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Doing Nothing

When was the last time you took time out of work and did 'nothing'? Yes, absolutely 'nothing'. I asked myself this and I found myself coming up with all sorts of answers, like 'I had gone to this place that weekend, did this the other weekend, etc'. But it was not the answer I was looking for. I wanted to be able to say '3 weeks ago, I did nothing on a weekend' - that kinda thing. So decided to make amends, before curtains fell on 2008. Booked a 3 nights stay at a beach-side hotel and went there with family, with 'doing nothing' as the agenda. Spent the 3 days roaming around on the beach, collecting shells with my kid, playing with her in water, eating sea food served at sea-side shanties, drinking mocktails / cocktails, trying out different cuisines - that kinda thing. And I found myself wondering why I did not do this more often. And I made a solemn promise to myself to have atleast 2 such breaks in 2009 ! That cheered me up, as I already have

Movie review - A Wednesday

As usual, a lot of hype about two great actors (Anupam Kher and Nasruddin Shah) coming together after many many years. And what do we get - a movie which promises much, but does not deliver. Anupam Kher is one of the mos over-rated 'actors' in Bollywood. After the first few films, I feel he's even stopped trying to act. A very thin storyline, hackers, laptops, telecommunication equipment, weak script - put this all together and this movie is what you get. The only saving grace is Nasruddin Shah's dialogues towards the end of the movie, where he talks of the frustration of the common man. If you do not have anything to do, then you could go watch this movie, else you wont be missing anything. Rating - Can be missed

Sharma travels - new Merc bus

Sharma Transports have introduced a new Mercedes Benz bus service between Mumbai and Bangalore. Saw it at Tumkur few days ago on way from Bangalore to Mumbai and decided to check it out on the way back. Called up redbus.in and specially booked this bus. But they dropped the bus, apparently bcoz if has some 'starting' problem. Instead they sent a Volvo bus. They explanation they gave is that the new bus is full of electronic circuits, which none of the ppl here understand ! Even during their Blore-Mumbai trip few days ago, the bus would not start mid-way. Avoid the new Merc bus - atleast for now, till they get the 'electronics' right.

Slow down - of course

How much ever US wants the world to believe that there is no slowdown in the US, the truth is coming out. Slowly but surely. Check these out: a) The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and various other takeovers / bailouts (e.g AIG) are just the tip of the ice-berg. b) The cutting of IT budgets by over 40% by many global companies is further evidence. c) Companies laying off employees in thousands e.g HP laying off 25000 employees globally. Read many such stories together and you get the picture. Braze up for some tough times ahead - even here in India.

Movie review - Bachna Aaye Haseenon

Saw this movie two times. Absolutely mind-blowing. The songs are very lyrical. Ranbir Kapoor - is a natural in front of the camera. Deepika Padukone - dream beauty. Watch it a 2nd or 3rd time, if only to see her. She has the star quality, which most of the recent heroines miss. Bipasha - is ok. Nothing new. Same combination of cleavage and come-hither looks. Manisha Lamba - is the surprise package. Looks very talented. She is someone to look forward to - especially in sad roles. Rating - Definitely 'must watch'.

Movie review - Mumbai meri jaan

A very realistic movie. Realistic dialogies. Absolutely fanastic direction - see the opening scenes where they show how Mumbai evolved over the years - starting from a small window showing the 1940s-50s-60s and so on (and the screen size increases as we approach the 90s). Paresh Raval is impressive. Kay Kay has the same tired and hurt expression in all the movies. If you are looking for a song-and-dance movie, then this is not for you. If not, then you would love this movie. Rating - Must watch.

Movie review - Singh is King

Watching 'Singh is King' looks like we are watching a sequel of 'Namaste London'. And a bad sequel at that. 'Namaste London' atleast had a few moments, but this one is full of the same situations / dialogues. I mean how many movies can you watch with this 'Punjabi' theme and 'pind ka puttar' theme. The Deols have tried that so many times in the past, and failed miserably. Frankly speaking, I am tired of these Punjabi movies. Its as if they expect everyone to understand Punjabi. Look at it another way - If you see 5-10 movies with a Mallu (or 'madrasi' as its called in West/North India) theme, how much can you tolerate? Imagine a hero mouthing madrasi dialgoes with Jhonny Lever in a supporting role in 5-10 movies !!! When you go to see a Hindi movie, thats that you expect. Anything else is a let down. Avoid 'Singh is King' at all costs.