Jai Ho....A. R. Rahman, Gulzaar!

i am absolutely thrilled for A.R.Rahman. i think he totally deserved it.

His music has been liked and admired, right from the time he started making music. He is the perfect example of consistent excellence in his art.

In every venture that he takes up, there is something that is fresh. The variety of singers he introduces and uses to give justice to his creation is amazing. The other day, i read about the divinity he exercises for his work. He made a veteran director gargle his mouth and enter the studio when he was composing music, because his (the director's) mouth smelled of alcohol.

Otherwise also, he comes across as a humble and God-fearing human being. His Vande Mataram renditions are mind blowing.

Actually, why am i adding my two bits of info on Rahman and his body of work. It's known now and across boundaries.

And i loved his confidence and shyness while performing on stage at the Kodak Theatre. Wow, the place rocked with his music.

i specially liked the words Jai Ho, very positive and confident. Thanks to Gulzaar for this and others of his beautifully penned lyrics. i remember Lead India campaign's anthem and prose penned by him. Hindustan ummed se hai.

Hats off! Proud to be an Indian 'cos of you guys.

Jhingalala services from Tata Sky

A simple service, delivered with earnestness and wholesomeness can garner accolades and stickiness with the brand. That's how my experience with Tata Sky was.

Tata Sky is our digital satellite television service provider. Very recently, we got the connection. This month, from the 20th - 22nd, they had made this new movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' available on demand for Rs. 25/-.

We wanted to watch it but didn't know how to go about it. Pa asked me to just call up the number, which i thought is toll-free, but later realised, isn't. The IVR was pretty simple and soon i was talking with an executive.

He gave complete information about the process, how many times we can watch it, replying patiently and sincerely to every little detail i asked for. After all confirmation, i made a request and within a few seconds, the movie was playing on 3 channels. 2 in Hindi and 1 in English, all for Rs. 25/- any number of shows.

Then Pa wanted to get the recharge done also. So, i mentioned about it to the executive and he guided me through it. Pa then asked me to get it recharged after getting all the info. The impressive part was, while the same executive directed me to the recorded voice instructions,he was with me all the while, guiding me. i found it very efficient. And my recharge happened without any hassle, whatsoever!

Having had experiences where customer service executives pass on the line to other individuals for any other service, this one got me everything in one go, without wasting any of my time. Also, out of the many queries i posed to him, not once did he say no, or something like - no, madam, you can't do this. Whenever there was something that was not available with my connection, he said, if you get this, you get to do that. Like for example, i asked, can i record the movie? To which he said, "Madam, Tata Sky Plus enables you to do that" and not, "No, not with your connection" That makes a difference. His marketing skills also showed.

There was nothing revolutionary in this but the service and assistance was really commendable. i forgot the name of the executive, but i would really like to thank him genuinely.

Keep up the good work, guys!

Stay at Delhi 6

Yes, you can stay at your seat in the theatre to watch Delhi 6. It may not be a must-watch, but it is a nice movie. Contrary to what critics suggested, it does not fall flat.

The central message of the movie is heartwarming and something that we tend to have forgotten in these supposedly troubled times. Look within and remove the black that is inside you. Look at yourself in the mirror and see if you can watch without guilt, remorse, or any negativity, for that matter.

i'll jump to the characters because they define the film and the ethos it projects. Abhishek Bachchan is marvellous. The kind of restraint he shows is so powerful and has a dynamite embedded in it. i particularly like the scene where he is not allowed to enter the mandir. It would have been very easy for anybody to be provoked there and with reason. But the bottom line, beautifully represented, is, that does not solve the issue. So, why act in a fruitless manner. The director rises above the ordinary by showing him talking it out rather than creating further havoc by reacting to it. i didn't find it preachy at all. And the exact contradiction is the scene where he slaps a boisterous police officer who is in the wrong. He does not fear the consequences and stands up for what is wrong. There is a possibility that he might not be in the know of the rules. But, the point being, he is very sensible in the choices he makes. He is not weak and he does not show off his might at the wrong places. He is very sensitive too. He understands the sensitivity of a father-daughter relationship too. i think, Abhishek takes it all.

