Movie lists from the other side

Our man from the USofA, Purush, adds some movies of his own. I've copy/pasted from his earlier comments below. They fall under..well..all categories.

Disclaimer - Please note, his list, as well as my ongoing series, is not a list of all-time greats. As I've said before, the path to a good weekend movie is strewn with many a lemon.

Over to Purush (views expressed entirely his own, but I'd agree to most of them anyways)

The Pink Panther: Disappointing. Steve Martin is quite reliable, and his Shopgirl, below, is wonderful. But he’s not at his best here...at all. BTW, if you haven’t, “Bowfinger” which is an older movie of his, is a hilarious must-see. (Tomato Meter Reading: 21%)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Some very witty and snappy dialogue, in a ludicrous, slight plot. Some lines in it make it worthwhile, plus Robert Downey Jr. is quite good. (TMR: 83%)

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys: 2002 movie about 2 rebellious teen boys in a strict Catholic school. Well-made and acted. Kieran Culkin has a creepy, but absolutely magnetic, presence. (TMR: 76%)

Junebug: Probably the best comedy I’ve seen this year. Not strictly a comedy, actually…but a simple story that follows a big city girl into her boyfriend’s small-town America family, with their differing lives and attitudes. (TMR: 87%)

The Family Stone: Strictly okay. Watchable for some of the big-name stars like Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes, Sarah J. Parker, Luke Wilson…otherwise quite predictable. (TMR: 54%)

Shopgirl: Up there, amongst the best movies of this year (though was released in 2005). Funny, contemplative, bittersweet…Claire Danes is luminous in the movie! (TMR: 62%)

Rumor Has It: A dud. Because it’s directed by Rob Reiner, it’s 2005s’ biggest disappointment for me. (TMR: 18%)

Anchorman: Will Ferrell playing a cocky, misogynistic, non-PC anchorman from the 70s…what’s there not to love?!! Guilty pleasure. (TMR: 65%)

Broken Flowers: Love Bill Murray, hence liked this, it’s got Murray doing his minimalist brand of comedy as he traverses the US looking up his ex-girlfriends. But I can see why non-Murray fans would not like it all. (TMR: 87%)

Mean Girls: Very smart, bright comedy. Hip and funny – Tiny Fey’s script writing debut about the pressures faced by teen-girls in high school. (TMR: 86%)

Saved!: Another 2004 movie about teenage girls, that’s anything but a chick flick. Very good, though it looks a mite too simplistic in lampooning the evangelical movement. (TMR: 61%)

Roger Dodger: Well made movie, and loved Campbell Scotts’ world-weary act of a jaded Lothario shepherding his young nephew into the NY scene of clubs, girls and all things subterranean about NY city. (TMR: 87%)

Trees Lounge: Older Steve Buscemi movie, and absolutely pitch perfect in its’ depiction of a small-town drunk just shuffling through life. Buscemi directed it himself, hence it’s got double the oddball quotient that his movies usually have! (TMR: 80%)

Match Point: Over-rated. Very linear, mechanical story line. Woody Allen movie, though and not a comedy either, so you might want to check it out. (TMR: 79%)

Igby Goes Down: Older movie, but awesome, in a watching-a-train wreck kinda way. Dysfunctional New Yorkers have rarely been shown better. Reminds me of the old "Sunscreen" song line: "Live for a while in New York, but not too long that it makes you too hard". (TMR: 76%)

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: Beautiful, small movie. Unpretentious, heart-breaking and yet uplifting. Really liked it. (TMR: 58%)

The Squid and the Whale: Blah. NYC does seem to have some very unlikable, self-obsessed people. (TMR: 94% !!)

P.S.: Liked it, it grows on you. And if you like Laura Linney and Topher Grace, it's a no-brainer. V. good and complex performances by them. (TMR: 56%)

House of D: Duchonvy's directorial feature debut(?), and shows some likeable New Yorkers, for a change. Decent, and if you're still a Duchonvy fan, you'll like it. (TMR: 10% whoo-ho!)

My Summer of Love: Dark flick, the anti-teen movie about emotionally damaged teenagers flirting with their sexual power and innocence. Powerful. (TMR: 91%)

The Dreamers: Some in-your-face nudity and attitude but extremely watchable, otherwise, too. Bertolucci masterfully shows, in the actions of his young protagonists, the different idea that is France as compared to the USA. (TMR: 58%)

War of the Worlds: If u can get past the fact that Cruise could actually be from another world, this is a pretty good movie. Suspension of disbelief, though, majorly required. (TMR: 72%)

My earlier movie lists
Part 1 - Drama
Part 2 - Comedies
Part 3 - Thrillers (to be updated)
Part 4 - World Cinema (to be updated)

Technorati tags: Entertainment, movies, film, DVD, hollywood.

Movie lists continue. Part 2 - comedies

This picks up from the earlier list on comedies linked here. As you will see here, most of the movies range from so-so to so-no. The path to a good weekend movie is indeed strewn with lemons. Here we go..

Part 2 - Comedies
Christmas with the Kranks: Ok, so I saw it only because of Tim Allen (And boo to Star World for not restarting Home Improvement at a better time) and it turned out to be a damp squib. (TMR: 4%. Eeesh, wish I'd known that.)

The Brothers Grimm: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Monica Bellucci. And the director of 12 Monkeys. And you can still go wrong. Disappointing and a big let-down. You have been warned. (TMR: 39%, and I do not agree with the good reviews there).

The Pacifier: After renting movies like above, movies like this look good. No pretensions, no expectations, nothing. Put Vin Diesel in the middle of a bunch of kids..and well, at least you won't get bored. Or angry that you expected anything. Fun pic really. (TMR: 21%. Oh come on now..)

The Wedding Date: Your very average weekend rom-com type, of which there have been better. Nothing great, unless you're a huge Debra Messing/Dermot Mulroney fan, which I'm clearly not. (TMR: 10%).

Monster-in-law: Saas-bahu steal most of the show in this passable, and at times funny, fare. With J Lo and J Fo on virtually every scene of the movie, the hero appeared rightfully lost. Fits the "time-pass" bill. (TMR: 17%)

Lucky Numbers: Yet again goes to show that big stars (John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow) and big directors (Nora Ephron) do not guarantee anything. Insipid stuff. Totally missable. (TMR: 22%)

Hitch: You've already seen it. Will Smith pulls it off with all the right lines, the moves, and of course the girls - drool, drool Eva Mendes and drool Amber Valletta. (TMR: 69%. Yes.)

Just like heaven: Surprise package. Very mushy, very sweet, very there. Reese W just fits in these roles so well. You also have Mark Ruffalo, so eye candy all around and makes for a nice post candle-lit dinner fare. (TMR: 56%. Yes)

The Ice Harvest: Oh how I fell for this crap hook, line and sinker. Or rather John Cusack, BB Thornton and Harold Ramis. Tedious, unfunny and a drag. Also, what was Oliver Platt thinking when he agreed for a role that the movie clearly didn't need?. (TMR: 46%. Still too high. I like that the hot pick quote - "woefully miscalculated, distressingly unfunny dark comedy...)

