Dear Zindagi

Gauri Shinde is a genius.

When she re-launched Sridevi in "English Vinglish", she took the industry and the viewers by storm. The movie had only Sridevi as a "star", who was doing this movie as a comeback. Apart from that, there were the character actors, and a foreign star or two. But the movie was backed by powerful performances by all the actors but most of all it was backed by a solid story and great direction.

The story was so relevant. The dilema of a woman who is constantly battling with her battered confidence because of her lack of education/knowing english, it hits hard even to women who are educated, but decide to give up their careers for families! While that story was all about empowering the woman in you, Dear Zindagi hits a chord which no one is willing to discuss.

The story of DZ is about a girl, who is always angry, except when she is with her core group. She angry at the boys that she is dating, and she is angry at her parents. She hears about the "Brain Doctor" (BD) from a friend, who says that he needed to go see him not because he had to come out of the closet but because he needed to accept himself being gay.
The story then follows the journey of our protaganist with her therapist and the various bits of advisory that he gives her. And, while in our world of too much knowldege and opinions (and because I know that there is a psycologist/therapist, who follows this blog), there are people who are saying that "therapy does not work this way", all I have to say is that it is a movie and they disclaimed that it is a work of fiction and that they are not endorsing any medical advise. And from my limited knowledge I think the common thing is that- there is no definition of psycology and that each patient that a counsellor/therapist interacts with gives them a new insight, because we all are inherently different.
So that aside, in the movie we find that our protagisnist Kaira, has abandonment issues because of an incident etched in her mind and that is becoming a vicious circle for her. We see how in the sessions, our therapist Dr. Jehangir "Jug" Khan, pulls out a lot of wisdom, and helps her cope.

While the movie deals with only one of the major aspects of our lives "abandonment issues", I feel that it encourages the likes of us (the new age, always running) people to stop and evaluate our lives, to really think about things that matter and to let go.
And yes it does touch upon the chord of mind illnesses being a tabboo in our society and how it is time to really embrace our pshycological needs as a part of our health issues. In an interview that I read of Gauri Shinde, she empahsises on the fact that it is important to recogonize the fact that sometimes we are not okay. That we are emotionally drained and that too should be recogonized as a legit reason to stay home,

For someone like me, who does believe in power of therapy, because I have been through it, this movie really did tug my heart strings. It was not preachy, just practical. Alia Bhatt and SRK have given great performances, and if you really go with an open heart and an open mind you will come out with a lot of points to ponder, and some that you may want to really inculcate in your daily life!

So, go see this movie for a refereshing break from the usual cinema that you watch and for some life changing lessons, that you may like!

Q is for Queen

This post is not about the Queen of England, but about a movie that released sometime last month titled as "Queen". 

A story of a girl named Rani (translates to Queen in English), whose fiance leaves her because she is not like him any more, two days before the marriage and how she goes to her honeymoon all by herself. 

It is not a journey about her finding new love, and getting her fiance jealous, and winning her love back. 

This movie is about her journey to find her own self. Realising the value of the fact, that it is so important to respect yourself, your wishes in order to find true happiness. 

This movie has won the accolades of the critics as well as the audience. 

My guess is that , most of us could relate to the journey that Rani took.. The one of self discovery, of learning how love yourself, of embracing the differences that each culture brings, and how friendship knows no language, no boundaries and how important the journey is and not the destination. 

In a life, where we are stifled by the expectations of the society, it is so important to know and understand that no one is entitled to love you like you can love yourself. 

That it is very important to give yourself the respect that you deserve so that you can achieve the dreams that you want to achieve and not what the society wants you to achieve!

With fabulous performances by Kangna Ranout and the rest of the crew, this movie is definitely a classic, not to be missed. 

Vicky Donor

First, kudos to the film-makers for taking up such a sensitive topic and then setting the same in a conservative, Hippocratic Delhi ka Lajpat Nagar, where the people mind more of other's business than their own.
Second, kudos to the audiences who have accepted the movie. As it is. No big names, no big sets and no  item numbers, I think, I like this movie the most amongst the ones that have released this year.

