Thursday, December 30, 2010

And my award goes to....

Like every year, I present my nominations and winners for the year that was...I dont really care about any of the other awards, but this year I really really hope that Salman Khan gets at least one Best Actor award for his daredevil act in Dabangg...If he ever had a sure-shot chance of winning, it is this year!


Best Film 
Love, Sex Aur Dhokha
Raajneeti
Udaan
Peepli Live
Dabangg
Tere Bin Laden

Best Director
Prakash Jha - Raajneeti
Dibakar Banerjee - Love, Sex aur Dhokha
Anusha Rizvi - Peepli Live
Maneesh Sharma - Band Baaja Baaraat
Habib Faisal - Do Dooni Chaar
Vikramaditya Motwane - Udaan

Best Actor
Shahrukh Khan - My Name Is Khan
Ranbir Kapoor - Raajneeti
Salman Khan - Dabangg
Onkar Das Manikpuri - Peepli Live
Rishi Kapoor - Do Dooni Chaar
Ajay Devgn - Once Upon A Time In Mumbai

Best Actress
Kajol - My Name Is Khan
Vidya Balan - Ishqiya
Sonakshi Sinha - Dabangg
Anushka Sharma - Band Baaja Baaraat
Neetu Singh - Do Dooni Chaar
Katrina Kaif - Raajneeti

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Arjun Rampal - Raajneeti
Manoj Vajpayee - Raajneeti
Nana Patekar - Raajneeti
Raghuveer Yadav - Peepli Live
Paresh Rawal - Aakrosh
Sonu Sood - Dabangg

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Shruti Seth - Raajneeti
Sarah Thomson Kane - Raajneeti
Ira Dubey - Aisha
Amrita Puri - Aisha
Aditi Vasudev - Do Dooni Chaar
Malaika Shenoy - Peepli Live

Best Music
Amit Trivedi - Aisha
Vishal Shekhar - Anjaana Anjaani
Sajid Wajid - Dabangg
Pritam - Badmaash Company
Vishal Shekhar - Break Ke Baad
Vishal Shekhar - I Hate Luv Storys
Amit Trivedi - Udaan

Best Playback Singer - Male
Toshi Raina - Gal Mithi Mithi - Aisha
Amit Trivedi - Suno Aisha - Aisha
Nikil D 'Souza - Shaam - Aisha
Lucky Ali - Hairat - Anjaana Anjaani
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Fakeera - Badmaash Company
Neeraj Shridhar - Ajab Leher Hai - Break Ke Baad
Neeraj Shridhar - Kya - Crook
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Tere Mast Mast Do Nain - Dabangg
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Dil To Baccha Hai Ji - Ishqiya
Aadesh Srivastava - Mora Piya - Raajneeti
Mohit Chauhan - Pee Loon - Once Upon A Time In Mumbai


Best Playback Singer - Female
Anushka Mani - Lehrein - Aisha
Shreya Ghoshal - Aadha Ishq - Band Baaja Baaraat
Mamta Sharma - Munni Badnaam - Dabangg
Shreya Ghoshal - Chori Kiya Re Jiya - Dabangg
Sunidhi Chauhan - Sheila Ki Jawani - Tees Maar Khan
Sunidhi Chauhan - Ainvayi - Band Baaja Baaraat

Best Lyrics
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Lehrein - Aisha
Vishal Dadlani - Hairat - Anjaana Anjaani
Anvita Dutt Guptan - Fakeera - Badmaash Company
Prasoon Joshi - Adhoore - Break Ke Baad
Faiz Anwar - Tere Mast Mast Do Nain - Dabangg
Niranjan Iyengar - Rang De - My Name Is Khan
Sameer  - Mora Piya - Raajneeti

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Dum Dum Dum Mast Hai!


Band Baaja Baaraat...the name doesnt do much justice to the film, in spite of the obvious reference to weddings. At most, it makes it sound like a tacky, over-the-top rendition of a wedding related tale. Thankfully, BBB is anything but that! And are we thankful to YRF for making an enjoyable film devoid of the Swiss Alps and sucky cliches! Hell yeah, we are! Because its been a while since I enjoyed a Hindi movie (Aakrosh was the last I liked, and that was 2 months back).

BBB, a tale of two wedding planners and their partnership, has a brisk narrative and an interesting story at heart. Predictable, yes, but there are enough interesting twists to keep you hooked. The dialogues by Habib Faisal are simple and interesting enough to keep the goings-on fun. Music by Salim-Sulaiman is really good, ranging from lilting tunes to foot-tapping numbers. Ainvehi and Dum Dum are the picks of the lot mainly due to energetic picturization. But what lifts this movie above the average are the performances of the leads as well as character actors and the direction by debutant Maneesh Sharma. Sharma avoids most cliches and although a couple of convenient plotholes escape his notice, we are willing to let that go as long as the movie is engaging. The character artists avoid caricatures and paint realistic yet non-boring characters, which adds to the fun quotient. Debutant Ranveer Singh pitches in a near-perfect performance as as the wannabe Bittoo. He is no Aamir Khan in acting chops, nor does he charm like a Shahid Kapoor but his sincerity can give some of the potential stars-in-the-making a run for their money! Anushka Sharma is a revelation, showing she possesses decent acting skills and carrying a lot of the film on her shoulders. Her looks are hardly conventional and yet she manages to look really good and perform really well. After a so-so performance in Rab Ne Bana Di BS and a half-baked role in the decent Badmaash Company,we are definitely impressed Miss Sharma!

BBB brings the fun back in watching movies, reminding you of an era when not all movies were magnum opuses, not all movies were touted to be the next big thing, not all movies were about more glitz and less script, not all movies were about more slapstick and less simple humor. This one deserves to be paid for and watched, for its an honest effort that delivers more than it promises and ensures you walk out of that cinema hall happy and satisfied. :)

Monday, December 6, 2010

Ganda mazaak hua aitbaar....



Amit Trivedi delivers again and how! Although his latest album NOKJ is no Aisha or Dev D, it still is in a class of its own. I have a project due tomorrow, which I should be working on right now, so lemme get down to business straight away.

Dilli Dilli : Undoubtedly the heart and soul and beat of the album! Pulsating would be an understatement for this rollicking track which has spirited vocals by Tochi, Shriram Iyer and Aditi Sharma. The "d-d-d-d-d-d" hits you like a ton of bricks every single time. Lyrics are earthy and blend amazingly well with the brilliant guitar riffs. Its not even Jan 2011 yet, and I am gonna go out on a limb here and say this is sure to be the track of the year 2011.

