The gift of the Maggi -O. Henry

   As an outgoing 20-something, I am doing everything that an individual of my age should be doing except for drinking, smoking and dating. I am adept at making both long term and short term plans which have a 70% probability of failing but I like to live in the uncertainty of that 30% because hey, I would prefer my future to be unpredictable. As I grew up, I was always haunted by the thought that once a girl learns to cook, she is ready for marriage. Hence I ended up not learning one of the most useful skills of adulthood when I should have. My mom wouldn’t cook Maggi for me as per my will, hence I learnt how to cook it for myself (as an afterthought I feel, my mom could have used this ingenious technique for making me cook a host of other dishes).

*

*

*I trusted the internet to find an equivalent for the spiritual feeling that I have for Maggi.

  For those of you who don’t know (here, I am addressing my audience from the countries like China, Japan, South Bombay, Bandra who live on a diet of Wai Wai noodles) Maggi, is a brand of instant noodles which takes a little more than 2 minutes to cook. I don’t remember the exact moment when my taste glands were smitten by its very presence, but I guess it was around the time when I didn’t know how to spell or pronounce ‘Maggi’. Since the last few years, Maggi has been my constant companion for lonely nights and crowded evenings.

   Just like every popular person has their set of haters, every silver lining has a cloud and every sugar cube has ants swarming around it, even Maggi had its set of controversies. They condemned Maggi by stating that it has lead content in it which is harmful for health. I have consumed so much Maggi over the years that ideally the iron content in my blood should have been replaced by lead by now. Had that been the case then my fingers would have done the writing and I won’t have to use a pencil anymore! But that didn’t deter me and other loyal consumers of Maggi from consuming it.

   I am the kind of person who when is introduced to something new, over uses it so much that I stop using it altogether (that’s the case with dishes, music, people and  the list goes on). Maggi, I fail to understand how you have managed to keep me hooked to you since ages. You amaze my taste buds and mind. I aspire to be a writer, lover, individual like you- addictive and irreplaceable.

  

    

Mirzya- Movie Review

A wannabe Shakespearean tale, making too much ado about nothing.

    Given the nature of the film, love birds  were seated all  around me in the theater. As the opening credits rolled in, a couple seated beside me couldn’t stop whispering sweet nothings to each other. Since I was more interested in watching the on-screen love story unfold rather than the off-screen, I politely asked them to shut up.  I couldn’t really blame them though when half of the theater got emptied even before the climax rolled in.

Mirzya is essentially about two lovers who struggle against all odds just to be with each other. Usually, dialogues and music come to your rescue if your story doesn’t work the charm. But in the case of Mirzya, the story is very commonplace; it has got nothing new to offer you.  Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra (director) wanted to give the film the look of a fantasy, in which he only partially succeeded.  Out of the many things that worked well for the film were its visuals which are bang on. I don’t know if the debutants would get any offers hereafter, but the art directors and graphic designers are bound to get some good work soon. If not anything else, the film managed to convey one universal message successfully- love is selfish. Harshavardhan Kapoor looks promising and partly charming, if I may say. I only struggled to like Saiyami Kher throughout the film, all in vain. If Harshavardhan’s opening dialogue would take you into a tense scene, Saiyami’s careless retort (like she’s ordering a sandwich) would take you out of it. No wonder why they don’t have sufficient dialogues in the film. To talk about the chemistry between the two I would stop right here because there’s none. Be it their embraces or kisses for that matter, they do show the intimacy but passion is amiss. Apart from being a love story, Mirzya also claims to be a 'musical'. The music is only good as long as it is the background score of the film. It definitely isn’t something that you would take home with you like you did with musicals like Ek deewana tha (2012) or Aashiqui 2 (2013).

     All in all, Mirzya’s aim to be the epic fantasy of all times will remain a dream (ironical much?)
I would rate the film- 1 star.

Permanent Roommates- webseries REVIEW.

                                                                                  Genre- Sitcom                                                                                      2 seasons- 7+7 episodes
                                                             Time duration- 55min each

                                                             Written by- Biswapati Sarkar.

“Indian series? Mujhe toh Naagin pata hai.
 Web series? Wannabe Game of thrones hai kya?
 Accha utna sadist nahi toh wannabe FRIENDS? Accha wesa nahi hai?
 Indian series hoke Balaji is not the producer WHATTT?
TVF kaun hai yaar, AIB ki branch hai koi?

