Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Review of 2 States movie

She was insisting me to watch this movie from a long time as it was quite similar to our love story.
Though I am still to face her Hitler Dad who checks the payslip first and her mom who wants a cloned Alok Nath as her son-in-law, but it was quite a preparation.

And not to forget that my love story is no less spicy then that of Chetan Bhagat but that I will keep for someday later..;)

So coming back to the movie. These days a new trend is seen in Bollywood, where a popular piece of literature is been adopted into screenplays.
Chetan Bhagat's books have appalled the youth of India to a great extent. In the past his work like "five point someone" and "three mistakes of my life" when adapted on screen went out to be huge hits.

As I had read 2 States so was already aware about the story but how the real life is presented in the reel life was what excited me.Also as someone special was with me so the excitement increased manifold.
2 states was Chetan's best seller and its adaptation had great expectations. Does it manages to live upto the expectation, let's find out.



Unlike 3 idiots and Kai Po Che, 2 States is 100% adaptation of the book.



The movie revolves around Punjabi Munda Krish and beautiful Madarasan Ananya who meet each other at IIM A. Ananya with 22 proposals from IITians feels the same for every other. Krish protest against her attitude and this marks the beginning of their story.
Krish finally confesses that he can't just be a friend and Ananya rewards this with a kiss.



Love finds way into their life and a spicy romance starts on the campus. After having the fun the couple finally decide to commit and take their relationship forward.
But in India marriage is not only about the girl and boy is what they realize soon.
They decide to make their parents meet on their convocation which turns out to be a nightmare.

For a second I could see my parents meeting with those of my GF just to give me a heart attack.
Thanx to my GF who pinched me at the right time otherwise I was about to see World War 3.

Nwys back to the story, after the convocation the story embarks upon the journey of couple convincing each other's parents which is full of drama, humor and at last happy ending.

2 States is full on masala movie which has all the ingredients to make it a hit.
Though there are no such moments which pulls you out of the chair but it perfectly fulfills all the expectations that you have after reading the book. Also the music is rocking and good to ears which is an added bonus.

Shy & geek looking Arjun Kapoor does complete judgement to his character. Though it is tough for him to be in such avatar seeing his previous performances but he perfectly lends the required softness.

Amrita Singh is superb as the bold Punjabi mom who delivers the funniest liners of the movie with full composure.
Ronit Roy gives a powerful performance he is know for.




But it is Alia Bhatt who is the focus of the movie. Yet another superb performance after Highway.
Her beauty, innocence & vivacious personality brings life to the character of Ananya. Her refreshing looks and natural acting add to the charm of every scene.

Overall the movie is a good  entertainment, a one time watch for sure..\m/

Rating -: 






Saturday, April 26, 2014

What if you are 25 and don't have a GF..??

GF is an entity that changes your life.
If you are fortunate enough to find a good one then she makes your life heaven but the other one is also important as she will leave you with long credit card bills, sleepless nights and not to forget a lesson of lifetime.

But what if you are 25, an age when parents start looking for a suitable bride and you don't have someone special in life. Not to forget when you are afraid of arranged marriage,it really gets difficult.

Relationships which are childhood love, school love or college first year love have 90% probability of being successful, but I was unfortunate to find one.

Its not that I didn't try, I tried my heart out, but either I was not satisfied or she.

During school time peer pressure starts from 8th class, not only peer pressure also Parents pressure.
They except you to top the merit , but don't understand that it is also the time when lot of hormone locha happens inside your body.
You start finding girls pretty. The opposite sex attracts you more than anything.

Next comes NTSE. If you get scholarship here, IIT coaching classes will teach you for free.
Also your name will come into newspaper which everyone wants one day.
So again the mind wants you to study but heart wants just the opposite.
It is ready to fall for someone, go mad in love, create new historic love stories.

10th Board is like a war, where your parents, teachers and even friends knowing that you are a small Srilanka will expect you to beat America.

Finally when you feel that now you can relax and go out fishing, parents ring the Career Alert bell.
You are shown the dream of getting into an IIT by coaching institutes and you happily agree to get bluffed.
It's not that coaching institutes are only for studies, many students come for mate matching also.
Fortunately girls here consider you a part of intellectual group and try to come closer.
They call you to parties but for you it is senseless and waste of time as the bhoot of IIT is still big on the head.

