Saturday, February 12, 2011

Derby Diary


One of the earliest memories I have of Mumbai is when my mother and I were at the bus stop right opposite the Mahalakshmi Race Course. I was at an age when children are most annoying; they want nothing less than the moon and the stars. But, all I was asking my mother was to cross the road and show me the horses which were galloping on the race course. For reasons that were beyond my comprehension at that age, she refused to oblige to my very reasonable request. I begged, pleaded, threw tantrums, and only then she gave in. I was the happiest child when I saw the horses streaking along the course, kicking up dust. That scene is still implanted in my memory.  
Fast forward to the present, when one of the days I was particularly late for work and my phone was buzzing with calls from office. One such call told me I was to go to the Derby happening at Mumbai, the next day. I dismissed it thinking, these guys couldn’t possibly be serious. Serious they were. And, before I knew it I was packing my stuff and hopping on to a plane bound for Maximum City. It was all very surreal for me to start with. When it actually started sinking in, the first thing that came to my mind was that scene from my childhood and the copious tears I had shed just to get a glimpse of the horses.
As I reached the venue of the McDowell Signature Indian Derby 2011, I braced myself for the snobbery of the elite set of the country. But, what greeted me was an atmosphere which reminded me of a flea market, except for the very fashionably dressed people. The air of cheer and festivity were quite infectious and very soon I found myself mingling with the crowd and not feeling out of place at all.
The racing horses were a sight to behold and the men who were leading the horses to victory deserve a special mention for gracefully guiding the beautiful beasts. The bets were high and one could see people crossing fingers, sending up frantic prayers and doing everything possible to will their horses to win.   
I also happened to spot a handful of celebrities who simply dropped by to add glitter to the whole event.  Dr. Vijay Mallya himself arrived on Day 2 of the event when the big race was due. Entertainment was in the form of music and martial arts. Music coming from One Night Stand...The Band, Billy West and Pussycat Dollies, while the martial arts by Shaolin Monks had the crowd gaping in awe.
Liquor flowed freely, and “Saddle Up”, the Derby special cocktail, lifted the spirits at the event.
Two things that came as complete shockers to me. One being, the Chaat and Chicken Tikka stalls at the venue, which had the crème de la crème making a beeline for them. The second was the unbelievable amount of litter that covered the ground.  You’d think people from the upper strata of the society would have more civic sense than that. It was quite an eyesore.
At the end of the two day event, some went home elated and some moping over their losses. And me, I went with some amusing and interesting memories.


Sunday, January 24, 2010

And the Oscar goes to...

This is it! I just saw the most Oscar-deserving movie today, a movie, that will be an obvious choice of the year. All because of one man who shoulders the film on his slender shoulders.. yes.. the man who has set pulses (not Daal) racing, the man who is a screen god, a man who is not a man.. BUT a superman! (yes yes literal translation of Aap purush nahi from "Andaaz Apna Apna". Yeah so we are talking about THE MAN.. The one and only Ilaiya Thalapati, Dr. Vijay! His latest endeavor that goes by  the name of  "Vettaikaran" meaning Hunter for those who don't know.  Don't even think about giving the movie a miss. I'm gonna tell you exactly why.. To begin with, Dr.Vijay has been cast as a totally believable 3timesfailed12thclassjustenteredcollege dude. And is he a dude or what! Its easy to see why our heroine falls for him. His perfect bod, mesmerizing eyes, and easy charm are hard to resist. The storyline of the movie is really original and different and unheard of with twists and turns that will leave you nail-less by the end of the movie. Seriously, have you ever heard of a story where the police/politicians are corrupt, the hero is wronged many a number of times, where the hero's best friend gets killed by the villain. No right? See I told you it was perfectly original. In this movie, one can also see the art of Telekinesis perfected by Dr.Vijay. they don't call him doctor for no reason buddy. He can move objects without even touching them. See it to believe it.
And for a slight looking man he sure has a lot of physical strength to be flinging the goons around like Frisbee.
Oh I just can't stop raving about him. I had my Wow moment in the movie when when somebody sprays a can of insect killer that goes by the name "TIT" into one of the nice guy's eyes. Tit.. err. It makes him blind.. I think that had a hidden feminist message behind it.. deep deep message that could mean if Tit went into your eyes it could make a man blind. So keep tit away from your eyes. You leching men of the world, did you catch the subtle subtext or not! Hah, that said, I think I have made my case crystal clear as to why this movie SHOULD go the Oscars. I mean, it is waaaay believable and better that Slumdog Millionaire no? Hollywood! Make way .. The Vettaikaran is coming  to hunt you!


