Oye Lucky Lucky Oye!

He is stylish. He is charming. He is flamboyant. But was he always so? Where does he get that perfectly tailored suit, that flashy car, that shiny watch? Oye Lucky Lucky Oye is based on the true story of Lucky Singh, a notorious thief from/in Delhi, who swindled millions with his charm.

Lucky, played by Abhay Deol, aspires the comforts that the rich can afford. He resents his miserly father and knows that if he doesn’t help himself, his dreams of hobnobbing with the cool affluent will never come true. Consequently, he starts duping people till he becomes a known conman. During his journey he falls in love with a local Delhi girl, Sonal (Neetu Chandra), and decides to become a gentleman. But is it that easy now?

Abhay Deol fits the role to a T. He makes Lucky so adorable that I wanted him to succeed at every heist he pulls. Plus, that guy looks good in tux and I think that its nice that there is one guy whose biceps are still normal.

Paresh Rawal too floors you with his triple role stint. Neetu Chandra gets noticed too. And special mention for Manjot Singh (teenage Lucky) and Manu Rishi (Bangali). They keep you in splits with their quips in spiky Delhi accent.

The Director, Dibakar Banerjee brings Delhi on the golden screen once more, after “Khosla ka Ghosla.” He takes you to the by lanes of Defence colony, Lajpat Nagar, Rohini and Chandni Chowk. The Delhi Police he presents is probably the closest portrayal I have ever seen on screen. Bangali’s “dekh le, bhai nahi hai tu?” was so nostalgic!

On a personal note, I got reminded of the years I spent in Delhi. Made me turn around to the by lanes of memory. Golgappas, salwar suits, lassi, autowallas, Aalu chaat – I wonder how many times I did those. And I wonder how many times I got fleeced by the little “Luckys” of that incredible city.

-Jo

For the Love of Money and Fame

Who’s to blame my love
You play a dangerous game
Who’s to blame my love
All you want is money and fame

I think this Scorpions’ 1990 song would have been the theme song for Candace Bushnell’s book “Trading Up” if it were a television series, like her previous two books – Lipstick Jungle or Sex and the City.

But unlike the other two books that are fun, light and women-empowering, Trading Up is not your typical chic-lit. Yes there is a drop dead gorgeous Victoria’s Secrets model, a sexy Argentine polo player, a rock star and his wife, a ruthless businessman, a rich socialite among others and the book does have the heroine falling into a gigantic mess and come out victorious in the end. But this book different, especially the way in which the issue of morality is handled by the leads. It is a story of the need and the means of climbing the New York status circle for today’s women; the extent of the things they are capable of doing and how!

Janey Wilcox is a 32 year old Victoria’s Secrets’ model, who has found fame only recently. From an outsider who was desperate to be part of New York’s elite circle she is now best friends with New York’s queen socialite and being courted by a top movie executive. But what makes Janey a strange heroine is she is so conceited. She is someone who has potential to be a smart, successful person who can achieve success. But she is not satisfied with this situation. Neither is she ready to do the basic hard work. She is obsessed with her good looks and tries to get what she wants by either lying or by being promiscuous. This gets her in to a lot of trouble and public humiliation. Can she change her ways and get out of trouble?

This is where the book is different. Bushnell’s heroine is desperate. She is a liar and a cheat. She is cheap and she cannot be trusted. All she cares for is money and fame. And she gets it in the end… by being herself.

Makes you think if this is the changing face of the society we are living in – being honest and truthful is hardly a requirement to succeed today. Personally it is a thought that is hard to digest. Is it worth living a vain life? Don’t think so! At least Bushnell does not glorify her heroine. She comes across as a moral police without pointing fingers and judging. Or was that me?!

-Bella

Brothers Forever – God’s Fool

I believe not many people have read this novel. I picked it up only coz it was on sale. And am I glad I did that! The book relates the saga of the world’s first Siamese twins. Now, the fact that you are conjoined would, I think, automatically transform your lives into a super interesting saga of events. And so the story of the pragmatic Eng and the emotional Chang is interesting. However, what you will not be prepared for is the superbly fluid and elegant language that flows forth from Mark Slouka.