The story is as simple as it can get, an infertility specialist *who runs his clinic out of the very shady Darya Ganj*, a south delhi da punjabi munda bought up by a widow mother and grandmother, who is 25 and doesn't give a care *Doesn't want to join his tayaji's business, but knows the ins and outs of how to do the beauty treatment at his mother's parlour* and the beautiful banker babe, who is an independent working bengali girl.

The doctor needs a donor to save his clinic and Vicky's *sadde dilli da punjabi munda* great grandfather bore 19 children, the last one at the age of 78.
And, wham, starts the journey of the doctor to convince Vicky, that sperm donation is completely legal, and pays really well, both in "cash and kind".
After days and days of stalking, pestering and convincing sadda Vicky agrees to become a sperm donor, and that is when his life changes. From cash to kind, Vicky is now an earning member of the family.

While Vicky is donating his sperms, he is also wooooing the Girl of his dreams, Ashima Roy, a bengali babe who is a divorcee and does finally gives way to the charms of sadda Vicky. And in the background there are the expert comments via the dialogues exchanged between the super modern Beeji and typical punjabi mother *A atypical saas bahu, who drink their whiskey at the end of a long day*

The story is about how, the wife who could not get pregnant copes with the fact that her husband has fathered so many children. The movie was about accepting that and forging new mentalities and stronger relationships.

The apprehension of the sperm donation being a 'ganda dhanda' and the non society looking down at it... has been dealt with so much maturity, that it is hard to believe that this movie has been conceived by an Indian, and most of all, has been made into a commercial movie.

Each character was portrayed with an amazing amazing maturity, that is hard to believe...
Annu Kapoor as Dr. Baldev Chaddha;
Ayushman Khurana as Vicky the donor;
Yaami Gupta as Ashima Roy, the bengali babe;
Dolly ji as Vicky's Mom and;
Vicky's Beeji...
Each one of them makes you a part of a movie experience that makes you smile, cry and bring back home great memories of a movie that is well made!

Vicky to his Beeji, "Poori Delhi mein sirf do hi toh cheezein modern hain, ek Delhi ki metro aur doosri meri beeji"

PS: The favorite moments for me and my mum in the entire movie were when the Panju-Bengali wedding was taking place :P We just LOVED it :)

And, btw, my Mom thinks that this movie is totally oscar material, therefore in case you were planning to give the movie a miss, think again, go see it :)

  

Ek Main aur Ek Tu

Snippets of too many English movies rolled into one.
Absolutely passable.
But, it does have it's moments. Well, actually at a lot of places it reminded me, of me, and in not such a pleasant way.
The only only thing that I loved about the movie, was it's song 'Kar Chalna shuru tu'
Leaving you all with it, hope you like it too :)



PS: My sister in law also has a lil cameo in it *Look out for the girl in the grocery store who asks for the 50 cents ;)*

November Update!!!

Yes there are things other than weddings that are also happening my life. Please appreciate the fact that this is the wedding season.. and like Best Friend puts it, we are in that age group, where most of our friends are getting ready to get married.
So, yes, one of my closest college friend is getting married, making me realize that my time too is near. It is just weird though, because the whole thing that I will have to leave my house, to go in to another house and make it mine and live there, all my life.
The whole leave behind all your life and picking up the pieces anew is a scary thing. It makes me nervous. Because, I know that life is gonna take a 360 degree turn and I can't do anything about it. Because ironically getting married to the bf is one thing that I really want.

*****

Office is going great. *touch wood*. There is work. And my kind of work. My only complaint is my salary. :|

I wish that they would increase it soon.

Since my desk at office had a previous owner, it's drawers were not empty. I would tell her to clear it, and she would forget it. 

Today, I cleared em for her. Put my stuff in it. And made the desk my own. In all respects. I am no more a tenant. I have become the owner and a part of the firm completely. 

Yes, bitterness at being cold shouldered by the extension office a.k.a previous office, does creep in. But I am managing. I am slowly forgetting.