Yours, mines and ours: Remake of the 1968 classic and fairly funny family fare (!) with two stars I like - Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo. (TMR: 5%. Disagree).

Fun with Dick & Jane: Another remake (see..apna film industry is not the only one on a remake high). Decent stuff and nothing spectacular. Loved the closing scene where Jim Carrey's ex-colleague (who was out of a job after their company collapsed) is telling Jim about this new job he just got - in a hot, fast-growing energy trading company. And when Jim Carrey asks him which company, this guy replies "Enron". Ha. (TMR: 28%)

The Princess Bride: I don't know how I missed seeing this excellent old movie earlier. Actually, I saw it because of this which I noticed here. Hilarious entertainer even if its not Rob Reiner at his best. And yes, that is a killer line in the movie. Let me say it once for the record "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!. " Also watch out for the cameos. (TMR: 100%).

Wedding crashers: Between "Time-pass" and "good" thanks to the lead duo's antics and some really funny lines. Where the movie scores is when you root for the lead duo's ass getting kicked and their eventual come-uppance. Hollywood remains a sucker for true love and redemption. (TMR: 75%..what for ?)

Coming up next - Part 3 - Thrillers and Part 4 - Foreign movies.

Movie list time again

Its time to add the movies I've seen on DVD since I 'd last posted.

Part 1 - Drama (earlier drama list here)

Good night and good luck: Brilliant. Black and white can be so damn effective. Loved seeing what broadcast journalism was, isn't and should be. David Straitharn was so good that he over-shadowed his director. Read the wiki on Ed Murrow here. (Tomato-meter reading of 95%)

Pride and Prejudice: Hmph. I've never been a big Jane Austen fan, but yet every once in a while one has to see these movies. This was so-so. And I can't take Keira Knightley's smile any more, please. (TMR: 85%)

Jarhead: I'd see anything of Sam Mendes anyways. While this one had it all I thought it was a bit long. Yet definitely worth a watch. (TMR: 60%)

The Constant Gardener: Hard-hitting, superb, must-watch. So much for happy endings, this was one movie that left me feeling utterly miserable, and not just for the cinematography. Unmissable. An Oscar well-deserved for Ms. Weisz. (TMR: 83%)

Two for the money: This is to football what Devil's Advocate was to law. I thought you can't go wrong with Al Pacino and Mathew McConaughey. But you can. Overall a very ok movie. (TMR: 21%. Hehe.)

All the Presidents men: Must, must, must watch. I knew it'd be good but not so damn good. Woodward, Bernstein, Watergate, Deep Throat. All of it real life. My favourite line was said..or rather yelled at..by Jack Warden to Jason Robards: "They're hungry! Don't you remember when you were hungry?". Want a perfect weekend ? Rent this with Good night and good luck. (TMR: 100% !)

As before, I will continue this later with Part 2 - Comedies, Part 3 - Thrillers and Part 4 - World Cinema.

The Bad English Contest entries

A big thanks to everyone for participating in my contest. Here are the participants along with their entry/entries -

Sunshine: No one is not taking ur chalengge so myself thinks I can be able to give it try. I going to talking about the city I am. It called as Chennai. It have beach and it is both of hot and sultry. I wish it is more cleaner and the roads more better. Its raining for one week everyday now. I surprise the rain because normaly do not rain this month. Last year heavy rains flooded and roads are under water. I wish it don't rain like that current year. Myself not write Eglish not that better but I hope there are many worser then me. Please apologise.

Shruthi: Thanking you lot many times for good opportunity to be exposing my English. When myself am in the duty in my the office and I write the mails, all the peoples laughs on myself for my English. I telled them my English good but they still laughing. Only good peoples like you understanding and giving price for us. Ones myself starting blog and rude peoples coming and doing flame in my blog. If there is problem, peoples should be telling correct words, know? In staid they are uttering bad words. I was very much sad, and I was very much feared also. But I know, all are not the bad peoples. Some peoples good, like your kind self. Please to give me price. As return, I will be rolling my blog on you.

HP: I dont need to make a special post for this. My regular posts are more than enough for such competitions :-)

Kishor Cariappa: Sachin is the my favright batsmen. I love his phulls, kover derives and hucks. I shure he will going to complete maximum runs in one days and test krickets. I no like Sachin in advertizements. His phace is ok, but voice is too much of childishness of baby it it. There is reports of terrorist treat to him and hence the police of india are very strict with all the peoples of the country, including greg chappal. I have told my sones to phollow the sachin's idols.

Deepak Shenoy:
Entry 1 - U people R giving bad name with ur idiot contest for bad english...you have cut our nose I say. Our English has many local annotations because we are like that only otherwise how would we be. Whether we choose to write better, for what? For many Indians you know that black letter is like a buffalo, meaning is better in Hindi though in English its looking so foolish. But you know also no? It is not so much the reading, it is the comprehension. If you are comprehending the riting how difference it is from english of queen? You are knowing what I mean no? I am not seeing you but I know you are shaking your head up and down.

Entry 2 - Those britishers went off and left us with sorry and thank you. Their language is anyway not great, and even their football team steps on peoples private parts in public television. It is so painful and then we have to watch with our half-wife (ardhangani) who is not very happy that they are doing replay upon replay upon replay. But Indian women are not playing with us. They are not exposing to games like cricket at very young age, that is why they are exposing when they become older, like that rakhi sawant. Chee. In fact you should ask her to write in your contest, tho i think you will look only at her entry. Stop it. You all have become very mischivious.

M Rajshekhar: (Combining both) It was true. she did not love him. she never had. the very thought enraged him. as enraged as an alligator that lost its prey. and so, the alligator lost its targeted prey, a wildebeest as juicy as a lightly-braised tenderloin that had been marinated to perfection in a fine sauce of white wine, shallots, cloves, and then served with a helping of chateau merlot 1965, a year when the wines were drier than normal, to another alligator. the very thought drove it mad with anger.

Kaushik Gopalan:
Entry 1 - From seeing yore contest, I am thinking,thinking,thinking wether to be a competitioner or not to be. Like Shakespear has told, that is the question. On a hand, you might see fit to misunderestimate my completed knowledge of English if I take a part, on other hand I am wishing to win prize and feed more knowledge to my mind [1]. At one time I wonder of making participation despite of the risk involved, at other time my afraidness makes me shiver like I am in Artic sea. Since I am still thinking,thinking, thinking, I will appraise you of the situation after my decidation is finalled. [1] Like many historical people have told, books does to mind what rasmalais does to stomach, broaden it.

Entry 2 - It was a dark and stormy night and raw unbridled lust filled the air like agarbatti smoke. She was the typical Hollywood type, switching between marriage and divorce with a frequency that was the envy of the supercomputer industry. He was stuck in a bad marriage that offered as much happiness as a Weight watchers 1 1/2 point cereal bar. Their relationship was like one between an Egyptian plover and a crocodile, perfectly symbiotic. As they stepped towards each other with the measured steps of wresters who are ready for a bout, he realized that something was not right. That the situation was not as perfect as it had seemed when he was eyeing her heaving bosom like Vandana Luthra eyes an overweight person. He realized that he was incomplete, like Saqlain without his doosra. He realized that he had forgotten the Viagra.

