Mile Sur Mera Tumhara..

26th January, just another holiday right. Well, I woke up thinking that because the fact is even if you ask yourself right now what exactly happened on 26th January 1950 many will be clueless.

So we are celebrating our 60th day of being a republic nation when we decided that the public matter and not just a few handfuls and we finally announced that India is "to the people for the people and by the people".

SO i switched on our good old doordarshan channel to see some r-day parade just to find out that there is no visibility and the entire ground is full of sudden fog cloud cover. So to pass time they showed this 22 year old song "Mile sur mera tumhara toh sur bane humaara."

And it felt so nostalgic because there were times some 5-10 years ago when I used to wait for "mowgli" to start on doordarshan and always these songs used to come up.

the song THEN shot in 1988

That time I used to get irritated because i had to wait 5 mins more for my cartoon to start.

When i heard it today it felt awesome. After listening to the doordarshan i channel surfed and landed myself on ZOOM where it was playing the ZOOM version called "Phir mile sur"

Part 1 of today's version

Part 2 of 2010 "Phir mile Sur"

Oh the 5 minute doordarshan version is now a 18 minute ZOOM version and its bigger than ever.I absolutely loved the positive energy in the video.It is so well made with so many national icons coming together in one video which shows India's unity in diversity with so many dance and music forms and 28 states and even more number of languages singing in one tune and one line and yet everytime it sounds so different.

" Mile Sur mera tumhara toh sur bane humaara" my english translation would be..

" You Sing, I sing and we both have a SONG".. lol...

The best part of the video which got me goose bumps was when Salman Khan is there with a group of children with speaking and hearing disability where they convey the message of the song with sign language. Beautiful.

The song is peaceful and makes you feel so good and i bet once you listen to it.. you cant stop humming the tune all day.

Cheers to Tonight's Entertainment

Well, it’s been one year since I started blogging and it has been a wonderful experience. The very reason I started blogging was that when I look back at the things I’ve written 10 years down the line I feel good about it. It’s like a personal log on public domain. I liked the idea of blogging because I just couldn’t maintain a personal diary and blog was the thing for me which will keep me computer hooked and at the same time do something productive rather than updating statuses of facebook.

The inspiration came from some of my friends who used to maintain a blog and I really liked the idea behind it. You get motivated to rant even more when you get comments and people appreciate your writing.

My favorite area of writing was undoubtedly hindi movie reviews. I always wanted to write about movies and give them stars and my criticism like the newspapers.

So one year gone and 39 posts in 2009 some of them really silly some immature some debatable and some nice.

I had great pleasure in writing every single post and looking forward to people commenting on it , tracking how many people visit my blog every day gives me a new high but when I see my fellow bloggers they write actual quality matter.

So I still have a long way to go and lot to learn.Thank you for reading and keeping me motivated.

Some of my best picks of 2009 would be..

1.There is a sense of pleasure in mediocrity?
2.Ethical Rap
3.Zoadies!!
4.Freedom to me!!
5.3 Idiots
6.Pursuit of Happyness
7.Gibberish
8.Sea Link
9.I am 21 years old
10.Have you ever cross dressed?
11.Zoadies,Roadies.. same difference

Guilty as Charged.

THE SECRET says that you can categorize your feelings into two: Good and Bad.

Good feelings consist of happiness, excitement, love, forgiveness, passion, sympathy.

Bad feelings consist of fear, envy, frustration, anger, jealousy, irritation and so on.

Amidst all these emotions we always forget one very important aspect of our emotional build up that is GUILT. Probably because you don’t know what it makes you feel.

It makes you feel good when you get rid of it and makes you feel bad when you can get rid off your guilt.

This G – factor is directly related to your conscience I guess that is how the term guilty conscience or guilty conscious was coined.

Why is guilt that important an emotion or feeling to discuss?

Because when it comes to guilt everything else fails..

Guilt pierces your heart and pricks your conscience.

Guilt tests your confidence if you can come with the truth.

It shows how big a coward you are to hide the truth.

Guilt questions your self-respect.

Guilt defines your character.

Guilt gives you the strength to face the reality.

At the same time it breaks you completely when the reality is too harsh to be faced.

Guilt makes you think and rethink and forces you to forget whatever that is you are thinking.

It forces you to look into the mirror and see more than just the 3 dimensional appearance.

You know it is guilt when you can lie easily to others but fail to lie to yourself.

Guilt hurts your ego as it makes you realize that you are WRONG.

It also gives you sleepless nights.

Guilt changes you as a person as Akshay says “ It is when you fake a smile but its only you who knows what lies beneath that ***kin smile”

Guilt is when you have convinced others but didn’t convince yourself.Guilt arrives when you know that you want to say "yes" to something and you end up saying no and vice versa.

And there is a thin line between guilt and regret . One begets the other.

It hurts the most when its because you’ve betrayed your best friend or when you’ve ditched your partner or when you have lied to your parents.

Keeping everything aside all this can be overcome by just three magical words which may sound repetitive or fake but works wonder when you say it straight from the heart.

They are “I am sorry”.

I am sorry doesn't mean that you are wrong and the other person is write it means that you just value the relationship more than each other’s ego .

My parents used to tell me “Nobody becomes smaller by saying sorry but by not saying it you do give a boost to your ego to become bigger and bigger”.

So next time to release the burden of guilt of your shoulders never think twice before saying the three magical words “I am sorry”.

Forgive and Forget should be the way to live.

Tell Me Something About Yourself !

Throughout the 4 years of my engineering I've been waiting for this day.

When i'll be sitting all dressed in formals, hair neatly combed, going through my resume and waiting for my turn when someone will call ”Prateek Malpani you are next."

That day finally arrived. I entered with a confident smile hiding my nervousness. Half my nervousness and anxiety disappeared when the interviewer at least 4 decades older than me stood up from his seat and greeted me. He looked excited for the 15 minute talk that was going to happen between us. The look on his face was calm and peaceful. After scanning my RESUME for few minutes finally the most awaited question arrived...

"Hmm ok, so tell me something about yourself?" I have been asked this question a decent number of times before but every time there was someone cute sitting opposite me asking this question.

Although I was expecting this question I was still was feeling at a loss of words when it was finally asked. Give it a thought, you can speak volumes on your friends, your crush, and your family but when it comes to telling something about yourself you become tongue-tied.

This question followed a horde of other questions.

“What are your future plans?”

“What are your interests?”

“Why this and Why not that?”

And on…

I read somewhere that always look into the eye of the interviewer and answer the question, it shows confidence but I was doing it with so much commitment that I thought I might scare him.

Finally he gave me an opportunity to ask something if I wanted to and I came up with

“Thank You Sir.”

The first ever interview of my life was smooth sailing and I can say a cake walk.

Many more to come I guess so I better figure out something to say about MYSELF.

3 I.D.I.O.T.S - Much Needed Sunshine..

Hey, I am back and to do what i do best write about movies. I am not going to crib and whine about why i was out of blogosphere for so long because i learnt how to put my hand on my heart and say "Aaall izz Well" in the toughest of the situation.

I've always seen movies with an intent to learn something from it. To relate myself and try and fit in myself in the scenes of movie.

3 I.D.I.O.T.S is one movie in which i could put myself from the very second it started.

The movie is mind blowing that writing a review will be insulting it.It is always said that a bestseller book or for that matter any book when made into a movie will never do justice to it. But 3 I.D.I.O.T.S does more than just justice.

I wont be surprised if people would want to run to the book stores and buy the original masterpiece FIVE POINT SOMEONE itself. In fact i would be more surprised to know about people who havent already read the book.3 I.D.I.O.T.S is not actually a page by page adaption of 5 point someone. The body is different but the soul is the same.

It captures the moments that come in engineering life which will make engineers weep like a baby just how I was (no matter how tough a guy you are its very difficult to control that drop of tear when you see your life on big screen).I would plead AAMIR KHAN to hold a special screening of this movie to MUMBAI UNIVERSITY they desperately need to watch it or at least my college professors.

This movie is not a "laugh your ass out" movie.. nor it is a "cry your heart out" movie.. but it is what you call a more cliched term used more often called as "feel good wholesome entertainer".For some 170 odd minutes you just sit back, relax and enjoy the rollercoaster ride.I call it a roller coaster because there is not one fraction of a second in the movie where you feel its getting monotonous and neither is there a single frame where you feel that its not required in the movie.

You rope in the father of feel good cinema Raju Hirani and then get yourself 3 class actors, adapt an outstanding and popular book you have hit the bull's eye.

Aamir Khan , just when i thought Lagaan is his best work, he came up with Rang De Basanti and when i thought RDB was the best bollywood movie ever made he comes up with TAARE ZAMEEN PAR.. and when i though TZP is the movie that has touched my heart the most he comes up with 3 I.D.I.O.T.S. Hats off man!.. kudos!..

Sharman Joshi matches up and has proved himself time and again that he is also a big fish in Bollywood.

Madhavan and Boman Irani play their parts flawlessly. Even though the innumerable times that Boman Irani has played a control freak insane professor each time it fresh and different.

Kareena Kapoor is beautiful and gets noticed

in the movie dominated by 3 I.D.I.O.T.S

Let me give a special mention to the music director and lyricist. Shantanu Moitra's music is soothing and songs go with the flow of the movie in fact they help taking the movie forward.

Give a good nice ear to "Give Me Some Sunshine" beautiful, beautiful song.

All in All.. All izz Well .. i would say.. and leave you with the only one line in my head..

"Give me Some Sunshine,

Give me some Rain..

Give me another chance..

I wanna grow up once Again"

RATINGS : 6/5 (yes 6 on 5 :p )

2 States - The Story Of My Marriage

Disclaimer : This is not a book review

Let me start by saying that Chetan Bhagat is the person behind me reading books in the first place. If it wasnt for his books i would have remained a non-reader all my life.

Chetan Bhagat the youth writer image that he has got has tried something different yet so similar this time. He decided to go one notch ahead and write a book on one of the most important and after reading the book adventurous event of his life.

I dont know the degree of adventure in the actual sense because he's mentioned to consider this book as a part of fiction.

The book that I am talking about is 2- States.

Its a book on love cum "please arrange" marriage in general in India , how it was a decade ago. Things have changed now obviously. Most importantly it has 2 states playing a very important part in the book,

Tamil Nadu and Punjab. Different like chalk and cheese isnt it?

If i tell you what the book is about it will sound very cliched but i wont be surprised if some tom dick or harry would want to make a movie on this book too cos it is surely entertaining.

Now the problematic part with Chetan Bhagat is that he raised his standards so high with the classic FIVE POINT SOMEONE that everyone expects him to churn out something like that everytime he pens down.

'5 point someone' was rocking cant put down till i finish type book.

'1 night at the call center' was okayish ( mixed response but personally I loved the book)

'3 mistakes of my life' was a disaster ( personally i hated it too)

after 3 mistakes of my life everyone started terming him as a one book wonder. Immature writer.

I always felt that he is an amazing story teller with a great humour element but not that great a writer that is why all his books are made into movies.

But again because he became so famous after his first two books which targetted the youth of india it became like a reflex action to read chetan bhagat if its a new book on the stands.

Just like people have to go and watch a Shahrukh Khan movie no matter how bad it is.. or how bad the reviews are.

But with 2- States Chetan Bhagat will manage to win the confidence of old readers and get some new ones.

The ones who are not okay with colloquial style of writing will still keep on disliking him probably because they are too sophisticated for his books or they have too much of Jeffrey Archer or John Grisham in their minds.

Although the typical Chetan Bhagat elements are there in the book like the over use of the sentence " and we made love" and overuse of sarcasm but that somehow keeps the grip and keeps you smiling.

Do not be too judgemental and read it with an open mind only then you will not find the writing too monotonous and relate to the character and eventually end up enjoying the book.

Mission Impossible

No, I am not talking about the hit tom cruise movie that came a decade ago.

Mission Impossible is the name of a dessert in the suburban chinese restaurant FIVE SPICE.

I heard about this dessert from a lot of people but never tried it.

People told me that the dish is like too heavy and its almost impossible to finish hence the name MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.

So, me being with my colony friends took this as a challenge cos all of us here believe that we are such a superlative form hoggers that we take the art of hogging to a whole new different level.

We are gluttonous when it comes to FOOD and we are not ashamed of it. Its a matter of pride.

So we all decided to go stuff our selves with some THAI FRIED RICE and MONGOLIAN PANEER GRAVY and then ordered for MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.

Before this also there have been lot of times that we just dropped in FIVE SPICE just to have the dessert but it wasnt available anytime as if the dessert itself doesnt want to get eaten by us and contradict its name.

The dessert looked huge true to its name. But then we got ready.. cleared the table with all the mess had a good nice look at the dish, looked at each other and a determined nod to each other which said

"we can do it".

Its a triangular pyramid of chocolate mousse , brownie and 2 scoops of ice cream.

But once we started it was quite literlly a cake walk.

We had some pity on the fellow restauranters and had the dessert with the spoon or trust me we dont even need it when it comes to cakes and pastries.

We even landed up in a small spoon fight but the dish vanished in like 1 minute 30 seconds to be precise.

When we again looked at each other and my friends were like " you think we can have one more"

" I was like I can have 2 MORE if you are paying for it"

So we decided against it.

The MISSION was made POSSIBLE. The dessert was no doubt lip-smacking and we were 4 people but i bet even if we would have been any 2 of us the result would have been the same.

Its in our veins.

HOGGING PERSONIFIED.

lol.. on a serious note, go and try the dessert its awesome and worth every penny and every single CALORIE.

Wake Up Who?

Talk about having a writer's block. Actually calling myself a writer will be demeaning the actual professional meaning of the word but still. Non-happening life so not happening blog.

Finally after Kaminey I saw Wake Up Sid.

I've been hearing everything about it. Had to be, a Karan Johar movie and its not talked about cant happen.

I heard Wake up Sid is overhyped , its a mixture of Taare Zameen Par , Lakshya and Waqt.

The much hum-drum about Mumbai , Bombay , Bambai.

Big deal yaa!! It earned Mr. T some attention and Karan Johar some free publicity. As they say good or bad it works either way.

Anyway about the movie, its good. I liked it. May be because of my liking towards feel good low stress movies where you simply go get entertained and return with your Vodafone Tuesday wisely used and a smile on your face.

The story is wafer thin. Final Yr student , loves to spend pappa's money , failed in exam , doesnt want to do pappa's multi million business , leaves home after a showdown with parents , lives with a new girl he just met , finds direction to his life , falls in love, the end.

Ranbir Kapoor plays a lazy , spoilt , care-free , indifferent son, immature and a child at heart. He wears the "I dont give a F" attitude ( about life, family,career).

He's happy with his social life and enjoys waking up late , late night parties , video games , music photography and his "me" time.

Yea strikes a chord with you doesnt it. Definitely he plays your next door average mumbai guy , yea but filthy rich.

This is exactly where the film scores. We can relate to the movie big time.You know, you always feel where you are heading in your life. Is this really what you want to do and what you are meant to be. We always opt for the tried and tested part and never explore whats there inside where our heart n soul lies. I guess there is room for that only in bollywood movies.The best will be watching this movie with your parents.

I liked the movie , probably because It was a long time that I'd seen a movie or because of the gujarati chick who couldnt control on her yapping and we had a nice time shooshing her every second or probably because my friend was trying too hard to control his motions and kept on asking..

" malpani kitna time baaki hai bolna"

Climax was a typical Karan Johar ending.

Ranbir Kapoor fits the role to the" T" because of his droopy eyes the lazy worn out look is bult in feature. He acted well too showing the right emotions at right places and more importantly not overdoing or overacting such a simple easy-to play character. Although his dialogue delivery is identical to Hrithik Roshan. Looks like even he wants to compete with Her-man Baweja in "Mai Hrithik Roshan Banna Chahta hoo".

Konkana Sen Sharma is lovable. No doubt about her acting skills. Her eyes are pretty. Although you dont expect her to be a glam quotient in any movie. But she plays the part well.

Anupam Kher as the disappointed dad is first rate. Specially the scene where he and ranbir kapoor have a fight is to watch out for. A perfect dad-son argument how its meant to be.

Shankar Ehsan Loy could've done better with the music.

Wake up Sid - Music video remix

Kya Karoo and Iktara.. are the songs to give an ear to.

Iktara is less publicised but an amazing song.

All in all , Go for it.. thumbs up!..and do take your parents along with you. If you can!

RATINGS: 3.5/5

Shhh... I am NOT Sleeping..

Sleep is one thing that i am having a lot of trouble with off lately.

I never get good sleep.

I go green with envy when my friends say that they slept for this many hours and I always wonder how do you guys manage.

I can never say proudly that i get deep sleep.

Actually I got this from my mom cos even she has a lot of trouble sleeping.

Going back a few years from now I used to hate sleeping in my school days.

I always used to feel what if our body wasnt meant to sleep we would have saved so many hours that we waste just lying like a dead body.

I secretly used to wish that i suffer from insomnia so that i get extra time to study in the night. I was a geek then.

Back then i dint know the consequences of becoming an insomniac.

And guess what GOD is actually giving me what i wished for in my schooling days now in my engineering years when i desperately need some good deep sleep.

I dont remember the last time I slept like a baby.

Even the slightest noise wakes me up.

No matter how exhausted I am with the entire day's running and my exciting lectures I still cant sleep instantly.

The Chinese Proverb actually holds true " only when one cannot sleep does one know how loooong the night is."

Its frustrating tossing and turning and changing sides and pillows , switchin the AC on and off.

And I am not in love. lol..

It atleast takes me half n hour to get sleep after i lie down.

I'll read some , then i listen to some music, drink water, take a leak that many times..and finally I get sleep and just when I am fast asleep its my alarm going beep and its already 7?

And I am like wtf i slept like half n hour ago.

Morning is the time i get the most amazing sleep and I just dun wana get up but college.

I know this isnt insomnia I guess I am just turning into a nocturnal animal but still I am missing my dreams that I get when I am fast asleep. :p

I hope it comes back to me again.

Sleep is the best thing God ever made.

Good Night..!!