I like the old DD

I am all in for globalization, I do get to see stuff like PB,Lost,Bones,Chuck but I seriously wish DD was back to its old form.I liked it!
I remember a fine saturday afternoon where I was trying desperately to get out of an extra class,again.This one was however memorable because the reason I gave was-Dad,I want to watch that Bengali Subtitle film.And parents actually considered it.Unfortunately I can't recollect the name but it was a Suchitra Sen flick.
Thanks to DD's National Awards winning films slot ,i ended watching awesome-I mean awesome-Movies from Bengali,Malayam,Marathi and even Assamese (Raag Biraag)
But then again,DD wasn't just into reginal flicks.There was this one night I was detained in my room because my parents were watching a PG movie-The Silence of the Lambs*.Yes ,it was on DD.
Talking of international,my first brush with Bryan Adams was also courtesy of DD's hour long special.

Its highly unfortunate that DD has to be scrapped to pave way for these unbelievably dumb tv series that airs nowadays.Here are few stuff that DD churned out

• Bharat Ek Khoj-It was shot so beautifully too!
• Tamas- Heart Wrenching!!!!! (Tamas and Gram Hawa are the best of the lot about partition)
• Mirza Ghalib - Such a fine potrayal
• Surabhi - Common,we all knew how good they were
• I forgot the name of the weekly science show
• Adaptations of various acclaimed novels like-Veyi padagalu (Hazaar Pan),Chekov's short stories
• Byomkesh Bakshi -The charming Rajat
• Dekh Bhai Dekh was rofl stuff
• I am pretty sure I am forgotting good stuff starring likes of Pankaj Kapoor,Raghuvir Yadav,Zohra Sehgal,Mita Vashisth

Now I look at all the 50 odd channels available to me and don't see a single show measuring up to these! Its highly unfortunate .

Few things I associate the 90's with
Mile Sur mera Tumhara
Hamara Bajaj
Rashtriya Sakhsharata Mission
Ek Chidiya


*I took me another 6 years to finally watch the movie.I went and hugged my dad for not letting me watch as a kid,i would have named my boogeyman as Lecter.

World Movies

Never in my life i thought i would be indebted to some media house but then plans of men and mice!!In come UTV with its assortment of movies needing subtitles and i seldom need the assistance of remote off late...hail the reading channel-UTV world movies...some of the amazing movies on air ,i recommend are
Heaven (Eng/French)-Directed by the legendary Kiewslowski,starting Cate Blanchett and that kid bro from 'gone in 60 seconds',this is one movie that brings together the visual sense and story together,beautifully

NOBODYs Perfect-Spanish-Comedy-A story of 3 handicap friends over on nite of fun


Monday-Japanese,2000-Black comedy-Rating 4.5/5....thats how good it is


A short film about Love:An interesting take on love


Three colors:BLUE,WHITE,RED:One of my favorite trilogy is on air,it always advisable to watch them in that order-you won't regret it


PS-All of them can be googled or on imdb..have fun

Great new series-DAMAGES

Show:Damages
Genre:legal Drama/dark psychological thriller
Channel: AXN-Thursdays 11pm;season 1
Cast:Glenn Close(Patty Hewes), Rose Byrne (Ellen Parson),Ted Danson(Arthur Frobisher)
Tag Line:Trust no one

Trivia:-Its a mini series,13 episodes-high adrenalin rush.
Golden Globes - Best Actress Drama Series - Glenn Close
Australian Film Institute - International Award for Best Actress - Rose Byrne
Writers Guild of America - Best New Series

USP:The show is set in the legal world of mass action suits-litigations,hence the "Damages" As the show proceeds we realize exactly not to trust anyone because each is pushing his own agenda forward.Usually that shouldn't be interesting,but since the stakes include billions and bloated ego of powerful men(and women),its really damaging!

Story:The whole series runs in two timelines.One where a bloody Ellen is running through the early morning streets of Manhattan,bloody and half-naked;only to be arrested from her apartment where her fiance(David) is found murdered-violently
The other time line is where fresh out of school Ellen rejects a good paycheck to take an interview with Hewes and Associates-for which her mentor of sorts takes her autograph and writes above it (consider myself warned)
The show proceeds to see how the mind games are played to Win,which ultimately leads to Ellen being charged with the murder of the moon she was madly in love with in the beginning!

