Raavan – Movie Review

My first movie review after more than 1.5 years!!! That would mean either of two things – Ravaan is ravenously bad or ravenously good!!! I am glad to say that it is latter of the two

A modernized tale of the Hindu Epic Ramayana, it put me at awe how well an age-old mythical story was transcribed into current times. Hats off to the director Mani Ratnam – such a magnum opus was possible only by a director of his calibre.

Like always I don’t want to let out too much information, but to provide just a synopsis – Raavan is a story of Beera (Abhishek Bachchan), a voracious leader of a village clan that has been ill-treated by police force and ignored by the general Government. Owing to the continuous oppression, he decides to kidnap Ragini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) – the wife of DSP Dev (Vikram). To find Beera, Dev and team have to penetrate the dangerous and labyrinth of a jungle for which they use the skill and support of eccentric forest officer Sanjeevni (Govinda). What follows is a cat and mouse game of chase. Can you see the similarities between the characters of Raavan and Ramayan? Very clearly scripted and executed.

I am not a big fan of either Abhishek or Aishwarya Rai, but I must say Raavan is one of their best work. Even though the role of Beera has been portrayed loudly by Abhishek, it doesn’t feel out of place and is very likable. Aishwarya not only does what she’s best at, which is looking pretty – but she does it in spite of hardly any make up. To top it all, she gives a very memorable performance as well. You feel for Ragini’s helplessness and hurt. Vikram has done well as the stern, no nonsense DSP. Govinda’s role has shades of comedy and is fun to watch. These powerful performances have been backed well by Ravi Kishan and Nikhil Dwivedi as well.

Cinematography is breath-taking. Santhosh Sivan has once again proved his mettle considering that the locales were not very inhabitant friendly!!! Special effects are effective. Music by A.R. Rahman might not be like his usual chartbuster kinds but is highly situational. You will be forced to hum the music while walking out of the theatre.

But Raavan has its share of flaws as well. First half of the movie moves at a sluggish pace, taking full speed post interval. Cinema-goers who enjoy music, dance and masala might find Raavan a bit boring. Also, the sudden transformation of Dev’s character from the loving doting husband to the suspicious male chauvinist is nothing but sudden!!! Bar all that – Raavan is nothing but a treat for authentic cinema lovers.

I would give it 4 stars on 5. So what are you waiting for? Go get your movie tickets and sit back and enjoy a great piece of art.

A Hope For Change in Terror-stricken State of Manipur

Hi everybody! After a self-imposed hiatus of I don’t know how long, I am back. By now you all must be aware that I am not an avid blogger. If something tickles my fancy, I write about it. Today is one of those days, when I just could not stop myself from putting out my thoughts. Up until now I have posted blogs about movies, restaurants, personal experiences, etc. but this time around I wanted to do something good for humanity. If I have to be more specific – then this blog is only as a hope to do something good for the inhabitants of Manipur.

Just today morning I received two links forwarded by a friend of mine – two heart-wrenching and informative articles pertaining to the atrocities faced by civilians day in and day out at the culturally rich state of Manipur. It was always at the back of my mind – about the unrest at Manipur; But that it would be to such an extensive level??? – was really something I did not imagine. In the past, whenever I have read reports or seen news coverage regarding civil strife at cities of countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Iraq, Afghanistan etc. the first thought that always came to my mind was – man am I safe and oh so proud to be an Indian Citizen!!! But on reading these two simple articles my entire belief system has been utterly shaken. At least the other countries that I formerly mentioned had the decency to publish these events – even if it was just to bring about general awareness or maybe for actions from International Humanitarian bodies; But here we are, citizens of India – a democratic and secular country – where is the democracy and secularity in Manipur??? Or are these salient features of only the metros of modern India??? Well then we should not call ourselves a democratic secular country, but a country with a democratic secular majority while the minority suffers varied levels of genocide!! All the Indian Government is trying to do is cover up and make India look like the peace-loving, equality driven country. We are all just living a big fat lie.

