Erase all signs of me…

all the stars belong to the sky…
but I’m searching for my moon…
the eyes are moist, the heart is sad…
and I beg for some mercy, to God…
get me my love…
listen to my prayer…
life is just of a few days…
but the pain is endless…
the pain in my heart is now immune to all cures…
my world is a colorless one…
come, and decorate my destiny, my love…

the promises of love…
that we have kept and nurtured so far …
bearing with the pain that is love…
in despair, and in tears…
we spend our nights, dear one…
we have gone through all tests of love…
now give me the results, the rewards…


the naive heart, doesn’t listen to me…
it is it’s stubborn self
give me a symbol of my affection…
or erase all signs of me…


PS - Smile when it hurts most.
PPS -A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing.
PPPS - I've got everything I need except a woman. And I'm not one of those men who think a woman is the answer to everything, but I'm tired of being alone.

Movie Review - DOSTANA

It is regressive and abounds with gay stereotypes but the makers should still be lauded for at least bringing the subject out of the closet. The first half is laugh out loud funny and was superb time pass but the pace dips substantially in the second half and could have done with some editing.

Abhishek rocks and these are the kind of real ‘chilled out’ characters he should stick to playing - hopefully after Drona he’ll stay away from playing larger than life characters. John is ample eye candy and is funny in a few scenes but by and large both the leads work better as a team. Chemistry between both of them rocks. Kudos!!

Priyanka looks like a million bucks and even though the role is nothing to write about she is disarmingly charming and chips in a fresh restrained performance. Kiron Kher rocks - I dont know why she didn’t appear in the second half. Bobby Deol was strictly average - I suspect someone like Akshay or Hrithik would have been a far better choice.

The music is catchy and the film as a whole is marvelously packaged.
A good popcorn flick - go in without any expectations and you won’t be disappointed. Far better than over-rated comedies Singh is King and Golmaal Returns.
I noticed a few gags lifted from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Few scenes which reckon me as of now -
John & Abhi flashback in Venice.. too good man and the way they put down their books after Priyanka comes out in the swim-costume.. thumbs up man!!

Kiron Kher's entry.. amazing
Abhi & John's blame before desi-girl song.. superb
List goes on..
John & Abhishek Rocks.. no doubt in the climax kiss scene

Parental Guidance:

Violence: None
Nudity & Sexual content: Loads of skin-show. And a lip-lock.
Concept: Homosexuality; People shamelessly lying their way into situations and playing cute to find a way out.
General Look and Feel: Peppy, bright - in the Karan Johar way.

Rating: 4/5 Watch for sure (as there isn't dull moment in the entire movie) - if you can stand such kind of humor.

PS - No clue if this sounds gayish I felt J for John's physique.

Age is the number and mine is unlisted. HB2Me

I seem to have been rather slow at the blogging thing recently, but one thing that I feel deserves a blog entry is my Birthday (11th Nov).
When the spotlight shines on the birthday person: I used to feel self conscious about all this attention, and now I’ve learned to enjoy it.
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
On this special day of mine, I have some personal reflections for the year:
** A birthday is a time to take stock of my own life.
** I reflect on all the friends and relationships I have made, formed and renewed for the past year.
** I remember the events, happenings and people that have influenced me to help me become who I am.
** It’s also a time to literally and figuratively “smell the roses”.



My Birthday! What a different sound
That word had in my youthful ears;
And how each time the day comes round,
Less and less white its mark appears.


As Oprah Winfrey says - The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Age is the number and mine is unlisted.
Though I pass the phase of life & cover the journey of life, some days I don’t remember when I slept while the fight of inner voices was on…
All I have learnt in my experience of life with my weakness is:

1. Smile at your problems
2. Learn from experience
3. Help your self

As I turn the pages of life getting a year older, I just want to figure out what to hope for. And the most I can do is live inside that hope.

Happy Birthday to me.. Celebrations are on.. Join the party :)

PS: I couldn’t wear my new pair of clothes to office :(
PPS: Whether I like it or not…all these seem to be just a faction of my deranged mind
PPPS: Hope my Birthday gently breezes all the choicest of things and all that my heart holds dear

Voices from the Waters...

