To Friends....From Archives !!

Yesterday it was Minhaj's Birthday. I was going through some archives and found this one..


I wrote this one on Saad's Birthday. 30th January 2009. It was an Orkut Testimonial for Cheeku( Minhaj ). A year later as Facebook took over the nation I deleted my Orkut Account .....but managed to save this .

Sharing this again with Friends who have known Me , Saad & Minhaj over the Years.

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Well.. these days most of the people don't write testimonials ... infact.. they post testimonials.

But there are some people who write Testimonials to acknowledge someone's worth in their Life. In fact this the least they can do.

Coming to Minhaj. I can visualize the events and the times we have been together. From studying in AMU to Working in IT Industry.From Minhaj being "Cheeku" To being "Min The Rock". And these days "Min Rock Beta Version ".

Take One.

Back to Senior Secondary, AMU.We first met way back in 99. He was a chubby Boy, with strange hair Style. We were Just schoolmates. Salam Dua, thats it.. He had his own group. I had bunch of mine friends. Saad was the common friend.

Take Two.

Fast Forward to College. Jump on to Second Year. And I found him Driving me on his Enviable Enticer. Many more Eventful Rides Followed. To Sightful Amir Nisha. To charming Centre Point. To Sweet Saad's Home. Across the University. And the one I will never forget.. to Upper Court along with Saad ... for Nahaari...

(He is crazy about foods.. it reflects too). That was like "Arre kahan Arre kab !!!"

Many Birthday Parties.Many Kodak Moments. A Few Colg Fests.A few Movies (He is not movie freak like me, will go out if only gals are around) .A few Dhaba Nighout (He wasnt hostler.. So Not avilable for .. Daba Nightouts !!!). Many Jokes. Many Pranks. I still remember the fun we have while preparing the List of Names/Songs for our fellow Students in 2nd Year. And he was like "Yaar mere ko ye mat do" when I and Saad decided "Main Nikla Gaddi le ke !!!!!!" for him. Hmm ..one of our Colg secret revealed.

Take Three

Colg passed. He got Distinction , I missed. Now In the IT World.We were out together again. Noida was the place to be.Enticer replaced Scorpio.Hundreds replaced thousands. Fun was Bigger.We were the same old friends.

Take Four

Gurgaon. A year into Corporate world. More Confident. More Dreams. More Work. I got busy.He got busier. And he is like "kabhi hume bhi yaad kar liya karo...".

But he has been there whenever even I needed him.

All these years, even though he has changed his versions (or tried to...) for quite sometime, he has being the same man for me. Caring. Funny Jamalpuri.Nobody is perfect. And he not an exception. But this is not the rite place to reveal all the secrets.

Today its Saad's Birthday.A person close to both of us. I am writing this from New York. Minhaj wud be sleeping Back In Gurgaon. And Saad would be Preparing for evening party in Melbourne. Three different world. We used to be at same place. And I still remember these two bringing Cake for me In Hostel on my birthday.

Memories Remain.

We will be together again.

We will have more memorable moments.

Iran Question ??

This morning I heard about the attack on Israel Diplomats in New Delhi. Its sad newz and at the same time frustrating that that India as a nation still fails to counter these acts of violence. We have forgot the number of attacks that we have been through in the last 10 years. Attacks of any form should be condemned and thoroughly investigated.

But as I was going through the news and hopping from one article to another reading about the blasts , Indo-Iran ties and recent developments in US-Iran relation, I noticed a sequence in the occurence of events. May be I am mistaken or thinking way too much but this is what I compiled from the leading news websites.