******

There is the Delhi Judicial Services exam that is coming up. Since it is in Delhi, no point hiding it from the college batch mates, coz I have been told that my entire batch and the batch junior to me are all giving that paper. No, I am not hopeful at all. Though, I am trying to study very hard. 

******

Can you imagine, that me being a SRK fan has not watched Ra.One. Yup, I am upset. But now it is hardly on at any nearest cinema ghar. So to make up for that, I am going to watch Tintin this Saturday. At any cost.

******

I miss having bf in town. There is hardly anybody that I can go out with. I went out for a coffee today, after ages. :| 

*****

And I have been told by a million people that I need to loose weight.. someone inspire me to get rid of the lazy me!! :(

*****

Lastly, I have become super obsessed with the song 'Katiya Karoon' from Rockstar. It just doesn't get outta my head! And the weirder part is that, when it was released I just did not like it. I started liking the song only after I watched the movie, which by the way is good in parts. I absolutely did not like the second half. The movie could have been crisper and shorter. Somehow the dots just did not connect in the second half.. I absolutely loved the first half. It was just right. Nargis Fakhri, well, can't act. Ranbir Kapoor has out done himself. And A.R. Rahman is back with a bang. His music had become repetitive but in Rockstar, he has proved again why was he given that Oscar!!! Also if you go watch the movie, don't miss the dance sequence that introduces Nargis Fakhri, that has been choreographed by The Danceworx, the place where I danced and my dear darling instructor R was in there and I saw him shouted, 'Oh my God, that is R!!' in the hall in a loud voice!! :) 

*****

Just a little help here- I need to gift a friend couple of ours something for their engagement- and somehow, can't think of something nice.. please suggest!! Thanks :)  

Blockbuster Movie weekend

Shayon is a movie buff, and trust me, the fever of watching movies catches up real quick!
So here we were, desperately trying to get decent tickets for two of the most awaited movies EVER!
And after two hours of negotiation with the movie hall server and our timings we finally got tickets for both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -Part 2 and Zindagi na Milegi Dobara. (This happened last weekend BTW)
And here are my reviews!

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara:-


Farhan Akthar is to die for. The chemistry between Farhan, Abhay & Hrithik, takes the cake. As a matter of fact, the ladies in the movie were there because, the story had to be told. And this was a story very well told through the eyes of the director a.k.a Zoya Akthar.
Yes, you will be reminded of Dil Chahta Hai- Alot, but then this movie is very different from DCH at various levels.
First, being that, these are friends from school and now leading their own lives. Its, almost like, where DCH left off, Zoya weaves her story from there. It is not about the past, but about the future.
The movie starts with Abhay Deol proposing to his lady love, and then starts a journey into the beautiful country of Spain. What starts as a Bachelor party * Road Trip *, slowly turns into a trip that makes me let go of their past, their pain and to start anew.

The story is backed by some tremendous performances!
Farhan Akthar as Irfan is amazing with his 'chance pe dance' attitude and amazing one liners! The one that stuck with me is when he introduces him self to Katrina Kaif:
"Hey tumhara naam kya hai?
Hi, I am Laila...
Hi Laila mera naam Irfan hai, but mere dost mujhe pyaar se Majnu bulate hain"


Abhay Deol as Kabir was the thread that bound the friendship of the 'Three Musketeers'. And he is amazing at maintaining the friendship between all the three friends!
Yes, he is cute :D
And Hritik as Arjun, is awesome at portraying the guy obsessed with money so that he can live life king size after retirement!

Kalki as the insecure to be bride is good, and so is Katrina Kaif. She is herself, foreign bred and born.. totally bindaas and amazingly natural for the plastic doll she otherwise is!

Trust me, you will fall in love with Spain! Somehow, the movie makers are re-discovering the joy of shooting at the most virgin locations in the world!

And amazing movie with loads of credit going out to the movie makers for using the Fraaandhips of the Baaouys to the maximum extent and not messing it up with the who love shove ka scene!

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Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows -2


If bollywood came out with its blockbuster, how could hollywood be far behind, and thus the last leg of the journey of Harry Potter & his friends finally hit the theaters world wide!

