Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food

Lot of controversy started around this film just after I had finished watching it. I failed to understand it at all, because I had loved it a lot.

The story is about a talented girl who goes against traditions to follow her dreams, breaks stereotypes and surpasses all shackles to become a successful chef. The film rides on shoulders of the very lovely Nayanthara, who plays the central character very convincingly. No one rises to the top without the support of family and friends, and Annapoorani is also no exception. She is brought back to her destined path when in doubt in challenging moments..her grandmother stopping her marriage, her friend Farhaan convincing her to cook non vegetarian, her friend’s father attending college instead of her own father, and many more.

 

An unethical act by a jealous chef whom she had almost displaced, results in Annapoorani’s total loss of taste. Devastated, she is on the verge of giving up her profession when her father stands by her and takes her back to Chef Anand, who also happened to be her mentor. Annapoorani takes the setback in her stride and goes on to win a prestigious competition. At the end, she comes back to empower underprivileged women with interest in cooking to  pursue their interests.

So what is the controversy about such an inspiring plot?

Poorani offering namaaz before preparing biriyani: Biriyani was never her forte and Poorani could somehow never get it right however much she tried. Farhaan’s mother, who happened to cook the said dish very well, had once told her that she would cook in her usual way but only after offering namaaz. When faced with the challenge to cook biriyani in the final round of the combination, Poorani seeks blessings from God in the form of a naamaz before starting her preparation. Needless to say, she goes on to win the round and competition. 

Claims that Lord Ram, Sita and Laxman may have consumed meat during their exile in the forest: Tell me why not. They were Kshatriyas. They had weapons with them and killing an animal or two for the sake of survival is not such a bad thing to do. There is no proof to establish the veracity of this theory – it may or may not be true.

Then, why create hype? Does not make sense to me at all.

I loved the movie and I am sure you will too.

Image courtesy: Google

Tiger 3

If you are a fan of Salman Khan, this movie has been made for you. Infact, this entire series is .. Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hain, and now this. Keep your brains aside. Just watch the hero playout his role. He does not look like he is in his fifties at all, and he carries off all the action with his natural swag.

You are bound to be amazed by the action scenes filmed on Katrina Kaif. She’s a pretty damsel, who could have spent her career romancing heroes on screen. She has raised herself beyond that and her action scenes reflect how hardworking she is.

If you happen to have watched a film named “Pathaan” starring another popular hero, Shah Rukh Khan (SRK), you would recall a cameo by Salman Khan in it. The favour is returned in this film where SRK comes to Salman’s rescue when in a fix. The duo entertains the audience with their ageless charm.

Another actor who has stepped out of his comfort zone is Emraan Hashmi, who has played the villain’s role. He has delivered a performance worth taking note of.

Needless to say, the budget of this movie is huge. Wonderful locations, helicopters, vehicles, all the action, etc are all in large scale. This has been made for plain entertainment and not for critics.

Image courtesy: Google

Ahaan

Ahaan is a movie that revolves around an adult with down syndrome. In the fast paced world around him, he is surrounded by a judgemental society, including his parents, who are protective, sometimes much more than required. I have seen first hand how parents of special children feel, how they behave, how protective they are, how affected by social stigma they become. With due respects to them and their grit to face challenges, this movie can give a streak of hope to them.

Free of any false sense of superiority, or inhibitions, Ahaan has aspirations similar to that of normal people: to have a family of his own, a house, car, job, etc. He is befriended by Ozzy, whose wife had left him because of his behavioural issues. As the movie progresses, Ahaan’s simplicity overwhelms not only Ozzy, but the audience as a whole. I could not help loving him.

What do you want to be in 10 years?

There is a scene when Ahaan is being accompanied by Ozzy for a job interview and Ozzy asks him this mock question. His answer is “Ahaan”. I was absolutely floored by authenticity of the response, straight from the heart.

Good acting, believable story-line. A streak of positivity. Also a subtle message to society to be more inclusive towards people with special needs.

Image courtesy: Google

Khufiya

An intelligence agency has identified an internal mole, and wishes to nab him red handed. The intent is also to identify the reason – catch the puppet and puppeteer both. The film is led by Tabu, an actress par excellence. She is not making any attempt to hide her age. Along with her senior officer (Ashish Vidyarthi), she embarks on a journey to uncover the prime suspect, Ravi Mohan, played by Ali Zafar. I have seen him on screen after a very long time and I totally loved Ali’s bespectacled look.

