Kites – Flies high with style and melodrama

A film by Anurag Basu always invokes curiosity clubbed with expectation. And, usually, he delivers top notch. ‘Kites’ doesn’t disappoint.

The film, primarily made to cater international audience, has strong overtones of a hollywood set up and the exquisite looks suggest the inevitable intentions of the producers.

I would not talk about the script here as there isn’t much to dwell and introspect. An ordinary effort in writing is hugely compensated by lavish locations and the subtle direction of Basu, especially in the second half. The film takes a riveting shape in the latter part and leads to a pulsating yet realistic end. It is not a quintessential love story with the mundane ‘lived happily ever after’ tag line. I liked the way it concluded, for such kind of enterprising and vivid love stories can only have an aftermath that lies in tatters.

The lead cast is the biggest strength of the film and the over reliance could be explicitly visible. The same cannot be said about the supporting characters though. They are pedestrian. Hrithik Roshan as the suave and ambitious young man is fantastic. ‘Fire’ does set the screen of fire and is a treat to watch. Barbara Modi with her effervescent smile looks gorgeous and charming. She’s got talent and has the potential to go a long way in the industry (might not necessarily be in the Indian scenario though). It is imperative that the biggest asset of ‘Kites’ is their sizzling chemistry on-screen. Kangana Ranaut has been thoroughly wasted and I am not sure why she has to accept a special appearance role at this juncture of her career. She is immensely talented and deserves a better deal. Nothing extraordinary about Rajesh Roshan’s music, but couple of numbers are foot tapping. Salim Sulaiman’s background score is predictably good and acquires an above average score.

For me, ‘Kites’ is watchable for two reasons: Hrithik’s on screen exploits and Anurag Basu’s slick direction. That would fetch enough to make it worth the money.

‘Women’ – The epitome of imperious sustenance

They are probably the most unique and special class of human species. And every time I come across their exploits, they impress me to the core.

Usually, in our spectrum of narrow minded inhabitants, we have always acknowledged and expected them to play second fiddle to man. And you can argue that in the wake of 21st century, their existence is more than vital to the prospects of our society and nation. But, we do find an exclusive section of male chauvinist lurking around in every corner of our world. That, for me, is the undeniable truth behind all the positive stories of female oppression and women liberation.

But despite all such formidable facts, they have an edge. Above all, they are the sole source of nourishment behind the inevitable existence of human clan. They play varied and demanding roles; Daughter, Wife, Mother, Mentor, Teacher, Guide, Inspiration. The first three are obviously the most established of all; the others are subjective and precariously intangible. Yet, their excellence in every sphere is staggering. The expectations are always mammoth and sometimes, unreasonable. Questions always lead to mundane answers that satisfy none; rebels are considered to be taboo and unconventional. Yes, we do have few who refute and react, but the percentage is bleak and impact is minimal. Evidently, I have good reasons to believe that the rebellions have happened for a noble cause and to attain higher vicinity in the larger section of this male dominated fraternity.

And mind you, all the roles specified above come with a huge price tag: Sacrifice. Every role has it’s own set of challenges and ordeals; we admit that it is almost impossible to please everyone around. But she manages to do all that with phenomenal ease, and juggling her roles amidst multiple protagonists is not a mean task. She slips in to those characters as if she was born with impeccable skill sets (not that I think otherwise) and getting trained as if it was a cakewalk. Ominous!!

Readers, my intention here is not just to applaud that very sane attitude of a woman, but paying rich tributes to those extraordinary individuals who are an indispensable part of our own lives.

‘Women’: I salute you!

Dismal T20 campaign raises inevitable eyebrows..

I have always vouched my opinion on this aspect of the game in a very strong and sedate manner. Today, I reinstate my conviction.

Unanimously, I request our immensely talented and enthusiastic cricketers to stop indulging in the lousy business of T20 and focus on ‘Cricket’. Mind you, I am not trying to be a hypocrite as our ‘Indian Team’ falter in the early stages of the ongoing T20. At some point of time, I have always criticized the overwhelming emergence of T20 format, which threatens to rob the youngsters of the basics of this great game and paves the way for the extinction of authentic test cricket and probably, bring the shutters down for the 50 over game as well.