I do feel lucky to be part of Hindu majority in India, but I am simultaneously saddened that why should there be this discrimination? Why should we feel obliged to be a majority while the minorities feel minor?? An ideal country would be one where there is no distinctive word called majority or minority. I do not want to take a back seat today. Neither do I have the power to make a difference in a big way – to bring about revolution. All I can do at this point is to educate the masses and make them aware of the heinous crimes being committed against my fellow citizens from Manipur. Request you all to please go through the following two links and make your friends and colleagues aware of the same:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/one-womans-silent-quest-for-peace-on-indias-wild-frontier-1962571.html
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main42.asp?filename=Ne080809murder_in.asp

With a humble prayer in my mind, I wish the people of Manipur – Peace and Love that has been evading them for a very long time.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi – Movie Review

Finally the moment has arrived where I get to write the review for this movie. I am an SRK fan and hence, was really looking forward to the release of this movie – RAB NE BANA DI JODI. Wanted to go for the first day first show, but unfortunately since I was working today I had no other choice but to go in the evening and trust me the wait was torturous!!! Anyway here goes my review-

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (RNBDJ), directed by Aditya Chopra after an 8 year hiatus, has the King Khan of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan and introduces model turned actress Anushka Sharma. Aditya Chopra is most remembered for having directed Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (popularly known as DDLJ), a movie that changed the face of Bollywood movies forever and breaking all records by running at theatres even till today after 13 years. His last movie Mohabbatein failed to revive the same magic, not that it wasn’t a good movie, but it had a stalwart of a movie behind it to be compared to. But enough of reviewing Adi’s past, this review is about RNBDJ. With RNBDJ, Aditya Chopra has shifted from normal eternal love stories where boy meets girl in the first hour, they fall in love in the next, and the boy manages to get the girl in the last hour. Instead this movie is totally contrary where it’s the story of how the guy gets the girl first and then gets her to love him, the person that he is. That’s what makes this movie different from the usual run of the mill love stories presently being churned out of Bollywood.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the story of a boring ordinary man, Surinder Sahni (Shah Rukh Khan) and a vivacious young girl, Taani (Anushka Sharma). How this totally unreal and unexpected jodi (pair) are forced to come together under unforeseen circumstances, and how they stick together is what the movie is about. Surinder being just an ordinary man in love with a beautiful young girl wants her to be happy no matter what, even if that means he needs to change his identity and the person that he is and become Raj. But in between all the pretension Surinder loses his focus, which is to make Taani fall in love with Surinder not Raj. All Surinder wants is Taani to be happy, even if that means he is not the one who gets to make her happy. But Rab (God) has something else in his mind cause after all RAB NE BANA DI JODI (God has made the pair). That’s all I am going to give about the story line of the movie.

Music is composed by Salim-Sulaiman, as has been in the recent past with Yash Raj films. The score is one of the best that has come out of this musical duo. The title track being the best out of the lot. Also watch out for Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte, a different & special tribute to Bollywood Superstars – Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna & Rishi Kapoor. The picturization of this song was the biggest surprise in the movie. Hmmm I am sorry, I cannot keep this to myself, this song has Kajol (Yes, Kajol & SRK together after a long time and do they look goooooood????!!!!), Rani, Preity, Bipasha and Lara in very special appearances. All in all a feel good, down to earth and close to heart situational musical score that will keep you humming all the way.

Direction faultless as would be expected by someone like Aditya Chopra. Story very different as I have already said. For a change I saw that love is not love when reciprocated but it could be selfless as well. This was a welcome change from the age-old theory of love and possession. Screenplay and dialogues are very simple and touches your heart. The situations are so real that you feel yes, even I could feel like this, if I was here even I’d do the same thing. That’s what is so special about RNBDJ, you are able to live the characters, you are able to see yourself in the same situations as them and you are able to relate to their feelings and the actions that they take – only because RNBDJ is an ordinary story of ordinary characters.

Shah Rukh Khan is seen portraying two opposing characters, and he does justice to both. His comic timing as well as his emotional  flare I believe is uncomparable and hands down he is one of the best actors Bollywood has ever seen. I still don’t understand how being 43 years old he still looks young and has so much of energy.

That brings me down to the young girl Anushka Sharma. 19 years old and hence, being less than half the age of SRK, initially I was skeptical about their pairing. But I was proved wrong because they looked just right in an almost extraordinary way. Being her first movie, Anushka has surprised me. Usually models are termed as stone-faced and not good actors but Anushka has changed all that. She’s got a good amount of footage in this movie to show her acting prowess and she has made good use of the opportunity. She’s a complete package – beautiful, dances well and most importantly acts well. In her first movie itself she’s done so well, I cannot wait to see where she goes from here. Other actresses better keep a look out, Anushka has come well prepared and she’s here to stay.

All in all Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has all that it takes to make a blockbuster. I would give it 4.5 on 5, mostly because of the beautiful message that the movie tries to give - love should not be based on what’s outside but what’s inside and above all it should be without any expectation. Do not hesitate even once to go for this movie, it is Bollywood Love Story at it’s best.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Movie Review – Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Last weekend after office me and my colleagues went for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa on the first day of it’s screening here in U.A.E. It’s the second installment of the hugely popular animated movie Madagascar released in 2005.

