All regulars and irregulars have a great one! I have selected a suitably cheesy moment from the 80s.. enjoy!
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Following the mood of peace and goodwill among all, I would like to wish everyone here at satyamshot a wonderful, and peaceful year. Especially to satyam for maitaining this blog.
Hope the year starts with a bang for ‘Players’, especially Abhishek.
And I wish for…errr…meaningful discussions about BO
And I wish all SRK supporters here the strength and ability to counter the attacks unleashed throughout this year 2012 (especially when the ridiculed YRF film is released. LOL!!)
Happy new year guys. I’ve not posted much in recent times, but still check satyamshot pretty much every day. It’s awesome how over the past few years it’s developed into what it now is. All credit to Satyam (and the regular posters).
So just wanted to lt everyone know that I just got back from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! It was the hardest thing I ever did, but a lot of fun. After that, we hung out in Dar and Zanzibar. My family hails from East Africa so it’s always fun to go back.
Continuing from the other thread –had some “exhaustin ” new year partying
The” king” is back(ie me) lol-joking
After hectic new year partying-A bit “spent” now
Anyhow–
Caught a few min of “tanu weds Manu” just now
Check this out–
Am ultradecent shy madhavan meets kangna for an arranged marriage
The latter just dozes off when they are alone -presumably too much alcohol
Now-
Madhavan, out of the blue , and against the run of play and his so called “character” in the movie,
Suddenly looks around to see if anyones watching
And “steals” a lip kiss
I mean, what the f
Heights of desperation
Rotflol
Couldn’t check the remaining bits -maybe sometime later
At the end of 2011–Introducing -the Alex awards
-Seeing all these mushrooming awards and shows on everything and anything–
Lemme institute some prizes for this blog poster
Good to see everyone thanking satyam for this blog
Cmon folks-Lets acknowledge/ reward those posting here–and pen down some nominees on this list
And satyam-set the “ball” rolling and take your pick–
Most “sensible” comments
Most “informative/educational” comments
Most “fun” comments
Most “weirdly dodgy original” comments–(think I will stake my claim here lol)
Most “insightful” comments
Most “fanatic” SRK fan–think there will be a number of nominees here
Most “fanatic” SRK hater
Most “fanatic” aamir fan
Most fanatic aamir hater
Best debut award
most “cool” comments
C’mon folks-this will be by consensus/ based on max responses-some of the categories consist of actual prizes–(randomly chosen by me obviously)
Hav fun
Happy New Year to everyone at Satyam’s blog – just back from a trip to Cairns (Great Barrier Reef/Daintree rainforest), bush walking (hiking) in the Blue Mountains and the spectacular fire works at the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Wow: film buff-That’s really interesting
That’s something I have been meaning to do for quite a while.
It’s just that the travel to Australia and around takes away 3-4 days out from ones actual holiday duration(which anyhow can’t be more than 7-10 days at a a stretch for me), which is a shame.
So did u indulge in deep sea diving in the reef-after being ‘certified’
Lol–or did u restrict yourselves to ‘Ogling’ @ the beach hoho
U have got me into ‘adventure’ mode briefly
Share your experiences with us, eh
I met a lot of desi folks from Europe and N America who were doing the GBR experience. I did everything else except deep sea diving coz that is not my cup of tea. I did not do deep sea diving in the Andaman Sea either when i was based in Thailand. Despite this i have enjoyed my trips to all places.
Agreed, it is a long trip to Down Under, but it is worth it. BTW, the Syd test cricket is on and India is 72 for 4. It is lunch time now. Sachin is batting at 22 – this is for folks interested in cricket
Thanx for all that info film buff
Ya-the GBR is the real thing and all these ‘resorts’ around the world are human iimitations–also there are some good bungee jumping spots-did u try any ?
“I did everything else except deep sea diving coz that is not my cup of tea”–haha c’mon we’re u scared–if u are a young/ish guy, that’s not done lol
C’mon heard there are more female instructors than male there..
It’s like going to Agra and not seeing the taj….
Bye did not know about the andaman option–not sure how ‘safe’ the infrastructure is there
As for Thailand/ Bangkok, u mentioned- that’s definitely not ‘safe’-even without deep sea diving
Cheers
Alex – I am female and there were plenty of good looking hunks for various sea activities at GBR! No complaints on that score.
There are various places in the Andaman Sea for deep sea diving – all my friends from Europe (who were trained) used to go deep sea diving. Yep infra is not good and one goes at one’s ow risk for such activities. Thailand is a beautiful country – lots of culture and lovely places to see ie minus the sex tourist spots in Bangkok & Pattaya. It is a safe country to visit and I would encourage you to go there for a holiday-may be transit on your way.
“Alex – I am female and there were plenty of good looking hunks for various sea activities at GBR! No complaints on that score.”
Well done film buff –u have made me ‘proud ‘ lol
So did u should have got some ‘classes’
Ya-think andaman may not be a safe option
As for Thailand have been there a few times -no comments …
Alex replying to ur query below about films and actors(for some reason “reply button” is not available below ur comment.
I tend to like a mix of old and new movies. 2010 was a good year for hindi movies – liked Ishqiya, OUTIM, Udaan, Do dooni char, Tere bin laden and Rajneeti.
In 2011 I liked Dhobi Ghat, NOKJ, Stanley ka Dabba, Aarakshan and Dirty Picture.Pakistani movie “Bol” was also good. So was khuda ke liye although i felt that the ending in KKL was a big compromise on the part of the film maker.
