"THE ANGREZ " - Movie review

In hundred steps, one step is always fumbled, In hundred movies we miss one good movie, this happened with me too,Last week I watched a gem of an old movie which I some how missed watching when it was released, and believe me friends, this movie called "THE ANGREZ" definitely deserves a mention in this prestigious blog of mine :p The rookie cast of the movie should be appreciated for the efforts it has taken in bringing it to people.I am so much amazed at the authenticity of the exact delivery of the words and sentences used in their full form, the exact replica which you hear in the interior parts of Apun kaa Hydraabad.This film tends to bring out its inherent flavor and the spicy tastes, the praise must go to the dialogs writer, he has done everything possible to overlook all commercial compulsions in penning the dialogs of this film.I think the crew really enjoyed the making of the movie than making of money, that is the primary reason why it came out in flying colors.with all these software parks, International Airport, and many more super money intensive ventures being started in Hyderabad today, the old look of Hyderabad is slowly on the loosing track.the Ismail bhai and his gangs are very rare to find these days, and this is a very timely film to save these people from extinction to eternity on digital format.His film will remain a very entertaining documentary down the history lane to the times our beautiful city was a witness to, I am sure this film is very entertaining and funnier than many contemporary films being made today. I am happy that I saw this film finally.Lucky me !! I f you are a mad fan of Hyderabad as I am, and like every thing about it, the dialect and our very own Hyderabadi Zubaan, then do watch this movie, its really worth your bucks.The only song in the movie which is all about Hyderabad sung in English is simply awesome !! I loved it like an ice cream.It seems that the crew of the Movie were going on their knees with a red rose in hand and proposing the fair damsel that is Hyderabad, and swearing their undying love to this maiden to eternity preserved in digital,laser disk format permanently :) I know it does not reach the team of the movie but Kudos to the team once again for their achievement.

I am the Reason !!

To strike the right cord at the right time is difficult, that too when it is against someone who is a cadre above you is definitely being courageous. There was no other option other than to retaliate the topical scenario that was happening at office. It was appraisal time and there was fear added to what I was contemplating to do. It was THIS letter to my manager that I had to send desperately, to change what was happening to me at office. I was working for 12 hours every day, where actually I am supposed to work for 8. I don't really say I was "working" But I was compelled to stay at office to attend the calls with The US team, and to discuss some issues that could have well been done in the day time by mail coordination. More over I was really frustrated by these questions that bore my mind when ever I stayed late at office, Why the hell does the US team not come earlier or leave late for discussions with us in IBM-RDC India? Why should only we in RDC suffer at their expense by working late after 10PM? Are we slaves to work in their time? Do we have more than 24 hours a day? What is that we are being paid if we stayed late? Why should we not maintain a work-life balance? I dared to send the letter to my manager, and I should say that I had answers to what ever I wanted with in 2 days, The scenario has changed, the MR status calls were made in advance by an hour (that means the US team would be joining the call at 8 AM instead of 9 AM), The off shift allowances which we had to be paid for working late would be paid soon (manager confirmed this in another mail to all the team mates). I had this year ending appraisal meeting, I was challenging enough to articulate all my accomplishments this year. All the hard work that I have done all these days to handle my projects would be recognized with some incentive in the near future, my manager said. I was also given a good appraisal at the end of the year, rating that I was given was good enough (I felt I deserved more!! but you know how selfish these human beings are :p). Every thing is well now, and I am leaving on time, my friends are awoke by the time I reach my room in contrast to earlier time, when I would reach my room by 12 midnight and every one would have slept!! I feel much satisfied now. I made it possible, in IBM lingo we say " I am the Reason " !

Cheers to TEAM INDIA :)

My first attempt to be a bit more imaginative ( I call it weird :P ) came out in flying colors after I uploaded my first video in google videos.This video which I have created is an outcome of 6.45 Hours of brain hammering + skipped supper + loads of research to prepare a movie.The intension is obviously to cheer the men in Blue a head of world cup and instill the confidence to romp home successfully after capturing the battle and be crowned as the caribbean kings.

Note: The true fun in watching this video would be only after allowing it to load completely, instead of watching it in bits and pieces as it buffers.

Gooo goooo India !!!!!!

Ever since I have started writing my blog, I wished to write about the one whom I loved the most from my childhood.I was crazy about her from my puerility. Day in and day out always wanted her, craving for the fun and frolic that I had with it.There is no better time to bring it up here and jot down a few things about my first love "CRICKET".

Now that the world cup is just a few days ahead and the team India is fitting in to the groove elegantly with sheer fighting spirits with two back to back series wins in its kitty, it seems we have all the needed armory with acute strengths and in firm shape to pierce any opposition to shatters and decimate any attack to ashes to lift the most coveted cup of cricket.Yeh! we are looking stronger after these wins and these offer that quintessential feel-good ahead of the Caribbean extravaganza.We have sent the message clear, that we are very much in contention for bringing back the Word cup.The men in blue seems to have gained back the much needed inspiration, motivation, perseverance, tenacity, bravery and above all the passion for the game called cricket, after the fantastic comeback of a few players like Sourav and Zaheer in to the team. That flexibility in batting and that extra depth in the bowling department puts us at an option to choose the best 11 every game.It looks like we have a lot of options to choose the players from, as everyone is performing now and thats a very good sign and has positive competition for the place in the playing 11 in the team as well.After tickling my Grey cells for a while, I am up with my playing eleven for the world cup,