Firstly, the movie is by leaps and bounds better than the first installment. If you enjoyed the first you will definitely love the sequel. And incase you havn’t watched the first part, there is not much connection between the two, and if any it has been clearly shown in this movie. So you can carry on and watch this installment without actually watching the first part.

By better what I mean is this movie is more funny, has a much better storyline, has more emotional touch than the first installment and has many new characters. To fit the story in a nutshell (& hence, sparing all the potential movie goers) this is the story of four friends belonging to New York Zoo along with their accomplices, of how they escape Madagascar and end up reaching the African Jungle, only to find their respective natural roots. Along the way they laugh, they cry, but mostly they make a life out of it. That is what Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is all about. It’s about taking chances and living your life to the fullest.

The dialogues are definitely what takes away the cake most of the times. It is the dialogues that make the situation funny. Hats off to the writers. To others annoyance I was clapping at most of the dialogues, especially the ones in the latter half of the movie. Acting or rather voice of all the characters are just perfect, with just the correct rhythm, timing & feel. My personal favourite is King Julien (definitely one of the funniest animated characters ever) as well as the Penguin Quad-Pack!

To summarize I give this movie 4.5 on 5 (0.5 less only cause my favourite character King Julien did not have a lot of footage). Do go for this movie to have a great fun and chilled out time. It’s worth it.

UNO Chicago Grill – Restaurant Review

 

 

Hello fellow bloggers & readers. As usual I am sorry about not being able to blog regularly, but yesterday I got a compliment from a dear friend of mine about my blog, and that formed as a big motivator. So here I am, back in the game

Well, not that I did not have anything to blog about. I have a lot, but just that never found the time, and mostly was lazy.

Anyway, here is my restaurant review for UNO Chicago Grill-

Located in Deira City Centre, on the 2nd floor next to the cine walk area, is what I would call one of the best restaurants (for burgers and according to me even pasta) where I have dined in recent times. Don’t go by it’s not so crowded ambience in comparison to Chili’s, it is way better than Chili’s (no hard feelings towards Chili’s, it’s good but not better than UNO)

You have two types of sitting arangement. Outside on the walkway, and inside the restaurant. The ambience inside is very much like as in a sports pub or bar, dim lighting along with widescreen tvs hanging on top on all the four sides, showing four different channels. Also stacked in various places are souvenirs and props that give an overall authentic and classic look (established in 1943).

Once we walked inside, we were greeted by very (& I mean very) friendly staff. The server always writes down his/her name on a napkin & places it on the table. I think this is a very good technique to develop a personal bond with your customers.

We were a group of four, and our order was as follows -

Appetizer – Tuscany Bread

Main Course – Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla, Chicken Spinoccoli & Veggie Burger

Drinks – 4 bottomless soda drinks

Even though we ordered for only 3 main course dishes, it was difficult for the four of us to finish all of it. Now let me get into the details of each dish.

The Tuscany Bread was so filling that I fail to understand why it was called an appetizer. A lot like the normal garlic bread, but with obviously more toppings, making it taste more like a mini pizza. Worth it’s price.

I did not taste the Quesadilla, but there were 3 biiiiiiig pieces of the same, and my friends said that it was very good. The buffalo chicken especially was very tender & tasty.

As for the Pasta, it was one of the best white sauce pasta I have ever tasted. And don’t even let me get started with the quantity, it was enough for two people for sure, and incase you’re not a big eater, then three. There were 5-6 big chicken roasted pieces filled with a mix of spinach and brocolli (hence, the name spinocolli). The pasta as I have already said was one of the best pastas I have ever had. Very good in quantity and quality, this is a must try being an UNO signature. Next time we are planning to order for Rattlesnake Pasta. For starters the picture looks as good as that of Chicken Spinocolli Pasta.

The Veggie Burger was nice. The patty was just out of this world amazing. The only thing I found missing is the filling inside. It had no mayo or any other sauce, so I was forced to order gucamole sauce (don’t worry, I wasn’t charged extra ) But I am sure if I’d have asked for Mayo and other sauces when I had ordered, they’d have made the necessary changes. The bill came up to AED 181 along with the service charge.

They have a separate menu for non-alcoholic drinks, cocktails as well as dessert. The variety offered is good. Also there are set meals available for lunch which includes one main course & salad or soup of your choice at a very decent price. Also UNO is very famous for it’s pizzas, but due to limited human stomach capability we could not order for it. Next time this item is also on our list. All in all a great dining experience, and surely UNO Chicago Grill will be our dining destination many many many more times.

