Thanks to Youtube, I saw this movie again....it is timeless and I can watch it umpteen times..
Amol Palekar plays a wide-eyed, shy and awkward Arun Pradeep, who is besotted by Vidya Sinha (Prabha) and is unable to express his feelings for her even as he stalks her relentlessly...His awkward mannerisms are perfect...fidgeting, rubbing his nose and touching his hair...On the topic of stalking, Prabha does not mind...and in fact misses it when he is away...cultural differences..:)..and it somehow seems sweet and non-threatening...Vidya Sinha is so appealing and beguiling...I can easily see anyone falling in love with her...very understated style...always in pastel-colored or geometric pattern sarees with her long, dark hair...[She had a tough personal life according to wiki]..
Getting off-topic here...returning to the movie, Arun is not taken seriously by anyone in his office including the peon...He is a nice and sincere guy and hence no one listens to him. Nagesh (Asrani) enters the scene and he is a smart ass with a neon yellow scooter who dominates conversations and is an insensitive loud-mouth pursuing Prabha...Arun tries to fight this competition and gets cheated in the process when a bunch of dubious characters sell him a broken-down motorbike...Everything is going downhill for poor Arun...He visits astrologers, magnetist (??), palm-readers and a charlatan (in the guise of a sadhu). He also tries charms and amulets...but to no avail [interesting note: he looks up his weekly horoscope and he is a Capricorn according to the movie...hahaha..which I know he is not- Sagittarius].
Then he visits Colonel Singh (Ashok Kumar) in Khandala who is a lifestyle trainer and who has a hilarious set of diagnosis for him: 'improper conditioning', 'defective verbal communication', 'unstable paranoid' and his treatment- 'special courtship training'. Colonel gives Arun tips on confidence building and getting girls...I detect a hint of lechery in Colonel's interactions with the young, attractive girls he has employed...macho behavior for sure.
As a result of this training, Arun returns to Bombay a confident man who manages to assert himself everywhere...workplace and romance...He has also become a bit more treacherous and the director Basu Chatterjee is clever in inserting this shift in character...as it seems this is Arun's way of getting back at the mean people...loss of innocence.
Of course, Arun gets Prabha...and now Nagesh goes for training to the Colonel...
A few (not many) irksome things:
The females just sitting and observing the males play table tennis and chess...why can't they play?...Prabha does play table tennis initially...but not later...
Nagesh (Asrani) orders food for everyone (Prabha and Arun ) without asking their preferences in the restaurant as he is bossing around the waiter...he is shown to be annoying..so that fits well...and boy, it is controlling and patronizing...This is not a criticism of the movie...Chatterjee provides a realistic glimpse of some blowhards...:)
Things I liked in the movie:
1. The natural scenery of Bombay (Bombay then and not Mumbai)...the everyday routine and realistic portrayal of the characters in everything right from their clothes to their conversations...scenes in the office where everyone has adjoining desks and bonhomie between Prabha and her friend..
I fantasize about working in Bombay as I watch this... dressing up in a saree, taking the bus and...working in a similar office..
2. Attention to minute details...Arun (Amol) noting and describing sarees and gestures of Prabha (Vidya)
3. Extremely funny moments - e.g. what Arun fantasizes about...shooting Nagesh on the street when he takes Prabha with him and leaves him to pay their bill in the restaurant..
e.g. how Arun manages to irritate Nagesh after his training by making him wait..and wait...and all with a pleasant smile...one can learn some great tips on annoying people with a smile...and driving them nuts...priceless..
4. Vidya Sinha's sarees and everything about her.
5. Amol Palekar is a natural...and I admit I like his awkward and non-cool persona, prior to Colonel's training, more..
6. Ashok Kumar has done this same role in a couple of other movies...he still manages to infuse it with warmth, wit and a swagger...perfect as a worldly-wise guardian angel for the innocent Arun.
7. Asrani shines in this role....his arrogance dissipating into frustration...he is a smart one...not his usual slapstick routine...another natural.
8. Loved the short friendly appearance by Amitabh (in his heyday)...coolness personified.
9. Salil Chowdhury's music...here are two great ones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h1Vc_ur0Dg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmpnC9pTcxQ
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
On Jim Thorpe
I learn new things everyday. I saw a documentary on Jim Thorpe, the legendary Olympian.. I remember Dad talking about him in glowing terms all my life...the famous exchange between Thorpe and King Gustav of Sweden (Booku laughingly narrating this..:) after his 1912 Summer Olympics win in Stockholm
King Gustav: 'You, Sir, are the greatest athlete in the world.'