Thala rocks \m/


Sunday, January 3, 2010

2010

After all that hot air I pumped in my last post, this one's for the anonymous commenter who insists I write something about the year ahead. So I'm gonna be listing out 10 things I intend to do this year, whether they intend to happen to me or not is a different story altogether ;) and some might even not be realistic, now let's not get into that either. Here goes..

UPDATE ON MY 2010 Wishlist on 15th Dec 2011
  1. Buy a car. I can drive OK. I have a license to prove it. Though  the picture in the license bears no resemblance to the license holder - DONE
  2. Organize the Haj trip for my parents. This I've been wanting to do ever since I started working but the M word is the ONLY hiccup.
  3. Get married. Yep.. you read that right. I'm getting dreams where I'm 70 and alone with a house full of cats :D - GETTING MARRIED IN APRIL
  4. Go on a vacation to any or all of the following places - UAE, Singapore, Greece, France, Ireland. This would be one of the unrealistic list item I was talkin about earlier. - UAE - Check, Singapore: Check Greece: You're next :D
  5. Become famous/infamous. Either suits me just fine. Unrealistic Item #2
  6. Be a hotshot copywriter and write lines that win me all the awards that there are to win.
  7. Start working on the book I've been wanting to write, which will be force fed to friends, family and foes. (Alliteration Alert!)
  8. At least be nice to people who are nice to me. People who are not nice to me will be sent to the purgatory ;)
  9. Grow my hair to the original length it was when I was in class 8. It reached till my lower back. Not as easy as it sounds. Really. - HALFWAY THROUGH
  10. Get meself a kitten. If the dream mentioned it Item # 3 has to come true, might as well start now. - ALMOST TOOK ONE HOME :-|
There! I've spit it all out. So much to be done and not necessarily in the given order. Wish me luck!!!



Sunday, December 27, 2009

Random Ramble

Realization sunk in.. The MTBP (Mean Time between Posts) has dipped to an all time low.  Tch tch.. There is a reason, not good enough, but a reason nevertheless. I've been reading blogs of people who are Gods of the Blogiverse. I've got a major case of inferiority complex and I've got it bad. These guys are so good that it makes me wonder would anyone even give a rat's ass about my blog! Yes, I don write to impress anyone. Maybe I've just been plain lazy OR the novelty of blogging has worn off. This is the problem with me. I get bored so easily. I obsess over something for sometime and then Pfft! the fizz dies out after a while. How on earth will I be married to one man is something that is totally beyond my comprehension.  Let me not get into that stream of thought right now.
I think its time I start an anonymous blog to crib, whine, and bitch about people I hate, where I can swear away to kingdom come and where i can say things about myself that no one could ever imagine.
So if you find this blog dormant for a really really long time then I'm probably writing elsewhere. Go figure!
See I told you its a random ramble. Generalla Cinderalla- a term coined by my dear friend when we have no answer to some of life's profound questions. Cinderalla would be turning in her grave located Far Far Away.
Don't know if I'll be posting here again. All you an do is wait and watch. Right! like you have nothing better to do in your life than wait for me to write. Oh did I tell you that in 5 years time I intend to write a book. Yes, I so will. So, maybe the next time you see something written by me will be in that book. :)
So long..