Kolkata Trip

Hello there fellow bloggers and readers. First of all I am sorry that I have not been regular at all. Initially I got busy with my final year exams, and then went off to Kolkata, India for a vacation. There I hardly had any access to net, so could not blog.

I had a great vacation. Watched around 3 movies – Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Kismat Konnection. Each of them being good in their own genre.

Mostly the trip scored over my other trips to Kolkata was cause I could eat to my heart’s (and stomach’s ) content. To name a few mouthwatering dishes that I had -

• Kati Roll at Nizam’s Restaurant – This restaurant was built in 1932, and just recently it has taken over the neighbouring enclosement for extension. The chicken roll was if I can put it out of this world. Living in the U.A.E. for the past 21 years of my life, I have seen that here or even in other nations like US or UK or EU, you get less for what you pay. Here if I order for a chicken roll, I will get more of onion and sauce, and less of chicken pieces, and the parotha seems to be just heated. But at Nizam’s for the first time I saw that there was more of succulent chicken pieces than other stuffs. And the parotha was so soft, it was a good combination with the even softer chicken. And all this for a mere Rs. 37 equivalent to Dhs. 3.5 and less than a dollar???
• Mishti Doi (Sweet Curd) – This is a bengali delicacy, where the curd that you have is not salted, but is sweet. And you get a tinge of rose flavour in it as well, making it totally mouthwatering.
• Rajbhog (Large Ras Gulla) – This is as big as a fist, and mind you, an adult’s fist It is filled with sweet ras or water, and this also has a tinge of rose in it.
• Momo (Steamed Dumpling) – This is basically not hard core bengali delicacy, but I think it’s more of a Nepali Dish, n since Darjeeling is in the state of West Bengal, it’s one of the most sought after snacks in Kolkata.
• Sondesh – I don’t think there has ever been a bengali who has not had a Sondesh (Bengali Sweet) in his/her life. This sweet unlike other dry sweets actually melts in your mouth.
• Elish Sorsay Bhaapey – Translated to English this would be Hilsa fish in Mustard Seed Gravy. This is a major bengali delicacy that I could not have enough of in this trip of mine to Kolkata. I would highly recommend this to everyone. But yes, go for the boneless option if you are not into eating bony fish.
• Phuchka – Translated to Hindi, it is called Pani Puri, or Golgappa. Though you get this item in other places in India, what you get in Kolkata is totally different, and it tastes different as well. It is more spicy than it’s other counterparts in other parts of India.
• Jhaal Muri – Translated to English, it is called Spicy Puffed Rice. It’s a concoction of puffed rice, mustard oil, chilli, nuts, mixtures or chana choor, onion, pickle, etc. It is quite spicy.

Well this was mostly about my trip. I had a short trip of 4 days to Digha, a tourist destination for sea lovers. And oh yeah, I rode a horse this time

Anyway that’s all. Wanted to get back to blogging, and I thought this would be a nice way to start, and also get off the holiday mood.

Kandy Club – DJ Suketu

My first Indi-Clubbing experience happened yesterday, and it was one of the most amazing nights I ever had. Initially I was under the impression that clubbing is the lowliest thing one could do, where people who can’t keep their hands off of others go. But my last night changed all that.

First when I entered Kandy Club (which is in actuality Club Peppermint, but on Thursday Desi nights it’s called Kandy Club), I was a little disappointed, because it is medium sized, n it was a lil empty. Obviously since I had entered the club around10.30pm at night, which is too early. But I was immediately taken aback by the ambience. The lighting effect and the smoke effect were just too good. The crowd that started building up after midnight was quite decent and were confined to their own group of friends. There was no unnecessary touching or loittering of whatsoever that I was so concerned about before clubbing.

On either side of the club was located the bars. The bartenders were very friendly, and were always ready to serve you with a smile. I had ordered for a bull frog as advised by my friend. The cocktail was excellent, though the price charged is a little high. The bull frog costed me 50 AED, beer 30 AED and Tequilla Shot 21 AED. So that I found a little disappointing, but then it was fine cause being a lady I got to enter free before 11pm. Guys who were charged entry fee and other gals who were charged entry fee cause they entered after 11pm, even they were ordering for drinks left right and centre, without thinking about the price. So I guess it is a given when you go for clubbing that the drinks are going to be expensive. But since this was my first time, I was a little taken aback.

Lastly the music. Whatever disappointment I had was more than made up for by the music that was played. The in-house DJs DJ Hani and DJ Shadow were anyway playing great music, but once DJ Suketu came, the club was on fire. The foot-tapping heart-thumping music was to die for. I danced like no one was seeing me. All this coming from a total shy non-dancer? Trust me, only if the music was really that amazing then would I shake a leg.