Aali Re : Sung by as many as 8 singers (yeah! you read that right! 8! ), Aali re will probably sound really irritating the first time you hear it...It did to me...But rest assured, it is one of the most "mooh-phat" tracks we have heard in Hindi music till date. Amitabh Bhattacharya weaves magic with acidic words and phrases which sting and yet manage to touch your senses - of humor and otherwise. Might turn out to be the most unconventional party track ever if promoted well!

Aitbaar : Vishal Dadlani rocks the rock-ish Aitbaar, which is slightly reminiscent of Nayan Tarse in terms of music arrangements and resembles Zehreeley from Rock On! in terms of vocals, but again manages to stand tall on its own. Lyrics again are caustic and brilliant!

Dua : Starts with some lilting work on the keyboard, and slowly but surely rises to move. Newbie Meenal Jain shines while Amitabh Bhattacharya changes gears to give us some nice lyrics, and also pitching in as one of the three chorus singers. As mentioned before, the song rises from a melody to an anthem, much like Khoon Chala from RDB. The eventual effect is inspiring and exhilarating at the same time.

Yeh Pal : Sung by Shilpa Rao, Yeh Pal has that quality which keeps you gripped to the track inspite of being slightly slow. The instrumental piece in the latter half is particularly well arranged. Something about this song struck me as Rahman'ish, not sure what. But another different and difficult composition that cannot be classified into any genre.

The first promo caught my eye like a spicy Mexican hottie or like an underdog startup which comes out of nowhere to capture 100,000 hits in a few days of launch. The audio has definitely lived up to expectations and the following promos have shown a glimpse of what lies in store. I must confess I have never been a fan of Rani Mukherjee's histrionics but this definitely looks like her comeback movie. That's good news because its been a while since we have seen an actress pack a punch on-screen. As much as I like the long-legged Deepika and the cute Kat, I would rather watch some good acting than over-hyped Sheilas on-screen.

Looks like 2011 is gonna start with a BANG! To more issue-based movies and more Rajkumar Guptas! And of course, more Amit Trivedis and Amitabh Bhattacharyas!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Are you kidding me!

Read this online a while ago :

"One fails to understand why the girl drops the guy like a hot brick. Actually, there's no valid reason for her to do so. He is so committed, so devoted, so trustworthy that any girl would give her left arm to be with him. "

LOL! Clearly the writer has not been living in the real world! Who said committed, devoted and trustworthy guys dont get dumped!! That's like assuming all guys are commitment-phobic and all girls are commitment-centric. So stereotypical! 


The world is not black and white - its shades of gray...always has been, always will be.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A bitter-sweet symphony....

Just when you begin to feel things are finally falling into place, a piece of the puzzle lifts itself and turns over...and ur back where you began...Just when you think you can now come to terms with reality, reality decides to play the bitch and refuses to come to terms with you....Just when you think this is it, this is the moment I have been waiting for all these years, you get an email which tells you the moment isnt coming anytime soon...Just when you think you have made a sweet discovery, you make another one which sweeps the first one off its feet and not in a good way....Just when you think things couldnt get any colder, a ray of sunshine pierces the clouds and brightens your day...Just when you think you cant be more lost, you are given a map which tells you you are not even in the same book, forget the same page as others....Just when all seems lost, you come home and find a surprise waiting for you....Just when you think, you are right on track, you find that the game has changed now, and you need to switch if you want to continue playing....Just when you begin to harbor hopes of a new beginning, you find ghosts from the past trying hard to haunt you...Just when you get rid of them, you run into new potential ghosts...Just when you want to move forward, you take a step back....Just when you think all is lost, someone comes along and holds your hand....Just when it seems life cant get any better, it surprisingly does...

Time flies, shit happens, people move on, seasons change...friends and family remain the only constant in life....enabling you to play the symphony....ensuring you continue playing even if you miss a note or two...

Saturday, November 13, 2010

FAIL!

Vishal Shekhar turn in a surprisingly pedestrian soundtrack with TMK! Nothing much to write home about. The title track is different (sung in multiple voices by the versatile Sonu Nigam) but that's it....And its composed by Shirish Kunder. So, after the pretty ho-hum trailer (with the lame aadha Robinhood line!), the music is another indicator that this one's probably gonna be a damp damp squib...Only God can save this movie now! Or, you know, Katrina Kaif.





Or there's the slightest chance that the following might just do the trick :



Update within 12 hrs : I was wrong about at least 2 songs. The title song is highly addictive, despite being pretty silly....mainly due to Sonu Nigam's magical vocals....And Walla Re Walla, although seemingly okayish to begin with, is zany and a sure-fire riot on screen with Sallu and Akki sure to set the screen on fire....The album though still qualifies as a disappointment!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Cry for sanity in a lawless land...


Priyadarshan has finally made a good sensible movie after showing sparks of brilliance in Gardish and Viraasat (which is by far the BEST Anil Kapoor movie IMO)...Aakrosh may not be that killer, in fact it has some glaring holes and very easily noticeable discontinuities, but that doesnt take away from the fact that it still manages to be an engrossing movie....Its been a while since I saw a decent movie which is neither ridiculous nor amazing - kind of run-of-the-mill and yet gripping...Once Upon A Time In Mumbai came close, but lost out due to corny dialogues....

Coming back to Aakrosh, it is decently directed, decently enacted fare, which touches a social issue wthout being too preachy and dull, manages to pack in some chase scenes and action to keep the adrenaline flowing, also squeezes in a couple of (listless) songs and despite not being able to cross the line into awesomeness, manages to leave a mark...Ajay Devgan is as efficient as ever...For some some reason, I always like Akshaye Khanna, even if his performance is sometimes over-the-top and sometimes indifferent...here it veers more towards the latter but thats more because the characters are half-baked and less bcz of his lack of sincerity....Paresh Rawal turns in a crackling performance as always, this time with a more villainous bent...The others dont do anything worth mentioning...Dialogues are average and yet not too corny, which saves the movie from being cringe-worthy, something that's really important in these Raavan-esque times...Cinematography and action are pretty good and bgm complements the proceedings well for the most part...

There was a lot of scope for some interesting camaraderie between the lead pair (Devgan and Khanna) and had that angle been developed further, the movie might have turned out even more memorable...Its only above average as a result, but still watchable and dare I say, even enjoyable...Its good to see Priyadarshan move away from BS like De Dana Dan and Khatta Meetha, even if through a "mild" inspiration of Mississippi Burning...Looking forward to more from his Viraasat days...

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Just another day in the life of.....

