I Think....

I'm back...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:01:00 +0000

...well almost after a year after my last entry I'm back at it again. A lot has happened in this last one year...I changed my job...came back to Noida...had 3-4 road trip (to Agra, Jaipur, D'dun, Mussorie)...Chennai Superkings won IPL (yipeeee)...India played Srilanka again for 1000th time.

In the midst of all these changes there are so many things which are still the same...I'm still single...still no girlfriend...still watching 3 movies a week...still not taking anything in life seriously

One of the best part of coming back to Noida was to meet all my College friends...bahut masti maari hai college main...ab baith baith ke woh time yaad karte hain to aur maza aata hai...but at the same time I miss all the fun I had in Chennai...so let me thank all my Chennai friends here, for all the masti...the long drives on ECR...the mid night buffets at Rain Tree...woh BT ka Pudi Dosa...woh Murugan ki Idli...kodaikanal ka mausam...those Tamil to English translations :)

Thanks a lot guys !!!

About friendship...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:45:00 +0000

In one of my initial posts, I copy/pasted a fwded mail about how life changes from masti in college to slogging at work...today I got another fwd about friends n friendship...really liked it...so here it is:

Friendship is not about “I m sorry “ its about “abbe teri galti hai “

Friendship is not about “I m there for u” or “I missed u “ it’s about “kahan marr gaya saale “

Friendship is not about “I understand “ its about “sab teri wajah se hua manhus“

Friendship is not about “I care for u “ its about “kamino tumhe chhod ke kahan jaunga “

Friendship is not about “I m happy for ur success “its about “chal lukkhe party de “

Friendship is not about “I love that girl“ its about “saalo izzat se dekho tumhari bhabhi hain “

Friendship is not about “R u coming for outing tomorrow “ its about “ nautanki nahi, hum kal bahar ja rahe hai “

Friendship is not about “Get well soon “ its about “ Itna piyega toh yehi hoga“

Friendship is not about “All the best for ur career“ its about “ bahut hua, abhi toh switch mar saale“

Interesting weekend...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Atleast till now...after a long time went for a movie on weekday (technically weekend starting, as it was on Friday night). Didn't plan it as such...a friend called me out of the blue n asked if I was interested in watching Sikandar (yeah...not many ppl have heard of the movie)...he had an extra ticket.

Now let me tell you, from my vast experience, that movie watching follows the basic funda of expectation management...in this case, higher the expectations...stronger the jhatka u get after watching a crap movie. And due to the long history of jhatkas (RVG ki Aag, Krazzy 4 to name a few), I've started going to movies with absolute zero, zukk, zitch, nada expectations (and even then I'm sometimes disappointed). So anyway coming back to the weekend n the movies...went for Sikandar...from the starting it looked a coming of age movie with Kashmir violence as the backdrop...this is where I made a mistake...my expectations went up...I though it would be a good movie but nope...by the end of the movie I was scratching my head n looking at other people, just to make sure that I'm not the only one who is lost. It seems the movie was (supposedly) some kind of an intelligent thriller with too many loopholes...too many coincidences...and too many jewellery ads in the interval...clearly not a movie for me.

Now today also I went for a movie...Life partner starring Tussar Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Govinda, Genelia. This time no expectations...with Fardeen and Tussar as main leads it is near to impossible to have any. But let me tell you frankly...I enjoyed it...Govinda was in full form...songs were passable...Genelia as always was good...and our two heroes, well all they had to do through out the movie was to have bewildered look on their faces. This is the only expression which comes naturally to them...so no worries here as well. At the end movie I came out of the theater laughing...had a good time...and never felt that have wasted time or money on the movie.

So till now (Saturday night), the score is 1-1...one crap and one entertaining movie. A lot depends on the Sunday movie now...Kaminey...this will decide whether my weekend was good or bad. I've received very mixed reactions for the movie...but because of Vishal Bharadwaj (director...Maqbool, Omkara)...I've to see this movie...that means the expectations are alerady up...so I just hope this movie is good and it doesn't end my weekend on a bad note.