Thorpe: 'Thanks, King'.
Sweet. Unpretentious.
I learnt that he was part Native American. What an athlete... He played American football, baseball, basketball and athletics (pentathlon and decathlon) and excelled in all; considered the greatest athlete of the 20th century....and a sad life...died in poverty despite reaching such heights.
In Olympics, Native Americans (I refuse to use the term Indians...though Original Americans would be a good one) and other non-white athletes (including African-Americans) were considered 'wards of the US' and not citizens...this is so unfair...I am disheartened by human cruelty.
He was stripped of his Olympic medals (thankfully returned much later) because only amateurs were allowed in Olympics i.e. athletes should not play for money as it was expected that only the privileged and rich had an idea of what real sports is....not people in the workmen class.
The biggest shocker for me (yeah, I am ignorant) was that Native Americans were not considered US citizens till almost 1924...the nerve! How unjust on their own land.
King Gustav: 'You, Sir, are the greatest athlete in the world.'
Thorpe: 'Thanks, King'.
Sweet. Unpretentious.
I learnt that he was part Native American. What an athlete... He played American football, baseball, basketball and athletics (pentathlon and decathlon) and excelled in all; considered the greatest athlete of the 20th century....and a sad life...died in poverty despite reaching such heights.
In Olympics, Native Americans (I refuse to use the term Indians...though Original Americans would be a good one) and other non-white athletes (including African-Americans) were considered 'wards of the US' and not citizens...this is so unfair...I am disheartened by human cruelty.
He was stripped of his Olympic medals (thankfully returned much later) because only amateurs were allowed in Olympics i.e. athletes should not play for money as it was expected that only the privileged and rich had an idea of what real sports is....not people in the workmen class.
The biggest shocker for me (yeah, I am ignorant) was that Native Americans were not considered US citizens till almost 1924...the nerve! How unjust on their own land.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
River Sutra
River Sutra by Gita Mehta
I just read River Sutra based on stories centered on the Narmada river. I learnt new things about this river. The Sanskrit name means 'giver of pleasure'...and even a more provocative name.
It has never changed its course in hundreds and thousands of years.
The writing style evokes a vivid image of green mountains, gushing currents of the river in monsoons...tribal beliefs and legends...and also beliefs of Jainism, Sufism, music, Shiva all together...it is a heady and intoxicating mix...
Memorable lines:
From the Jain monk who has renounced the world
'Human heart has only one secret...the capacity to love'
Imrat, the blind musical prodigy singing Rumi's verse:
"The heat of your presence
Blinds my eyes
Blisters my skin
Shrivels my flesh.
Do not turn in loathing from me.
O Beloved, can you not see
Only Love disfigures me?"
Silk disguises strength in softness; water erodes the unforgiving nature of stones.
I just read River Sutra based on stories centered on the Narmada river. I learnt new things about this river. The Sanskrit name means 'giver of pleasure'...and even a more provocative name.
It has never changed its course in hundreds and thousands of years.
The writing style evokes a vivid image of green mountains, gushing currents of the river in monsoons...tribal beliefs and legends...and also beliefs of Jainism, Sufism, music, Shiva all together...it is a heady and intoxicating mix...
Memorable lines:
From the Jain monk who has renounced the world
'Human heart has only one secret...the capacity to love'
Imrat, the blind musical prodigy singing Rumi's verse:
"The heat of your presence
Blinds my eyes
Blisters my skin
Shrivels my flesh.
Do not turn in loathing from me.
O Beloved, can you not see
Only Love disfigures me?"
Silk disguises strength in softness; water erodes the unforgiving nature of stones.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Vegetarian adventures in this WORLD
I love food...I dream...I plot...I experiment..and then when I travel..begins the struggle.
I have been vegetarian..always....and I am ecstatic that I am....:)
Food around the world is devoted to meat eaters...India is a vegetarian heaven...another reason I consider myself lucky to be born in that land (among several other)...but what about other places??..In places where English is not widely spoken, I make sure I learn the words for 'vegetarian', 'no meat no fish'...
