Gossip post...

The purpose of this post is nothing but pure gossip.... I will write a senseless post again..

1. You all might know NDTV's Prannoy Roy. But do you know he is also the uncle of Arundhati Roy, the famous author. Prannoy Roy's wife Radhika and CPI (M) President Prakash Karat's wife Brinda are sisters!!

2. Ratna Pathak Shah, (Maya of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai or Jai's mom in Jaane tu ya na jaane) and Supriya Pathak, Hansa (Pankaj Kapoor's second wife) are also sisters!!

3. Mohnish Behl is the son of Nutan, so he and Kajol are cousins.

4. Deleted

5. Do you know Lara Dutta's score 9.99 in Miss Universe pageant and her score is the highest uptil now!!

6. St. Stephens was a boys only college uptil 1960s I guess :P

7. Khaled Muhammad, the erstwhile HT film critic has made films like Fiza and Zubeidaa and the character of Zubeidaa is his mom.

8. Contrary to popular perception, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhar are Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani's childen, not Shaban Azmi's..

9. Mother India lost the Oscar by just 1 vote... unlucky..

10. Anurag Kashyap has written dialogues for many films like Satya, Yuva and many more..

11. Udham Singh who used to come on Channel V i.e. Manish Makhija is Pooja Bhatt's husband.

P.S.- Now throw rotten eggs and tomatoes:D

Chemistry's mysteries....

It is ironical that I am writing this post when my college is almost over about my school friend who I haven't met for the last six years. She is Tanzeel though Mrs. Swapna Bannerjee called her Taaanzillll :D Our roll numbers were together from Class 6-Class 8, until our class 9 teacher rearranged our class names alphabetically :/

When the exams were going on, she used to sit behind me and we used to chit chat a lot. She used to keep on passing comments and I used to reply back. We cheated sometimes, though it was always I who used to show her my answers :D People used to say that we both had almost similar handwriting though hers was better:) One day in Class 10, we got our Chemistry papers back and she got 3/17 :P So, she gave me her paper to keep it with me, lest someone sees it. Luckily, I still have that paper with me and while I was going through my old stuff, I found it and I was so happy to see it. It made me remember those days that we all were together. We don't talk much these days but still we wish each other on birthdays, send stupid sms,etc. We haven't met since ages but still we will always be friends. I haven't met my other good friends Kalo and Pinks too but we still haven't lost contact. Miss those days...

Comedy of Errors...

Hasn't TV become so boring and frustrating? I have stopped watching it, there are simply no good shows.

I seriously miss the good old days when watching TV was an addiction :) The one show that instantly comes to my mind is Dekh Bhai Dekh. Remember it? It was one hell of a show. The characters on the show were a riot. Who can forget the naughty chachu Sameer (Shekhar Suman), his wanna be writer but confused wife Chachi (Bhavna Balsaver), the Ae-ji-oj-suniye-ji Suhasini (Fardia Jalal), the forgetful Balraj (Navin Nischal), the sophistictaed Mummyji (Sushma Seth), the funny kids Sanju, Kirti, Vishal and Abha, the playful Daddyji, the kamchor Kareema (Deven Bhojani), the suspecting Shilpa , Sanju's girlfriend,(Urvashi Dholakia, who went on to become TV's famous vamp), the nangu-phangoo Dingoo and Divya Seth saying 'hi with a rotation of hands'. I still remember some hilarious situations. The tere muh me keede, tere muh me dhool was the show's product. Also, Sameer used to always slip down the stairs where as everyone else came down smoothly.It was super funny :D There was another episode in which he hypnotises everyone. Sanju, tu Sanju nahi, kirti Hai :D :D The London episodes where they all go to London for a marraige were really nice too. The stars from the show became very popular. Amar Upadhyaya went on to play Mihir in that Ekta Kapoor saop KSBKBT. The show was produced by Amitabh Bacchan's AB Corp. It was a great show :)

Another superb comedy was Shrimaan Shrimati. Remember that one? Koki, Keshav, Dil, Doll, Gokhale or Chintoo..Does it ring a bell? Even more funny was the pre-recorded laughter in these TV shows which was funny in its own way :P

Among the recent ones, Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai was too good. The weird Rosesh, the downmarket Monisha, the high class Maya played by Ratna Pathak Shah. It had some terrific one liners. The show reunited Ratna Pathak Shah and Satish Shah after their hit show Filmi Chakkar.

Instant Khichdi was another superfunny show. The character of Hansa played with aplomb by Supriya Pathak was an actor's delight.

The West has had a huge number of successful sitcoms. FRIENDS(my favourite :D), Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, I Dream of Jeanie, That 70s show, Bewitched. We have had very few of them. We should start making more of great shows.

I think along with the actors, the dialogue and script writers also need to be acknowledged. A character is a writer's vision and moreover, to write sponatneous witty jokes or goofy situations ain't easy. A writer should be equally honored as making some one laugh is not a simple job. Waiting for some good shows.

