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

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. :)

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!

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.

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...

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!

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...

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 :)

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! :)

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....