"Marriages are made in heaven" -- Is it still true????

This week I was really wondering about some of my friends who are trying to persuade their parents to accept their boyfriends/girlfriends as their spouses and get them married...... and I wont say they are few.....

Count the number of teens/ young people who have chosen their life partner themselves, and compare it with the ones left behind... I think the count of the latter will be less. The reason behind this....??? Western Influence....? Liberalism ... ? Independency ...? Not sure what it is but this is for sure that the trend is changing.

Now I do not have any firm opinions about arrange marriages or love marriages ... and I wont be biased about any of these, but the reason for my being getting more into thick of things in this matter is just the reason on why this is happening. This was not the case a few years ago or may be when I was in my teens.

Nowadays if you ask somebody .... how is your gf/bf doing? The normal response... " Yea, he/she is missing me" ... but guys/gals like me who would say.." girlfriend....?? man I dont have a girlfriend..." and the response will be .....man you dont have a girlfriend......you suck man..."

It is kind of a status symbol to have a girlfriend/boyfriend. I know a lot of people will not agree with me but this is my take.

Life and Marriage are similar in many ways. For one, there are no guarantees in either. Second, there are no fixed rules for living a good life or a ‘making’ a good marriage that applies to all people. Then there’s the bit about both life and marriages throwing up surprises. Sometimes, real nasty ones.


I read some emails from different people in this newspaper article and I thought let me throw this to you all....

“Hi, I am from Bangalore and have been in love with a girl from Mysore for the last two years. She is a Punjabi and her parents are forcefully trying to marry her off to another man. I spoke to her father about letting us marry; he has refused and threatens murder. She is ready to leave her family and marry me but we are scared: What if her father kills us?”



“My parents have found a boy for me. I have not met him yet but have said yes. The wedding might take place in the next two months. There is too much pressure. I am 26, how long can I delay the inevitable?” she asked. One told her that while there was nothing wrong with an arranged marriage – we have umpteen examples of highly successful, happy arranged marriages around – agreeing to marry someone she had not even met seemed a bit drastic. “After having taken most of my ‘life’ decisions myself – and things blowing up in my face – perhaps I should let my parents decide for me? Perhaps they will make a better decision than me… No?”

Two faces of the same coin: On one hand, a case where the girl is ready to marry according to her parents wishes, hoping that in their infinite, adult wisdom, they would make the ‘right’ choice. On the other hand, a couple is scared for their lives because eerily enough, it’s parents who want to kill them.

Given ideal situations and not in cases where the parents are the predators, one cannot help but agree to the belief that when the world is against you, your parents are the biggest support you can find.

However, are parents ALWAYS right? Given that parents too are human beings, is there a chance they too could be wrong or make the wrong decision(s)… Particularly when it comes to choosing a life-mate?

What if everything is suitable between two people and they belong to different castes? WHY should parents oppose such an alliance? What makes more sense: Parents forcing their children to marry within their caste where the children will be unhappy or parents supporting it when their children do make an earnest choice that will make them happy?

The following is an email written by a not-so-young lady doing her PhD in the US.

“I am an Indian girl from the middle class family. My parents are highly educated and ours is a happy family. I’m currently doing my post graduation in one of top 20 universities in the US. My parents have also been liberal in giving us all the freedom we want, even told us we could choose our own partners provided s/he belongs to the same caste as ours. After coming to USA, I happened to meet someone whose interests totally match mine and am confident we can make a great life together. We are in the same field, he is also highly educated and is about to complete his PhD. We both hope to start our own research company once our education is over. His parents are also highly educated and support our alliance. However, since my parents have always had their stance on caste very clear, I don’t think they will agree. While I can support myself if I were to walk out and marry, I am worried about my parents: What will happen to them? They worked hard, educated us, it’s not fault of theirs that I have fallen for someone who is not from our caste. I love them so much and respect them a lot. Till now every thing in my life has gone well. But now I am scared of my parents. Even if they agree, our relatives and society – we are highly caste-oriented – will criticize my parents. Are parents wrong or their children wrong? And yet, I know I am doing nothing wrong.”

Indian Girl seems neither a flighty teenager nor immature. After careful consideration, she has taken a mature decision to marry a man she considers she will be happy with. While he meets all other criterion of being a desirable match for her, the only ‘glitch’ is that he is not of the same caste. Does that make him a bad match or a bad choice?

When parents oppose your choice of spouse, it is never an easy decision; and sometimes it is not possible to keep all parties happy. In such times, it is important to know and answer: Is your decision a sensible one and will you be happy? Often taking a decision based on personal happiness is deemed ‘selfish’, however one needs to remember that till the time you are not happy, you cannot make others happy. Will Indian Girl’s parents be happier if she were to marry someone from the same caste and spend an unhappy married life?

Indian Girl makes it clear in her email that she will be happy with the man she has chosen. Conversely, she might lead an unhappy life if she were to marry someone else. It is understandable that she also wants to keep her parents happy. Getting nervous will not help matters, clear conversation might. Perhaps her parents will come around, perhaps they won’t.

Since caste is the only ‘barrier’ here, one would suggest that Indian Girl should have an honest, heart-to-heart conversation with her parents and tell them clearly and politely that she sees her happiness with this man. As for “what society will think”: Will the same society stand by her and support her IF tomorrow she marries someone from her caste and is unhappy? It will not. However, since her parents love her and so does she, the right thing to do is explain her point of view, make them meet the boy and then ensure she does what she feels is RIGHT for herself and the man who loves her.

Happy Valentine's Day....