But one thing which will definitely make my weekend is England winning the Ashes...which can very well happen tomorrow (if these english don't screw up)...nothing feels better then watching these arrogant aussies getting their asses kicked (esp. in Ashes).

Finally...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:31:00 +0000

...made the Coorg trip...and it was better than what I expected. I had initially planned to go with couple of my office friends, but due to non-availability of reservations, the plan was getting delayed...and as always I was pretty pissed off...but on Thursday one of my friends from B'lore scrapped me that he is plannig a bike trip to coorg along with his bullet gang...I was more than happy to jump in.

I reached b'lore @ 7 am Saturday morning (bus was late due to rain/traffice)...he was waiting with his bike at the stand. We met rest of the gang outside B'lore at CCD...had breakfast and continued with the trip....there were 6 bikes (1 more joined us @ Coorg) and 8 people (2 pillions). One of the riders, Junaid, is a rally driver and knows a lot about bikes...so whenever anybody thought there is any prob. with the bike we would stop, he'll do a quick checkup of the bike...meanwhile the rest of us would be busy in tea/coffee...sutta...stretching etc...in short we had lot of pit stops.

We reached Madekeri in the afternoon (before that had a good lunch ...chicken rolls). From Madekeri to the place we were staying the distance was around 1km...the road was totally screwed...more of an off-roading track...everyone had good fun testing their bikes on the track (esp. our friend...the rally driver).

The place which was booked for us was in the middle of nowhere...loverly house with 2 rooms...double beds...fridge...tata sky. From the house we had a great view of the river below (which we visited next day morning). Inthe evening, the caretake setup the campfire and got some chicken for us...Junaid found a wire somewhere and we cooked (alright he cooked...I guess he the taleneted one) the chicken in the campfire directly...really tastely stuff.

Next morning we left for the river...again awesome place...hardly anybody comes there. After spending about an hour there we started our journey back...it was drizzing a little and the weather was perfect for the bike trip.

On the back we found pretty heavy rain at some places so it took more time than we anticipated and at the end we were having a race against time as I had a bus to catch from b'lore to chennai.

There are lots of places to visit in Coorg near Madekeri but we left as this was more of a bike trip than Coorg trip...but really had a time of my life...Now even I've started thinking about making a bike trip somewhere nearby Chennai (may be Yelagiri, 250 km).

Might be going to Coorg again with friends (that was the initial plan)...it seems there are some falls and trekking which we missed...so I see another trip in very near future.

It happens only in India...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:56:00 +0000

I got a fwded mail couple of days back...it contained an entry by Mr. Nandan Nilekani on his first day in parliament. Fact or fiction...its really funny and is a must read for everyone.

The House was in pin drop silence. I was brimming with anticipation and excitement!!!! Manmohan had informed me that my introduction was one of the important points of the agenda. I hoped that I will be able to make my speech properly. After so many interviews and conferences, I was nervous today!!!!

After the Speaker indicated that the proceedings of the House could begin, Manmohan formally introduced me to the entire House. He mentioned that as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India, I was responsible to ensure that each and every Indian had a digital smart card as a proof of his existence. Manmohan spoke about why I was selected and also some references to the various projects executed by me in Infosys were mentioned. The House listened with rapt attention. I was asked to say a few words and I did exactly the same!!!

I thanked the Government of India for having given me this opportunity and I assured the House that I would strive to successfully deliver this project. The Speaker then formally inducted me into the House and before the proceedings could move any forward, there was a small commotion on the other side of the hall.

It was Minister of Textiles who had a comment to make before the next point on the agenda. He made a request that I should be attired in a more austere way instead of a flashy suit. It did not go well with the image of a minister who should live to serve the common man and should be less ostentatious in his habits. I stood up to reply. I offered my apologies to the Honourable Minister and assured that I shall be in a more acceptable dress next time. I felt that he was right.
We also used to have corporate dress code in Infosys. So it's here as well!!!!

