Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Family Confessions

There are certain aspects of a person's life ,which forever remain buried under the veneer of daily chores. I have never expressed a lot of my emotions in public as it gets tedious on the listener, who might himself feel embarrassed by the display.

Last year was the hardest year of my life so far. The reason for it being tough were manifold , if a person really believes that bad luck can be a consistent phenomenon than it really wrenched its maximum out of me in 2006. I lost my father in December 06 , that in itself was grief that I have not fully reconciled to even now.

What hurt me most was that a proper healthy man got suddenly paralysed with an unexplainable illness , he had to immediately be shifted to Delhi for Medical treatment. The treatment in itself took a toll on his body and perhaps weakened by it he passed away in December last year. It is not perhaps a one in a million case but what about the apathy that the fellow blood relatives can show on an emotional and sensitive man ?

I would not like to go into details but some of my fathers closest kith and kin showed 'exemplary arrogance' when all he required was their emotional support.People forgot how my father risked his own health so that one of his nephews could be married off in great style when his father was languishing in a hospital ICU. I only expect people who are intellectually and emotionally bankrupt to indulge in this kind of apathy when their own Kin lies on his deathbed.

A few exceptions notwithstanding ---and they being very few indeed, both my parents faced this calamity on their own. My brother and I had to go through intense emotional distress seeing our father in physical and mental pain. Why did this happen to a selfless man who cared much for his relatives and even for people who looked up to him as an elder guide ?

The answer is not shrouded in some metaphysical explanation , it is brutually and obscenely obvious to the casual observer. 'Convenience' , yes! that most benign of all words is behind this emotional bankruptcy. Most of our relatives were firmly ensconed in their convenient lifestyles and would always want to stay away from the cauldron of trouble that was brewing in our home. Nobody has the time to be the soothing balm on my family's tormented heart. I do not grudge these people , they do not want to get themselves embroiled in such 'Mundane' matters. They are people for whom an honest day's work is an anomaly. They are people who begrudge anybody's growth . So the point emerges, run away in distress but be present in joy.

I on my part have become immune to the sorrows of certain people today. I can't be an emotionless mannequin for I have my father's noble blood in my veins. However I also know that hatred and vengeance are a human trait and much as I can't go into the medieval times and obliterate my foes. I can still show cold blooded indifference to the plight of some of my relatives.

I ask myself a pertinent question, has something in me died with my father? Yes! for I am no longer the same carefree youth. I now belive in fighting for one's rights and fight I will with anybody who gets in my family's rights. I will not tolerate any nonsensical interference in my family matters and would happily go into a war for my parents rights.

This post is not a guide in revenge and hatred. It is a guide to the putrescent--decadent mask that our relationships have come up to.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Star Kids and Nepotism

If one brouses through film channels , all you get to see are the promos of new 'big releases like Saawariya and Om Shanti Om showing . Even channels like NDTV are not immune to this malaise by showing an increasingly emaciated SRK and an obnoxious Farah Khan extolling the virtues of their Magnum Opus. I do not have a problem with movies and national news existing side by side but there has to be a line drawn somewhere.

One aspect which shouts glaringly is,why we in India are subject to intense media hype about the next big film debut. Are we as a country and society so decrepit,so devoid of talent that we have to face the ignominy of one 'Great ' star kid launch or the other. When you listen to the interviews of one Mr. Bhansali about his great desire to work with newcomers , why are the newcomers----offsprings of filmstars?

I have nothing against children of filmstars trying to become stars , however this meansthat the 'Acting Gene' is automatically passed on by the parents to their kids.
It means that rest of the people struggling in the industry belong to a lesser God !
It means that Indians should not really crib about 'nepotism' for it exists in its most sycophantic and decadent way in its greatest entertainment medium.

Who am I to crib about this?when our 'great' filmmakers know what they are doing . Why should I crib when the great Mr. Bhansali knows what is right for the classes and the masses.Well! you can't expect more from a man who makes a 'Farcical Melodrama ' like Black and gets labelled as the next 'David Lean ' of Indian Cinema.

A Man who made a caricature of Amitabh and made him act over dramatically. Anyway I don't think that Mr. Bhansali is a bad filmmaker but he is certainly a melodramatic and overrated one.Coming back to Star Kids , I have not seen sons or daughters of great actors in the west becoming sensations overnight. A Michael Douglas or a Nicholas cage are exceptions but nobody would doubt their credentials as actors of merit.

