Pink Panther 2

After the very boring De Dana Dan, we returned home feeling cheated. I wanted to watch a comedy so I cud laugh at the jokes in the movie instead of at the movie or at myself for actually sitting through tht nonsense. The Arien was glued to his comp and I was reading "a girl like me" by Swati Kaushal. I was not sure why I picked it up... it was 'bout a teen who has moved frm Minnesota to Delhi, and though I continued reading it - I did not like it much. I wanted to get started on "Plum Island".

The Arien looks up from his comp and says "Lets watch Pink Panther 2 after dinner." This is the movie where Ash makes her hollywood debut... and it stars Steve Martin, whom I luvv. I tell the Arien "Lets order Chinese and we can watch the movie now". The Arien does not want to eat chinese. We spent a few minutes in silence. I am trying to figure out where we can order food frm while the Arien is planning wht he wud like me to cook for him :D A compromise saved the day - we can make chappthi and aloo subji at home.

Pink Panther 2 is quite funny in some parts, Ash is Sonia Solandress (hehehehe!!), there is romance in the air for Steve and Emily (Nicole), and quite a few new characters. While Steve Martin was simbly hilarious in Pink Panther - the sequel did not match up. The Arien, for once agreed with me. Ash does not have a blink and miss role but she has almost nothing to do but b there - which she is good at. The ending is tame and very predictable... as I have mentioned in most of my reviews, I like a twist in the story. Well, apart from the scene where Steve Martin dresses up as the Pope and stands at the Balcony, all the others scenes kinda fall short. I got over De Dana Dan inspite of the fact that Pink Panther 2 did not meet my expectations - thanks to Steve Martin.

De Dana Dan

Inspite of having watched Hera Pheri, and really enjoyed it, laughing - the deep down belly laugh - not the obligatory giggle or the short bark laugh - for some portions of the movie, I opted for Ajab Prem Ki Ajab Kahani for the weekend outing over De Dana Dan for our wknd movie watching. Ranbir is watchable and the Arien can drool 0ver Katz :D

We left home around 11:15 and reached the theatre at 12:45 ( 15 mts too late for the show). While the Arien insisted we catch the movie anyway, I opted for De Dana Dan at 2:15. After booking the tickets, we had a long-drawn discussion on where we wud have lunch - a lot of time was spent in shooting down the other's choice - we can b such babies smtms - we finally settled on Millers 46. When we left Millers 46, after totally stuffing our faces, we realized that it was 2. If we did not walk in a fast and furious manner, we wud b late.. yet again. After all the hulaboo, one wud expect that it was a not-so-bad movie, right?? WRONG!!

It was so unfunny that it produced a short laugh for tht reason. It was almost as if they shot a few songs - including the promo number "Paisa Paisa karthi hai.." and then wrote the script to bind the unconnected songs to each other. In fact, for the promo song, Akshay spoke 1 dialogue b4 the song to introduce the song which was one of the many unnecessary songs in the movie. It reminded me of the obligatory intro sentence before a procedure, "To configure blahdeblaah on blaah, do the following:" I am sure you all know wht I mean. Talking of unnecessary songs, there was this waterfall song with katz in a saree ( supposed to b the hot n sexy number) which had absolutley no ooomph quotient at all. I was reminded of Akshay's earlier hot number with Raveena in a yellow saree, "Tip Tip Barasa Paani" which I thot was a scandalous number. This was the absolute opposite of tht song - kats was absolutely robo-like in her precision to cmplt those moves which probably killed Akshay's enthu :D In fact, I felt he wud smhw burst out laughing in the middle of the song. The Arien did with "God!! She is so.. so.. unsexy. " I was surprised tht we had the same opinion :) There is also this titanic-like scene that is oh sooo bad... you are tempted to leave before the credits start rolling.

Rating: 1/5
Why is it that every hindi movie I have reviewed is kinda bad, worse, or worse than worse??

The General's Daughter

As I was browsing through the library yet again, I came across this book which I picked up for my weekend reading. I recall the Arien asking me to watch a movie by the same title with him, while I was busy doing the Sudoku and catching up on my sleep, so ob. I gave it a miss. Anyway, I have always liked the book more than the movie and so I decided to read the book.

