tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39121943143539947892024-03-14T21:08:31.859+05:30voyageAmit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-72946337306509305812018-12-08T12:57:00.002+05:302018-12-08T13:09:47.803+05:30Chaklu: A paradise for peace lovers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you heart lies in the mountains, </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">in its silence and stillness, </span></i></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If in its embrace lies your peace, </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">then waste no tine and come over</span></i></i></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">to seek refuge in its bosom here in Chaklu, </span></span></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">a small village near Mashobra in Himachal Pradesh. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you have always longed for walks down the dwindling road</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">with trees playing the sun, lining up your way, </span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If soaking the sun in your eyes, and baking the body </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">till it gets in sync with the soul is what you seek, </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">then this is the place for you. </span></i></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can set aside the alarm bells </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>because you would not need them, </i></span></div>
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<i style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The morning ll come knocking in your window pane, </span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>you can play with the butterflies </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Or see the twilight fade into a night </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>and then gaze at the stars, tracing it's path. </i></span></div>
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-90606184886357754422018-04-15T11:17:00.001+05:302018-04-15T11:17:18.633+05:30Emotional Saina takes CWG gold, a title to heal Rio Olympic pain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Looking up at the sky, Saina Nehwal let out a scream after grabbing the coveted gold, eight years after she had become the toast of the country with a maiden CWG title at 2010 Delhi Games.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Saina played with aggression and never let the intensity slip to outdo her younger compatriot P V Sindhu, who had taken over the mettle as India's premier star after her Olympic and world championship silver.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It was a moment she has been waiting for long ever since suffering a knee injury at the Rio Games. Her emotional reaction after the win was not as much about celebration as it was a release for all the pent up emotions that she endured in the last couple of years.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> "It's a very emotional moment for me after the disappointing loss in Rio due to injury," said the second seeded Indian after her win.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> In the run-up to the Games, Saina faced flak after she threatened to pullout if her father Harvir Singh is not allowed to stay with her in the village. She insisted his presence was important for her success and she proved her point when she beat Sindhu 21-18 23-21 in the finals today.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> "It's a gift to my father and my mother, my country. I really term it as next to my Olympic medal and my world No.1 ranking. So I would keep it somewhere there," she added.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Injuries are an integral part of an athletes' life but the intra-articular injury to her right knee just days before Rio Olympics robbed Saina of a chance to win that coveted gold at the Olympics.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> She had to undergo surgery and what came next was weeks and months of rehabilitation.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Saina, who had achieved the world no 1 ranking in 2015, now was reduced to a bystander. She lost valuable time and there were times when she even thought of giving up the game she loved so much all together.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But champions are made of different clay and Saina needed to embrace it wholeheartedly to heal and salvage any hope of a quick comeback. Within three months, she was back on the court to test her knee at the China Open and she also played in Hong Kong and Macau.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> As time passed she healed a bit more and eventually claimed the Malaysia Masters last year but a major title was hard to come by despite the fact that she was making the quarters and semifinals consistently.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Then came a bronze at the Glasgow World Championship, which led to a reunion with long-time mentor and chief coach Pullela Gopichand, whom she had parted ways in 2014 after an consistent run.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The world championship final between Sindhu and Japan's Nozomi Okuhara turned out to be an epic contest that clocked 110 minutes and it made Saina realise that she has to step up her fitness level further if she has to achieve her absolute best.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But injuries continued to trouble her as she developed some ankle issue. She came back again to reach the finals of Indonesia Masters this year. However, results still continued to elude her in major events as a quarterfinal exit against USA's Beiwen Zhang was followed by a first-round ouster from All England.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> This gold at Gold Coast will go a long way in healing all those scares of the last few years and hopefully pave the way for more titles before she walks into the sunset.</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-18915184973115698472017-06-26T20:06:00.000+05:302020-07-01T20:03:27.238+05:30What Srikanth's emergence into a sporting hero teaches us?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt;">A new sporting hero has emerged. Not one, who
comes from the upper echelons of cricket but from a sport which was developed
in British India, became a hobby sports before emerging as India's most trusted
discipline at the Olympics in the last decade.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">For two weeks now, badminton has trumped cricket probably for
the first time in history and the engineer of this turnaround is 24-year-old
Kidambi Srikanth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">Last two Sundays, Srikanth stood on the podium with the
Indonesia and Australia Open crowns shining bright in his hands and these were
moments that this country had starved for many decades. The first Indian to win
back-to-back Super Series titles, his fourth title -- a feat unmatched by any
Indian men.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">Life will hopefully not remain the same for the Andra Pradesh lad
anymore. He will be rightly hailed for his achievement, bestowed with accolades
including cash prizes from different quarters. Hopefully he will earn a few
sponsorship deals and whopping contracts and between all this Srikanth would
probably just think how important but futile at the same time all this
hullaballoo is in the larger context. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps, thoughts of him quietly landing in India and rushing
away back home last year after the Rio Olympics would still be fresh in his
mind. All the glitz and glamour now will probably heal the pain of that
heart-wrenching loss to Lin Dan in the quarterfinals but it won't erase the
dent, not until he achieves his dreams of winning a medal at Tokyo. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you scratch the surface, you will find a story of mental
fortitude. In a short four-year career in senior circuit, Srikanth has seen
both the highs and lows. After bursting onto the scene with a stunning win that
demystified the legendary Super Dan at 2014 China Super Series Premier and then
finding a place in the heart of his countrymen with a win at the India Super
Series in 2015, he went through a run of poor form. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">He qualified for Olympics but saw his dream crash after coming
within touching distance of a medal. Worse happened. He suffered a stress fracture
in his right ankle and spent three months on the sidelines. With his ankle in
bandage, he decided to work on his upper body. He spent hours with his physio
and trainers, doing what he was in his hands. His ranking dropped. From the high
of World No 3, he had sunk to the 30s by the time he had made a comeback at the
Premier Badminton League. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">He had a decent outing at PBL but that didn’t translate into
success in international circuit. He lost early at Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold.
He went back, worked hard and then came looking for redemption at India Super
Series but he crashed out in the opening round, leaving him stunned and silent.
