Tryst

PINK - The Pale Red!

2016-09-20T19:29:00.001+05:30

The color as it depicts a discrimination in the very evolution between the two flavors of our species seems apt for this presentation. Raw, cold and hard-hitting, the bong story-teller makes merry with his art in a wonderful style.

Three single women choose to live independently tearing free from families carrying their own reasons.

A night of rock concert goes awry as the girls fall prey to our capital city's unethical sharks who as it turns out have bigger whales to back them. A guy is injured in this freaky melee and almost loses an eye.

The rest of the story revolves around this incident as the girls are chased by goons and the rescuer is none other than an ailing 70 year old neighbor-lawyer Deepak Sehgall aka Amitabh Bachchan.

Mr.Chowdhary doesn't blast a new gun but excels in keeping the whole episode as realistic as it could get. While Taapsee, Kriti and Andrea as the beautiful ladies under the steam excel in their portrayals, Amitabh with scaly old hands and a disoriented sight takes his Deepak Sehgall to an altogether new level. The character touches your heart as the old, forgetful, a once renowned but long retired lawyer who struggles with his bipolar disorder to hoist the truth he believes in. His shaky hands, rustic yet a powerful voice and blank sick sights shock us with the details the legendary actor works on to achieve his protagonist.

Tanveer Ghazi's "Kaari Kaari" is such a beautiful composition gelled into this saga that it virtually expresses several emotions of the movie with minimal acts.The direction falters a little with few unnecessarily dragged speeches and stumbles a little into the bollywoodish dramas. However these hiccups cannot take away the strong message the cinema offers to our audiences in the current Indian scenario.

Each dialogue is well thought about and brings in the staleness of authentic conversations of our day-to-day metropolitan lives in a fresh way! The court-hall scenes are a proof to the tremendous effort which Aniruddha Chowdhary has painstakingly shot to give us that pinchy feel of genuineness.

PINK screams loudly at those feudal uncultivated minds(remember no gender biasing here) who thrive to keep the equilibrium faltering for selfish benefits. They are very much there...right beside you or may be even inside you trying to hunt down the next unsuspecting soul. A very sturdy attempt to bring all thinking Indians to their tables -- to make them realize the bona fide layout of the absurd society they live in, and finally to evolve both human identities to see each other in equal ranks.

Shades of Wheat and a reality check

2016-06-11T17:43:00.000+05:30

The joy of this extravaganza can be fully relished if you throw aside some loose connections to a Korean short movie that went viral on social media. Hemanth kumar is yet another of those talented youngsters whom we kannadigas completely deserve along with the likes of Rakshit shetty and Pawankumar.

The director has carefully woven this emotional roller coaster in between those gray shades of a father-son relationship. In the process he delicately and successfully touches the right sentimental cords of the viewers without overdoing anything yet leaving a sense of "relating" to his characters.

Rakshith is just Ok with his part, however he is more a marvelous story-teller rather than an actor. His antics as a drunkard doesn't go well with the expectations we have from him.... Sruthi looks cool but still has some way to go in emoting. Achyuth kumar proves yet again that he is a director's pot. But like the old wine, Anantnag holds all the flavor of this drama in his gasps, his unshaven chins and his "oscar"able performance as an Alzheimer's patient. His portrayal of the sick old man stuck in his old memories without being able to recollect any of his recent past warrants a National award.

Hemanth kumar takes us along the selfish journey of a young energetic and ambitious guy who decides to leave his sick father at an old age home for a better life in Mumbai. The narration takes a fateful turn as the old man goes missing and the son tries to find his father. The Suave puppet-master gives two dimensions to his threads by introducing a murder and a feather weight love-story that gives good returns as well.

Having said all this the true champion of this melodious fanfare is again Anantnag. His rendering of the old father who with half realizations of his surroundings keeps brooding about his son and dead wife lost in a world of menace is heart warming and eye soupy.

The only weak-link in the movie for me was the conclusion which could have been better if was left like a tailless serpent with venomous but mere reality lurking in our hearts. Kudos to Hemanth to have come up with a gem and a big salute to our very own "Sir Anantnag" who takes his protagonist miles apart from other actors. Music hits the right tones at the right times and those "half-liter" jokes make you smile amidst your tears.

Godhi banna entertains with light satire. Take your dad and loads of tissues. Popcorn is just out of this equation.

Lead, Red and Dead! -- Deadpool -- A review

2016-02-12T23:42:00.000+05:30

A gory adult stuff....traumatizing bloodshed with dark humor laid on it....Don't mistake..
Deadpool is pure reddotainment! I couldn't stand some of the blade tears but the humor kept it going and 2 hours passed by in no time! It is pretty strange to gauge what u feel when you come out watching this one. The humor keeps you in splits...those nonchalant deaths give u shudders and occasional emotions give you the opportunity to munch up some pop-corn...IMAX was the only reason I chose to watch this movie but 300 bucks didn't entirely go to the bucket...

Humor is the high-point of this feature film and if you intend to watch any logic then strictly forbidden. The story of a cancer patient turning into a mutant in a biological workshop which eerily goes wrong seems to be a promising infrastructure to build-up our superhero or more of an anti-hero. If you expect any X-Men influence on this playwright(Considering Ryan Reynold's cameos with the deadpool bun in those movies) you are completely wrong...Tim Miller lives up-to his cadre of Animator-turned-directors and rakes up the marvel comics version of Deadpool - Only that Miller blends it with Adult and slapstick humor making it one of the few Superhero movies not watchable by children!

Directors who have mastered the art of animation and visual effects have a penchant for creativity. More when you have the fourth wall to be breached! The protagonist simply walks into your seats and gives his take on the scenes. The super slow-motioned cuts with Mr.Deadpool sidetracking the proceedings with his brief jokes on his actions are a witness to Tim's talented ass(Well you cant call it better with a man calling his hero - A Smart ass and a bad one too!).

None of the characters really live(literally) much to showcase their skills..therez a cool blend of some hip-hop, rock, jazz with blades, fists and blood giving deadpool a fresh but eerie menace. If you want to spend a couple of hours of your life laughing at crazy violence and extremities of emotions without knowing where to switch, this is the one for you!

Beware that the censor board has done well to hand us a very desi cultural version of all the steamy stuff! Well....as the last theme hums in the background "Careless whisper...."you are bound to remember to climb the steps and reach for the exit and not really bludgeon everyone on your way! :-) Way to Go Deadpool! With greater power comes a harder ass to kick...

A Maverick Story teller or a Philosopher?

2015-08-21T00:41:00.002+05:30

He is like a lonely marble in an empty pot. The one defying physics.. who can keep bouncing, rustling bustling and rattling shaking all the bliss. The only one of his kinds in Kannada cinema or may be even Indian cinema. A huge canvas on his hands, a giant monolithic philosophy to be told, brilliant colours to spread and logic is nothing but fooled. The only logic is to believe his worlds, his words, his amalgam of cronies and above all to watch it again and again!! This brilliant mind has so much storm in it that when he decides to make a piece of art, therez a huge churning that yields amazing ideologies to make it prettier.

Of course from a cinema goers' point of view the entertainment quotient cannot be so well placed. This popcorn is not worth the maize itself. Upendra toys with his ideas about life to take off from where he thought he left in the prequel. And yes, I think I am right. Upendra himself might not be too sure. He hoists himself up his collar on a pole, swirls around and records all his screams into a cinema. So the noise is natural & original but the show seems ecstatic and extreme.

The you & me game litters a lot of thought provoking questions as Upendra tries his eye catchy metaphors & tricks to woo. You will also be surprised by the fact that he doesn't actually approve of what he shows on screen and the sarcastic tone & dialogues underline this & will definitely have you in splits. The best part of Upendraz movies is that he is not authentic/natural in what he shows to make people flock the theatres and is critical about it himself.

The story begins with a very animated search for "Neenu" who is supposed to be wanted by police and criminals alike. The story curls into various dimensions with another violent character "Naanu"(from Upendra 1) gate crashing the party. It is left to the viewers' discretion to visualize the climax and real identities of the two leading characters - A saintly "Neenu" and a violent "Naanu".

Upendra runs his parallel line of philosophy throughout with outraging but typical dialogues and mannerisms. The letdown is the length of the movie and of course the heroines. Too many indirect dialogues and extreme analogies make it a little drowsy. Kristina Akheeva has absolutely a plastic face and the lip sync doesn't seem to settle even with Telgu let alone Kannada. Parul remains a guest. Upendra chooses all the rest of his crew from his old bunch of comrades and they do justice for their chunks. Songs(Are they really?) are loud and noisy yet the lyrics are probing. Overall Upendraz cookbook adds another of those weird albeit a dish which can never be ignored.