You are introduced to the story from the perspective of Paul Brenner, a member of the military CID, who is called in to investigate the death of the daughter of a very famous General. He is assisted by a rape counsultant, who is also his ex-flame, Sarah. Investigation into the house of the general's daughter Elizabeth, reveals a number of skeletons in the closet. It is a case that could easily kill his career, growth, and reputation but Paul decides that he shall do his very best to solve the case. He talks to the various people that Elizabeth knew and finds that each person had a motive to kill her. Paul attempts to reconstruct the crime based on the the details shared by the various ppl involved and zooms in on first one person and then the actual killer.

However, while there is proof that the killer was in the vicinity - there is no proof that the killer actually committed the crime. There was motive but so many others also had motive. There was a lot of circumstantial evidence but that would not hold up in court. So it was actually "We know that he knows that we know" and Paul knew that until the killer breaks down and confesses - the killer cud not be convicted and he cud not solve the case. The story dragged at the end, you are feeling desperate and then it breaks. The ending was kinda expected but the book was fantastic.

Urged the Arien to download the movie, as I kept imagining Denzel Washington in Paul Brenner's role and found out that it was John Travolta instead. The movie does make a few changes. Paul (John Travolta) meets Elizabeth in the movie whereas in the book, he has never met her and is called in after the body is found. For folks, who prefer to watch the movie rather than read the book, it has some adult content and so I advice viewer discreetion. Others, read the book - I loved it :)

Gracie Lindsay

It had been a tiring week and I was looking forward to some serious light reading. Too many weekends had disappeared as part of arbid get-2gethers and I really wanted some time to laze, read, read, laze, and so on in an infinite loop. Naturally, the Arien does not get this and so it is a major tussle. So, I was very surprised wen the Arien was asked to report for OT over the weekend. Always in a mood for drama, I waved a sorrowful bye and a "I will miss you", as he left for work on a saturday. The Arien replied in his usual blunt manner "Uff - don't do all this natak - I know u are going to laze all day with tht book of urs. Jes b ready when I come home - we can go out for dinner." Wooohooo!

True to his comment, jes minutes after he left, I picked up Gracie Lindsay. First thing I noted was that the book had been published in 1978. The book was the size of a student notebook or probably the size of Enid Blyton's Secret Seven or Famous Five. The story was written in a simple, clear manner that is distinctly old style. The story is about Gracie, who is returning to her homeland after having been away for more than 7 years. She had left her hometown amidst scandalous rumours, bad gossip and left behind a broken-hearted boy-friend, a heart-broken uncle and a not-so-heart-broken aunt. In those 7 years, she married a man much older to her, and moved to Cawnpore (yes.. Kanpur), India. The husband dies and she decides to return to her hometown - with gifts frm Kashmir, Calcutta, and Mysore. (Yupp... lotsa Indian places.. fairly gave me a thrill!!)

Gracie is not made out to be the epitome of goodness, selfless lowe, etc., she is self-centered, selfish, wanting her chance of happiness with her old boyfriend, who is now engaged to be married. As the entire town watches, she goes out on secret trysts with her old boyfriend, behaves like a pampered niece to her uncle, neglects to find out more 'bout her child who was given away for adoption, goes out with a notorious womaniser to make her old boyfriend jealous, etc. In spite of the way she behaves, instead of contempt, you feel sorry for her.

I was very curious to know how the story wud end, but was very disappointed at the ending. Killing her off in a vague accident, where she somehow manages to save her son was very blaaah. It seemed more like an easy way out for the author. I was not expecting her to become a changed person but I was hoping for a lil happiness for her. This is the first book I have read of this author. When I mentioned the author's name to the senior Arien, he went "aaaah.. He was a gr8 writer - you must read the Citadel". Hmmm... shd remember tht name when I go to the library next time.

Secret Window

After having enjoyed "The Shining" - the Arien decided to download more movies of the same genre. While I am usually all enthued 'bout thriller movies, this time I was somehow not too enthued 'bout catching it ASAP. In fact, I put it off for almost a month and then suddenly last weekend when we were relaxing at home, I finally decided to watch "Secret Window". *No Spoilers *!!

The story begins very simply at the lakeside cabin of a famous writer. The writer is battling with writer's block and is also in the midst of a divorce. The house is in a mess and looks as if the writer, Mort, has totally let himself go. The man himself looks quite a mess - his hair is uncombed, he is wearing a striped robe which probably belonged to his ex-wife - which has a tear on one shoulder and he is constantly sleeping on the couch. You feel the utmost sympathy for him.

