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.

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!! 

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?

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.

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 :-).

Holi Hai!!!

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

Holi Hai!!!

Random Humor...

More random humor filched from the intar-nate:


If they decide to make a sequel to Mili, they should call it Mil(l)isecond
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But that would be a very short movie.


I didn't make this, so don't kill me

I Izz A Superstar

During Dussera last year, we attained celebrityhood. By we, I mean my family, more specifically, me. I began to be stared at. People stopped at traffic signals to talk to me. For a person like me, who usually shies away from being the centre of attraction, it was a little too much. But I could not avoid it.


So what brought about this change? Simple. On Dussera, we got ourselves a brand new Nano!!


Ever since, I have felt like a celebrity. People stop and stare at the car on road, they come up to me and enquire about it. I get knowing smiles from complete strangers.

The excitement over the car had waned down, but people still tend to strae at it. When we first got the car during Dussera, people were more unabashed about staring at it. The would point it out in the crowd. On the first day, when we went to fill it with petrol, the station attendants swooped down on it. It was a big moment for them, as this was the first Nano to be served at their station. On Diwali day, we were chased by a Maruti 800, as the driver wanted to have a look at the car. The driver kept staring at the car instead of the road. I have gotten used to people coming over an enquring to me about the car at the petrol stations.

When I took the car to my office, the TLs wanted to have a look at it. I subsequently became the Nano guy at the office!

It been four months, but the excitement is still evident. Even as I drive it around today, I hear kids shouting 'Nano! Nano! Nano!' towards me. I have been stopped by motorcyclists on road more then once to enquire about the performance of the car (which, actually is like an underpowered Indica).

Being a Nano owner has also put me into a secret brothrehood of sorts. Fellow Nano and I share knowing smiles and we congratulate each other on our purchases.

For people aspiring for celebrityhood and narcissists (neither of which, I am), this is the perfect shortcut. For less than two lakhs, you have the world looking at you, and unlike a Rolls Royce Phantom, which will also get you attention but will make you inaccisible to people, the people we actually come up to you and enquired about the car!!


Finally, I just want to dedicate a song to my Nano...here goes

Phir Mile Sur

The reactions to Phir Mile Sur, the sequel to Mile Sur Mera Tumhara have not been nice. People have been saying that it is not up to the mark of its predecessor. they are pointing out to the grave mistake of passing over Sachin Tendulkar and A P J Abdul Kalam. While I agree with that people may say, I still feel that the new version fits in our times.

Let me explain.

The first version, released in 1988, came out of nowhere and captured our imagination, and it is not hard to imagine why. Here was a song, with just a line sung in many variations, by a host of known persons. In those days, when we had just Doordarshan for entertainment, it was easy to reach out to a large audience. Also, this was a time when we were starved for celebrity viewings. Fast forward 22 years later, and it is a different India today. There are more than 100 channels to choose from, that compete for the average 10 seconds of the viewers' attention span. The media today is saturated with celebrity news. We don't miss our celebrities as much as we used to. In such a scenario, it is impossible for the song to have the same impact.

When the song was first released in 1988, we were still a closed, protected and socialist society. Our only celebrity news came from rags like Stardust, Filmfare, Screen, Manohar Kahaniyan, Sports Today etc. To be able to see 37 celebrities in one song was a novelty, and people were hooked. I remember people playing the game of naming all the personalities, and when the names became fairly known to everyone, identifying them. But for the sequel, we knew what to expect. The only question was who to expect, and people had their own expectations. When these were not met, they protested, which they could not do in 1988. In 2010, however, the media is saturated with celebrity news, people are famous just for being famous. Them doing a crossover to other media is commonplace, and with user feedback a norm now, people are more vocal now about their choices. Hence, there was no protest when Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar did not participate in 1988, but when Sachin Tendulkar is omitted, people and press go to town about it.