R : So how was it?
A : What do you think?
R : Your face tells me it went well!
A : Really?? That's what you could read from my face??
R : Why? Am I wrong?
A : Duh huh! Yeah you are!
R : What happened??
A : Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, did!
R : Like....
A : For starters, I forgot the name of the dude who invented radiophrenology....and then the gaspernetics theorem, what the hell is that thing??! I never seem to understand it! Every time I read it, I think I do, but clearly I dont! And to top it, in the end, I messed up the Max-Kruger duality equations leading to the wrong answer to the Y-modal problem.....
R : Oooh! That's bad! Tough luck dude!
A : Well, its not just luck you know...Sometimes I think all of this is connected...somehow....someone, somewhere is making the decisions for us, while we sit here thinking we are the masters of our own destiny...
R : Now you are just sounding like Yash Chopra uncle...someone, somewhere...is made for you....and all that crap!
A : Why? Dont you believe in something like that? Dont you believe in destiny?
R : Yeah right! I write my own destiny!
A : Exactly! That's what I said! We think we do, but really we dont! We just lay the dots...someone up there connects them ...and as you know, the dots dont mean anything by themselves....its only when they are connected that they form a pattern...
R : !
A : clearly you disagree :)
R : Well, not completely....but in part, yes! If we lay the dots, why cant we be the ones to connect them?
A : Because we cant see the pattern from here! The pattern appears only from a third person's point of view...and to us, only in retrospect....Consider this : how would you construct a building if you were standing inside one of the rooms? Its something that's going to "grow" organically around you....of course, someone will build it from outside but to you, it seems like its growing, evolving...It all depends on the perspective!
R : Wow! Never looked at it that way! That's actually fascinating!
A : See! Sometimes I do make sense :)
R : Sometimes! That's the key word here :D
A : Yeah! That's better than never....which is the key word for "some" people... :P
R : Oh yeah! That's precisely why I keep telling you everything's gonna be alright everytime you are low! :P
A : Hey! I am never low okay! I just try to act that way...coz you know, people shouldnt feel I dont care about important stuff like studies and career...
R : Haha! That's just BS! You never admit your insecurities, do you! :P
A : Insecurities! Blah! You are the one with insecurities!
R : Haha! Who calls me at the middle of the night to say she misses her mom!
A : And who cries like a baby everytime he loses like an amateur on the tennis court?
R : I never lose! I let others win!
A : lol! Now THAT, my dear friend, is BS!! :D
R : "I miss my mom, I wanna go home!" :P
A : "I am never gonna be able to build my muscles...even if I start LIVING in the gym!"
R : "My roommate gets asked out all the time...Cant guys see me??"
A : Alright alright! That's it! Lets call it a tie...
R : What tie! I always win and you say its a tie!! No tie-shie! I won outright!
A : What win! We werent playing anything! It was just random philosophy for godsakes!
R : That's something you always say when I win! Never give me any credit!
A : Now that's just not true....
R : Even day before yesterday, at the cafe....you were.....
A : Every time you have to bring winning and....
R : Bullll....
A : No listen to me...every time...you do this....and I am fed up....
R : Yeah, like I am not!
A : ..............
R : ...........


Rahul aur Anjali ka firse jhagda ho gaya....

Completely oblivious to the fact that they are indeed standing in "the room", while "someone" is building something special around them....something they will only see in retrospect...only from a third person's point of view...indeed, someone is connecting the dots, but they cant see it...And until they cant, Rahul aur Anjali ka jhagda hota rahega, aur ye sab aisehi chalta rahega :)

Friday, October 15, 2010

N - S


I am about a year late....and after the 3 Idiots fiasco, my "respect" for Chetan Bhagat has gone down several notches....but that doesnt change the fact that I liked 2 States...

All the cliche and north vs south brouhaha aside, 2 states is at its core a sweet love story (yes, big surprise...i am a hopeless romantic at heart...), one that conquers all odds, step by step, almost clinically and yet takes you along for a fun ride...What worked most for me was the girl Ananya's character - she's such a kick-ass, strong girl who believes in what she wants and does it without any apologies and reservations! Would love to meet her if she indeed exists! 

Although Five Point Someone remains the best Chetan Bhagat book yet, 2 States sort of gets him back into the game after a Bollywood-ish 3 Mistakes....Hope to see more slice of life stuff with fewer cliches and more Ananyas from Bhagat...

P.S. : Somewhere down the line, I had plans of penning down bits of my story....but alas, life has different plans for everyone....cant complain! :)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

If you cant beat 'em, distract 'em!

N : Wow! Your handwriting is beautiful!

Me : Its a defense mechanism....like Chandler's....makes people momentarily forget that my solutions to some of those math problems are plain BS....

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Forgotten dreams...

I sit here on a Sunday afternoon, typing this out, while not more than a few meters away, a bunch of youngsters strum away on their guitars, producing those utterly irresistible sounds that only a guitar can...I listen to the strumming, zoning out from the work I am supposed to be doing and contemplate how much I miss holding a six-string, struggling hard to make sense of the plucking...Its been more than 20 months since I stopped playing (not that I ever played very well, just about okay....but I miss trying hard to make the transition from just-about-okay to this-sounds-pretty-good) ...With time, your aspirations change, some things gain more priority over others, you move on in life....and yet some of these dreams linger...somewhere in the back of your mind...trying to find a way out and cease to be just dreams...trying to make a transition to reality...I just wonder where that passion, that desire, that hunger to try and master something totally unknown disappears in the need to find your own feet and stay true to your purported "potential"...

Monday, October 4, 2010

Recent top listens...

Taking a cue from Milliblog, and due to lack of time (and sometimes desire!) to write elaborate music reviews for every album, here's a quick list of top recent listens. The list is personal but the appeal of the music, I'm sure, is universal!

Hello Hello - Jhootha Hi Sahi : A R Rahman
Karthik sings this beautifully orchestrated track, which has traces of middle-eastern music, adding a nice touch to the otherwise Jaane Tu-ish album by ARR. Nice, different stuff. Much better than Raavan!

Kya - Crook : Pritam
Pritam is back with some vintage stuff in Crook, not least Kya sung oh-so-well by Neeraj Sridhar. Breezy and likable to the core, the laid-back rendition more than bowls you over. The rest of the album is pretty decent too. Emraan Hashmi continues his tryst with melodious and memorable music!

Hairat - Anjaana Anjaani : Vishal Shekhar
As stated here before, Hairat is a superb "comeback" for Lucky Ali, and may well end up being the song of the year. The amazing tune and arrangements elevate it to dizzying heights in an even-otherwise noteworthy album, choc-a-bloc with foot-tapping as well as melodious stuff.

