Calvin Gyan...

"Life is like topography, Hobbes.
There are summits of happiness and success...
...Flat stretches of boring routine...
...And valleys of frustration and failure."

Cheeni Kum

Cheeni Kum played in Bangalore for several weeks and I made plans with a friend several times...but somehow they never materialised...

Finally last night Sony TV played it and I made sure I didn’t miss it...

Its about romance between a 64-year-old man and a 34 year-old woman... handled very maturely ...no overt display of emotion...the performances are brilliant...whether its AB or Tabu or the little girl Sexy...

The first half is toooooo good...the humour, sarcasm and witticism is awesome...the comedy is not the usual slap stick comedy associated with Bollywood but far more subtle...and the chemistry between AB and Tabu is terrific...

Buddha (AB) is arrogant and self-assured, yet feels the need to impress her - while never admitting it. Their banter and Tabu's retorts to AB's arrogance has one constantly impressed...

There is a fantastic scene where she berates AB for being too forward, for daring, like all men would, to ask a girl out and assume she's available, just because she's smiled at him a few times. The tension is palpable as AB falls silent. And then 'I do hope you won't be late,' she ends, still deadpan, immediately confirming both date and smirk.

Another scenes that I really enjoyed is when they have been meeting up for a few days and Tabu asks AB to ask her THE question all guys are supposed to ask...he's like hesitant so he asks her to ask the question...the build up of suspense as she says ...should I? And the smile…as she asks 'what’s your name?’

The way 9 yr old Sexy...friends with 64 year old AB questions him and gives him gyan is really interesting... her dialogues are really good.

Zohra Sehgal plays AB's movie... she's brilliant as always ...though one thing I have noticed...she seems to be type cast in all her movies...the old granny ...but very unlike the preaching types...still very young at heart... watches WWF or some serial one would never imagine someone her age would watch...like 'sex in the city' in this movie...

The 2nd half dragged a bit...where Paresh Rawal plays the 58 year old father who is dead against the match...thou Paresh had his funny moments too...

Bottom line...head to the lending library if you haven’t see this brilliant movie...since it definitely is not to be missed...

Dooced

Dooced - to have posted work-related things on your personal blog and get fired for it...
Do I qualify considering my last blog and this earlier one

Insanity

These days all i do from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm is prepare (useless???)management reports...
This Dilbert strip is perfect illustration of my state these days...

Red Coat Vs Black Coat

Well...the heart said...buy the red one...it was gorgeous…
But am I now the typical London Office Worker – indistinguishable in their blue or black uniforms??? Coz I picked the black one finally...
As a compromise maybe I should get red gloves and scarf?

My Sentiments...

Only difference is Calvin is stuck in school and me in office...



Itz not particularly beautiful in london these days ...itz been raining for last 2 days...but ideal to go watch some theatre or cinema...

Om Shanti Om

They don’t call him King Khan for nothing...As far as mainstream cinema is concerned, SRK is unbeatable...a true entertainer...

Om Shanti Om – a bit over the top but thoroughly enjoyable ...corny humor but itz SRK so one enjoys it...and of course the great music...

He was totally convincing as the junior artiste who dreams of becoming a star in the first half and then as The Star in the second half ...
Shreyas supported him to the hilt in the act as his best friend and co junior artiste.
Kirron Kher as the melodramatic mother is also really good.

But what I liked best about the movie were the spoofs
- At the Bollywood of the 1970’s – the typical flowers coming close to each other…and the superimposing of Deepika with stars of yesteryears like Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Jitendra in a song sequence was very good.
- Then the star in the 1st half is a direct one at Rajesh Khanna…
- The conversation between Om and Pappu (Shreyas) - He can’t be a star with a name like Om Prakash Makhija...he needs a surname of Kapoor or Khanna ...
- And the one on Rajnikant in the cowboy avatar and fighting with a fluffy tiger – too hilarious
And so many more...
All this is in good humor... he even spoofs at himself in the awards ceremony scene where they have the nominations for the best actor...
Hrithik, Abhishek, Shabana Azmi, Akki in good humor have made fun of themselves...though it is a pity that Manoj Kumar could not take it and is pretty upset...

The song where he gets some 30 odd actors and actresses to come and dance with him was quite enjoyable too... especially the bits with Dharam Paji...

Farah Khan is the queen of ‘Kahani mein twist’... not as much as in her earlier movie ‘Main Hoon Na’ where every new reel had a new twist in the tale...
Here she refrained from too many twists and tried to keep a single story line ...but in the end I guess she just could not resist and the in the climax scene we have the ghost of Shanti instead of the look alike of 30 years later...That was not really required...

