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Archive for January, 2008

I believe now the “New Year” is over. I can safely be a little cynical about it now [not that I couldn’t have been earlier, nevertheless]. I like even semesters, just because of the fact that in this semester, you can greet anyone under the sun instantaneously by wishing him new year. Crap! That’s the only good use of new year. So why do we have to create so much fuss about it? As I must have mentioned this a million times before as well.. my last 3 31st December nights have been in train, and they weren’t bad either. The train wasn’t running empty on account of last night of the year. Neither the passengers were lamenting. Nothing. It was just another journey in train, no different than so many others of which I’ve already been a part of. But when I tell this to people.. they start empathizing with me as if something so dire and harsh have happened to me. Relax people, its just 31st of December, not 30th of February which will come once in 100 years, rather it comes every year.

***

People, things around me have been changing off late. Rather drastically, and pretty swiftly. Suddenly everyone is getting so serious about careers and all. And I’m scared. Hell scared! Most notorious of people around me have already joined coaching for CAT. I’m in a fix. I need some unbiased and truly professional advice now, corresponding to my present condition. But I know no one in vicinity who’ll be able to do so.

***

Most common complement which I’m getting these days is that my voice is getting better, more masculine, sexy(for some people, over phone). I’m loving it 😛

***

Why did I even think of writing this post? :-O

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Goofy-Spoofy

Sometimes a road less travelled is less travelled for a reason.

Source- Today’s TOI.

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I don’t know about every child, but yes.. every movie with which Aamir Khan has anything to do is definitely way more than just being special. I’ve been his fan –perhaps “fan” is not entirely justifiable, am his admirer- since I saw Ghulam, and ever since he has been delivering astounding, classy performance.. and mind you, not just in terms of acting but also production, and very recently with direction too. Rangeela, Ghulam, Raja Hindustani, Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Mangal Pandey, Rang de Basanti, Fanaa- Munna, Siddhu, Raja, Bhuvan, Aakash, Mangal Pandey, DJ, Rehan. No similarity between any movie and character whatsoever, except that they all are played by one man.. common to all of these- Aamir Khan! These characters are as vivid and fresh in our minds as anything. This is versatility, not to undermine the underlying perfection. The guy has grown over the period of time.
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak came in 1988. It immediately was the hot favourite among youth of those times. It started myriad new trends. He was the style icon back then. Dil Chahta Hai came in 1999, almost 11 years later. Aamir was the hot favourite again. His style was again copied, profusely. He was again the style icon. RDB was trendsetter.

Circa 2008- Aamir is still the style icon. 20 years, and things have constantly been getting better. Yes, Yes.. I’m coming to TZP in a while. I do not care what he is doing in his personal life. We won’t mind him showing attitude in public and press alike. We do mind when he doesn’t do cheap publicity stunts, not showing himself too often, not giving many interviews, never talking about his films beforehand.. but that’s all because we love him. We can never have enough of him. And then if we look at things from his point of view, we are brimmed with awe.. sheer respect for his talents. Let my work -and not me- speak on my behalf. Sure he is hell correct in doing so. I don’t know about olden times, have not seen much of it. But whatever little understanding I have about cinema, I think he is the best product bollywood has ever been able to produce. There is a very little possibility of anyone coming close to him, nonetheless, I place Hrithik and Rahul Bose in the same category as him.. that is what Hollywood-wallas call “Method actors”.

***Time for a Break***

 

..And apparently that break lasted not just for few minutes or hours but days! I’ll not say much about Aamir now. I think I’ve already made my point, despite the fact that I’m still left with so much to write about him yet, nonetheless.. I’ll come to the point now.

Taare Zameen Per. You know, I always used to regret why I didn’t see the greatest movies ever made in theater.. not any more though. For once, I did watch this one in theater. And what an amazing experience it was! Totally worth of the money spent, rather more. First time ever, I witnessed the entire multitude of people with redden eyes. All this, with no deaths, no ultra-sensitive love story, no complex fiction.. nothing. That’s the beauty of perfection. Just a little dyslexic kid winning a painting event makes us all so ecstatic that we are filled with tears. Now I know why people cry when they are too euphoric.

There have been a few other movies which made me cry.. worth mentioning among them are Black[coz of its gloomy shades and apparent drama involved thereafter], some silly bollywood(shahrukh) stuff like Devdas, DTPH, KKHH. Among the Hollywood movies which brought tears to my eyes was Dead Poet’s Society. The movie was nowhere sentimental at all, except the last scene when Robbie Williams comes to collect his stuff for one last time and all students gives him a standing ovation, reciting Oh Captain, My Captain, just the way he taught them. Wonderful! Next I’ll place Cinderella Man and Gladiator. Russell Crow is God, like Al Pacino. And not to forget The Shawshank Redemption.

But all these movies had some real serious stuff. Jimmy was fighting for his life and more, Andy escaped from the prison after 20 years of innocence. Not TZP. It’s different from all of them. And hence it’s better, cinematically. That’s the magic of Aamir Khan. No gaudy starcast, no interviews before the movie release, no desperate publicity, no going to cricket and football matches.. Just plain and simple and superb direction. Mr. Shahrukh, you’ve got a lesson to learn, kindly concentrate on making the movie better, rather than doing all these. Trust me, that’s all that matters in the long run.