Entry 3: Life is beautiful, like the wrath of a woman scorned. Life is like cud in a cow's mouth, it keeps going up and down, back and forth till it dissolves into nothingness. Life is like a round of golf, the journey is what matters, and the destination is just a hole in the ground. Life is like a really old TV, full of black and white and shades of grey. Life is a set of social mores, where more is less and less is more. Sometimes, life is like a queue in a public toilet, really long and full of crap. But mostly, life is beautiful. Protect your life, wear a helmet.

The Girl from Ipanema (all three seemed linked, so I'm posting as one entry)

You didn't told us what the gift will be for the winner. Coming from my side I think this is the funny idea. But certain peoples are getting their underwear into knotted structures about it. Like telling that it is snobbish and elliptist and all. People cannot keep serious in one side and joke in another. Each and everybody wants to say againast what another person has said and then wants to say that he only is intilgent. And to this they call debate febate. I think they are all mad only. But from compteesan side this is bit unbalanced. Because you know why, everybody can read other peoples answers before making theres. Your welcome thankyou. It is my sincere request to you respectedly to hand over prize here.

And my another complant being that certain peoples are breaking answer into many half half pieces and putting. I feel it so bad. That so much chitting is happening. I will not do same bad thing that others do. And Bombay addict sir, I think that you must make rules more strictly. Then only peoples will stand properly in line and wait. And tell only one thing one time. And keep quite. Otherwise you know, how peoples are these days. Howrats only.

And sorry first i didnt saw. you did tell about prize. i read half only and came fast fast to put my answer. it is my humble suggeshan only that you could prematurely and maturely close contest now. and hand over prize. because peoples will write all nonsense otherwise. that doesnt make any sense. and your only headache will start paining reading alls answers. afterwards dont tell.

Super Invisible Girl: This is a wonderous opportunity I'm getting to showcase my talent at english wordings which is not being my mother's tongue. I am being very good at romantic loving prose. There was this pleasant boy who I told to I'm loving so much he is causing my heart to gushing with blood. So I'm proposing to boy of my mother's and father's dreams but boy not accepting :-( In vengeance I'm Killing his cows and burning his hut He is now in hospital and I am hiding from police. :-) thanking you. please sir give me crossword voucher, jail is having no books to read.

Subbu: I am a plant eater. No mens or womens in my family are eating he-cows and she-cows. They are very scared. So we eating only trees and plants. But when I coming to usa all cows disappeared here. Many greens are there but no one eat them. All eating out places giving only animals and some leaves. But who can eat plain leaves without cooking ? I feeling sad. And more saddest news is dal price also increasing. We all must be going back home. Dal calls us. I coming soon.

Deepa: Bad English, I say is oxymoron..not moron, that is you when you believe politicians promises and put vote. But this oxymoron is two things which means same. I say English itself bad. So why to put English behind Bad? why write two times one meaning? I realise this from first, but leaders realise it now only like Buddha got idea suddenly. Realising, they change all English cities to Indian cities, like for example bombay, chennai etc etc. But India is still same. Why? Bharat makes nice sound, no? India is English for India. English earlier maybe very poor with saying our languages names, so, maybe said India. But now when they eat curry, I think they can say India name in India language. But maybe this is Americas conspiracy, they already spend money putting india in all papers to do deals...so they may not like typing all the papers new, saying bharat everywhere they say India. English bad, America more bad.

Shiv: Here is one, my school teacher used to say that "I have two daughters both are girls".

Kingsley: I am just founding this on my vebsite Putvote.com and I am feling very very very ashamed. You all are writing much much worst English than I be after trying for more than one month. Much shame is coming. Now I wills go avay and putting vote for this post. Please to be contacting me at kingsleyj@gmail.com. Wanting to talk vith you yabout something.

Sudha: Dear Mr. Bombay Addict. Thousand greetings. i sawing ur competition and within a minute seeing danger for next day. i will like to give u my thinking. i know u not wanting it but please to take it. writing in english will be good if topic of writing is good. same also for bad topic. so for prize in bad writing, peoples will write all bad topics that i cannot think of on days that i not have clean bath and not do prayer to god. also peoples writing bad topics will be buying books on bad topics with prize money u giving them. even crosswords having some very bad books that i not see without knowing. i take second bath that day and do second prayer that day. so please close competition before u not feeling bad about starting. i cannot tell to not read bad writing to u, but please respect our tradition and take bath and do prayer. then only read my writing. i only write good topic and good english. Your good thinking friend.

Chaitali Shah: I am the world more bestest the English writer. Such the competitions are the must for the inspiring the newcomings the writers. Topic: I, Me, Myself and mine. I am the borned in the Bombay in the year 1979s. I am the only the second daughter of both my mother and father. Now the Bombay I had once borned in is now the Mumbai. I had the eschool in the Bombay. I had big ben with to the eschool. I had many the friends. I had fewest the more bestest friends. I also had the ecollege in the Mumbai. I loved most the Bombay and not the Mumbai. But always its ok. I and my big ben loved horseback riding in eschool after on Sunday. My mother and father take me and my big ben to horseback riding and now no. Now I and my big ben are big girls. I love my families.

~*Sim*~: (Imagined response by a man to a shaadi.com posting.) Hellow sweet Ms. Preeti, Myself called as Raju, my pleasher to meet u. I am reading ur ad on the shaadi.com and getting very exited. U are matching all my martial needs. Also many other sweet pretty girls are not answering the my mails so I am having high hopes in your situation as I am only wanting girls of good background and pure culture only. Also on top of that ur good looks are very sweet and beautiful. Ur the wheatish complection is very nice nad sweet. I am now wanting to make the frandship with u and soon after be making u my first and only wife as per proper Hindu customs and good Indian culture, and also I am hoping to be having many children soon soon. Myself MBA pass, having good features and decent family, vegetarian 54 170 carrier oriented. And nowadays so many girls are wanting such boys of more better quality no? I sure u will like me.

So following that please to be reverting at ur earliest convenience Preeti. My esteemed fly will be waiting impatiently to meet u. My email id is shahrukh_lower_420@hotmail.com. Please Preeti u are my last hope u must write back or I will suicide maa kasam I'm telling u now only for once and all I cant sleep in the night I am spending very much time in deep sadeness and wanting good wife and good life. So please respond. Regards Raju

Sid: First of the all, myself the garma dharam(hoping that you gets joke. Pitashri priesting in temple so quoting me his dharm). I coming from the UP but lots peoples aksing " You the Bihar???" I feels at the 4 chambers of hearts. Lalu and the Bihar many kilometres different from me. Me like havafull rajdhani. He like Patna-Delhi passenger.I the emanated professor in biology. Walking, Talking the English, abling to entering this contest. He the farting in tabela variety. But me the detouring. Mr Bombay Dick, I telling my lady interest ki I entering your context. She asking if I winning, I take her foreign? Myself thinking of good chance so compochin this the bestest. I believing this to be my masterpeace. You should accepting my mastering peace and giving gud considering. You to be remebering my lady interest-ing and I to becoming your trusted. If not working then things turning to dangerous. So to be taking good care. --Emanated Professor in Biology seeking Lady interest.