Into this lazy surroundings comes the villain in the form of John Shooter. Mort is dozing away yet again when he has a nightmare of turning over on his couch and almost falling into an abyss. He wakes up to find that he is on the floor and some one is knocking on the door. He opens it to meet John Shooter who accuses Mort of stealing his story and gives him a sheaf of papers (not bound) and asks him to read it. Mort is convinced that the old man must be mad and throws the papers into the dustbin. A few hours later, after one more small nap, Mort finds the sheaf of papers on his desk. The mystery is solved when Mort sees his housekeeper cleaning the house. Mort decides to check the veracity of the claim and reads the first few lines and is aghast to find that most of the information is almost identical except that the style of writing varies slightly. Shooter starts arriving at his cabin at all odd times and threatens him. Shooter tells Mort that he wants him to print a retraction and change the ending of the story. Mort is horrified at the thought of all that bad publicity.

During one of their conversations, Shooter states that his story was written in the year X and Mort instantly realizes that his story was published almost two years earlier in a magazine. In his enthusiasm, he blurts out that he still has a copy in his home as he now feels the weight of the bad publicity lifting. He is absolutely unaware of Shooter's plan. When Mort returns to his cabin - he notices that Shooter has killed his dog. Shooter asks him to get a copy of the magazine and he will leave him. Mort visits the local sherif and hires a private investigator.

Mort decides to visit his home (now the home of his ex-wife and her boy friend) to get his copy of the magazine that first published his short story. After seeing his ex-wife with her boy friend, Mort feels distraught and returns to his lakeside cottage. Meanwhile, Shooter burns down the house. Mort suspects that Shooter does not want him to find the magazine. Soon, the private investigator and the only person who saw Shooter, are found dead in his SUV.

If you liked The Shining - you will totally lowe this movie. The part of Mort is played by Johnny Depp who you will agree was perfect for the part. The tension builds n builds and then suddenly explodes. This is not for the folks who enjoy the college gal in a shower + some vague killer wearing a mask + hazzar murders + sequel after sequel, kinda stuff.

Tea @ Infinitea

After returning frm a rain-soaked pilgrimage, I was looking forward to a lazy day - we were eating at the senior Arien's house - Yippee!! No cooking for me. The cook had prepared the south Indian version of the chinese fried rice alongwith a side-dish of paneer butter masala - that left a lot to be desired. The combo was the least of our concerns because the rice was so overcooked - it tasted and looked very much like pongal. Plus, it had a lot of partially cooked veggies - the cabbage was almost raw and peas was uncooked. Assuming we let all tht go - the salt was fit for a bp patient. I mean it was cmpltly tasteless : I almost regretted my earlier Yipppeee!! :( I was actually suprised that the Arien had not made any comment. I suggested going out and having a good Chai and snack which was vetoed by the senior Arien and the Taurean. While the senior Arien was keen on catching up on his sleep, the Taurean wanted to catch up on his speech. That left the two of us for the snack.

After indulging in sm arbid shopping for the Arien - I decided it was tm to have tht really nice hot cuppa Chai. I was in no mood to go home and make two hot cups and so we tried to cm up with options. The Arien not wanting to drive too far frm home - opted for Shanthi Saagar. My glare was sufficient to stop him from coming up with a list of similar such options wen I got my first brite idea of the day. Infinitea. I was all for the totally chilled out experience while the Arien came up with his standard rejections "Too far - Too expensive - Too late" and a new one "No coffee". But, for once my mind was totally made up and so on sunday evening arnd 7 pm - we made our entry into Infinitea.

We opted for steamed momos, and a pot of masala chai as the Arien was not in a mood to experiment (Alas, on our drive to Infinitea, I had mentioned Progrm's Green Tea scene). While we were still wondering 'bout wht we shd add - I came up with the Tiramisu. The Arien read it and had the best candid camera expression on his face :D He managed "Ladies fingers? Do you really want tht??" with a very audible gulp. I told him I was very clear and the first dish tht arrived was the Tiramisu which was promptly gulped down by the Arien amidst "Hmm.. Nice.. Hmm... Good.. Hmm.. do you want some???" before I cud say "Tiramisu". Well Well Well...

