Those really were the days....Part ii

All efforts from my side to keep this blog, chronological considering the episodic nature...

Post lot of running around, my mother had managed to get me an admission in St.Joseph's...considered as one of the good Christian Missionary Schools in the area...this was the school , where my grandfather, my uncle and then my cousins were studying....It was important for my mother that I studied in this School..

Class Teacher was Miss Lily , in Ist STD (figures in the photo above!!) and she was a tough disciplinarian...! Around the time of Unit Test, I was also being exposed to the good life and learnings from Islam...on the day of the paper I decided to put my faith to test. I had deep faith and was quite convinced that I dont need to appear for the paper since my Allah would help answer all the questions...I closed my eyes on receiving the test paper and started praying fervently to Allah to save me from this test !

Those were the non CGI / SFX days ...but I expected to see the miracle soon...Eyes closed I could hear Miss Lily's authoritative voice ; on the time left...I slowly opened one eye to have a look at my answer paper...EYES were soon Wide Open on witnessing the blank rule lined paper . What ?? Allah, could not help me...?? my faith was being challenged here... !!

I dont think I need to share what were the result for this test...soon better sense prevailed and the line that Allah Helps those who help themselves dawned on me...!

For Miss Lily, I became the prime candidate for Tuitions :-)

Recess Time was reserved to run to the small playground which looked BIG at that time so that I could sit on my favorite swing...before it is claimed by someone else !!

When the final bell use to ring , announcing the end of the day at school...I use to run along with the other kids towards the main gate...eyes searching for my mother amongst the crowd ! Always use to have an unfounded fear what if one day no one comes to pick me up from School...then what ?

Ist STD also was the time when I first saw Saad...and noticed that he was popular even then :-))

Dont recollect any close bonded friends from this class though...where the foundation was being laid on my learnings and for my growing up years...to follow soon !

Movie Review - FASHION

Mass Rating - **
Class Rating - *1/2

The non-issue (since he finds issues in nearly every subject!!) based movie director is back...Post generalizing Page 3(2005), Demonizing Corporate (2006) & Presenting the Microcosm at a Traffic Signal (2007)...he is back with his contorted magnifying lens trained on the Fashion world...

From the Bhandars of Madhur comes Fashion...the spur for making this movie being two infamous episodes from Fashion industry...Carol Gracias's Wardrobe Malfunction & the troubled life of Geetanjali Nagpal (refuted conveniently and vehemently by the producers and director though!!)...the writers cook and weave up story against the glittering backdrop of the glamorous and cut throat world of haute couture fashion world.

Initial parts of the movie was really like witnessing Page 3 at a Traffic Signal !!

As a movie-goer my crib against this director is his generalizing and stereotyping the characters...only extremes and caricatures do exist !! Like - models have to sleep to walk the ramp, designers are generally gays, substance abuse is rampant, amorous lifestyle is classified as being in VOGUE (pun un-intended!) ...

Will the real characters stand up...? No scope in this bioscope..but Madhur need not worry , there surely are audiences for his type of cinema as well....

What could potentially have been a realistic story of a small town girl with dream in her eyes, ambitious to become a super model and her journey therein...looses track in between the 17 reeler saga...

Production values are good, Music by Salim-Sulaiman Rocks...but pray tell me how come all the fashion shows depicted in this movie spanning around 4-6 years repetitively plays only 1 or 2 songs from the soundtrack...?? Was there a dearth of remixes ? Beats me...but you may call this cinematic liberties...

Small Town Girl role earnestly played by Piggy Chops. Her make up throughout the movie is so inconsistent as if she is the brand amma-se-dar of Fair & Lovely...skin shades kept on varying ...Erosion of her moral values and then the realization,was scripted half baked...

Mughdha Godse as one of the models is natural and is vivacious ...

For me,Kangana Ranaut packs a PUNCH in her portrayal of the troubled model..she has reprised such a character in her previous encounters as well (Gangster, Woh Lamhe and Life in a Metro)...Sometimes back I had read in one of the reviews written by ace critic - Rangan Baradwaj ; on Kangana that she needs to do a light role soon or else it would affect her personal life as well...I strongly agree!! But uff , what presence she has, right from the first frame to the tragic last...!!

