Thursday, November 27, 2008

Cry thy Country,Cry!!

Another day another attack.How does this latest installment pan out? In true filmi tashan... with the terrorists taking the naval route this time..beat it? I am frankly disgusted by the entire drama which is being played out...12-15 men holding our most cosmopolitan city at ransom? I did not believe it,believe me when my brother told me about the attack in the morning...because it was too fantastic to be true!!sadly,this is true,over 100 dead and 300 injured officially,god knows how high the real figures are!Is this the last vestige broken? what will beat this?? More importantly,will we learn anything from this or allow more attacks to play out in the coming months? Tell me..how can people attack ELEVEN places in one night in a city which never sleeps,and move from one place to another as if they were strolling for pleasure....the Shameless Shivraj Patil did come in for the ubiquitous sound byte!!How brazen and how sad!!Is there no remnant of remorse,let alone responsibility?? I fully believe that he will continue as the(acting)Home Minister of our country and that history will judge him accurately(as the most inefficient/ineffective home minister ever) if not 10 janpath. What picture does this send to the world?A country which cannot safeguard the interests of it's golden goose..Bombay..what will it bother about its less endowed poorer cousins(read cities and states)And will we never learn the good things from America which successfully prevented all terror attacks after 9/11?? 12 hours and the horror continues...God save us.
Cry,my beloved Country Cry for your children continue to bleed.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

a yarn called yuvraaj

I'm a survivor!! watched Yuvraaj which was even worse than watching it's cocky cricketing namesake play!!the movie was a BIG mistake...one that should not have been made,and if it was so impertinently important it should've been made at least two decades back...still Katrina manages to look good whenever she plays whatever shes supposed to play!!The most hilarious part of the movie was when Zayed Khan makes faces at the mirror(and us,the amused audience)and pretends to cry,at the same time mocking all of us who opted to watch the movie instead of sitting cozily at home on a Saturday night...it was indeed fun!One path breaking blunder here is calling Anil kapoor autistic.Now any half baked dictionary will tell you that autistic people cannot respond to their surrounding environs,here this person not only responds but overtly exaggerates outdated values!!May be scientists should check out how he manages to be so annoying!Also Salman still cant act and worse he still makes an attempt!aint it too little,too late brother??even the music (which I thought and still think was fabulous,some called the lyrics by Gulzar bizarre!!excuse moi!!) was ripped apart by the critics...Did I mention that the movie also had a slutty vamp who slinks(was that supposed to be sexy??)and speaks shuddh Hindi in two scenes?Karzz would've given me more value for my ticket I guess...but what the heck I at least know how beautiful Austria looks!!
Anyways,does the call by the Prime Minister to end terror in 100 days(whatever that means!!)hint that the general elections will be here in 3 months?? frankly I dont care as I just rediscovered one of my first loves-Milkmaid!!Nothing is as sweet,sinful and seductive!!Off to satiate my drooling buds!Ciao.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Breakfast at Taj??naah!!

Was watching Breakfast at Tiffany's the other day and was completely bowled over by it.The subtle charm,the easy camaraderie and the uninhibited humour ,all was which was so refreshing in its candor.The story is extremely simple,the oldest in the World- boy meets girl err man meets woman and is fascinated by her from the minute he sees her and ultimately succeeds in winning her over.An exquisite love story told in its most rudimentary form and shorn of all pretense, this one is straight from the heart. Audrey Hepburn is absolutely amazing as a commitment- phobic party girl(believe me when I say I cannot describe her effortless act which includes calling her cat as Cat because she does not want to give him a name and become fond of it!!)George Peppard plays her antithesis,baritone and all,who is a struggling writer desperately in love with a woman who is equally endearing and frustrating at the same time.I will choose not to review the movie, out in 61'it is an acclaimed classic, just Google it if you are interested and you are bombarded with results!I would rather delve into the part it so effortlessly doles out-the insatiable thirst for love and belonging which makes me wonder what was the trick these old English Classics mastered which really redefines the art form called love!!Or for that matter any classic,Hindi(Pyaasa or kaaghaz ke Phool)or Telugu(Missamma and Maya Bazaar to name a few).Nothing seems fake or put on,loud or garish and every aspect really masters the nuances of compelling story telling!Just imagine a home made version of the same movie?Uggh!Thankfully the movie has a happy ending which made me sit up and grin stupidly at my computer screen!!How many movies affect you so profoundly?
Casablanca and Breakfast done,the Way we were and Roman Holiday next on the menu...come,join me!!
PS:I know it's not related but cannot restrain myself.Rahul Gandhi is calling himself a kid!(Don't smirk,its apparently rude and as my friend Na put it brusquely , that makes us infants!) No,he's not saying he has kids.He's calling himself one!40 is the new 20?? Whom is he 'kid'ding?Aww there is no wicked smiley here!![:D]

