The Lunch Box -- Movie Review

Irrfan and Nawaz

Nimrat or Ila in the Kitchen

We have never watched a movie on a week day and so I was pleasantly surprised when the Arien suggested that we catch "The Lunch Box" on Friday. The senior Arien and the Taurean were also interested. However, due to really bad traffic, the Taurean did not make it home in time for leaving and the senior Arien did not want to catch the movie without the Taurean and so it was just the two of us. We were late by a few minutes thanks to the same traffic but that did not deter us.

The movie was well-shot, well-edited, and had actors who ably supported the story. Irfan, Nimrat, and Nawaz are so real that you expect them to pop out of the screen after the movie and join you as you make your way home discussing the movie.

Image Courtesy: http://www.santabanta.com/photos/the-lunchbox/16516000.htm

More than dialogues, the movie is made of a number of expressions: Irfan's grouchy expression as Nawaz disturbs him, his lighting-up-the-face smile as he tastes the food, Nawaz's failed attempts at endearing small talk to break the ice with Irfan, Nimrat's quizzical expressions and her "Aunty.." stay on long after the movie. The dialogues are equally good, and bring a smile to your face. There is also Irfan's characteristic dead-pan humour.

Image Courtesy:  www.songsuno.com/movie/lunch-box-photos.html

Irrfan -All Smiles

This is a movie which one should experience and not read about in reviews. There are so many terms to describe this love story but they have all been over-used and sound tacky to my ears now. So, I prefer to call it a love story.


If I had to sum up the movie in two sentences, as my english teacher used to say, I would say: This is a love story where food and monotony of life play the main characters while relationships and life in general, play non-supporting roles. 

Catch the movie. Enough said :)

Wordless Wednesdays -- Dessert fit for a Queen -- Yumm!

Lalbagh Flower Show -- Second Visit in the Same Year

We visited the flower show at Lalbagh twice this year - once in January (Republic Day Celebrations) and recently in August (Independence Day Celebrations). The Arien loves to visit flower shows because of the abundant photo-op(s) that the flowers provide. I am more of a side-kick who carries the rest of the equipment (additional lenses, tripod, etc.) and of course, much needed water and some gen snacks. Sometimes, I am allowed to shoot pics. Why sometimes? Because my pics come out pretty blaah. Why? I am more of a auto-focus and point and shoot person - not too handy with the DSLR or SLR. Of course, that does not stop me from taking more of such pics at any time!!! Anyway, I would rather be the sidekick than sit at home getting bored.

During this visit, we left around 8:45 am - late by Arien's standards but because the flower show
started at 9 am - it made no sense getting there earlier. The taurean was accompanying us this time. We had to park quite a distance away from Lalbagh near the bus stand. We decided to have breakfast before heading out. The breakfast was so-so but the three of us were energized which was good. The loong walk was not so loong after all. The Arien started taking pictures as soon as we entered the flower show area.

The place was jam packed but not unmanageable. A number of photography enthusiasts were noticeable. Most of them had amazing cameras and the Arien pointed out the more expensive ones. There were an equal number of folks shooting pictures on their mobiles, ipads, and the good old point and shoot type cameras.

This time, the taurean became the main sidekick and he was on a roll taking snaps of the flowers, the house-boat, etc. I walked along carrying the water bottle knowing fully well that that day I was not going to get a chance to take any photographs not that I was too keen.

He took this picture of the flag that was made from grains of rice. Lovely frame. You can actually see his reflection in this snap. 

The flowers were a pretty sight and you could see a number of bees, butterflies hovering around them. The Arien, of course does not stop till he gets his shot.  This picture of the bee settled on the flower had the Arien all smiling.

The flowers were not looking too great, said the Arien. I noticed on close observation that they already looked slightly withered and today was just the second day of the flower show. Maybe they add new flowers after a day or two.

Doubt some of these flowers could survive another day or two. I wonder why.

The two shots of this butterfly are so different, you would think they were two different butterflies.. Look again!

We followed the Arien as he tried to take a shot of this butterfly that flitted from flower to flower with the Arien following closely, till we got bored :) Soon, we were standing to one side while the Arien went after the butterfly with single-minded focus. Lovely shots - seriously!!

