Learning Curve

I learned here that I am predisposed to being happy, and will pursue it so.

I learned that I am easily bored, and I need a certain amount of change.

I learned I can multi-task.

I learned I care more about what I am supposed to do than about bowing to people.

I learned I can be a mean bitch. And I know that I am proud of it.

I learned I do not judge people much, but when I start doing so, I invariably judge the ones who love judging.

I learned I want to have fun when I am working, and that I will seek it out if it does not come naturally.

I learned to pick and choose. I learned to explore and discover. I learned to push the limits and trust myself to navigate when the path is not clear.

I learned that, often brand new places feel like home, and just because they allow you to OD on freedom. Me, the freedom junkie.

I learned there is an angel and a devil in me and they quite love each other.

Thank you, oh wise one, for throwing me into the middle of an emotional nowhere. I have learned some.

Why I love Om Santi Om

Yes, I am the same person who worships Tarentino and love obscure, indie movies. I lauded Beja Fry and Being Cyrus, not to mention Khosla ka Ghosla.

But still, like a dieting Homer Simpson succumbing to chocolate filled chocolately chocolate crusted chocolate donut, I return to OSO, my guilty pleasure.

Its a spoof.

I love humour, and especially the ability to laugh at oneself. I have a huge weekness for MAD magazine and South Park, and by extention, love the spoof movies.

OSO is a spoof on the hindi phillum industry, with all its glorious wackiness laid out there.

The seventies.

The time of bell bottoms and razor mushtaches, over the top acting, dream sequences which have enough people to fill a football stadium doing synchronized gyrating... all that, and more is there in the movie.

A bum called SRK.

The way he romances Deepika like a cute labrador pup in the first half... and his bratty avtar in the second half ( which then get spoiled for me once he starts being the nice guy)


The shooting of Mind IT!!

Yenna Raaascala.... we have all seen such comic movies - albeit when our relatives sat and weeped at the scenes - but I swear, I would really really want to watch Mind It, with that man in it.


Film fare award night

That enitre sequence - from the red carpet interviews ( "we are just friends" ) to the movie scenes to AB baby swearing under his breath... beautiful!!!


In Jokes

This movie is a treasure trove for those who has been following Bollywood - read: average Indian. My personal favorite is when Mein Ne Pyaar Kiya is referenced - subtle, and priceless!


Bhaago!!!!

Again, amazing!

And by dedication we mean...

The wedding scene which SRK retakes... with the flower in his mouth.

Kiron Kher

For me, she is SRKs heroine. Her comic timing is perfect, and deliciously over the top.


Ladies and gents; granted, this may be an over the top movie, there is no rythm and reason in the movie, but tell me, did you laugh at least once? Or twice? Thrice may be?

I rest my case.

Movie List

My Christmas gifts are already given; thanks to some creative people. I'm yet to open the wrapper, but I cant wait to catch each of them!

Now, my dear, let me talk to you. You, the nice bollywood fan who is not from India. Nope, having an Indian DNA does not automatically make you a true blue Bollywood fan.

Quick Quiz:

1. Who is Kareena's boyfriend?

2. The actor whos characters are mostly names Rahul, or Raj in most of his movies.

3. Name two movies of Kajol.

4. Name three Khans ( bonus point for naming four) in Bollywood

5. who is Sanju Baba?

If you got atleast three of the above right off your head without googling, then this list is not for you. If, however, you did not make the cut, then read on, for this list is for you.


1. Munna Bhai M.B.B.S

Comedy. But for complete entertainment, get someone who understands the Tapori Hindi so that they can translate the sprit of the dialogue.

2. Chak De India
I assume that you have already seen Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge, Kabhi Khushie Kabhie Ghum, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil To Paagal Hai, Kal Ho Na Ho et al. Some of you might have even seen Main Hoon Na and have already booked the tickets for Om Santi Om and have seen DON. But this is not a typical SRK movie : you dont have to suspend disbelief, and can watch a less hyper, but equally intense, performance of Shahrukh Khan.

And yes, this movie is heavily inspired from the different sports movies in Hollywood, so play spot the scene.

3. Dil Chahta Hai

I don't have a favorite scene in this movie... every scene is precocious, and this is our filmy version of Friends. Best to watch it with an yuppie Indian, who will get nostalgic over this movie :)

And yes, I know you would have seen Lagaan!

4. Honeymoon Travels :
You must have seen Monsoon Wedding... now see what happens after the marriage!

Amisha Patel and KK Menon are hilarious in this movie!

5. Being Cyrus:

This is one trippy movie. It's in English, so you hopefully do not need the subtitles...

I wanted to end this list with just five, but hey, here is one bonus movie:

6. Omkaara

It is an adaptation of Othello. The dialogues are caustic; hotter than Tabasco sauce, and pithy like tequila shots, and the actors are really good.

Have an Indian who knows Hindi well enough to translate the movie, which begins with 'Bewakoof aur Chootiye ke beech mein... ' the language is half the fun, do not lose it.


Answers :

1. Saif Ali Khan
2. Shahrukh Khan
3. DDLJ, KKHH
4.Saif, Shahrukh, Salman & Amir ( also Fardeen, Sayed, Sanjay etc etc... )
5. Sanjay Dutt who will never be fifty again... and fyi, Baba means 'baby' in Hindi.