Yes, I am speculating. But speculations have often been remembered as dangerously intimidating and I would love to be proven wrong. But after watching the team in two explicitly miserable games, I am convinced that the boys need to come back and study basics. Indian batsman are world renowned for failing to read the shorter deliveries (barring my boss and our wall), but my concern here is that Dhoni’s men have forgotten to read the pitches here. Men in Blue: Please understand that you are currently wilting it out at the Caribbean shores, where the pitches are bouncier and they come in to you much faster than they do in the subcontinent. Especially in Barbados, where the pitch used to be a minefield those days (We had a forgettable test outing in 1997 here where our boys fell like nine pins, chasing 120 in the fourth innings. We got bundled for 88 and our batting line up was considered to be top notch). And, today, for the second consecutive time, our batsman struggled. Our IPL champs (Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan) were disgusting to watch and have a lot of work to do, more so. since the original and only ‘World Cup’ of cricket is knocking the doors.

I would like to convey the fact to my readers that I am equally fond of our young team and confess that some of them are ominously gifted, but I admit that I do miss the class and elegance of our veterans (Usually, 35+ cricketers are summoned that way in this great game of cricket). We talk about pitches that have bounce and nip back to the batsman, have abundant pace and are ferociously quick, and then we talk about those legendary surfaces in Barbados, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Wellington, Centurion, Wanderers… Sachin, Dravid, Laxman: I missed you today.

The sooner our cricket team and the players realize that there is more to this game than merely slaughtering the ball to all corners of the park, the better for us. I am afraid that if the current generation of cricketers happen to forget all about technique, footwork, agility and hand-eye coordination, then our future generation would be deprived of witnessing the sole definition of world class players and all time greats, who were also widely acknowledged as the greatest entertainers of their times. You can be technically sound and yet be the phenomenon around.

‘Indian Cricket’, please wake up.

We dig the grave and accuse others of getting buried..

Khuda Ke Liye, Sarfarosh, Firaaq, Bombay, Gadar, My Name Is Khan, Mission Kashmir, New York, Shaurya, Rang De Basanti, Delhi 6, Veerzara, Hey Ram, Kurbaan, A Wednesday, Dus Kahaniyan.


What do the above listed blockbusters have in common..?? What makes them much more staggering than mere dramatic sequences in the large repository of the tinsel town..?

Yes, they are all products of very established and talented filmmakers. But there is a single thread that stitches all these flicks together.
All of these portray the infamous friction that has been hovering around two of the most mercurial communities in our country. I would still term them as ‘Communities’, not religion. The plain simple reason being no religion in this world encourages violence and nepotism, but human beings do. Every single barrier discovered and created on the name of caste, creed and socio-economic definitions are credits to superlative human behavior and insane prejudices. And amidst this glorious battle of unscrupulous inhabitants of our great nation, the innocent and the helpless suffer countless atrocities. And to my dismay, this epidemic refuses to die. But my question is, for how long…??
Let’s go back and revisit history. Once upon a time, a great nation called ‘Hindustan’ got itself liberated from the cruel and self indulging clutches of the ‘Britishers’. We were ruined, looted and crucified. Our wealth was magnanimously showered upon by the self centered clan and the remains were mere aftermaths of the ruthless whites. We did not have an economy and hence our resources were visibly depleted. Poverty was our strength and education was an alien concept. Yet, we emerged. We rose like a phoenix and our accomplishments are here to be seen and applauded. You know why…??? We were able to do that because the country was together and oneness was our slogan. 
But then, apocalypse struck. Partition happened and what followed were some of the most forgettable chapters in Indian history. ‘India’ split in to ‘Hindustan’ and ‘Pakistan’. MK Gandhi could not convince Jinnah (I still believe that MKG had his own reasons and theory behind this decision)  and the people were unable to digest this calamity. Thousands lost their lives and families, the freedom came for a price which no one had ever imagined or asked for. The loss was unprecedented. People lost their identity and the roots were uprooted. Trust me, partition was not a cinematic narration, it was hardcore reality. And, till today, the few are citing these shocking events as evidences for today’s situation, which is engulfed by terrorism.
****Watch out for the sequel..****

Presentations could be juvenile yet vulnerable..

It is my firm conviction that presentations in any form, catering to a larger spectrum of the elite and educative crowd has it’s own charismatic influence in a very subtle yet appealing manner. Many might beg to differ, but my stand on this aspect of the competency remains unruffled.