Munni Badnaam and Tere Mast Mast Do Nain - Dabangg : Sajid-Wajid
Mamta Sharma does a fab job in Lalit's inspired composition Munni, which will probably earn her accolades as the year draws to an end, but really its Malaika and Sallu who have made this song so much fun! One of those rare gems which sounds so much different and better once you have seen it on screen! Tere Mast Mast, on the ohter hand, is slow poison, something Rahat Fateh Ali Khan keeps doing fairly regularly. Full marks, nonetheless!

Naina Miley - Robot : A R Rahman
Suzanne and ARR create a heady mix of electronika and vocals to serve a funky, catchy, foot-tapping number that refuses to leave ur sense inspite of some intermittent loony lyrics. Super stuff from ARR!

Rang Dalein - Lafangey Parindey : R Anandh
Suraj Jagan does a great job keeping the feel alive in this spirited number, which deserves reruns especially because of its music arrangements, not least the Corrs-inspired clip played intermittently.

Gal Mithi Mithi, Suno Aisha - Aisha : Amit Trivedi
Toshi rocks Gal Mithi Mithi with Amit Trivedi goin Punju, while Suno Aisha by Ash King and Trivedi himself is delectable and addictive to say the least. Gems in a studded album, probably the album of the year!

Till next time then! Ciao!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Your best friend is suing you...for 600 million dollars



I must admit....the first time I saw the trailer of The Social Network, I was skeptical. I couldnt understand why Hollywood had decided to screw up the story of the founding of one of the biggest phenomenon of our times. I was sure the movie would be over-simplified, over-dramatized, and basically moronic, and the understated promo did nothing to change that. Having dismissed the movie, I moved on with life, and it was only today, the day the movie premiers, that the media coverage caught my attention - for some reason, everyone was talking about the movie. And not just because its a movie about Facebook but because its a good, (according to some, great!) movie about Facebook! That was so unexpected and totally unforeseen and 12 hours later, I was at the cinemas, with a bunch of friends, waiting for the saga to unfold, curious about how interesting and binding a movie about coders could be. And boy! Was I wrong or what! The Social Network is probably the best movie out of Hollywood this year....and yes! This is indeed the year when soon-to-be cults like Inception, Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me have enchanted audiences worldwide!

Director David Fincher, whose last effort - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - was a cosmetic bore, has done a fabulous job by extracting some noteworthy performances from the entire cast, and that is no mean feat considering the cast comprises of Justin Timberlake! Jesse Eisenberg is brilliant as Mark Zuckerberg, resembling the youngest billionaire in the world in look and (reportedly) mannerisms perfectly. Andrew Garfield as Eduardo is excellent and lends a load of credibility to the frames he is present in. Armie Hammer packs a sucker punch in dual roles of the Winklevoss twins, while Justin Timberlake takes you by surprise completely with his flamboyant, genius-bordering-on-self-destruction portrayal of that shrewd wolf Sean Parker, who not only gave the world Napster and Plaxo, but was also instrumental in making Facebook the phenomenon that it is today. But the real star of the movie is undoubtedly screenplay writer Aaron Sorkin, who creates such a spellbinding script full of energetic and relatable dialogue, it elevates the movie to an altogether different level. The background score deserves special mention for lending a lot of emotion and feel to the proceedings.

The movie is a part-fiction, part-real portrayal of the rise of Facebook, and while which parts are more real than others is debatable, herein lies a tale that catalogs the conceptualization and implementation of one of the most influential ideas of our generation. More importantly, it is a study in human psyche and the fact that, while you cant stop admiring Zuck for his spirited and almost single-handed launch of Facebook, at the same time, you cannot forgive him for being so influenced by Parker and being unfair to his best friend and business partner Eduardo, shows how well the character has been etched. Above all, the movie is an inspiration and a warning for budding entrepreneurs, who have dreams of making it big but can oversee friendships in the process. Although the movie paints Zuck as an a-hole and shows how inept he is/was at social relationships (while ironically building a social networking website!) , I found something ultimately inspiring in the way he went about his business. True - his motive was wrong, his conduct too, his maturity was virtually non-existent and he didnt get chicks or entry to the elite clubs, but in the end, he succeeded in building his vision and preserving it without giving in to the demands of others.

There's something to learn and a lot to observe in The Social Network. All wannabe entrepreneurs, all CS people, all Facebook users and all movie lovers, go watch the movie...NOW!

P.S. : Oh! and Aaron Sorkin FTW \m/ If they dont give him the Best Adapted Screenplay this year, the Oscars will just become another Filmfare for me.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Shameless...err "fearless" entertainment!


First things first....On one hand, Dabangg is formulaic, doesnt even get the formula right, has a slow, almost boring, first half, has too many abrupt songs, is devoid of much substance and most of it does not make much sense. On the other hand, SALMAN KHAN!

After watching Dabangg, all I can say is there is NO other star (note, I didnt say actor!) who could have carried off something as ridiculously shameless and unabashedly unpretentious as Dabangg with such elan and made it so much fun as Salman has. That I am huge fan of his is no secret, but really take a moment and try to imagine if there is any other star, or even actor, who can ensure that people, some of them super-sophisticated, not just sit through but enjoy something like Dabangg to their heart's content. Nope, I cudnt think of anyone and if you can, plz lemme kno! Now to the movie...

As mentioned before, Dabangg is hardly path-breaking cinema. In fact, after a couple of remarkable opening scenes, it peters out to become quite tepid for another hour till the interval. And frankly, some part of it is plain boring. The abrupt placement of melodious songs doesnt help either, and inconsistent focus on multiple story lines makes the film quite incoherent. But, what it lacks in cinema, Dabangg makes up in charisma! And that's because unlike his usual style, this time Salman Khan bites into the character so hard, he makes you stand up and take notice of the fact that here's a maverick character written with him in mind, and while he may not possess great acting chops, he has enough charm and screen-presence to bring someone as asinine and insane as Chulbul Pandey to life and kick ass on screen! The movie ultimately is an ode to his star-power and while that was what Wanted was too, this character is much better fleshed out and played by the "actor" like he belongs!


Of the rest, Sonakshi looks kinda cute and does a commendable job whenever she's required to. Sonu Sood is really good and I wish there was more of him in the first half! Arbaaz Khan should have refrained from being in the movie. His character is perfunctory and his acting non-existent. Dimple Kapadia chooses to ham for some reason, while all others are pretty much sidelined. I liked the cameos by a couple of havaldars and the camera-guy tho. They were hilarious! Music is really good and sounds so much better on screen. Song picturization is an ace and pretty much makes up for their abrupt placement. Of course, Munni is the best of the lot and simply sets the screen on fire! Malaika, the foot-tapping beat, the wtf lyrics and Salman's antics make it a truly paisa-vasool number! Cinematography is brilliant and technically, the film has a lot of finesse. Dialogues are very well-written for the most part and Salman gets most of the good one-liners and does a mighty fine job!

