Soulmates - tracing fire behind all the smoke

It's not often that you get mails like this




in your inbox and as it happened I had just watched the episode
of HIMYM where Ted uses a service "Love Solutions" to search
his soulmate. Yes, SOULMATE

For a word whose quick search in Google fetches about 5,42,000
results, it hardly needs an introduction. However for records
Soul mate : a person who strongly resembles another in attitudes
or beliefs -- Merriam Websters
Soulmate is a term sometimes used to designate someone with
whom one has a feeling of deep and natural affinity, friendship, love,
intimacy, sexuality, and/or compatibility -- Wikipedia

My first references to this word probably go back to some novel
by Paulo Cohelo I read in my early twenties and like most I too
was fascinated(to say the least) by the idea of having a soulmate
somewhere out there who would be all that I could ask for or more.
The more I thought about it then, the more rosy it seemed and the
more rosy it seemed the more I thought\fantasized about it.

People's perceptions about the word SoulMate are as varied as
people themselves. While someone may see soulmates as people
who are made for each other, someone sees soulmates as soul
companions who have spent previous lifetimes together and if you
thought that's all there is check out Soul Sister/Brother,
Karmic Soulmates, Twin Soulmates and more....

The legend has it that this concept/theory of soulmates dates back
to Plato's symposium in which he wrote a mythical story describing
a world where there were men, women and people who were both
men and women (Androgynous), not only this the people then had
four hands, four feet and two faces. Those mighty humans once
attacked Gods and while discussing how to retaliate without loosing
out on the worship offered by the humans Zeus came up with an idea.
He suggested cutting all human beings in half as it would weaken
them and double the number of people making offerings to the Gods.
Thus the humans were split into halves and are ever since seeking
their other halves(twin flame).

Split into halves or not many people were, are and will be on
the search for their soul mates or twin flames
but
Do you believe in soulmates ? Have you found your soulmate?
or you are looking/waiting for your soulmate ?

Id finish this post here, leaving on this note and would be back
with more soon..

Trivia:
1) While writing this I am constantly reminded of a romantic film titled
"Serendipity" which is based on the same premise.
2) It is probably the most time consuming post I've ever written
3) Due to enormous content I intend to split this into multiple posts

Links:

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soulmate
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symposium_(Plato)

Enjoy this karoake of the song soulmate

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Someone Like You

An Extremely Special Song for an Extremely Special would be ;)

Khoya Khoya Chand

Director: Sudhir Mishra
Cast: Shiney Ahuja
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
My Rating: 3.5/5

First things first It's good to see a Sudhir Mishra(SM) film
after about two years, his last film I saw was
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi(HKA).Was looking forward to KKC
for quite a while and finally got the chance to watch it in
its second(and probably last or second last) week in cinemas.
I am not too sure if HKA lasted any longer.

The movie is a tribute to the Hindi Cinema of 1950's and portrays
the Film Industry that existed then under various lights.The Good,
The Bad and the Ugly. We all as avid movie buffs to certain
extent know what goes inside the tinsel town so lets not delve
in to details of how this industry works or rather revolves around
the precious few and how favours are given and paid back.

I particularly loved the cinematography of the film, liked the music
and the old cinemaish feel of the film. The first half of the film
was good to the extent that you start wondering why did the movie
get such a thrashing at box office but this sense of wonder doesn't
last by the time u finish half of the regular popcorn you took
during the intermission.I can sympathize with the regular cinema
goers for running out of patience during the second half as I
myself felt a couple of times that movie is kinda dragging.

Needless to say I liked Saurabh, Shiney and Vinay's performances
but the find of the movie was Soha..Impressive bit of acting
there, totally justifying her place in a SM movie. The chemistry
between Shiney and Soha was beautifully and poetically captured
as everything from camera movement and angles to lighting worked
great. You cannot but notice the pretty Soniya Jehan for all her
beauty which shadows almost everything that's going on the
screen(her acting included).

While for HKA it was man yeh banwara for KKC it's
the title song Khoya Khoya Chand sung mellifluously by little known Swanand and Ajay which hums almost
through out the film. The writer/director's take on the
passionate love affair between Nikhat and Zafar was quite
commendable and a few dialogues carefully distributed amongst
Shiney, Soha and Rajat stand out and almost haunt you like this one

"Koi kissi ko dhokha nahi deta, sab halaat hote hain"
and that witty one by Shiney "ya toh apne aap ko dhoka deta
ya aapko toh aap hi sahi".

The Switching between present and past lives of various characters
in the film is also handled nicely. While the movie scores in all
these departments I feel it somehow lost track towards the end and
went kinda wayward. But in more ways than one its still a classic
tribute to the classics.

Links:
1) Wiki
2) Sudhir's blog
3) IMDB

Trivia:
1) All the actors had to learn Urdu for their roles
2) The film was originally titled as Bahut Nikle Mere Armaan
aka Many Of My Wishes Were Fulfilled.
3) Soha's role was initially offered to "Vidya Balan"

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BarCampDelhi3 on 8th Dec @ Noida

Sorry for posting this late..

This is to inform all the nerds and geeks that barcampdelhi3 is being organized this Saturday at Impetus Noida..

If you are into Web Technologies this is the place to be...

details here..

For those who plan to attend drop a comment

PS: Barcamp is followed by a beer party sponsored by Opera :)

How I Met Your Mother(HIMYM) Quotes

Started Watching this American sitcom off late and am
loving it. It's about a man who shares with his kids how
he found love of his life(their mother) and the events/incidents
that happened all this while.

Nice concept, fresh comedy and good acting.

Here are some of the quotes I liked:

Future Ted: It was like something from an old movie, where the sailor sees the girl across the crowded dance floor, turns to his buddy and says, "See that girl? I'm gonna marry her someday."
Ted: Hey Barney, see that girl?
Barney: Oh yeeeahh, you just KNOW she likes it dirty. Go say 'Hi'.

Barney: There are only two reasons to date a girl you've already dated:breast implants

Robin: How do you do this Ted? How do sit out here all night, in the cold, and still have faith that your pumpkin's going to show up?
Ted: Well, I'm pretty drunk. Look I know the odds are, the love of my life isn't going to magically walk
through that door in a pumpkin costume at 2:43 in the morning.
But it just seems as nice a spot as any to just ...
you know, sit and wait.

Barney: [chuckling] Marshall ran away from a cockroach.
Marshall: It was a mouse!
Barney: Sorry, my bad! You're a man!

Barney: Come on Ted, this is an incredible opportunity, we'll meet our soulmates, nail'em and never call 'em again.
Barney: Ted, these chicks are desperate and hot, that's a perfect cocktail. shake well, then sleep with.

Barney: Ted, your problem is all you do is think, think, think. I'm teaching you how to do, do, do!
Marshall: [giggles] Doo-doo!
Barney: Heh heh, totally!
Ted: So I think a lot! I happen to have a very powerful brain. It can't be helped.
Barney: Oh yes it can. [places a shot in front of Ted]
Marshall: Interesting!

Barney: No no, it's a great idea. That's the whole point of getting drunk; you do things that you'd never do in a million years if you were sober.