Here Comes The Day Again Which Is Not Mine,
As I Dont Have Any Valentine.
Things Happened In The Past Which Are Not Fine.
Rainy Days For Me Even When The Sun Shine.
No Girl To Propose,
No Aroma Of Rose,
No Chance For My Bike To Give Lift,
No Special Person To Give Gift.
No Miss Is There To Miss
No Experience Of A Kiss.
No Dinner In The Moon Light.
No Chance To Have The Day Bright.
Even Though I Dont Fall In Love
I Will Always Bow To Love.
Wishing Great Time To Ppl Who Are In Love
Happy Valentines Day ...

"HALLA BOL" -- movie review

At last I got a chance to watch a hindi movie in the theatres after a while....

So there am I again with a movie review...This time it is HALLA BOL... the words didnt make sense to me when I first heard but will always ping my mind when somebody ever says that.....

Another Raj Kumar Santoshi movie...that motivates the so called "Aam Janata" . Do you remember NAYAK???? Something similar...but this is a message to all the rich, the poor and the common man....

Do you remember street plays......no wonder you will find street plays around in big cities these days......

The man to watch for in this movie is not Ajay Devgan, but it is the theatre guru " Pankaj kapoor " (remember Karamchand??). Playing the former dacoit ("Daku") of Chambal -- "Siddhu". he is the guru of a big super star -- Sameer Khan (Ajay Devgan). He is out of chambal and now into street plays enlighting people to fight against the corrupt government and politicians.

In a page 3 party two sons of hightly rated businessmen/politicians kill a girl and nobody testifies not to get into trouble and every celebrity fears to testify against the criminals. Ajay Devgan was also one of them.

But someday he happens to realise that he needs to fight and he single handedly tries to testify and fights against the hurdles.

I think the story lineup is great. Acting point of view I really like Pankaj Kapoor (especially the moment when he tries to save a girl and a scene similar to Sunny Deol in Gadar and Damini).

But the only thing I think is the flaw in this movie is the screenplay. I thought there could be a lot at the end instead of some things that are understood in the beginning. For example when the culprits are testified against their crime.

The story reminds me of the "Jessica Lal Murder Case". Hope this movie enlightens the general public and make people feel that if they remain united they could fight against the corrupt administration of the country.

Enjoy the movie....

India - Australia Racial Controversy

Dick Francis, once a jockey for the late Queen Mother’s horses, found a second career post retirement as a mystery writer whose stories explored the darker side of racing. The time is ripe for a former cricketer to do the same.

The year is barely a week old and we’re already headlong into a fresh cricketing scandal. This time around it’s a race row between India and Australia – with an Australian cricketer alleging he was racially abused by an Indian player. Ah, sports in the global village. You gotta love it.

It all started way back when (alright, two and a half months ago) when Australia were touring India. A bunch of spectators in Vadodara marked Andrew Symonds, an Australian player of West Indian and British descent who was born in England, as the “enemy” thanks to his on-field clashes with Indian hotheads Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh - two players least likely to take it like proper Indians - and began baiting him in the presence of a South African journalist.

Said journalist was more than a little taken aback when the Indian spectators around him began imitating monkeys. He asked one guy close to him what he thought he was doing. “He looks like a monkey,” the man apparently said. There are two ways to take this comment: one, he was alluding to the fact that Symonds was “black” and that he thought black people are less than human; two, he thought Symonds, literally, looked like a monkey.

The first would clearly be an example of racism. The second would have been his opinion. We don’t know which it was. But either way, it wasn’t very nice. If it was a racist comment then it was despicable and I hope he felt it burn when Symonds went on smash the ball all over the place. If it was his idea of a clever bit of namecalling, I hope he’s sitting at home watching the current drama play out on TV and coming to the realization that wit is not his forte.

The South African journalist later asked a member of the Australian press contingent if Symonds had mentioned the incident to him. The Australian said no and asked Symonds about it. Symonds appeared to have forgotten all about it but when quizzed, replied yeah, he remembered something of the sort but didn’t make much of it.

Next up, Mumbai where a massive row broke out when a group of idiots were captured on camera, scratching their armpits and hollering and jumping about. If they were looking to make it onto TV screens, they got their wish and more. Symonds was reportedly very upset and charges of racism were made against the crowd. Everybody fell over themselves excusing / castigating those men in the crowd who were eventually arrested but then released.

The best explanation, without doubt, was the one offered by one BCCI official that the monkey was sacred in Hinduism and thus the crowd was praying to Hanuman. That’s right – the sight of Symonds on the field brought out intense religious fervor in Indian cricket fans. And they invariably pray by yelling “monkey” and scratching their armpits. Ladies and gentlemen, a pause for applause here for the Board of Control for Cricket in India. They never disappoint.

In the middle of all this, Indian bowler Harbhajan Singh apparently tried his hand at sledging and ended up calling Symonds a monkey. After the match was over, Symonds came over to the dressing room and gave Harbhajan a short lesson on racism. Calling someone a monkey, where Symonds came from, meant that person was sub-human, an inferior breed. A charge that Australians are especially sensitive to because this attitude informed (white) Australian attitudes towards the Aborigines for years. Harbhajan, much contrite, said he’d had no idea and would never do it again.

Australia won that series in India and two and half months later, the Indians showed up in Australia for a rematch. The first test ended in a defeat for the visitors but the second test proved to be a real fight and the visitors put on a good show in spite of what seem to be rather more frequent umpiring errors than usual. (Understatement: it’s an art.) Then came The Incident.

Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan were at bat. Brett Lee was bowling. Harbhajan hit a delivery and ran down wicket for a run and along the way hit/patted Lee’s backside with his bat. Maybe this is how people express their affection in Jalandar or perhaps he felt he hadn’t hit the ball hard enough and therefore needed to hit the bowler as well to show the strength of his arm – hell, maybe it was the cricketing version of what basketball players do with their hands. Who knows what he was thinking? Harbhajan hasn’t yet explained and Lee has been absolutely mum on the subject. But Symonds got an eyeful of this and, perhaps because he enjoyed needling Harbhajan, decided to stick up for his teammate. So he and Harbhajan exchanged a few words.

And according to Symonds, this is when Harbhajan called him a monkey. Again. And not just any monkey but a “big monkey”.

I’ve heard a lot of people, by which I mean Indians, talk about how “monkey” is not a term of racial abuse in India and so Harbhajan never meant it like that. And as far as that goes, while “monkey” is definitely not a term of endearment (well, okay it can be but I don’t think that’s how they’d use sledging or having an altercation), they’re right – Indians don’t use it in the sense that Westerners do. However, if Harbhajan did use the term in Sydney, he did so after being informed of the connotations that the term carries in Australia – and as such he deserves condemnation.

The key question though, is did he use the term?

Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds say he did. Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh himself say he didn’t. The umpires didn’t hear anything and the stump mics didn’t pick anything up. So it basically comes down to whose word do you believe?

Mike Proctor, the South African match referee, decided the Australians had it right in this instance. He said as a South African, he recognized a racist attack when he saw it and it was quite clear to him that Harbhajan had not only said it but that he meant it as a racial slur. Since Proctor is so well versed in racism, then he might also understand the point that many Indian fans are making today: black man, known for sledging, accuses brown man, known for temper, of racism -> brown man denies it -> umpires don’t hear it, stump mics don’t pick it up -> another brown man says he was right there and he didn’t hear it -> two white men say they heard it loud and clear -> white man says he believes the white men.

The character of gentlemen should give everybody involved the benefit of the doubt in this instance. Just as we don’t want to believe that Tendulkar flat out lied to protect his teammate and that Harbhajan said that term/ meant it as a racial slur, we shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that this is some sort of orchestrated campaign by the Australians to bump an effective bowler off an opposing team. Given the lack of hard evidence, it could have been resolved on field as a matter between gentlemen. But it wasn’t (and some people would say it’s because the Aussies have proven themselves to be no gentlemen) and so here we are.

However, if Ricky Ponting actually believed such a incident had gone down, he was perfectly justified in doing what he did. A fact that nobody pointed out more strongly than Ponting himself. Racism isn’t acceptable just because the target is a white man (Symonds isn’t but there have been other examples in the past) and a white team has every right to report an incident if it feels justified.

But now that he’s taken this step, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out over the years given Australia’s propensity to sledge. Some people, like Peter Roebuck, have called for Ponting’s head (for his attitude as well as his actions) and indeed, Australia may well come to regret this incident, but in the years to come? I think Ponting did everybody a favor.

I suppose in the short time to come you’re going to see some amount of retaliatory action, just like some allege the Australians are doing right now, but now that race has come into the open as a factor in a sport as beloved as cricket, there is no way it can be swept under the carpet by fatcats like the BCCI.

And now that the top dog in international cricket has stepped forward to make use of race laws, it should open the floodgates for other teams. After all, if Australia the hardy world champions don’t think it’s whiny behavior to stand up against racial abuse, why should other teams feel shy? And now that words like “monkey” and “bastard” are deemed racially sensitive, look for sledging to subside because really, who knows what might be culturally sensitive? Thus we come full circle and decide that abuse is abuse, whatever we call it. If you want to call someone names, make sure it’s someone from your own team because that’s the only way to ensure that you’re not stepping over some invisible line.

Good for all of us. Hard luck for Harbhajan, though.

I was going through some blogs and found out that this was interesting and the author has written very nicely so I thought of including in my post.....well but I would really appreciate the authors comments on this....it was informative but funny...

The movie every American should watch.."Charlie Wilson's War"

Charlie's Wilson's War demonstrates how futile wars can be, especially to the very people who spend countless hours and finances to fund them. Well I would like to say that politics has never been so much fun.

Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) is a Texas congressman who is credited with almost single-handedly winning the Cold War. Hanging around plenty of drugs, women and drinks, he also takes an unexpected interest in the events in Afghanistan and the terrors of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Enlisting the help of Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) a renegade CIA covert mission expert and Joanne (Julia Roberts), a wealthy socialite, he raises money to provide Afghanistan with the rocket launchers and antitank weaponry they need to cause serious damage to Russian military. Eventually by the end of the 80s the Cold War would come to an end, and the funds would immediately be cut, thereby removing all help for the fledgling country to rebuild and recoup.

Defeating the Soviet Union was not an easy task, especially considering the many conflicting goals between the various political leaders. "Why is Congress saying one thing and doing nothing?" queries a disgruntled politician. "Tradition mostly", returns Wilson. Everyone appears to want the Cold War to end, yet a blind eye is being turned to the atrocities taking place in Afghanistan. It takes a trip to the war-torn refugee camps in Pakistan to motivate Wilson, as well as with his main financial source Doc Long (Ned Beatty). Wilson uses strategic ties with committees to raise funding of weaponry in Afghanistan from $5 million to $10 million with a simple command, but the president of Pakistan scoffs at the idea of winning a war for such a trivial amount. By the end of the Wilson campaign, $1 billion is sent to the Mujahedin to shoot down Russian helicopters - the first step toward victory, as Wilson predicted. Beyond the scope of the film, the unresolved turmoil in Afghanistan led to further, less ignorable problems, which Wilson presumably foresaw.

