And It's Children's Day

I always feel very enthused about this day,since I've always been the pampered little kid in the family,and in my various friend circles.I 've always believed in taking life a little less seriously and hence the perception of me being kiddish and immature.And well,I don't really mind it.I thought of reliving my childhood and found a few pictures.

This was in Panchsheel, Kolkata.Mixed Memories of that Place.Gave me some very good friends whom I am so pleased to reconnect with.Ankita, Vedansh,Harsh, Ritika.Those were awesome times.

With Dadaji on my Second or Third Birthday I guess.Dadaji has a  very funny story about this,where I made people who did not bring me gifts,sit in a desolute corner and did not give them sweets :) :)

I'm less than a year old in this.Rajasthan 1991.We used to go on so many holidays in those days.Until my Nuisance of a little sister was born :P

During our Trip to Nainital 1992-93.Who knew back then,that this would become Home.Dad tells me he used to block my vision when we passed by this Arcade store.I was infatuated with this little red car :)

Kharagpur at Nani's place with my Great Grandmom (Nanaji's Mother).I am so confused as to why Mom  used to dress me up like a girl and that too with all the winter clothing in bloody Tropical Kharagpur.

Mom and Dad were so lean back then.This must be  the only time in life that I would have worn a Kurta.This is in Shikharji,a Jain Teerth in Bihar,after performing a long tedious Puja.

The Beginnings of my Craziness towards the game of Cricket.I still love watching and playing this incredible game,though am not that good at it.Do not know where this is,probably on a holiday. 

If I am not wrong,this is Raju Mama.Used to have so much fun at his place.He along with Sangeeta Maasi  were the ones who nurtured and tapped my reading habit in and satiated my urge for more books 

In Nainital with an unbelievably lean and Moustached version of Dad.I loved this place then,and still love it.The peaceful life and the awesome people.

Rockstar,Ranbir,Rahman,Review

Like many others,I had been waiting for the  movie to release since the music had already enraptured me.And it was definitely a movie worth the wait.Though the story seems a little undercooked and hurried due to the non-linear narrative with the umpteen flashbacks that Imtiaz Ali takes you through,his superb direction makes up for all that.The visuals of Prague,Kashmir and Delhi are captured beautifully,especially the concert venue scenes at the very beginning of the movie.
Rockstar is an out and out Ranbir Kapoor film.In fact he is better than the movie actually is.His bittersweet journey from being a naive and innocent youngster who just wants to strum his guitar and sing,to a jilted and heartbroken lover who is frustrated and angry inside despite being a superstar,is exhilarating indeed,with all the emotional ups and downs that he goes through.He becomes the anti-hero like his Idol Jim Morrison,with a Che Guevara dressing sense though,a rebellious character who shows the finger to the law,in a moment of cinematic brilliance.All his anger,finds release in his music and he becomes a rage.However,his stage persona "Jordan" is still the good old "Janardhan" inside.In an extremely heartfelt confession to his canteen buddy,he says "This was all I wanted.Why am I not happy still.Even I do not like myself like this".Ranbir puts up a pitch perfect performance revelling in Jordan's complexities and conflicts.The graph of his character undergoes so many changes and he adjusts with the paucity of a veteran who knows his craft.Just to see him work his magic on screen in those concert scenes or when he tells Nargis on the phone that we are meant to be together,Rockstar is a must watch.
And Thank you,A.R Rahman,Mohit Chauhan and Imtiaz Ali for this awesome ensemble of songs which keep the movie alive and hold the viewers to their seats.From the absolutely heart rendering romantic track "Tum Ho" to the rebellious "Saadda Haq",the soulful "Kun faya" or my personal favourite "Nadaan Parindey",all songs are very much part of the movie and in fact,enhance the entire experience.
The love story is beautiful in places,especially in places when they make lists to do all the stuff that is forbidden like watching "Jungli Jawani" and drinking country liquor.Nargis realizes that she is straying from her path,being a married woman,but the power of love,indeed is so strong,it does not recognize practicality and what follows is a passionate and volatile tale.They both control each other's lives,it is the relationship and just being with each other,which keeps Ranbir sane and Nargis,alive.
Imtiaz Ali has already proved he is a master narrator of the contemporary love story but he fails to live up to his reputation somewhat.He is a little loose on the narrative and we sense an abrupt growth instead of a gradual one in his lead character's persona.However,given the complexity of emotions involved in the subject of choice and the performances he extracts from all actors,with Ranbir towering above everybody else,his trademark witty dialogues with that inherent Punjabi-ness and the beautiful gift of absolutely mindblowing music that he gives his audience,Rockstar is a MUST WATCH.You will not even for a moment realise that the movie is actually three hours long.
Go and watch it,for Rahman,Ranbir and Imtiaz's impeccable vision.

