1. The tax slabs for both male and female has been increased. This shows Finance Minister is sensitive to the needs of the common man.
2. In line with the policy of boosting the infrastructure sector by promoting investments, an individual who invests in long term infrastructure bonds (to be notified by the Government) will now get an additional deduction for the amount invested in such bonds to the extent of Rs. 20,000. This is a good measure as presently there is a tax deduction limit of Rs 100,000 which is anyways having various investment options all lumped up together. An individual who invests in these infrastructure bonds will also be able to get incremental tax relief’s. This in turn increases the GDP.
3. Jewelleries will become costlier as FM has raised the duty on imports of gold and platinum to Rs 300 per 10 grams from Rs 200.
4. Infrastructure and Social sector get a major share of allocation which is a positive sign. Infrastructure needs to improve big time for our country which is projected to take over as the second best economy in the world in near future.
5. Renewable energy resources have been given a big boost.
6. This budget is a boon to Small enterprises earning annual revenue up to Rs 60 lakh or a independent professional with gross receipts up to Rs 15 lakh as they no more have to get their accounts audited.
7. Educational Development receives comparatively less increase.But due to relaxation in FDI, more foreign universities can tie up with Indian Universities and increase the quality of education.
Saturday, February 27
Friday, February 26
In a league of of his own..
Cricket lovers are obsessed with records and stats - Indian fans notoriously so - which perhaps explains why the entire country went into paroxysms of delight when Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to score 200 runs in a 50-over match. The penny seemed to have suddenly dropped. What had been discussed for almost a half a decade in muted tones for fear of blasphemy, had acquired a brazen overtone: Move over Sir Donald Bradman, Tendulkar is now the greatest batsman of all time.
Tendulkar's spectacular run over the past two years has obviously given a fillip to this argument. I suspect that the despair arising out of the 2007 World Cup disaster has something to do with him getting a second wind and batting with the energy, ambition, competitive edge and run hunger that had defined his cricket in the first decade of his career. At 36, in his 21st year in the game, he has been playing with the enthusiasm of a 16-year-old again. I reckon he wanted to prove something to himself, and his performances of the last two years show he has done this mind-bogglingly.
I am chary of statistics leading to outrageous conclusions, but unlike Mark Twain I don't damn them. I find them fascinating and infuriating, but at all times stimulating, and have found profuse use for them in writing on cricket. Stats play a big and useful role because they provide significant tangible value to a player's worth. But they can also be quirky and deceptive, often giving misleading clues about a player's true qualitative worth.
And yet, paradoxically, Bradman's perceived greatness stems almost entirely from statistics, in particular his dazzling Test average of 99.94, which has remained unassailable for more than 60 years. Looked at every which way, it is a numbing, humbling statistic. No batsman, either before Bradman or since, has come remotely close to it. Every effort to rationalise it for contemporary evaluation has come a cropper.
So while it would be fair to say that superior fielding and better opposition would reduce Bradman's prolific run-getting to say 70-odd per innings, if you consider that batsmen today play on covered wickets with all kinds of protective gear, it would climb back into the 90s again and bring the debate back to square one. The assessment, ergo, must use other parameters.
Let's revisit the Gwalior match. Suppose Tendulkar had somehow not got the strike in the last over and remained unbeaten on 199, would he have been a lesser player? Suppose Virender Sehwag had got his third triple-century in Mumbai against Sri Lanka, would he have hurdled over Lara and become a greater batsman than Bradman? These are impossible questions to settle purely in statistical terms.
A large body of work is, of course, essential to eliminate those who flicker very brightly but very briefly. But the more compelling argument according to me is to assess the impact a sportsperson has on the consciousness of his era, how he has shaped the milieu of his times, what he has meant not just to his sport but also his country and the world. That's where the twain - Bradman and Tendulkar - meet, despite the vast statistical difference that will remain when Tendulkar retires.
For, like Bradman, Tendulkar has not merely been a cricketer but a symbol of sustained excellence, not just a role model but a metaphor for his country's aspirations; not just a sporting genius but a sociological phenomenon. The pressure, the burden of expectations they have had to endure throughout their careers, finds no parallel in their sport, or their country's ethos.
It is almost impossible to compare greats from different eras. In my opinion, purely from a sporting point of view Tendulkar today stands on par with Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher. If that still doesn't resolve the issue, let me approach it differently.
If Tendulkar were to retire tomorrow, a long queue of the game's greatest batsmen would await him near the dressing room: Hammond, Hobbs, Hutton, the three Ws, Richards, Gavaskar, Dravid, Sehwag, Ponting, Lara, Chappell, Miandad, et al. And at the head of this queue would be Bradman, first to shake his hand and say, "Gosh, you little bonzer, I would have loved to play an innings like that!"