When students go abroad for studies, they leave with a suitcase filled with hopes of their parents and hearts of their lovers (also daadi ke Aachaar ka dabba.) More than India’s economy, high school lovers are the ones to be worst hit by this constant brain drain from India. While some hearts are left back at the check-in counter of the airport, a few of them do make it to the foreign country.
Everybody knows about the insecurities and ‘skyping’ phase associated with long distance relationships. But what happens once this ‘long distance’ ceases to exist between a relationship? TVF’s answer to this question- Permanent roommates.
Web series as a medium in India is currently in its inception phase and is catching up quite a rage. Permanent Roommates- a third kind of love story as they fondly call it, ironically is the kind that takes you away from the fairy tales and brings you back to the reality which is not that bad after all. I say that because there is not one character in the series who doesn’t remind you of someone from your life.
Be it Mikesh’s father- who reminds you of that distant happy-go-lucky uncle of yours,

Or Tiwari- who acts innocent- is cunning- still dumb- but is helpful.

Or Leo- who once lived off his girlfriend’s chillar but later formed a ridiculously huge empire of his own.

Or Tanya- practical and composed she might be, but still ends up falling for someone exhibiting neither of these virtues.

The web series has dealt with the after effects of a long distance relationship really well. A long distance relationship sometimes works not because of the love, but because of it being a safe haven for the couples who can’t actually deal with each other in real life. Ironically, conflict happens when the couple actually starts living together. And this point is exactly where Permanent Roommates gives its important message-
“You don’t always need to be practical. Sometimes you need to be hopelessly romantic for a relationship to maintain its charm.”
With the catchy one liners, out of the world plot twists and innovative use of characters, the writers maintain a grip on the viewers through their constant humor. Permanent Roommates is among the precious pieces of entertainment where the story is the actual hero; no over the top acting or useless drama.
A series can capture your mind for a relatively prolonged period of time depending upon its content. Having done said that, I can effectively say that Permanent Roommates won’t be a waste of your time and internet speed. Go watch it if you haven’t already.

I would rate it- 4.5/5

CONJURING 2- Movie review

    Since time immemorial horror flicks have used the tried and tested cliché, that the 'shy' ghost decides to show itself only to that one person (preferably the youngest and naïvest) whose claims are bound to get dismissed by his friends. The revelation of a presence of that ghost to everyone is considered either as the climax or the end of the film. Story and Direction wise James Wan has been clear in his approach to staying away from this cliché by keeping the ghosts in conjuring 2 as 'bold' and beautiful. *grins*

Conjuring 2, thankfully doesn't use any cheap thrills or scare tactics to make you panic every now and then. What it offers you instead, is a TERROR that builds up as the story progresses.

There is something specifically attractive about a horror flick, which apart from giving the essential 'WOAHs' 'OMGs',  has got a substantive plot to offer you as well. That way you are ensured that if not the chills and screams, it at least gives you a story to ruminate on.
Another interesting aspect about Conjuring and Conjuring 2 is that, although the movies aren't connected to each other as far as the plot is concerned, there is a certain reason why events happen the way they do and a kind of link is established.
The climax would still make sense even if you don't try to figure out the link. Although reasoning out the climax by linking it to the previous film would leave you astounded.
Simply put, Conjuring leaves you with certain questions unanswered in your mind; conjuring 2 answers all of them IF you pay close attention. *winks*
To talk about the negative aspect of the film, there are certain scenes which don't make any sense with respect to the plot of the film. But again, you can always consider them as those questions to be answered in the next film.

If you are someone who is going to the film expecting your lover to hold your hand and scream and shout every now and then, maybe it is not the right film for you.
Verdict- I am never watching a horror flick in a theater again.
Oh I mean, 4.5

Movie Review- Phobia

Phobia.

-By Pawan Kripalani

You are all alone in a room. A dark, noiseless, spooky room. You suddenly start feeling cold, but that doesn’t bother you because you are occupied by your thoughts. The feeling of numbness engulfs you. You are about to fall deeper into that abyss when suddenly something taps you on your shoulder. You answer to that tap by looking beside you. You suddenly spring back to life realizing that it is your sister tapping on your shoulder, urging you to get up and exit the cinema hall, because even the end credits roll of the movie Phobia has ended.