Wamiqa Gabbi comes across a very strong actress too. I had seen her in a small role in Mai, a web series starring Sakshi Tanwar. I have observed her in a TV commercial and in yet another very successful web series (Jubilee). Wamiqa has definitely travelled a long way to reach her present level of acting.

Tabu and her team are surprised to learn that it is not his wife, but his aged mother, who is Ravi’s accomplice in crime. The storyline is tight, and full of twists and turns till the very end. The mission behaves like a sine curve, troughs happen when Ravi manages to smuggle sensitive information across to a rival country, and crests can be sensed when you have him cornered; till he manages to flee again. The fact that everyone has to balance their personal and professional lives is underlined yet again. An extra flavour is added in this thriller for me as quite a few dialogues are spoken in Bengali. You'll love Khufiya also because of the directional excellence of Vishal Bhardwaj.

Image courtesy: Google

Dhak Dhak

Biking is something that is essentially associated with men. This feisty movie breaks the stereotype and revolves around four women, all from different backgrounds, who choose to ride to Khardung La in Leh, Ladakh on Royal Enfield bikes. This is a dream destination or holy grail of bikers, men or women. Circumstances are different, inspirations are different for each. The screenplay has been weaved with their journey and individual stories of the characters. The name of the movie, Dhak Dhak, refers to beating of one’s heart once the engine of a heavy bike gains acceleration.

 

It is not about the journey alone. There are multiple challenges that one has to overcome to reach the final destination: punctures, health issues, loss of connectivity... you name it. Your belief that there are still some nice people out there gets reinforced as you watch a truck driver lend an extra phone to Sanjana, or when a fellow traveller comes forward to assist the girls in times of crisis. The movie subtly touches upon modern day risks such as videos going viral or phones getting hacked.

The star of the movie is Ratna Pathak Shah. She’s so good and lovable. The very beautiful Dia Mirza, Sanjana Sanghi and Fatima Sana Shaikh look well suited to their roles. You’ll love the empowered women and stay hooked till the very end.

Image courtesy: Google

Happy New Year!!

Dhootha: The Messenger

Have you come across a series that makes you wish you had not started it at all? Well, Dhootha, a Telegu web series, dubbed in multiple languages, was the first of this kind for me. I would say the faint hearted should not watch it at all – there’s lot of blood and ugly deaths. Also, paranormal activity is something that fails to appeal me.

The basic idea is acceptable – one should be honest towards his profession and not succumb to political pressure and greed. Heinous crimes lead to the death of an honest journalist, who was a man of principles. Thereafter, his spirit takes on the onus to teach corrupt journalists their lessons in the hard way.

Naga Chaitanya is a handsome man and has portrayed his character (Sagar) very well. He carries the series on his shoulders. The insensitive trait of Sagar comes across strongly during his final interaction with his secretary (Prachi Desai). But what she did in revenge was way more awful. The director shows no consideration for audience and portrays crimes and deaths in realistic manner. You may end up spending nights uneasily after watching gory scenes.

Plus points: Absolutely perfect cast: Everyone seems to tailor made for their roles. Direction, Story build-up, connecting the dots are good. 

Only negative is that there seems to be too much blood. And I thought couple of deaths, especially that of the Youtuber, could have been reduced.

So brace yourself, and then watch the horror series.

Image courtesy: Google

The Archies

Do you remember a film called “Chillar Party”, wherein a handful of kids come together to save a stray dog? I found this movie to be similar, only the lead protagonists are young adults (17 year olds), who come together to save a park at  the centre of their town. At that age, confusion around romantic feelings for each other are natural, so that aspect needs to be integrated with the age group at hand.

 

What is the criticism all about?

This film has faced lot of flak because characters are out of a popular comic series and not everyone seems to like humanization of cartoon characters. But what if the name of the film, and the name of the characters had been different? It would have made no difference.

Lot of unnecessary songs.

Indeed, but think of it like a musical. The characters are young, and their minds are in a world of their own. Some song and dance is acceptable.

Nepotism.

There are some star kids, such as Agastya Nanda (son of Shweta Bachchan and grandson of Amitabh Bachchan), Suhana Khan (daughter of Shah Rukh Khan) and Khushi Kapoor (daughter of Sridevi). Criticism goes the camera seems to recognize only three faces, but are they not the central characters? I thought the story tried to recreate the flavour of original comics, where the story revolves around Archie, Veronica, Betty, Reggie, Jughead, etc. The star kids have done justice to their roles, and so have the others. It is their first film, so the criticism has to stop.  

