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Tuesday 10 May 2016

Raman Raghav 2.0 Trailer Review




I love Nawazuddin Siddique in the latest trailer of Raman Raghav 2.0 (Interesting title, like some Android upgrade!) However, it is in fact based on the life of a notorious serial killer back in the sixties by the same name. Especially the ending of the trailer where Nawazuddin is crying helplessly like a caged animal and then instantly changes his expressions to ambivalence – epic! Gave me the chills. He has really gotten into the skin of his “psychopath” character understanding how they are delusional about persecution and grandeur and use and manipulate emotions to have their way. The music is also good but I found the trailer to be too lengthy. Looks like a very unique concept and I’m sure the movie will have bizarre, interesting characters. Looking forward to this one.

-          S. Chaudhary

 Images courtesy Google images

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 3

Spoilers Alert!

By far this was my favorite episode this season. Jon Snow was back and he punished the backstabbers (loved that he took a tough yet difficuilt stand.) I love his character’s journey and transformation from a naïve boy to a tough, wiser man. He has left the brotherhood, wonder what is next in store for him. (Hence the title Oath breaker - I thought initially it was going to be centered around Jaime or Brienne who has named her sword Oathkeeper as a tribute to Jaime!) 


Why is Bran Stark travelling to past memories? What wisdom is he to gain and how will he learn “everything” from these weird travels? His plot is building up really well.

Tyrion was super funny once again. Love his quirky yet evolving equation with the Unsullied and Missandei what with their vast differences in personalities and outlooks.

I wonder if The High Sparrow is able to sway King Tommen to his side in the coming episodes. He seemed to break through or soften both Margaery and Tommen with his religious gems. Wonder if he will turn the King and Queen against Cersei and Jaime. That would be fun to watch.

I am worried about Rickon’s future or the absence of it now that he has been captured by Ramsay Bolton, the power hungry, greedy man who murdered his own father. Bran has a stronger claim as the Warden of the North and therefore an obstacle for Bolton. However, if Ramsay is smarter he may decide to “use” the kid as his proxy for gathering other banners who are loyal to Starks. Oh and I just remembered – isn’t Rickon a warg like Bran too. So will that gift be able to rescue him and his wildling friend and even help kill Bolton maybe?

As for Bran’s sister Arya, as I had predicted she was indeed being trained to become better. And that final test where she could choose to get her eyes back or truly let go and stick to the truth – priceless! This was my favorite sequence in this episode.


I am curious how Daenerys will escape. Will her dragon help her? While she is captured what will the queen have to endure and go through!


-          S. Chaudhary

 Images courtesy Google images

Sunday 8 May 2016

Love. And Relationship.

Love knows no boundaries. Also, you cannot choose who you fall in love with. It could be the most “wrong” person but the heart feels what it feels. Also I can have so much love in my heart for Christopher Nolan or Shahrukh Khan and they don’t even know about my existence. Love can be one way. Love is not stupid but yes it “chooses” to be blind. Blind to the imperfections and flaws in the object of your affection. For that reason love can be convenient as in seeing only and focussing on the good and choosing to ignore the bad. Love is a feeling that is created inside of you and you may choose to express it or for some reason maybe even not (staying single.)
Relationship however is a different ball game altogether. In a relationship, you are “consciously choosing” the other person to share, express, explore and please. You are offering your precious time as well as taking up theirs. You are choosing to be involved, unlike love where it can all be purely mental and therefore twisted, distorted into a fantasyland. Relationship is real. You are here and they are here. You are acting upon your connection. You can love someone silently and they may never know, not to mention the fact that you love someone selfishly, for you and not for them! Because loving someone allows you to experience the beautiful feelings generated because of love inside you first and foremost! But relationship is like an invisible contract, an agreement of sorts. When you are choosing to enter into one first and foremost make sure what do you want? Don’t just involve somebody when they are also as clueless as you and don’t invest emotionally too quickly or for long unless you have figured yourself out first. For example, you may be highly expressive – lots of “I Love You,” cuddles, pda, everything. Whereas the person you love could be quite the opposite (they do say opposites attract!) It doesn’t mean they are wrong for being unexpressive or that you are wrong or needy. But know yourself. And since the very beginning, when you see this discrepancy be honest with yourself. Will I be able to adjust to his unexpressive ways not just for another month but a lifetime? (I am assuming you mate for life because relationships are no games or time pass but a real long term investment.) Even if you have asked them to change and they may put in the effort, since the first date you get an idea of who the person fundamentally is and you don’t want to change the person in a totally different person and customize as per your every whim and desire. Know yourself what you are asking for is reasonable or not. But also be honest about it because you may hide your needs in the initial honeymoon phase because everything is going so great so why ruin the moment but sooner or later, you will feel you are stifling who you truly are and it may then come out in a very unpleasant, needy or critical outburst. And let your partner know what you need! Just because you are in love don’t expect him to read your every thought. You owe it to yourself and your partner to be honest. Very early on you may see the red flags and that is when you take the call how long and how deep you wish to get invested because the longer you stay the harder it will be to break off, if it unfortunately comes to that. You can love somebody all day, every day and even from afar. But a relationship is a commitment, a promise to another human being that you must have the integrity to enter into (wisely and consciously) and to uphold. Before getting in a relationship, know yourself, your needs and there is nothing wrong about being who you are. You do YOU, don’t change to please somebody else if it doesn’t reasonate with who you truly are. It may not exactly match with the person you love. But then atleast you know is it worth working on and adjusting. Relationships are and should be entered into to make the other person feel great about themselves because you see something special in them that even they don’t. Because you want to add value and meaning to their as well as your life. And when you know yourself, you will know whether the sacrifices are worth it and it won’t feel as sacrifices if they are done willingly.
-S. Chaudhary.