Oh wait. That was about me and I wasn’t intending to explain what the word ‘phobia’ is all about. The movie will do that job better.

    Phobia, literally means ‘an irrational fear of something.’ Depending on the environment and surroundings and with the increasing population, different kinds phobia have developed overtime. Agoraphobia (fear of open public spaces) is the one which Mehek (Radhika Apte) deals with in the film.

    In the past as well, Bollywood has released movies dealing with medically generated conditions. While some of them like Paa (Progeria), Tamasha (Depression), Taare Zameen Par (Autism) went well with the audience, the others like Margarita with a straw (Cerebral Palsy) failed miserably at the box office. Although Phobia belongs to this sphere of Bollywood dealing with medical conditions, but the treatment given to it is what sets it apart from the rest of them.

    The entire film is shot in one single house. The movie has clearly steered away from using any bombarding horror music, clowns in hideous make-ups, to portray the existence of non-existent horror. The movie has kept the concept of agoraphobia original, and it has revolved around the life and experiences of the person (i.e Mehek) who suffers from the same. Still, the movie gives you the requisites of any horror film like ‘the chills’, the occasional gasps and goosebumps (a lot of them). Radhika Apte has put in a lot in terms of acting for this film and for that she definitely deserves a standing ovation. Another person worthy of an applause is the DOP (Jayakrishna Gummadi) who by his cinematography has made sure that the viewers altogether don’t develop claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces) by viewing the same room for 2 hours!

         The movie is a must watch for anyone who is in for a psychological thriller. It is definitely not for the ones who are expecting an ensemble cast of ghosts wrapped in white cloths and skeletons doing all sorts of things from screaming to doing Bharatnatyam.

Rating- 4.5 star

Character I would have liked to play- Mehek.

MOVIE REVIEW

Sairat
-Directed by Nagraj Manjule.

Gazed unabashedly,
Loved unabashedly.
Fought for love.
Didn’t even flinch once before pointing a gun at the lover’s enemy.
Took responsibility of lover’s life.

It is always the hero who usually does all the above mentioned things in a typical Indian film, right?
Right.
What if I tell you that I know a film in which a HEROINE does all that for a hero and much more but it doesn’t even look one bit odd?

    ‘Sairat’ meaning ‘wild’ in Marathi, literally suggests the core nature of the film. Right from the badass heroine Archie (Rinku Rajguru)to her adorable lover Parshya (Akash Thosar) and their lovestory, everything about the film is wild. 
Typically set against a rural backdrop whose language is raw, the film tells the story of two lovers, and their struggle to protect their love against all odds. The conflict and the overall story make it sound like typical film doesn't it? Why would a typical regional film like this made by some Marathi director whose last name isn't Scorsese, Kashyap or for that matter Hirani, gain international acclaim and national awards? Simple answer- Because it is REAL. The rawness of reality has been maintained in each and every aspect of the film including the language. Having done said that, let me make this clear to you that the movie isn't another boring piece of cinema which is supposed to be intellectual and great only because the critics say so. Sairat has got everything that makes a film worth watching- drama, bloodshed, love, songs (SUPER AMAZING) and conflict. That is the beauty of Sairat- even if you are left amazed, you cannot say that "it's only a film and all this doesn't happen in real life." Be it the happy or the sorrowful parts, even if they haven't been necessarily experienced by you, you know that those actually happen, in reality.
     
    Go for Sairat, even if you don't understand Marathi. The film           speaks louder than its words, literally. 
    P.S- English Subtitles me grammar mistakes bhi nahi hai. :P


   I rate the film- 5/5
   Character I would have liked to play- Archie, without any doubt.

BOOK REVIEW.

1984- George Orwell.
Genre- Utopian and Dystopian fiction.

     Since time immemorial, humans have yearned to learn about the future in the present itself. That is because, there is a certain kind of curiosity attached with the knowledge of the future owing to it’s mysterious nature. Now don’t you think that someone might have already cracked this mystery? A certain person could have predicted the future of the mankind just right?

  

 Eminent scientists like Einstein and Stephen Hawkings had predicted the takeover of artificial intelligence over the natural. Orwell in this book, has tried to express the same worry through a story- such unpredictable and much alluring. 