Ted:Know what ? I am done being single,
I am not good at it. Look obviously you can't tell a women u just met you love her but it sucks that you can't. I'll tell you something if a women not you just some hypothetical women would bear me through all this I think I'd make a damn good husband, because that's the stuff I'd be good at, stuff like making her laugh,and, being a good father and walking her five hypothetical dogs, being a good kisser
Robin: Everyone thinks they are good kisser.
Ted: Oh I've got references !!
Robin: Good night Ted !!
Ted(shaking hands with her): and I am good hand shaker

Ted: But that's the funny thing about destiny it happens whether you plan it or not..

Home Made Quotes..

I've been a Quotoholic ever since I can remember..
Reading(n quoting) quotes has been a passion and a while back
I started zipping my thoughts/feelings in a line or two in the form
of quotations.

This post intends to serve as an archive for the same.


1) I might not know what I want, but, I know what I don't want
--- On the bike ride to office (15/11/07).
2) Blessed are those who feel no Remorse
--- Scribbled it long time back while regretting some things
that I did in the past (15/03/07).
3) Get life, before life gets you.
--- (20/11/06).


Will post old one's soon..

American Pie 4: Band Camp

Director: Steve Rash
Cast: Eugene levy, Tad Hilgenbrinck, Arielle Kebbel
IMDB Rating: 5/10
My Rating: 3/5

American Pie, for the uninitiated these words might lead to
thoughts about an eatable or something but for anyone whose watched
even a couple of minutes of action from the American Pie Pentalogy
these words would conjure images of Wild Campus Life, Wannabe Teens,
Bikini Clad Babes and Couples in Love or rather Couples Making Love
n that to scores of them.
That's Pie for you......

It was refreshing to watch another Pie after a long while and good
to know that they still make Pie's the way they used to a while back.
I still can't forget the opening scene from the last Pie(3) ;)

The backbone of all films in Pie Pentalogy is the experiences
of a bunch of really wild and whacky guys from a high school who are
ultra high on testosterones. Pie has all sorts of situations
and can easily make you fall on the floor laughing unless you find them
disgusting rather than amusing( which I think can be the case with
some girls).

Pie 4 sees a new bunch of people lead by Matt Stifler younger
brother of the infamous Steve Stifler who tries to fill into
shoes of his elder bro and gets it all wrong.The new cast is what
gives the film a refreshing look but you can see a few commonalities,
spy cams to capture chicks for one.Also there was Jim's Dad(Mr. Levenstein)
who never fails to amuse and there was that Sherman-ator
which I didn't particularly like ..

Other then all the Super Wild stuff, the film has a tinge of
cute romance and also a happy ending.

Go watch it if you wanna have your dose of laughter ...

Trivia:
1) Tad Hilgenbrink really bared it all in the scene where he undresses in front of the girls while playing the trivia game. He didn't inform the girls in advance, who were expecting him to keep his privates covered somehow, so their reaction is quite genuine


Links:
1) IMDB
2) Quotes
3) Wiki


I love the way they kiss :D

Mumbai Salsa

Director: Manoj Tyagi
Cast: Virdas,Indraneil SenGupta,
Dilip Thadeshwar, Raymond Irani, Manjari Fadnis, Amruta Khanvilkar,
Linda Arsenio, Neelam Chauhan
Rating: 2.5/5

As TOI put it aptly it easy to label this one as Metro part two.
After reading just this line and seeing a rating of 3.5
I decided to watch this film instead of another new release
(Jab We Met)and as it turned out, it was a case of choices gone
wrong.

After almost a month of not being able to watch a movie at
theater I went for an morning(early) show of Salsa at a
neighborhood multiplex and here's what I got....

The film starts with a peppy song by Adnan Sami which starts
getting you into that frame of mind where you forget everything,
including the fact that it's just 9:30 in the morning on a Sunday,
but by the time the theme song fades away you inevitably start
falling back to the point from where you started.
Maybe it was just with me and my friend but quite a few people
from the cast looked lookalikes of some bollywood stars.

Vir Das looked like a pre-release version of Imran Hashmi,
Manjari reminded me of Shilpa Shetty while Indraneil from certain
angles looked like Priyanshu..

The feeling of deja-vu doesn't just stop there because
quite some scenes/situations seem to be picked from other
contemporary bollywood films,Metro, Jhankar Beats and Pyar ke
side effects to name a few.Maybe it's just a coincidence
or maybe not....

Most of the themes picked in the film are banal while situations
and their outcomes easily predictable.Over acting by few in quite
a lot sequences and vanilla dialogues take the film farther away
from being an entertainer. It's hard (atleast for me) to find out
how Salsa is different from Metro. Metro had better music for sure.
A couple of monologues and few fairly innovative scenes, dialogues
and songs save Salsa from being an outright flop show.

I particularly liked the scene where Maya gets dumped for the first
time,the one where Shahji compares how the drink a women orders in
a bar tells what's her state of mind, the one where Raj's boss tells
him the time one's personal life gets screwed his/her career begins
to peak up and the closing scene in which the narrator talks about
how some people need someone to find happiness while some find
that happiness in themselves.

Keeping in mind the khufiapanti(Salsa lingo) involved I think

Mumbai Salsa = 0.7*(Metro) + 0.1*(Jhankar beats n PKSE) + 0.2*(Tap Water)

Trivia:
1) In all there were 6 people in that audi, 2 of us, a middle
aged man (who seemed to be there to avoid her wife's Sunday
Morning nagging), a teenager and a couple who were more
interested in doing Seat Salsa.
2) One thing that stuck me was the
Sad but True "Code of Honour" that guys
(not sure about girls) have.
3) As both of us noticed that the background score
was quite mismatched atleast once(when Xen breaks down in front
of Neha).Funny thing is that rather it sounded a tune straight
from a horror flick
4) It's nice to watch a film early in the morning as it leaves you
with most of the day to spare plus the tickets also cost less.

Links:
1)India FM
2) Bollywood Archive
3) On Youtube

Philosophising Soccer

Links:
The_Philosophers_Football_Match
Script

More SATC Quotes

TGISATC.........

Taking it forward from my last post on SATC Quotes

Samantha : Honey, you look back so much you should have a relationship rear view mirror.
Miranda : Relationships may appear closer than they actually are.

Charlotte : TREY! I'm tired of being married to your penis. I'm a person! And this is supposed to be a relationship! And I am DONE walking on eggshells. Ooooooo, don't talk about moving in, in front of the penis cause it might go soft. And, and the penis likes this and the penis doesn't like that and THE PENIS WANTS TO BE MEASURED!

Samantha : Sex is a barometer of what is going on in a relationship.

Carrie : I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love. And I don't think that love is here in this expensive suite in this lovely hotel in Paris

Samantha on kilts : I like the idea of men in skirts. Easy access.

Charlotte about Elizabeth Taylor : She's getting a little fat.
Pet store clerk : Oh, she's not fat.
Charlotte : You're right, that's an ugly term. She's... full figured

Carrie : People say 'Everything happens for a reason.' These people are usually women. And these women are usually sorting through a break-up. It seems that men can get out of a relationship without even a 'Goodbye,' But, apparently, women have to either get married or learn something.
Why are we in such a rush to move from confused to Confucius?
Do we search for lessons to lessen the pain?

Samantha : I tell you, it is so refreshing to be with someone who likes to fuck outside the box.

Carrie : Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away.

Miranda : I'm telling you: the fat ass, the farting .. it's ridiculous. I am un-fuckable. And I have never been so horny in my entire life. ... That's why you're supposed to be married when you're pregnant, so somebody is obligated to have sex with you.