Presentations need not be very formal unless you are trying to rejuvenate yourself in front of a crowd that understands and means only ‘business’. Similarly, a jovial crowd could go berserk if they are not kept entertained by the exploits of the host/moderator. That is where the ‘WIFM’ factor comes in to the picture. ‘WIFM’ indicates ‘What’s in for me’ aspect in this whole episode that can either take you for a ride or enthrall you. So, inevitably, you would be the cynosure of all eyes, as the host and as an aspiring listener who has loads of expectations to deal with.

The following are a MUST for any presentation (not necessarily in the prescribed order):

  • Never have apprehensions, they could prove to be hindrances.
  • As a presenter, you are the boss and take charge nonchalantly. Be confident.
  • Keep the ‘WIFM’ factor in mind and stick to basics.
  • Thumb rule – Look in to the eyes of the audience and convey the acceptability factor.
  • Decide the mode of your presentation: Your oratory skills or the content displayed. Crowd would never be interested in both.
  • Always have the time in check; it’s obvious to get carried away but you do not have the prerogative to snatch somebody else’s allotment.
  • Keep the introduction short and sweet; do not let them count the chickens before they hatch.
  • Start emphatically and end with a purpose.
  • Interact with the target audience and make them feel comfortable; your intention is to engage them fruitfully, not to guide them to monotony.
  • Sense of humor is always an added advantage; never try to overdo it.
  • Never dominate but be assertive and remind them that you call the shots here.
  • Passion facilitates but emotions could deplete your vigor. Energy supplied should be used to gain momentum and garner the right content.

This is a result of my exposure to attain expertise and I am hopeful that it would add the required sheen to the fraternity of speakers who intend to deliver with panache.

IPL Diary – What a final!!

As Harsha Bhogle aptly conveyed the message: ‘The magnificent campaign of Mumbai and Sachin Tendulkar in IPL 2010 has come to an end.’ 

Without doubt, CSK were the superlative team of the day and fought back in to the tournament to take the title home. For me, the star for Chennai was Suresh Raina. He played a fantastic innings in front of a packed Navi Mumbai stadium to take the game away from Mumbai. His innings had the character and aggressiveness that was required to win a final and he came up trumps when required. I still maintain that the 2 dropped catches were way too expensive for MI and they paid the price for it. As Harsha concurrently commented: ‘There is no you in the game, it’s always me.‘ I couldn’t agree more. But I am not taking anything away from CSK and Raina, you were outstanding and deserved to take the IPL 2010 home. ‘Catches Win Matches’ is an old yet the most important chapter in Cricket’s manual and Mumbai missed to scan through those pages today.

I do feel that MI made some critical mistakes at crucial junctures to let the game away. The 2 dropped catches and the uninspiring performance at the field was a big let down. The fact that the last 5 overs yielded more than 70 runs narrates the entire story. I strongly feel that bringing in Bhajji during such encounters would be a futile effort and Pollard should have come in before Duminy. Pollard played a blinder but it was a bit too late for Mumbai to go past that total of Chennai. Coming in to the final as the most prolific team in the competition under the leadership of my ‘Guru’, Mumbai faltered in the final hurdle as few tactics went the other way.
Needless to say, I would not like to curb the feeling to express the obvious fact that I expected my ‘Boss’ to take Mumbai to glory but I have always maintained that it’s the team that wins at the end and individuals are merely enacting a performance for the bigger platform of the game. Even if it is the ‘Lord of Cricket – Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’. He played a very responsible and sedate innings but as always, there was too much pressure on him and even though he held the innings together, probably today was not to be his. But for dominating this format of the game and catapulting Mumbai to the finals, I salute him. Yet again.
I have always been impressed with MSD’s captaincy and today he stamped his authority all over this thrilling game. His decisions were crisp and effective. But the most important move to have Hayden in the mid off which was so damn straight has instigated me to applaud the captain! Well done Dhoni and a huge pat on the back for CSK!!
In all, a final that we all have always dreamt of!!! A great game of cricket to round off the proceedings at the IPL 2010.

Facing Ali – The Retrospective of A Great Champion!

I cannot term ‘Facing Ali’ as a biopic. Neither can it be considered as a documentary. For me, it is a narration of one of the most prolific and iconic figures in sporting history, from his most revered contemporaries who have witnessed and known ‘Muhammed Ali’ as a fighter, a sportsman, an ambassador and above all, a fine human being. 

‘Facing Ali’ is not motivating, it is an enchanting saga of arguably the greatest heavyweight champion this world has ever known. And, it is not only about ‘Ali’ and his exploits in the ring, but outside the boxing fraternity, where he became a role model to an entire generation.