Finally the results are out and you don't get an IIT but a decent college.
Now that you are sure that everything is set, you feel it's the right and high time to fall in love.

But where are all the pretty girls gone ?
99% girls are beautiful and rest 1% are my batchmates looks so true and real.

Though there are some charming faces but they demand a high intellect combined with big bikes and even bigger wallets.
Then there are those average looking, only 4-5 times proposed girls who will fall for singing skills, guitar skills and in my case dancing skills.
You think she is the one, your love, your everything but she leaves you in few months, stating it as just an infatuation and nothing else.

Then there is that one girl who will love you like anything. She will always feel jealous when you are with other girl. She will take care of you like a mother, but you won't get satisfied by all this.
Because for you a person has not to be only loving and caring but also interesting and witty to be a partner.
She loves you relentlessly and you finally think of giving it a try.
Well it feels good for few days but then you feel like changing many things.
You tend to give her lectures on almost everything and then follows 24*7 fighting, calling mutual friends and troubleshooting.
Finally when everyone gives up, your relationship comes to a miserable end breaking her heart.

A lesson learnt but after paying a heavy price of losing your best friend.
You take a pledge not to get into relationship with a girl who is not of your type, just to break it in few months.

Internet friends are so common these days and also internet love.
You feel low and lonely after the breakup and make your way to the big virtual world.

After few days you find someone interesting. She seems to be the perfect one, loving, caring, intellectual and also witty. You take no time in falling for her. The first few meets are so amazing that you feel like introducing her to your family, but her different caste factor always keep haunting you.

Few months pass and you tend to feel the difference between virtual and the real world.
The girl who always had time for you on the virtual world, unfortunately can't find much in her real world. She tends to give excuses and things get bitter.
You give your relationship another chance with an optimistic hope of she finding time for you.
But things get really worst when she is not even able to meet you on your birthday.
You don't have any other option then break-up.


Cooperate world beckons and you get yourself immersed into work just to forget her.
Again you take a pledge that you will only think of a girl if she is of your caste as this is your last time and you don't want a World War 3 with your parents.
When you are on the verge of getting great opportunities, she enters your life.
She is of your caste, have great looks, is witty, creative and above all matches your height perfectly.
What more can you urge for ?
You try all the tricks in the world to impress her but this time your love line shows a full stop.
You are being ignored as if you don't even exist.
She gets into an IIM and you are stuck at the same place, also losing those knocking opportunities.


Now you are 25. Parents wants to get you married soon.
Your father's father and mother's mother emotionally blackmail's you every time you talk to them.
Friends are getting married to their long term GF's and when you tell them your desire of having a love marriage, they will infinitely mock at your single status.


Watched 2 states and felt like waiting for some more time, but how long...????
Do you have an answer ? Feel free to suggest..;)

Sunday, April 20, 2014

My love for the game and how Star Sports became partner in crime

Though cricket is not the official national sport of India but it has always been followed like a religion.
Most of the people here are fanatical about the game. Everyone has their own predictions, superstitions, routines & have done crazy things to enjoy this amazing game and I have been no exception to this.

During childhood my parents were a bit strict about me watching TV, specially cricket. World cup was my favorite and I always tried to convince them to let me watch it. But I failed and that was the time when the art of making crazy excuses found its way into me.

1. I used to inform at my school that my mom is very ill and have to be at home and here at home I
   used to tell my parents that some teacher of my school has meet with an accident and she/he is
   dead, hence the school is closed because of that.

2. Asharam Bapu proved to be a boon for me as his asaram was near to my school and there were
    huge traffic jams during his arrival , so I used to tell my parents that the school is off as the buses
   wont be functioning today

3. Also monsoon was my favorite, not only because of the natural beauty that is at boom in those
   days but also because of the huge water standing infront of my school which easily helped me
   make an excuse whenever there was India's match.

Normal one included
I am ill and can't go to school.
Missed my school bus.

