Saturday, October 25, 2008

Wannabes and Voyeurs

Let me confess, i have never been interested in Cricket...the only time i watched it was like a decade ago when my brother ruled the Remote... but then even I am seriously rattled by the allegations made against Sachin by Adam Gilchrist!! What?? aamchi marathi mulga a liar?? not a sport?? Adam, what if Raj Thackery hears you? you can never enter Bombay again! Or wait has the Shiv Sena taken up the cudgels this time?(I wish!) The issue is however serious, especially as Australians think they are the successors to the notion of their erstwhile rulers, The British who thought that there are only two kind of rules- one for themselves and one for others. Australia has a history of Bigotry,their brutal running down of the original Aussie nationals, the Aborigines is well documented(who were treated so badly that in the 60's each member of an aboriginal family was assigned to a white household ostensibly to study their living habits!!)So, when Australian Cricketers,Kings of Sledging,Sultans of Slime claim that they are professionals even a novice like me snorts!! What prompted a usually mild Gilchrist to say that?? Only greed for creating interesting his biography? or was there always a Serpent lying dormant beneath that calm facade waiting to strike after he retires?? Well! Whatever,But i LOVED Bhajji's acerbic reply,this Singh proves that he is indeed a king-on or off the the dance floor!
Okay, I saw the Dostana trailers , It heralds the coming of age of the Indian Voyeur who does not distinguish between sexes (now,there's your equality!!),poor John Abraham was treated like Zeenie Baby in Satyam Shivam Sundaram...i mean every angle?? Actually it was the combo of John/Karan which welcomed the showcasing of the male body what with the latter's Bo-Derek like introductory scene in Kaal,complete with a snake thrown in, bringing in the tectonic shift!! Let us watch the movie and decide if Poor Priyanka was given as much attention to detail!! Will sign off saying that i'm dying to watch Fashion..will keep you updated...Happy Sunday!!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

the week

Sunday Sunday Sunday...this had the buzzword for most of the past week...it finally arrived washing away my meticulous planning of the entire week without any regret!Firstly two of my friends gave me a royal haath...thankfully had a more reliable friend who saved my Sunday from going completely kaput!Went to Kotha Bangaru Lokam,a ridiculous movie not only because i no longer belong to the age group it appeals to(Sigh!!),but also because it dragged on relentlessly without any rhyme or reason.Swetha Prasad looked terribly young(I know she plays a 17 year old,but even that does not suffice as an excuse for having such a lot of baby fat!!)Thankfully the second half was a lil' bit more appealing and that was not only because Prakash Raj dies.From there we dragged our heels to our Beloved Barista at Jubilee Hills where our faithful Raju received us with more enthusiasm than which the hero and heroine embraced in that juvenile flick! Tried a new Mojito which was as woefully pale and dreary as the lead heroine in that Bhandan Serial on Colors!The blue berry muffin as usual saved the day for me. May god bless it.Really wanted to check out the Odyssey nearby(a very close friend reviewed it very favorably)and it looked absolute yum from outside but unfortunately cudnt go!
Unfortunately for me Ashutosh is still in the Big Boss house...wud smeone please tell him NOT to wear those short body hugging tees? he aint a 16 yr old girl and we cud well do without him distastefully showing his lower back every few mintues along with those obscene thrusts and gyrations he manages each time a song is played!What with him,Raja with a face like that and Rahul Mahajan i have forbidden my mum to serve me food any time Big Boss threatens to be on air!Also saw that wonderfully dim witted Aishwarya interview on NDTV and thought that another day,another silly interview for this former MISS WORLD(stupid) Sample this..."It's not that we are saying this is there,that is there in Drona,i mean its actually there for you to see it"...i needed a full half hour to recover from that..i mean Ash isn't that what you were supposed to speak about?? stuff that's actually there in the movie..that's called promotion not wishful thinking!! The only high point of the week in television was Sreenivasan Jain's interview with the wonderfully elegant Waheeda Rehman who spoke candidly and straight from her heart with a twinkle in her eye(Would you please please Teach Ash how you do it Waheedaji??)Wonder why Sreenivasan was so insistent on making her accept that she had an affair with Guru Dutt while the lady vehemently kept disagreeing.Had a fair deal this week..cheers.

Monday, October 13, 2008

There is something about Sarah....