Question IS how can the director expose under belly of a profession which essentially requires washboard abs...amply and proudly displayed !! :-)

Rest of the characters come and go throughout this..fare...mostly the regulars from the house of Bhandars....

Posters & Promo's are surely more enticing and promising than the movie !

May be reading old issues of VERVE or VOGUE (foreign edition please !) would be a better option, if you do not wish to spend on the price of the tickets.

PS-Last heard, the directors next venture is JAIL(on convicts)...(you should know what to expect next!!)

Those really were the days...

(A very old picture of the teachers along with the Father)

Nearly 19-20 odd years since I passed out of school...My school...St.Josephs High School...and it still does bring fond memories whenever I think of those good ol' days...I studied in an all Boys School with Convent Section being just across the road..(now before you stretch your imagination...hold on...those days...believe it or faint,I use to hate GIRLS!!!)

Many contacts are lost...dont even know where those friends are...todays age and time warrants every one to be busy...whether one likes it or not...Most of my close friends are successful in their own rights and every passing day achieve new milestones in their personal and professional lives...in the competitive world we live in....

I have been in touch (okay okay...not exactly in touch...ON & OFF!!) with Jolvin (good friend in school and better friend out of school!),Saad (the creative and multi-talented scorpio),Vaibhav (sharp and naughty class monitor), Muzaffar (from whom I picked up good handwriting) and Abidali (the silent class monitor...continues to remain silent even now...)!

We have had nearly 2 odd reunions and occasional and accidental meetings ...But whenever we meet...its reliving the past, those days, and various episodes...

A chance meeting with Saad yesterday and he mentioned that FLICKR does have some old B&W photos of our school...set on the task immediately and downloaded quite a few...discussed with him over length , the teachers...the sirs...right till their individual mannerisms...Goes without saying that it was our collaborative effort of inputs which completed the collage of the faded and fragrant memories...

Let me list down the name of my teachers....Miss Lily ,Miss Baretto, Miss Virgin, Baqar Sir, Kashyap Sir,Miss Shyamala, Miss Jacob , Miss Philips ,Miss Marie , Miss Dalvi , Miss Nath , Anwar Sir (Drawing Sir), Punjani Sir (Physical Training Coach), Miss Doyle (the librarian) Babban Sir, Miss Charlotte , Miss Sushila ,Nigam Sir, Nainan Sir, Manickam Sir, Siddiqui Sir, Vora Sir and the Principals...Disciplinarian Father's (dont remember every principal though)....

Each and every teacher of mine contributed in grooming me...in one way or the other.

I am and will remain indebted to them.

Over the next few days creative juices warranting I shall try to pen down whatever episodes I remember of my school days....till then...its time to jog down from memory lane.

Movie Review - TASHAN

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Tashan

TASHAN - The Big Porducshun House,The Isstar Cast,The Pharmoola,The Ishtyle...(Notice...no one said plausible ishtory)

Forget the rating and enjoy some cinematic moments...

Debut Director Vijay Krishna Acharya (dialogue writer for D(h)oom'ed0 series,Guru) comes out with a masala pot boiler ....
You know something is wrong with your film when your film needs the crutches of heroines size zero (for her bikini scene)
and new found interest in her personal life as the films initial publicity rather than known for story / performance....

Continuing with the trend of cross and double cross,which few weeks back was amply shown in RACE,comes TASHAN...Looks like GREY is IN...Being Virtuous is no longer a Virtue in The Times of Cinema Today....

The Narrative Format of the movie is like a tribute to the movie making style of Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriquez and Tony Scott's of the world ...

Makes a very promising start,with snazzy credits (similar seen in Johnny Gaddar) and pulsating background score by the talented Ranjit Barot.

Opening scene of a red car swirling dangerously from left to right on a landscape lonely highway...before plunging into the river...(will someone tell me,why the number plates were different for the front and rear of the car ?may be the continuity dir was doozing off...)

