Made in Heaven : Poetry upon Screen

Web- series : Made in Heaven (2019)

Streaming Platform : Amazon Prime

Genre :       Drama

Written: Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar, Alankrita Shrivastava

Story :  Vivek Anchalia

Players :     Arjun Mathur, Sobhita Dhulipala

Amidst the barbaric machismo of Sacred Games and Mirzapur, Zoya Akhtar gives you brilliant study of relationships, friendships, power, politics and sexuality of postmodern Indian citizens.

Akhtar’s web series Made in Heaven narrates the stories of marriages (read the Great Indian marriages ) in and around Delhi.  Made in Heaven revolves around two wedding planners  Karan Mehra and Tara Khanna and their baby .i.e. Made in Heaven. Arjun Mathur as Karan Mehra dazzles across the series with his struggle and liberation as a homosexual man. I guess, after Jishu Sengupta as the homosexual (ok bisexual choreographer in Ghosh’s Chitrangada) and Manoj Bajpai in Aligarh, Mathur delivers a hard-hitting portrayal. He is not a person who is going to sit back and tolerate non-sense.

Sobhita Dhulipala (essaying Tara Khanna), who was last seen in Raman Raghav 2 gets enough screen time and tries very hard to justify her character. Well, she shines in a few of the sequences especially towards the end, where she discovers the importance of one’s identity, roots. The final fight with her husband, before she leaves the house forever, well great job. Look out for the platonic relationship (ok friendship ) between Tara and Karan.

The girl from Titli, Shivani Raghuvanshi is a fresh breeze of air. If she gets the right project, she is the star to look out for. Shivani as Jazz eats up her co-star’s screen presence in almost every scene in the series. She is an ambitious soul trapped in the body of a lower-middle-class Punjabi family of Delhi. She commits mistakes, sleeps with a guy without any emotions, makes out under the influence of alcohol, steals stuff, beat the shit out of her stoned brother, looks after her family and speaks her mind. Well, that is the young Indian woman who can take care of her own.

Now, the guy from Brahman Naman as the official photographer, Shashank Arora (as Kabir) doesn’t get much of the dialogues, but he reacts brilliantly in almost every scene. His voice-over towards the end of each episode is a thing to cherish.

Made in Heaven provides a tussle between the tradition, individuality, modernism and westernisation. It tackles several issues like homosexuality, infidelity, caste conflict, dowry, impotency, sexual independence, narcotics, power politics and religious extremism among others.

what a brilliant performance…

The narration is brilliant and the moment of reflection between the character’s past and present is a pure delight. The flaws in the characters, the convergence of multiple storylines, the production values, the voice-over towards the end, the background score and crispy editing make this one a highly re-watchable series.

Muaah, thanks for showing the authentic sides of Delhi

Ratings – 9/10

Pros

Layered and multiple story lines

Excellent character build-up

Aesthetically executed love scenes

Usage of  the Qawali “ Aye re Sakhi more Piya Ghar Aaye “

The loyalty of friendship between Tara and Karan

Vinay Pathak as the peeping and helpless landlord leaves a mark

Cons

Kalki Koelchin is repeating herself.

Jim Sarbh, sorry.

Kabir’s origin  remains unexplored

Disclaimer – Images from the internet.

Enjoy the trailer

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Sweta Samota’s Nine ; The Book Review

Nine: A Gripping Tale of Ila Sharma, The Number Girl (Romance and Mystery)

Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 2126 KB

Print Length: 293 pages

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Sold by: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited

Language: English

ASIN: B07KWDLLZG

Blurb

“Nine” is a powerful read that tugs at the heartstrings.

A powerfully moving story!

A mix of Dan Brown and Nicholas Sparks is what Sweta delivers… And what a smashing hit!

What happens when situations put you against yourself and the world is at stake?
National puzzle champ, Ila Sharma, finds herself in trouble when she joins a college in the new city of Pune with an undercover agent by her side.

With her photo flashed in the media, she is sought after by the notorious gang headed by Danny. He forces her to solve a series of codes, that were coded by a brilliant IPS officer Manu Mukundi Lal who was the national security adviser to the Prime Minister of India.

She is caught in an accelerating quest to unveil a thousand years old powerful secret.
And with the three scientists going missing, she is on the radar by the Indian Intelligence.
Still reeling from the events back home, Ila is not sure if she can trust the man she loves.

As layers unfold, as she puts the pieces of jigsaw together, her personal life shatters bit by bit.