Not a fan of remakes – so skipped Don 2006 & Don 2011. Since i can understand tamil, telugu and malayalam (apart from hindi) – i like to see movies in original language – hence skipped hindi wanted, ready etc although I saw the hindi version of Singham.I couldn’t find a DVD of original AB’s Agneepath on my last visit to India. I rather watch the original than the HR remake.
My fav actor is Balraj Sahani ( yester year actor). Among the current lot I don’t have any favourites – i tend to enjoy individual performances like Saif in Hum Tum, Omkara, Love Aak kal (esp the sardar’s role) – SRK in KKHH, DDLJ, Swades & Chak De India, Aamir in Ghajini, RDB, Lagaan, 3 Idiots. Salman khan movies are a time pass for me.
What are your fav movies ? who are your fav actors?
Good choices filmbuff
“What are your fav movies ? who are your fav actors?”-oops that’s a difficult question but lemme try something ‘brief’
I’m actually not an unconditional ‘fan’ of any actor actress-depends on the film / performance /phase and most importantly my mood lol
As for films etc -my random comments here are explanatory hehe
But to summarise somewhat off hand-
Brief Hollywood/ foreign ‘picks’ this year-
Tree of life
Paris
The beginners
Larry crowne
Midnight in Paris
Hugo(slow somewhat though)
Also enjoyed-rise of the planet of apes
Transformers-dark of the moon
Pirates of Caribbean-stranger tides
Mi4(liked Tom cruise)
Restricting to recent Bollywood only -Amitabh and aishwarya -I usually like most of the time…
Aamirs innings last 10-15 years Has been excellent
Srk -Chak de, kank, don2
Salman-dabang
Saif-Salam Namaste, love aaj Kal types of je and persona -love him -not in omkara
This year-Liked dhobi ghaat
Rockstar
ZNMD
Also-guilty pleasures-mere bro,Pyar KA punchnaama
Male performances-ranbir rockstar
Srk in don2
Foreign-fabrice luchini(Paris)
Female performances-katrina kaif in ZNMD and mere bro
Nargis fakhri in rockstar
Best female performances this year
-Melanie Laurent
Jessica chastain(tree of life)
Nargis fakhri
Julia Roberts (larry crowne)
Best debut/Heartfelt but most misunderstood/ maligned performance -nargis fakhri
Well..
One has to read my other random posts to know about my quirky and moody random tastes
Ps-did u watch rockstar, ZNMD, dg
“Since i can understand tamil, telugu and malayalam (apart from hindi)”–hmm wow
How come-r u in the foreign service lol
Can u also understand/ speak french /German etc
Ps-satyam : by mistake : duplicate post
U may plz delete the shorter one, thanx
As I said before, for some reason the reply box is not visible at places where you are responding to my comments (note for Satyam).
This is in response to ur query about DG and ZNMD – yes i have seen both. Liked DG a lot. Not impressed with ZNMD although I am happy for its success as there are very few talented women directors in hindi film industry. Don’t want to get into an argument with u about KK but i find her to be a dumb doll (gungi ghudiya as they say in hindi). I can understand her appeal for guys tho – so we can live in peace.
There are quite a lot of good hollywood movies you have listed that i have to catch up.
As for understanding other indian languages, i guess it is quite common for people raised in India knowing a min of 3 or 4 lang. Tamil is my mother tongue – so understanding malayalam is easy (it is a combo of tamil and sanskrit which i did in school from years 5 to 9). I have lived in Hyd – hence i can understand telugu. Hindi was compulsory throughout schooling plus i was raised in the northern belt in the early school yrs. I wish i had learnt french or german – alas my skills don’t go that far!
Film buff-nice personalised post there
U write well and should write more –though u maybe busier that any of us …
U should actually ‘open up’–there is a powerhouse of talent behind that, I feel
U symbolise a sensible rational fan who has likes/dislikes but doesn’t impose it on others
“Don’t want to get into an argument with u about KK but i find her to be a dumb doll (gungi ghudiya as they say in hindi)”–u hit the nail on its head…
Though that’s not the reason for her ‘appeal’ with me(since she doesn’t appeal to me that much) but that’s the main reason for her appeal in general i presume
The combination of that innocent face with chikni chameli dance steps can be irresistible to some
Besides one can do more or get away with more with a ‘dumb doll’ is the psychology hahaha
Thanks Alex for that compliment about my writing and tastes in films. Forgot to mention that I also enjoyed Peepli Live among 2010 movies,
Saw Players last night – first show Down Under! Lots of youngsters in the 20s to 30s crowd. People were actuallu clapping in some scenes for the dialogues. This is the first time i have seen such a response from the audience.
Players is an okay movie in the sense it does not drag and keeps you engaged. However there is no element of surprise – nothing new-one can guess the double crossing going on. I went with low expectations as this is an Abbas Mastan movie. When compared to this, Race was better – it atleast had some interesting twists.
Abhishek has done a cool job and i wish this becomes a hit for his sake. Judging the reaction of the audience in Sydney, I won’t be surprised if it is a hit in India.
For once in a commercial movie, the 2 heroines are not there for merely 2 songs, declaring their love for the hero with the obligatory sob. In its own limited way, the 2 gals are known to have some brains. Apart from the regular fare of being a clothes horse (& vice versa), it would be interesting to know how the directors managed to get the glycerine working in Bipasha’s eyes for a solitary tear to run down her cheek vertically without smudging her masacara ridden false eyelashes! Satyam is right about BB getting stereotyped in roles like this. Abhishek Bips make a good jodi. My friend was impressed with Neil Niten Mukesh.