Yes, I am a big fan. Yes, I did laugh and cry at the closure. But, does Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows -2 live up to the expectations... did it do justice to all the built up that it created in Part-1 of movie? Well, the answer to this is a Yes & a No!
I feel that, part 1 of the movie did justice to the book that was written, and the climax that I was hoping for, well it did not come. Ofcourse, boyfriend kept on telling me through out the movie to treat is more like a movie and lesser like an adaptation of a book. But, alas! That advice was all in vain.

The journey begins where it was left in Part 1, where Harry, Ron & Hermoine, start their search for the lost horcruxes that lead to the final show down between Lord Voldemort and 'The Boy who Lived'. The most amazing part of the movie is when Harry comes back to Hogwarts, the place where it all started and the entire school stands up to support him and his cause. It is then, when the movie becomes not about Harry alone, but about all those who have supported and saved him thus far.
Yes, its a magnum opus.
But, I still feel that the director could have done a better job in interpreting the duels between the wizards and the death eaters, especially the actual confrontation between Harry & Voldemort. The extravagant ride that J.K. Rowling take you into in her book, is not reflected too well in the movie.

In the end, all I would say is that, if you are yet to see the movie, try and see it as a movie and not as a book adaptation, it will help you realise the movie through the eyes of the director rather than the author.

Mr. Filch after all the students in Hogwards are gathered in the Great Hall, before the fight begins running into the Great Hall and shouting:
"Students in hall, students in the corridor, students out of bed"
Professor McGonagoll "They are supposed to be out of their beds, you idiot!"


I really hope you guys have fun in catching these movies! Please see them in the halls! They deserve to be seen on the big screen!

Band Baaja Baraat!!!

Yes I know, I am sorta late in watching this movie, but never the less I achieved this great thing tonight and watched the movie in original print! *yes, please applaud for me!*

I can't write a review on this movie. I think that this is one of the most deserving movie of last year. And to be honest, this movie, touches a chord somewhere. Shruti Kakkar is so much like Sakshi Chopra, ki haaye mera dil aa gaya!
And Bittoo Sharma- I am totally fida over him! I can't imagine any one else portraying these two characters on screen.. trust me, Anushka surpassed the chichrapanti of Kajol in K3G! So that is a HUGE compliment.

So if you all have seen Baan Baaja Baraat, and see the joy on their faces when they make the wedding such a special day for the couple, that is exactly what I feel about weddings.. the atmosphere, the family, every thing!

Yup, I have lost it! :P
But I just ADORED the movie!
Here is my totally fav song from the movie that did great biness!! ;)

Aisha

"Tum ho kamal,
tum bemisaal,
tum laajawab ho Aisha!!"

Yeah! I went and watched Aisha! And no it is not as bad as everyone is saying it to be. Yes, there is no scope of any acting per se, because all of them are playing the part of what they really are, super rich and super spoilt to the core. So, well, they are just being natural.

But it was a refreshing change to watch nice, wearable glamorous wardrobe and lovely make up. It was fun to see Aisha drive her beetle *THAT IS LIKE THE CAR*, most of all the movie in itself was very easy going. The subject was not intense, it was just another love story with loads of love connections going wrongs and feelings being read all wrong.
It is inspired from 'Emma', the English Movie was much better, but yeah you can see the shades of inspiration in the whole movie. It is the way the movie has been done.
Aisha is a story of each of us in some ay or the other, I mean of course we do not have the money that she had, but we all have tried and failed miserably in match making and reading all the signals wrong. It is about having the fights with your friends because of your attitude problem and then making up again, or just about anything random that we have all experienced in our lives atleast once.
I know I have!

