Sunday, January 30, 2005

Long time No see!

I am back after a long hiatus. I got busy with my exams and I got lazier, as I am already Lazy!!! Meanwhile I read a couple of books and lots of Filmy magazines! Yeah, I love those filmy mags with lots of gossip about phillum-stars!!I read The Godfather by Mario Puzo through my exams. And I must say I was very sad when Sonny was killed! That is the problem with me, I take emotional scenes, whether in movies or books, very seriously! Can't help it!!!And yeah, now that I have read this immensely popular novel, I am waiting for all those movies based on this one like Sarkaar, The Family, etc.I missed the International Film Festival this year because of my exams! I heard it had all the recent releases (like Page 3, Kisna, Amu, Black Friday, etc) plus several good ones from all over the world.
I was talking about Page 3. I am a sort of fan of Madhur Bhandarkar's movies. I liked Chandni Baar, and I loved Satta. I still think Satta is his best one.Anyways, coming back to Page 3. I would say it is a good movie--good theme, good star cast and all. It is something which you would not like to forget so soon. You would recall things long after coming out of the theatre, but having said that, I would also add that the movie lacks a pull which is essential to keep the audience interested. The movie talks about so many things--page 3 people, child molestation, abuse of struggling starlets, bomb blast, journalists, models, homosexuals, people taking advantage of others, and so much more. But still it lacks a thrust.
Konkana Sen lives the character. But I personally loved Sandhya Mridul and Atul Kulkarni. I could not have enough of them. Both were too good! I was wondering if Madhu Bhandarkar could have used an in-your-face type journo in the form of Sandhya, it would have been interesting. Konkana has done justice to her character. The character itself was a little vulnerable sort. And Tara Sharma does not knows acting at all, and to top it she has a very funny voice! I remember when we went to watch Masti, the moment she would say something, the whole theatre would be in splits of laughter--not because the dialogues were funny or she acts funny, but her voice is rather too funny and lacks any emotion! I wonder how directors 'okay' her scenes or dubbing!!!
I have also read somewhere that Mira Nair is making Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake and Konkana has been hired for the role of Ashima Ganguli. Since I read this one also recently, and liked it too, so I am waiting for the movie. Another movie which I want to see is Amu. Looks like I have become a Konkana Sen fan, but the fact is that it is sheer coincidence!
Currently I am reading Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, as I wanted to see what is so good about this children's book series!!! Right now I am in the middle of it, and don't know how I would complete it. It is too childish!!!
I love John Grisham. In fact I love any novel on legal tussles!But I have yet to try several authors. I am so ignorant! What have I been doing all these years, I have not read so many authors yet!

Friday, January 14, 2005

My Bangalore visit, and more!

I left for Bangalore on 8th January by bus (much to my dismay). It is a 17 hour journey by bus. But since I could not get any ticket by train, I had to explore this option. This was my first overnight journay by bus, that too for such long hours. Few minutes after I boarded the bus, a black, sinister looking guy (with a huge mole on his cheek) came to me and asked if anybody was expected next to me. I was terrified, he might plan to seat himself there. So I said-yes! Actually a girl was supposed to come. In fact I was shifted to that seat in order to be next to a girl. It is India after all. And we girls prefer women around during long journeys, you see! But the girl did not materialise. That guy approached me again, and I had to tell him the truth; later I came to know that he was the driver of our bus!!!Anyways, my next trouble was that, the travel agency where I had got my tickets from, called up on my cell to talk to the driver!!!I literally had to sleep for 17 hours, because there was no TV (actually there was a TV, but it was not working, you see).
I reached Bangalore at 7 am, got down at Majestic and called up my brother to inform about where exactly I was standing. I saw my brother after one and a half years. And he has put on weight, though he does not like to believe that. My stay in Bangalore was a sum total of three movies--Choker Baali, Hulchal and Hum Tum--, meeting my family and getting through the nostalgia of that place. I was actually preparing for CAT when I last stayed there for 6 months. So that place is reminiescent of my so-called struggle and uncertainty!
I left Bangalore on 10th Jan by train, reaching Pune on 11th Jan,while my parents and brother left for Goa, for meeting my Uncle and Aunt. I have my 5th Trimester papers from 18th Jan!Another Trimester and MBA at IMDR would be over for me. But it really seems a lifetime of relationship with this institute. Of course when all your friends leave, it no longer would be the same place, but it would be great to come back with my whole group of friends again after a few years!!!

