Mee Sindhutai Sapkal Bolte



My mom happened to attend a series of talks by social workers in our hometown , and this woman, Sindhutai Sapkal had come to deliver a talk. This happened around 3 years back. My mom was totally moved by her story , so were the rest of the people who had come for the talk.

That day, when mom came home she told me her story and I felt so foolish for not attending the talk. I felt bad for not having met this great woman while she had come to my hometown. And I wished to see her, some time, somewhere.

I heard about her from my mom once again when I was in Goa. I heard that they are making a film on this woman! And I am waiting patiently for its release/ to get hold of a copy.

I'm hoping I will be able to achieve at least 1 % of what this great woman achieved, without the resources...without anybody's support!

In Short Sindhutai Sapkal is : ( Info from Wiki)

1. An Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for her work for raising orphan children.

2. Childhood nickname "Chindi" meaning torn cloth. She was named thus as an unwanted child. She could only attend school until 4th grade, attended part-time due to other family responsibilities. She was brought up in abject poverty. Got married at the age of 9. Her husband abandoned her at the age of 20, and she left home with her infant daughter. She later donated her biological child to the trust Shrimant Dagdu sheth halwai, Pune, only to eliminate the feeling of partiality between her daughter and the adopted ones. As of 1998 Sindhutai Sapkal has nurtured about 1042 orphan childrens.  Many of the children that she adopted are well educated lawyers and doctors, and some including her biological daughter are running their independant orphanages. One of her child is doing phd on her life. Till date she is honoured by 272 awards. She used all that money to buy land to make home for her orphan children. She has started construction and still looking for more help from world.

Dog Day Afternoon! (1975)

Oh I thought I would just "Buzz" about it in a few sentences, or put it as my facebook status, but this film needs to be spoken about.....This film needs to be watched!

I read about this film while going through some film related websites, and magazines and books. All of them speak highly about it.

I have never watched anything like this film before- its different!

1: It is based on a true life incident of an armed bank robbery gone terribly bad!

2: You cannot believe the robbers!! They are complete idiots, jokers both of them- and to think of it, they are real human beings who actually behaved the way they did that day when they were robbing a bank! And they thought they'll get away with it!

3: The series of events that unfold are ridiculous!

4. And Oh Al Pacino! Did I tell you Al Pacino is playing the part of the main robber "Sonny"? He combines drama with comedy with so much ease! His expressions, reactions- so natural and so funny!

5. A lot of attention has been paid to characterization- not just the main but  all others!

Genre: Comedy Thriller!

Stars: ****/ 4 stars

Here's a teaser: " On a hot Brooklyn afternoon, 2 optimistic nobodies set out to rob a bank. Sonny ( Al Pacino) is the mastermind, Sal ( John Cazale) is the follower and disaster is the result!"

Remember Me !

I saw the trailer of the film when I was watching Iron Man 2!

Iron Man , is like any other action Hollywood film!
It's like a mutual fund- there's no risk, you know you will at least be entertained by their special effects if not anything else!

Other categories such as this one "Remember Me", which is a drama, is a bit risky....especially for the Indian audience, because we might or might not understand their sensibilities!

Now, the trailer of the film doesn't really tell you anything except for the fact that the film has - OO La la - Robert Pattinson in the lead role and Peirce Brosnan playing his father!

So I blindly knew I wanted to watch this film!

This is a refreshing take on 9/11!

I loved the screenplay and the gentle flow of the film, the treatment- and especially the ending!

I don't have anything to complain about it, because I went in with no expectations!
Don't want to say too much about the story, because movies are an experience and this one was really nice! It made me laugh, it made me sigh, it made me cry- it touched me deeply, I can't really explain why!

If you are amongst those who only like action films- this film is probably not meant for you!
Most of my friends liked this film, So I can safely say it has a general appeal!

My Rating : ****/ 4 Star

My Rating Might be slightly on the higher side...but it's definitely above 3 and a half stars ( I don't know how the professional critics have judged it).


My Fav. Quote in this film:

"Gandhi said that whatever you do in life will be insignificant. But it's very important that you do it."

You understand the meaning of this only when you watch the film,

So Please, Do watch it!

