King of Spades

Behind every successful man there is a woman goes the conventional saying. Well what if we rephrased it to say, behind every successful woman there is a man! That's exactly what this movie Dangal is all about. Redefining the conventional norms associated with gender. The setting is Haryana, a state with one of the worst sex ratios in India today. Where khap panchayat is stronger than most courts or governments. Patriarchal to an extent that most villages do not have brides for their gabru jawans (young men), since most girls get killed in their mother’s wombs.  And to think that in such a society, a guy dreamt of making his daughters sporting heroes is somewhat surreal. Add to that the traditionally male dominated sport of wrestling and one might say in Haryanvi “Bawla hai key!” But then that is what defines a true wrestler. Not the daav or the wrestling move that he throws in the ring but the fights that he withstands in real life. And Mahavir Phogat is one such persona. P...

After Cheeni kam, Shamitabh yet again in Ki&Ka we have a unique concept from the director R Balki . His ideas are unique for sure and quite quirky. This time around the quirk is on the preconceived gender roles that we as a society have decided for our ladKAs(Boys) and ladKIs(Girls) . While the ladkas have to be the breadwinners , ladkis have to take care of domestic duties, be at home and play the supporting role to their men. This is what has been a traditional norm in the Indian society. While this has definitely changed  in the last 10 years or so, we have still a long way to go in being a gender equal society, especially where the mindset is concerned. Kia(Kareena Kapoor Khan) plays a strong headed, ambitious corporate woman who is all about to challenge this mindset. Single, successful and unmarried she is completely career driven and does not believe in just being a pillar of support to a building, when she can be the whole building herself. Success driven she has her ...

The present Sakshi called up the last couple of drivers from their database.  Most of them were already on duty and few not in town. There was no way Sakshi could let that last call/ request go unattended. For her this was not just a business, it was a mission. The past That day in court Sakshi had not pressed charges or demanded an enquiry. No it was not because her boyfriend was at fault , it was because the incident prior to the court had made her realise the bigger issue. To Drink and Drive was a crime . But people still did it. Even the ones who were supposedly educated and holding a decent job. While there were many laws to punish and even reform, no one had a hands –on solution to curb the menance . That day if chachu had been drunk, the kid would not have escaped ,simply because he would not have been in that much control of their vehicle. That realization had never left her. Karan had run over her father on his way back. He dad had stepped out  to get milk. Whil...

Macbeth-Maqbool Othello-Omkara Hamlet-Haider 3 indianised  takes by Vishal Bharadwaj  on the respective legendary works of William Shakespeare. The first time he attempted , the second time he re-created .But this time around, he not only does the above two but also succeeds in perfectly indianising miya Shaik peer. It’s ironical that the co-writer of Haider ( along with Vishal Bharadwaj) is a certain Mr. Basharat Peer! Reincarnation anybody? Seems unlikely given his credentials.Well we’ll leave that to some other blog. Set in tumultuous Kashmir, the state of India where god created heaven and man hell, Haider grips your attention right from the start.  Dr. Hilal Meer (Haider’s father) is taken away by the army for treating and sheltering a militant inspite of the prevailing insurgency.  Ghazala (Tabu) ,his wife takes refuge in the arms of his brother Khurram Meer (Kay Kay Menon) and that’s when the boy suspects a rat. Enter Roohdaar (Irrfan khan ) and the ...

Talking apes effectively led by a leader who commands utmost respect. Humans who seek their help to reclaim their life. Sounds familiar? Well the sage Valmiki explored a similar legendary storyline thousands of years ago,which in India till today is a revered epic called the Ramayana.The movie- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,once again explores the beautiful bond that two of the most powerful thinking species known to our Planet,shared once.The bond of solidarity between the primate and the evolved of the species, against the advent of time for the survival for the fittest is beautifully brought to life in this movie. ‘Ape do not kill Ape! Because we are not like human’. This was the belief that shaped the previous- Rise of the planet of the apes.This thought was the foundation on which Caesar founded his dream and established his empire, his Home! Rise of the planet of the apes was a brilliant film to follow and Dawn nearly manages to do full justice to that,the only minor drawback ...

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...

“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...

The 30th of April in the summer of 2009. Possibly the most talked about, hyped and eagerly awaited date in the recent history of Mumbai. Most talked about by the NGOs who wanted people to come out and exercise their right to vote. Hyped by the media who needed fodder to run their 24x7 news channels and ... Eagerly awaited by the politicians so that they can remove their goody-goody masks after the day. Among all of these was the common man, yours truly included who were waiting to vote for a change. After all,things were different this time.Mumbai was held hostage for 3 days and the Mumbaikars for many more. Some survivors still recounting the horror that they had to face and the ones who lost their dear ones,for them god knows how many days will it take to overcome the fear and shock of the terror attack. It was the 26th of November. Actually the drama began at midnight, when terrorists from across the border entered Mumbai and created havoc on the streets, platforms and tou...

Dedicated to all those Smart asses that stayed at home Dedicated to all those Adventurous asses that ventured out and last but not the least…. Dedicated to all those Miserable asses that got stuck…you hoo! It was the second day of the sales training. We were supposed to report at 8:30 at Goregaon Warehouse .It was raining heavily overnight. At 6:00 when I woke up, I saw that the rains had still not relented. They were coming Full-on. I called up my friend at Parla. The smart guy said, said,”Chalte hain yaar…lets make it. I am coming.”. “Ok then meet you at the station”, I said. This was the sentence….THAT CHANGED IT ALL….. Left the house at 7.Was still down for another twenty minutes.No auto,bus in sight!.A few school children were excited, their bus had not come. So obviously they sensed an off. Unlucky me, my sixth sense had died the previous month !. I took a rick to the station. Boarded the train which took 5mins just to move out off the station. The guy in front of me go...