During the course of Charlie Wilson's War, the main characters travel from the United States to Pakistan to Afghanistan to Jerusalem to Egypt, but wherever they go, sarcasm always follows. There's a surprising amount of comedy in the film, considering the political undertones are generally serious. Hoffman provides jokes with almost every exchange of dialogue, as does Hanks, with his naturally witty woman-chasing ideals. A scene early on featuring Gust being continually ushered in out of Wilson's office as he tries to straighten out a legal issue with his posse of gorgeous gals ("you can teach 'em to type, but you can't teach 'em to grow tits")

I think the movie still needed some more material on what happened later.....the only thing they tell us at the end is " and then we f**ked up the end game. "

Well this may be the exact potrayal of the book but I would say if I were to make the movie then I would add a bunch of things.....

1. Show the results of what Charlie Wilson did.
2. The help/funds given to Afghanistan (due to the cold war) was a missile that turned towards America and hit the twin towers. (Logically this happened)
3. They gave high tech weapons to the Afghans and that gave rise to various terrorists....no wonder everybody knows now what happened....
4. This could be the rise of terrorism.....and US had to attack afghanistan spending lots of money......this is a good lesson to USA ....

Well these are just my thoughts.

Taare Zameen Par.....Worth reading this

Some1's well put opinion....


If you want to know how good Taare Zameen Par is, just go to your nearest theater and watch the people coming out after the show. The cacophony that surrounds a crowd exiting a theater will be missing. Some would be walking in slow motion. Some would look petrified. At least that's what happened in the theater I went to. Not a single soul was talking after the movie, probably because what everyone saw on screen was not fiction, but a semi-biography of his/her own life. In fact, the normally rowdiest gang in a theatre (ie my friends and I) that is uber vocal at the end of a film left the theater in pin drop silence. The first thing we said to each other - 'Aamir Bhai has done it again.'

Indeed, Aamir Khan had done it again. I have a gut feeling that Taare would change people like no other movie has previously done.

I know only Aamir can make a film like Taare. But let us assume he did not make it (dream on!). What would the film have been like?





If Karan Johar made Taare

· Obvious starcast:

· Shah Rukh Khan as the arts teacher (duh duh duh!!).

· Aryan Khan as the dyslexic child (even if he could not act for nuts).

· Rani Mukerjee as the kid's mom (assuming Kajol is unavailable).

· Abhishek Bachchan as the kid's dad.

· Amitabh Bachchan as the school principal (who cares if the role is ultra minute, he can afford it).

· It would be shot in New York to appeal to the NRI audience.

· The story line would obviously be different. SRK would fall for the dyslexic kid's mom. The last scene would have the mom running to the teacher rather than the kid. And again, like in so many other movies, SRK would get someone else's girl.

· It would have one dance number.

· The film would be titled 'Kuch Taare Zameen Par.'





If Sanjay Leela Bhansali made Taare

· Obvious starcast:

· Salman as the teacher.

· Rani as the mother.

· Of course the whole film would be shot on elaborate sets. The school would be nothing short of Harvard university.

· An orchestra would play every time anyone cried.

· Slow motion, different camera angles for every scene.

· The school uniforms would match the classroom walls even though that does not make a f***ing difference.

· The film would cost 60 crores.



If Farah Khan made Taare

· Obvious starcast:

· SRK as the teacher (yawn).

· In the original Taare, Aamir makes an entry at the interval point. In Farah's version, SRK would be on screen on for 2.30 hrs out of the 2.45 hrs and would be introduced in the first scene itself.

· The story would be changed to make sure the above happened. The focus of the film would be a teacher who helps a kid fight dyslexia.

· To make it a complete entertainer, there would be a romantic angle, comedy, and action thrown in. Oh idea!! Nikumbh's character likes another teacher and the kiddo helps him.. throw in some comedy moments there and you have romance and comedy settled. For action.. hmm.. lemme see.. oh yah, the kid gets kidnapped and the teacher fights the baddies to save him. Wow!! I'm quite an imaginative writer. I can see how Farah can write a film from scratch in two weeks straight.

· The film posters would have a big SRK with the tiny image of the kid in the background.





If Rakesh Roshan made Taare Zameen Par

· Obvious starcast:

· Hrithik Roshan as the teacher.

· Since Rakesh Roshan cannot think beyond science fiction these days, this film would have that too. Instead of dyslexia, the kid would have alienositis or something, a condition induced due to him witnessing an alien abduction.

· Instead of Nikumbh being an arts teacher, he would be a physics teacher, and instead of asking kids to be creative, he would ask them to challenge the science we know.

· In the scene where Nikumbh asks the kids to open their minds and make whatever they want outdoors, the kid Ishaan, instead of making a boat, would end up making a working spaceship prototype.

· Nikumbh would cure the kids problem by making a full fledged version of the kid's prototype, traveling to the alien planet, and asking them to give the kid his powers back.

· The film would have music by Rajesh Roshan ripped off from some world music.

· The film's name would again start with a K.. probably 'Kuch Aliens Taaron se Zameen Par'.

· The director would make sure Hrithik gets to show all his abilities. This would mean a scene with Roshan jr flexing his muscles, and a dance competition in the end, instead of an arts competition.





If Priyadarshan made Taare:

· Obvious starcast:

o Akshay Kumar as the teacher.

o Paresh Rawal as the kid's dad.

· It would be a brainless comedy. The kid's dyslexia would be made fun of. Half the times the parents will be running after the kid from one room to the other and that, in the director's opinion, would be funny.

· The film will be full of sex jokes. So for example, when Akshay would come to the parents telling them that their son has dyslexia, the ignorant father would say something inappropriate like 'iss umar mein? par kaise, woh to hamesha boys school mein padha hai!'. And yes, the director would think it is funny.