Scary Movie??? Phoonk 2 Experience!

Yesterday night me and my friends finally agreed to go and watch a scary movie. Last month "Click" was released and though we spoke about it, we didn't make it to the theaters. Another reason being most of us had watched the original film " Shutter" from which "Click" is supposedly copied!

"Phoonk 2" was on my mind for quite some time! I knew before watching the film that it's not going to be great......nevertheless it's been too long since I watched a scary movie on a big screen. And all I ever want to do is to get that thrill, to get scared and scream! ( I love to scream!!) The last I watched was 'Darna Mana Hai', and before that I'd watched 'Bhoot'- which was a good film.

I don't know what the makers of this film were thinking when they made this film...... rather, did they think at all before or while making the film?

All that the film offers you are sound effects- big, scary and disturbing one's- at unwanted places....It looks like the guy responsible for putting the sound effects put all that he had in 1 go! ( May be he too was bored of watching the film so he just randomly picked up scenes and put the effects!) The end result is that there's no connection between the video and the audio! Someone's going to sleep and there's a sudden loud scary sound effect!! The visual does nothing to compliment the sound effects!

while you wait patiently and expectantly for something to happen , the night falls...... and........and..........suddenly it's a day! ( tai tai fish!)

I don't understand...in fact I am quite sure nobody understood the flow of the film! There's no progression in the storyline.....no connection between 1 scene to the next. Throughout, it's the same mood! From the 1st scene to the last scene , the film maker tries to scare you and finally succeeds at nothing!

Is it that the film maker was scared to scare the audience? I couldn't understand!

Anyway, I had a good time trying to scare friends who are too scared to watch a scary movie, and the rest of the times commenting on the film.......and a few rare times, screaming... ( Though my sound effects did compliment the film- at least I screamed at the right places!)

Please don't waste your time and money on this film! However if you simply want to hang out with your friends, comment and have a good laugh- then please go!

This film can bond you to your friends , will sharpen your wit and your tongue, can give you lots of opportunities to laugh out loud, will disgust you!! But what it won't do - is scare you!!

A big Cheers to Indian Scary movies......they are in a class of it's own! A genre you can't call thrillers, scary films, comedy ....for that matter nothing!

Rating: Sorry, What was it I watched yesterday??

LOL

My Name Is Khan Review

Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't be wasting your time and money in watching this film either in the theaters or on your laptops!

1. The story makes no sense! In short the story can be explained in 2 sentences- "My name is Khan! And I am not a terrorist!" Karan and SRK shouldn't have wasted so much of their money on these 2 statements!

2. SRK's acting is pathetic! He's said to have Asperger's syndrome, a disorder which makes it difficult for people to interact socially.......so when he meets his bhabi for the first time, he doesn't even look at her- or avoids looking at her. But the same Khan leads a group of people into aiding some Hurricane victims..........His character doesn't make any sense at all! He's shown to hate the colour 'Yellow' , so much so that he's unable to cross a road cause of yellow lines on the road! But he seems quite comfortable in the company of a big yellow pumpkin!

3. The film goes to show how much love Mr. Karan Johar has for America.
a. Almost the whole film is shot in America.
b. There are more American actors than Indian actors.
c. The film gives you information about the American History and geography.
d. Mr. Johar's love for American Presidents' is almost unbelievable!

4. 2nd half of the film will kill you!

5. It's a boring film!

Lots of other things to dislike about the film, but I wouldn't even waste more time brooding about it! Foreigners might like this film or NRI's maybe........definitely not meant for a true Indian!



What's good about the film?


1. Music is good. Actually its just about okay.

2. You get to see Kajol after a very long time. Though her acting aint anything special, nor is her character, still ......at least- you get to see her, and she looks the same, doesn't look old!

3. 1st half is watchable.

4. The woman playing Jimmy Shergil's wife's role Sonya Jehan ( Guess that's her name) is very pretty !

Any other plus points then please add on!

But that's that!

The critics on TOI ( Goa Edition) gave this film 5 stars........ I think any kind of journalism should be practiced with a lot of responsibility! The critics who've given more than 3 stars for this film - I don't know which is the likable angle in this film. Yes! As always technically the film is good- but what we want is a story!

