Acclaiming 'VEER'

Everytime somebody tries to taint his father's image, Salman Khan growls and its expected to draw cheers from the front rows and his hardcore fans. The actor has done tjings differently in this movie. Never before have people seen Salman Khan as a warrior before( Sooryavanshi was a pathetic rendition) The might and strength of the warriors in the early 19th sentury has been rightly essayed by Salman Khan with his bulging biceps and impressive torso. So much so that he doesnt spare any chance to take off his armour and display his chiseled build. His eyes talk. with anger, with vengeance, with love, with a fervour. Its unmistakable to notice his performance in the movie. and it doesnt go overboard (well, the sword-breaking scene was a little, i agree) But on the whole he performs with all his heart and it is apparent in the movie. He amazes in the action sequences. The hostel scene where he single-handedly finishes off the people who come to hurt his brother, the gladiator scene and the final duel with his father stand out from the rest.

For me, the fact that Salman khan wrote the script for 20 long years has paid off. He has a large canvas of mind which he successfully prtrays in the movie. The vastness of sets, the lavish designs, breathtaking cinematography, the elaborateness of emotions, the largeness of songs etc prove so. The character of 'Veer' is heroic. The final sacrifice which he makes for his motherland, leaving the one day old bride widow, drives home the point. In subtle ways Salman has also tried to showcase the misunderstandings which he had with his girlfriends earlier, in the movie. The heroism is very very apparent.

As for the film, its a little long-winded but for an epic saga as such the length is fair enough. The story, even though has been derived from a number of films, is fast and pacy. Performances from the actors are remarkable. Songs are really melodious. excellent is the cinematography and the action sequences. on the whole, the film is lavish and i loved it. The patriotic fervour is not jingoistic and poetic justice occurs at the end of the movie. The amazing relationship between the father and the son is one of the strong points of the movie.

The critics who have slammed the movie have seen it as a melodramatic piece of amalgamation from different genres. but what they have failed to notice is the sincerity of the story, the performances and the movie. I feel sorry for them and the thousands of people who will be misled by the critiques.

Whatever it is, Salman Khan is too big for such wimps of reviews.

Poor Brothers!

Delhi is a weird place. People say its warm. well its too premature for me to explore it interestingly, delhiites, almost all of them-the middle class singhjis, the next door neighbour, your office colleagues, the top sorporate-almost everybody have a strange fixation to incestuousness. and tries to thrust it on others. Almost everybody here use a commonplace expletive which accuses you of sharing bed with...your sister! irrespective of sex, position, level, friend or not.

So when you drive rashly, when you fail to impress others, when you fail to do something which anybody expects you to do, when you hit somebody, when you poke fun at somebody...and even when you do nothing...you can expect people to label you as an incest.its normal, natural, commonplace and fair.

whats funny is that females are also addressed by the gaali behind their back, thus either doubting their sexual preference or its just a mindless piece of terminology. and well, when they get tired of the sisters, they bring in the mothers which is worse. and apart from sisters or mothers they dont go beyond. variety is missing, deliberately so. they have taken the essence out of the expletive. it has become very common now. so much so that a day might arrive when it will be used in occasions also...so Mr Sharma can turn up at the republic day function and address Mr aggarwal as "arey sggarwal saab, aap to kal se zyada behen ch*d lag rahe hain! kya baat hain?"

When I was in chennai, the gaali from my colleagues used to disillusion me. Now I am used to listening to it from all quarters. its natural now.

But I feel bad about all the sisters of this world. its an accusation which all of the sisters (if not...) would find highly offensive. But I feel more bad about the menfolk who take such a charge so lightly and never raise a word. Maybe the fact that some of them are said in jest dont bother them. Yes delhiites are so warm that even an expletive doesnt draw any kind of foul reaction from the listener.

Yeh Dilli hain mere yaar...

So it's a new year

Ya so its the new year. a new decade is about to start. so whatever happened in the previous decade or the previous year? well lots of stuff. joy, pain, anguish, resurrection, revelation, tragedy and magic. well yes lots of it. what emerged out of the ashes of the left behind burnt days, but alive, are some introspections, worries, some burdens, some responsibilities and of course some more magic. Why do i constantly harp upon magic is because i consider life so. Its arbitrary and occassionally logical but its quite interesting and experiences enrich it. There are times when certain events have pained me, sometimes intolerable, sometimes impossible, but nevertheless when i look back i learn and carry those learnings to the future in a constant endeavour to smooth the rough edges that could be lying ahead of me, waiting to devour me with those sharp teeth of its. I look back just to clench my jaw(trying to avoid a TM-joint) forget the ashes and move ahead. I still dream on...


Year 2009
...Has been a testing year. away from my friends and extended family, my Love. ACj had been fun(in retrospection) and very teaching. My first job is still an event i will cherish throughout. Delhi has been amazing, inspite of all the complains. I visited Kolkata inly twice in 09 and my soul has become emptier, thus. I struggle to live on and create some substantial tangible matter a few steps ahead. In relationship, I have learnt things, found a plethora of faults of my own and have loved more. I have become tremendously unsocial, due to the lack of social society and of course, due to work pressure. I have aged too. Not in years, but through hours and experiences. I dont like looking at the mirror anymore and seldom worry about my attire and hairstyle. i am watching lesser movies in theatres and watching more soaps in television. sleep comes in inches and travelling has increased like never before. I have regained company again in my parents and its a secure feeling. I am happy about it. But there are a lot of things I have missed in 2009. I have seen a different culture exist parallelly and at most of the times been shocked by it. My temper has worsened, i have become cranky, lazy, impatient but I guess i am still lovable. My regrets in 2009 are the fact that I could not be present amidst my parents in their 25th marriage anniversary; my temper; and of course, the fact that I miss my folks in Kolkata, my life in Kolkata. Achievements- well, I am a journalist now; I have become more responsible and the fact that I think that there are a host of things which are still left to be achieved. Resolutions- well, magic!

Adios, till then...