Review:The first episode was 55 minute nail biting episode with no advertisement breaks! The pace continues.The characters fall into the grey area,Patty's character has a Machiavellian feel to it-a immense need to control nd manipulate thats frankly,sinisterThe fun part is when we try to figure out who is speaking truth and who is backstabbing whom..its awesome,the kind of mind games and manipulations the story brings up amazes you.A definite lie as easily detectable as a truth,but when lies and truths are mixed and told-thats where the real puzzle is!
Glenn Close totally excels as the ruthless Patty Hewes. Rose Byrne (Anger in Placid lake,Troy,Just Buried)slowly grows on you,transforming from decent person to someone forced to fight tooth and nail to survive.

Word of advice-Be agile enough to catch up with multiple twists,otherwise you might feel its a lot confusing and pointless

Is this story well?

I read Kite Runner some time back,loved the narrative element of the novel but laughed to death at the accommodating ending.Its sad to see a book hold so much promise and then fall into the clutches of cliched easy-way-out plot.I do wish the writer didn't bargain a reality for closure.sad.

Makes me wonder if bestsellers often play out on the miserable elements of life to gather fan base rather than portray the whole scenario.Its like all things happy are not desirable when playing on roots and ethnic characters.I am not sure i can say a "God of small things" or any other flavored book is an fair insight.There is something about the success of tragedy that makes people hold it as a more true account of the state of affairs, thats tragedy enough!Few Romanians were complaining on imdb forum how the movie - 4 Months,3 Weeks and 2 Days-gave a crooked account of the current situation.I have to agree that the creative individuals are falling prey to a new form of conformism,they find focusing on the dirt specific to a society increasing its authenticity and ethnicity.It just makes me feel they aren't putting the effort to see beyond the bling bling tragedies! I might be completely out of line here,but i am a little confused global viewer-the news channels have agendas and the movies or books are letting us down.May be we need to be shown better understanding of WHY they exist or HOW it can be changed rather than just reporting the tragic heart wrenching stories.Conformism ,which isn't the primary motive ,is hard to be pointed out.

There was a discussion earlier on a forum as whether to call Oscar Wilde a "free thinker" or not. Just completed "Picture of Dorian Gray",Oscar Wilde's only novel.On the face of it the book seems to be rebellious with its homosexual undertones and pursuit of senses,but the cynic in me wonders whether disguising the sexual implications was an act of conformism by Wilde! Then again i can't make a stand unless we weigh this in relation to the society during Mr.Wilde's time,because he might have broken a taboo for those times!All this discussion leads to the ultimate question on the definition of free thinker and conformist.How much importance should be attached to these labels to begin with? Granted that our societies are imperfect,to say the less, and a man should apply his discretion in his actions.There is this speck of good in the society and does conforming to those aspects be tabooed by the radicals?May be thats where a free thinkers part ways with the radicals and rebels of the world!

Atlas Srugged -the movie

Ayn Rand's book is once again being attempted to be made into a motion picture!
If anyone has read the book,irrespective of one liking it or hating it (Somehow her work always seems to attract the extremes) one can reach an agreement that this isn't a book that can be easily adapted.Besides the length of the book and the evident monologues that are integral of the philosophy,the challenge is going to be making people view world the way the protagonists saw it.I really don't think how the awe of the steel factory working in the night or the torch of oil burning at the end of the railway track ,can be captured visually!

Considering the fact that Atlas Shrugged was the first book of Rand I read and at an impressionable age,I am a little biased towards the subject. I was filled with awe,wonder and a sense of mystique at the way Dagny looked at the rails or Rearden at his Steel.Some People eh!

THE Movie
Vadim Perelman would be directing the movie. Considering he had experience with adaptations with his "House of Sand and Fog" (Which didn't bring disgrace to the original novel!),I am beginning to believe,this just might work!

Angelina Jolie is going to play Dagny Taggart, but considering its too early in production,it might change.
*I am glad that Ms.Jolie also feels that this is one those rare books that if not made right shouldn't be made at all!
The Important Question
Who is John Galt?

So who would play the leader that would sweep everyone away?
As of now i can't think of a single name that could play him (Or Reardon for that matter).I am sure the Professionals would come up with good names though!

Movie crap alert!