In Spain, I was hungry a lot...and managed to get something...here are some memorable foods I remember (Vegetarian in Spanish -vegetariano pronounced with a B instead of V)
Tortilla (potato omelette thing)..over and over again
The best mushrooms sauteed in olive oil and subtly spiced....flavorful
Salted Peppers fried in oil
Mango yoghurt...slurp!
In Thailand, N helped me....(Jeh is Thai for vegetarian/vegetables)
Some of the foods...
Fried rice with vegetables - not as good as Indo-Chinese available in apna desh..:)
Papaya salad---green raw papaya with chillies, lemon juice, peanuts...tangy..the best salad ever!
The awesome tropical fruits of Thailand...my favorite is Longkong....enormous, juicy lychees, mangosteens and of course the smelly fruit durian ...I ate a durian holding my breath..it has mango-like consistency but the overpowering smell made it difficult for me to appreciate it more....my sense of smell being highly acute..
Then the memorable time in Mae Sot (border town in North Thailand close to Burma)...
Tea leaf salad--- young tea leaves, tomato, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, fried garlic, & lemon..tie with Papaya salad...these salads are the best
Tamarind tofu---can anything go wrong with the delightful Indian date- tamarind?...the original date is not a patch...:)
Hot thin rotis smeared with condensed milk in the dhabha near the Mosque...yummm..
Cambodia
Banana and pineapple pancakes
I have been vegetarian..always....and I am ecstatic that I am....:)
Food around the world is devoted to meat eaters...India is a vegetarian heaven...another reason I consider myself lucky to be born in that land (among several other)...but what about other places??..In places where English is not widely spoken, I make sure I learn the words for 'vegetarian', 'no meat no fish'...
In Spain, I was hungry a lot...and managed to get something...here are some memorable foods I remember (Vegetarian in Spanish -vegetariano pronounced with a B instead of V)
Tortilla (potato omelette thing)..over and over again
The best mushrooms sauteed in olive oil and subtly spiced....flavorful
Salted Peppers fried in oil
Mango yoghurt...slurp!
In Thailand, N helped me....(Jeh is Thai for vegetarian/vegetables)
Some of the foods...
Fried rice with vegetables - not as good as Indo-Chinese available in apna desh..:)
Papaya salad---green raw papaya with chillies, lemon juice, peanuts...tangy..the best salad ever!
The awesome tropical fruits of Thailand...my favorite is Longkong....enormous, juicy lychees, mangosteens and of course the smelly fruit durian ...I ate a durian holding my breath..it has mango-like consistency but the overpowering smell made it difficult for me to appreciate it more....my sense of smell being highly acute..
Then the memorable time in Mae Sot (border town in North Thailand close to Burma)...
Tea leaf salad--- young tea leaves, tomato, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, fried garlic, & lemon..tie with Papaya salad...these salads are the best
Tamarind tofu---can anything go wrong with the delightful Indian date- tamarind?...the original date is not a patch...:)
Hot thin rotis smeared with condensed milk in the dhabha near the Mosque...yummm..
Cambodia
Banana and pineapple pancakes
Some travel memories and more
Blog are very self-indulgent and I continue in the same vein. After writing my diary entries about Japan here, I started thinking of experiences and moments in other new places.
Before arriving in a new country, I am breathlessly excited and almost always feel a little bit let-down afterwards...not because I am a pessimist (a whole new blog entry for that) but because I have this notion that it will be totally different from what I have seen so far.
This entry is a brief account of my impressions and moments landing in a new place starting from my very first trip outside India to the US of A. I often remember things from a long time ago...my fourth birthday..I am sucking orange toffees in the balcony on a sunny January afternoon...and Mummy is inside and no one else is around...this moment is frozen...mentally, I don't see a dramatic change in me either....haha..
Starting from my first few days in the US, some unforgettable moments:
The air is crisp and the sun sharp when N and I step out into the street. I am enamored by the well-dressed people in suits in Manhattan...
An unforgettable image..on Fifth Avenue at the traffic light a newly wed East Asian couple runs across the road, stops in the middle and kiss with people cheering them...and then they step into a limousine.
In the classroom, I am surprised by the sight of students with drinks and food as the instructors teach...how quiet I was at that time... The informality of the instructors is fascinating....a different academic world.