Hmm...to sum it up, on a sea there are perceptions, there are critics, there are admirers and then far away on a separate stone is Uppi waving with his box of shocking dreams and strange colours. Yet he seems to be the only one who doesn't sink!! Uppi 2 might just pull off!

Watch it at your own peril or die dumb! :-P

A Nation which is Principally Rogue......A Paradox

2015-08-12T22:50:00.002+05:30

Your mission should you choose to accept is that for the larger part of this movie - Turn your hunching brains OFF! Yet this melodrama propels your imaginations wild and swivelled for 130 minutes sharp. It is marvellous to watch the 50 plus protagonist doing some eye-poppy stuff which will definitely leave you baffled.

The story starts with the now-famous Airbus stunt and the adrenaline rush starts right from the word go. An undercover terrorist organisation "The syndicate" is alleged to have triggered a series of internationally plotted tragedies. Ethan Hunt and his team of IMF agents while in pursuit of the Syndicate are dismantled as an old bunch of pranksters who are making up the syndicate stuff to keep their wallets full. It is now up to Hunt to run, fly, race, fight, love, kill and above all jump(keep up the MI traditions)to bring in one twisted mind to justify the existence of IMF. The movie has the perfect blend and balance to entertain.

The action is mindboggling, the humour is timed perfectly and emotions are always in check. In comparison to the "Edge of tomorrow"z intricate plot, McQuarrie keeps it plain, simple and sticks to video gaming here.

Tom Cruise tries best to look young and pulls it off but the best pair of expressional eyes here belong to Rebecca Ferguson. Her intense cold demeanour gelled well with her feelings for Hunt steal the show. And boy boy you never would like the Austrian Governor to get shot once she lifts up one of her legs to take a shot at him.

First half is well paced as action flows into deep waters and then ends in the rugged terrains of Morocco. The second half begins nicely but looses a little punch as the plot weakens. Climax is a real dampener as the cruel antagonist Sean Harris looks wasted.

Loads of the saucy MI music flows in different flavours across the movie which was so much missing in the older versions. Itz ravelling to see how the MI brand always incorporates all itz traditional ingredients without losing creativity and entertainment.

Recommended for some extremely swashbuckling thrills. The eternally young Cruise seems to be born even for future Impossible Missions and as his character is explained in this instalment by the CIA chief "He is a manifestation of destiny!" Rogue Nation wanders along with a vigour and stylishness that could match the second bite of this franchise.

Well, pay to watch a whole lot of good-looking rogue assassins going all out breathtakingly across some beautiful locales around the world!

Click here to watch a Trailer of Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation

The Thennana Thennanana & Then........

2015-07-29T00:55:00.000+05:30

The wave of change is definitely in for the good of kannada cinema....To add to the list of geniuses is Mr.Anup Bhandari. He is another of these all-in-one mavericks who could hover all over his movie.

The guy has a story here which swirls like a serpent and gets its hood high but not really high enough. He has a set of fresh legs who do not work wonders albeit bring in a coolness that is so rare in sandalwoods.

The suspense is of course spot-on and u might b left to lament over a pack of popcorn you went to buy. Having said all this there are loopholes too. The First one -- The sense of humour. It falls short due to a forceful sprinkle of unnecessary dialogues to make the script a little light. Second -- Many of the so called Horror fits are nothing but sudden bursts of Dolby stereo. Third -- The climax which is an enforced punch to jiggle the audience...well we never expected an MI2 action ending here...but its hands down: Antagonist vs. Protagonist.

The first half of the story makes you marvel about the director's abilities to hold on to the gripping narrative in the backdrop of a beautiful and scenic south canara. This is the second cinema since Ulidavaru Kandanthe where they showcase the serene yet mystic & rich native culture. But, the second half is a little let down due to the pace with which the puppet master handles his strings. Its rapid and indicates signs of slipping.

For those who witnessed the 13-episode Guddada Bhootha teleserial on Doordarshan in the 90s, Tennana Tennnana sung again by the lovely B R Chaya is going to give some goose bumps. As said before, the script writer has shown exquisite strength in his dialogues except humour and sarcasm. Lines like "Manasige bahala novadaga kelavomme illade irodu ide antha annisibiduthe" gives some unique thrill and depth to the scenes.

Each page of this narration is linked and nothing is a filler. The creativity of the director blooms with a Yakshagana theme in one of the duets. Overall the 2.5 hour entertainer does its job well and makes the audience hold their breath in awe.

The strong Mangalore accent is truly used by only one actor(Rafique the driver) who lifts the overall smile meter of the movie. In the acting department, new faces pinch in a young factor to the movie whereas the veteran Saikumar excels. Music is passable. The cameras have done a mesmerising job with south canara presented in its full specs.

Rangi Taranga rides on the waves of freshness and its rock and roll suspense. Anup is definitely another bright spot in our Kannada film industry. A whole hearted welcome and a thumsup to your first major venture.

Rangi Taranga adds colours - dark and stark! Grab ur seats and njoi!

Swisstickle! Mystical!

2014-08-20T04:23:00.000+05:30

Saint Bernard tunnel turned out to be literally a pathway to glory...The majestic concrete surrounding you till the beginning of this tunnel suddenly turned into healthy lush heavenly greens spreading all over you as my machina blurted out of Bernard's long tummy! Italyz technically strong highways capped with a crown of nature called Switzerland!

Wow...the last 5 days were an experience to munch on again and again in my dreams. After some last minute(but roughly researched) bookings on airbnb.com, we made up our mind to nurture this trip like a baby to be nappied very carefully since the very foundation looked shaking! Around10:30 AM on 12th of Aug, we started off from Turin our adopted home. So the juggler of my life ordered "letz start" and I punched the accelerator hard!

Road rage on Italian highways is a very common complement if you are sluggish. With all due reverence to speed limits on their highways, Italian drivers are supposed to break them with damn! Well as is the case, without caring much for the wagging middles we reached saint Bernard! St Bernard is a tunnel that links Italy to Swiss running around 6 kms and having separate toll and passport checking facilities. We also bought the inevitable vignette - the Swiss highway toll pass, and fastened it to our windshield. Once they are on the Swiss highway, all those middling rage drivers from the Italian territory turn into saints abiding by speed limits!! That was pleasantly surprising.

As the car whizzed into those well built two way narrow roads we felt the rush of fresh air gushing into our noses like a life purifier! The greenery was so rich that it seemed a heavenly abode on earth. The most important note to drive on Swiss roads is to adhere to speed limits strictly. A +10kmpH above the prescribed threshold can thump your mailbox back home with a substantial fine. And strictly don't bother about those red circled numbers indicated on your navigation. Respect your navigation only for directions to your destination but concentrate on the velocity fences on the road.

We travelled for around 230 kms before reaching the old haunted castle of Chillon. The castle stands close to the city of Lausanne on a tiny island of lake Geneva. The castle holds a lot of histories and secrets within it right from the beginning of the 10th century AD. The edifice has also been an inspiration for many famous art works over the course of time.

The castle also faced a period of violent history since this region was an important trade link between different parts of Europe. What baffled me was the fact that even the lavatories were engineered to face the wrath of psycho attackers who decided to climb up those stinky holes from the lake side.

After hitting the shoot button of my wifez Canon 60D for a satisfying number of times, we decided to leave to another relaxing side of lake Geneva. As evening loomed, the sky looked like an orange pastry. We stretched our tired legs on the beautiful bank lined with little rocks as a yacht carrying a group of enthusiastic tourists sailed-by. The scenery provided a perfect back-drop for a soothing time that we were spending. Again some clicks off the 60D and we drove to our first halt at Vaud - a village close by Lausanne. It was a decent flat with a private bathroom but a shared kitchen and living room. From the balcony we had a wonderful view of Lake Geneva with green mountains in the background. It was a royalty that we had carried some raw food to cook in our car. Had a burpy dinner and dozed off.