Now whom do we have in India , I would not like to take names but most of the breed is mediocre while some are downright appalling.An Abhishek Bacchan is lionised for his performance in 'Guru' while a KK menon or Pankaj Kapur just get a passing mention.(In Black Friday and Dharm respectively).Why so these rich kids have to make a foray into films to prove their worth, I believe the answer itself lies in riches,these people are used to a certain standard of living and after 'Dad' retires or reaches the twilight of his career , this "precociusly" talented breed knows that they must find a similarly high paying job to maintain themselves.

Is this breed really as talented as their illustrious parents? if you look at our film industry than it means any actor's child is a born genius in the league of his own. If this adage is true than take its parrallel in this country's other opium 'Cricket'. 'Sunny Gavaskar's ' son should have been as talented as his father, this also means that Sachin's son would also be a great batsman simply due to his fathers genes.

'Sadly' in life such an occurence is rare and rather fanciful.I have no grudge against people earning money due to their lineage but life is cruel and the spirit of competition should be encouraged and fostered. Our public is as much to blame for making mediocrity shine in India , for the masses encumbered and crushed by life's hardships find solace in three hours of banality propagated by somebody born with a proverbial silver spoon. Clearly irony can't have a more sordid face.

I as a middle class Indian have no rights to speak against banality , however surely something in our collective conscience should point out towards reality and not myth.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Poetic confessions

Was thinking about this post for some time now, wanted to post some of the poems I have composed over a period of time. The range shifts from the Banal to the thoughtful , I have not been able to arrange the stanzas and paragraphs in this blog. To check all my poems you can access the website www.poemhunter.com.


Lore of Sufism

The almighty that sprinkles the earth with a thousand flowers benignMay the calm of a thousand mountains don the visage of your restless soul? The beauty of a river singing and meandering in search of that peaceWhich follows when the arms of the ocean engulf it, exemplifying existence The Ocean roars and says all permanence too has an ending.These chants of ages gone, this lore which brings a joyful melancholy.Instill nostalgia for this era passed long byWho were these seers, were they crusaders of the divinity in manThey for sure were romantics for romantics nurture belief like no otherThe tradition of worship found a new beliefIt was not heresy but the faith of a few TitansFighting the time, fighting tyrants, fighting savageryRealm saw a new dawn on a politic stained by crimsonMan became God, God became Man.Yes! The Mystic sang all this the song of love, of devotionOf a beloved waiting, of an anguish in the hearts of mortalsThe flowing sensuality of the praises of the almighty Matched the longing of a forlorn lover.The yearning for salvation was but what salvation itselfThe mystique of the mystic is a legend less understood, for Less understood are the voices of the chosen few yet Love is surely divine and divinity equals love Nature is the form of God and the love for nature is ElysianThis was an era when Humanity reveled, sanity was revered and solitude elevatedThis is what the Sufi sang for this is what the lore says.


A Smile Unknown

I saw that smile glowing under the rays of a nascent sun.As I saw a veil of darkness engulf the shadows of duskI stand on the perch of my house seeing the window afarThe dark eyes with shining brightness light the gloomy interiors of my heartThe lady looks at me with a curious expression, I furtively hide behind the window watching still. She flashes her dark tresses in a caress befitting the glowing radiance of the pallid sun.I see life through this woman of my dreams. She flirts with sanity, evokes a desire unknown. Yet she is life, she is joy, the heart glows in the flowing timbre of her laughter.Is She a dream? Yes! She is for my heart yearns for love yet it is elusive a dream.


