The state of our state

Last week I was surprised to see the sudden repair work being carried out on the road to my son's school. I was happy that the municipal corporation is doing this work as the road was in desparate need of repairs. The speed of work was also terrific. An entire stretch was repaired in flat two days. The side walls were painted white as were the boundaries of the roads. I have always been very critical of the way the government and its machinery works. Although this was a welcome change.

Then came the day after the work was completed. The morning drive to the school answered the question of how come such fast work on this road. Our honorable Chief Minister was scheduled to inaugurate some project on that road that evening. This is unfortunately, the sad fact in our country. The roads are repaired for the ministers to ensure a smooth ride wherever they pass. The ordinary citizens can go thru the same pathetic road throughout their life and no one would care. But when any big minister passes by the road has to become perfect. People have become wise these days. When the roads in the locality becomes unbearable they just invite the CM or any big minister and 'voila' you have a great road in a matter of days.

These ministers give a pat on the back on the people responsible for the 'great' roads while being fully aware of the ground reality. We citizens pay taxes for the improvement of the roads, water, power, security, etc. But our hard earned money goes into the pockets of unscrupulous bureaucrats who couldn't care less about what is going on.

I don't see this changing for at least the next two generations as corruption is so deeply rooted in our system that it will take this much time for it to slowly get drained out. India can easily grow at more than 10% per annum if only our govt.put a check on corruption. It is not enough for a party to simply raise the slogan of 'Aam Aadmi' but actually focus on the aam aadmi by ensuring that development reaches the people it is meant for. I also know that this blog wouldn't make any difference to anything but I just had to bring this out and share my frustration with this pathetic system that we are forced to live with day in and day out.

Going from family pack to 6 pack !

Workout n me have never gelled very well in my adult life.

I have been a regularly irregular visitor to gyms over the years. Initially, in the good olden days when I was thin I went to get some doley sholey. Over the last few years in a poor attempt to get a 6 pack I ended up with a family pack ! This led me to the gym to get those extra kilos off. I had never been regular which therefore never yielded any results.

I have, however, been very regular this time around. I have been so regular that the number of visits to the gym in my entire earlier life has been less than the number of visits in the last two months. I have now got hooked to the gym. The ambiance in the gym is very lively - fast beat music, pretty girls, etc. It inspires me to be regular and try and achieve more in each visit.

Now, the gym I go to has mirrors all over the wall. This gives the gym a larger feel. It also gives a seem less view of everybody in the gym. One common aspect of all gym goers is the way they look at themselves in the mirror. Everyone is fascinated with themselves. Seeing the muscles pop up each time a weight is lifted is the driver to go for another. The pouring sweat at the end of the workout makes me feel good about myself. The funny thing is that after each workout I try to see if my muscles have increased. Unconsciously, I think everyone does that.

The glass of fresh lime (sweet and salt) after my workout is just a fantastic way to wrap things up for the day.

Billu Bhayankar !

Don't judge a book by its cover and a movie by its trailer !

Billu, the new name for Billu Barber, came out with fast paced trailers with super hit songs and gorgeous actresses. The movie on the other hand hardly has Shah Rukh Khan. His cannot be termed as a full role and is nothing but a cameo. It is an out an out Irfan Khan movie. You can't project it to be an SRK movie and then give him a long dialogue in the climax with a few songs in between and hope to deliver a hit.

Billu revolves around a village barber, played by Irfan Khan. He is a simple, honest and very poor guy. The entire village goes into a tizzy with the grand arrival of super star Sahir Khan, played by SRK, for a shooting. Now, Sahir Khan was an old friend of Billu. This word spreads throughout the village. For most part of the movie, the villagers try to persuade Billu to make them meet Sahir Khan. But Billu, doesn't want to meet the super star as he is very poor and isn't sure if the star remembered him. Finally, to no ones amazement SRK and Irfan meet.

The movie is devoid of any storyline. The entire movie is just the villagers trying to get to meet the super star. Brilliant actors like Om Puri, Asrani and even SRK as totally wasted. The longest comic scene in the movie, when the lodge manager takes a shot at acting, is terrible. The actors are loud and jarring. The scene where SRK clarifies the Khan vs.Khan, filmi bhaichara, etc.is bakwaas and boring. Not everything is bad with the movie though. Irfan Khan comes up with a very nice performance. The music is also one of the strong points of the movie. However, even the presence of SRK cannot salvage this blunder.

I would give it 4/10.

Anurag Kashyap ka Atyachar !

I am on the look out for the guy who posted the review on Times of India last Sunday. The guy gave Dev D 5 stars. I was shocked to read the review and thought that 5 stars would probably be over rated but at least the movie would be good.

I then eagerly took the tickets for the same night. The first few scenes into the movie and I started to get a feel of things to come. However, the movie surpassed all my expectations. Scene after scene it went from trash to trashier. All through this "Modern Devdas" attempt I felt like I was being cheated. It was an unbearable movie. The only thing good about the movie was - "The End". Forget the story, the performances, everything else about this piece of crap. The movie sucks.

