It has been ages since I even felt like reading something, let alone write. But finally, one good Indian Hindi cinema after ages made me write this.
Aakrosh is a serious and to-the-point movie which touches upon the honor killings issue which is fast growing into a painful menace in the rural parts of Northern India. The movie starts off in a rather interesting manner which is better seen than read! What you can know for the sake of comprehension of rest of the review is that a trio of medical students from Delhi go missing in the heartland of UP and under immense pressure from the media and fellow medicos, the government sends CBI officers Sidhant Chaturvedi(Akshaye Khanna*) and Pratap Kumar(Ajay Devgan*) for inquiry and solving the case. What follows next is also better seen than read. It might interest you to know that whatever that I have left to be seen is extremely smart and good.
There are a lot of things that work for Aakrosh and make it click. One of them has to be the performance of the cast: Ajay Devgan and Akshaye Khanna dazzle as the CBI officers heading the inquiry; Paresh Raval who also plays a key role in the movie is absolutely brilliant and so were the others. Direction by Priyadarshan who is well known for his mindless runaway comedies is good. But what really works for the movie is some amazing wicked humour sprinkled throughout the movie and its surprisingly sensible and realistic storyline. I am assuming the humour happened because somebody like Priyadarshan who isn't exactly used to making serious movies actually tried to make one! Anyways, these two make this otherwise ordinary fare, a very decent if not a very good watch. The action sequences are also extremely good and the dialogues catchy. But, this isn't to say the movie was absolutely flawless.
The editing could have been definitely better in many parts and the story did have a slightly sluggish pace at times. And there were also a couple of action scenes where it did go a little overboard and rudely reminded me that I was still watching a Hindi movie! Nonetheless, overlook these and you will have a great Hindi movie which might not exactly attain cult status like Dabaang but one which is worth a watch on a weekend after a very long time!
*My apologies for any mistakes in the spellings of the names in the cast. I didn't really bother to check them as they keep changing fortnightly with their celestial stars.
In a month's time, I will be somebody what I set out to be four long years ago. An Engineer! And now that I was going to be one, my conscience was incessantly pestering me as to why I chose to become an Engineer! I tried explaining to it that I hail from the city of Hyderabad where everybody is in the mindless exercise of mass producing engineers but it didn't seem to buy it. In fact, it guffawed at me like I just said a Russel Peters' and called it "the lamest reason ever"! So in a desperate bid to cover up my rather juvenile reason for becoming an engineer, I turned to Satanputr who conjured this for me!
I am an Indian and there are a billion other people in my country who say the same. I am in the final year of my Bachelors in Engineering and will pass out in 2010 as one of the 2.5 lakh engineers who are added to India’s technical pool every year. And for a person who vehemently detests being a part of the ‘herd’, it was not an easy path to choose.
Right from an early age, I exhibited an exceptionally strong inclination towards engineering. While many might call the television an idiot box; it was this idiot box which played a crucial role in the discovery of my love for science. At an age when most kids were hooked to The Flintstones and Top Cat, I found myself glued to the Discovery and National Geographic networks watching shows on engineering marvels in the fields of automobiles, aircrafts and construction. It amazed me to see how much thought went into the design of a suspension of a car, the stealth design that went into the making of an F-117 Nighthawk or the ingenuity showed by the civil engineers in building the “Tube” in London. While out on a drive with my father, I was as inquisitive about the gear box as I was about the ice cream I wanted him to buy me!
As I moved to high school, I displayed a particularly strong interest in math and physics with the latter exciting me a greater deal than the former. I also became increasingly aware of my ability to think out of the box and question the convention and I could always defend my views thanks to my analytical and reasoning skills which seemed to come very naturally to me.
I have always been lucky. From sweet nothings to being the good luck charm of the local cricket team, I have always been considered fortunate. But, I believe my biggest fortune has to be the India I grew up in. It was an India which grew along with me; atleast, in the field of technology. As I reached my teens, I found myself increasingly drawn to all the electronic gadgetry and wizardry which was flooding the Indian market then. I found myself increasingly itching to learn how these electronic marvels worked and became restless when I found it was all a little too complicated for my age. It was only when my father suggested that I can start off small by learning and building “Make your own” kits that I found some peace. So, by the end of my high school, listening to the late night songs playing on my self-made radio, I was crystal clear about what I wanted to pursue for my undergraduate studies.