Initial reels told from Saif's perspective...his life working for a Call Centre (Jeetendra kumar / Jimmy Cliff) and as a part time English Teacher. Pace,grip and witty dialogues bang on...where other characters are slowly and dramatically introduced...Kareena looking really anorexic...(Give me the curvy Kareena back any day....!!) Anil Kapoor as the outlandish larger than life gangster, the types only seen in our films, surrounded by extras redefining extra's and croony side kicks...Blabbering in sometimes funny and mostly unable to comprehend Hinglish....as an insult to the Queens Language...but hey remember we watching a masala film so you just need to sit back and ignore numerous cinematic liberties...

Akki,as the incorrigible and uncouth recovery agent from Kanpur is given a intro scene,the types that filmy heroes are given - front benchers surely going berserk for his bhojpuri dialogue delivery and body language...But hey the ram leela joke was lifted from Raju Shrivastava's joke from Laughter Challenge:-)No Sweat,it works here as well....

Some predictable Twists and lot of Unwanted Turns later the film reaches a climax which can surely put to shame any Rajinikanth movies...Akki doing his extended take on parakour (last seen in Casino Royale and the Thums Up Ad of Akki himself)...Action choreographed by Peter Hein (last did Sivaji, so m not surprised)...30 odd minutes of mindless,brain numbing action sequence...which the south indian audience may lap up without blinking...

You know what,in Bond movies whenever our sauve agent does something impossible or a dangerous stunts,its passed on along with the trademark BOND theme,numbing the audience as if to say-hey guys,he is THE BOND and can do anything...
Likewise, here any ridiculous action moment and the soundtrack blares...the TASHAN title song as the Get away song :-))

On the Upside,movie has visually stunning locales dizzyingly captured by the cameraman-Ayananyka Bose (last seen in JBJ),Pulsating,Youthful & Zesty music by Vishal Shekhar . Any good masala flick worth its salt is not complete without lavish song picturization ..Kareena sizzles starvingly (anyone for size ZERO??)in the bikini scene...:-))
Picturization of Dil Haara, Chaliyaa,Dance Maare (..kind of paying homage to Apna Desh)is spectacular,Witty dialogues,amazing chemistry between Saif-Kareena,Kareena-Akki and the goofy camaraderie between Saif and Akki...some funny moments by Anil Kapoor and his side croonies...

Hey this movie even marks the cute debut of Chote-Chote Nawab :-) Ibrahim Saif Ali Khan,as Saif Junior in the movie...

The point is we shamelessly copy movies from the west (sparring not even the posters!!) , why cant we also study,adapt and copy the logic,plausibility
and content from their movies as well ??...beats me,but then that day is not too far.... !

Catering to our wide spectrum of audience is indeed a difficult ball game for the movie makers, but please do not insult the intelligence of cinema watching nation !!

M S Sathyu's GARM HAVA

The year was 1973 when this movie was first released...and it was not until early eighties when I happen to watch this brilliant movie on a black & white TV set. Even at that time though I could not follow the finer nuances of cinema , it still did leave an indelible mark .

Unfortunately, in todays times there are no prints available in the market yet of this movie, depriving cine lovers of this masterpiece . I managed to somehow request a copy of this movie through a dear family friend, and relived the moments on a Sunday Noon...

The movie is based on a short story by Ismat Chughtai, adapted for the screen by writer Kaifi Azmi.

It is set in the late 40's post partition era , depicting the plight of a muslim family based in Agra, during those troubled times. One after the other, his brother and family and later his son along with his family migrate to Pakistan, not able to withstand the turmoil faced during that time....left behind is Salim Mirza, the eternal optimist along with his family. Balraj Sahni in a role of a lifetime. If anyone wants to know the definition of a subtle yet impactful performance, the reference point should be Balraj Sahni.

Watch the simple story masterly told by M S Sathyu, devoid of any traps of your regular commercial cinema. The shot taking methods used by the director is rarely seen and is way ahead of its time...There are some scenes in which the actor are emoting/conversing facing the camera as if the camera is one of the actors, amazingly deployed.

