Talkie Talks #02: Why you should not miss PK!

I heard about PK when the controversial poster came out and no, I did not give a damn about the film even then. I just kept ignoring the raving coverage that PK got until I accidentally came across the movie plot one day. Seriously, Aamir as an alien??? Well, that may be the reason I decided to give the movie a watch but I ended up loving it for different reasons altogether.

Storyline: PK (the name that he adopts after landing on Earth), an alien, comes to our planet to research about humans and their livelihood. Upon reaching, he is immediately robbed of his remote that is vital for his return back to his home-planet. Thus begins PK's relentless search for his remote, which in turn gives way to a baffling search for God, whom, he is led to believe that, will help him get his remote back. In the process, he meets Jaggu - a TV reporter looking for a juicy story to air. Intrigued with PK's eccentric behavior, Jaggu firmly believes he has a great story and shadows him. Somehow, she gains PK's trust and comes to know he's in fact an alien stranded on Earth. Rest of the story is about how PK and Jaggu get the remote back from Tapasvi Maharaj, a bogus Godman cheating on the public in the name of divinity.

Now, here are the two chief reasons why you should not miss PK:

• First things first: The Basics

The story of PK has been created and penned down by Rajkumar Hirani, who treated us to movies like Munnabhai MBBS and 3 idiots in the past and also holds a bunch of Filmfare awards to his credit. Moreover, with the best shoot crew in town, the film also stars the likes of Aamir Khan (The Perfectionist), Boman Irani, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt and Saurabh Shukla. When such masterminds and artists of Bollywood get together for a picture, one can only imagine the finesse that the movie will portray, not to mention the winning combination of Hirani-Vinod Chopra. Songs and BGMs are not extraordinary but they keep you entertained enough, along with the visuals. Cutting a long story short, a brilliant screenplay, IMO.

• Laugh out loud, shed a few tears, and return home thinking

With a running time of 150 minutes, the first half is filled with typical Hirani moments and will keep you in stitches right through. Post-interval, get ready to blink away a few tears here and there. To be honest, the second half does drag a little bit due to a few unwanted scenes, but still scores better than every pathetic screenplay that is being made today.

More than anything else, PK is all about taking a merciless dig at the blind practices followed by our society in the name of religion. For every scene that makes you laugh, a hard truth about our society comes attached. It urges the educated mind to open up and question the unquestionable practices that are narrow-mindedly harbored even today. Maybe you will not return home thinking all the way, but I bet that you'll find yourself nodding vigorously and clapping involuntarily at times when PK voices an exact question that has been haunting you for years.

Are there negatives? Yes! It is only natural that a couple of mistakes are uncovered when any movie is reviewed critically. Same way, PK also falls short of a few yardsticks, especially since expectations are usually lofty for 'Hirani+Aamir' movies. Even after choosing to ignore the pace slow-down in the second half, a few points have to be mentioned.  Boman Irani has been given an insignificant role, the love triangle as well as the bombing scene stand out without any connect to the script, and I never understood why PK keeps chewing betel leaves in the first half of the movie. There's also a striking similarity between the scripts of PK's second half and the movie 'Oh My God!', as both of them condemn organized religion.

Final Thoughts: PK may not be THE best of HIrani but is sure is one among the best Bollywood movies ever made and also a great milestone in Aamir's starhood. Overall, it has been quite a while since I enjoyed a movie like this and wished there were more movies made suchlike. So, PK aka PEEKAY - a winner all the way and definitely a must-watch. Cheers!!

A Trek to Nagala through a Downpour!

For a long time, I had been eagerly waiting for CTC to organize a Ladies trek and when at last, a mail about Trekking to Nagalapuram-East popped up in my inbox, I registered my name right away without a second thought. Soon, the much awaited day dawned with Showers of Blessing from the Rain Gods. The initial ride into Andhra was breezy with the raindrops pattering rhythmically against the windshields and most of us slipped into a steady slumber, our heads lolling back and forth.

By the time we entered Andhra, almost all of us had woken up and were feeling ravenous. Our savior was a roadside Kai-endhi Bhavan, where food was at its delicious best. Idlys and Dosas were served piping hot and we devoured them to satiate our grumbling stomachs. After our tummies were full, we rode again to reach the starting spot of the trek. Once we reached, the organizers handed out snacks, fruits and tetra pack drinks, supposed to sustain us through the trek. They also promised to treat us to Maggi and Paranthas for lunch at the top. Shortly after a pep-talk from our lady organizer, we - a clan of 29 enthusiastic ladies and 6 down-to-earth men, began marching slowly but determinedly into the still wilderness, leaving the routine hustle-bustle behind us.