There was a problem though. Engineering is a very popular option for undergraduate studies in India. And, I found myself ill at ease with this fact. For a moment, I doubted my own conviction in pursuing engineering and the reasons I was pursuing it for. But one year at my college and my fears were allayed. I knew I was where I belonged and realized the electronics stream I picked was perfect for my curiosity as it encompassed almost every aspect of technology. The courses were not just knowledgeable but extremely satiating. As I moved into my sophomore year, the courses started to become exclusive and began to take a specific and deep approach. By the end of the third year, Communications and Electrical Sciences became the areas in which I wished to make a career in. I believe the reason for that is the extensive practicality of the courses and also, without sounding imprudent, the quicker grasp I had over these subjects.
Academic talk apart, I am also a person of fine taste. I enjoy listening to Indian classical especially, the sitar by Pandit Ravi Shankar. I like to play the guitar for hours together amusing myself as much as I relish fine arts and pursue painting as a hobby. And I just love the English language. I love its sound and how it can be played around with to spin yarns of words such as this. Also, having had an upper middle class upbringing in India, I understand the value of a dream and what goes into realizing it. I understand the diligent industrious effort which goes into any aspect of life and am sure that if I continue in the same spirit, I will one day lead a herd of my own.
P.S: This post is a testimonial to all those people who spent endless hours writing bull stories (read SOPs) about how they knew all their lives that they are going to be engineers and how they devoted their entire life in working towards it!
The great ages of prose are the ages in which men shave. The great ages of poetry are those in which they allow their beards to grow. ~Robert Lynd
The cold and chilly weather of the south Indian city of B'lore is the last thing one would want to even wake up in, let alone shave! However, last night, the monumental meeting of the blade and flesh was facilitated by a bucket full of steaming hot water and an intense drive to get rid of the mountain bear look which resulted in a fine young gentleman who could finally feel his face. So, in honor of the traditions of the age, I decided to write today. However in the absence of any bright ideas, I thought I would merely remark upon some observations I made in the recent past.
1. Always say nice things to girls. No matter how close a friend she might be, just don't say anything nasty even for the heck of it. And remember not to ever call her 'Plastic'. Never ever ever!
2. An internship in most cases than not is clever use of euphemism for sheer idleness in an air conditioned office with an unlimited supply of Diet Coca-Cola and super fast internet. Expect some kill time activities like blogging though.
3. From a purely statistical viewpoint, the second cubicle from the restroom door is most preferred by people when they rush to take a leak.
4. Its pointless planning outings too much in advance. For all you know, you could go to a Go Kart Track all geared up to burn some rubber only to realize there is a huge Rock competition happening on a stage set on the track!
5. Unless you are carrying a wallet which is tattered on all sides with nothing more than used bus tickets and 6 rupees in change, never board an ordinary public bus in B'lore. Did I mention the cheap jack 3 year old mobile with no SIM and contacts in it you must use in case you insist on boarding one?
6. At your friend's b'day party, don't try to make more than necessary conversation with the girl you were introduced to. It is alright even if she knows nobody else in the party and you are just being courteous by keeping her company. For all you know, she could label you a flirt the next day.
7. Girls wear black nail polish because it is the only color they can use and not worry too much about it looking good with the other accessories.
8. If somebody forgot to switch on the water heater in the morning and you still decided to go ahead and bathe, I suggest you buy a strip of D-Cold plus and a box of tissues while going back home from work.
9. When you get your first pay check, you are supposed to be absolutely jubilant about it. In case you are only somewhere near plain happy and considering depositing the check first before going about telling others, DONT! Call up your family first thing and tell them how special you feel about it. Otherwise, you might probably hear words like traitor and ungrateful dog from your sister!
10. Telugu girls from the City of Joy are cute! Especially the ones with black nail polish on their feet!