I get into an elevator and a stranger smiles and says hello...I am taken aback and start liking it.
Spain
Impressions of Madrid, Toledo....
People milling around in the subway station...in Plazas...in streets...dressed in leather, women in heels and pants so long they sweep the streets.
All parts of animal meat displayed like art exhibits in the shops....bright shining New Year lights and the music...Feliz Navidad played in malls....the produce salesman at the shop forbids me to touch fruit before buying it....I do not like it.
In Toledo, we meet a beautiful woman in an exquisite art shop...white hair and green eyes dressed in pink with a sparkling smile and a pink ribbon in her hair...We struggle to communicate without a common language... and naturally :) we ask her birth date....she does not understand...N hums the Happy Birthday tune and she gets it...runs to a calendar and points to February 14...
Thailand
The tropical foliage of this part of the world is simply heaven...the fruits...the flowers...the leaves....the waters...Bangkok is just fine...not worth spending more than a couple of days..
What is better....north Thailand going towards Burma...where army men check our IDs vigorously...the town Mae Sot so close to Burma...we see Burma across a river...it is like India..lots of people of Indian origin residing here...the most amazing food we had here...(a whole new blog on food for determined vegetarian travelers..:)..the pouring rains....ahaa...nothing is like rains in this part of the world...dream of going to Rangoon (Yangon now) one day....introduced to Burmese food and am not the same since....delicious is an understatement.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Teenagers and younger kids chase you down to buy wares in this dusty and dimly lit town....settle in a guest house...with alligators in the back yard!...I peered through the curtains and saw two of them basking in the sun...oddly, I did not feel any fear...
At Angkor Vat, again face a deluge of eager sellers who will say anything to sell their wares including praise of feminine beauty...My heart is racing as I climb up and down the steep stairs in different enclosures in the complex.
Images from Ramayana and Mahabharata adorn huge walls ...and incongruously (or perhaps not), statues of Buddha installed in the temples covered in saffron cloth....
At night as we crave desi food, we step into an Indian restaurant and eat possibly the worst food...There is no other customer and an over eager host...should have been a red herring..
European tourists flocking the restaurants in the evening...Saw a menu which stopped me dead in my tracks....snake, kangaroo, ostrich and alligator..hello!...are those alligators in the back yard ending up on a plate??..yikes....see the menu..
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Movie time
New York, the movie
Engaging movie. Taut. There was an editor in the house actually..:)...I love movies which are well-edited...Naam - a notable example. Anyway, this movie starring John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Irrfan Khan was good. Peformance wise (with no surprises): Irrfan > >> Neil > Katrina ~ John > the stilted random American actors.
Music flowed in with the story...no jarring notes. I liked the realistic portrayals of New York neighborhoods especially Brooklyn.
Some minor quibbles:
Quibble 1: Where were the families? conveniently absent I guess...at least one of them could take care of the kid after his * SPOILER ALERT * parents are dead!
Quibble 2: The students on the American University campuses in Hindi movies seem to be having waay more fun and games and bonhomie than I have seen ...with all the time spent on campuses..
Quibble 3: Where do the actors who play Americans come from? Some parallel universe where even poor John would come across as a great thespian in comparison...lol!
Well these are minor points...it was well-made and understated even though *SPOILER ALERT* I did not understand why Katrina had to die....too sad.
John manages to emote a bit in some of the scenes...his pure-heartedness and charm still shines through (sorry, having a tough time being objective..;)..nevertheless, I admit he is the weakest actor except the director is clever enough to give him less speaking time. Katrina is good as the idealistic and sympathetic Maya. Neil is the best out of three (which is not saying a lot)...his shy and hesitant demeanour makes him the most real character out of these three. He infuses some passion in his role. Irrfan can sleepwalk through such roles and yet he does not. His witty everyday remarks (especially the one about his hatred for pasta) makes me wonder every time (in this movie and others) if he writes his own dialogues or does the writer suddenly get creative... a true actor he is.
Special bonus points for the director Kabir Khan....He did not make another thoughtless and predictable love story/action/drama. I did not have high hopes from this one and I was pleasantly surprised...Go Kabir!
Overall rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars
Pros: slick editing, good music, Irrfan, sometimes Neil, beauty on display (JA and KK)
Enough said.