We woke up to some noisy brittle sounds coming from the huge balcony of our flat. It was 7 AM and still dark!! As we lowered the window panes, to our utter shock it was raining! We packed a little and travelled to La Gruyere the famous little village for chocolates and cheese. Caillier - the chocolate industry was interesting. The rain provided us an excuse to lick some sweet meats in a natural wonder! Well it was interesting to know that the manufacturing control systems came from Bosch! Above all the final Thud came with a free session of unlimited chocolate tasting fun! Folks piled up to tease their taste buds with some of the best cocoaoons!! Many of them went round and round unable to resist the sweet treat.

After a brief lunch at Caillerz snack lounge, we drove with clear skies to some of the most beautiful villages on earth. Gstaad to name one. This picture-perfect location is one of the most sought-after bollywood destinations where Khans & Kapoors have flocked to shake a leg to woo millions back at home. I was awe-stuck when I entered the Information centre of the village to be asked whether I was looking for bollywood spots! And a step further they have a special bollywood trail itinerary to drool after!! We asked for a copy and the sweet lady at the counter obliged. It described the shop on a certain street of the village where Shahrukh romanced Kajol in DDLJ! And then a song shot with Ranbir and Deepika! Boy boy it seemed as if Rajs and Johars earned once and Swiss is earning ever after! Gstaad also happens to be a favourite for fashion buffs. The streets are laced with old wooden houses studded with uniformly colored flowers along their lovely windows. Roads are clean despite flooding travellers.

The villages close by like saanen are surrogates with similar houses and churches. Driving is a pleasure as snow-capped mountains and prosperous fields beckon you on both sides but sometimes too exciting if your navigation takes you through very narrow paths. On more than one occasion I had to drive up(yes! UP - you heard it correct!) in the reverse to the nearest opening to allow the climbing car to pass. All these nice locales were within a diameter of about 50 kms from our halt station. This was very convenient. So after all the sightseeing we could still head back to our flat and have a good hot chapathi-makhani dinner(ready to eat this time)! The good sleep was a well deserved earning after hours of village hunting!

As planned, we made a very early start the next morning. After bidding farewell to our friendly hosts, we drove through the Swiss motorways to Steffisberg - another little town near lake Thun. This was our second & final halt station of our trip. We met our cheerful & warm host Emily who bestowed us with the keys to our rented little cosy flat. Unlike the last one, this was a completely independent flat with all necessary amenities at our disposal. We dumped our heavy luggages and headed towards Grindelwald - the best place to catch a bahn to Jungfrau - top of Europe(if you plan to drive by car and make some hiking). After munching some cheese sandwiches and sipping hot chocolate, we bought our tickets to Jungfrau. The train and the rails are sheer engineering marvels. The train climbs a height of around 3500 meters with varying slopes and some very difficult curves. It bites on to the steep slope with a special clutch strip that runs in between the side rails. The train rolls ahead with the wheels on rails clutching on to the mountain. As far as hiking is concerned, you can choose from a menu of numerous options of varying difficulty levels and adrenaline rushes. We chose a 60 min hike from Kleine Scheidegg to Eigergletscher. Clad with heavily stuffed clothing we set out for the climb. The hike was tiresome but a real tribute to mother nature who appeared in all her glory.

The ringing cowbells lit up the minds of hiking travellers as those noble creatures grazed the abundant grass. 60D was working fulltime capturing all of those unworldly gazes at our planet. A manmade lake awaited us at around 2000 m after a steep walk. The water was clean, calm and was refurnished consistently from all corners. We waited for the train at the Eigergletscher station to Jungfrau. As the red boggieman arrived, I was again surprised! The train bore the name of Yash Chopra a bollywood celebrity director along with his autograph etched on it! I was amused with this profound "bollywood-Swiss" link!

After about 45 minutes of tunnel bait, we surged at the top of Europe, around 11,700 ft above the sea level! The innumerable desi tourists have forced the authorities to move Hindi to the third preferred language status in the vicinity(after swiss-german & English)! The interesting fact is that in restaurants of Jungfrau, menus are available in Hindi and they cook some vegetarian stuff too. There is also a dedicated Indian restaurant which serves a hot Indian buffet! We visited the Ice caves of Jungfrau and wondered how these Ice sculptures were cooled below -3 deg to avoid them from melting due to temperatures generated by such high number of visitors. There is also a snow platform on which a Swiss flag waves and we climbed our way to get a snapshot of our indigenous achievement.

Casualties are a part of their daily chores here for the management due to high number of adventure sports like hiking in extreme conditions. There was a rescue helicopter appearing suddenly from nowhere and men waving at us to run back to the cement closure. Eventually we realised that a man had collapsed during a precarious climbing. We saw him being airlifted. It was dinner time when we reached our apartment.

The next day the weather Gods seemed to be on vacation too. It started raining profusely and we had to reschedule our planned drive to Lucerne. Instead we drove to Interlaken and fooled around the little decent town with a single umbrella. To admit the single umbrella was fun! Later we whizzed to Trummelbach waterfalls. This is a naturez wonder considering that water from 150 m gushes down in a series of almost 10 falls within a mountain! It is wonderful to reach different bends of this 140 m mountain(of course there is a lift to carry u to a considerable height after which u cud climb those stairs) to check the magnificent waterfall from stunning angles! All the sins that happen on the nearby mountains like Jungfrau get drained through this waterfall. So theoretically what u throw in Jungfrau...u might as well get it at Trummelbach! For all those 007 fans, within a few minutes of drive from Trummelbach, they could fly their way to the top of mount schilthorn from stechelberg with a cable car and savour Bond dishes at the revolving restaurant. As dawn drew closer, we decided to rush back to have a look at the Castle of Thun and found nothing great there except a lavish dinner buffet organised for a party. Presumably we were uninvited and left with wet tongues :-)

On the final day of our Swiss trip after thanking our host Emily & her little family for their pleasant flat, we decided to shoot our way for a brief visit of the fantabulous Kappelbrucke-the wooden bridge, at Lucerne! We walked through the historical structure across Reuss and surrounding fruit market for a couple of hours and then drove to Engelberg. Here we took the world-famous gondola to the top of mount Titlis. Not to repeat even this Swiss attraction is Indianised! At Engelberg before you start your cable car trip to the mountain top you will not be able to desist some hot Idlis/Pav Bhajis/Vada Pav available especially for the hungry US! After devouring a plate of steaming Idlis, carefully mashed Pav Bhaji and nicely fried Vada Pav a plate each, we began our trip to Titlis.

The Gondola ride was breath-takingly spectacular and exciting. As the Gondola passed by the deep valleys hanging to the powerful cables hundreds of meters above the ground, the 60D clicks peaked! At a height of around 2000 m from Trubsee we hopped into a rotating Gondola that carried us further up to the top of Titlis(around 3200 m). This was a very misty climb as it was lucent all around us! A lost feeling in the matrix! The top of Titlis has a snow platform to play, an ice cave to walk and an ice-flyer facility for adventure lovers.

After the scintillating tour with tired bodies, we drove our way back to Saint Bernard who would push us back to the Concretes of Italy again. As our hungry tummies and paining limbs descended back to our home in Turin, souls and dreams wandered yet in those beautiful yet strongly built infrastructure, among those law adherent and knowledgeable people and in those marvellous greeneries which drive their economy. In a way these three things reminded us exactly of our tri-colour national flag and the associated symbolism and of course the huge gap that existed to achieve it. Why wouldn't we? After all it was our Independence day!

Malpe, Tigers and Truth....

2014-05-07T01:06:00.001+05:30

This one is a masterpiece....one rarest of the rarest wows in the current Kannada film industry. It is the first commercial directorial venture of this guy who also happens to be playing one of the lead roles in the movie..

The movie underplays most of the strong emotions and yet hits hard at our chests with intricate relationships within..Pranayaraja always sitting at a distance from his love interest on one of the beautiful beaches near Malpe is an example...these characters always have this distance and you never see them even touching each other...Yet those eyes, those smiles those goggles those ice-creams tell you so many stories and emotions between them...The lost tender affection of mother Ratnakka ably played by Tara is an exception in the movie which renders some tears and music trying to tap ur heartily cords and it does...

Creativity is at its heights as every narration takes a very original page off Rakshit shettyz beautiful tale. An example is Achyuth kumarz Kaaa mania...don't miss him heralding stones in every scene to shoo away an unseen crow which he considers to be his prime adversary...

Rakshit pilots this story with multiple points in the timeline and then amalgamates them in perfect fashion to form a final interesting perspective. The fusion of typical North and South canara flavors of Kannada could be a little pullback for multiplex viewers. But for us who have lived this language, these dialogues look soothing and natural.