Samantha while milking a cow and squirting herself in the face : I usually get a little warning before that happens.

Charlotte [After the wedding] I finally get to sleep with Trey.
Carrie : Excuse me?
Miranda : You haven't slept with him yet?
Samantha : Honey, before you buy the car you take it for a test drive!

Carrie : Wallis was right. The most important thing in life is your family. There are days you love them, and others you don't, but in the end they're the people you always come home to. Sometimes it's the family you're born into and sometimes it's the one you make for yourself.

Doctor : Your right ovary has stopped producing eggs.
Miranda : Is it possible it's just on strike?

Miranda : I'd like to forget some of the men I've slept with.
Charlotte : I keep a list.
Miranda : Oh, how sweet. "Men to do today."

Carrie : It all seemed so familiar. She was having a deja fuck.

Charlotte : It takes half the total time you went out with someone to get over them.
Carrie : I always like a good math solution to any love problem.

Woman on the street : They say the average 33-year-old woman has sex 3.5 times a week. I'd like to know who that woman is.

Miranda : So all I have to do to meet the ideal man is to give birth to him.

Samantha : Money is power. Sex is power. Therefore, getting money for sex is simply an exchange of power.

Funny Laziness Quotes

Some funny quotes on Laziness...

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy.
- Edgar Bergen

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.
- Jules Renard

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it.
- Mary Wilson Little

Cheers,
Have a Lazy/Laid back Day Ahead

What Women Want....

"Nice guys don't finish last" read a poster on the sets of sitcom
Joey. In fact that's how I first got to know about the popular phrase
"Nice guys finish last".

Nice Guy is a term in the general public discourse and in popular
culture for a male with certain personality traits and behaviors.
Many traits, both positive and negative are associated with "nice guys".
These traits include sensitivity, agreeableness, pleasantness,
considerateness, respectfulness, altruism, understanding, kindness,
sympathy, dependability, honesty,trustworthiness, passivity,
sexual cautiousness or inexperience, chivalrousness, effeminacy,
passive-aggressiveness, conflict-avoidance, "wimpiness",
"spinelessness", being "whipped", manipulativeness and submissiveness.
-- Wikipedia

From my experience I feel girls/women in general do tag some guys
as "Nice Guys" and from what I've gathered, it essentially means
that women find these people Harmless, Helping, Caring, Comforting
and someone with whom they can share things close to their hearts
and be themselves.The chemistry that thus develops between girls
and "Nice Guys" is quite conspicuous and it gets people to start
thinking that Girls prefer "Nice Guys".Next and the obvious thing is,
guys trying to be nice or pretending(at times going out of the way)
to be nice. Till here it's as simple as ABC. But the climax of all this
is the question

"Whether nice guys are attractive to women or not".

Apparently there is a huge variance in women's stated preferences
and their actual choices in guys. That is they say and
show(or maybe believe) that they like "Nice Guys" but while
making a choice they often tend to do otherwise.

While one research claims that
"many 'Sensitive' men do not believe that women want 'Nice Guys'
due to their personal experiences" other says
"women are less likely to have sex with men who are 'nice' than
men who are 'not nice'" and another says
"women looking for long/committed relationships prefer the 'Nice Guys'"

By now your brain cells must have started firing and you
are thinking what's the real deal.. Now what if we add
"Women like when guys are nice to them,
but only when they don’t have to be" to the concoction ?

To make things worse add the concept of
"Nice Guys as Intellectual Whores".

Intellectual Whore (a man whom a woman befriends only for the
intellectual stimulation he gives her). A theory goes on to state that
women seek two things an aggressive sexual partner and an
intellectually stimulating or entertaining partner. It concludes
that if these qualities cannot be found in one single man, a woman
will seek out two (or more) separate men to fulfill all of her needs.
The nice guy only fits one of these categories.

and perhaps thus the above mentioned discrepancy between saying and doing.

Is there any set pattern or it differs from case to case ?
Whatever it be, but then can someone really say what goes inside
a girl's mind ?

Poll Time(girls only):
1) You meet two men. One, Rahul, is nice but somewhat shy and
has not had any affairs. The other, Ribhu, is attractive, a lot of fun,
and has had history with 3 women. Both wish to date you.
Whom do you choose?
2) Whom will you choose a nice guy or a fun/sexy guy ?

Trivia:
1) The term "Intellectual Whore" is derived from a short-story by
Woody Allen called The Whore of Mensa'.
2) "Women like when guys are nice to them,but only when they don’t
have to be" roughly translate into something like "Being Nice at
times but not always ..."
3) I am somehow reminded of a dialogue from the film
"Manorama 6 feet under"
"Yeh aurat bhi ajeeb hoti hai, agar galat marad mil jaye
toh saari zindagi roti rehti hai aur jo sahi mil jaye to usse
saari zindagi rulati rehti hai"

Links:
1) Nice Guy
2) The Nice Guy Paradox Solved
3) More on Whoredom
4) Average Frustrated Chump

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

Theme song of the UK sitcom Coupling.....


Lyrics (Go through 'em)

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Been there, Felt this ??

Me, Myself and My Randomness

Dated:9th Aug

After having an okiesh day at office I left for home(with some emotional
baggage). Thought of meeting my best friend in order to talk things out
and feel better but unluckily or luckily our rendezvous couldn't happen.
Took a Cab for home from Dhaula Kuan along with 3 other people
including a stylish guy with a pony. After being lost in my own world for
10 minutes or so I started to over hear what the guy with a pony was
talking on his phone.

"Nahi yaar tu usse jaane de, agar usse khud hi galat nahi
lag raha toh theek hai" "Agar tu mera bhai hai toh usse kuch
mat bolna main tere se haath jod ke request karta hun"

Needless to say after overhearing this I was Intrigued and started one of
my favorite time pass games "Guess, what they are talking about". Soon
I thought the better of it and thought of starting a conversation and
asking him what's wrong .

Me: Hi, I am sorry but I kinda overheard your conversation.
Waise generally speaking how comfortable would a person be
about talking his/her problems with a complete stranger ?
etc etc...
Pony Guy: Hmm Ya, at times it happens that people are so overflowing
with emotions that they can share anything with anyone even a complete stranger.
Me: blah blah
Pony Guy: blah blah

That's how we started talking and kept going on and on. He started telling
me what was he talking about on phone

"My girlfriend made a friend about 6 months back and she wants
to go n wish him birthday at 12 in the night, I feel this is not kinda
right, though she asked me to join her. I mean giving a call at night
etc is ok but going to wish someone at that hour is not ok"
"Maine toh usse mana kara hai but if she still goes then there will
be some trouble"

Honestly speaking I was anticipating something bigger given
all the issues that I have been getting to know for quite a while now.
Exchanged a few sentences about where we worked,lived etc and then
again we were talking about his problem, I also got so engrossed that
I skipped my stop and went on...
{Every time I have to make a decision like this I ask myself do I do this
regularly and since the answer is mostly NO I happily go ahead}.

Took an auto from where the Cab dropped us and then this guy
(we don't know each other's name as yet) asked me "Do you drink?"
Me: Yes but occasionally and beer mostly
Pony Guy: Beer peeni hai ?

