'The Dirty Picture' !! *Vidya Balan*

If SRK and Rajnikanth have created their trends in the film industry, if Senior Bacchan has created a name with  his dynamic personality,the only woman in tinsel town who can compete with the leading men and who has the ability to grab eye balls with whatever role she does,is the *indian kudi* Vidya Balan.I remember writing a blog entry about her,a few months back,and for me! missing a movie of hers is a crime.
So after the long wait,I did go watch Vidya's movie 'The Dirty Picture',the very reason why I call it Vidya's movie,is because I wouldn't even bother to go to the theater,if the leading lady in the movie was someone else.I am not a fan of reviews,or cinema critics,because at times,you see a set of 'wanna be' pseudo intellectuals who believe movies that entertain are only meant to be food for the brainless,and certain others who would rate a movie,according to their preconceived notion about the movie.

So I was there ,seated,with my pack of cashew nuts.The only little teeny weeny bit of worry that I had this time was Ekta Kapoor! :p and wondered whether she would make this movie look like one of her television soaps :p ,but trust me! not at all,special care taken so that SILK(Vidya) gets to perform out of the box.

The movie started and the theater was all silent,Reshma(Vidya) on the screen,a village girl,yet seductive.The girl next door,yet impressive.The role slowly progresses,becomes SILK,the dancer star,the struggler,the lover.The bold Vidya Balan,who was bold enough to get out of her shell,and become SILK,in the real sense.The story was dramatic,fun,yet very real!!.We may have a lot of losers who would have already tagged Vidya as a bombshell,just because of her courage to take up such a challenging role,and that is the very simple message of the movie,of how hypocrisy among the masses can make or break a person.We have men who love watching women hot,and film makers who take complete advantage for their profits,and yet,the same men who later tag the women as 'dirty'.We also have another class in our society,women who like being hot,and who envy women who are hot,and then give out a very 'holy' image of themselves.

The Indian entertainment barter was highlighted very intensely,body for money,money and luxury,luxury and the consequences that come with it,critics who give life,critics who kill,critics who judge professional life as personal life,when personal life no one knows,no one sees,no one wants to understand

The entire star cast including Tushar Kapoor have done a good job in bringing quite a challenging story to life.I specifically mentioned Tushar Kapoor because I read some real bad reviews about the poor chap,when the truth is ,he did the 'i am so dumb' role quite well,far better than his history of geek like grin and flops.To add to that,I've started liking Nasrudeen Shah and Emran Hashmi,Nasrudeen sir ever since Ishqiya(vidya's movie) and Emran Hashmi ever since Tum Mile(with soha ali khan),and this time too,I had no complaints
As they say..No news is good news..thats about the others..But my core focus was on Vidya Balan,and she deserved every bit of it :-).

If I were a boy,I would definitely say "Oo la la oo la laa..tu hein meri fantasy..." ,not praising her body(the build up,for this particular movie),or her looks,but for her sheer confidence,courage and the extreme 'I am She'(miss India world tag line) attitude.
Taa daa...!!
hoping for more of VIDYA on the big screen

ps: You can neither typecast her,nor can you hate her,because in three words,She is 'entertainment,entertainment and entertainment!'(just like the movie dialogue) with a lot of sense!

TNG MY DAD! :-)

A pencil sketch of my dad,done on computer paint application.This sudden interest in blacks n whites,and pencil sketchin,on the computer,was what inspired me,after I did the MJ Yak sketching,with color,this was another experiment! :-)

Basheer's humble world of words...

Basheer is no unfamiliar name to any malayalee.I needn't take his whole name for people to understand who I'm talking about.Such is the world he created with his writing,a thought driven world he created that inspired many,with mere simple language,and his simple style of writing.He was never a perfect writer by the usual standards.You cannot place his writing under any particular influence.His books were those that a common man could read,without the help of any other reading aid like a dictionary..Like Albert Einstein said about Gandhiji. "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood".I wouldn't be exaggerating if I felt the same about Basheer.I remember the days when I wasn't very fond of reading malayalam books except magazines and papers,and my dad's books,and his book 'Baalyakaalasaghi' kept me glued for two days.Reading the book twice continuously,without even changing my school uniform.In his simple language he depicts the lovely story of Majeed and Suhra and their childhood romance,the tragedies of real life.He even said that Majeed of Baalyakaalasaghi is himself,and what inspired him to write that book was the nightmare he had,about his childhood companion Suhra's death.All the books Basheer wrote were small,yet filled with thoughts ,that he liked conveying indirectly.The size of the book never mattered ,no author would ever dare complaining that Basheer wrote less,because what he wrote was filled with matter,food for our thoughts.

