~ Comeback Kid ~

It is comeback time !!!!!!

No, I am certainly not talking about the Rahul Dravid nor am i referring to Govinda. It is time to start the blog once again. I will take upon myself to start the blog all over again and make it more entertaining than before. Two minutes silence to the co-founder - Mr. Vinamra Gharat - who will no more be with us. Keep reading this space for more updates. Will be back with new interesting topics, new writers and certainly more members.

Before I sign out let me you wish you all a Happy Navratri and Happy Eid.

See you all within a week's time. Stay tuned!!!

The Countdown begins...

~ Archer Akshay

JAI HO!!!!!!!!

Jai Ho!!! These are the only two words that will resonate for years to come. What a film and what a proud moment for our country. Jai Ho Rahman, Jai Ho Gulzar, Jai Ho to everyone associated with the film. Thank you Rahman for giving us a reason to celebrate and thank you Danny Boyle for making such a beautiful film. Hats of!!!

A.R.Rahman has made us proud... Congrats Sir.

Jai HO!!!!!

Jai Ho!

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley

Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho!
Ratti ratti sachchi maine jaan gawayi hai

Nach Nach koylon pe raat bitaayi hai

Ankhiyon ki neend maine phoonkon se udaa di

Gin gin taarey maine ungli jalayi hai

Eh Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley

Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)

Ahora conmigo, tu baila para hoy
(Now with me, you dance for today)

Por nuestro dia de movidas,
(For our day of moves,)

los problemas los que sean
(whatever problems may be)

Salud!
(Cheers!)

Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)

Jai Ho!

Chakh le, haan chakh le, yeh raat shehed hai

Chakh le, haan rakh le,

Dil hai, dil aakhri hadd hai

Kaala kaala kaajal tera

Koi kaala jaadu hai na?

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley

Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho!
Kab se haan kab se jo lab pe ruki hai

Keh de, keh de, haan keh de

Ab aankh jhuki hai

Aisi aisi roshan aankhein

Roshan dono heerey (?) hain kya?

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley

Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho!

~Archer Akshay

Yes it’s that time of the year again. No I am not talking about the Budget session. I am talking about the eagerly awaited Filmfare awards and Oscars along with the most controversial day of the year- Valentines Day. That’s going to be the topic of discussion in our new blog including the infamous Mangalore Moral policing incident and review of Billu (not Baber).
Let’s go in a chronological order:

1.) Mangalore Pub Incident:

This incident has been talked about in the media for quiet a long time now and it’s no more a secret as to what happened that day. Moral policing brigade i.e. Ram sene members attacked female pub-goers because according to them this pub culture is deteriorating our youth. It’s the most inhuman and cowardless act in human history. Friends I would like your views on this incident. According to me there is nothing wrong with adults visiting the pubs provided they maintain certain decorum. And which country allows its people to beat up girls? Pathetic, disgusting and Immoral are the words which best describe Ram Sene’s act. It is pure Talibanism and political publicity in the name of moral policing. I hope you guys agree with me.

2.) Valentines Day:

Yes I agree it’s not a part of our culture, but still why should those celebrating this day be stopped? Thankfully, we didn’t have any untoward incident at least in Mumbai this time. But it was due to the added security cover. Moral policing brigades however ran havoc in other parts of our country and punished couples hanging out. Sometimes I feel India is a democratic country for namesake and it’s actually a handful of people who rule our country. Mob culture has spoilt the fun of living in India.
I truly hope better sense will prevail one day and we will be freed from the clutches of such publicity freaks.

3.) Billu Barber oops Billu Review ( Sorry Barber association oops again I mean Hairdressers’ association):

Firstly, a strict warning to all the viewers : Please don’t expect a lot from this movie because it’s a simple story set in a small hamlet and lacks the grandeur which is present in all SRK movies.
Billu Barber is a sweet story of love and friendship. Also, don’t expect the usual Priyadarshan kind of humour because this film doesn’t contain any senseless over-the-top humour which is present in all Priyadarshan movies. The performances are excellent and the movie truly belongs to Irfan Khan. His rendition of a poor barber tugs our heart strings. Lara Dutta too is surprisingly good and King Khan steals the show during the climax of the film. Great performances, Great cinematography, simple story, poor editing and good songs is how you can describe Billu.

Do watch it though because it’s worth a watch.

My rating ***


4.) The 81st Annual Academy Awards (22nd February)

The reason why I have included this Oscar discussion topic is not new to anyone in India. Slumdog Millionaire a movie shot in India with the help of Indian technicians is nominated in 10 categories and our very own A.R Rahman and Gulzaar Saab are nominated too. I agree that it doesn’t belong to India, but we can at least pray that Rahman wins. By the ways Slumdog has tough competition from Brad Pitt’s ‘Curious case of Benjamin Button’. Anyways let’s hope Slumdog wins many wards. Best of Luck and Jai ho!!!!