But still... a movie I would recommend to all who enjoy BOLLYWOOD MASALA...not for the celebral types though !!!

Loneliness ???

The protagonist of Coetzee’s book Youth – John - often craves for company in London– he looks for excuses of some kind for human interactions – bumping into people and saying sorry & getting abused...Does it really happen like that?
One day a colleague of mine and I left office together and decided to take the same tube... he sees a book and IPOD in my hand and remarks... how can you read a book / newspaper in the tube…you should observe the people in the tube...its really interesting and he took off with anecdotes with full facial expressions and voice modulation (incidentally I once told him that he should be in the theatre and what the hell is he doing in IT ...)
So for part of my tube journey I have started looking around…and I have seen a girl bump into another reading a book and saying sorry and the other girl has not even bothered to look up and acknowledge the apology. Yikes!!!

...

"You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

~Mark Twain

I read something really nice in a magazine...

"I must learn to love the fool in me - the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool."

~ Theodore I. Rubin, MD

There's Something About Simmy

Yesterday my cousin called suddenly...would I be interested in watching a play? With a name like There's Something About Simmy, I obviously was game...I definitely needed a good laugh and some relaxation from the hectic work at office...

After much excitement we finally reached the theatre - Rifco Arts...coz it seems the address that we had was incorrect...a friend's Tom Tom took her to a residential address. The address was correct but it was some labyrinthine route...

The play is primarily in English with some Punjabi. But no worries for those who do not understand Punjabi...they have English subtitles scrolling at the top of the stage. Surprising...eh? I would say damn intelligent...

Revolving around arranged marriages in the Asian community, the second generation Asian identity crisis and the ever-widening gulf between the young Asians raised in UK, and their parents, it was totally delightful...

Simmy is the imported Indian bride...but Raj, the groom, has run away before the honeymoon could begin! Until he returns, Simmy is locked in the house by her community obsessed mother-in-law…

Simmy is thoroughly convincing as the young Punjabi-speaking gal straight from Bathinda or Moga or some small town or village in Punjab... her accent and behaviour is so typical. She deserves a standing ovation for that accent. The other character that really liked is the steadfast mother-in-law, Gurbaksh.

The outrageous aunties as they focus their binoculars on the family from their windows for the gossip are also very good. One inquisitive one comes to their house and when left alone in the living room for a few minutes opens drawers and clicks snaps!!!

The other brother Harry is thoroughly westernized who has turned his back on his heritage. Simmi and his conversations in the beginning are side-splitting...he says something in English, she replies something else in Punjabi. He roams around with his shirt and her scandolous looks are good...and then fulltooosh Bollywood style they gradually fall in love.

The Bollywood dance numbers are amazing… and the way they did them was sooo good...suddenly bright saris drop down from the roof and in between those the couples start dancing.

To sum up the evening...no regrets!!!

Grey, Wet London...

London - Stony, labyrinthine, cold...as dark as the inside of the needle...yet beautiful...

Italian Takeaway in London

Credit to my dear friend Joan for this picture...clicked when she was here last month...

Rome - August 2006

Rome...if I try to describe it in one word or one sentence...its difficult. It's one of those places that evokes such mixed feelings...while I loved some things about Rome, its not one of the places I would like to visit again ...it’s different that I did toss several coins into the water over my shoulder with my back to the Fontana di Trevi...

The first impressions of Rome were not great...especially since we were traveling from Austria. The Airport was dirty, the luggage took forever to come and there were no clear signs or instructions on what to do ...we were not sure if we needed immigration and there seemed no way to find out...finally we asked an officer standing near the exit. His answer...we trust you, you don’t need immigration and ha ha ha!!! Both massi and I were like ...we walk out and somebody is going to come and catch us...but it was getting late so we decided to risk it...guess we didn’t have any other choice also...

A train from the airport to Termini Station and half an hour later we were in Central Rome. Our travel agent had told us that our hotel is only 10 mins walk from Termini, so imagine our surprise when the taxis outside the station asked for 25 Euros (sounds like India!!!)
We decided to walk...but no one was willing to help with the directions :-(

The good thing was there were only 2 ways to go, so walking in the direction which looked (???) like the correct one we trudged along with our strolleys in tow and holding on tightly to our purses. Honestly, both of us were scared...coz no street lights...and it was dark and I kept getting this feeling that someone was following us...
2 Spanish gals (from US) caught up with us. They didn’t know the way either and moreover it seemed that they didn’t even have bookings!!! (At least that way we were better off) Well...the more the merrier...all 4 could get lost together!!!