Sunday, January 24
The director who escaped Kamal's brilliance
When the final analysis of 2009 was carried out there were a few films that kept repeating themselves in almost all the lists. One among them was Unnaipol Oruvan. It was arguably the best movie, had the best performances and had the strongest impact on the audience. Of course, this result was expected from the movie because the man behind it was Kamal Haasan. That is a fair enough claim. But aren’t there more people who also deserve to be called the ‘man behind the film’. I am not talking about Mohanlal or Neeraj Pandey or UTV. Perhaps you might have noticed the trailers and promos of Unnaipol Oruvan which said loud and clear: A Film by Chakri Toleti. This name seems to have been rather unceremoniously forgotten once the film was released and went on to become a big success in all aspects.
Technically speaking, Chakri Toleti is the most important person in the movie, its director. But, his name was hardly mentioned or remembered in the aftermath of the movie’s success. Everyone talked about Kamal, Mohanlal and the rare few noticed Ganesh Venkataraman and even lesser
number took note of Shruthi Haasan. How often does it happen that a director gets almost no credit for a movie’s success? Never! But, Unnaipol Oruvan was a special case and Kamal got all the limelight and applause. Wait, is this the case only for Unnaipol Oruvan or have we seen something similar before. Yes, similar things have happened before. I had written something more than a year back which had carried almost the same idea. The only difference was that the name Chakri Toleti was substituted by K.S. Ravikumar and the movie was Dasavatharam. Even as illustrious director as K.S. Ravikumar had found it tough to get his share of attention and applause from the audience for a movie like Dasavatharam. It is almost always the case with Kamal Haasan movies that the director is forgotten in the torrent of praise and accolades that are showered on the Universal Star. It can be said that the sheer brilliance of Kamal often blinds us to the efforts of the director. Sometimes (as is the case of Unnaipol Oruvan) the amount of attention focused on Kamal and his brilliance and the relative oblivion of the director gives the impression that the movie could have in fact been ghost directed by the man himself. We have many examples which prove that it is extremely difficult for a director to create an impression with a Kamal starrer because of the overwhelming skill and popularity of the star. The thing to note here is that all the credit of a movie, even the discredit goes only and only to Kamal. It is funny to see how even the flaws in a movie are seen as Kamal’s responsibility when somebody else is actually the director. Remember the amount of doubts and criticism that Dasavatharam had to face; not one of them held KSR responsible, everyone was taking it out at Kamal.
But, this tendency of Kamal’s sheer brilliance to overshadow the skills of the director is not new. This can be traced as far back as the days of Thevar Magan. I am not sure how many people actually know that the film was directed by Bharathan, everyone sees it as a Kamal film. So is the case with Mahanadi or Guna or Michael Madana Kamarajan. The classic example maybe Anbe Sivam, directed by Sundar C. Now, how many of you will dare call Anbe Sivam a Sundar C movie? I bet even the director himself wouldn’t do that.
It can be said that all Tamil cinema fans are like devotees and their idol is Dr. Kamal Haasan. The devotees tend to attribute anything that happens in their life as the will of God. Similarly, Tamil cinema fans attribute everything that happens in a Kamal starrer to Kamal himself, irrespective of whether he is the director or not. Such a comparison might be viewed as an antithesis to Kamal’s thoughts and (non)beliefs, but I couldn’t find a better analogy.
But, it is not Kamal Haasan’s fault that his directors don’t get noticed much. It is his high standards and perfectionism that attracts all attention towards him. It can never be said that Kamal tried to usurp credit from his directors. In fact, there is a school of thought among Kamal fans that most of his classic films have been directed by him. The official director has directed the film in naught but name. That is a very lofty claim, something that Kamal himself will refute. But, knowing his talents and brilliance, it doesn’t look completely unbelievable too.
Yes, it is tough for a director to create an impression with a Kamal starrer even if he does a good job. But, there are a select few who have managed this tough feat. We don’t have to go all the way back to Nayagan and Mani Rathnam. Even in this decade there have been a few instances when directors have managed to garner attention with a Kamal starrer. KSR sort of pulled it off with Panchathantiram (but that was because it was a multistarrer), Saran too had a fairly close shot with Vasool Raja. But, the man who did it without a shadow of doubt has to be Gautham Vasudev Menon with Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. It was not a multi-starrer, it was a well executed movie, it showcased a stylish and restrained performance from Kamal and in spite of all that it is remembered as a Gautham Menon movie. Yes, Kamal’s brilliance did shine throughout the movie, but never did anyone forget that the entire movie was directed by the man who gave us Kaakka Kaakka. That is perhaps the only instance in the decade when Kamal’s brilliance has not overshadowed a director’s contribution. In fact we can say in jest that Gautham is one of the few directors who escaped the effects of Kamal Haasan’s brilliance. Let’s see who does it next.