As she begins to decode the bizarre numbers, she is stunned to find a trail that leads to the Prime Minister of India and never-before-seen revelations lead her to a single inconceivable truth.

There is more to the world than meets the eye!
Read on as you travel through a saga of love and ambition, history and ideologies.
A blend of love, history, crime and fantasy.

 

` Review

Gripping Goosebumps

Sweta Samota takes some time to build up the suspense and she provides almost equal time to unwrap the mystery.  There are some classified stuff, few encrypted puzzles ( read code)  and there is Ila.

Ila, shines like the beauty with the brain who is studying in Pune. Well, there is an undercover agent also, and in order to find out the identity, grab a copy. I enjoyed the narrative structure which never loses the pace and keeps a nail-biting tension among the readers. The author picks up Illuminati, one of the most controversial topics of Asokan History. No spoilers here, thus no storyline over here. The narrative dwells in the past as well as in the present era with RSS, Modi ( Pradhanmantri) among others. The cat and mouse game will keep you entertained, thanks to Indian Intelligence over here.The best part of the book is obviously the connecting dots between history and the present socio-political ethos of India. Sweta deserves an applause for providing such a treat to the readers. I enjoyed the close entanglement of well-researched facts and fiction, keep it up. I will be waiting for more stories from you and it must be on this genre. Sweta, I loved this one. Shaheed- E – Azam is also there, omg this particular phase about him and that too Kakori ( Bismil ka Sandesh)well, too good to stay away from such impeccable delight.

Do not miss the codes, do not miss the love story and more overlook for the truth.

Mitron, get the book.

Pros

Well researched

Gripping narration

Keeps it simple in style

Nice cover design

Cons

More character developments

The love saga could have been avoided, I enjoyed the thriller part(my pov)

Verdict – 8.5/10

About the author

Sweta Samota is an Indian author who writes thriller,mystery and romance. She is a computer engineer and holds an MBA in marketing. Over 13 years of experience in software industry where she was called the Decode expert, came handy in coding “Nine”. A nationalist and a runner.

Other books: 1. Kiss of true Love 2. Radha in a Jinx – a short story that was in top three in Amazon words worthy contest. 3. Radha in a Jinx- Reflections Recently.

Sweta recently won The StoryAward in flash fiction contest conducted by She The People Tv.

Discalimer – Images provided by the author for an unbiased review.

2.0 Chitthi aye hai ; Movie Review

Genre – Sci-fi, fantasy, Only Rajni

Players – Rajnikant ,Akshay Kumar, lots of VFX

Director – Shankar

Language – Tamil, Telegu and Hindi

First thing first, don’t watch the downloaded version from Tamilrockers.com. Hey, please get a ticket for a 3D show at the nearest theater. I watched the show at a city theater with a companion who was late by 20 minutes, silent sobbing. So, the movie is about the tussle between good and evil where the antagonist wins the heart. Akshay Kumar portrays an aged ornithologist who wants to save the birds and something happens, leading to his dangerous transformation into an evil crow, staright from Krishnapuran ( read the Mahabharat, where Kangsha mamu commands a crow to kill chota Krishna). The origin story of the antagonist is really heartwarming and it has been brilliantly narrated on the screen. Akshay Kumar delivers a balanced performance. The script doesn’t offer anything new. watch the movie for the story, no fucking spoilers over here. Rajnikant doesn’t need a script and he proves it. He plays multiple characters in the movie without even trying too hard. Amy Jackson proves to be the best of the lot, which means she was as usual good for nothing, apart from being fair and ok, she looked hot. Achaa, really hot.

Shankar is a visionary director, who keeps you glued to the screen with high octane sequences and that too with a dull script, yes a brilliant script is a hero but dealing with a flat script and making it interesting, well he delivers. The background score was really good and the action sequences in the football stadium deserves a thumb up, well Akki scored a goal. Robot version 3.0, the chota robots .i.e. Microbots were cute little adorable and blatantly mischievous robots, Rajni Sir tickles the funny bone in the audience. Jao paisa lutao aur dekh lo, torrent aur Netflix aur amazon, avoid.

In the first installment, there was an issue and in the second one the issue remained. The robots are always looking for powersources, they need to use ONEPLUS battery, long lasting. Some serious action scenes were going on, I was hooked to it and my companion said, “ the robots need a powerbank”. I am in still awe of that power bank stuff. Shankar, please provide it in the next installment.

