The Embarassment List

Was thinking some time ago (after watching Nagesh Kukunoor's Iqbal) that I am real unfortunate to have missed out on the same guy's Hyderabad Blues (both parts), Rockford and Teen Deewarein.

Then it occurred to me that there are a zillion movies that would be classified as classics by any yardstick and should feature on EVERYONE's must-watch list that I haven't seen.

I'm not a CD/DVD rental kinda guy at all. So it is unlikely that I'll ever catch up on these masterpieces :(

It actually embarasses me to reveal this list. There have been instances when I've admitted amongst people that I've not seen one of these flicks and I have received some pretty unmentionable reactions (the worst ones have been of people offering me sympathy saying that I don't even know what I've missed).

So *deep breath* here goes...

1. Anand (nice start, wouldn't you say - but I just haven't seen this beauty)

2. The Matrix Trilogy (nopes, not even Part One)

3. The LOTR Trilogy (not read the book either)

4. Star Wars (yep, you read it right..I'm turning red as I type)

5. Deewar/Zanjeer (AB's angry-young-man ones)

6. Casablanca

7. Schindler's List

8. The Lion King (am a sucker for animation, but have missed the Big Daddy of 'em all)

9. Lagaan (don'tcompare it with the rest of this list, given its staure around the time it was released, the Oscar nomination and all...one would think it should've been difficult to miss)

10. A Beautiful Mind

There. I've spilled all. Doesn't make me feel any less...well..guilty, if you may.

So next time you feel silly or self-conscious about not having seen a particular movie, think of the guy who hasn't seen Anand, fer cryin' out loud!!

Thank You, Mr Kukunoor

Just saw Iqbal today. And loved it. Just loved it.

I walked in slightly skeptical – simply because NO Bollywood movie based on a sport has come even close to being impressive. (The last Hollywood flick involving a sport I’d seen was The Longest Yard and I thought it was really good).

The emotions, the dreams of a simple village boy are captured very beautifully indeed. Each character (there are very few of them, thus ensuring that the story doesn’t stray one bit) is very consistent, the acting is just appropriate. The relationships of the protagonist with his family and coach are depicted each with a distinctiveness of its own. Once again this year after Black, we have a winner where the central character doesn’t speak a word in the entire movie (okay, granted that Rani M did have a background narrative going in Black).

And the visuals. Ah, what pleasure. The cricket seems real, Iqbal’s bowling action is a visual treat (move over Shane Bond!) and the Ranji selections and matches seem really…well…real. The final scene with our hero walking out in Indian colours is one helluva heart-warmer.

Naseeruddin Shah’s performance makes you wonder why is this actor not seen more on the screen. Or maybe he gets offered a lot of stuff but turns it down – yep, that seems to make more sense. While on Naseer, it was in one of his earlier movies that I really enjoyed watching some cricket action. Way back in the 80s, he and Satish Shah had everyone in splits in Malamaal (Sunil Gavaskar actually descended to the ground in a chopper – would you believe it??)

Now I’m feeling like a real big loser – I can’t believe I haven’t seen any of Nagesh Kukunoor’s earlier movies. (Not only Kukunoor, I am pretty much a loser in this department – more on that later)!!

I'm Back (so move over Arnie)!

Man, there's no feeling like the one you get when you take a prolonged (and much deserved?) break between jobs!! Although deep down I'm getting a feeling that perhaps this may be the only way to enjoy a decent holiday... (ouch!!)

Drove from Dehra Dun to Shimla. Amazing what a good monsoon can do to the landscape - I had no idea that the first half of the drive between Doon and Chandigarh was SO picturesque. Then, fulfilled a dream of riding the hill railway ALL the way down from Shimla to Kalka. Apart from the winding tracks and breathtaking views, what I found most appealing was how the stations on the way were miniature replicas of regular ones - bifurcating tracks, tiny platforms, signal posts... Hopefully will post pictures some time.

Last weekend movies: Madagascar and The Interpreter. Passable fare. I love animation and though I went to the latter looking forward to Nicole Kidman, it was Sean Penn who stole the show!

Finally was able to read some stuff as well. English August by Upmanyu Chatterjee was interesting, although the pace sometimes seemed a tad too slow (just like the town the book is based in); Vikas Swarup's 'Q & A' was absorbing - beautifully narrated in most parts. Inside The Kingdom by Carmen Bin Ladin somehow came across as an attempt to merely cash in on the hype generated by the author's surname, though the details of a woman's life in the Saudi Arabia of today were rather disturbing.

More on new job later.

Certainly not High and Dry

Buying movie tickets yesterday night at PVR Saket was an exercise in simple-decision making. Reached with my roomie to watch Dus (I'm an AB Jr fan). But then it was felt that a LOT of bright people would've had the same idea s we should have a Plan B. Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, Fantastic Four and Sahara (in no particular order) fell into this.

And then roomie reached box office. The only seats available were for Sahara, that too in the front row. That was an easy decision. (Well, at least leg space is not an issue - I'm quite the optimist)

And the movie turned out to be a surprising entertainer. I guess it helps when expectations are low (or non-existent).

Matthew M as the former Navy-guy-turned-private-artifact-hunting-sea-diver is cool and Penelope Cruz playing the WHO doctor in Africa is understatedly hot. But for me, the Oscar for comic timing goes to Steve Zahn. This guy justs let it rip with his one liners (more like two-worders) and characeristic "Hi, how are ya?"

Visuals are good, the Niger river looks breathtaking and the action-and-escape sequences have a Bollywood-ish touch to them. Was wondering as I walked out - I wouldn't have enjoyed the same stuff in a Hindi flick! Perhaps it has to do with the slickness of the cinematography and editing. Enjoyed Musafir for the same reason - trashy movie otherwise as far as content went.