‘Cassius Clay’ transformed to ‘Muhammed Ali’, but it was just not about his inclination towards the holy ‘Nation of Islam’. It was much more than that. ‘Ali’ was all about character. ‘Ali’ defined self esteem, he idolized discipline and embodied the true spirit of the game called ‘Boxing’. And personally, I feel that he was, undoubtedly, the phenomenal force behind the popularity of the heavyweight championships. ‘Facing Ali’ has some legendary snapshots of his most mercurial fights with ‘Joe Frazier’, ‘Liston I-III’ and ‘George Foreman’. It also talks and visualizes the ‘Fight of The Century’ with ‘Joe Frazier’, which is incidentally one amongst the five losses that he suffered during his entire tenure in the golden ring. His unorthodox style, his boastful yet emphatic phrase of ‘I Am The Greatest’ and his impeccable attitude towards the game is truly legendary. 

The most striking aspect of ‘Facing Ali’ is when his opponents talk about their own encounters with ‘Ali’, and when I hear phrases like ‘A fight with Ali gave me honour, clothes and good food to my children’ and ‘He is a perfect example to the broken myth that a fighter cannot be a gentleman’ is staggering. When your opponents bestow that kind of a respect on you, then I guess, I have to admit that ‘Muhammed Ali’ was undoubtedly the greatest human being to have fought and conquered the world of heavyweight championships. 
Post ‘Facing Ali’, I have realized that there will always be only one ‘Muhammed Ali’ and history will hail him as one of the giants in the annals of the sporting extravaganza.

IPL Diary – The story of two legends..

This is in retrospective of 2 well fought games that yielded comprehensive results. And sterling performances from two giants made the outcome look effortless.

The first game I am talking about is the clash between KKR & RCB. KKR have been performing inconsistently throughout and their performance has been patchy. RCB on the other hand, have slowly started regaining momentum under the able leadership of ‘Jumbo’. And when we all were raving about Uthappa’s exploits, that took RCB home, we just missed to acknowledge the effort of a player who has been a class apart in his own ways. For me, this match was all about the greatness of one man, ‘Rahul Dravid’. Unlike ‘The Master’ and ‘Dada’, Dravid has never been acknowledged as an accomplished player in the shorter version of the game, even though statistics draw a different picture. Inarguably, he is one of the legends of the game but one day cricket has never adored him. And in this match, Dravid showed why he is regarded as one of the most impeccable stroke-makers in the game of cricket. The elegance was visible, the style was evident and to watch one of the most prolific scorers in test history whacking bowlers in a 20-20 game yielded immense satisfaction. The cover drive, the on drive, the cut, the agile footwork: they all reminded me of the champion Dravid that we all knew. Folks, for somebody who was rejected in the fraternity of a 50 over match and was widely touted as a player born for the longer version of the game , this is the fruit of endearing patience and ominous calibre. Rahul, I salute you! I have always felt that for some reason, this man has never got his due. It’s time we give him what we owe.
Next, I would talk about the game between MI & RR. Mumbai needed a win to seal a semis spot and RR looked to strengthen its position and inch ahead towards a semi final berth. But ‘The Maestro’ tarnished all such hopes of a RR win. The champion batsman once again delivered for Mumbai and bailed them out of trouble when they were tottering at 30 for 3. And that is where, Sachin played like a man possessed and held on to his array of strokes. But once they managed to preserve some wickets till the 15th over and the drop catch by Dole notwithstanding, he played another gem to take Mumbai to safety. The way he dispatched Shane Watson to all corners displayed vintage Sachin at his best and the disciplined bowling performance took Mumbai home in a comprehensive fashion. And, as Sachin’s phenomenal accumulation of runs continued in this season, Mumbai became the first team to storm in to the semi finals of the IPL 3. Quite deserving!

What makes life worth living it for..??

This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions which is more frequently ignored. I think it’s time we start putting a heavy price tag on ourselves, for what we are, for what we have achieved phenomenally in all these years of voracious learning and start paying tributes to our capabilities, which by far, can never be overshadowed by anybody who aspires to take pride in what he is, rather than bestow his prejudices on others to prove otherwise.