5.) Filmfare Awards: (54th annual Filmfare Awards)

Our very own prestigious Filmfare awards will be held on 28th of February at Yash Raj Studios, Andheri.
Guys and Girls do write in as to who do you think will win the Best film, Best actor and Actress awards.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for SRK. And I feel Jodha Akbar might win the best film award and the best actress award truly belongs to Piggy Chops Priyanka Chopra (Fashion).

That’s all for this month. I will write the next blog after the Filmfare Awards .Till than Happy Blogging and have a great time. Last but not the least, pray for SRK king Khan who is recuperating after his shoulder surgery. Come back soon SRK.


~ Archer Akshay

Slumdog Millionaire!!!!!!!

Hello Once again Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Reality Bites once again and today we discuss one more topic which is close to reality. Yes we are talking about none other than the much-hyped and awarded film - Slumdog Millionaire.

So before beginning let me give you a brief idea about the story of the film.
Slumdog Millionaire is the journey of a boy ( Jamal Malik) from the slums of Mumbai to the sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati. The story is set in flashback mode and is an account of how Jamal a poor slum dweller knows the answers to the questions asked on the show.

What remains prominent in this journey is the condition of the downtrodden in our city Mumbai and at the same time this story is about destiny and a will to do anything for your true love. Based on the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup this tale is hard-hitting and at the same time interesting too.

Just like our blog this tale of ‘rags to riches story’ is difficult to digest because my dear friends some great philosopher had once proclaimed – ‘Reality Bites’ and this film is certainly not for the weak hearted who love typical bollywood movies. Yes, this film is about hope but its heart wrenching to see the condition of our so-called economic capital-Mumbai. In short great performances, great story and great direction is how you can sum up Slumdog Millionaire. (Oops I forgot great music by Mr. A.R.Rahman:D)

The following is a list of awards won by Slumdog Millionaire till now:

2009 Broadcast Film Critics Association The Critics' Choice Award:

Won: Best Picture
Won: Best Director – Danny Boyle
Won: Best Writer – Simon Beaufoy
Won: Best Young Actor/Actress (under 21) – Dev Patel
Won: Best Composer - A.R. Rahman



2009 Chicago Film Critics Association
• Won: Best Director - Danny Boyle
• Won: Best Adapted Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy
• Won: Most Promising Performer - Dev Patel
2009 Golden Globe Awards
• Won: Best Motion Picture - Drama
• Won: Best Director - Motion Picture - Danny Boyle
• Won: Best Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy
• Won: Best Original Score - A. R. Rahman
The above are a list of some of the prominent awards won by the film. The film has won more than 60 awards till now.

But every good thing is always criticized by cynics and yes a superb film like SM has also been slammed by some of the great stalwarts of our country.

According to Mr. Amitabh Bachan:

The Indian star had said" a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations... It's just that the Slumdog Millionaire idea, authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a westerner, gets creative global recognition."
The Guardian (UK) said only a westerner could have made such an honest film. Indian producers are "fixated with making flimsy films about the lives of the middle class... Like Bachchan, they are too blind to what India really is to deal with it," it said.

Come to think about it, Amitabh is not entirely wrong. Westerners do love to see Indian poverty in fact Indian poverty still sells like hot cake in USA and UK. That is the only reason why films like Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan; all based on poverty get nominated in the Oscars.

What image of India will a 7-8 year old kid living in UK have of India when he watches this film? Films like SM might even prove to hamper the image of India which now no more is known as the third world under-developed country.

But at the same time we cannot ignore the truth because ‘TRUTH IS BITTER’ but it still persists no matter how much we try to ignore it. Dharavi is the biggest slum in Asia and that is the truth; an impoverished underbelly exists in major part of Mumbai and India and that is true and certainly we are not new to the fact that maximum percentage of our Indian population does dwell on the streets and the slums.

I feel instead of criticizing Danny Boyle (Director of Slumdog Millionare) we should try to improve the condition of our country by doing something for the poor. This movie should serve as a wake up call for the politicians. The day when we truly eradicate poverty from the face of our country will be the day when we can proclaim that – “you pathetic westerners have no right to portray our country in a negative light.”

Last but not the least some thoughts to ponder on:

1.) Why no Indian director thought of making the movie?
The answer is simple: We Indians love escapist cinema which takes us into a different world altogether. Also, the film wouldn’t have fared well at the box office.

2.) Amitabhji in numerous of your films like Deewar, you have been shown as a poor boy who becomes a criminal in order to become rich or take revenge against the society. So isn’t that making a fun of poverty and indirectly inspiring & leading unemployed poor people to the world of crime?