He hardly could make out what had happened, finding it difficult to explain his
loss to the reporters at Siri Fort stadium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">But one of the rare traits that defines a champion is the
never-say-die-attitude and his loss at the Olympics and those two weeks when he had shut himself from the world had left him little
detached from both win and loss. His equanimity in success and failure was
tested in the last two weeks and he came out in flying colours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 14.0pt;">His win over Olympic champion Chen Long and his compatriot and
friend H S Prannoy's stunning victory over Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long showed
the world and more importantly to Indian shuttler that they are not unbreakable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps, this is what Indian badminton have gained in the last two weeks, the
confidence to go all out against whosoever comes in the way and remain
unscathed by both success and failure. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: white;">Perhaps Srikanth would go on to win a world championship in August or the All
England Championship next year or maybe he won’t but one thing for sure the day is not
far when an Indian will certainly achieve all these. It’s time to grab our
place under the sun.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-11096197122955359632016-11-14T13:38:00.001+05:302016-11-14T13:38:12.287+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"Development comes at a cost. We need to be ready to make sacrifices for the country."</div>
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Agreed. But how do you explain this to a mother who has lost her six months old baby. Does she figure in your list of martyr. Can you lend a flag to wrap her body? How do you explain this to the pregnant woman who collapsed after standing in queue under the sun all day?</div>
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We are all dancing in this euphoria of cleansing our economy of black money. My grocer tells me now India will be developed. "For first time rich ll feel what it means to be poor, even if it is for a day." He narrares me stories of some collector who had some 35lakhs hidden behind walls and of his driver friend, whose boss had 10lakhs under his bed. He seemed happy, his gleaming face was washed with a sort of hope that he had not seen in ages.</div>
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I don't know if I should bask alongwith him in his misplaced sunshine or believe what my common sense needles me to comprehend.</div>
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What is black money? Is it only these stacks of notes that have been turned into a heap of waste paper with the stroke of a magic wand. It would have been during the 80s.</div>
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But 1991changed everything, it ushered in a highways of wealth; it created a system which soon was rigged with people with power and influence and lies rotten after 25 long years. Trade invoicing, benami equity funds, hawala-- a plethora of illegal means and ways emerged to earn illegal money, unaccounted wealth; sharks with sharp teeths bite off big pieces from our developing India, the more they stayed away from the short arms of law, the more they became in brothers in arms with politicIans, more delusional became the cattle class and mango people, accepting corruption and money laundering as a way of life.</div>
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This "bold" decision will perhaps bring these people back to earth. Hopefully instilling fear.</div>
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But does all these suffering for 1.25billion people will be worth it? How much black money we will be able to seize, convert, pump into the economy? How will you quantity it? Will it kill the parallel shadow economy?</div>
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Will it bring a tomorrow when atleast 60 % of the poor mute people ll be able to dream again?<br />Will our kids ll be able to breath again under a clear sky? Will a Dalit can walk shoulder to shoulder to a brahmin?</div>
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Perhaps, I am blind. Or I have misplaced expectation, or I have lost my mind. After all we are all like milling clouds, swaying anyway the wind blows, hoping for an opportunity to rain down and find our green home. So let us get swayed, dancing to this tune once again, Just hope it doesn't end with a mighty fall.</div>
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-59841266149617373712016-09-28T18:30:00.001+05:302020-07-01T20:04:13.120+05:30Cinema & society: The Obsession for Entertainment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: white;">Entertainment, entertainment and entertainment. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">That's the problem with 'Bollywood' or probably everything around us. We want to get entertained in everything that we listen or see on screen.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">So, when the cars go flying in hot pursuits and heroes indulge in gravity-defying acrobatics, it gives us our dose of adrenaline rush and quenches our thirst of thrill, it satiates our craving for violence and sex, or in fine, emotions which otherwise we are not able to express. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">In our repressed society, most live like slaves jailed in our own cage, enslaved to our secrets, bottling everything inside. So we like to suck up all the on-screen delicacies, licking every drop of melting mussy love or erotica that Bollywood serves us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">No matter, how much the critics cry foul or the fans of Indian cinema smirk or scream in shame, such commercial potboilers will continue to be dished out and savored by the audience, who are so burdened by their everyday responsibilities of life that there is no space or time in their heart and mind to watch a real life story. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Reality bores us. So we prefer to stay away from cinema which pinches us or questions our reality. So, a movie like 'Perched, Court' or 'Aligarh' or any film dealing with human trafficking or on any social issue will not have many takers, unless, they are written and portrayed with dollops of correct comic timings and carried on the shoulders of some big star. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">And if it so happens that a star acts in such a film, and the movie sinks, it further dissuades him and fellow actors to tread the path again and thus the circle of life continues. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">We all are stuck in this virtual world for eternity and nothing will push us to change that, although most of the film aficionados, who believe Cinema as an art, strive to bring that change.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Sometimes some exceptional story is told in an extraordinary way by filmmakers such as Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Vishal Bharadwaj and Shoojit Sarkar but most find it hard to find that balance, either turning it into a tear-jerker or a mockery in the name of comedy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">So the story continues. We don't want to see the bitter world around us. We don't want to see why so many people, army and civilians alike, are dying in Kashmir or northeast India or at the red corridor, we don't want to see how voices were crushed during the emergency, we don't want to see how people were stuck in a quagmire of emotions during the Sikh or Gujarat riots or partitions, we don't want to see the blood or hear the screams. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">No one wants to see the reasons which drives individuals to take decisions, No one wants to see the realities that dictates one's action. Probably we are either stuck in our so called self-righteous moral arrogance or we don't want to accept the truth because we are just too comfortable living a life we have learnt to believe in our mind as truth or perhaps we have forgotten the art of listening, observing and learning.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">In a country, where most people still fight over what we eat, read, wear or look, cinema could have been a medium to bring that change in perception. It could have been a platform to educate them about the changing scenario around us, teach them about the taboos and social evils that plague this country, problems which is eating our roots away. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Where education failed, cinema could have been that bridge of enlightenment.</span></div>
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-74819940627555035792016-09-19T21:15:00.000+05:302020-07-01T20:06:59.660+05:30A postmortem of 'Baar Baar Dekho'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tXh1m6r9yD7RNEu2KgOlxaPt6jWiixwXaeLfEn4HkjYp5lG51UnZvtfmeq2HGS42HwcYbyVgjdlonSCrpAyoZlgVrON5zZUtbnjLOZFEmkxjYm8YevZtQjt0tyq92ySvYno3oZpVrOw/s1600/Katrina_Kaif%2527s_Baar_Baar_Dekho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tXh1m6r9yD7RNEu2KgOlxaPt6jWiixwXaeLfEn4HkjYp5lG51UnZvtfmeq2HGS42HwcYbyVgjdlonSCrpAyoZlgVrON5zZUtbnjLOZFEmkxjYm8YevZtQjt0tyq92ySvYno3oZpVrOw/s200/Katrina_Kaif%2527s_Baar_Baar_Dekho.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; line-height: 19.32px;">Often crystal stones can hide amidst diamonds but when they are all by themselves, the lie gets noticed and they are exposed, sometimes too easily. While this could be a poor analogy to make, Siddhartha Malhotra and Katrina Kaif suffers from a similar fate in 'Baar Baar Dekho'.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The two actors with tremendous screen presence flourished in scenes where they have to dance, sing and act all cutie-pie but fails when have to emote raw human emoti<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ons. Better actors would have hold on the attention for longer time. Of course, even that perhaps would not have been enough to save this film because of the poor script and screenplay.</span></span></div>
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In Indian film industry, we have not experimented with the idea of time travel or repetition of a day like in films 'GroundHog day' or 'Time travellers wife'. So in that respect, there was novelty in the idea for Indian audience. But it is a cut-throat world where implementation matters more than intentions and the film doesn't deliver much in that respect.</div>