Coming to Rakshit himself as an actor...this guy is a genius...I have not seen his first movie but in this he impersonates this antagonist called Richie - the carefree, inimical remand-home released goon..."Bolimagne shoot madbeka" and many of his deliveries make him look so genuine and earthy..This guy is a real talent and it is our responsibility to save him for ourselves...Even though his gunpoint story telling reminds us of the joker from dark knight, it gives its own chills and thrills! Every character seems to perfectly match the bill and Rakshit shetty excels in his casting skills too...

The age where Kannada movies were plagued with unreal characters and talent-less movie makers seems to be drifting away with the onset of these fresh brains!

The idea of gluing multiple dimensions of "the truth" in an effort to solve a jigsaw puzzle has been executed to perfection! The huliveshas and yakshaganas take one to the very areca nut farms of Malpe and makes it a mesmerizing experience.

Music by Ajaneesh blends beautiful and original notes and treads valiantly with Rakshitz story. There are interesting combinations of music and story like the "knock knock" with young Richiz arrest as little Regina captures it in her miniature camera. As Munna escapes from Bombay docks to Malpe one can see the director's skills in showing this sequence adequately, shortly but effectively!

Overall UK moved me with a very different but interesting multilogue from this crew and made me feel proud about Kannada cinemas after Lucia. The movie matches international standards abundantly - story, characters, portrayal, narration, visuals, music!! Way to go Mr.Shetty!!

Ulidavaru kandanthe in my perspective! :-)

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To feel "Low" on a "High"way!!

2014-03-06T00:10:00.000+05:30

The drive was lively for 20 mins sharp after the screen lit up. As the director sleeves up those reels, one realises an initial penchant for the story. And then a sudden delink which makes the story catapult weirdly. Imtiaz Ali does it a second consecutive time after his previous venture with Rockstar. He has great stories to tell. But when it comes to painting those imaginations onscreen he withers with his brushes and colours.

The movie has its highs in the discovery of this magnificent and beautiful Alia Bhatt. What an actress! I am not exaggerating but the movie breaths with her. The snarling nose, shivering fingers and expressive eyes make her a treat to watch! This girl has come here to stay and might even start ruling the bollyworld in no time! Randeep hooda has always been an actor of substance and his strong Haryanvi accent seems natural and strongly functional.

Some dialogues are fresh stock and sound sturdy and meaningful. When Alia asks Randeep waving a gun in her hand "Ek goli Ek admi keliye kaafi hai?" Randeep's menacing voice replies "Do log marte hai...ek jis par goli chali aur doosra jo goli chalaya.."

There are too many sequences which look forced into the camera. A few scenes like parts of the climax are very powerful and hint at directors' abilities. The story had a lot to offer but Imtiaz unfortunately fails in fending off his typical bollywood ideas. The movie could have been much more punchy if sequences were more subtle and scenes would be merely consequential of the story behind. Locations shot are of course breathtakingly beautiful and make India look gorgeous.

Highway is of course multi laned but unfortunately leads nowhere! Imtiaz, we expect a lot more from you in the "window seat" ;-)

Circling Timelines!! -- Looper the movie..

2013-11-18T04:26:00.000+05:30

Brick by brick the story builds a marvelous plot so sublime that the viewer is left awestruck at!

Time machines and loopy hauntings have been spread at us with a wide variety of flavors but this one gives an icing on the cake with an emotional angle to it.

The narration revolves around a maverick of a hero who is shown to be a part of a gang of high profile assassins called loopers. Their Job: To gun down poor targets whizzed back in time by an underworld from future! Their special contract: To complete their loops by killing their own futures caught and throated back in time by the so called antagonist Rainmaker!

The thought provoking concept is completely fresh and set in 2040s & 70s! "I saw it and the path was a circle round and round....so I decided to change it!"-- the strength of the lines is strong and deep to touch you!

Rian Johnson wins with his brain eating bug! Gordon-Levitt is quite convincing as the younger Joe who holds on to his jaws churning out strong expressions in the course :-) Bruce Willis-the old joe looks rusty and worn out. Emily Blunt is ok as the protective mother who is desperate to thrust a bullet into anybody trying the dodgy hand at her kid.

The climax is a real winner with truly stunning performances from some fine actors - I am including the kid too!The portrayal of a motherz love changing the future of this world in such a telling manner is very touchy and real. Watch it even though this one is a couple of springs older!

Dreams and Beyond...."Lucia"

2013-10-27T18:39:00.002+05:30

The bliss of sensible movie making finally spurts into sandalwood...

I feel proud to say that this gem of a story is a 100% authentic imagination from the creative logs of a kannada director's brain.

And my God how many years did we wait! Checking all through some weird & pathetic copy paste stuff with swirling machuz(:-)) and drizzling rains, sandalwood movie names sounded like a hit list of Bangalore police...kariya, biliya, manja and what not..."

The superlative of this movie lies in the fact that the narrative grows in those streets and people so close and near to you that you actually end up "lucifying" as one of those characters. Even though the story sprouts from the roots of an usher, its panorama unravels a huge canvas of human psyche and the possible games it can play on you!

Beautiful story! Remarkable protagonist Neenasam Satheesh who is simply "the blending in" types and a finesse in handling the complexity of the story in the simplest way by director Pawan...these together make this movie a good watch. Kudos to Pawan & Satheesh! I suppose, after our great Puttanna Kanagal, this is the guy who has many futuristic sensible ideas for not only our sandalwood but to world cinema. The audacity of the director in taking up such an off-the track subject with a meager public funding is applaudable.

The only gaps I found in this ever surging interesting plot are its length and a few unnecessary songs that have been gelled into it. Of all the songs Nee thoreda is hummable and meaningful. The movie begins with thought provoking shoots from Kanakadasa, the essence of which are surreally distributed throughout the movie. The intertwined shots in color and b&w give the two dimensional narration a distinguished approach. The actors, music, singers involved are all fresh gunny bag stuff in the movie market to yearn for. The sanity with which this versatile conceptualization of lucid dreaming is thrust into namma hrudayas is a treat to watch.

You can find it in a cinema near you or you could watch it online at:

Lucia Online

The Land of Mozzarellas....

2013-06-08T04:44:00.000+05:30

The country baffles me....

Uninterrupted power supply, polished clean roads, perfectly engineered highways, highly sophisticated automobiles, beautiful people.. A perfect prelude to a tantalizing culture harvested on pastas and pizzas....

And then in a jiffy you could come across a water stoppage at your grande home or a theft that could leave you traumatized. In a trickier situation you could come face to face with a hostile official who could ask you for nothing less than your autobiography to allow you inside the country. In the worst possible scenario there could also be a terrible road accident if you don’t clear your ears every morning to pay heed to the everlasting honks.

This is Italy dear ppl...where Indians like me largely feel at home. Irrespective of the remarks that I had heard about this peninsula before I landed here, it was another European bit for me. Having spent a year and a half in Germany my mind had naturally stereotyped. The "larger than life" personal spaces, exquisitely timed Bahns, enhanced introspections, limited office hours, Mac Burgers, Weizenbiers, uniform perfumes on trains, a soothing calm, silent world except for soccer seasons, signal humbled traffic....it could get more ideal in the neighboring land lock. But I never imagined that a strikingly contrast color of life existed a few hundred

kilometers down towards the Mediterranean.

Italy thrills you with unforeseen possibilities.

Impolite officials could herald you to wrong train tickets; you could get sweared and jeered at by unfriendly drivers in traffic. But at the same time, eyes look at you with more than mere inquisitiveness, expressive body language eases communication, heart rules over logic and personal spaces and introspections slump. You are awed by the way colleagues talk about their personal lives here...scintillating eyes with buono giornos greet you, birthday cakes and wishes remind you of our own office traditions.

On the lousy side, traffic rules can get ridiculous, speed limits exist but according to one of my colleagues, the quintessential tools for scrutiny just don’t exist on most of these beautiful pathways. So an extra ounce of caution is compulsory while you steer around, since unlike our good old Bangalore, automobiles whiz-by at more than 100 kmph even during peak hours! The necessary eyes to curb such risky violations are instead installed at city centers stipulated as restricted areas(green zones) where clueless tourist vehicles moving at snails’ pace are fined heftily!!

