INNOCOUS RAMBLINGS!!

So I am back to blogging again. It's been a hectic semester especially as I am in one of those really tough branches of engineering called electronics but now hopefully, I am back for good!! My exams are on going yet it's amazing how you manage to find free time during end semester exams and none before it. If you have covered up your bases earlier, then exams become a much less hectic period than most of the students make it out be. Luckily~I am in a position where I can give some free time to my writing now.

Not that I have anything important to say. I am just in one of those innocous rambling moods where I want to write something because I want to give myself some creative exercise rther than waste my free time watching a movie or go chatting with friends. So thus this post which is basically about nothing. One of those mood swings when you feel light headed, content with you life and the direction in which it is going rather than get all philopsophical and start rambling about what's wrong with the world.

But then there's a lot which is wrong with this world. One of those few basic things wrong with the world is how shallow we men are when compared to our more fairer opposite sex. I don't really know if we were made that way, if we were supposed to lust after hot women and not give two hoots about not so good looking females how much ever they maybe beautiful from the inside. We say that God made us so and I actually do believe in that philosophy though it's horribly flawed. You can't fight facts how much ever you want to. We are much more open to the fact that a beautiful looking girl can date a not so handsome guy but if we lay our eyes on a couple where the girl may not be the next Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif as compared to the fairly good looking boyfriend we immediately start a deabte on whether the guy is just plain crazy or blind. Can't he see her face or something? He can't be serious about her!! Oh~maybe he's in it only for the sex. Or maybe the guy was just plain desperate as all the good one's in this Godforsaken place have already been taken. We men really are shallow in our thoughts.

It's a simple thing~if the girl isn't beautiful, we'll never think of dating her irrespective of how well we bond with her or how good a person she may actually be. The first and most important criteria for a prospective girlfriend is always that she must be good looking. Not that we'll date just some hot female we see walking on the road and are able to seduce or finds us attractive. No~we are not that shallow. We'll still see how she is as a person, whether we can have a nice conversation with her and if she's one of those girls whom we men so fondly brand as attitude bitches then she can be as hot as Katrina Kaif but we still wouldn't date her. Ofcorse we wouldn't mind a one night stand with her or even several night stands but a relationship is out of the question. It'll be just one of those 'sex without any strings attached' kind of relationship.

Oh~how we love the term 'sex withot any strings attached.' When we hear that from a girl we basically go wild with glee thinking that things just couldn't get any better. I mean what does a normal guy want. It's simple~sex. And sex without responsibilites, without having to shoulder the excess baggage of being the girl's emotional support...all the better. You get a room, you go to all the bases, fornicate and then next day you act like nothing ever happened before the night comes again and another round of fornication follows. If any of the people out there were thinking that the study that men think about sex every five seconds was just a pervert minds thinking-then you are wrong. Men do think about sex every five seconds. And every time it is usually with a different chick.

I know it's very bold of me to say that and I would proably put off some of the girls by this but then I am just stating the truth. Crucify me for that if you want to. I am no exception to the rule. Every man fantasizes about sex and like every other man says ~it's nature. Man was born with an inherent tendency to fantasize about sex and view any random chick he sees on the road or at a disc as naked. Of corse~we don't do that to our friends. For once you come to know a person you just can't stoop low so as to fanatsize one of your pretty female friends as a sex object. No, we ain't that shallow either. I guess God just made man a horny being. Or maybe men became horny during the process of evolution. Come to think of it~that is quite funny. As man eveolved from the monkeys so did his horniness(is horniness even a term? I have no idea but I am too shallow minded right now to think of a more decent term for horny or horniness so I am saying it like it is!) Not that girls can't be nymphoniacs. There are lots out there who are waiting to ravish any man they can find and can't seem to get enough of sex but the thing is~here too there is a difference.