A Marauder Came

A Marauder came, crumbling the temples of belief, plundering the souls of a few people.He came and he conquered the peaceful folk of a primeval land.He called them Pagans, Barbarians, miserable folk believers in an obscure religion.He called his faith a glorious revolution set upon this land to cure its miseries.He plundered, he looted, he swindled the wealth, the dignity of the land.He Imposed taxes on non believers believing in his God’s benevolence.Who was this plunderer from the sands proclaiming himself as the savior of mankind.What was mankind according to him. What was faith according to him. How did he perceive the vagaries of life.He did not possess the imagination for he was a believer in lust and greed.What did his faith tell him to loot, plunder spread all over on a tide of blood.What faith is this which chains humans, throttles and slashes toddlers in their crib.A faith which teaches impatience, hatred and bloodlust. A faith which suppresses beauty, kills expression, strangles creativity.It calls others non believers, is it the faith or the man who does it.A faith which is no faith, yet is present. A belief which gave mankind the message of Karma.A revolution which teaches God to be man and Man to be God. A circle which is round yet not round. A knowledge that no one is pure yet everybody is impure. A belief spurring the progress of mind more than the decadent body.Why did the marauder blame this faith for the misery. Perhaps he was the son of ignorance. His roots were ignorance, it was misery, it again took the marauder back to his roots.Roots which always wallowed in savagery, roots of philistine thinking and closed eyes.Roots which still can’t look a woman in the eye.

Mist

Happy seems the mist in the months of cold.My eyes see its blanket reminding me things of yoreSomewhere down the valley the mist calls Asks a question where are you these daysI tell the mist I am in a jungle burdened with concreteFar lies the Jungle from these tranquil environs The jungle has beasts all over roaring in unison at the crack of dawn.The Mist says you like the jungle, my reply gets drowned among falling raindropsThe voice of Mist rises and says- my question is unanswered. I reply, bother not you bride of winter. The answer is not required. The Mist is silent; deepening its smoky wings over the pines it rushes and gives a cold embrace.As I shiver I delve on the beauty of the mist and marvel its amour.Tickling the trees and flirting with the mountains it covers a whole town.The town goes to sleep, I remain with the mist with its cold embraces and boundless questionsQuestions I have no answers to questions of centuries and questions, which only the old pines could answer.Why do the mountains throw my advances back, and why do men find me depressingI reply mountains are like concrete jungles, while men are its inhabitants.



My Guardian Angel

All along the time I grew, I watched a tree cast a shadow on me.Yes! It was my guardian through times thick and thin. Times whenAll alone trying to understand the roots and algebra, I wondered whether thisIs the ultimate exploration of mind? I saw nature and it’s bounties smiling at my childish Query.I smelled the raindrops falling from my tree, quenching my pristine thirst.Making my courtyard smell like a thousand pure dreams. I wondered whyMy friend is so quiet, aloof from the vagaries of life. Why the quiet demeanourThe exciting solitude. My callow spirit found no answer. I saw the onset of spring, the tree glowing in a fresh coating of eloquent verdure.Winged herons, plumed robins basking in the lush beauty of countryside.My mind again wondered afar, thinking about beauty and nature.I found Wordsworth more profound than Pythagoras, was I wrong? The teacher laughed at the crazed query of a freckled teenager The father frowned at his impetuous reasoning. Perhaps they were rightMy tree smiled as if signifying an ocean of calm, urging me to be observantI saw the birds chirping on it feeding their young chatting with their kin.I saw the leaves falling from my friend’s branches, he said yes; I lose something everydaystill I do not complain, for life is an exploration at each curve.My flowers will again fall, but will bloom again you too my friend do not despairFor you too would bloom in your heart and in your soul.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

In the company of women

Just finished reading 'In the company of women' by Khushwant Singh. Although the book came out in 1999 , I had failed to read it then and bought a copy when I found one. The reason I wanted to read the book was not to find out about Singh's inclinations to write about sexuality in his late eighties but to check how good the material and storyline really were.

I was not suitably impressed by the book , partly due to its tendency to sound both banal and mythical at the same time. Mohan Kumar the protagnist is shown as an extremely brilliant individual who wins a scholarship and goes abroad to study in princeton. He is also shown as being handsome , more than six feet tall and a compulsive womaniser. He beds a lot of American girls and becomes a known stud because he incidentally also has the---hold your horses- the biggest Organ seen by women who he has bedded.

The book keeps on meandering through the life of Mohan Kumar who comes to India , becomes a successful businessman and also bears an unhappy marriage. While all this is OK , Singh's narrative style is least engrossing and focuses more on eroticising the book . "Erotica" has a certain value in writing and when written with an unselfconscious style can be engrossing, a case in point is 'John Updike'. Though the only book of real substance written by Singh is 'Train to Pakistan' , it is imperative to note that the author is more known as an accurate and worthwhile historian than a fiction writer.

"A history of Sikhs" is a Vivid description of Sikh history down the years and Khushwant is also known to have popularised Guru Gobind Singh's image as a great poet. Very few have read the tenth Guru's 'Bichitar Natak' . Read it and you will realise the intellect and vision of Sikhism's great hero. Khushwant Singh, has contributed in his way as a virtual encyclopedia on Sikh History and literature , and this is where he should have drawn a line. While I have no problems with his brand of writing , it somehow diminshes his achievements wherein the general public view him as nothing but a 'randy Sikh' who is somewhat of a buffoon.

That is the precise reason for my not liking 'In the company of Women ' for while there is nothing wrong in writing about sex , it should not be the be all and end all of any literary work. Character development , however was never a strongpoint of Khuswant Singh's where excluding his first work he fell into a realm of mediocrity.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Engagement Mithais

I have never clearly understood the reasons for distributing sweets , whenever a person gets tied in Conjugal bliss or the ceremony preceding that. I got engaged this month itself and my office staff was bending over themselves to congratulate me. Fine enough , I thought --though what exactly made them so enthusiastic was still to come. So! exclaimed my Boss where is the Mithai ----. Implying and later accusing how I had conveniently forgotten this sacrosanct regimen of distributing sweets. Finally bowing to peer presssure , I bowed down and distributed sweets.

This curious phenomenon of sweets is not really explained by the rich tradition of Indian mythology and story telling combined. Now-- agreed the person undergoing the ceremony is expected to be reasonably happy. Though whether this translates to making everybody happy around you is reasonably suspicious, anyway I went ahead and did the usual routine of making people happy by distributing Mithai-- that great Indian conduit transferring happiness to mankind.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Mobile Mania

A layman can always wonder at the habits of his co-dwellers in this place we call earth. Well !people have this innate habit of chatting. Even before the mobile was invented we have seen people gossiping , though admittedly in a restricted way. There are a lot of points, I have noticed while observing people on their mobiles however, sample the most humourous :

The top ranking goes to girls who are foerever pressing the instrument to their ear talking in whispers which you can only hear if you have some superhuman power of hearing . If you travel in the Delhi Metro , than you can come across this species of teenage , college going and young lasses in their twenties speaking on the mobile as if plotting the downfall of the Pentagon. How do their 'boyfriends' decipher the mumbo jumbo is beyond my comprehension. Then again , maybe comprehension is not a necessity when the rustle of whispers is what matters.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Mahabharata

was thinking about Mahabharata as I went through some pieces of of the great epic on the net. One thing is the 'libido' of women shown in the epic. Sample this:

When Hidimba saw Bhima in the forest , she was enchanted by his leonine shoulders , broad chest and mighty arms. Thus taking the form of a beautiful female she approached Bhima and said.

"O great and mighty man! , I have been struck by Kamadeva's arrow when I saw you , although my brother the Mighty Hidimb has sent me to kill you and your brothers , killing you would give me temporary pleasure; marrying you would ensure that pleasure would be mine for time eternal."

Hmmm--- one thing is for sure the females in the epic were not shy of demanding sexual satisfaction , even if by the use of grandiloquent dialogue as written by Jai Arjun Singh in his popular Blog Jabberwock. One thing is for sure , the epic is far ahead of its times and ironically should show are feminists that ancient vedic culture was not only tolerant of female sexuality but seemed to encourage it.

Another Sample: Ulupi the queen of the Nagas , took Arjuna to the bottom of the Ganges and asked him this:

"O great warrior , you of the deep chest and resonating voice , you of the dark complexion and sensual eyes . Accept me as your wife and spend the next three days with me in my palace underwater".

After this another sexually charged dialogue , Arjuna accepts Ulupi and according to the epic "knows her as a husband " for three days.

Brilliant, isn't it , when women were so free to choose their husbands and were also well versed in the art of mesmerising poetry the "O warrior" , "O Bheema," being used everywhere.

The Mahabharata is not only brilliant as an epic but is also good for an exercise in high camp on lighter days.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Rocky Series

Was checking out Rocky Balboa on the DVD this weekend. Although had read reviews that the movie was good and worth checking out , most impressed was by James Berardinelli's views in this matter. (It is another matter that I almost agree with him almost everytime I read one of his reviews.)