Thursday 5 May 2016

TE3N Official Tralier released


Loved the first poster of the film
Reliance Entertainment launched the official trailer of their upcoming movie TE3N ( Thank God it is spelt like that alpha-numerically, otherwise the search results were showing Teen as in Teenagers!) Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Nawazuddin Siddique in pivotal roles and directed by Ribhu Dasgupta, the movie is slated for release on June 10th. I had a feeling that the film is slightly reminiscent of Vidya Balan’s Kahaani, look and feel wise and then I saw one of the presenters is Sujoy Ghosh, the director of Kahaani. His films have a real feel thereby helping the viewer to easily go along with the experience as though it is real and not a larger than life cinema. There is a buzz though that the movie is a copy of a 2013 South Korean Thriller/ Drama called Montage because of strikingly similar plotlines and characters. Anyway, all three actors are needless to say superlative in their craft and their chemistry together should be interesting to watch. Amitabh and Nawazuddin’s characters have powerful motives so I am expecting some emotionally charged, passionate performances. I love the genre of thriller so this one I am looking forward to. Background music is superb, seems fast paced and I love movies where towards the end all the little breadcrumbs, the clues come together to reveal the plot. So far trailer has turned out very well and interesting and I hope the movie turns out to be even better.
-          S. Chaudhary

Image courtesy Google images

Tuesday 3 May 2016

Met Gala 2016 - Best and Worst Dressed

Beyonce has never looked hotter than she does in her thrities. She is slim and curvy and the dress hugs and accentuates her curves, love the fit. Love the hair and make up. But. She looks like she is wearing a dotted condom. Or a pimply skin yikes. Sadly, the shiny material of the fabric is tricky to pull off especially in terms of color (if you wear it in plain black its looks like you have wrapped a trash bag around your body!) She is using the same material in red (and even the sleeves design) as one of the costumes in her latest Formation world tour and it looks smoking hot onstage! Sadly, cannot say this about the red carpet.


I love the Lupita’s hair do and the shimmery green outfit. One of my favorites from the evening. And way better than that hideous head band and tennis net she wore at a previous gala.



Love Taylor Swift’s dark bold lips and hairstyle. That and the strappy knee high shoes complement the outfit.


Demi Lovato’s dress does nothing for me. The black and gold is kinda reminiscent of a previous Beyonce outfit she wore at the Gala some years back

Bella Hadid’s outfit could have used some unique accessorizing. Even the hair is too simple.


Zendaya looks like and Egyptian princess. But I wished she had carried either a contrast color clutch or a fancy belt to break the monotony of her outfit. Eye make up could have been dramatic.


Kylie Jenner plays its safe. The costume is uninspiring.

Wendi Deng Murdoch has a fabulous smile but her costume looks like curtains. Reminds me of Kim Kardashian's curtain outfit at the gala some years back.



I love Nicole Kidman’s outfit but I wish she added more drama with either the make-up or accessories. However that tiny tiara, nice touch!


Claire Danes does the Cindrella look with the smoky gray gown. Classy but not something I have never seen before.

One of my favorite actresses Rachel Mcadams please fire your stylist. Why that dress? Makes her arms look bigger and is a very confused style.


Loved Ciara’s hair. But isn’t the Swarovski over nude gowns a bit 2015? Are we still doing that?


Nina Dobrev’s costume would have been complete with a delicate pendant. Still, she turned out very well. Reminded me of Jennifer Lopez's Oscar gown



I am not able to decide whether or not I like Blake Lively’s costume. Love the earings, hair, red lips and the train of her outfit yet there is something off putting about that shiny material. I wish the fabric of the gown were consistent then she would have been dressed perfectly.


