this is it..I love you Shahrukh...:-)

mmmm.....I was actually forcing myself to hold back this review from Day 2 of the KBC-Reloaded...yeah..thats how I choose to call it!!!!...I wanted to give it some more time...cuz...I didnt want the review to be just based on the hype and hoopla and the initial surge in interest....

but...now..let me tell you....Its absolutely enjoyable.....definitely more charismatic than should I say *The KBC*....I am a great fan of The Big B...but that shouldn't take the sheen and credit out of SRK...cuz..he is doing an absolutely fabulous job as the Game show host

....man.... isnt he charming..I mean with his personal demeanour....definitely this is a huge..huge...huge booost to a career that is already on The Petronas Towers..yep....with The Don..he showed he could get into the Big Shoes.....and here...he furthers it by showing he can even replace the Big Shoes...cuz...this is a younger domain...and he can install his hold quite authouritatively and i believe -by the way he did today's show with the Navi-Mumbai lady...-he would soon remove the thought that there was another host for this show before him....he is so..at home with the show....that it feels so right now this show...

I love you shahrukh as always!!!!!

technorati tags:KBC, Shahrukh, review, gameshow

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GURU - A movie review

Just like what Guru is used to getting in the movie...real-life hero Mani Ratnam has got *dugna* returns for his GURU...and has recovered lost ground...badly lost though through his *Ayutha Ezhuthu* and *Yuva*...

A genuine film I should say....in just 2 words...a true film critic appeasing movie....so you should figure out that my senses have been gladdened by this movie...which happen only when I watch Shankar's movies...and for the first time...I get this feeling for a Mani movie....I am impressed to the core...and without doubt one of the best contemporary Indian Movie directors....easily on top of the country..:-)....Congratulations Mr. Mani Ratnam..:-)....an excellent work of art...

As the promos promised...this was about the rise of a commoner to places where commoners aren't used to frequenting....and it was precisely what it said...if I had to say in a line....

but what is most impressive about this is ....the juxtaposition of the life of Guru and the progress India made in these years....in addition to the emotion, drama and struggle both the protagonist and the country have gone through.... its a personal style statement from the magician Mani Ratnam...:-)

Abhishek Bachchan...has..as expected...shouldered the film completely....and definitely needs to be credited....for he has gone far enough to be considered a serious acting talent in the industry...and is reaching out to his father's place....with such films in the future...an absolute stunner of a performance...and gives as much weight needed for the character of Gurukanth Desai...and is every bit Guru..than Abhishek....a straight A grade for AB...infact the solitary reason the movie was saved from the clutches of a documentary and as a matter of fact is so enjoyable is only because of the heavy weight characterization of Gurukanth Desai...and the flawless rendition by Abhishek...again...so happy for AB...:-)

Now comes Mani Ratnam...he is definetly the front runner but by the pure acting merit of AB...Mani has been relegated to the second most significant contributor to Guru....Wow...what can I say about this creator...infact my first review for any mani product of any form.....have never felt like what people say when I saw prior mani films...but this one needs to stand apart from his legendary creations...this is definitely a corner-stone in Mani's career...His screenplay is absolute honey on screen...wooo.....what valuable lessons for budding screenplay writers....the movie never ever sags for pace for all of its melo-dramatic undertones...great pace!!!...and particularly the scenes where guru addresses his share-holders...those scenes were so so realistic....and was like *AS SEEN ON TV*...;-)....I'm lovin it.....certainly a DVD candidate in my video library!!!!

Mithun Chakraborty...aka mithun da.....can't really comment on this legend as I literally don't know any thing about Mithun da outside of this movie....but all I can say is that he pulled his weight quite effectively...and has pulled out an effortless display of histrionics...now... you don't call anybody a legend without a reason...i am not sure if its the character that led mithun perform a stunner or if mithun has lent that stunner onto the character...anyways..its the movie that gets its third most significant contributor...and befittingly Mani chose to credit Mithun Da as the first of the actors in the title card!!!..a mark of respect for the superstar!!!!

