Alone At The Movies

A couple of years ago I would never watch a movie by myself. The very idea was appalling. Having to watch a movie alone meant that you had no one to go out with. In other words, it meant that you had no friends. If you've lived for a quarter century and had no friends, there was something seriously wrong with you. If you've lived in the same city during most of those years, and had no friends, you really need to be worried. In other words, if you went to watch a movie alone, it was time to stop and review your life.

One day, when I was alone at home and bored, I did it. The walk to the cinema felt like an adventure. Once there, I felt everyone's eyes on me. The voice in my head responded to each one of them with, "Yeah, I'm here by myself. Do you have a problem with that?" There was excitement coursing through me as I got down the stairs after the film ended, and walked home. I sent a text to my husband and called mum to tell them what I had done. I wrote to my best friend that I had been to the movies by myself. At twenty-something, going to the movies alone should not have been something to get so worked up about but it was. 

Now, if I had had no one to share that with, I would have been miserable. It goes back to the same theory about not having friends. You might as well be the protagonist in one of those romantic films, looking desperately for the right guy/girl to come along and growing miserable while you wait. Friendship is to us what falling in love is to the Western world. 

One fine winter morning, I arrived in Australia to start a new life. One of the biggest things about this new beginning was being alone. I had no friends. I knew no one. I assumed that I would make lots of friends at work. Everywhere I had worked so far, people had loved me. Imagine my horror upon finding that was not to be the case. While people would be friendly, making friends was not as easy as I thought it would be. I joined classes and I spoke with strangers. I remained alone. Everyone was nice but I had no friends.

I realized that I was on my own and I had better make the best of it. Staying home, reading books was one thing but I could not stay locked inside for ever. I had to get out if I wanted to make friends. Initially, I whinged to my best friend about not being able to make any new friends. He said to give it time, "Within a year, you will have lots of friends to go out with". I was horrified! Was I going to be alone for a year? 

I started going out by myself. I found that I enjoyed it. Being alone meant that I got to meet with lots of strangers. I could have conversations with people who shared similar tastes as mine and come away without any obligations. I didn't know the names of most people I spoke and a lot of times I didn't know what they did. It was just two people or a group of people exchanging a few sentences. It was almost always happy conversations. There were no emotions involved, no expectations. This was the a new kind of friendship altogether. The free games by the city council on Thursday nights were my favourites. I could play Chess, Scrabble, Jinga and I could watch others play. I didn't have to know anyone. I had a whole bunch of new friends every week. We played, we laughed, we had so much fun. Being alone and meeting new people was such an amazing endeavour. I began to enjoy it immensely. 

There were days when there were no games and there was not much happening where I could meet new people. I didn't want to go home and be alone. I decided the best thing to do was go to the cinema. That was an activity that didn't need any company. I could go by myself, choose a movie on the spot and watch it. I had the company of all the others at the cinema while, at the same time, I was by myself. It was like having the best of both worlds. Soon, it became the thing I did when I had nothing else to do. 

I bought a membership card at the cinema in town and it became my best friend. When I was sick, I could catch a movie. When I was alone and depressed, I would check out a new film. When there was a good movie playing, I could just hit it. When I felt like doing something and there was nothing else, I would head off to the nearest movie theatre. I am hardly ever disappointed. It's an escape and an entertainment. Now, I average at about a film a week. It has been over a year and I have plenty of friends. That means I don't always go by myself but there are days when I do just that. The time I spend by myself is my friend too. 

Gold Coast @ $30

My meticulous calculation had ended in at least a couple of hundred dollars for the trip. The actuals were $30. Yes, that's right. Talk about savings!

Of course, we decided not to do the Theme Parks this time. Then the husband had a brainwave (uh-oh). We took the gorgeous beast sitting in our garage for a second outing. The "poor man's Harley Davidson", as the owner calls it, licked the roads of Surfers' Paradise. Quite an adventure it was, riding the cruiser at 100 to 110kph, on the highway. As cruisers are not quite built for that speed or such a journey, the beast protested by gently swaying occasionally but was generous enough not to cause more fuss than that. No doubt, it was the husband's uncanny 'auto skills' at display. Even when the wind threatened to blow my helmet away and had me clutching at it with one hand, he drove single-mindedly like there was nothing bothering him.  

To give myself some credit here, my navigator skills were put to test when we forgot to pick up the directions I'd meticulously observed on google maps and written down on a piece of paper. I did well, I must say, we never got lost. Once we arrived, it was the herculean task of finding parking. Not a single bike in sight. Where do we park? We decided that a car park was as good as any. Not too sure of that, we cruised about until we reached what looked like a residential area, with parking allowed on both sides. Free parking, woohoo! 

The beach was one of the best I have seen. White sheets of sand, cool against our feet and a cool breeze all the while. The sun was out, just enough for light but not too hot. It was the first time I've been at the beach in a not sunny weather. It is nice. The water was beautiful. The white waves looked picturesque against the two shades of green and a shade of dark blue of the water. I've never seen a single beach with water of different colours before. The natural shades were simply fantastic. 