 Did I like the film?

Yes, but I took it as just a movie. It is not Archies comics. It is almost as if Chillar Party kids have grown up.

And Agastya Nanda is so handsome! Wait for him to grow up a bit more, and he would soon have fans swooning for him.

The movie is definitely a one-time watch.

Image courtesy: Google

Permanent Roomates

A new season was aired in October, and its posters attracted my eye. I liked the feel of the brief, so I downloaded the season. But can you start from Season 3? I had to start from the first season and waited till I finished what I was watching at that time. When I did finally tune in, I so loved the lead characters. What’s more, the episodes for short and crisp. I loved the way Mikesh, the male protagonist, said “Cool”, and could over-simplify even complicated situations. I didn’t like Season 2 much, essentially because of things not being on the positive track towards the end. But the last episode instilled some perseverance to keep living, inspite of all odds.

Season 3 is about coming of age of the characters. The actors have obviously aged, but they are able to hold the happy go lucky charm. There are serious moments, and you would find tears running down your cheeks while watching the last episodes.

I found the cast to have been chosen meticulously, and everyone seems to fit their roles very well. Cameos by Asrani in Season 2 and Sachin in Season 3 are surprise gifts for the audience. Sheeba Chaddha is also very strong as a lovable mother-in-law who was initially trying to be forcefully friendly but gradually finds her place.

I am sure you would love this romantic comedy series.

Image courtesy: Google

Resurrection

On a Sunday afternoon, I was in a park, watching my child play with his friend. Another child, few years older than the aforementioned duo, joined them. His mother, almost like a corollary, got talking to us. She could not stop talking about her child’s blog.

I was wondering what I had been doing to the space I had loved so much. Was I focussing on motherhood? Too busy with work-life balance? I am sure there are bloggers who post regularly, in spite of all challenges they face. When there is a will, there will be a way, they say, right? 

It’s time for resurrection.

 

So what is it that I want to talk about? Nothing special. In my regular life, I am someone who has a mundane routine. My life essentially revolves around my kid and office, ends with video calls with my out of station husband and parents. I have developed a habit of watching OTT content on the way to and from office, journeyed mostly in the metro. I have two active subscriptions in Netflix and Amazon Prime. Given the limited time I can devote to these platforms, I am usually alternating between them. I read/ write reviews on Google right after completing a movie or series. Would you like to know my thoughts too?

Image courtesy: Google

I am a Mom

I am a Mom.

I was 39; married for 12 years, and didn't have kids. It didn't seem that I'd ever do, either. Age was not on my side, I had a demanding job, and many such facts seemed to lower the chances further. 

People around me were having kids, sometimes multiple ones. Some of them were also older than me. I was not exactly jealous or depressed, but I felt sort of deprived. 

Some of my friends and relatives, colleagues, and even mere acquiantances would reach out to me, referring doctors, astrologers, what not. I had been under fertility treatment since 2014. I knew what was not so good with me. But I paid due heed to all well-meant advices, consulted many a doctor, in hope of almost a miracle.

I am a Mom.

I had IVF pregnancy. I was blessed with a baby boy in March 2019.

But I know what the journey is like. What it means physically, emotionally, financially. What it takes to balance medical visits with work. 

That's why I chose to write about the journey and life thereafter. Stay tuned, read the upcoming posts. It may help you, or someone you know. If you want to discuss something with me, drop me an email at anupama06@gmail.com. I shall get back to you.

Stay tuned for more.

A Challenge Completed

The A-Z Challenge is over. Phew.. I survived through it. It’s big for me. I had participated in the challenge in 2014, but I lost the impetus somewhere in the middle. This year, I was determined not to let that happen to me.

However, it is easier said than done. One, because I was going through a writers’ block. Even if I say I could not find time to write, it is not completely justified – I should have planned my time better, that’s it.

I love Facebook for reminding me that the challenge was about to start. That was March 30^th. Unsure whether I could write out a series, I just took the plunge. There was no time to think of a theme. But hey, what could be better than talking about your ownself? I introduce myself to my readers, and most importantly, hold the mirror towards myself.

So, began the journey with a post narrating how I hate Alarms. Everyday, I had to look around myself to decide on the next word – should I choose a difficult word or keep it simple? Can I knit a story around it? 

I felt extremely unprepared when I realized most participants had their posts not only pre-planned, but pre-written as well. I had to push myself hard to keep myself up-to-date with the letter of the day, posting the links on social media and reading few posts by fellow bloggers. It felt good to reach out to my new friends. 