Allah Rakha Rahman...what a gift for humanity and Indian cinema....his songs lilt to the core...and whenever a song came on...I was completely high on octane...and started to croon along with the song...and got a couple of scorns from my neighbour seat...but I gave a damn to it...and continued to sing along which is what I do for all my musical favourites.....Every song is a masterpiece when is on screen...the only jarring note is that the voices of the playback artistes...didn't quite suit the on screen pair of AB and AR....yeah...Tere Bina with ARR crooning was kinda odd for the stature of AB...but the song is nevertheless a genius....Ek Lo Ek Muft....with Chitra crooning wasn't that great for Aish....yeah....they could have been take care of...As an album...Guru gets full marks....but somehow this sync has slipped......so here you go with the 4th most significant contributor to the film....

Rajeev Menon (Cinematography), Madhavan(Shyam Saxena), Vijay Krishna Acharya (Dialogues)....have been the next most significant contributors...in no specific order....yeah....rajeev menon's mastery is visible in every song....each fitting crisply into the tone of the movie...no jarring notes there....good....

Madhavan..must be extremely giftedto get meaty roles in Mani's films....but luck doesn't stay if you aren't worth it..and the corollary is true with Madhavan....his role is a neat sketch...which he does to picture perfection....

Vijay Krishna Acharya's dialogues have been so so vital for the movie to be so impressive...that if I forget a mention of this....I am inadequate a critic....I loved almost all of the critical spells...but the most standout dialogue is the one, when Madhavan laments that *The Independent* is responsible for Guru to be *paralyzed* literally.....and mithun da also laments about his son guru's health, when Madhavan asks Mithun da if they should stop the new article (against guru)...when Mithun Da replies....*no...no....if you are sure that what you write is true...dont bother hesitating....truth should be out!!!*..... this singular dialogue sums up the character of Manikdas Gupta....and the moral value it flaunts....

Characterization for the story...is the next significant contributor...probably the root cause of all the above contributions...fabulous would be an understatement....I loved the confidence with which the young Guru made waves....:-)...the older Guru was more of an assertive, tactful and to-the-core business man.....the younger guru was intelligent, swift and self-confidence personified...was so refreshing to look at such heros on screen.,...and for once wasn't ashamed of using the word HERO for the character..how wonderful it would be if everyone had that confidence up their sleeve...:-).....next up is Mithun Da's character....wow....super cool role to be in...these two sketches are worthy to shore-up the movie...even if it had faltered as opposed to its current genius...;-).....A bit of irony was that with such powerful sketches up the sleeve, the story failed to show Mithun Da or Madhavan'c character come to a logical conclusion...:-)..atleast I would have wanted that!!!

Aishwarya and Vidya Balan need metion...they have done their bit to the movie.....and one of the most striking aspect of the movie was...the richness and innovation of the title card...I was completely floored by the graphic...and for once wished the title card lasted forever!!!!!....it seems when there is a powerful magnet like Mani at the epi-centre of the action....talented and skilled resources..automatically conjoin to form a whirlpool of a movie....which is testimony with the work of art called *Guru*...

The one aspect I wasn't personally happy with the movie...was the moral values that it advocated at the end....though GURU succeeds and justifies his acts....he nevertheless flounders as a moralist at places...which needn't have been glorified and justified...and more so...the judges who were so critical and un-prejudiced until that 4.5 minutes rhetoric of guru towards the end....acquitting him of most of his charges....hard to digest in an otherwise almost flaw-less movie....the main reason for this lament though...is that the character of Gurukanth Desai was so..so..powerful that without this moral-value affliction...he would have been an immortal sketch....but may be Mani wanted it to suit some real-life character..;-)....and make it more human.....hmmmm...

Nevertheless....I would rate Guru as one of the best movies...I have seen in a long long time...:-)

Congratualtions to the entire GURU team!!!!...a landmark movie in Indian Cinema History...more so because it seems to resemble a landmark personality in Indian Economy and Indian History!!!!

Half-century....:-)

PROLOGUE:
Yeah...this is it!!!!...a half-century of posts....for a blog that is more than 3 years old...:-)....a seriously unconventional act for a so called *Blogger*..yep...I know that....but there are a multitude of reasons for this....the work pressure in 2005, the blooger blcok by the govt of India...and lately...the use of Live Journal....:-)....for most of my posts...just for convenience...

actually this is ironic....this post was the one of the first posts that I wrote in preparation for my blog...it was so close to my heart...cause it was also a way of representing what I thought about the world...much the reason for which I chose to blog....but somehow didnt publish it...infact a *coming Soon* post came in very early in this blog for this article...and that *soon*..is now....3 years later....and a much more choosier blogger.... and a much more idealistic self.....