Momos were not so great but the spicy chutney tht accompanied it - sure was. Chai was so-so. I have had better @ Infinitea. We spent a while staring at the pictures on the wall - commenting on the statements made on the paper coaster - observed a college-going couple feeding each other, in one corner... Next to us, were a bunch of four guys chattering nineteen to a dozen who had finished their eats at least half an hour before we did. Somewhere in the midst of all the staring the Arien noticed that we had not yet recd the bill. Well, thts one of the nicest things.... I mean, in most places, the bill is placed alongwith the final dish and a waiter (im) patiently waits for you to pay. It was a very nice experience tht we cud jes continue to sit and chat :) While I have been here b4, it was the first time with the Arien and he enjoyed the experience as much as I did.

Adai - a South Indian Delicacy

After almost two years of not having had Adai, I visited Annapoorani near Cambridge Layout and gorged on one while the Arien declined to take a bite, adding "Its too thick and looks burnt - you go ahead!" While hogging on my Adai, I tried to convince him that not all Adais were thick ... or burnt ... I mean, my adai is not burnt... Grrr...So like him to make a comment tht infuriated me while he continued to eat his Ven Pongal nonchalantly. Ufff!!! Well, I cud have been talking to the Adai for all the attention he gave me!!

For the uninitated folks, Adai is actually a rich relation of our traditional dosai. It is rich in protien, plump but not obese, drinks like nobody's business, and is usually accompanied by avial, chutney, or molaga pudi. Sambrr, as Northies call our Saaambhaar, should ideally not be allowed to accompany Adai because familiarity breeds contempt.

Naturally, I cud not or rather wud not let the issue remain unsettled for looong and so I got Adai Maavu (batter) so I could make Adai for the Arien. The Arien was adamant tht he wud not like Adai and I was insistent tht he cud not make the decision without trying it.

It was almost as if tht statement was sm kinda time machine dialogue which sent me back to the tm when I was cranky kid. I was suddenly part of those old flashback moments used by black and white movies to indicate that we are back in the past! You know the one tht has this doin doin doin circle that meant tht time itself was going backwards.... I was wearing a beautiful pattu pavadai chattai with flowers clipped on my short hair using a hair clip, a beeg boil on my nose, tears in my eyes, while my mom glared at me. The waiter had happily served Thair pachiddi on my Yelai while I was busy making plans with my older cousin 'bout how we cud play in the Oonjhal (Swing) before the Mappilai and Ponnu (Groom and Bride) sat on it. I did not like the look of the dish - I wanted it removed - or I wanted a new Yelai - none of which was likely to happen. Mom came closer and said in her no-nonsense firm tone "Do not make the decision without trying it." Tht was one of the most hated dialogues of my childhood especially 'cos I was a fussy eater. Me saying exactly the same thing to smne else was actually scary!! I tasted a teeny bit and gagged or rather did a decent job of pretending - mom was ready to thulp me for the natak but grandma came to my rescue and tht was the end of the lesson.... Hmm.. Hmmm...

Anyway, back to the future, the Adai was looking golden brown and so I quickly turned it over and tadaen - the Adai was ready!! After having the first Adai, the Arien said "Its interesting - not so bad" and I was doing the Yippe Yippe Yeah Yeah bing dance when he decided to christen our Adai. While I waited for wht seemed an age - he came up with Masala Dosa. Because he had so sweetly tried the Adai, I tried very hard not to burst into giggles. Adaingappa (pun unintended) ~ What an idea, sirji!!

Jack Nicholson Vaaaram

After seeing Unnai Pol Oruvan a week ago and being more impressed with Mohan Lal, I decided to dedicate the extended weekend towards catching up on some ole movies that I truly enjoyed. I surprised myself by picking 3 movies of the same actor and then decided why not see 5 movies of the same actor and dedicate the week to one of the finest actors, Jack Nicholson.

The first movie that I saw of Jack Nicholson was "The Shining" and I saw it when I was in my early teens, sitting on the floor, late at night, with cousins. The movie completely terrified me. An older cousin had purposely made us sit on the floor so we could experience the movie from the psychic son's perspective. All I could remember of the movie was a hotel, a kid cycling, twins in blue, and of course the dialogue "Danny boy, Danny boy". Seeing it again, it was not as scary but it definitely gave me the chills. Its not like the horror movies of today where a creaking sound, a scream, a door slamming happens every second jes to create fear and to prevent U from getting bored. The movie started slowly, fleshed out the characters, and then let the movie take over.