A song by Pankaj Udhas, could have been used in the movie…

“ Chitthi aaye hai, aaye hai”

Ok sorry. 😛

Pros

Thalaiva in all the avatars

VFX, excellent execution by the team

Akshay Kumar as the Ornithologist, he shines. Excellent make up…

The Microbots, Chota Rajnis..hilarious

Grand vision by the director, Jai Shankar.

The Ecocritical angle provided in the storyline about saving the birds and environment at large

Some brilliant moments.

Cons

Bhai, VFX ka karey kya? Story line is dull.

Too much usage of special effects takes a toll.

The story line has been forcibly dragged and it contains heavy hangover of the first part.

Robots ka charge bahot jaldi khatam hota hai

Verdict – 7.5/10

Disclaimer – All the images from internet, mere baap ke nahi hai.

Tumbbad : Terrifically Haunting

Tumbbad

Language – Hindi

Country of Origin – India

Genre – Horror, Fantasy

Players- Sohum Shah and many more creatures

Director- Rahi Anil Barve, Anand Gandhi

I have always found Maharashtra beautiful in monsoons. Being a student in Pune and  Mumbai, I have enjoyed the long treks during the monsoon which mostly centred around the forts of Maharashtra. And once I asked a friend, why there are so many small temples in an around these forts, Pune  or any other places in Maharashtra?

The answer was, the only way to shun the evil spirits. I laughed.

And then, Tumbbad happened. It was like reliving the Maharashtra monsoon in the October heat but instead of relishing it, you feel haunted by it. I guess Tumbbad uses the dark clouds and the rain drops as one of the most important characters in the film. The film centres around a sleepy hamlet in colonial Bombay presidency. There is an illicit affair between an old bastard and a village belle leading to the birth of two offsprings. There is a Mhada and most importantly there is an old lady who seems to be cursed for eternity. The movie dives deep into the mythological folklore, adding the eternal aura of tussle divine and evil forces. There is hardly any positive feeling in the movie, Tumbaad rides high on the negative aspects of greed, violence, lust, greed and fear among others.

Even Dragons, the mighty creatures could not resist the lust of Gold…remember Tolkein’s Smaug?  The protagonist ( or the antagonist…) is a mere human from erstwhile India, who uses intelligence, physical power, guts and lots of black magic to unearth gold from the womb of mother Goddess. The vicious cycle goes on  and on.

Sohum Shah uses his body language and eyes to instil the pangs of greed and lust for gold. He occasionally speaks but he performs throughout, so does the crippled little son of his. There is so much of authenticity in the portrayal of Maharashtrian culture, lingo and social ethos of that period. Bansali can take a clue, giant budget and sets are not always essential to make a period film, it is always about the vision. But, I love Bansali also. The cinematography is stunning, with dark, cold and cursed with haunting solitude  Tummbad to the relatively lively Pune, it plays its part well. Tumbbad’s visuals are for the 70mm. Then, there are the colours of blood, there are scorching blaze of fire and eerie sounds of mutilated limbs and crushed bones.

More importantly, VFX usage is really up to the mark and it gels well with the gory narrative structure of the movie. To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, thus to each and scheme of human, there are ploys of the devil and the climax proves it. There are rising actions in the first thirty minutes, there is a relatively dilute phase and in the latter half, it runs with steady phase and lastly it provides the audience with an orgasmic climax of action and fear.

Ah, Ramgopal Verma’s Bhoot was good, Konkona looked terrifying in Ek Thi Dayan and Anushka was really gory in Pari but Tumbbad nails with production values, acting and most importantly script and cinematography. The beauty of Tumbbad is that , the camera is a character, the production sets are also a character, it adds to the storyline.

Watch it alone, watch it on 70mm, Gaand faatega. Aur mazza bhi ayega.. agar nahi aya toh , Hastar aa jayega.

 

Pros

Brilliant Casting

Realistic acting

Awesome Visuals

Haunting Background Score and sound

Great balance between psychological and physical horror

Del Toro’s ambience, but blatantly original

Gothic atmosphere and no cheap copy of western horror flicks

Excellent screenplay and usage of silence in the narration

Awesomely freaky climax

Cons

Nothing

Ratings – 10/10

Trailer:

 

Disclaimer – Images from the internet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Varun Sayal’s Time Crawlers: Hextuple Delight

Blurb

Alien Invasion, Dark Artificial Intelligence, Time-Travel, High-Tech Mythology, Djinn Folklore, Telekinetics and life-consuming Cosmic Entities are some major themes in my book “Time Crawlers” which has 6 tightly-knit, fast-paced Sci-Fi stories. A quick look at the stories:

** Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon: **

The weapons he possesses make him the destroyer of worlds, and he burns for revenge. A high-tech take on ancient Indian mythology.