An ordinary man,with no extraordinary skills in writing was called 'Beypore Sultan' ,just to denote the greatness in him,is what author Ponkunnam Varki said ,He wasn't any Sultan ,or a person who wants to show off his great skills.He was a man who wouldn't lie even to get anything done,a man who wouldnt fill his mind with negative thoughts,a very innocent lover.His humour cannot be matched,and the way he conveys very relevant social messages,is unbelievable.

Basheer never created stories,to believe his stories ,all you need to do is believe in him,in his life.

OV Vijayan said it so rightly ,Malayalam needn't necessarily be influenced from the Dravidian or Sanskrit style of writing.That is exactly why, what Basheer wrote was different,but even he was a malayalee,and an Indian.

What is known in his name 'Basheer' is a broad literary world.There are authors who would die to get Basheer's space,who were awestruck to realize that such a simple person,can create such mass appeal.Writers wanted to write like Basheer,they wanted their books to be read like Basheer's was,by every strata in the society.Not just in his stories,even in his conversations and letters,there were characters,there was  humour,there were social messages,on issues like dowry.He was never a perfect person,there was a phase when he used to drink too,and lie on the floor and act like a baby.His fellow mates knew him very well.There are people who also say that Basheer did not contribute much after his marriage.

But all I know is,I knew a different world of malayalam,a different world of humour,a different world of love through him.Infact his novel introduced me into the world of love,and all those little things of day to day life. :-)

ps: There is a lot more to him,a lot more to his books and his life.My attempt was to just tell you ,why I am so fond of him as a writer,and how he inspires me.In a world where people need to know,there were people greater,and way more humble! 

In the memory of Chintha Ravi uncle

Dad's group of friends were never strangers to us,unlike few other malayalee families where the men of the house would hang out with their friends,would be away late at night,but the wife and kids wouldn't know the man's circle of friends,his close friends,and the likes.For us it wasn't just quite different,but it was a lot different from other families.As a typical journalist's kids we grew up,My sister and I were involved in every phase my father passed,as a journalist,his friends,his colleagues,his admirers and fans and the outside world.

My mother who has always been a very social person ,never set curfews for my dad,since she believed he knew his limits,and his close friends were close to her as well.When I heard the news of Ravi uncle's demise,the pictures of our medical college flat,the ash trays lying around,the mess there,it all started playing in my mind like a horrifying video,shot after shot,each clip playing an replaying.Ravi uncle used to live in our medical college apartment,for a period of time,that apartment was more of a bachelor's playground,where there were married men discussing journalism and other topics over drinks and cigarettes,my dad's hangout zone it was,press club wouldn't stand a comparison.My mom never cribbed about cleaning the mess,since she knew how important those people were in dad's life.OK Johny uncle,Ravi uncle,Pradeep uncle and many others who visited often.

I fall short of words to express how he connected so well with my dad,and never would I be able to even explain his greatness verbally,he was like family .I was a small kid when 'Endae Keralam' used to be telecasted on Asianet,but I feel like I saw the programme only yesterday.Medical college apartment is still there,tenants from IT companies occupy it,they pay the cheque on the first day of every month,and that is all we know about it.

I can tell you how blessed I am ,to have met such a lovely person in my life.

He was a man with a lot of thoughts,a man who wished he could do a lot more,but that is destiny,he died before fulfilling many of those wishes.The memories he left behind will hold us through,all our lives.I still feel incomplete,and want to write more,but I just can't get the flow here..just cant seem to.

Election talkies..Chennai-TVM!

Tomorrow we all go out to vote!.Vote for entertainment,sarcasm,party politics ,diplomats,frauds.vote for who? .

