Trip To Konkan - Part 2 (In and Around Diveagar)

Part 2: In and Around Diveagar - Afternoon and Evening, Day 1

We reached Diveagar around lunch time. Quick note here on road conditions - the Mulshi Tamhini road is pretty motorable. There are a few bad patches, and it's recommended you take it real slow because some of the potholes are bad enough to break your suspension. However, for more parts, the road is decent, especially once you enter Konkan.

We checked pretty much every possible place to stay - and it was mostly empty. So we had lots of choice. Unfortunately, most of the places we checked had very damp/mouldy bedding, and small beds. Exotica was pretty expensive at 4000/night. We finally found the very decent Patil Guest House, next to Exotica - at 1500/night, with free extra beds thrown in, with sparkling clean bathrooms and fresh bedding, this was really worth it, even though it did not have AC. The very helpful room boy Pravin even gave Samara a very good wash and was refusing to be rewarded for it! Highly recommended.

We were eager to explore, so took a quick "ghargooti" lunch at Swayam Patil Khanawal - again, highly recommended. I cannot speak much of the veggie options, but we enjoyed the Surmai and the chicken thali, got some extra Surmai too, washed it down with some awesome sol kadi, and finally, a masala paan to wrap it up.

Refreshed and excited, we set out to explore the area. First, to Dighi, a small fishing village with a port (which was out of bounds for us).

From Dighi, we turned back towards Diveagar, and then took a small road to the right that took us to Adgaon - a lovely fishing village at the end of a freakingly beautiful stretch of virgin beach and rocky outcrops.

Time for some more snaps with Samara.

By late afternoon, we came back to the hotel, freshened up, and set off for the Diveagar shore, a short 5 min walk from Patil's. The beach is long, uninterrupted and the sea is calm and perfect for swimming, but the oily patches on the sand are a real cause of concern. There was also para-gliding and dune scooters, but they didn't really appeal to us.

It was also a good time to get some horsepower in the water, without having to worry about corrosion!

Notice the metal barriers at the entrance to the beach. If this doesn't warn you to keep off, maybe my future posts will. Until then, enjoy the sun set!

At night, we made the mistake of going for Chinese and Punjabi at Shree Ganesh. Expensive and tasteless, it was a good opportunity wasted. We retired to our rooms, and while the rest played cards, it was time for me to rest and recuperate for what was to come the next day.

Trip To Konkan - Part 1 (Mulshi)

Part 1: Detours Are Fun! OR, Making the Most of the Journey!

Early on Saturday morning, Samara and I joined up with 4 of my closest friends on a road trip to Konkan. We had no plan, no bookings, no destination. Heck, if we didn't get a place to bunk in at night, we were even ready to rough it out in the SUV.

All we wanted was a lot of driving, lots of photos, good Konkan food, and a great time.

We stopped for breakfast at Mulshi, misal pav, pohe and chai.

Lots of pretty scenery on the way, of course!

But then it was time for our first unplanned detour. We took the Mulshi - Lonavla road, and just past the Ashram, just 3-4 KM from the fork off the main road, we reached this amazing spot. The valley and cliffs are breathtaking, but be careful when you go towards the edge - it will be a pretty difficult climb back up for those going down to bring you back!

It was time for some soft roading with Samara, and the deceptively sharp V of the spring we crossed was enough to rip off the lower right tail light. In memory of this "coming of age" ritual for Samara, I have now officially named this the "Tail Light point". Future travelogue writers, please note.

We also met this gang of 4 from Pune, one of whom is a wannabe TBHPian, who was so thrilled to see the TBHP stickers on Samara, and witness some TBHP action.

An hour later, eager to get into Konkan, we took their leave and set off. It was a detour well worth the time and the lost tail light. Highly recommended for anyone going to or through Mulshi.

Boys Become Men - Indian Colts Win U19 WC

Unmukt Chand. Baba Aparajith. Harmeet Singh. Smit Patel. Sandeep Sharma.

Watch out for these boys - because they are the future of Indian cricket.

Pic Credit: TOI

While the Indian seniors were spinning their web around the Kiwis for an innings defeat in Hyderabad, the real action was in Australia, where a spirit Indian U19 team wrapped up the final in style, beating strong favourites and defending champions Australia in the U19 WC, led by a powerful, unbeaten captains knock of 111 with 6 sixers by Unmukt Chand, the handsome Delhi lad, ably supported by wickey Smit on 62.