The last film I watched which was as bad as this one was ' Chandni Chowk to China' .........that film , though pachku- was a comedy, so you could leave behind your logic! But not this one! This film doesn't deserve your sympathy nor your attention! All the hype with the Shiv Sena Controversy is only to make audiences to go and watch this film!


My Rating: * / 1 star.

( Some people might argue about the film being good, as they argued that Saawariya by Sanjay Leela Bhansali was a good film! How each person perceives a piece of art is different, how it touches each one's heart is based on his set of experiences!

Would this film ( My name is Khan) get the same critical acclaim and appreciation if it wasn't for Karan Johar's direction ? If it wasn't For Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role?

Just because it is made by 2 of countries biggest productions ( Dharma and Red Chillies) and stars the countries biggest star and everyone's favorite Kajol can't earn it 5 stars!

Would this film work without SRK in it? Or Kajol in it? Or the Karan Johar factor in it?

Would you still watch it? Would you have still liked it?

Kurbaan- Some love stories have blood on them

It's a well made film! No doubt about it!

Great performances by everyone -(minus) Vivek Oberoi who doesnt stop over acting!
Great background score!
Great cinematography!
Nice Screenplay and direction by Rensil D'silva.
Good music.

Its a must watch.......I dont understand why the intimate scene is so hyped as it passes you by within seconds!

The film has been hyped too- just because of Saifeena ( we dont stop copying the west, do we? After Brangelina, we've our own version! LOL)

There's no interval point as such in this film , I would've preferred to watch it in one go,. The point at which it goes for an interval- doesnt do anything to the narrative.)

The love story, set in Delhi, isnt that great , but the music,cinematography and the background score elevates the film to a new height!

I didnt feel much pain seeing Kareena suffer, probably cause the love story was rushed....We dont get to know her character too well to sympathize with her, to like her and to really get that attached to her!

The film is seen from Kareena's perspective! The events unfold as she sees them! I would have loved to see and know more of her character as she's the one who's cheated and trapped in the film!

I liked the film, but given the storyline and the capacity it holds- I could've loved it!

New York is a film on the same lines....... and (story wise) Kurbaan is no better or worse then New York!

I dont get attached to 'goras', that's the reason I dont like these Indian films based on foreign incidents and locales!
India has enough problems and emotional drama happening that can be captured! We dont need a Danny Boyle to do that!

Death at a Funeral Vs Daddy Cool

"Death at a Funeral" is an excellent British comedy film released in 2007! Its a must watch, You'll love it!


Bollywood is coming up with its own re-make called "Daddy cool". Looking at the posters it looks like the makers have copied it frame to frame!

Why then do they give the credit to Tushar hiranandani for script and screenplay? All the credit should go the writer of the original film- one Mr.Dean Craig.






I dont know if these guys have borrowed the copyrights, but if not....then someone needs to bring this to the notice of the original film makers and our Indian brothers should be sued for such shameless acts of stealing other's scripts!



P.S : They dont even spare the costumes! copied that too! And as for sophie's dress is concerned, in my 24 years of experience of being a Goan, I havent seen any lady wear bright red for a catholic funeral! This was The only place our guys went to experiment , they've messed it royally!

Copy cat

I really like this film named " My cousin Vinny". Its about 2 guys who get charged with murder by mistake! And 1 of them calls on his cousin Vinny who's supposed to be a lawyer. But this character Vinny is really funny. He hasnt actually got a degree in law yet, he's failed several times and doesnt know any court manners and procedures, but nevertheless, He ends up winning the case!

Its such a wonderful film and I just told Di that if she hasnt watched it, then she's really missing on something! She asked me to narrate to her the plot. And I was not even 2 sentences in it when she said, " Ohh! This is the story of the marathi film "Kaydyacha Bola!"

I was shocked!!

Cant these people spare anything at all?

Where is the originality gone?

Just imagine, I've grown up loving some films such as "Hum hai rahi pyaar ke" and after all these years, suddenly I come to know it is copied from a Hollywood film! I lose all the respect and love for bollywood because they do this.