Harish S.: The Matrix - A Revew. This movie it be one of my favorite.It has action like my hero Dharmendhar who also fly and escape any bullet which come my way.They have very cool name like Neo , Morphus and Trinty. . Morphus has deep voice and also speak very good dialoges by himself.My favourite dialogue is him saying do you eat red pill or will swallow blue pill to Neo. Morphus is so sofsticated and poise and panache but Neo look like he dont know what happening . Sometime I feel like getting up and kicking his mud head into sense. The movie I dont understood but action good ,so I see movie many many time.Agent Smith who is secret agent like James Bond but have no cool number like 007.I highly recomends movie for action liking peoples because action be made in Amrica studio and is very good.

Beachbong: This kid wants to get a shelf for his bedroom. My class in school has nice rack. I go to class tomorrow where I say towards madam, "You have nice rack. Can I put my book in rack. Also, me want to buy that rack and keep it next to bed. Thanku"

V. Prabhu: Do you know whay the English left India? Probably because Indians started speaking English!

Iyer Education (late, but still..): Dear Whomsoever It May Concern. I is going to talk about my late in putting this entry. Myself read this post on a Desipundit websight only on the Monday which is coming after 6 days of your posting date. Myself know that I not in voucher race but I like the invention so much that I give one try immediately. You know they say “Late came… correct came”. I got stuck up in submerging water and like they say “Water spread on all done and did”, the water rinsed away my chances of awarding this voucher. But I am happy to just contribution to this list and expect nothing. Like they say “Do the good and throw in the well”. Thanks you for this wonderfull opportunities. Yours Fatefully, Iyer Education

Thanks once again to all the participants. Also do read the comments on desipundit regarding this contest. I'll repeat what I've said there, i.e. - this was not an attempt to mock those who can't write English and definitely not an attempt to flaunt "superior education". If I gave that impression, I'm sorry.

Winners to be announced tomorrow.

The Bad English Contest

After reading some really sad English I’ve decided to see how bad we can get.

Well, what’s I means is that I am intending to start a contest for my blogger fraands. You’se sees, I has a problems about this many peoples seducing English and not meanings what they be wanting to say.

Damn ! I can’t write bad English intentionally. But, can you ?

So, here’s the deal

Write 100-150 words of the most atrocious and horrendous English text that you can think of. Choose your topic and type away.

Remember – it has to be on ONE topic so please don’t write 10 lines of random bad English.

Spin a story and use the worst English you can think of. Stuff that’d make you cringe and/or laugh in derision if you read it, etc.

What’s allowed – typos and grammar mutilation, as long as there is a correct English equivalent. Avoid as far as possible, local variants of English words like bherry for very, bhai for by, fraands for friends, etc.

For hints – you can check out HT Tabloid (in particular, the now legendary Wild and Wetty one - thank you Gawker for making it permanent) and Indiatimes Quickies – they’d win hands down here. It also shows that bad English is not necessarily spelling and grammar mistakes, but can be just plain crappy writing.

So, you don't necessarily have to restrict yourself to bad english. Try out bad (and sad) puns, whacky comparisons, repetition, hyperbole, etc, etc. Essentially - just freak out and use your imagination. (also read update below).

What’s not allowed – Copying.

Condition – you should be a blogger and you have to leave your reply by way of a comment. So, no anonymous replies. Employees of HT and Times of India are automatically disqualified. Hehehe.

Deadline – Sunday (6th August 2006) midnight.

And aakhir mein finally,

The prize – 3 winners will get Crossword vouchers of Rs500/- each (Sorry but contest is open only to Indian bloggers).

Winners will be announced on this blog next Tuesday 8th August 2006. They will then provide me (over e-mail of course) their postal address, to which I will despatch the Crosswords voucher by courier.

The judge – Me, because I’m too lazy to either ask others to judge or do a poll. Don’t object. I’m paying for the vouchers, so the least I’m entitled to is to choose the 3 winners.

Disclaimer - Hosting a contest like this does not make me a God in English. I'm not. This is just a fun thing to see how worst (sic) our English can get and to see how easy or difficult it is to write crap.

Request - No flaming, trolling, etc. etc. Let's play this in a good and healthy spirit.

Type away, blogger bandhu, type away.

UPDATE -
1. May I encourage participants to also try out their hand at plain pathetic prose ? Venture into bad stories. OD in the lurid turdy wordy. Bathe in the absolute, sheer, vast, total, complete, unending, infinity that can be plain, horrendous, disastrous, pathetic, abhorrent, shitty, crappy, bad English. Test confusing contradictory juxtaposition.

May I repeat - bad english for the purpose of this contest is not just limited to typos and breaking Wren and Martin rules with gay abandon.

The only limits I've imposed are - it has to be ONE topic, and not random rambling and it should be within the 100-150 words band. Rest all (yuck!) I leave to your imagination.

2. Multiple entries are neither disallowed nor actively encouraged. What I'm saying is - put in how many ever entries you want, but please (and this is an earnest request), please avoid flooding and repetition.

Reel life Bombay. Part 6

Punds wraps up the series with his write-up on Basu-da's "Piya ka ghar". Basuda was among the few directors who could portray middle class Bombay in a way that the audience could connect with.

Over to Punds, for his take on "Piya ka ghar", in his usual inimitable style.



Piya ka ghar (1972): My idea about Mumbai in the movies was not about showing heroes dancing on the road of Mumbai but showing the "never say die" spirit of Mumbai in the movie. Before Sai Paranjpe's "Katha", Basu Chatterjee "Piya ka ghar" in 1972 tried to capture the life of the common Mumbai folks. The movie told the story of Mumbai that every Mumbaikar would identify with.

Mumbai is big and I mean really big but still space always has been the biggest problem. A city where the middle class lived in a 10 x 10 feet house, privacy was literally non-existent. "Piya ka ghar" explores this very issue of privacy. While "Katha" explored the chawl life, PKG explored the problems of a family living in a chawl.

Jaya Bhaduri plays a village gal Malti, who lives in a big house in her native village. She gets married to Anil Dhawan, Ram, coming from a good family in Bombay only to find out the whole family lives in a small house further divided into smaller cubicles to accommodate everybody. The kitchen of the house becomes the bedroom of the newly-wed.

Malti finds it difficult to adjust to the reduced space but surprisingly finds the rest of the family members living a happy existence. The efforts of the couple to find privacy, intimacy and love in that cramped space forms the rest of the story.