I had to wear shades to watch Cindy Crawford’s flashy, blingy dress. Neither love it nor hate it.


Kim Kardashian disappointed. Whatever people may say, I feel often she is very well turned out (barring that curtain she wore to the previous gala) and her accessorizing is usually on fleek. But here it looked like she didn’t put much effort.

I absolutely loves Jessica Chastain’s electric blue outfit. The hair, make up, styling spot on. A breath of fresh air.
The Met gala for me is like a one time hallpass for celebs to rock dramatic, unconventional ramp like outfits so if they miss the opportunity by underplaying or playing it safe or like they have dressed pretty and ordinary like for just any regular event, I am disappointed. I look to be wowed, to be in awe. On the other hand, the idea is to be unique, not hilarious, a thin line to tread often times. You don't want to look like a chicken with feathers or like curtains or dressed for funerals! But I would any day give a thumbs up to those who will experiment and fall rather than those being too bland, safe or subtle.
-          S. Chaudhary

Images Courtesy Google Images

Badrinath Ki Dulhania First Look Out


I was curious since yesterday when seemingly cryptic tweets started doing the rounds between Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. And what was all the buzz and hype about got answered today. Fox Star Studios and Dharma productions have launched the motion poster for their latest film Badrinath ki  Dulhania. A shutter going up with Humpty sharma ki dulhania’s poster on it to give way and reveal the new sequel’s poster is a clever idea. Humpty Sharma ki dulhania had one of the most eye catching posters with a thin Alia Bhatt lifting the hero of the movie. But they have definitely topped themselves with the sequel’s poster, being equally imaginative by using stop motion for a motion poster for the first time. It’s a very unique idea. Its great that they are experimenting with each first look. It is memorable and has an impact.


Love the fun and peppy background score too. The background seems to be a fair with colourful pinwheels and ferris wheels, a burst of colours and lights. Alia is dressed in traditional outfit, a far cry for her glamourous roles. Varun and Alia make a cute pair and the film seems to be a youthful, fun, family entertainer. It is being promoted as a love franchise so should be interesting to see what they have to offer on 10th March 2017.

-          S. Chaudhary

Images Courtesy Google Images

Monday 2 May 2016

Kabali Official Teaser Review



Superstar Rajnikanth is back. In and as Kabali. I was kind of surprised by the official teaser – not the usual over the top action sequences but presenting Rajnikanth in a very real, more “human” way. It has grandeur but still looks toned down and restrained. That is thumbs up! A new slick look complete with dapper suits, classy shades and sexy grey beard and hair. He plays his age and it seems the role will offer him a platform to not only entertain but also perform. In his own words - he is not the typical filmy gangster but KABALI! (I can imagine whistles in the theatre on this stylish dialogue by his hardcore fans.)


Background score is kickass. Love the colourful hieroglyphics in the background against the credit supers. Love the catchphrase “Nirupada” though I have no clue what it means! (Subtitles inform me it means fire blazing fiercely – dramatic!) Radhika Apte has just one shot in the teaser where she looks beautiful. Loved the last shot where he flicks his hair, Rajni style. Movie has mass appeal and looks promising on delivering on that front. The director, Pa. Ranjith I am informed has made 2 movies previously that were hits as well as critically acclaimed. Looking forward to this one.
-          S. Chaudhary
Images courtesy Google Images

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 2 Review

Spoilers Alert!

Jon Snow is Back in the game baby! Yeah!!

Okay so a lot of sub plots moved forward in today’s episode and 2 characters eliminated. But three key sequences stood out for me. Firstly, Tyrion’s antics. That guy with his flamboyant style, sharp wit and hilarious remarks is awesome to watch. I hope George RR Martin never kills him! We had already witnessed a glimpse of Tyrion’s rendezvous with the dragons in the trailers but when he actually walked up towards them I was like, man what is he thinking? (That by the way is a fantastic shot, pitch black dark, sounds of only random growls or breathing and then a beautiful glowing fire shot to  reveal it is in fact in the dragon’s mouth! Spectacular!) Varys had more sense, his frightened body language saying like "Dude Imma stay right here at the closest exit, I don’t believe suicide is a good idea!" I was watching with bated breath and then I realized, wait what’s he doing? Tyrion was actually talking to the dragons?! This guy can negotiate with anybody! Then he was petting the beasts and I was thinking – Tyrion, you may die today, probably roasted alive, or ripped into half and devoured by the starving dragons but you have my respect you brave fool!  And then the other dragon scoots towards him and like - Hey would you mind unchaining me too? Yeah thanks! The most hilarious part was where his wine intoxication seemed to be  leaving him as his senses and his sobriety returning as he hurriedly walks back to Varys and tells him next time he has such an outrageous idea (walking up to unfamiliar, famished, angry dragons to unchain them!) to punch him in the face. Couldn’t agree more! I love Tyrion.