The second movie that I saw was the amazing "A Few Good Men" which also starred Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon, and Demi Moore. I spent most part of the film, agonizing over how Tom had to achieve the impossible. Towards the end, in the last courtroom scene which was supposedly the winning scene for Tom, I was floored by the honesty that Jack Nicholson brought to tht scene. I have seen the movie a zillion times but I can never forget Jack's famous dialogue "You cannot handle the truth". Over the years, whenever the movie came on TV, I found that Tom and Demi seemed raw and barely impressive and I would surf channels until the final courtroom scene came on. Watching the movie again was like a super treat.

The third movie that I truly enjoyed was "As good as it gets". He was brilliant as a famous M&B kinda writer with a serious obsessive compulsive disorder who falls in lowe with the waitress who waits on him everyday. If you have not caught it yet, catch it on a lazy saturday afternoon and I am sure you will fall madly in lowe with him and his fantastic potrayal of the OCD writer.

While the next movie I saw was "Departed" - I felt it was more a Matt Daemon and Di Caprio movie. Though I liked the movie, I would rather discuss "The Bucket List". I heard that Jack Nicholson had actually shaved his head for the role. When two men (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) are diagnosed with a terminal disease, they work on a list of things that they want to see or achieve before they die. Their sojourns also includes a short trip to India - to visit the Taj Mahal and Morgan Freeman is actually wearing a pale white embroidered Sherwani.

The last movie that I saw was the totally unexpected "Somethings gotta give". Jack plays an aging senior citizen who likes young women and unexpectedly falls in lowe with the mother of the young woman he is currently seeing. Its actually an "Apoorva Raagangal" with a dollop of humour and of course Jack Nicholson.

Of Injuries, Pain, and finally Relief

Have you ever had agonizing pain in your foot everytime you stood up after sitting for a while? Have you ignored it for over two months telling everyone that you are in the middle of a release? Have you limped all the way to the dias at Weddings, smiled at everyone like you are Colgate's brand ambassador and then hissed "Where the F are all the bloody chairs??" to ur near and dear ones who are accompanying you to the wedding? After a painful walk in your stylish shoes at the latest mall - have you sat in the car, hugging your feet so they do not pain so muchh... Well, well - you have lived the past two months of my life :(

When I finally decided to visit a doctor to check on the misbehaving right foot - this was jes after my book was approved for the release - I find that the foot behaves perfectly normal at the clinic. I had been worried 'bout this and the Arien rushed up and turned the foot in a diagonal manner and I let out one of those blood curdling screams which I had on reserve. The doctor managed to look nonchalant and asked the Arien why he had to twist it tht way and smiled while we both stared. He said smthng tht sounded like "metatarsal" and asked me to get an X-Ray jes to rule out any fractures. So, we got the X-ray. Well, the bones were fine - perfectly normal.

I was now more worried than ever. When we returned to the clinic - we were sent to a shop to purchase a "metatarsal silicon cushion". It looked ughhy! I cud not believe I had to wear smthng like tht. I was actually embarrassed to carry it in my hand :( When we met the doctor, he gave me more information on my bad right foot. He said tht either by wearing shoes with heels or shoes that have a tapering end, I had caused the toe bones (digits) to press the viens - resulting in the pain. So, essentially, in college parlance, my bones were ragging my veins and by wearing the scary silicon cushion, I was introducing a warden who would not let the bones rag the viens.

He also showed me how to wear my ugghy cushion. The relief was immense and immediate. The Arien had noticed the change in my expression, the moment I stood up. Usually, when I get up after being in a seated position, I have a pinched expression and then I hobble for 5 minutes before I can actually walk normally. When I stood up, the warden jumped in and provided support for the veins. The bones dared not rag the veins in the presence of the warden. I was so surprised, I actually said "I can walk - n its not paining". The doctor made me walk around the room and told me to wear the cushion for 15 days at least. He also prescribed some anti-inflammatory tablets, asked me to soak my foot in hot water, perform sm stretching exercises for the foot - in water, and asked me to see him after 15 days. I was still repeating "No pain" when we were asked to leave.

When we were driving back, I was dreaming 'bout new footwear when the Arien, in his typical sarci-cum-astute manner, said "Do you know that we jes spent 1000 + bucks on your right foot? Why is ur right foot troubling you - oh yes!! Ur shoes. " All my plans for buying new footwear quickly vanished.

For the folks who are interested to know more 'bout this particular ailment, it is known as Morton's Neuroma.

Change is ....

