P'l'AY and PARK

A decade ago, when I was in ‘teens’
There was a ground with barren scenes.

Sunday was the day, we children would play
Cricket and football made up the day.

April, May, June was the season prime
No time for lunch, no time to dine.

Out of our teens, we friends were thrown out of the ground
The space was now used for parking the wheels round

Once a park, now it has an ‘ing’
The thought to me is very disturbing.

My childhood is gone, my childhood is done
But what about the generations next to come?

Where will they fall!, where will they rise!,
Where will they fight!, where will they play!
The space once meant for this now has status to display!

The worst poem ever!

Guessing...
The rhythm of today is ever so stange
For a city like Mumbai it is completely out of range.

Autos,buses,cars are less to be seen
I guess to Braboune the people have been

Yes, it's a Friday,but empty roads here are anyday strange
I guess, Mumbai has halted to see 'Sehwag carnage'

Carnage was not to be, Sehwag was dismissed early,
The city was back and it looked like daily, the hustle and bustle you could see clearly.

In the evening I went out to shop,
to a market so crowded it is difficult to hop.
Today, for a change, I could see empty ground
Autos and pedestrains were seen turning around.

I got down the auto and walked down the lane
A cop hushed me away using his cane

How strange it feels, how strange it looks
A market always crowded bearing an empty look

"May be there was accident"
"No there was firing"
Thats what I heard other passers murmuring.

I rushed back home and put the TV on
"It must be on news" I was wondering
But that case was not to be
What had happned I keep guessing!


Regards
Pratik

BRAVO!!!

At the end of day one of the third test match between India and Sri Lanka, being played at (CCI) Mumbai, Sri Lanka was 366/8. Just discussing the match with a friend on G Talk I remember mentioning that too many runs were given away by India in the day though they did well to pick up 8 wickets. What was etched in my mind was a game played in Mumbai, though it was at Wankhede Stadium, between India and Australia. Australia failed to chase down 100 odd runs. The villain was the pitch where the ball turned square. Why I was reminded of that match because yesterday too the ball was turning a lot. Imagine that too on the 1st day of a match. The thought of India chasing down a total batting 4th and opposition having a spinner of the caliber of Murlitharan, I thought the damage was already done.

Come day 2. What happened was something unimaginable. A man called Virender Sehwag went berserk and smashed 280 odd runs in a day alone. Gambhir’s replacement Murli Vijay and Dravid gave him good company and India piled on 440 runs in a day where the full quota of 90 overs wasn’t bowled and good 5 overs were used up by Sri Lankan batsmen. Just imagine a plight of opposition which has put on close to 400 runs in their innings. The same day the total is wiped off and they have already conceded 50 run lead to the opposition and what’s worse they still have 9 wickets to take which includes the highest run getter in the history of world cricket who is still waiting for his turn to bat. The bowler, or magician should I say, who has close to 800 test wickets in his kitty, went for more than hundred runs in just 20 overs without bowling a maiden over.

It was not the amount of runs that gladdened me. It was the authority in which Mr Sehwag got these runs that was striking. Its quite surprising that a batsman who was almost written off by the experts as a test opener because of ‘lack of technique’ has already had 2 triple centuries (next to Sir Bradman and Brain Lara) and has 6 double hundreds which is highest by an Indian (a team which boasts of players like Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Dravid and the list goes on). And out of 17 centuries that he has amassed in 72 tests he has 12 scores which are more than 150! And all this at a career strike rate of more than 80.

Sehwag has had a very refreshing approach to his batting and has won us tests out of nowhere. The kind of starts he has given along with Gambhir in the last 18 months or so has been just outstanding. Remember the match against England last year in Chennai where India was chasing 387 to win with nearly 110 overs to bat. The safe bet would have been a draw. India would have scrapped through without conceding a match to the opposition. What did Sehwag do? He cleaned up 100 of those runs by the end of 4th day so India remaining with 287 to get on the last day with all wickets in hand and thus having a realistic chance of winning the match. He has done that again, this time in Mumbai. Match has 3 days to go. Anything is possible. But from yesterday to today there is one big difference. Sri Lanka was in front yesterday but from now on India look the favourites. Looks like Sri Lanka would have to wait few more years to get a test win in India and looks like India is all set to be the Rank 1 team in ICC Test rankings for the first time. Kudos! Team India! Kudos! Sehwag!

POINT OF VIEW 2

With a person of Aamir Khan's stature being involved in a film you expect the cinema to be something totally refreshing. TZP and Jaane Tu..were two movies he offered in the past 6 months. Though not producing this time hes seen in much awaited and much hyped GHAJANI. But sadly, this one according to me, cannot be named in the same league as TZP. Both the films are as different as chalk and cheese but still TZP was almost flawless. But Ghajani comes with its share of detterents as well. Firstly the plusses of the film would definately be Aamir. He uses his eyes brilliantly. His physique is sure to impress all. His acting phenomenal. See him in the scene where he breaks down in the hospital in front of Jiah Khan. Asin is another winner in the film. Her performance is commendable. Music is classy as you expect with AR Rehman. Now for the minusses- the main pillars on which you develop a great cinema i.e the story/screenplay and the editing are let down on occassions.There are portions where the writing is fantastic but there are more places where it is a letdown. Certain parts of the screenplay look too unbelievable and illogical. There was a scope to cut down the length of the film from 3 hrs to more efficient 2 hour plus. The Aamir- Asin track goes on for much too longer than necessary. Coming back to the screenplay the character of Jiah Khan is the weakest link of the story.

