One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

As the second week of July begins, I've begun to accept the inevitable reality of my life. A reality that was pretty easy to compartmentalize for over fours years, and has become one of the longest runnings jokes amongst everyone who knows me... The answer to the question, When are you getting married? To be honest, I still don't know for sure. Though I think its been narrowed down to the next three months... While my life has come crashing down to a stand still, my entire class has since pretty much moved on... From marriages to work projects, further studies and a few lucky ones have begun their careers as well.. What do I have to show for the past two months since graduation? A name tag from Zenith, a few more pounds of fat gained and a smattering of shattered dreams.. (I'm looking at you Girls Futsal Team!) The last academic year for me was the greatest by far, I've never been much of an extra ciricular kind of a person, but this year I first got to make a documentary about Javed Iqbal with fellow blogger Sidrat Asim and Saad Halim... It taught me a lot about myself and my friends...mostly the fact that creators are unobjectively (I hope that's a word) possessive of their work...and criticism is hard to get used to...But like Verona said "Don't let anyone make you feel like you don't deserve what you want" I still do date am extremly proud of what we accomplished..even if the judges failed to see it...
Secondly I got to make an advertisement for an inter university competition held at IBA...as students of business administration we're not expected to be creative art directors, but to be able to showcase our talents and ability to understand and manage brands...well that's part of it, but more important was the fact that I got to do it with my closest friends...we had a blast doing it..and winning second prize was probably the icing on the cake...we've all since moved on...but I can only hope that when and if we do meet up...I want to be able to recapture those times we had...
I know that only the rare lucky ones get to keep their school/university friends for life..so for all of you who've stayed in touch..I love you and for all of those who tried but failed...I'm sorry, I should've been a better friend...for the rest fo us..let's hope we're the rare lucky ones... :)

New York, New York

It's been a while since my friends and I were able to agree upon the same movie to go watch at the cinema..I got cheated out of Star Trek and Terminator...but we all agreed we wanted to check out New York, the latest Aditya Chopra, Yash Raj production...The trailers looked slick and the movie promised to be somewhat of a step towards a more serious, thought-provoking material from a more commercial production house...Even the people who had seen it were raving about how amazing the movie was, "go watch it now!" "Bring tissues along, real tear jerker!" said people's facebook and twitter status updates... I was hoping to be wowed..sadly I was sorely disappointed...and let me say that it wasn't a solitary reaction...people left early..those who stuck around came out of the cinema shaking their heads...
For a movie who's usp is the religion of its main protagonist, it pretty non-denominational...and that isn't a bad thing..what our protagonist want is their dignity back and religion is not a factor in that argument...so it works...but the arguments and justifications for the actions of both parties, the FBI and our protagonists lack conviction or for that matter any logic at all...my friend reminded me of how much I hated Ghajini when I was watching it in the cinema, but have since come to love the movie...but where Ghajini celebrates and enjoys how over-the-top it is (which is what I love most about it anyway) New York wants to be taken seriously, but belief in faulty logic and leaps of faith across the Grand Canyon are required for that to work,so I think I can safely say my opinion of it is unlikely to change...
All four actors shine in parts with the roles they've been assigned, but for me Jon Abraham steals the show, he has evolved immensly as an actor and once again manages to showcase his poise and composure and temprament...No credit should be taken away from the rest of the cast either...Katrina does a splendid job, though I believe her character was not done justice in the movie, both Neil and Irfan light up the screen with their chemistry (did anyone else feel the gay vibes in that relationship :p)...another charater that shone for me was Zilgai, the actor portraying him was brilliant, controlled and hysterical simultaneously..mad props...
I think the writer and director failed the actors and characters...Maybe it was the quest to make it more commercial that did them in, or as a commercial creative unit they did not have the ability to pull off what should have been a more well crafted movie...