    Now imagine a world, where every movement of yours is recorded. There is a certain someone/something keeping a watch on everything that you do day and night. You are not even left alone for a moment. This world, where the Tele screen (which keeps a watch on you) is the reality and the concept of ‘privacy’ is passé. Now to give you an idea of how the tele screen works, you can take the reference of the reality shows- Big Boss and Big Brother; only difference is that you don’t get any brownie points for living a life like that. You have to live like that under constant surveillance, so that you obey every order of the ultimate figure in authority- The Big Brother. The only person to whom you can show any love, loyalty or respect is the big brother, whose existence by the way isn’t specified but isn’t questioned either. Now would you survive in a world like that? Let me answer that for you- You certainly won’t. But guess what the catch is? You will have to live anyway,

      The Big Brother is the focusing point for love, reverence, and emotions. Below him, comes the inner party- number limited to 6 million. And below that, comes the Outer Party. If the Inner Party can be regarded as the ‘brain’ of the state, then the Outer Party might as well be referred to as it’s hands. And the speck of dust at the feet of this structure, can be regarded as the Proles- the relatively submissive and ‘dumb’ section consisting of 85% of the entire population.

     Winston Smith, the protagonist of the story is one such rebel who wishes to gain his freedom. According to him, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals to four. If that is granted, all else follows.” All he wanted was a world in which he could live the way he wished to, without facing any objection. He believed that he could construct a world like that for himself by using his luck, cunningness and boldness. Now what lies at his receiving end- success or failure? That is something you ponder on while reading the story, whose answer you get only by the end.

    Why should you read this book?

-One can assert complete control over you and your life by keeping a track of everything that you do. That is the underlying philosophy practiced by the Big Brother and his party. In today’s world where our likes and dislikes, transactions, whereabouts can be tracked by technology easily, we surely have a reason to worry. It won’t be long until the idea of Big Brother is incorporated not only in reality TV shows, but in our real life too. You never know! *grins*

Overall, I would rate the book 4/5.

Movie review- Natasamrat.

  A play along with its characters, brings alive the imaginary world penned down by a writer. Nana Patekar with his performance in Natasamrat, brought alive many such worlds single-handedly.

  Time and again it has been proved that method acting takes a toll at some point or the other on an actor’s personal life. The joker thrilled the audience with his performance at the cost of Heath Ledger’s life (The dark knight,2008).  Urmila Matondkar needed to take psychiatric help after playing a possessed character (Bhoot, 2003). Now what happens when an actor fills up into himself an ocean of numerous such impactful roles acted by him? What happens when the mind of this actor starts brimming and overflowing with this ocean? He drowns. Natasamrat is the story of such an actor who eventually gets overpowered by his own art.

     Natasamrat is an adaptation of a Marathi play with the same name, written by Kusumagraj. Ganpatrao's character (Nana Patekar) in the movie is influenced by Shakespeare’s King Lear. The movie has the essential essence of a Shakespearean tragedy. “A true skill of an actor lies within his power to not let the viewer get distracted by a bag of chips in his hand while watching him on stage,” is a striking remark made by Ganpatrao which pretty much defines his role, and the gist of the film. Ganpatrao captivates us with his performance to such an extent that we end up becoming like the audience he wishes to greet i.e the one not getting distracted by a bag of chips. A subtle metaphor, eh?

    

     *Facts about the film*

1. The movie is a form of poetic communication that is both scintillating and refreshing. It has got dialogues influenced by Shakespeare’s plays having the same depth and meaning albeit having the Marathi touch.
   

Ganpatrao- "The whole world is a stage, and every man must play his part. Unfortunately, mine is a sad one."

2. The man behind the Natasamrat, i.e Kusumagraj who initially scripted the play, he himself was influenced by many of Shakespeare’s characters.An eminent writer had once described him as a poet of humanity by saying, “his words manifest the social discontent but retain the optimistic conviction that the old world was giving to the new one.”

      True to what had been said about Kusumagraj, he has carried that essence in every

      play written by him, including his masterpiece Natasamrat.       

3. Natsamrat is a movie that every performer can relate with, especially an actor. It is a modest symbolization of each and every bead of sweat and pain gone into the making of an actor. It is not just a movie, its an appreciation of art!
4.       

4. There are moments of light humour as well, shown in the friendship of Ganpatrao and Ram (Vikram Gokhale) who also has done a phenomenal job.

5. The supporting cast- Medha Manjrekar, Mrunmayee Deshpande, Sunil Barve, Ajit Parab and Neha Pendse have contributed well in their part for building up the story.
   