On the sunny side again, you have adorable options available in abundance to tease your taste buds. Pizzas with fresh farm processed mozzarellas (They claim Italian mozzarella is the best due to it's culturing from unpasteurized milk!), pastas in all shapes and sizes clad with pesto, spaghettis, lasagna, cappuccinos, varieties of intoxicating wines and many more are available with just a moderate pinch to your wallet. Navigation systems are not very necessary in these Roman architectured cities since roads run almost parallel or perpendicular without curves everywhere. So you always have a feel of the direction you are in if you know the right reference points.

As you walk through the narrow but brightly lit streets of Florence or even a village near Savona etched on both sides of it with old houses of sundry colors, you feel as though it is a walk back in time by a century - the sanctity perilous due to increasing tourism nevertheless this flamboyant nation has stories in every corner to be told...

To be continued....

Pi – Circumfusing a circle called Life!!

2012-11-29T22:44:00.000+05:30

The tantalizing characters come so close that you sometimes believe they are flocking all around you!! Thrills in plethora, enigmatic performances and above all the IMAX shoots make it a cherishable experience for all the age groups.

Ang lee has handled the simple script with penchant and grace of an obsessed painter...The director also instigates a lot of meaningful thoughts in the cinema hall with subtle humorous takes on social issues like clashing religious beliefs and animal rights.

The movie also has a very Indian touch - beginning with an Indian classical theme, Suraj Sharma, Irrfan khan, Tabu and many more - not necessarily in that sequence...The casting director must be applauded for her(Avy Kaufman) painstaking efforts in meticulously choosing the most eligible. Every visual looks as real as it can get - the pacific storm, ship wreck, gradual weight losses of Pi & the tiger over the days subsequent to the ship wreck, the carnivorous islands and many more.

The surprise climax trick adding to Irrfan khanz fantabulous rustic emotions deliver the punch which make us come a full cycle and start thinking all over again..Every frame is chiseled with lots of thinking and the product doesn’t disappoint at all...

The movie gets sluggish at times and thatz the only negation I could see in Pi!! Life of Pi is larger than life and can be better enjoyed at a 3D-IMAX....Itz nice to see Hollywood come closer to desi pickles with their own serene but stylish hint.

Life always comes a full circle and let this Pi be a part of it...Njoi the Ang lee adventure!!

Audience Shaken but not stirred....Skyfall tried!!

2012-11-02T00:15:00.002+05:30

Thudddd.....:-( An average action flick it turned out to be....

The 50 years' commemoratory expectations aren’t really met by a caliber of Sam Mendes...Hmm...It all starts with a woohoo kind of an action as our playspyboy engages in some blood sterling action and gets officially killed for 5 minutes.Those 5 to 10 minutes hold a lot of promises and then as soon as the reckless action hero resurfaces unofficially it goes down the carpet like a toothless cobra...

The occasion was right...the actors marvelous, the locales exotic and the bondy candies were even better(Bernice Marlohe & Naomie Harris). But Sam Mendes makes it a typical Bond movie of the good old times when people liked only those roof-top bike actions. Well you might enjoy this thriller if and only if you are an ardent Bond fan AND an action freak AND expect a decent “family" cinema(count three smooch packs and nothing more -- believe me) with a lighter vein.

Amongst actors Javier Bardem excels as Silva the psychopath obsessed in equating Madame M with retribution, Judi Dench as the cold yet subtly sensitive M and last but not the least Daniel Craig as 007.The Biggest surprise of the movie for me was that Craig's Bond actually cried!!!

There is scintillating action all along and the 143 minute marathon might hog in a bit of fatigue in the end(Especially if you don’t admire too many crossing fists and bullets). The plot is very much predictable and no intelligent twists anywhere despite this one being tagged to fall in the suspense genre. The beautiful Bond girls (especially Bernice) are completely underutilized and share too less space in this melodrama. The hi-fi customs of our beloved spy are limited to a thumb-impression sensitive revolver and a little transmitter.

To sum-up -- if you want to enjoy the Bond you need to go with the prophecies which administer shaken unstirred martinniz, high prio for cuff corrections after messy combats, mind boggling bike chases literally anywhere on earth and in this case very few lip-locks...

I am sorry but the Skyfall falls short....

Sweet Barfi...

2012-09-16T23:16:00.002+05:30

This one if for the brightest kapoor in the Btown of late....This one is for an actor who can flawlessly get into any character's psyche with an agility that only he can surmount. You steal the protagonist of his most powerful tool of expression -- Speech -- And yet he successfully endures and comes out of the litmus test with flying colors is a testimony to his prowess. He can easily get into the list of those legends who made the audiences forget their grief with only their eyes and expressions -- Charlie Chaplin, Laurel hardy, Mr. Bean, our very own Kamal Hassan(Pushpaka Vimana) and a few others...I know it would be very wrong to find synonyms with such great names yet Ranbir expectedly proves a lot...We can expect from Ran"berry" a lot more in the time to come..:-)

The movie is filled with love jingles aided by some stupendous performances by actors. But beware...good feelings bore you when they become repetitive. The same cacophonies of Priyanaka, her blinks and blank stares added with occasional glimpses of her polished finger nails give a perception of unpreparedness of PC for this role. Apart from PC, all other actors complete their jobs to near perfection. Other than the Ranberry, it is the bald and beautiful Saurabh Shukla who tickles us with his role as the humpy grumpy inspector. The Tom & Jerry affair of Ranberry and Shukla makes the movie so much more watchable and juggles back life into it.

Anurag Basu wins with colorful cinematography and direction. A shorter movie would have been better.

Overall, the theme of tender love & Ranbir carry this movie successfully on the ticket price. One time watchable!!

Assured -- you would come out of the hall refreshed.

Did we think of 5 zeroes..??? :-(

2012-08-08T00:18:00.000+05:30

The avalanche was there for everyone to witness as the monumental reputation of the Indian hockey team crashed face first at London a couple of days ago. The wayward blame games surfaced as Chetri said "We are a young team and we didn’t have the experience"....!!! Now this statement leaves the rest of the stakeholders-- from which I mean the 1 billion populace, with havoc in our hearts since we couldn’t produce just 11 men to shoot goals at a world stage. We bow in shame at our inefficiencies. It feels like an engine which couldn’t even start despite fuel & air in abundance....

What kind of a nation are we who rejoice by publishing "At least a bronze ensured!!" when therez a gold rush in china and the US. Is it that as a country we will not be able to justify the growing population with a growing talent pool? Are we weak, meek and subdued?

Now, When we see the world picture, India stands out for itz huge but cheap manpower, corruption, poverty, software, cricket, chess, allurable bollywood and an incomprehensible democracy- may be in that order. This is true since most of the upper crust of developed countries use India to make profits in business- they emulsify their interests with ours intelligently to make bucks for themselves. As soon as a firangi chances to ravel India, the first thing that comes to his mind is a hoard of semi clad, malnutritioned kids begging at the traffic lights!! An FDI here calls for an extra sum which might cover the "other unaccountable" expenses. And then of course we are the World champions now after an unprecedented amount of moolah bundled in. We have only one Anand who has the best of the brains for the black and white checks, the jhatkas of bollywood are indeed touching the world stage in numerous humorous ways and the diktats of coalition governments are bringing world leaders to our doorsteps!!

60 years later, we go back to our former rulers to show them and the rest of the world that we are still no better than what we were then. Olympics might not be the exact platform to prove our might but yet these are windows which hint the world about the infrastructures prevalent inside. And when the internationals look at the pathetic tally of the metal chunks we won, they make perceptions which might be colluding!! And we are speaking here about players representing the country some of them who are from our prestigious army!!

Since independence, only one Indian has won an individual gold(the gallant shooter Bindra). The Hockey team has won 8 golds so far but none since the last three decades -- Three of them before Indian independence!! So the Olympic privilege is not exactly there...To name corruption and biasing as the culprits isn’t right always. Even US and China who are enjoying Olympics the most aren’t really pruned off corruption. Biasing is a human instinct. So we cannot exclude any of these winners from that. Then what is that really which makes these countries stand out from us by this huge a margin?

Indian Olympic team has 89 athletes representing the country whereas China has 384 and US carries a wagon of 539 of their premium athletes for the event. To consider medal efficiency as Total Medals/athlete it surmounts to 0.18 per athlete for China, 0.12/athlete for US and a pathetic 0.03/athlete for India!! Comparing this to a little country like Korea(25th largest populace in the world) which has stacked 265 athletes into itz Olympic team(gets a 0.08), India is beleaguered.