Still not ready to familiarize within the gang, none of us spoke more than an occasional word with each other. For the next 30 minutes, we silently scaled the rising ground through the steady drizzle, listening to the distant babble of a brook and the soft plops that our shoes made. A few shoe soles succumbed to the muddy tracks and the pointy rocks but our zeal was not to be cowed down easily by worn-out soles. Then came the first freezing stream to be crossed, threatening to throw us off balance with it's currents. It took only a moment for our organizers to spring daringly into the waters to form a strong human chain across the stream and help us get to the other side. This is exactly where the surface tension broke between all of us. Suddenly, sunny smiles popped up all around, jokes were cracked, and helpful hands were extended. Inspired by our organisers' light-hearted humor and the green thicket encompassing us, we trudged forward with even more cheer than before, clicking selfies with nature here and there. 

Traipsing through the dense thicket, we braved thorny branches, itchy plants, moss covered precipice and three more streams - each more menacing than the last. Every time we felt our energy levels droop a little, we gave ourselves a stamina boost by munching into pears and guzzling down Frooti.

Just when we were beginning to get bashed up, our most sure-footed organizer who was leading the crew turned to us and announced gaily that we had neared the slide pool. We squinted our eyes hopefully through the clumps and spotted the cave, from where the slide pool was just a 10-minute trek away. Immediately, exhaustion took a backseat as all of us quickened our pace. Piqued with curiosity, we clambered over the final slippery rock-face that stood between us and the pool. With each step that we took, the pristine grandeur of the pool came into view. Exquisite it was, to behold the watercourse transform into a fall and spill gracefully to form a pool, flanked by rocky mini-cliffs. Maggi packets lay ignored in our bags as one after one of us began rock-sliding into the pool with elation while a few souls dared to take up mini-cliff diving. The pool was soon filled with colorful tubes as non-swimmers got in too. We were finally at a place where time brakes and the worries that crease our face are forgotten in order to cherish the joyousness of NOW.

Before one could realize, the skies began to darken, promising a squall anytime. It was time for us to retrace our way back to the terrains. Choosing a safe return over Maggi, we skipped lunch and started our descent. Not more than five minutes had passed when the clouds burst and drenched every last inch of us. The trail turned threateningly greasy and each of our steps became measured to avoid toppling over each other. Somehow, we dragged ourselves through the deluge and reached the plains safely before dusk befell, with the ever-active organizers guiding us intelligently. Before we could reach our starting point, we halted for a feedback session about the trek and shared our memories with the group. The next few minutes were spent changing hurriedly into dry clothes and dumping trash collected during the trek.

The ride back to Chennai was totally different from the morning ride. This time, instead of getting some sleep our bodies direly needed, we chatted incessantly about our hobbies and whatnot. That moment, I realized - new friendships had been forged, not on Facebook but for real. The feeling of getting to know new people was so refreshing.

Midway during the ride, we dined at a quaint Punjabi Dhaba and gobbled down Chapatis. Our van made it to Chennai around 11pm and we were dropped off safely at our pick-up points. The organizers bade us farewell, leaving us with rich memories and also a post-trek meetup promise. Slowly, the painful truth hit me - the day was over. I had successfully completed my first trek. Maybe I was washed out physically, but even that couldn't dampen my sky-high spirits. This is one good day I would never forget in life. Engrossed with the humdrum routine life, this trek has greatly helped me rekindle my buried relationship with Nature, alongwith kindred souls.

Awaiting the next trek to Nagalapuram-West soon!

Here's one final heartfelt Cheer for all our CTC organizers who made this a memorable experience for us.

Talkie Talks #01: ‘Secretariat’

Nowadays, deciding on a movie to watch is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There seems to be a consistent downhill movement in plot quality, consequentially rendering movies that are a pathetic drag. That’s when I decided to post a blog for every movie I came across, watched and came to love. So, the first post honor goes to ‘Secretariat’ – a drama genre that is suitable for family viewing, vested with adrenaline boosters.

Why you should watch it?