** Death by Crowd: **

The dark desires of the masses; darknet websites fueled by a crypto-currency. What lurks in the background – an advanced artificial intelligence?

** Genie: **

He rubbed a lamp alright, but what he got was the shock of his life. An entirely sci-fi take on the djinn myth.

** Time Crawlers: **

There are individuals who existing in multiple time periods at once, and there are those who know about them….

** Eclipse: **

No attacks, no blood-shed, yet there was an invasion and a conquest. Who are these shapeshifter aliens being hounded by an eclipse?

** The Cave: **

The fate of an advanced imperial race hangs in balance as a dark celestial entity meets a legendary protector.

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Time Crawlers: The Book Review

I have been a voracious reader of science fiction but I have hardly come across any Indian English authors who have been able to stupefy ( Rowling effect) the readers to the core. Well, there is Samit Basu with his GameWorld Trilogy, Turbulence, Resistance among others and now Varun Sayal’s Time Crawlers leaves a deep impact with myriad themes and compelling storytelling.

It is a hextuple delight, well six stories in a book, so I took the liberty of using such bizarre word like a hextuple delight. One of the best features of this book is the style of narration. While in one of the stories the author uses the traditional storytelling, shifts to a drama like narration and amuses the readers with the interview technique. Keep it up, Mr Sayal.

Each of the six stories comes up with its unique charm. I am not going to divulge the plotlines, lol.

Almost all the stories have impressed me as a reader and a researcher in science fiction. Keeping apart  “Death by Crowd”, I would rate all the other pieces as excellent pieces of science fiction. Again there could be a separate post for this story alone, it raises few disturbing questions.

In order to be a writer, one needs to go through other works in the particular genre. I think ( entirely my point of view), Mr Sayal has been inspired by Issac  Asimov, Clive Barkers and Joseph Heller among others. The issues raised and the conflict conjured sums up to a unique reading experience.

Sayal believes in experimenting with narrative techniques and while doing so he never uses complex literary jargons in his narration. The simplicity is truly amazing and in the end, he creates a hullabaloo in the mind of the readers about the conflicts in the stories i.e. he raises some hard hitting questions. Well done, Mr Sayal.

 

Verdict : You need to buy this one. 4.5/5

Pros

The readers get to enjoy varieties of themes like mythology, time travelling, dark web, cosmic entities, artificial intelligence and parallel worlds among others in a single paperback.

The compelling storytelling by the author.

Impressive plot build up.

Gripping cover design, well covers are one of the most intriguing factors of a book’s selling point.

I enjoyed the nomenclature of a few characters like Trikalacharya, Jokie among others.

Cons

Death By Crowd could have been the best of the lot but it fades away in the end

The stories could have been a bit longer.

 

I have received a copy from the author in exchange of an honest review. Thank God, I accepted this one. I loved it.

 

Author Bio:

VARUN SAYAL is an engineer and MBA from I.I.T. and I.S.B. (top schools in India), who has been involved in theatre as a playwright, actor, and director, and has also been an independent movie-maker. His genre of writing is predominantly science fiction blended with mythology and a sprinkle of the gruesome actualities of life. In his own words:

“I think of each story as a surreal, fast-paced narrative that pulls in the reader right from the beginning, takes them through a voyage into an alternate dystopian realm, bequeathing to them images etched permanently on their minds. I live by the quote, ‘a true art calms a disturbed mind and disturbs a calm mind.’”

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Website and Social Media Links: 

• Website: http://varunsayal.in/

• Blog: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18131196.Varun_Sayal/blog

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/varun.sayal

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vsa2

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varunsayal/

• Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.in/Varun-Sayal/e/B07F37Z7LX

• Goodreads Book Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40540847-time-crawlers

• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18131196.Varun_Sayal

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Buy Links

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DRPPGK6

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DRPPGK6

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07DRPPGK6

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07DRPPGK6

Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07DRPPGK6

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07DRPPGK6

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07DRPPGK6

Images from the internet.

