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Some suggestions to recover from the recent insults: May be Mallika Sherawat should walk the red carpet in CWG 2010 - like she did in Cannes with snakes all over her– some positive would come out of it.. all this snake spotiing can be camouflaged by calling it a promotional activity for her latest ‘international’ film – hissss! Wink, wink. Or why not have the Wildlife SOS team in cultural outfits (aka Amrish Puri in Nagina..) Spot a snake? And you just won an exclusive show of the “SnakeCharmers of India” . Congratulations on winning the “Incredible India” experience.. Goes well with the ‘land of snake charmers’ image that we have fought O-so-hard against. Funny, eh? The sarcasm is a result of both – embarrassment and anger. Some say it is media that has unnecessarily highlighted just the negatives. Others say that the under preparedness of the venue exposes the deep-rooted corruption and inefficiencies of the system. I don’t know which one is right. But the fact remains, that it d...

So.. Enthiran’s topped the US iTunes Charts. What's all the fuss about? Rehman? Rajni? Ash? The combination I guess. It must be noted that every Rajnikanth film breaks the previous benchmark at box office (that’s no yardstick to judge whether the every film is better than the previous). The iTunes ranking, if nothing, proves both - the global appeal that Rahman has now and the fan following of Rajnikanth. But how’s the music? Here's what I think.. It took me a while to arrive at this conclusion. But I can comfortably say – this is yet another Shankar-Rehman combination set to top charts – not just by the merit of its ultra-famous star cast, but for it’s proper Shanker film masala, with a dash of Rajni-‘superstar’-lyrics and enough poetic metophars praising of the once-beauty queen Aishwarya. The album opens with ‘Puthiya Manitha’-sung by SPB and ARR – the song singing praises and hoping for miracles from the new human – the robot. Techno and trance in feel, the song takes a wh...

Not verrrrrry bad. So how do we start?.. Kites - one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year. Promoted virtually as Hrithiks passport to Hollywood - with an english version slated to release in a few weeks. Good music. Produced by the stalwart of thrillers (Rakesh Roshan) and a contemporary guru in handling relationships (Anurag Basu). A hyped palpable on&off screen chemistry between the lead pair. What more does a movie need?.. More often than not, hyped films are a victim of their own doings. Remember how Love story 2050 was India's answer to Star Trek? For all the hype, Kites is eventually a very formula masala Bollywood movie - think same old wine in a flashy new bottle. Eventually, it isnt a terrible on its own, but after all the hype, it's a tragedy (pun intended). Its very average. A marriage agent J (Hrithik) - (the kinds who marries women for money in exchange of green cards) based in Vegas - who is a kickass dancer - has Kangana - the daughter of this multi...

For a while I have realized that listening to A R Rehman’s music albums before watching the films is like reading a novel before seeing its interpretation on screen. For his music creates images in your mind. Powerful images that you take with you to the cinemas. So tough luck, Mr Ratnam, for you have your task cut out with this album. Be it the pompous Beera or the bubbly Ranjha or the naughty Kata Kata , this album is a visual treat, if that makes sense. The album starts with Beera Beera , aptly used as a teaser to its music launch. One hearing and you know it’s full of promise. The only problem is its too short. 3 minute something – o come on, we need of more that ‘dhama-dham-dham-dham’! Filled with tribal chanting (gibberish?), sound effects and percussions like in Azeemoshan shehnshah , the album sure starts a high note. Then comes the subtly written Behne de – its sacrificial lyrics and soulful vocals give the album a mature depth. Next up is Thok de Killi . What's with...

No.. He'd dare not do that. (Then again, never say never). But what I am trying to say will make sense in a while. Remember Mile sur Mera tumhara? Who doesnt? Everyone of us has grown up listening to this. Mile Sur, along with Baje Sargam, Ek Chidiya are among unerasable visual memories of childhood of most of us Indians.I know only four of the languages sung in this song, but i can sing the entire song, even today. And then, on the 60th year of India's Republic day, TOI group (Zoom TV) decides to redo Mile Sur, calling it Phir Sur . Great idea, at the onset. Or is it? I am in admiration of the gesture. I really am. I have myself felt that something to that effect has been long pending. In fact whenever I visit the cinemas and see the beautifully picturised Jana Gana Mana by Bharatbala, I think that this is something that matches the standards of Mile Sur. Why not extend the musicians to filmstars. So when I finally saw Phir Mile Sur - I was already full of expectations. I miss...

5 points about 3 idiots... Lot's in the name! Kartik KJ When I saw news clippings of the war of words between 3 idiots team and the writer of 5 point someone, I was moved to think and heres what I personally feel. its 5 points really.. (pun probably intented). 1. Is this a marketing gimmick? Sorry Chetan, but that's the first thing that comes to my mind. For of late, bollywood has stooped to abysmal levels to get people into movie halls. I am thinking, this is a reallllly cheap one (if it is, and I hope it isn't). Do you need such a bad gimmick for a film as strong as this one. But then again, this was the same team that withdrew the trailer of Prakash Jhas Raajneeti from the films launch, because they 'would rather do away with the trailer than have people distracted from 3 Idiots'. ???????? Duh!! Can a 3 minute trailer (I dont know the length really, but how big can a trailer be??) take away from the brilliant film that 3 idiots is???? Can crediting the author re...

Farmville – A Speculative Appreciation (?) Kartik KJ 22 Million! That’s the number of people, according to the creators of the game, that log in at least once a day to check their farms and/or harvest it. No other game in the history of online gaming, has seen such adulation, admiration, and may I say, addiction. The thought behind this blog originated from two things – one, the incessant friends’ updates on FB which are all about Farmville, and the ensuing curiousity that lead me to reading an article online about Farmville that asked this question - Has Farmville got anything to do with user’s inclination towards pastoral lives and is it serving “this” intrinsic need in the virtual world? It has been ages since I saw most of my online friends so engaged in a game! What is it that pulls people towards Farmville? Why is it adding one millions new users per week? What makes people share passwords with friends while travelling just so that their virtual crop is harv...