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Like most rom-com from Dharma productions, the film is bright and vibrant in colours and texture and looks very slick with good music. But the banality of all that happens in the script is a problem.</div>
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The fact that the protagonist skipping timeline of his life is the main plot of the film, it is introduced too late and with comic treatment. The film lacks in enough twists and details that can create the confusion which needs a resolution in the end and drags to deliver the message.</div>
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Also Jay being a mathematical genius doesn't affect the film in anyway. His ambition to research on vedic time travel also doesn't affect because it wasn't actually a time travel film like 'About time' or Time Travellers Wife. It was more of magic realism.</div>
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If the character would have used his knowledge of vedic science to resolve this problem then it would have mattered. It was afterall more a story of an ambitious man who doesn't give time to family to follow his dream but he not realising it for most parts is a rare stupidity that doesn't suit such a mathematical genius.</div>
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Baar Baar Dekho is not the worst film that have been made on relationship but it lacks clarity and enough punch to entertain or interest the audience. So another opportunity lost because it had potential of being something different for Indian film industry.</div>
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Sadly for Katrina, after 'Fitoor' it is her second flop. Both films had interesting story line but lacked implementation. For Siddhartha, it is a wake up call to work harder on his acting skills to come back stronger with his next film.</div>
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-64730530900581830382016-04-17T12:12:00.001+05:302016-04-17T12:13:19.677+05:30SRK back with a bang with 'FAN'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It is all about saying sorry in the end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl28sFBEsetjGKVsFI6NGjAfVrcgKi8Guu2-5P6qiZN0MKfsZ8Z6DHo29FY3ED5gP4VcLOdtSyOkFf-B6OsAPOC1mNU-Ix27A-NAdpo9Evfofi4JkKH0jeea4Cy2KeedLsSnpq5Sbi1zc/s1600/12.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl28sFBEsetjGKVsFI6NGjAfVrcgKi8Guu2-5P6qiZN0MKfsZ8Z6DHo29FY3ED5gP4VcLOdtSyOkFf-B6OsAPOC1mNU-Ix27A-NAdpo9Evfofi4JkKH0jeea4Cy2KeedLsSnpq5Sbi1zc/s320/12.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fan is a dialogue between a star and his fan. Its about mutual respect for each other. It is about not crossing that fine line and it is about saying sorry, sometimes even if you are not wrong.<br />
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Over the years, SRK has gained this reputation of being rude.someone who despite all the stardom have equally gained the criticism after being involved in various incidents whether it is Wankhade stadium or it is slapping Shirish Kunder. SRK has, in fact, confessed in an interview that he is not someone who can say sorry easily and it has affected his relation with many. So in that context, Fan is his answer to his fans and critics alike. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpT0D2rktDtwE2YaKMCerHH29kx8gWybz7RC7qu4TEwx4Lm-3OykpMZOdjGbmN2c2xnMydxf32rYW5KWE9AI7Oddv9ynYT-1UQDIGHPVURQ1YSsVm7oxNS24xNhith5QrnJcjtyPxASM/s1600/shahrukhkhan-jan30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpT0D2rktDtwE2YaKMCerHH29kx8gWybz7RC7qu4TEwx4Lm-3OykpMZOdjGbmN2c2xnMydxf32rYW5KWE9AI7Oddv9ynYT-1UQDIGHPVURQ1YSsVm7oxNS24xNhith5QrnJcjtyPxASM/s320/shahrukhkhan-jan30.jpg" width="320" /></a>Fan shows why SRK's fans expect so much from him. He was refreshing and spontaneous as a young Gaurav. The way he brings forth the ethos of a fan, I don't think any of the new comers could do. As Aryan Khanna, SRK has played a narcissist character, who is willing to dance in weddings for money and can sometimes take shit from the wealthy to keep his stardom. But at the same time, he is also human deep inside. In short, SRK did justice to both the roles - a star and a fan.<br />
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One may argue with the climax or the violence of protagonist Gaurav, who is over obsessed with the star but perhaps the idea was to hammer down the point home through a violent character because most fans are not psycho.<br />
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The action chase scenes, whether it is escaping from Delite hotel or up and down the roof tops, was well executed. Though it reminds of some scenes of Hollywood action movie but it is racy with fast edits. Jazzy music during the tussle in the cyber cafe was also good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBXwlEzzHUsJChMVRriGf-ACs0Wv452xhwrCo_cPRkp7grNXYKfyFy4F66uAmdHWCddlho7WBYYcsyljlgaUS35A9Y5ArXjvSuI5nYrk5tb-9obNG9w9gFK2ijvvVMfLhLh8pyECGixE/s1600/srk-fan-759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBXwlEzzHUsJChMVRriGf-ACs0Wv452xhwrCo_cPRkp7grNXYKfyFy4F66uAmdHWCddlho7WBYYcsyljlgaUS35A9Y5ArXjvSuI5nYrk5tb-9obNG9w9gFK2ijvvVMfLhLh8pyECGixE/s320/srk-fan-759.jpg" width="320" /></a>However, Director Maneesh Sharma and screen play writer Habib Faisal should have spent more time on the script in the second half where Gaurav has a go at his idol. Here logic goes for a toss. Why to take the trouble of going through 3D scanning for a younger and different look only to blow all the difference away in the second half?<br />
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If one can look away from such loopholes, Fan will prove to be an enjoyable ride for any film aficionados who has loved his anti-hero roles in films such as Darr, Baazigar and Anjaam.<br />
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In fine, Fan is a homecoming of an actor who seemed to have lost himself in stardom and number game.<br />
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P.S. For argument sake, probably a star would have done the same with someone who used violence to reach out to him. But possibly an interaction with him first would have been a better approach considering the fact that not always a fan takes law into own hands to meet his idol. But then a star will always execute more caution before meeting someone who has managed to thrash another star.<br />
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The concept of an obsessed fan is not new and has been used in many Hollywood films in the past but SRK's FAN is nothing like it. Here are few links which gives a glimpse:<br />
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http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/robert-de-niros-the-fan-kathy-bates-misery-5-hollywood-films-shah-rukh-khans-fan-looks-inspired-from/</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-6395444744986261172016-04-12T14:20:00.003+05:302020-07-01T20:08:03.478+05:30Why 'Fan' is a make-or-break film for SRK?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: white;">A man from nowhere became the star of Bollywood. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Call him "Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" or "King Khan", Shah Rukh has charmed the world for more than two decades with his exuberance and charisma but then stardom weighed heavy on him and he became so busy to fight gravity and keep his throne that the actor slowly faded away. He kept giving hits after hits, riding the number game but his role and his portrayals were repetitive and uni-dimensional. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">However, his next two releases Maneesh Sharma's Fan (releasing on April 15) and Rahul Dholakia's Raees seems like a step in the right direction and give a glimmer of hope for a star to find his soul again.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">When Shah Rukh was yet to be discovered, Amir and Salman had already arrived. With Qayamat se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), both Amir and Salman had already tasted success, taking Bollywood by storm, stealing the hearts of many a fans with their boyish charm. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Amir further cemented his place in the industry with Dil (1990), Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), Andaz Apna Apna (1994) and Raja Hindustani (1996), for which he won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Salman, on the other hand, left many women weak at their knees when he hit Madhuri Dixit with a catapult in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994). It actually had struck the hearts of his female fans and led to huge following, putting him at the top of the most eligible bachelor's list.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbhZMEHUz1syyjXR7Hvhuf4MpEchuP00jHXh_cM8xs0B6twL1A4Pi5l_6M_Ilvwl8Vv78U9lmcL4B6e6Yi5ZW_KSKebUYi1AUHWHYPnldlQHC9WRTOmO7FZ7E8VgKnvAHmn9Ye1eYOiU/s1600/shahrukhkhan-jan30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbhZMEHUz1syyjXR7Hvhuf4MpEchuP00jHXh_cM8xs0B6twL1A4Pi5l_6M_Ilvwl8Vv78U9lmcL4B6e6Yi5ZW_KSKebUYi1AUHWHYPnldlQHC9WRTOmO7FZ7E8VgKnvAHmn9Ye1eYOiU/s200/shahrukhkhan-jan30.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="color: white;">Shah Rukh, meanwhile, was trying to chart a new territory for himself with films such as Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994) after making his debut with Deewana (1992). Such roles earned him appreciation but also criticism for playing violent roles as the society then was not okay with such kind of portrayals.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">But then something happened which changed everything. In exactly mid 90s, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) happened to SRK and it opened up a new world of super stardom which only grew bigger with films such as Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). He had earned the key to success, winning the heart of All and Sundry.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">In the new millennium, however, the definition and dynamics of love seemed to have changed. But Shah Rukh still continued to rule the roost with films such as Mohabbatein (2000) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Devdas (2002), Swades (2004), Chak De! India (2007).