I sat down and felt somebody nudging me. I turned around and to my surprise; it was the former Indian skipper and one of my favourite batsman Mohd. Azharuddin. I remembered that he had recently won the elections. I smiled at him and mentioned to him that I used to like his game very much, shaking his hand. No Rolex, I noticed. Azhar told me that he would “fix” me an appointment with an Italian designer who had designed his dapper Kurta suit. An Italian designer in Milan doing Kurtas!!!!! I made a note of this and reminded myself to give this example to Friedman for his next book,” The World Markets are flattened”. Since there was no doubt about the “Fixational” capacities of Azhar, I told him to give me the details and I would consider.

The proceedings of the House went on with numerous bills being debated and passed as I sat as a passive audience waiting for my project’s turn to come up. After the lunch break, it was the moment for me!!!! MY PROJECT”S FIRST REVIEW CAME UP FOR PRESENTATION. I was at sea. My laptop did not have any reserve power. I went to Manmohan and apprised him of the situation. I was sweating. He calmly replied that this would not be a cause of concern. I was flummoxed!!!!

The Speaker asked me to explain to the House on what were my plans for the Unique Identity Project. I replied that I have a plan prepared for 30-60-90-120 days’ milestones and I have presentation to make for which I need a power socket, a projector and a screen. I had no idea what was going to happen after this. The next couple of minutes were a complete jolt for me. I was completely in a tizzy.

Let me just summarize what happened. A Joint Cabinet Secretary Committee was set up to judge the feasibility of my request. The Under Secretaries for the Ministries of Power, IT and Broadcasting will prepare a Viability Report after scrutinizing National Security threats to my request. This was because the power socket comes under Power, laptop comes under IT and projector comes under Broadcasting. I have also been told to reconsider my timelines of 30-60-90 days and start thinking in terms of years. Probably, they are right. I did not have the foresight in this matter.

The summary of the issue is that I need to come up with a more inclusive, democratic, comprehensive long term plan for this project to be executed over the next five years. I have also been given a presentation slot 3 months from now (by which the issues related to the power cord etc will also be resolved). I am filled with mixed reactions. I was planning for a quick resolution; the management wants a strategic solution. I come out of the House and text Murthy. “You won’t believe it but these guys work just like us. I am on a NATIONAL BENCH for the next three months!!!!!!!!”

???

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Haven't given any title to the entry because I don't know what to write today...but still want to write something...

I haven't posted any entry for last couple of months 'coz was very busy with work. and thought I'll write once I'm a little free but now have realized that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Few months back I wrote an entry titled 'how it changed...', well life is back in the same situation...nothing new happening...same mechanical routine...office to home...home to office (and couple of days in between when no home...only office).

First time after coming into job I feel like I need a break ...all my relatives will say that it is time for me to to get married ... but I'm sure that is not the solution :).

Anyway...so now I've decided to go on a vacation or trip, but the problem now is where to go. Me n my friends tried putting our heads together and come up with a place...well the ideas ranged from Goa...Rishikesh...Leh/Ladhakh...Pune...Munnar and so on. Even after a week of planning nothing has been finalized...same problem as with rest of India...too much planning too little results.

So finally this is what I've decided: 10 day leave...starting point delhi...5 friends...1 car...a road trip. koi mahan aadmi keh gae hain: It's not the destination, but the journey that counts. So I hope we have some good fun in the journey...bhagwan ne chaha to next entry main trip ki photos upload karenge.

Happy B'day...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:25:00 +0000

Day before yesterday was Babby's (my grandfather...me n my sis used to call him 'Babby') B'day...he is not with us anymore.

There are so many memories, so many incidents which are still fresh in my mind... when I was a kid I used to be short tempered, main darwaza band karke ke baith jata that aur kisi se nahi baat karta tha, at those times he would come and talk to me and would calm me down.

