King of Spades

The main difference between humans and animals is the presence of brain or rather our ability to use it. And what governs our brain or headquarters are emotions. They play a very major role in how we feel, what we do, how we respond to situations/people etc.  Any significant experience in our daily lives, triggered by these emotions, usually gets registered in us as a long term memory. These could be related to something that’s happened around a place or a person. And whenever one gets into a similar zone, these memories resurface and with them the emotions too. Which is precisely the reason why we gel with certain people or like certain kind of food/cuisine or places . And when it comes to a different kind, we just cannot stand them .They leave us with emotions like disgust, anger, sorrow and sometimes even fear . The other kind makes us feel wanted, happy. They bring in the everlasting emotion of joy into our lives thereby creating a strong mutual bond. This bond is what we id...

Sometimes in the midst of commercial potboilers and movies made for critical acclaim, comes a Kahaani or Script that takes in the nuances and mixes sensibilities of both worlds. That’s when it stands apart from the routine and leaves an impression on you. You come out refreshed post the movie having seen something new. And Dawat-E-Ishq just does that. Here the central subject revolves around the unfortunate and grim-Dowry system in India. A well guarded secret in most Indian families.  Mostly observed in arranged marriages amongst families, who themselves are the initiators of the match! This is one evil in our society that has withstood the test of time and is deeply entrenched across all earning classes. Even literacy has done little to eradicate this evil mindset. All it has managed is change it to more ‘polished ’ words like gift or help. Doesn’t matter what achievements the girl has, what background she comes from. Her personality is too meager a point to even consider. ...

Opposites attract. Well that’s why they also gel. Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani just re-emphasises this old adage of love but does so beautifully.Right from the first time when Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor) meets Naina ( Deepika Padukone), you can sense an underlying chemistry waiting to explode.    He is the extrovert, chilled out ,self-centered guy who wants to explore the world. She on the other hand is the reserved, nerdy girl who is responsible but bored of her life. The common thing that unites them is his zeal to enjoy life and her underlying desire to break the monotonous ritual that she calls… her life!. They kick off instantaneously on the trek, where they meet and soon love blossoms gradually. The fact that they understand and compliment each other just makes it real. The beautiful Manali landscapes obviously add their own charm to the chemistry. Just as she is about to speak her heart out to him, comes the twist of fate that drives them apart. They do reunite 8 yea...

Change is good.   The moment we hear this we feel it’s a management jargon. Well it’s time you looked at it closer. Change is nothing but evolution. But then I never thought so when I heard it the first time. Rewind to school days. ‘Evolution of Man’,’ Stone age’,’ Survival of Human species’ and what not!   For me all these stand for just one word- History! Think it’s a subject forced upon us to become ratta popats   (talking parrots) of the highest order in school. You are supposed to be aware of your past but why memorise it.   Never understood the need for it like many students, but ya anyway mugged up before the exams . The only time I found these words interesting was on Flintstones. Stone Age suddenly appeared cool. Living in caves, pet dinosaurs and yes-Yabaaa Dabaa Doooo! The moment I saw the poster of Croods it seemed to be of a similar setting.   Wanted to see the movie despite my busy office schedule and finally got a chance this weekend. And...

“Mother, I want to live,” she wrote on a paper undergoing the worst pain anyone possibly could. Her spirit was high, irrespective of the fact that her life would never be the same again. The doctors called her brave. The media christened her Nirbhaya while the public named her Damini. The outpouring for her was a huge and unprecedented sea of humanity never seen before. Quite possible since her story had woken them up from their deep slumber of years. Through her plight she had managed to touch everyone. She was just like any other normal, fun loving, college girl a few days back. But today she had become Nirbhaya- the courageous one. The entire country was shocked beyond measure on learning about her brutal rape and sexual abuse. Still remember my mother getting very depressed and putting the paper away on reading about the same. I myself could not come to terms with the fact that someone can be so demonic without even a slight ounce of humanity in their hearts, to commit a crim...

Life of Pi released in theatres a couple of days back. It is based on a book of the same name by Yann Martel. The experience of reading a book can never be compared to watching a movie. Personally feel one must not compare but enjoy both experiences. Know many book lovers who never watch on –screen adaptations since they feel movies hardly justify the books they are based on, case in point- The Da Vinci code. However even though i am an avid reader myself, guess whenever a movie is based on a book, it just makes me more curious to see how it has been interpreted on-screen. How the director has bought to life the different scenes that we usually imagine while reading a book. It is not easy to match everyone’s imagination and portray it alive on-screen. Which is why making a story come alive on –screen when most people have read it, is all the more challenging i believe. And this is where Life of Pi scores. I had not read the book, so just went without any background or inhibition...

The face was calm and composed. There was a positive aura surrounding her,the way it had always been. 'Amma' was what she was known as in our locality. Her real name was Dhairyalaksmi, Dhairya meaning courage, something which she had always represented throughout her life.As Kartik stood there watching her, memories flashed through his mind. Amma had moved into the colony with her husband and son around 30 years back. Her son Vinod was of Kartik’s age and in no time they became the best of friends. Being neighbours he often used to spend time in their household. She always used to treat him equally as her son which was a quality, Kartik thought was rare to find. The morning hours in their household used to be bathed in loud carnatic music. She had immense faith in god and which reflected in whatever she did.Everyday as he and Vinod left for school she used to say, “Bye, Kartik. Take good care of Vinod”!. Life has its own strange ways of unfolding events and that was precis...