Billu Barber

Crap che... what a waste re. Totally avoid.
Irrfan Khan is fab (as always)... so is Lara Dutta... she has actually acted. Shahrukh has over-acted throughout.
Total bore.
I have not watched an English movie in months... whats happening to me!!! Help!!!

Delhi 6

Hahahahahahahahha.... hehehehehehhehe... heeheehee... don't mind me... I am watching Delhi 6. The end is hilarious... you should watch it... I swear.

No no... Abhishek does not die in the end... how can he? He has a gf... dadi... mother.. father... mohalla walas... and an American accent... atleast a fake one.
Hahahahahahha...

I am a little confused... just a little. What is this movie about? Roshan's (Abhishek) Indian/Delhi experience as a NRI? Is it about the monkey man incident (isn't it a little late??? The incident happened years ago) Is it a love story? Is it about the caste division in India? I don't know. I guess I am a little slow. Please don't mind.

I don't like Shahrukh but even he acted well in Swades... even Aish did act in Raincoat (anyone heard/seen this movie?)... but Abhishek? He is hopeless.

What the fuck is Amitabh doing in the movie? He probably thought a 2 min apperance might reverse the fate of this flick.

And Sonam??? Did she have a special apperance? Even she cannot act.

Seems like the director was drunk while making this one... and he forgot to cast 'actors'... everyone is so wooden.

Out of this world.

RIP all the poor souls who watched this one in the theatre. God saved me from their fate.

On my Juke box

• Ek Hulchal Si
  
• Yahi Meri Zindagi
• Nayan tarse
• Dev Chanda Themes

I am soooooooooooooooo addicted

Girls of Riyadh

What a book!!! I picked it up on an impulse and loved it. The story is not extra-ordinary but the way it is written adds charm.
The book is about the lives of 4 Saudi girls... their lives, feelings, desires, search for love etc.

Books I have read recently- Girls of Riyadh, White tiger, Delhi etc do not tell a unique story... the way the story is presented is captivating.
I guess life is like that... what you do is not imp... how you package it is. There are people who put in a lot of effort into everything they do... every ppt, every analysis, every little detail is perfect. I am not like that. I don't care... maybe it is not the way to lead my life... but who cares. Will I remember the stupid ppt or analysis at my death bed? Sure... an imperfect ppt could lead to an imperfect career... but hell... who cares?

How to pick a good book?

• If you have access to a library these points are not for you... if you buy books then picking the right one is very important... books don't come cheap... not at all
• Picking a book is as personal as buying lingerie... what is preferred by one may not be comfy for another
• I do not fall for 'Best sellers'... Chetan Bhagat's books are best sellers... he writes like a 10 year old... his only saving grace is the story on IIT... Indians are proud of IIT and IIM... every parent wants their kid to either enter these institutes or marry people passing out of them (I talk through experience)... there are many more who have penned down similar stories... avoid such books
  
• Awards do not lure me...
  
• I generally read the summary behind the book... if that appeals to me I read the first 1-2 pages. Sometimes the summary is good but the writing is horrible... this is especially true for 'chick lit' novels. These days a lot of Indian females are writing about love and arranged marriage... most of these books are crap
• Recommendations from friends (and from my blog) are the best ways to read/buy books... I have not yet come across a failed recommendation

Anyway... ciao... next book is 'The Duchess'... hope that lasts a week atleast.

Oscar is here

What a joke. A.R Rehman wins an Oscar for 'Jai Ho' from 'Slum dog Millionaire'.
What a fucking joke.
What a predictable joke.

India is celebrating.
What a fucking joke.

'Jai Ho' is not Rehman's best work... it is quite mediocre actually... If I had to give an Oscar or any award to the music.. it would go to 'Dev D'........ I luuuurrrrvvvvveeee the songs so much.

Slumdog Millionaire is not the best movie... the book it is based on is much much better. 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' is a much better movie. Unfortunately, it has been directed by an Indian.

So the Oscars are the biggest joke.

The White Tiger

Before I get to the review... I need to talk about how I got the book.

One of my fav bloggers- Em (see sidebar) recommended this book. Award winning books don't lure me but I like Em and wondered if I will like the book also. The search began... all the book shops- Landmark, Crossword, Om Book shop in all the cities- Gurgaon, Mumbai, A'bad etc were out of stock. I had almost given up after a month... but God (if He exists) was on my side this month. I found it in Crossword at Oberoi Mall. I started reading it on the train to Mumbai last weekend and was hooked. In the morning when I reached the guesthouse I couldn't find the book. "Shit... I probably left it on the train"... I picked up another copy from the airport book shop. On Monday morning... the book was on my bed... maybe I had misplaced it in the luggage. Now I had 2 copies.

Getting to the review... it is fab... superb. The beginning is very very interesting... it deals with the life of the poor... their struggle... frustrations... temptations... corruption in India... the rich... their life... etc. No, no... it is not a preachy book. It is the story of Munna alias Balram alias White Tiger who becomes an entrepreneur from a driver.

A must read!!!

Lost for words

I don't know what to blog about... there is nothing on TV... I am quite tired these days... Life has been hectic. Appraisals are here. I don't know why people are so worried about it. Its not like its in your hand... 2008 is over... you can't turn back time and change anything.

Some things people should not do on trains:

• Sing loudly while listening to music with headphones.

There was this guy whose berth was in front of mine... he was listening to music on his phone with ear phones on and everytime the chorus came on he would bray at the top of his voice. The rest of us gave him weird looks but he seemed oblivious. Finally, I asked him to lower his voice.

• Make other passengers change their berths to accommodate your family.

There was this family of 4 who had 2 berths around mine in AC 2 tier. They asked the guy on the other berth to move and he complied. Then they requested I move too. I refused. The train had started moving... my luggage was in place.. I was settled on the seat and comfortably reading. I had no intention of moving my ass.

• Request me to move to the upper berth

Old people have this bad habit. They request younger people to move to the upper berth 'coz of their age, health and what not. I try and book the lower berth. I don't understand why I should put myself to inconvenience for someone else. Once I had given in and suffered all night. The AC on upper berth was on full blast and I couldn't sleep and I had to report to office at 9 am. So... aunties and uncles... book the lower berth for yourself...