The other jaw dropping moment for me was when Ramsay Bolton stabs his father. That was sudden. That’s the USP of Game of Thrones I believe. Things are not mostly unexpected (Except the Red wedding, I was Not expecting that!) They are expected yet sudden, if you understand the difference. Anyway, serves that backstabber right. Had it not been for him and his greed to become the warden of the north, Robb Stark and his entire family would have been alive. This time he was in Robb’s place and betrayed by his closest, trustworthy aide! That’s called Karma Roose Bolton. As for Ramsay, the best compliment for Ramsay I believe is when my mother said, I thought by far the worst evil I had seen was King Joffrey. But this guy makes Joffrey look good! A character that is jealous, heartless, barbaric, devoid of remorse, greedy and insecure, it would be fun to watch how much more will Ramsay stoop now that he has all the power he craved.




And last but not the least. The question we were all asking since the past year finally got answered in this episode. Yes. Jon Snow is back from the dead. And thankfully not as a white walker! And thank goodness Ghost was not sacrificed, till the last moment I thought the wolf would die and Jon would rise! But he looked at the door that seemed to barge open on its own or maybe because of a strong wind. Nah. That was Jon Snow’s spirit probably, visible only to Ghost! The red priestess didn’t seem too confident nor did the wildlings approve but Jon Snow was brought back using magic. It will be interesting now what he has to say and what will he do? (You must now know everything Jon Snow?) Will he go up to his backstabbers and say “I am back suckers!” and take revenge or take the high road. I am pretty sure by now Jon should be smarter, less easily trusting and more cunning than he was before. We shall know. Great episode!
-          S. Chaudhary

