Mind u Read

He won’t stop – that’s the literal translation of ’Aagadu’, the title of a Telugu movie that released last weekend. True to its name, the movie was unstoppable at the box office, netting close to a million dollars on the day of its release in the US. An unprecedented number for an Indian film, leave alone a Telugu film. I was constantly bombarded by Whatsapp updates from my friends in the US who flocked to the screens in droves as if their lives depended on this movie. Closer home, the story was no different - despite negative reviews from critics and 140 character experts on Twitter, the film marched on triumphantly. I watched the movie in a Delhi NCR multiplex which was packed to the brim - a rarity in this part of the country. Craze for the movie wasn’t surprising. Aagadu is after-all a big budget movie made by a popular director with a successful track record starring one of the most charismatic heroes of South India - Mahesh Babu - the central reason for the...

Ever since I watched the film “The Matrix” in the late 90s, I've often wondered if what was shown in the film could become a reality someday. It is highly unlikely, but for those who don't know what the Matrix is all about, here is a brief Wikipedia entry about the film: "The Matrix depicts a dystopian future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality called "the Matrix", created by sentient machines to subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source." The Internet of today seems like a nascent version of the Matrix. We humans constantly look for validation and information online. We not only consume but also generate all of the data online via social networks and other means which are powered by corporations that now wield immense power over our lives – think Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc. The Apple Watch seems like the next big logical s...

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway While I punch the keys on my laptop to write about the Telugu film Manam, my feelings are similar - instead of blood, I have tears in my eyes. Tears that refuse to stop long after the show got over. Tears that seem to emanate from a complex set of emotions triggered by nostalgia, sadness and joy - all at the same time. It is as if the movie has done some kind of black magic on me. The only way for me to make sense of all those tears is to write this blog post. Who knows, you might be feeling the same way too after watching the film. One basic assumption before watching Manam is that this is a film about glorifying the decades old ANR legacy which starts with Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the 1940s to his son Nagarjuna starting in the 80s and then onto his grandson Naga Chaitanya starting in the new millennium – all of whom star in this film. It is an easy temptation fo...

It will be a big mistake to underestimate Arvind Kejriwal's impact on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections! Ever since he started his political campaign,  Arvind Kejriwal has been two steps ahead of his competition.  Be it his innovative use of social media to reach young voters, banners on autos across Delhi city or the incessant radio campaign amongst other things - his political rivals were always playing catch-up and it showed in the results of the Delhi elections. Forty nine days after assuming power as the Chief Minister of Delhi, after creating one ruckus after the other, being labeled as an anarchist where everyday governance turned into a prime time reality show, Arvind Kejriwal finally resigned from his post. Fallout of this:  A major part of Arvind Kejriwal's educated fan base has deserted him but he still magically manages to find new admirers and fanatic followers. Free from the burden of the CM's chair, Arvind Kejriwal now seems to be in a h...

AAP and APP - One is a political party, the other a term used for mobile/internet applications. One might think the only connection between AAP and APP are their similar sounding names. The Aam Aadmi Party's name AAP is often spelled as APP by mistake. But the truth is - they have more things in common than one can ever imagine. For starters, both are new, disruptive in nature, upsetting the way things are run conventionally. I am going to list out in this blog post many more points that are eerily common to both. Here they go...

Ever since Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from international cricket, thousands of articles have been written about him, adding to the millions that are already in existence. I tried to read most of the pertinent ones but somehow I never found a convincing answer to the one question that always haunted me... Why is Sachin Tendulkar called God? I also asked my friends on Twitter ; they came up with some interesting observations, but the complete answer eluded me. I then saw Sachin Tendulkar's farewell speech at the Wankhede. That speech brought tears to my eyes for reasons that seemed to defy logic. Based on what he spoke, I wondered further...  What if the question changed from...why is Sachin Tendulkar called God?   to... what if there is a Sachin Tendulkar inside God? A bizarre thought, but the answers that came up really baffled my mind. Here is what I figured out, summarized in ten points.