Technically speaking, Chakri Toleti is the most important person in the movie, its director. But, his name was hardly mentioned or remembered in the aftermath of the movie’s success. Everyone talked about Kamal, Mohanlal and the rare few noticed Ganesh Venkataraman and even lesser
number took note of Shruthi Haasan. How often does it happen that a director gets almost no credit for a movie’s success? Never! But, Unnaipol Oruvan was a special case and Kamal got all the limelight and applause. Wait, is this the case only for Unnaipol Oruvan or have we seen something similar before. Yes, similar things have happened before. I had written something more than a year back which had carried almost the same idea. The only difference was that the name Chakri Toleti was substituted by K.S. Ravikumar and the movie was Dasavatharam. Even as illustrious director as K.S. Ravikumar had found it tough to get his share of attention and applause from the audience for a movie like Dasavatharam. It is almost always the case with Kamal Haasan movies that the director is forgotten in the torrent of praise and accolades that are showered on the Universal Star. It can be said that the sheer brilliance of Kamal often blinds us to the efforts of the director. Sometimes (as is the case of Unnaipol Oruvan) the amount of attention focused on Kamal and his brilliance and the relative oblivion of the director gives the impression that the movie could have in fact been ghost directed by the man himself. We have many examples which prove that it is extremely difficult for a director to create an impression with a Kamal starrer because of the overwhelming skill and popularity of the star. The thing to note here is that all the credit of a movie, even the discredit goes only and only to Kamal. It is funny to see how even the flaws in a movie are seen as Kamal’s responsibility when somebody else is actually the director. Remember the amount of doubts and criticism that Dasavatharam had to face; not one of them held KSR responsible, everyone was taking it out at Kamal.
But, this tendency of Kamal’s sheer brilliance to overshadow the skills of the director is not new. This can be traced as far back as the days of Thevar Magan. I am not sure how many people actually know that the film was directed by Bharathan, everyone sees it as a Kamal film. So is the case with Mahanadi or Guna or Michael Madana Kamarajan. The classic example maybe Anbe Sivam, directed by Sundar C. Now, how many of you will dare call Anbe Sivam a Sundar C movie? I bet even the director himself wouldn’t do that.
It can be said that all Tamil cinema fans are like devotees and their idol is Dr. Kamal Haasan. The devotees tend to attribute anything that happens in their life as the will of God. Similarly, Tamil cinema fans attribute everything that happens in a Kamal starrer to Kamal himself, irrespective of whether he is the director or not. Such a comparison might be viewed as an antithesis to Kamal’s thoughts and (non)beliefs, but I couldn’t find a better analogy.
But, it is not Kamal Haasan’s fault that his directors don’t get noticed much. It is his high standards and perfectionism that attracts all attention towards him. It can never be said that Kamal tried to usurp credit from his directors. In fact, there is a school of thought among Kamal fans that most of his classic films have been directed by him. The official director has directed the film in naught but name. That is a very lofty claim, something that Kamal himself will refute. But, knowing his talents and brilliance, it doesn’t look completely unbelievable too.
Yes, it is tough for a director to create an impression with a Kamal starrer even if he does a good job. But, there are a select few who have managed this tough feat. We don’t have to go all the way back to Nayagan and Mani Rathnam. Even in this decade there have been a few instances when directors have managed to garner attention with a Kamal starrer. KSR sort of pulled it off with Panchathantiram (but that was because it was a multistarrer), Saran too had a fairly close shot with Vasool Raja. But, the man who did it without a shadow of doubt has to be Gautham Vasudev Menon with Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. It was not a multi-starrer, it was a well executed movie, it showcased a stylish and restrained performance from Kamal and in spite of all that it is remembered as a Gautham Menon movie. Yes, Kamal’s brilliance did shine throughout the movie, but never did anyone forget that the entire movie was directed by the man who gave us Kaakka Kaakka. That is perhaps the only instance in the decade when Kamal’s brilliance has not overshadowed a director’s contribution. In fact we can say in jest that Gautham is one of the few directors who escaped the effects of Kamal Haasan’s brilliance. Let’s see who does it next.
Friday, December 25
A Decade of Bollywood
10 Best Films of the Decade
1. Dil Chahta Hai
What does the spoilt “I, Me, Myself” generation want really? Simply put, Farhan Akhtar captured the conflict of our times and shifted focus from the family unit to the individual.
2. Rang De Basanti
Rakeysh Mehra’s wake-up call became an anthem for the increasingly alienated youth. To end the film as a nightmare – if the youth take up arms – was a touch of brilliance.
