Before Sunrise & Before Sunset

Watched both the movies for the nth time. Just as the sunrise and sunset dawnson you, at the end of the night or the day, the movie ends with an amalgamationof feelings that dawns on you slowly, leaving you still and hanging in vaccum.Profound Impact. Everytime.

The chemistry,the conversations and characters leave you enchanted. You suddenly feel aliveand breathing more consciously. 

It flows simply, beautifully, naturally and effortlessly with no frills. Thelistening box scene, the phone conversation, conversation in the car, the sceneon the bench. Each expression, verbal and non-verbal is so very detailed.Poignant. Latent deep and large feelings. Jesse and Celine, They share, wish,yearn, desire, burn and hope.

The indirectness that is there is mature and beautiful. There is no story yetthere is something weaving in the background without it being pushed to you.There is no story in the sequel as well. All that there is for the story is the10 years between the movies and the exact time frame when Jesse and Celine meetagain in Paris, having met in Vienna earlier.

Mesmerising'ly yours
Faded Glory

Toys 'R' Us

Before the movie:
Me: I wanna see toy story 3...
P: Grow up! Thats for 5 year old kids!!!

At the movie:
P: ye kaisi movie le aai ho...dekho saare chote bacche hain
Me: to kya hua!

After the movie:
Me(thinking): Just because its animation doesnt mean its for kids. It is totally for adults. Its NOT just about toys. Its about life.

Did I like it? A lot! I laughed, chuckled, smiled all along the movie. No complexities. Simple and non tricky emotions. The movie tugs at your heart strings.

Sunnyside has nothing sunny and bright about it. Lotso turning bitter on being left behind, and dwelling on feelings of abandonment. Woody with his loyalty not giving up on his owner. Buzz feeling rejected and unwanted when he is out into trash. The sense of belongingness the toys had. Andy moving onto college, leaving prized possessions behind, letting go of his toys, giving away things he held so dear and close.

Isnt this what life is all about? Who says movies are far from real life. Just replace these toys characters with yourself or someone you know, toy story would seem like a familiar story - maybe mine or yours. You would definitely find yourself in those shoes.

This one nails the truth about life. The toys seemed larger than just animation. They reflected real people going through everything from growing up, growing apart, friendships, loyalty, sadness, letting go, giving away and heart break. It makes you go nostalgic and ponderous. The bitter sweet ending made my eyes well up. I guess a tear or two did trickle down. But such is the beauty of the movie, just like life. You cry some, you laugh some.

Toyish'ly yours
Faded Glory

My Name is Khan(t)!!

Hence proved!! SRK cant act anymore. Do not, Do not watch this movie!! Horrible! Absolute Drag! Desperate attempt by Karan Johar to move you emotionally. Kajol-SRK magic comes and goes with a flicker of the eye. Intolerably long! Unnecessarily hyped! Pathetic mixed up storyline! Save your time and money by not watching this one.

My Rating: 5 stars in black and that too bold!!

SRK better luck next time! And Amit, you will not be forgiven for making all of us go through this torture :P

Ab mujhe Koi

The latest love of my life is this song from Isqiya sung by Rekha Bhardwaj. Beautiful. Melodious. Heart Wrenching. Simple. Addictive. Soulful. Soft. Deep. Soothing.

Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan
Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan
Wo jo behte the aabshaar kahan
Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan
Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan
Wo jo behte the aabshar kahan
Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan

Aankh ke ek gaon mein, raat ko khwaab aate the
Aankh ke ek gaon mein, raat ko khwaab aate the
Chhoone se behte the, bole to kehte the
Udte khwaabon ka aitbaar kahan
Udte khwaabon ka aitbaar kahan
Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan

Jin dino aap the, aankh mein dhoop thi
Jin dino aap rehte the, aankh mein dhoop rehti thi
Ab to jaale hi jaale hain, ve bhi jaane wale hain
Woh jo tha dard ka qaraar kahan
Woh jo tha dard ka qaraar kahan
Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan
Woh jo behte the abshaar kahan
Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan

Aabshar = Tears/Water

Listen to it and tell me if you liked it.