After these two amazing pictures, the Arien was ready to leave. Meanwhile, the Taurean decided he wanted to buy some plants.

The four other plants that the Taurean had purchased a year ago, are surviving but not because the Taurean looked after them. However, it was clear he had made up his mind. I imparted some gyan "Plants are like pets or even kids, you have to take care of them... blahdeblah", and then sat down to wait as he selected the plants (4 varieties of Hibiscus, 2 varieties of roses, and 2 money plants), new pots, and the manure.

It was after 2 pm when we reached home and I was ravenous. Knowing the senior Arien can get hyper on seeing so many plants - called ahead and told him not to worry. Overall a nice morning. All of us had a nice time, including the senior Arien who had us out of his hair all morning.

Wordament - Phone Game Review

... And I am back! With this post you will know more about what has been keeping me busy - Yes, the games installed on my new Nokia Lumia 520.

Wordament actually came out way back in 2011. If, however, you have never heard of it, that is not too surprising because neither had I. I installed it recently on my Nokia Lumia 520 after I noticed the Taurean immersed in word games on his phone every evening.

In this game, you create words from 16 letters arranged in a 4X4 grid. You are given 2 minutes to make as many words as you can. Each letter is assigned a point and based on the number of words and points you make, your score is calculated. Every new game gives you a new set of letters. Sometimes the game is theme-based where you must find words specific to the theme. For instance, if the theme is laundry, words like soap, towels etc gain more points. Sometimes, you have to make words that use a set of letters. For instance, PRO- means words beginning with PRO, -ED indicates words ending with ED, and U/Y indicates using the letter either as U or as Y and it can be the beginning, end, or middle of the word. At other times, it is good old-fashioned speed round - most number of words created gives you maximum points.

The best part of this game is that a number of other players from all over the world are playing this exact game, with the same 16 letters and you all have the same 2 minutes. So, at the end of the game, your contribution is compared with the others and a rank is given to you based on the number of words and points created in comparison with the others. You can also add some of these other players as your Frenemies and the game tracks your progress together whenever you play at the same time.

So, of course, you will need access to the internet/wifi. Your achievements and stats are maintained and you can view them every time you log in and then try to better your record. If you do not have access to the internet, you could log in as guest. This of course means your scores do not get saved under your name.

Its a lot of fun and very addictive. Go ahead and download the game and see the wild, competitive side of you emerge :)

Wordless Wednesday -- Both volumes of Sherlock Holmes completed - Finally!

Special 26 -- Movie Review

This movie released this year but since I spent most of the first part of the year travelling to and fro to Hyderabad, I had not caught it. So, when a colleague offered his copy (Thiruutu VCD / torrent file), I knew the weekend would slip past. However, it was many weekends later that I finally saw it. 

The movie stars Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpai, Jimmy Shergil, Divya Dutta, and a few other character artistes. The ensemble cast does not detract from the story. If I had to classify it, I will have to call it a thriller. However, it is first and foremost a good story and it has been told well. Most of the characters are well-fleshed out and support the story from the get-go. I thought Akshay would be the wrong choice considering his recent outings (Khiladi 786, Rowdy Rathore) but he was subtle and ably supported the script. Kajal Agarwal as the Khiladi Kumar's girl friend was a nice touch.

The story starts off with Akshay Kumar calling the local police station and asking for backup on a CBI raid. Jimmy and Divya Dutta are the backup police officers and they walk into a local politician's place and are part of the raid conducted by Akshay and team. As money is literally found in every beam, wall, ceiling, hidden cupboard, puja almirah etc. you are as awestruck as Jimmy and Divya. All the money bundles are moved to multiple government issue steel trunks. An official letter (essentially an inventory of the items) is typed up and shared with the politician and the CBI team leaves after informing the backup team to wait for further orders. 

Image Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Reviews/Anupama-Chopra-s-review-Special-26/Article1-1008866.aspx

The politician is sitting with a towel on his head, his secretary and others are trying to make light of the matter while the backup team is re-living the amazing raid. After a long wait, the backup team calls the CBI office for information and realize that they have been conned. Both the backup officers are suspended but the politician refuses to file a complaint because of the embarrassment involved. Lucky strike for the fake CBI team is what you think when you realize that they have made a business out of this and this was nowhere their first or last strike.