The story is a first person narration by Chang, one of the twins, though considering the fact that he is joined to his brother from his chest, you would wonder how he manages. Born in Siam to a poor family, Eng and Chang are saved from getting killed after their birth by their brave mother. Starting from the Siamese King Rama Third to the flop houses, streets and drawing rooms of London, their audience keeps adding new twists to their bizarre journey. They bask in wealth, they beg on the streets, penniless, hungry, and sick, till their lives culminate in the plantations of South Carolina, where they share events that touched other normal bodied people – the American Civil War.

People take advantage of them, mock them, express disgust at them. But they too use their double strength; earn money just by showing themselves off. And through all their highs and lows, the brothers stick together – literally!

Slouka’s language creates brilliant drama out of the daily lives of the twins. As a matter of fact, the novel pushes a sort of button inside your brain, which starts asking you questions such as to how it must be to never be rid of a person. To have him so close, that he is there when you are in the bathroom (I believe one of the most private of our moments). Without whom you can’t even make love to your wife. Yes, they have wives, they have children, and they fall in love just like normal people. But do they always agree with each other? What happens when they want to go their own separate ways? After all, neither do they share the same brain, nor the same heart.

-Jo

There is something about Tarantino

Death Proof is a movie about a bunch of sexy girls and a scar-faced aging stuntman who wants them all dead. And he kinda succeeds, up until he chances upon a trio of tough girls played by Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, and Zoe Bell. That is it. This is the basic simple plot. Then why even bother watching it you say?? Well the answer is… drumrolls please… the master craftsman Mr. Quentin Tarantino. This man is a genius!

The movie is the director’s tribute to the B-grade slasher films. And what a tribute it is!! To begin with, a slasher film is like an exploitation film… a film that typically has a psychopathic killer who stalks and kills a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner. Such movies were released in the US as a double feature in theatres that were called Grindhouse. This movie too was released as a double feature along with Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror in an extremely chopped and trimmed version. But I seriously suggest you watch the extended version.

From the title sequence to the climatic car chase sequence, the movie has a very seventies feel to it. The dialogues aren’t great; they aren’t meant to be. For most parts of the movie the entire cast happily gossip on just random things. But I think having great dialogues would not have any additional impact on the movie either. So this is really not a negative. It actually makes the movie weirdly engrossing.

To bring about the whole B-grade slasher movie look, Tarantino, who is also the cinematographer of the movie, has manipulated the movie reels ingeniously. Starting from the title sequence, where he inserts the unofficial movie title Thunderbolt in a very very obvious manner, to the many slasher movie posters used as art work, this movie is a serious homage that only someone with Tarantino’s talent and resource could actually do. I love the way he has scratched the reels to give it an old/cheap movie feel and the way he shifts the movie from colour to black and white and then back to colour.

The movie is so wonderful artistically that I can gush and rave about each frame! Tarantino purposely has snipped a few seconds right in the middle of the movie, just a few minutes before the intermission. I think that was a touch of absolute brilliance. You are left wondering what happened. True, it does not in any ways alter the course of the story… but that deliberate omission just leaves an impact on the viewer…. you are left thinking who said what and why. And the funny thing is… as a viewer you know from the start, this is not a movie where who said what and why matter!

The actors are all good in their roles and Kurt Russell is seriously scary. He looks scary… so you are skeptical of everything he says and does; but then there are times when he seems so genuinely sweet. He is really one frightening villain! And the girls are all nice, unique and if you are a girl… seriously intimidatingly sexy.

And how can I talk about a Tarantino movie and not talk about the music! Well… like every single movie of his, this movie too has a perfect soundtrack. Most of the songs are something I have never heard; but now they are something that I will definitely store on my iPod. I cannot end my review without mentioning two things – the lap dance given by Vanessa Ferlito and the crash sequence. The lap dance… well its HOT… actually that is an understatement… its super hot! And the crash sequence is gory… its superbly shot and edited.