Engaging movie. Taut. There was an editor in the house actually..:)...I love movies which are well-edited...Naam - a notable example. Anyway, this movie starring John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Irrfan Khan was good. Peformance wise (with no surprises): Irrfan > >> Neil > Katrina ~ John > the stilted random American actors.
Music flowed in with the story...no jarring notes. I liked the realistic portrayals of New York neighborhoods especially Brooklyn.
Some minor quibbles:
Quibble 1: Where were the families? conveniently absent I guess...at least one of them could take care of the kid after his * SPOILER ALERT * parents are dead!
Quibble 2: The students on the American University campuses in Hindi movies seem to be having waay more fun and games and bonhomie than I have seen ...with all the time spent on campuses..
Quibble 3: Where do the actors who play Americans come from? Some parallel universe where even poor John would come across as a great thespian in comparison...lol!
Well these are minor points...it was well-made and understated even though *SPOILER ALERT* I did not understand why Katrina had to die....too sad.
John manages to emote a bit in some of the scenes...his pure-heartedness and charm still shines through (sorry, having a tough time being objective..;)..nevertheless, I admit he is the weakest actor except the director is clever enough to give him less speaking time. Katrina is good as the idealistic and sympathetic Maya. Neil is the best out of three (which is not saying a lot)...his shy and hesitant demeanour makes him the most real character out of these three. He infuses some passion in his role. Irrfan can sleepwalk through such roles and yet he does not. His witty everyday remarks (especially the one about his hatred for pasta) makes me wonder every time (in this movie and others) if he writes his own dialogues or does the writer suddenly get creative... a true actor he is.
Special bonus points for the director Kabir Khan....He did not make another thoughtless and predictable love story/action/drama. I did not have high hopes from this one and I was pleasantly surprised...Go Kabir!
Overall rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars
Pros: slick editing, good music, Irrfan, sometimes Neil, beauty on display (JA and KK)
Enough said.
Sweet Spree
I am on a sweet spree...I made besan ladoos and badam katli a few days ago.
Besan ladoos:
I cooked besan (chickpea flour) on medium heat till it emitted its characteristic odor. Then I added ghee (the more the merrier...:)...actually 1: 0.5 proportion/ besan: ghee) and cooked some more till it was brownish. I had to be careful and I kept stirring and did not raise the temperature. Then I added sugar (amount depending on taste...I like it just right). I kept tasting it to achieve the right balance. Then I stirred some more and finally added some slivered almond. Stirred and heated some more. Let it cool....Viola!...pressed into the ladoo form (circular)...Relished it once a day..:)
Badam katli..
This was even simpler. I soaked slivered almonds overnight. The next day, I put these almond in a blender with a little milk for a paste-like consistency.
Then I transferred the almond paste onto a skillet with sugar (according to taste..balance is the key again..:)..I keep tasting it. I cooked on low to medium heat for some time. It took me about 25 minutes...stirring regularly to avoid charring. It formed a soft lump. I tasted it and it seemed ready (very scientific I know..:). Let it cool. Then I pressed it into rectangular form (the rhombus shape was difficult for me)...tasted like marzipan.
HAPPINESS.
Besan ladoos:
I cooked besan (chickpea flour) on medium heat till it emitted its characteristic odor. Then I added ghee (the more the merrier...:)...actually 1: 0.5 proportion/ besan: ghee) and cooked some more till it was brownish. I had to be careful and I kept stirring and did not raise the temperature. Then I added sugar (amount depending on taste...I like it just right). I kept tasting it to achieve the right balance. Then I stirred some more and finally added some slivered almond. Stirred and heated some more. Let it cool....Viola!...pressed into the ladoo form (circular)...Relished it once a day..:)
Badam katli..
This was even simpler. I soaked slivered almonds overnight. The next day, I put these almond in a blender with a little milk for a paste-like consistency.
Then I transferred the almond paste onto a skillet with sugar (according to taste..balance is the key again..:)..I keep tasting it. I cooked on low to medium heat for some time. It took me about 25 minutes...stirring regularly to avoid charring. It formed a soft lump. I tasted it and it seemed ready (very scientific I know..:). Let it cool. Then I pressed it into rectangular form (the rhombus shape was difficult for me)...tasted like marzipan.
HAPPINESS.
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