In all an all the film is good for a watch neither worth 4.5 rating as given by some critcs neither deserves just a 2. The rating would be somewhere around 3.

POINT OF VIEW

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the latest offering by YRF. And I feel the effort is not too bad. It is certainly not DDLJ, but a DDLJ comes once in a lifetime. What was missing in the film was a concinving plotline. Plus the screenplay is filled with all the tried and tested bollywood tricks most of the key points in the story do not spring out any surprise. But at the same time what is striking is the chemistry between SRK and Anushka. There are certain scenes that you just cannot help but enjoy. Note the paani puri sequence, the climax sequence to list a few. The music of the film is ok apart from the special appearence combo package song that drags! Performance wise Viany Pathak is a name you cannot miss mentioning. He lands beautiful support.

What I think eventually is that even if its not DDLJ its not JBJ or Neal and Nikki either. This one is a much comfortable and deserves to be watched once!

Disrupted Connection!

Film: Kismat Konnection

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Om Puri,Juhi Chawla, Vishal Malhotra

Director: Aziz Mirza

Banner: Tips Films

Date of Release: 18/7/08

Approx Runtime: 2 and half hours

Rating: **1/2 (2.5/5)



REVIEW

This film has some portions which are excellent and others which leave a lot to be desired. This is a film probably not bringing to the celluloid its true potential.


The story though is not the freshest. It revloves around a young all rounder but unemployed Raj Malhotra (Shahid). The entire college felt that he was the most outstanding student of the batch. But when it came to earning his living the kismat had been dodging him and his freind Hiten (Vishal) for the past five years. Then comes in the lucky charm of Raj's life. No points to guess it is Priya (Vidya). Things start happening for Raj but at the cost of holding back some secrets from Priya which creates complications later. But in the end all is well!


What works for the film is that most of the characters are well etched out. Raj and Priya's track is well written. The only speed breaker in the track are too many songs most of which are un called for. The other major track between Om Puri and Shahid Kapoor is also well executed. But the character of trouble maker 'Dev' though starts off well comes to a very inconsequential end. This character deserved better.


The plot where the film doesnot work according to me is the introduction of Mr Batra (Boman Irani Sp. App) comes out of nowhere. It makes everything happening in the climax look very filmy. And also there are various sub plots where the film turns very predictable and thats where it loses its fizz!! Especially in the second half where it turns out to be like a routine bollywood film.

Performance wise Shahid is brilliant. A few times it seems that he is trying to do SRK, but overall he is brilliant. His comic timing is worth applaud. Also Vishal Malhotra shows his potential once again. He plays his part perfectly well. It is also because of his wonderful support the comedy comes out well. Om Puri is excellent, Juhi Chawla does wonderfully well in the cameo. Vidya Balan carries her character with ease. The person who plays Dev does perfect justice to his role.


Direction can be called above average, especially after Mr Mirza has made films like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. Script could have been better. And i definately have my strong oppositon against naming the leads pair as Raj Malhotra and Priya. Music is ok. Ba Khuda is the only song that one takes away home after the show. It is brillaintly fresh! But rest all songs do not work in the film. The film keeps on losing pace after the initial half an hour. There was a scope for a lot of tweaking.
On the whole the film is good in parts. Thats why disrupted connection!!

JAANE TU...

Film: Jaane Tu.. Yaa Jaane Naa

Dir: Abbas Tyrewaala

Banner: Aamir Khan Prod

Length: 150 mins approx

Date of Release: 4th July 2008

Featuring: Imran, Genelia, Ratna Pathak Shah.....

Rating: **** (4/5)

REVIEW

The story of the movie is not a rocket science for any average bollywood fan. Jaane Tu revolves around a group of friends and more importantly two best of friends played by Imran and Genelia. These two are the bestest of friends and are so attached to each other that the entire group thinks they are in love. But they deny it. The later part of the story deals with the realisation of love for each other and leads into a typical masala climax. Doesnot sound new!! But what makes the idea really work is the desired treatment and the execution of it.

The narrative of the film resembles SRK starrer Chalte Chalte. CC had a group discussing the love story of SRK and Rani. Here the story is similar where they are discussing Imran and Genelia. The climax at the airport is also similar to Chalte Chalte. What makes Jaane Tu work are witty dialouges, great performances and great music. The characters are very real. Pick up any track and there is so much of life injected into it. There are a lot of sequences you remember. Be it the condolence meeting sequence, be it the parents mistaking that the two want to get married, or the sequence in the pub where Aditi (Genelia) tries to find a girl for Jai (Imran) you pick up any track or any sequence you enjoy it.

The director, Abbas Tyrewala is the winner. He handles the story perfectly well. You remember almost all characters be it Aditi, Jai, Rotdu, Jignes. Camera work is top notch. Music is brilliant. Songs are very imaginatively placed. Especially the situation of 'Kabhi Kabhi' almost made me fall out of the seat. I always thought that maybe 'Aditi' had broken up with someone or lost someone really precious. But what happended and also the way her friends console her is

amusing. The romanctic track in the second half is superb.

Performance wise, Imran and Genelia stand out. Both suit the characters to the T. The actors acting out their friends do more than justice to the role. Prateik Babbar as Genelia's brother in the film is superb. Ditto for Ratna Pathak. Nasseruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Arbas Khan, Sohail Khan and Murli Sharma leave their mark in the cameos.

But to sum it up the film belongs to Abbas Tyrewala.