While watching the movie, I couldn’t help feeling that i would be better off seeing the origianal Italian Job as I haven’t seen it before.
Satyam, pls feel free to move my comments to the players thread if appropriate
Film buff -so u watched players FDFS-”People were actually clapping in some scenes for the dialogues. This is the first time i have …”–must say the sydney audience is v appreciative ..
“how the directors managed to get the glycerine working in Bipasha’s eyes for a solitary tear to run down her cheek vertically without smudging her masacara ridden false eyelashes..”–yes that seems like a feat…
“the 2 gals are known to have some brains”–ya that seems a rarity lol
Btw have u watched rockstar -what did u feel bout the music , ranbir n nargis f
May watch players this weekend-
Good to hear that–Satyam read my reaction to that in the players box office thread….
Both the music and the film (&NF) have stood the repeat viewing well…
Alex, went to the big screen to watch Rockstar and left after 3/4 of the movie. Music was good so was Ranbir’s acting. Nargis failed to impress me although one should not be harsh on an actor for their debut movie – however this was a fantastic role for her – perhaps Imtiaz Ali could have chosen some one else more talented. Nargis is no doubt a beautiful model.
Rockstar title is a misnomer. Imitiaz didn’t know which way to swing the movie – in the end it was a mish mash of a part of a Rockstar’s life and a love story.
I was told that the love story angle is the main focus in the last 45 mins of the movie which i have missed. I will perhaps watch the whole movie on DVD and let you know my views.
Ranbir did really well. I liked him in Wake up Sid and Rocket Singh the Salesman too
“Alex, went to the big screen to watch Rockstar and left after 3/4 of the movie. “—oops–so u found it so bad, filmbuff?
anyhow, these things also are upto personal taste/ experiencs/ resonance
Liked it a lot myself
“Rockstar title is a misnomer.”–agree—most people got obsessed by the title and whether it was justified. To me, the title was incidental …everything was a premise to enjoy this music
Think lots of indian audience got antagonised by the physical/ sexual ‘adultery’ of a ‘married girl’—they couldnt really digest it maybe was too much maybe for them–oops, was this the reason of your ‘walking out’ as well lol–
perhaps the box office would have been better without that what do u feel guyz
Alex, India has changed a lot socially so adultery of a married woman may not be a big deal (see Astitva for a good story on this theme with Tabu and Monish Behl). It definitley was not for me considering that the husband and wife in that movie were going no where ie did not seem to be a normal warm hus/wife relationship – something was missing on that front – perhaps that was what Imitiaz was trying to portray – what ever. I left for several reasons – i really didn’t get a feel of which way the movie is going ie it did not engage me enough to the extent I had seen the movie, plus I had a bored 12 yr old niece who wanted to go home – can’t blame her, it was a late night show ie 9 pm onwards and it was already 11.15 PM. Now don’t go on about keeping a kid awake so late. My sis & family thought it would be focusing on music and this particular kid is very fond of music, so we went along as a family.
Generally I don’t prefer late night shows ie 9 to 12 pm as hindi movies tend to be long. Down Under we don’t have so many choices. For eg – there was only one show of Players at night 9 PM – this too went on beyond 12 am in the morning. Greater Union/Hoyts etc wanting to cash on hoilday crowd, had several shows of all other hollywood movies and moved Players to only one show at late night – perhaps the long length of hindi movies are a deterrent to their commercial sense who knows.
As to why the movie failed at the box office, I think a movie should connect with the audience in some way be it story, characterisation, dialgoues, settings etc. Perhaps this movie failed to connect? In the past too good movies have failed to connect with the audience – Dil Se for example (despite its chart busting nos from AR Rehman)
An unrelated post but think worth its while–must say didn’t know most things here-
Btw am more than a fan of Gandhi ….just to clarify
Disclaimer-Not directed to anyone specificAlly
A celibate for the greater part of his life, Mohandas Gandhi continues to attract nearly unrivaled attention – often for the sex that did not take place. Even his friends and admirers, who revered him for bringing ethics to the political life, or for never demanding of others what he did not first demand of himself, were quite certain that Gandhi was unable to comprehend that a woman and a man might enjoy a perfectly healthy sexual relationship with each other. Nehru, seldom critical of the personal life of his political mentor, was convinced that Gandhi harboured an “unnatural” suspicion of the sexual life; and he deplored, as did many others, Gandhi’s strongly held view that sexual intercourse, other than for purposes of procreation, had no place in civilised life – not even among married couples. The Marxists have long subscribed to the view that Gandhi was a “romantic”, a hopeless idealist and even hypocrite; to this a chorus of voices added the thought that Gandhi was an insufferable “puritan”.
Gandhi’s discomfort with the sexual life, according to one widely accepted strand of thought, commenced when his father passed away shortly after his marriage to Kasturba. Though the young Gandhi liked to nurse his ailing father, one evening he was unable to contain his urge to share a night of ribaldry with his young wife. He had just withdrawn to the bedroom when a knock on the door announced that his father had passed away. Gandhi was, it has been argued, never able to forgive himself his transgression, and became determined to master his sexual drive. A more complex narrative links his renunciation of sex to his firm conviction, first developed during the heat of a campaign of nonviolent resistance to oppression in South Africa, that it compromised his ability to be a perfect satyagrahi. Many commentators have pointed to his failure to consult with Kasturba before he took a vow of celibacy at the age of 37 as a sign of his cruelty and tendency to be self-serving.