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Affair

I was a precocious child, at the same time vulnerable..
It was but inevitable, that it had to happen early. And once it happened there was no stopping.
Life without it seemed almost impossible.
When people saw me they knew.. it was pretty obvious on my face what I'd been upto.
I could hardly hide my flushed face and my sparkling eyes.
After all these years there are times when it still hurts, you'd think I'd gotten used to it by now.
But each time the feeling is new, mind-numbing and breath-taking.
I have it every other day, no matter what happens..I don't tire.
Insatiable, addictive, it still takes my breath away, sometimes I stay up at night gasping for breath, shivering and sweating.
It has that effect on me. I've been loyal, very loyal. 
I can't let go even if I want to.

BECAUSE MY COLD WILL JUST NOT LET GO OF ME!!! ;)

Saturday, October 31, 2009

London Se Aaya Mera Dost...

The good thing about being a pessimist is that they are either proved right or pleasantly surprised. I went in expecting the worst when I decided to go for London Dreams. No, I wasn't pleasantly surprised, but neither was I disappointed. The movie didn't invoke any strong reaction from me as such. The first half of the movie was a tad banal but by the second half there was substance, and by 'substance' i don't just mean the one that Sallu Bhai abuses.
The script of the movie is novel but it has been poorly executed to say the least. It all starts with Ajay Devgn with a missing vowel. He has more than just a vowel that's amiss. For one thing he is all wrongly cast for the role of a rockstar. Sure, the man can act, but he is such a misfit for the role. His body language, his moves, his looks, none of it even remotely resemble that of a real rockstar. And he wears a constipated look throughout the movie. The not-so-gracefully aging Sallu holds the  movie together with his antics and dialogue delivery. He looks convincing as a man torn between the tumultuous events of his life.The friendship between Sally and Ajay seems contrived, you just can't relate to their so called Dosti.
Asin shares no chemistry with either of the two actors. But, she has done justice to her role and plays the role of a modern Tamil girl who wants to be famous but has to face the wrath of her orthodox family.
The two other other band members played by Rannvijay and another cute guy with a bird's nest for hair, deserve special mention for their natural performances.
Shankar Ehsaan and Loy have come a long way from Dil Chahta Hai, unfortunately they have come the wrong way. The music I beleive is the soul of any movie, this movie lacks soul. The music does not do anything to you. It just makes you wonder whatever happened to the trio who gave us brilliant music with the likes of Rockford, Mission Kashmir and Rock On.
Having said that, I think the movie would've worked if some more attention was paid to details and IF Ajay Devgn was NOT cast as the lead.
Watch the movie if you don't get tickets for any other movie, like I did :D



Tuesday, October 20, 2009

I've Got the Blues

My blog has been collecting dust for a while now, I've been just plain lazy and uninspired. Been tweeting a lot though. Note to self - Any kind of addiction is bad :-| Now, while i was being horrendously lazy, i decided that watching a movie will .. well.. not necessarily make me active, but atleast inspire me a little. So which movie do I pick? BLUE. Not a blue film dummy, m not into porn (PJ)
Watching Blue was not an altogether bad idea. Should give it to them for going the unconventional way and shooting almost 40% of the movie underwater. Laudable effort. BUT... being part Bollywood, the director can't help but goof up in some areas can he? For starters, the storyline is leaky and almost comical. The choice of cast is poor to say the least. I mean, Sanjay Dutt, seriously the poor man doesn't know where to hide is paunch. he looks positively pregnant. And, pairing him up with Lara Dutta! Disaster dude! Sanju baba wears a dead pan expression throughout the movie. He is no better than he was in Luck.
And then there is Zayed Khan. Sigh.. When God when will he go for his much needed acting classes. Even Katrina in her minuscule role has more expressions on her face than Zayed has in the entire movie.  Akshay looks lean and mean, but his dialogues..well.. its not his fault is it that he has been given some award winning cheesy lines. Sample this :
Sanju is lecturing Zayed on somethingortheother and our man Akshay goes "Arey, yeh moral science class ka waqt nahi hai" Hold on while I gag..
OK, enough ripping the movie apart, the finer points of the movie are of course the brilliant music, the breathtaking cinematography and the long but well-executed stunts. Go watch Blue if you think you can overlook its flaws and just enjoy the dive! :)