</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Amir, meanwhile, had found his calling in meaningful cinema that spoke about social and youth issues but also entertained. Films such as Lagaan (2001), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Rang De Basanti (2006) and Taare Zameen Par (2007), were poignant and meaningful and also set the cash register ringing. Shah Rukh too sharpened his acting prowess and played the role of a character with Asperger's syndrome in Karan Johor's My Name Is Khan (2010). </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">However, a new benchmark to gauge a film's success had emerged by the late 2000 -- '100 crores'. What followed was a maddening race among filmmakers, producers and actors to get their films into the '100 crore' club.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Interestingly, Salman, who went through a dark phase in the new millennium where he did more than 30 films but none matched his past rewards, emerged as the most consistent member of this club with film such as Wanted (2009), Dabangg (2010), Bodyguard (2011), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Kick (2014) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) -- earning him unprecedented stardom. Amir also tried to balance it with Ghajini<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(2008), 3 Idiots (2009), Dhoom 3 (2013) and PK (2014).</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">However, Shah Rukh found himself sandwiched between two kinds of cinema dished out by the other two Khans. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q6AQVHtxRraAnugfxCY-jp7kl1AyXbDbv6yfB9ZwIoTj_OB1BZ4BBi4n9CdDx5HDIGy6mr9ahROLsM_3zVhfz98dWNUqwX1M7HuhhW0QbfUlafuRGgGZMapB7otFvetpFv-qa0cXNAM/s1600/shah-rukh-khan-chak-de-india-759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q6AQVHtxRraAnugfxCY-jp7kl1AyXbDbv6yfB9ZwIoTj_OB1BZ4BBi4n9CdDx5HDIGy6mr9ahROLsM_3zVhfz98dWNUqwX1M7HuhhW0QbfUlafuRGgGZMapB7otFvetpFv-qa0cXNAM/s200/shah-rukh-khan-chak-de-india-759.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="color: white;">After Yash Chopra's last picture, Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), SRK starred in Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express (2013), Farah Khan's Happy New Year (2014) and Dilwale (2015) alongside Kajol. All the films were profitable but SRK received a lot of brickbats for his uni-dimensional portrayal of characters which seemed hollow and stale.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Shah Rukh is intelligent enough to know that the audience is changing and what he needs to do to woo them back. He can no more just seat back and play to the gallery like Salman or weave it like Amir and neither does he want to leave his fans to move away from him. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Here lies the importance of Maneesh Sharma's Fan (releasing on April 15), where he is once again challenging himself to play a character which is obsessed and violent, a role which shows glimpses of his past portrayals in films such as Darr and Anjaam. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">From the trailer, the film seems to have been written interestingly, pitching an actor who had dared to tread uncharted territories and had caught the imagination of his fans in his earlier days against an actor that he has become over the years.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">His dual roles of a superstar and his fan provides that double dose of SRK which even his critics are waiting to watch and if he can pull off something which Kangana Ranaut did with aplomb in Tanu weds Manu returns, it is surely going to shut the critics and win him many more hearts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">In fact, Rahul Dholakia's Raees (SRK's next release), co-starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui is another film which will decide which way his stardom goes.</span></div>
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-11529023249330942452016-03-27T23:55:00.002+05:302016-03-27T23:57:00.823+05:30The swordmanship of Kohli<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Virat Kohli is a tattooed swordsman who knows how to paint with his sword.<br />
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One who wears his heart on his sleeves, Kohli has always dared to express his emotions on field. Not one to shy away from difficult situations whether it is a fight on the field or a verbal duel, Kohli has also shown he has the stomach to learn from his mistakes.<br />
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For someone who has been in fluent form for what seems forever, Kohli has shown that words such as "form" doesn't exits in his lexican. His shots against Australia tonight at the World twenty20 were all copybook cricketing shots, whether it was the leg glances, cover drives, straight drives or the shots where he opened the face of the bat at the last moment or the pulls using his bottomhand. Each of these shots would have made his icon Sachin Tendulkar proud.<br />
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The way he ran between the wickets seemed he could have given Usain Bolt a complex. Yuvraj Singh, despite all the good intentions, had slowed the chase because he was not able to respond to Kohli's calls for twos. But that didn't upset Kohli, instead the Delhi cricketer dug his heels and kept walking slowy and steadily towards the target, knowing fully well his time will come.<br />
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This innings once again proves that he has reached a stage where he dictates the terms of his innings. The maturity he shows on field has glossed over the brazenness that gave him bad press in the past. It seems he has a compass inside his head which knows which way to go, something which works on auto-mode. It only proves that in no time, he has become one of the cricketing geniuses who will end at the top spot in the hall of fame.<br />
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There is no doubt, Kohli will go down in history as the best batsmen in the world because never ever in the history of international cricket, any other batsmen has won his team more matches from such precarious situation. Not even legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Even Australia's Mike Hussey and Michael Bevan will take a bow before this new master of cricket. He certainly shut a certain Mitchell Johnson, who will be eating his words!!!</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-67746745844582179032016-03-03T18:35:00.000+05:302020-07-01T20:14:47.701+05:30Why Aligarh is not to be missed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Aligarh is not for an audience, whose glass is already full as nothing will help to change his or her views, leave a casual viewing of the film.<br />
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Aligarh is yet another masterpiece from director Hansal Mehta. It tells the story of a man who loved poetry and music, taught Marathi to the students of one of the premier universities of India but yet faced the wrath of a morally arrogant society for his sexual preference and ultimately his controversial death.<br />
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The long shot capturing the incident that happened in that fateful night on February 8th, 2010 sets the film in motion. Whether it is the dirty jokes which the two characters who filmed the incident is concerned or it is the production design of the rooms, the detailing of the film was done to perfection.<br />
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The film captures the loneliness of the protagonist poignantly with the help of long close ups during the moments when he is drinks alone listening to Lata Mangeskar. The way the director portrays Dr Siras' slow alienation from society is commendable. <br />
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The indifference with which this news debate of our prime time news channel are conducted was also showcased in one of the scenes in the film.<br />
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As for the actors, Manoj Bajpai never ever slips even once in his portrayal of Dr Siras. His body language when he is sitting in the court room, his demeanor when he crooning a song or his mannerism when he conversing with people, Bajpai never leaves the character behind even for a second and his portrayal possibly should earn him a national award. Rajkumar Rao also does justice to his role as the young journalist. Never going over the top even once.<br />
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Questioning the Poor response<br />
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Despite being a thoroughly researched and deftly directed film, Aligarh doesn't have many takers in the country as most of the cinema halls are running shows with most seats remaining vacated.<br />
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Not that Director Hansal Mehta is bothered about box office collections. After all, here is a man who has showed the courage to make films such as Shahid and City Lights, both gems in their own rights, tackling issues which are more often than not brushed under the carpet by Bollywood.<br />
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But yet the question remains: Why a film like Aligarh doesn't get audience? Is it because it deals with Homosexuality? Is it because our morally arrogant society fears that it will corrupt our children or challenge our perception?<br />
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Also is there a way to make such films more entertaining for the audience? I say entertaining because, the film doesn't fall short of engaging its audience, of course only if you are interested to know the truth or open to challenging your beliefs. An audience, whose glass is already full, nothing will help to change his views, leave a casual viewing of the film.<br />
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I wondered, if there was a way to take it to the audience. But after a little ponder, I came to the conclusion that there was none because such an issue-based film cannot have a song encapsulating his pangs because it will break the flow and defeat the very claustrophobia that the director wants to create around the audience, a suffocation which Dr Siras went through in those last few months of his life.<br />
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The director did try to use humour which are situational in a few places, something which a film like 'Talvaar' had done so beautifully despite tackling a tricky subject. But again 'Talvaar' was a murder mystery which had a lot of characters (Police and other people involved in investigation) to play with, whereas, here it was a case which was not even thoroughly debated or probed. <br />