Just because men tink about sex all the time doesn't mean all those men are nymphomaniacs. That's why I used the term 'horny'(ok~I know that's a disgusting term but bear with me please as I don't seem to have any substitutes for that word) with regards to men and nymphoniacs with regards to the fairer sex. For the term nymphomanicas means a person who can't seem to get enough of sex while the term horny(yeah~that word again) just means someone who gets a little too much of an erection. Doesn't necessarily means he can't control it or that he uses only sex as the means to solve his umm....problem!!(I won't get into the details of the other means for obvious reasons). It is again a fact that women are a lot more akin to being obsessedwith sex than men. We just fantasize about sex, women actually want it. And the fact that it's a lot easier for them to get a little bit of the action than it is for men(you can't argue there) basically means women tend to get a bit more upset than the men when they can't seem to get satisfy their 'fetish.' Since it's much more difficult for men to have sex with any random girl than vice versa(meaning it's a lot more easier for girls to have sex when they want to than men) we are a bit more used to controlling our urge than the girls and hence girls tend to be a bit more nymphomatic than boys.

Ok~I guess that's enough gibberish for a day. I mean honestly...from where do I get these really weird thoughts? Ah well~we'll leave that for another day. Till then I have only one thing to say~I WILL BE BACK!!CHEERS!!

A Bout of Nostalgia!!

I am in a nostalgic mood today. Have been for some time actually but today is when its hitting me the most. I gave my 1st exam of the 4th semester end sem examinations today. Another 5 exams and 11 days later and my 2nd year of engineering will be over. And while it'll still be another 2 years to go before I can call myself a graduate, I just can't help but realise how these two years seem to have gone in the blink of an eye. When we return to college on 21st July from our homes, we'll be in 3rd year and I guess that's when we'll officially start ticking down the time we have left in this place we have called home for the last 2 years-Manipal. No, I am not counting down the days yet as there's still some time left for that but I guess once you realise that you are about to enter the 2nd and final half of your college life, getting nostalgic is something you just can't avoid. Especially if you are as emotional a person as me or have the fantastic group of friends that I do. Almost each moment remains cherished and I just can't beleive that I have been with these boys together for almost 2 years now. Really~I couldn't ask God for a better bunch of friends and God Himself couldn't have given me better friends even if He wanted to. When he send me to Manipal he almost seemed to say-"Farid, this is it!This is the life you dreamt of, these are the friends you have always wanted and you are one of those few lucky people who is actually getting the friends that you are going to get in Manipal!" And I really can't thank God enough for that.

And it's been a journey that I'll never ever forget. It has undoubtedly been the most remarkable period of my life. When I was in school I had heard a lot about how your college days are the best days of your life. Two years into my college life and I can tell you that all of it is true. College days are indeed the best days of your life. And though I have no intentions of extending my stay here for more than the presribed 4 years needed to earn your degree, a part of my heart wished it could. But I guess all good things have to come to an end and last only for a short while.

Almost every memory is still fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday and yet somehow it all seems so long ago now. I can't really believe that it's been 4 semesters already here~it seems just yesterday that I had taken my train from the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai and got down at Udupi station to get admission in the Manipal Institite of Technology. Has it been really that long? I guess it has for my exam hall ticket says I am giving the 4th semester exams now. Seriously~good times do fly. We can't wait for a 1 hour lecture to end and yet how many of us has actually realised that each of those hours has now contributed to a whole 2 years?? We have surviving those boring torturous lectures for 2 years now. And we still ain't used to them.

2 years ago I had entered Anish's room in the 11th block hostel with his parents still there and we had discussed about our plans to conquer Manipal. 2 years ago I had entered NLH-104, our classroom for the 1st semester with Anish and looked around at our new surroundings with complete awe. "Is this really a classroom?" O had wondered to myself foe these classrooms could have easily been substituted for a multinational company conference meeting or a multiplex theatere screen. 2 years ago on a saturday I had walked up to that podium, stood in the centre and given a speech on "PEN" in the speech class and had blown the entire class away. It was then that I knew that I had arrived. It was then that the person called Farid Baig-till then just a short, stout, bald boy began to be noticed. It was then that I had made friends with Ritayan and Sameer-a friendship which 2 years later is still going strong. Those two room mates were the first official friends I had made in my class after Anish(whom I knew from before). And that was a sign of bigger and much better things to come. This classroom also introduced me to Abhijeet, Anish's roomie and together me, Abhijeet, Ritayan, Sameer and Anish formed a group that is still going strong. We are all in different classes and different branches now but our friendship remains strong.

Once I got to know Ritayan and and Sameer it was only a matter of time before I was friends with Neelabh, Nikhil, Anshuman(my current roomie), Balli, Sankhya, Mandar and Bhaskar. Together with this group I would do all the masti in 1st year and in particualr first sem. The chutiyaps that we did in 1st sem are really too many to recall. Rechristening Abhijeet as Ghoda(the honor belongs to Ritayan) was one of them. Cursing basic electrical technology and wondering if we'll be able to even pass that subject was another. Luckily~we all did. Oh~and how can I forget our great plan to go to Goa in 2nd sem that we made on that fateful night of the 1st sem at KMC Greens. It was an iron clad plan, one that could never go wrong. The fact that the plan was never executed is an altogether different story. But it doesn't make any lesser a story though.

And oh~how could I ever forget the 1st semetester end sem exams. Honestly~I had never had so much fun in my entire life and I couldn't have picked a worse time for it. Almost every day of the end sem we would hang out at the Inoocation Centre steps at about 7 in the evening, then go have dinner at any restaurant we could find, thus wasting 3-4 hours in the process when we should have been busy with our books, and while coming back from dinner as we went past the girls hostel we would sing songs in loud voices (to ensure that the girls could hear) "Tujhe Dekha To Ye Jaana Sanam" or "Mere Haath Mein Tere Haath Ho". God~those were the days. When we felt we could actually get away with anything, when immaturity was allowed and when these actions were actually looked like as having fun. Now as we are about to enter 3rd year, if we went singing in front of the girls hostel, we would probably be branded as rowdies and immature seniors, instead of innocent and fun loving juniors. How views can change in a matter of 2 years!! Oh~and ofcorse, on the final day of our 1st semester with a Maths paper still to go, me, Nikhil, Abhijeet and Sankhya went about clicking pictures of the college during the afternoon. Oh~and I gave a pepsi treat to everyone in our hostel mess as a tribute to our 1st sem and our friendship. And during evening all 14 of us were clicking pictures at almost every spot we could find(we didn't even leave the gates of the college canteen....I mean come on~who clicks pictures of the college canteen gates? But we did.) and when we were done doing that, at about 12 in the night we all gathered in Ritayan's room to celebrate Abhijeet's birthday which co-incidentally happened to fall on the last day of the sem. So as Abhijeet cut the cake aptly titled "Happy Birthday Ghoda", the rest of the hostel went about tearing anyone's shirt they could find as a celebration of the end of the first semester. If you were wearing a shirt and dared to step outside your room then you sure as hell never wore that shirt again.

Really~that first sem seems almost like from another lifetime when I think of it. None of those things that happened in 1st sem happen now. I guess it's because we have got used to the life here. Almost nothing seems to be new as if we have done it all before. Excitement for parties has almost vanished. Actions like tearing each other's shirt or singing in front of girls hostel which seemed so much fun in 1st semester is now almost looked down upon as being immature as we come close to entering 3rd year. Have we really changed that much? Have we really grown up that much that we now look down on things that we found fun just 2 years ago as chilidish behavior? I guess we must have. But it still doesn't feel so though. It seems that we are almost forcing ourselves to grow up. For we have juniors now, and therefore we must present our selves as being more mature and wise than them. And now that we'll be 3rd years we have to act more mature. W are not kids anymore. 1st years are~and that's why they can get away with anything. For childishness is expected out of them. Yet somehow I can't help but thing about the child inside me still waiting to sing in fron of the girls hostel. For that was so much fun. And what's the big difference between being 19 years old and 21 years old?

