Jai Ho for Congress

Jai ho seems to be a lucky composition by music director A R Rehman. It got him an Oscar and also happens to be one of the best things about Oscar winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire'. It has attracted attention which is the reason for Pussycat dolls singing English version of the song and cashing on Jai Ho.

Congress realised the song's potential as much as the filmy world did. Jai ho worked for Congress in the General election's campaign in India more than BJP's India shinning. Infact BJP had to suffer immensely for India Shining in 2004.

Enjoy the campaign video after the election result.



V :D

British Summer - 2

This Summer is my second in UK and I am loving it. Long sunny days with showers twice or thrice a week and trees plants covered with colourful flowers. I am posting some of the pics taken recently with the hope that I will capture more beauty in the coming days.

V!

Alton Towers

This is my 100th post and I have loads to share.

Alton towers trip was meant to happen last year in summer with uni friends, actually it did happen but without me. I got a second chance to see one of the most visited theme parks in Europe. This place made me forget everything including recession and credit crunch which is the hottest topic of discussion these days. The car parks were full and it was one of those rarest occasion where I got to see crowds queuing up to buy tickets. The fast track tickets were all sold out and Alton towers was jam packed, no wonder it was an Easter Sunday.





Here is the map of Alton Towers to plan your day. Alton Towers has everything one wants to see but not the time. So its the best to plan what all you would like to see specially in groups.



If you think the park is for kids then you are right. It has a monorail, sea world and lots of other attractions.


And I got most of my courage from children getting out with smiling faces from rides in which I could not even open my eyes. Must take rides in the theme park are:

• Oblivion - I had the hardest time waiting for this in que. Announcements like 'Are you ready for it' on mike made everything worst. My heart was pumping and my head kept on telling me not to do it. This ride was smoothest and makes you feel breathless, weightless, endless and not to forget tension less as one has better things to worry about. Guess what??? Life of course :D

(Pic bought from Azahar Machwe in one pence ;) )

• Air - My friends enjoyed this one the most. It happened to be the only ride where I managed to open my eyes. But I found it too long as it was just 10 seconds longer than the other rides. Every second was IMPORTANT.
• Nemisis - when you are around Nemisis you know it is going to be scary. The sound around the area is crazy. I wonder how people manage to work in a surrounding like that. People say that it is one of the best roller coaster rides in the world. I say that the ride made me understand what darkness is like when eyes are tightly shut :D
• Spinball wizzers - Was the most irritating and jerky of all. But it helped to prepare for the coming thrills as this was the first ride in Alton Towers.




• Rita- I missed this ride as it wasn't operating on that day probably due to technical problems. But it is known to be the best roller coaster there.
• Congo river ride - this was my kind of ride. This was one ride I admired in all Hindi films with foreign locations. I would recommend this for people of all ages.

Important things:

1. Must take hair bands, head bands and bandanas to cover hair during the rides. It can get very difficult to sort them out after roller coaster rides.
   
2. Don't wear hanging stuff like long earing and chains.


3. Don't be afraid of taking the single ques as most of the thrilling rides are about individual fun and saves a lot of time.
   

In the end I want to introduce the castle I thought of seeing when I entered and happily forgot about due to rides and is the first thing on my list for next visit.

V!

Finally got D(e)V D

It's a film that I eagerly waited for and was disappointed when it was not released in any theatre near my house. I am an Abhay Deol fan and the whole idea of doing Devdas in today's scenario was an appealing concept and enough a reason to wait for a good online DVD print for downloading.

Dev D got very good reviews from the critics and I would like to agree with what most people have written about it. It does deserve a 5 star for the script, details and acting. Director Anurag Kashyap has done a brilliant job in carving out a striking story set in today's Punjab and Delhi. The whole definition of love seems to have changed and emotions have been replaced by needs. It’s a straight forward story and I admire the director's guts to do another film on Devdas after Sanjay Leela Bansali's attempt, which is still quite fresh in our memory.

There is no comparison between the 'dress drama' Devdas and Dev D. The only comparison I would like to draw is between SRK and Abhay Deol's acting. Abhay Deol was superb and I wonder what SRK could do minus the dress drama, huge sets and unrealistic world of emotions.