One British reviewer of Joseph Lelyveld’s new biography of the Mahatma, however, had much more than this in mind when he characterised Gandhi as a “sexual weirdo”. In his 70s, in the sunset of his life, Gandhi embarked on a new set of sexual experiments in which several women partook, among them Manu and Abha, his “two walking sticks”, and Sushila Nayar, his personal physician and sister of his secretary Pyarelal. In the midst of raging communal violence, which Gandhi characteristically attributed to his own personal shortcomings, he decided to test his resolve – by going to bed naked with one or the other of the women. His detractors have ever since had a field day: though no one has ever suggested that Gandhi made improper advances, or that the encounter was in the remotest manner sexual, the mask is supposed to have come off the “dirty old man”. Few of his critics are aware that after such experiments came to a halt, Manu penned a remarkable little book titled, Bapu, My Mother; or that Sushila Nayar, furnishing an account several years after Gandhi’s death of these experiments in brahmacharya, stated that, far from experiencing any sexual desire, she felt as though she was sharing the bed with her mother.
The celibate Gandhi is as much a conundrum as any other Gandhi we have known. Though the principal architect of the Indian Independence struggle, he had much less invested in the idea of the nation-state than any other nationalist. He was a radical democrat but one detects a streak of authoritarianism in his political conduct; and, similarly, while declaring himself a bhakta of Tulsidas, he never doubted that passages in the Ramacharitmanas that were repugnant to one’s moral conscience were to be rejected. The vow of brahmacharya did not preclude, as it has for reformers and saints in Indian religious traditions, the company of women; indeed, Gandhi adored their presence and reveled in their touch. He was constantly surrounded by women, and for decades Mirabehn, the daughter of an English admiral who was mesmerised by the Mahatma, was privy to his innermost thoughts to such an extent as to arouse jealousy within Kasturba. Their correspondence has a touch of the erotic; and, Mirabehn, in particular, would write of her longing for the Mahatma when he was away. She was by no means the only woman with whom Gandhi enjoyed a platonic relationship: there was an intense exchange of “love letters” over many years between him and Esther Faering, a Danish missionary, and Saraladevi Chowdharani was cast as his “spiritual wife”. Many of his male friendships are equally interesting: for example, he may also have been attracted to Hermann Kallenbach, a wealthy Jewish architect who would become one of Gandhi’s earliest patrons and closest friends. Kallenbach, a body-builder and athlete, may have been the embodiment of masculinity, but Gandhi saw his soft side and his gift for nonviolence.
We are not likely to understand these friendships, which should also make us aware of Gandhi’s singular disinterest in the traditional concept of the family, if we fail to make a distinction between sex and sexuality and see through to the core of his thoughts on masculinity and femininity. Though Gandhi repudiated sex, which he saw as a finite game, finite in that its end seemed to be mere physical consummation, he was a consummate player of sexuality who delighted in the infinite pleasures of touch, companionship, and the eroticism of longing and withdrawal. More so than any other Indian political figure of his time, Gandhi made very little distinction between men and women. This will appear to be a brazen statement to those who have read his unequivocally clear pronouncements on the distinct duties of women and men and the spheres they ought ideally to occupy in life. In practice, however, he fundamentally treated them as alike, endeavouring also to bring out something of the feminine in men and something of the masculine in women. It is wholly characteristic of the Mahatma, a relentless advocate of experiments with truth, that even if he appeared to work with a crude conception of what it means to be male or female, his entire life can be read as an attempt to bring us to a new threshold of understanding the notions of masculinity and femininity.
December 31, 2011 at 3:39 PM
thanks once again to all those who extended their best wishes in the box office thread..
December 31, 2011 at 3:39 PM
Hope Oldgold can reconsider her decision if she’s reading this.. no reason to stay away.. the feisty stuff is part of the fun!
December 31, 2011 at 4:32 PM
Happy NEW YEAR to all the folks.
Here is hoping – filmy shtyle – bichhde hue laut ke ghar aaye!
January 1, 2012 at 12:29 AM
happy new year to everyone here and it applies fans of evey star and lovers of cinema
January 1, 2012 at 2:43 AM
happy new year to everyone here at satyamshot,and special mention of satyam for doing such a great job and hoping india win the series down under
January 1, 2012 at 9:18 AM
thanks Shakti.. the very vest to you as well..
January 1, 2012 at 2:50 AM
Wishing everyone at SS a very happy 2012
January 1, 2012 at 3:12 AM
Wishing everyone here a very happy and prosperous new year.. Enjoy !
January 1, 2012 at 3:39 AM
Happy New Year to everyone at Satyam Shot.
January 1, 2012 at 3:43 AM
Happy new year to my friends on Satyamshot
January 1, 2012 at 6:58 AM
Following the mood of peace and goodwill among all, I would like to wish everyone here at satyamshot a wonderful, and peaceful year. Especially to satyam for maitaining this blog.
Hope the year starts with a bang for ‘Players’, especially Abhishek.
And I wish for…errr…meaningful discussions about BO
And I wish all SRK supporters here the strength and ability to counter the attacks unleashed throughout this year 2012 (especially when the ridiculed YRF film is released. LOL!!)
January 1, 2012 at 7:32 AM
Good set of wishes, Old Gold.
January 1, 2012 at 9:15 AM
Great to see you here Oldgold.. thanks.. the very best to you as well..