When I was in college in noida and used to visit knp, while returning sometime

I would take the morning train and for that I would have to leave at around 5 am, he was always there to see me off.

He would usually sleep early, but whenever there was a cricket match, we would stay up late at night in the hope

that India will win.

There are hundereds of such sweet little memories which I'll never forget my whole life...

...miss you Babby.

how it changed...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:21:00 +0000

Couple of days back I was supposed to go home to Kanpur, had the bookings and reservation done...but due to too much work in the office I had to get the tickets canceled and postpone the trip...I missed couple of marriages I really wanted to attend.

It made me think about where the life is going...everyone works hard to secure their future but we are missing out on the present. I really don't know what do I do to change this...but anyways thats not the reason I'm writing this entry today. I just wanted to share something, which one of my friends forwarded me 2-3 days back...it reflects the feelings (of frustration/confusion) I had to perfection...I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this :

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed from a maverick college life to strict professional life…...

How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks
but then why it gives less happiness….

How a few local denim jeans changed to new branded wardrobe
but then why there are less people to use them

How a single plate of samosa changed to a full Pizza or burger
But then why there is less hunger…..

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a bike always in reserve changed to tank always full
but then why there are less places to go on……

How a small coffee shop changed to cafe coffee day
but then why its feels like shop is far away…..

How a limited prepaid card changed to postpaid package
but then why there are less calls & more messages……

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a general class journey changed to Flight journey
But then why there are less vacations for enjoyment….

How a old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop
but then why there is less time to put it on……….

How a small bunch of friends changed to office mate
But then why we always feel lonely n miss those college frnz.….

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed….. How it changed…….

2 Year....

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Life is strange...and it rarely plays out the way you plan it. I never thought I'll be working in Chennai...that too for such a long time. But I did...and will be completing 2 years here shortly. Even stranger is the fact that I actually like it here.

Made some really good friends...went for couple of trips...saw countless movies (2 per week)...and went out for lunch/dinner almost every weekend.

I guess its not the place you like or dislike...its the people and friends you have there which makes the difference.

So many things to write about...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:36:00 +0000

Satyam goes kaboom !!! I never thought something like this can happen to such a reputed company...but Mr Raju had other ideas I guess.

Another interesting piece of news is regarding my 2nd favorite topic...cricket. ICC announced their 'All Time Greats' list and guess what...Sachin Tendulkar is not in top 20...this is down right criminal. And it gets better...Brian Lara is also not in Top 20.

And now to movies...Ghajini...blockbuster masala movie making at its best...I think Amir khan took it as a challenge that people associate him with meaningful movies and don't see him as a superstar whose movies will run in small centers as well.

I'm sure Ghajini will be among the top 5 grosser of all time...nice to see Amir doing action/masala role after a long time.

Still no action???

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Everything is back to how it used to be...India blaming Pakistan and 'warns' them of dire consequences if they don't act. Pakistan still in denial, plays a victim and US after initially supporting India, again praises Pakistan for their efforts to eliminate terrorism.

Everything is back to how it used to be...except for the people who lost their loved ones during those 3 days...things will never be the same for them.

India needs to take some action (I'm know govt. is making efforts but those are clearly not enough). US/UK or any other country is not going to help India...its our own fight which we have to fight alone. We can not run to US every time something happens and expect them to sort things out for us (its not fucking 5th class where you run to the teacher whenever someone is making fun of you).

The govt. needs to show some backbone (and grow some balls while they are at it). I'm not asking them to go postal on Pakistan like Israel but please take some action, apart from sharing the evidence (or facts or findings or whatever it is) with every damn country in the world and hoping that someone will stand up for you.

A Sad day...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:14:00 +0000

26^th November, India is attacked once again...but this time its just not a terrorist attack, it was pretty much a war. Mumbai was under siege for more than 60 hrs. During the course of which India lost few of our bravest men. People always criticize India police and armed forces but today the very same forces are the real heroes of whole ordeal.