Earlier, Sandeep ripped through the Aussie top order and then grabbed two more, to post 4-54, and restrict the must feared Aussie side to just 225, which was actually pretty good given that they had succumbed to 4-38.

India now hold the titles for both the senior and the junior ICC One Day WCs.

Movie Review: Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi

SFKTNP is a ghisi piti love story with a lovely twist - the protagonists are 40-something Parsis, Shirin (Farah Khan in a pretty decent role) and Farhad (Boman, as always, very convincing).

What works for the movie: Boman, but even more, his mom and grand mom, two outstanding performances.

What works against it: the second half, you realize there's only so much you can take of this love story with a twist.

The movie also gives a close look at life of the tiny Parsi community, their clothes, their food, their mannerisms... although some of the scenes could have been toned down

The music is actually pretty interesting, juxtaposed against the 40-something actors... works pretty well, actually, except the SRK-Kajol et al bit.

Watch out for Nauheed Cyrusi in her brief cameo - she looks stunning!

Should you watch the movie? Maybe, if you wanna watch a ghisi piti love story with a twist, if you want another Boman special, or if you aren't going on the Konkan drive this weekend :)

Rains At Lonavla

Two Boys And A Doorway

Young Love

New Delhi

Was in New Delhi last week - after almost a decade. Didn't get much time to roam around, given that we had four meetings in 5 hours, but I was impressed by the IGI T3, the metro, the massive toll plazas, the highways - some truly international class infrastructure.

What was disappointing was the unnecessary aggressiveness of the people on the road - the vehicle used as a battering ram, forcing oneself into spaces that don't exist, a show of one-up-manship that can turn deadly any second.

Interestingly, the people we did talk to, were generally sweet and helpful. No complaints there!

NoMoZo

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure and fortune of being in Panaji for the NoMoZo (non motorized zone) - a 3 hour event on 18th June Road, when all traffic is off, and youngsters and oldies all descend on the area for an amazing time of bonding, fun, energy and sharing. Whether it's parents taking their babies for a walk, or kids playing baddy, foot ball and cricket, cyclists showing off their gear, eager youngsters performing street plays or groups of energetic young boys and girls doing the Zuma dance, free cookies or free saplings, it was a truly memorable experience!

Here's wishing many many  more NoMoZos in Panaji and other cities - the more the merrier.

Note: Pune had a wonderful experiment with the walking plaza on MG Road, but the event seems to have been shelved for now. Hope it is revived soon!

Here are some pics from Sunday's NoMoZo - I think they say it all!

Spiderman In The Making

The exciting thing about living in a village is the rich diversity of life - and when a bright, green, fat spider comes underneath your bare feet and stings you with a powerful dose of venom, you know you are the chosen one.

Something similar happened to me last weekend in Goa - got bitten by this venomous Green Huntsman Spider (Family Sparassidae). Spent some anxious moments, but since the only effect seemed to be a gooey web coming out from the base of my palms, it was all for good!

Harmony

This happens only in Goa... came across this wonderful example of communal peace and harmony outside a small chappel in Baga - a small idol of Ganapati sharing space with a cross, a common place of worship! Simply mesmerizing...

Baga - Full House

There was a time when monsoons meant a complete shut down in Goa. Not any more. With great roads, and an upwardly mobile population, Goa is now a popular destination, especially on weekends, throughout the year.

Check out Baga last Saturday:

As the evening wore on, the Drishti life guards had a tough time controlling the crowds, ensuring they got out of the dangerously rising tide waters. To their credit, they stuck to their guns, with patience, till every tourist was safely out of the water.

Movie Review: Ek Tha Tiger

When a ruthless RAW agent on a mission in Dublin squares up against a pretty demure ISI lass, he loses not just his cover, but his heart as well. To save their love, and each other's lives, they must fight the combined might of the two enemies and their dreaded spy agencies.

ETT starts off brilliantly with a well-executed action sequence in exotic bylanes and markets of what is supposed to be a small town in Northern Afghanistan. Salman makes a great entry, to excited hoots and whistles from his die hard fans. The fight sequence is authentic, no Dabangg-style pyrotechnics here. But just 10-15 mins later, Salman bumps into the ISI lass (a gorgeous Katrina Kaif), and the movie suddenly loses the plot - slowing down to a whimpering pace, until well into the interval. Salmak-Kat's chemistry is pretty good, there is a sprinkle of nice humour too, but you yearn for action.