Another point of interest is a supposed strategy that might have been used by each country to maximize their medal gains. If one looks at the plethora of golds which China has shot so far, itz fairly obvious that they have focused on badminton, swimming, weight lifting & gymnastics events. Now, if we have a look at the US count, the artillery has been boosted for Swimming, Tennis, shooting & Athletics -- Therez no room for any badminton here. It evidently shows the wispy yet striking strategies that the different countries have adopted to boost their metal kitties. Koreans have excelled in Judo, Shooting, archery & Fencing -- They never poke their noses into Tennis or Weightlifting.

All this showcases the prudent planning that might have gone into the making of these legendary achievements and the extent to which these nations can boost their physical and psychological strengths to hold themselves up during critical junctures. At the same time, in our case it highlights our ineffective canons and the deep felt loopholes in them.

All our preparation thamasha was there for the whole world to see when Mahesh Bhupathi heralded his egoistic decision of not playing with Paes for Olympics. There was more juice minted out of the cane when Sania started churning her views about partnering with Paes. Together they successfully mellowed with media tunes and astonishingly yelled at the world that we were not ready!!

Alas as our beloved nation watches in despair, as one by one all these athletes jump off the Olympic ship, the glaring bitter truth lingers...and yes it does so sarcastically....

"Sathyameva jaythe!!".... "Truth alone triumphs"!!

The "Bat"ting Legend.......:-)

2012-07-23T21:20:00.001+05:30

He is a poet....And his work ethics are too strong to behold even a strong wind of the tag called "superhero movie" blowing against him...The Lavelle and penchant with which this story writer narrates each scene is a sheer beauty. To be frank the scope of this tumultuous last chunk of the trilogy was huge. Corruption, terrorists, nuclear warfare, an alternative autocracy -- words which remind one of boredom of usual folklores all of which falls in the purview of this wonderful cinema. Yet he unleashes all of them in style as we sit back and gulp all of it in utter shock and thrill.

Be it the adorable cat woman selina or the ever dependable Alfred and Mr.Fox they all get juxtaposed in this marvelous story. The script wins in the portrayal of the Batman at his vulnerable best and how he overcomes his fears to win again. The Nolans win in creating that magical potion where none of the segments seem just fillers. Every scene counts vitally at some point and every character too.

The haunting background score by Hanz zimmer is as captivating as always and all the actors are chosen and handled with total discipline by Nolans. As told in one of the interviews by Nolans, the hard work is evident from the fact that the team spent 8 months in picturising the terrorist-citizen clash scene!!

The swiveling moods of Bane are menacing and Annez beauty mesmerizing. Nolans excel even in the dialogues...A dying Gotham police operative yells at Bane "I will die first before I talk!!" A cool and cold antagonist replies "I am on your schedule captain"...Well....Go ahead and enjoy this one hell of a saga which perfectly completes the vicious circle of Dark knight!! Then we say “We are all on your schedule!!"

The only negative is that there are too many masks all around which inhibit a lot of expressions in this movie which is high on itz emotional quotient..

Yet we all win with the Cat and the Bat :-)

The Amazing Spiderman -- Review

2012-07-07T19:46:00.000+05:30

To be honest, this time the webby kid falls and slips much below the high standards set by his predecessor in Tobey magurie's Peter parker...Stupendous action and 3D even though in bursts give a bit to the bills you might have shelled out. Apart from that Garfield keeps you waiting and panting for his words but ends up disappointingly with an empty hat beneath which therez no rabbit...

All the actors display capabilities to go beyond their roles but Marc webb leaves them starving without any content in his bag. Garfield's tears look genuine, Emmaz Gwen Stacy is strong, Rhyz Ifans' connor triggers anger with a pinch of sympathy -- Altogether the only strength of this cinema are itz big hearted actors added with some amazing 3D swings from spidey.

The director is unsuccessful in cashing in on the fact that the success of this superhero lies strongly in the vulnerable character behind the mask. Garfieldz parker junior almost clutches on to the brittle life of the spideyz alter ego but then falls short of the soft yet strong Tobey magurie. Sam rimiz story tries to deliver a melodious touchy profile of the webby whereas Marc doesnt have the same substance behind his.

Albeit the reboot, this spiderman needs one more complete revamp!!

LPG lessons!!

2012-05-06T13:39:00.000+05:30

The grunting sounds of metal against tiles bore LPG into our surprised minds. As the elevator clutched itz way to the top floor, we pepped up to meet the devil. The devil held the most invaluable life of our kitchen....the 5.4 kgs of liquidized gaseous fuel which could help to fill up our hungry tummies for about a month!! And it takes a monumentous effort for a righteous citizen to avail this facility albeit ur pockets cough up the bill.

The whole strenuous feat of getting a refill itself makes one feel disgusted about the system filled with loopholes. The guy arrives and hands over the bill which values 415 Indian rupees to be precise. As I read it to confirm, the encroacher corrects "430...." I reaffirm my stand but the little goon doesn’t budge!! 430 he yells. The boiling point was breached and I vented into his eyes "why?"...He coldly preached "Service charges!!"....But I had done some homework.

The Indane helpline had suggested me not to pay any extra money which was not mentioned in the voucher and that 50 bucks were exclusively reserved as service charges for home delivery!! I returned the favor describing him the breakup. He didn’t heed "Nothing doing....15 Rupees extra..everybody pays.."....

The arrogance and shamelessness of these local thugs amazes. Customer satisfaction goes to dumps and courtesy is in gutters. World is a grumpy place when a vendorz vanity tries to enthrall the customer!!

Corruption/vandalism at itz roots begins here. It comes as an LPG delivery boy who embattles poverty at home and when easy money means just a few strong words to fearing lonely women/ old people taking their refills, it looks worth it. The thought made me sulky. I bludgeoned his soaring greed by replying "Let me call your area manager. If he agrees, let me pay you.." There was no waiting for his reply as the numbers on the phone keypad were pummeled. "Whom are you calling.....? Lokesh?....."the little guy minced his words as the dialing continued...The reply from our side was candid.."Sanilkumar..your area manager..." The poignant soul was already near the elevator gates, but how could he give up his hurt ego...we could hear his squeak as the lift doors closed "No home delivery services for you if the lift goes out of order.." And then he was gone!!

As the lift strided down the edifice, the question loomed in our minds -- Why are all the government subsidized services including pay and use public toilets look so shoddy and complicated? The subsidy isn’t a free dessert the government is offering a common man...It is a byproduct of the wealth amassed by the bureaucracy from the taxes we pay every year. This is just the tip of a glacier and the hoards of dirty monsters of corruption have spread all around.

The lamenting roadworks and flyovers one could check around their localities, the bizarre property registration officers, non-functional water taps, turmoils of power blinks, fuel thefts at bunks, henchmen standing hidden beyond traffic posts ready to grant a slip if you pocket them a few bills, farmers killing themselves for unpaid debts, cold frozen rurals and this can extend into every other aspect of our lives limitlessly!!!

Well....imagining about new horrendous ways of corruption our system is enduring every other day, the great stealth wealth attached with them and the cadres and powers of people associated, the Indian populace looks mauled and shredded. We need to take our individual steps towards sanity!!

The envisage is clear...but the way is treacherous!!

Howrah....:-)

2012-04-25T23:26:00.000+05:30

Insane bombarding of a so called democratic forte which could have been much more meilleur. To start with, she minted the pro-people flavor which got her the chief minster's berth at Kolkata. Thereon she made the government capitulate for the railway budget - The budget of course humped the common railway commuter but had a holistic view for the future. How meek an institution can get when it can withdraw a respectable and popular position just at the behest of a woman who is a mere animated display of draconian orders. She can arrest citizens for publishing cartoons imbibing an intellectual touch!!

She has been tantalizing as the leader of a whole lot of protests all through her swervy political career - at times even if they were against her own government!! But this cannot be an excuse for the self-decided overhaul of the peoplez mandate citing enemies all around her - be it Media/opposition/even poor cartoonist professors.

Mundane but a misconception of being celestial seems to be the ordinal of this Trinamool rule as polarized leaders of the party tend to tarnish the hapless CPI-M by calling for their banishment!!

The prajatantra is left with a big anomaly which outweighs to transform into a rajatantra....Recently, demanding for an interest moratorium was another of such instances where she tries her extremely persuasive hand to milk a debt free period from a giddy center. According to her the funds which are provided from the center of late is the same as what all other state governments get!! She states so in the media without even the slightest of a blink hinting at favoritism - yet again making other provinces throw in their undemocratic towels...