Of course, the other artists have given outstanding performances too. Special mention here about Dobriyal. His anger when his shop is burned down and his helpless feeling when he shoots down the supposed Monkeyman. Beautifully portrayed. Atul Kulkarni is good too but does not rise above his character. He is a brilliant actor and that's what he can bring to the table. Nothing drastic.

Others have performed well too.

The cinematography is mind blowing. The Namaaz scenes are shot like never before. Salutes to Binod Pradhan.

The music is a-maaa-zing. Of course, it is A.R.Rahman. Now that the world knows about his genius, it is expected. But the music beautifully embellishes and at the same time adds soul to the film. Prasoon Joshi is at his best again. This man's usage of regular words in a different and refreshing context is superb. Darare Darare Mathey Pe Maula, Maramat Muqaddar ki kardo Maula. Double superb.

The editing is not tight, i agree. The grip loosens at some ends too, but compared to the overall experience, it is forgivable. The Ramayan intercepts are a little difficult to decipher and tend to be a little too forced. Ditto with Amitabh Bachchan's appearance, didn't really drive home the point.

All in all, a sit-up-and-take-notice movie experience!
Recommended.

Twelve / two

This date has many things attached to it.

This is the same date J had got married.

This is the same date Pa had an heart attack.

This is the same date when we purchased our first car.

This is the same date that Kamna masi had passed away.

And today, this is the same date when Guruji has passed away.

This also is the date for a closure and a new beginning for J.

All this happened in different years in the last decade.

But this date has significant meaning in our lives. Almost like milestones.

Some good, some sad entries.

Strike of change

You have to come out of your boredom yourself. Nobody is going to do it for you. Nobody should. Nobody can.

And it is not all that difficult. Unless you make it so.

But it takes a hell lot of effort and undoing of the conditioning. Or so it seems in the initial attempts.

Either you make revolutionary, rebellious changes to stop getting back into the pan or make peaceful compromise with the situation.

Getting rebellious is drastic. Not just for you, but for those connected to you, too.

That kind of shackles you, but you gotta take risk for a big leap. Come out of the comfort zone and explore and discover and live and be.

One step at a time or plunge head down, that is the question????

What's goin on here?????

i am getting bored and feeling stodgy.
i think i'll elope tomorrow morning or late tonight.

Luck By Chance - Watch it by choice

Long time, no review. What the heck, Dishpa :)

Yea...i just watched Luck By Chance. Its a nice movie.

i really liked the slick direction style. Both brother-sister duo are smart, modern, urban individuals. Performances are marvellous, by each one of them. The plot is very interesting and is treated in a very stylised manner. It has ample substance to it too.

The reality of the Hindi film industry is beautifully portrayed. It's not treated starkly and intensely, as Madhur Bhandarkar does. But it drives home the point, quite resonantly.

i can't comment much about the technical details as i am not equipped to, but seemingly, it's all reasonably good. The casting is just perfect. All the characters fit quite snugly. Farhan Akhtar is ok, i mean, he is good, but nothing great. Maybe, that's what the role demands. If he wants to seriously pursue acting, he needs to do a variety of roles. But, its only his second movie. So, fair enough. i like him nonetheless. And maybe my expectations are quite high for him. Dimple, Isha, Rishi Kapoor, Farhan's friends - they are all good. Special mention here about Juhi Chawla - she plays, i think the most difficult character. Loud, sensitive, ostentatious, but played so damn convincingly. It would have been very easy to overdo it, but she draws a fine balance to it. Good work there. The show stealer, undoubtedly, is Konkona Sen Sharma.

Man, what role, what portrayal! The depth of this character, understanding, acceptance level is amazing. You'll just fall in love with this character. i did. Konkona oozes loads of talent, so convincing, so beautiful. She has now become one of my favourite actors.

i absolutely love the scene in the end where she has this talk with Farhan. She so casually, without creating a fuss, genuinely tells him about his selfish nature. Most importantly, it is not derogatory, she does not harbour any ill-feelings and moves on quite confidently giving a complete closure to her relationship. Absolute perfection.

Konkona rocks, so does Zoya, the director!
Looking forward to more works from such artists.