The movie picks up pace in the second half, and the climax scenes are pretty well done, with some great car chases and slam-bang action. The locales continue to be exotic - Istanbul and Havana, and of course, with Katrina lighting up the screen every time she's on - which she is a lot - the movie is a treat to the visual senses. The sound track is repetitive, but makes your heart pump up the beating and works very well to set the tempo for the action sequences. The songs are decent, but not chartbusters (at least at first hearing) and pretty repetitive too - but again, with Kat on the screen, you don't have much cause for complain. Sallu on the other hand, is very non-Dabangg. From his dance steps to his dressing, to the jokes, he's a lot more "sophisticated" in ETT.

Of course, in spite of the weak story and slow pace in the beginning, the movie works simply because of the brilliance of its leads - Salman and Kat both sizzle and deliver a powerful punch.

Definitely another 100 Cr club member... go watch it.

(With the steep hike in the price of tickets, and the long weekend coming up, I wouldn't be surprised if this smashes all records at the BO)

Movie Review: The Bourne Legacy

I consider myself some kind of an expert on Jason Bourne, David Webb, Treadstone, Cover One, and all things Robert Ludlum, inspired or not. I think that's fair given that I have 40 Robert Ludlum or "inspired by" Robert Ludlum books in my book case, many of them having been read more than once.

So first things first. The Bourne Legacy has nothing to do with Jason Bourne. It is not even remotely similar to the Eric Van Lustbader novel by the same name, which of course, is the 4th of the Bourne series, and the first of the seven written by Lustbader.

However, here's the good news. The movie rocks. Totally. And I don't think I would be stretching it too much if I say that the movie is better than the Bourne trilogy so far, with Matt Damon as Jason.

Jeremy Renner plays Aaron Cross, a super-soldier developed as part of a top secret program aimed at genetically modifying the physical and neural structure of the subjects using a virus as the carrier agent. However, when Jason Bourne (never shown except as a picture of Matt Damon) threatens to expose the programme, orders are given to eliminate all traces - one by one, the soldiers are terminated - all, except Aaron. When a shoot out at the lab kills all but one doctors working on the project, Aaron knows he has to save her (Rachel Weisz as Dr Marta). They escape to Manila, with the CIA hot on their heels, where Aaron and Dr Marta manage to lay their hands on the live virus culture needed to free Aaron from further medications. There is only one tiny matter left to be sorted out - a super-assassin sent out to eliminate them.

The Legacy starts off slow, and the many characters and dialogues are difficult to comprehend - but once the stage is set for the chase, the action comes thick and fast. From gun battles to hand to hand combat, including one with a wolf, from UAVs to the hi-tech tracking gadgetry of the CIA, from foot chases on the shanty town roof tops of Manila to an adrenalin pumping bike chase through crowded streets, culminating in what has to be one of the best climax scenes of a chase, The Legacy is truly a Robert Ludlum inspiration of the highest level. Jeremy Renner acts and feels a lot more like Bourne than Matt Damon (who I always felt was a complete misfit; George Clooney would be so much more like Jason!), and Rachel Weisz is just perfect as his companion. The gadgetry, the tracking, the chase, even the viral infections and medications are presented and explained in a very easy-to-believe way, never crossing into the realm of the impossible.

Overall, an excellent action thriller, a package that Robert Ludlum fans will lap up with relish. A legacy well lived.

Oh and yes, do not miss the Ford Endeavour during the chase :)

Team India!

Proud winners of Team India... Go India Go!

Catty Conversations

Movie Review: Meeting Evil

A deep-in-debt and desperate-for-money John finds his life turned upside down, when a stranger knocks on his door, and takes him on a crazy, murderous ride that will leave a trail of blood that leads back to his family. With the police unwilling to trust his story, John has very little options, and must do everything he can to save and protect his family.

A gory action thriller, with a good performance by Samuel Jackson as the stranger who invades John's life, I did find it difficult to grasp the ending... so if you figure it out, do send me a note :)

Sushil On Way To Gold?