That’s all for this fortnight friends and before I sign out do post in your comments and yes one more important thing: let us all observe two minutes silence in the loving memory of ‘Chandni Choked Distributors’ oops I mean Chandni Chowk to China ( God save us from this

~ By Archer Akshay

Happy New Year???

First of all Happy New Year to all you guys and sorry from the bottom of my heart to write in a blog after such a long time. Well now without wasting any further time boys and girls let’s begin with today’s topic of discussion…. Happy New Year??Please don’t get confused. Yes that’s the topic of our new blog. And why not after all that we have suffered in the past year, are assured of a safe and joyful new year?

To those who have forgotten the happenings of the past year or suffer from a short-term memory loss like Mr. Aamir Khan; let me give you a quick flashback of the past year:

Following is a recap of the disastrous 2008:

5.) Financial crisis takes the world by a storm and devastates the economy of major countries.

4.) Israel declares war on Palestine resulting in mass human tragedy.

3.) Multi-budget movies with superstars bomb at the box office both in Hollywood and bollywood.

2.) Terrorism raised its ugly head again with India facing the wrath of terrorists throughout the year.

1.) Himmesh Reshammiya once again tortured millions of people with his second movie Karzzzzz (The producer has still not been able to repay the loan)

So that was a rewind of the eventful 2008. What is in store for us in the year 2009 can only be predicted by eminent astrologers. However the year 2008 also saw a few good moments:

1.) Spain emerged as the Champions in Sports by winning Euro Cup ( Soccer), Wimbeldon ( Tennis) and the Davis Cup ( Tennis).

2.) India launched Chandrayaan successfully.

3.) USA witnessed history after Barack Obama became the first Black US President.

4.) Michael Phelps an American swimmer won 14 Olympic gold medals.

5.) India emerged as the bigwigs of cricket by launching their very own 20-20 franchise ->IPL.


I just hope and pray that this year each and every country will get lots of joy and happiness. At the same time hope that the terrorists are wiped out from the face of this earth.
With a war already started (Israel-Palestinian) and a blast on 1st January in Assam, I am really afraid what will happen in 2009. But let’s be optimistic and let’s be united.
Things to watch out for in year 2009:

1.) Will India-Pak conflict result into war?

2.) Will Israel agree for a cease fire?

3.) Will Salman Khan finally settle down in life and accept that he doesn’t know how to act?

4.) Will Obama prove to be the solution to the worlds’ problems?

- Archer Akshay

Peace or War???

The objective of war is not to die for your country, but to kill the other bastard (from across the border) for his……

This is India’s 9/11 : John Mc Cain.

Rightly said Mr. Mc Cain, this is indeed India’s 9/11 and maybe war seems to be an option now. Who can forget America’s war against terrorism and the way they assaulted Taliban and Iraq. Almost five years later India seems to be in a similar state of affairs.
If the destruction of world trade centre transpired one of the biggest battles of the century than what should be the answer to almost 64 blasts in a year?

Every Indian and every Pakistani by now knows that we two countries can’t stand each other. In fact there are very few neighbouring countries in the world who can claim to be peace-loving and supportive at the same time. Sorry Shakespeare Sir, we modern fools completely disagree with your famous statement: love thy neighbour, like thou love yourself.

And to prove this fact we have a written record and a gory record of three wars with our neighbouring country. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that once upon a time we were part of one country. Following is a brief history of the wars fought against Pakistan.


The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965: It was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between India and Pakistan. This conflict became known as the ‘Second Kashmir War’ fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947. The war began following the failure of Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against rule by India. The ‘five-week’ war caused thousands of casualties on both sides. It ended in a United Nations (UN) mandated ceasefire and the subsequent issuance of the Tashkent Declaration.


The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The 1971 war was a major military conflict between India and Pakistan. The war is closely associated with the Bangladesh Liberation War (sometimes also referred to as the Pakistani Civil War). Although there is some disagreement about the exact dates of the war, hostilities between India and Pakistan commenced officially on the evening of December 3, 1971. The armed conflict on India's western front during the period between 3 December 1971 and 16 December 1971 is called the "Indo-Pakistani War" by both the Bangladeshi and Indian armies. The war ended in the surrender of the Pakistani military after armed hostilities on two fronts.

The Kargil War: The Kargil War also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir. The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LOC), which serves as the de facto border between the two states. During and directly after the war, Pakistan blamed the fighting entirely on independent Kashmiri insurgents, but documents left behind by casualties and later statements by Pakistan's Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff showed involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces, led by General Ashraf Rashid.
The Indian army launched its final attacks in the last week of July; as soon as the Drass sub-sector had been cleared of Pakistani forces, the fighting ceased on July 26. The day has since been marked as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) in India. (Is it a mere co-incidence that the date when we achieved victory is the same as the day of the attacks?)