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Probably, that is also the reason why the film leaves a lot of questions behind. There are scenes which leaves things open ended because perhaps in reality there has not been enough investigation to find those answers.<br />
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In fine, Aligarh is a must-watch which raises a lot of questions, not all of them have been answered. While we can't find those answers legally, probably as a society we can look at ourselves in the mirror and go beyond the labels which we put on everything and find answers to those questions with empathy and may be it will help us to shed the burden of our age-old perceptions.</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-22812683003055269982016-02-29T15:27:00.002+05:302016-02-29T15:47:27.948+05:30Oscars & Our films<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A million butterflies subsided inside the stomach of fans as they let off let a sigh a relief after <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_DiCaprio" target="_blank">Leonardo Dicaprio</a></i> finally received his best actor award at the <a href="http://oscar.go.com/" target="_blank">88th Academy awards</a> for '<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0" target="_blank">The Revenant</a></i>'. Not that, it is Leo's best work till date but given the plethora of work that he has done over the years, it seemed almost unfair that he didn't receive it earlier.<br />
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<i>'The Revenant'</i> also earned a successive best director award for <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Gonz%C3%A1lez_I%C3%B1%C3%A1rritu" target="_blank">Alejandro González Iñárritu</a></i>. Needless to say about the talent of this Mexican, who burst into the scene with his "Death Trilogy" comprising <i>Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003) </i>and<i> Babel (2006)</i>. Though, he has made films such as '<i>Biutiful (2010)</i> and won the Oscar for <i>Birdman (2014)</i> last year, the death trilogy remains one of his best work.<br />
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<i>The Revenant</i> has a revenge story which has been done and dusted around the world, including India but what brings the film alive is its setting in the wilderness of the 1980s, its cinematography and performances. So it is a welcome decision that it didn't win the best film, rather that award went to 'spot light' which depicts the investigative journalism which went into uncovering the sexual abuses of the church.<br />
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'Spot light' reminds us about two films which I had watched during my growing up days -- <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBbCwYaUCDA" target="_blank">All the President's Men (1976)</a></i> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ru0HxV4nWY" target="_blank"><i>The Killing fields (1984)</i>.</a> Another film which I liked recently was <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW4XO-52ubE" target="_blank">Kill the Messenger (2014)</a></i>, which also had a similar investigative journalism theme.<br />
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I wonder when we will make such films in India. After all, we too had our shares of investigative reporting in the last 60 years.<br />
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'<i>Room</i>' and '<i>The Danish Girl</i>' fetched <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brie_Larson" target="_blank">Brie Larson</a></i> the Best Actress award and <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Vikander" target="_blank">Alicia Vikander </a></i>the Best Supporting Actress respectively. Both the films have got a thumbs up from the audience and I too want to watch them as soon as possible.<br />
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The actor who received the Best Supporting Actor prize for Steven Spielberg's '<i>Bridge of Spies</i>' is <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rylance" target="_blank">Mark Rylance</a></i>. Bridge of Spies is a amazing story set in the cold war and has such a power-packed performance from none other than two-time academy award winner Tom Hanks. But yet, it is <i>Rylance</i> who stole the show with his measured portrayal of a soviet spy arrested in US. The film is an extraordinary story of grit and human empathy that leaves you overwhelmed. May be Bollywood too can try out their hands, making a film on the time when <a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mitrokhin-archive-kgb-operations-in-india--during-cold-war/1/192955.html" target="_blank">KGB agents penetrated India </a>during the 1970s or may be about the <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/12-tales-the-spies-who-came-back-from-pakistan-and-those-who-didnt-641424.html" target="_blank">forgotten spies </a>who were part of India's covert wars with Pakistan.<br />
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Coming back to the Oscars, one film that deserves mentions is <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEJnMQG9ev8" target="_blank">Mad Max: Fury Road</a></i>, the craziest film that I have seen in my life. This reboot of the late 1970s and 1980s, Mad Max was so different from the original and so creative that it made everybody awestruck with its sound design, editing and deservingly, it won a host of technical awards, including Best Editing, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.<br />
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Well, all that is dark in Indian cinema tough. In Bollywood itself, with films such as <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQNMsw8Ljjc" target="_blank">Talwar</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xakmvJ0WPa4" target="_blank">Haider</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZpPQdrHfl8" target="_blank">Gangs of Wasseypur</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7779JrWy04g" target="_blank">Neerja</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb5xCMbMfZ0" target="_blank">Airlift</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yu_2nyOP5o" target="_blank">Baby</a></i> and a few others, we too are slowly and steadily trying our hands in telling different stories of life and struggle. We have a treasure trove of good cinema in regional film industry and the Bollywood stalwarts need to encourage and invest in them to help in succeeding our own Oscar dream.</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-68552369520232601202016-02-08T15:34:00.000+05:302020-07-01T20:09:49.832+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: white;">I wonder what drives actors like Nawazuddin Siddique?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">I guess it will be an unstoppable desire, an unshakable self belief and a zen like state of consciousness. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Or else, how do you find that motivation to get going when the industry you work with doesn't reward you enough for your hard work? </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">A look at the various award function of Bollywood (We are talking about Indian commercial cinema here) and it becomes clear that awards only recognizes or considers the films which are commercial success. It doesn't matter if someone has done a better role in a film which may not have filled up the coffers of the producers. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Let us take the case of Nawazuddin Siddique or Kalki Koechlin for that matter. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Nawaz portrayed three different characters in Bollywood cinema last year and in two of them he aged from 20s to 50s. Anybody who has watched his flawless renditions in 'Badlapur' and 'Mountain Man' would vouch for it. There could not have been a 'Badlapur' or 'Mountain Man' or 'Bajrangi Bhaijan' without him and yet he is beaten by Ranveer Singh for the best actor award in most award functions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Thanks to Sony Guild Awards, they at least found him worthy of Best Supporting Actor for Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Best Actor in a Negative Role for Badlapur. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">As for last night's Filmfare Awards, he could just watch as Anil Kapoor walked away with the supporting actor and Ranveer hold the black lady as the best actor.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Kalki's case is worse. She was exceptional in </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">‘Margarita with a Straw’ and </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I wonder why an actor like her is not even nominated in best actors nomination. As someone who </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">plays a girl with cerebral palsy, talking us through her struggles of life, Kalki had given the best performance of her life but yet it falls flat on the jury. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Well for actors such as Nawaz and Kalki, probably, these awards doesn't matter. But recognition and acknowledgment fuel desire and ambition to achieve greater heights. These actors are trying to remove the stains of glitter and glamour from our eyes. They are trying to wear those layers and layers of human frailties to show us the picture of real world. They are the only hopes of a kind of cinema which talks about the ethos and pathos of the poor and burgeoning lower middle class. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Their dreams gives hope to many other writers, actors and filmmakers to dream something bigger and so when they don't get what they deserve, it becomes one step back to mediocrity.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">P.S. Ranveer Singh was good in Bajirao Mastani and as a film aficionado I am happy for him. He has come a long way and also to get this at this point where his girl friend Deepika Padukone also won the best actress award is special but he was not better than Nawaz. period.</span></div>
