अंतर्द्वंद

बिखरे से पल , बिखरा हुआ मैं ..
हर पल उलझन , उलझा हुआ मैं ..
क्या सुनु ,क्या कहू , क्या करू ,
समय से लड़ता हुआ मैं ..

एक सोच थी या बचपना ..
साथ हसीं था , मंजिल भी नजदीक लगती थी ..
सूरज भी था मुट्ठी में ,
और आसमा शायद अंत था जहाँ का ..

न सोच थी न ही बचपना ..
टूट के चुभे जब तो एहसास हुआ ,
सब कुछ एक सपना था .

सब झूठ लगता है अब ..
हर एक सपना टुटा हुआ लगता है अब ..
समय जल्दी बीत गया या मैं ही तेज़ चला ,
सब कुछ छूता हुआ लगता है अब .

जिंदगी खूबसूरत तो है पर हर पल नहीं ..
सुलझती है उलझने पर हर दम नहीं ..
कुछ उलझनें अनसुलझे ही अच्छे होते हैं ..
कुछ सपने टूटे हुए ही अच्छे होते हैं ..
उलझनें ना हो तो , जिंदगी जिंदगी कहाँ ??
सपने ना टूटे to, जिंदगी सच कहाँ ??

Not in IMDB 250 but worth watching- Part 1

IMDB-250 has been a reference to watch movies for quite some time. Most of the movies on the list are watched by everyone. So I ‘m going to list few movies which are good but somehow miss out from the IMDB 250.



The man from earth ( imdb 8.2) Even after having a rating of 8.2 the movie doesn’t feature on IMDB’s 250 list. The movie got popular by word of mouth and now it’s an extremely popular movie among the downloaders. The producers of the movie thanked torrent for making the movie popular. Filmed in a single location (mostly a room) with an average camera and at very small budget, Movie boasts an extremely novel and powerful script. If you haven’t watched it and you think yourself a movie buff then you should seriously rethink.


Babel( imdb 7.6) Third and last in the death trilogy of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel is underrated with quite a distance. A bullet is fired by a kid in Morrocco and lives of characters spanning 3 continents change dramatically. With chilling background score by Gustavo Santaolalla and a great script by Guillermo Arriaga and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu makes it a must watch.

Dead man walking (imdb 7.6) Directed by Tim Robbins (aka Andy Dufrense :P:P ), this movie depicts the last few months of a prisoner waiting on the death row. An Oscar winning performance by Susan Sarandon , an awesome Sean Penn as sexist, racist , unrepentant prisoner waiting for execution and a superb screenplay (adapted by the novel by same name) by Tim Robbins makes this a must watch.

Road to Perdition ( imdb 7.8) Adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, Road to Perdition is a critically and commercially acclaimed film. Joseph Conrad set new benchmarks in cinematography with this movie. Packed with powerful performances by Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Tyler Hocehlin as young Michael Sullivan Jr. and well directed by Sam Mendes, the movie is a must watch.

Lost in translation ( imdb 7.9) Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Lost in translation is a beautiful movie. A strong screenplay and great direction, this movie is worth every penny you spend for the DVD or every minute you spend on downloading it. Bill Murray has given such an assured performance that you wonder many a times whether he is acting. Scarlett Johansson also gave a fine performance which is still considered by many as her best.

Born on 4th of July ( imdb 7.1) Another underrated movie. Based on the autobiography by Ron Covic, it depicts the post war trauma suffered by a soldier who is crippled below the waist. One among the Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War trilogy (Others are “Platoon” and “Heaven and Earth”), the movie is full of patriotic fervor and emotional quotient. Tom cruise gave his career best performance and earned his first Oscar nomination. (He eventually lost it to Daniel Day Lewis in “My Left Foot”).

Borat( imdb 7.6) No story line, no ensemble cast (only four actors -Rest of the characters in the movie are real life characters), no chilling stunts.Nothing. But this mocumentary movie will have you in splits. IT's an absolute laugh riot. Sasha Baron Cohen in the lead role is extreme fun. If you want to laugh, get this movie.

My cousin Vinny (imdb 7.3) This light and funny movie will surely tickle your laughing bone. With Joe Pesci and Marisha Tomei putting in a great performance, the movie never dips and makes a refreshing watch.

Why do I hate Chennai?