Personally I have no idea about her original intentions - may be they are good or bad - but the stipulations and ramifications are hard and dangerously threaten to whisk away our tricolored independence. The good intentional fanatics are equally or may be even more hazardous than the ill willed killers.

The indigenously dictatorial and immature behavior is traceable in instances ranging from reluctance to make set-top boxes compulsory to averting a would-be fruitful visit of our Prime-minister to his Bangla counter-part. The whole schema looks filled with flaws as India tries to perambulate through a dungeon of corrupt thorns everywhere. To start with Bangalore, Chennai and Calcutta look parodies trying to outclass each other with prodding immature lunatics...:-)

This again calls for a deliberation amongst society.

Our voting chant this time – Push with Care!!!! J

If you come today.....Itz too early.....

2012-04-13T09:15:00.000+05:30

                      As he walked down the lavish verandah, the eyes looked grimaced...They showcased a plethora of grief studded with the uncertainty of a possible mishap to his beloved. They portrayed the lousy state of mind of an incomprehensible situation when he was awakened by sadness..Absolutely stupendous!!! As he punches the dialogues in his acclaimed tranquil voice, the whole crowd erupts with boisterous rage....In the 80s, my dad watched the same movie(Bhagyvantharu) innumerable times just to feast on this tantalizing act of the great one....the one who mesmerized masses with his sensuous looks, that one who was a trailblazer in bod-modeling decades before Hrithiks or Shahrukhs...he was the one who lived with such humility that an actor of his caliber is unheard for....

                      He wooed the fairer sex with his delightful romantic smiles, dazzled men with his powerful actions, battered the best of rock bands with his "If you come today.." and made tears ooze in "ninna manavu serithu". Dr.Rajkumar...the impeccable anna of the state who was, is and will be the demigod of kannadigas!!

  To sample Rajannaz expressions watch his vidoes available on youtube.com...

                      I have grown watching this protagonist of several tales ranging from mythological soups to the hi-tech "bond"ing secret agent 999. He has done it all seen it all...The gen-x may make a feeble claim of him being hyper. But to be realistic, he lived in the stone age of Kannada cinema..when the curtains to a profitable circus were just raising...And to give him his due credit, for all the cynical public those days(and infact for a few, today as well), cinemas were mere entertainment- a forum where injustice was always defeated, bulbuls were pulled, babruvahanas squeaked and the swervy, curvy non-ballistic hip dances seduced - and to survive this noisy bash with such cut-throat competition was a pristine achivement in itself.

                     Thus, dear annavru with his body and soul lingered in the privileged kannada films for more than nearly 51 years. He acted in approx 200 movies albeit his physical ailments persisted. His so called "prodigies" might not even be fit for a share on the silver screen, but our Rajanna would stay in the minds of all kannadigas despite 6 long years since he renounced this world and of course he would remain there eternally....

                    As the ultimate kannadiga strides off in his baggy trousers and the liaisonal smile stemming underneath his pencil mush, his echoing, haunting voice sings "love me or hate me....kiss me or kill me....o darling do something to me.....tururururu...tururururu...." and then he changes tunes...."Huttidare kannada nadal huttabeku...."

untill....

The immortal slowly vanishes into the mystic blues singing a meaningful philosophy "nadamaya eeee lokavella........."

                                     Finally darkness covers all of namma kannada screens...

                                Mathe hutti baa Rajanaa....
Dr.Raj: Rip on 12-04-2006

Caramels to Belling cats

2012-04-08T11:39:00.000+05:30

The traffic was thriving across at a snail's pace and like a brick game the automobiles were piling up at the circle-courtesy the dread red! I had a few documents from dad which I had to drop at the city civil court complex. The point blank was an accounts official-void work. Finally the "bheed" moved and I swerved my santro into the empty parking slot of the mighty home of justice. The blatant keeper motioned for some illogical manuveuers for fitting my auto into the vacant space which I blissfully ignored. He demanded 20 shamelessly without a ticket and after I demanded, handed me an old one which I guess was snatched from a hapless driver.

I walked in sheer disgust as the dirty corruption head started to peel off. The sterling building had withered over the years without caressing. There was a torrent of people in black and whites everywhere and I was astounded for a while when the not-so old pictures of the face-off between lawyers and media cropped up in my mind.

I strode around a couple of minutes pondering over the location of my government's trailer. Finally, when I located him after an exhaustive 15 minutes of carousel, I went overboard. I extended my tottering hand and to my dismay he even didn’t look at me. The burly dude's gauging was such superlative that even without meeting my gaze, he inquired the reason about me being there. The rudeness was the least of my concerns and after a 5 minute prodding, deposited the letters into his file. Politely, I asked him his good name and as rudely came the reply. I jotted it down and walked away. The suffocation and torment levied is realized when you fling yourself out of the bureau. 30 minutes could be in the Guinness if you are able to even inhibit an official from squeaking at you!!

I walked out relieved and drove out my santro off the court complex. Since there were a levitating number of engines that were building up near the entrance I had to wait. As I churned at the cumbersome task at hand, my eyes caught a glimpse of a police van parked in front of the main gate to the complex. Seemingly it housed a few notorious goons with a lot of police protection. One could barely see a few khakis priding inside. There were quite a few standing outside too. I could imagine this to be a sort of transport from the central jail located nearly 10 miles away from the court. The criminals would be brought for trial on the pre-determined dates and then transported back.

I could also observe several other accomplices of the arrested law-breakers surrounding the van at armz distance. There were women too, some of them even carrying their crying babies in the scorching heat. It looked that it was a poignant occasion for at least a few of those people to meet their disgraced kith and kin. There were tears, smiles, hand-shakes and even timid moments exchanged. Well, it was like caramel...sweet but burnt!!

I was wondering about the stipulations for heeding such vulnerable tassel of relationships at jails itself to avoid the embarrassment and harassment of those relatives for a resolute criminal. I have few doubts about some of them even pushed to pay for such 'facilitations'. If this was one face of the coin, the other one came down horridly. As I pedaled out of the court compound, the van was rendered to the main road. And then there were the accessories following their forlorn leaders. A couple of them drove their bikes alarmingly close to the van as it almost scathed them.

The men on the twin cylinders looked never wary of death. They thwarted other vehicles from driving close and continuously conversed with somebody inside the van. It was dangerous and they ignored. The protectors of law watched nonchalantly from the windows of the van. Legislations were disdained like loggerheads as the men continued to block the traffic for nearly a quarter of an hour in this show of 'power'. At last, I deviated towards nrupathunga road as the van sped towards Vidhansoudha - ironically the trailblazerz spot for laws. I still remember the bike rider gesticulating towards the van and the pillion king screaming vividly "Avnamman.....yaru nilistharo namman nodebidthini...."(Let me see who will stop us)...

In fact I realized I wouldn’t have risked...would you? I am sure not....:-)

And the point is -- Nobody strives to bell the cat unless the cat doesn’t suck their lactation....

Earth Hour and a Blackout....:-)

2012-04-04T00:14:00.000+05:30

The tantalizing flavors of my auntz dishes were tugging at our intestines as we sat in the scenic spacious porch conversing with uncle about eternity. Sometimes wait is worth a gamble when success is a ramification. Thus, we remained hungry and lured. Malleshwaram's lavish shades in the residential areas make you feel like a frog outside the pond albeit being in it.

We toed around our uncle's beautiful abode for a while engrossed in a "will"y chat about one of his clients. He narrated in a luciferous tone about how an ailing man - one of his clients - who was a well-known astrologer had amassed exorbitant wealth. And now it was resting on our uncle to get the clientz statement about his intent to distribute the properties among his 'prodigal' off springs who happened to be in a complicated number. As the narration hovered on the peripheries of legalities, me and my spouse were slated for an onslaught at the brightly lit dining.

Nikhil -- my unclez dear beta chiseled bonafide about his prospective trip to Goa. As the son proposed, dad disposed sighting a just cured jaundice. The Dad-son duo brewed up a small debate and finally uncle hammered his decision on the hapless son to dare meddle with his jaundice on his own after the trip while paying for his hospital expenses himself. The discussion was revoked as aunt rebuked. The feast was bestowed on us with great care and affection by our beloved aunt vijchikki -- her name formulation stems from the fact that she is my MIL's sister and thus is the choti-mausi of my better half.