Stree ; A Spooky Spaghetti

 

Movie Name – Stree (2018)

Language – Hindi

Genre – Horror Comedy

Director – Amar Kaushik

Players- Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana, Abhishek Banerjee

Disclaimer – All the words and experiences are not at all fictitious.
Amidst the laidback forum of laziness, two lazy people decided to experience some adrenalin rush and adventure sports were out of questions. Thus, two tickets were booked for a film show at a cineplex.
The Hindi flick Stree was on our mind. We landed up at this so-called mall, which looked like a production set of Darr @ Mall. Few fed up souls were roaming here and there, one aunty was obnoxiously posing for her husband, two kids were hitting themselves, so on. The two lazy jackasses entered the movie hall, but the pangs of hunger kicked in, so corny sweet corn came to our relief.
The setting was spooky with Dolby digital sounds and a PVR screen. The lead protagonist Rajkummar Rao with the supporting cast of Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khuranna kept the audience hooked, perplexed, amused, fuck falling short of adjectives. That is the power of brilliant acting.

The tone and texture were so perfect that after a few minutes, you feel like walking across the laidback fort town of Rajasthan. The cinematography, the eerie cuts, the subtle lighting and excellent usage of minimalistic vfx lived up to the mark. I loved it to the core. Eh, songs were replaced by instrumental scores, what a relief.
The story, you jackass, this is not a summary of the plot, still a thread for you . There is a town in India experiencing some spooky stuff and with every problem, there comes a solution. Well, you know it right.
The director showed his mettle, the actors entertained, the script is fast-paced with witty moments and dialogues. But the climax, oh yes, it was like the film was going to reach an orgasm, ok multiple orgasms and it couldn’t. Are you able to feel my pain? And the stree beside me, who was watching it with great expectations. Crash landing, boom, it is over.
And Shraddha Kapoor, eh tu ja re, you are acting opposite Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, the best of the time, you are absolutely pathetic. Sorry, to be blunt, tu naach re Basanti aur gaana ga. Mood kharab kiya. I am not an acting coach, neither an actor, but I can see the difference between you and the other actors in almost every scene.

The movie was a paisawasool, it tried something new and did not fail miserably.
But, Go Goa Gone is the ultimate winner in Horror Comedy Genre.
Rao and Tripathi , You people are magician.
Fun fact – The movie got over, but my companion looked spooky and it scared the shit out of me, Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar ! Ram ! Ram!

Pros
Excellent performances by Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Khurrana and Banerjee.
Top notch cinematography, editing and back ground score
Fast paced screenplay and witty dialogues
Great comic timing and few chilly moments
Vijay Raaz, uff man.

Cons
The climax and Shraddha Kapoor

Ratings – 3.5/5

Trailer

Disclaimer – Images from the internet

Dil, Dard aur Sad Songs

 

This is a sequel to the post entitled ‘ Dil, Depression and Sad Songs’. Well, every bad post need a followup, so to the lousy last post, here are few more sad songs.

I have no dearth of Pyar mein Dukhi dost in my friendlist and few of them  are really good with their playlist.  Let the siaypaa begin.

10. Koi ho toh jisko  apna, Mere Apne

Kishore Kumar provides the  baritone vocal and the handsome hunk Vinod Khanna tickles audience with pop depressional symptoms. The song has been picturised in an old dilapidated mansion and it adds up to the loneliness depicted in the song. Don’t just listen, watch the video.

Fav Lines :  Bhula huwa koi Wada

9. Kasme Wadein Pyar Wafa, Upkar

One cannot surpass Manna Dey’s vocals, pauses and the ability to depict the mood flawlessly. To me, he is one of the most underrated  vocalists in Indian Playback singer in India. This song is not only sad, but it is so real that it haunts you to the core. You cannot ignore Pran, oh man…

The philosophy, the secularism, the texture and almost everything…Universal beauty

Fav Lines : Agar Ye Hindu ka kaam hai mandir Kisne luta hai age Muslim ka kamhe to khuda ka ghr hai Kyun tuta.. The whole song.

8.  Dil Aisa Kisine Mera Toda, Amanush.

Sharmila Tagore wakes up to the sombre tune of Uttam Kumar. Dressed in blue, Uttam Kumar infuses himself with the blue sky & the river water, ceasing to an non-existential entity. Uttam Kumar seems broken and so do we. Love can break a person, hate can shatter a person.  If possible do listen to the original Bangla version. Sharing both the versions. Kishore Kumar won filmfare award for this one.

Checkout the background of Sunderban..

Fav Line : Sagar kitna mere pass hai , mere jeevan mein phir bhi pyass hain

The Bangla Version

7. Tanhayee, Dil Chahta Hai

Aamir Khan suffers here for not expressing his feelings to Preity Zinta. The lyrics are blunt and Sonu Nigam is soothing to the core. In the end, it curses the novice heart, we all do.