I always considered Chennai as great place. Not because I lived there for sometime or I had any personal connection or pleasant memories but for some not-so- pertinent reason. Chennai has a stadium called Chepauk(well,the actual name of the stadium is MA Chidambaram but I like to call it Chepauk which is the place where stadium is located) which witnessed most memorable innings in the long cricket career of Maestro. He produced gem after gem of an innings there. Be it immortal yet heartbreaking 136 against PAK or 155 against the mighty AUS or 101* against ENG after Mumbai Terror attacks.


But more prominent exposure Chennai got on my thoughts when my friends were posted there in a bulk. It gave me a chance to visit the city which was subjected only the negative comments from almost everyone from north.
As the time went, I visited Chennai for a number of times and the myths, prejudices and negativism exploded with each visit. Each visit brought new things which negated my earlier projections.

Chennai is hot-> But North is hotter, the heat there takes lots of lives every year. At least you don’t die by heat in Chennai.
Chennai is not cold-> But better than the chilling cold of north. At least you don’t die by cold in Chennai.
Unfortunately, the rainy season too brings death to lot of people in north. Out of 12 months in a year, only 6 months are livable in north and I guess same thing can be said about Chennai. (Don't get any wrong notions with the world livable- for people living in Sinai desert or Tundra, those places are also livable)
Food is bad-> Which place on earth will you get good food without paying some good bucks? In North?? Spend the same amount in Chennai and you will get similar results.
Transportation-> Chennai has a great transportation system. Why curse Chennai if companies built their offices 60 kms far from city?
Chennai is Hell-> So are other places anywhere in the world apart from your room in your home town.
Humidity-> Ohh, I never thought that other coastal cities Hyderabad, Kolkata, Trivandrum, Mangalore, Mumbai or Goa don’t have humidity. :P
Language-> We feel so proud that India is a diverse country. Then why can’t we respect that diversity?
Autowallah-> Well, this one is the most immature argument. Does anyone find good and honest autowallah anywhere in India? (Exceptions excluded)
Discrimination-> Yes, it happens sometimes. A hindi speaking guy pays more than a tamil speaking guy. But for few exceptions you cannot jump to such stupid conclusions.

I gauged the frustrations in my friends living there but it had nothing to do with the city. It had more to do with the distance with the office. Every day they spend 1.5 hrs back and forth in travel, 66 hrs a month in trains, buses and autos.

I tried to argue these points, uselessly of course, whenever someone raised these points. People are so hell bent on proving their prejudices correct that after sometime I gave up. Instead of arguing, I added one more point to their repertoire which was the only stupid and extremely frivolous reason I, yours truly, found to hate Chennai. :):)
So why do I hate Chennai?? Coz Chennai has very limited brands in Liquor. Well, that point is true, unfortunately. And if by any chance, you drink vodka then you might return thirsty. :)

Every place has its own history, culture, shortcomings and qualities. Then why not trying to soak the cultural differences and start giving respect instead of trying to create your own futile and highly prejudiced environment. Rise above the stated boundaries. They were made only for the better administration and decentralization.

Stop complaining. Start Adjusting.
Hail India.

Of realities and entertainment-- PEEPLI live( a review)

"So extraordinary is the development in India that it's easy to overlook the fragility and unevenness in the economic boom.As you leave Gurgaon and drive down the Jaipur Highway, it is like heading back in time to an older, slower, pre-modern world.Within twenty minutes of leaving the swanky malls and headquarters of Microsoft and Google Asia, cars and trucks are begining to give way to camel and bullock carts. Suits and denims to dusty cotton dhotis and turbans.This is very different India indeed, places suspended between modernity and tradition." William Dalyrmple in his book 'Nine Lives'.

The inequality between haves and have-nots in the society has grown.But Peepli live is not only about the inequality.It is a film which shows the uncomfortable truths which we try to avoid knowingly or unknowningly. It hits hard on the face. You laugh throughout the film but come out thinking and that is where the film scores.Coming out of multiplex, I watched the faces of those coming out,thinking about why this movie hit me hard? Wasn't it supposed to entertain us? We don't come to watch this kind of cinema. We want to relax and have fun. The brooding faces tell the impact of movie.Few of them might not have liked the movie because they don't want to know that reality really bites and farmers do suicide.

It's not only a satire on media as hyped but satire on the every pillar of democracy.It has every type of characters. From elitist to sychophant bureaucrat.From domineering to castist local politician.From a sensation monger to a conscientous journlist.From a poor farmer who dies while digging soil to sell to a CEO of a news network who wants only eyeballs and TRP.

Cliched with all the negatives everyone know, the movie sores high due to its black humor and a definite lack of emotional atyachar. The movie never intends you to teach but to make you think.