Reasons to watch the movie: good, nay great acting
Interesting dialogue, except when they try and preach
Excellent music

For a better script and direction I suggest people go back and watch Khuda ke Liye or even United 93

revisited

I ended up watching Imran Khans debut film, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na again a few days back. Reviewing films or just generally even talking about them with friends falls in 3 categories for me...They are a) fantastic and the joy should be shared with the world, b) they are a crime against art and people must be warned or finally c) you just don't understand what all the fuss is about and you need your beliefs and opions reaffirmed...For me this movie falls under the third category..maybe I'm just being harsh because this is an Amir Khan production and yet so unlike it...from Lagaan to Taare Zameen Pe, his movies have carried some sort of message; of hope, self confidence and belief in one's self and maybe this is where I'm wrong once again..what carries more hope than a young love's triumph against all odds..maybe what I mean to say is, that this movie carries no social message...but then again he's the uber-producer who has made a career out of making the correct decisions...while launching a child actor, he protrayed him as sensitive and endearing, someone who the mothers wanted to hide away and protect from the world, someone who the children would be inspired by...When producing a movie that would kick start the career of his newphew, he knew exactly what Imran needed; Ranbhir already had the "smokin hot" area covered and the rest of the newbies were trying the off-beat route that led John Abraham to success...The place for India's sweetheart was wide open..JTYJN showcases Imran as a sensitive boy, charming and loving..A coming of age story where he finally "mans up" for the girl he loves..The basic premise of the story is simple and if you ask the cynics, done to the death, but it is not stale...The characters are well defined, by the second half of the movie their actions can be predicted and that's only because you feel like you know them so well...The humour is fresh, the director approaches the film with wit...I do however have a problem with the casting of some of the minor characters...though the idea is to make the movie slightly more realistic, it reminds me of a line from the movie She's The Man; "girls with asses like mine, don't date guys with faces like yours". It is the rare movie that leaves you feeling all Fuzzy inside, where you want lillies to just spontaneously bloom and you want to skip stones across a big expanse of water..JTYJN does that..for about half an hour..and then after that though the warm fuzzy feeling still lingers, the memory of the movie fades away..I mean of course the cute boy got the bubbly girl in the end and they were happy, but the sweet ending must make place for something else in the brain..it for me is not a moment I want crystallized in my memory,I'm ok letting it go..If that's the movie I had wanted to watch I wouldn't have been so disappointed, but with Amir Khan's productions I want more...I want my ending; i.e. the ending that makes you want to switch places with the heroine...like I want Pam and Jim's proposal to be mine, like I want Logan and Veronica's first kiss to be mine, I don't want Tom and Jerry's ending to be mine and that's where the movie fails me...

Keep your expectations to a minimal and you shall not be disappointed...I think I'll wait for the next Amir Khan movie to be blown away...

reimagination

So I just finished watching p.s I love you.I'm of the philosophy that you must always always read the book before you watch the movie..always always..which is why Breakfast at Tifanny's is still un-watched;it's book currently being hunted.It's the reason I haven't read Sex and the City.It gives away the ending.I hate spoilers, but I drift.P.S I Love You;the book was pretty lame, the characters I thought weren't as well defined as they should be; the protagonist had me banging my head against the wall. She was only marginally better than Bella from twilight, and she's quiet the friggin piss off, but the movie...its reviews weren't spectacular. They said the book was way better...if that was so I really had no expectations from it all. Again I must compare it to Twilight..but where twilight follows the book religiously ps I love you has reimagined the story..some of the characters have been sidelined given less face time to develop the protaganists story more..the main potentail love interest has been reduced to blubbering idiot who thinks tourettes is the rudeness disease and is the man who turns two women gay..why wud any woman even bother after that?I can't decide if reimagining the book made movie better or was it just as mediocre as the book..I won't say it was worse..but this I know for sure..critics cannot CANNOT be trusted..

One more thing I have decided I shall not share my real feelings abt any piece of art now..ppls opinions about my own have made me question my sanity..and taste of course..it might be hard to continue a blog like this..I might change my mind soon...

Ooh barca won!!!yaeee

the internship

ok so this is going to be the lamest blog post ever...coz ive run out of words and as most of y'all know ive told this story to everyone almost a hundered times already..but since i need to be productive..this is my first blog...


im bored..my boss hates me loves misba boss..it so simple..thats why its so complicated!!! (david ogilvy)..his place..thats where im interning