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-77932836498314528582016-02-03T15:01:00.000+05:302016-02-03T15:40:15.137+05:30Birthdays: From bustling to boring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS57BtTVRN5khvcF_PaK10uHev0gX0m0CYhA9gfjlvcouB3Svoyk0oYGZN1mD0yBQLjhrzlGxtN-DX5HUPsAhV9jNGN_3WcKyAco_si9drZz5huVl6HrHJm4lftmRlykI3ZWiC4vManEg/s1600/Boring-birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS57BtTVRN5khvcF_PaK10uHev0gX0m0CYhA9gfjlvcouB3Svoyk0oYGZN1mD0yBQLjhrzlGxtN-DX5HUPsAhV9jNGN_3WcKyAco_si9drZz5huVl6HrHJm4lftmRlykI3ZWiC4vManEg/s320/Boring-birthday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mumblog.co.uk/the-mind-boggling-baffling-and-bonkers-world-of-childrens-birthday-parties/" target="_blank">credits</a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span>hen we were young, birthdays were the most awaited day in our calendar. It meant gifts, new clothes and a day away from books and studies. But more importantly, it meant a little more freedom which gave us access to many new things which made us curious as a kid.<br />
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But as we grow up and birthdays pass by, those boundaries which our parents used to put us in as kids, seem like garlands now, and living in those confinement the best part of our lives.<br />
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Growing up means there are no shackles to break, no walls to jump, no mysteries to unfold because you are independent with no horizon to limit your sights.<br />
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And so birthdays becomes boring. Wishes a <i>whatsaap</i> or <i>Facebook</i> status. Just another day. A fleeting moment which passes more quickly than we ever imagined.<br />
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Probably, because during this journey called life at some point we overturn the hour glass and put the watch on an anticlockwise mode. A diminishing timeline. A receding calculation. Because Birthdays becomes another reminder of slipping time.<br />
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So why do we lose that excitement, those butterflies which used to keep fluttering inside our heads even a day before the actual date? Where have all those faint smiles gone that always floated in our eyes and hanged in our lips on the day?<br />
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Possibly, we lose all expectations as we grow up. Or may be growing up means exposing to the various pains of life. So it feels like the burden of earth is thrust on our shoulders and just one day won't change anything.<br />
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So how to find that twinkle in our eyes on birthday? How to rediscover the inexplicable happiness?<br />
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Probably for that we have to reconnect with the child that we have left behind in this race of life. If we can trace our way back to him or her possibly only then every birthday will find its true meaning. Every year a gem which we will treasure. Every time it will become a new opportunity to cut a new corner and celebrate it in the next birthdays to come.</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-38153307878038602782016-02-02T12:48:00.001+05:302020-07-01T20:10:52.111+05:30Hansal Mehta to complete his poetic masterpiece with Aligarh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvk9FDF8iR7a0A8qQiwGozo6kaRDBeOcs4TjPlWxUU_GC-ARJ5Wh7562sWoI_cKYSJfieMfZ12iJlXyxTELBjJcMk2WM4XnTm-dXNmqraa5UMk-5ylE0HyDdwGt3ELBAzC2x9SMem9p0/s1600/hansal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvk9FDF8iR7a0A8qQiwGozo6kaRDBeOcs4TjPlWxUU_GC-ARJ5Wh7562sWoI_cKYSJfieMfZ12iJlXyxTELBjJcMk2WM4XnTm-dXNmqraa5UMk-5ylE0HyDdwGt3ELBAzC2x9SMem9p0/s320/hansal.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Who would have known, Mr <i>Hansal Mehta</i> would be a poet? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I certainty didn't. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I realised only after I watched <i>Shahid</i> and <i>City Lights</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">To pour the lives on those unfortunate souls on the canvass of his films is poetry indeed. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclHHm9w0WdFc0EfywKmLI1GN2ouA9nmTq_e7JUSd8IhZi28hwVpbT9fN3xeemHMReHM7qdOPkQeaukjedsDcVQK4jc2T99DoYkwrIyn96uYENy-AnxBhjIMCHGwesjxkh6VC48GvKJLA/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclHHm9w0WdFc0EfywKmLI1GN2ouA9nmTq_e7JUSd8IhZi28hwVpbT9fN3xeemHMReHM7qdOPkQeaukjedsDcVQK4jc2T99DoYkwrIyn96uYENy-AnxBhjIMCHGwesjxkh6VC48GvKJLA/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The way he narrated the pathos of <i>Shahid</i> and <i>Deepak Singh</i> and his wife in <i>City Lights</i> seemed like pure cinema is standing bare naked for the world to see but as always the world doesn't always care. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">But the fact that in this times such poets too have a c<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">anvas to play with their brush show probably that not everything is wrong with this world. I'm now waiting for him to finish his trilogy with <i>Aligarh</i>.</span></span></div>
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<i>Rajkumar Rao</i> too have braved this troubled waters of human frailties and swam back to give us some precious jewels which the coming generations will remember. He is turning into one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. Hope <i>Aligarh</i> can complete the cycle of life.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzrCLohc2y8S8dQ2yDyHUkZmxGxhKSN9Ja7gbaQ8yuvzw2Z0n1BTxuXgYaL9d_q21rqDPemW5tQAo6y2jQtykRViAfD34ZffDkndc_ZUwEh8-wTmno5A3sc_2C9fVgC4A9RSFpoGF_-w/s1600/Manoj-Bajpai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzrCLohc2y8S8dQ2yDyHUkZmxGxhKSN9Ja7gbaQ8yuvzw2Z0n1BTxuXgYaL9d_q21rqDPemW5tQAo6y2jQtykRViAfD34ZffDkndc_ZUwEh8-wTmno5A3sc_2C9fVgC4A9RSFpoGF_-w/s200/Manoj-Bajpai.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>Manoj Bajpai</i>, who will be carrying the film on his shoulders in <i>Aligarh</i> doesn't need any introduction. Needless to say, he has always been like that soil which can produce any character once you put that seed in it. Whether it is <i>Bandit Queen</i> or <i>Satya</i> or <i>Gangs of Wasseypur</i>, he is a master craftsman and his presence ensures that the painting will never be spoiled. So for now, I m awaiting <i>Aligarh</i>.</div>
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-13944137999913805342015-12-03T17:51:00.002+05:302015-12-03T17:51:47.967+05:30Tamasha is a journey of self discovery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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TAMASHA is not as much a love story as it is a journey of self discovery. Imitiaz Ali dares to peel off the dust that piles on us as we get lost in the race of life in the concrete corporate world.<br />
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The premise is promising but Ali probably could have wasted less time in establishing the dreamy world of the protagonist, Ved. When he reaches the picturesque Corsica, he seemed to be in haste to get over with that sequence where the two prime characters meet. Probably a little more detailing (like the restaurant and forest scenes) could have made it apt as there were many scenes were it seemed the two characters where left on their own.<br />
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Also while Dipika sets Ved on his self discovery, I was wondering why did she had to wait for so long after meeting him in Delhi to tell him that he was diametrically opposite to the person she met in Corsica? After all, it was his infectious crazy energy that she had fallen in love with.<br />
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The trailers of the movie gave the impression of a love story, something which have become a forte for Ali but this could be misleading and can disappoint fans who are going with the expectations of watching how Ali peels of another layer of relationship.<br />
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The positive thing about this movie is that it tries to talk about keeping alive the child, who slowly suffocates to death inside us and three cheers to Ali for bringing this on the Indian screen, which the most powerful medium. I just wished Ali had spend more time in writing and done away with the haste. <br />
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The narration of the movie is also slightly complex as it goes back and forth and an average Indian audience might lose the track amidst their popcorn, nachos and coke. But that should not discourage Ali because that's something which I liked about the film.<br />
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Ranbir Kapoor is one of the rare popular actor who has always done justice to complex characters and here he once again brings that confusion and inner turmoil beautifully. Dipika Padukone, who had much fewer scenes since the film is more about Ved's journey, does justice to her character, pulling it off with just the right dose of aplomb. Piyush Mishra as the story teller was also superb in this small but important role.<br />
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Overall, the movie compels us to rethink what we are and tries to reiterate that we still have a choice of becoming who we want to be, of course it is not as easy. Probably, the film could have ended with this realisation without showing him achieving his dream in the end, which again seemed to be hastily done.<br />
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In fine, if you can see through the initial half an hour, chances are that you will not repent your decision of going to the theatres. </div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-38530612617618595642015-11-29T13:41:00.002+05:302016-04-22T11:58:40.719+05:30Aamir's intolerance drama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-85670182415685875852015-11-25T14:52:00.001+05:302015-11-25T14:53:22.329+05:30It's all too easy in the end for Bond despite SPECTRE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
SPECTRE falls flat despite the hoopla<br />
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SPECTRE sets off with a sequence in Mexico city on the 'day of the dead' which has been shot brilliantly, including the initial long shot which introduces Bond. What comes next is a dark world with laden London sky and snow-clad mountains of Austria.<br />
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Daniel Craig, who has made this bond his own, comes up with another subtle portrayal of 007 with his brooding but ever stylish mannerism. Some of the action sequences lacks the adrenaline rush which is the forte of this franchise. It also lacks the gizmo's freak show which Bond is known to pull off when he comes on screen in chase sequences. Also some of them were too predictable, something which has been done and dusted in many films.<br />