January 1, 2012 at 8:32 AM
Happy 2012 to everyone..no if and no but.
January 1, 2012 at 9:16 AM
thanks Pradip.. have a great year..
January 1, 2012 at 10:58 AM
Best wishes to all!!!!
i hope its a rocking year as SS completes its third anniversary this year!
its been a tremendous journey!
Thanx a lot to the incredible man SattU!
January 1, 2012 at 11:28 AM
have a great year Rooney..
January 1, 2012 at 11:09 AM
Happy new year guys. I’ve not posted much in recent times, but still check satyamshot pretty much every day. It’s awesome how over the past few years it’s developed into what it now is. All credit to Satyam (and the regular posters).
So just wanted to lt everyone know that I just got back from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! It was the hardest thing I ever did, but a lot of fun. After that, we hung out in Dar and Zanzibar. My family hails from East Africa so it’s always fun to go back.
Best wishes guys,
S.
January 1, 2012 at 11:16 AM
Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for your wishes.. the same to you..
January 1, 2012 at 2:32 PM
Continuing from the other thread –had some “exhaustin ” new year partying
The” king” is back(ie me) lol-joking
After hectic new year partying-A bit “spent” now
Anyhow–
Caught a few min of “tanu weds Manu” just now
Check this out–
Am ultradecent shy madhavan meets kangna for an arranged marriage
The latter just dozes off when they are alone -presumably too much alcohol
Now-
Madhavan, out of the blue , and against the run of play and his so called “character” in the movie,
Suddenly looks around to see if anyones watching
And “steals” a lip kiss
I mean, what the f
Heights of desperation
Rotflol
Couldn’t check the remaining bits -maybe sometime later
January 1, 2012 at 3:08 PM
Best wishes to everyone here on satyamshot and especially Satyamm May all our hopes and wishes come true
January 1, 2012 at 4:57 PM
At the end of 2011–Introducing -the Alex awards
-Seeing all these mushrooming awards and shows on everything and anything–
Lemme institute some prizes for this blog poster
Good to see everyone thanking satyam for this blog
Cmon folks-Lets acknowledge/ reward those posting here–and pen down some nominees on this list
And satyam-set the “ball” rolling and take your pick–
Most “sensible” comments
Most “informative/educational” comments
Most “fun” comments
Most “weirdly dodgy original” comments–(think I will stake my claim here lol)
Most “insightful” comments
Most “fanatic” SRK fan–think there will be a number of nominees here
Most “fanatic” SRK hater
Most “fanatic” aamir fan
Most fanatic aamir hater
Best debut award
most “cool” comments
C’mon folks-this will be by consensus/ based on max responses-some of the categories consist of actual prizes–(randomly chosen by me obviously)
Hav fun
January 1, 2012 at 6:20 PM
Happy New Year to Satyam and all Satyamshot Members and Visitors.
January 1, 2012 at 8:42 PM
thanks much Rohit, the very same to you..
January 2, 2012 at 12:11 AM
Happy New Year to everyone at Satyam’s blog – just back from a trip to Cairns (Great Barrier Reef/Daintree rainforest), bush walking (hiking) in the Blue Mountains and the spectacular fire works at the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
January 2, 2012 at 2:46 AM
Wow: film buff-That’s really interesting
That’s something I have been meaning to do for quite a while.
It’s just that the travel to Australia and around takes away 3-4 days out from ones actual holiday duration(which anyhow can’t be more than 7-10 days at a a stretch for me), which is a shame.
So did u indulge in deep sea diving in the reef-after being ‘certified’
Lol–or did u restrict yourselves to ‘Ogling’ @ the beach hoho
U have got me into ‘adventure’ mode briefly
Share your experiences with us, eh
January 2, 2012 at 9:17 PM
Hi Alex
I met a lot of desi folks from Europe and N America who were doing the GBR experience. I did everything else except deep sea diving coz that is not my cup of tea. I did not do deep sea diving in the Andaman Sea either when i was based in Thailand. Despite this i have enjoyed my trips to all places.
Agreed, it is a long trip to Down Under, but it is worth it. BTW, the Syd test cricket is on and India is 72 for 4. It is lunch time now. Sachin is batting at 22 – this is for folks interested in cricket
January 3, 2012 at 9:15 AM
Thanx for all that info film buff
Ya-the GBR is the real thing and all these ‘resorts’ around the world are human iimitations–also there are some good bungee jumping spots-did u try any ?
“I did everything else except deep sea diving coz that is not my cup of tea”–haha c’mon we’re u scared–if u are a young/ish guy, that’s not done lol
C’mon heard there are more female instructors than male there..
It’s like going to Agra and not seeing the taj….
Bye did not know about the andaman option–not sure how ‘safe’ the infrastructure is there
As for Thailand/ Bangkok, u mentioned- that’s definitely not ‘safe’-even without deep sea diving
Cheers
January 3, 2012 at 11:44 PM
Alex – I am female and there were plenty of good looking hunks for various sea activities at GBR! No complaints on that score.
There are various places in the Andaman Sea for deep sea diving – all my friends from Europe (who were trained) used to go deep sea diving. Yep infra is not good and one goes at one’s ow risk for such activities. Thailand is a beautiful country – lots of culture and lovely places to see ie minus the sex tourist spots in Bangkok & Pattaya. It is a safe country to visit and I would encourage you to go there for a holiday-may be transit on your way.
January 4, 2012 at 7:14 AM
“Alex – I am female and there were plenty of good looking hunks for various sea activities at GBR! No complaints on that score.”