Its been a long time since I have seen the movie but I always remember the one character in the movie. I don't know the name of the actress but she plays Anil Dhawan's sister-in-law. She is the ever smiling woman who teases, makes fun and at the same time supports the newly-wed. Married to Ram's brother for a long time she had made the small house her home with ease and still keeps the romance alive with her husband stealing intimate moments with him.

She represents the true spirit of Mumbai. Sure we have problems and sure life is not easy but we learn to smile in troubles and we try to be happy.

The song of the movie summaries every thing about Mumbai -
Yeh Jeevan Hai, Is Jeevan Ka
Yahi Hai - Yahi Hai - Yahi Hai Rungroop
Thode Ghum Hain, Thodi Khushiyan
Yahi Hai - Yahi Hai - Yahi Hai Chaon Dhoop


Recap - Reel Life Bombay was a free-wheeling series on Bombay in movies and life in Bombay, as seen by my guest writers (Filmiholic, Macushla and Punds) and myself. Here are the earlier posts

Part 1 - Filmiholic on "Salaam Bombay"
Part 2 - My take on "Satya"
Part 3 - Macushla on "Main Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon"
Part 4 - Punds on "Katha"
Part 5 - Macushla on "Bhoot"

Reel life Bombay. Part 5

Today's post by Macushla looks at what lies beneath in Bombay. Here's her rather different take on Ram Gopal Verma's "Bhoot".



Bhoot (2003): A movie about ghosts set in a city full of them. Dead ones and live ones. Present ones and past ones. Real ones and made-up ones.

So, have you heard of the Haji Ali story? A young woman hitches a ride and when you reach her destination, poof !, she’s disappeared. You knock on the door of the address she’s given and the old man who opens it, points woefully to a garlanded photograph.

Or the one about the architect of a prominent period hotel who still walks the corridors checking for flaws?

Or the fav film locale that was once a not so-popular mill in Colaba? Actors have felt a strange, overwhelming presence.

Hotel rooms? The hot spot for suicides where secret liaisons also turn sour and lovers become murderers. I’m sure they’re full of restless souls.

In Bhoot, Swati is haunted by her flat’s previous occupants – Manjeet, a young single mother, and her child. As the exorcism unfolds, so does the truth. Manjeet and her son were murdered by her lusty landlord on account of a rape-gone-wrong.

In real life, we are haunted by much more. Everyone has ghosts because everyone has secrets. And Bombay simmers with secrets as deep as the Arabian Sea.

It’s in the papers every day. Secrets being buried, bartered, bought, sold, exposed. Every one has something to hide. Everyone is willing to pay the price for it. Every one wants to push something into the past, till the past runs out of space and pushes it right back into your face.

But we go on. Still hiding, still pushing. Still creating more ghosts. Dead ones and live ones. Present ones and past ones. Real ones and made-up ones.

Yes. Bhoot recaptures the spirit of Bombay.

Recap - Reel Life Bombay is a free-wheeling series on Bombay in movies and life in Bombay, as seen by my guest writers (Filmiholic, Macushla and Punds) and myself. Here are the earlier posts

Part 1 - Filmiholic on "Salaam Bombay"
Part 2 - My take on "Satya"
Part 3 - Macushla on "Main Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon"
Part 4 - Punds on "Katha"

Reel life Bombay. Part 4

Today's post is being written by guest author Punds who runs his blog - A simple complication called life. Born and raised in Bombay, Punds is now based in Amsterdam. He quotes this Jagjit Singh line in his "about me" section. "Waqt rehta nahin kahin tik kar, iski aadat bhi aadmi si hai".

Over to Punds for his take on one of my favourite movies - Sai Paranjpe's Katha.



Katha (1983): Sai Paranjpe's "Katha" tells a simple story of two people, one flamboyant and the other simple and honest, both vying for the attention of a girl. "Katha" told the story of the tortoise and the hare in a whole new way. "Katha" was a genre of Hrishikesh Mukerjee type of movies which showed simple stories told simply without much ado. "Katha's" high point was the ability of Sai Paranjpe to show chawl life in Mumbai.

"Katha" takes place in a chawl in Mumbai with Naseerudin Shah as the protagonist who is in love with a girl in the chawl, Deepti Naval. Farooque Shaikh, plays Naseerudin's friend, and is a big show-off. In a short time he manages to woo Deepti Naval as well as most of the chawl inhabitants. While what happens is the predictable good winning over evil kind of story, the director captured the essence of chawl life to its fullest.

My home in Mumbai is in a similar chawl-like environment and I could readily identify with the goings on in the movie. A Mumbai chawl is where every news is big news and everyone knows what is happening in everyone else's house. Yet, internal matters of the home remain within the four walls of the house. At one time these chawls formed the major housing infrastructure in Mumbai but are now slowly giving rise to isolated high-rise apartments.

In a chawl, the smallest the of smallest events call for celebration - be it a promotion, child's birth or marriage. The chawl is indeed one big family where you laugh, share, fight and do everything you would in a family. Gossip and food are exchanged over snacks and tea at each other's house, where everyone is invited.

The biggest constraint is the lack of space in chawl. I remember vividly the scene where Farooque Shaikh visits a neighbor who proudly shows him all the furniture which is foldable - the TV cupboard, the coffee table, everything is foldable to save space.

In a chawl your life is open to everybody. Despite that, joint families live together 'adjusting' to each other and at the same time respecting the privacy of each family member.

Sai Paranjpe captured the warmth, the love and never-say-die attitude of the chawl inhabitants and the Mumbai people in "Katha", which very few movies could do as well.

Recap - Reel Life Bombay is a free-wheeling series on Bombay in movies and life in Bombay, as seen by my guest writers (Filmiholic, Macushla and Punds) and myself. Here are the earlier posts -

Part 1 - Filmiholic on "Salaam Bombay"
Part 2 - My take on "Satya"
Part 3 - Macushla on "Main Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hun"

Reel life Bombay. Part 3

Today's guest writer is my friend, Macushla. Living most of her life in Bombay, Macushla is one part O-Ren Ishii, one part Ellie Arroway, and one big swig of Maggie Fitzergald. A writer by profession and a non-conformist by choice, she is currently sharpening her Hattori Hanzo ahead of (hopefully) joining the blogosphere.

Here's her take on Bombay in Chandan Arora's "Main Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon".


Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon (2003) is a lesson we must learn that what you see is not what you always get. Behind the gloss and glamour of a booming film industry and the city that feeds it, a whole generation of lives watches their hopes and dreams peeling off like make-up on a weathered face. The pancake hides the scars. The tears expose them.

Watching this film, I was amazed by its simplicity and cinematography and repelled by its overwhelming honesty. It exalted my city with breathtaking pride and crushed it before I even had a chance to get my breath back. My city was portrayed as creator and destroyer even before I was halfway through my popcorn. But then that is Bombay, isn’t it? Dark. Demanding. Diabolic. My city is a parasite that feeds off the hopes of its people.

The truth isn’t easy, and I have no alternative but to face it.