One name has been echoing throughout the length and breadth of America in the past few weeks..Sarah Palin,call her by a name of your choice, Governor of Alaska, mother of five, moose hunter, Republican Vice Presidential nominee or an ex- beauty queen, she has captured the imagination of a nation only like a woman can!Ever since John Mc Cain named her as his vice presidential nominee she has been subjected to immense scrutiny which in USA was hitherto reserved only for super celebrities.Married to her high school sweetheart she is on her way to become a grand mother(her teenage daughter's pregnant,a fact she used to press to her advantage again something which is possible only in America!!)Palin, a surprise front runner has added to the presidential race a unique dimension-that of breezing and nonchalant sexuality with a dash of glamour rivaling that of Barack Obama, no wonder that everything about her has been a subject of frenzied discussion,from the fashionable (her glasses which are flying off the shelves) to the rumors (that her lip liner is actually a tattoo) and to the right down nasty(allegations that her last born Trig is actually her grand kid)...she is everywhere!A fact further certified when her debate with the boring Biden of the Democrats attracted 70 million viewers,6 million more than the debate between the Presidential nominees and the highest for a political debate since 1992!!So what makes Palin tick? Her brood of five with a kid suffering from Down's syndrome? A fairytale marriage?(She's related to Princess Diana according to ancestry.com)...the reason is a combination of these factors, people identify with her as a mother having teenage kids and with a family which is not perfect, they relate to the fact that she has a child serving in Iraq, an issue which whips up passion like none other in the USA, the fact that she is considered a rank outsider in the gritty world of Washington politics, the fact that she is pro life and a devout christian makes her an amazing package which will ensure that the spot light will remain on her whatever be the result of this bitterly fought election. A point which many people forget in the chaos of criticism is that she is the vice Presidential candidate not the one standing for the Commander in Chief! She has been criticized rather viciously about her lack of experience and insufficient knowledge of world affairs(She applied for a Passport only a few years back!)...But whatever be her political standing,she has proven to be the ultimate Sidney Sheldon heroine who from being a Governor of an obscure state has World leaders read Asif Ali Zardari unabashedly admiring her looks! Much as i hate the defeat of the Democratic Party,the result is enormously enticing...a mouth watering 2012 contest between Sarah Palin and Hillary Rodham Clinton! what say??

Balika Vadu

Balika Vadu,the latest show on colors is grabbing quite a few eyeballs of late.Set in rural Rajasthan the show deals with a refreshingly different and relevant social theme-child marriages,which is still a common practice in many parts of Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh and even in the tribal parts of Andhra Pradesh!The story deals with Anandi(Avika Gaur who essays the role with amazing dexterity and is a true find),married at an early age and how she finds her feet in a rich household under the severe gaze of her grand mother in law Kalyani(Surekha Sikri,the national award winner playing the curmudgeon with a heart with unrivaled finesse)with help from her understanding in laws who are quite helpless to go against the wishes of Kalyani.It also shows the pain of Bhairav who wants to treat his daughter in law like his own child and has to deal with a dominating mother with her orthodox beliefs and Sumitra(Sadia Siddiqui who emotes wonderfully through her eyes)trapped between her duty as a daughter in law and her love for her son's wife who is after all a kid.Why does this show strike a chord? Because it strikes a chord between the demands of a TRP driven world of competitive television and the need to deliver a hard hitting social statement.Because the kids have done an amazing job and so has everyone around them.Because it is a refreshing change from the overdressed and over rated soaps which rule the roost today.Because even the social message flashed at the end of each episode is extremely endearing.Because the kids behave their age,don't mouth irritatingly smart one liners and do not behave like wannabe adults.Well shot without the irritating and needless zooming of camera it succeeds in bringing out the vibrant hues of Rajasthan through it's dexterous use of colors and sights.It tells us that widows are,even in this age of Ipod's and Botox treatments,subjected to incorrigible behavior by their own kith and kin.While credit should be given to the casting directors,the producers also should be given credit for treading on a off beaten bath.Through it's subtle narration and novel interpretation it reminds us of a time when television was a medium to deal with serious societal issues.The show has come under criticism from some quarters because it uses kids as props...but then how do you address issues related to children if you don't use them?Another reason it has been rebuked is because it is too dramatic but then dosen't melodrama add it's own zing to things at times? A sensible start has been made,my own hope is that it treads on similar grounds and comes to a logical ending rather than to keep wandering for years!