The Review Post

I may be a bit late to the table, but I had to write about Bajrangi Bhaijaan because I had a few thoughts that needed some voicing. My first reaction to this movie's release was to ignore it completely because I was disillusioned by Salman Khan's brand of films after  Jai Ho  (yes I did watch it). But then there were a few good reviews (surprisingly), so I thought why not give it a shot. So, I watched it and admit (sheepishly), I bawled like a child. My sentiments got the better of me. Ugh!  All through I kept thinking, ok this is not bad, but I won't cry (I'm too cool for that). But the tears just started rolling at the climax and I had no control. So coming to the film, there is a plot and all that. And of course, there is some silliness. But in the larger context of things, I decided to overlook them.  Here's what I loved the most: the concept of a mute girl and how a nice guy tries to help her out. I even liked how he discovers where s...

I wrote this on my other blog and was quite happy with it, so here I am, sharing my joy. :) I need to write for myself.  I get withdrawal symptoms otherwise. It's strange because, unlike other addictive things, withdrawal symptoms for writing occur much after you've stopped.  Your body exhausts every morsel of satisfaction you got from writing your last piece. And then, after about 6-8 months, it happens - the first pang. Your thoughts are finding words, but the words are not reaching the word doc. And when you attempt to put it down, there it is, the dreaded writer's block, staring you in the face. What's writer's block? To me, it's the cursor blinking on a blank screen. There's nothing that bothers me more than that jobless blinking cursor. I get immense pleasure making him work. So then, that's what I do. Make him run, as my words catch up with him. Then I pause to think and he gets time to rest. But then I start typing and he sta...

This is not typically the kind of book I would read, but I really have no clue how I chanced upon it. It just appeared one day, on the 'books that might interest me' list on my Amazon account. So I read the synopsis, it seemed interesting, so I went ahead and scrolled through the comments and reviews. Most people had only good things to say and that's rare when it comes to books. So obviously then, I bought it. And I'm glad I did. The author, Damodar Mall, is an extremely learned man. I can only imagine how much one can learn from just being around him. And I don't know if he'll ever read my review, but I sincerely thank him for writing a book and spreading his treasure trove of knowledge. It's amazing how much insight one can get by just walking through a market or even just standing behind the billing counter of a supermarket. I was awed by some of these insights. Supermarketwala was an amazing read for me because of two reasons - i) I belong to t...

A book review, finally! The excessive delay is because I've not read anything lately that I felt like writing about. But, of course, only Amish could change my mind. It's been a while since I read this one, so pardon any nuances I might miss. I'm doing this purely out of memory. Amish is one of my favorite Indian authors. He has a way of connecting the mortal with the immortal and I truly believe that's a gift. How many writers can make Gods seem like real people? Not many I know. Of the ones I've read, authors can decipher, interpret at best, but not flesh out a character so well that it seems real, and yet maintain a surreal quality about it. Needless to say, I'm a big fan of exactly this trait of Amish's writing. Which is why, The Immortals of Meluha  was such a hit with me. I did not know much about Lord Shiva or his clan until Amish wrote this book. So, the story of Shiva was also high on mysticism for me. Having established how big a fa...

So Kangana Ranaut is turning out to be something of a powerhouse. This movie is all her - and some others who managed to scratch the surface. Everyone else is like background props to set context. Yes I've been away for quite long and I chose to return with Tanu and Manu in their latest outing – Tanu Weds Manu Returns . Hopefully, my blog will make a better impression on you than this film did on me. To sum it up, it's ekdum timepass . IMDb has rated it 8.3 and I seldom disagree with them, but this time I do and strongly so! The story is supposed to be about the marital life of Tanu and Manu, four years hence (they got married in part 1 - just FYI). But it's nothing but an exaggerated rant of a bored couple. I wish there was more to it. They try going their own separate ways but fail miserably. And in their endeavor to get back at each other, they drag poor Kusum into the soup. After a while everything seems like a drag. The songs are good but seem like ...

I must state at the outset that I'm not the zombie-apocalypse-movie-watcher type. I'm more the chick-flick variety. But what happens when zombie apocalypse meets chick flick? Answer: Shaun of the Dead I'd never in my wildest imagination thought that zombie flicks could be funny. Neither had I thought that I'd find myself watching it some day. Well, as you can see, Shaun of the Dead has proved me wrong on most accounts. And boy am I glad it did! The camera work and narrative are quite unique. Horror + comedy only makes me think of the Scary Movies series or American Pie series. But the Brits have shown the Americans how it's done. Smart and funny with a real story line - that's a sure-shot recipe for awesomesness. And I'm saying this 10 years too late. So imagine the furore it might've caused when it first came out? Or wait, don't put your imagination to work yet. Get the first copy of the movie you can lay your hands on and let yo...