So my verdict… Death Proof is a Tarantino masterpiece that should be seen! At least according to me. I know people either love his movies or seriously hate it. And this one is the same. There is no mid way. Love it or hate it, for me it is a killer!

-Bella

Street of Eats

I am one of those people who, in South India would be referred to as a thindipoth (someone who has the ability to snack or eat oh so well). So when a couple of friends suggested going out for a night of street food in Bangalore, I was thrilled. We set off to “Eat Street” or “Thindi Street” in V V Puram. Having parked our cars, we decided to walk up the “Thindi Street”, to see (rather smell) what catches our fancy and then get ready to tackle the definitely long food list.

The first thing I notice about this road (after the food of course) are the people stuck around these food stalls like ants! There were cars that would do a quick stop along the side of the roads and spill out entire families waiting to gorge on gastronomical delights. I just couldn’t help feeling a wee bit bad for the drivers who would be waiting for them. One of the cutest sights I saw on this road was a parked Maruti van with three kids sitting in the open dickey, dangling their feet in the air and munching on a masala dosa.

Walking up the road, I saw stalls selling all varieties of dosas, rottis, chaats, bondas, American corn and what not. We started with the cornwallah at one end of the road. Technology has caught up everywhere and this push-cart vendor now has an electric fan that blows air when he is roasting the corn cob on hot charcoal! We had a snack made of roasted corn, raw mangoes and some yummy masala. An interesting appetizer of sorts!

Our next stop was at the crowded and obviously popular gulkhand stall. I’m not a fan of gulkhand (thindipoth or not, I can’t digest the fact that it is made from rose petals!) and so the multiple options of gulkhand with butter and ice cream and all that jazz did not appeal to me. While other friends gladly decided to begin their dinner with dessert, I opted for a masala Pepsi instead. This drink is Pepsi minus the fizz and a whole lot of spices added, so your tongue is busy getting surprised with all the sweet-tangy-spicy-salty taste. Fantastic! I can say from hearsay that the gulkhand was also so del-i-cious.

Next, I had to stop at the bajji-bonda stall where fried bondas cut into half were garnished with finely chopped carrots, onions, capsicum and then served on a piece of plantain leaf resting on the ubiquitous piece of newspaper. Mouth-watering? You bet!

And if you thought I was done, you are soo wrong. I was torn between Mumbai-style vada-pav and my eternal favourite- the masala dosa. Finally and predictably, the crispy crackling sound of the dosa won my heart and tongue and I surrendered yet again. Another friend tried an akki rotti, which I obviously sampled but did not enjoy at all.

Having eaten to our full and noticing the shutting shops, we decided to call it a night. Go and check it out. You just might find me there again, coz I am definitely going back!

Location: Eat Street is located in V V Puram
Timings: 7.00 PM to 11.00 PM

– Veronika

One Woman’s Search for……Everything

Women-Working, shopping, cooking, loving, cleaning, helping, caring. Sometimes forgetting themselves.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is a reminder. It asks women to look within and ask themselves one simple yet radical question.

“What is it that you want?”

 

This book finds Elizabeth in the middle of the biggest personal crisis of her life, so far. She has been through a bitter divorce, a rebound romance that is now appearing to end painfully. She is confused, depressed, angry and self-deprecating. Exactly in the middle of all this, she dares to ask herself what she wants. Liz takes baby steps to answer that question and decides to give herself one year of her life. One year split across three completely different places: Italy, India and Indonesia.

In The Pursuit of Pleasure

Liz moves to Rome, Italy to learn Italian. She finds a little place for herself and joins a class to learn the language. As I was reading this part, I realized I was beginning to fall in love with the language. Here is one excerpt from the book that made me see the beauty of the language:

“In Italian the word to describe a close friend is un’amica stretta. The word stretta literally means tight, as in clothing like a tight skirt. So, a close friend, in Italian is one that you can wear tightly, snug against your skin.”