· In the climax of the film all the characters in the film would run around in the amphitheater for no reason, spilling colors on each other. That's where the film will end, without any logical conclusion.

· And of course, Paresh Rawal would emote like an epileptic himself making us question the boy's mental abilities anyway.



I know there are a lot of other directors, but I choose these guys because I feel they are the most gutless or overrated directors we have today. They keep doing the same shit again and again and more often than not depend on the stars to carry a shitty film forward. They have no courage to try something non-nonsense, something that can use the medium of cinema for a little more than just entertainment, in spite of being the most sought after directors in the country

The reason I am making this comparison at all is to show how Aamir (and Amol Gupte) has made a pure film, without giving into the temptation of masala or 'what would the audience like to see' philosophy; for giving chance to fantastic yet unknown actors like Vipin Sharma and Tisca Chopra (I love Tisca); for riding against the tide; for not trying to hog the limelight in the film by happily playing second fiddle to the boy (even Aamir Khan's name comes after Darsheel Sarfi, the boy, in the credits); for giving the audience something different once again as an entertainer; and for truly caring about the society and using the medium to bring a change.

I remember earlier this year SRK made a statement: 'films are for entertainment; messages are for post offices.' Well Aamir Khan has proved that cinema is probably the best medium for giving a message and I can say that looking at the face of every person in the cinema hall. Not only that, he has proved (yet again!) that a message can be entertaining.

Behold bollywood bigshots, Aamir the director has arrived. With just one film, he has set the bar higher than most of you can only dream of reaching.

I am legend -- Movie Review

I am again with a movie review which I watch a couple of days ago..

This was the most talked about movie in the town I AM LEGEND ....(what do you mean by was....it is...ohh I am sorry) Let me correct it.......It is the most talked about movie in the recent times.....starring Will Smith.....and a few characters....

Frankly speaking there are vey few characters casted in the movie probably because of the needs of the script......The tag line... tells that I am the only person left on the earth.....

Well it is a sci fiction movie...or I might call it a super natural one at this point of time...but I do not deny that such a kind of thing can happen in future.....

It is about a doctor who is left alive in the city of new york after a virus infected everybody but him....He is left with his dog and everybody else is infected with the virus which supposedly was a cure for a typical cancer......

It is about how he survives and tries to get into contact with people like him who are not infected and needed help.

I dont want to disclose everything so better watch the movie.....I would rate this as 7/10.

" A Mighty Heart" -- Movie Review

I am again with a review to the movie that I just watched. It is one of my favorite genres.....TRUE STORY.....

Telling the truth is generally considered to be the first step on the path to righteousness. Many people have a hard time accepting the truth when faced with it. That difficulty in dealing is perhaps the main reason some run far away from the truth altogether. Given how troubling facing the truth can be in everyday reality, being subjected to it in celluloid on the big screen is a very hard sell.

It is a story about Daniel Pearl, a jewish journalist for THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, a stanford graduate who joined THE WALL STREET JOURNAL in 1990.

Surprisingly enough, the movie is almost politics free. The basic story we all know. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl disappears while trying to tie up one last interview about terrorism while on assignment in Pakistan. From there, his pregnant wife Mariane, their close friends, and various branches of various governments pull out all the stops to find him, but don't get there in time. Pearl is beheaded by his terrorist captors.

Actually the story is of Mariane Pearl and how she holds up as she takes a very active role in the search for her husband, but must take it from her home, because she is pregnant with their first child and can't go out and kick in doors herself.

Do comment if you like my post

Taare Zameen Par Online

Taare Zameen Par.....Not a kids movie........Movie that understands kids....

Aamir Khan’s directorial venture Taare Zameen Par is the story of a dyslexic boy, Ishaan and his struggle to fit in. On a deeper level, it is the story of all of us, an exploration of our feelings of inadequacy, our fear of failure and the things we do to hide it.

Ishaan (young Darsheel Safary, who deserves every one of the kudos that have come his way) lives a life that’s slightly out of whack. We first meet him as he sits perched by a gutter, carefully transferring tiny fish or perhaps tadpoles into his waterbottle to take home. He’s not just grimy in the usual kid fashion, but downright disgustingly filthy. But as you watch his face shine with excitement and fill with wonder as he captures life in a plastic bottle to admire it from close up, it’s a little hard not to fall in love with him.

Ishaan is charming little devil, up to all sorts of tricks, but study isn’t one of them. And this, we come to understand, is his Fatal Flaw. Everybody’s on his case - from his parents to his fellow students to the kids who live in his apartment building. To add to his misery, he’s not a particularly articulate child even though he feels things deeply; his emotions frequently seethe visibly inside him but can’t quite fight their way out. Not that anybody really cares what he feels - if he can’t express himself, other people have already expressed his feelings for him and the consensus is that he’s a bad lot. But I personally think he is not a normal child who will go to their parents and complain about others being rude to them or had a fight with them....apperently he is one of them who would fight back and never complain....

Early on in the movie, we follow Ishaan through the crowded Mumbai cityscape in the song Mera jahan (My world) that perfectly illustrates the limbo which he inhabits. It is one that has it’s own beauty but exists somewhat removed from the rat race around him. His disconnect from the world, however, is doubled: the adults live in that magical realm that every child fantasizes about but can’t fully grasp, and the kids regard him more as a freakish joke than one of their own. He can’t inhabit either and when he tries, he always comes to grief. It’s no wonder he does so much better in the company of animals but it’s not like he can enter their world either - although he does his best in his own imagination.