1) Utthapa
2) Ganguly
3) Tendulkar
4) Dravid
5) Yuraj
6) Shewag
7) Dhoni
8) Munaf/Pathan
9) Agarkar
10) Bhajji
11) Zaheer

Coming to the justification of various options that I have choosen,
The marauding batsman Uthappa and Sourav have already proved that they can provide us the solid starts that we need to utilize the Power plays,Dada has that natural elegance of adapting to the situation even if a wicket falls at the beginning. Following them would be the much proclaimed and accepted topical worlds greatest batsman Sachin and to fit in next like a brick is our captain and rock solid Rahul Dravid to steady the ship in crisis and hold the innings together. The middle order looks fabulous and in great strength with the trio of powerful batsmen Yuvraj, Dhoni and Sehwag.Then to choose the four bowlers is the toughest job. Zaheer and Bajji would surely be there, then if we want that extra depth in batting, we would have to go with Agarkar and Pathan, but Munaf and Sreesanth would also be in consideration for better bowling attack if we need. With this we would have Tendulkar, Sourav, Sehwag and Yuvi as our fifth bowling options who together should complete 10 overs. The only concern and the aspect of the game that we should continue to improve to the stage up to the world cup is fielding. Barring Yuvi and Uthappa the infield lacks athleticism, and apart from Sreesanth and Agarkar, no one has a strong throwing arm in the deep. The slip cordon is ok with Dravid and Sachin, but all the seniors in the team have tiered legs and their fielding is soggy at times. Our fielding has to be world class if we are to win the World cup.
But you have it in you Team INDIA, go fight like real Tigers. There is entire Nation to support you, bring back the glory and decorate our crown with another World cup victory. Go Go INDIA ... We are here to cheer for you :)

Magic Duo - Thanks & Sorry

Do you really mean it?? yeh, I am talking about the same words that come out a hundred times every day for every petty thing and seldom on some really required situations. Thanks and Sorry. Mechanical repetition of these words has robbed them of their true essence, the heartfelt gratitude that the words seek to express. Real thanksgiving goes deeper than mere words; it arises out of appreciation and gratitude sometimes even for the gift of life out of a sense of wonder and humility, acknowledgment and submission. We can recall plenty of incidents when these words are uttered distantly and impassively. But, very few of us would be able to recount even a single incident in the recent past when a warm and heartfelt gratitude was either given or received. Gratitude is more than just another emotion or expression of humility. It is an attitude, a way of life, even a gateway to a happy, positive and reassured life. Incredible as it might seem, this simple emotion has the potential to release positive forces like love, hope, compassion, humility, joy, reassurance and faith in an individual's life. In the material world, gratitude is like a smile which sooths us instantly of the wrong committed and helps the other feel proud for the help rendered. If sincere, it transmits immense joy to both the giver and receiver even in those domains where there is a very practical exchange of money and services, It has the power to change a foe in to a friend. An attitude to gratitude towards life itself helps us look beyond the material world and view life as the gift as it truly is. It helps us focus on those little blessings of life, which are otherwise either shrugged off or taken for granted. A loving spouse, affectionate children, caring friends, supportive family, and fulfilling career, the blessings are different for different people. But most of the time, we fail to realize the importance of these simple blessings while we still have them, and end up valuing them only when we lose them or when it is too late. What we're left with is a lingering regret of never having cared enough, allowing ourselves to feel dejected and guilty. Gratitude helps us experience the present and cherish the beauty of life. The permanence of life and its gifts is a universal truth. Gratitude is probably one of the most effective cures for that widespread affliction called negative attitude. But there is no market for your sorrows, so never advertise your feelings, be thankful and convey when you really mean it. Do you feel the same way to have had an un-supporting manager as me?? Be grateful that you have an option to leave the job and start afresh [: p]. You have a loved one not talking to you now? Be grateful for all the moments you could spend with her when she was around. Be sorry to her and exchange your talk to reunite. The attitude to gratitude helps us keep faith and hope alive, even when we hit a real low. Most importantly, it dissipates those typical and unavoidable negative perspectives, where Ego overtakes the hearts wishes, which often results in self-destruction of intimacy, to make times tougher. The words 'thank you' and 'Sorry' have the potential to change the course of your life. Listing out all the things you feel grateful for, is a therapeutic exercise that is sure to chase away the most persistent blues. Say 'Thanks or Sorry ' see the magical change these words bring in your perspective towards life. This is one Gandhigiri kinda thing that I had inherited from the movie Lage Rahoo Munnaa Bhai. After all this the next post of mine to follow, I am thinking, would be about the letter to my manager at the end of the previous year, during the appraisal time, which has done great magic in getting things done as per my wish !!! So keep waiting… and thanks for reading.

PS : By the way, I just found to have compiled 50 Posts on my blog, my first one was way back in April 2006, and at that time, I naively planned to post something, every now and then with out much gap, Like 30 posts per month : p. But as it often happens in life, our best-laid plans go away. Still, it's an accomplishment to have shown up 50 times in this space for me. (btw - blogger numbers them, I'm not so abject to have counted them!!) Blogging has helped me to rediscover the love for writing that I had almost forgotten and made me inclined to jot what ever, but I still thrive on mediocrity and conformity, for the fear of being compelled to host another treat, to my friends if flagged up and boast of any kind of un awarded achievement !! [ I am very poor this month, had 4K tax deductions from my salary :( ] all falls wrong at the same time, Stupid salary, I think I am hating it these days, Errrr! Only for this month...