Just watched Sushil Kumar wrestle his opponents into submission, first in his QF bout to get into the semis, and then taking on the Uzbek in the semis. He came back from 1-1 period each, and 1-3 in the final round against the on-the-come back Uzbek, to double roll his opponent, then pick him up from the ground almost on his shoulders before dropping him down in victory... and of course, along with a humiliating defeat, he also handed him a very bloodied ear.

Amazing fight, and two and half hours later, Sushil will be fighting for gold.

Go India Go!

What's Up?

WIth the rains finally catching up these last few days, and Pune's dams filling up to around 20 TMC (Pune needs 14 TMC a year to quench it's thirst), citizens can finally heave a sigh of relief. And with government's drought relief measures in place, hopefully, most farmers will be able to sow and reap well too.

Violence erupted in Mumbai yesterday after inflammatory speeches about atrocities against Muslims in the NE. Police quickly brought matters in control, but not before two people were killed and scores of vehicles stoned and torched. Pune police have gone on overdrive to prevent similar trouble, given the sizeable NE student population here.

India bagged it's biggest medal tally, with Yogeshwar Dutt putting up a stirling performance of grit, determination and intelligence in his final face off, to win the bronze, and a rare standing ovation. Although our archers, many of the shooters and the hockey team failed miserably, we put up our best show ever - and the tally of 5 hides another 7-8 medals that were so close in boxing, and even a couple in athletics!

Kingfisher continues to pile on misery for Mallya, its employees and its passengers. And is caught in a vicious cycle from which there seems to be no escape... striking employees means lesser flights and lower service levels, which means passengers shun the airline, which means bigger losses and obviously, no salaries! An important lesson in business - you can capture the market with frills and price wars, but many a times, that will destroy you. Flipkart finds itself in a similar unenviable position - a great market reach and branding, but losing money on every transaction!

Pakistani Hindus have been fleeing to India in the dozens, alleging torture and discrimination in their home country, while Pakistani authorities are calling it a conspiracy by India. The Hindu population in Pakistan is down from 15% to 2% since independence, but even that tiny number surprises me. Wouldn't have given minorities much of a chance!

While Fareed Zakaria has been suspended by TIME and CNN for plagiarism (one wonders why established journos like him even need to do that!) - here's a little "borrowed stuff" from my side - just couldn't pass up the chance to talk about it! A Brazilian woman decided to name her child after her husband, but didn't realize they would end up with 15 Walter-to-bes in the family! In all, the couple have nine daughters and six sons - Walterlucia, Walterlivia, Walterlenia, Walterlonia, Walterlacia, Walterluzia, Walterangelina, Waltersilviana, Walteremanuel, Walterluis, Walterareyoureallystillreading, Walteroliverio, Waltermarcelo, Walterlicinio and Walterfernando. And if that was not Walterous enough, they have 33 grandchildren, named in the same Waltericious tradition!

After Anna disbanded his team and announced plans to take up politics, it was back to Baba Ramdev's circus at Jantar Mantar. Sponsoring all expense paid Delhi trips from small towns and villages around the capital to drum up crowds, to equating his corrupt assistant with the Mahatma and Bhagat Singh, to making grand speeches and giving the government 72 hour deadlines, Ramdev surely knows how to make a spectacle - of himself. Sadly, a truly national movement that had stirred up emotions and support from the generally-indifferent urban middle class, has been turned into nothing more than a circus. Shows what bad company and ego can do to you! But I guess when leaders like Hitler (one cannot doubt the greatness of his leadership - turned even as it was towards the worst atrocities and horrendous hurt to mankind) can bring doom upon themselves through their misguided egos, Anna's climbdown from being hailed as the country's second Mahatma should not be too surprising.

Movie Review: Kaksparsh (Marathi)

Kaksparsh is a complicated love story. But before you go ahead and grab a DVD, read the review.


Set in pre-independence Konkan, the film begins with Mahadev's marriage to a bright 14-year old girl. Barely a few months later, a sick Mahadev dies the night they finally plan to consummate their marriage. As Mahadev's elder brother tries to protect and support the young widow, the film raises some critical questions about religion, marriage, love, and death.

The cast of the film is top notch. Sachin Khedekar is the heart of the film with a rock solid role. Ketki Mategaonkar (from Shaala) and Priya Bapat who play the young widow Uma,  are both extremely effective and will touch a chord. Sanjay Khapre as Balwant is extremely competent as well.