Ishaan also suffers in comparison to Yohaan (Sachet Engineer), his elder brother, a Perfect Being, excelling at everything he so much as touches. Typically, this would be the character one loves to hate, just waiting for his comeuppance - but in addition to his other sterling qualities, Yohaan is actually a nice kid, trying to look out for his messed up baby brother. The bond between the brothers is as sweet as it is genuine.

To complete the family picture, there is the housewife mom and the strict dad, neither of whom can figure out where they went wrong the second time around. Mom (Tisca Chopra) desperately loves her sometimes indefensible baby and tries her best to understand where Ishaan is coming from; Dad (Vipin Sharma) loves his little boy too, but believes discipline is the cureall for Ishaan’s problems. And despite his wife’s protests and Ishaan’s palpable misery, he isn’t about to weaken his stand and ruin his son’s life.

Eventually, everything comes to a head and Ishaan is sent off to boarding school to be harassed some more and sink into an almost catatonic state before he’s eventually saved by a substitute art teacher by the name of Ram Nikumbh (Aamir Khan). This is where the story was headed all along - and where it stumbles.

I love the wording of the song when his parents leave from the boarding school....it really touched my heart and made me cry...literally when i hear this song....i tend to become emotional..... Let me quote..



मैं कभी बतलाता नही .......पर मैं अँधेरे से डरता हूँ मैं माँ
यूं तो मैं दिखलाता नही, तेरी परवाह करता हूँ मैं माँ
तुझे सब है पता है ना माँ .......(2) मेरी माँ
भीड़ में यूं ना छोडो मुझे, घर लॉट के भी आना पाउँगा भेजना इतना दूर मुझे को तू
याद भी तुझको औना पाऊं माँ..... क्या इतना बुरा हूँ मैं माँ (2).....मेरी माँ
जभी कभी पापा मुझे जो ज्होर से झुला झुलाते हैं माँ ...
मेरी नज़र धुन्धे तुझे ...सोचु यही तू आके थाम्गी माँ उनसे मैं ये कहना नही ....
पर मैं सेहेम जाता हूँ मैं माँ ......
चेहरे पे आने देता नही दिल ही दिल में घबराता हूँ माँ तुझे सब है पता है ना माँ ....(2) मेरी माँ ...
मैं कभी बतलाता नही पर अँधेरे से डरता हूँ मैं माँ
यूं तो मैं दिखलाता नही .... तेरी परवाह हूँ मैं माँ ..... तुझे सब है पता है ना माँ ....(2) मेरी माँ .....



Ishaan is the antithesis of the Movie Kid, that annoying creature of the perky, saintly disposition whose preconciousness is so sweetly endearing that you walk out of the theater with a fresh cavity in your molars. Ishaan doesn’t have any bits of angelic wisdom to impart (the one time he tries to explain the philosophy behind a bit of poetry, he gets shot down double quick) and he comes across as sullen and withdrawn to most people who meet him. We love him because we’ve met him in his element - in the real world, you’d expect him to grow up and turn into one of those kids that Do Something and I don’t mean that in a good way.

He’s the kid who exasperates you because he demands that extra bit of attention and effort you simply don’t have that day. He’s the kid who can’t tell you what the problem is and makes you guess. He’s the kid who’ll stare at you like he saw you pick your nose with your best suit on, just before you shook hands with your boss.

He makes everyone around him uncomfortable because he reflects their failure - to raise a kid, teach, maintain discipline, impart an idea… except Ram Nikumbh.

When Ram sees Ishaan, he sees a mirror image but instead of fearing for himself, he fears instead for Ishaan’s welfare. This is not only a valid thing for him to do, it’s about bloody time somebody did it. When a nine year old spends his time staring meaningfully into an abyss, it’s time somebody gave a damn.

But bit by bit, starting with Ram’s overlong introduction (Bum Bole - and no, his bum doesn’t actually speak even if it’s mega cute and shakes quite expressively throughout the song) to the very end of the movie, his care and concern for the kids in his charge, especially Ishaan, and his correct diagnosis of Ishaan’s woes, begin to take on alarmingly Messianic tones.

If Ishaan is the very opposite of the Movie Kid, then Ram is an old fashioned movie trope: the Guy Who Knows Better. He’s the preachy do-gooder who’ll come into your house and lecture you for half an hour on things that are none of his business. And instead of kicking him out of the house, you’ll listen gratefully to his spiel because he is Good and Cares and Knows Better.

Ram is, of course, all of these things. (And mighty cute too! This must be my year for liking bad hairstyles: I also thought that other Mr. Khan, dare I speak his name, looked very nice in his Lhasa Apso do.) And yes, he is required to be just this preachy and Public Service Announcement-like as he tells people about the rights of the disabled and explains that dyslexia isn’t the same as being mentally challenged. The story’s clarity depends on it. But the thing is, I don’t really care about Ram and his tortured soul or his compulsions. This is Ishaan’s story; he is the one with whom I’ve forged an emotional bond and everytime he steps out of the frame, I keep waiting for him to come back.

Ditto with the climax - there really was no other way for this movie to have a truly “happy ending” but that painting competition rocked all kinds of moldy cheese and the decision to give everyone from the teachers down a personality transplant at the end of the movie didn’t quite do it for me. Until I saw the final scene of the film, with that smile on Ishaan’s face that Ram has only ever imagined… and everything is worthwhile again.

Just like this movie.

12 days of christmas....

Benezir Bhutto Assassinated

In the short time, thirty people were killed and one unarmed woman was shot dead. Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and a leading candidate in the upcoming polls, was assassinated by an unknown gunman as she left a rally in the city of Rawalpindi.