Sequence of Events in last couple of weeks leading to Delhi Car Blast. ( Sequential Headlines from leading Newspapers)

Feb 3   : Fear of Israel War With Iran Grows Amid Heightened Nuke Concerns [ Zee News]

Feb 6   : U.S. tightens noose on Iran. More Sanctions. [ New York Times ]

Feb 6   : India says Iran ties not in contradiction with US relationship. [ The Hindu ]

Feb 8   : US senators irked by India’s Iran ties, stalled nuclear trade. [ Times Of India ]

Feb 11  : India Defends Oil Purchases From Iran. [ New York Times ]

Feb 11  : Indian trade delegation to Iran may put Indo-US ties under strain. [ Economics Times ]

 

Feb 13  : Israeli diplomat's car attacked in New Delhi. [ Times Of India ]

 

Feb 13  : Israel blames Iran of bombings in India, Georgia. [ New York Times ]

Feb 13  : Iran has denied it was behind car bomb attacks against Israel. [The Australian ]

Feb 13  : Delhi Police says Bomber knew area, evaded CCTV. [Times Of India ]

Feb 13  : Indo-Iran trade ties under pressure. US Jewish lobby wants Delhi to join embargo. [Times Of India ]

I am not sure if I am misinterpreting anything but one question still ponders me.

Why would Iran want India, one of its ‘only friend’, AGAINST it ??

It really doesn't make any sense that Iran would get hostile with a nation that has respected its Trade Relations despite western pressure.

Do we need another war ??

Give it a thought !!

Movie Review : Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

I never had too many expectations from this one but even then this Rom-Com fails to impress, despite having all the usual ingredients. I was going through the ratings from the leading critics. Most of them rated it with 3-4 stars. But their reviews don't exactly shower the praise that 3-4 star movies deserve.

May be its Karan Johar's Brand that's responsible for the mismatch between Ratings and the actual Reviews.

EMAET has nothing new to offer. The best gags of the movie were already shown in the promos. So when the actual movie begins you start looking for more fun. And that's where you get disappointed. Especially when you are watching the movie with just 20 people in the theater.

In the first half of the movie you get an impression that you watching Jab We Met set in a different locale and culture. Kareena plays the hip version of the free spirited Geet from the original. And you don't actually sympathize with Imran, in his size-zero avatar, playing Aditya who seems to have lost it all.

And as the odd couple spends time together, what follows next is the usual guy falling for the girl who seems to have changed his life and perception. But I never understood the "You are Perfectly Average" philosophy .
Humor is too subdued . There are very few moments when you are actually tickled. Especially the first few minutes of the Imran's interaction with his Ex Girlfriend. Even there, director drags the scene too long to a predictable end. The scene where Imran vents out his frustration reminds you of better versions from Lakhya  and Wake Up Sid.

The film actually  scores in its ending. Rarely a Bollywood movie has shown a more mature end to a Rom-Com. I wish they had shown same maturity throughout the movie.

In sync with the film's philosophy , its an average affair.

An Election Propaganda.. ??

You must have seen this .. in umpteen Facebook Shared Pics & Posts with a tagline like "Please share if you are True Indian", "Please share the True Face of Gandhis","Please be aware of these Frauds" and many more tag lines with statutory warning !! I wonder if I have lost my right to be called an Indian because I never shared any of these pictures.

Something shared in good humor is appreciated but these I don't think were shared in good spirit.

You don't need an IQ of a certain Einstein to make out that these are random pics. This could be anyone of us. I may have some pics from a beach or a club which I wont be comfortable sharing in public after 10 years. Does that mean I don't fit in better scheme of things ???

Are we at such a loss of Intellect that we cannot comprehend a bunch of pictures or .....the hatred for someone is so great that it empowers our logical thinking !!

Take a look at some other images below. I didn't search these pics on Google . These were posted on Facebook walls.

What kind of messages people are trying to convey with these posts. Don't we wear different dresses for different occasions??? Don't we have casual moments with fellow workers ?? Why do I get an impression these posts are trying to malign a family for all the ridiculous reasons ?? Be it Rahul's pic with his female friend or Nehru's pic with Lady Mountbatten or Sonia Gandhi's pic from Beach ?

