Sensational, Every time!

Why is there a tingling sensation running through my veins? Why is my heart pulsating at 200 beats per minute? Why does the hair on the nape of my neck stand up? Why doesn't someone wake me up and tell me it’s all a dream, a myth, a mirage and that no soul could sing that aweeeeeesome! But the damn truth is: she is for real. Adele’s fizzy songs hold the power to make love to the heart and stagger it with ecstasy. For the woman, who steals my senses every time she throws her voice into the microphone and for that inimitable, velvety yet husky voice, my tribute from the heart’s bottom!

Bidding adieu to 2013

I might be kind of late on this one. May be …very late. As long as I own this blog space, I guess have that wee bit of freedom to do what I want. Actually, was so busy chasing dreams, couldn’t squeeze enough time to bid a formal adieu to 2013. Before this month slips by, I want to assure myself that I am in the New Year and lots of new things are going to happen which will perk up my spirit. (You see I have been reading lots of books on Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield, Dale Carnegie, Jennifer White…)

New Year, of course, means challenges, resolutions, planners (I am so fond of them) and of course new postings! The year gone by was okay. At least nothing pushed me in the direction of committing Hara-Kiri or prompting me to jump from a 108^th floor. In that sense, it was a pretty good year.

2013 started off on a great foot. Handled major events, participated in national programmes, scored brownie points with industry heads, got to know high-ranking government officials…. But somehow towards the end, the excitement kind of tapered off. I also missed writing posts. 2013 saw me writing mostly for others and rarely for myself. Call it the travails or the horrors of work place.   

However, inside me lurks this deep thirst to run away from this choking city environment. Wander off to where the roads run into the woods. Where the forests await to be explored. Where the gushing brooks thirst to hear footsteps on their cobbled stones. Where the chirping of birds, flitting of butterflies and croaking of frogs is all one can hear. Where the mind is peaceful; body, ecstatic …sublime, isn’t it?

Hoping this year should see me do this and a lot more.  Wish you all a belated happy and adventurous 2014!

The Real Stallion.

Excess. I love the word. But more often we come across people using this expression in a negative sense. No surprise that we constantly come across verbal battering “Stop working so hard”. “Don’t tire yourself”. “So much exercise is not good for health”. Nevertheless, the strangest thing is that most winners are the ones who have done something in excess. Who have pushed themselves beyond limits. Who hung courageously on while others gave up.  One inspiring example is Sylvester Stallone. I know, I know…the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind when talking about him is his weakness - his slurred speech. Many have even ridiculed and made a mockery of his speaking style. But how many really know the truth behind?! Let me clear some air here. During Stallone’s birth, which was actually kind of complex, the doctor had to use forceps on his head to pull him out of his mother’s womb; the pressure exerted on the forceps severed a nerve, resulting in partial paralysis of his face. So, it’s neither his style nor his whim, but rather his deformity, which makes him speak the way he does. Yet, even with the drawback, he had the gumption to dream huge. Audacity to take on the biggest names in Hollywood. In fact, there was a time in his life; he slept on the streets as he couldn't afford an apartment. But persistence paid off in the end. Today, he sits pretty with many box-office hits, having given popular actors a run for their money. Even his latest release which sees him share screen presence with Arnold seems to be doing well.  But among all these things, you know what truly sets him apart from his contemporaries? His dogged determination to stay in shape. At sixty-seven, his body looks like a well-built 25-year old person. While most 60-year olds think that life has come to a dead-end and start preparing to face the inevitable, here’s a man who is pumping iron ensuring he stays fit and prim for probably the next forty years. You wouldn't believe he would live that long?! Well, you got to see this video where he’s doing some abs-crunching - your doubts will be laid to rest. For sure. Check this video out. 

Rihanna - Diamonds

I ain’t a great admirer of Rihana. What puts me off is her frivolous and casual attitude towards life. Barring a few   personal choices like the one mentioned, I guess she has got what it takes to make life larger than what it is. And what’s intriguing is that almost all of her songs have a haunting effect on the mind. In a way there’s more than puzzling visuals, which dig deeper into the heart and kind of tickle it to life. Her songs are worth listening again and again. Especially numbers like Umbrella, Unfaithful, Russian Roulette… among others. My personal favourite  of course is “Shine Bright Like A Diamond”. Haven’t heard it yet? It’s time you did!

Back To the Future - Trilogy

When Zstudio threw a curve ball and announced to screen ‘Back to the Future’ Trilogy, I couldn’t believe it. For, this was exactly what I had in mind. To raid the video parlour for these three DVDs close to chez-moi, and revel in savouring them back to back. In reality, when these flicks first got released in the late 80s, we were only kids and watching movies in theatre were acts, occurring typically once in a blue moon. So, imagine the profound memories surrounding these – which incidentally make the series all the more worth watching. 

Anyways, who wouldn’t love to drool over a movie that has power-packed performance of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Llyod? And what better movie could there be than to watch “Back to the Future”? Lloyd’s acting as the crazy doc is damn adorable. His acting prowess flawlessly fills the shoes of the insane genius who invents time machine. Archetypal Fox, who time-travels into different eras, hardly fails to keep you at the edge of the seat with some close calls. This powerful combo makes for a sure-fire movie material. To top it off, the storyline, which whizzes from the past to the future to the present, is gripping and holds a thread of suspense hanging, always, adding up for some terrific viewing.

Among the series, part 2 is the most engrossing. What really holds you in the loop are the effects of traveling across timelines from future to present to past. What seem as casual travels across timelines leave a devastating trail of alterations to history. I particularly liked the part - where buffy from the future hops on time-travel machine and travels back in time and hands himself an almanac book; then quietly returns to the future. So, when Marty and Doc hop on time-machine and go to the present – Voila! Everything’s helter-skelter. To alter their present they must return to past and steal the almanac after Buffy has given it to himself. Only then would the record of present be set straight. Sounds Weird?  