Bhutto’s husband Asif Ali Zardari and political rival/democratic ally Nawaz Sharif have both blamed the Government - and by extension President Pervez Musharraf - for her murder. Questions are being raised about the breach in her security that allowed the gunman to approach her vehicle, especially when she’d barely escaped a suicide attack mere months before.

Al Qaeda has since claimed “credit“

Bhutto was shot multiple times to the chest, neck and head area as she emerged from the sun roof of her SUV. She was taken to the hospital where the doctors worked on her unconscious body for over half an hour before declaring her dead.

She is the fourth member of her family to die under tragic circumstances - her father Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by Zia ul Haq, a military dictator; her brother Shahnawaz died mysteriously, perhaps of a drug overdose; and her surviving brother Murtaza was also shot dead outside his house - on the orders of Benazir herself and her husband, allege several family members including his widow.

She is survived by her husband and three children. Benazir Bhutto was 54 years old.

There are many questions facing Pakistan at this moment but in the wake of this assassination and the recently announced ban on Nawaz Sharif contesting the polls, the most obvious and prosaic one is - who will be Prime Minister in January? Shaukat Aziz says he will not run, Sharif can’t, Benazir is dead - who’s left?

Microsoft To Sell Windows For $3

Microsoft is innovating. After trying its hand and failing miserably in the gaming and music player markets with the over-hyped and pathetically performing XBOX 360 console and Zune Player, Microsoft has finally decided its next target. And it has devised a painstaking method to go about it.

So what does a company which already has a billion users try to do? Go for a billion more, of course. Microsoft announced a brand new initiative that will make the company's software and technologies available to the world's most needy users at virtually zilch cost. This, in a bid to raise its worldwide user base from one billion users to two billion users by 2015.

Critics say it's Microsoft's way of competing against Linux. Governments of a number of countries have always been inclined towards the low cost alternative of Linux rather than Windows. And this effort from Microsoft is touted as the software giant's attempt to lure the governments into its own Windows based products. And the price tag? $3 for a Windows Edition!

Microsoft's new initiative has been christened Microsoft Unlimited Potential. Under the Microsoft Unlimited Potential program, Microsoft will offer low-income consumers around the world, a heavily discounted version of Windows XP Starter Edition, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, as per this ZDNet report,

The $3 price includes the software license, while backup discs and documentation will cost extra. In order to be eligible, governments must pick up at least half the tab for the PC, though the software can also be used on refurbished computers, which can cost as little as $50, Microsoft said.

These software will be sold to the governments of countries who would then load it on PCs for the students and consumers to use. The distribution of software is strictly through the government, and only to those who are in the bottom 15 percent of the population, financially.

In case you think, this is a part of Bill Gates' philanthropic efforts, it doesn't seem like. "This is a business, not a philanthropic effort," said Microsoft Senior Vice President Orlando Ayala. But with an annual turnover of over $45 billion, this business initiative is not going to affect the bottom line anytime in the near future. If it's not philanthropy, it doesn't seem like it would help their business either. Either Microsoft is just desperate for doing something different, or they have run out of ideas.

And well, don't be surprised if your ration shop starts selling versions of Windows Vista soon.

The NAME thing

Whats there in the "name"?????

The reason to quote the above shakespearean (well as he said what is there in the name!!!!) words....is the video I saw on you tube.

Many Indian people living in the western world have a nick name/alternate name since the western world finds it hard to pronounce their names.

Why do they find it hard? Don't we not learn the pronounciation of their names? Why not they then? Probably westerns have a answer to my above questions.

On the othe hand, people come up with their nicknames/alternate names themselves.

I can understand situations like:

" Hi, I am Dhanalakshmi. People call me Dhana".

" Hi my name is Bharath Kumar. People usally call me Bharath".

But why situations like:

" My name is Pravin. You can call me peter"

Or

" My name is Sammer. You can call me sammy"


Is it an inferiority complex that leads to suggesting nicknames ourselves? Or is one trying to sound western? Or is one changing their name to be accepted in a group?

For example, in the U.S, the number of Indians living is quite a huge sum. Why then do they name their kids "Laya, kris etc.," trying to hide their race? The name wouldn't stand out if it was a usual name like "Krishnakumari or rajalakshmi" considering the huge population of Indians right?

Do the foreign nationals in India, working on an extended period of a couple of months to a few years, change their names from "Renate" to "Rani" or from "Heinrich" to "rishi"?

Update: Just to maintain the gravitas of my post, did not include the following funny video earlier.

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SICKO

"Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is reached..."

The above words by Swami Vivekananda, one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga, founder of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.

The above words are for all the millions of Americans, Asians, Africans and people from different countries who have immigrated into the so called "LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES", THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA..

My point in quoting the lines is to invoke/wake the people here in USA (especially those flag waving people who keep on repeating slogans like "greatest country in the world" etc) to fight for getting Common Social Medical Care for all the residents of the country .

I recently finished watching

Michael Moore's Sicko

(it's a great documentary that everyone should see). It's not about the 47 million Americans who don't have health insurance, it's about some of the 250 million who have/had health insurance and in spite of this their lives were ruined. It dispels a lot of the myths espoused by some in America such as long waiting lines inspite of paying higher taxes. It explains why HMOs were established and how their primary purpose is to deny claims. Advancement in these companies is based upon how many claims an employee denies and any claims that are actually paid out are seen as failures. He goes to countries like Canada, England, France and Cuba and talks to citizens of these countries to get their take on their country's health-care system. He also goes to hospitals and emergency rooms in these countries to get the take of the people there and when he ask "How much do you pay?", they all laugh at him. Moore sums up the premise of film when he says the rest of the western world practices "We" health-care while Americans practice "Me" health-care.