Ultimately though, its just Salman Khan who saves this movie from being a complete mess. Take him out of the equation and what you have left is nothing but incoherent hoo-haa and unbelievable sequences. While the first half is pretty much saved by stylishly choreographed actionsequences and Salman-Sonakshi's innocent love story, the second half packs quite a punch with Salman and Sonu Sood's constant bickering and, along with Munni and the climax, ensures you leave the cinema hall satisfied and high on adrenaline!

So, is Dabangg a good film or bad? Well, who cares as long as you are hooting, whistling and cheering for 2.5 hrs in the theatre, for that's what no-holds-barred, all-stops-pulled-out entertainment is all about, aint it? :)

P.S. : The marketing team has done an amazing job of cutting solid promos which ensured tremendous buzz and enabled Dabangg to break 3 Idiots first day figures all across India. And while the movie may not match up in substance or even commercially in the long run to 3I, it is a fine marketing effort nevertheless!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Woah there!


When Sajid Nadiadwala declared Anjaana Anjaani as a musical, my reaction was "A peppy movie with Ranbir and Piggy Chops - romcom yes, but a *MUSICAL* romcom, uh I donno!" Trust Vishal Shekhar to prove the whole world wrong! After delivering crappium craptitude in the form of Aladin, they showed signs of a promising comeback with IHLS, which in itself was a pretty good album, but with AA, VS are truly back to where they belong! I know I said a few months back that I rarely do music reviews, but now that people like Amit Trivedi and VS have decided its a stupid rule, I cant help it can I! :)

Both the title tracks are as different as chalk and cheese, and yet they both have something in common - they are both  really really good! The softer version sung by Vishal and Shilpa Rao has a lilting tune and soft rock feel, which makes it saccharine sweet while the club number by noobs Nikil D' Souza and Monali is a true-blue foot-tapping, "oh-yeah" kinda song! Its difficult to miss their enthusiasm and when the singers have fun, so do we, the listeners! Simply rocking!

Lucky Ali is back and boy, did we miss him or what!!! Hairat is probably gonna be the song of the year when the sun sets on 2010 but lets hold our horses till we get there... To put it mildly, Hairat is one heck of a rollicking song - partly reminded me of Fakeera from Badmaash Company! With repeat hearings, this one grows on you like nobody's business! And once again, Lucky Ali FTW! \m/

Tumse Hi Tumse by Shekhar and Caralisa is refreshing albeit slightly been-there-done-that. The lead guitar sounds leading into the song make it totally delightful and inspite of the slightly 90-ish feel, its an amazing song that stays with you despite being part of such a rich album!

Tujhe Bhula Diya is a different take on sad songs and Shruti Pathak literally made me jump with her spirited Punju rendition that kick-starts the song...she's a delight! The qawalli-ese portions are good too, altho not very novel. Ultimately the ever-dependable Mohit Chauhan and Vishal ensure the song stays above the bar the other songs have set with their brilliant vocals! A beautiful number!

I Feel Good is good, in any other album it could have been one of the best numbers of that album, but simply because it stands amongst such celebrated tunes, it seems only above average! Not the songs' fault! Vishal sounds surprisingly like Shankar Mahadevan here tho, which is different - good or bad dunno, but I Feel (pretty) Good! :D

Aas Paas Khuda has melody and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan going for it, but it probably is the weakest link in the album. Not to say that it is a bad song, in fact far from that! Its one of the better Rahat songs of recent times but a feeling of deja vu lingers, and along with the banal "Tu na jane aas paas hai khuda" line, ensures the song doesnt rise above its merits...The unplugged version is much better IMO.

The promos did not get me as excited about this movie but now the music has. Read somewhere its partly inspired by Before Sunrise, and if this ones even 10% as good as that classic, we have a really good movie to look forward to this September! Well, even otherwise, we already have a great gift here from VS!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

He punched the highlights out of her hair!




When you go into a movie with so-so expectations and get to see something like Scott Pilgrim vs The World, its akin to going on an blind date with someone you met online 3 days ago and then finding out she works as a body double for Angelina Jolie...AND Scarlett Johansson....AND she reads Michael Crichton...AND her favorite director is Tarantino....AND she was the Miss Teen USA 2 yrs ago....I kno the chances of tht happening are rare, but wat the heck "Scott Pilgrim" is a rare gem! As professed by the makers, it is indeed an epic of epic epicness!

It will be stupid of me to dissect the story here and plus, u shud really go see the movie for urself! Michael Cera turns in a goofy endearing performance as Scott...I simply loved Kieran Culkin who plays the part of his gay roomie, altho not the way he loves other guys :D He gets the best lines of the film and gets 1-UPs on all! Alison Pill as the ultra-rye Kim, Johnny Simmons as Young Neil and Mark Webber as Stephen crank it up several notches as members of their supposedly ultra-lame, but IMO super-awesome, band Sex Bob-ombs (one of numerous supercool video-game references in the movie)! Anna Kendrick is super-dry as Scott's irritating sibling...Ellen Wong is super-awwww as Knives...Mary Eliz Winstead looks supercute and acts supercool as Ramona Flowers....but the real deal is the League of Evil Exes! Chris Evans, Brandon Routh and Jason Schwartzman stand out prominently, more-so bcoz their characters are better written than others...

The movie is a medley of rocking music, crack-you-up lines, superawesome fight sequences and hilarious scenes, all peppered with ultracool video game references...and a lot of insanity and randomness, which makes it epic-er...This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Kill Bill of "our" generation!

Altho I dont wanna give any of the good stuff away, I have to admit I am madly in lesbians with this movie! I wish I was Scott, not bcz he is part of an awesome band, not bcz he has one awesome chick stalking him while another awesomer chick totally leads him on, not bcz he has nothing els to do in life but be himself; only bcz life with cool background music and video game references rocks!!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Summer movies....

Movies movies and more movies! This summer has been fab and I have a horde of movies tht I shud hv reviewed...Due to lack of time and energy, I have decided to just do a quick round-up :)

Raajneeti

Loved it! Probably best Hindi movie of this year yet! (Wait till Dabangg releases :D) Loved the Mahabharat and Godfather references! Nana Patekar and Ranbir Kapoor steal the show big time.

