Guru- A Review

Guru is one of the most awaited releases of the year. It has a star studded line up comprising Mani Ratnam, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, AR Rahman and Gulzar. It is only normal for the audience to expect a masterpiece. But Guru flatters to deceive.

The story is the weakest link of the film. Guru is a biopic on the life of Dhirubhai. Movies spanning generations tend to be longer as it takes more time to tell a long story involving different charecters at different times and establish rapport between them. Sadly, Guru does neither. Its 150 minute running time sees it explore too many avenues and do justice to none. The movie starts in 1951, where Guru moves to Turkey. But what he did in Turkey, except dance with a raunchy looking Mallika Sherawat, we never get to know. You suddenly realize that he has earned enough money and acumen to set up his own business in India. And in 30 minutes flat he establishes a business empire. What, how, when? Dont know except that there is one Manik DasGupta (Mithun Chakraborty), a newspaper editor, whose articles lionize Guru and one Mr Contractor, a corporate who is the hurdle that Guru surmounts in his race for supremacy. Post Intermission, enter reporter Shyam Saxena (R Madhavan) who exposes Guru's shady acts. We suddenly realize that Gurubhai's empire has been built on the basis of fraud and corruption. We also realize that old friend DasGupta is now the biggest foe. When he gets tried for the corruption, Guru makes a seemingly heartfelt speech about how all he wanted to do was plain business and how the government and the bureaucracy, through tons of duties, licences and taxes left him with no choice but to swindle and bribe. But alas. The audience doesnt empathize because they are wondering: where on earth did the government come from, we thought that bloke DasGupta is the villian!

OK. So much for the basic plot. What about relationships? Mani Ratnam is very adept at handling relationships (watch Mouna Raagam and Alai Payuthey). In the start, there seems to be a very good chemistry developing between Guru and Sujata (Aishwarya). The subtlety of Ratnam is evident. But again, looks like his confusion took its toll and not enough time is given for their affiliation to develop. Also, the kind of relationship that Guru shares with DasGupta or his confidant Motabhai, we never get to know. Hence, when Motabhai and Guru interact after the former attempts a suicide, we dont feel for them as the bonding was never established. The love story between R Madhavan and Vidya Balan albeit looking good, was uncalled for and deviates from the basic plot. Many of the songs are ill timed and break the flow of the film. Abhishek singing to Rehman's voice is comical.

The performaces are allright. Aishwarya Rai as Sujata is very believable. Looks like she has lost a few pounds for the charecter. Mithunda as Manik dasGupta gives a strong performance. Madhavan as Shyam Saxena does justice to a small role, although at some points he lacks the punch that the role required. Vidya Balan does a good cameo. Finally, Abhishek as Gurubhai is good in parts. His performance until Guru gets paralysed is credible. But he is unable to carry off the most difficult part of the role, post paralysis. Also, his imitation of Amitabh every now and then is a let-down.

Rahman's music and background score are haunting. Tere Bina, Ae Hairathe and Jaage would be counted among his better compositions. Gulzar's lyrics are profound. You can't but hum the words of "Jaage" when you leave the hall.

Overall, Guru disappoints on many fronts. Hopefully Ratnam's next, 'Lajjo' with Aamir Khan would be better.

Winds of change..

I hear them, do you?
someones becoming a Fighter!

..beedi..

being 2 beer, 2 vodkas, joints n suttas high n dancing on 'beedi jalayle' with a firang was an out-of-this-world experience!!

Merry Christmas all!.. :)

this time.. at the Bullring!

it is good to see Dada show the way with determination, yet again..
it is good to see the Immaculate Seam frm the 'new bloke of God's own Country' ..
..and wreck havoc in the opposition cordon..
it is good to see the Man with the magic wand use his powers sensibly..
it is gr8 to see someone frm the tail apply himself..
it is gr8 to see someone among us giving them a taste of their medicine!
it is gr8 to see India tame Wanderers..
..3 yrs after they tamed Adelaide, Headingley, Multan and Rawalpindi..

2 kism ke log..