Images courtesy Google Images

Sunday 1 May 2016

The science behind rituals and why you must respect them

Ours in one of the oldest civilizations on earth and not to mention one of the most rich, intelligent and glorious. Our ancestors, through trial and error learned, invented rituals and applied "science" in every aspect of life. Right from the accurate technique of breathing and analysis (Ida, Pingala and Sushumna channels), the precise mix of spices in food and its overall apt composition for optimum nutrition, the correct time and ritual for bathing, the appropriate timing for any activity for that matter (you will welcome a guest who rings the bell of your house at 2 pm but most likely slap him if he does so at 2 am), the science behind the use of and affects of different colours, numbers and gemstones, directions, the position of the planets at the time of birth (for example summer babies have a slightly stronger immune system than winter babies because of the sun's position, exposure, distance at the time) the perfect yoga postures for healing any physical, mental or psychological problem and the precise technique and timing and duration for executing it for results, the raaga and the perfect timing and manner for singing it, the way to pray, the way to observe fasts and mostly why to do so, the scientific basis behind endogamy, exogamy affecting the health of the unborn child,  etc., etc. The way to look at it was that the wise ancients set down an ideal way of doing things from morning till night and then even how to and how much to sleep. An ideal way for the most healthy and happy life, the way to conduct self and adopt rituals and lifestyle most suited to this body and its wellbeing. For example if you go swimming immediately after eating it is bad for you as against on an empty stomach. Rituals were not created to force one into doing something in fact the ancients, being such elevated, blessed, great spiritual beings, owing to their way of life, came from a place of absolute compassion and for the upliftment of the future generations. It breaks my heart that their such well researched science and pure intentions are tossed around ignorantly and disrespectfully labelled as "superstition." I did not understand it so it is stupid! When they had a life changing idea, a cure for a problem they wanted to document it and preserve it for the benefit of the coming generations, strangers like you and me who they had never even known or would ever know about, generations cropping up long after they would be dead, but they still wanted to help. For the sake of humanity. Spread the information to as many people as possible, selflessly, unlike today's world where the cure for a deadly disease may be available but withheld to create panic and artificial shortage and thus generate huge financial profits. The ancestors were not like that. They valued materialism but had the common sense to keep it in its place. They advocated need instead of greed. Every word, every action, every intention was purposeful and full of awareness.The reason I explain all of this is because one needs to understand where they were coming from. Ritual was not just doing a random fast haphazardly or speaking a mantra fast, distracted and without focussing on the meaning and intention of it. Rituals were also not just limited to prayers but intertwined with every aspect of life. Interconnected. It wasn't just an hour long yoga "exercise class" or forced to say a prayer and move on. They had a holistic approach to life. They believed every single thing in this giant cosmos is connected and coming from one source. That is why they gave the mantra "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" All world is one family. You cannot pollute the water resources or the atmosphere and then not expect global warming and water crisis to affect your life. A war happening at the far end of the world, far away from where you live may not impact you immediately but since you share the planet and its resources you cannot escape the consequences. They understood this. They lived by this. They had compassion for plants, animals, human beings, the future generations 5000 years ahead, everything. They were smart so studied and planned everything right to the minutest mind boggling detail and precision. Like an ancient saying that demons will get your head if you sleep facing north. What does this mean. The North and the South Poles constantly pull everything in their path. Including the large shifting Himalayan plate that caused Himalayas to be formed in the first place years ago. So now if a pull is so strong that it can cause an entire continent to shift imagine what it would do to this humble human body? Magnet pulls iron. Human body contains iron. Every night for 10 hours when you sleep facing north, you are allowing iron to accumulate in your brain, enough to gradually one day cause brain haemmorhage in sleep. Such a complex information passed down using a simple, easy to remember line or catchphrase so to speak. But people will believe it is superstition because all of this is not explained within that one simple line. (Just like the waxing and waning of the far away moon decides the tides here on earth, imagine the effects on human body made up of almost 70 percent water! Hence several rituals to benefit and heal from the different lunation cycles if followed correctly.) These may appear minor things in the large scheme of things like how does a planet like Jupiter that is light years away affect me? Well, a tiny crocin is enough to rid you of high temperature fever and body ache overall just like a tiny overdose of tiny medication enough to put a healthy person into coma or worse! The ancients understood the gross as well as subtle bodies that is why their science was so unprejudiced and accurate. Because they had an open mind. They believed what they could see. But they even realized eyes can be very limited hence deceptive and so to even believe and mostly try and understand all that you cannot see. Where the eyes will fail and deceive you. Like gravity, magnetic pulls, ultrasonic sounds, amoeba, Pluto, other galaxies, wind and different types of energy, heat, gross and subtle human bodies, etc. Can your eyes see all of this? But do all of these exist? Now even though that generation was way way smarter and wiser than us unfortunately that era did not have internet or smartphones. The only way to document such priceless information, data and proof was scrolls/ parchments made from wooden barks or cloth scrolls or hieroglyphics. Over thousands of years some of it was lost forever from wear and tear, war, weather, altered purposely and maleficently by vested interests, or simply changed because of blind prejudice and the Chinese whispers syndrome. That does not mean the knowledge that they passed down so selflessly, so generously, for our benefit is flawed in its essence. Damn, a yoga guru in that era found or invented a posture to minimize back pain and I am benefiting from it thousands of years ahead today! God bless his soul! They wanted to help. They wanted to share and not hoard the good useful information. Ritual is a regime, doing something repeatedly for optimum sustained benefit. There is a right way to do things for beneficial results and a wrong way to do things that will harm. Even bathing or workout is a ritual and as far as the older generation is concerned, there was a proper ritual for everything - prayer, food, workout sleep, biology, physics, astronomy, astrology, mathematics, arts, morals and values, everything. But you need to find out, in this age if adulteration where even milk or oil is not spared from mixture and toxic substances, how much of the rituals are as it is and were meant to be and how much of it has been Twisted, distorted, shaped and slapped completely out of its original form into something totally new and way too harmful instead. For example mixing aerobics with yoga, or hot yoga, doing any pose any time and in any improvised manner, without understanding consequences, this nonsense is our creation. Rituals were created after elaborate research. To give a very small example - Why do we apply tikka between the eyebrows? Why is it called the seat of the soul or third eye? What should be the substance of the tikka? Which finger to use to apply it and why? Everything was researched, tested and passed on. However, as rigourous they were in studying and laying down proper rituals, they were kinder in its execution owing to compassion. For example if a particular prayer needed the substance of gold but if one did not have the means, there were other cheaper alternatives provided but then again as stated, there is a good way to do things and then a great way! However intention and purity, compassion and common sense superseded even the most rigorous of rituals. In this day and age, verify if the rituals are pure and unaltered. Even though most rituals are largely universal and applicable to all, still see if they suit the present times, needs and circumstances. What was true in that generation may not be true now. For example they had access only to herbs and plants to cure an ailment like say for the heart. Today, in this advanced age there is are options like surgery available. But most importantly judge and analyze your thoughts at all times - remain aware whether they are your own thoughts or someone else's opinions. Whether they serve you or not. Simple.
- S. Chaudhary

(Written for Indispire topic #rituals)