Fav Lines : Tumko jo pyar kiya toh

6. Ek Akela Iss Shaher Mein, Gharaonda

This is my song. I can feel each & every words. You are all alone in the big city of Bombay, you are coping up with the insane crowd, mad rush. You are seeking directions to reach your destiny. You are roaming alone at Marine Drive, Worli Sea face and reflect upon your life. Bhupinder Singh’s deserves applause and so do Gulzar , Amol Palekar, Jaidev and everyone else related to this song. Fuck, I will write a separate post, later on.

I need a tissue paper.

Fav Line : Inn Umar se lambi 

5. Din Dhal Jayee, Guide

Guide is the greatest film in Bollywood and all the tunes from this movie are timeless. Dev Anand asks his servant to give him company for a drink, just imagine the level of lonliness and helplessness. You have given everything for love only to loose everything.Mohd. Rafi keeps it low and proves his versatility with every note.. Oh man, ego kills everything.

Do not listen to this song, if you are alone. You might die.

Fav line : Pyar mein jinke sab jag chora

4. Na jao Saiyan Chudda Ke Baiya, Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam

Meena Kumari longs for the presence of her husband and request( read plead) him to stay for the night. I hate the lyrics because of the phrases like Janam Ki Daasi and Charan o mein rahungi. Give him a divorce, but that was early 19th century, women were oppressed. It portrayed the horrific conditions of  women in feudal Bengal, India. Geeta Dutt was a genuius, listen.

Fav line : Main roo padungi

3. Abhi Zinda Hoon Toh, Nazayaz

One estranged father spots a group of streets singers amidst heavy Bombay shower, gets drunk, sing like there is no tomorrow and pleads life to let him live. The context is gripping, Kumar Sanu is sweet, Naseeruddin  Shah is impeccable and Roop Kumar Rathod is out of the world. I love this one..

Fav Line : Mujhe tukdo mein nahi jeena hai

2. Chingari Koi Bhadke, Amar Prem

This is philosophy to the core.  Kaka ji is a treat to watch, Sharmila reacts perfectly. Kishore Kumar walks away with all the glory but Pancham Da’s  music steals the show

Fav Line : Humse mat pucho kaise mandir toota sapno ka

Honourable Mentions

Kya Hua Tera Wada, Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahi

O Sathi Re Tere Bina Bhi Kya Jina, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar

1. Jina Yahan Marna Yahan, Mera Naam Joker

The song is the philosophy of Raj Kapoor’s life, ” The show must go on.” An artist is meant for the stage, his life is dedicated to art. Laugh at the jest, not the jester. Jokers are the most tragic characters in literature. The  pain is real and it echoes over the eternity. What a showmanship. Nolan’s Joker is terrifying but this Joker is real and evokes real sympathy.

Fav Line :  Swarg yahi, Nark yahan.

 

Now, I have two special songs

Ae Ajnabi, Dil Se

Feel the lyrics and the cerebral background music. Udit Narayan’s best till date.

Fav Line : Main adhura, Tu adhuri 

 Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya, Guide

The quintessential sad song, Mohd Rafi & Dev Anand bitch together about  Waheeda Rehman, beloved. Sorry for the word, but that is the feel. The cinematography was much ahead of time, sheer joy.

Fav Line :  Bewafa tere pyar mein

 

Aur bhi hai.. wait for the 3rd part..

Disclaimer : Images & videos from the Internet

 

Dil, Depression and Sad Songs

One of my friends is working on Hindi & Urdu Music and thus post will be a part of the bibliography of the research work. I’m here to churn out a list of my favourite sad songs, because they stay forever.

The context and mental condition of the blogger is not related, after all  this is the  Postmodern age of New Criticism and the author is already dead.

I will be following the reverse order over here.

10. Channa Mereya

Dude, this is the dream song of every Indian girl. Most of them secretly aspire that they have someone in their life, who would sing this song for them. I hated the movie but loved the song. The cross dressing, the mehendi in his hand and those expressive eyes of Ranbir. You deserve an award for this song…

Arijit Singh, you are master at vocalising pain…

Favourite Line : Mehfil mein tere…

9. Sau dard hai, Janeemann

Shit movie and an equally awesome song, after all there are solutions to  every problems. But, this one, no way. Worst Acting, but Sonu Nigam saves the day.

Fav Line : Sab mila dil nasheen

8. Zindagi Ka Safar Hai Yeh Kaisa Safar, Safar

This is about life, a man who wants to live, but the fate is cruel. Simple lyrics, awesome Kakaji and Kishore Kumar evokes sympathy with every words.  Life is so cruel..