After a quick lunch of beef steak sandwich, fish & chips, we walked around the Centro mall. It was interesting in a funny way. The husband almost got caught by a group of girls in blue cheerleading dress with pom-poms participating in some sort of a competition that required him to buy something at the condom store in the mall. This, just as we nearly crossed the road to avoid the group in red & black, then continued on, not finding them around. Little did we know that group was on to the next phase of their 'treasure hunt' and the pom-pom girls were hunting their prey.

After over half an hour of trying to master the art of shooting a boomerang and have it fly back to us, we packed up. The best we could do was make it fly with a swoosh and turn around a wee bit. The fun was in watching the sea-gulls swoop down each time the boomerang fell to the ground, and flying away just as quickly as we approached. Pretty birds!! Reminded me of one of my favourite books. 

Soon, dark clouds formed in the sky and we decided to get home before the storm got us. We never found out if the stormed came crashing down in Gold Coast because all we felt was a light drizzle as we circled a bit, looking for an exit to the highway. Once we found it, it was another adventure at 100kph, flying down the Pacific Motorway. This time, the bike shook less, in spite of the strong wind because I had shifted my seating position and let the husband get better control of the beast. My bums never stopped talking long after I got home. I think they hate me now. 

To celebrate taking a day trip at less than 1/4th of the estimated price, the husband and I decided to treat ourselves to a movie. Suffice to say we spent more on those 2.5hrs of 'Inception' than we did on our little beach outing. We deserved it, that is our excuse. 

Guest Post #6: Getting Into My Pants

A fellow-blogger and colleague, Jeena was one of the few people I initially approached for a guest post on my blog. I won't accuse her of making any promises this time. In fact, this time there was no promise but it was delivered. 

I love the variety that the Guest Blogger Week has brought to my blog. After crazy men nagging about women nagging them and LBs, Kannada stories and Math equations, it's now time for some chick lit... 

Bumblebee has accused me of not carrying through with some promises. When she asked me to write for her, I agreed so that she wouldn't typecast me once again.

My brains have been working overtime thinking up a subject to write on her behalf. And finally, after discarding various topics, I am gonna launch on my pet peeve.

Haven't most of us at one time or the other had clothes in our wardrobes that we aspire to get into at one time or the other? The first on the list would be jeans or trousers, then those tops that don't show the bulging paunch and last would be those salwar tops which get stuck somewhere over your neck or shoulder and will tear if you try to jerk it down.

I started becoming conscious of my paunch only after I started college. But then, I used to be 57 and the only worry I had was the tiny paunch. Four years later I was still 57 but I was unable to get into those 100 bucks tops. I promised myself to start exercising but soon forgot my resolve when my eyes alighted on some sweets.

My only pair of jeans started pinching when I started working, so I got myself another pair. Two pairs of jeans later, I still have the first in my wardrobe, waiting for the day I will shed 10 kgs and manage to get into the first pair.

Why I started on this topic? That's because I watched this mallu movie "Bodyguard" starring the fave South Indian Actor Nayan Tara. And she's super-sexy-thin and shows off her curves in well selected wardrobe.

During the interval, looking at the mirror, I saw a reflection of a leaner me. I asked my husband if I looked any different and he was kind enough to disillusion me. Apparently it was the effect of one and a half hours of Nayan Tara. After another hour and a half, I resolved to make an effort to shed some fat to look fleeting like her. I am sure that only a minority looked at the hero in the movie. Both men and women alike wouldn't have been able to stop checking her out!

Yeah yeah, I pick my girlfriends carefully. No place for slim, sexy babes in my life - can't afford to have them pick on my eating habits and drive me crazy with their calorie calculations. Not to mention them taking away the attention of all the cute guys around (there's acute shortage, as it is).

Bliss

Today was my long ride day. I was going to push myself to do 25 to 30 kilometres, including a few uphills. The husband had heard that movies cost 100 bucks at the Forum Value Mall, so we decided to ride down there and catch the 10AM show. Brilliant! At 8.45AM, after a light breakfast, we took off. The weather was good and traffic scarce. It was a perfect setting for 2 bikers on their single speed. 

Fifteen kilometres and 40 minutes later, we are stopped by the security guard at the gate of FVM. The mall would open only at 9.30AM, so we waited outside. I stripped off my cycling gear i.e. helmet, scarf, gloves and walked about, trying to stretch myself. When the mall opened, we parked and bought tickets to the 11AM show (we were going to watch 'Karthik Calling Karthik' but bought tickets for 'Road, Movie' instead, on an impulse). The shops were all closed, so we just walked around, window shopping. The mall was almost empty, just perfect. 

When we reached the ground floor of the mall, we passed by a very tempting chocolate shop, called Bliss. They had the most amazing variety of chocolates. In the display, I saw an amazing replica of the Taj Mahal - one in brown chocolate and one in white. It reminded me of a friend who loved the TM and chocolates, so I took a picture to send to him.

We stood there, admiring the spread for 5 minutes and finally decided to peek in. Luckily, it was open. