Festive rantings

Its been more than a month since I last wrote.....I mean...wrote on my blog that is. Cos otherwise I've been writing a lot you know.....primarily at work...but otherwise too you know, like writing down messages callers leave, making lists and other stuff.....but I digress.

So with the festive season drawing to a close and people slowly realizing they may have eaten a 'bit too many' sweets over the past few days, I thought the time was right to point out a few things I've observed about Diwali this time around. Call me a desi Ebenezer Scrooge, but I have slowly begun to grow less and less fond of Diwali with every passing year. Apart from the sweets and the three days of leave from work, I really don't think Diwali has anything else to offer. Have I gone crazy ? No. Hear me out or rather read me out and decide for yourself.

SMS

Don't tell me you don't receive tons of SMS greetings on Diwali. More often than not, people who you haven't spoken to for months or maybe years (sometimes deliberately so) suddenly start wishing and praying for your well being and prosperity. "May this festival bring you good health, prosperity and all that you desire.Have a Happy Diwali and a great new year ahead" was the most-received greeting for me this season. While its nice to know so many people are praying for your success, I have a problem with  people who send the second part of the greeting i.e. 'the new year wishes' part.
Now...whats with the new year wishes huh ? I mean which calendar do you people use huh? New Years is still two months away ok ! Well ok....fine...if you are one of those who still lives by the Indian calendar (n the 21st Century (you weirdo!) then why send another New Years Greeting on 1 Jan 2012 huh !?! By that logic why don't I get a New Years Greeting for the Chinese and Parsi New Year too huh ? and not to forget  the Mayan New year...well...maybe lets not get into the Mayan calendar its depressing enough. So what I'm driving at is this - kindly stick to one calendar and wish me according to that.

Crackers

I just hate loud crackers. I particularly dislike the Roman candles....or to use a more desi term - 'ladis'. Even as a child I restricted my arsenal of firecrackers to anaars, chakras, torches and phooljadis. I recall my peers stocking up with much more glamorous and seemingly 'macho' products such as - phook bombs, ten thousand ladi, whistling rockets and other firecrackers of mass disturbance. I disagreed with their choice then, now and shall continue to for many Diwalis to come.

I mean here I am trying to enjoy my holiday, trying to relax within the confines of my room and watch a football match (or even better play one on FIFA 2008), when all of a sudden - BANG, there goes one of those ladis. Obviously the work of an attention-seeking idiot trying to prove to the world how easily he can wreck an honest tax-paying citizen's peace and in the bargain derive some sadistic pleasure out of it. Now, not only does this BANG make me miss the match commentary (either on TV or on my laptop) but I have to  undergo the terrible inconvenience of displacing myself from my bed and spending 10 minutes of my precious holiday time in trying to calm down my dog, who has so effortlessly added to my frustration in this scenario by lending his bark to that idiot's cause. In the background I hear the commentator shout - "magnificent strike and equally magnificent save from the keeper! "

Excessive lighting

It is well known and widely accepted that we live in a hypocritical society. While on 26 March 2011 Indians were proudly switching-off their lights and even greater pride telling others that they had celebrated Earth Hour, on 26 October 2011 by putting up an assortment of lights (red, yellow, blue, green  and some that go on and off at regular intervals) those very people seem to have forgotten their resolve to conserve energy.

In fact during Diwali I've seen people compete with their neighbors by attempting to outdo the other in their lighting arrangements.I believe all this is done with the objective of coaxing Laxmi (the goddess of wealth) to enter their house to shower them with riches beyond their wildest imagination. Whether making one's house appear as an airstrip increases the chances of Goddess Laxmi arriving , I wouldn't know, but  what I do know is that, all that was accomplished in that one hour in March is undone 7 months later in October  faster than you can say 'Shubh Deepawali'. At this juncture, it is apposite to quote one of my favorite Dickensian characters who so succinctly put it - "Bah ! Humbugs !"

I end by saying that I am not against Diwali, I am merely against the way it is celebrated today. Don't get me wrong I really love the three day 'chhutti' from work and the boxes of sweets, but as I said at the start of this now very large blog entry, I don't think Diwali serves any purpose beyond that.

Wait...what is it that I hear you say....that Diwali is a very important religious festival ? Yes ! Surely it is ! But I must confess that deep down I really don't feel more religious on Diwali than I do on any other day. While the pooja and the bhajan-chanting brings in the religious element to the day's proceedings, I feel closer to God only when there is peace and tranquility in my immediate surroundings.