The that so many top officials lost their life points out that they lead from the front and did not shy away from actual action. Media also, surprisingly, played a very constructive role this time. They understood the seriousness of the situation and stayed away from sensationalizing the events.

Now that the whole operation is over, the real healing process will start. India needs to realize this is not time to play petty politics over this and unite to fight against terrorist. We need to realize that this was a result of a major intelligence failure but lets not point fingers but instead the government needs to get their act together and make sure things like this do not happen again.

The responsible people must be punished at all costs and I'm not talking about the terrorists only. The people who are responsible of neglecting the intelligence input and providing security to common people. We have have accountability in the system, then only the situation can be improved.

This time its regionalism...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:35:00 +0000

As always I'm starting the blog by giving an excuse for not writing for a long time (almost an year now)...well I'm lazy and most of the time I don't have anything to write about. But I just couldn't stop myself from writing about what has been going on in Mumbai off late.

Mr. Raj Thackeray it trying to strengthen his political footing in the same fashion his uncle did many year back. Bala Baheb practically made a political career out of threating and using violence againt migrants from south india. They portray themselves as true guardians of marathis , but what they fail to realize is that they are causing more harm to marathis than actually helping them, both in the short and long run.

When MNS workers burn taxis and buses, only because the drivers are from one particular region of India, they should understand that the taxis and buses are being used by their 'Marathi Manoos' and they are causing unconvinced to Marathis as well. Moreover they are harming the image of marathis all over India. If tomorrow same kind of incidents start happening, all over India, against marathis, is Mr. Raj Thackeray going to protect them???

What really pisses me off is the inaction of the maharashtra govt and the police force. How can they allow such brutality to go on for so many days? Raj Thackarey points out that people from Bihar and UP and more prone to committing crimes since they are from lawless state...its pretty ironic that he has resolved to violence to prove this point.

Politicians in India can go to any lengths for power, they proved it by burning India by exploiting and manipulating people from different religions against each other and they are out again to harm India...only this time their weapon of choice is regionalism.

After a long time....

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:11:00 +0000

... I'm posted in the blog...what can I say..I'm a very lazy person. So much has happened in last 2-3 months. We had Taare Zameen pe...one visionary proved everyone wrong and gave us the People's Car..our very own Lakhtakia and India won at Perth (this I never thought would happen...ever).

So lets start with Taare Zamen Pe...ever since I heard Amir was directing a movie, I expected to be a good one but the movie was simply awesome...the way he handled the story was really amazing and how can I forget the kid...he was absolutely mind blowing in the movie...I hope he gets some awards this year (not Best Child Actor but best Actor awards). I'm sure everyone
must have remembered their school days while watching Ishant telling his friend (after the exam) the exam went....BINDAAAS...well I surely did.

When Ratan Tata annouced the 1 Lk car the first thought that crossed my mind was that it'll be one of those cars with a seating capacity of 2...no leg space...no headspace and certainly no style...but I was proved wrong on all counts. As so many experts have been saying, Nano will change the Indian car market (and the middleclass) the way Maruti 800 did so many years ago...hats off to great businessman.

And now my fav. topic...cricket...still unable to believe that India won at Perth...one of the fastest tracks in the world (not so fast this time but still). A lot can be credited to our Bhajji controversy (which I personally feel should have been avoided...not too many monkeys will be happy being compared to Symonds)...but on serious not one point which I really don't support is the way Indian board handled the umpiring issue. Did they wanted Bucknor to be removed because he gave wrong decisions or because he gave wrong decisions against India. Even in the Perth match standard of umpiring was not all that high but since this time Australia were at the receiving end nobody complained...which I think is wrong. Now me taking Australia's side does not mean that I like them...I still hate those blokes with all my heart...and was jumping like kangaroo when RP took the last wicket in Perth...lets just hope and wish that they repeat the feat in Adelaide again.