Sunday, November 16, 2008

All but(t) there!

Watched Dostana today!was kinda fun...a no brainer meant for having fun while watching it...no heavy duty scenes,no pyar and sacrifice... just like instant noodles...eat and forget! Priyanka Chopra was looking absolutely delicious and that's thrice in a row!(Drona,Fashion and now Dostana)John Abraham was given meticulous attention,navel to nose no part was differentiated and in those scenes in which he does manage to wear a shirt it is made sure that at least some cleavage pops out,also his 'ass'ets make a mark with a blink and miss appearance(which leaves poor Shilpa in a cold corner!!)...so with the guys happy with Pri Cho and gals with Jo Abs(literally!) where does that leave the bachchan boy? nowhere!! and that is true..neither does he receive the attention the other two are lavished upon nor does he have the physique to bare his chest and that has stranded AB with only Ash as the singular viewer who drools over him!(or at least prefers him to the other two) and does he still have that paunch, a leftover from Guru(yea the same one which was released when we were kids!)The first half was entertaining and the second half was plain silly,but something was amiss.nothing which will remind you of the movie once you are out...it was just a loose script bound together with some amusing gags...repeat value? naah wait for yuvraaj next week.although credit must be given for the fact that it did stay loyal to its name....Dostana! Discovery of the movie?? Pri Cho has amazing legs! where did you hide em' all along? or was it just us looking sideways??
Another discovery and this onez actually gonna help people....Barista has absolutely yummy Pizzas..had a cottage cheese pizza today and man!!just like Pri cho in that golden swimsuit...smashing! thanks to my friend Si who suggested that we try one...also the place has a new menu which spells out each coffee succinctly,under pressure for waiters I guess,who are unable to decipher obnoxious pronunciations ( like cappuccino...kap-oo-chee-noh) Wicked!!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Weddings,weirdos and wonderful lines!

Went to a wedding yesterday(not Marriage as my friend Sa never tires of telling me!) and wondered what was it about weddings that makes one go ga-ga.Is it the joy of meeting people you never otherwise would,the riot of colors which run there,yum food or the heightened anticipation of happiness??Having closely been involved in two weddings(of my siblings,lest you think you-know-what!)I have fallen into love with the whole event management which takes place behind the scenes-the ingenious ways devised to show off subtly(if there is such a thing),the shopping(but of course),hurried activities,loads and loads of do-gooder relatives who end up being more of a hindrance than help and of course the endless opportunities it offers for networking! Did have fun at the Wedding,meeting old classmates and indulged myself by getting swept over in a wave of nostalgia.Cant wait for the next invite to turn up!
Also I have to confess that I am mighty scared of the insolent Indica Cabs which rule the roads of Hyderabad.Absolutely disgraceful driving!!I always make sure that I am never behind,next to or in front of one but given it's frequency (which is more than the number of times you see Rahul Mahajan professing his undying love for Monica Bedi on BB) it is an impossible feat! and such dreadful drivers!effante terrible!!was listening to songs from Yuvraaj, one amazing song goes like this "zindagi zindagi kya kami rehgayi,aankh ki kore main kyon nami rehgayi" which made me so childishly happy!Gulzar rocks and is so much better than the affected Akthar!!go on listen to the song....