Real CBI Officer played by Manoj Bajpai

The rest of the movie moves in an exciting manner and keeps you entertained. The suspended officers join forces with the CBI (real ones) to capture this gang. Manoj Bajpai as the main person in charge of catching the fake CBI gang is fantastic. His energy, love for his kid are small nuances which add life to the character. He does not seem like a person who will ever give up and because you were maha impressed with Akshay's plan, you are in a quandry as to whom to support. There is enough excitement and thrill towards the end as you wonder how the fake CBI team will attempt their final task and/or escape from the clutches of the CBI sleuths.  

Image Courtesy:http://www.glamsham.com/download/wallpaper/22212/special-26-wallpapers/46145.htm

Akshay is very well-dressed for the most part and travels only by air and comes across as a sauve gentleman. Anupam Kher has a surprisingly huge number of children and he explains it away that there was no television then. As he bids goodbye to his wife, you notice that she is expecting and you automatically gulp :) Akshay's love story, while believable, resulted in some song-dance stuff which diluted the proceedings somewhat. A nice movie- well-shot, well-edited, and was true to its storyline. If you have seen a number of English thrillers, you may not be too impressed but for a hindi movie, this was definitely a good watch. I was so glad this was not one of those blaaah movies - hindi films are known to be all hype, fluff, and no stuff. This was a nice change.  Thumbs Up!!

Writer's Block -- What, How, Why me??

I find it rather rather ironic that whenever I resolve to update my blog with new posts, I am often hit by writer's block. It is almost as if all interesting ideas that were sitting in my head, suddenly sprout wings and fly away. When I am in the middle of my work project, I will be bombarded with so many interesting ideas that there are times when I want to stop working and start writing - to hell with the consequences. Of course, being who I am, I do not really indulge in that. So, when I really want to  write - writer's block appears uninvited!

When that happens - I usually try to identify the one thing on my mind at the time of writing a post - it could be a book I read recently, it could be a game, it could be a family function that I am all excited about, something that is bugging me, something I want to share, a rant on the traffic condition in Bangalore, a wishlist, a new weight loss option, any one of these can be made into a post provided it is exciting enough to write about and I have something new to offer. A new perspective, an analogy, anything that makes the person who reads it connect to it.

I always remember my English classes at School, where many pleasant afternoons were spent writing an interesting one-page essay on any topic that the teacher chose for the day. I can still recall the groans from most of my class-mates while I was away in my dreamland coming up with yet another interesting tale to tell. I recall being told that I have a vivid imagination and interesting tales to share and that I ought to try my hand at writing. I felt the English class was the best thing to happen to me - the same cannot be said about the grammar classes :)

Of course, there are times when absolutely nothing suggests itself to me and I really have to let it go that day.

Those are the times I am really glad that I do not blog for a living! But, then I think, if I did, the idea would hit me a few minutes before the deadline. Sometimes the added pressure of a deadline, makes the brain work harder and Viola! the idea is here and now all you need now is a few minutes of uninterrupted time so you can express it all in a funny, interesting, wah wah way :)

So, how do you handle it?

Wordless Wednesdays -- Proud owner of a new red Nokia Lumia 520

Image Courtesy: http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-nokia-lumia-520-red/729386

Iron Man 3 (3D) -- Movie Review

The Arien has been wanting to watch this movie since it released but sadly something or the other ensured that he missed it. So, I was determined that he got a chance to watch it while he was in Bangalore, this week. We caught the movie on Saturday, at 10:15 am at PVR IMAX. The Taurean also joined us. After a hurried breakfast, we left to PVR in a hurry (as always). The tickets were available and we were one of the few folks watching the movie on a lazy Saturday morning.