But we were lucky...that was the right direction and finally we reached our hotel and crashed...

Since our flight was delayed and luggage took forever to come, we had lost the 1st half day in Rome...we were left with only one day now...so we decided to start early the next morning and take one of those red bus tours...

What to say about Rome ...It's unbelievably amazing with a great many awe-inspiring sights and spectacular ancient structures. It’s been referred to as world's most famous open-air museum. Everything is soooooo grand...It seems to have history strewn everywhere ...every building, every street tells its own story of ages past.

The bus tour started from the beatiful Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Our next stop was the Colosseum - the incontestable symbol of the city. Even the remains of this huge structure look so grand ... it had eighty entrances and could hold upwards of 50,000 spectators. Public events such as gladiator fights, mock naval battles and wild animal hunts were held here...as the English guide explained the way the mechanism worked which fed the people to the lions...I was like...ukkkkkk...how mmmmeeeeeeeeeannnnn...but that is what ancient Rome was like...as I was to realize again and again as we visited other sights...

From there we walked up to the Palatine Hill...Our guide here was excellent...his facial expressions, anecdotes and the way he narrated the history was all so interesting...It is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome. According to Roman mythology, this is where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf that kept them alive. The air quality here was supposed to be much better and it also had the benefit of splendid views, so it became the place for the very powerful and wealthy, who chose to build their homes here. Among the ruins we see the remains of many palaces and baths...and community toilets... (For whatever did they need those - Imagine a circle of potties!!!)

From there to the Forum and the Pantheon...with a burger from MC Donalds eaten on the bus for Lunch...and that was all in Ancient Rome that we had time for...

We then got off the stop for Fontana di Trevi. As we walked in the small streets towards the fountain after a bit we did not need to ask for directions...keep your ears open and you can hear the water. As you enter the square from the streets, suddenly the space seems to open out and you find the most breathtaking sight. The Baroque architecture is impressive. The fountain is in front of a large palace. The central figures of the fountain are Neptune (God of the sea), flanked by two Tritons. One struggles to master a very unruly "sea horse", the other lead a far more docile animal. These symbolize the two contrasting moods of the sea.

Though we wanted to sit there for some more time, we knew we had to move on if we didn’t want to miss some other beautiful sites
Spanish Steps is another incredible square with a theatrical feel to it...there is a fountain called 'Barcaccia' (boat) with the Spanish steps leading up to the chiesa di Trinità dei Monti. Fashion shows are held here with the steps being used as a catwalk.

Last, but not the least was a visit to the Vatican City. Situated entirely within the city of Rome it is separated from the rest of the city by a wall. The Vatican City is famous for its magnificent St Peter’s Basilica the interior of which has been decorated by many famous artists including Michelangelo. Near St Peter’s stands the Vatican Palace, the Pope’s residence, guarded by the Pope's Swiss Guards. They have a traditional uniform, so unlike guards...more like some elf’s attire. The Vatican Museum contains major works of art and valuable pictures.

Unfortunately we didn’t have time or energy to visit the Sistine Chapel, so we just went back to have a yummy Italian dinner...

J.M. Coetzee

Noble prize winner and the first to win the Booker prize twice (For -The Life and Times of Michael K and Disgrace)...that made me pick up one of his books (Youth) from the library to read...

Am sitting late in office...just waiting for a reply from a US 3rd party (I need the info for a morning meeting)...decided to surf the net and am amazed at what i find out about him...

He is known for his economy of words...He goes entire dinner parties without saying a word (WOOOOOOOOOH)!!!!!!!!
He taught a two year literature course in South Africa without speaking until one day a student asked him for a definition of postmodernism. After a long, tense pause, he calmly said, 'It's something to do with loss.'
A colleague who has worked with him for more than a decade claims to have seen him laugh just once.

He is known to be reclusive and eschews publicity to such an extent that he did not collect either of his two Booker Prizes in person.

He spends at least an hour at his writing-desk each morning, seven days a week.
Strongly influenced by his own personal background of being born and growing up in South Africa, many of Coetzee's personal experiences and beliefs can be seen in his books.

Coetzee has revisited authors of the past, rewriting Robinson Crusoe as Foe from the female castaway's point of view. (That should be interesting...now on my list of books to read)