Veer

I dont understand people.Yes at times I feel I don’t understand people.How can anyone not like the movie ‘Veer’.Here are a few people with their views which I don’t agree with :

1. Rajeev Masand from CNN IBN: 2/5

Veer is an impossible film … Complete review

2. Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama: 1.5/5
VEER will face an uphill task to recover its costs. This one’s a monumental disappointment! … Complete review

3. Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editor, Films from NDTV: 2.5/5
If you can find delight in the sheer delirium of a bad Bollywood film, then see Veer, otherwise do catch it on DVD … Complete review

4. Gaurav Malani from Filmfare, India Times, Times of India: 2.5/5
Veer doesn’t offer variety. But if you are a veracious Salman Khan fan, Veer is watchable … Complete review

5. Nikhat Kazmi from India Times, Times of India: 2.5/5
But after that, there’s nothing left to hold your attention in this prolonged misadventure that loses a lot due to a tardy screenplay, a headless script and an old-fashioned direction …Complete review

6. Sonia Chopra from Sify.com: 1.5/5
Nothing special about Veer … Full review

7. Martin D’Souza from Bollywood Trade News Network, GlamSham.com: 2.5/5
Somehow, I get this feeling that the dice is loaded in favour of Veer Salman! … Full review

8. Janhvi Patel/Hill Road Media from Star Box Office: 30/100%
It is amazing that even after two decades in the industry; Salman is doing trashy films like Veer … Full review

9. Jaya Biswas from Buzz18 Network: 3/5
It’s sheer delight to watch Sallu and Mithun together on screen … Read this Review

10. Rajshri.com: 1.5/5
A magnum faux pas which can work only on Salman’s star power … Read this Review

11. Mayank Shekhar from Hindustan Times: 1.5/5
Pindari’s box … Read Complete Movie Review

12. Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express: 2/5
Salman is the last Khan standing. It makes not a whit of difference to him and his directors that the space for retrofitted 70s packages has shrunk to nothing … Read Complete Movie Review

13. IndiaGlitz.com: 2/5
Strictly for Salman fans … See Full Movie Review

14. Spicezee Bureau from Zee News: 2/5
With ‘Veer,’ Salman lives his narcissistic dream! … See Full Movie Review

15. Sarita Tanwar from MID Day Newspaper / Mid-Day.com: 2.5/5
Veer is a must for all Salman Khan fans – he delivers an inspired performance and keeps you interested in the proceedings even when the story doesn’t … See Full Movie Review

16. Naresh Kumar Deoshi from ApunkaChoice.com: 3/10
Steer Clear of Veer … See Full Movie Review

17. Noyon Jyoti Parasara of Sanskriti Media & Entertainment from AOL India: 2.5/5
‘Veer’ is an age old formula movie … Read more

18. Kaveree Bamzai from India Today Group: 2/5
Epic cartoon … Read more

19. Minty Tejpal from Mumbai Mirror: 1/5
Se-veer torture … Read more

20. Ashok Nayak from NowRunning.com: 2/5
Veer has its moments of glory but not enough to deserve the high price of your multiplex ticket. If you must go then watch it at a single screen near you … Full review

21. MovieTalkies.com: 2.5/5
Epic twist for Salman showman! … Read this Review

22. Sumesh Vasishth from SantaBanta.com: 1.5/5
Only a Veer can watch Veer … Read Complete Movie Review

23. BharatStudent.com: 2/5
Weak and dragging, only efforts can be appreciated … Read Complete Movie Review

24. KK Rai from Stardust: 2/5
Salman Khan’s action sequences are terrific and will be loved by the audiences. But the second half does not offer much due to poor writing which seems to have lost its steam after the interval … Read more

25. SamayLive.com: 3/5
Salman Khan looks awesome in new avatar … Read Complete Movie Review

26. RealBollywood.com: 3/5
Salman makes Veer work … Read this Review

27. Meetu from Wogma.com
Tomfoolery with aesthetics … Read more

28. Subhash K. Jha from NowRunning.com, Bollywood.com: 1.5/5
“Veer” is one of those intended epics that goes wrong. Horribly wrong … Full review