Inglorious Basterds

5 Reasons to watch this one

1) Brad Pitt. Eyeballs from females, who normally stay away from gore and violence.
2) A Quentin Tarantino direction who has pulp fiction and Kill Bill as previous works.
3) Great WWII drams. Its Bloody, Mean and Nazi obliterating, Jewish Revenge Fantasy.
4) Amazing music, soundtrack and the background scores.
5) Again amazing dialogues. It keeps you gripped, there is use of 5 languages in the movie, and yes subtitles are available.

Enough said. Go watch it and tell me how you liked it??

My Rating = 9/10. It indeed is that good.

P.S. No Typo. The Basterds is spelt with an 'e'.

Ajj Din Chadeya

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has churned out a brilliant number yet again for Love AajKal. This one's Ajj Din Chhadeya - amazingly soothing, meaningful and addictive. This one has been on mind ever since I've watched the trailers. Having the watched the movie twice (yes twice) at the cinema hall - the plot the picturization has made the song grow on me even more.

Although the whole song and the lyrics are beautiful. Here's my favorite bit:

Maanga Jo Mera Hai, Jaata Kya Tera Hai
Maine Kaun Si, Tujhse Jannat Maang Li

Kaisa Khuda Hai Tu, Bas Naam Ka Hai Tu
Rabba Jo Teri Itni Si Bhi Na Chali
Chahiye Jo Mujhe Kar De Tu Mujhko Ada

My Rating for the song - 9/10
Do listen to the song if you can or else you're missing on too much :)

P.S. Can watch the movie a third time too. Loved it so much. Pay for my ticket and Il come along :D

Love Aaj Kal & Humesha

Note: This post is dedicated to two of the P's in my life. Both of them are males. They always go looking for logic and rationale behind everything. So here are my two cents for both of you and the other similar people on planet earth.

Go watch love aajkal and it should make some place in your head for faith in the fact that somethings including love defy logic. The movie re-affirmed mine. The main protagonists Meera and Jai,part of the 21st century 'Mango people' - the aam janta, learnt it the hard way.

Logic doesnt make all things work. Not all things have a law from physics behind it. Not all things come with rule books and instruction manuals. There are no global standards and processes to be followed. There is no right or wrong thing in love.

Be it the 16th century Romeo and Juliet or the 21st century Meera and Jai, the common denominator is love and that has no logical reasons. The only reasons are reasons only the heart knows. And it will always be that way.

So what makes things like love work is a secret ingredient. And the secret of the secret ingredient is NOTHING, but love.

Love,
Faded Glory

The Kaminey Factor

Listened to the title track of Kaminey a lil apprehensively. What would a song titled 'Kaminey' offer? A look up on lyrics did help to an extent. Almost every line of the song has a gaali. But as they say - Never judge a book by cover. Downloaded it and listening to it since morning. This song has taken me by surprise. It is a beautiful song with great lyrics. It definitely will stay on my playlist for a long long time. Gulzar at his best. Somethings just get better with age. An ideal end-of-the-day-song to unwind and reflect on life.


Kya kare zindagi isko hum jo miley
Iski jaan kha gaye raat din ke giley
Raat din giley

Meri aarzoo kameenee mere khwab bhi kaminey
Ik dil se dosti thi yeh hazoor bhi kaminey

Deep down, there is a an element of 'kameenapan' in all of us. We all have nasty habits. Sarcasm is my core skill and people around me know i can rip off anyone's pride within seconds. I know it stings like a bee and thats precisely why i do it on most occasions. I guess it comes naturally to quick witted people. At times i have had a taste of my own medicine. With time I am learning to not let my sarcasm it cross the fine line between humor and arrogance. Sarcasm is a great defense mechanism, one I’ve adapted and perfected and taken on as my own personal shield. I try to focus on my sarcasm, and while I think most of it is harmless, I know I can be totally insensitive. The plagiarist in me sings - Meri kuch aadatein kameenee :P Really?? Heck, No!! *As if your opinion matters* *chuckles*

So tell me - Whats your K(read Kameena) factor??

Eat, Pray, Love

Just finished reading 'Eat Pray Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert.