Well done film buff –u have made me ‘proud ‘ lol
So did u should have got some ‘classes’
Ya-think andaman may not be a safe option
As for Thailand have been there a few times -no comments …
So who are your favorite actors /films film buff
January 5, 2012 at 12:29 AM
Alex replying to ur query below about films and actors(for some reason “reply button” is not available below ur comment.
I tend to like a mix of old and new movies. 2010 was a good year for hindi movies – liked Ishqiya, OUTIM, Udaan, Do dooni char, Tere bin laden and Rajneeti.
In 2011 I liked Dhobi Ghat, NOKJ, Stanley ka Dabba, Aarakshan and Dirty Picture.Pakistani movie “Bol” was also good. So was khuda ke liye although i felt that the ending in KKL was a big compromise on the part of the film maker.
Not a fan of remakes – so skipped Don 2006 & Don 2011. Since i can understand tamil, telugu and malayalam (apart from hindi) – i like to see movies in original language – hence skipped hindi wanted, ready etc although I saw the hindi version of Singham.I couldn’t find a DVD of original AB’s Agneepath on my last visit to India. I rather watch the original than the HR remake.
My fav actor is Balraj Sahani ( yester year actor). Among the current lot I don’t have any favourites – i tend to enjoy individual performances like Saif in Hum Tum, Omkara, Love Aak kal (esp the sardar’s role) – SRK in KKHH, DDLJ, Swades & Chak De India, Aamir in Ghajini, RDB, Lagaan, 3 Idiots. Salman khan movies are a time pass for me.
What are your fav movies ? who are your fav actors?
January 5, 2012 at 3:32 AM
Good choices filmbuff
“What are your fav movies ? who are your fav actors?”-oops that’s a difficult question but lemme try something ‘brief’
I’m actually not an unconditional ‘fan’ of any actor actress-depends on the film / performance /phase and most importantly my mood lol
As for films etc -my random comments here are explanatory hehe
But to summarise somewhat off hand-
Brief Hollywood/ foreign ‘picks’ this year-
Tree of life
Paris
The beginners
Larry crowne
Midnight in Paris
Hugo(slow somewhat though)
Also enjoyed-rise of the planet of apes
Transformers-dark of the moon
Pirates of Caribbean-stranger tides
Mi4(liked Tom cruise)
Restricting to recent Bollywood only -Amitabh and aishwarya -I usually like most of the time…
Aamirs innings last 10-15 years Has been excellent
Srk -Chak de, kank, don2
Salman-dabang
Saif-Salam Namaste, love aaj Kal types of je and persona -love him -not in omkara
This year-Liked dhobi ghaat
Rockstar
ZNMD
Also-guilty pleasures-mere bro,Pyar KA punchnaama
Male performances-ranbir rockstar
Srk in don2
Foreign-fabrice luchini(Paris)
Female performances-katrina kaif in ZNMD and mere bro
Nargis fakhri in rockstar
Best female performances this year
-Melanie Laurent
Jessica chastain(tree of life)
Nargis fakhri
Julia Roberts (larry crowne)
Best debut/Heartfelt but most misunderstood/ maligned performance -nargis fakhri
Well..
One has to read my other random posts to know about my quirky and moody random tastes
Ps-did u watch rockstar, ZNMD, dg
January 5, 2012 at 3:38 AM
“Since i can understand tamil, telugu and malayalam (apart from hindi)”–hmm wow
How come-r u in the foreign service lol
Can u also understand/ speak french /German etc
Ps-satyam : by mistake : duplicate post
U may plz delete the shorter one, thanx
January 5, 2012 at 9:29 PM
Hi Alex
As I said before, for some reason the reply box is not visible at places where you are responding to my comments (note for Satyam).
This is in response to ur query about DG and ZNMD – yes i have seen both. Liked DG a lot. Not impressed with ZNMD although I am happy for its success as there are very few talented women directors in hindi film industry. Don’t want to get into an argument with u about KK but i find her to be a dumb doll (gungi ghudiya as they say in hindi). I can understand her appeal for guys tho – so we can live in peace.
There are quite a lot of good hollywood movies you have listed that i have to catch up.
As for understanding other indian languages, i guess it is quite common for people raised in India knowing a min of 3 or 4 lang. Tamil is my mother tongue – so understanding malayalam is easy (it is a combo of tamil and sanskrit which i did in school from years 5 to 9). I have lived in Hyd – hence i can understand telugu. Hindi was compulsory throughout schooling plus i was raised in the northern belt in the early school yrs. I wish i had learnt french or german – alas my skills don’t go that far!
January 6, 2012 at 3:50 PM
Film buff-nice personalised post there
U write well and should write more –though u maybe busier that any of us …
U should actually ‘open up’–there is a powerhouse of talent behind that, I feel
U symbolise a sensible rational fan who has likes/dislikes but doesn’t impose it on others
“Don’t want to get into an argument with u about KK but i find her to be a dumb doll (gungi ghudiya as they say in hindi)”–u hit the nail on its head…
Though that’s not the reason for her ‘appeal’ with me(since she doesn’t appeal to me that much) but that’s the main reason for her appeal in general i presume
The combination of that innocent face with chikni chameli dance steps can be irresistible to some
Besides one can do more or get away with more with a ‘dumb doll’ is the psychology hahaha
January 6, 2012 at 11:29 PM
Thanks Alex for that compliment about my writing and tastes in films. Forgot to mention that I also enjoyed Peepli Live among 2010 movies,
Saw Players last night – first show Down Under! Lots of youngsters in the 20s to 30s crowd. People were actuallu clapping in some scenes for the dialogues. This is the first time i have seen such a response from the audience.