And now, marathi films are keeping up with the notorious trend!

The advantages of copying a story and remaking it in Indian language by adapting it to the Indian social conditions is that, our population which does not understand english can enjoy the film!

Apart from that I dont see any point in trying to make money on someone else's intellect and ideas! That too without buying the copyrights.

As a creative person, I very well understand that there are works of other people that you might get totally impressed with. The right attitude has to be to take in all the +ve points like a sponge and have your original story ( its ok if its similar till some extent! That is much better than copying scene by scene, dialogue to dialogue.)

Dev D is such an example. This film is a director's take on the story of Devdas and at the same time his tribute to a lot of characters and director's that he's liked along the way, all these years. Now this is called acting mature! Because he's put his head to it!

Why do Indians copy films and music so often?
It looks like we just dont have any confidence in ourselves and our talent. Or are we out of ideas? Maybe we just dont want to use our head much. Maybe we dont want to take a chance and experiement with this medium of films!

India is the motherland of culture and drama and music! our history in dance drama goes back to centuries! We have to respect our history and come up with our original work, like our forefather's did!

Its true that Hollywood is much more advanced in the technique of film making, they also have that much budget. Bollywood is lacking, I believe, not because of talent but because of attitude!

To start off, why is our film industry being named Bollywood? Does the B stand for Bombay?

We have to begin by changing the name. Or simply call our industry, the Indian film Industry.... what's bad in it? This should also be followed by the Tollywood and the others!

Secondly , we give far too importance to beauty over talent! Talent is not at all respected in India. No wonder all our classical dancers and famous instrument players are settled abroad! Ofcourse, the lead roles have to be presentable. But not necessary that they have to be beauty queens with the perfect figures!

Thirdly, there is no proper planning in pre production, production and post production. In hollywood, the film makers will get down to work and make a storeyboard and pen out everything in details. Forget the story board here, do we even have a proper screenplay? Many times the writer comes on the set and writes the scene. What a waste of money!!

Our so called stars - The heroes and heroins set the standards for the films! 1st they come late! 2nd- They all are over priced for the kind of performance they deliver. 3rd - If they end up paying 6 crores on 1 star, just imagine how they do the budget for the rest of the crew!! It's as if 1 person rules the film! Is a film a hit only because of the star?? We need to learn to give due respect to each and evry person who makes filming possible! There has to be some sort of balance! Right now it is a completely unfair, unbalanced equation practiced in Films in India!

The 60's and 70's in Indian Cinema really saw all the best of films! The best thing about them was that they were original and far away from the impact of the western films. It wasnt called bollywood then.

Today everybody laughs at the bollywood films. But in this mudpool , lie some beautiful lotus. Ashutotosh Gowarikar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali etc are great film makers! They are the one's who bring out the essence of India!

The exaggeration, melodrama, dancing around the trees has to stop now! Our film makers have to get real!

They need to stop underestimating the audience and take them to be a fool! They have to respect our intellect and treat us accordingly!

Best Films List

This is what I’ve watched and liked over all these years. I am sure I’ve missed many good films because I can’t remember them or their names. These all are sure shot good films, and a must watch. There could be many more films in “Strange Films” category, most of them I watched during the film festivals. But I don’t remember their names anymore, they were mostly foreign films.

If you know a good film and you think I should watch, please mention it in the comments section. The “Action” category needs a lot of study since I’ve not watched many action films. Also if there’s a new category you think needs a mention, you are most welcome to add it.

Hindi (old)
1. Mughal-E-Azam
2. Pakeeza
3. Sholay
4. Sangam
5. Chupke Chupke

Hindi (New)
1. Dil Chahta Hai
2. Rang De Basanti
3. Black
4. Satya

Small budget
1. Monsoon wedding
2. Hyderabad blues 1

Controversial
1. Water
2. Fire
3. Kamasutra

Strange films
1. Hazaron khwaishen Aisi
2. Johnny Gaddar

Best Directors (Indian)
1. Ashutosh Gowarikar – Lagaan, Swades, Jodhaa Akbar.
2. Mani Ratnam- Anjali, Bombay, Roja, Yuva, Guru.