But the craziness and keeda of cricket only got bigger with the age.
When I came in college we used to bunk classes to watch every match in our favorite lounge.
There we had our tables reserved beforehand and big screens all set so that we never missed a shot.
Whether it was Yuvraj six sixes in an over, Sachin's `magnificent double hundred or a world cup for India after after 28 long years, we enjoyed every bit.

Even if we had to attend a lecture as the professor was a Hitler, we used to make sure to get live updates of the match through sms and some people like me used to put one of the earphone hiding it with my palm, though it pained a lot but everything is fair in love,war and cricket..;)

But as I got a job and became part of the cooperate world, life changed.
Now we can't bunk our office to watch our favorite players in full action.
Nor we can make an excuse to get a leave, as boss was reluctant to offer any holiday until there was something really serious.

But cricket was as important as my job and then StarSports came as a savior.
Now whenever I was stuck at office with my overtime job I quickly logged on to the website to catch the action on the deferred live feature where I could watch the entire match just with 5 mins of delay.

Sometimes the workload is so much that I had to skip my lunch, forget about watching match.
In those times the Action Recap feature comes as a boon where I could catch up with the match quickly and completely at any hour of the clock.

Also there are times when you really have so much to do in a day that watching the complete match looks impossible. Here is when the Zip Clips comes into picture. Now whenever I have long, tiring client meetings and there is no energy left to watch the complete match I get to see all the important moments of the match through short, snack sized videos.




Though I love all the features that new StarSports has offered as it has helped me remain connected with my love(Cricket) even in office but I preferably love Action Recap, Deferred Live & Zip Clips , in which Zip Clips is my favorite.


This post is part of Cricket just got better! Activity by starsports.com in association with BlogAdda.com



Wednesday, April 9, 2014

The most famous palindrome..Huh

This word can be tagged as one of the most commonly used slang words among the young gals.
It is always on the tip of their tongue and also on their chat windows.
Whenever they have nothing to say this super word comes as a savior.

My GF loves this word more than me, so I decided to find its hidden qualities.
Is it cute?
Does it have a sex appeal?
Is it funny?

I was eager to know the reason of its charm which made it dearer to her.
And hence began my analysis.

I landed upon a page which described it as below
Main Entry:
huh
Pronunciation:
\a grunt articulated as a syllabic meters or n with a voiceless onset, or as the syllable ˈhə or ˈhəⁿ, often ending in a glottal stop, and uttered with a range of intonations; often read as ˈhə\
Function:
interjection
Etymology:
imitative of a grunt
Date:
1608
—used to express surprise, disbelief, or confusion, or as an inquiry inviting affirmative reply.

Well I could relate the above usage with her daily conversation with me.
She used to get surprised when I used to say, “She is the most beautiful girl I have ever met”.
Also she used to get confused whenever I used to list down my priorities which includes
1. Table Tennis
2.  Blogging
3.  Stock Market
4. Collecting rare coins.
And on the top of the list is you my baby.

Huh was her reply to both the situations and now I can relate a bit to it.

But still I couldn't get a rational reason for huh being so dearer to her.
Were my talks so surprising or confusing that her reply was always “Huh”, no no!! that couldn't be the reason.

So I decided to ponder on the history and origin of “Huh” to know more about it.
And I landed on a page which described it as something like this
 Huh has been suggested in Language History Studies as the response in a questioning tone.
Its origin comes from the old caves of England where the first tribes were discoursing over the
absolute finest example of the most succinct Palindrome.
And upon the utterance of "Huh?" from one of the elder cavers, within seconds were the
uproarious hysterics of joy and unanimous voting, for a splendid new beginning
toward linguistic unity.

Okay so she loves it because it is the finest example of the most succinct Palindrome!! Really..??

My quest for the reason was still on and this time I thought to ask my friends on what they think about the word “Huh”.

Girls were quick and on their toes to answer.
Some of the replies went like this
1. I say it when I am want someone to go to hell.
    Also when I am fed up of something and don’t wanna argue.
2. Another said that when she is not bothered about somebody or something
    she uses it.
3. And the most honest answer was I just love to use it whenever I get a chance.

I was shocked when I found that one of my male friends too liked it !!

But what bothered me more was the consensus on one thing that girls use the word “Huh”
when they are fed up of something and don’t wanna argue.