Liz enjoys everything about Italy. The heavenly food -the pastas, the pizzas and the gelatos made me go droooooooool! Just reading about it made me want to join her. I wanna go there someday!! She has fun in Italy, travelling, meeting people, learning the language. Sometimes, accosted by ‘Loneliness’ and ‘Depression’ she again plays the now familiar cat and mouse game with them. Four months fly by and Liz embarks on her spiritual journey.

In The Pursuit of Devotion

This part of the book has Liz scrubbing temple floors to perform seva, making new friends and attempting to focus and meditate beyond five minutes. Meditation and self-probing rake up past issues and her mind is in complete turmoil. Liz manages to overcome them and attains spiritual bliss.

I was in a flippant mood while reading this and realized that I didn’t enjoy this part of the book, because spirituality is not really my priority at the moment. I was also baffled by her spiritual accomplishments in four months and wondered if she has stumbled on an express spiritual path.

In The Pursuit of Balance

Liz goes to Bali to keep a promise. A promise made during her previous visit to a medicine man that she would return once more to stay with him. With this one action, Liz beats us all at the impulse game to win the title. Bali promises and delivers; good times, new friends, things to learn, people to treasure and love.

The book comes with an optimist’s dream come true ending and I am left wishing life works out well for every woman that I know.

-Veronika

The Notebook ~ A Summer Romance

I know a lot of people found this movie a cliché. Veronika was one of them. Hindi movie goers definitely would. I don’t blame them. It has all the ingredients. The rich-poor divide, the letters that never got delivered (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam?) and the recent favourite of Indian cinema – Alzheimer’s and the impossible return of the memory (courtesy ‘Black’). However, would you really deny that its a tearjerker?

Directed by Nick Cassavetes, ‘The Notebook,’ starts in a nursing home, where an elderly man named Duke (James Garner), is reading out the love story of Allie and Noah to an elderly woman suffering from dementia. Set in the 1940s, Duke’s story relates how Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), a rich heiress meets and falls in love with Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling), a country boy in Seabrook Island, South Carolina. They both hope to marry and are about to make love in the house they both dream of living in, when they are torn apart by Allie’s disapproving parents. As the World War starts, Noah enlists in the Army, while Allie becomes a nurse. That’s when she meets the wealthy Lon Hammond Jr. (James Marsden) and decides to marry him. But if you’ve seen enough romances, you know Noah will make a re-entry.

Throughout the movie, we keep coming back to the present and its not hard to guess that the old lady is Allie, who has suffered a dementia and has lost her memory. But who is the old guy?

I would like to get my hands on the novel by Nicholas Sparks on which the movie is based. I wonder how much the movie deviates. Have any of you read it? Do lemme know about it if you have come across it?

I found the movie sparkling with the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Their crazy fights and passionate love scenes got me. Its no surprise they are as hot off screen. I guess they didn’t win the “Best On-Screen Kiss,” award for nothing!

I also got tearful when the old man pleads with the doctor for a chance to bring back his wife’s memory which he does in the end. James Garner is convincing as a concerned, heartbroken but hopeful husband. I was touched by his faith.

Another part of the story I couldn’t ignore was when Allie finds out that her mother gave up her true love in keeping with the norms of the society, and spent many days wondering how her life would have been if she had listened to her heart.

Still not convinced? Okay, you are entitled to any opinion, but allow me one last try. Remember that summer when you met an amazing person and fell in love with and whom you still can’t forget? Whom you madly kissed or kept burning with the desire to touch? Well, this movie is about that kind of stuff too. Yes, you could call it a cliché, but think of that person you met, and then plunge into the love story of Noah and Allie. Lemme know if that made a difference in your opinion.

– Jo

Harshakala – A confluence of tradition

I had recently read in the papers about Harshakala, the handloom expo happening from 11th Feb to 3rd March that showcases various handloom products from different parts of our country that the Ministry of Textiles, Karnataka is sponsoring.

Here is the thing – I love fabrics… I even have happy dreams of being surrounded by racks and racks of fabrics in colours and prints and patterns and feel… ah! What a happy thought…. Well anyways, when an aunt of mine asked me and my mom to accompany her to the Harshakala expo… I was jumping up and down with joy.