Now, the feat of posting 26 posts in April, each for an alphabet is accomplished. It is a feeling of satisfaction, and also relief. On the other hand, there’s a vacuum that is hard to explain. For the last week, I have been waking up, thinking, “What next?”

Thank you friends for reading my musings and encouraging me to keep going. Stay in touch!

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Z- Zeal

What helps us grow as an individual or professional is our zeal to improve, something everyone should have. There is indeed no end to learning. We should be open and ready to accept it if we do not know something, and learn.

Of course, we should be able to judge ourselves and identify the areas we lack. It could be enhancement of one’s skills or aspiration for better quality of life.

Having said all of that, allow me to admit that I am someone who lacks this zeal. It is not as if I don’t put my best effort in whatever I do. Or that I do not have aspirations. But I am someone who loves to be in her comfort zone, and am unwilling to take risks, such as changing jobs, etc. I would try to make the best of what I have, and try to carry on life the way it was.

If I were to achieve something big, I would plan for it, albeit slowly – save money (or credit card points or whatever). It happens often with me that when I have managed to save enough, either the price of my desired product would have increased, or it would no longer be available in market or it would have lost relevance in my life because of changes that have happened in my life in the meantime.

Are you like me?
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Y- Yield point

Have you ever wondered when you tend to lose your cool? You would rarely find me fretting.  I try my best not to get angry or frustrated about any situation, and try to think with a balanced head about the available alternatives and decide the next course of action.

Initially I was not like this, and would get worked up at the slightest provocation. But much to my disappointment, I realized that the impact of my screaming on someone was little and shortlived, whereas a lot of my energy had been invested. What is worse, the same points could easily be conveyed in a normal voice, albeit firmly.

There are no doubts about the ill effects of losing one’s temper. Your blood pressure rises, you may end up speaking unkind words, and more. “Anger is just one alphabet short of Danger”, remember that.

I have stretched my yield point deliberately. It saves me from incurring lot of stress, and has helped me create the impression of a level headed person. Also, people take serious note of me when I eventually cannot take it anymore and blast it out.

Can you manage your temper well?

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X- Xenophobic

Are you xenophobic?

Before you answer that question, let me share with you its meaning. If not literally, it means one who is anxious of what others (sometimes from foreign cultures) think of him. Such a person would invariably try to go out of the way to please others, so that his impression remains positive. Now answer the question.

To a large extent, I am like that. On the surface, I would strongly assert, “I don’t care who thinks what”, but deep inside, I am concerned. I may go to the extent of dressing in a particular way, or trying to raise the correct topics, etc just to please someone, whereas the recipient of this attention would neither notice, or make any such effort to please me.

I don’t want to hurt anyone intentionally. So even if I am feeling not very excited about it, I tend to comply (sometimes to desires that have not been expressed at all). As a result, I tend to be taken for granted and my opinion is sometimes overlooked.

I am trying to do some self-counselling even while I write this. Are you like me?
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W - Wardrobe

Let us begin in flashback:

A friend of mine had come over to Delhi and was staying at her cousin’s place. She invited me over, to which I readily agreed. We enjoyed the evening thoroughly but when it was time for me to leave, we found it was stormy. Soon began incessant rain. We waited and waited, but the weather would not settle, until it was very late at night. My friend’s cousin came forward as a good host and offered me to stay over, and also offered me a T-shirt for me to change.

When he opened his cupboard, I was left open-mouthed – it was so neatly arranged! Clothes were ironed and segregated in an orderly way. So far I used to think that men of all ages are essentially lazy, and their wardrobes are likely to be untidy. When I could not hold back my surprise, he told me, “It takes so much lesser space if you keep things properly and finding anything becomes easy too”.

A lesson learnt well.

Even today, I try to keep my belongings neatly. I admit it gets messy over time, but I take time out to re-arrange my stuff periodically. A neat wardrobe is the sign of an organized mind, I tell myself.

Do you have a neat wardrobe?

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V- Venturous

I am somone who is willing to take a few risks. Although I may be sceptical initially, I would take a try. Some of these (ad)venturous steps have worked for me in reality. Thinking out of the box and stepping out of one’s comfort zone is the key.

Our Sports Teacher had asked me if I would be interested in joining the School Rowing Team. They needed someone who knew swimming. I didn’t know how I would fare at the sport, but I agreed to go for selection. And not only did I row in the tournament, I enrolled myself in the Rowing Club and went on to win many competitions.