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Christoph Waltz, who plays the main antagonist in this 24th edition of the franchise, however, somehow lacks the dark and menacing presence which he is capable of. For someone who claims to be the 'author of Bond's pain', Waltz's character lacks the ferocity which could have taken it to the next level, something which was a requirement for a movie which is supposed to tie up the open ends from the previous franchises.<br />
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Also the song 'Writing's On The Wall' by Sam Smith during the pre credit lacks the punch which Adele produced in Skyfall. Overall, Sam Mendes' second consecutive Bond outing is good but not the best bond movie. It fails to quench the thirst of 007 fans.</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-73604882067949144762015-11-15T16:10:00.006+05:302015-11-15T16:12:10.900+05:30An open letter to Mr Pankaj Kapur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sir, I watched 'Mausam' last night despite being warned by film aficionados. I was always curious why it was a failure. I think I learnt few things as an audience about film making. Your idea of weaving a love story around the history of violence that this country has seen was commendable but I think you stretched it too far and left too much weight on your son, Shahid's shoulders. If Salman Khan was in this film he could have pulled it off by his sheer stardom but Shahid is still not that big a star.<br />
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Sir, I think you didn't follow your heart all through out, specially in the last 45mins or so, where you decided to make the protagonist a super hero. In fact, the treatment of the film also left me confused. It looked two different films in that mammoth 2 and 47 minutes run time and the audience got completely bored to death by the end.<br />
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The music was one of the plus points. Shahid and Sonam tried. But no offense, there is something in Sonam which doesn't appeal me as an audience. I think she will need more time to understand the pain of the scars which life leaves us with and such violence and pain which was a constant presence for the characters. The portrayal must have been deeper.<br />
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The film was good in parts in a few scenes but Shahid's physical features makes him look too young and he tried his best to portray the super hero. For him to carry out such depths, he will need more direction something which Vishal Baradwaj provided.<br />
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Unfortunately your script demanded a star more than an actor. It was important to show the protagonist as human like you and me, us. Sorry, but the audience became completely unforgiving when Gujarat Riot started. You could have still had few more fans if that would not have happened. It was too dramatic in the end.<br />
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Sir, you are one of the few Indian actors I admire and I know you can bring the depth you achieve in your acting in your direction as well. So hope to see your films again. Best of luck next time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn5AAyMWBxlqKPD0TK47ChzGn9JAFDC1MZMHVyYc8iytgbqy0nRlzWeth6NU_wu4Zj491rcm9f9avZr3eajAoiIPoFROii5Iq4q4CzZtwX9ob0doPHp-1-xQE_vWzB5KnaKeThD3MxfE/s1600/Mausam_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn5AAyMWBxlqKPD0TK47ChzGn9JAFDC1MZMHVyYc8iytgbqy0nRlzWeth6NU_wu4Zj491rcm9f9avZr3eajAoiIPoFROii5Iq4q4CzZtwX9ob0doPHp-1-xQE_vWzB5KnaKeThD3MxfE/s1600/Mausam_2011.jpg" /></a></div>
Suggestions:<br />
<br />
1. I think you should have kept it to 2 hours.<br />
<br />
2. The narration could have started with his plane going down mid air and then the film going into flashback.<br />
<br />
His struggle to get his life on track and his inner turmoil would have given the film a poignant setting and the flashbacks to tell the stories could have kept the audience interested.<br />
<br />
The story could have connected midway something that have been used in films such as Saathiya or Namaste London. And then in next 14-20 mins you could have finished the story instead of making him a super hero in the last 40 mins.</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-71610513051007703542015-09-27T10:16:00.001+05:302015-09-27T10:16:34.946+05:30handmade incense stick<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/POceQto-IdI" width="480"></iframe>Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-68057223053960615102015-09-26T15:00:00.000+05:302015-09-26T15:31:36.433+05:30'Jazbaa' runs the risk of falling into a overcooked and loud thriller<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NteBoLlpyzwBCOtZHVUtDGN-M1fXi4lcne982wlIyk2w3RQ7Z9c-s64Aoxv1dm5z5bxKI9fFk8hIK-puEkHcdx-HGnlbUxsorI2oedNsN0Li1OJ6TKrHG2aq4apLHQysM2p7qrXgSDs/s1600/jazba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NteBoLlpyzwBCOtZHVUtDGN-M1fXi4lcne982wlIyk2w3RQ7Z9c-s64Aoxv1dm5z5bxKI9fFk8hIK-puEkHcdx-HGnlbUxsorI2oedNsN0Li1OJ6TKrHG2aq4apLHQysM2p7qrXgSDs/s320/jazba.jpg" width="212" /></a>Aishwarya Rai's comeback movie 'Jazbaa', which is an official remake of a 2007 South Korean crime thriller film 'Seven Days', comes across as loud and slightly melodramatic as far as the first look is concerned. The trailer shows that the film has a yellow and brown Tint, which gives it a slightly different look but the way junior Mrs Bachchan is shown teary-eyed and all panicky, it remains to be seen if it can actually touch the emotional chord of the audience. <br />
<br />
I have full faith on the Korean film as it has won multiple nominations and awards at Grand Bell Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards and Korean Film Awards in 2008 but how well Sanjay Gupta will rework the script and screenplay and importantly implement it remains a questions.<br />
<br />
Gupta has films such as the shootout movies, Kaante, Musafir and Zinda to his credentials and if he can keep the script tight without making it loud or turning Aishwarya into a super mom, the film may go on to be a hit. Of course, needless to say, Irrfan is a big positive. Hope Gupta's 'jazbaa' is reflected on the screen on October 9th. I personally have low expectations but I want the movie to prove me wrong.</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-8583790132819198662015-09-19T19:19:00.000+05:302015-09-19T19:20:44.399+05:30A forgotten hero basks in the hard-earned glory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sports is cruel. It
involves spending days and nights working harder, training like obsessed
zombies with one dream of winning that coveted title that one might have dreamt
since childhood.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Often in a country
where parents are always worried about securing their children’s life and a
career in studies seems to be the first option, to say it takes courage to
tread a path in sport is an understatement. But still few souls walk that path,
carrying the dreams of their parents and baggage of future on their shoulders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMSu8p9gOcTjvvB84Egd_ahou8AP6FKsmLK6vmLx8RogoKad_NkWuRII_zrq7G-mRBRTamhfGFZrf2P2oRspqLxjAG44sl48Nd6gDGPeRfYQJcO6lrsDbhQrvDIM6NZ_Hajd-3EqoQbk/s1600/20150919_1835_KoreaOpen2015_Yves5951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMSu8p9gOcTjvvB84Egd_ahou8AP6FKsmLK6vmLx8RogoKad_NkWuRII_zrq7G-mRBRTamhfGFZrf2P2oRspqLxjAG44sl48Nd6gDGPeRfYQJcO6lrsDbhQrvDIM6NZ_Hajd-3EqoQbk/s320/20150919_1835_KoreaOpen2015_Yves5951.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The journey starts
with a win here and there in some sub-junior and junior India ranking
tournaments. But most voyage ends even before reaching the senior level. Those
who make it to the next level too find themselves lost in the crowd of
aspirants, all dreaming the same dream, waiting to write that illustrious
chapter in their life that will not get lost in the pages of history. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So right from the
first moment at the academy starts the battle to be the best. To first become
good enough to wear the national colour and compete with the best in the world.
What comes next is long hours at training and then playing the international
challengers and the fight to move up the ranking ladder, which initially seems
like a lift but with time, becomes a snake-and-ladder game, you go up and
down every now and then. A win is not enough, no matter how hard you played.
You have to weave a series of wins, you have to be consistent. From
international challengers, you graduate to Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold and
then one day you reach the Super Series tournaments. Needless to say only a few
reaches that upper echelons of players. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When you reach that
privileged group, you turn another page in your life. But then comes the main
cruel face of sports when one day who tweak a muscle, tear a ligament, twist an
ankle or wrongly turn your knee and your world comes crashing down. Suddenly
you find yourself sitting at a corner, watching your peers and juniors
surpassing ahead. You sit at the corner of your room starting at an uncertain
future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Each day you tell
yourself to stay upbeat, each moment you push yourself harder to feel a bit
better, sometimes you would shadow practice in front of mirror, you would speak
to you coach and family and they would tell you all the right words, trying to
inspire you and motivate, even as inside you will worry about the dwindling
ranking. Sometimes you would look at a match and tell your pals how you had
beaten him on that tournament. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Seconds will
feel like days, minutes like months and hours like years and when you
recover and return to the court, it will seem like an age has passed. There
would be that iota of doubt in your mind in that first hit of the shuttle in
your racquet when you face that opponent in your first tournament. Every loss
will remind you of the time lost to injury and every win a balm on the scars
that don't seem to heal.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many wait for that balm to heal the
scars, passing through days, breezing through tournaments after tournaments
waiting for that one stroke of luck that will bring you back to your rightful
place. But sometimes that wait becomes eternal and slowly and slowly the
resolve gives in and one fine day, you decide enough is enough and you quit.