I decided to change the look of my blog and decided to use one of those templates that I could freely download. While attempting one of the changes, I lost some of my widgets :( While it was entirely my fault.. I am still a lil waaanh 'bout it. A small change has made me feel so blaaah is surprising. Actually, I have never attempted changing the look using a template that I downloaded and so it is actually a change after a loooong time. I liked the template but I am not happy tht I lost my widgets. I am also surprised 'bout how easily one can get used to a lot of things in life. While one can wax eloquent 'bout change - it is all 'bout how one handles change when you first face it that defines you. You could:

• cribb endlessly (like tht makes a diff.),
• fight change passively,
• fight change aggressively, or
• live in denial

Well, I have decided to add the widgets again.. can I really do anything else??!! It will take a while before my blog looks like my blog once again but I am willing to use the time to see if I really needed those widgets :) Talk of learnings.. this had me groaning! And btw, this is not like the "Dhaag achhe hote hain" ad. Honestly, Dhaaag acche nahi hothe - ask your mom :D

MJ

I know I know.. wht was I doing all this while? Hmmm... well, everytime I wanted write a tribute to him - I postponed it till it got 2 late. I know I know ... why now? Most saturdays I tune into Vh1 and 29th August was no different. Too late - I realized it was MJ's b'day (he wud have been 50 today) and it was raining MJ songs.

The first time I saw MJ was on the Grammy's show smtm in 1987, in Bangalore. The curly long hair, the apparent grace in the dance moves,the slim legs and thin frame had me convinced tht MJ was a woman. It was my cousin who educated me otherwise. The following year, I moved to Chennai and I was introduced to loads of english music, including MJ's. I was a Cliff Richards fan and so MJ was almost a culture shock but I was soon singing along with the cassette whenever I cud. Usually, whenever I make new frends, my first question after the pleasantries is "Wht books do you read?" - tht changed to "Do you listen to MJ?" Yupp - it was tht drastic.

I met my soul-sister later tht year - we convinced our family junta tht we were into "combined study" - tht was the term used those days - and managed to watch all MJ videos and sing along till I flunked World History. Mom went hyper and insisted "No more all this combined study rubbish or Mykhel Jakison nonsense". Yaa mum was pretty sharp :( Well, all tht meant was improve my grades n I could go bk to MJ.. my soul-sister was a gr8 frend and teacher n taught me Russian Revolution and 1857 so well tht my mom gave me permission to go bk to listening to Mykhel :D I also listened to Madonna, George Michael, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and a host of other musicians during this time.

Have you ever noticed that movies, videos tht impressed you when you were a kid, look tacky, totally blaaah when you re-visit them? I remember being impressed by the movie Khoon Bhari Maang when I saw it for the first time. When I saw it again, a few yrs later, I found tht the editing was not slick enuf, the story line shd have been tauter - you know what I mean. With the passage of the years, the technology has changed so much tht the old movies, videos are not as impressive. So, if the movie or video stood the test of time, it essentially took on cult status.

At that time, MJ was the hit of the season - I realize now tht he and sm musicians were able to re-invent themselves, stay ahead of their fans expectations and remain on the top longer than the others tho' MJ took it some weird levels at times. For instance, apart frm the ole videos (Jackson 5 videos) which appear dated - all his other videos were actually way ahead of time and they continue to impress me. Thriller, Black or White, for instance.

After watching MJ videos hundreds of times, I could actually yell out the kind of outfit he was wearing as I heard the opening notes of any song. The Arien decided to test me on it and here goes:

• The way you make me feel - navy blu shirt, white vest, a white cord with a kinda bow in front.
• Smooth Criminal - all white blazer, hat, shoes, and the paris tower lean
• They don't care 'bout us - colourful red v neck shirt teamed with a blue jean
• Bad - black outfit with buckles on the side
• Beat It - Orangish-red space jacket, blue t-shirt, wite socks peeping out.
• Say Say Say (with Paul McCartney) - navy blue cap, suspenders, blue sweatshirt
• Billi Jean - red bow tie, leather blazer on shoulder, lite pink shirt, very old style formal leather shoes, black leather trousers.

I actually got most of it rite - down to the smallest details. The Arien was pretty surprised that I could still remember the lines of so many of MJs songs. Actually, I was pretty surprised at that too :) Thanks to MJ, I belonged to the hip crowd at school instead of the nerdy junta I was usually a part of. I truly enjoyed his music and felt sorry for the poor lil rich boy as he got weirder and weirder. I shall miss his music, his monwalk, his passion for the songs he wrote and danced for... Adieu!