3. Lage Raho Munnabhai
Re-introducing Gandhian principles as a solution to our everyday problems through an already popular Munnabhai. What a masterstroke by Rajkumar Hirani
4. Lagaan
The lunacy of filmmaking indeed! For the sheer magnitude of Ashutosh Gowariker’s vision, effort and conviction to pull off a film with an hour long climax – a cricket match!
5. Company
Sarkar was inspired by The Godfather but this underworld saga saw Ram Gopal Varma reach his peak as Jaideep Sahni worded magic. And, the actors delivered the dynamite.
6. Khosla Ka Ghosla
Dibakar Banerjee and Sahni on a shoestring budget chose to bat for the common man’s struggle against the powerful and reunited the individual self back with the family.
7. Dev D
Anurag Kashyap’s take on Devdas caught the fancy of a generation dealing with the degeneration of values and relationship pangs. ‘Emotional Atyachaar’ we loved.
8. Taare Zameen Par
Making a complex country such as ours spell DYSLEXIA is no mean task and Aamir not only did with great sensitivity, the “Idiot” made us cry.
9. Chak De
Because Shimit Amin brought a game-changer to the party. Shah Rukh Khan with no song and dance or heroine. Just a brat-pack of girls and woman-power.
10. Iqbal
Dor is a better film but since it was inspired by Perumazhakaalam, we’ll give it to Nagesh Kukunoor’s slap on the face to Bhansali’s Black brand of manipulative melodrama. Iqbal made us forget his disability and didn’t really try emotional ‘Black’-mail.
10 Films That Got A Little Too Much Attention:
1. Black – Great synthesis of the art and performance if you can forgive the manipulation.
2. Bheja Fry – But yes, an adorable Vinay Pathak carried this plagiarized film.
3. Hera Pheri – This remake got a way more attention than it deserved, spawned sequels
4. Ghajini – Banked on Aamir’s six-pack body to deliver the punches
5. Golmaal – And assembly-line comedies were back in business
6. Krissh – And you thought Koi Mil Gaya was too much?
7. Jism – Bipasha showed what a great body can do.
8. Murder – Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi made out and went serial kissing
9. Dhoom 2 – Aishwarya Rai finally gave in and kissed on screen finally.
10. Fanaa – Kajol’s comeback film was ‘inspired’ too but the director didn’t know that.
10 Films So Bad That They Are Good
1. Neal n Nikki – Shot on a lavish lingerie-string budget, holds record for maximum skin shown in a film
2. Sins – Constructed as a series of excuses for sex scenes involving an old priest and young girl
3. RGV Ki Aag – Inspired critics to come up with the funniest reviews
4. Love Story 2050 – Where a Hrithik Roshan clone looked like the special effect
5. Karzzz – Since I missed Aap Ka Suroor – The Moviee – The Real Luv Story
6. Koi Mil Gaya – Took bad acting to new depths but it worked Jadoo at box office
7. Kyon Ki – That got remade about 20 years too late
8. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom – Before Sunrise with crazy dancing for 20 minutes and strange bearded Bachchan for no reason.
9. Hero Love Story of a Spy – For the brilliance of Anil Sharma and Sunny Deol’s range of disguises involving a mere change in sunglasses to fool Pakistani intelligence