I understand that we are educated people. Can't we get into more logical discussions .. some meaningful ones rather than posting some insane comments on any random picture? It doesn't matter who uploads these images with ridiculous tag lines .What is baffling is that people fall for this kind of stupidity and share them !!! I would be more than happy to read some logical thoughts & opinions and go for a debates rather than have these shits thrown in my face.

We have Freedom of Speech & Expressions but also we have common sense. We may have right to criticize but these posts are unnecessary and are result of very a cheap mind void of any sensible reasoning!!! These are something straight from India TV News ...Insane !!.. No one writes about Mayawati's Govt ..how good has she been with her 'Haathi' ride !! or even against Mulayam . We dont even see pictures of Kalmadi and Raja with such taglines . ...Don't we have real issues to deal with ??

Take a look at these:

AB Vajpayee in New Delhi                                                           LK Advani at Jinnah's Mausoleum

What if someone posts these with some derogatory tag lines like  "A Brahmachari In Company Of Women" or "Wannabee PM Advani is Jinnah's Lover" .. ??

Just a thought Guys !!!

May better sense prevails !!

Agneepath

Agneepath celebrates the revenge dramas of Bachchan Era. A bit unapologetically ..........and totally Bollywood way.

Despite being a remake it has a feel of its own. The best aspect about the movie is that it never compels you to compare with the original.

The film has got rid off many scenes and characters from the original but The Iconic dialogue, Vijay Dinanath Chauhan...Poora Naam,  stays. It is well delivered in an original style. And It works.

It has all the cliches of revenge dramas of 80s & 90s. An Anti Hero, An Ideal Mother,  An Exploited Sister,  A Psychic Over the top Villain, An Item Number in Villain's Den. Lots of Gore and Violence. The kind of Cinema we have grown up with.

As a Kid we used to love these stories.

Hrithik does a good job with his intense act. But at some point you  miss the elegance of Mr Bachchan in his white suits. As promos showed, Sanjay Dutt is menacing, even with an over the top performance. He will be among all the awards next year.  Its a refreshing experience to see him doing SOMETHING rather than being wasted in the recent senseless comedies. But the surprise package of the film is Bollywood's ever Romantic Rishi Kapoor with Mean act of Rauf Lala. He has been showing some class act recently with Do Doni Char, Chintuji, etc.

The film is bit long with some yawn moments here and there but it is a good watch if you loved the revenge dramas we grew up on. A good attempt from a debut director who never competes with Original Cult Movie.

Sanjay Gupta's Chronicles of Plagiarism !!

Recently a Bollywood Award function (read Entertainment Function) got into another controversy. Yeah, that's what these awards functions have become these day, entertainment shows for some TV Channel. More the controversies, better are the TRPs. And awards, who remembers them. They ain't Oscars or Golden Globes !!!

But this time it wasn't any insensitively passed comment  or any onstage antics that caused the controversy. This time the so called 'Awards Functions' hit a new low. It was the selection of the Best Film that sparked the controversy and two members of the Jury accused each other for favoring different movies for their own interests.Everyone knew these things happen but it was out in public for first time.

It is well know fact that in the last two decades every award functions is manipulated and favors a certain lobby. Most of people win award for onstage performance rather than the one onscreen. So it was no surprise when Screen Awards Jury ended up giving award for Best Film to two movies.

The surprising aspect of the Controversy was the comment by Sanjay Gupta, one of the Jury Member (Yes, He was a Member of panel to judge movies. Reflects badly on our state of films). He favored "The Dirty Picture" because he thought/learnt/heard that "Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara" is a copy of Hollywood film "Fandango". Weather or not ZNMD is a copy is an another debate.

The other Jury member involved here was Kunal Kohli. Well, not many people know that Kunal Kohli started his career as a Film Critic , anchoring a program 'Hello Cinema' for Lucknow Doordarshan in mid nineties. I used to follow that show. He seemed to be fine critic, at least in his Doordarshan days. Later on he moved to Zee and Star. Its sad to see that even his films are not very original !!!