My decision to study Architecture was also one such venture for me – no one in my circle had studied the subject, and I had very vague idea about the different roles I could play. I had taken the selection test thinking my good handwriting and fair sketching skills would come in handy. I couldn’t believe my ears when I was informed that I had been selected!

I may be working as a Transport Planner presently, but my training facilitates my visualization of a project better and also enhances my presentation skills. Today, I have the experience of teaching many students, guiding them to design their projects with practical knowledge and also taking examinations as external faculty.

Have you taken some risks in your life that have worked for you in the long run?

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U- Umbrella

One thing that is permanent in my bag is my umbrella, whichever season or time of day it may be. Can you guess the reason behind this?

It is a habit that has stayed with me since childhood. My hometown, Kolkata (earlier known as Calcutta) enjoys a very balanced climate. It is usually sunny, and whenever it gets too hot, the city gets rain. Thus, an umbrella would be the companion of most citizens, especially the women, as it comes in handy both when it is sunny or when it is pouring.

As children, we were possessive about our umbrellas to the extent of embroidering our names on the edge. Also I remember stitching frills around my umbrella as a child, just to decorate it.

That reminds me of a disaster which very few people know about. Encouraged by the appreciation received for the frill stitching initiative, I decided to go experimental with my creativity. My Dad’s umbrella was a boring black one, and had a big diameter. He rarely used to carry it. So one day, I punctured neat holes in it in different sizes, stitched patterns in some and made it look very innovative.

I was disappointed to see the horrified look on my Dad’s face! I told him it would create different patterns on the road when the sunlight poured through it, and he asked me in return, “What about the rain?”

What is your constant companion?

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T- Tailoring

Do you know that I can cut up a piece of cloth and stitch a dress? There was one time when I used to design and tailor my own clothes.

The interest in tailoring was ingrained by my Granny, who tried to teach some basics of stitching and knitting to both me and my brother, telling us that this knowledge could come in handy anytime. However, I was the only one who took interest. She owned an old sewing machine and the sheer pleasure of operating it and watching the cloth move through the machine captured my awe.

During a fairly long break in school, my Dad sent me to learn tailoring from a lady who gave classes near my home, just to keep me occupied. I showed considerable flourish in the art and learnt different ways to cut cloth. However, I couldn’t pursue this talent of mine much as studies came in the way. I could help my Mom or Granny at times only.

Years later, when we had shifted to a new home, my husband gifted me an electric sewing machine on my birthday – such a sweet gesture! However, there was a secret intention – he made me stich all the curtains, pillow covers and likewise that you can see in my home!

Do you have a hobby?

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S- growing Senior

“With great power, comes great responsibility” is a popular saying. So can be said as we become senior by age or grow in our careers.

Time flies by and we gradually traverse the journey from our childhood to adolescence, adulthood and

finally old age. Give it a thought and you will realize the way we interact with the rest of the world also changes.. from a cuddly baby we become a sweet old person.

I remember the day my manager asked me to dictate a letter to our secretary. Till then, I had been drafting letters myself and never taken assistance of a stenographer. I actually re-verified from my senior that I was eligible to ask someone to work for me. It made me feel as if I had risen one level up.

Yes, as we have grown from the grass root level, our roles have gradually transformed to a managing role – we receive instructions from our managers, delegate work to our juniors, finish the work received from them, and again transmit the final result to the source of the requirement. This is no easy task. Those of us in the senior management face challenges such as accomplishments in line with the company’s growth, something that can be achieved by someone with relevant experience and necessary qualities.

What is your take?
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R- Routes

There are many words suitable with my theme that start with R, but if we pinpoint one around which my life revolves around is Routes.

I plan operations of bus routes as my job, and needless to say, they hover in my subconscious mind all the time. Thanks to this job, I have travelled to different parts of the city which I would not have gone to under usual circumstances and also have drawn them out on a map of Delhi.

Our bus routes have all been digitized in a GIS map with every bus stop located on it, for the purposes of monitoring of our services. I am often required to refer to these maps to take decisions. – the city map has thus got ingrained in my memory. As a result, I can give you directions to a colony you may have never heard about before, but I shall refer it like I see it in a map – north of X place, west of Y road.

My team also constantly monitors financial performance of routes, temporal and directional variation of travel pattern of passengers, etc. Each route has its own peculiarities. For example, a route serving the Airport shows a sudden splurge of demand around the shift change timings. 

Are you a working professional? What is your job profile all about?

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