This movie has a wonderful Qawwali (and the only song in this movie) , performed by Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi for the Durgah Salim Chisti (Fatehpur Sikri)...mind you these was way ahead of its time, when Qawwali was not an item insertion.... The Picturization of this Qawwali at the Durgah while the lovers are visiting the shrine is again simple and still impactful. Imagine the entire Qawwali, without showing the Qawwali performers...only the shadows of the Saajindey (chorus), clapping to the beats, and camera focussing on the fingers moving on a harmonium.

Classical Background score by Ustad Bahadur Khan. Communicative Cinematography by Ishan Arya.

Then there is this Dadi ma (mother of Balraj Sahni in the movie), who does not wish to vacate the haveli, since it has memories of her life in every nook and corner....she hides in the house, when the family is moving out...and finally her breathing her last back in the same haveli (Post getting evicted)...hearing distant voices of all the members of the family with eyes wide open as if she is searching for the members those who have left the family house and moved to Pakistan....

Movie, also stars Farooque Shaikh in a miniscule but impressive and important role. Shaukat Azmi, A K Hangal, Yunus Parvez, Jalal Agha to name the few.

Reward yourself by watching this simple muslim socio-political drama for the performances,story telling skills by the director and most important BALRAJ SAHNI....

DVD Review - Atonement

Review of Atonement

a·tone·ment /əˈtoʊnmənt/ Pronunciation[uh-tohn-muhnt]
noun 1. satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.

Though I do not like movies with the backdrop of war...so what if by the end every war movie either depicts the triumph of the human spirit or emphasises the futility of war...

Atonement - was a different movie experience all together. Movie based on the best selling novel by Ian McEwan. The journey of the story from the pages of this wonderful novel to being adapted for the screen is flawless...being a reader myself, I would still prefer reading to watching a screen adaptation...since human imagination can never be restricted by any budget and finally a movie is director / writer's interpretation of the book. Having said that.... it has still been wonderfully done.

A good cinema is definitely a great team work of all those behind the screen plus on the screen. Production Designer is such a key player in the team, actually giving the look and feel of the movie. This movie has sweeping Production design by Sarah Greenwood (she should have won the Oscar for this...)...

This movie won an Oscar for Music though by Dario Marianelli...with a mysterious and touching feel (dont miss the clickety clackety of the typewriter nicely entertwined in the music score) to the entire background score to this beautiful love story (okay okay...I know I am a sucker for Love Stories....)

Directed by Joe Wright, Screenplay by Christopher Hampton & the author himself.

Starring - James McAvoy (seen in The Last King of Scotland) and Keira Knightley (looking pretty but anorexic). The love letters exchanged between the lovers were so touching and poetic....

Quotes from the movie
Dearest Cecilia, the story can resume..... The one I had been planning on that evening walk.
I can become again the man who once crossed the surrey park at dusk, in my best suit, swaggering on the promise of life.
The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the library.
The story can resume.
I will return.
Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame.

I can go on and on to describe the beautiful moments of the movie...but would rather prefer the audience to watch it.

There is a 5 1/2 minute long take in the movie involving around 1000 extra's...watch this sweeping scene (Dunkirk beach scene) !

Those who have not seen the movie yet, do watch it either on DVD or when it releases on BIG SCREEN here....

But surely meant for lovers of good cinema and readers of good novels !

DVD Review - The Kite Runner

Happen to watch The Kite Runner , Adapted from the novel by the same name written by Khaled Hosseini.

Now Before I get on with my review on the movie, isnt it remarkable that Hollywood directors seldom get trapped / slotted in a particular genre ? Look at the body of work of Director - Marc Forster, popular being Monster's Ball (* ring Halle Berry)and Finding Neverland (* ring-Johny Depp & Kate Winslet) and currently under production Quantum of Solace (yes,the new Bond starrer)...Bollywood directors really have a long way to go and surely our audiences (referring to the masses here!) need to be more matured...