Players is an okay movie in the sense it does not drag and keeps you engaged. However there is no element of surprise – nothing new-one can guess the double crossing going on. I went with low expectations as this is an Abbas Mastan movie. When compared to this, Race was better – it atleast had some interesting twists.
Abhishek has done a cool job and i wish this becomes a hit for his sake. Judging the reaction of the audience in Sydney, I won’t be surprised if it is a hit in India.
For once in a commercial movie, the 2 heroines are not there for merely 2 songs, declaring their love for the hero with the obligatory sob. In its own limited way, the 2 gals are known to have some brains. Apart from the regular fare of being a clothes horse (& vice versa), it would be interesting to know how the directors managed to get the glycerine working in Bipasha’s eyes for a solitary tear to run down her cheek vertically without smudging her masacara ridden false eyelashes! Satyam is right about BB getting stereotyped in roles like this. Abhishek Bips make a good jodi. My friend was impressed with Neil Niten Mukesh.
While watching the movie, I couldn’t help feeling that i would be better off seeing the origianal Italian Job as I haven’t seen it before.
Satyam, pls feel free to move my comments to the players thread if appropriate
January 7, 2012 at 9:13 AM
Film buff -so u watched players FDFS-”People were actually clapping in some scenes for the dialogues. This is the first time i have …”–must say the sydney audience is v appreciative ..
“how the directors managed to get the glycerine working in Bipasha’s eyes for a solitary tear to run down her cheek vertically without smudging her masacara ridden false eyelashes..”–yes that seems like a feat…
“the 2 gals are known to have some brains”–ya that seems a rarity lol
Btw have u watched rockstar -what did u feel bout the music , ranbir n nargis f
May watch players this weekend-
January 7, 2012 at 9:21 AM
saw Rockstar once more on DVD.. I’ve seen it three times so far.. somehow I find it quite moving every time..
January 7, 2012 at 9:39 AM
Good to hear that–Satyam read my reaction to that in the players box office thread….
Both the music and the film (&NF) have stood the repeat viewing well…
January 7, 2012 at 6:50 PM
Alex, went to the big screen to watch Rockstar and left after 3/4 of the movie. Music was good so was Ranbir’s acting. Nargis failed to impress me although one should not be harsh on an actor for their debut movie – however this was a fantastic role for her – perhaps Imtiaz Ali could have chosen some one else more talented. Nargis is no doubt a beautiful model.
Rockstar title is a misnomer. Imitiaz didn’t know which way to swing the movie – in the end it was a mish mash of a part of a Rockstar’s life and a love story.
I was told that the love story angle is the main focus in the last 45 mins of the movie which i have missed. I will perhaps watch the whole movie on DVD and let you know my views.
Ranbir did really well. I liked him in Wake up Sid and Rocket Singh the Salesman too
January 8, 2012 at 5:34 AM
“Alex, went to the big screen to watch Rockstar and left after 3/4 of the movie. “—oops–so u found it so bad, filmbuff?
anyhow, these things also are upto personal taste/ experiencs/ resonance
Liked it a lot myself
“Rockstar title is a misnomer.”–agree—most people got obsessed by the title and whether it was justified. To me, the title was incidental …everything was a premise to enjoy this music
Think lots of indian audience got antagonised by the physical/ sexual ‘adultery’ of a ‘married girl’—they couldnt really digest it maybe was too much maybe for them–oops, was this the reason of your ‘walking out’ as well lol–
perhaps the box office would have been better without that what do u feel guyz
January 8, 2012 at 7:38 PM
Alex, India has changed a lot socially so adultery of a married woman may not be a big deal (see Astitva for a good story on this theme with Tabu and Monish Behl). It definitley was not for me considering that the husband and wife in that movie were going no where ie did not seem to be a normal warm hus/wife relationship – something was missing on that front – perhaps that was what Imitiaz was trying to portray – what ever. I left for several reasons – i really didn’t get a feel of which way the movie is going ie it did not engage me enough to the extent I had seen the movie, plus I had a bored 12 yr old niece who wanted to go home – can’t blame her, it was a late night show ie 9 pm onwards and it was already 11.15 PM. Now don’t go on about keeping a kid awake so late. My sis & family thought it would be focusing on music and this particular kid is very fond of music, so we went along as a family.
Generally I don’t prefer late night shows ie 9 to 12 pm as hindi movies tend to be long. Down Under we don’t have so many choices. For eg – there was only one show of Players at night 9 PM – this too went on beyond 12 am in the morning. Greater Union/Hoyts etc wanting to cash on hoilday crowd, had several shows of all other hollywood movies and moved Players to only one show at late night – perhaps the long length of hindi movies are a deterrent to their commercial sense who knows.