Please do yourselves a favour and stay miles away from any theatre that plays this movie. It is an insult to even rate this movie so I have decided not to give any rating. It deserves below a minus rating.

My Sunday

There goes another Sunday !

I don't hate anything more than a lousily spent Sunday. In fact, I genuinely get a head ache if I end up doing nothing on this day. Its the way the big guy up there made me.

Unlike most companies in the west and the software companies in India, most companies in India work 6 day weeks. As for me, I do put in a lot of hard work during those 6 days and look forward to making the most on a Sunday. Unfortunately, the last two Sundays have had me going to work for some reason or the other. The last one for half a day the the previous one for one full day. Needless to say, I become rather grumpy when such things happen.

Then there are other Sundays when I do not have any work but somehow no other plan materializes. This is the type of day I would hope no one messes with me. I can really be nasty. I enjoy a fun filled Sunday which could comprise a movie, dinner or lunch out at a nice restaurant, some workout at the gym, maybe a swim, some shopping, a visit to the temple, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary but basic little things that keep me busy thru the day. With the kind of pace most of our lives have these days, Sunday comes as a much needed breather. I know I need this break and I need to make the most of it.

However, Sunday's gone and its Monday today. So let me get back to work with the hope that the next Sunday is different.

Luck...by chance - Go watch this flick !

Farhan Akhtar's performance in Rock on was spell bounding. I looked forward to another smashing performance from Farhan and went for Luck..by chance solely for him.

Unfortunately, luck......is no Rock on. Without a comparison it is a movie worth watching. Its got good performances by the entire cast. Special mention to the wonderful portrayal of Romy Rolly by Rishi Kapoor. He excels in his part. While Farhan does justice to the role, he does not cast the spell that he did with Rock on. The small little cameo by Hrithik Roshan is fun. By the way, this is the first movie to star Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan together, even though not in the same frame. The movie has its moments. The scene in the acting school is hilarious. A comic scene here and there keeps the movie alive all through. The story is different and good. Almost like a toned down Madhur Bhandarkar movie. Music is ok.

This movie would not run forever in the multiplex near you. Until its there please go, grab your pop corn n drink and enjoy this flick. I would give it a 7/10.

At the cross roads of life

Many a time I find myself at a cross road having to pause and think which road to take. Of course, I don't mean roads literally but about the different paths in life.

The decision made to travel on anyone of these roads is a decision that one has to live with for life. In my case, the first time I was faced with such a situation was after my graduation. I had an option to pursue my MBA or join my relative's granite firm in Chennai. At that point my family and I had taken the decision to join the company in Chennai. Even today, after about 10 years of that decision, I cannot tell for sure if that decision was right or wrong. It could have been right for I got my present job as a result of my stint in the company in Chennai. It could have been wrong cause I am not in the best industry and could have been in a much better position had I pursued my MBA. Ifs and buts are not of any consequence when talking of the past. But they can surely be the guiding factor when planning for the future.

Since the past several months I find myself contemplating about my future. I have a family to support, which makes any decision all the more complicated. The question that keeps popping up all the time now is whether my family's future would be better in the United States or in India. I am reasonably happy with my job but off late there have been difficulties on certain aspects. I know from deep within that these would not be overcome and I'd have to live with the same issue in this company. On the other hand, a world of uncertainties await us had we to move to the US. I am also very attached to the company I work for and find it extremely awkward to even think of any other option.

I am waiting for the balance to tilt one way or the other and hope the clouds of uncertainty pass sooner than later for me to take my journey forward.

Slumdog....lives up to the hype

Although I was eager to catch the earliest show possible of the much anticipated movie Slumdog Millionaire, I was able to finally get to watch it only a couple of days back.

Not many movies in the past have lived up to the expectations or hype generated prior to its release. Case in point being the movies of Indian movie super stars SRK and Akshay Kumar's Rab ne..., Singh is king and the recent Chandni Chowk...etc. However, Danny Boyle's Slumdog is a wonderful tale of the journey of a boy from the slums of Mumbai. There was a lot of hue and cry over the manner in which India is depicted in the movie. Although I felt sad with this portrayal, it was real. The entire episode of the slum kids can shake any person up. But, it would be more appropriate to take up this cause with our governament than criticize the makers of the movie.

The real life experiences coming to help the protagonist in answering the questions on the game show is well presented. However, on a few questions one feels the real life reference seems unreal. Such minor shortcomings are pardoned. The entire cast comes up with very nice performances. The award winning music by Rehman is nice as well. Anil Kapoor has done justice to his part and excels in the final scene. The credit however, to keep us all glued to the seats until the very end of the credits MUST go solely to its director - DANNY BOYLE ! Hats off to him.

I would give the Slumdog 8/10.