Well this rang a warning alarm in my mind.
Do I talk senseless these days and behave like the prince of Congress?
Do I argue more than I talk like the spokesperson of Congress?
Or do I just make big promises, am king of dialogues but implements nothing like the
Maflarwala ?

It was a wakeup call and I decided to take a pledge that till next Valentine she will only use “Huh” once in a day while we are conversing.
Am I on the right path?

Enlighten me with your comments and do tell me your opinion on the most scary word for me now..

                                                  “HUH”




Saturday, April 5, 2014

An experience of lifetime..

It was those days when I was in school.
My 8th board exams had finished and the best time of year was awaiting me, the summer holidays.
This time I was very excited as I heard my parents discussing about some foreign tour.
But to my disappointment they decided to visit our relatives in Pipliya, birthplace of my Mamaji.

Pipliya is a small village located in the state of Madhya Pradesh with a mere population of 30,000.
We were going to visit our Mamaji's brother Shyamlal Jain who lived with his wife there for past 50 years.They lived in a house which was more like a Kothi built about 60 years ago by Mamaji's father Mr Dindayal Jain .They also had a farm which was some 8,000 square feet and was the source of earning their lively hood.

I was just 14 at that time, at the start of my adolescence. I was crazy for parties, hanging out with my friends at mall, cafes & playing video games for long hours.
A day without video game or eating out was like a day not lived.
I was so much into the materialistic things that I hardly got time to feel the beauty of the nature around and I didn't even care about it.
Surviving in a village was a challenge for me. I was pissed off by the thought of unhygienic toilets, cow dung everywhere, the ambiance that I had to bear to a week.

It was decided that we will leave for Pipliya on 2nd of April, a day after completion of my exams.
All were busy with their packing, especially me, as I wanted to take all the gadgets, gizmos and other stuff I had for making my survival possible, I was behaving in a manner as if I was going to be a contestant of Survivor India.

We started at 10 in the morning and reached there by 6 in the evening. I thoroughly enjoyed driving the Car at a speed of 110-130 on the high way as it seemed to be the last exciting thing left on the world to me.
When we entered the village everything looked messy and obsolete to me. The lanes were narrow, houses looked like they were built in 18th century and people had no sense of fashion and hygiene..

Finally after 1 hour of crazy horn blowing, frustration and agitation we finally reached the so called Kothi of Mr Jain.

He and his wife were waiting for us anxiously. As we got down they welcomed us whole heartily.
It had been years after I meet them so couldn't recall their face.

There house was very big and looked more like a historical monument which hasn't been white washed from ages. There were no marble flooring and furniture appeared to be of Akbar's time.
They showed us our rooms and told us to get fresh as dinner was ready.

Our room had nothing to be happy about as it was as old fashioned as the house.
I was reluctant to take dinner so early as it was only 6:30 pm.
Everything which was there around pissed me off and I told dad to run away from here as soon as possible, may be by tomorrow itself.

Unfortunately Mr Jain also came at the same time inviting us for dinner.
He had listened to what all I said, but very calmly he came near me and politely said, “I know you are a kid of city and are not habitual of living in such ambiance , but believe me you will have the time of your life if you follow my words.

I was so embarrassed that I didn't know what to say and agreed to whatever he said.
After having dinner, as everyone was very tired, especially me, we decided to sleep.

As we were going to our rooms he told me to that we had to go somewhere at 5 in the morning as he had some surprises planned for me and told not to worry as he will wake me up in time.
OMG 5 in the morning, I don't remember if I did wake up any time before 8 in my life.
Anyways I went to bed at 10 and waited for the next morning to know about the surprises.

"Ankit wake up beta, Mamaji is calling you", said Mom.
Why these people get up so early, i felt very irritated as I was about to hug Irina Shayk at the Crane Beach of Barbados...:P


I asked him where were we going and now he should reveal the surprise, but he told me to follow him and wait for the right time.
We have to get to the top of that hill which appears at the other side of the ground, affirmed he.