Armed with a tub of popcorn, two cokes, and a small packet of Lays, the three of us settled down to watch the much-anticipated movie. This movie was not like the other Iron Man movies and both the Taurean and the Arien did not like it all that much. I liked it.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper) wears the Iron Man suit for the first time and also has a good stunt scene towards the end of the movie. Robert Downey Jr., is funny as always. Jes like in SkyFall, this movie showcases the inherent humanness or vulnerability of the superhero via his anxiety attacks. Ben Kingsley (Mandarin) as evil personified makes you wonder how Iron Man will deal with him. That is until the scene when Robert Downey Jr. confronts him. That twist was quite shocking and unexpected. There is a flashback sequence which sets the context for what happens later in the movie. The action sequences in 3D were good but not great. Some scenes remind you of Terminator (Judgement Day) but then re-generation forms the core theme and you cannot really surpass Terminator which was way ahead of its time. The destruction of the home of Tony Stark was a well-executed scene. The way Iron Man saves all the members thrown out of Air Force 1, was also a good action sequence.

Image Courtesy: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.in/2013/05/its-hard-knock-life-iron-man-3.html

Watching the movie at IMAX was worth the money. The 3D effect is hardly impressive at the other theatres.

Laser Tagging and Sahib Sindh Sultan -- Adrenalin Rush and Yumm

Thursday evening saw us at I am Game, Koramangala, waiting to check out Laser Tagging. Apparently, it is a big hit in the US but none of us had heard of it here. We were 9 of us and only the bride and the groom had played the game before. However, that was not a cause for concern, because the enthusiasm level of all 9 members was quite high. In few minutes, we figured out that Laser Tagging was more like Paint ball but with laser guns instead of paint guns. Obviously, chances of getting hurt were minimal as long as we followed the instructions.

The first step was collecting our tags and figuring out who was in which team. I knew I was more of a liability and told my team that I would go hide rather than hunt the opponents down. Everyone first groaned and then agreed! We were then asked to go upstairs to put on our jackets and arm ourselves with the laser gun. 

The moment we entered the room, we were overwhelmed by the strong smell of unwashed jackets. When we realized that we would be wearing the same jackets, the capri cousin mentioned committing suicide with his laser gun!! Anyway, we got past that because we really wanted to play the game. Because most of us had not played the game, the person-in-charge showed us a video of the game and explained the various instructions - including telling us that we could not commit suicide (i.e shoot ourselves with the laser gun), or hit the opponent with the wrong end of the laser gun, or generally harm the opponent. Also, after we were shot, the jacket vibrates and your jacket and gun deactivate for a short period of 5 seconds. He asked us to get moving as soon as that happens so the opponent does not shoot us again. The person-in-charge also mentioned that the place was built like a maze with pillars and if we bumped into the pillar, it was bound to hurt. He also showed us the 6 target areas that each jacket had, which could be shot at. There were 4 in front and 2 in the back. Also, each team had a base station that could be shot at for maximum points. The base station could also shoot back. After the instructions, the jackets and guns were activated and we entered the arena like gladiators (I can dream, can't I?). 

And before we knew it, all of us were running helter skelter, hiding, and shooting at each other crazily! We initially thought 10 minutes was a long time, but we never realized it as we ran around the maze and shooting at our opponents. When the time was up, we realized that most of us were sweating profusely from all the exertion. The others had settled themselves in front of the base station and shot at it continuously, gaining points. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the game.

We decided to visit Fun Games at Forum so my niece could have some additional fun. While the capri cousin was playing with his daughter, all of us sneaked off to have some snacks at the Transit Lounge. After the game, all of us were ravenous. No one overdid the snacks because we wanted to have a nice dinner as well. We decided to go to Sahib Sindh Sultan and had a yummy dinner. The bride wanted to be seated in the coach but it was full up and so we sat outside - another cousin joined us and we had a lot of fun teasing the bride and groom, sharing anecdotes of the past, and of course, eating. A nice evening - Good Times!

Soodhu Kavvum -- Tamizh Movie Review

After the wedding hungama, it was time to relax and wait for the bride and groom to visit our grandma and all of us before they left to the US. The capri cousin insisted that while we waited, we could catch a Tamizh movie which he mentioned was the talk of the town and made Maniratnam shiver in his boots. For the first time in the history of our family, twelve family members agreed to watch the movie and the evening saw us all at the cinema hall. Our family is not a big fan of watching movies in huge groups - in fact, the last movie we saw as a big group was "Willow" in Chennai and we were around 15 members. (Yaa.. that looong ago).