Movie: Burdened with the guilt of losing the land due to loan, a naive farmer,Natha is manipulated by his elder brother Budhiya who looks suicide as only option,though reluctantly. Media makes a circus out of it and in all the chaos Natha's feelings are totally ignored and politics takes centrestage.

Direction : Bollywood is somewhat devoid of good and creative female directors (though Farah Khan has carved her own kind of cinema but... ). So Anusha Rizvi is like a breath of fresh air.I must admit I never felt that I am watching a movie made by a debutante director. I'll keep few of my own apprehensions for her next movie though.She was a journalist herself so the cynicism and satire which was centric to her story came from her forte. It will be intersting to watch her next movie.

Performance :Movie derives most of its authencity from its terrific casting. Most of the casts are from Habib Tanvir's Naya Theater.Omkar Das Manikpuri as endearing Natha is marvellous. He depicts his naivete and sufferings with an amazing ease. Raghuveer Yadav is great as always.Farrokh zafar as Amma and Shalini Vats as Dhaniya are superb. Apart from these the characters of Rakesh, the local journo with a consience, Kumar Deepak the hindi news journo and Nandita Mallick ruthless english news journo make their presence felt with their strong character portrayal.

Music: Great background score by Indian ocean and french composer Mathias Duplessy. Its amalgamtes into the soul of movie. Folk song ' Mehangai Dayan' sung by Raghuveer Yadav(The song wasn't recorded in studio. Raghuveer yadav sang it live directly for the movie) is already popular.

Editing: Crisp editing keeps the movie taut throughout.

Cinematography: Super photography. I liked the scene where the camera trembles and goes from the muddy streets to the billboard which says More luxury More space depicting the inequity in indian society. It covers the problem of iniquity with a stroke of camera work.


Verdict:: A must watch movie. Realistic cinema. Go and watch it even if it doesn't entertain you like a masala film, even if it makes you face the harsh realities.

Please don't call cricket a religion.

As per Wikipedia, Religion is the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or in general a set of beliefs explaining the existence of and giving meaning to the universe, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Cricket is one of those ritual observances of India which unites its diversity into one. It has its own set of beliefs and it gives meaning to lives of many. It has score of devotees to the length & breadth of the country where people eat, drink, sleep, talk or rather live cricket. So can we call cricket a religion?Can we accept the cricket as a religion with all the flaws inherent in a religion?

If you ask me, my answer would be a straightforward no. I believe that world is much safer and better place to live without a religion.

Though religion is defined to be containing a moral code which governs the conduct of human beings and tries to curb the animal instincts with different concept of heaven and God,it also gives a chance to redefine and distort the very base of religion. It provides everyone a moral compass to tell how one should lead one’s life. Religion paves the path for redemption of souls and penance for the mistakes but for few vulnerable mortals, religion grows and it covers them to make them a fanatic.

With accepting cricket as a religion we have to accept the fanaticism it brings in. Sachinism is a bright example of cricket fanaticism taken the root from this religion. The fanaticism not only hinders to think constructively but also makes to argue incessantly about how only THE ONE can give you redemption if you are seeking one through cricket. This fanaticism leads them to demean and belittle every other mortal in the religion.

The fanaticism gives excessive intolerance for opposing views and often leads to unyielding and futile discussions and comparisons. Winston Churchill once described a fanatic as one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.

Calling cricket a religion will not be of any help instead it will compartmentalize a nation on a number of deities. How ironic it is that cricket is called a religion for opposite reasons.

If cricket is religion then I will opt for atheism.

POMP, POWER and POLITICS

What A Marriage Means in My Native

Warning: Reader’s discretion required. Please don’t read if you have a very happy image of marriages.

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It means return on investment done on bringing up the perfect groom.

It means loss of substantial portions, sometimes all, of the savings of bride’s family.

It means the perfect case study of money squandering for both parties on the excuse that the marriages are once in life time opportunity of celebrations.

It means that both sides more or less are in debt after the marriage for the next 1-2-3 years depending on the source of income. Even the dowry given to groom’s family is sometimes all used up to balance out their debt.

It means higher costs for everything. Literally everything. 10 Rs/kg of cauliflower will be bought for 100 Rs/kg even in Mandi. You’ll pay 30-35 Rs/ Km or more for the luxury vehicles. (Luxury vehicles will be an Indica or Indigo)

It means gifts given to every relative and extended relative of the groom and the hospitality will be valued on the basis of those gifts. Higher the costs of those gifts, the better the hospitality( even if you didn’t find anything to eat, anyone to tell this and came back cursing the arrangements)

It means to tolerate the problematic relatives who have the habit of creating their own chaos in already chaotic circumstances. No matter how much hospitality you show, there will still be some relatives who'll complain of being ignored at the marriage.