Sonam Kapoor as Self indulgent Aisha is good. She is fashionable but her acting is becoming sorta monotonous.
Abhay Deol as Arjun is awesome. He is an Investment banker and plays the part of the guy next door madly in love but will ignore her till she realises really well! *I am a HUGE fan*
Cyrus Sahukar as Randhir Gambhir is great. He as a matter of fact has out performed the protagonists in the movie. I really loved the way he did his part.
Ira Dubey as Pinky Bose has the MOST hilarious one liners. She is perfect for the role of Aisha's best friend, who is single ready to mingle, opinionated.. and lost in the world.
Amrita Puri as Shefali from Bahadurgarh, is acting real time with panache. She has brought out the character of this small town girl who is ready for the marriage market and wants a hi-fi dulha so well, that it is surprising.
Her comment on Jodhpurs *the pants you wear to play polo* "Yeh kaisi se pant pehni hai,iski toh fitting hi itni khraab hai"
Lisa Haydon as Aarti the New York return friend of Arjun. She looks like Angeline Jolie. Has an accent like her.. yeah so if you look at her you mistake her for Ms. Jolie. I know I did.

The music of the movie is nice and peppy and has that new age feeling to it. My favourite song in the movie is 'Mithi Mthi Bol', there is a Bachata *Its a latin american dance form* number in it, and it has been choreographed by none other than my dance class people and they are in the video too.. so, I sat and pointed out as many as I could.

The movie has so many brands advertising themselves, that you would feel at times that you are watching well shot ads, but please keep your eyes open, coz some of the things are really great. Especially her wardrobe!
So go and have fun..

My Name is Khan

.... Khan from the epiglottis. 

Yes!!! Finally, finally, I got to see the movie. Trust me, sometimes it is good not to listen to friends who tell you that the movie is not good. It's almost like- Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder sort of a thing when it comes to movies like My Name is Khan.
My father was not too impressed and I Loved it . And, a lot of blogs had already narrated the story, and smses that had given away the suspense. To be very honest, those posts and smses could not even come close to what the story was. What did they miss out?
Well, the entire movie.

The movie is much more than the story. It was the strong performances by ALL ALL the actors in the movie. The movie is so not like typical Karan Johar movies. MNIK shows another side of KJo, a side which he has beautiful put on the big screen.
SRK as Rizwan Khan has done a great job. Only a great actor can portray with such panache such difficult role. Look at his eyes carefully and you will realise that they are constantly unfocused, like they are supposed to be.

Kajol as Mandira was at her BEST. From the very first shot that she entered the movie, she takes your breath away. She is looking beautiful. Perfection at her best.

Kajol & SRK- OMG OMG- The chemistry that they create on the screen, it crackles on screen and comes right on your face. Be it a simple hair cut that Kajol  gives to SRK, or the conversation between them on their wedding night.
As an autistic Rizwan doesn't like being touched...on that night
Mandira- Khan, you know, this can't be done without touching.
Khan- I know.
Mandira- You know?
Khan- Yes I read it in this book- Intercourse for Dumbos.
It was funny, sweet, and in a way sexy.

Jimmy Shergill & Sonya Jehan as Rizwan Khan's brother and sister in law have done a great job. A special applause to Sonya, she did her part in the movie with sooo much of grace, that it was wow.

And EVERY other actor be it the mother, the kids who were the part of the movie... they all were at their best.

Now,People have been screaming hoarse saying that the plot is lose. That the story is just about okay. The message of the movie is so simple. And at the same time so BEAUTIFUL. The movie focuses on the good. And not on the evil. The movie talks about a love that just knows love. Who wouldn't want to be with a man who would go to any lengths just to tell her and express her how much he loves her. This essence of the strory was missed by most, or so I feel.
I think, that, where ever, 9/11 has been talked about in the movies, or the atrocities following 9/11 have been talked about, it was only hate. Only violence that was shown.
And this is where the movie is different. It does show the atrocities, but it also shows the love and the kindness of the people.
It shows the initial apprehension of the american society towards the Muslims at large, but it also shows the acceptance in the form of Sara, who despite losing her husband was okay being friends with Mandira, or the saloon owner who gave her the job, or Mama Jenny who fed Khan and gave him shelter.

World would be much more beautiful place to stay, if we just understand that where even hate and rage can't push a mountain, love can melt it. The movie touched my heart. And I totally loved it.
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From the trailer of Kites- How so you say 'I Love You' in Hindi? Main ullu ki patthi hoon.
Totally apt translation I must say...!!! 