Monday, November 3, 2008

Fashionable or not!

Okay, I finally managed to watch Fashion on the first day although in a completely Seedy theater complete with a lousy loo! Was it worth the trouble? I'll say...yes although many (including my sis and close buds)don't think so...why would I recommend it? because it is sheer paisa vasool and entertainment at it's most superficial standards. Because it boasts of the coming of age of Priyanka Chopra as a complete performer..actor and eye candy! Swooned over her in that scene when she drives the car drunk,loved her vain act in the first half and drooled over her mannequin like pose in the last but one scene...show stealer or stopper you got it all(including the next year's fimfare!!) should mention that I'm grateful to Bhandarkar that he didn't mess up the end like he did in that carelessly made Corporate. I do know that it was a tad too long,also since when did Chandigarh become small town??..but am willing to overlook these minor malfunctions!!...also I sincerely hope that we can see more of Kitu Gidwani, she looks smashing to the core! I also very firmly believe that Kangana Ranaut was not acting.
I have to mention that Aaj Tak should be crowned the most shameless of all news channels(It beats some stiff competition there,including it's own sister Headlines Today!) The entire Saturday it ran a petty programme called kamzoor kadi kumble and on Sunday when the bumbling bloke retired, it immediately switched tracks saying kaptan and kammander kumble!!Such appalling standards...and Oh!just broke a fave coffee mug of mine owing to sheer slackness!!Sigh! signing off to clear the mess praying that we stop this mindless coverage of the US election.. sick and tired of it!I know air time needs poor programming but such senseless crap ...move on guys!! cover Uma Bharati and Vasundhara Raje...have you forgotten our very own humble land called India??

Nawab Sahib Qibla

Nawab Sahib Qibla, a play in the ongoing Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival is a humorous take on the decadent turns life takes. A presentation from the Rafi Theatre Production from Lahore the play managed to be both funny and thought provoking at the same time. With the Duration of a little over an hour the Play is aimed primarily at reviving the interest in theatre in Hyderabad. Presented in Urdu, it managed to elicit an eclectic mix of audience of both the connoisseurs of theatre and Plebeian youngsters experimenting with a very interesting (albeit dying) art form. The Play traces the journey of Nawab Sahib Qibla who falls onto bad times owing to his reckless spending and his trysts with women of ill repute. When he has to resort to selling his ancestral House and property he is amazed to know that the buyer is none other than his loyal Servant of umpteen years, Rehman(played by a slick and extremely convincing Usmaan Peerzada) who ends up not only as the master of the property but also manages to steal the girl the Nawab has eyes for! The Play written in the 1940’s is designed to be a comedy of manners. The simple set manages to successfully recreate the lost age of Nawabs complete with their love for repose and requiescence, the leisure of long evening talks, the music from the gramophone records complete with a hookah and a paan-daan!! The play is a wonderfully witted social satire on the ways and follies of the Rich. A scene which succinctly explains this fact is when the Nawab is asked to take up some work by his Lawyer to substantiate his mearge earnings, the Nawab responds by saying “ Koi Kaam Nahi”, an attitude which speaks volumes about the laid back lifestyle of the Nawabs.(Something which us Hyderbadis can instantly relate to as we are the true inheritors of the Nizami-Nawab Culture). Muhammad Qavi Khan, an eminent Pakistani Theatre artist brings to life the Character of the Nawab, a man who has lost all his fortune but seeks to ward off the impending crisis by selling off the last remaining dregs of his ancestral Property. With his subtle acting overtones and delightful comic timing he delivers a flawlessly refined performance. The high point of the play comes right at the end when the role reversal of the Master and Servant is shown ironically in the Salaam which the Nawab gives his Servant who is the New Owner of His House!Times do change fast and how!! The only sore point was the continuous ringing of mobile phones,which did manage to irritate a few and infuriate the other few! All in all a refreshing Concept which adds a new dimension to a genre called sophisticated comedy!