Next 10 minutes saw us sipping a king fisher in auto, never thought
I would be drinking beer in an auto. We drank and talked till we got to
our destination.Not knowing my appetite he had got 2 beers so we
found a suitable place on the main road to finish off the other bottle.
Heart to Heart talks followed.
I Got to know more about his life story n he got to know a bit about mine
(Mind you this was the first time I opened a portion of my heart out to someone).

By now the hours hand of the clock had reached between 9 n 10 and
needless to say he was feeling lighter/better and I slightly high(drunk).
The job was done so we decided to head home and exchanged numbers
(Initially I was keen to keep it anonymous) n the icing on the cake of
coincidence was that we both shared the same surname.

Trivia:
1) I had a similar experience 6-7 months back in my previous
company with a girl working in our BPO dept.
2) Realized each couple has a unique set of issues.
3) I have this random thought of doing something of this sort
regularly in a slightly more organized manner. Lets see if
some comes about.

Ajeeb Shakhs....

Thanks to an Orkut friend from Pakistan who sent this to me:

Ajeeb shakhs tha kaisa mizaaj rakhta tha..
Saath reh k bhi woh ikhtilaaf rakhta tha..
Main kyun na daad doon uss k fun ki ay logo..
Mere har sawaaal ka pehlay hi jawab rakhta tha..
Woh khud to roshniyon ka baasi tha magar,
Meri andher nagrii ka bara khayal rakhta tha..
Muhabbat to thii ussay kisi aur se shayad..
Ham se to yunhii hansii mazaq rakhta tha..

Trivia:
1) The Arabic term ikhtilaaf denotes taking a different position or course
from that of another person either in opinion, utterance, or action.

That's how I lost my other key

It rained heavily in the evening n we(office friends) got drenched and
had "Gol Gappas"at the Green Park market..Got back to office after that,
wrapped up my work and left for home....

As expected the traffic was at its worst best..Every lane clogged and every
traffic signal choked..Took me some biking/maneuvering skills and a good 15
minutes to hit the ring road. Things were seeming to be better with running
traffic, flowing cool breeze and slight drizzle. A part of me enjoying the
weather and other driving the bike.

Zipping,Zapping and Zooming on the ring road while thinking a thousand
thoughts. From "Quippy" to "Office Work" to "Crashing Markets" to
"A friend's drinking spree" everything was bombarding my mind in an
absolutely random manner.Driving at 60+ I had crossed "Dhaula Kuan"
and was about to reach "Delhi Cant" ki red light. The signal was not
working and a cop had taken it's place to manage the traffic.

Everyone was rushing, trying to cross the signal in time when all of a sudden
the cop showed his palm at our side of traffic and as a reflex action the two
cars that were ahead of me came to a sudden halt and BANG....
My bike skidded and rammed into a Wagon-R that was just ahead of me.
My heart skipped a beat on realizing that some damage had been done by me.

Almost half a minute passed without any response from the two guys
who were inside the car..I calmed a bit and sort of instinctively started
pretending as if I had hurt my left hand(which obviously wasn't the case).
And then the guy who was sitting next to the person driving the car
came out to take a stock..To his(and my) displeasure he found that the
bumper was damaged and thus began the blame game.

He: "Yeh kya kara hai"
He(To that other guy): "Yeh toh bumper tod diya hai"
Me(Innocently): "Bhaisahab maine jaan bhoojh ke thodi na kiya hai,
aapne ek dum se break laga di"
He(Turning Red): "Aagey wale ne break maari toh maine bhi maari,
tumse break nahi lagi to tumhari galti hai"
Me(Still pretending to be Innocent): Blah Blah Blah
He: Gurr Gurr Gurr

The cop signaled "green" and horns started blaring. He then indicated the
other guy whom he kept referring as "SIR" to cross the signal and took
the keys of my bike n asked me to come to the side. I was trapped.
He sat on my bike and told me to cross the signal. I did as I was directed,
for it was me who was guilty.

We drove and I tried to wheedle out of the situation giving all sorts of
excuses but all he had to say was "Aapko iske paise dene padenge".
I didn't even consider that option as my mind had already done the
calculations and informed me that the amount in question would be some
4 digit number.So were yet to reach a solution and then I realized that I was
not even carrying the registration papers for my bike.FUCK
If he involves a cop in this, rest assured I will be screwed.

We reached Naraina market and started waiting for the guy who was driving
the car. My pillion rider got down, called up his "SIR" and started explaining
him where we were. By this time even I had started to feel irritated
and then with a BLINK I got into my helmet, started my bike and Vroooooooom

Didn't look back even once and zigzagged my way to Naraina's Traffic Signal
and from there to my locality.

God willing, I had once again managed to pull it off....

Trivia:
1) Read how I lost my first key here.
2) Stopped at near by repair shop and took tomorrow's appointment to
get back my first key.
3) Used a friend's key to lock my bike for the night.
4) Every time I start feeling sorry for that guy I wishfully think
"That guy was not the owner of the car and he was trying
to butter his so called SIR who super cool and hardly bothered".

When Harry Met Sally

A week doesn't seem complete until I watch a movie or two(at least).
This feeling that somethings missing got the better of me and
I decided to watch "When Harry Met Sally" (Yes this is the film that
inspired "HUM TUM") on an ideal Saturday.Had heard about this a long
time back but somehow couldn't watch it earlier.



Talking about WHMS

Director:Rob Reiner
Cast: Billy Crystal,Meg Ryan,
Carrie Fisher,Bruno Kirby and Lisa Jane Persky

It's a Romantic Comedy that
revolves around the lives(and relationship) of Harry Burns and
Sally Albright played beautifully by Billy and Meg.The movie opens up
slightly unusually with an elderly couple(not part of the movie)
sitting on a sofa set, sort of being interviewed with the Man going like

"I was sitting with my friend Arthur, in a restaurant and this girl
walked in ----
--- and I turned to Arthur and I said, "Arthur, you see that girl ?
I'm going to marry her." And two weeks later we were married. And
it's 50 years later and we're still married."

Similar scenes with old couples of different cultural backgrounds
summarizing how the they met their partners, got married and are still
together, occur intermittently throughout the film and give a subtle
feel to the story.

For the uninitiated its d movie that gave world one of the all time famous
lines "Ek ladka aur ek ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakte" OR in Harry Speak
"men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way"
Yes, that's how those lines came into existence(1989)and are still
being used and reused by people(basically guys I believe) all around.

Harry is a forthright, pragmatic and maverick glib talker whose in touch
with himself while Sally is a pretty looking, picky women with cerebral
approach whose kinda out of touch with herself(away from her reality).
Harry and Sally start off being acquaintances and eventually end up
falling for each other.The movie focuses on their relationship
as acquaintances, friends and more then just friends. I think any/everyone
who is or was in such a relationship can correlate a lot(I do for sure).

Beneath the layer of consciousness where the people
involved care n feel for each other(in we are just friends way) is another
layer(unconscious) where they secretly and unknowingly like/desire that
chemistry and want it to never end.

I strongly feel(it happens in the film also) that a guy and a girl cannot
be just very good friends, no it's not really that the sex part that gets in
the way but its the emotions part that does. There's a very high chance
that one of the two persons involved would be knowingly/unknowingly
feeling much more about the other person. But then not every pair of
very good friends end up the way Harry n Sally do. Maybe cause there
is not a Harry(Guy or Gal) in every such case.Think about it..