After a divorce and a bit of a pre-mid-life-crisis, the 30-something author decided to spend a year trying to restore balance to her life by traveling solo to three places: Rome, India, and Bali. This book chronicles that year. Its her search for everything.

The book Eat Pray Love is also being made into a movie starring Julia Roberts.

A few lines from the book have really struck a chord in my head and heart. It is so profoundly true and beautifully put.

Quote The resting place of the mind is the heart. The only thing the mind hears all day is clanging bells and noise and arguments, and all it wants is quietude. The only place the mind will ever find peace is inside the silence of the heart. That's where you need to go. Unquote

At times im not at peace because there is a constant head vs heart struggle. And rarely it happens that they get along. In most situations my head and the heart have torn me apart.

At times i have a craving to eat something and if i decide otherwise, it later haunts me and i come to a point where i think i should have eaten it. Thats a small thing my heart told me. There have been bigger things my heart told me, but i ignored all the warning signs and tried to suppress what it said. In the end, you know whats going to happen, dont you? And it does happen. The heart told you so, but you never listened. Now can you really complain?

So, if you find yourself alone and If you are on the road and you dont know the directions and If every door you tried was locked and If the river seems too wide and deep to cross. If the mountain seems too high to scale. Dont worry!! Listen to your heart - your heart will lead you home.

One needs to follow the heart as the heart never lies and would guide you even if you're lost in hostile Sahara or Arctic. And then you shall find ourself once you're completely lost. :)

Movie Review : 99

Dont know how or why TOI gave it 3 stars. Its a 1 star movie. Please dont watch it - if you do you'll be wasting your money and time.

And i dont want to invest anymore time in writing about a pathetic movie!! There are better things to do.

10 Reasons to watch 8X10 Tasveer

Id rate the movie a 4 on 5. There are enough reasons for me to rate a movie that highly.

1) I like Akshay Kumar. He is my definition of a handsome man. Now put that handsome man in a Neat, Ironed Uniform. Awesome!!
2)The movie starts with a awesome song and an equally good concept in the video.
3) The movie has been shot in the most exotic locales of Canada. The mountains, the forests, the cosy home, cycling tracks in the woods by the lakes. A perfect place to live. You have to watch the movie to see how majestic the location is, by far the best iv seen in any bollywood movie.
4) There are no zabardasti ke song-dance sequence in fancy costumes. Just one slow track, that's it.
5) Javed Jaffery's - 'Happi with an i' role is the comic element thats subtle yet funny.
6) The movie has other celebrities that iv always liked - Girish Karnad, Benjamin Gilani, Sharman Joshi, Sharmila Tagore.
7) The movie has enough turns and twists to keep you glued to the seat. One of the good suspense movies iv seen off late. Nagesh Kukunoor has done a nice job.
8) The supernatural act of Akshay is not overdone. Its quite credible. If superman can fly, our bollywood heroes can definitely travel into and out of a photograph.
9) Lastly, the spoiler - the movie climax has the typical bollywood judwa bhai meets bhai thing. But then, its a turn i guess no one could even think of while watching the movie.
10) My movie ticket was sponsored.

Dialogues find a new home!

Dialogues from movies, Lines from books make interesting Status messages on the IM's. I have one from 'Blue Umbrella' - 'उधार प्रेम की कैंची है !' on my Gtalk.

Some just get imprinted on the invisible notepad of mind. Stark realities in simple words. Sometimes, reflect the state of mind. And keeps lingering in the sub concious for long!

They make you stretch beyond the limits of your thoughts. Guys who write them are absolute genuises. But, Hey - Does that mean they have such clarity of thought? Not until millions of readers/viewers recognize the dialogues, the effort is futile!

So, who makes a dialogue great? The one who writes it or the one who appreciates it?

Dont Know the answer for that one! But here are some of my fave dialogues.

From Hitch
"Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away. "

From Rang De Basanti
"Hamara ek paav future mein hain, ek paav past mein, isiliye hum apne present pe muut rahe hai"

From Anand
"Babumoshay, Zindagi badi honi chahiye; lambi nahi"

More to be continued later.