I spent some 2 and a half hours in there and moved out around 1am. But I wanted to stay there till the end. My leg is gone now, it is hurting alot, but no complaints.. Cause the pain was all worth it. DJ Suketu and not to forget Kandy Club RULES!!!

Movie Review – U Me Aur Hum

Another movie review coming your way people. But this one is making me wonder as to why before this I reviewed Race as a good movie. I am sorry I should not be comparing, but was just wondering why did I write such a good review for Race, because then how do I blog about this excellent movie.

Sometimes the greatest journey is the distance between two people – the tagline of the movie itself puts me in daze. Dr. Ajay Mehra (Ajay Devgan) is a psychiatrist consultant, who when on a cruise tour, meets and falls in love at first sight with a waitress Piya (Kajol). Unfortunately for him Piya is not that easy to get. After alot of wooing, Piya finally gives in to his charm, and they settle down for a happy married life. But then Piya is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It is from here that the movie becomes a special and not an ordinary run of the mill movie. What makes it different is that the movie not only shows the trials faced by an Alzheimer’s patient, but also the tribulations faced by the people around her. A beautiful and meaningful story of love is what U Me Aur Hum is all about.

Kajol has given one of her best performances till date. She always outdoes herself, and I think that is what makes her one of the finest actors in Bollywood. Ajay Devgan has played the role so realistically that it is difficult to say where Ajay Mehra (Ajay Devgan’s character) ends and Ajay Devgan starts. This movie has just made the already known fact more strong, that Ajay Devgan surely is one of the most versatile actors. The supporting actors namely Sumeet Raghavan, Karan Khanna, Divya Dutta, Isha Sharvani and Sachin Khedekar have played their roles with utmost ease and each have done justice to their roles.

Music by Vishal Bharadwaj is situational, and that makes it very special. Lyrics by Munna Dhiman is to look out for, because it is very different. The song that truly stands out is the title track, both musically and lyrically.

Ajay Devgan has made his directorial debut with U Me Aur Hum. And I must say, he has done an excellent job. For any director, it is easy to make an Art/Intellectual movie flawless, but to make a bollywood commercial movie flawless is indeed a very difficult job, and Ajay Devgan has surpassed all such expectations. Ajay Devgan has proved that he is not only a great actor, but an equally superb director.

Some might say that the movie is on similar lines as the hollywood flick THE NOTEBOOK, and that if you have seen THE NOTEBOOK, U Me Aur Hum might not be that great. But trust me, it is only after watching U Me Aur Hum will you understand that these two movies are way too different.

So even if you have watched THE NOTEBOOK, do go for this movie, because trust me, you will not regret it. All in all, I would say that this is a movie that will be remembered and will give you chills, long after you have stepped out of the cinema theatre.

Movie Review : Race

Well today we were the first few people to see Race. Yes, even before people in India, because there it’s being released on Friday the 21st, while here in Dubai, it got released today on Thursday itself. So me and my friends thought we ought to blog about the movie before anyone sees it

Well first of all it is a thriller action movie. And by thriller I mean yes, you are kept at the edge of your seat till the end. But yes, it is a little confusing if you are not a fast grabber or something. I would not recommend someone like my mom to see it, cause it would be a little difficult for her to understand because of the pace of the story. Basically what I am trying to say is that Race is more like a young movie, where youngsters in the age group of say 15years to 30years would like it. It is not a rona dhona (cry baby) kinda love or family movie.. more like an hollywood thriller cum action flick.

Everyone acted well. Akshaye Khanna has done justice to his role, and he has been given the most meaty role in the movie. Hence, it feels as though Saif Ali Khan has been wasted. But he has done well in whatever part he has. And just love the shades that he dawns periodically in the movie. Both the actresses Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif were fine. They are just there to bring some glamour to the movie, which they have succeeded in very well. Anil Kapoor is the surprise package, he is totally mind blowing. Sameera Reddy has done well in her very small role.

Music is okay. Pritam Chakraborthy has given better music before. But still, the music of the movie does catch on to you, and you keep humming it and tap your feet to it. And yes, Pehli Nazar Mein I guess fills the void left by the other tracks. Sang along with it when it was being played on screen.

Direction is nice, as expected from the Abbas-Mustan duo. Action sequences were awesome, especially the climax shot at our very own Jebel Hafeet.

If you are a thriller enthusiast, and have a liking for racing and high rise falls and all, then this is a good watch. I would recommend it to all youngsters who would like to have a good 2 and a half hours worth of thrill, foot tapping music and well, RACE.