But at the end of the day, the movie is far too long, one-dimensional, serious, and heavy. In today's age, perhaps, also a little timed out.

Watch only if you are a serious movie buff, and a Marathi movie lover at that. This one is not meant for entertainment...

Movie Review: Gangs of Wasseypur II

Few sequels are better, or even as good, as part one. And while you can argue that GoW II isn't really a sequel (it was shot as a single marathon movie, remember?), one thing you will have to agree - GoW II does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seats with non stop action from the very first frame, all through the pretty long 2 hours 45 mins. GoW I had a slow start, a lengthy documentary-type introduction that almost turned you off with the B&W footage and factoids, before the movie picked up pace. With GoW II, the national anthem before the movie kicks off is the only time you really get to be distracted.

Like Godfather, GoW is well and truly a cult movie.

The movie starts with a tiny recap of the first half - with Sardar Singh's execution. What follows is an endless saga of vengeance and killings that rips apart Wasseypur, touching generation after generation, all the way into recent times. The screen play, the locations, the cast, the dialogues, the cinematography - absolutely top notch, absolutely faultless.

The romance between Faizal Khan (Nawazuddin in a role that matches and rivals Manoj Bajpai's performance in Part 1) and Mohsina (a very beautiful and very sexy Huma Qureshi, such a change from Bollywood's "normal") adds beautifully to the experience, and brings some relief from the constant kills.

Anurag Kashyap's eye for details is stunning - check the scene when Faizal returns for his chappals, after rushing out at the news of his father's death. The use of Bollywood music as a backdrop, changing as the years go by, is also a master class in screenplay.

If at all, there's a little bit of weariness that creeps in with the endless violence and subplot after subplot. Maybe a few mins less would have been easier on the audience, but hey, I am not complaining! Bring it on!

(Should you watch it even if you haven't seen Part 1? Yes, absolutely! Don't worry too much if you don't get who is killing whom and why... that's not important, really... just soak in the blood!)

Movie Review: Von Ryan's Express

Got a chance to watch this 60s Frank Sinatra movie on Blu Ray last night... a bunch of Allied prisoners, led by an American officer, attempt a daring escape through occupied Italy, by taking over a Nazi train and trying to bluff their way into Switzerland.

A far cry from some of the excellent war movies of those times, primarily because of the far fetched nature of the plot.. was a disappointment, although it was one of Sinatra's biggest hits.

Movie Review: CleanSkin

A British Secret Service Agent is tasked with eliminating a "Clean Skin" suicide bomber Ashraf and his terrorist cell. While the suitcase full of Semtex is used to devastating effect by the terrorists, can Ewan and his partner prevent further tragedy? Will the violence ever stop? And more importantly, who and what is really behind the madness?


On one hand, Ewan plays the ruthless government agent, who has no hesitation slamming unarmed women, or leaving behind heavy collateral damage. On the other hand is Ashraf, a young impressionable Muslim who is brainwashed into being a suicide bomber by a smooth-talking, paradise-invoking preacher, Nabil.

Sean Bean is interesting as the grisly and gutsy Ewan, although Abhin Galeya as Ash is a lot more convincing. Tuppence looks hot at times, at times vulnerable as Ash's love interest, in a relationship doomed in the idealogical battle between Islam and the West. Peter Polycarpou is chilling as the preacher, conveying a strong sense of purpose and single-minded fanaticism that is so effective in shaping the ideologies of the "ill-treated" and "exploited" Muslim youth.

A lot of gory action interspersed with a lot of dialogues, an interesting thriller plot with an attempt at drama... this is a mixed bag. Not too bad at that.

The Narsimha Rao Strategy For Bricked Mobiles

A week or so back, I plugged in my HTC HD7 Win 7.5 mobile (which had run out of juice overnight) for charging, and poof, I got a BIOS info screen (4 bands of different colors with some information on them), and that was it. It refused to move forward. Tried taking out the SIM, googled and tried booting with different combinations of keys pressed.. zilch. It refused to budge.

Finally, I took the advice of my fellow netizens with similar problems and a lot more ideas, and gave up.

