Happy Diwali!!!

It's true, when they say that humans are the most adoptable species. From the once sparkling Diwali with near ones to a rather dull Diwali with acquaintances -  I have come a long way. Last time around was the first when I experienced the inexperienced. So this time, I want to to embrace it with open arms and take whatever its brings along.

“There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle”

Here's wishing all my readers, friends and family a very Happy Diwali and a very very prosperous New Year ahead.

 

lighting,
Neo.

Karzzz Review: Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Zzzzzzzzzzzz......seems I need a strong shot of expresso to wake up and write few lines. Much resources have been sinfully wasted in making of this movie; hence any of my elaborate writing on it would inviting God's wrath.

I have seen the old movie Karz in my childhood on ole Doordarshan. I don’t remember the movie vividly; but have faint memories of it - good one that too.

But after watching Karzzzz, am just left with one big question!!!????? Once the credit rolled, I was just wondering, if this was a remake? If it is, then I am seriously thinking - was the original such trash!!!!!!!!

Believe me, it takes enormous creativity and masterly art to remake a movie which throws doubt on the original!!
Hats off to the makers!!!!!

Without wasting more resources, I would like to end with some really hilarious lines by Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN.

"I never thought the day would come when I'd feel sympathy for Dino Morea, especially since he's inflicted such terrible performances on us in his short but shameful acting career. (but) To be cast as a character who's bumped off prematurely only to be reborn in the body of Himesh Reshammiya is a humiliation nobody deserves."

:D :D :D :D

Tortured,
Neo.

RED @ Wall St.

In my numerous walks around the streets of New York, I have been dutifully capturing the Big Apple's charm. Not for a moment, I thought that this picture would tell a story one day i.e. Today - One of the worst days witnessed by Wall St. Its Red all over and its still not over.

Gordon said Greed is Good. And the guys at the Wall St. swore by it. So, now we have a Mr. Lehman falling down with many more to follow.

Author of one of my favorite comic strip Calvin Hobbes,Bill Watterson, said “To make a business decision, you don't need much philosophy; all you need is greed, and maybe a little knowledge of how the game works.” Am sure that this sarcasm was taken a bit too seriously by these folks.

Isn't it easy to understand the immortal words of the great Gandhi - “There is enough in the world for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.”

Seeing Red,
Neo.

Desi Deewar

Circa 2008. New Jersey. Two Desi Roommates.

V: P, aaj mera naam ka parcel aaya hai India se
P: I don't care. when are you cleaning the room
V: aaj tum room clean kar rahe ho
P: har baar main room clean karta hu. I think its your turn
V: but aaj se tum room clean karoge aur washroom bhi for the next three weeks
P: WTF. why would I do it for you loser? Hum dono ek saath US aaye the. saath mein apni nayi zindagi ki shuruwat ki thi -- aaj main kaha hoon aur tum kahan ho. Mere paas honda civic hai with leather seats, apartment lease hai, long term project hai, accha billing rate hai -- kya hai tumhaarey paas? 
V: Mere paas ma ....ke haat ka khana hai from India which will last for 3 weeks :P

P happily starts cleaning.

Smiles,
Neo.

Mondays............

Need not say more

:(
Neo
(Sorry, dnt knw the source of this image)

Every Blog Speaks

While a blogger speaks his mind through a blog, every blog has a lot to say. This is what my blog says currently

What is your blog speaking? Hear it here.

listening,
Neo.
Thanks Gaizabonts

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister

Dear Mr. Manmohan Singh,

I would like to congratulate on your victory today. Probably your biggest victory till date. I have no doubt on your morals. I still remember when you liberated India in 1991 and helped millions of us realize our dreams. 1947 freed us from mental and physical slavery, 1991 freed (and is still freeing) us from economic slavery. Your vision as the then finance minister has been helping us find the right status in the world order.