Mahi Gill (Paro) and Kalki Koechlin (Chanda) were very well suited in their respective roles. The music is enjoyable, however the film feels like a musical in patches. Emosanal Atyachaar and Duniya Gol were my favourite songs. My only complaint is with the use of MMS case for sensationalising the film as it must have made the lives of those involved even worst all over again.

On the whole Dev D was a very different cinematic experience and I enjoyed the no-nonsense approach of the film.

V!

What's in the initials...

If you ask me I would say Friday, the 13th. Yes it was a Devil's day of sorts and it began to be different from the first thing in morning. My day was very well planned for a change. What did change everything was a mail from HSBC on my name. It was a good morning letter asking me to pay 70 pounds 63 pence to clear off all debts immediately or a legal action would be taken against me and a solicitor would contact soon .

So, at first I did not know what it meant. Then I tried searching for details in a five page letter, whether that was for a debit card, credit card or a bank overdraft? My head was full of questions and the letter did not contain any information to settle curiosity. The next best thing was to call the bank and I did exactly that but in a jiffy. The gentleman on the phone was polite and my guess is that he spoke in Spanish or may be french accent. Not to blame him but that's how things were meant to be, my phone banking security code was locked due to misunderstanding of questions asked.

Then I rushed to the bank. Now, with two problems, one the letter and if I was needed to pay and for what when I have the basic account which means no debit card, credit card or overdraft facilities, second to unlock my security code. I explained my first problem to an executive to which she promptly replied that the letter was for my spouse. I felt like laughing in nervousness and told her that fortunately I was not married after which she asked me to wait. Experience in bank was pleasant enough minus the waiting time. This waiting time was good 15 minutes and the worry of the rest of the plans started to bother.

The lady then checked account details which were fine and she could not think of any reason of why that letter was in my hand. The only thing she said was that occasionally people of same initials move to same houses and the bank continues to send letters to previous occupants. The account was unlocked with the mystery solved and lesson learnt. The rest of the day was good and for the first time I got satisfaction from the money that goes in for a day bus ticket.

This whole incident reminded me of a quote.
“When was the last time you did something for the first time?”
However, in my case these first things happen without much effort.

V !

Slumdog millionaire has done it!

This film has got luckier than expected even by director Danny Boyle. SM was an obvious winner in Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscars. But what has it done for Indians, has it really taken us to an international platform? I have been reading about what Indian film professionals think about SM. Some think the film has shown India in awful light by screening its slums and not the development it has undergone over the years. The film's screenplay was an adaptation and therefore the scope for deviating was not huge. However, it was a bit complicated to understand how children raised in Mumbai slums start talking in British accent.

As far as Indian film industry goes, the success of SM may not bring in major changes to the way things happen here. Most good films like Oye Lucky...still go unnoticed in our award functions and instead SRK gets a nomination in best actor category for Rab ne...a film that I have not heard one person appreciating. On the other hand, the west appreciation has never concerned seasoned actors like Om Puri and directors like Shekhar Kapoor. A minor revolution that can be expected is in the treatment of technicians like sound mixers, editors and cinematographers. They are the people who make films and never get appropriate recognition. Resul Pukutty’s win at the Academy awards has opened a new world for our creative technicians.

The only major change that I can see is for slum children Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail who actually got the opportunity to be on the red carpet in Oscars. The west recognition does not matter to them, they are probably not even aware of what they participated in. It felt good to see their innocent and non-business faces amidst publicity seekers. My day was made when Azharuddin after returning to India said in an interview, that they have done something that even Amitabh Bachchan could not do for the country. Now people in slums look upto them and are probably waiting for their turn to be a Latika or a Salim.
:)

Snow of Feb, 2009

First heavy snow of 2009 brought cheer and brightness to the bleak atmosphere. People came out with families and friends to play and make snowmen. I had some fun too, here are the pics that were taken in the backyard and front yard. My favourite are ones of the bench covered with snow. It looked so beautiful in the neighbourhood house that I dint hesitate to peek-a-boo.

Frontyard looked lively with neighbourhood children playing with snow and giggling.
Cauliflowers in the backyard. Is it?It really looks like one.
Footsteps...Feel free to follow at your own risk. Peek-a-boo in neighbour's garden was worth the effort.

A better angle for clearer and wider view.

:)