The movie has its share of some really funny and some really
touching moments.Even while writing this I cant stop thinking about some
scenes and laughing out loud.

A must watch

My Rating: 4/5
Imdb Rating: 7.6/10

Scenes that I loved:
1) On way to New York when they enter a restaurant and Sally loudly says
"It just so happened that I had plenty of good sex".
2) The one in which they meet on a plane
3) Harry n Jess raise n do Mexican waves while discussing Harry's wife.
4) When they talk on phone before going to sleep.
5) The one in museum where they speak in a different/funny way.
6) Harry n Jess while practicing baseball
7) The one with "I'll have what she is having"(Orgasm Scene)
8) When Sally breaks down n Harry goes to her place
9) Harry n Sally calling Jess n his wife
10) Harry proposing Sally on new year's eve

Dialogues that I loved:
Well there were lots of them so I put them in a separate post here

Trivia:
1)In the famous faked orgasm scene, the woman who says, "I'll have what she's having. . ." is Rob Reiner's mother.

Links:
1) Answers.com
2) WikiQuote

Osian Film Festival - 2007 (20-29July)

This goes out for all the cinema lovers out there..

"Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art" is organizing 9th Osian's-CineFan Film Festival in
Delhi starting from the 20th to 29th July(in 7 theaters across Delhi).

[from Osian's site]

Osian’s-Cinefan is one of Asia’s leading film festivals devoted
principally to Asia and the Arab world. Established in 1999 in New Delhi
in July every year, the Festival enjoys an international reputation for the
quality of films screened over nine days complemented by panel discussions,
one major seminar each time, an Auction of Popular Culture and Film
Memorabilia along with a number of exhibitions, the Talent Campus for
budding young filmmakers from South Asia, and the presence and
participation of film professionals from all over the world and all over India.
We present a Lifetime Achievement Award for distinguished contribution to
writing on cinema – perhaps the only Festival in the world that recognizes the
role of the scriptwriter and the critic in the creation and the promotion.

This year, the Festival, with the tagline ‘Recreating Cinematic Culture’
will focus on Japan, with a nine-film tribute to Kenji Mizoguchi. A number
of contemporary films and films on the samurai will be shown.

A must attend event for serious Movie Buffs and a should try event
for all the rest. Those of you who prefer staying in the confines
of Bollywood can try any of the following

Shatranj Ke Khiladi(Satyajit Ray), Dor(Nagesh kukunoor)
The Rising : Ballad of Mangal Pandey(Ketan Mehta),
Mr & Mrs 55(Guru Dutt),Omkara(Vishal Bharadwaj),
Mithya(Rajat Kapoor), Khosla ka Ghosla(Dibakar Bannerjee)
Anubhav (Rajiv Nath),Thang(Amol Palekar),
Jashn-e-Azadi(Sanjay Kak), Kaal(Bappaditya Bandopadhyay),
Devdas(P C Barua),Via Darjeeling(Arindam Nandy),
Kya Tum Ho(Anish Ahluwalia), Shoonya(Arindam Mitra),
A Little Box of Sweets(Meneka Das),Chaurahen(Rajshree Ojha)
Lage Raho Munnabhai(Raj Hirani),Manorama Six Feet Under,
Jagte Raho,Return to Rajapur,1971, and even
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd(Reema Kagti).

Piece of Advice: In case you are thinking of trying a foreign movie
search more about it on IMDB and see if fits the bill.

Drop in a comment if you plan to catch a flick,also mention the
name of the films you are planning to watch...

Hope to see you there

Ciao !!!!

Links:
1) Schedule
2) Osian's Site
3) Archives
4) Osian's Booklet
5) Event @ Facebook

Movie Quotes from When Harry Met Sally

Harry: I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible

Harry: It is so nice when you can sit with someone and not have to talk.

Sally: You see? That is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you.

Harry: You realize of course that we could never be friends.
Sally: Why not?
Harry: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
Sally: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.
Harry: No you don't.
Sally: Yes I do.
Harry: No you don't.
Sally: Yes I do.
Harry: You only think you do.
Sally: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge?
Harry: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you.
Sally: They do not.
Harry: Do too.
Sally: They do not.
Harry: Do too.
Sally: How do you know?
Harry: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.
Sally: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too.
Sally: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU?
Harry: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Sally: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then.
Harry: I guess not.
Sally: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York.

Harry: The first time we met, we hated each other.
Sally: No, you didn't hate me, I hated you. And the second time we met, you didn't even remember me.
Harry: I did too, I remembered you. The third time we met, we became friends.
Sally: We were friends for a long time.
Harry: And then we weren't.
Sally: And then we fell in love.

Harry: Would you like to have dinner?... Just friends.
Sally: I thought you didn't believe men and women could be friends.
Harry: When did I say that?
Sally: On the ride to New York.
Harry: No, no, no, I never said that... Yes, that's right, they can't be friends. Unless both of them are involved with other people, then they can... This is an amendment to the earlier rule. If the two people are in relationships, the pressure of possible involvement is lifted... That doesn't work either, because what happens then is, the person you're involved with can't understand why you need to be friends with the person you're just friends with. Like it means something is missing from the relationship and why do you have to go outside to get it? And when you say "No, no, no it's not true, nothing is missing from the relationship," the person you're involved with then accuses you of being secretly attracted to the person you're just friends with, which you probably are. I mean, come on, who the hell are we kidding, let's face it. Which brings us back to the earlier rule before the amendment, which is men and women can't be friends.


Harry: There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
Sally: Which one am I?
Harry: You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance.


[On Orgasms]
Sally: Most women at one time or another have faked it.
Harry: Well, they haven't faked it with me.
Sally: How do you know?
Harry: Because I know.
Sally: Oh. Right. Thats right. I forgot. Youre a man.
Harry: What was that supposed to mean?
Sally: Nothing. Its just that all men are sure it never happened to them and all women at one time or other have done it so you do the math.

Harry: I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

Harry: With whom did you have this great sex?
Sally: I'm not going to tell you that.
Harry: Fine, don't tell me.
Sally: Shel Gordon.
Harry: Shel? Sheldon? No, no, you did not have great sex with Sheldon.
Sally: I did too.
Harry: No you didn't. A Sheldon can do your income taxes, if you need a root canal, Sheldon's your man... but humpin' and pumpin' is not Sheldon's strong suit. It's the name. 'Do it to me Sheldon, you're an animal Sheldon, ride me big Shel-don.' Doesn't work.

Harry: Oh, really? When I buy a new book, I read the last page first. That way, in case I die before I finish, I know how it
ends. That, my friend, is a dark side.

Marie: All I'm saying is that somewhere out there is the man you are supposed to marry. And if you don't get him first, somebody else will, and you'll have to spend the rest of your life knowing that somebody else
is married to your husband

[after Sally fakes orgasm in a deli]
Older Woman Customer: [to waiter] I'll have
what she's having.

Sally: Well, basically it's the same dream I've been having since I was twelve.
Harry: Which is?
Sally: Okay, there's this guy...
Harry: What does he look like?
Sally: I don't know, he's just sort of faceless.
Harry: Faceless guy, okay.
Sally: He RIPS off my clothes.
[pause]
Harry: And?
Sally: That's it.
Harry: That's it? Some faceless guy rips off all your clothes, and THAT'S the sex fantasy you've been having since you were twelve?
Sally: Well sometimes I vary it a little.
Harry: Which part?
Sally: What I'm wearing.