Current situation:

We all know what the current situation is. It’s clear where the terrorists are from. It also somewhat seems obvious that there is a Pak hand behind the attacks. So what do you’ll think? Is war the only option left?
Let me give a brief idea about the military prowess of the two nations:

India has around: 1,325,000 active troops
Pakistan has around: 620,000 active troops

India's territory: 1,269,345 sq miles
Pakistan's territory: 310,403 sq miles

Yes it’s true that India has the upper hand, but a war between the two nations will surely manage to involve the other superpowers like USA and China. And a war will definitely take India 10 years back.
And as our Prime Minister and Defense Minister have rightly stated no one wants war. As Erasmus has rightly stated “war is delightful to those who have had no experience of it.” What do we civilians know the meaning of war? The right step at this time is to wage a war against the terrorist’s camps rather than the country because even we don’t have concrete evidence right now to establish a Pak Government connection in the terror attacks.

But if when and where we find a Pakistan connection then my friends “WAR IS THE ONLY OPTION LEFT. And war won’t determine who is right or wrong but only who is left…..”



- Archer Akshay

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi:

A strict warning right from the beginning to all the readers: This is not a superhero flick.
If you want to see something different than go watch actors wearing black masks and flying in the air or better watch a futuristic movie (2050) with no story and no future. And last but not the least, SRK plays an ordinary guy in the movie.

Those guys who think SRK is not versatile and plays the same lover boy roles than friends please watch SRK’s portrayal of Surinder Sahni and you will be dumbfounded.

Story:

On the whole, the story is ordinary but the presentation of the story is excellent and the performances; OH MY GOD!! They are just brilliant. To begin with, the story begins on a somewhat clichéd path as the girl is forced to marry a boring man because of the same old traditional Majburi (majburi plays an important part in Yash Raj movies my friends).
Surinder Sahni is SRK’s best role till date and the way he has etched out this ordinary guy is really commendable. Sahni ji is a guy whom we have seen many times in our lives. He is caught in a conflict of sorts as he has to win Tani ji’s heart and achieve her love. So what does SRK do? Does he change himself for her or a new guy wins her heart and takes her away from the boring Sahniji or does Sahniji manage to win her heart in spite of his boring yet sweet lovable nature?
Let the suspense remain…

Performances and Direction:

SRK:

What should I say about SRK that hasn’t been said before? We all know he is the ultimate King of bollywood and the ease with which he moves from one character to the other is really marvelous. He surely will be the No.1 contender for this year’s best actor award. His portrayal of Surinder Sahni will remind us of the main character in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films. This is a brave venture on his part to play a character so different from Raj and Rahul.

Anushka Sharma:

For a debutant, Anushka Sharma is a promising actor who carries of her role with confidence. After all, acting opposite the King Khan and acting in a Yash Raj movie is not an easy job and she should be applauded for her brilliant acting.

Vinay Pathak:

Apart from Surinder, Vinay Pathak’s Bobby is a surprise package. Vinay is on a roll these days with so many films under his belt and a perfect role in a Yash Raj movie adds another feather to his cap.

Director:

Adi Chopra has presented a simple story in a beautiful canvas. His command over story telling is evident throughout the film. Good direction, but the length of the film could have been trimmed a bit. On the whole he has done a brilliant job, just hope we don’t have to wait another 8 years for his next film.

Music:

The music is melodious and the song Haule Haule has repeat value. A special compliment to Salim-Sulaiman who have composed such beautiful soothing music.

Final Words:

Over all Rab Ne… is a complete package full of all the emotions and I am sure the audiences will walk away with a smile upon their face on watching this film. Go for this movie just to experience the acting prowess of SRK. He has opened the doors for the common man yet again in mainstream bollywood.

Finally, I would end on a dialogue which is mentioned in the film.
“Hum hain rahi pyar ke Phir milenge Haste Haste…”

Final verdict: Go for it, it’s worth watching…


By Archer Akshay

My Rating: ****


Some Trivia for the readers:

1.For those who feel Yash-SRK collaboration churns out the same type of movies here’s a quick past record of the duo:

Darr( A film about a grey character’s obsession with a girl)

DDLJ( A story of love without no boundaries)

Dil Toh Pagal Hai( A story set amidst dance and drama)

Mohabattein( A story of how a man takes revenge with a person who had ended his love)

Veer Zara( A story of a person who is jailed for many years for his true love)

Chak De India( A story of a hockey coach’s passion to win some lost pride and glory)

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi( A love story between an ordinary couple)


2.This is Aditya Chopra’s third film as a director.

3. Earlier Soham Kapoor was considered for Anushka’s role.

4. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi will not be releasing in Pakistan.

5. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was released without much promotion and fanfare.