Like always, saw quite a few trailers of in before the screening started. Love that bit of a movie theatre experience. More on that later

He's Good

Why can't people evaluate Abhishek Bachchan for the way he performs on screen? Why does Bachchan Sr have to creep into every comparison? The last few AB Jr movies I've caught have been real crackers - and Abhishek's perforance has been real good!

I refer to Dhoom, Bunty Aur Babli and Sarkar (missed out on Yuva and thankfully on Naach as well)

Incidentally, Abhishek Bachchan comes out tops in yet another role that sees him sporting a beard. Enjoyed him in Refugee way back in 2000.

Now waiting to catch Dus.

A bit on Sarkar. It was great that RGV dedicated this attempt to The Godfather at the very outset. He has this way of doing these things (remember that autorickshaw driver in Mast?). Abhishek is intense, there is minimal verbalising on his part. For that matter, the film dwells little on Big B's character that the title alludes to. There are other characters, incidents that bring out the power carried by Subhash Nagre. No songs, well done background score. Well worth the money (my first experience at Cinema Europa, Gurgaon. Yay!)

I Feel Privileged...

...to have railway-ed these stretches:

Delhi-Dehra Dun: The wisps of fog in the bleak winter sun as the Shatabdi tears across the plains of Western UP are an unforgettable sight. But the best part is the home stretch into the Doon valley post Haridwar. The track actually cuts across dense jungle that is a part of the Rajaji National Park and there is an upper limit to the speed for the sake of the elephants that may wander onto them. Pitifully, many a beast has lost it's life on these very tracks.

Konkan Railway: One cannot affort to sleep on this ride. The best train perhaps is the Delhi-Trivandrum Rajdhani as it traverses the entire stretch in broad daylight. The western Ghats are mesmerising as the train snakes in and out of HUGE tunnels and crosses bridges that are amazing feats of structural engineering. The best of them all is the span across the Zuari in Goa. The most picturesque station is Ratnagiri (can't find words to describe it). And after Goa, the sea plays a tantalising game of hide and seek with you. Beautiful.

Ratlam-Baroda: Picturesque. The hills look as if a gigantic hand has etched lovely designs on them. The terrain forces the tracks to take big, loopy curves enabling one to get a full view of the entire train as it cuts across the landscape.

Mumbai-Pune: Need I say more. I've been lucky enough to have traversed this one in the monsoon. It's the expressway that hogs most media coverage but it's not a patch on the rail stretch. Not by a long distance.

Delhi-Kurukshetra: Pure nostalgia. I can still rattle off names of more than half the stations that the EMU halts at.

Churchgate-Andheri: Nothing great, one would think. But at 6:30 p.m. On a working day. In a Virar fast local. Believe me, it's worth writing home about. (Ok, on a blog at least!)

The Metros: Both Delhi and Calcutta. Spanking. Delhi scores hgher due to the amazing views of the cityscape on the elevated section.


Food not to be missed:

• Chilled Rabdi at Abu Road.
• Piping hot Bhajjiyas for breakfast at Godhra
• Masala Chai anywhere in Maharashtra or Gujarat
• Chholey Bhature at Mathura
• Rajma Chawal at Jammu

Yummmmmyyyy!!!

Cant wait to pack my bags for:

• Delhi-Udhampur (and a few years from now, Srinagar)
• Any hill railway (I can't believe I've missed all of 'em - an ultra-short ride on the Nilgiri one notwithstanding)
• Konkan (again!!)
• Palace on Wheels (yeah, I wish!)

I wonder if anyone noticed two songs in recent releases (Dhadak Dhadak, Bunty Aur Babli and Kasto Mazza, Parineeta) didn't just feature trains extensively in the visuals, but the chugging and clatter on the tracks forms an integral part of the rhythm. Awesome.

Noida

Finally broke the PVR/DT mould and hit Noida for an evening out yesterday.
Wave is good.
Will now seek to break the psychological barrier and go there more often.
I'd say Gurgaon and Noida are equidistant from my place but Noida just seems farther off!

Mr and Mrs Smith.
All about Chemistry.
And Angelina Jolie.
And Brad Pitt's irrepresible one-liner deliveries. (Best one comes at the very end: "Ask the sex question again!")
And Angelina Jolie.
And about slick effects.
And Angelina Jolie.
About a climax sequence that's choreographed to (what sounded like) Latin American music.
And Angelina Jolie.
(I think I've conveyed my point!)

Dinner: Lavanya
(Once vaguely knew someone by that name. Will check out the meaning.)
Standard North Indian fare.
Yummy.
Service could've been quicker though.
Waiting for roti with food on plate is not very pleasant.

All for now...

It ain't THAT bad!

This is in defence of Bunty Aur Babli. All those critics gunning for Shaad Ali Sahgal's head should take a hike.

The lead couple looks good. Abhishek Bacchhan's UPite accent comes across as natural and Rani Mukerji portrays a convincing sardarni. The cons are refreshing (even though predictable at times). The songs seem very out of place but once they start, each one comes across as hummable. The rap number in the end is downright hilarious. The background score with all the 'appropriate' numbers from the 70s gives a sorta funny-funny feeling even when words or antics of the protagonists aren't there.

Sheesh, it's a Bollywood film for cryin' out loud. Give it a break. Everything's relative - and you'll have to agree B'n'B has been better than a lot of flicks thus far in 2005.

The crappy coverage this one is generating is just beyond me.

Undoubtedly the funniest moment from the flick -
Rani M: "Agar maine ek martaban aam ka achaar aur daala, main mar jaoongi!"

Close second -
Rani M: "Oye Rakesh, just married!!"

Can't wait to see it a second time!