   

               The only negative thing I can point out about the movie is its plot, which is a bit clichéd as compared to the present times. But that argument can be settled by taking into account the fact that the play originally was written way back in the 70’s and also considering Nana’s power packed performance.

                As a conclusion to this review I would like to say that, this Shakespearean tragedy, true to its nature and wise in its approach should be watched by every budding cinema-lover out there!

          

               I would rate the movie- 4.5 star. 

Movie Review- Bajirao Mastani

Movie Review-

Before I review the movie, I would like to interest you with how the script for Bajirao Mastani was written…

(Bhansali visits a historian. Excerpts of their conversation-)

Bhansali- Please tell me the story of Peshwa Bajirao 1 and his wife Mastani.

Historian- Sure. So he was the great ruler of the Maratha Empire. He was known for his tactics like…

Bhansali-(Cuts him in between) No No, skip that part. Tell me something about his love life.

Historian-(aghast) Love life? Par unka toh arranged marriage hua tha?!

Bhansali- The love life with Mastani. Tell me something about that. (grins)

Historian- (takes about 10 minutes to talk about their complete love story)

Bhansali- Perfect! I will make a movie only on their love story!

Historian- But we don’t even have any authentic facts related to the same.How will you make a full-fledged movie?

Bhansali- (smirks)  You don’t know my style of movie making, historian babu. (walks away like the knight in the shining armor)

               ..And this is how the foundation of Bajirao Mastani was laid. You heard him right. Bajirao Mastani isn’t about the valour of Bajirao or his biography as a whole. It is solely a king’s love story. Now one question that you should ponder upon is that, in spite of having a story base like that, what makes Bajirao Mastani a must watch?

1.     This is one of the rare films, where the script and dialogues steal the show completely. (Bhansali, Prakash Kapadia)

2.     Bhansali initially had written the script by keeping Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan in mind as the lead pair (quite a few years ago). He never found a replacement for the lead pair until Ranveer and Deepika happened. Unsurprisingly enough, they both fitted in the shoes of their respective characters just like Cindrella did.

3.     “In a movie, people observe your looks for two and a half minutes, but to pull a movie for two and a half hours, you need to act.”- Nana Patekar.

Ranveer Singh’s performance in Bajirao Mastani is an exemplar of Nana’s quote. He stole the spotlight not only with his magnificent looks, but also with his larger than life performance.

4.     Deepika Padukone served full justice to the character of Mastani. She emitted the emotions not only through her acting, but through her eyes as well. You could actually feel Mastani all over in her aura.

5.     Bajirao loved Mastani with the same intensity as Ram loved Leela (RamLeela, 2013). The chemistry between the two is sizzling, irresistible and violent at the same time.One can’t help but wonder if Bhansali actually weaved a real life romance between the two while making them act their respective roles!

                             

6.     And finally last but not the least; this is the part where a cherry adorns the cake. In the movie’s case, Priyanka was the cherry who played one of the most meaningfully splendid supporting roles ever written. From her accent to her dressing, from her dialogues to her dialogue delivery, she pulled off a Kashibai with great ease.

   I would like to conclude by saying, that Bajirao Mastani is one of the once in a lifetime kind of epic romances that the audiences yearn for. I am sure, that the way names of Raj- Simran, Devdas- Paro, got immortalized in the pages of history, Bajirao-Mastani are going to add up in the list too! 

Overall, I would rate the movie a 4 star.

P.S- If you are someone whose cup of tea is anything but a love story, then probably I won't promise that you will like the movie; unless of course you are open to a classic romance kind of a thing!

                                         

                                                                Fin.

MOVIE REVIEW- Tamasha

 Tamasha.

So before I begin with the review, let me narrate you a little story…

Once upon a time, there was a Partner A who was crazy, energetic and a romantic lover. This partner A falls in love with a certain Partner B who is as energetic,crazy and equally romantic.

After a few months of seeing each other, they both get married soon after.

A few years later…

Partner A= Crazy, energetic and a romantic lover.

Partner B= Lazy, boring and not so romantic.

Still a few years later…

Partner A= Crazy, energetic and a romantic lover.

Partner B= Lazy, boring and not so romantic.

This goes on for a long time until…

WAIT.

You want to know what happens after that, don’t you?

Now what if I tell you, that even you are included in this story?