The movie was good , surprisingly it showed good emotional depth and ability to again bring Rocky as the top of the line character. This aspect being one of the highlights of the movie. Stallone had a very "punchy way of unfolding the narrative , though the films started going low on substance from the second film onwards and made a mockery of itself with the fifth instalment ; Rocky balboa redeems an otherwise downhill story.

The best part of the films is that Boxing is used as a cathartic expression of an aging but gallant hero. Rocky's need to again apply for his licence is not shown as an attempt by an Old action star to reclaim some lost glory , it is an attempt by a warrior to show to the world that the heroism is intact however gnarled and geriatric it may have become. Rocky's beloved better half Adrianne is dead and the pugilist is fighting bouts of depression with a feeling of emptiness and the apathy of dealing with a son who considers his father's legacy a burden.

The emotional aspects of the story start drawing when Rocky tells his son about the gallantry of taking life's hardest punches and still getting up to fight another day. This was my favourite line in the movie , though some may consider it over the top , it never is banal . Stallone makes the utterance of the lines very credible in deadpan but emotional "Rocky Balboa" style. This is the essence of the whole series when Rocky was able to win against better opponents through willpower , grit and the ability to take the 'worst hits' and still come back strongly and win.

This movie is not about winning or losing as Rocky again proves to the world that by lasting for 10 rounds against a champion half his age , and giving him the toughest fight of his life he proves to himself and his son that Life is about taking punches and still giving it back. Rocky Balboa is a fitting tribute to end this series as the last one was a disaster. This movie redeems the protagnist before our eyes and not because he is a great Boxer but he is one of Life's great champions.

I have always been a Fan of the Rocky series and apart from the fifth instalment , I believe that the series was very good. People can argue that the second , third and the fourth instalments were creatively dead and had little meat , I would like to differ. Agreed! the three mentioned instalments were certainly not in the league of the first which was really the Original "Italian Stallion" but these movies were about the triumph of the Human soul and certainly were decent no matter "Warts and all". Rocky and Rocky Balboa are the movies which use boxing as a way of Rocky's redemption whereas the rest can be viewed as pure visceral fun which is nevertheless endearing.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Musing on Munich

Steven Spielberg's Munich is a compelling motion picture asking a lot of questions through its substantial length. It is easy to bracket the movie as a Jewish vindictive drama after the black September massacre , however that is an oversimplistic viewpoint passed by some casual observers. Spielberg asks many questions about terrorism , its impact and ramifications in the world which are as relevant today as they were in 1972. Throughout the movie works as a tightly paced thriller and still manages to be a noble piece on terrorism , more meaningful than countless editorials on the same topic.

The protagnist Avner (Eric Bana) gives a performance totally in sync with the need of the character. Avner is torn between loyalty to his country and his duty, as well his own intellect and subsequent need to question the ethical standpoint of his actions. The rest of the cast is competent with Daniel Craig being specially noteworthy as a firebrand South african Jew called Steve. Performance wise Munich does not have a shortcoming with Geofferey Rush being the standout in his role of Ephraim a Mossad Officer in constant touch with Avner.

The rest of the plot of the movie is best viewed and then analysed (if somebody wishes it) on whether the movie works on their expectations. Munich works for me as it asks some wonderful questions on whether repeat vengeance against terrorists is the best way to solve terrorism; or should other methods be employed. There is no answer in the movie and there in lies the greatness of Munich it gives no answers and is brilliant in its depiction of state policies and their intrinsicly flawed machinations.

P.S. Particularly loved Golda Meirs speech in the beginning when she says "every Civilization has to compromise on its values sometimes."

Checking out Vaastav

Was checking out Vastav on TV last night and although had seen the movie previously ,was still drawn to some aspects of this hitherto celebrated crime flick of 1999.One thing is clear from watching the movie it is no Goodfellas or departed just a crime drama coming after Satya which has its moments sometimes. Most of the movie follows the same formulaic hindi film scenario of vicious gangleaders, Bad guy with a heart of gold , Gold or silver hearted prostitutes, you decide after seeing the movie. The point is that the movie follows the same formula already seen but admittedly in a nuanced fashion.The movie certainly has its moments, some which were powerful enough to merit as best scenes considering the melodramatic "Hum Dil de chuke Sanam" and some other mediocre films which came out that year. Scenes where Sanjay Dutt explains the path of a local train with his life ,where the elder brother tells Sanjay to not come to his house since it was a locality of decent people and then looking at his wife out of the corner of his eyes. I find these scenes much more powerful than the ones where the mother shoots her son down which though certainly shocking was way over the top even for a Hindi commercial movie.Sanjay Dutt certainly is endearing to watch and gives a Good performance , the rest of the cast is Okayish; while Mahesh Manjrekar certainly showed a lot of talent with this movie it has faded out somewhat since then.

Confessions of a conceited mind

I have always wondered why people tend to take themselves too seriously. A colleague of mine had this devious habit of taking himself too seriously. There are a lot of things which can be said about such people , this particular colleague however always had the habit of denigrating other people and always used a vague terminology "Dealing" whenever people used to give their opinions. He was of the viewpoint that everything in the world is acheived through foul practices and used the Mantra Dealing whenever he used to CON people into accepting some of his suggestions which were never given for the benefit of Mankind or the Officekind in this case.Well this guy is well settled in life today, still the "Dealing Ghost" resides within him. Whenever he calls his conversation is always centered around who did what and how successful a particular homo sapien has become. Finally I had enough and told him to literally bugger off with his inane views.There is however one thing i have seen over time is it a common Delhi Trait to be a pompous exhibitionist.To most cerebral nuts I think it is yes.

Eklavya The Royal Guard

If there was a case of film technique taking precedence over creative moviemaking , Eklavya would have been a masterpiece. It still is in some parts , but feels like a drink you want more of for lack of satisfaction. Visual Imagery , breathtaking camera work and stunning depiction of a parched landscape notwithstanding there is little I can say about recommending Eklavya. The storyline itself is commonplace and confusing mutterings about the bard forces one to think whether quoting Shakespeare as a normal activity during the day passes off as good cinema. I fail to understand why confused recital of Shakespearen Sonnets in the situation as depicted in the film is worthy of praise . The film's storyline fails to catch the viewers attention , art takes precedence over cinema (The art by the way is itself open to criticism) but the purpose of the column is not to discuss literature or art but to review the merit of the movie , which in all sense is make believe. There is no such thing as best performance in the movie. Amitabh sleepwalks through the role of a Royal Guard as if someone is bored to death , Saif looks confused in a setting of unfamiliar proportions . We in India are quick to regard people as great even if something remotely close to good acting is done. Saif has been good in one movie so far "Omkara and the rest have been decent not earthshattering performances.The best performance is undoubtedly of Sanjay Dutt who shines as a lower caste DSP peppering crinkling humour with a morose melancholy. Jackie Shroff and Shergill are competent whereas Vidya Balan should seriously think of shedding the Parineeta image , her expressions are seriously limited on a scale where there was a scope for her character to display more emotions than a smile and sad longing.Boman Irani looks cartoonish in this movie for no fault of his , the director made the movie for satisfying some primeval urge at creativity not understood by mere mortals.Eklavya reminds me of the unbearable lightness of being which in itself was a great book though i was not convinced by the movie just as Vidhu Vinod Chopra fails to convince us with his epic.

KANK

Recently after much Cajoling , I was able to watch KANK that too after my brother had seen the film and had warned me about the side effects of watching this epic of absurdity. I saw Shahrukh Khan making Steven Seagal proud with the kind of expressions at the beginning of the film. Certain people were shouting at God knows what kind of a football match where an Indian posed for a supreme example of athletic superiority cocking a snook at caucasion muscle and fibre. The striker Khan strikes a mediocre goal which in Joharian expression must rank with Maradona's hand of God. Proceed further to Rani Mukherjee feeling perpetually depressed with a considerate husband and Preity Zinta being unusually bubbly in a deep neckline sitting in front of a drooling Rampal.I will give the bits and pieces a miss and hark on some points worth considering. Mr. Bachhan is probably having lots of chyawanprash for his libido is sure to give young men a run for their money. The Jr. Bachan is sexually frustrated with his otherwise frustrating wife.Everybody is frustrated or feeling depressed in the movie for no Rhyme or reason. Hey Folks ! if you are sick of the Mundane "run to the party Tonight down the road "with Miss Zinta in a tight Micro mini dancing awkwardly with a Tall gentleman clearly dwarfing her and we are supposed to enjoy this fare as one of the seriously made movies by Mr. Johar. Maybe the coffee Mr Johar had was cold or had too many beans in it ------