As to why the movie failed at the box office, I think a movie should connect with the audience in some way be it story, characterisation, dialgoues, settings etc. Perhaps this movie failed to connect? In the past too good movies have failed to connect with the audience – Dil Se for example (despite its chart busting nos from AR Rehman)
January 2, 2012 at 8:01 AM
An unrelated post but think worth its while–must say didn’t know most things here-
Btw am more than a fan of Gandhi ….just to clarify
Disclaimer-Not directed to anyone specificAlly
A celibate for the greater part of his life, Mohandas Gandhi continues to attract nearly unrivaled attention – often for the sex that did not take place. Even his friends and admirers, who revered him for bringing ethics to the political life, or for never demanding of others what he did not first demand of himself, were quite certain that Gandhi was unable to comprehend that a woman and a man might enjoy a perfectly healthy sexual relationship with each other. Nehru, seldom critical of the personal life of his political mentor, was convinced that Gandhi harboured an “unnatural” suspicion of the sexual life; and he deplored, as did many others, Gandhi’s strongly held view that sexual intercourse, other than for purposes of procreation, had no place in civilised life – not even among married couples. The Marxists have long subscribed to the view that Gandhi was a “romantic”, a hopeless idealist and even hypocrite; to this a chorus of voices added the thought that Gandhi was an insufferable “puritan”.
Gandhi’s discomfort with the sexual life, according to one widely accepted strand of thought, commenced when his father passed away shortly after his marriage to Kasturba. Though the young Gandhi liked to nurse his ailing father, one evening he was unable to contain his urge to share a night of ribaldry with his young wife. He had just withdrawn to the bedroom when a knock on the door announced that his father had passed away. Gandhi was, it has been argued, never able to forgive himself his transgression, and became determined to master his sexual drive. A more complex narrative links his renunciation of sex to his firm conviction, first developed during the heat of a campaign of nonviolent resistance to oppression in South Africa, that it compromised his ability to be a perfect satyagrahi. Many commentators have pointed to his failure to consult with Kasturba before he took a vow of celibacy at the age of 37 as a sign of his cruelty and tendency to be self-serving.
One British reviewer of Joseph Lelyveld’s new biography of the Mahatma, however, had much more than this in mind when he characterised Gandhi as a “sexual weirdo”. In his 70s, in the sunset of his life, Gandhi embarked on a new set of sexual experiments in which several women partook, among them Manu and Abha, his “two walking sticks”, and Sushila Nayar, his personal physician and sister of his secretary Pyarelal. In the midst of raging communal violence, which Gandhi characteristically attributed to his own personal shortcomings, he decided to test his resolve – by going to bed naked with one or the other of the women. His detractors have ever since had a field day: though no one has ever suggested that Gandhi made improper advances, or that the encounter was in the remotest manner sexual, the mask is supposed to have come off the “dirty old man”. Few of his critics are aware that after such experiments came to a halt, Manu penned a remarkable little book titled, Bapu, My Mother; or that Sushila Nayar, furnishing an account several years after Gandhi’s death of these experiments in brahmacharya, stated that, far from experiencing any sexual desire, she felt as though she was sharing the bed with her mother.
The celibate Gandhi is as much a conundrum as any other Gandhi we have known. Though the principal architect of the Indian Independence struggle, he had much less invested in the idea of the nation-state than any other nationalist. He was a radical democrat but one detects a streak of authoritarianism in his political conduct; and, similarly, while declaring himself a bhakta of Tulsidas, he never doubted that passages in the Ramacharitmanas that were repugnant to one’s moral conscience were to be rejected. The vow of brahmacharya did not preclude, as it has for reformers and saints in Indian religious traditions, the company of women; indeed, Gandhi adored their presence and reveled in their touch. He was constantly surrounded by women, and for decades Mirabehn, the daughter of an English admiral who was mesmerised by the Mahatma, was privy to his innermost thoughts to such an extent as to arouse jealousy within Kasturba. Their correspondence has a touch of the erotic; and, Mirabehn, in particular, would write of her longing for the Mahatma when he was away. She was by no means the only woman with whom Gandhi enjoyed a platonic relationship: there was an intense exchange of “love letters” over many years between him and Esther Faering, a Danish missionary, and Saraladevi Chowdharani was cast as his “spiritual wife”. Many of his male friendships are equally interesting: for example, he may also have been attracted to Hermann Kallenbach, a wealthy Jewish architect who would become one of Gandhi’s earliest patrons and closest friends. Kallenbach, a body-builder and athlete, may have been the embodiment of masculinity, but Gandhi saw his soft side and his gift for nonviolence.
We are not likely to understand these friendships, which should also make us aware of Gandhi’s singular disinterest in the traditional concept of the family, if we fail to make a distinction between sex and sexuality and see through to the core of his thoughts on masculinity and femininity. Though Gandhi repudiated sex, which he saw as a finite game, finite in that its end seemed to be mere physical consummation, he was a consummate player of sexuality who delighted in the infinite pleasures of touch, companionship, and the eroticism of longing and withdrawal. More so than any other Indian political figure of his time, Gandhi made very little distinction between men and women. This will appear to be a brazen statement to those who have read his unequivocally clear pronouncements on the distinct duties of women and men and the spheres they ought ideally to occupy in life. In practice, however, he fundamentally treated them as alike, endeavouring also to bring out something of the feminine in men and something of the masculine in women. It is wholly characteristic of the Mahatma, a relentless advocate of experiments with truth, that even if he appeared to work with a crude conception of what it means to be male or female, his entire life can be read as an attempt to bring us to a new threshold of understanding the notions of masculinity and femininity.
January 4, 2012 at 6:27 AM
A little late?.Have a great 2012 everyone here. Good times spilling over, hope thats the way it is..
January 4, 2012 at 7:15 AM
Arti-No u r not late (for 2013)
January 8, 2012 at 12:17 AM
Satyam ji
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year 2012.
New Year Greetings Card http://bit.ly/u06tkW
Best Regards
Rupam