Dinner was instigated with a portion of fresh salads with an affectionately maneuvered blend of fresh cucumbers, sweet carrots, tender onions and a concoction of red chili, lime and salt. Then followed a bundle of yummy buttery appams baked to a spot-on consistency. The bail entailing appams was a tasty pot of spicy saagu which was a trailblazer from vijchikki. It followed with a sumptuous carrot halwa and finally our hunger ceased with a gracious helping of grainy rice, tangy rasam and fresh curds. Together all of us receded to the couches and engaged in a light head bantering. The chat found desserts with scoops of butter-scotch ice-cream hinted with the carrothalwa. I was trying to fathom my way back home with a light head and a heavy bottom!!!

Amidst all this had passed the EARTH HOUR!!! The 60 minutes when the globe can cool significantly, those 3600 seconds when lakhs of Kilowatts of power is saved, globe can freeze and lamenting heads relieved momentarily. It was for this noble intent that Google unveiled the black Google -- blackle.com. It is that time when you shouldn’t be propping yourself to cover some of the exotic edifices in the history of mankind like Eiffel tower. Unfortunately, we had forgotten about it and churned in disappointment for having missed a global trichome to help mankind.

Anyway, we vowed in tandem to remind ourselves about the global conscience. We bid adieu to our dear hosts and walked to our car which was parked exactly next to my unclez compound. And there it was -- gone in 3600 seconds!!! The left rearview mirror was pulled out like a woman mutilated off her ear!! The horrendous act never really looked like kidz play...The next damage was done on the beautiful body of our beloved Santro. The assailant had scratched the whole car like he never had had fulfilled his libido!! Thankfully the tires were spared. Uncle and aunt withered in pain as they asked their neighbors.

"Earth hour alwa madam...horgade full kathlu...adke maneyinda ache barlilla....yenoo nodilla!!"(It was earth hour and we could see nobody in the pitch darkness)...I beckoned my sweetie to hop into the car as our hosts and Nikki waved us goodbye lamenting. I could feel my poor santro wincing at her wounds..Earth hour had turned into a grimaced Blackout.....

I consoled myself, my wife and my santro with a helpless smile….

Good global causes have little consequential casualties and I felt my Santro was one of them....

"Them" vs "Us"

2012-03-30T12:47:00.001+05:30

As our army chiefs and defense portfolios of government confront each other with derogatory accusations, we the people of India under whuz right and might of nose the whole drama unfolds, have to burden our heads in shame. No matter who is wrong, no matter governments get toppled, the widening palate of distrust in the society about democracy increases as never before. What a spectrum of scams we have been through -- right from amenities like animal fodder to the sophisticated but invisible 3G, from a soldier's death coffin to the hi-tech MIGs everything look shoddy and tarnished.

Democracy is rewritten -- by the people's rupee, for the people's rupee and of the people's rupee. A cynical common-man has to ponder about voting in the coming elections. This awareness is a byproduct of our increasing literacy(which has increased almost by 10% in the last decade) and a phenomenal surge in media coverage(which of course surmounts to advancing technology). So an increasingly literate civic Indian face will be put to the toughest litmus test in 2014. "Toughest" because of the plethora of ambiguity prevalent in the masses about the next linchpin in the offing.

Looking at our contemporary leading countrymen and their solidarities, the choice is not worth a take. If we try to assess the overview of the current affairs, there are two forces peaking & reckoning to take each other in a catastrophical showdown and fortunately none of them are political parties. They are "Us" and "Them". Us the realistic India who comprehend 3G scams and oil price levitations but also repudiate paying 5 bucks more for every Kg of chawal we buy. It is the same Us who toil to earn and instigate ourselves to pay up our taxes every year but at the same time are strenuous enough to back Hazares and Kejriwals for Lokpal. It is the Us who abide by the laws on the road and off it, who despite all tragic culminations of several scam reports, succumb to beliefs.

"Them" are those who disparage equality in social statii for everybody. Them are those unrealistic Indians whose patronage for power can make the nation lament and derogate the holistic base of our country built on values of humanity, equality and unity. Them are unconcerned about legislations for the nation to flourish but are persistent and poignant for the unethical powers to triumph just for their individual benefits.

So this is going to be the "toughest". The political parties will not matter at all since they are all out there in blues. It is clear to the masses that the options are mere fake faces of the same Ravan!!

Thus comrades, "Us" need to usher "Them" to be one among "Us"!!!

Short Story -- Brittle Love - Part II

2012-03-29T22:08:00.001+05:30

As I held the phone to my longing ears, there was a ring..each of those discrete bells reflected my indigenous desires for the berry bearer. One...Two..Three..atlast somebody rejoindered. I first heard a woman but clearly there was a man with her..."Hello.."The smooth loomy female voice it was."hi.." I didnt know what to say next and squandered to get some reasonable vocabulary."ya...Hmmm...Madam were you at the Tyson's center...err...at Lesleys sometime today??...It was err...err...a small misunderstanding regarding the bill settlements"...."Tyson's center?? Lesley's??...what in the....."it sounded as if the woman turned to talk to somebody else inbetween..."Harry...what the hell were you doing at Lesley's today...were you there....what...."There was a loud grumble like a dog yapping at a boney stranger!! The shrill in her voice was making chirpy irritations raging through my head...Could it be her? Will my fantasies crash like a bulb on a flame?...Finally the shrill mellowed and a man's voice sirened..."Ahhmm....Yes...Who is this? What can I do for you?"

I held on to my breath..It was turning out to be a wicked maths of infidelity as I presumed the female to be the rightful lady of the berry mouth. Yet my sense persisted at the idea..."Sir...Could you repeat your name and address please...There is a small confusion at the accounts section of Lesley's here at the Tyson's center on warshield street...It is our pleasure to have served you but yet there is a supposed due from our side which we will send you if you could repeat your name and address to match our records here..."I tried to assure myself of a treacherous demeanour with which I needed to handle this strawberry lolli pop.

"Hmm....I guess you called at the wrong time my dear lady...anyway this is Mr.Watson...Mr.Edgar Watson. I stay at No.54, Keth street"...I recalled the woman calling Harry...May be there were more men....There was an intentional pretentious pause as though I was verifying his credentials. My head swayed with ectasy of having won the first move. "Ok Thank you Mr.Watson. It was very nice talking to you. We will address this issue very soon". The voice sounded cold but yet philanthropic. I imagined him to be vice and I liked it. Every word that dissipated into my head was fuelling my fuming desires to taste those reddy beddy berries. The trailblazer I was driving was insanely dangerous. This man, the seductive stranger could have been anybody on this earth....a dirty ragpicker, a mundane dentist, a drug gobbling sex maniac or even a celebrity using a fake name to avoid publicity.

Finally my body was yearning...I felt the tremors in my anorexic tummy and a second bout of fathomable defiance of gravity under my feet..Hungry at heart and belly, I resolved in the cool shades of a nearby restuarant....My phone shook again like a mini-monster coming to life...I checked...'Mom'.. the letters shone in the darker background of the LCD screen...Somehow my mind lead my heart and I disconnected!!

Three hours later, it was evening...the berserk mind had hitched a plot to get my share of the sweet strawberries. The dusk seemed to smile with a witchy lease as I prepared myself for the hunt. I had my lovely cup in my little bag. I had slurped in the remaining nector off it, bitten everytime by the frenzy taste.

I accosted with hunger. The ballistic-like steps that I took to reach the location of dear 'Eddy'were unsure of the thorns that lay ahead between me and the endorser of my ectasies. Even at this point in time there was one side of me that begged to leave all this here and return to sanity. But then there was the other one--the dangerous, which fed on wild animosities against conventional thoughts. As she asked me to abandon the foolish toiling and squandering my emotions, the other dragged me in to an ignominious world filled with a spume of dangerous assortments. Heart always is a tricore cauldron. Sex, food and survival are the cores. All major decisions are a carousel around these three pillars that shoulder our thought systems. As is the case, sanity vanished.

The house lapped on a small hillock around the corner of a sharp curve that pronged at the intersection. My phone chirped every quarter of an hour. The motherly affection was trying to bite off my latest crush. But nevertheless my volvering bouts of mindless infatuation was hard to get rid off. The disdain with which I giggled at my senses was horrendous. The wisps of evening fog made my eyes yearn for a clearer view. As I closed in on my berryking who had transversed on my emotions, my logic tried to call it off. There was fear, anxiety but lust and madness won.
(To be continued....)