I'm back.
Yes , I have said this many times before.
But , hey the most important thing is that I'm back.
It's been a long time , hasn't it?
So long , that I actually have to type my blog address to get to my blog and not simply scroll down the list of recently visited blogs.
Well , I don't know about you...but...
Since I'm back , what do I blog about?
Ok , I read Harry Potter. So? Everyone reads Harry Potter once in a while.
Some even like to bash it and some like to praise it.
No , I'm not giving out any links. I trust you can search it out yourself.
Talking of search , wikipedia is better than google.
Google gives out more info , but wiki is fun.
Back to HP , it was good.
Like most , no , all HP books , it was fun while reading it.
But twenty days later , you hardly remember anything enjoyable in it
Oh , disagree with me all you like :o)
But , what is this post all about?

PS - thanks, ragamalika :)

After a long time

This blog has a new post.
And i love Vikram Seth.

The Blog isn't Dead Yet

Oh yes , I do have a blog. This url is not yet dead...
And happy married life , Mr.Rai! ;)

English movies and their copies

My mother and I were watching Collateral on HBO/Star Movies yesterday. And as usual , she was the all- enthusiastic one , while me , fixing my eyes on the T.V wandered about here and there , and came back to the point - which part of the story are we in?
The lack of interest , you can call that.
Anyway , my opinion - Collateral is a boring movie starring an old Tom Cruise and some one else as a taxi driver , i dont know whom...
And half an hour into the movie , my mother suddenly turned to me and asked - "Wasn't there a Hindi movie with the same story?"
Yes , there was. A flop movie called Killer (starring Emraan Hashmi (ugh!) and....yeah Nisha Kothari) was made , on the same plot , one year after the original was released.
No jaw-dropping realisation , that. About 90% of the movies Bollywood (how i hate that name!) churns out are inspired/plagiarised/copied (what's the difference?) , from English/Japanese/Korean , any foriegn movie for that matter.
To name a few -> Krrish - Paycheck , Rang De Basanti - All my Sons , Zinda - Old Boy and the same director's some other movie was inspired by Reservoir Dogs , another Korean movie , Salaam Namaste - Nine Months , Murder - Unfaithful , Dhoom - Ocean's Eleven (see , i did some research ,after all!) and why , even Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu is reported to have been plagiarised from some where else.
And so on.
Then came the question - Why do Hindi movies need to be copied from English movies? Why can't we produce some original movies?
The reason is simple enough - most of the copied movies have exotic locales , awesome star-casts , rocking songs and enough masala to satisfy the multiplex audiences. Atleast most. And the producers , laugh their way to the bank.
It is true that the Hindi movie Industry does steal foreign plots. But it is not true that it does not produce original talents .
For example , Black Friday is releasing this week , and Parzania , the last. How many people would see the movie in the theater , which does not have songs in Switzerland or a special appearance by Shah Rukh Khan? Which has practically non-existent music and starcast , not much to boast of? And true , though Rajeev Masand and Raja Sen may sing praises about them , in reality, very few would really want to spend 120 bucks on a gritty , no-nonsense movie.


And ofcourse , there is always Salaam-e-ishq...

...

I really dont know what to write , but since i have opened the 'New Post' icon and i am posting after a long long time(My last post was on November 7) , I have to write something now. And yes, for the record , I watched Dhoom 2 and had an amazing time! Abhishek was splendid , Hrithik was ahem , good too (actually...a little better than Abhishek) , and I hate Aishwarya Rai! I hate all those astrologers who predict a marriage for Abhishek and Aishwarya in 2007!(Link1).

And here's the Guru!

And a Happy New Year!

'Hem. Long time.
Was busy , now having got nothing better to do , i am writing this post.
Currently embarked upon George Eliot's Silas Marner. Started reading only today , somewhere in the third chapter in the first part , i think.
Watched this 'theatrical trailer' of Guru in the Guru website. Saw this Rediff Slideshow on the Guru music launch which wasn't a music launch or whatever. Hm. Abhishek looked good enough , but he should neither have shaved nor have worn a 'head band' which the pesky BT happened to spot and report. Anyway , he looks as cute as ever , though he has put on weight!
Saw the website of Dhoom 2 and its trailer too. Aishwarya honestly looks ugly , Bipasha , sidelined , Uday Chopra (who?) boring , Hrithik Roshan , even more boring and Abhishek , kewl. His stubble looks dyed with Godrej Hair Dye though , he looked better in KANK , but then , one can't have the best of everything!
Did not see Umrao Jaan. Learnt that Abhishek was assigned only a 45 minute role in the movie , and i can't waste the remaining two hours and 15 minutes in watching an overly made up Aishwarya Rai weep , weep and weep , an ugly Suniel Shetty ham and things like that. So decided in the negative and saw all the stills and songs which had Abhishek in it though...
Spent the rest of my time Orkutting and vetti blog searching. And over - Uncyclopedia , a spoof of Wikipedia...! ;)

-
vaishali jvpoirot

An Equal Music - Vikram Seth

When something is difficult or impossible , it is always better to try out something else which has something in common with the first difficult something. Like if watching Abhishek's 'Om Jai Jagdish' is an unearthly (unheavenly too , if you are doubtful) task , then it is better to watch 'Bluffmaster' - afterall , both have Abhishek , but the second was obviously much better :D . But let me cut this self-made philosophical crap and come directly to the point. I dumped Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy after the 900th page , which made an unsuitable read anyway and picked up An Equal Music which is like only 400 pages long. And i am glad i did , it made a better read than the first.

Talking about An Equal Music , i do not understand why people prefer A Suitable Boy to this , which is close to a classic. If it is because it being the longest novel in the world , to hell with Seth! Now after have read AEM , I can safely declare that ASB is not even a patch on the former , yes , yes AEM is much much better!

Now I do not think that Seth is made of Nobel Prize-worthy stuff (No ladies and gentlemen , that is NOT my suggestion (that he has the potential to be a Nobel Laureate) incase you feel like hitting me with an iron rod for suggesting disastrous situations , but of The Illustrated Weekly Of India's ;)) , but An Equal Music does make a good read. It is not one of those books which leave a 'lasting impression' after you read it , but it does , yes it does , entertain you and keep you engaged throughout.

And so , all you out there , who have shelled out a 500 bucks for A Suitable Boy , my humble suggestion would be either to get a refund or otherwise , sell it to the raddiwala and get a copy of An Equal Music instead. No , if you do want to read ASB , do go ahead , but i am not responsible for any brain damages or anything of that sort...











And read this interview for some starters :)










PS - If you think that this post is cranky , then think again. If you still think so , then i have only one thing to say - i fully agree with you :)