P.S.- Heard someone is making a copy of FRIENDS. Won't work. Being original sells :)

Let us go back to the 19th century...

The use of computers in offices is creating unemployment problems. Our party feels that if work can be done by a person using hands there is no need to deploy machines.

A harvesting season brings employment for the labour class for at least six months but these harvesters will snatch their earnings.

Previous governments have promoted forward trading, share trading and mall culture. Any government formed with our support will either reduce or stop it completely.

We will only press for removing the compulsory use of English language in education, administration and judiciary. We favour the use of national and regional languages.

No, these lines are not from an early 19th century document but the election manifesto of Sanjay Dutt's muhbole bade bhaiyya Amar Singh's Samajwadi Party for the year 2009. In an election, where even 82- year old Mr. L.K.Advani is trying his best to woo the youth by blogging, pumping iron and doing what not (the BJP has even abandoned their favourite Ram Mandir!!), such a regressive manifesto clearly shows the mindset of the SP. Mulayam Singh Yadav has himself been a professor of Political Science in his career, he should understand that such a ridiculous and regressive outlook won't work. India is the world's software giant and our IT prowess is the best in the world. The SP says that computers cut down jobs but Mr. Yadav, they have created numerous jobs for our countrymen.

The one thing that makes India a global outsourcing hub is our English (though speaking correct English is still a dream!!) . We have the largest number of English speakers in the world. China lacks the outsourcing business because of their language barrier, and they have realized this and will overtake us in no time. English is our strength and it is totally the person's wish to learn English. Mulayam Singh's son Akhilesh Yadav is an engineer from Australia where medium of instruction is English. I couldn't stop laughing at Jaya Prada's stupid arguments on the use of technology on NDTV. She said rural people do not want to study computers. How does she know?

They should probably start travelling by cycles, their party symbol as travelling by planes and trains would cut down jobs.

But the good thing for the SP is that who reads manifestos anyway? They are just fancy documents which no one reads and contains promises that are not going to be fulfilled or meant to be broken. More WTF events await us. Watch this space :-)

Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye to Kya Hai...

I watched Gulaal at PVR Saket at an unbelievable price of Rs.50!! They have reduced their ticket prices drastically from Rs.150 to just Rs.50, but the sad part is there are no good movies to watch, so no use:(

Anyways I am digressing. Anurag Kashyap brings to us his next film Gulaal, which had been in the making for years. He is a treasure to Indian cinema and would go down in history as the man who has the guts to make path breaking cinema, and not compromising his ideas for big bucks. After a superbly crafted DevD, Gulaal is again an immensely watchable film. Anurag says it is his angriest film and his frustration can be clearly seen in the film.

To summarise the plot, the movie is about Dilip Kumar Singh, an aspiring lawyer, who comes to study in the University in Rajasthan, but by a turn of events gets sucked into the murky world of student unions and elections. He becomes a pawn in the hands of Duki Bana who wants to wage a war against the government of India to carve out a separate state of Rajputana for Rajputs. It is a tale of emotions- deceit, love, lust, abuse, greed, tragedy, betrayal, anger, frustration....

About the performances, Abhimanyu Singh as Ransa has a towering screen presence. Kay Kay Menon as Duki Bana is brilliant. Deepak Dobriyaal as Bhaati is excellent. Just watch his emotions. All other actors including Raj Singh Chaudhry, Ayesha Mohan, Mahie Gill, Jesse Randhawa deliver. One thing that is a characteristic feature of Anurag's films is the finer detailing of each and every character. In one particular scene, when Anuja comes to teach, the topic written on the board is Nihilism-the premise of the film. Or in another scene, the brilliant Mahie Gill who looks like Tabu, the songs played by her are Ruk Ruk Ruk and Paani Paani Re- both Tabu's songs. It is these details that make a film stand out.

There are so many terrific scenes that I was planning to write them down in the hall, lest I miss out. From next time, I am going to get a DVD, pause every such scene and write about that scene. Piyush Mishra as Prithvi Bana, who also wrote the lyrics of the film has the best scenes and the best lines. His dialogues and satirical lyrics are too blunt and a slap on the hypocrisy of our lives.

The character of Ardhnarishwara and the Bansurivala have a significance though I am still comprehending that. Tell me if you know:) This is the beauty of his films that it makes you think. The film gives so many messages like in one scene, Dilip asks Anuja "Kya main darpok hun?". She replies "Darpok hona buri baat nahi hai". The mere acceptance of this requires great courage. In another scene, Dilip on listening to Kiran tries to change himself and wears contact lenses but on being betrayed, he wants to be his own self again, so wears his spectacles again. The only problem I had with the film was that it was a bit predictable. The Departed type ending you already know, again signifying that only bastards survive as the rat survived in The Departed. Also, I would have liked to see more of the roles of Jesse Randhawa and Mahie Gill (have become a fan!!), they were shown much.