People laughed when I said I loved Krrish 3. They laughed even harder when I said Krrish 3 should break all box office records. But they laughed the loudest when I said Krrish 3’s success is as important to us as the success of Mangalyaan, India’s Mars Mission. Everyone thought I was joking. They still think so. Now that I am writing this blog post, I hope all doubts will be laid to rest. I will start by first speaking about the movie and then go on to Mangalyaan. Krrish 3 To be honest, I wasn't too enthusiastic to watch Krrish 3 despite all the pre release hype about the VFX and other stuff. Dhoom 3 which is to release in December seemed far more exciting. In 2006, Dhoom 2 overshadowed the hysteria around Krrish, and it seemed like a case of advanced deja vu already. However I was really curious to see how Rakesh Roshan strung the movie together. I think he has a terrific sense of screenplay and there is a certain rhythm and mathematical precession in the way...

Life in space is impossible! The movie ’Gravity’ begins with this ominous line, and for the next 100 odd minutes  it is an immersive roller-coaster ride following astronauts marooned in space. As the tag line of the movie  ‘Don't let go’  suggests, survival of the characters in the film depends on - holding on to things, letting go off things and reaching out for the right things at the right time. This in essence is the simple storyline of the film. The above scenario reminded me of how similar life on earth is to the one the movie showed us. For survival, we all do the same three things - hold on, let go and reach out; though not literally like in space but in a very metaphorical and invisible way. This is the secret sauce that I am going to speak about in this post.  If you were expecting a review of the movie Gravity, I am sorry to disappoint you. So here it goes...

If you know the language or follow Telugu films, you obviously know the inspiration behind the title of this post. For those who wonder what it means...this title is based on the recent blockbuster Telugu film Attarintiki Daaredi (which way to my in law’s house?) starring Pawan Kalyan. I have used the same format, replacing the word ’Attarintiki’ (in law’s house) with ’Telangana’ - the new state proposed to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh (AP). But Telugu is a tricky language, the word Daaredi in the context of my blog could give the title two different meanings... Which way to Telangana? Or Is there a way out for Telangana? Similarly, the questions surrounding and supporting the creation of Telangana are quite tricky. They sound logical when viewed from one side and extremely illogical from another angle. Most people I know are oscillating between both the angles or are plainly indifferent. To be honest, I was indifferent too, but the more I think about the reaso...

 “I am normal, naam toh suna hi hoga” In one of the many goofy scenes from Chennai Express, Shahrukh Khan (SRK) rattles his trademark dialogue but mistakenly uses the word ‘Normal’ in place of ‘Rahul’. It was intended to be a pun but it aptly sums up the box office phenomenon of Chennai Express and how Shahrukh Khan finally after a long hiatus gets back to being normal - which is - being the king of the box office. His last normal movie was Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi way back in 2008. A lot has happened since then and Chennai Express arrives like all Indian trains, late by at least 4 odd years but is a wait well worth it for die hard SRK fans. What happened inbetween both these movies is what forms the bulk of this post and then I will go on to speak a little more about Chennai Express and a little more about SRK. If you are not a Shahrukh Khan fan, than this post is probably not for you, don't say I didn't warn you! Ok, I am kidding, I want you to read it too. Let’s no...

It is a little over a week since Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's ’Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ released to packed houses everywhere. Volumes have been written about the film already. Lots of people have called it an inspiring movie about the life of Milkha Singh while some have complained about the length, while everyone unanimously hails the performance of Farhan Akhtar as Milkha. Now that we are almost done with talking about the movie, let me tell you a secret... Bhaag Milkha Bhaag isn't a movie about Milkha Singh!   It is a movie about Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Farhan Akhtar having sex with each other! No, I am not trying to grab your attention by making bizarre statements. I have good reason to say that and here is why...

Face'booth’ Capturing - I came across this term for the first time on a TV news debate earlier today evening. A term inspired by the concept of booth capturing - a process by which fake votes are posted and elections are won based on those inflated numbers.  Something similar is happening on Social Media; politicians it seems are buying fake followers on Twitter and Facebook to show how powerful and influential they are. Latest example being that of the CM of Rajasthan - Ashok Gehlot seeing a sudden rise in the number of Likes on his Facebook page, and funnily the majority of those Likes coming from Istanbul out of all the places. Similar accusations are placed on other politicians too, notable among them being Narendra Modi who recently overtook Shashi Tharoor as the most followed Indian Politician on Twitter, aided by a lot of egg heads as seen by the opposite camp (If you are on Twitter you would know what those eggs mean). I don’t blame these politicians. They a...