Watching this movie was actually like seeing the wonderful novel unfold in front of my eyes...

Story of childhood friends,Friend worth dying for,of relationship between father and son...at the backdrop of troubled Afghanistan.

Poignant Story of a Story teller,of envy,of guilt,of culture,of tradition, of values in life....

The movie has been captivatingly picturized by Roberto Schaefer (Marc Forster regular,yes camp/loyalist exists there too....!!),capturing with ease the barren land of Kabul,the busy streets of Pakistan and California. Mesmerizing soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias (with amazing eastern traces)..

How many times in the world which refuses to stop for a moment,have you paused and thought about an old school/childhood friend with whom you use to play and when time actually stood still? Of Connections lost...? Of Simple Pleasures Of Life.......Of Growing Up but ending up loosing out on YOU ??

The child artists were amazing since they were not acting but naturals. Some scenes of the movie may be disturbing for few,but these are important scenes which takes the narrative forward.

The kids running the kite amidst the busy market/street of Kabul has been magically picturized..Likewise there are many scenes/dialogues which will stay with the viewers long after the movie is over,that is a power of a good cinema...

If you planning to rent a DVD over the weekend and are in mood of a good drama, do watch this movie...It will surely touch your heart ...and for the book lovers, I am sure they would have read this novel!

As the Tag Line of the movie goes....There is a way to be good again!

Sure,theres always a way to be good again !

Shyam Benegal's Mammo

Mammo (1994) -

Shyam Benegal can surely give a lesson or hundred to current breed of directors where it concerns emotions,pathos and heart at the right place...For every cinema student or lover of good cinema, his movie and movie making style is highly recommended. Mammo is one of those movies, which will stay with you long after the movie is over...Just feel the pangs of Partition as depicted by Shyam Benegal, and this just by few fleeting moments in the movie,plus some references...Brilliantly written by Khalid Mohammed - yes the same one, who rips apart movies in his role as a critic,but himself lost the plot when it came to movie making :-)

Movie on growing up,on sibling love and rivalry,Rapport between Aunt and nephew...love for your country...

This movie always reminds me of my dear Aunt,who has been a great encouraging influence in my life and growing up .She was warm,loving and had her very own brand of humour, which she was known for. She could inspire anyone and everyone....May Allah Bless her soul....

Coming back to the movie...

Great Author Backed Performance by Farida Jalal,breathing life in the character role ,Surekha Sikri,Child Artist and Rajat Kapoor (the actor) as the grown up kid, reminiscence's his childhood and his aunt Mammo...If you have not seen this till now, leave everything and rent or buy the vcd (i doubt if DVD is available). Read recently that this movie may be re-released in multiplexes...If it does, do yourself a favor and watch it.

And how can I miss , the haunting ghazal by Jagjit Singh - Yeh Faasle Teri Galiyon Ke....which pierces the heart ! Happen to stumble on eSnip on the soundtrack. Posting the same here for the lovers of Good Music

Listen to the same and feel the Pain and Pathos...

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

Addendum - Lyrics courtesy,Harry (Many thanks!)

ये फ़ासले तेरी
गलियों के हमसे तय न हुए -२
हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले -२

ना जाने कौन सी मट्टी
वतन की मट्टी थी
नज़र में धूल, जिगर
में लिये गुबार चले

हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले -२

ये कैसी सरहदें उलझी
हुई हैं पैरों में -२
हम अपने घर की तरफ़ उठ
के बार बार चले

हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले -२

ना रास्ता कहीं ठहरा,
ना मंजिलें ठहरी -२
ये उम्र उडती हुई
गर्द में गुज़ार चले

हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले -२

ये फ़ासले तेरी
गलियों के हमसे तय न हुए
हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले

Movie Review - Jodha Akbar

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Jodhaa Akbar

Mass Rating - **
Class Rating - ** ½ (For the production values)

After a hard days work, decided to catch the first day second show of the much delayed and super hyped Jodha Akbar….

If Cinema is about Entertainment and sometimes Edutainment, this surely does fail to pass the muster.