Fav Line : Zindagi ko bahot pyar humne diya

7. Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb thi, Khamoshi

There is a sense of hope and lingering about those beautiful moments. The song has been beautifully picturised upon Rajesh Khanna and the elegant Waheeda Rehman. One of the most underrated songs of Bollywood. Ganga water in the background, surprisingly refreshing and remorseful…

Fav Line : Woh kal bhi pass pass thi

 

6. Ae Jaate Hue Lamhon, Border

This is so real, so honest and so brutal. The army wife is pestering her husband to stay for few more hours. Roopkumar Rathod weaves magic with every pauses. The man in the uniform is helpless and so are we.. Time is indeed cruel.

Fav Line :  Main kahin bhi rahoon

5. Chupke Chupke Raat Din, Nikaah

This song doesn’t need any words to define it. There is a sweetness in separation. The Ghazal God, Ghulam Ali proves his mettle. Just grab a coffee and listen to this.

Fav Line : Daant o taley ungli dabana yaad hai

4. Mera kuch samaan, Ijazaat

One of the most wonderful and hardhitting lyrics of Gulzar, ahead of time. Gulzar pens a free verse with sheer brilliance and Asha Bhosale, take a bow. Pancham Da..waah. This is existential crisis..

Fav Line : Ek akeli chatri mein, adhe adhe

3.Khamosh sa afsana, pani pe likha hota, Libaas

Gulzar and Pancham weave magic with this song. This is a sacred song about the innocence of heart. Do not listen to this, if you have experienced a heart-break. You might die..

2. Jane Woh kaise log thay jinke pyar ko pyar mila, Pyaasa

This is a song for the losers, for the unconquered love, for the failures and heartbreaks, for  jilted lovers.  Sahir Ludhianvi , Hemanta Mukherjee and Guru Dutt provide the audience with universal content. You need Old monk with this…

Fav Line : Bichad gaya har sathi dekar pal do pal ka saath, kisko fursat hai jo thaame deewano ka haath. Wah!!

Honourable Mentions

Hokey Majboor mujhe, tumne bhoolaya Hoga, Haqeeqat

Ek saathi aur bhi tha, LOC Kargil

Badi suni suni hai, Mili

Waqt Ne Kiya Kya haseen Sitam, Kagaz Ke Phool

 

1.  Humko kiske gham ne mara, yeh kahani phir sahi

Sorry, you cannot escape Ghulam Ali’s vocal poetry and the lyrics which is not only brilliant but it is always growing exponentially every time you listen to it. In the end, you are going to feel good. You will be relieved.

 

Fav lines : Dil ke lootne ka sabab

Disclaimer : Images/ Videos from Internet

Kishore Kumar: Melodies For Life..

Kishore Kumar lives in his melodies

Debraj Moulick

Abhas Kumar Ganguly (apna Kishore re) is still regarded as one of the most talented singers of our nation. Mohd Rafi is a singing genius, Manna Dey is the badshah of classical and semi-classical gharana. But, Kishore Kumar belongs to the aam admi and it is important to respect the taste of the mass. Kishore Kumar is known for churning outs romantic tracks , peppy numbers, heart-wrenching songs among others. But this blog post focuses upon those songs which are aimed at life in general . So no Jhumroo, Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Ayee Hum to Mohabbat karega over here.  Some songs are contextual while some are for life. After all nothing is more important than life itself. Check this out.

1.  Gaadi Bula Rahi Hain, Dost (1974)

This is my favourite and motivates you to move forward just like the mighty trains which overcome all the blockades in…

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Sacred Games: A Sensational Experience

Caution– This is my experience. This one contains criticism and cuss words. Proceed with caution. Adult show, thus a matured piece of writing.

Adaptation – Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games

Writers – Varun Grover, Smita Singh and Vasant Nath

Genre – Crime, Thriller

Directors – Anurag Kashyap & Vikramaditya Motwane

Players – Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte, Nawazuddin Siddique among others

Music- Alokananda Dasgupta

Original Network – Netflix

Number of Seasons – One (6th July, 2018)

Number of Episodes – 8

Country – India

A sinister plot to wipe out the city, the eccentric villain with God complex, a protagonist searching for some answers, terrific love affairs, exuberant ecstasy, an elegant eunuch and so on…

Well, that is the basis of DC Comics and other science fiction works. Look deeply, you find the above mentioned recurring patterns in them.