Man Som Hatar Kvinor

Visceral and brutally honest movie! Loved how human and lifelike the characters of Salander and Blomkvist are and how effectively they are portrayed  by the actors! Reading the sequel right now and enjoying it. Looking forward to more Swedish movies!

Toy Story 3

To borrow a line from one of my dear friends "Awwwwwww" :)

Raavan

WTF! Read this!

Knight and Day

Huh! Did I just get transported to the 90s when such movies were the order of the day and made money by the gallons? Its not too bad, but pretty banal stuff to be frank!

Despicable Me

Probably the BEST 3-D animation movie ever! So so so entertaining!! Double thumbs up!

Inception

Interesting concept and commendable execution. Wont gush about it as much as everyone else did, because I still think The Prestige and The Dark Knight are better works than this one...For some reason, I think Inception misses the emotional connect and gets too involved in its awesome concept. Nevertheless, its superbly directed and well enacted. Brilliant movie but IMDB All time # 3 above The Dark Knight? Nah!

Yet to watch Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, Aisha coming up this Friday, Dabangg looking HOT, Anjaana Anjaani another caper, Aakrosh looking interesting; lots to look forward to!

When life gives you lemons...

...they say, u make lemonade...But you know what? Sour lemons can only lead to sour lemonade, no matter how much sugar you put in...Adding other flavors doesn't help either...So what do you do then? Live with the fact that you got sour lemons? Make a yucky lemon pie? Say "lemon who"? Develop a liking for other, probably tastier, fruits?

Its one of the toughest conundrums in life. This might sound cliched, but how you react to the downsides in life defines how far you can go. It could be a personal issue, a professional setback, or even a psychological thing; how you face it and how quickly you can bounce back will more or less decide how quickly you can rise from the ashes. Alrit, enough of the Paulo Coelho-esque crap (If you are wondering whether I am a Coelho fan, lemme put it this way - I prefer a hamming Suneil Shetty to his books, that should put your doubts to rest...For those confused by the phrase "hamming Suneil Shetty", check this) ....Moving on to why I have been rambling about life, lemons and all kinds of random stuff...

People who have been dumped on e-mail, who have been stood up on their 4th date, who have been left at the altar, who have had to say goodbye to someone they have been with for more than half their lives, and who have seen the Mallika Sherawat, Rahul Bose starrer Pyaar Ke Side Effects, you all know what I'm talking about when I say "Break-up Ke Side Effects"...While the process by itself is painful, the aftermath may not be as bad as you may have imagined....

1. You suddenly have a lot of time on hand

Because something you thought about for 23 out of 24 hrs in the day till now is something you want to forget asap. So, suddenly you have time for all the things you had been postponing all these days for "lack of time" or some such weird reason. You can now register for that dance class you have been wanting to do for quite some time, play some sports, go talk to that pretty girl you have been wanting to talk to for a while but kept avoiding lest something serious come out of it....its time to start living for yourself for a change...

2. You are free to make your own decisions

Because that someone for whom you changed 11 out of 10 decisions no longer matters as much (not because you dont care any more, but because you have to make an effort to not care any more), you suddenly find yourself basing your decisions on what YOU want to do, rather than stuff like what will he/she feel, does he/she like it, will he/she have fun, does he/she dig it, yada yada...Its time to enjoy being in control of your life!

3. You can make friends with anyone!

Because you no longer have to worry about potentially inappropriate advances, inadvertent complications and jealous backlashes, you are free to meet new people, especially those belonging to the opposite sex, and try and strike a connect! Its time to forge new friendships, something you could do only to an extent till now because you had to devote so much time and energy to that special someone. Its time to get out on the dance floor of life and jive with new buddies!

4. You can reconnect with old friends like never before!

Because of 1, you have lots of spare air-time that can be put to good use by trying to rebuild relationships/friendships you could (unintentionally) give only so much time to, because that special someone demanded more of your attention! Its time to get back to pre-rel times and rock the floor, friendship-style!

5. You save A LOT!

Because you dont need to spend on gifts and on looking/being the way someone else wants you to look/be like, you can stop spending on relatively useless stuff and keep the money for stuff that really matters- good food and latest gadgets! This, friends, is a real saver and probably the biggest material side-effect, or should I say advantage!

6. You can go after your dreams!

Because the only person majorly affected in long-term by your decisions now is you, you can reopen that wish-list and finally try to make a serious effort towards making at least a couple of things written there true! Nobody/nothing stops you from going for what your heart wants, and has always wanted!

7. You can be genuinely happy!

Not that you weren't happy before! But you no longer need to suffer from an external focus of identity! Happiness can finally come from within, based only on how happy YOU are!

Pretty positive eh? Life post-breakup aint so bad! :) Its best to enjoy this phase before the next one beckons and history begins to repeat itself! :)

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Aisha!!!

Amit Trivedi is back with a bang! And not just your ordinary bang, not the kind they used to depict in the Batman TV series by lame words-in-clouds like POW and WHAM! This is serious kick-ass stuff!

It begins with Suno Aisha sung oh-so-delectably by Ash King, of Dil-Gira-Dafatan-fame, with able assistance by Trivedi himself and while it reminds a lot of another recent classic, Aditi from Jaane Tu, that's only bcz its reminiscent of the former in spirit. The use of saxophones and trumpets is a master stroke and Ash King does a fab job at making the song simply irresistible!

Gall Mitthi Mitthi is a winner all the way with Tochi at helm crooning a very non-mundane Punju tune, which is a refreshing change...especially bcz the lyrics are true-blue Punjabi, as compared to the random mundiya, chunari, kudiyon crap usually served till date in Hindi movies...The beat grows on u after a mere 2 listens and while i cudnt get what the hype abt the song is all about in the first listen, by the end of listen 2, i was hooked, in fact bowled over!

Sham is beautifully sung by Nikil D'Souza and is the soothing element in the album...well written, awesomely arranged and amazingly pleasant, Sham is a treat for the ears...'nuf said!

Lehrein is an introspective song, again awesomely arranged and beautifully sung by Anushka Mani, with some great lyrics! Another song u will be willing to listen on loop, especially if ur in a melancholy mood!

Behke Behke is probably the first Spanish style Hindi song ever...its energetic, vivacious and foot-tapping, belly-shaking to say the least. The awesome Anushka Manchanda sings this one and boy, does she do it well!

Anushka comes back for By The Way, which is a very VIVA-like song and yet, much better than what VIVA cud ever manage, of course bcz its Amit Trivedi at the helm of affairs here! Bubbly, effervescent and full of life, this ones a winner too!