Well, it gets thousand times weirder when you have Steven Speilberg throwing in a good measure of special effects. The phrase “Imagination runs wild” has no better grounding than here where you come across flying cars, skyjams, 3D holographics, flying hoverboards…and the lot.  Undoubtedly, there’s more than meets the eye and moi wouldn’t want to spill the beans and ruin your experience. I guess Zstudio has run these series twice, so there’s a very slim chance of it doing again. In case you have missed out on it, it’s time you got the DVDs. These flicks are really worth watching!

Angrez

Angrez is a movie that one shouldn’t miss watching. In fact, I hadn’t seen it for a long time even though good feedback from friends and others persistently flowed in. Finally, when I watched it a couple of years ago, couldn’t help rolling on the floor clutching my stomach.Yesterday, I watched it with some friends for the nth time and the result is the same. The movie is hilarious to the hilt. The city’s Urdu-Hindi slang is a real blast, underscoring the arrogant, nonchalant Hyderabadi attitude.

Set in the backdrop of Old City (Hyderabad), which is insanely popular for its sizzling biryanis and pipping Irani chais, the whole story hinges on a small tussle, which two NRIs accidentally pick up with a bunch of Old City lads. During the tussle, one of the NRIs holds a part of Ismail Bhai’s kurta and it accidentally gets torn. (Ismail Bhai is sort of a ring leader for these local lads). Frankly, the NRI doesn’t even do it intentionally he only hangs on to his camera in the process the damage is done. The way this small issue enrages into a full blown war with a rib-tickling comedy is awesome to watch.  

If Ismail Bhai, who is hoodwinked into footing the bill every time, doesn’t get you the laughs, then his team disguising as “Pilumbers & Kileaners” in a bid to enter the NRIs’ office will certainly do. The laughs don’t stop there. Things turn out real hot for these lads as the tables are turned against and they end up cleaning toilets instead of cleaning out the NRIs for good.  

What splits your sides with laughter are the satirical dialogues. Here’s one for takers. Salim Pheku comes and updates Ismail Bhai, “Parsoon Ruksana mili thi. Pooch rahi thi Ismail Bhai kaise hai. Suna hai unhe Angrezaan kundal kundal ke mare?! Ismail Bhai, at the brink of breaking down in frustration, retorts, “Ab Ruksana Ko bhi maloom hogaya?”

In another incident where Ismail Bhai is in an ecstatic mood while Salim Pheku is dancing his shoes away on some festive occasion, a woman approaches Ismail Bhai and says “Salam Walaikum, app ko angreza parsoon mare kathena?". The suddenness of the dialogue without proper introduction livens up the hilarious factor several notches up. You can’t but appreciate the director for his raw and unforgiving approach. Mind you, I am merely quoting a few dialogues but the whole movie is laden with such deadly discourses - one is  guaranteed to have a blast watching this movie.

Except for the part where NRIs come in, the other parts of the movie are just too riotous. And the rap song in the middle I felt was little too lengthy. That apart, this shoe string budget movie is sure to knock your socks off with its uproarious scenes and killer dialogues. 

The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mira Nair

There are questions flying all around as to why Mira Nair is not able to arouse the same feelings in the movie “Reluctant Fundamentalist” as is the case with the book written by Mohsin Hamid. I, for one, presume it’s asking a little too much. Let’s appreciate what she has done. It’s no cakewalk to take a story and translate it into a movie.  There is a good deal of things which needs to be considered. One, the book is a narrative - where the description of events is the only base to build a movie platform. Second, it revolves around a story that’s more to do with inner conflict than outer settings. Third, it’s a one-sided narrative, where the other characters are dimmed beyond clear understanding and hang around like mere shadows. So, on the whole, it’s a pretty complex theme to portray and hold the attention of the viewers. Considering all this, Mira Nair has done her bit admissibly well.

Take for instance, Changez’s personality both physical and mental – portrayal of which is uncannily difficult. Yet, in the movie, Changez is remarkably the character you have imagined - Fair, lanky, sharp-looking, emotional and unmistakably Pakistani. The team at Underwood Samson is what an American team generally is: all awe for oriental acumen and occidental self-righteousness. Erica is no scented flower either, with emotions that run high and dry – acting precisely at her own whims and fancies. Let’s not forget Changez’s superior who has his eyes set on molding Changez into a game changer. Mira has captured the soul of these roles.

Probably the thing that kind of throws the spanner in is that the movie is bit on the gloomier side. You could feel the icy cold hands of melancholy reach out and grab you. I kind of detested it. Reading about gloom in a book is different from reading it on faces on-screen. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, emotions have come out strongly - much to the discomfort of the viewer. Another error that’s a soar thumb - by bringing in a dialogue between Changez and the American, who remains voiceless in the book, Nair has touched a painful nerve. Ambiguity sometimes holds its own ground. The moment you disclose, the essence is lost. I would have liked it if the American had remained in the shadows with his voice as a fragment of Changez’s imagination, just as it was in the book.

Barring a few errors such as these, the film’s good. If you see the flick prior to reading the book you wouldn’t have second thoughts about branding Mira Nair as a “Nut”. But otherwise, you cannot miss appreciating her eye for detail, settings, characters, and other trivia that goes into making a decent film. Though it may sound shocking to many, I kind of liked the movie. The book was nominated for a Booker Prize so it’s no James Bond movie to keep you at the edge of the seat. It’s a classic. So bear with it. As they say, “Every concave lens is a convex lens too, depending on which side you are viewing from”. I sure would like to view it form a different perspective.