Moreover since it is not entirely based on historical facts it cant even be considered as a Documentary on the Life and Lovely Times of Ak(h)ba(a)r.
It’s a short story CUT LONG by the Dir / Editor…
Yet to figure out what’s with our Bollywood directors difficulty in conveying a story within a well defined time slot. Yes, the promo indeed did promise an epic proportion, but I guess they were referring to the raw stock used in the making of this opus……Running time of 3 hrs plus… !! Phew !!!
Okay, it may appear that I am running down the labour of love of Director Ashutosh G …when so many critics in the newspapers are currently raving about the movie, I don’t know about them…but clearly it was not worth the price of the ticket to the multiplex for me.

The movie begins with a disclaimer that it is not based entirely on historical facts (thank you so much…no one would have even blinked if it would have been an Hollywood movie, fictionalizing history, but we are Indians!!) and a Claimer that the birds and animals used in this movie were treated with love & care in the attention of vets present on the set…Hey how about saying some kind words for the audiences about to endure this 3 hr plus saga….??

Story on Marriage of Alliance…(and all this while I was under the impression that marriage is an alliance :-) ) plus few plots and sub plots maketh this Love Story.

There are so many reference points in Hollywood, which avid movie lovers would have seen…Gladiator, Troy, Kingdom Of Heaven, Braveheart, The Last of Mohican to name a recent few…in which epic scale war sequences have been spectacularly picturized .
Yes for a Hindi Cinema , the war sequences were well captured , may be a benchmark…(since competition is only Ramananad Sagar / BR Chopra's TV Serials!!) until some other epic comes in distant future…!!

The few plusses…
• Hrithik as Emperor Akbar, regally and royally breathing life in the character.
• Ash as Princess Jodha, looking ethereally beautiful and very much a princess.
• Dir – Ashutosh daring to be different.
• The initial courtship scenes between the two…
• Hrithik taming the elephant
• Sword fight between Hrithik and Ash to sort out Marital Miscommunication (Glad in today’s time couples don’t have to resort to this to solve similar problems!!)
• Battle scenes by Action Dir - Ravi Dewan
• Dialogues by K P Saxena effortlessly switching between Chaste Urdu and Hindi, keeping the LCM audience in mind.
• Camerawork by Kiran Deohans
• Costume by Neeta Lulla for the lead protagonists
• Grand and Lavish Sets by Nitin Chandrakant Desai (recreating Agra in Karjat)

A R Rahman is not in his best elements with only two songs – Soulful Sufi Qawwali and the beautiful love song Jashn ne bahara (split in two parts) touching the chords. Background Score is again a let down.

The movie did lack in sustaining my interest…

So now to the 40 crore question, is it worth visiting the theatres? Depends entirely on what are your options …Go Make your pick and let me know your take on the same!

Movie Review - Mithya

Back to movie reviews…

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Mithya

Mass rating - ** ½
Class rating - ****

Mithya – The reason to name it so must have been associated with Myth :-) This is what I could come up with, but if any reader does have any inputs on why the name Mithya…? Please do share !

I do not know of a single Friday since the days of movie watching during which two movies were simultaneously released both of different genre all together, but using the cinematic ploy of a double role…can you think of any?
This weeks release - Super Star – starring Kunal Khemu and Mithya – starring Ranvir Sheorey…

I preferred Mithya and was glad I made this choice…

Director – Rajat Kapoor (not to be confused with the actor with the same name) , is back behind the camera after the immensely likeable Raghu Romeo (on soap obsessed common man), Mixed Doubles (on wife swapping!) and Bheja Fry (as a producer ). Indian Cinema surely needs brave directors similar to him, for the audience who is intelligent and does not want the usual run of mill corny stuff being dished out week after week.

This time round he spins an interesting story surrounding a struggling actor with the backdrop of underworld and a short love story thrown in as good measure. Apparently I read in one of the pre-release articles that the take off point for this movie for the director was a narrative from Hindu Mythology, in which Lord Vishnu explains Maya to Narada….