You are the Partner A over here.

So as you already know that the love life with your partner B isn’t going as good as expected. In fact you are hating it completely because the person whom you initially dated, isn’t even one bit same as the person whom you got married to. You can’t dump your Partner B like that, because true love is about sticking till the end right? But again, this hopeless Partner B isn’t what you originally signed up for, did you?

So what do you do? It’s your story. You decide the end, keep that in your mind while I rant about the movie review.

  The movie talks about a Bipolar disorder that our protagonist Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) is suffering from. Firstly we are introduced to the character of Ved, subtly. Then as the movie progresses we realise that this Ved is kind of like us. Further, we are fooled into believing that this Ved represents our personality in a way (Of course we brush that thought away as quickly as it enters our mind). All of that happens with us because, the movie deals with a topic that has been brought up quite often by many Bollywood movies- ‘BE YOURSELF’. The other movies so far have talked majorly about why you should be yourself and not let the world affect you (The Prevention). Tamasha talks about what can happen if you DON’T be yourself and let the world affect you in all ways (The after-effects). Tara (Deepika Padukone) although is the heroine, she kind of plays a supporting role (in literal sense too, as she is shown supporting Ranbir. *LOL*). But she has pulled off her role quite well, can't deny that. Ranbir stole the show, completely. He makes you feel that no one could have pulled off the role as easily as he did. Therein lies his greatness- that makes him undoubtedly a superstar.The reason why I am talking about the movie so much is because it deals with human psychology effortlessly, and the director and screenplay writer deserve a ‘hatts off’ for portraying it with precision. What’s beautiful about the movie is that, although it has tackled a common question, it has given a fantastically brilliant answer to it which so far has not been given by any other movie of the same kind.

      The reason why i didn't delve into the technicalities of the movie this time, is because Tamasha is much more than that and the movie forced me pay homage only to the story. Oh that reminds me, did you get your ending to the story which I narrated to you sometime back? Haha, good if you did. But if you didn’t, I will suggest you to watch the movie. Maybe you will get your answer. *winks*

           

I will give this film- 4.5 star

*CAUTION*

      The trailer of the movie is deceiving. Because if you think that the movie is going to be about fun, life, love and adventure (like Yeh jawaani hai deewani) then you are mistaken. The movie deals with a much deeper psychological topic which is literally going to touch your soul, if you allow it to. This movie is going to stay with you for long though, and is going to impact you for sure.

#MustWatch.

                                      

                                                                   Fin.

                                           

Movie Review- Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

~Prem Ratan Dhan Payo~

    A certain guy A is the fiance of a girl. But this guy A either is killed/ is somewhere else far away from the girl for the time being. So another guy B steals the identity of this guy A, enters the life of that girl and makes her fall in love with him in the limited days before the guy B comes back. Eventually the guy A returns, leaving the guy B disappointed and the girl confused and angry. After the beans are spilled in the end, the girl ends up marrying the guy B because “he gave her a forever within the numbered days.”

Doesn’t this storyline ring a bell in your mind?

Which was the first movie that you thought of when you read it?

Was that movie was one among them-

1. Rehna hai terre dil mein. (2001)
2. Raja aur rank (1968)
3.  Who rehne wali mehlon ki (tv show by rajshri productions, 2005-09)
4. Kaho na Pyaar hai (2000)

Haha don’t worry, even if you thought of some other movie or tv show, no issues. You still could have hit the bull’s eye, because this storyline has been followed hell lot of times in bollywood.

And what’s more? It has been used in Prem ratan dhan payo too. :)

(Well there’s Rab ne bana di jodi too where the hero is so desperate to gain his heroine’s attention that he introduces himself as some other person to the heroine by altering his own looks and personality inorder to make her fall in love with his original self. That’s like the reverse of the above mentioned storyline :P)

Coming back to the main topic-

   Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is essentially an adaptation of Mark Twain's 'The prince and the Pauper'. The movie starts off with a song in Prem’s (Salman Khan) performance who plays the narrator in his own directed play based on Ramayana, fondly named as ‘Premleela, ramleela.’ He is shown madly in love with princess Maithili (Sonam Kapoor), only to realise later that she is supposed to get married off to some other guy who is a king. This king happens to look exactly like Prem, albeit a little moustache. It is only and only because of this stupendous coincidence that Prem makes her fall in love with him. Now take note over here people- It takes a real gifted person to have a luck like that, where God personally sees to it that the universe conspires itself according to your wishes. This can happen only with Prem, not you.