Another difference between the two pieces is the music. Both have the same melody, but the interpretations vary a lot. In the 1988 version,  each artist gave his own interpretation of the melody. The pieces sung by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and M Balamuralikrishna are markedly different. Each has a different interpretation to the tune. Fast forward to the present, and frankly, the pieces sung by all the artists does sound a lot similar. The approach has changed, and the culprit here, is the song itself. In 1988, it came without any expectations. The artists were free to interpret it in their own ways. But over a period of time, the song has become an anthem, and people approach it as such, with a lot of reverence. The people who composed it now have approached it with a lot of reverence, not changing it too much, just their own personal tweaks. Hence my earlier judgment that it was one big jazz number. Each artist has taken the basic structure of the song and improvised on it. But none has been very adventurous. I had great hopes on A R Rehman, Ustad Zakir Hussain Shankar-Ehsan-Loy, but even they were not too adventurous.

The earlier version was reflective of the states more than the current one. Punjab was represented by the lush fields, Kashimir by the Shikaras and the Kahwa drinking., Bengal by the metro line, Goa by the beaches, North East by the Bihu dance. People were not so important in that one. In contrast, in the current version, the celebrities represent their states. This is indicative of how as a society we have moved from a collective society to an individualistic one. The person is important, and he represents the state.

In 1988, the song ended with children running to make the tricolor, while  2009 ends with the Passing Out Parade at the IMA. We looked at out children as our future, and now, the future has matured. The song makes it clear that the future is now.


Update: Stop Presses!! Sachin will finally be doing the song!! Ah well, the user feedback worked.  Not that it will actually help the song. But this a clear example of people power. More power to the people.

Vande Matram!

Heres wishing everyone a Happy Republic Day. Hope you enjoy your holiday.

And have you seen the Phir Mile Sur song on the tv today? I liked it a lot. The song it nearly 23 years old, but still retinas its message, which is relevant till today - more today than previously, in my opinion.

The concept itself is so simple - one line sung by many people in their own language, in their own style. And the array of stars is mesmerizing too. While the earlier program was smaller in scope, this one is definitely grander. Just take a look at the places. The have been to the length and breadth of India for this.

And as the musical talents show the variations to the simple tune, its absolutely mesmerizing. I counted A R Rehman, Shankar-Ehsan-Loy, Bhupen Hazarika, Louis Banks, Anoushka Shankar, Sivamani, Dr. L Subramaniyan, Kavita Subramaniyam, Ustad Rashid Khan, Shaan, Amir Khan (yes, thats his voice), Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Gurdas Mann, Ustaad Zakhir Hussain, Taufiq Qureshi, Fazal Qureshi, Sonu Nigam, Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan, Ayan and Aman Ali Khan. What a list!! And thats not even the entire list, as there were many I did not recognize, each lending their own improvisation to the simple raag. Its almost like a big jazz number...and what scope!!

While the musicians lifted the piece, the sports persons and IMA passouts did manage to choke me with emotion. These are the real heroes, unsung, doing what they do best.

On this day, this song was the perfect tribute to the nation.

Long Live India!!

And Again

VANDE MATRAM!!
Vande Matram!!

Good News!!!

Good news folks, WINTER IS FINALLY ON ITS WAY OUT!! I felt it today in the breeze. Its getting warmer, the sun is making its presence felt.. Nice time to be outdoors now during the day. No more wearing four layers of clothing, gloves, cap, and wishing there was some clothing that could cover your face as well, without making you look like a mugger. This weather makes want to take my bike on a log trip. Ladhak? Oh yes!! But I'll settle for Mathura, or even the Greater NOIDA highway. As long as I am out with my friends, crusin' on my bike, stopping by for a nice cup of tea.
To anyone visiting my blog (including googlebot), aaya saawan jhoom ke, so enjoy the season. And start your countdown to Holi :-)

Oh, and btw, and older post is ready here.

Tagged!! "5 things on my mind right now"

Nearly four years old, and I have been tagged for the first time!! Here goes:

1. I have had enough of this winters. Looking forward to summers.

2. While at the topic of change, looking for to a change of job as well.

3. I have bloated during the winters. Need start gymming soon.

4. A trip. To Ladhak. On my Bike. This is almost my wet dream!!

5. Have dinner.

And now to tag someone...I tag Renelyn Marcos. You go girl!!!