This film is Anurag's tribute to Sahir Ludhianvi and he says he wrote this film while listening to Pyaasa's Yeh Duniya Mil Bhi jaye to kya hai. Anupama Chopra says that you cannot define his films in one word and that is a huge compliment. It is a contemporary film and is more relevant today in the context of what Raj Thackeray is doing in Maharashtra. Watch this compelling film and do ponder over its lyrics....

****1/2.

O Ri Duniya

Surmayi Aankhon Ke Pyaalon Ki Duniya

Satrangi Rangon Gulaalon Ki Duniya..

O Duniya

Alsaayi Sezon Ke Phoolon Ki Duniya

Angdaai Tode Kabootar Ki Duniya

Karwat Le Soyi Haqueeqat Ki Duniya

Deewaani Hoti Tabeeyat Ki Duniya

Khwahish Mein Lipti Zaroorat Ki Duniya

Insaan Ke Sapno Ki Neeyat Ki Duniya..

O Duniya

O Ri Duniya

Ye Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaaye To Kya Hai…

Mamta Ki Bikhri Kahaani Ki Duniya

Behno Ki Siski Jawaani Ki Duniya

Aadam Ke Hawwaa Se Rishte Ki Duniya

Shaayar Ke Pheeke Lafzon Ki Duniya

Ghalib Ke Momin Ke Khwaabon Ki Duniya

Majaazon Ke Un Inqualaabon Ki Duniya

Faiz Firaaq Aur Saahir O Makhdoom

Mir Ki Zauk Ki Daagh Ki Duniya

Rang Rang Rangeela Re..

I watched Rangeela today. I had wanted to see this movie for ages and fortunately it was coming on one of the channels while I was surfing. Got lucky ;)

I am not a huge fan of Urmila Matondkar who is still remembered as the Rangeela girl but she is excellent in the film. It is the story of Milli who is a dancer in the troupe of Saroj Kumar and aspires to be a big actress some day. She has a friend Munna played superbly by Aamir Khan who is impulsive, short tempered and sells tickets in black. Milli gets a break in a film after a successful actor Rajkamal (Jackie Shroff ) notices her dancing. Munna secretly loves her and is not able to tell her his feelings while Milli is getting busy with her film.

Well, Urmila is absolutely tailor made for the role. She looks stunning in the film and exudes oomph. Just watch her in Tanha Tanha and Rangeela Re. She brings a warmth to the character. Aamir is also brilliant and he seems to flow with role of a tapori effortlessly. Dialogues are too funny and I think Munna Bhai copied from it like "Tera bad luck bhi kharab hai" or "Hata saavan ki ghata". I also liked character of Milli's brother Motilal (what a name!!) who keeps on saying "Mere paas aur koi kaam nahi hain" :D AR Rahman's music and Saroj Khan's choreography is way ahead of its times. We all love Rangeela Re, Tanha Tanha, Mangta hai kya and Kya karen ya na karen. Manish Malhotra was given a special Filmfare award for best costumes which was not even a category before this film. The film should have won many awrds but lost out all to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge :)

Munna and Milli meet in the end but I would want to know what happened to their lives. I do not think their relationship would have lasted. Milli would have become a huge star and Munna who doesn't do any work would have felt disconnected with her. Given his stubborn character, he might not be able to take Milli's success. Anyway, Rangeela is a classic for me :)

I love these lines ;)

Yai re yai re jor lagake naache re

Yai re yai re milke dhoom machaaye re

Chal mere sang sang lele duniya ke rang

Hoja rangeela re rang rang rangeela re

Itne chehron mein apne chehre ki pehchaan

Oh ho pehchaan oh ho

Bade bade naamon mein apna bhi naamonishaan Oh ho

Pehchaan oh ho

Jeene mein phir to kya baat ho

Din naya aur nayi raat ho

Har ghadi bas khushi saath ho

Yai re yai re jor laga ke nache re..

Justice delayed is justice denied...

There has been controversy over the appointment of Anjali Waghmare as the defense lawyer for Ajmal Kasab. She has been threatened by Shiv Sena to withdraw from the case. It takes guts for a person to take a case like hers. She has been alleged to be non patriotic and accused of being insensitive to the city and the people of Mumbai. This is entirely wrong. Her husband is also a police officer. She would have been under so much pressure to take the case and would have arrived at a decision after proper deliberation. All legal experts say it is an open and shut case, and there is too much strong evidence against Kasab that no court can save him. However, the law states that the accused has a right to defend himself. Kasab must be given a lawyer, and those threatening Waghmare should be told that it amounts to contempt of court. We are trying to delay his trial by not giving assistance, prolonging the wait for justice, and Kasab would go scott-free. He can say that he was not given proper assistance, and this would make India a banana republic. Anjali herself said that she is doing this in the country's interest. We are not supporting Kasab and no sane person would ever justify his ghastly acts, we are just following the protocol. Anjali should be given full protection, and the rule of the land must prevail.