Chalo Dilli - Mini Review

I think I should make a rule for myself; if a movie has Vinay Pathak in it, I should watch it. Whichever movie he's acted in, I have liked.

I recently saw 'Chalo Dilli' and was floored. How come I didn't hear more (and better things) about this movie? It's cute, funny, touching and inspiring. It is about two very different people being forced to share some time and space and how they bond despite their differences.

For once Lara Dutta is most aptly cast in the role of a jet-setting, sophisticated working woman who is grappling with a feeling of not being in control of the situation . Whoever chose her for the role should be given kudos. Vinay Pathak, of course, is a delight to watch as the streetsmart middle-class trader with a smile and a saying for every situation. As the duo travel together from Jaipur to Delhi, they (or mostly Lara's character) discover their strengths and weaknesses via various incidents and experiences that they go through. The bittersweet end is somewhat predictable but nice nevertheless.

Thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Censorship - Indian TV Style?

I was watching Sex and the City on TV last night. Even though the show is shown on Indian television, it is heavily edited with 'certain' scenes cut short and 'certain' words bleeped out. And considering that it is SATC, that's a LOT of words. e.g. a**, w****, b****, f***.
But, I burst out laughing when they bleeped out "virgin" from the phrase "extra virgin olive oil".

Really, come on!

Flash Mob at CST Mumbai

Saw this on someone's wall on Facebook and immediately had to share it. A flash mob organised by 23-year-old Shonan Kothari came together at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station in Mumbai and danced to  'Rang De Basanti' on 27th November 2011. It coincidentally happened to be a day after the anniversary of the 26/11 attack on the same place.

I have posted in the past about one such flash mob. I really loved the idea of people coming together seemingly spontaneously, performing a dance or an act and then dispersing back into the crowd. It was great to see one in India.

For Ms.Kothari, it was dream come true to make this happen. For me, it's now in my bucket list to be part of a flash mob at least once!

Goosebumps...all over again!

It was Parents' Day at my son's school.

After a number of performances, which included songs, dances, jokes, skits etc., the kids concluded the programme with a gusty rendition of the national anthem. As the audience rose and joined them, I felt goosebumps - those familiar little twinges that begin at the arms and go all the way to the heart - like I would have every time I sang the Jana Gana Mana as a child.

Only, this time it was because it was my child singing it! That child who had not heard of it a mere couple of years ago because we were living abroad.

One more reason to feel good about returning to India!

Can't Get This Song Outta My Head!

A few days ago we bought this audio CD (yes, we're the dinosaurs who still BUY audio CDs as opposed to downloading music from the web) which has a random collection of songs from many new Hindi movies. One of them, which for some reason sounded very 'Goan' to me went something like "Seedhe saade saada saada...." Sounded inane but the tune was very catchy. I didn't pay much attention to it after that until recently when on a whim I decided to Google the lyrics of this song... and hit paydirt!! The lyrics are beautiful. The first two lines are inane indeed. The second line is also grammatically wrong, but it hardly matters. It is about sharing/giving/loving/exchanging with the one you love. As someone had commented somewhere, "Who says good lyrics are dead?" This is a shining example of simply saying "I love you".

The song is from the movie Aakrosh (the new one, not the Om Puri one). The singer is the talented Jawed Ali - who's not very well known but has some amazing songs to his credit. (Guzaarish from Ghajini, Jashne Bahara from Jodha Akbar, Tum Mile from Tum Mile etc.)

Apart from the lyrics, the other thing I love about this song is the initial part wherein the strains of the harmonium take you back to simpler times.

Regrettably the picturization is very unimaginative. Maybe the song didn't fit in the movie, I don't know. But it has been picturized like any other romantic song. And as far as I can make out, there's nothing Goan about the song.

What is remarkable about this song that it doesn't restrict itself to being a "love song", so to speak. Barring a few words, it could be a father singing to his child, or a sister to a sister, friend to friend. That's the beauty of it. Maybe that's why it's been going round and round in my head for days now...and I'm in no hurry to get it out!

Below are the lyrics.

Seedhe saade saara sauda seedha seedha hona ji

Maine tu ko paana hai ya tune main ko khona ji

Aaja dil ki karein saudebazi kya narazi aa re aa re aa re aa

Sauda hai dil ka yeh, tu kar bhi le

Mera jahaan bahon mein tu bhar bhi le

Saude mein de kasam, kasam bhi le

Aake tu nigahon mein sanwar bhi le

Sauda udaanon ka hai ya aasmanon ka hai

Le le udaanein meri le mere par bhi le

Sauda ummeedon ka hai, khwabon ka neendon ka hai

Le le tu neendein meri, nainon mein bhar bhi le

Dil kahe tere main hothon se baaton ko chupke se loon utha

Us jagah dheere se haule se geeton ko apne doon main bitha

Sauda taraanon ka hai, dil ke fasaanon ka hai

Le le taraane mere, hothon pe dhar bhi le

Sauda ujaalon ka hai, roshan khayalon ka hai

Le le ujaale mere, aaja nazar bhi le

Main kabhi bhoolunga na tujhe chahe tu mujhko dena bhula

Aadaton jaisi hai tu meri, aadatein kaise main bhooloon bhala

Sauda yeh vaadon ka hai, yaadon iraadon ka hai

Le le tu vaade chahe toh tu mukar bhi le

Sauda ishaaron ka hai, chaahat ke maron ka hai

Le le ishaare mere, inka asar bhi le

Here's the link to the song on Youtube.