So Sacred Games is not something new or noble. The show is based on the novel by the same name which chronicles the life of a mafia and a police officer in the Maximum City. Well if you go through Hussain S Zaidi’s Dongri to Dubai, you would be able to relate to all the fictitious element in the plotlines of both the novel and the show. Ironically, the author of Sacred Games Vikram Chandra wrote the foreword to Zaidi’s book.

The eight-hour-long series falters mid-way when parallel plots pop up and slow hinder the pace of the show. Well, so many articles about Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s performance, yes he is every bit of God complex wala Gaitonde. He is the actual star of the show and naturally, he has been given the best dialogues and the one-liners. But, don’t you think he is repeating himself? Faizal Khan is Ganesh Gaitonde, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz is Ganesh Gaitonde, Liak (Badlapur ) is Gaitonde, Ramaan (Ramaan Raghav) is Gaitonde and so on…

But he is never boring, he manages to woo and I’ve been mouthing his dialogues among friends. Moreover a mafia, Gaitonde is a philosopher.

Saif Ali Khan as Sartaj Singh provides a stellar performance. He is troubled, he suffers owing to his honesty and he is not at all flawless. Saif provides a performance of a lifetime, he reacts, he blinks, he shows frustration, cries out in pain and gets stupefied in the end. He is the most realistic protagonist in the show. He makes ‘Behenchod’ sexy. Saif comes up with one of the most authentic portrayals of an Indian Police officer.

Radhika Apte’s act could have been much better, I somehow missed the angst of a R&AW officer and she is a staunch feminist over here, leading to the tragic plight in the end.

Neeraj Kabir as the DCP is one hell of a corrupt officer, a bloody bastard. Keep it up.

We have a gullible and honest sidekick of Saif Ali Khan, the constable Katekar aka Jitendra Joshi, such an effortless and brilliant portrayal of loving husband and dutiful cop.

You are here to stay.

How can I forget Bunty bhai ? the staunch Hindu extremist but loyal to the core. Jatin Sarna is the next big thing. The violent women abuser, the foul mouthed gangster.

Well, Kubra Sait as Kuckoo steals the show, the eunuch eats up all the scenes and she is an onscreen magic. She turns the show, hard-hitting portrayal of the third gender. Well, remember Khushwant Singh’s Bhagmati, the ultimate Hijra? Is she the fourth witch of Macbeth?

Shalini Vatsa as Kanta Bai, such a daredevil act. Anushree Deshpande aka Shubadra instigated the manhood and vengeance of Gaitonde, limited screen time and the boldest screen presence, you have got guts.

And then there is one man, who juggles efficiently between fakht Marathi and Bombaiya Hindi. The underdog organiser of Ganesh Mitra Mandali to the top-notch minister in Mantralaya. Girish Kulkarni proves that he is the bloody best as if the role was written for him. I don’t know, why the media is not mentioning his killer performance over here. Girish Bhau..bahot khub. The hero in Deool to the sarcastic cop in Ugly, from the jackass coach in Dangal to the Machiavellian Minister Bipin Bhosale, you are fucking fantastic dude.

tussi chaa gaye…changla

There is no complain about direction and execution by Motwane and Kashyap, but they have come up with better stuff. Somehow the screenplay falters between fourth and sixth episodes. The narrative technique is brilliant and it keeps the audience looking for more and more. Varun Grover, keep it up.Loved the gory texture of the series.

But the most striking features of the shows are background music and the credit designing. The Mandala art is impressive and the last episode reveals some brilliant insight about them and Aloka Dasgupta, what a beautiful and haunting composition? You are a pure sweetheart. Just remove the background music, the show will fall flat. Try it.

Verdict– Behenchod faad ke rakh diya..mazza aa gaya.

One of the best, Bose- Dead or Alive is also at par with Sacred Games.But this is pure sensation, you will love it. We want more stuff like this….

Pros

Awesome Acting.

Realistic Violence and Nudity.

The third gender, sensitively dealt with.

The screen colour turns red when Gaitonde starts slashing the inmates in jail.

Gripping Background score.

The historical juxtaposition with the major events of Postcolonial India.

Do not miss Rajiv Gandhi’s presence in the show.

Dashing Dialogues.

The cross-references with mythology, dam attractive..

The real picture of Indian Police Services.

Cons

Editing falters.

The screenplay could have been crispier in few places.

Pankaj Tripathi, the Guru, aur chahiye tha.

Those who watched the show in English, silent sobbing for them.

Ratings- 9/10

Disclaimer – Images from the internet.