It means the perfect show off in the society to give everyone something to talk about the marriage.

It means the perfect show off of all that jewelleries which have been kept hidden in the trunks for generations and wear them all even if you look like a clown. The more grams of gold on your body, the more virtuous the family.

It means to show off how many people you can call for your Baarat (the procession with groom). The more no. of people in the Baarat, the more social and influential you are.

It means to show off how many people you can feed who came in the Baarat and who came from your side. The more the no of people, the more impactful the marriage you managed.

It means the show off of fire arms. The more fire arms you can flash, the more powerful you are in that area.

It means to show off how many cars, Jeeps, SUVs you can take to the Baarat. The more the no. of vehicles, the more your power and money.


PS: Though I have drawn a very grim picture of my native but unfortunately most of the points are true. Also, I have taken a certain section of society to depict the mindset and these points don’t generalize to each and every marriage in that area. It’s not that marriage celebrations don’t have any positives but my cynicism and derision for above points outweigh those positives.

Vapid, Void and Vulgar Vanity

'The Lost Symbol’- a review



Dan Brown is one among the most celebrated authors writing bestsellers one after another. After 4 successful books, his fifth book The Lost Symbol released in last September. I was eagerly waiting for the book but was very busy with my schedule so reading novels took a backseat. Finally I got my hands on the book and finished it in a jiffy but now, I really wish I’d not have read this book.



Dan Brown is one among the most celebrated authors writing bestsellers one after another. After 4 successful books, his fifth book The Lost Symbol released in last September. I was eagerly waiting for the book but was very busy with my schedule so reading novels took a backseat. Finally I got my hands on the book and finished it in a jiffy but now, I really wish I’d not have read this book.



The Lost Symbol is a typical Dan Brown novel, well researched and well compiled but it falls short of giving convincing reasons to believe in the novel, neither does it gives a good thriller. It looked like those pathetic and thoughtless movie sequels which are made after the success of a movie, just to encash the popularity.

Synopsis: A megalomaniac character Malak’ah wants to discover a secret highly guarded by Freemasons and which has potential to destroy the world. Robert Langdon, the Howard Symbologist, pitches in again to save the world. In the process, he’s helped by multitude of characters.


Review:

NOVEL: The Lost Symbol is extremely predictable, very repetitive, monotonous and boring especially for those who have already read Dan Brown’s previous four books. A lot of questions has been unanswered in the novel or rather were put their considering reader’s intellect as a big zero. Dan Brown has created few moments when one feel engrossed in the novel but those moments are too few. In the end you remain unsatiated.
The novel lacks the flow, it lacks the sharpness of a thriller and it is over dramatic to such extent that it downplays dramatic undertones. In order to create suspense, Brown made the plot so fuzzy that for the whole novel only the Antagonist (villain) was clear of what he was doing, why he was doing and how he was going to do it.

Moreover, at least three times you’ll feel that the torture ended and the story is over, but to your disappointment it doesn’t. No one leaves a novel after reading 350,400,450 pages out of 500 and you have to tolerate to finish the book.

With extremely lousy climax, The Lost Symbol is worst book written by Dan Brown.

CHARACTERS:
Robert Langdon: His character has been already explored in Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code and is projected as extremely intelligent person having photographic memory but strangely enough his character is totally underplayed and overshadowed by other characters.

Sato Inoue: As the director of CIA, she has been projected as a tough and inhuman character but as novel makes its progress, for some strange reasons she becomes milder, vulnerable and human. The fluctuations in her character does nothing to add any value to the novel.

Malak’ah: Perhaps,the best character in the novel. It seems Dan Brown devoted most of his time developing this character but still he came out with very frivolous reasons to justify Malak’ah ‘s metamorphosis into a megalomaniac , power hungry antagonist from a Fun loving, Drug addict, Party Animal and Casanova character.

CIA : CIA is also an important character in the novel. It has been depicted as an agency run by a bunch of jokers . One time they will be highly advanced, omnipresent, omnipotent agency which turns into our very own Indian police when needed most.

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Verdict: 'The Lost Symbol' is a novel which you will love to miss. You can do anything you hate but you better avoid this. Let the symbol be lost.