Animated films
1. Ratatouiee
2. Wall E
3. The Incredibles

Hollywood

1. Sound of music
2. Casablanca
3. Titanic
4. A beautiful Mind
5. The Shawshank Redemption

Foreign Language
- Children of Heaven
- Bicycle Thief

Documentary
Global Warming- Al Gore

All Time Entertainers
- Amar Akbar Anthony
- Devil Wears Prada

Best Series
- How I Met Your Mother
- Friends



Romantic Comedies
1. Andaaz Apna Apna
2. Jab We Met
3. My Best Friend’s Wedding
4. You’ve Got Mail
5. Kate and Leopold


Pure Comedies
1. Hera Pheri
2. Plains Trains and Automobiles
3. Father of the Bride 1


Action
1. The matrix
2. Matrix Reloaded
3. Terminator 2
4. The fast and the furious Tokyo Drift and
5. Die Hard 4.O
6. Barrier 13 ( just for the chases)
7. Transformers

Anjali ( 1990)

Ask my family members and they will tell you my craze for this film. Till date the film remains fresh in my memory. I think I must have watched this film when I was in 1st std, that makes me around 6 years old. Now I am amazed at myself for understanding it at such a young age. I loved the film, the cast, the music- everything! It is a must watch!

The lead Anjali was played by a girl called baby Shamili. I think I must have been her greatest and the youngest fan at that time. It was difficult to get movie posters at that time, especially south film posters. My aunt finally got me some posters from Mumbai I guess, or was that Chennai? I don’t remember. The posters are still stuck on a cupboard in my house.

I also remember writing my very 1st letter to her. And my father wrote back to me saying it was Shamili. I believed him till I was in 8th std! I’d actually shown that letter to every soul in my school! Gee! 

It was because of films like these that I’ve grown so fond of films. Many thanks to Mani Ratnam- his Anjali, Roja and most particularly Bombay have taught me what a complete film is! I use these films as study material, for its direction and cinematography, and story ,screenplay ofcourse!

I tried searching for the DVD, still haven’t found 1, I also did a search for a movie download, the 1 I got right now is a Tamil version, and I need a Hindi version to really enjoy the film. I hope some day soon, I’ll get the original DVD of the film.

Recently , by fluke, I came across Shamili’s current photograph on google search. It was a satisfaction of some kind to see her grown up! It was like finding a lost friend! The snap that I saw she looked very plain , thankfully not all made up with make up that our heroine’s wear now a days. I also read that her film “Oye” opposite Siddhartha will be releasing this year in 2009. It’s a Tamil film and I sure want to watch it, just for her sake, just to watch her! 


I would have liked to say so much more about the film, but I need to watch it agai! From age 6 till date- it’s really been a long time!




Facts about the film:

Anjali is about a dying autistic child, and the emotional trauma experienced by her family.

Written and directed by Mani Ratnam
Music by Ilaiyaraaja
Cast: Raghuvaran, Revathi, Tarun, Shruthi and Shamili.

Into The Wild

I think this is a film that’s a must watch for every free spirited individual- if you love freedom till crazy extent, you love trekking, and want to discover the true meaning of your life your style- then you got to watch it! the last scene , with the heli cam is amazing!

This film had a crazy impact on me- I wanted to do just what Christopher McCandless, the hero, does in the film. My options are limited because I am a girl, and I am not a top fighter to be able to defend myself single handedly, and I don’t trust this world a bit! Anyway, here are some details so that you can catch up with the film too.

Plot : Based on a true story, After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

Director: Sean Penn
Year of release: 2007.
Nominated for 2 Oscars .Another 12 wins & 36 nominations
Genre: adventure, biography, drama.

My fav dialogue:

"Chris had always been driven, had always been an adventurer.
when he was only 4 years old, he once wondered alone 6 blocks away from home at 3 o’clock in the morning. He was found in the neighbor’s kitchen, upon a chair, looking through their candy drawer. Whatever drawer he was opening now, must have something pretty sweet in it!"

" The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.”

“You don’t need human relationships to be happy, God has placed it all around us.”

“When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.”
“I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong.”



!!WATCH IT!!