And one more disclaimer....this post was written in MID 2004 when the software bandwagon was just getting to full-steam...so you should be warned..and well informed that..you might get *hey whats new in this*..and *this is archaic*...and *what bla-bla-bla is this*......

the scenario now is quite the same...much more specific in problems.....so...this is just to record my feelings....JUST IN LINE WITH MY MOTIVE OF MY BLOG...




HOW IS IT TO BE A SOFTWARE ENGINEER IN INDIA.....

This is current affairs...concurrent affairs!!!! The refreshingly new face of India....India has got synonymous with this Buzz word....You get instant recognition and respect when you say "I am a software engineer working for XYZ"...you are treated differently by the general non-IT public..which is more than 90 % at places....So does all this present a rosy picture??? a life recipied in heaven with all the goodies...and lived in this world with all the riches????

naaa....not all the times...is what I feel,....true and accepted is the fact that you are called UpperClass with the wage structure prevalent in software industry in India....you have a quick route to riches in this profession...you can get SETTLED in LIFE (a cliche..I feel)...you can lead a life par the american one ( keeping in mind the mentality of most Indians to compare with America for every walk of life!!!)......you can wine and dine at the choicest locations..you can think you can live a luxurious life compared to the guy with the same amount of experience in the conventional work ways!!!..more so if you are a bachelor..;-)...

All said and done....you can always bask in these positives..if you always want to see the clear sky....but the truth is that there are murkier clouds..behind the clear one, which the seemingly external onlooker will fail to decipher...okok..wait...wait..this is neither a writeup to crib about my
present profession nor an attempt to mar the significance of my profession which has brought glories to India -- improving India's economy..bringing in a lot of foreign investment..getting a brand image called INDIA INC working....torch bearing outsourcing for the countries world over..piloting education, fringe employment for thousands...and umpteen other goodies..which this writer...will not in any way be able to put into words....-- I feel I am digressing off the epicentre....

anyways....onto the murkier part...firstly...software engineers' life is a saga in its own..for most parts...leave alone the stress that software specialists face..which they have taken as a daily affair of their life. Every individual in this industry will surely have a story of their own...own version of
troubles they face and the consequences they have had in their life because of this profession...People leave their hometowns for greener pastures in IT capitals of the country, few and far between them...handful of them in fact....The irony is that...only in such stressful work conditions would you need the moral support of the family....but alas you are left to handle it all alone..(as if it's a test for your life ahead??!!!)

Practical reality is that only 25-30 % (approximate) of the software fraternity...is computer science gradutes or aware of software engineering, or trained in software basics in college... the other half..majority in actuality are unaware of the nuances of the trade...and are just pushed into the milieu to grapple it out all alone...just because there were no avenues for professionalism in their original intended profession, which is a hard pattern to not notice. This is where trouble starts. They are always up against the monster of expectation...mostly fighting their own inability and trying to disprove it...and succeeding at that. Thus its always a ME Vs the world trying to test my ability, my assertiveness to buckle to pressure....but at the end of the day..you see him sailing it out...which reminds me of a phrase from Srimad Holy Bhagvad Gita quoted in Tamil, "Ithuvum Kadanthu Sellum.." meaning that "This will also be a passing cloud..and will not stay to torment you / be with you for eternity". Atleast this is how I take it.

One learns quickly that the code they write/maintain is no more useful than to feed the self..just another way to get the outsourcing bandwagon moving in India....

ok....so now that you have just got a glimmer of a light into what a software engineer is made up of in this Information Age....

This isnt anything of the *Amartya Sen* type essays which are masterpieces in themselves...this is just to show what I felt at some point inside me...which was much different from what I am made of....

It was more of a *record of the impression of the self*.....so thats how introspective a Software Engineer is.....:-)




EPILOGUE:
happy blog-reading....and for heaven's sake please....please....return to my blog....for more posts...not necessarily interesting though...;-)