Also how do you expect me to feel religious or spiritual with so many 'unpeaceful' activities going on  huh? All those crackers bursting, my dog barking, the excessive wastage of electrical energy and the....wait.......wait.....uh-oh....I've got to go now....my mobile just rang (must be another SMS). Oh and before I leave, here's wishing you a very Happy Diwali and......um......hmmmmm...........uhhhh.......thats it actually......nothing else......I'll wish you a happy new year on 1 Jan cos I follow the English calendar. Cheerio!

A Cab-Critic comments on Andaz Apna Apna

After a lot of coaxing from a whole lot of people - primarily friends and work colleagues....I finally saw the movie which many regard as one of Bollywood's great productions, considered also, in some circles to be 'the most amazing Hindi movie'. Yes, if you haven't guessed even after reading the title of this post (pay attention yaar !) , the movie is none other than - Andaz Apna Apna.

Heralded as one of the all-time greats starring, inter alia - Aamir Khan,Salman Khan,Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor, Shakti Kapoor and Paresh Rawal - the movie continues to have a strong fan base even in the second decade of the 21st Century.

Before I begin my analysis, let me start by giving credit to the film-makers for making the movie extremely gripping, as at no point during the running of the film was I bored or distracted (even by the loud construction work going on next door). The firm grip that the movie had, is worth applauding because while the ending of the film as pretty certain, I for one had made up my mind that if I like this film, it would be due to - its quick pace, interesting twists & turns and a generous peppering of comic scenes. And yes, Andaz Apna Apna or AAA delivered on all fronts and unlike the US debt rating the movie stays true to its title and gets a AAA from my side !

I do however, disagree with the film's music. Firstly, with the number of songs and secondly with the quality of songs. None of the picturised songs were anywhere even remotely close to the Bollywood songs of the 90's which I've come to love. The only bit of music which I appreciated was the instrumental tune which plays at the start, end and during certain scenes of the movie.

On the acting front - Aamir outclassed Salman in every scene. I particularly liked the scene when Aamir dresses up as 'Bade Mamu'. On the other hand, a lot many times I felt Salman was struggling with his character, perhaps because his character was not built strongly. It seemed that while a lot of thought was put into while building Aamir's character; Salman's character seems to have been rummaged out and put together in a hurry. I was disappointed because at the start of the film, I felt that Prem (Salman's character) had more potential as Prem was depicted as more 'aawara' and more of a film-buff than Aamir's character - Amar.

Despite his miniscule role in the film, hats-off to Jagdeep (he played the part of Prem's father - Bankelal Bhopali) who delivered a thoroughly brilliant performance. After a long time I saw a classic comic peformance with perfect timing and old-school expressions - especially in the scene when he is having a conversation with the new owner of his house. Great performances by 'Anand Akela', 'Raabert' and 'Bhalla'. Paresh Rawal, I think cannot give a bad performance at all.

Nothing much to say about the actresses - the performance was good, though I felt neither female character was challenging. In fact there is a flaw in Raveena Tandon's character as when she first appears at the airport she struggles to find proper Hindi words to complete her sentence and then later on...somewhat magically.. is able to speak fluently in Hindi. On a seperate note, the absence of an item number (which has become commonplace and sometimes sine qua non in present movies), was not missed at all.


Another minor flaw (after all a flaw is a flaw!) is that at the end of the movie Paresh Rawal while announcing the marriage he uses the words 'meri betiyaan' (my daughters) even when it is clearly explained that only Karishma Kapoor's character is the real heiress and Raveena Tandon's character is the daughter of Paresh Rawal's accountant.

But enough with the flaws, all and all a great movie, though I wouldn't put it right up there with my favorities, but definitely in my Top 20 list. I still maintain that no Hindi movie can beat SRK's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naan. Call me biased, but KHKN in my view is paramount.

Before I end this post which happens to be the very first post on this blog - I would like to explain the meaning of the words 'cab-critic' appearing in the title of this post. I call myself a cab-critic because I have enthralled (maybe even sometimes irritated) a lot of my fellow cab-mates on quite a number of occasions, when films (from both Bollywood and Hollywood) are discussed thread-bare at the back of a Toyota Qualis at a quarter past eight in the evening. And now I intend to enthrall (or irritate) you with my somewhat unique take on not just movies but any topic / issue that spurts up in my mind because......mujhey kuch kahna hai ! :)