Life,films and nostalgia: 2015

Thursday 12 November 2015

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo - Review

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo has some highly emotional moments in second half and two nice songs the title track and 'jalte diye' which make this otherwise badly directed movie worth seeing.Plot has often repeated story we have seen in films like Kalicharan or Sachcha Jhutha.Himesh Reshamiya is a big drawback to this film,most of his song much below Rajshri standards.Opulent sets of 'Sheesh Mahal' created by Nitin Chandrakant Desai is not well used or pictured and then destroyed in climax.Salman Khan has done well here,Sonam Kapoor looks good in saris,Anupam Kher delivers a good performance.Deepak Dobriyal ably supports Salman Khan's 'Dilwale' character through out the film and is quite funny. Cinematography by Manikandan is just fabulous.

Sanjay Mishra is in a short impressive comic role.

Film is long, show started at 10:00 ended at 13:30, almost 3 hours thirty minutes ,but last one hour is so engrossing you don't feel the length of the movie.

'Prem Leela' and 'Bachpan kahan' too are better tracks.

Salman Khan's sister Alvira Khan has designed cotumes for this film.
Costume designer Ashley Rebello has done a great job here.

Neil Nitin Mukesh has a short role bits and pieces here and there which make him almost insignificant.The same film could have been much better in a more planned direction and with better music like Ravindra Jain did in 'Vivaah'.Arman Kohli too is in an unimpressive role.

Aashika Bhatia 'Ginni' from one of the popular television serial, Parwarish! makes her Bollywood debut. She plays Salman Khan's younger sister and her football kicks are scenes to watch out for.

Swara Bhaskar who came to prominence after playing the roles of Payal, in the 2011 rom-com film Tanu Weds Manu, Bindiya in the 2013 romantic drama Raanjhanaa, and Payal in the 2015 romantic comedy Tanu Weds Manu Returns. All of the films garnered her critical acclaim and first two gained her nominations for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She plays Aashika's elder sister.

Sunday 18 October 2015

My first Varanasi visit by Suraj - Day I

My train arrived at Varanasi station in the morning at 6:45 a.m. .Sonu Bhaiyya hired an auto which dropped us at Godowlia Chowk.We checked in at Prakash Guest House a nice budget hotel near Dashaswamedh Ghat.

From our room's balcony I could see the ancient Brahaspati Temple really beautiful.

In Varanasi many ghats are along River Ganges like Dashaswamedh Ghat, Assi Ghat ,Maharana Ghat, Darbhanga Ghat etc. .Dashaswamedh Ghat was really clean and river Ganges was really wide and you can see it till horizon across its length.Later we rested and had our lunch at Keshari Ruchikar Byanjan Restaurant.

It was a very hot day for roaming around in the streets so we decided to visit near by P.D.R. Mall. 'V' Mart had really nice t-shirts at the cheapest price. Funny thing when we asked a Rickshaw puller fare for Assi Ghat he said 80 Rs.Assi in hindi which means 80.

In the evening I went to see Ganga Aarti which goes on for 1 hour and so many people including foreigners come to see it.

Later we took a walk and had dinner at Hotel Vibhav Harsh. It has a completely south-Indian vegetarian restaurant. A guy stands there with traditional jug 'lota' over wash-basin to help people cleanse their hands before dinner. It's an A.C. restaurant with very good service and food was just awesome. We ordered Soth-Indian thal 'dinner' .

Sonu Bhaiyya was nice and informed me about all and everything.

Next day in the morning we went to Assi Ghat where I took the holy dip in the River Ganges.

After a refreshing holy dip in the river Ganges.

On Assi ghat is a water kiosk providing clean drinking water to public.

Later we went to 18th century Durga Temple, overlooking the Durga Kund and worshipped there.

From here we hired an Auto for Sarnath. After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya the Buddha went to Sarnath; and it was here that he preached his first discourse in the deer park .Its a beautiful clean green place.

In Sarnath

On returning back to Varanasi I had my dinner at Ladesar Restaurant a proper north-Indian Thali.

As we walked back to Godowlia Chowk I saw St. Thomas Church at Girijaghar Crossing.

Thursday 15 October 2015

Neeb Karori Baba: Meet the baba who helped Mark Zuckerberg find his vision for Facebook

At the town hall with PM Narendra Modi, Mark Zuckerberg revealed an unusual connection between Facebook and India. When Facebook wasn’t the behemoth it is today, Zuckerberg visited his mentor Steve Jobs, whose suggestion was to visit an Indian temple. The Facebook CEO spent a month in the country, including two days at the ashram of Neeb Karori Baba, who is famous for having given guidance to some tech greats, including Steve Jobs, ET reports.

Jobs is said to have been deeply influenced by the Indian spiritualism in the 70s, and he visited Neeb Karori Baba’s Kainchi Dham ashram near Nainital, Uttarakhand. It is here Jobs is said to have got his vision to create Apple.