Happy watching!

One for the bedtime...

Once there was a little girl, who grew up to be a witch. She lived in the middle of the forest all alone, and talked to the forest and its silence. The animals and the plants did not disturb her often, but would once in a while greet her with a quick hop or a slight sound.

The witch had a childhood friend, who grew up to be the young prince of that country. Once, when she was sitting by the riverside, the young prince met her, and walked over to talk to her. For he was not afraid of her, indeed he loved her and knew that his love would keep him safe.

The witch greeted him cordially and introduced him to the forest. She talked, for a long time, about how the trees dance during the rains and how the animals keep the beat. She told him, about Life and Death who peacefully co-exist in the forest. she told him about the small ferns, and pointed out the colors of silence and sound of colors. She shared her joy in the beauty of the forest with him, for he was her friend.

But the prince did not listen to the witch's words. He heard her voice, which was clear as the deep pool about which she was talking about, and saw the stars of the night sky in her eyes and the bloom of the wild rose in her lips.

'I gift you my love.'

us said the prince said to the witch. She smiled, and accepted it, for the forest had taught her to accept the offerings of others with humility.

'Come with me to the village.' He said to her.

She smiled like a wild flower, and went to the home of her childhood, which she now remembered as the broken shreds of a fragile dream.

The prince and the witch reached the village. And with a shock, the witch realized why she had ran away into the forest. The village had a thousand eyes and ears, which reported to the million tongues who always directed the villages on how to eat, walk and think.

'I cannot do this.' The witch said to the prince, her eyes wide with fear.

'I love you.' He reminded her.

The prince took the witch to his castle. The witch was happy to see the stones and tried to talk to them. But the stones were all dead. The rain raged in the night, and the witch tried to talk to the rain. But the rain poured down busily like a whore whose time is up, and refused to even acknowledge her. She tried to make peace with the eyes, ears and tongues; but they alienated her.

Days and months passed. The witch was feeling more and more unhappy. But her eyes continued to shine, for they now reflected the diamonds which were in abundance in the castle. Her cheeks were powered and lips painted, and she looked every bit as beautiful as she looked when she was in the forest.

'Let me go back to the forest for a while.' She pleaded with the prince. 'Let me dance in the green moss as light as the sea, and be happy. Let me sit in the sun and listen to the silence, and find peace deep within.'

The prince was frightened of the forest, and did not want her to go back. He ordered the servants to follow her everywhere, and never to let her alone.

The witch knew what the prince was thinking ( for she could read his eyes and eyes never lie), and became sadder.

'For a week?' She asked him.

The prince refused her again. Then the witch cried, and she asked for a day. Her teardrops were eagerly looked at by the prince, for rumor had it that in a neighboring village there was a girl whose tears turned to pearls.

But no, the witches tears turned to a small fragment of the forest pool, with the reflection of a bit of the sky and the trees. The witch stepped into her tear, and went back to the forest.

The prince was now angry. 'The ungrateful wench! After I loved her so much!' he thought, and called upon all the hunters and woodcutters to the castle.

'Cut down all the plants!' he said to the woodcutters 'And burn them all so that not even a seedling is spared!'

'Kill all the animals and birds!' he said to the hunters ' Do not spare even an egg!'

'Once the forest is no more, she will definitely have to come back.' He thought with glee.

The hunters and the woodcutters set forth. A few of the village plants and animals, who have not forgotten the language of the forest, grieved, and requested the wind to warn their kin. The wind went to the witch, and whispered about the forest's fate.

The witch went to the edge of the village, where the hunters and woodcutters were assembled. The prince was there, and he smiled in happiness when he saw her.

'She is back.' He thought. 'We will have beautiful children. She will be my fair Queen and the whole world will hear of her voice which tinkle like gold goins and her lips which shine like rubies.'

The witch, with one stroke of her hand turned sword, beheaded the prince and went back into her forest.

Moral of the day:

For Princes & Princesses : Don't think that love is a finite definition which means the same to everyone. It is injurious to health.

For Warlocks and Witches: Do not indulge the Princes and Princesses. Sometimes it is better not to change a person and give up.

For me, you and everyone else: To which group do you belong to?

Joan Brandwyn got it right

Ever heard of the Movie Mona Lisa Smile?

In the movie, there is an amazing scene, where Julia Roberts, the feminist teacher is distraught that one of her best students decided to get married. The student goes to her teacher, and tells her: "You're the one who said I could do anything I wanted. This is what I want."

Now that more and more of my friends are getting married and some are even proud mothers/ fathers of cute little ones, this is what I want to tell you.

Congratulations, for finding someone whom you love enough to take the plunge.

Congratulations, for trusting your parents enough to believe in arranged marriages.

Congratulations, for choosing to either work or to be a home-maker or to study - or even planning to do all of them together.

Congrats for allowing your partner the freedom to work and/or study, and for supporting them.

Congratulations, for bringing some very special people into the world, and helping them to grow up, and grow up well.

I am so happy for you all! We may not always have common topics to talk about, but we will still be friends.

And for the person who triggered the post: Baby Rat, Here's to you for a wonderful married life!