In the film, Chutki, an aspiring actress, danced her way to music and misconceptions. The world was her stage and Bombay was her launch pad. The city would welcome her into its bosom and nurture her ambitions with TLC. One hour and many struggles later, Chutki had to resign herself to the fact that she was, and would remain, a “Biggie of B-Grade”.

Chutki may have never played to packed houses, but she drove a point home. That, this is Bombay city, where the fear of failure is stronger than the fear of death. Or life. Or HIV. Or corruption. Or anything else. That the city seduces, uses and abuses, and you wouldn’t even know the difference. That we are so aware, and yet, so tolerant of its unforgiving nature? Then why do we continue with this?

Maybe it’s because somewhere deep inside all of us, there’s a Chutki still waiting to dance her big dance.


Recap - This is an ongoing series on Bombay on movies mixed with the writer's take on life in the city.
[Part 1 - Filmiholic on Salaam Bombay]
[Part 2 - My take on Satya]

Reel life Bombay. Part 2

As part of my ongoing series on Bombay in movies, here's my take on "Satya". Just a recap - this series is a free-wheeling mix of Bombay in movies and about what the author (self and a couple of guest writers) felt when he/she saw it. Life, alive in the movies and in Bombay.

Satya (1998): From his first shot coming out of (where else?) VT Station to his dead body being turned by Inspector Khandilkar’s foot, Satya’s story was born amidst the dance bars, tabelas and jails of Bombay. And died a miserable death in a dingy house. The dark underbelly of Bombay and the politician-gunda nexus has rarely been shown as starkly in Hindi cinema as it has in Satya. Other than those oft-heard phrases, the word “raw” typically goes into any review of Satya.

Some scenes that I can never forget - Bhikhu Mhatre shouting out “Mumbai ka raja kaun? Bhikhu Mhatre!” on the rocks of Band Stand. Or Bhikhu pumping bullets into friend-turned-foe Guru, saying in anguish to Satya – “saala, dono ne same item ko bajaya tha”. And of course, the brilliant climax sequence shot amidst thousands of people at Chowpatty during Ganpati visarjan.

I saw Satya with my friends on a rain-soaked evening at Eros near Churchgate. We came in half drenched and reached home almost fully wet. We saw it a time when all of us were at an uncertain stage in our careers. Not that we fancied ourselves as goons. Not that we didn’t know crime didn’t pay. We saw on screen what we used to see in the papers. And sometimes had seen in real life. But most of all, we loved the crazy bunch in Bhikhu’s gang. The cigarettes, the booze, the drunkenness and the attitude.

In the years that followed, we danced to “Goli maar bheje main” when we were single, and “Sapne mein milti hai” when one of us got married. And on sobering down we talked about the times in our lives when we saw “Satya”. Even if the movie’s forgotten, the friendship isn’t.

This was Part 1: Filmiholic's take on Salaam Bombay.

Reel life Bombay. Part 1

Starting this week, I’m kicking off a series on Bombay in movies. Guest-writing on my blog is Filmiholic. Based out of New York, Filmiholic is an avid lover of Hindi movies. And she’s not even Indian.

We should be joined by a couple of other people, depending on their availability. Between us we will be talking movies, talking Bombay, talking the whole lot of emotions that this one city evokes in its viewers and how it’s a separate character in a movie. With its own identity, its own presence – sometimes even towering above its actors. Think of this as a chota Bambaiya film festival being held across New York and Bombay.

First, here’s how Filmiholic describes Bombay

A salaam to Bombay
“The first movie memory I have of Bombay was not actually a Bollywood one. I was living in Madrid and had gone to one of the art house cinemas to see Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay. It was a long time ago and three memories stood out the strongest: the boys singing and dancing along to a Sridevi number in Shekar Kapur's Mr. India, Nana Patekar's magnetic and simultaneously menacing presence, and the gullible white tourist at the Gateway of India buying drugs.

The first thing that strikes me about the city is the architecture which reminds me of Belfast. Those ponderous brick buildings, for which, I guess, both cities have the Brits to thank for. So much of what I've come to love about Bombay is the fact that it reminds me of other cities I love. But it has its own particular Bombay/Indian twist to it.

As a native New Yorker, how could I not love a city that is also a magnet to so many other people? Just substitute our Italians, Mexicans and Senegalese for your Gujratis, Tamilians, Punjabis, et al and there you are. Then there's the fact that this pullulating city lives on top of the ocean, where prime seafront real estate is all piled up with high-rises, and it reminds me of the sensuous Rio de Janeiro, with the slight (but significant) difference that Mumbaikars don't run around quite as scantily dressed (yet) as so many cariocas do !”

Kick-starting the series is Filmiholic’s take on Salaam Bombay.


Salaam Bombay (1988): Mira Nair’s brilliant movie was my introduction to Hindi Cinema and to Bombay. So many details are familiar, having seen them on screen and in real life. I look at the scene where Krishna runs alongside the taxi that Sola Saal, the young Nepali girl, rides in, and I flash back to my first arrival in Bombay. The young girls begging for money, rapping with small fists on my hotel car’s window as we stood at a signal. Salaam Bombay’s scenes, shot around various bordellos around Grant Road, vividly show the pastel shades around the city. In between those walls and balconies, there are grey and crumbling bits. Sometimes, in between that, a flash of color from a religious poster, or a movie star in an ad. Or from the garish dress worn by someone like Sola Saal. Like the city, it's too much to drink in with your eyes as it goes by.

And then the clothes. Over a decade before the term "metrosexual" was ever coined, Bombay boys had it down pat. There's a scene where Krishna and his friends rob an older Parsi man and go out to celebrate by drinking while on a carriage ride around the city after dark. I looked at the garish shirts these kids had on, and I flash forward to the Saturday morning Bollywood shows we get here, and how in the weekly segment looking at what the man-on-the-street in Bombay thought about the most recent release, they'll tape comments from these guys exiting the cinemas, and as I watch them swagger on camera (never a shy guy in the bunch!) I can't help but thinking that in Bombay, men - on the whole - have no fear of color or accessories.

Picture courtesy: Mirabai Films

Bombay's Diaries, part 3

I’m concluding the Bombay’s Diaries series with Part 3 which has another five posts on all feelings Bombay among bloggers. The posts are about a bus trip, fishes drying at Carter Road, Bombay’s real nightlife, matka and a Chennai-ite’s view on Bombay.

Anil Purohit runs a lovely blog with lots of posts on Bombay, making it tough for me to pick one. The one I’m linking to is about Anil’s trip on BEST bus route no. 496 to SEEPZ. “The conductor, a middle aged Maharastrian man, lean build, wore his uniform with the first button unbuttoned, showing white vest wet from sweating at the neck, and used his sharp voice to good effect in goading people into making space for new arrivals getting in. He looked the kind who did no one any favours nor expected any in return, and wouldn’t be bothered with socializing or getting into conversation of any sort. The kind who felt strongly about morality but wouldn’t say anything about it unless in close company.” [Full post is linked here].