I was gasping for air as the path to the top was not easy and it took all my stamina to even stand still.
Come on my boy we have almost made it, exclaimed he. I could see a 60 year old standing at the top and motivating a 14 year young champ to take those remaining steps.
That day it was very much clear , why my Nani used to say that people in villages have tremendous stamina and that it was all because they loved nature and were very close to it in all aspects.

When I reached top I was completely tired and out of my senses, but suddenly a gust of cool breeze touched my face, blowing my hair. What I saw next was phenomenal, tiny extravagant shades of orange and pink appeared in the sky. Shortly after a fiery ball enhancement started to make it’s way beyond the mountain ranges at a distance. Sky was filled with colours of unexplainable magnificence that had no known name. I felt like I am on top of the world with nature charming me with all its elements.

Mamaji asked me how was I feeling like, but my ego came in middle and I deceived him by saying that it was okay. Next we started with Yoga. He told me about different asanas and exercises which kept him fit and healthy and I followed him. 

It was 8 and we were finished with the first task of the day. Next we headed towards home as it was time for breakfast. But for me it was time for defecation as I could feel the pressure intensify.
Most of the times we used to curse God for the indigestion problem and take lot of medicines just to have a smooth process of defecation. But today I was actually cursing myself for being so dependent on medicines and keeping away from the benefits of being natural.

But there was a problem, where to defecate..??, as I could see no Sulabh Shauchalaya there. I asked Chote Nana for help. He told me there is a small lake which flows near to their farm and I can easily become HALKA there..:P
Was he telling me to defecate in open in front of all, in open??... I was feeling so embarrassed but had no other option.
When we reached the Lake I quickly found a big rock behind where I could hide myself, well there are many other things you can do behind a big rock, but this time I was alone and in lot of hurry..:P

The place I choose had the water stream just flowing at a hand's distance. Man I had the best defecate of my life .Lolzz I am describing this also but can't help..:P
After I was done we headed towards our home as breakfast was waiting for us.


After we were done with filling the hungry stomach, I was feeling desperately to take a shower as my complete body was stinging and sweating.
But there was another plan which Mamaji had in queue.
We will go to a nearby river side which is just 10km away from here and don’t worry this time we will go on my bike, he chuckled.
We were accompanied my father also.

When we reached the spot there was no crowd there. Mamaji told us that this place was rarely known to the people. In no time he climbed up a rock which was 20 feet high and made a dive in the water. 

Wow, that’s super cool I thought and tried myself too. I was feeling a bit nervous as 20 feet was not a small height, but then I made my move and went straight into the water. I could see small fishes passing by my ear; it was a breath taking moment for me, so natural and wonderful.
                                     
After doing different somersaults and relaxing in the free flowing water for some 2 hours we headed towards home for lunch.

Post lunch we went to his farm.
He told me that they grew different vegetables like ladyfinger, Cucumbers, green onions and also pulses and cereals.
It was evening time before sunset and the crops appeared dancing with the cool breeze.
The panorama was beautiful and so natural.
Near to the farm he also had a small shed for all the cattle.
I had never become friends with animals as I did this time. Feeding them, pampering the newly born and the most amazing experience was seeing mamaji draw milk from the cow’s udder.
 Time passed so quickly that we even didn't knew it was already dinner time.

After having dinner Dad told us that he got an urgent call from office and we have to leave early in the morning. I was very much disappointed as we had planned for a week but had to leave in a day. I had started loving the place, it’s people, the ambience, desi food and above all my amazing confrontation with nature and its beautiful elements which are always going to stay in my unforgettable memoirs.

It was also time to keep aside the useless ego and confess the truth to Mamaji.
I wanted to tell him how much I loved his company, the surprises he planned for me and all the efforts made by him to make me become friends with nature.

When we were about to leave, it went in front of him, touched his feet and then hugged him with tears flowing down my eyes. I can hear the sobbing sound too, means he too was crying. He told me that he missed his son the most and he found a glimpse of him in me. I apologized to him for my attitude and rude behavior. I was feeling very guilty for bringing ego in between relationships especially when the other person considered you as his son.

From that day something in me changed and all credit goes to Mamaji who inspired me to always remain connected to nature, to become friends with it and respect and love all its elements.

This post is part of contest Nature's Friends on Indiblogger