     Sonam Kapoor has acted well for a change; her character looks convincing. Her acting was refreshing, maybe because she worked with Sooraj Barjatya for the first time. That was not the case with Salman though. It seemed that memory of that ‘innocent looking Salman Khan who always played the younger brother’ in Barjatya’s films in the 90s, hadn’t left his memory. As a result Barjatya has tried to portray him in the same way in PRDP, and that looked quite unsettling. 

         PRDP looks a lot like a Sooraj Barjatya film. There's primary focus on family relations, 6 songs are covered in every 5 minutes (exaggeration), one among those songs being dedicated especially to food, and many more facts like that.

       Overall, PRDP looks like Barjatya wanted to make a movie which would keep in line with today’s times, but he also wanted to bring back the period of 90s. Barjatya wanted to keep intact the flavour of the Rajshri Production style of movies, but at the same time he couldn’t help but get influenced by the contemporary style of movie making. That mix-up just didn’t work. If only he would have stuck to his original style of thinking and content, without getting influenced, then MAYBE the film could have worked out well.

          I would say that the movie is a good entertainer; definitely watch it when it airs on Zee Cinema. (because it is not really worth your money.) 

          I would give it a 2/5 star.

FUN FACTS-

  1. It could be that during the shoot, Salman couldn’t feel the heat while doing romantic scenes with Sonam Kapoor in the film. And so, Barjatya made her dress up exactly like Aishwarya Rai in the movie hum dil de chuke sanam. It did bring in the heat. *grins*

2. It doesn't end over there. It seemed as if Salman was equally uninterested for promoting the film too. So Barjatya took inspiration for the posters of the film from some legendary scenes in the movie hum dil de chuke sanam-

These are just cheesy assumptions, I might say. But you never know.. *smirks*

                                               Fin.

The Short Story. (twist in tale.)

The white ‘Gajra’.

She walked out of the room feeling unusually confident. The sun seemed to shine brighter than an hour back and the birds chirped louder than she would have liked.

Yet the feeling of a thousand butterflies in her stomach was not be ruined today.

She got her article published in the newsdaily. Her first ever article. 
She could shout, laugh, jump, dance all of it.. "but not before I tell Raj about this," was the first thought that entered her mind. Why was it that in spite of having so many relatives, friends and loved ones did she think of Raj first? 
Pondering over this question she went into flashback 16 days ago, 6.35pm, Saint Carlos street, where Raj said those exact same words to her. "I adore you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know it’s too late to approach you with such a proposal but…"
Reminiscing those thoughts, she traveled back again in the present. She made her way to the Lal Parol Park, and sat down on the nearest bench. She closed her eyes. Again a distant memory whizzed past her mind.

4 months and 3 days ago, 6.30pm inside a a restaurant-

"It’s too late, I will drop you home," Offered Raj.
"It’s okay I will go," replied Simran.
"Please, let me. You came for me over here. I consider you as my responsibility."

Simran traveled back in the present and smiled, recalling that as a distinguished, sweet memory. She looked at the watch on her wrist, smiled recollecting  a memory, and still went back into another flashback…

6 months and 10 days ago, 10am, outside a railway station-
Simran stood on platform number 7, waving her hand to someone seated inside the train. As the train departed, Simran chanced to look sideways. Just as she did that, she saw a man in a sweatshirt standing right in front of her. That was when she knew that she had confronted a familiar face.

He seemed to have the same thoughts going on in his mind as he approached her.

“Raj?” she called out his name softly.

“Simran, I am seeing you after so long. How are you?” 

“I am good. But what are you doing here, in this secluded hill station?

“Haha! I shifted over here, but there’s a long story behind it.  By the way, are you going to stay over here for some time?”

“Yes, permanently.”

“Oh, then I suppose I will tell that long story to you some time later. We have loads of time now,” saying that Raj smiled brightly.

 And that was how it all started, assumed Simran. 

She finally texted Raj, informing him about her recent accomplishment. Having done that, she stood up and left the park.

While walking towards home, she passed a by-lane. It was an almost secluded area having little huts built all over it.  In one of those huts, few kids were dancing to the beat of the popular “O Radha teri chunari. “ Something urged Simran to stop. Something urged her to hum to the tune of that song. Something urged her to MOVE to the beat of it.