But Sanjay Gupta accusing anyone of Plagiarism !!

This is certainly 'Kalyug' !!

As far as I have known Bollywood , Abbas Mastan, Vikram Bhatt & Sanjay Gupta have been Torch Bearer of "Inspiration" Brigade. They love the Hollywood originals so much that most of the time they don't even change the scenes and dialogues in their rip-offs.

Here a list of movies by Sanjay Gupta that have been blatantly copied from all over the world !!

Acid Factory [2010]                                      Unknown [2006]

Woodtock Villa [2008]                                     Chaos [1999]

Zinda [2005]                                                 Old Boy [2003]

Musafir [2004]                                        U Turn [1997] 

Plan [2004]                                             Suicide Kings [1997]

Kaante [2002]                                   Reservoir Dogs [1992]

Jung [2000]                                       Desperate Measures [1998]

Khauff [2000]                                         The Juror [1996]

Ram Shastra [1995]                                  Hard To Kill [1990]

Aatish [1994]                                            A Better Tomorrow [1986]

From A Frustrated Indian Cricket Fan

This was supposed to be India's best chance to win a Test series in Australia. A series every cricket fan has been waiting for. Just like they did for the Ind Vs Eng last summer. And here we are. In just 8 days of Cricket , Australia have demolished India. Its not the 2-0 scoreline that hurts. It is the cricket that India has offered. That's more disheartening.

Being an Avid Cricket Fan, here are the Action Items that I would suggest for Team India.

1. Abort The Current Tour: There is no point of continuing this one. Even Australian will get bored of humiliating us on this long tour as we have earned this 2-0 score line just in 8 days of cricket.
2. Make a Quick Tour to Bangladesh : Closer we get to home, better we are. And a Weak Opponent would be the right tonic we need now. Nothing personal, I just want them to get back that winning feeling. This one was suggested by one of my Friend. I didn't agree with him then. But I guess that's the solution we have right now.
3. Let Sachin make that Hundred: The Rashtriya Intezaar. That's what his fans are now calling this hundred. We would have loved it against this Australian Side. Based on current form I am sure he can get that on this Australian tour. But when is he going to do that, NOBODY knows. And I think rest of the Team is getting impatient too. Especially Openers. They just want Sachin to be on crease and score that hundred. So lets just get over it . His highest score is against Bangladesh  then why not 100th Century !!!
4. Leave Dhoni & Kohli there to Play Bangladesh Premier League : Trust me this is going help in great deal. In test matches Dhoni has been liability especially overseas. Not a single hundred outside Asia. Its a takes more than scoring runs in T20 Leagues to become Sachin , Dravid or even Laxman. Sooner they realize this better it is for them. Based on current form we can’t let them play IPL too.
5. Book a Ticket to Zimbabwe for Duncun Fletcher: I am not sure what this Grand Old Man is doing in this Indian Team. 4-0 in England. 2-0 already in Aus. He is almost 65 Years old. Rahane, Ishant, Rohit, Mithun , etc are just 23. Almost like his Grand Kids. Huge generation GAP. Let him live in Zimbabwe to play Cricket with his real Grand Kids . May be that will help Zimbabwe Cricket in long run.
6. Fly back to Australia with Test Specialists. : Get some technically correct batsman . Call Pujara. Call Babrinath. Call Karthick. Sad that we dont have any Pace bowlers to replace the current ones. Kick Ishant on his back. Kick More. But make sure he doesn't get injured. Ask him to take some wickets. I am sure he is better than what he has been doing in Australia.
7. Play Better Cricket: I never believed in the No. 1 Test Ranking that we got. How can we become No. 1 without ever winning a series in Australia & South Africa. We haven't even won a series in Sri Lanka in almost 2 Decades. I am sure this Team can play better. Like they have been doing couple of years ago.

Hope this helps !!!

At-least it helped me to take out some frustration.