Though Neeb Karori Baba passed away in 1973, he continues to enchant people even today, and his followers include some well known personalities, including Hollywood actress Julia Roberts. A strong follower of Lord Hanuman — and also believed to be his incarnation — Baba has established more than 100 temples in India, as well as the US.

Jobs, Zuckerberg and Roberts aren’t the only foreigners enchanted by Baba. His followers also include Larry Brilliant, former director of Google.org, New York-based photographer Jim, who was renamed Rameshwar Dass by Baba, and Richard Alpert or Ram Dass, an American psychologist, among others

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Overloaded noisy motorboats - River Ganges,Varanasi

Devi Ahilyabai Ghat - River Ganges,Varanasi

Happy Foreigners coming down the steps to attend Ganga Aarti - River gan...

Munshi Ghat - River Ganges,Varanasi

Narad Ghat - River Ganges,Varanasi

Rana Mahal Ghat - River Ganges,Varanasi

Raja Ghat - River Ganges,Varanasi

Manikarnika Ghat - River Ganges Varanasi

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Glimpses of Sarnath

Life along the Ghats - River Ganges,Varanasi

Beautiful Sunrise - River Ganges,Varanasi

Varanasi Ghats illuminated by L.E.D. lights at night

Morning Boat ride in River Ganges,Varanasi

Glimpses of Varanasi

Monday 5 October 2015

Ganga Aarti at Dashaswamedh Ghat - River Ganges , Varanasi

Sunday 4 October 2015

Father Goose (1964) - Cary Grant

Its a very nice enjoyable movie from World War II where Cary Grant is tricked into a war job on one of many islands in the Pacific by Harbour Master (Trevor Howard). On visit to a near by island he finds Leslie Caron and her 7 pupils stranded there. He brings them back in his little row boat. Rest of the film revolved around hilarious scenes of his interaction with the 'girls' . The initially silent Jenny (Sharyl Locke), tomboy Harry (Jennifer Berrington), chronic complainer Anne (Pip Sparke), Elizabeth (Stephanie Berrington) and her imaginary friend Gretchen, coming of age Christine (Venina Greenlaw), and the French twins (Laurelle and Nichole Felsette).

And soon Cary Grant falls in love with Leslie Caron. They are married on the island ,chaplain administering their marriage from the radio wire-less just as a Japanese plane attacks their shack. Its a exciting climax where they manage to escape from the island in a submarine. It won an Oscar for Original screenplay.

Saturday 3 October 2015

Ganga Aarti at Rajendra Prasad Ghat,River Ganges,Varanasi - Divine,ethereal,mesmerizing & enchanting

Saturday 19 September 2015

Katti Batti - 2015 - Review

It's a patient watch and a nice serious different film though predictable here there and in climax the same old airport scene. But still lots of freshness infused by its intelligent script written by Anshul Singhal and Nikhil Advani. Kangna Ranaut is great as usual, and Imran Khan plays his character well. Supporting actors do a fabulous job , songs are good too. If you like spicy pot-boilers this movie is not for you, if you want to see a film on intricacies of relationship ,go for it.

It is ably directed by Nikhil Advani who started his career with Sharukh Khan's "Kal Ho Na Ho" and Shahrukh is replaced by Kangna as the dying sick person.

It has a unique song "Lip to Lip" which is first song in India where stop motion technology has been used. Kangana and Imran have reportedly kissed each other for 24 hours over a period of three days in order to get the right frame for the song.

Hilarious pre-climax scene have been shot on location in Dholka, Gujarat.

Aamir Khan has edited this movie in a small way when on his advice few dialogues in English were tweaked to Hindi so masses could understand the film better.

Wednesday 9 September 2015

Narendra Modi has dreams for our Nation, Sonia Gandhi for her son

Sonia Gandhi today said of Narendra Modi that his promises were mere "Hawabaazi" , and just one year has passed and respected Congress president wants all promises made in election rallies to be fulfilled. Shouldn't she take blame as Monsoon session ended without any work courtesy disruption by her party on her direction. Why are people so upset with her and rejected her because her credibility took a dip when she let her party-men and government indulge in corruption. When she did nothing as C.W.G. scam went on, nothing on her son-in-law Robert Vadra nor continuing of Rahul Gandhi who is to be squarely blamed for political debacle . Sonia Gandhi rose in esteem when she gave up power and let Manmohan Singh become P.M. .But since last six years she has failed to deliver ,may be because of her 'secret illness' . A strong opposition is a must for healthy democracy and its really sad that a weak inefficient leader like Rahul Gandhi is at the helm of affairs not because of any quality but just because of his parentage.

In Narendra Modi we have got a strong P.M. and despite political compulsions and vote-bank politics there is still hope that Indian Dream would come true, and we will become a developed, strong and progressive Nation.