10. Kisna – But hey, that Tarzan girl was good dancing on trees.
10 Films That Did Not Get Their Due
1. Rocket Singh - Honesty that deserves to be watched
2. Johnny Gaddar - A fantastic crime-thriller plays games with your mind
3. Delhi 6 - Gets to the root of our problem - our inherent need for the boogeyman
4. Socha Na Tha - A director was born, Imtiaz Ali's best film till date
5. Luck By Chance - Such a complex film sensitively handled with great balance
6. Flavours - A refreshing debut by the guys who gave us 99
7. Ek Chalis Ki Last Local - Much before Kaminey, a lesser known director paid tribute to the Coens and Tarantino
8. Parzania - Absolutely gutsy filmmaking
9. Blue Umbrella - One of Vishal Bhardwaj's most beautiful films with a Malgudi Days-like charm
10. Hazaaron Kwaishein Aisi – Sudhir Mishra’s masterpiece deserved better but still has a cult following.
10 unforgettable onscreen moments of the decade
1. When Katrina debuted by pulling out a stone from her bikini – Boom
2. When Abhishek kissed John – Dostana
3. When Emraan made out with Mallika – Murder
4. When Sunny Paaji uprooted a hand-pump – Gadar
5. When Hrithik first went on stage to shake a leg – Kaho Na Pyaar hai
6. When Bachchan, Shah Rukh and Hrithik shared screen – Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
7. When a desperate Tabu negotiated helplessly – Chandni Bar
8. When Madhuri and Aishwarya went Dhola Re Dhola – Devdas
9. When Bollywood heroes began to walk like Reservoir Dogs – Kaante
10. When half the movie stars partied on screen – Om Shanti Om
Top 10 Filmmakers of the Decade
1. Anurag Kashyap – What a range of films by the auteur – Paanch, Black Friday, No Smoking, Dev D, Gulaal and Return of Hanuman
2. Farhan Akhtar – For bringing refreshing restraint, understatement
3. Rajkumar Hirani – For preserving the drama in our films
4. Shimit Amin – For giving characters space to breathe
5. Farah Khan – For celebrating our escapist cinema
6. Nagesh Kukunoor – For breaking the mould every time
7. Vishal Bhardwaj – For bringing literature, poetry and lyricism to cinema
8. Rakeysh Mehra – For inspiring and trying hard to make relevant films
9. Ashutosh Gowariker – For his sincerity and conviction
10. Ram Gopal Varma and Priyadarshan – For not letting criticism affect their spirit
10 Indie Films You Must Watch
1 Let’s Talk - For its structureless-ness
2 A Wednesday - For taking offbeat mainstream
3 Mithya - For Rajat Kapoor's uncompromising vision and and Ranvir Shorey's performance
4 Being Cyrus - Indian English cinema's first experiment with a A-list star
5 Phir Milenge - The most sensitive film on AIDS that deals with the drama with great restraint
6 Aamir - An art-house thriller that takes you into the mind of the Muslim who refuses to subscribe to the ideology of violence
7 Mr and Mrs Iyer - A poignant love story that launched Konkana Sen
8 Dil Dosti etc - The anti-thesis to Dil Chahta Hai
9 Loins of Punjab - One of the best written Indian English films
10 Mumbai Meri Jaan - For giving hope, an uplifting tribute to the spirit of Mumbai.
1. Dil Chahta Hai
What does the spoilt “I, Me, Myself” generation want really? Simply put, Farhan Akhtar captured the conflict of our times and shifted focus from the family unit to the individual.
2. Rang De Basanti
Rakeysh Mehra’s wake-up call became an anthem for the increasingly alienated youth. To end the film as a nightmare – if the youth take up arms – was a touch of brilliance.
3. Lage Raho Munnabhai
Re-introducing Gandhian principles as a solution to our everyday problems through an already popular Munnabhai. What a masterstroke by Rajkumar Hirani
4. Lagaan
The lunacy of filmmaking indeed! For the sheer magnitude of Ashutosh Gowariker’s vision, effort and conviction to pull off a film with an hour long climax – a cricket match!
5. Company
Sarkar was inspired by The Godfather but this underworld saga saw Ram Gopal Varma reach his peak as Jaideep Sahni worded magic. And, the actors delivered the dynamite.
6. Khosla Ka Ghosla
Dibakar Banerjee and Sahni on a shoestring budget chose to bat for the common man’s struggle against the powerful and reunited the individual self back with the family.
7. Dev D
Anurag Kashyap’s take on Devdas caught the fancy of a generation dealing with the degeneration of values and relationship pangs. ‘Emotional Atyachaar’ we loved.
8. Taare Zameen Par
Making a complex country such as ours spell DYSLEXIA is no mean task and Aamir not only did with great sensitivity, the “Idiot” made us cry.
9. Chak De
Because Shimit Amin brought a game-changer to the party. Shah Rukh Khan with no song and dance or heroine. Just a brat-pack of girls and woman-power.
10. Iqbal
Dor is a better film but since it was inspired by Perumazhakaalam, we’ll give it to Nagesh Kukunoor’s slap on the face to Bhansali’s Black brand of manipulative melodrama. Iqbal made us forget his disability and didn’t really try emotional ‘Black’-mail.
10 Films That Got A Little Too Much Attention:
1. Black – Great synthesis of the art and performance if you can forgive the manipulation.
2. Bheja Fry – But yes, an adorable Vinay Pathak carried this plagiarized film.
3. Hera Pheri – This remake got a way more attention than it deserved, spawned sequels
4. Ghajini – Banked on Aamir’s six-pack body to deliver the punches
5. Golmaal – And assembly-line comedies were back in business
6. Krissh – And you thought Koi Mil Gaya was too much?
7. Jism – Bipasha showed what a great body can do.
8. Murder – Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi made out and went serial kissing
9. Dhoom 2 – Aishwarya Rai finally gave in and kissed on screen finally.
10. Fanaa – Kajol’s comeback film was ‘inspired’ too but the director didn’t know that.
10 Films So Bad That They Are Good
1. Neal n Nikki – Shot on a lavish lingerie-string budget, holds record for maximum skin shown in a film
2. Sins – Constructed as a series of excuses for sex scenes involving an old priest and young girl
3. RGV Ki Aag – Inspired critics to come up with the funniest reviews
4. Love Story 2050 – Where a Hrithik Roshan clone looked like the special effect
5. Karzzz – Since I missed Aap Ka Suroor – The Moviee – The Real Luv Story
6. Koi Mil Gaya – Took bad acting to new depths but it worked Jadoo at box office
7. Kyon Ki – That got remade about 20 years too late
8. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom – Before Sunrise with crazy dancing for 20 minutes and strange bearded Bachchan for no reason.