Remixes of Gall Mitthi Mitthi and Lehrein wrap up the album, and both up the ante considerably! All in all, Aisha is hands-down, by far, the album of the year! Its a superb follow-up by Amit Trivedi to his much deserving and brilliant Dev D! He manages so much with some lesser-known singers, that its truly remarkable how carefully he has chosen the right voice for the right track! I hate to compare but, I havent felt like this abt an album since Rock On...Delhi 6 came close and while Dev D had 7-8 masterpieces, it also had another 4-5 tracks that I rarely liked to listen to (not bcz they wr bad, only bcz m not into that kinda music)....so considering the whole album, Aisha is a rarity, at least for me, where EVERY track stands on its own and tall! Dont take off ur headphones for the next month! :)


P.S. : I remember finding Emma pretty boring when I read it abt 12 yrs back...But Aisha sure looks a peppy adaptation! And not to forget, it has that most important factor every Hindi movie shud have...no no not the script....Abhay Deol! \m/

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Dus Ass Wale...



Raavan, without any doubt, is the WORST MOVIE I have seen in the last 10 years, probably even the worst I have ever seen ...I dont remember being as utterly perplexed and mindfucked while and after watching a movie since I saw Refugee and LOC, but even those had some redeeming moments...and some of the recent crap like Kidnap and Karzzzzz was of the so-bad-its-good variety....

Raavan is the lowest of low points in Mani Ratnam's career and Abhishek Bachchan's non-career...For some reason, Ash's (non-existent) cleavage hogs more limelight than any shred or iota of acting skill she allegedly has...I have seen some seriously BAD movies, and i mean real bad bad movies like Jai-Veeru and Team-The Force, and even they seem like Picasso in front of this Dus Ass Wala Raavan...Mindfuck! à¤¡ोक्याला à¤¶ॉट! à¤¡ायरेक्टरच्या आईचा घो !

Monday, June 7, 2010

Irony of life....

You always want to be the Akash of your life, but no matter how much good you mean, sometimes you just turn out to be Rohit...

And the irony is .... one person's Akash can be another person's Rohit....

Maybe its a good idea to just be Sameer and not bother about the Shalinis of the world...You could try to be Sid, but takes a lot of maturity and unfortunately, I'm not there yet....

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Yo James...

Sometime in the mid-90s, somewhere in California....

"Ron, I'm gonna build a big ship...huge one...cut it into half ...tie people to the posts and railings on tht ship...then get a bunch of cranes and pull it vertical so that it looks like one half of a sinking ship....the tied people all sway, hanging on the threads they are tied to...its all natural...looks awesome...you capture it all using multiple cameras, edit it, post process it and lo, you have an awesome scene of a sinking ship...waddaya think?"

"You know James, its a ridiculous idea...its not gonna work...there's so much technology available...you should use it!"

"Technology schmecknology! I'mma make it work! You'll see..."

"Take my word James, you'll come back to technology later when it doesnt work out...and you'll have wasted money and time! Listen to me now, I know this stuff..."

"Oh you scientists know squat about art! You'll see"

6 months later....

"Yo James, hows it goin man?"

"You know what Ron, you were right...my goddamn idea was a boo-boo....it looked hideous..."

"I toldja didnt I!"

"Yeah! I put my foot in my own mouth...gimme your goddamn technology...lets see how it goes!"

A coupla years later in 1998....

Titanic smashes box-office records worldwide...

The people


Ron - Ron Fedkiw, my Special Effects professor (More info here)
James - James Cameron, Director

True story.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

The real superhero...



...is Robert Downey Jr! How else can you explain Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man 2 is succession!! He has now officially displaced Leonardo DiCaprio as my favorite Hollywood actor.

Getting back to the movie, Iron Man 2 is no The Dark Knight, but it is not Transformers 2 either, nor is it Spiderman 3! I guess you see where I am going :D While it explores less of psyche and more of the superficial, Iron Man 2 delivers what all superhero movies are intended to deliver in the first place - loads of entertainment and action - and it does that without disrespecting the IQ levels of the audience, which is more than you can ask from this genre! While it does not delve into depths of almost any of the characters' psyches, save Tony Stark to some extent, the film is so edgily written and performed that you are willing to overlook that fact. While Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury get sort of a raw deal, they nevertheless shine to the extent they can. Gwyneth Paltrow is adorable as Pepper Potts and Scarlett Johannson burns the screen with her chutzpah. How I wish there was more of her in the movie. I need not repeat the fact that she is H-O-T, she is superhot in this one! Sam Rockwell is brilliant as Hammer. But the real superhero as I mentioned is Robert Downey Jr.! He builds on top of the Tony Stark character he conceived in the first part and while the focus is more on his situation this time than on his psychology, the filmmakers are lucky to have him since he comes up with such an eccentric, delicious and towering performance that overshadows everything else including the half-baked characterizations, the unoriginal and underdeveloped rationale to Whiplash's action, the kick-ass action set-pieces (though we all have seen better!) and even Scarlett Johannson's assets! Now if that isnt a superpower, what is!

Its an entertainment fest, laced with lots of sarcasm and punch! And while it misses the chance of being another Iron Man or The Dark Knight, Iron Man 2 leaves dumbass flicks like Revenge of the Fallen and Clash of the Titans light years behind, both in terms of pure adrenaline and sheer joy!

P.S. : I wouldnt mind seeing an entire movie on the Black Widow, btw! :D

Friday, May 7, 2010

Where exactly is the devil?


Okay, so I have kept my views to myself for 3 weeks now, in the (unlikely) hope (yeah right!) that they will change, because, you know, Rahman's music is different, it grows on you with time...While I dont disagree with that, (I have had my share of music-grows-on-you factor with Jaane Tu..., Yuvvraaj and Blue), I hate to admit that this time ARR gets it wrong...That's okay...We all are mortals, and its too much to ask from a person, even if a genius, to deliver just awesomeness everytime...We have seen Sachin fail at times, we have seen Aamir Khan deliver turkeys, and we have seen Michael Schumacher end 10th behind less-gifted drivers...So, ARR delivering an uninspiring album should be no big deal...What stings me however, is the unequivocal raving that has accompanied the release of the soundtracks of Raavan...Its a case of worshipping someone just because we put him up on a pedestal so high up that now calling a spade a spade will mean demeaning the someone to such an extent that is unbecoming of his genius...Now THIS is what i call blasphemy!