What happened to good old values of honesty,pride,family honor and sacrifice.Salman Khan has performed his character ‘Veer’ with so much of an effortless ease.He is amazingly brilliant in some scenes.Mithun Chakraborty is at his best.He proves that some people get better and better with age.I fail to agree with Nikhat Kazmi that this movie has a tardy screenplay and a headless script.It is compact and very convincing.It’s an epic film and director Anil Sharma’s forte is such kind of epic films.He is brilliant as usual and makes me feel proud to be an Indian.If Nikhat Kazmi considers movies of this genre like Veer,Troy and Gladiator as movies having old-fashioned direction then she must be from outside our planet.I agree with Jaya Biswas from Buzz18 Network that it’s a sheer delight to watch Sallu and Mithun together on screen.And I dont understand what Subhash Jha means when he says “‘Veer’ is one of those intended epics that goes wrong.”What is wrong with ‘Veer’ Mr.Jha.Is a movie on honesty,protecting one’s family’s honor wrong somewhere ? Is good old fashined direction about beeing proud of one’s history wrong somewhere ? I agree with K.K Rai that the action sequences of Salman are just terrific.And finally I agree with Sumesh Vasishth although in a totally different sense that only a Veer can watch Veer.Yes Mr.Vasishth that I guess is lacking in some of our people these days.

Time stood still…

I saw you that day..

I saw you that day..

I saw you for the first time,

I thought time just stood still,

Yes it was still…

Unexplainable Silence….

A Golden Silence ….

Magical..

A Travel back in Time….

Unimaginable….

I was transported to another land…

A land of Dreams…

A Beautiful Land……

A Land of Red Crows …

Blue Cows grazing the green fields…

Silver Deers dancing on the mountains..

Was I awake ?

Was I in a Dream ?

Paa…

The Movie ” Paa “

This movie is like a breath of fresh air.When I saw this movie I couldn’t even miss one frame of it.R.Balkrishna needs to be congratulated wholeheartedly.He has so much of creativity.Every frame is like a beautiful painting.One remains glued to this movie and can’t think of going anywhere else while watching this movie.It’s like a magical poetry in motion.The way the camera captures the expressions of the actors is impeccable.I might even say it is magically flawless.The lead role of ‘Auro’ played by the Big B is awesome.He knows his craft so well.One feels captivated watching him perform as Auro, the twelve-year old boy suffering from Progeria.He is an intelligent and witty boy with an extremely rare genetic defect that causes accelerated aging. He suffers from a progeria-like syndrome. Mentally he is 12, very normal, but physically he looks five times older. In spite of his condition, Auro is a very happy boy. He lives with his mother Vidya (Vidya Balan).He is immaculate in his conception of this role and plays it to the ‘t’.He draws you into his own world where you get to meet his thoughts and views of life.He makes you forget your worries and start dancing with him whenever he starts dancing in his very own inimitable style.Vidya Balan is superb in her role of Auro’s mother.As the highly independent modern woman she plays her role with a lot of conviction.As the movie progresses,one gets to understand her views and thoughts about life .She appears very cool and composed in all her frames.She has the excellent knack of getting into the ‘skin of the character’..Her portrayal of the character of Vidya is simply amazing.In this movie Vidya accidentally bumps into Amol Arte,a young and progressive politician.Abhishek Bachchan plays this role of the progressive politician.He does justice to his character of Amol Arte.One can see the idealistic side of him in his portrayal of this character and one can identify with his views about changing the system and uprooting corruption from society.Vidya and Amol meet and fall in love. Balki depicts this beautifully in the song ‘Uddi Uddi….Iteffaq se..”, sung melodiously by Shilpa Rao.One hears a slight variation of this song as “Gali Muddi..Ittefaq se” sung amazingly with a lot of panache by Shaan in a later part of the movie..The plot of the movie revovle around Auro.The truth is Auro is Amol’s son however Vidya conceals this from him. When Auro does learn the truth however, he wishes to go to Delhi with his father. Auro tries to get his mother and father back together but Vidya resists, still hurt by the fact that Amol wanted her to have an abortion when they first found out she was pregnant. Amol realizes his mistake though, and proposes to Vidya, as he is still in love with her. He stays by Auro’s side when he finds out that Auro is his son. Auro’s health begins to deteriorate as he reaches his 13th birthday, his physical defects catching up. However, he is finally able to reunite his mother and father once again as Vidya gives in to her feelings for Amol and her motherly love for Auro. Auro, succumbing to his disease, dies happy, his last words being “Maa” and “Paa.”