I am probably not saying it because I am confidence personified, but more so, because I have come to believe that others are supremely talented and have the ability to flourish under any given circumstances. Here I go..!!?? That’s the catch here. ‘Any given circumstances’ could be misleading though for quite a few, who precariously lose their nerves during those few anxious moments of their own illuminating lives, thereby resulting in an aftermath that is encouraging to none. Moreover, it leaves a legacy behind, which is not worth carrying forward to our prospective champion generations. Aahh..!!! There I go… How can legacy be ignored?? We all are capable in our own rights, thanks to the legacy we all have so secretly admired, yet do not have the courage to vehemently accept it. That concludes that we only have the rights and the self confessed authority to be perfect examples to others, and let people be aware that we are immensely proud of our credentials, which obviously has not been very easy to acquire and practice.

My dear friends, I am not appealing to you all, I am just cajoling the ‘YOU’ inside everybody, which is extremely subtle and delicate, yet more powerful and strong to overcome any apocalypse this world has ever known.

When ‘Dada’ came in to his own..

I have always been convinced with the fact that Sourav Ganguly is a matchwinner. And this belief of mine was re-established today. His dazzling innings of 88 off 54 balls was studded with 9 hits to the fence and 5 massive over boundaries. The ‘Prince of Kolkata’ was back in his elements today and dominated the attack like he used to during his hey days. Bowlers were clobbered all over the park as Ganguly played havoc from the beginning of the innings and the intent was on display for everybody. It was a special innings to regain form, after two disastrous IPL outings and inconsistent performance in this edition so far. And overcoming the defending champions was not an easy task as they are one of the most formidable packages in this format of the game.

KKR still have a long way to go and Ganguly has to sustain his golden touch if his team is nurturing hopes of cracking in to the semis’ line up. But this is an indicator of what this man is capable of and KKR definitely appear to be a better outfit when ‘Dada’ is leading from the front.
I would still have my fingers crossed though..!!

I want my uTube back..

When my usual tryst with uTube commenced today morning, I was stunned to see a new look version of the legendary library. To compound problems further, I was shocked and bewildered to find that the URL links for my concurrent downloads were conspicuously missing.

Omigosh!!!?? Please don’t tell me that the pre-beta and the subsequent beta versions would lack this phenomenal feature for worldwide downloads. That would be nothing short of a catastrophe and I would perhaps be one of the greatest calamities of this new look uTube, which is evidently a result of 8 months of innovative thought process and huge number of experiments/implementations before they arrived at this juncture.

But freaks, while I appreciate and shower accolades for your new invention out of this popular idiot forum for the fraternity, I would be elated if you give my old yet convincing and simpler uTube back…!!!

I have and would always admire technological innovations on any tool that is as revolutionary as the uTube (it boasts of a new enriched look with high definition quality, improved streaming performance, better organizer of your favorite videos/movies and increased bandwidth), but I would insist on retaining certain features that makes uTube one of the most proverbial and influential tools for browsing entertainment all over the world.

So far, my frantic search for the URL’s has been a futile effort and the embedded links/html code are of little use. I did take myself through the official blog but that only raved about it’s new and improved features, but not a hint of existence about my baby…!!

Please don’t create an orphan out of me when the whole world is consumed by the guardian..!!

Awaiting the comeback!

Shutter Island – A thriller that will blow your brains off..!!

I always look forward to a Martin Scorsese film with loads of expectations and the prospect of witnessing a riveting drama at it’s best. And this thriller sweeps you away with a kind of raw yet subtle intensity, that has been a trademark in all Scorsese flicks.

The entire set up of the maverick institution treating criminally insane individuals and the invigorating facts surrounding the entire island is very well etched. The characters are all psychopath-personified and look vulnerable, yet deceptive, as the script demands the kind of narration that sounds vivid and intriguing at the same time. And for me, Shutter Island succeeds in creating that ambience of bewilderment throughout. 
DeCaprio excels in his role as Teddy Daniels and his expressions are vital to his character here. But he has ensured that he is not overdoing it and comes up trumps in this thriller/drama. I am seeing Ben Kingsley on screen after a long time and he proves why he is considered to be one of the stupendous actors in the vicinity. He is perfect for the role of the doctor, who is all set to divulge the imaginary story woven by DeCaprio and his conviction is impeccable. The supporting cast has always been Scorsese’s strength and Shutter Island is no exception. He could have easily gone overboard with the kind of script at his disposal but he has remained restrained and delivers typically.
I love the filmmaker in Martin Scorsese and his school of filmmaking belongs to the elite class of people who admire quality and stunning cinema. The latest offering is a gift to his admirers (including me..) after a long time.