9. Hero Love Story of a Spy – For the brilliance of Anil Sharma and Sunny Deol’s range of disguises involving a mere change in sunglasses to fool Pakistani intelligence
10. Kisna – But hey, that Tarzan girl was good dancing on trees.
10 Films That Did Not Get Their Due
1. Rocket Singh - Honesty that deserves to be watched
2. Johnny Gaddar - A fantastic crime-thriller plays games with your mind
3. Delhi 6 - Gets to the root of our problem - our inherent need for the boogeyman
4. Socha Na Tha - A director was born, Imtiaz Ali's best film till date
5. Luck By Chance - Such a complex film sensitively handled with great balance
6. Flavours - A refreshing debut by the guys who gave us 99
7. Ek Chalis Ki Last Local - Much before Kaminey, a lesser known director paid tribute to the Coens and Tarantino
8. Parzania - Absolutely gutsy filmmaking
9. Blue Umbrella - One of Vishal Bhardwaj's most beautiful films with a Malgudi Days-like charm
10. Hazaaron Kwaishein Aisi – Sudhir Mishra’s masterpiece deserved better but still has a cult following.
10 unforgettable onscreen moments of the decade
1. When Katrina debuted by pulling out a stone from her bikini – Boom
2. When Abhishek kissed John – Dostana
3. When Emraan made out with Mallika – Murder
4. When Sunny Paaji uprooted a hand-pump – Gadar
5. When Hrithik first went on stage to shake a leg – Kaho Na Pyaar hai
6. When Bachchan, Shah Rukh and Hrithik shared screen – Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
7. When a desperate Tabu negotiated helplessly – Chandni Bar
8. When Madhuri and Aishwarya went Dhola Re Dhola – Devdas
9. When Bollywood heroes began to walk like Reservoir Dogs – Kaante
10. When half the movie stars partied on screen – Om Shanti Om
Top 10 Filmmakers of the Decade
1. Anurag Kashyap – What a range of films by the auteur – Paanch, Black Friday, No Smoking, Dev D, Gulaal and Return of Hanuman
2. Farhan Akhtar – For bringing refreshing restraint, understatement
3. Rajkumar Hirani – For preserving the drama in our films
4. Shimit Amin – For giving characters space to breathe
5. Farah Khan – For celebrating our escapist cinema
6. Nagesh Kukunoor – For breaking the mould every time
7. Vishal Bhardwaj – For bringing literature, poetry and lyricism to cinema
8. Rakeysh Mehra – For inspiring and trying hard to make relevant films
9. Ashutosh Gowariker – For his sincerity and conviction
10. Ram Gopal Varma and Priyadarshan – For not letting criticism affect their spirit
10 Indie Films You Must Watch
1 Let’s Talk - For its structureless-ness
2 A Wednesday - For taking offbeat mainstream
3 Mithya - For Rajat Kapoor's uncompromising vision and and Ranvir Shorey's performance
4 Being Cyrus - Indian English cinema's first experiment with a A-list star
5 Phir Milenge - The most sensitive film on AIDS that deals with the drama with great restraint
6 Aamir - An art-house thriller that takes you into the mind of the Muslim who refuses to subscribe to the ideology of violence
7 Mr and Mrs Iyer - A poignant love story that launched Konkana Sen
8 Dil Dosti etc - The anti-thesis to Dil Chahta Hai
9 Loins of Punjab - One of the best written Indian English films
10 Mumbai Meri Jaan - For giving hope, an uplifting tribute to the spirit of Mumbai.
Tuesday, October 27
Electricity
Electricity crisis..., power cuts,
We are sweating badly and go nuts.
We use electricity to switch on the AC,
But we never switch it off as we are too busy.
When the bill comes, which is very high,
We say to ourselves, "I didn't use it this much, did I"?
Of the problems it causes... people aren't aware,
So of its ill demerits, beware!
Let us strive to save electricity,
So that people can sleep in peace in the whole city.
We are sweating badly and go nuts.
We use electricity to switch on the AC,
But we never switch it off as we are too busy.
When the bill comes, which is very high,
We say to ourselves, "I didn't use it this much, did I"?
Of the problems it causes... people aren't aware,
So of its ill demerits, beware!