Fast forward a week later. I remembered my poor old bricked phone, and decided to give it a try. I pressed the on button, and it went into the initial white screen for a few seconds, and then, just as I was about to give up, it booted to life! Yes, it wiped out all my data, and my watsapp.. and do you know, it's no longer on the marketplace :(.. but hey, at least I got my phone back! (And due to the wonderful integration with Outlook and Exchange, none of my contacts were lost)

Morale of the story: When things don't work, give it the Narsimha Rao treatment. Do nothing. It will sort itself out.

Now, I have the tiny matter of my bricked external hard drive. Just got to wait a week or so!

India At The Olympics - Highest Medal Tally

With Mary Kom storming into the semis, India are now assured of a 4th medal at London, our highest ever tally, and with Vijendar expected to win his QF bout later tonight, we might well be on way to the 5th.

Vikas Gowda has made it to the final of the discus throw, and could well give India it's first every athletics medal. We have had our sportsmen doing pretty well in sports like rowing and even had an odd entry in swimming. Boxing has been a strength, even though a few pathetic scoring decisions robbed many of our champions of a rightful win. Yes, the shooters did not do as well as expected, and the women's archery team also missed its mark.

A few days back, I asked how important it was for a country like India to invest in sports.

What we have today is an example of how sustained institutional support is paying steady dividends. With private organizations like Olympic Gold Quest (I am related/connected with them too!) supproting these sportsmen, and the government chipping in with some great facilities, I think the tide is definitely turning, and in the future Olympics, we will have hordes of medals.

Mark my words...

Blue Beauty

This blue beauty has been parked in the basement of the erstwhile Kakade Center Port near E Square for the last few weeks... wonder what's the plan for her!

Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (3D)

In the midst of breaking and drifting continents, Sid, Diego and Manny, and some of their friends, are separated from the rest of the herd, and set adrift in the sea on an ice berg. They battle pirates and storms, before they are finally united with the rest, and wash up in a new world (don't miss the Status of Liberty!).

The animation is top class, the 3D is fun, and the movie just long enough and short enough to be interesting without being a drag. And as always, pay attention to the dialogues. My favourite - believing he is going to die, Sid screams out, "Please find me a wife and tell her I love her"...

LOL

A must watch, especially with the kids.

Movie Review: The Raven

The Raven, named after but having nothing to do with the famous Edgar Allan Poe poem, is a murder mystery thriller portraying the poet and a police detective, attempting to solve a string of brutal and gory murders in Baltimore. The perpetrator recreates famous murders from Poe's writings, and leaves clues for him with each murder pointing to the location of his kidnapped sweetheart, the daughter of a rich Baltimore socialite.


Movies based on real historical figures have created a new genre in Hollywood, with the Sherlock movies and Abraham Lincoln-starrer Vampire Hunter being the most recent.
The Raven follows the final days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life portraying the 40 year old author as a desperate broke artist, whose work is appreciated, but doesn't pay his bills (pretty much what happened in real life). As the reluctant hero, Edgar saves his sweetheart, but loses his life in the bargain - again, in circumstances pretty close to whatever has been documented and known about his real demise.
The weakness of the movie is that it simply presents murder after grissly murder, without letting the tension build up, without any intelligent analysis, without the thrill of a murder chase. There is plently of gore, but it fails to pull in the audience. And the darkness doesn't help much.

Needed to watch the movie in multiple parts, because at night, it was too much of an effort to stay away and tuned in.

The cast is OK, but pretty one dimensional. The sound track was good, though... and for me, the highlight of the movie.

India 4 Sri Lanka 1

With a comprehensive win in the last match, India wrapped up the series 4-1 (taking it to 7-2 with one drawn match against the Lankans this year), and are now placed at No 2 in the world.

Rahane finally got the match in the series, but only managed 9 off 17. Rohit Sharma, who has steadfastedly kept his place in the team in spite of a non-consequential single digit average, got yet another chance (Sehwag was rested for Rahane), and failed once again, managing only 4. Interestingly, Zaheer played the match today, even though he was wildly expected to be rested to give his 33 year old body a rest ahead of the busy Test season coming up. Umesh Yadav sat out once again.

How long before we grab No 1 again?

Movie Review: Jism 2

When you take someone as sexy as Randeep Hooda, and add a porn star to the mix, you do not really expect an art film. What you do expect is a lot of great action, on and off the bed. And when you get neither, I guess it's fair to say that the movie really must be setting new lows.