There are 2 types of people here.. the Chillers and the Fighters... a day before an Exam, they are both at the same level.
The Chiller takes it easy.. sleep his entire quota of 7hrs.. looks at previous years question papers and is content with preparing them well.. speaks to seniors about the difficult Qs and if the senior says that he dint do it last time, the Chiller himself wont do it.. there is no change in his expression.. before or after the exam..
The Fighter, obviously, fights.. the Tension within is palpable.. hes got this "sucker look" manifest on his face (if u know what i mean :)).. he ll sleep late, wake up early.. prepare extra questions.. get hold of notes hook or by crook and more importantly Read them!! Google if required.. and do the most difficult derivations.. there is this spring in his stride before exams...u can hear the 'Thud' of the Fighter outside ur room!
And what does the Fighter gain.. he scores an impressive 7.5 as his CGPA, while our Chiller here gets a 'Cool' 6.4.. :)

gyan..

'Everything is Maya, except the feeling of completion at the ejaculation of semen,
and since this feeling itself is so transient, it shows how ephemeral the whole world is'
- not me...

songs..

Do u have songs from the past..
songs that epitomize a phase close to ur heart..
songs when u hear suddenly make u feel like before..
and again.. u only get glimpses of that feeling..
one moment it is ther.. n the other.. theres nothin..
then u try listening to the song over n over again..
but theres nothin...
u see what i mean!

Time Tables

Here I am..
thinking abt end terms, abt grades
abt the schedule that should be followed
over the next 2 weeks..

yet there is someone else..
over a 1000 miles away..
thinking abt another schedule..
the one that schould be followed
over the next 40 years.

This time that year..

night, long, cold, hazy
still some hope of warmth..
empty resto, almost
pizzas, cups of coffee-bitter but likable
the forlorn six string in the background..
very few fingerprints on the frets..
'hazaar' complex conversations..
concealing the simple story..
glances, anticipating looks,
eyes saying something, meaning nothing
walks, to and fro..
nagging questions, unconvincing answers
the point and the uneasy silence
the long cold ride back, alone

unforgettable..

In the end.. I wud ve given just abt anything to just get out of the process.. the stipend didnt matter.. neither did the company or the project!!!

the last 3 days were the most demanding ones of my life.. and the life of every IIMCian who got placed late in day 1 or still waiting for day 2!! not that the firms that come at this time are bad or anything.. the whose who of marketing n IT come... offering decent stipends n work et al.. its all abt peer pressure.. abt seeing ppl getting placed left rite n center.. n u not even given a chance.. no short lists.. no interviews.. no nothin!! u report at 730 in the morning.. n then keep on checking shortlists after shortlists to see whether ur name is there or not!! and finally, u get 1 interview call.. n u gotta wait till 730 in the evening to get done with the interview.. u dont convert it.. u get back to ur room.. n the realization dawns upon u that tomorrow wud just be like today!!

Finally, however, u do get placed.. n when u do.. that day becomes the most memorable one of ur life!! its relief... its freedom!! n to commemorate the situation.. the ritual is just as distinctive!! the entire batch gathers at the Placement block.. the PlaceReps read the list of ppl who have got placed in that round.. u sign the official OOPS register (thats Out of Placements).. amidst the deafening sound of 300 odd ppl clapping for u!!!

n next day.. its not done.. by now ur in love with the process.. so u the need to give something back.. u volunteer.. u fetch, track, feed n help out ur batchmates who r not already placed!!n ensure that the process is just as smooth for them as it was for u!!

unforgettable!!

Cliches..

1. Good Interviews dont necessarily translate to successful ones
2. Somethings r just not meant to be
3. The more you want something, less likely u ll get it
4. The less u want something, more likely u get
5. Today was just another yesterday..

baawra mann

Baawre se is jaha mein
baawra ek saath ho..
is sayani bheed mein
bas haatho mein tera haath ho..
baawri si dhun ho koi
baawra ek raag ho..
baawre se pair chahe, baawre tarano ke
baawre se bol par thirakna...

baawra mann dekhne laga ek sapna..