The Secrets of the Valley

Across the blue sky,

Amidst the grassy plains,

Straddles the beautiful valley….

Mysterious hidden paths beckon me to travel,

These narrow paths,I reckon I could unravel,

The Secrets of the Beautiful Valley….

My Soul yearns to break free,

It sometimes wonders to let go….

My desires compel me,

And at times they propel me,

Some day I’ll listen to my Heart…

One day I’ll follow my desires…

May be someday I’ll discover the Mystery

The Mystery of the Beautiful Valley .

The Eyes

I look into your eyes
and see an ocean,
so deep and mysterious…
I look into your eyes,
and see the turbulent waves
dashing against the sea-rocks…
I look into your eyes,and see a distant ship,
making way towards the shore…
I look into your eyes,
and see a serene calmness
engulfing a raging storm….

Slumdog Millionaire

By this time almost half  of the world must have  seen   the movie ‘   ‘. I too saw it many days ago.Well I liked it you know.I liked it barring certain scenes where I thought the director could have done in a different way.Now dont start thinking that I do not like Danny Boyle.I do like Danny Boyle and I think he is really good.He knows his craft allright.But If Akira Kurosawa was to direct “Slumdog …’ he would have done it in his own way and if one of my favourite directors,the great Francis Ford Coppola had directed it he would have done it entirely differently.Well we are all welcome to our ideas.One thing which I just now remember is that in his childhood,Danny Boyle wanted to be a priest.Well I think we all can now see the connection of his wanting to be a priest in his childhood and now making a movie about the economically weaker sections of society.We all do have this zeal at times to make our society better and get rid of the slums.That he did with real kids living in the slums of Mumbai needs to be appreciated.To make films to which one can connect one needs to have a certain amount of authenticity added to it.This was done by the kids of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’
The rest of the cast of ‘Slumdog….’ , well honestly speaking i did not find any great acting done by any of them.
But let us congratulate Danny Boyle on winning the Oscar.

Waiting….

I was waiting
ecstasy,agony arm in arm
the raindrops were falling….
swirling,unfurling,cascading,
the leaves were sparkling…
dazzling,smiling,
playing hide and seek…
I was waiting,
I was waiting for you,that night…
ecstasy,agony arm in arm.

Independence day

Today is Our Country’s 62nd Independence Day. I woke up late this morning. I missed Our Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech. Strange, but I don’t feel guilty at all! Neither do I feel proud at my action. I just feel sheer Indifferent. But fifteen years back, I wasn’t like this. I couldn’t ever think of missing out on this Event. I would wake up early in the morning. The first thing I would do is ask Mom to take out the National Flag from our old and sturdy steel almirah.I would then tie the flag to a long stick. And with the help of Dad and with pride swelling in my chest I would hoist it to the top of our Roof. I would try my best to hoist it at the highest possible vantage point so that people could see it from afar. I couldn’t help greeting everybody I meet with a cheerful “Happy Independence Day’ greeting. And while I would be doing all this my elder brother would be getting ready in his NCC uniform. He being a dedicated NCC Cadet representing our school would always salute the National flag with great respect. He would then cycle down to the local stadium to take part in the Independence Day Parade. His participation in Our State’s Independence Day Parade would make me jump with joy. My heart will swell with pride. I would then run to switch on the television. I would remain glued to the television for Our Prime Minister to deliver his Independence Day speech .I just can’t express what significance this Day held for me. I am sure all of you would have felt the same on this glorious occasion. But today why do I feel so cynical? The reasons are plenty.It is the 62nd year of Our Independence and yet the majority of my countrymen and women are not even getting two square meals a day! The children of this country don’t have access to free education. The villages don’t have good roads. Some children have to walk miles to some other village to study. The farmers are a harried lot. They need to run from pillar to post to get the right to till their own land! Even then, they need to bribe the Block development officials to be eligible to apply for soft loans from Co-Operative Banks. And after doing all this, their ordeal doesn’t get over. The Co-operative Bank Officials then need a commission to sanction their loan. Imagine their predicament when we should actually be blessing them for being the originators and producers of our food. Farmers are the poorest in our country. No where else in the world do they face this relentless ordeal. How can we as be so callous and indifferent to them? How can we be so indifferent to the pain of these small children who have to walk on barefoot for miles to be able to attend a school? Should we as a nation be celebrating this 62nd Independence Day and wasting government funds when we know their will be homes where even one meal may not be possible?