Raavan may not be his weakest work till date, but it is definitely ARR's least deserving works in recent times...Least deserving of the accolades, the hype and the hoopla! Lets get this straight, ARR misfires more often than we like to believe, but when he scores, he scores Bull's eye and more, which indeed makes us forget the misfires - indeed the true mark of a genius. But that shudnt make us shy away from calling crap crap! When you have deplorably hideous songs like Kata Kata and the highly pretentious Ranjha Ranjha, there is no way you can convince me with tales of how he has broken away from the convention by delivering a beat on the 13th count instead of the expected 12th and thus, created a masterpiece...The song sounds not-good and that's the result on which the verdict should be based! I mean sample this analysis of Kata Kata:

"There is a madness, wildness and subtle darkness to this playful pre-wedding composition. The bugles at the beginning awaken everyone to an emergency, a crisis, something going amiss followed by drums. What turmoil has arrived, you ask?"

Seriously WTF! The songs sucks...plain sucks! why is there a problem saying tht loud and clear? Pretentious douchebags need to stop writing reviews! Rahman has given us much much better and calling this track a masterpiece and a master stroke is like Filmfare awarding Aamir Best Actor for "Raja Hindustani"! Its seriously WTF...

Coming back to the album, Beera is energetic and has so much energy that it carries you with it for the 4 minutes the song lasts and beyond. So much so that you are willing to forgive the random signature Rahman tribal words "Mehegumenjaaaaaaaaaaaaloooooooooooooo" (I have never understood Rahman's fascination for random, meaningless words in songs; it was "Bala bala, aa ora, o meego, tu bala pada hoysa....taboo, bala bala" in Jai Ho; "Hosa, keecha keecha" in Shano Shano; "Thoda thoda Zimbabwe"in Latoo and numerous more...I mean seriously why spoil a song just by randomness!! I can understand the French rap in Delhi6 but these "tribal" sounds r laughable, not to mention irritating, and just bcoz its ARR, ppl wont say a word...let Himesh or Pritam put somthng like tht in a song and u'll hear no end of it!)...Nevertheless, the song is really good and is the best of the lot because it is energetic and you cant get it out of your head! Behne De is another inspiring track and while it bears some resemblance to Satrangi, the credit goes to ARR for creating such a racy track! Khili Re is the last shred of sense in the album and while its cloyingly sweet and similar to most of the Jodhaa Akbar music, it is well sung and melody keeps it afloat.

Now to the major f*ck-ups! Thok De Killi is fast-food and it has zero impact. People comparing it with Yuva can go get their braincells checked. It is uninspiring and strictly below average. And btw, the lyrics are BAD! Kata Kata is deplorable to say the least, and comparisons with Rukmini are absolutely uncalled for! It is hideously penned and sung and I dont care how awesome the music arrangements are when that happens! Ranjha Ranjha is the most utterly over-rated track of the year - its the Singh is Kinng of music! People raving about its wonderful lyrics need to tell me if they even understand what is being said! Nothing exceptional about the song, nothing even bloody okay about it! The much-awaited Jaa Re Udd Jaa Re sung by the man himself, is not bad but is not worthy of the sky-high praise it has received! Again, its idol worship more than rationale which has prompted people to say tht!

I am aware I may have gone majorly overboard in criticizing Raavan here, but frankly it kills me to see people praising something just bcz it is supposed to be praised. We should stop being afraid of admitting we cant understand "genius" when we dont! Everyone makes mistakes and its stupid to cover up one mistake with another.

This is unconventional music which fails to touch or move...Lets be honest and gutsy enough to call it tht!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Badmaash Soundtrack!


I usually dont do music reviews...bcz music is something that you cannot judge in 1-2-3-..-10 hearings...sometimes it takes a mere 15 second prelude to a song to decide whether ur gonna love it for the rest of ur life, sometimes even 100 loops arent enough...

Wait! I am not breaking my aforementioned unwritten rule bcz I found a kick-ass album! Just that its been a while since I heard some good music and I figured I havent raved about inane, senseless songs with foot-tapping beats and delicious melodies in a while....Doesnt hurt to do that occasionally, right? ;)

Badmaash Company looks like a rehash of Bunty Aur Babli, and while that makes me wanna puke, the soundtrack by Pritam sure is a guilty pleasure!

Ayashi, with its guitar-riffin' start and the 'beparwah' rendition by KK(after loong!) is just brimming with enthusiasm and chutzpah! Reruns galore and you still cant get the tune out of your head...

Chaska, sung earthily by Krishna, is refreshingly different, with its laidback mood and irrefutable reverence to a "high"er power. Brings back memories of "Dum Laga" from Dil Dosti Etc. Addictive!

Jingle Jingle is awesome with Mohit's unique rendition, the super-fun lyrics and the brilliant music! But for the ridiculous "Jingle Jingle" chorus which sucks to the bone, this could have been an anthem for keeps! Still a whole lot of fun, if you can phase out the pathetic "jingle jingle" sound!

Fakeera is the best of the lot! And that's saying something considering the album's full of pep and vigour! Rahat Fateh Ali Khan moves away from his typical stuff to give this lilting, meaningful and racy song, with a vintage Pritam stamp all over it!

That brings us to the title song, which put me off with the very first line

"Look Look Left, Look Look Right,
Kar Le Apni, Jeans Pant Tight!"

Trite has a new meaning!! Benny Dayal is wasted in this unflattering piece, which stands out like a sore thumb in an otherwise winner from Pritam!

Lets get this straight : the music of Badmaash Company isnt of the masterpiece variety, but come on, Pritam is no ARR, and to give credit where its due, he has given us awesome (albeit "lifted" :P) stuff like Gangster, Woh Lamhe, Life in a Metro, Awaarapan, Jab We Met, Jannat and Love Aaj Kal (woah! thats some line-up!! and I didnt even consider his massier stuff like Dhoom, D2, Billu and Race!); so when we say Pritam is back in form, it does mean something! :)

Hope the film works too, at least for Shahid Kapoor's sake, coz here's one actor who needs to get his due (and who also needs to learn to smell crap(Dil Bole Hadippa, CpD) from a distance and stay away!). Btw, Anushka, though not much of an actress IMO, is looking smokin' hot in the promos :D

EPIC!

My friend Sagar shared this howlarious stuff tht I cudnt help sharing....a few glimpses below....
Know you FB contacts!

Irony anyone?

The very definition of a trivial breakup!
Wait! Wha....?
Get a life! My favorite :D

Reinforces my belief about the dumb ___ stereotype! (Ping me if you wanna know the blank)

See the real deal here....contains risque, often tasteless, and really really gross, stuff...keep your fingers to yourself if ur too uptight...(i mean dont click the link :P)

When quake hits a geekozoidal town....

This is EXACTLY what happened last week!!

Courtesy: xkcd