Raj Kapoor… Nargis… love along the sea-beaten footpaths of Marine Drive
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

He sits lonely on a bench… the girl he loved just walked out of his life… a rainy night in a park
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

A motley crew of teens… an ominous tail fin… fear at the beach
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

Ponds ripple… the trees tango with the winds… is it Ravishankar’s sitar that brings the storm or the storm that plays the sitar
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

A gangster shot point-blank… his body spread-eagles across the board… the sea breeze pushes the door open
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

The lovers’ escapades… they stand together forgetting the world, stopping time… at the very edge of the mighty Jog falls
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters


Over 70 films from over 30 countries… Cinema by the masters… A rare kind of Cinema… Cinema that is currently making news across the world… Some unknown voices so eloquent, so powerful…

The Festival, The Event, The Celebration that has put Bangalore on the world map of Environment Film Festivals …

THE BIGGEST FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD ON WATER
In its biggest most dynamic avatar yet

VOICES FROM THE WATERS 2008
3rd INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ON WATER

I was here for the inauguration of this fest. I was a great feeling to be part of such events.
Shekar Kapur, renowned director declared open the fest, along with other noted film dignitaries like Kavitha Lankesh.

The fest opened with the premiere of THE RAGA OF RIVER NARMADA, one of the best and most powerful and poetic short films to made in the country, is what I felt watching it.
There is serious crunch where we need to awaken us for the water crisis.
The felt it true what Shekar Kapur spoke. He highlighted that existing water resources can very well sustain the current population, but shortage is a result of greed. "Ninety five percent of the damage is done. There will come a time when the only ones who can afford water from taps will be those who have armed guards at home. The world is heading for a water revolution," he added.
The reason for 3rd world war would be definitely for water.
Wake up fellow beings & rise to the cause of saving environment.
I felt good speaking to Shekar Kapur & other dignitaries present after the function. One of those pages of my life which will be cherished for a long time.

Rise Awake to make world a better place to live

[Review] Rock On..

Very few movies see ourselves getting pulled into the narrative. Some of them being TZP, RDB, Swades, Chak De, Jaane Tu…Rock On being the latest to join the list.
The writer, Abhishek Kapoor, has given each of these characters detailed attention. Together, they mature smoothly from adolescent “we can conquer the world” enthusiasm to learning to live life the hard way.
It’s youthful yet elegant. It’s contemporary yet identifiable with, by anyone who’s had a tiff with a close one. Yes, the layers of love for rock music and issues related to urban life need to be peeled off. But at the core it’s a very simple story told with compassion and sophistication.
The details of the main conflict are left to your imagination. But, the manner in which you are drawn into the story shows that smart people have been involved in its making. So, I submitted myself, albeit grudgingly, to the fact that their heart was in bringing us the resolution and not the clash. I’d suggest you do the same.
The obvious call of events in Rock on!! worked for me because I found myself getting attached to the characters and their relatively ordinary lives.
Each character in the foursome is representative of the kind of people any group of friends has. The idealist whose self-respect does not resign to compromise (Arjun Rampal), the slightly self-centered one who can’t see when he falters (Farhan Akhtar), the easy-go-lucky-cum-jackass who doesn’t let anything bother him too much (Purab Kohli) and the one who’s more emotionally attached to the ‘group’ sentiment than the rest (Luke Kenny).
The slight shiver in Farhan’s hands when confronted by his past, made me gape in awe of not just the actor but also the director, Abhishek Kapoor.
With male-bonding as the central theme, it’s refreshing to see women with well thought out characters who influence the direction of the story.
Prachi Desai is so cute…A must watch movie for any one. Music is awesome.
I had goose bumps watching the movie. I fell in love with Farhan’s house as well.
Message of the Movie: Live your dream & Friends are forever…
Parental Guidance:
• Violence: A couple fist fights.
• Sexual content: A couple of tiny make-out scenes.
• Concept: Friendship, bonding, forgiving and forgetting. While real little ones might not get it, a child above 10 might be able to grasp the concepts.
• General Look and Feel: It doesn’t have bright color tones. But, the kids might enjoy the songs and the overall feel might be appealing.
Rating: 4.5/5 Watch for sure - preferably in theatre
PS - My writeup may not serve the apt justice rather watching it. Rock On.. I felt watching a live concert as the crowd in my theater howled & swayed to the tunes of Farhan.. Awesome experience watching the movie.