Tale of Two Thriller

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:04:00 +0000

Last week I saw two movies. Two thrillers to be precise. There was hardly anything common between the 2. The movies I'm talking about are Teesri Manzil (*ing Shammi Kapoor & Asha Parekh) and Johnny Gaddar. Teesri Manzil was a Murder Mystery, with a very good story line and gripping suspense.

What can I say about the songs...mindblowing stuff. It was after a long time I was watching a movie on CD and didn't fast forward the songs. It was a treat to listen to these songs (Originals for a change not some cheap remix)...just look at the line up of songs : Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera, Deewana Mujhsa Nahin, O Haseena, O Mere Sona, Tumne Mujhe Dekha...and cherry on the top is the "dance" of Shammi Kapoor, you never feel for a moment that any of it is choreographed (I don't think it really can be choreographed anyway).

Now if you look at Johnny Gaddar, Its not a Mystery/Suspense movie 'coz we know from the very beginning whats going on and who's the bad guy. But still the way this movie progresses, there is not a single dull moment. There are no songs, but in terms of music it has one of the finest soundtrack come out in recent times. Music has that "retro" touch in it which is very refreshing. Another movie with a so called "retro" soundtrack is Om Shanti Om, but I'll touch that in some other post.

Moving back to our Johnny Gaddar....after his first movie, Ek Hasina Thi, Sriram Raghavan proves again that to make a gripping thriller, Story should be first and foremost priority. He has reinstated my faith in Bollywood movies (which was shaken badly after Aag)...and interestingly he is RVGs find. I think the time has come for the Master to learn something from his student.

Ind-Aus Series...Clash of the Champion (Sledgers)

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:28:00 +0000

Standing up to the Aussies is the "in thing" now-a-days...Sreesanth is doing it...so is our Bhajji...even Robin Uthhapa is doing it. But apart from these cursing contests going on in the field, there is not much of a contest between the two sides.

Australia punished our bowlers for their erratic display in the first match and the same thing happened in the 2nd match as well. We had them pinned down in the first 10 overs but couldn't make use of that.

The only point worth mentioning, from India's point of view, is the so called aggression. But is this aggression really helping us? Our team wants to match up with the Aussies in the sledging dept. but they conveniently ignore the fact that Aussies might be champion sledgers but whatever they say, they back it up on the field.

Glen McGrath is a master of this art, every time Ashes series is about start, he'll come up with his prediction of the score and every time says it'll be 5-0 and last time they actually achieved it.
When he predicts a five nil washout, I'm sure he actually believes every single word of it. But when a bowler like Harbajan Singh is bad mouthing 6'2" Matthew Hayden, it hardly looks convincing.

Like the rest of the world I also don't like Australian team, but we can not simply deny the fact that they are THE champions and have been on the top of their game for almost 10 years now.
If our "Young Guns" want to be like the Aussies take the good things from them...their passion for the game...their commitment level...their professional approach. Sledging like the Aussies is not going to take us anywhere (who can forget the WC'03 final or even the WC'07 match against B'desh).

Still 4 mtaches to go in the series, and I'm waiting for a turnaround like Eden garden to happen...kya karien...Aakhir Dil hai Hindustani.

RVG's AAG...I got burnt.

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:59:00 +0000

Its been more than a month since the movie was release..many of you must be thinking why am I writing about the after all this time. Well to be frank after watching the movie I was speechless...didn't knew what to say. the hangover was still there.

Till now I can not understand how RVG managed to make such a mockery of one the greatest movies of Indian cinema. If you look at his track record, he has made some absolutely Shiva, Raat, Drohi, Rangeela, Kaun, Bhoot. And who can forget he the same director which created a new genre all together with his underworld movies like Satya and Company or even Sarkar.

But interestingly for every Kaun there was a Mast...for every Satya there was a Naach (I know most of you might not have heard of this movie) and for every Sarkar there was a Nishabd or a Darling. And don't get me started on the movies he produced.