We really haven't grown up that much. We just think we should grow up for it's time for placements now, it's time to give campus interviews, we'll soon be having jobs and therefore we have to show maturity. We can't afford to be immature. But inside~we all are still kids. It was exemplified by a very simple act in the Group Study Hall yesterday. At about 10:30 in the night, me, Sameer, Shashank and Neelabh got together and out of sheer frustration and boredom decided to play a Bhojpuri song in the entire Study Hall just for fun. And as the song'Bagalwali' played at full volume and every person busy mugging up last minute notes looked around for the source of commotion, me, Shashank and Sameer just couldn't help burst out laughing clutching our stomachs and rolling onto the ground in mirths of laughter. Really~it was the most fun I had in a long time. And it maybe an act of immaturity~but it still was fun doing it.

IN OUR HEARTS, THERE STILL LIVES A 1ST YEAR!!

THE PHARMOOLA WORKS!!!

Ok~I am giving a warning right at the beginning that this is going to be a surprisingly positive review of a movie which is supposedly the most disappointing and worst film since Jhoom Barabar Jhoom hit the the screens last year. The fact that both these films belong to the esteemed Yash Raj Production house makes it even more intriguing. But while I to agreed to every bit of criticism that was directed JBJ's way, I will however give Tashan two thumbs up for making one of the most entertaining movies I have ever seen.

Most of the critics are right about the film when it comes to the movie following the 80's masala potboiler formula but I don't exactly see what's wrong with following that formula. Let's face it, Vijay Krishna Acharya makes no two bones about the fact that his movie is nothing more than a masala entertainer. The promos of the movie never said that this one was going to be the next Rang De Basanti or Taare Zameen Par. They never highlighted that Tashan was going to blow you off with it's excellent script and sensitive handling of cinema. Tashan was never about path breaking cinema. It was always about how exactly in your face entertainment can get. And while this brand of in your face entertainment gets a bit irritating at times, for most parts this one's a complete joyride.

There's no fantastic plot here. The plot is just an execuse to dish out more and more brand of formulaic cinema that you have been treated to for ages and it works. The treatment is stylish but the Indian way. In fact this is the closest we are ever going to get to an Indian treatment of a wsternized plot. For some time now we have seen the westernized treatment of Indian plots in Bollywoood, it was high time some one attempted to do the opposite. And Vijay Krishna Acharya comes out with an east meet west story like never before. The plot is pure Hollywood, the treatment is classic Bollywood. And that's where Tashan scores.

The story is about how two lovers, Jimmy(Saif Ali Khan) and Pooja(Kareena Kapoor) dupe a don, Bhaiyyaji(Anil Kapoor) of 25 crores. Pooja turns out to be a femme fatale of the awesome variety as she dupes Jimmy too and makes a run alone with the 25 crores. Enraged Bhaiyyaji hires recovery king Bachchan Pandey(Akshay Kumar) to track down Pooja and thus the chase begins. Really~not much to boast there. But as I have already said Tashan was never about a great script, it was just about how you can keep the adrenaline pumping and the plot does that work pretty well here.

Major twists come along the way, the alliances of the characters keep changing and so do their reasons to be on this wild goose chase. From a movie whose tagling reads 'THE ISHTYLE...THE GOOD LUCK...THE PHARMOOLA' you really couldn't expect anything more. And if you were~too bad. The movie rushes from one plot twist to another keeping you on the edge of your twists through out. If there's anything to complain here, then it's the lack of action sequences. For a movie that relies on style more than enything else there should have been more pulsating action sequences to keep the adrenaline flowing. The fact that there are actually just two, both after the interval, is a bit of a let down. Even the two action sequences are not as fantastically shot as they should have been. The climax turns out to be a bit of a dampener because of that. The action seems almost rushed with more time given to show how stylish the actors are rather than them shooting their bullets and beating up the baddies.

