The mellow Akbar – Hritik Roshan

Whenever the name of Anarkali comes up, since childhood I can think of only one scene from the movie Mughal E Azam…..one of the best actors Prithviraj Kapoors booming voice shouting SALIM!!!!

Cut to Jodha Akbar, where Akbar is played by Hritik Roshan, so smitten by love of Jodha, it actually looked pathetic to me.

Seriously I have grown up reading what a great person Akbar was, then Prithviraj Kapoors rendition of the role had created a different persona about the kind of person Akbar might have been…and Hritik just screwed it up by playing a lover boy Akbar.

Infact he has got such soft voice, I cant even dare think of the way he might end up saying SALIM if the movie Mughal E Azam was to be remade with him Akbars role. It might end up like this character played by Deepak Malhotra in the movie Lamhe-starting Sridevi and Anil Kapoor, where he said “Pallo” in an otherwise serious scene, in such a way, the entire theater was in splits!!!

Agneepath….Lacked Amitabh Bachchans fire…..

Saw Agneepath, the remake one obviously. Found the movie stretched too far to the point of being bored…maybe I did compare it to the Original Amitabh Bachchan film which actually rocked.

This movie had its moments…it was dark to begin with, Sanjay Dutts looks have been nicely worked on, found Hritik Roshan too mellow again( can never forgive him for playing the role of a romantic Akbar in Jodha Akbar….but thats for another time maybe..another blog ), Rishi Kapoor has played a role par excellence, but did not quite get the reason for other characters for being there.

Priyanka Chopra is totally wasted, and like any other Bollywood film, where dozens around her die in a gun fire immediately, she had to speak to Hritik before kicking the bucket…WTF!!!

Vijay(Hritik) and his sisters relationship initial scenes reminded of Anil Kapoors – Jeevan Ek Sangarsh. But then in Jeevan Ek Sangarsh they played a proper misunderstanding between the duo where Anil Kapoor is taken as a eve teaser. Here nobody bothers about it. Sad…

The place where Dinanath Chauhan is hanged on a tree, somehow reminded me of the Lion King Scene where Simba is held high by his father.

And one thing I did not get is why did Hritik have a Hijro ki fauj…anyone?????

Overall I thought the performances were good, but the story lagged behind….

Living within ones means

There is an old saying in Hindi….”Pair itne hi failane chahiye jitni chaddar ho”, to which lately I am hearing a retort….”To kya….hum chaddar badalkar badi chaddar odh lenge”.

Not a bad idea, but then one needs to spend extra dough on the “badi chaddar” and also maintaining that “chaddar”

The point being…while you are being asked to live within your means, think wisely before putting your money in something which will increase your expense. It is easier to say we can do it….but implementing it in the right way and coming out of the mess is very important, you shouldnt be digging a grave so deep that you die in it.

I have always said, people wear masks, and why not, how many people would be interested in seeing your troubled faces daily. A smiling face to fight off the current situation is always good. But then when that Mask becomes a Lie, when you start using that Mask as a shield for influencing, or gaining certain favors, it is time to stop.

Time is a big turner, it can change without you even knowing it. But to tide over that time, during financial difficulties, is very important. That is where the saying comes in. The length of your bedsheet can change with time…when times are tougher deal with your expenses accordingly, when times are better, deal with your expenses but at the same time remembering that you cannot predict your future.

Just random thoughts today, which I am not sure a reader might agree or not…but nevertheless…posting it on the blog…..

Am I ever serious....???

A friend asked me "Are you ever serious. All your posts on social networking sites are so funny". I retorted back....if i start posting my problems, will you follow my posts? Sorry for being crude mate...I know u are going to read this and understand.

For me being on a social networking site is like physically sociallising. One doesnt carry his troubles to a party or a social get-together. One goes there for enjoying. Ok you may discuss your problems on and off..but then there is a time and place for everything.

I do put up my serious thoughts....but then sometimes...what might be serious for me...might be light hearted humour for others, and when they comment back in  good humour..it lightens up the  mood further. So there you are. I am serious also..but open for nice and light chat, wherein the mood does not remain serious. One can even put it as ..... Online socialising is my de-stress media.....

Again recently I was asked what do I get from posting so much on Facebook and Twitter..my reply was simple, I know that somewhere someone might be smiling on reading this, not necessary that I get a like or comment for that, but it makes me happy...