And she danced a little. As she danced, she felt eyes of someone on her. Conscious, as if broken out of a spell, she turned to catch the kids observing her intently.  As she stopped dancing, the kids started clapping as a response. Embarrassed, she blushed and embraced the kiddishness alive in her even then. She again started walking and chanced to look upon a female vendor selling gajras (flower garland). Her gaze kept on lingering on them for long, and she smiled wistfully.

Just then someone in the distance called out to her. She turned and froze. It was Raj.

“Congratulations on your first article. You finally wrote one. I hope there are many more to come,” said Raj.

“I just sent you a text. How did you possibly track my location from that?” laughed Simran.

“haha, I guessed that you must have gone to the park.”

“You followed me all the way from there?”

“Oh no. I am caught,” grinned Raj.

“Hahaha, oh wait does that mean you...”

“Yes, I did. That reminds me to give you a compliment. Even today you dance really well Simran!”

Simran blushed abashedly at that little show of love.

“You know it seems funny that your dance reminded me of our college days. You used to move gracefully even back then!”  said Raj.

“Hmmm,” She smiled.

“I want to spend my entire life seeing you smile like that.”

“Its too late Raj. ”said Simran with a tint of sadness in her voice.

“We met in our college days. We fell in love. But we couldn’t get married because your dad was against it. Agreed you got married to a nice guy of your parent’s choice. You had your kids. But he’s no more now. Even you are going through the same storm that I am going through, although I never got married. 16 days ago we met at the Saint Carlos street, I approached you with the same proposal. I agreed even back then that it’s too late. Yes I agree that it’s too late considering the time. But love always finds a way. It’s never too late for love. Why else would we bump into each other after all these years? Because we are meant to be.”

Saying so, he went to the female vendor and bought a gajra. He offered the same to Simran.

“I know you had bidden farewell to colours a long back ago. Allow me to add those to your life once again, “having done said that, a hopeful Raj waited for a response from Simran.

After a brief pause, Simran said, “yes, I accept this little present of yours. But don’t you think this white gajra will be camouflaged by my white hair?” teased Simran.

“hahaha! You are like the gajra. White and beautiful.”

“hahaha! Well, I don’t think marrying at the age of 60, is that bad an idea, eh?” responded Simran, and they both laughed, sporting those smiles hidden behind those wrinkles all these years.

Because sometimes, love is what only matters, no matter what the age and time.

                                                      

                                                                       -The End-

The kite runner- Khalid Hosseini

Book review

The kite runner- Khalid Hosseini

“Salaam, bachem.”

Engulfed with its warm treatment to the human nature, the book greets the reader politely like that.

     Khalid Hosseini, the author was 11 years old when he moved to France with his family from parent country, Afghanistan. He returned to Afghanistan 27 years later and felt like a tourist in his own country, owing to the damage and ruckus created by the Taliban regime. The kite runner was written by him shortly after that when the survivor’s guilt overpowered him. That could be the reason why the story sounds so real, as if Hosseini had lived the life of each character in the book.

     The story is set against the backdrop of the fall of the Afghanistan monarchy and the rise of the Taliban regime. It is the kind of a book which makes you think about it for days, months even after you are done reading it. It is the kind of a book which makes you relate with at least one character from the same. It subtly acquaints the reader with the  concept of ‘angel’ and ‘devil’ existing within each one of us. Most of the times it’s the devil which overpowers our mind. But we do get to redeem ourselves through the angel hidden somewhere in us. The life of Amir, the protagonist can prove as a simile for the same.

       The book talks about the strained relation between Amir and his father, Amir’s friendship with his shi’a servant Hassan, life of refugees and Afghani people overall. The reasons why you should read the book-

                                                                                                       

A-   Owing to the fluidity of its simple language, the book is especially recommended for those who aren’t much into reading.

B-   The unconventionality of the tale is refreshing.

C-   It gives you an overview of the situation in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime ingeniously, minus the goriness.

The kite runner is a simple yet profound tale, the kind which can be narrated for generations to come. It spent 101 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, it will stay for longer in your heart. This book is a must read for every reader out there craving for a readable story. I related with the book so much that ending the book felt like saying a goodbye to the characters that I felt I knew.

I rate this book 5/5 star.

The characters I related with- Amir and Hassan combined.