The nay sayers may say that the basic premise has been seen umpteen times in drama since the Shakespearean era ,and in the Cinema since the talkies… But finally its the treatment that matters…After all cinema is all about treatment (…besides loving your parents:-))….This is where the director scores…

The star cast is Versatile Ranvir in the lead role and ably supported by Subdued Vinay pathak, Regular Saurabh shukla, my fav Naseeruddin shah (as a don in a short but powerful role), Cute Iravati harshe (don’t know why we don’t see more of her in hindi films?) , Convincing Harsh chhaya , and the surprising BFBB (Bright Face, Broad Base…) Neha Dhupia as the sexy actor cum KEEP cum love interest of the movie.

The movie starts well with establishing the character of a struggling actor, a dreamer yet looser wannabe, and moves on to the part when the actor gets lost completely in the character (cinematic device) he is expected to play and finally re-discovering himself.

Dont want to reveal much so as to keep the surprise elements in its place for the weekend movie watchers !! The background score by Sagar Desai is apt and chaplinesque in nature in many scenes…

There are gems of scenes in the movie..notably – Ranvir, rehearsing hindi lines from Hamlet, The perfect photo moment in which the goons want to literally shoot a photo:-)), the initial scene when Ranvir is trapped, His efforts in getting into the character, the beautiful confused dream sequence and the brilliant surprising finale….

They say when one dies, entire life flashes in front of the eyes who is dying …the source for this surely cannot be traced for obvious reasons neither do I intend to test the veracity of these lines….

Instead I recommend go and watch this movie !!

...Idyllic banter !

The cold wave in Mumbai was unrelenting and was not sparing either the Mumbaikar's nor the North Indians in the city :-)...
The dailies continued to confuse the people with recycled headlines - Coldest day ever recorded (ofcourse with the date change). Warm wear was out with vengeance and people not learning from it were destined to shiver!

It was an ordinary early wednesday morning when I took a rick towards my workplace as routine...Mind still in space...sitting in the centre to avoid the gusty cold breeze and was lost in thoughts going nowhere, while the rick hurtled towards my so called destination amidst the early morning trailor of a traffic (Main Movie of the traffic is 930 hrs onwards, ask the daily commuters for details)!
The silence was broken by the sudden idyllic banter of the rick driver -

Rick Guy - I cant quit smoking beedi...
I just faked attention still not willing to set on a journey within a journey...He continued....
Rick Guy - all this years I was on cigarette...routine for 22 yrs post which since last 3 years I moved on to beedi reluctantly to quit smoking (WoW)...Now I cant quit this beedi addiction !
My Processor immediately identified with this human situation of how we make efforts to break a habit to enter another one...(the analogy can be extended to any situation in life)! Now it turned into a conversation from a boring monologue..
IQ - why dont you eat chewing gum to break this habit now...May be you can try the nicotine flavored chewing gum available at the local chemist!
He nodded...
Rick Guy - I am tenth class pass in english medium(english medium was said with pride)
IQ - You should have continued your education...
Rick Guy - No..no..actually I was weak at spellings...
Immediately Taare Zameen Par files flashed on my processor display, was this rick guy a non detected dyslexic as a kid....??!!...
continues...hence I have ensured that my son takes dictation tests every morning ! He is in 4th STD and my wife gets up at 6am to teach him...I did not want my son to face similar problems...He gets good grades and his teachers are also very happy with his progress.
I patted him on his shoulder and told him that the credit goes to him,to which he retorted - No my wife deserves it for her committed efforts...then with a slight pause he cheekily added ,even I deserve it on 2nd thoughts since I did not let her work, so that she can be a focussed house keeper, which is more important for me!! I nodded in acknowledgement...

Our journey came to an end,when the rick pulled next to my office gate...I thanked him for his personal sharing and expressed pleasure in meeting him, also did tell him to quit smoking once and for all....to which he smiled back (which was neither a Yes or No, I presume it was a NO) !

Profound and introspective indeed was this chance meeting...a break from the routine.

My professional life took control over from there and I eased into the bunch of employees moving towards the elevator....