Now coming back to Aag, if you try to look and analyze what went wrong, most people will say that since its a remake of SHOLAY the junta didn't accept it, but I beg to differ. The movie was plain simplre high quality crap. Even Don was remade, I didn't like it much as I'm a die hard fan of old AB movie, but still if you look at that movie without considering the old Don, the movie was not at all bad.

I'm sure that Mr. RVG will learn from his mistake and never take the audience for granted...Taking the biggest Bollywood Movie and casting the biggest superstar doesn't make a good movie...it ultimately comes down to how well you can present the story to everyone.

Every director wants his movie to be remembered for eternity...I think RVG managed to do just that...I'll never be able to forget this movie...ever.

Drama around Democracy

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 07:22:00 +0000

Yesterday I was reading an article, at rediff.com, on the Myanmar crisis. US has come up with sanctions against Myanmar officials and have 'urged' India and China to help the pro-democracy sections of Myanmar.
This reminds me of another piece of new from fews back, another situation but entirely different reaction/views from US. The incidence I'm referring to is the Lal Masjid standoff in Pakistan. The statment from US was : Lal Masjid action is an 'internal matter' of Pakistan.
US, who have appointed itself the sole defender of democracy throughout the world, is very conveniently ignoring the non-existence of democracy in Pakistan since 1999 (because Pakistan is a 'Key Alley in their, self declared, war against terrorism).
What ever is happening in Pakistan is a mockery of democracy. Rule and being bent, laws amended and Musharraf has not left a single stone unturned to ensure prolonging his presidency. I'm sure he's getting all the help he needs, from USA and he will manage to cling on to power this time as well.
I still hope US will realize that they are putting money on the wrong horse, but it then we can only wait and watch the drama.
Speaking of drama....around all of this news and happenings, Mr. Nawaz Shareef managaed to make a very brief trip to Pakistan, which can easily be described in 3 sentences:
He Came....He waved...He went (was sent) back.

Eklavya -The Royal Guard...Cornered.

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:04:00 +0000

My first post was about cricket, the second one had to be about movies. There is lot of hue and cry over the selection of Eklavya for India's official Oscar entry. I'm not exactly a fan of this movie but what amuses me are the comments, from people inside the film fraternity, about this movie.
Few days back Farah Khan said that she found Eklavya a boring film and its a bad choice for Oscar entry. I think it had more to do with the rejection of her good friend SRKs Chak De than the selection of Eklavya. Last year when Mr. SRK's paheli was chosen (over Black...special round of applause for the selection committee), I suppose she thought it was a perfect and just choice.
I'm not saying Eklavya is the best choice, there must be quite a few regional movies which were way better than the ones considered, but now that they have chosen a movie people should one stop cribbing and criticizing the decision as it is not going to change anything.
May be this movie will achieve what a Mother India or a Lagan could not...well there is nothing wrong in dreaming...dreams do come true..after all India won the T20 world cup.

Dream come true...

noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:41:00 +0000

For my first blog post I had to choose between my two passions....cricket or movies...I'm going with the first one today keeping in mind India's historic victory in the T20 WC.
What can I say, its like a dream to me...few months back India (and Pakistan) was out of the first round of WC and now the same teams are playing in the T20 final and what a match it was.
The feeling, that India has won the WC, is still to sink in but I must mention that more than India winning the cup it was Pakistan losing it. Misbah played so well against India, it reminded me of Klusner's innings again Aus in the WC semifinal. But as they cricket is a game of luck and luck favours the brave. India played like champions (a new brand of "fearless" cricket as media likes to put nowadays), and after their WC disaster I think they deserved this victory.
But the real test is yet to come when India plays against Australia who be coming here with only revenge on their mind.
A series win against Aussies maybe too far fetched but the heart says...for these bunch of young and talented cricketers no challenge is big enough.