10 places where the New Season of Two and a Half Men falters

It has been seven weeks since the 9th season of "Two and a Half Men" began and I must now confess,that indeed,the show is a pale shadow of itself without the alcohol addict,drug addict,effortlessly charming womanizer that Charlie Sheen was.Ashton Kutcher tries hard but the show is yet to really take off and is even beginning to disappoint.

Too much build up: Even after 7 episodes you still end up feeling that the season has only just begun.It is understood that justifying where Walden came from and how does Alan,predictably,stick up with him,would take some time and I give Chuck Lorre that.But even beyond that,the show seems to be going nowhere.It has become really slow and sluggish for a sitcom.
Walden Schmidt : He is immature,he is handsome,he is rich and lovable and yet he does not seem to be coming out strong.The angle about his wife leaving him and him continuously crying about it is not funny at all and tends to make him look like Alan,which is not good at all."Men" needs Walden as a strong central character,who is "No Holds Barred" and not the  naive and sometimes stupid sissy that he currently is.I see some signs of him evolving into that,but again it has all been really slow.
Too much Alan Harper : When the show began,you felt sorry for Alan and his episodes with women.Slowly he evolved into an irritating and miserly pest who would not leave his brother's house.Charlie would insult him and we all would laugh because yes,he deserved all that.It was always about him being a pest and Charlie keeping him in his rightful place.However during this buildup,he has to hold the show together,which sadly is beyond him.With no one to make fun of him anymore,he tries doing so himself and ends up overdoing it.Alan is somebody who makes you want to pull your hair out and hence,is unbearable for an extended length of time.
Jake Harper,Grow up : The kid was adorable,stupid and it was funny when you made fun of his toilet habits.But now he is 17-18 years old.Enough with the fart-burp-poop jokes already.He is beginning to cut a sorry picture like the rest of the characters on the show and desperately needs a revival.His dumb antics when he was kid were indeed endearing but he never became the womanizer that Charlie had trained him for,in all these years.Jake used to lift the show earlier,now he is just an under used and redundant character.
The Charlie Jokes : There is too much of crude humour lambasting Charlie Sheen which sounded funny earlier on.You could hear what people really thought of him,after he died and it sounded interesting.But now the jokes reek of some kind of personal vendetta that Lorre holds against him and hence,it is so not cool.Moreover it makes you miss him,all the more.
Berta Oh Berta : Her punches are mostly top class and she could do so much more.As of now,she seems to be a content character,who is enjoying her time in the house,not bothered by,and indifferent to whatever is going on.We could do with a little more Alan bashing from Berta's side.
Will everyone stop hooking up with Walden : Yes,we love the random beautiful hotbods who used to be a feature of the show in the good old days.But Alan's wife,then Berta's fantasies and now Alan's repugnant mother-Please make the show a little hotter and not sicker.
Bridget and the need for a new woman : The women have accentuated the show's humour be it the excellent and psychotic stalker that Kate was,or the ample bossomed beauty that Chelsea was.The show needs a new female character,preferably someone hot.Bridget needs more screen time and please do not let her go the ex-hating and ex-insulting way that Jake's mom has.
A Character whom you  do not feel sorry for: There have to be different people,who react differently to create funny situations and laugh riots.As of now,all the 3 "MEN" have similar shades and are stuck in loser limbo.Preferably Walden or even Jake could shake that off and become cooler and likable.
The Essence of the show : It was also about promiscuity,hooking up with women,inappropriate and yet hilariously funny sexual banter.It would be unfair to the characters above but Charlie really did BRING IT  to the show.Try and get that back.It would not be what it was,but it will still be better than what I have currently being forced to watch,week after week

We miss you Charlie Harper.