Let us strive to save electricity,
So that people can sleep in peace in the whole city.
Friday, October 9
.....................
nowadays not finding much time to write as something or other is keeping me busy..
and these days i am getting addicted to facebook & twitter and to top it all i am lazy like never before.
i will post some nonsense now & then ..but the frequency of my posting has reduced and i dont think it will increase in the near future....
and these days i am getting addicted to facebook & twitter and to top it all i am lazy like never before.
i will post some nonsense now & then ..but the frequency of my posting has reduced and i dont think it will increase in the near future....
Monday, October 5
Jungle mount Adventure Camp Experience
Let me start this one with a question.
Who is the most beautiful woman on Earth?
Aishwarya Rai? Priyanka Chopra? Definitely not…
I was awe struck by the beauty of Mother Nature in the form of Kakkabe village near Coorg.
I have been to Coorg couple of times before but experience and enjoyment was definitely not on this scale.
As a part of the outbound program,our team of 7( me,rahul nair,rahul ,jayanth,snigdha,Krishna
and chintan) along with Konrad made a trip to Coorg. Fun started from the moment we boarded the cab to koyembedu with the initial culprits being snigdha and Krishna. I bet Krishna would never mess again with Snigdha again when she is on a call! By the time we fought for the songs to be played in the cab,we reached Koyembedu bus stand.
Many of you would have not noticed a big difference between Railways and Bus transportation.
Mostly trains start on time and reach late and it’s vice versa with Road transport system.The bus supposed to start at 10.30 after much deliberation started at 11.00. We all were set to sleep but there was something else in store for us from the conductor of the bus! He played a Kannada film! I don’t know the name of the movie and I don’t want to know. That was the worst of the dumbest films I have ever seen .Heroine sees and talks to herself in the mirror cut there was a song cut fight between the hero & heroine and the sequence repeated without the change in order. I take a bow to the director of the film for coming out with such a novel idea and film industry needs people like you(sarcasm and offences intended). To make us struggle more to sleep, a guy behind was snoring like hell. I wonder how Snigdha and Rahul managed to sleep and I wasn’t amused with Krishna sleeping as he was past his sleeping time already.
We reached Bangalore in the morning and I woke up to see everybody was sleeping as if they haven’t slept for years and I thanked God as that guy stopped snoring. After 2-3 hrs we reached Mysore and had a decent breakfast at a hotel. Let me be honest to tell you that the dosa’s made in Karnataka are lot better than the one made at TN. We took a tempo traveler from Mysore for Coorg and reached there after a scenic drive of another 3 hours to Jungle Mountain Adventures in Kakkabe!
We were all tired by the time we reached that place. We were welcomed by a energizer called Uncle Topaz(Wow!! what a man he is){to understand the meaning of the previous sentence ,you need to experience it} and his mates Ashley (who was physically similar to Ashley Cole) and Sagar (the king of Coorg). These 3 guys take care of the Jungle Mountain Adventure and trust me these guys are fun to be with. We retired to our huts, refreshed and went for rappelling near the water falls(pardon me I don’t remember the name of the falls). We spent around 3-4 hrs rappelling and then came back to the camp ,had dinner and had the discussion on “Tell me about yourself”. This was not a formal tell me about session and emotions were flowing through everybody’s adrenalines-That’s the point where I think the team of 7 that left Chennai came back as 1 family!
After the dinner and the session came the ride of my life. I never had or will have such an experience again. We went for a night safari (though we did not spot any animal). Sagar was riding his jeep at 11.00 pm without lights on a muddy and narrow mountain unfenced road which was far away from whats called as “being tarred” at almost 80 kmph with our heart coming to our mouth! YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO EXPERIENCE IT to FEEL IT. We came back from the safari after sometime we retired to sleep to wake up next day to see Lord Varuna crying to purify our earth.
We went for the kayaking in that heavy rain followed by lunch and a talk with Dr.Topaz which was really really inspiring. You have got to meet him to see how he gels with the young people like us even after him being 60 years old. He reads minds and hearts!
Every good things must come to an end and there came the time for us to depart from Kakkabe(really touched to see Uncle Topaz shedding tears). We started our journey back home and reached Bangalore by 10.30 pm. Snigdha took us to KFC (the last time I visited KFC was in Connought Place in New Delhi,if I remember right it was May 19 2008) and next morning we were back in Chennai back as normal homosapiens.
However best this trip can be put in words, you really need to experience it.