But what I doubt heavily is the party which you belong to. I am not ready to believe that the push by your party for N-Deal is just because its in the interest of our Nation. That would be not only foolish to believe but also suicidal. I am sure that most of your party men (infact all political partymen) are clueless about N-Deal. Relating N-Deal to as anti-Hindu or anti-Muslim is a proof enough that they are blind men trying to decipher an elephant. But the problem is not that they are blind, the problem is they are avaricious.

I am too small a person to comment on the benefits of N-Deal. But what I can do is put my trust on you and your vision in the midst of this greed bred politics. I hope when we look back years down the line, me and millions of our countrymen's trust wont be shaken. I hope that your victory today wont turn in to a Nation's defeat tomorrow.

And now that you have the mandate for the N-Deal, can you please divert your attention to soaring 12% inflation. Cause a person can do without power but not without food.

Hopeful,
Neo

Aamir Review: Leading by Example

Once in a while you come across a movie which stays with you long after you are out of the movie theater. A movie which will leave you with an impression to ponder upon over and over. Aamir is a movie which rightfully belongs to this category. Directed by a first timer Rajkumar Gupta, who is also the story writer, Aamir is a thriller from the word go . But classifying it just as a thriller, is not only unfair but also unjust. Aamir has so much to offer for the discerning viewer. From interpreting the director's craft to addressing morals - Aamir has it all.

Based on a premise of whether a man makes his own destiny, the story weaves religious fundamentalism to make a rich fabric. The film starts off at the airport where the protagonist, by the name Aamir Ali, is returning to India for good. From there, in a mix of fast and slow paced short 90 minutes, it takes you through the by-lanes, chawls, shady lodges and restaurants of Mumbai. The director does a masterly job in making use of these locations and local bystanders to convey across strong messages. Never does the director waste a frame which doesn't move the film forward. While there are many scenes I can rave about, few need a special mention. Like the one when the protagonist passes through a lane full of butcher shops has personification at its peek. Or the scene where Aamir is watching a clip about deer hunted by lions and just could not help relating to it. And countless other scenes where the director makes a wise choice by conveying the message through visuals and silent action leaving it to a viewers' discretion rather than verbally bashing it down.

But the film is not only about its Director, its story and the craft behind it. It is also about debutante Actor Rajeev Khandelwal's fine performance. His portrayal of Aamir is so vivid. The confusion, anxiety, frustration, fear is so palpable as if you are going through those emotions. He is a rare find. I just hope he doesn't lose his way in mindless "formula based masala" movies.

Aamir, unlike its meaning - The Leader, is a commoner. He is one of us who wants to lead his life his way. He is the guy who is selfish in earning a good meal for his family and doesn't bother with larger issues of society. But he is the same guy who would stand out in trying times, showing the leader in him.

The film belongs to two set of people. Cinematically, its an ode to inexperience talent over talentless experience. It  belongs to first timers - be it the director, actor, music director, cinematographer. Morally, it belongs to everyone of us who believe that we create our own path. While we might not be in a position to dictate our destiny but always have an informed choice on how to react to what's written in it. Here, Aamir - leads by example.

Following,
Neo.

Attention: Virus Alert

A virus is spreading and how. Already 60 million of computers have been affected; albeit unknowingly!!!!!!!

PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL: I, a victim, am writing this message today, though they launched the virus almost a year back.

This virus spreads itself by luring the customer with its redesigned user interface and visual style. It promises of enhanced security and safety like never before. The virus is so advanced that it has segmented its customers and spreads in various editions keeping in mind the profile of its host. Indeed, it has "Long Horns" to kill your system. It inserts those sharp horns in to your system resources and render you at its mercy.The most common modus operandi of this virus is to ship itself with new computers!!!! The customer is unaware of the fact that he is buying an infected machine. While some vigilant customers are aware of this and refrain from buying new machines infected with this deadly virus, but there is little choice. That is the nexus this virus has built for itself.

And it doesn't stop here. if you think that the maximum damage this virus will do is to push you to format your hard disk and start all over again. Simple, isn't it?. But only if it was that simple. The virus will load again, disguising as the the most secured and advanced OS, and this time you will be installing it with your own mouse clicks.