Happy Friendships Day...

I have no cheesy quotes.

No literary expressions.

I am just going to wish you all a very Happy Friendships Day.

This year for the first time in a long long time, I feel an urge to go out and select a friendship's band and give it to all my friends.

Yeah, this year, I have made a lot of friends. And they are very nice. They have re instilled my faith in the fact that- There are people in this world who are not mean and who still make friends just to make friends.

Thank you-

D.O., Kashvi, Ki, MOO, Gakash... and Chandu... Roop... You all have given me a new lease.. not just by the way you write but also by the way you perceive life. Each of you with your own experience has enriched me...

Happy Friendships Day..

Love you...

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In other news- Please go watch Love Aaj Kal. Its BEAUTIFULLY made. Ofcourse not as peppy as Jab we Met. But surely, a much more refreshing take on how love and friendships develop in this ' Practical' world.

I loved the way Imtiaz has treated the story. Its beautiful.

The movie has its moments. The ones that make you reflect on your life.

The ones that make you realise- That how important is it to recognize love and to fulfill its destiny right here right now in this life, because we are just 'aam junta-the mango people' and not lovers who were never destined to be together.

Watch it and tell me if you liked it.

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.....

A movie which has Amitabh Bachchan singing a song and not having a dialogue in the entire length of the movie....???

Interesting huh... I just came back after watching JBJ... and trsut me if you are planning to just freak out and are not interested in serious movies..its a must watch. The story begins when two strangers i.e- Ricky(AB's Baby) and Al(Priety) are forced to wait for 2 hours on the station waiting for a train to arrive. And guess what- Both are waiting for their Fiances... and that is where the twists and turn begin. A light hearted movie inter woven with loads of song and dance sequences. The title number is the most amazing and rocking of em all. Be it the Amitabh version or the Disco version. There is also an amazing romantic number...

The coustumes...or rather the clothes- were amazing. The scene creation was also very good. Though not Shaad Ali's best, but movie has great one liners, and lots of old songs in the background to create effect.

Now as for acting- All the characters- Ricky, Al , Aniada(Lara Dutta) and Steve(Bobby Deol) have done a great job. Special mention here about Bobby... he has done amazing bit of acting for his small role..and the same goes for Lara...she is very convincing in her character.

I really liked it... I hope that you too..have fun.

Salaam-e-Ishq

Everybody falls in love... and well you ahve truely loved someone you would probably relate to the six couples that have portrayed the theme.."Love is a problem" all too well...!!!

The critics havent reviewed this movie well at all.. I din read the reviews at all.. because i wanted to see the movie. I saw is four days after it was released.. and of course there were who had seen it... and most of whom who had seen it.. said that it was foolish to watch the movie... it is 3 hour fourt minute movie.. but if you go on my words its never really streched. I believe that six love stories rolled into one... it deserves atleast this much of time...!!!

Out of the six couples in the movie, Ashu n Tehzeeb (John n Vidya) have the most rocking chemistry that sizzeles the screen. There is a lot of one liners that make you laugh at the emotional moments, otherwise adding alot to the element of humour are Phoolwati n Ramdayal (Isha Koppikar n Sohail Khan) and the mis communication between Raju taxiwala ( Govinda) and his madam Stephanie. Akshaye Khanna who has played the role of Shiven, does a la saucy guy with perfection.... and well Anil kapoor and Juhi Chawala, pulled off their parts really well as well. And then there are Salmaan n Priyanka, who constantly banter at each other... while chosing between dreams and love...!!!

Then there are few one liners.. (highly emotional) which would make for some perfect proposal lines.

And then there is the music of the movie.... which is mind blowing.... !!!

Over all I LOVED the movie.... and must see atleast once even if you are not the romantic movie type... alright.. you don wanna go.. make your gal/guy happy and take em with you....!!!

Here is one line.. which is pretty inspiring to make you fall in love...

"Pyaar waqt dekhkar nahin kiya jaata,usse kiya jaate hai jiske
saath aap waqt guzaartien hain"