Sally: No. But why didn't he want to marry me? What's the matter with me?
Harry: Nothing.
Sally: I'm difficult.
Harry: You're challenging.
Sally: I'm too structured, I'm completely closed off.
Harry: But in a good way.
Sally: No, no, no, I drove him away. AND, I'm gonna be forty.
Harry: When?
Sally: Someday.
Harry: In eight years.
Sally: But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end. And it's not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had kids when he was 73.
Harry: Yeah, but he was too old to pick them up

Harry: I don't know. May be you get to a certain point in the relationship where it's just too late to have sex, you know?

Harry: You know you just get to a certain point where you get tired of the whole thing.
Sally: What "whole thing"?
Harry: The whole life-of-a-single-guy thing. You meet someone, you have the safe lunch, you decide you like each other enough to move on to dinner. You go dancing, you do the white-man's over-bite, go back to her place, you have sex and the minute you're finished you know what goes through your mind? How long do I have to lie here and hold her before I can get up and go home. Is thirty seconds enough?
Sally: That's what you're thinking? Is that true?
Harry: Sure! All men think that. How long do you want to be held afterwards? All night, right? See there's your problem, somewhere between thirty seconds and all night is your problem.
Sally: I don't have a problem!
Harry: Yeah you do

Harry: You know the first time I met I really didn't like you that much.
Sally: I didn't like you.
Harry: Yeah you did, you were just so uptight then. You're much softer now.
Sally: You know I hate that kind of remark. It sounds like a complement but really it's an insult.
Harry: OK, you're still as hard as nails.
Sally: I just didn't want to sleep with you and you had to write it off as a character flaw instead of dealing with the possibility that it might have something to do with you.

Jess: I don't understand this relationship.
Harry: What do you mean?
Jess: You enjoy being with her?
Harry: Yeah.
Jess: You find her attractive?
Harry: Yeah.
Jess: And you're not sleeping with her.
Harry: No.
Jess: You're afraid to let yourself be happy.
Harry: Why can't you give me credit for this? This is a big thing for me. I never had a relationship with a woman that didn't involve sex. I feel like I'm growing.

The Never Ending Post .....

Yeps, it a post unlike a post and what does that mean ???
For one it means that it'll be updated and outposted......

And what we'll have in it..Hmmmm...OK
It will have some of the nicest movie quotes, lyrics,
one liners and all those sort of things

Lights, Camera, Action..........


Movie - Dead Poet's Society

No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas
can change the world.
----------------------------------------------------
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately.
I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...
to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to
die, discover that I had not lived.
-----------------------------------------------------
Boys, you must strive to find your own voice.
Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you
are to find it at all. Thoreau said,
"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation."
Don't be resigned to that. Break out!
------------------------------------------------------
Carpe Diem! Seize the day. Make your lives
extraordinary

Movie - Me and You and Everyone We Know

I can't sleep at night thinking about her. I just wish
I had met her 50 years sooner.- Yeah.- But then
maybe I needed 70 years of life...to be ready for a
woman like Ellen
--------------------------------------------------
Ice Land is—It's kind of like that point in a relationship,
you know...where you suddenly realize it's not gonna
last forever. You know, you can see the end in sight.

Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi(Song)

"Bin tere koi bhi aas naa rahi...itna tarse ki pyaas bhi naa rahi"

Movie - Waking Life

"What is the most universal human characteristic: fear, or laziness?"

"Actually, the gap between say Plato or Nietzsche and the average human is greater than the gap between that chimpanzee and the average human."

"They say that dreams are only real as long as they last. Couldn't you say the same thing about life?"

"And on really romantic evenings of self, I go salsa dancing with my confusion."

"The trick is to combine your waking rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams. Because, if you can do that, you can do anything."

" The idea is to remain in a state of constant departure while always arriving."

"Did you ever have a job that you hated and worked real hard at? A long, hard day of work. Finally you get to go home, get in bed, close your eyes and immediately you wake up and realize... that the whole day at work had been a dream. It's bad enough that you sell your waking life for minimum wage, but now they get your dreams for free"

Movie - Shall We Dance

We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet..... I mean, what does any one life mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things..... all of it, all the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness'.

Movie - Fight Club

This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time.

Movie - Someone Like You

"There are very few things sadder in this life than
watching someone walk away after they have left you.
Watching the distance between your bodies expands
until there is nothing left but empty space and silence"

Movie - Forrest Gump

Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you`re gonna get.
---------------------------------------
I am not a very smart man, but I know what love is.
---------------------------------------

Movie-Scent of a woman

"some people live a lifetime in a minute."

Movie-The shawshank redemption

"Get busy livin or get busy dying..."

Movie - Being Cyrus

Once the game is over both the King and the
pawn go to the same box

Movie-Phenomenon

George: "Do you think that you could love me for the rest of my life?"
Lace: "No, I'm gonna love you for the rest of mine."

Movie - Vanilla Sky

Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.

Movie Karam (song)

Tinka Tinka Zara - Zara
Hai Roshani Se Jaise Bhara
Har Dil Me Armaa Hote To Hai…
Bas Koi… Samjhe Zara

Movie-Masoom (Song - Tujhse Naaraz Nahi...)

Jine ke liye socha hi nahi dard sambhalane honge.
Muskuraye jo to muskurahton ke karz utarne honge.

Song - Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you
want to do with your life. The most interesting
people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most
interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes
you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind.
The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can.
Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it,
it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Movie - Clueless

Cher: I want to do something for humanity.
Josh: How about sterilization?

Movie-The Lion King

...the way I see it, you can either run from it,
or learn from it.

Movie-A Beautiful Mind

I don't exactly know what I am required to say in
order for you to have intercourse with me.
But could we assume that I said all that.
I mean essentially we are talking about fluid exchange
right? So could we go just straight to the sex.

Movie-Departed

Marriage is an important part of getting ahead.
It lets people know you're not a homo.
A married guy seems more stable. People see the ring,
they think "at least somebody can stand the son of a bitch"
Ladies see the ring, they know immediately that you must
have some cash, and your cock must work.

Movie - Swordfish

You know the problem with Hollywood? They make shit.
Unbelievable, unremarkable shit.I'm not some grungy filmmaker-
wannabee searching for existentialism through a haze
of bong-smoke. It's easy to pick apart bad acting,
short-sighted directing, or the purely moronic stringing
together of words many of the studios term as prose.
No,I'm talking the lack of realism.Realism.
Not a pervasive element in the modern American
cinematic vision.............

ROBERTS: You know, this movie of yours, I don't think it would have worked.
GABRIEL: Really? How come?
ROBERTS: Audiences love happy endings.
GABRIEL: Pacino escapes. With the money.Boyfriend gets the sex change operation. They live happily ever after.
GABRIEL: No?
STANLEY: No.
GABRIEL: Homophobia?
STANLEY: Bad guy can't win. It's a morality tale. One way or the
other, he's gotta go down.
GABRIEL: Oh, well. Life does tend to be stranger than fiction

Movie - Hitch

One dance, one look, one kiss, that's all we get, Albert. Just... one shot, to make the difference between happily ever after, and oh? he's just some guy I went to some thing with once.

