Saturday, March 13, 2010

More Wake Up Sid Goodies

I feel I am getting obsessed by the film. I was all prepared to hate the movie when I entered the movie hall, but the freshness of the movie won me over. Don't get me wrong, the movie is still formulaic in its execution, but there is a certain freshness in it, certain energy that I found exciting. Twenty years from now, after a generation, people will be fondly remember this film. If 3 Idiots is the Sholay of this generation, then Wake Up Sid is the Deewar, a big hit, but also iconic in its content.

Moving on, I found some more nuggets of information about the song Iktara from this site. The song was first composed by Amitabh Bhattachary for Sid and composed by Amit Trivedi. People liked it, and it was to be included in the film as well as in hte CD, but Javed Akhtar put his foot down. He did not want to share the lyrics credits with anyone else. So, he was asked to compose the female version, which was included in the CD, but the male version was excluded.  Read the story here.

I am begining to like Amit Trevedi even more now. First Aamir, then Dev D, and not iktara, this man does have a distinct sound, which is more rustic and more Indian than the other composers. Will be looking out for his further compositions.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Meri Pratigya

I started re-blogging (did I just invent a term?) to shake off my writer's block which had crippled me for a long time. Just one post a day, without fail, and you'll get back into the groove, I told myself.

I seemed to be working fine for sometime. I started taking interest in things around me, to  be open for things and experiences that I could later turn into blog posts. And I started to work my brain to string together a decent sentence.

Till the time I went into hibernation. For various reasons, I have always managed to justify my non-blogging (hey, another world!!)  to an unrelated incident.

My current excuse for not blogging was the absence of a computer. Whatever blogging I did was on weekends, at my parent's place. But now, with my computer repaired, I should pick up Operation Lekhak Khand Hatao.  So there, I have said it. As I have exhausted a very good excuse for not blogging, I should endeavour to get back to my one-post-a-day-no-matter-how-innane-it-is प्रतिज्ञ

Moving on....

  • I did not invent re-blogging and non-blogging. a simple google search shows that they are often used.

  • Blogger, the baap of blogging does not recognize the word blog!!! Go ahead, try it!! 

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Ek Ajab Prem Kahani

A meets B. It is love at first sight for both of them. They bond well, are truly devoted to each other A also lets it known in his family. Basically, all is well. A happy love story. Later, both are move to different departments in the office, but still keep in touch.

Enter C, a new girl in office. She falls for A. A thinks that he can get away with a little extra on the side, cos he is a man, and all men are dogs. So starts a new love story. C is one crazy girl, given to extreme mood swings, spinning tall tales. In short, she's livin' la vida loca, a clear opposite of B. A likes the attention showered on him by C to the extent that he starts ignoring B. B, on her part, is silent too, not calling up A. This goes on for months.

Finally, it dawns on A to check up on B. She suddenly appears distant to him, compalining that he has been ignoring her all this time. A little sleuthing by the boy reveals that B has been chatting to someone else on her phone for long periods. He also manages to find out the guy's name. He is obviously hurt about the two timing by the girl and is obviously unaware of his ignoring her for a long, long time. He feels he has been cheated. He tries to make up for things, even claiming to have been down on his knees trying to convince B, all this while still being with C.

Finally, heartbroken, he finds solace in the company of C, declaring himself to be Dev D (this is an obvious spoiler about who I am talking about), B as Paro, and C as Chanda. So, life goes on.

Hearts broken, hearts mended.

C'est La Vie

But wait.

Picture abhi baki hai dost.


Did I mention that C is one crazy girl?


So, A and C are an item, enjoying each other. B is nowhere in the picture. One fine day, C picks up a fight at home and leave, taking just a bag, straight for A. The two stay at his place, and all is well.


Until one fine day, when C's parents show up, threatening to take A to the police. All hell then breaks loose. A is unable to do anything, he wont come out to face the parents, C wont agree to meet her parents despite repeated appeals, friends gather around A, pledging their support to him. Finally, A decides to try and convince C to come and meet her folks.


An hour passes. Nothing.


A calls. His getting married to C, he says. At 11 in the night.


All of his friends are surprised and shaken. A never loved C. He himself said that he needed her only like Dev D needed Chanda. Lots of frantic phone calls follow, but the A is not available.


Next morning, contact is finally made. A didn't marry C after all. C has agreed to go back to her parent's, and hopefully, A won't be calling her up.


This is one story thats fit for writing a novel upon, a dark, sarcastic novel. Think about it, it begins innocently enough, with two young people meeting, goes through their innocent love. Then comes the third angle about the other girl, and the other boy. then, without any warning, the story takes a unique turn and becomes edgier.

इस में एमोतिओं है, प्यार है, रोमांस है, ड्रामा है, थ्रिलर है. बस इतेम नंबर नहीं है, वोह तो फिट हो जाएगा

I want it to end in a hollywood manner. B makes a reappearance. She calls up A, and chides him for being so foolish. A, still reeling from all the action, listens. As time passes, they realize that they still love each other...

Anybody willing to to take up the writing credits?

Monday, March 08, 2010

Still Around...

Still around, but much to say. Been obsessing about the future, and what it may unfold for me so much that I have forgotten to live in today. Have to keep reminding myself of what John Lennon said...

Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

I *heart* Internet

I love the internet, that wonderful source of information!! In addition to being a good reference point (thank you Wikipedia), it is also the ultimate time capsule. Not only dose it archive all the online content created, but it also has managed to archive traditional media, which may not be suitable for archiving. Now this may not be valuable for the Net 2.0 kids, for someone my age (not old, but definitely headed there), it does, occasionally to bring up pleasant memories of growing up, when things were less complicated, or we were too young to understand the complications, whichever way you look at it.

One of my memories of growing up was the radio, specifically the All India Radio. Growing up in Doha, Qatar, we did not listen to it, but my friend usually had programs recorded on audio cassettes and sent over from India. There was one program that I loved to listen, and that was the Cibaca Geetmala. Hosted by a man with the friendliest and most authoritative voice, talking about music, and the latest numbers at that!! When I returned to India, Tuesdays 8 pm were special days for me, when Ameen Sayani counted down the ten latest songs for half an hour. It was not the songs that I listened to, but his hosting.


Sadly, cable TV killed the radio star, and the humble half hour count down could not compete against the one hour countdown extravaganzas like Superhit Muquabla and Philips Top 10. I was sad to see it go, but was also mesmerized by the visual treats of Madhuri doing Dhak Dhak and Choli Ke Peecha, and an over weight Tabu in skin tight clothes asking Ajay Devgan to Ruk, Ruk Ruk and the phenomenon that was Akshay Kumar in Tu Cheez Badi hai Mast Mast.


Until Now.


I discovered to this wonderful link to the wonderful voice of Ameen Sayani, talkng about the program, from Binaca Geetmala till Cibaca geetmala. This brings back memories and suddenly, I want to lay back and remember those times, which is not always a good thing, but for the voice of Ameen Sayani,


To anyone wandering, to know what I am talking about, head over here. And if you know what I am talking about, enjoy those memories :-).

Monday, March 01, 2010

Holi Hai!!!

Wishing all friends and people who chance upon this blog (including googlebot) a very happy and a colourful Holi!!!

Holi Hai!!!