P.s This post was lying in my drafts since more than a year...posting it today while cleaning my drafts :) The last para was added today....

Cost of owning a car

Technorati Tags: Car,EMI,Loan,expenses,fuel

Got a mail stating that my Car Insurance is expiring soon. Made me once again realize how fast a year flies. Also reminded me of the words of a Gentleman who has been a guide to our family since years.

Once we both had purchased our cars around the same period, if I remember correctly this was around 12 years back. We were both discussing our respective cars when his words of wisdom started flowing in.

According to him, the best way to purchase a car is on installments, for according to him, where else will you get a loan at such a low rate of interest and also benefit in your taxes. However he had a word of caution over there. While getting the loan is easy, one should also have other factors in mind. According to him, in two to three years, you need to change your car battery, then depending on your usage change the tyres, annual expense of maintaining and servicing the car, normal expenses over wear and tear of the car, annual premium of Insurance, the worst case scenario of major accidental expense on the car, and last but not the least….the fuel expenses.

He said one should average these all costs over five years of usage of the car and add the amount to the EMI to understand if one is making the right choice while going in for the loan or no. The car should not become a white elephant for you.

Well buying a car is the easiest thing ever today….but do calculate the actual Cost of Owning the Car……

Heads I win…Tails you lose….

The Govt of India thru the Delhi Court is slowly tightening its grip over Google, Facebook and the likes. While it was able to control the print and television media, it had offlate found itself unable to muzzle the general public opinion.
There are two sides of every story like there are two sides of every coin. What the Govt of India is interested in is keep the people of India limited to only one side ..their side.
Its like minting coins for India with only one side, but the problem is that there is still a blank side, and this blank side will be left to the imagination of many. Atleast with the two sides of the story, one could understand the facts and then decide which side is up or right.
But with the action being taken now the Govt is trying to tell the people of India… Heads I win…Tails you lose…

My experiment with the new Facebook cover picture

Crossing the Limits

Was just passing by Worli Seaface and saw a couple in a liplock(though it looked more like the boy pumping in air in the girls mouth), but more than that it, the sea in the background reminded me of the word 'Maryada' (Limit) which was once told to me by a lady who was travelling with us on the same route once.

She said that like humans who should remain within their Maryada or else lives will be ruined, so does the sea.

This sometimes calm sometimes ferocious sea remains within its limits. We human beings pollute it, throw things into it...it will calmly take a few things within itself or just rejects it back by washing it ashore. It never protests. Never shows its anger of how things are thrown into it. Silently it is bearing reclamation. If this sea was to cross it Maryada and reclaim what is rightfully its think of the destruction it will cause, the lives it can ruin.

These words were spoken before 26th July deluge which we experienced in Mumbai. Stuck overnight it really looked like the sea is trying to reclaim its place back between the seven islands which comprised of Mumbai. Thank God its still not crossed its limit, though we Humans are crossing all such limits and taking aways its space.

Kudos to the Mumbai Police

After having spent nearly 8 years at a stretch celebrating New Year Eve in our building parties, this year a certain action by some members ended as a boon to me.

This year I decided to take my wife and kids to Gateway of India to see the revelry at New Year Eve. Many people who heard my plans were warning me against it…too much of crowd…

drunk revelers, traffic, drunk drivers on the road while coming back home.

But finally we did land up at Gateway of India, and were in for a very pleasant surprise. The Mumbai Police had segregated the area around Gateway of India into two. Family Enclosure around the main structure of Gateway of India and Stags on the road outside Hotel Taj. They were putting in excellent efforts in seeing not a single stag was allowed in the family enclosure. Unluckily for boys who were expecting to see some eye candies, their plans certainly were not going as per their expectations. This ensured that there were no untoward incidences like eve teasing etc.

Even the roads were much safer, Police stationed at important accident spots, ensuring that we did not face any trouble by drunk drivers.

Kudos to our Mumbai Police who instead of Celebrating New Year Eve, were out there ensuring our safety. Hats off to them

 

New Year Greetings to all

Dear All

I wanted to send some sort of holiday/new year greeting to my friends and colleagues, but it is difficult in today's world to know exactly what to say without offending someone.

So I met with my lawyer yesterday, and on her advice I wish to state the following :

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday practiced with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all .

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2012 , but not without due respect for the calendar of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country great (not to imply that Britain is necessarily greater than any other country ) and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee .

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/him or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

The wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Best Regards

Name withheld (Privacy Act)