So how does it happen, great love? Nobody knows... but what I can tell you is that it happens in the blink of an eye. One moment you're enjoying your life, and the next you're wondering how you ever lived without them

Movie - The Notebook

I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough.

Movie - Omkara

Mann meri nahi maan raha hai aur main mann ki

Quote:

Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted. - Aldous Huxley

Films I Watched

Here's a list to keep a track of the films that I watched..

43) Bhootnath(Rating 2.25/5)
42) Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi(Rating 4.5/5)
41) The Departed (Rating 4/5)
40) The Mating Habits of Earth Bound Humans (Rating 3.5/5)
39) Opera Jawa(Rating 4/5)
38) Shaurya(Rating 2.5/5)
37)Race(Rating 2/5)
36)Goodwill Hunting(Rating 3.75/5)
35)What The Bleep Do We Know?(Rating 3.5/5)
34) American Gangster(Rating 3.5/5)
33) Anything Else(Rating 3/5)
32) Pay it Forward (Rating 4/5)
31) Taare Zameen Par (Rating 5/5)
30) Khoya Khoya Chand (Rating 3.5/5)
29) Lions of Punjab (Rating 3/5)
28) American Pie 4 Band Camp (Rating 3/5) {09/11/07}
27) Jab We Met (Rating 3.5/5) {31/10/07}
26) Mumbai Salsa (Rating 2.5/5) {28/10/07}
25) Bombay Boys (Rating 3.75/5)
24) All You Got (Rating 3.25/5)
23) Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (Rating 4.25/5)
22) Chuk De India (Rating 3.25/5)
21) Borat (Rating 3.5/5)
20) Cut and Paste (Rating 3.75/5)
19) Return to Rajapur (Rating 3/5)
18) Manorama Six Feet Under (Rating 4/5)
17) Tak-Derakhth (Rating 3/5)
16) Anuranan (Rating 3.5/5)
15) Mithya (Rating 3.5/5)
14) Hia W'Houa (Rating 3.75/5)
13) Bes Vakit (Rating 4/5) {21/07/07}
12) Sansho Dayu (Rating 3.5/5) {21/07/07}
11) Domicile Conjugal (Rating 3.5/5) {13/07/07}
10) Die Hard 4.0 (Rating 3.25/5) {02/07/07}
9) Before Sunset (Rating 4/5) {30/06/07}
8) When Harry Met Sally(Rating 3.75/5) {30/06/07}
7) Cheeni Kum (Rating 3.5/5) {23/06/07}
6) Ocean's 13 (Rating 2.5/5)
5) Omkara (Rating 4.5/5)
4) Shootout at Lokandwala (Rating 2.25/5)
3) Before Sunrise (Rating 3.5/5)
2) Life in a Metro (Rating 3.25/5)
1) Bheja Fry (Rating 3.75/5)

Celebrating World Music Day

It all started when while sifting through the pages of HT a few
days back I stumbled upon an ad for "Genre of The Day contest".
On an ordinary day I would have skipped it like it was never there
but that day I chose to be different, chose to act because the prize
was very enticing, "Invites for finale of HT's World Music
Day celebrations featuring Atif Aslam and Rock Bands"

I (for a change) sent a sms but nothing happened for a couple
of days and then i received this sms
"Hi HT congratulates u for winning the GOTD contest.
Collect your prize from .........." . Wow I had just won my
solitary prize in the real world. But then can things be
really this simple for me ?? Noooooooo is the the obvious answer.
Moreover what fun would a good thing like this be unless it flip-flops
between Ifs and Buts ?

From receiving just one pass for the concert(plus a music world
gift voucher) , staying late in office for work to standing at
venue's entry with a pass but being told that admissions
are closed everything happened with me in a kinda planned manner.

But then, things happen when they ought to happen and in the way
they ought to happen. Luckily I got inside in time(before Atif had come).
Had to sit through an obscure song by Manthan and a super silly
question followed by a sillier answer. No, I can't help but quote them

Dumb guy with mike(to some random guy): "aapko Atif
ka music aacha lagta hai ya Atif ke good looks ?"
Random guy:"Nahi, Mujhe Atif ka style sabse aacha lagta hai"
Dumb guy with mike:"Yes I can promise you all he is a style icon"
Me: WTF ?

Next few minutes saw Atif's band doing a sound check and once it
was done the Dude(Atif) stormed the stage.
Girls screamed and swooned, Mellifluous music wafter through the air,
Girls screamed and swooned even more. His husky resonating voice had
everyone in trance and his subtle (apt for a disco) dance steps made girls
hysterical.

Apart from his popular songs Atif treated the audience with
U2's "With or Without You", Rahat Khan's "Naina", Adnam's
"Bheegi Bheegi Raaton" and "Yaaron yahi dosti hai" but
nothing could match the effect that "Kuch is tarah" and "Tere Bin"
effortlessly created.

Piece of Advice:
For such events reach the venue even if you don't have passes/tickets
and keep trying because chances are that by hook or by crook
you'll get in.

Trivia:
1) The performance lasted just slightly more then an hour but it
gave enough to sustain nostalgia for a long long time.
2) The event saw people coming from as far as Kashmir and Mumbai
3) Special mention was given and dedications made to the Aadeez.
4) The passes were available at select Barista and Music World outlets
free of cost(Even i got to know this on Thursday afternoon).
5) Thanks to a random guy who broke the plastic seal(that
had kept the gate locked) courtesy which I got in.

Links:
1) Atif's website
2) Check this out

Tracks that Featured on my Winamp

These tracks reflect my state of mind at various
points of time..


15) Way back into Love - Music and Lyrics
14) Mann Yeh Banwara - Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi
13) Mauja Hi Mauja - Jab We Met
12) Perhaps,Perhaps,Perhaps - DJ Shadow
11) Sini Re Sini Re - Jawani Deewani
10) Unke Nashe Mein - Unke Nashe Mein
9) Six Days - Doris Day
8) Hello - Lionel Richie
7) All The Things She Said - The Ordinary Boys
6) Zeehal-e-Miskeen - Ghulami
5) Loose Yourself - Eminem
4) Mahia - Annie
3) Only God Knows Why - Kid Rock
2) You Fill Up My Senses - John Denver
1) Coming Back To Life - Pink Floyd

I Want You To Know....

PS: Dedicated to ..........

Desperate Men

Warning: Shocking/Appalling Content below

Picture these...

1) 12:30 pm on a Tuesday @ some packed blueline
bus to AIIMS.

A school girl is sitting on a seat that's towards the center of
bus (adjacent to the window seat). Lost in a novel that she
bought yesterday when she feels something is pushing her
shoulder from the right. She’s shocked and embarrassed to
find a middle aged man thrusting his ..... on her

2) 3:30 pm on a Saturday @ a cousin's place.

A teenage girl awakes from her sleep after feeling something
rubbing on her lips. Her half open eyes catch glance
of her cousin brother sneaking out of the room. Unsure how
to react she stopped talking to that guy and broke all ties
with his family.

3) 5:15 pm on Thursday @ the road from maitreyi to
shanti niketan bus stop.

A couple of girls are walking back towards the bus stop after finishing
a day at college when they start hearing weird moaning/groaning sounds,
after covering a distance they are sickened on seeing a bunch of men
............ while leching and flashing at girls passing by.

4) 7:45 pm on a Sunday @ some market in West Delhi.

