is Payal Rohtagi, Paresh’s wife, who tried to stop her husband, but ends up spending the crucial (murder time) time with Upen Patel. That leaves us with Upen Patel, who is a casanova, trying to woo every babe with his rose antiques.

Now, Isha gets murdered the same night that all these charcters happen to visit her for some crappy reasons (dont bother, all of them are silly). Enter Akshay Khanna, who saves the movie from being a complete disaster, with great support by Vivek Shauq. So the investigations follow, and some songs later, the culprits found.

36 China Town is one of the saddest movies by Abbas Mustan. Resting on a script of convenience, and a highly irritating screenplay (imagine a candlelit dinner in Jail by the lead couple when they are accused or murder), the movie gets on your nerves by the interval. I actually waited for the murder to happen, and finally when it does happens, I heaved a sigh of relief! That speaks a lot of the movie.

Plusses are some genuinely funnny moments, 2-3 zanny songs by Himesh (though forced in the narrative), and eye candy locales. Performances range from manageable to pathetic. Akshay Khanna is the saving grace, ably supported by Paresh Rawal and Vivek Shauq. Johny Lever is good in some scenes, irritates in most. Upen Patel does a decent job of casanova. The lesser said about the rest, better it is.

The worst part is the identity of the killer, it really makes you feel like tearing your hair and guts and whatever you can get your hands on. Thank god I had popcorn! You cant make a comic thriller AM, please stick to normal thrillers. If you do plan to make more of such movies in future, please rip it off from a Hollywood hit, so that you have a sound script.

I felt rather than going for that 12 night show, I should have slept at home.

Dear Ganguly,

Even though I hated you many times when you failed poorly, and got petrified of Shoaib’s whiskers, I completely support you now. At the same time, I feel sorry, that we, the ones who have made cricket a political battleground by being mad bunch of fans, by high voltage emotions, are responsible for your ouster. We, who brought all the moolah into the game by buying tickets at exorbitant prices, bunking offices to support our team, our idols, are extremely sorry for not being able to kick these selectors in their big foul butts.

What is the authority of these selectors? How many of them have played substantial international cricket other than Mr. More, who, by the way, was no great shakes either. Who has selected these selectors? Why don’t we get our former greats as selectors? Why cant we vote our selectors from a pool of nominees? Why isn’t this entire body public? People like Shastri, Manjrekar, Jadeja, Kapil, Gavaskar, Srinath, where are they? Cricket is a game, not a political battle, where Greg Chappell becomes the leader of the political party called BCCI, and dictates terms, intimates the captain, and brainwashes players into believing Ganguly is useless. It is a complete joke, this entire selection process. How else can you explain Kaif being selected despite his abysmal performance (worse than Sourav has ever had in his entire career), and that too, after “resting” him for the last three matches. Shouldn’t these selectors be responsible? Why aren’t they accountable to public? Who the hell are they to control without any set guidelines?

The treatment meted out to our cricketing greats has always been criticized and debated, but without any results. Sorry for that legends, but we are all too bothered with the wins we get, and powerless to do anything other than write, and express our discontent!

If anyone else feels the same about the issue, do contribute. It will help build an opinion somehow. Don’t think it would never make a difference, anyways it isn’t costing anything to you. Be true, and say it!

Sorry once again Sourav!

The venue is Dubai Tennis Court. The crowd is excellent, and the weather amazingly cool!

5 minutes ago, Sania Mirza lost to Martina Hingis, 6-3,7-5. This is the first time I have seen her playing live. I am her biggest AC (the father of fan!!)! Obviously I am dissapointed, but not entirely, as Hingis has always been my favourite.

The first set was dominated by Hingis, except for 2 games. Once she was broken by Sania, and one where Sania held her serve. In fact, Sania held her serve only 4 times in the entire match! Sania, please work on your serve!!

The second set was even stevens, with both players losing their serves twice. It was a long set, with lots of deuces. The most crucial and one sided break came at 5-5, when Sania lost her serve. Hingis then closed out the match in the next game comfortably.

The crowd was almost entirely Indian, with people dancing, shouting and cheering just like it happens in a cricket match. No wonder Hingis said “Sorry” to the crowd after defeating Sania.

Though I have never played tennis, I can still make a few suggestions to Sania. The first and foremost is her serve. If she has to maintain (yes, maintain!) her ranking in WTA, she has to work on her first serve. There wasnt a single ace form Sania, compared to 5 from Hingis! Sania had a dismal first serve %, less than 45%. Secondly, she probably needs to shed some flab. Well she has lost some, but a bit more would surely help. She was being made to run all round the court easily by Hingis, and she couldnt pick a single drop shot!

Another place where she has to work upon is her backhand. Apart from her crosscourt shots which are deadly, her backhand is utter crap. Though she tries her best, its just not happening! Her smashing, and net play is also not upto the mark.

What saves Sania is her enthusiasm, crowd support, and her attitude, apart from her cross court shots and the much talked about forehand. But that is not enough at the international level.

Sania, you are just 19, please make us even more prouder! I know you can be a top 10 player, you just need to work harder on your game, and concentrate less on your ads.