-Shantanu Moitra

sajni

e sajni re.. e sajni re e sajni..
piya gailan kalkatva e sajni..
piya gailan kalkatva e sajni..
gaudva mein joota naikhe sarva pe chatva..
gaudva mein joota naikhe sarva pe chatva e sajni..
kaise chalan rehatva e sajni
kaise chalan rehatva e sajni

-Hazaaroon Khwaishein Aisi

diversity n beyond..

k.. really hardpressed for time.. 2 papers today.. 1 gone.. 1 to go in 2 hrs time.. n 2 chapters still left to study... still have gotta record this..

learning essentially took a new meaning today morn (330am to be precise...love to hilite the time!!! ) Sociology had 13 chapters to study (read: 250 odd pages of material in some wierd dialect of english!!).. n yesterday nite was the 1st time almost the entire batch had opened the book.. not feasible to do the entire thing.. so what u do... u record!

As they say.. at B schools.. the diverse backgnd of students helps.. and as we have it.. there is also stud of sociology here.. he gave a crash course in a hostel room to 3-4 students.. 1 guy records the entire thing on his cell phone.. n floats it across to the batch.. so less mortals like me dont have to read all the erudite material.. instead just listen to the complete n abridged material.. take notes.. n give the paper next day!!!

trophy of Champions.. truly!

Off late, where One Day cricket has been reduced to mockery on dust bowls, where the team batting first scores 350 and still feels insecure, where batsmen have looked more like Roger Federers with the wrong racquet, where u wud ask ur kid to take up hockey (considering its our national sport!) than be a fast bowler... the Champion's trophy has actually been a revelation. Suddenly, 215 seems defendable, the batsmen have been made to work hard and the men have been seperated from the boys. Its been great to see the talents of Mkhaya Ntini, Jermane Lawson, Umar Gul and Harbhajan Singh get a level playi g field. Where, for ages the ball seemed to rarely get waist high, suddenly it is bouncing ans seaming and doing all sorts of things!

But, alas, each time u switch on the TV set, all you see is empty stands.. When the quality of cricket seems to be at its best, the audience seem to have disappeared. Blame the administrators for that! Empty stands in India is rare.. but when u do the blunder of scheduling all the matches in just 4 stadiums, what else can you expect! May be BCCI has got enough money out of TV screening rights.

Anyways, back to the cricket. So does India stand a chance of beating the Australians at Mohali on Saturday. sawry.. their bowlings too good n this time, they have a 12th player.. the pitch!!

Long time no post..

k.. its almost been a month since I last wrote something.. n lots have happened this month.. we r done wid r 1st term here.. had been to bombay after that.. now im back.. n the tasks in hand ve almost doubled.. mid terms approachin in a coupla weeks time.. n summer placements immediately after that.. k. lets take up each one by one..

firstly.. 1st term over.. so Im 1/6 of an MBA.. n since there is so much obsession with Stats here and the need to get answers correct till the 4th decimal place.. I shud rather say that Im 0.1667 of an MBA now... n wud u believe it.. in like. 3 weeks time i wud be 1/4th.. oh sorry.. 0.2500 of an MBA!! time flies here.. that too at v=C!! ;)

then..Good ol' Bombay.. caught up wid friends.. all ve kinda moved on... but good to see that nothin has changed much... the same old conversations.. the same old hangouts.. ate a lot.. Maa ke haath ka bana khana..good ol idli.. sambhar.. dosa.. payasam.. Mom tried her best to make for all the weight Ive lost in the last 3 months! n did a bit of shoppin for diwali n bday.. this time Dad did all the shoppin for me.. felt like a "bacha" again..