'Scam' is a word which has got more meaning than the already existing dictionary meaning that it carries,in the last couple of weeks.Little kids would name all the scams for you.We had the CWG Scam,the well known 2G Spectrum,and what not.So this time,parties have not much to say about their achievements ,or highlight their strengths.So why not have some entertainment,the mockery game.We had Rahul Gandhi visiting our state,and he is more concerned of the age of the Chief Minister in 5 years,wish the 40 year old has showed the same concern  and involvement in his own party.We also had news that he was spotted having porotta and appam,and quite a lot of stuff from a very small restaurant in the city.Austerity,they call it.On the other hand,we had our own chief minister responding to it ,in his own achuthanandan style,calling him an amul baby,and the people he's campaigning for,amul babies as well.In comparison,sonia gandhi and manmohan singh took an easier approach,where;s the tsunami fund? ,ask your govt what they put it to?,and the usual blame game,and chief minister's reply was that PM shouldnt act like he's a world bank who keeps funds flowing in.

Well..well .Now it all does confuse us,because our system isnt transparent enough to tell us,where the money is?what it is used for ? or whether any money was given at all?.And about the chief minister's age,and rahul gandhi's restaurant choice.No comments.

Chennai politics is pretty straight.We give you a refrigerator ,for the one vote you give us.We give you a tv,for voting for us.So now its for you to decide.A visit to chennai,a month before made me feel like I am actually watchin some old MGR,Sivajiganesh flick,with all those Stalin posters everywhere.Meeting a man like Cho Ramaswami was a treat because he gave me an inside view of tamil nadu politics ,and the alliances that might be favourable.While actor Sarathkumar asked me to join politics ,and that it is the youth that decides what our future holds,and my mind replied instantly( "I pity your state and hope you get rid of your confusions first and show some consistency)".He then gave me a magazine of his,named 'voice',which kept me busy for my flight back.

For all those neutral heads like me,you need to be a real political critic,a good analyst,to make the right decision,as to who to vote for,and at times,even those decisions we assume to be righy, may not be right.Take the courage,and vote!!! 

11 wonder boys! :)

Phhhhewww!!!..and I finally get a big break from commerce,taxation,accounts,auditing and what not!.This blog post has been on my mind ever since the world cup began,but I had to wait till we won(due to the university exams,which was postponed thrice,deep sighh of relief!),but never is it too late to express my great passion(can call it a developed passion) for the game.
As a kid I knew , Kapil Dev,I knew Sachin Tendulkar ,I knew Alan Border,cricket for me was more like a few big names,and an entire team clinging on to the support of these huge pillars of strength,tactics and in Sachin;s case,magic!,a hundred,a two hundred.I felt everything got a little too overrated,and the tv blasting in the background put me off.
I grew up,and once I started seeing things change,players change,more people coming in,and a humble captain,I felt ,cricket ain't all that monopolistic.I started watching a couple of matches with my dad.I was taken to cochin to watch an india-pak match,the sight of ravi shastri was just woww for a little girl who just heard their voices on tv.
And there..time passed by..and we had our young man dhoni as our skipper.

Oh lord ! Enough and more of 1983 in the papers,I feel like going back to sleep,fresh news is what we need I felt
I cannot imagine how I can remain glued to the tv watching a match,when I have an exam the next day.
The final,India -Srilanka.All eyes on mallinga's hands,cursing every little strand of his curly blonde hair fallin over his face,as he bowls to Sehwag.I wonder why!,but I had this thought cross my mind, "What if Sachin gets out?" ..hmm..dhoni's team would win it for us,for sachin.".
And there..in a few balls..we had both our opening batsmen out.sehwag for a zero.I heard my friends switched off their tv sets ,in great despair.That was exactly when I started gaining more interest in the match.I thought we can still chase it and win,eventhough people felt 275 is a big score.Somebody had to take the role of the 'wonder boy',gautam gambhir and dhoni,what an innings!,whose the wonder boy ? ,i questioned myself.3 runs short of hundred doesnt make me not choose gambhir as the wonder boy,but a simple 92,from a great struggle,and leading his team from the forefront,I'd say,Dhoni made his team,and his nation feel like ,
"Today!,Sachin dint let us down,it had to happen like that,so that,we can stand by him,and get a chance to step into the shoes of 11 wonders boys ,with invisible sachin masks,to get that glorious cup!
And yes! "Sachin! We did it for you!,Hopping up and down in joy,are your 11 little boys!"
ps:
Dhoni is a player who can rise up to the occassion and prove it,and i feel humility is the key to success,and this man will go a loong lonng way!
Sreeshanth didnt misbehave!,so yeah thats the criteria to count him as a wonder boy,he he he!
Kudos! to Yuvraj,Zak and all the others!