A working woman is walking back to her home with her head
facing down and hands folded, reflecting how her day went
when all of a sudden three boys on a bike swoosh by her and
she realizes that something just hit her on the chest.
Tiny drops of water drizzle from her eyes ...

5) 9:30 pm on a Friday @ an office party.

A lady is tapping her feet to the music along with a couple of her friends
when she feels someone pinched her back. On turning around she finds
out it’s the same drunken guy who deliberately bumped into her few
minutes back on the same floor. Caught red handed, the guy tries to
run but unluckily (for him) he gets caught, receives a mild thrashing
from the lady and is eventually let off with a warning.

Perhaps Samantha was right(when in one of SATC episodes) she said
"An erect &^%*# doesn't have a conscience"

Streets, Public modes of transportation, Malls, Offices and
even Houses of people you know, these weeds germinate
everywhere but only when they find a prey they show
their true colour. Colour of that repressed and untamed
basic instinct which when in control effaces the distinguishing
line between humans and animals. It defies me how can
anyone(read boys/men) stoop to this level, the level which is
perhaps the nadir of immorality.

Try to imagine how things would be say in a city
like Delhi when one not to so fine day people wake up and
are told that there is no police or any other law enforcing
body........

How far could you stretch your mind???

Trust me on this, things would be worse ..........

Links:
1) An article on Eve Teasing.
2) The Blank Noise Project
3) Bosharivale
4) Testimonies of harassment
5) A blog post on eve-teasing

Trivia:
Each one of the above mentioned is as real as you n me and
what exalts my pains is the fact that i personally know every
girl/women involved. I remember breaking down in
anguish a couple of times on hearing sordid details of these
ghastly acts and I don't think I'll be able to forget them.

Omkara !!!

Don't read further if using/hearing/reading or writing offensive
words(gaallies) in hindi makes you uncomfortable..

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast: AjayDevgan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi,
Naseeruddin Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma and Bipasha Basu

Watched Omkara today for the 3rd time.Yes, after watching it twice on the
70 mm screen i sat down to had another go at this contemporary
Bollywood Classic...Shoot...

"Bewakoof aur chutiyee mein dhaage bhar ka farak hota haiga
bhaiya.Dhaage ke inge bewakoof aur unge chutiya, aur jo
dhaaga hench lo to kaun hai bewakoof aur kaun hai chutiya,
crore ruppey ka prashan hai bhaiya."

How often does a Hindi film start with a dialogue like this ??
Perhaps once in every 55,486 films that are made..

I still remember the rainbow of expressions that followed this dialogue
when I watched this film for the first time in theater..From a group of boys
laughing like crazy to parents looking here and there pretending as if the
film's first dialogue is yet to be spoken...The swear words keep pouring
intermittently through out the film from everyone's mouth barring
Kareena..It was surprising to see actors like Konkona Utter the "C" word
casually even while serving food..

Omkara, Vishal Bhardwaj's fourth directorial venture (Makdee,Maqbool
and The Blue Umbrella being first three) is a hindi adaptation of
Shakespeare's Othello. Set against the milieu of political warfare in wild
backwoods of Uttar Pradesh, Omkara revolves around the life of Omi(Ajay),
bahubaali(right hand) of a local politician Bhaisaab(Naseeruddin).

The movie entails a complex web of human emotions beautifully portrayed
by deft actors to perfection..Saif who has been in the acting business
for long had a rebirth with a powerhouse performance as Langda Tyagi
Ajay Devgan once again played the role of a local goon with panache and
Konkona Sen reaffirmed her acting prowess by playing the role of Indu.
While Vivek,Kareena managed to do justice to their roles,Deepak Dobriyal
stood out in his role as Rajju and needless to say Naseeruddin
did his bit flawlessly.

The scene where Dolly's father traduces about her

"Bahubali aurat ke Dariya charitra ko mat bhoolna, jo apne
baap ko thag sakti hai woh kissi aur ki sagi kya hi hogi"

sets the tone of the movie and marks a change in its course.
Next turn of events is depicted by
Langda smashing the mirror and smearing his forehead
with his blood
Soon after this the basic darker human emotions of envy, suspicion
and revenge that were foisted earlier begin to manifest themselves
and what follows is a dirty game of insinuations, perfidy and deceit
only to end up as a gory tragedy.

Exquisitely written poetic lyrics by Gulzar and Brilliantly composed music
by Vishal(himself) adds another beautiful feather in the cap of Omkara..
From haunting "Naina" and belligerent "Omkara" to the soulful instrumental
track "The Tragedy of Omkara", they got them all bang on the target and
who can forget the frenzy that "Beedi" still creates effortlessly on dance floors?
The cinematography, screenplay and script too deserve full marks.

Also I had a realization of the power that background score carries and subtle
hints that it drops about anything important thats going to happen in the next
scene.Actually its a Meticulously prepared concoction of apt background
score(which evokes pertinent feelings) and camera movement/speed..

I loved Omkara for it's authenticity and starkness, though I haven't
read Othello so I am not in a position to compare the two but I
strongly feel that Vishal would have done justice to Bard's work.

Dialogues I Loved:
1) Sarat ghoron pe lagaate hain, kathor! Seron pe nahi
2) Arrey dekh rahe hain bhaiya kahin chuna khariya toh nah utha laye,
aisi gori laundiya susri humare desh mein kahan se ho li ?
3) Mann meri nahi maan raha hai aur main mann ki..
4) Jab granthon ne kalank ko humare maathe ki bindi bana diya hai toh
aapki kya galti hai omi bhaiya, hum apne ghar bar naate, sab tyaag kar
aap logon ke sansaar mein nange haath chale aate hain, agni se bhi nikal
jawen na toh bhi sagey nahi thagey hi kehelawien hain.
5) Jab ghoree ke khoor mein naal thuke, to menduki bhi paun (u)thaa
leti hai bhaiyya
6) Baadi lakdi mat ttha (uttha)

Scenes I Loved:
1) The opening scene
2) Omi's negotiation with kaptaan on a truck
3) MMS expose of Indor Singh, the scene before title track of the film.
4) Announcement of Keeshu as the new bahubaali and the riot of colours,
and gunshots that follow.
5) Indu teasing Omi on his arrival(with Dolly) at their home.
6) Cops visiting Omi's house being frisked and made to deposit arms.
7) Langda and Rajju drinking atop a river bridge.
8) Langda ridiculing Keeshu
9) Bonfire with Langda talking about the kamarband.



Trivia:
1)

Character in the movie/ Character in the play
Omkara 'Omi' Shukla/ Othello
Ishwar 'Langda' Tyagi/ Iago
Keshav 'Kesu' Firangi/ Cassio
Dolly Mishra/ Desdemona
Indu/ Emilia
Billo Chamanbahar/ Bianca
Rajan ’Rajju’ Tiwari/ Rodrigo
Bhaisaab/ Duke of Venice

2)All characters in the film share the same alphabet or sound in their first
name as in the original Shakespeare classic

3) There was a shot where Saif Ali Khan is in the shadows, looking at a mirror.
Vishal Bharadwaj suggested that it would be very artistic and beautiful if Saif
did it naked. The actor answered,
"I am prepared to do that as long as you direct me naked."
That was the end of the topic

Links:
1) Official site for Omkara
2) A Comparison of the Antagonists of Omkara and Othello
3) Omkara on Wiki
4) Omkara's music
5) The bard and this dud