To a common eye, this picture is all about a precocious racehorse, reiterating along the lines of those all-too-common stunning underdog stories. Well, I suggest you look deeper, not into Secretariat, but into Penny Tweedy. She is one gritty lady worth knowing about in our lives. The movie begins with Penny taking over the farm estate from her ailing father, after steadfastly refusing to liquidate it. Keeping in mind her palmy childhood days spent playing with the horses, she decides to revive the business headed to the ruins, by taking one focused shot into horse-racing. In a community filled with ruthless chauvinists vying to outlive the odds, Penny gets noticed by displaying her panache, right from wanting the sire of Somethingroyal (Something that everybody she knew advised against) and finally growing him into one of the greatest thoroughbreds of all time. The way she selects her crew is also notable, for she picks on people who fall in the same pod with her i.e. misunderstood people packed with latent potential. With the crew set, she begins grooming ‘Big Red’ (her chestnut colt) to compete for the Triple Crown, the most honored title for 3 year old Thoroughbreds. Clinching the title would be victory enough to silence the rash comments from male competitors as well as ease the tax filings for the estate. While training Big Red, never once do we see Penny taking out her frustration on him. On the contrary, she is compassionate and Big Red is rather attached to her incredible soothing powers. With these incidents making half the movie, the rest is a lovely visual of Secretariat majestically trotting towards the title. [Remember adrenaline boosters? Well, this is that part].

Moreover, I loved this movie not only for Penny’s gusto as the perfect businesswoman. There is much more depth to her character when she firmly handles both her family and the farm amidst marital issues. In the process of watching her juggle both business and relationships with the perfect rhythm, I have become her secret admirer. She is a lady ironclad with pure grit and forbearance to get through the worst and embrace the best. Thus, Penny Tweedy is a true-life embodiment of our ‘Loaded Women Power’, thereby holding the potential to be a paragon to look up to, for budding women aspirants lining up in this 21st century.

Other add-ons in the movie would be the ever-supportive secretary of Penny, racy photography and Penny’s intricate relationship with everybody in her circle. So, what are you still waiting for? Grab some popcorn and move on. Cheerio!!

2014 Wrap-Up - Laments & Raptures!!

Yes, today I finally realized it – 2014 is almost done. Not only that, it has also taken me the whole year to realize that I have done pretty much nothing like what I planned to, at the outset of 2014.

• I did not read that 100 books I wanted to;
• I stumbled through my resolution of ‘No-Meat-Anymore’, only to discover that I was not cut out for the ‘Veggie’ frame yet (Apparently, I am too young still to grasp ancient philosophy :P);
• I did not write as much as I would have liked to;
• I failed trying to convince my mom for a tattoo;
• I lost contact with a huge number of buddies without whom I, once thought, could never spend a day without;
• My blog that I had planned to take to a new different level still hosts the same boring life-topics;
• I wanted a job in Hyderabad but ended up working in Chennai;
• The decision to avoid disappointment by not expecting people to treat you the way you treat them went down the drain;
• I failed miserably at maintaining relational harmony with people that mattered the most;
• The resolve to not lose my temper and jump up & down like a fussy squirrel turned out to be too grueling and soon, I had resorted back to letting my fiery temper run wild;
• I never took that solo trip I always wanted to. 

Fine, I am not going to lament anymore but this list is not exhaustive.

Also, edging closer to the quarter-life crisis year by year, I began freaking out that I would never contemplate the sheer meaning of my existence on this planet. I was losing fast, on all that hope I had harbored from my childhood, that my mom brought me into this world to achieve something special. Would I ever in life, amount to greatness or was I going to spend the rest of my years in denial of who I am and live on to be an unremarkably average person? Thinking about them made my head swirl.

A couple of days ago, when I was repeatedly lamenting thus to a friend, he suddenly pointed out, "You are so full of yourself that you refuse to even observe the rest of the world. Take a moment away from yourself and look around; you will see that a lot of people do not even have a clue about what they want to be in life. But you! You know where your passion lies. Do you not always say you would become a writer someday? Does that not mean you at least have something to work toward and look forward to? Stop complaining about all the crap that sucks in your life and begin appreciating every single thing that has made your life worth living for till now."

Well, yeah, I pissed him off with all my self-indulgent lament, but he got his way with me. His pep talk got me thinking. I started searching for a different angle from which I could perceive 2014. Instead of whining about what I did not do, I considered what I had done.