Extempore takes a friend down Carter Road and tells us the meaning of “koliwada”. “Wondering what a koliwada is? Allow me. The original inhabitants of Bombay are the kolis, a community of deep-sea fishermen and a koliwada is their settlement along the shore. Mumbai, the official name of Bombay, originates from Mumbadevi, the patron goddess of the kolis, enshrined to this day in Dongri. A number of well-known areas also owe their names to the original koli versions. For example, Kolbhat is what we know and love as Colaba. :-)” [Full post, with some nice photos are linked here]

Mukta thinks comparing places to Bombay is not fair. And that Bombay is aloof, distant, yet complete. Touche. “So I don't really get belligerent when people say how much cleaner the other places are or how much warmer the neighbors. It is mostly true. I also listen quietly when people comment on how rumpled Bombay's fashion is - how tackily wearable the clothes and how impossibly practical the accessories. Fine. Sartorial elegance is a flippant virtue.” Her anger on a TV show sparks off a brilliant post on Bombay’s nightlife. No, not the party variety, but this variety. “There are plenty of people in this city who don't go to pubs or clubs. And yet, these people will vouch for Bombay's 'night life' - because 'night life' in Bombay isn't about exclusivist alcoves.” [Full post linked here]

Matka ! Remember a young Paresh Rawal debuting as “Annubhai” in “Arjun”? Yes, he was running a Matka “den”. Satish explains the intricacy that is Matka. “Matka is a form of gambling that originated in Mumbai or Bombay as it was known then. It started around the same time as the closure of the cotton exchange figures of opening and closing that used to be transmitted to India and was gambled on. It was started by a gentleman called Ratan Khatri. The way it operated was very simple.” [For more on this simple addiction, read his post linked here.]

1$ Saint, a Chennai resident, wonders what Mumbai has for him to shift base. “My family friend and I were taking a drive to drop her son off at Dhirubhai Ambani international school. I’m quite and yet to wake up completely, I’m looking out the window admiring the empty road which would soon disappear to the naked eye. Unexpectedly I have a question shot at me “So when you shifting to Mumbai?” I wonder why I was asked that question. But then I begin to answer it in my mind. What does Mumbai have that I must shift base? I go back city storming.” [For eight facts he notices and his final decision, read the full post here.]

Thanks everyone for your enthu. I will never ceased to be amazed at the different emotions this one city evokes from its denizens and from people visiting it. Here are the links to the earlier parts

Bombay's Diaries, Part 1

Bombay's Diaries, Part 2

Bombay's Diaries, part 2

Part 2 of my Bombay’s Diaries series (Part 1 is here) contains five bloggers experiences of all things Bombay - its people, its places, the names of these places and even a riveting fable (thanks for the tip, Vij!). There’s also a lethal reality check post on local train travel (thanks Anon). Take it away, desi bloggers.

Delhi-ite Zombie lists ten reasons why she loves Bombay. “I have been to Mumbai only once but I know if I ever have to leave Delhi, Mumbai would be the place I would love to move to. I seriously believe I was born to Mumbai...Delhi was an accident called Fate.” For her ten reasons and an A-to-Z of Bambaiya language, click here.

As part of his Bom v/s Del series, here's Dhoomk2’s take on Bombay's people. “The proudest moment of a Bombay person's life is when the taxi-driver delivers exact change, in multiples of Rs. 1. This happens only in Bombay (obviously, they discount the Kolkata bus conductor, who gives out 10 paisa, as the economy there has a different currency altogether). The second proudest moment comes when they travel in well-packed trains at 9:30 am in the morning and get occasional glances of the sea. This experience, however, is more the stuff of legends than reality. Anybody who complains about the fact that they were pushed in by the crowds and therefore couldn't really see (anything, leave alone the sea) is a Delhiite.” Read the rest of his post here.

Vijayeta talks of the five stages of becoming a Bombay convert, which also correspond with the five stages of death. “Bombay. 4 A.M. But then, the city never sleeps, or stops or some such line about Bombay, That Woman couldn’t really be too bothered to recall. It was an early morning shoot for a music video. And there was a minor traffic jam on the Western Express Highway. At 4 AM. That Woman sat in the cab, suddenly surprised at her nonchalance about the traffic jam. This should have unsettled her. But it didn’t! Was THAT happening to her too?...... Bombay is one huge impending deadline and a barrage of new assignments, and if there is anyplace that will make you feel guilty for not getting around to something, it’s Bombay.” For more of her fascinating story, click here.

With a profile that starts with “Born, brought up and bred in Bombay”, I’d have been a fan of Abodh anyways, And he’s also the CEO of WSD India. In this post, that’s almost a walk around these places, Abodh echoes one of my frequent thoughts about this city when he says “Living in Mumbai, we must have always wondered the origin of names of neighborhoods that we reside in or have visited.” And no Abodh, I didn’t know that “Mazgaon : The name was derived from 1) Maza gaon- which means my village in Marathi 2) Maccha Grama – which means a fishing village.” To discover the names of some other places, click here.

A post like this is a good reminder of the shocking indifference of Bombay’s people. Atanu Dey says “Mumbai is what I would call the Triple Point of the World and indicate it as Zero Degrees Human….. Sardine cans have been put to shame when they are compared to Mumbai locals. Those trains are designed to carry about a thousand people. They routinely transport about five thousand people instead. And most of these five thousand make it to their respective destinations.I say most of these make it home because a very small insignificant percentage don’t survive the journey.” For more on how people are disposable, click here.

Bombay's Diaries, part 1

This was an idea I got during the big Bombay v/s Delhi debate on Dhoomk2’s blog.

Bombay evokes strong feelings among everyone, including bloggers. Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore it. So, I thought of starting a small blogroll linking up various interesting posts on Bombay all over the blogosphere. I’ve called this series “Bombay's Diaries”.

Disclaimer – I’ve picked up some posts from obvious places like desipundit and Mumbai-metroblogging, besides Dhook2’s above series. Others I’ve googled on blogger, and some others I’ve stumbled upon by plain chance (!). Errors and omissions are entirely mine.

Here’s part one consisting of ten lovely posts on the city I'm addicted to from the Indian blogosphere.

Akshay Mahajan walking through Dharavi. “Ramshackle corrugated tin, plywood, plastic, pukkah bricks, sheets of asbestos, sweat, toil, people and garbage make Dharavi, just like piles of earth, sand, clay and other materials make ant hills. It is hard to find an idle soul in Dharavi, it is a cesspool of activity, buzzing with energy and ingenuity, always fighting, always dreaming and looking to the future. It is then that I realised that the only idle soul in Dharavi was me". [more here]

Lazyreader on traveling in Bombay’s local trains – an experience bound to evoke strong feelings. “The process of traveling successfully on a train in Mumbai (Bombay) is one that requires cunning, shrewdness, strategy, agility and a killer instinct. All seats are not the same. Window seats are best, followed by middle seats and finally aisle seats. This is because, as the train fills up, crowds push down on the chap in the aisle seat, the effects of which can be felt right up to the middle seat. no matter where you are on a Mumbai Local, you still have a long way to go."[more here]

Punds swoons over Mumbai’s rains – “For some strange reason, the first rain was always supposed to be on 8th June. No particular reason. Even if it was the first drizzle, it had to be 8th June. This year the monsoons are late. When the rain pours and the cold wind blows and everything becomes wet, that is the time when you make your trip to the near-by Vada Pao stall. One of my favorite pastimes during heavy rain when going out is restricted was listening to music. The old Kishore Kumar songs are my favorite. Not many songs have been able to portray Mumbai rain with all its beauty." [more here].