But there is another breed who hope a little longer, pray a little more and most importantly persevere harder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyKtZhxpP6iGfLaW39AzbAW4xYLTasUJTz1Sl-c7U38uFsaI8T407-S7d7Q9tlw2kC9MmfkLBxyqAWPqeL7yuSUCGhm_cOLnLTFmVWEriKOPWVCfJM23H7EhPXSR7_n52taBebMG2I1M/s1600/12jayaraman-badminton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyKtZhxpP6iGfLaW39AzbAW4xYLTasUJTz1Sl-c7U38uFsaI8T407-S7d7Q9tlw2kC9MmfkLBxyqAWPqeL7yuSUCGhm_cOLnLTFmVWEriKOPWVCfJM23H7EhPXSR7_n52taBebMG2I1M/s320/12jayaraman-badminton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Ajay
jayaram is one such player who has lived those uncertain nights. For seven
months he was left on the sidelines, nursing his shoulder injury, making multiple visits
to the doctor, going under the knife and then going through the unforgiving
rehabilitation process which involves rigorous physiotherapy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For a player who had
come into touching distance of qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics, only to
lose the berth at the last moment after P Kashyap toppled him in ranking
following a walkover in India open, Jayaram has shown what perseverance can
earn you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not giving up is the
antidote of failure and Jayaram's reaching the finals of the Korea super series
proves that if one is determined nothing can stop you. Tomorrow this forgotten
hero will take court against world No 1. Chen Long. No matter what the final
holds for this Bangalore-based player, he has already inspired many like chief
coach Pullela Gopichand once did when he won the All England championship in
2001 after recovering from knee injury.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, Sports is cruel but this cruelty makes your stronger, sometimes
even giving birth to legends. As for Jayaram, greatness is still a far walk but
then this has given him a moment to savour and no one can take away that moment
from him ever. This is his time to bask in that glory and become an
unforgettable part of history.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-18339791259233480902015-08-14T02:07:00.001+05:302015-08-14T02:07:35.838+05:30mall beautiful 640x480<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fdVEuAOwYoY" width="459"></iframe>Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-13469246830268644312015-05-12T15:20:00.001+05:302020-07-01T20:19:01.168+05:30Bombay Velvet runs the risk of not making enough profit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBU_868cJMiMKxsDEUaTsTF_6NUeTS08rrD24m-gSUv-KWiheoMw8tCr1u-0Y5fpYtgKDRs7WCkPDaAp_alm-nooXdGqOzaOtxx2QJMDnhOg4EoRN48MYbGKuRaQP5CDG3s_NUX3Di9I/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBU_868cJMiMKxsDEUaTsTF_6NUeTS08rrD24m-gSUv-KWiheoMw8tCr1u-0Y5fpYtgKDRs7WCkPDaAp_alm-nooXdGqOzaOtxx2QJMDnhOg4EoRN48MYbGKuRaQP5CDG3s_NUX3Di9I/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">For a movie made at a cost close to a whopping 100 crores, Bombay Velvet runs the risk of not making enough profit, given the non-mainstream music of the film.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Amit Trivedi has produced the 1960s Jazz era of Bollywood but then apart from a couple of songs, I doubt how much people can relate to the songs of the film, which always makes a huge difference to the fortune of a Bollywood movie in India.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">In India, films with soothing, melancholic and hip-hop (read Honey Singh) musi<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">c make it to the 100-crore bracket. I can't remember a film earning 100 crores without music or with non mainstream music.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div style="background-color: black;">
<span style="color: white;">There is no doubt, Bombay Velvet will surely set new standard for film making in India. It will bring spectators to the theatres because of the fan following of Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar but will it go on to be a big hit, remains to be seen.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-81770870661562697902015-04-27T15:02:00.002+05:302020-07-01T20:19:38.860+05:30When the Himalayas sung a melancholic tune<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cnPGWMjOAMinvvtLwCIlL4qZrJxDP0xEdnawZeu2YKgRVYaPPmFLnJ2hY-lUk9JOM2k2OqI0PkgVW3vaCx4eiJJmHXOchDaLN3dLxQ9gz4uy38-Y-DiBK5ZIIQWH_BeehDKbbOLtjWk/s1600/nepal+quake.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cnPGWMjOAMinvvtLwCIlL4qZrJxDP0xEdnawZeu2YKgRVYaPPmFLnJ2hY-lUk9JOM2k2OqI0PkgVW3vaCx4eiJJmHXOchDaLN3dLxQ9gz4uy38-Y-DiBK5ZIIQWH_BeehDKbbOLtjWk/s1600/nepal+quake.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"> <span style="font-family: "guardian text sans web" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph: Omar Havana/Getty Images</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Debris pile up each day,</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Bricks and bones, buried under the rubble,</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">thousands of lives wiped out from the surface of earth with one sudden shy of mother earth.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">A mother looks for her child in the remnants, <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />couples wrapped in an eternal embrace waits under the debris,<br />friends hold hands,<br />life has left them behind for long now,<br />their stony gaze waiting to melt into dust.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: black; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">
<span style="color: white;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
The livings,<br />
mourn the dead,<br />
scream to the heavens in betrayal,<br />
blame the gods for its wrath,<br />
and then sob into submission.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Survival brings souls close to humanity,<br />
erasing the lines of religion, race, creed & language.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Under the streetlights, they fight cold now,<br />
hunger breaking their resolve a bit more with each inch of time.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Who will light candles in their dark sadden hearts,<br />
who will heal their bruises,<br />
who will teach them to hope?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Perhaps, its time we need to understand the futility of life itself or else tomorrow when the mountains roar, heavens bled and the ocean comes to our homes, the blame will still lie with Mother Earth.</div>
</span></div>
</div>
Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912194314353994789.post-9294587290672006382015-04-04T02:31:00.001+05:302015-04-04T15:59:57.628+05:30From Bomkesh Bakshi to Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9WfC2JMwmCK9gl_hgcSQ1UFOUSrLVbIQAs5wNWWeBOYn0QHpKzMTWa1nSrXqPA5j_PgrfolRTjYbjO0lHavrV1Y8LZDnx_Ohb7tXsNYb3I1hr4-fdeB941Lleq_UXzsGXTM1_hkgTWY/s1600/Detective_Byomkesh_Bakshi_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9WfC2JMwmCK9gl_hgcSQ1UFOUSrLVbIQAs5wNWWeBOYn0QHpKzMTWa1nSrXqPA5j_PgrfolRTjYbjO0lHavrV1Y8LZDnx_Ohb7tXsNYb3I1hr4-fdeB941Lleq_UXzsGXTM1_hkgTWY/s1600/Detective_Byomkesh_Bakshi_poster.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">M</span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">any Many summers ago, I remember giving my lessons to </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">my mother to earn a meeting with a dhoti-kurta clad man who </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">called himself Byomkesh Bakshi. He came on Tv, solving </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">difficult and complicated cases with his wit and intelligence. </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">He seemed to be a simple man with a nice and warm </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">personality. In no time, we became his biggest fans and he the h</span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">ero of our childhood fantasy. Though a lot of it we hardly </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">understood then, we still fantasied to be a detective.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But then we grew up and got busy with our lives. Lost in the </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">hustle and bustle of life, intertwined with the complications which </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">has slipped into our own lives we somehow had forgotten that </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">dhoti-clad man. </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Sometimes when Rajat Kapoor popped up in the screen, he </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">reminded us of Bomkesh. We saw Mr Kapoor in many shades </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">after that but nothing could replace the dhoti-kurta clad man.</span></div>
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Even in this commotion of life, Bomkesh Bakshi sometimes <span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">peeped at us through some websites or newspaper articles or </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">jumped into our discussions with friends.</span></div>
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So when Detective Byomkesh Bakshy was set to be made into a hindi <span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">bollywood movie I had doubts but when I heard it was Dibakar Banerjee, </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">who would be at the helm, i wanted to give him a shot. Someone, who has </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">directed four completely different films on four different subjects and </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">treatment, he was definitely worth a shot.</span></div>
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When Sushant Rajput was cast as Byomkesh, my heart <span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">sank. A 2 and a half old film actor for such a celebrated </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">character? I again had doubts and once again I placed my </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">faith on Banerjee. I am glad that Banerjee didn't disappoint me.</span></div>
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He completely reinvented Bomkesh Bakshi <span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">without compromising on its soul. He made him a little grey, he </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">made him a part of the mystery which he was trying to solve. </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rajput brought a cookiness, innocence and intrepidness to the </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">character. He was nothing like the dhoti-kurta clad man of my </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">childhood fantasy but still he made me to stay with him, always </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">apprehensive to trust him completely, but eventually accepting </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">him as a new-age young Bomkesh, who probably would be </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">more relatable to the kids of this generation and has the </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">potential to grow into a fantasy of the new age India.</span></div>
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Banerjee has stamped his authority on the screenplay and the way he has <span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">created a Kolkata of 1940s, getting down to the last details, and shot it so </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">beautifully through a tram journey at the start of the film, its simply </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">commendable. The trash metal background score, the colour and texture </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">of the film gives it a touch of a stylish and edgy political thriller.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, lucida grande, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But despite the films numerous positives, still there would be people, both bengalies and non-bengalies, who might stay away from the theaters for </span></span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">their own contrasting reasons. So to them, I would like to say: Bongs don't </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">go looking for Bongness as you won't find one and non-bongs don't rule </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">out the film because it might have bongness. You need to trust Banerjee </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">here and see it just as another political crime thriller and you might just </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">like it.</span></div>
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Go with an open mind, give this 'Detective Byomkesh' a chance and if you</div>
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are following closely, you will surely go on amazing ride. I had my ride. For</div>
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now, I am staying with this Byomkesh!!!<br />
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Amit Kumar Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507958743875516328noreply@blogger.com0