(Click click!)

Way to go VIDYA BALAN!!!If I see a nice lady..i'd like to say.. "She's sooo Vidyaaa" :-) :-)

She may not be destiny's child,she may not be your favourite soup brand's model.Neither would she have a fleet of aircraft,nor a boy friend to boast about.She might be a fashion designer's nightmare,and a fashion disaster herself,or she may not be the controversial queen unlike others who go miles with family backing,link ups and break ups,and a lot of skin show.

Yes! I am talking about a ravishing indian beauty who just needs a simple saree and minimal make up to make us go Ooomph!.The film industry is been blessed with this beauty with brains.She visits our homes once in a while ,as a guide to help us in driving away mosquitoes (The mosquito repellant ad),a complete opposite to what you can call 'Present day glamour' n what I call 'Eternal beauty'.Its not the cover of the book that I am glorifying,it is the book itself,that I've been reading,or observing.The roles she did,like it was scripted for her.Who would forget the Lola in Parineeta,Auro's mum in Paa,and the daring lady in Ishqiya.She has handled all kinds of emotions so effortlessly,which makes it so real.

What inspired me to write this time,is the character of Sabrina in No One Killed Jessica.I was delighted by the performance of this lady who has great versatility.She is one actor who needs to be appreciated,and promoted.A lady of substance I call her.Vidya Balan,In this world of entertainment,self marketing and hardly any substance in the so called B-town,We,the Vidya Balan fans,just hope you do not get influenced and we truly believe,you are here to stay!! :-)

And to the viewers who like showing off the International Film festival badges,or who are so very immersed in commercial drama,Please find a little time to watch commercial or non commercial movies,with good subjects too :-)

Hoping that we all get to see more of Vidya Balan.I'm not being stereotypical.I do not classify her into the so called 'boring' or 'serious' film category.I just appreciate what she has done,and hope she does a lot of similar or dissimilar roles with the same grace :-)

A walk away

He wakes up in the morning with great difficulty,turns to his side and sigghss.. "Ahh! my baby.your walks in the morning I dislike,you know how i long to see you when I open my eyes."

The man sits up in bed,yawns a bit..and thinks..can I sleep for some more time..Its been a long night..my baby sure keeps me awake to share a few words,however long the day has been for her,she loves the little cribbing I do before the lights are off,and sure does know how to keep me awake even in the dark.(the man smiles as he thinks of it).With eyes half closed,he walks up to the kitchen to make his cup of coffee,(in his mind..Yes darling.I know you like green tea,as part of your latest health regime.So then I thought I'll have green tea as well.You'll be surprised to see me sip that eeky green liquid just to keep you company).

After placing the kettle of green tea and two cups on the table in the sitting room,he walks towards the backyard,and sees the little plants that have faded.the flowers that are yet to bloom.He cribs (Honey ! I told you,please don't keep those plants if you don't have time to look after them.They are not independent ,unlike me) he giggles on the thought of how 'dependent' he actually is.After a walk in the backyard ,he picks up a red rose,and gets inside,searching for a knife to chop those thorns of.In his mind (Oh yes ladyy..I am a romantic man.You'll see that today,but please don't expect your favourite tracks playing as you walk in.You know how I love silence in the morning.he he)

The man hears the door bell and says "Ah! there she is!" He opens the door to see the newspaper next to the door mat.He picks it up,and runs through the pages(not wanting to waste time on world news,when he's awaiting his wife's arrival to give her company for tea.Yes he gets the page.The page that he completely dedicated to his wife,on her first death anniversary.He places the cup of green tea and red rose on the paper...moves his fingers over her picture ,and with a release of a deep sigh,he wets the page with his tears.He says "Its your first death anniversary baby,and you look as pretty as ever in my dreams,the bed still looks like how you leave it and go for your walks in the morning,you are still in my heart honey.Just a walk away"(in the background plays: his wife's favourite track)