Ek Anokhi Prem Katha...

Not all love love stories have a happy ending...and not all love stories make sense.

Theres a girl, lets call her A. She loves a boy, B. The boy B is, from all accounts, a lout. Does nothing all day except watch TV and booze. Keeps saying that he has plans for the future, grand plans. Girl A believes him, and is prepared to support him. In fact, boy B lives at her place, while the girl goes to office, earns money to support him and is generally happy with the arrangement. Now, boy B has to go, so girl A is all alone. Enter boy C, who is a bit of a simpleton. He falls for girl A. So badly, that he even decides to marry her. Girl A, being lonely, puts up with him, and boy C is very loyal to her, treating her like a princess. Girl A too likes to be treated like one. But she hasn't broken off with boy B, and boy C knows that. But he is hoping against hope that one day, she will see his love for her, also knowing that it is futile. Add to the mix is the fact that the girl also knows that boy B wont marry her, that its a dead end.
This is a Mexican standoff, where girl A and boy C stand to lose, the boy more than the girl. But each is not willing to back off either. There are love stories, and then there are these...

Update: The Mexican stand off is over!! Girl A and boy B finally decide to part ways. Boy C, still in love with girl A, but getting frustrated, hoooks up with his ex-flame. He then goes to girl A and gives her an ultimatum - either profess your love to me, or I go steady with my ex. Girl A refuses again, so boy C goes back to his ex. Last heard, they are planning to get engaged. Girl A has found another guy to fancy. I love love stories, espically how they end!! My mind is working overtime, thinking, this would make a very good movie. Think about it, theres love, theres tension, much rona dhona, suspense over who will get the girl. It all leads to the standoff, with neither party backing off. It is a suspenseful waiting game. Ten minutes to the climax, and we still don't know who will get the girl. Finally, it all unravels. Each go their separate ways. It has all the things going for it to make a dark comedy. The ending is a steal, but what an ending!!

Woh bhooli dastaan...

A post, long time in preparation, finally makes its presence felt here.

The Awesomness of Wake Up Sid

A look at my blog's webstats reveals that one of my most popular posts has been my review of Wake Up Sid - even during the few months when this blog was not updated, I got traffic based on the websearch for this review. I am beginning to think that this film might just become a classic in the future, given how people still google it up. Now, this blog is not shy of playing to the gallery, so in a big to get more people, I shall talk some more about the awesomeness of Wake Up Sid.
That movie is a homage to the city is already made clear in my previous post. Hell, they did not even call it Mumbai, it was always Bombay! This issue has not been resolved till now, even 15 years after it was renamed. For old timers, it is still Bombay. But whatever you may call it, the city is still unique.
And the rains. Mumbai rains. The film makers know how to use them to their own benefits, like Ram Gopal Verma did in Satya. But unlike that movies, which caught rains in its fury, Wake up Sid catches it in its laziness.
The beginning of the movie needs mentioning. It starts on a very slow note. We see Sid,trying to learn an economic theory. But just a he starts paying attention, it wavers. Then he focuses again, only for it to waver again. A perfect introduction for the character, who is clueless and laid back. Of special note is the look of serenity on his face, as his focus wavers. We instantly know that Sid does not take life seriously.
The character of Sid is well sketched. For a person who does not know what he wants and does not even care, he shows a lot of shades in his character. They may be subdued, but they are there. In contrast, Aisha comes off as a little superficial. Big, independent girl, alone in the city, who loves all things traditional (purane gaane), falling for her boss...all these seem to be created just to make her the opposite of Sid. It is a nod to the talent of Konkana Sen Sharma that it comes off as believable. Other characters, of the mother and the father have their moments of believability. The father Anupam Kher, sleepwalks through most of his part, but the part where is scolds at Sid for failing his exams, he shows his talents as an actor. This is not a father screaming belligerently at his kid, but a frustrated father, telling his son to mend his ways. He wants to scream, but he doesn't. Instead, his voice grates in helplessness. The mother, Supriya Pathak, is endearing when she is seen trying to learn English, and also when she comes to visit Aisha when Sid id not at home. But in all this midst, there is one ultra fake character, and that is Rahul Khanna. I could not help laughing whenever he came on screen, trying to be an overstressed intellectual. I have met quite a few editors in my time, and none of them have been overstressed. On the contrary, editors, with their flunkeys, are expert at delegating, tasks to other people, while they pretend to be busy.
The decor of the office and also Konkana's home, though is done well. I happen to like homes and offices done in that manner, with a very Indian tough, bright colors, Indian motifs. Full marks to the set designer here.
Another big surprise for me was to find the song 'Shaam Tanha' by Agnee in the movie. I was not expecting it at all, and was surprised it played in the movie. To those who haven't heard the song, I highly recommend along with the other songs in the album. Also recommended on the album is 'Karvaan'.
The movie does follow a predictable path, but the able direction sets it above similar movies, though I can't think of a Hindi movie with a similar theme.
Like I said earlier, its been a long time since I wrote a review for the movie, but people are still searching for info about the move. Though 3 idiots may be a bigger hit and more talked about, I have a feeling that this move will prover to have a better staying power. Twenty years from kids from today will fondly remember this movie as an overlooked masterpiece. And if it is overlooked, it will be.