This could be a serious wake up call for a proud nation. I have always wondered how people can still call it the greatest country if it does not have universal health care, but maybe the reason is, they don't know any better. They do not realize that in other western countries this has been done for ages and it works.

I personally feel that Michael Moore is one the greatest patriots of America and he proves this by making documentaries like this. He dares to expose the realities against the government and I feel that makes him the real patriot. There are lot of Americans who call themselves real patriots but I find that going against the government and against all odds he portrays the real situation of United States.

Let me tell you the best part of the documentary (this is what I feel)

At the end, Michael Moore accepts that there are lots of anti-Michael Moore websites all over the world. I do not know why Michael Moore is being hated so much!!!
The masterstroke of the film is the revelation that Moore secretly paid the medical bills for the wife of his most strident web critic. It is timed perfectly at the end of the film and is a truly moving moment in the film. Now that is what I mean by a real patriot. I think after analyzing the situation of health care in the United States and lot of other developing and developed countries, he thinks that there should be some sort of common program for health care for all the people of America which is free of cost like other countries like Britain, Canada, France and developing countries like Cuba.

I certainly agree with Michael Moore on this point because we pay the taxes, we keep this country on the top with our hard work and at the end if we are ill or need treatment we have to ask (no not ask…beg!!) these so called health care insurance companies to pay for the treatment we receive, part of which has to be paid by us. They keep making money and they are to decide whether we should get treated or left on the death bed to die!!!!!!!

Michael Moore tries to prove his point with great examples and experiences people had gone through.

"Sicko" Diagnoses a Cure for the Nation

Perhaps the exponents of expediency just haven't met the rescue heroes of September 11 still plagued by debilitating respiratory illnesses, but unable to get the healthcare they need in the country they volunteered to help in our hour of despair.

We say we are proud of the heroes of 9/11 attacks but do we know about what really happened to those who volunteered to help and risked their lives and now they are paying the price to help people..!!!!!

Or the machinist and his newspaper editor wife who had to sell their home and move into a cramped room in their daughter's house when his heart attacks and her cancer caused their medical bills to soar.

Or the woman whose husband died after their insurer refused to authorize a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother because it was "experimental."

Now here, when the insurance company says that this is “experimental”, I would say …. What is sure shot in medical? The doctor gives us treatment upon his assumptions and suppositions, I am also not sure if he is giving the right treatment. He treats us on the experiences he had in his career but he might be treating me for ulcers while I might have malaria!!!!!


Following the screening, Moore put it as simply as possible: the private insurance companies "have to go."


Moore doesn't think the problem is "too much" medical care, or people who want to over utilize the system by spending hours waiting in an Emergency Room. Among the rare gems here is one of Richard Nixon's taped conversations, in the Oval Office with John Ehrlichman on the eve of Nixon's 1971 law promoting managed care. You can rest assured, Ehrlichman promises Nixon, "all the incentives are towards less medical care."

It was so unfortunate for people who do not have money to spent for their treatment and big hospitals leave them unattended and leave them in a condition when they do know where else to go????? Is it fair enough for a hostpital to leave a person whose bone is broken and had unhealed stiches on her head ?

Can you expect this kind of inhumanity in a country like United States? I do not think one can feel proud to be a citizen of a country who has everything that you need in life except free social medical care.

I liked what Michael Moore said " The British saw it for years(during World War II) what we saw for hours on 9/11". Doesn't that signify that we are not residing in one of the best nations of the world. We stay far behind on the 37th position in terms of health care.

Moore's not even afraid of the inevitable complaints about "socialized" medicine. "Back home in America we're socializing lots of things," "Sicko" finds, among them our fire and police service, Social Security checks, and even the library.

I agree these are essential but health care is also one of the most inevitable service that should be included.

It was really ashtonishing for those 50 people who went with him to the place where the 9/11 terrorists are kept. Michael Moore condemns and proves that this is the only place in United States where you have free universal medical care.. and to be there......and who is getting this kind of care???? the ones who try to destroy us???? and the ones who tried to say hundereds of people are themseleves suffering from respiratory problems.

The kind of treatment those 50 people got in Cuba is really worth showing to all the americans so that they realize that they should not feel proud about their country unless they get the free universal health care plan.

Think about countries like France....they work for 35 hours a week. (We work 40 hours a week). They get 5 week sick paid holidays. (We hardly get 2 weeks of sick paid holidays). They also get paid for going on a honeymoon!!!!!! (We loose money to go on a honeymoon :( ...)

No one comes to your home from the government to do laundry for you, to cook dinner for you, help parents to take care of their kids....No body gets a doctor visit you if you are sick in America. If you can have the police come at your home in 3 minutes for your saftey, fire trucks in case you have fire in your house, then why dont the government have a doctor come to your home if you are in serious problems with your health.

Now it would be understandable that if you have health insurance you do not have to worry. But in a nation where you do have to worry even after you are insured thinking that the insurance company might not approve or will not cover the expenses for a particular treatment for so and so reason...Doesnt that sound ridiculuous????

I would love to live in a country where your health is taken care of by the government.

I am not asking the government to get me a maid who will do laundry for me, who will help me take care of my kid. I am just asking the government to take care of my health and for the millions of people who cannot pay for their hospital bills.

Finally a word for all those who read my long article, vote for those who promise a universal health care plan. Help Michael Moore and all those people who are fighting for a universal health care plan against the government. I am not asking you to devote your time in protesting against the government for this benefit but atleast promote and encourage who are doing it for the benefit for the country.


You can watch it here

SICKO


OR


FULL MOVIE

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