Just watched the promo of a new Eros movie- Sunday
For the first few seconds it felt like a worthy rental ,boom!, i realized it a remake,not of a flashy Hollywood but a Telugu film! If you watch Telugu films you probably would have heard of Anukokunda Oka Roju- a personal favorite of mine. It was a well made (i mean really well made) thriller with a good sense of humor! All the characters thankfully possess the minimum level of common sense that uplifts them from moron ground. I am pretty sure the remake would be a mockery of all the good aspects of the film..yikes!

Anyway here are few spoilers taht won't spoil the fun :P
Ayesha Takia - Lead Protagonist (Charmee's role)
Ajay Devgan - The usual real life cop (Jagapathi)
*EDIT Arshad- the taxi driver (The dude from Aithe)
Tusshar-May be one of the friends of Ayesha from the buliding
Irfan Khan - Guessing is the nautanki wala (we loved him rite!)

Special song Isha Deol my guess is for the version of I wanna sing


PS- Its a audio- visual massacre i would love to spare myself of!
I remember watching a "children's movie" named sunday as a kid...all i remember is the kid travels to weird places in a sunday and eggs sunnyside up!

Book review!

Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson

This 150 odd pages book starts off by describing how the writer first got acquainted with the B n B ,pretty much the same way i came across the book personally - "If you get there,it will be in your own time and way".

The twins Hector and Virgil run this place where "reading will not be a possible distraction or subsidiary activity but the entire thrust of my excursion".The whole book has 4-5 pages of stories from the lives of the twins and the boarders told with quirky humor. The subject can vary from the love of the life to the household cat!(Thankfully :mg:). The theme of books and good reads does play out in the background in a pleasant fashion,to my liking. The whole style of tasteful humor,not-over the top nor deliberate, used to tell short tales is addictive. You start identifying with the scene or wondering about the persons involved, over the due course their thoughts grow over you. Its like those conversation over cup of tea,munching muffins,taking break from the chores of the world...delightful,pleasant and a welcome change!

My first acquaintance of a B and B was formed by the Gilmore Girls ,i thought the experiences usually involve overtly flowery rooms,uneasy prodding into personal life by over friendly boarders,nature watching activities and muffin baking!I am happy this book presented the other hopeful face of B and B.(Though i still consider Lorelai's opinion in most matters)
I would definitely call it a good read and as my well-informed cover informs me,it had been awarded the Stephen Leacock Award for Humor..so its official :D
check out the extract ,it will be worth the effort(the only one i found readily available on net-to avoid pain of typing :P)


PS- I can't believe i got a perfectly good original copy of the book for as low as 10 rupees in the used books market...i also got the nanny diaries for 20 bucks!!(My first chiclit!)

The Dark knight

The cast is finalized, the posters are out,the debates have begun!! Lets join in the fun!*

Being a Batman fan, i must say i was delighted when Bale was scheduled to play the part.He fit the part of troubled Bruce Wayne perfectly in Batman Begins! And the movie itself was well made,true to its name,it told how it Began! the villains played their part just like the allies.I liked the touch where they didn't turn Rachel gal into love interest.All this success ensured i have credible expectations from the next in line.

Here is what we know
Heath Ledger is cast as Joker(hinted at the end of the first movie)
He is gonna be accompanied by Two Face,played by aaron eckhart
Katie Holmes wont be back as Rachel Dawes,its gonna be Maggie Gyllenhaal
Christopher Nolan,Morgan freeman,Michael Caine,Gary Oldman are back.


I have my doubts about Ledger, what can i say Jack act is tough to beat("Gentlemen,broaden our minds"-lol).My bet is he pull another Grim'm' performance...argh!..Tommy was crazy two face but i think Aaron might do something good(i rather hope)...coming to katie declining a pay increase ,ah well..she got the Tom bug (the expert on psychology) Maggie was great in Monalisa smiling,but somehow i don't prefer her as Rachel.

There are numerous speculation that Rachel's arc will end in hands of one of our new bad boys!(most say Dent).A fair shot i think,i actually like the idea too!Fits into the Dark Knight transformation!

I always wondered why they didn't call at least one movie dark knight in that whole Batman Movie franchise, since Nolan did it i am not going to complain about him *grins*Just keep the fingers crossed and hope Bale looks even more irresistible(he had great talent since he was just a kid in japan) and the movie fantabulous..amen to that


*One check out the still sand posters on warner bros site and google images!