Sunday, January 09, 2005

from Bangalore

I am on my short trip to Bangalore to meet my parents and my big Brother, who has come back after one and a half years in San Fransisco. It is a fleeting visit. I came today morning, and leaving on day after tommorrow.I would be back when I return to Pune. Till then, take care of yourself!

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Life in present tense

I have become quite a lazy bone and regretting that too. I am in the habit of getting up early, walks and exercises! But since last few days, I am rising pretty late and that has taken a toll on my health. Nothing serious, just that I feel drowsy and frail all the time! So I bounced back to my ususal routine today, but since it is a new beginning so I am yet not feeling good! May be in 2-3 days!!!
Anyways, currently I am reading a very interesting novel called ELEVEN HOURS by PAULLINA SIMONS.Actually I started THE EVENING NEWS by ARTHUR HAILEY but somehow, in the few pages which I read, I did not find it interesting! May be I would start it again later. So I chanced upon this one, and it would be finished today. It is about the kidnaping of a pregnant woman from a shopping mall, who is being trailed by her husband alongwith an FBI agent. It is good this far!
Another thing I wanted to write about is RAINCOAT. Well, I would say the best thing about this simple story is the extent to which the director has emphasised on detailing. Rituporno Ghosh has really portrayed the characters well! Although story is simple, inspired from O.Henry, you would find pleasure in discovering the little nuances, which would have gone unattended by some novice director. The added flavour is Aishwarya's close to natural acting! She has done her best job so far. She is not Aishwarya here, but Niru; and you would be almost convinced. Check it out if you are not madly into fast bikes, item numbers and nail-biting excitement!!!"Mathura Nagarpatti" by Shubha Mudgal is beautiful!

Saturday, January 01, 2005

New Year Ahead

It has become more or less mandatory to wish each other a very Happy New Year, at this time of the year. So I wish a very promising and exciting new year to everyone out there. Go ahead and enjoy life! That is what it is meant for, right?
Well, speaking about my new year plans, I never had any!I have spent most of my new years quite casually, just like any other day. It is not that I don't like celebrations, but more than just passing years, it is important to sit back and take note of my life, where is it going? If at all any new year is important, it is so because I would like to ponder for sometime over how I would like this year to be and what am I going to do in that direction, for the organised sort and a plan-freak I am!
Anyways, it is a personal opinion and choice. At the end of the day, or as the case is, at the end of this wonderful year (I got a job, remember!), I wish freedom for everyone, freedom to be able to do what each one of us want to do!
See you next year!

Ethics in Romance

I have been thinking about this for sometime now. So having a blog at my disposal, what could be a better place to express my feelings!
Being a small place girl, I had only been exposed to stray cases where young girls and boys would elope and get married, only to be brought back by their parents or return themselves to their homes after realising their foolishness. What would you expect from the typical, filmi, college or sometimes scool romances! In short, I had only heard about some foolish acts in the name of love!
But what I want to talk about here is Ethics, that too in Romance!Yeah, spending one and half years at Pune has really made me more sophisticated, in terms of what I have seen and my exposure to big city life! I found girls hanging around with more than 1 boy friends, I found guys two-timing a couple of girl friends. It might seem very trivial to somebody who has seen this before. I haven't. I associate Ethics with this , because it is after all an ethical issue. After all, it is about emotions and lives. I like to believe that I have learnt to accept people as they are, but when I see these kind of people, I cannot help hating them. I know it is categorisation and judgemental on my part, but I cannot help it. I cannot help disliking a guy, who is two-timing 2 girls at a time. I cannot help hating a girl who claims to have a boy friend but moves around with some other "good friend", incidently a guy!
Somebody said,"I do not hate anyone, for I understand everyone!" Read it closely and you would realise what it means. All of us are individuals, each with our own set of experiences and backgrounds, which eventually shapes our personality. Thus, what we have seen in life, makes us what we are! When we understand people, we understand why do they do things which they do! The point is, we are tempted to catagorise people as soon as we know them. We do not try to understand the WHYs and WHATs of everything. But that is how most of us are! Although each one of us are neither good nor bad, but when we look outside, we judge others as good or bad. This is one weakness I want to conquer.
Coming back to Ethics in Romance, I cannot really write my angst about this issue in precise terms, but one thing is for sure, this world I realised recently, is full of deceit, hypocrisy and double standards! But anyways, I cannot help it. And like everything else, I guess, I would come to terms with it and would learn to live with it! That's Life. Isn't it?