Hello World

Been away for months, need to say it all over again...Hello World.

Just to share a random observation,

sitting in my room, alone, sunless light coming from the window, staring at my computer screen, listening to 'Shine on you crazy diamond' followed by 'I am a rock' will being about a sweet depression in you. Its not bad, that feeling, worth experiancing.

9 Baadlon Mein Lal Saand...

Did you see the new Cloud 9 ad on tv? It goes like this, womand in red is walking by a riverside, when she sees a bull standing nearby. The bull sees the red, and starts charging towards her. She runs in the woods, the bull in hot pursuit, till she reaches a tree that has a monkey eating something red. The monkey throw the red item down to her, and it turns out to be the Cloud 9 energy drink. The woman drinks up, is charged up, and rises up...like a cloud. The bull retreats

Geddit?

The woman wearing RED is running from a BULL...and when she drinks the energy drink, she rises...like a CLOUD!!

As far as being an effective ad goes, this ad completely fails, because the product comes at the end, with no clue about what it might be at the beginning. This is not even a good revenge ad, since the RED and the BULL are more prominent than the CLOUD (speaking of which, there was no symbolism for the 9). And as far as being subliminal ad goes, the message that one gets is more for Red Bull than for Cloud 9.

For the bookworms...

A nice litereay blog I stumbled upon while surfing the intar-nate:

http://sandyi.blogspot.com/

A lady, Sandhya Iyer, reviews the books that she reads, here. I am tempted to read quite a few of those, like Romancing With Life by Dev Anand, and Star From Another Sky. It was a surprise to find a review of English, August there. That book brings back memories...Do have a look at teh blog

Whats you score?

The Telegraph has published a list of 100 novels that everyone should read. The list is quite intersting, and it is nice to see Rabindranath Tagore and R K Narayan represented in there. But not for Swami and Friends, its for Waiting for Mahatma...haven't read that one. Also missing from the list is Joules Verne. The father of sci-fi was not a great writer? His novels are not must erad. One has to just erad Juorney To The Center of the Earth and Around The World in Eighty Days to find out just how imaginative and entertaining thay are. Not adding his novels in the list is a great oversight. Another oversight, if you include graphic novels, is The Watchmen by Alan Moore. anybody who thinks that graphic novels or comics are for kids shoud read this novel. It is anything but a kid read. It is rightly called the greatest graphic novel ever.
I know of two people who visit my blog who are avid readers, so come one you two, whats your score? As for me, I have read a solid ten of these hundred novels, and am in the process of reading an eleventh (Ulyses, for the past eleven years :-P).

More Random Humor

Another joke, filched from the intar-nate:

What did the bolt of fabric tell his daughter when she threatened to run away to India?

“Go ahead … you’ll be sari.”

If one day I vanish, please assume that I have been sued by people for steling their jokes, and am hiding in the Himalays...and I have a Big Foot..