Firstly, you find the most unusual fabrics in such places. Secondly, there is always the additional discount! Yay!! And finally, if you are into fashion, fabric, their history and other nuances… these places are always educational.

The expo’s theme this year is Confluence of Traditional Weaves. Consequently, there are exhibitors from Kashmir to Coimbatore; Rajasthan to Varanasi. The central focus is on the silk handlooms of Karnataka. There is this special stall where you find the different stages in sericulture (the process of making silk) – from harvesting the silk worms, unravelling the cocoons, drawing silk strands, dying the threads to the handloom. There is an actual silk handloom at the expo and a worker was actually weaving a fabric when I went!

The main thing that struck me about this exhibition was its enormity. It is a really huge exhibition for a textile exhibition. There are at least 80-100 stalls, each one showcasing some different aspect of handloom. From the Calcutta cotton dresses to the block prints of Gujarat; from the brocade and embroidered fabrics of Varanasi to the towels and bedspreads of Coimbatore… Its so difficult to find some of these fabrics otherwise. I was feeling like I should pick up something from each stall. (I didn’t… I am trying to be frugal this year :()

There are fabulous Pashmina stoles (Rs. 5000 onwards! For a shawl! OMG!!), very cute Lucknawi chikan work tops (Rs 250 each… I bought two 😐 … :D), interesting sarees (from ikats to kanta work) and loads of upholstery and furnishing fabrics. My favourite stall in the entire expo is that of a Rajasthani patch work… there are bags and bedspreads; quilts and cushion covers… all in beautiful and rich embroidery; some with really gorgeous traditional elephant and camel appliqués! (Ok… so I bought one bedspread… really really pretty… expensive but exquisite… and I love it!! No idea where and when I’ll use it… but its divine!).

So if you get a chance to go there, it is at the Government Arts College Ground till the 3rd of March. Otherwise… there is always the next time… or the next expo…

Harshakala
Timings: 10:00 hrs to 21:00 hrs
Venue: Government Arts College Ground, Opposite Central College, Dr BR Ambedkar Veedhi KR Circle

– Bella

Shopping Treats

I love to shop in the city market area of our city Bangalore – the innumerable shops, crazy by-lanes, fabulous buys and everything else about that area, always makes me wanna go back to that place. Everything except a good place to eat. I always prefer going there when I have a huge list of things to do and buy; so it invariably ends up being a whole day affair. But finding a nice, clean restaurant in that area… is always a challenge.

If there is one restaurant that I like going to, it is the Sukh Sagar Restaurant in the nearby Gandhinagar area. The place is actually a Hotel cum Mall cum Restaurant cum Fast Food Joint. So, whatever you are in a mood for (hmmm…vegetarian), you are sure to find it here.

There are two entrances to the same restaurant, the front hotel entrance and the back mall entrance. You need to pass the fast food section to enter through the mall entrance and its quite fun to see (and eat in) this section… with all the hot jalebis, samosas and chaats being prepared in front of you. If you are in a hurry… this is the place to eat.

The main thing about this place is that you get almost every type of vegetarian dish there is to offer; from pizzas and sandwiches to roti subzi, chaats and idli dosas. I know… you get all this in almost every Sagars and Darshinis in Bangalore… but this place has a tinge of authenticity in its taste. The rotis are real soft, which is always a good thing; the gobi manchurian is usually tasty, which is a great thing for me; the chaats are fresh and yummy and most importantly there is a good variety of desserts! Love the sweet lassi!!

The service is fast and good; the ambience is much better on the first floor A/C section and please avoid using the restrooms on the ground floor… they stink like hell. But overall I like this place… its economical – costing around Rs.500 for a hold no bar, order everything from soups to ice-creams kinda a meal; which is perfect… cause with the savings maybe you can buy an additional dress, maybe. 🙂

Sukh Sagar
#10, 3rd main Road
Gandhi Nagar
Bangalore-560009
Phone:   080-22202255

-Bella