• Maybe I did not read a hundred books, but I covered around 30 books.
• Yes, I found out I was not a veggie-friendly person, but I did hold good on my resolution for almost a year and also ended up finding out it was useless to pretend that I cared about all the meat-giving animals. No, that is not who I am right now and I am to glad to embrace that trait of mine because that's ME.
• I did not write much but I did write a few articles and also win a few competitions.
• I couldn't get a tattoo but I got my own pair of green-colored lenses :D..
• Losing contact with a huge number of friends threw light on the ones who were going to stay in my life forever and I in theirs'.
• Yep, face it, my blog is full of me and writing these boring posts has actually helped me spill my mind into words and in turn, relax.
• Though Chennai was not an initial option, it gave me an opportunity to get to know amazing people.
• Of course, it was disappointing when people did not treat me back the way I did them, but I never stopped.
• Relational harmony and anger management is not exactly my strong forte but it was overwhelming to know that few people still loved me irrespective of it.
• That solo trip is still pending but I trekked Nagalapuram and made some wonderful memories.

By the time I finished, I was feeling great. Believe me, it has actually worked wonders on me. A slight attitudinal shift from pessimistic to optimistic is all it takes to live life like a pro. Yes, it has not been easy - to start thinking on the terms of what we have done rather than what we have not, but the thing is - there is a widespread saying that the mantra to a happy life is 'No Regrets', which simply means not being too hard on yourself. Judging yourself harshly for what you did wrong or what you did not do right is downright toxic to your system. So, take it down a notch with the judging (That is what I am going to do hereafter)

I would like to get this over with, by mentioning a quote from my all-time favorite collections.

So, if you have always known what you want to do in your life, the first person standing between you and your dream is yourself. Knowing what you want to become in life is just the starting step to a long journey ahead. While your beloved ones will help you along the way, it is YOU who has to ultimately finish what you started. Time's a bitch and it will neither understand you nor your passion. Therefore, before it slips away from your clutch, make it count. Was all you did in 2014 a big fat nothing? Who cares now, there is just a month left of it. So, let's welcome 2015 with a bang and start afresh.

Here's to cracking open all our bottled wishes in 2015 - Cheers!!

No more tolerating.. Let's speak up!!

Spending 23 years nowhere but under the warmth of pampering and sophistication, shifting to Chennai for my first corporate job has been a great eye-opener for me. Normally, it takes me around an hour to reach my office. I take a share-auto from our house to the nearest railway station, then commute from there to another station, from where I take our company shuttle. This routine 120 minutes/day of to and fro transit have taught me more than anyone or anything could in this world.

Each day, I am a silent witness to trash carelessly thrown onto the railway tracks and garbage tossed apathetically from window seats.  Also, the very disturbing fact that a person is ready to walk up to the railway track and fling junk but doesn't feel like instead walking over to the trash can was so infuriating. I started contemplating on why people acted that way. The simple but hard truth of it - We Indians apparently lack the tacit knowledge that a trash should go in a trash-can. Our minds aren't programmed to search around for bins. Rather, we hurl things we do not need out of our own way, not giving a damn about those who live around us.

Image Source: Frontline

But, even when I am frustrated about all this, what do I do? Absolutely nothing!! I just play dumb. At times, I manage to cast a disapproving look at the folks who chuck out trash, if I am seated opposite to them in the train (which, by the way, never gets noticed in most of the cases). Once, I even tried preaching a fellow commuter but he just gave me a death stare in response. I gave him an equally agonizing stare back, but my insides were already cringing back with hurt and shame.

As days rolled by, my frustration gave in to resignation and I learned, like all citizens, to turn a blind eye to the trashing madness around me in railway stations. I also programmed my mind to think, "What can I do when the world is like this? I responsibly use trash cans and that is all that matters. I should learn not to be too hard on myself and take public matters in my own hands" This is how I have been coping with both myself and the world. Having said that, I very well know that this mindset will hold good only for so long. Not very far from now, I would feel downright ashamed for being a passive accomplice to this act. The indifferent attitude that I adopt now will gnaw my insides then. I know I have to act now if I want things to change around me. 

Changes do not happen when we keep on secretly wishing for them on a shooting star. They happen only when we boldly act on it. I earnestly await those days when I walk in a railway station or peep out through a window from a train and see that the sides of railway tracks are spotless. Let's make SWACHH BHARAT a reality and not just a fantasy in our minds!!

This post has been inspired by the #AbMontuBolega Campaign by Strepsils (http://www.abmontubolega.com/)

About the Campaign: Through #AbMontuBolega, RB (Reckitt Benckiser) aims to break the inhibitions that have settled in the minds of our citizens, encourage them to kit up and voice their opinions loudly, on what we should do to create a healthy and cleaner India - the much fantasized SWACHH BHARAT.

To know more about the campaign, check out their official pages on Twitter and Facebook.