..back in campus.. into more serious things.. have attended like a 100 PPTs(Pre Placement Talks ie:)).. got into thinkin mould.. an MBA opens a whole lot of oppurtunities for u.. I m in a fix.. shud it be Fin... Consults or Marketing!! its a gr8 dilemma to have.. in Consults.. the jobs look very interesting.. the only glitch is that u never settle at one place.. it is one job where the amt of travel is proportional to ur age.. I-Banks seem good too.. but again.. the lifestyle is too TOO hectic!! an Analyst's job is like 24*7*365 ..but the money is also crazy!! ppl retire at 35 it seems!! n finally Mkting.. the kinda firms that comin r the best.. n wud u believe it they only get a late slot 1 or slot 2!! selling soaps in rural Bihar does excite me.. but guess. its better said than done.. (or was it something else??)

n finally.. did something ive longed to do since I was in the 8th std.. or was it 6th!!! Playin cricket wid the leather ball. The pads.. the helmets.. the gloves.. have always been a thrill. had been for the cricket team selections for the XL meet.. figured out that im not bad et all!! even gotta compliment frm the captain. Lets see how it works out. As they ve always said.. theres nothin better than the real thing!!

tick tick..

when u ve slogged like an ass for 3 months.. sleepin at half past 4.. n the alarm waking u up at 9.. u feel awkward when suddenly there is nothin to do.. u cant sleep peacefully.. n that thought of something impending is always there.. u feel guilty when u surf the net or write blogs or watch a movie.. the feeling that there is something still to be done.. that ppl around must b doin something constructive.. something worthwhile.. that time is precious.. time is money.. n there is always something better to spend it on than something absolutely unnecessary like writing blogs!!

Tale of 2 cities..

Bombay roadside delicacies were taken for granted.. the pav bhajis, the onion Rava sada, the Masala Pav, ragda Pattis!!.. din realize how much I missed them until we went to this place here called 'Bombay' Shiv Sagar.. n the food was authentic Bambaiyya... the Pav bhaji tasted just like the Trushna Pav bhaji Stallwala makes it.. n Masala Dosa seamed straight out of some Udipi hotel at Vile Parle station.. one thing missing frm the cuisine... in case u havent already noticed.. was 'Vada Pav'.. never missed the "Mumbai Burger" so much.. infact one friend here even has a business plan to set up a Vada Pav stall in campus sometime...

newez.. culcutta is not bad after all.. I always wanted to experience the life here.. the howdah bridge shown in movies.. the extremely crowded streets.. the trams sleep walking amidst all the chaos.. the red decorative buildings..the 'AliPores' n the Saranis... the slew of Ambassador cabs clad in chrome yellow.. the "matki" chais...the Chowmeen!!! the citys got a life of its own.. n the people here r as passionate as u get anywhere..they r passionate abt Mithunda.. abt Uttamda.. abt Football.. (the maidans here generally have 2 goal posts.. unlike the brown strips amidst the green that u wud find in b'bay.. and any street kid wud play better football than u do!!)..abt Mishti Dohi n Rosgulla... n abt Durga Puja!!! oh man DP is as big as it gets.. I can feel it even before the festival sets off.. ppl r already in vacation mould.. unlike Bombay.. where work goes on as always during Ganpati n Diwali.. this place just comes to a standstill.. working is sin during DP!!! am gonna miss DP this time around.. but next yr this time.. u cant move my butt frm this place!!

and Calcutta is a Metro after all.. the huge office buildings.. the fly overs n the wide roads wid vehicles plying in the same direction on both sides.. the nite life.. the expensive restaurants.. the huge malls..with food courts n multiplexes.. the Elgin Roads n the Park Streets.. they r all there..

kudos to the 2 most happening metros of this country!!

FRIENDS

Have been watching too much FRIENDS off late..started off wid "the Pilot"..n have seen 21 episodes in a weeks time.. that is 3 per day!!..
k..they say u can relate to the charecters there.. so I did.. I know Monica.. she reminds me so much of a friend.. Feeb's nother friend of mine.. n if she red this post.. she ll definitely know that it is her im talkin abt.. while ppl like Joey n all that.. i think Chandler's cool!!
k..bring on no. 22!!! :)

An Essay on Indian Economic History 1

.. plans r there to start a business/economy related blog soon.. infact have started one.. but the link doesnt seem to be working.. wud look into it after the exams mayb.. however.. cudnt resist the temptation of writing this essay.. wud b my 1st post on the new site..

k.. here goes..

An Essay on Indian Economic History 1

the blogs finally started..
Check out this Essay n more @
Krossborder@blogspot.com..