Kidnapping Basics as taught by Das and Shalu

The movie is a lot of things but it is primarily a laugh riot. None of the actors are heroes with an image etc, some are not even well-known but the simple story has so much to offer. Its not a spoof movie, it does not derive its laugh from slap stick type funny scenes, but is so focused on sharing the tale of the four guys that the laughs seem purely incidental. Except for one item number type song which I disliked - the rest of the movie was pure genius. I can understand why Maniratnam is shivering in his boots - with a non-existent budget, this movie strives for greatness and achieves it too.

Image Courtesy: http://www.indiaeveryday.in/gallery/

Every prop that directors employs to make their movie a hit are ignored: A star as the hero, heroine

Kesavan, Pagalavan, and Sekar

wearing water-proof Loreal makeup, picturesque locales, romantic songs about 5 in number to showcase the love between the hero and heroine, item numbers, mother-son sentimentu, action sequences where the hero looks at the villains and they go flying, etc etc. In fact, in this movie, script is king and the taut editing goes a long way in achieving that.

Image Courtesy: http://www.cinespot.net/

Arumai Pragasam in his item number avatar

If you have been bored with the kind of Tamizh movies that we are subjected to, on a regular basis, then watch this and you will change your mind. As mentioned earlier, there is an item song that I did not like as much but it does not distract from the story. There are a number of other songs - mostly played in the background , most notable one being "mama douser..". The movie is raw, and can be a bit unpalatable at times because of the rawness. But, thanks to the amazing editing work, you do not feel it all that much. There is some bad language, some have been blipped out while some remain. The story moves swiftly and it does not seem as if the director inserted the word for effect but more to portray the emotion felt by the actor.

Image Courtesy: http://www.galatta.com/index.html

The lead role is played by Vijay Sethupathy (Das).  He is one of the known actors, having acted in Pizza earlier. That is another movie I am yet to catch. Other actors are fairly unknown but have done a decent job.

Go watch while it is still playing on the big screen!

Wordless Wednesdays -- Simple Mehendi Design on my Palm

The Last Samurai -- Movie Review

Whenever this movie was screened on TV, I would invariably change the channel. Finally, on Sunday, after a massive cleaning session that gave us a pile of to-be-disposed clothes, the Taurean and I decided that we would watch this movie rather than one of the IPL matches. The senior Arien was not really happy about this decision but he decided not to voice his opinion and watched the movie with us.  

As always, I was watching the movie from the scene where Tom Cruise is taken prisoner by the Samurai. The year is ~1870 and Tom Cruise is kept prisoner at a home where he is taken care of by a lady having two young sons.

Image Courtesy: http://www.the-reel-mccoy.com/movies/2003/TheLastSamurai.html

When Tom Cruise has enough energy to move about he is taken to the chief, Katsumoto. Katsumoto seems eager to have a conversation in English with Algren (aka Tom Cruise) but does not part with more than basic information. Algren learns that he killed Hirotaro, who was the brother of Katsumoto and is being tended by Hirotaro's wife, Taka.

Image Courtesy: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-last-samurai/images/24584023/title/last-samurai-screencap

He spends the winter at the Samurai village, and observes everything in the village and soon sees everyone in a new light. His conversations with Katsumoto, his bonding with Taka's boys, his attraction towards Taka, his ability to learn sword fighting, all give him a new meaning for life. When he leaves for Tokyo in Spring, he is not too pleased.

The movie kept us all engrossed as we watched Tom Cruise become a Samurai. The scene when his colonel calls the Samurai savages, you are surprised that you are angry. When the top knot of a Samurai soldier is cut off by the Emperor's soldiers, you are shocked that they could do that to one of their own kind.

Image Courtesy: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-last-samurai/images/10720257/title/algren-nobutada-photo

You watch in shock as the young, inexperienced Emperor takes decisions that are detrimental to his own people.

The movie was good. It included all the elements that make a movie great: courage, emotional bonding, great story-line, taut editing, and it connected with all three of us. I cannot believe I changed the channel every time this movie was screened. Tom Cruise does a great job of disappearing into the role. The movie was actually released in 2003 but I was seeing it finally in 2013. Sometimes a movie that is great in 2003 can be boring in 2013 but that was not the case here. I enjoyed this movie a lot.