I became famous for the word “stupid fellow” which I use frequently with a unique tone and they were constantly pulling my leg over it, but never mind as a part of a family we are subjected to these kind of leg pullings. Not only this, we gave a nick name to every member of our family (me – venky, Rahul Nair – Dimples, Rahul – Ramu, Snigdha – Sniggy, Jayant – Dada and Chintan – Chintu). And we were back to our sweet home getting ready for the coming busy week. I was happy and the fitting finale was BE HAPPY NO B.P - BINDAAS--------------------------------------
Base by Venky :) &Spice up,Edit & Feel by Sniggy :)
Who is the most beautiful woman on Earth?
Aishwarya Rai? Priyanka Chopra? Definitely not…
I was awe struck by the beauty of Mother Nature in the form of Kakkabe village near Coorg.
I have been to Coorg couple of times before but experience and enjoyment was definitely not on this scale.
As a part of the outbound program,our team of 7( me,rahul nair,rahul ,jayanth,snigdha,Krishna
and chintan) along with Konrad made a trip to Coorg. Fun started from the moment we boarded the cab to koyembedu with the initial culprits being snigdha and Krishna. I bet Krishna would never mess again with Snigdha again when she is on a call! By the time we fought for the songs to be played in the cab,we reached Koyembedu bus stand.
Many of you would have not noticed a big difference between Railways and Bus transportation.
Mostly trains start on time and reach late and it’s vice versa with Road transport system.The bus supposed to start at 10.30 after much deliberation started at 11.00. We all were set to sleep but there was something else in store for us from the conductor of the bus! He played a Kannada film! I don’t know the name of the movie and I don’t want to know. That was the worst of the dumbest films I have ever seen .Heroine sees and talks to herself in the mirror cut there was a song cut fight between the hero & heroine and the sequence repeated without the change in order. I take a bow to the director of the film for coming out with such a novel idea and film industry needs people like you(sarcasm and offences intended). To make us struggle more to sleep, a guy behind was snoring like hell. I wonder how Snigdha and Rahul managed to sleep and I wasn’t amused with Krishna sleeping as he was past his sleeping time already.
We reached Bangalore in the morning and I woke up to see everybody was sleeping as if they haven’t slept for years and I thanked God as that guy stopped snoring. After 2-3 hrs we reached Mysore and had a decent breakfast at a hotel. Let me be honest to tell you that the dosa’s made in Karnataka are lot better than the one made at TN. We took a tempo traveler from Mysore for Coorg and reached there after a scenic drive of another 3 hours to Jungle Mountain Adventures in Kakkabe!
We were all tired by the time we reached that place. We were welcomed by a energizer called Uncle Topaz(Wow!! what a man he is){to understand the meaning of the previous sentence ,you need to experience it} and his mates Ashley (who was physically similar to Ashley Cole) and Sagar (the king of Coorg). These 3 guys take care of the Jungle Mountain Adventure and trust me these guys are fun to be with. We retired to our huts, refreshed and went for rappelling near the water falls(pardon me I don’t remember the name of the falls). We spent around 3-4 hrs rappelling and then came back to the camp ,had dinner and had the discussion on “Tell me about yourself”. This was not a formal tell me about session and emotions were flowing through everybody’s adrenalines-That’s the point where I think the team of 7 that left Chennai came back as 1 family!
After the dinner and the session came the ride of my life. I never had or will have such an experience again. We went for a night safari (though we did not spot any animal). Sagar was riding his jeep at 11.00 pm without lights on a muddy and narrow mountain unfenced road which was far away from whats called as “being tarred” at almost 80 kmph with our heart coming to our mouth! YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO EXPERIENCE IT to FEEL IT. We came back from the safari after sometime we retired to sleep to wake up next day to see Lord Varuna crying to purify our earth.
We went for the kayaking in that heavy rain followed by lunch and a talk with Dr.Topaz which was really really inspiring. You have got to meet him to see how he gels with the young people like us even after him being 60 years old. He reads minds and hearts!
Every good things must come to an end and there came the time for us to depart from Kakkabe(really touched to see Uncle Topaz shedding tears). We started our journey back home and reached Bangalore by 10.30 pm. Snigdha took us to KFC (the last time I visited KFC was in Connought Place in New Delhi,if I remember right it was May 19 2008) and next morning we were back in Chennai back as normal homosapiens.
However best this trip can be put in words, you really need to experience it.
I became famous for the word “stupid fellow” which I use frequently with a unique tone and they were constantly pulling my leg over it, but never mind as a part of a family we are subjected to these kind of leg pullings. Not only this, we gave a nick name to every member of our family (me – venky, Rahul Nair – Dimples, Rahul – Ramu, Snigdha – Sniggy, Jayant – Dada and Chintan – Chintu). And we were back to our sweet home getting ready for the coming busy week. I was happy and the fitting finale was BE HAPPY NO B.P - BINDAAS--------------------------------------
Base by Venky :) &Spice up,Edit & Feel by Sniggy :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