Let's start with the story, a plot so thin, it was probably written on a restaurant napkin. Officer Ayan (Arunoday Singh) and his boss (Arif Zakaria) of the "Indian Intelligence Bureau" beg and plead with a porn star Izna (Sunny), to get into the bedroom and do "all that" (with a wink) to get them "data from the laptop" of a cop-turned-crazy-assassin Kabir (Randeep Hooda), who's allegedly killed countless cops, famous personalities and politicians in this country. The plan is simple. Izna is Kabir's ex, and she is now tasked with drawing him out while Ayan steals the data. Will she be able to seduce Kabir, or will he read her? And predictably, when Ayan falls in love with Izna, how will it impact the grand scheme of things?

The execution is so poor, the dialogues so raw, and the sex so boring that you end up waiting for those moments of unintentional comedy, contributed to very ably by what should be one of the worst new comer gigs in history (Arunoday). Oversized shoulders and chest (almost puts Sunny to shame), lanky hands that do not know where to rest, pathetic timing and dialogue delivery, and a face that makes you cry, one really wonders what was the criteria used for selection of the cast. Sunny looks hot, as long as she keeps her mouth shut and struts her lingerie. With topless back shots and underwear inside jackets as her formal wear, she does use her assets to the fullest. Randeep has a good start as the sexy bad good cop, but has very little to do except play his cello and have sex so bland, you feel sorry for him after a while, and can almost understand why he turned bad! Arif is an accomplished actor, but Jism shows what a bad script and director can do to even the best!


The screenplay is absolutely amateurish and would laughable if it was not as irritating. When Izna hands Kabir a love letter written in her blood, he sniffs it like a dog sniffing his bitch's ass! "Kaash mere khoon ka rang mere ishq ki tarah gehra hota", she rues.


Some more inspirational dialogues:


"Hum dono ek doosre se jhooth bol sakte hain par iss jism ka kya karen?"
"Aao iss lamhe ko jee lete hain. Amar kar dete hain."
"Tumhe pata hai ki ek terrorist ko maarna punya hai, murder nahi!"

The sound track is pathetic, another redeeming feature of many a bad movie that's completely missing in Jism 2. There is nothing really positive about the movie, and sadly, even the beautiful locales of Sri Lanka are completely wasted on the altar of Sunny's lingerie collection.

Well, I warned you.

Team Anna Goes Partying!

And finally, after "calls from prominent civil society" members, Team Anna has indicated a 180 degree turn in their strategic direction. From exhorting citizens to reject parliamentarians and attempting to run a parallel democracy, Team Anna has now decided to turn political.

In the face of government's refusal to engage with them during their latest fast at Jantar Mantar, the feeling in Team Anna circles seems to be that to push change, the only way to do it is through parliament!

Is this the right approach for Team Anna? Will this give them the teeth they need, after losing the popular support they had garnered last year? Or is this just the obvious next step from a team that's repeatedly seen to have aspirations different from the avowed charter?

What are your thoughts?

My personal take - the movement lost it's teeth when Anna allowed himself to be driven by his cronies, who might have had noble intentions, but let their personal egos get the better of them. And now, political party or not, it's a lost cause.

Unless Team Anna spend the next few years working hard, going after specific cases of corruption, and bringing in real and clear change, even if it's a small step at a time.

Once you have the credibility and faith restored, things may change after all!

Serial Blasts In Pune

For once, this is one headline on my blog that is very far from what it sounds like.

Around 730 to 815 pm today, there were 4 very low intensity blasts in Pune. More like fire crackers, really. Two more were defused by the police. All in a radius of less than 500 meters.

I was in Bangalore, waiting to board a flight back to Pune, when I got the news from a friend in Pune. When my daughter checked on TV, she was relieved to report that it was not serious. No casualties, just one injured.

On reaching Pune, I asked my cab driver to take a detour, so we could check it out. Surprisingly,traffic was fully restored, and except for the presense of police and minor barricades around the blast spots, there was no visible damage. I have seen Dada bombs at Diwali cause a lot more damage. I am serious. Huge sigh of relief.

Of course, there were the usual suspects - the TV channels - reporting live about the "shocked people of Pune running helter skelter to save their lives".

One just hopes this wasn't a dry run for something more sinister. Most likely, it was some disgruntled elements playing mischief. The NIA teams, NSG, and of course, the Pune police, are working hard to unravel the plot, and I am sure they will crack it soon.