The cinematography, though good, should have been of a much higher standard seeing as this is for a large part a movie that relies on outdoor locales. Also again, the cinematography is a downer when it comes to the action sequences.

Vishan Shekhar's music is undoubtedly an asset with Dil Haara and Chhaliya being the standout songs. While Dil Haara is the best track of the lot, it's picturization is also fantastic. Chaliya is a decently composed number but it is it's picturization that takes it to another level. Dil Dance Maare is a really fun number and adds its bit to the proceedings. A special mention for Falak Dekhoo, a romantic track with great lyrics and well composed and even better shot. Even though it comes at a very crucial juncture in the movie and therefore dampens the high spirits a little bit, there's no doubt that this is a fantastic romantic track. And Kareena looks like a million bucks.

Vijay Krishna Acharya handles the script, screenplay, dialogue and direction of the movie. And for a first time director, this is a really good attempt. Though there's no doubt it's his techinical skills as a director which are highlighted in the movie, he isn't a bad story teller at all. There's scope for improvement as at times he seems to get confused on whether to narrate a story or focus on the glam quotient, especially during he climax where je just seems to think that the Indian audience will lap up any sort of action sequence as long as it it stylized but for most parts he achieves his aim with disctinction. Definitely a strong debut.

Of the cast, only Saif Ali Khan quialifies to be called a disappointment. He's almost relegated to the role of the side kick in the movie and though he gets the maximum screen space, more often that not he's over shadowed by the looming presence of Akshay Kumar. Even in his scenes with Kareena Kapoor and Anil Kapoor, he's almost reduced to a bit part player. He tries his level best to rise above the minimal character scope that he's been given, but when you have Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor as co-stars, there's not much that you can do.

Bhaiyyaj works simply because of Anil Kapoor. A lesser actor would have made Bhaiyaaji sound more hamming than evil but all credit to Anil Kapoor as he makes a less than convincing villain look agonisngly bad. He's nowhere near as evil as Mogambo or Gabbar, but if it weren't for Anil Kapoor, Bhaiyyaji would have been more of a comic character than an evil one. His take on Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar is fantastic.

Kareena could have so easily been reduced to being just the glam quotient of the movie but luckily she isn't. While there's no doubt she provides the oomph factor to the movie, there's more to her character than just wearing a lime green bikini and showing off her zero size figure. While she won't be winning the same amount of praise or awards that she did for Jab We Met, there's no doubt she gives another rivetting performance. See her expression after Akshay Kumar narrates his love story to her and then watch her as she finally comes clean with Saif Ali Khan, two scenes where she really shows her capabilities as an actress.

Akshay Kumar is the life and sould of Tashan. Without him, this movie could have so easily been just another have been. But he holds the movie together like a glue and prevents it from falling apart even in its worst moments. He really is a true blue superstar. You wait breathlessly for 40 minutes to see him on screen and when he does, he as expected, eats up each frame that he stands in. His growth as an actor can be completely realized in Tashan. Whether it be his introducion as Ravan or his intensity in the action sequences, he's the one man for whom Tashan should not be missed. This can be completely understood in that scene when he narrates the story of his childhood sweet heart to Kareena Kapoor and his reactions after that. The man enters the frame like he owns it and it shows. He really is the Tashan behind Tashan.

The formula that Tashan follows may be simple but the execution is really that much difficult. To pull off a masala pot boiler in these days with elan is just not possible. And though Tashan doesn't exactly do it with elan either, faltering on more than one occasion, for the most times this is a movie that entertains the way it's supposed to. If people think Om Shanti Om was an entertainer, then this one certainly qualifies as an entertainer as well. Really~the ishtyle and the pharmoola works, all Tashan now needs is good luck. With Akshay Kumar in the form of his life, how can that be far behind!!

Rating: ***1/2

THE STYLE THE TASHAN THE ENTERTAINMENT!!