Ten Tadennnn Taen aka Kaminey

Was in Mumbai last week, visiting an Arien aunt. Being particularly close to this aunt since childhood, I was sure that we would have lotsaa fun. Too late we realized tht it was rainy season, aunt had gone all spiritual and TV was going to be our companion as aunt had not taken off from work. Talk of piscean persistence coupled with Arien enthu - the Arien aunt had no escape. We picked her up from office in her car, after buying tickets to a movie in a nearby multiplex. If you have ever been to Mumbai, you will know that that is quite a daunting task but the Arien is pretty good at driving the car and I am pretty good at remembering routes and navigating and so we surprised my aunt by driving up to her workplace and informing her tht we had got tickets to the movie she wanted to watch - Kaminey.


Kaminey is a totally watchable movie inspite of the old wine in a new bottle storyline. I was actually glad tht they escaped frm the "Maaa.." aspect which has by now become a mandatory part of any indian movie - frm Amitabh's maa, Nirupa Roy, Salman's maa, Reema Lagoo, to Imran's maa, Rathna Pathak Shah. In this movie we have a Paa. The twins (both played by Shahid) do not have a maa and do not have fond memories of her which we are subjected to as a flashback. Shahid1 has a stutter while Shahid2 has a lisp and when they spoke, it took a while to understand wht they meant, after which it became hilarious.

Shahid finally escapes frm the "mister-goody-two-shoes" image of Jab We Met and Vivah. Priyanka is good. The slick editing is reminiscent of an english movie and the storyline is taut. It was a well directed movie and the script enabled Shahid to rise like a phoenix and show his detractors what he is capable of. Music was essentially hummable - Ten Tadan was pretty good tho' it loses sm of its life as the song progresses.


While my aunt was shocked at the violence, Arien and self were wondering if we had missed something. Aunt has spent too much time pursuing her spiritual goals was our joint verdict for her which she laughingly accepted. When I mentioned to a frend tht I saw Kaminey in Mumbai - I was told tht the Mumbai experience was not complete until I saw sm Kaminey (s)!!! Tht was simply too punelicious that I cud not resist adding it here.

Verdict: Not path-breaking or Earth-shattering but amazing nonetheless especially in the Bollywood space. A good movie after a loong time. Shahid excels in the role of a lifetime that seems to be crafted for him. Must watch at least once.

Kandhasamy

Am blogging after a really looong tm and I thot I must first share my opinion on a movie that has been hyped to glory. So far, all movies that have been publicised extensively usually fall flat after all tht hype... but hey, I am getting ahead of myself. Lets start at the beginning...

It was a hectic monday morning and I had jes started serious work after replying to various arbid mails when the phone started to ring. I was sure it was a credit card salesman and picked it up only to hear my bil ask me if I was at work. I managed a Yes and was informed tht the entire family junta was planning on watching Kandhasamy and would I join them for the 8 pm show? I said Yes. All too soon it was tm for us to get to the theatre. When we reached the theatre, I was a lil zapped to see two full rows occupied by my extended family. My bil is very enthued 'bout get2gethers and movies and so here we were (arnd 30 of us), sitting in the last two rows and hoping to enjoy a Vikram movie. Hoping is the right word... in the first 10 mts, Vikram in his Kozhi avatar killed all my interest.

Totally predictable - script must have been written on a paper napkin frm a cheap takeaway -movie was a mish-mash of Shivaji and Anniyan without the script, a la Swift Dezire. Vikram is totally wasted in a role where he sleepwalks as his various avatars. Shriya, the less said the better. Songs - not even hummable - a Poda Podi song tht no self-respecting tiny tot will sing even with a bribe, an Allegra song tht was supposed to showcase Shriya's dancing abilities but showcased more of her size zero figure than of anything else.

Most folks left after the interval when they saw tht the movie was going nowhere. We were not as lucky as we were a huge group where sm folks believed the movie wud get better and so we stayed put and endured the longest, most boring tamil movie ever. It was so pathetic that I wondered at Vikram's wisdom in signing on the dotted line after the script was shared. I have liked most of his earlier movies but this is simply too huge a blooper for the actor to commit. I have always thot he was an intelligent actor but this movie makes me wonder 'bout tht as well. Anyways, if there is anyone who has not yet seen this movie, this is my sincere advice: Pls do not watch it even if smne gives you a free gold class ticket at sm hi-fi multiplex in your city.