This proves that you can make movie on anything, provided if you’ve that talent and this kind of understanding about films. Aamir always had both, and he is quick learner too. He knows exactly where to strike, and this time.. with “what” to strike. There was no story in the movie, just screenplay, and a brilliant one. The cinematography, those close shots of Aamir’s watery eyes, and of Ishaan’s exasperated, troubled looks is more than brilliant. Even all the minor characters were damn so good!

Aah, the music. It’s not Shankar-ehsaan-loy’s, its Aamir’s, again. The best song is Mera Jahaan, with the voice of Adnan Sami.. that add special effects. As if Ishaan’s heart was singing it. Beautiful lyrics, courtesy Prasoon Joshi. He is the new gem of Indian cinema. How could anyone think of this line for a hindi song – sapno sa buna sweater sa warm! I’ve clue how creative he is. The other song ain’t too bad either. In fact every song is worth listening to a million times and more.

Movies can also be made with zilch glamour coefficient, and could be successful too. What we audience want is some non-iterative substance and real good acting. This one had a little overdose of both. And we loved it.

It’s getting too long. Just one last thing- if this movie is not able to bring home Oscar, no other bollywood movie will ever be able to.

Hail Aamir!

 

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Calvin’s Theory

People who get nostalgic about childhood were obviously never children.

Source- Calvin & Hobbes, 1987.

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Wanna Be With You

You know, how it feels to find a coin in your jacket’s pocket which you don’t even remember of. Or to find rupee note in your trouser’s pocket. Now imagine, how would I have felt to find a poem written in one of my very old notebooks! I don’t even remember why did I write it. Nevertheless.. it doesn’t mitigate its flavour. It isn’t good, at least I didn’t like it when I read it yesterday, but still I do suppose it deserves a place here.

I wanna be with you forever,
No matter how much is the pain.

I wanna love you ever,
Even if there is nothing I gain.

I wanna touch you like ever,
And never let it go in vain.

There is no me without you,
Do I still need to explain?

I just want you,
Again, again and Again!

Coz I never had enough of you,
I never would..
..Or else I could;
Only if someone be weary of Bliss…

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I have so much to write! A myriad macrocosm assimilate and vanish, in one blink of eye. Ultimately, it narrows down to these – Tag, Taare Zameen Per, New year. Apparently, going by the their order of importance.. I ought to reciprocate my tag.

I don’t know much about this “tagging” thing. In fact.. I didn’t know anything about it even after I was tagged. I consulted one of my friend [who, by the way is a near professional blogger]. I do try to stick to the rules mostly, but in this case.. as I’m a little ignorant [now you know, why they say ignorance is bliss 😉 ] and also because I want to; I hereby declare these people Tagged

Sachi

Prachi

They rhyme, don’t they? And ironically, I met both of these pretty ladies through their blogs and also almost in the same frame of time.. Howzzat? Anyway, time for replying.. I’m already running late 😛

1. I’m not lazy. I’ve never been! Its just that at times I don’t feel like doing some particular thing. And off late those ‘times’ and ‘things’ have increased manifolds. Thats the only problem. And I need some really tangible, enticing, lucrative incentives to make me work. I do have a strong will power and I can work like anything -that I’ve been doing in the past- only if I see some long lasting purpose in it.

2. I never had slightest of hesitation in making friends online, or for that matter.. offline too. You can label me a very social creature. But the fact is that I’ve always differentiated between my acquaintances and the people whom I consider my “friend” in truest sense of words. Following this paradigm, I’ve also been ditched more than once, as a consequence of which, I had to make a third category which lies somewhere in between these two. Presently, I put most of the people there. It doesn’t hurt thereafter. I may not tell you ever, but I have a place for each one of you.

3. I never was a poet. I don’t think I could ever be. I’ve always believed writing sensible poetry is the most demanding literary task. One has to be born with it, either you have it or you don’t. Unlike writing skills, you can’t develop it over a period of time. I might be wrong, but thats what I believe presently.. it might change later on. For me, the greatest gift to someone would be to compose a poem for him/her. Now you know why I consider poetic people in such high regard.

4. I don’t forget usually. Rather I never forget. If you’re telling me something which I’m not able to recall, the possible reason could be that I was too preoccupied with something else at that time to listen to you with my full concentration, while pretending that I am. I’m sorry, but thats the way I am!

5. I do not consider myself a “good” blogger. Neither an average or bad one. I’m just a blogger, its for the readers[which are very few, nonetheless] to judge how I am. If you ask me, methinks that I’ve written few posts good, others bad.. but mostly average. Besides that, I think I’m good at some sports: Cricket, Football, Badminton to be precise. And by good, I mean really good. I’ve always been a reader, right from the time I can recall. The fact that most people don’t know about me is that my hindi is pretty good. I can safely say that its above average. Thats something which I am proud of. Yeah, patriotism.

6. Talking, Speaking is something which I’m learning recently. To be exact, only after I came to Delhi. Before this, I used to believe in the saying ‘Let your actions speak for thyself‘, no doubt which is absolutely true. But for this to be applicable, the “actions” should be of that kind of. I realized mine never was. So I had no option but to open my mouth.

7. I have some attitude, though I don’t know what kind of. I’m haughty, uppity at times.. and diametrically servile at others. Later, I wonder at my own darings.

Is that it? Or shall I add some more?

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