The Gunslinger

No Indian is good enough to win an individual Olympic Gold Medal. Not anymore. Noone dare say this sardonic sentence again. Whew! What a relief for us all!!! We the people of this Great Country called India can now stand up straight and feel proud of ourselves. We should feel more so when we hear the National Anthem being playedthis Independence day. One man just ensured that the whole World stand up to it on Monday, the 11nth of August 2008.The Man is Abhinav Bindra.He did what Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore couldn’t do for India in the Athens 2004 Olmpics.Although Rathore did win the Silver medal but as someone said “you never win a Silver medal, you just lose the Gold”. What a guy this Abhinav Bindra is. Indeed he is Our collective Man of the Moment. This Man indeed has Nerves of Steel. And we can even call him The Man with the Golden Gun. The gun Abhinav uses is a Walther PPK rifle, James Bond too uses a Walther, other than a Beretta. That’s not all-Abhinav’s gold for India the seventh individual Olmpics medal.007,huh?He started with a bang, the first shot-10.7..He followed it up with a 10.3.After the third shot, a 10.4,he had moved from no.3 to no.2.Then,Bindra slowly ate into the lead of Finland’s Henri Hakkinen and went ahead after the 7th shot with 10.6.Hakkinen caught up with him after the ninth shot, and with one shot to go, the Indian and the Finn were tied at 689.7 points. a hushed silence fell upon the hall. The suspense was unbearable. Then Bindra hit the bullseye,a 10.8,defending champion Zhu Qinan shot a 10.5 and the crowds favorite, Hakkinen simply withered under pressur,managing only 9.7.After the medal’s ceremony,Bindra was mobbed by journalists, several of them from Finland and China.“How does it feel Mr Bindra?” “Hard to describe it….it’s the thrill of my life,” he said, still looking calm as a monk.’ The final shot was perfect. I just went for it. was aggressive. It went my way. I’m lucky,”he added in a matter-of-fact-tone.Will this change his life? ”My life will go on. I hope it changes the face of Olmpic sports in the country,” he said.

Jagjeet Singh

Jagjeet Singhji’s Ghazals

Sometimes I wonder what is it with Jagjeet Singhji”s Ghazals ? Why do some of us keep listening to his Ghazals even till this day.I remember listening to one of his Ghazals for the first time the other day. Imust have been in the 5th standard in school.I found the Ghazal an entirely new thing altogether.I couldn’t understand some of the words in the song yet I felt like finding out the meanings of those words.I had suddenly got hooked to his style of singing.I waited to listen to his songs whenever Vivid Bharati radio would broadcast his songs.When I heard his voice on radio or television I would leave everything and just listen to him.I have the same craze about him even till this day !!!I tried finding out more about him.I read about his personal tragedy.How he and his equally famous wife Chitra Singhji lost their only son in a car accident. I felt very sad reading about his personal grief.Maybe God wanted his son to be his bundle of joy only for a few moments.I wonder is this personal grief the reason for his sad and melancolly voice ?Even today whenever I see him as a judge in some Musical Competion program in some Channel I see him so calm and composed in life.No one would be able to get an inkling of his personal tragedy in the way he conducts himself.And my respect for this man increases greatly when I hear him speak to the new singers always encouraging them with kind words and a lot of affection.Unlike some judges who speak things without thinking what effect it would have on some of the young contestants who come from afar and wouldn’t like to humiliated with some nasty comments.I am just about finished now with the day’s work.I have already planned since morning about how I am going to spend today’s evening.I am going to go home and take a bath and refresh myself.Pour myself a tall glass of my favourite chilled drink and then put on my favourite Jagjeet Singhji’s Ghazal CD…….