Phoonk...

So, Ram Gopal Varma wanted to scare and make us question our beliefs. Well neither happened.
There’s nothing remotely scary about Phoonk. Unless of course, ogling crows, out-of-focus soft toys and wooden artifacts getting predictably into the limelight give you jitters. Then there’s the heavily made-up Ashwini Kalsekar who has a fetish for charcoaled eyes. Unfortunately, even tilt in her head doesn’t manage to evoke the fear factor. The spooky background music might have succeeded in some kind of horror, had it been used a little less.
The individual scenes too are a collection of random shots cut and pasted together. Had there been even an average amount of flow, maybe the plot and sub-plots thereof would have been coherent enough to touch my belief system.
Being a non-superstitious person, I had completely surrendered myself to a movie about black magic. Without such submission there was no hope of enjoying this one. But, that didn’t work either.
Baby Ahsaas’ act though, is really moving. She has very clearly exhausted herself in exhibiting what her character went through, and done really well too. My heart went out as much to her character as to the child artiste herself. Sudeep & rest of the cast are okay.
It’s truly not the question of whether or not one believes in black magic. It’s how believably it’s put forth. Such an issue should have ideally made me think of how I’d react if something like this happened in my family. But, as audience I’m kept at such a distance from the procedures that it’s almost as if the makers don’t want to get me involved. Employing the standard techniques used for the horror genre neither terrified me nor made me think about the topic at hand.

Parental Guidance:
Violence: Loads of black magic
Sexual content: None
Concept: Very dark
General Look and Feel: Spooky for children, I guess.
Rating (out of 5): 1

PS: On humanitarian grounds, is it really fair to have a 10-11 year old child go through the enactment of such torture? It’s the same question I had when I saw The Sixth Sense.

[Review] Bachna Ae Haseeno..

Ranbir starts off where SRK in DDLJ had left & opposite teen deviyaan Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone, Minissha Lamba.
Bachna Ae Haseeno has a great cast, great chemistry amongst actors [so sizzling, it could melt butter], great locations [jaw dropping actually] and some great moments. Bachna Ae Haseeno suffers, to a major extent, due to its screenplay running out of steam in the climax of the second hour.

Bachna Ae Haseeno has splendid moments in the first hour. In fact, the three stories, minus the culmination of course, are beautifully told in the first hour itself. There're some attention-grabbing moments in this hour and you genuinely feel exhilarated after having watched those portions.

Now to the second hour -- the guy repents for his misdeeds and years later, goes back to the first two women in his life. That's where the problems surface...

In a nutshell, Bachna Ae Haseeno could've been the ideal youthful entertainer, occupying the position that Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na enjoys amongst the yuppy crowd. But as things stand now, it's a great looking film with nothing outstanding about it. Okay for a single watch, that's about it!

Songs are good & hummable. Khuda Jaane is superbly shot. Naughty Boy is hot. Ahista is good as well.

Ranbir Kapoor is marvellous esp after Sawariya let-down.
Amongst girls, Bipasha Basu stands the tallest [Pity John Abraham who is really gonna have a tough time with her]
Minisha doesn't work at the start, but scores in the emotional scenes, especially in the second hour.
Deepika is a sore point. Her role isn't convincing and that's the reason why this performance doesn't work. The only consolation is, she looks gorgeous & the scene between Ranbir & her at the grocery store is awesome. The climax is finished off in a haste..

Parental Guidance:
* Violence: None
* Sexual content: A couple of item number type songs, and a scene with a bachelor party.
* Concept: The movie is about adult relationships. It's also about accepting mistakes. Not something they cannot or should not understand. Just depends on the interest level of the child - whether such a thing would interest him/her.
* General Look and Feel: Generally a very bright and peppy ambience throughout the movie.

My Rating:
3/5

PS: Suffering from a bout of Monday-Morning-Blues..