That is when you realize "The Matrix" in which you are hopelessly stuck. You can get out of it, by degrading (in fact it would actually be upgrading) to previous versions or better, opting for others. But it takes some one like "The One" to get out of this illusion of the matrix. Many (which includes yours truly) still succumb to the baneful virus. Slowly, starting to live with the virus. Slowly, getting adapted to its vagaries which it brings along. Slowly, getting used to its sluggishness. Slowly, getting adjusted to its annoyance.

It's most likely that while you are reading this, the virus might be regaling in your system. Hogging on to precious resources such as RAM and CPU time. And if you have still not figured out the virus - its very much possible as you might be hopelessly hooked on it - it is popularly known as Vista.

 

Victimized,
Neo.

(To give you some perspective, I have a laptop with vista home premium pre installed. The OS is nothing but flimsy. And did I tell you that I had to format my 250 gig loaded hdd recently because of some incompatible vista update downloaded automatically!!!!!!!!! )

Jodhaa Akbar Review

Ashutosh being one of my favorite directors. Hritik, one of my favorite actors and an intriguing subject like Jodhaa Akbar. Perfect ingredients for a feast. Top it up with rave reviews from your preferred movie critics and buffs and not so good ones by those critics you abhor. Jodhaa Akbar was like a fine dine course which couldn't go wrong......except a bowl full of expectations. And probably that bowl felt more of a burden as soon as I entered the theatre.

Set in one of the glorious era of Moguls, its a story of brute force, dark ambitions, unyielding power and more importantly about how love conquers them all. Jodhaa Akbar is essentially a love story between one of the most revered Indian kings Akbar and mystical (or should I say mythical?) Jodha bai. Hritik as Akbar is surreal. He delivers the job with such mental and physical accuracy that I quite forgot Hritik the person. For me he was just Akbar. No one could have done justice to this role (of course, after the great Prithvi Raj Kapoor). Aishwarya is magical. She delivers a top notch performance - most of the time letting her eyes speak.

But the cake belongs to Ashutosh. He is the dreamer here and also the one who realizes that dream - almost completely. The scale of the movie is grand. Every shot has a tint of perfection. Sets, Costumes, Choreography and the overall canvass of the movie is a treat to watch. The grandiose screen rendition of "Azeem-o-Shaan Shehenshah" leaves you with mixed feelings. While it just enchants your heart, mind boggles with a question of how they managed this!!!!!!!

Stating Rehman as a genius is a gross understatement. This man just can't stop amazing me. Not only he belts out great tunes and music but he has matured in to a fine singer. He renders a masterpiece in the spiritual "Khwaja Mere Khawaja". The Music as well as the background score does full justice and only adds to the splendor of the film.

Saying all this, I have to verrrrrry sheepishly admit that the movie is not engaging enough. The main culprit being the length which takes its heavy toll. Its time Ashutosh gets an editor. Also, owing to the grand expectations it built, the movie fell a bit short.

Ending Note: The movie is worth a watch and strictly on a large screen. This will do justice to the vision of the makers and efforts of all involved. And ,again, realizing - Love conquers all.

smiles,
Neo

Old Songs

I generally have fancy for new songs. I am all ears (pun intended) to new music and always in look out for new songs. Songs which enthrall me. Songs which catch my attention. Songs which move me. Songs which convey much more than what's written. Songs which I like to stay with. Probably forever..... only if could stop new songs from releasing.

But the beauty of music is that it is eternal. No matter how speedily I cling to new songs, I never seem to forget old ones. They are not on top of my mind, but its there stacked in some gray cell of mine. And with that song, is stacked a memory. Memory of the times when I stayed with that song. The phase of my life which got stamped with that song. Probably that's why they build an iPod with enough space to carry your music and an interesting play mode called shuffle. So now when the random play mode picks up a song ,which got buried in my mental music treasure, lost faint memories are flashed back. Memories are dusted off and a vivid picture of old times is painted across. Is it what they call Nostalgia? I think so.....

Sometimes you stay with songs. Most of the times, songs stay with you.

listening,
Neo