Sonia Faleiro describes her ordeal in finding accommodation in Bombay “Marshalling all forces in search of flat No. 5, has led me to conclude that far from being the City of Dreams, Bombay is actually the City of (Renters) Screams. For no matter how hard you work or earn, when it comes to renting a home, you cannot but feel inadequate. You gleefully move from a one bedroom to two, then realise your three-year-old nephew couldn’t kick a ball without having it smash back into his face.” [more here]

Kaushik Ramu talks of the swarming life in Bombay in a moving post. “I belong nowhere, but Bombay gives me places I can call my own, in my own quirky ways, in a crowd of a millions. I have walked around Fort in endless, aimless patterns, in the heat of the day, in the dusking glooms, in the solemn yellow daubs of night. Where I pause, letting the eye linger on high Victorian friezes, I sense the heart of this large amoeboid form , and its throbbing, bustling beats.” [more here]

The Atticus Diaries has a wonderful post on his conversation with a cab driver from Santa Cruz to Churchgate “We share a strange kinship – I and these skilled jockeys of black-and-yellow warhorse Fiats! We have left families far behind – a loving mother in Chennai, kids in Bulandshar, parents in Jharkand, a nine-year old daughter in Varanasi, love in Bangalore… And here in Mumbai, we ride the streets in search of a brighter tomorrow where our suns will rise on togetherness and love.” [more here]

Govindraj Ethiraj gets stuck on the Western Express Highway and coins the term “sequential jam phenomenon”. "You return to Bombay, after more than a month outside and hope that life is a wee bit simpler. In the city in specific and country in general. After all, the term developing nation ought to mean development. Actually, it only gets worse. I now have a term that defines the attempt to move from point A to point B: its called the sequential jam phenomenon. And I suggest you factor this into your calculations." [more here].

Dilip D’Souza walks around to discover villages in Bombay, and finds Chimbai. And Ramdas. “From Chimbai, the small Bandra fishing village where Ramdas lives, to Dadar is easily 5-6 km. That Ramdas biked that distance and back, twice a day with large loads, impressed me greatly. Chimbai is known as an old fishing village. By now, it is just another part of Bandra, if a more crowded and downscale part of this upscale suburb. But even so, you'll find women every day, sitting on either side of the lane through Chimbai, calling out from behind little makeshift tables piled high with fresh, dripping, aromatic fish.” [more here]

Vazu the terrible has an unnerving experience on a wet day, only to discover there is honour among thieves. “Mumbai is one hellava place. You will find the most stunning of all experiences. Some things that make you think, "Is this place for real ?". I started recounting all my experiences only after I left Mumbai…. In all this hungama (chaos), I realised that I dint even know the name of the friend-in-misery. The city seemed to me like one big karma wheel throwing your karma back at you.” [more here]

Evenstar finds co-passengers pushing hankies to their noses as they pass Mahim Creek. “Between Mahim & Bandra lies a place for Mumbai to clear its bowels and sins, depending which side you are on. Mahim Creek, popularly known as 'Bandra ki Khadi" lies between Bandra & Mahim. In the train, conversations become hushed, handkerchiefs are promptly put over noses, and most smiles disppear on days the odour is too strong. And then Mumbai begins dumping its secrets into the murky waters.” [More here]

My movie mania, part 4 - world cinema

This concludes my four-part series on movies I've watched. For the earlier parts, you can click on Part 1: Drama, Part 2: Comedies and Part 3: Thrillers.

Thank God for foreign movies and world cinema. Be it form, substance, execution, cinematography or visualisation, I will never cease to be amazed by the canvas foreign directors use to tell a story.

The few foreign movies I’ve seen are largely Japanese and Iranian. So, I’m a huge fan of Takashi Miike, Abbas Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. You couldn’t find two more contrasting directorial styles. If Miike’s gore disgusts and hence titillates you, the Iranians stark and simple stories can move you to tears. Thank God these Gods are so prolific.

Takashi Miike (Japan): Torture, abuse of women/ men/children, dismembered human organs flying across the screen, Yakuza, deviants, perverts, etc. etc. You either love him or hate this maverick. I loved him. Here are some of his movies that I've seen – Shinjuka Triad, Rainy Dog, Audition, Dead or Alive, Ichi the killer, Yakuza Demon, City of Lost Souls.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Abbas Kiarostami (Iran): Even as I was going gaga on Majid Majidi’s Baran, my friend scorned me and told me about these two. God almighty, how can they make such brilliant masterpieces! Again – they’re not the easiest movies to watch, so don’t get the pop-corn. Long-scenes, stark landscape, simple stories about real people and devoid of music and histrionics. I wish I could say more, but for once I’m falling woefully short of words. Here are the few I've seen so far – and believe me, each is worthy of much more than I can blog. The wind will carry us, Taste of cherry, Kandahar and Close-up.

Others: Ok, so you’ve probably heard of all of these, but I’d pick “Bus 174” and “4 days in September” as my beyond-the-obvious favourites. Here we go –
Motorcycle Diaries, 4 days in September, Bus 174, Amores Perros, Like water for chocolate, City of God, Tattoo (Mr. Schwenke’s also directed the recent Jody Foster beauty – Flightplan), Insomnia (yep, Chris Nolan’s cult favourite was in fact a remake of this brilliant Nordic movie).

Sorry but no links for above and my list stands concluded.

My movie mania, part 3 - thriller, et al

Life of David Gale http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289992/
I’m a huge Kevin Spacey fan, remember ? Tight, taut thriller with a neat kick in the end

Sin City http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/
Brilliant, simply scintillating visuals (animation?). Made me a Frank Miller fan.

Dog day Afternoon http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072890/
Cult classic crime thriller. Loved Al Pacino.

Panic http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0194218/
William H. Macy, underrated actor, underrated thriller

Confidence http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310910/
Nice surprise package, almost reminiscent of “Things to do…”

The Rainmaker http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119978/
Arguably the best Grisham book and hence the best Grisham movie. Note – it’s also a Coppola movie

After the Sunset http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367479/
Slick, Bond-like stuff. Hotter thanks to Salma.

Exorcism of Emily Rose http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404032/
And its actually based on a true-event. Watch out for Tom Wilkinson.

Manchurian Candidate http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368008/
Jonathan Demme after a long time. I think I should watch the original.

Land of the dead http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418819/
Come on, it’s a Romero.

Final Cut http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364343/
Lovely idea, but perhaps not executed that well.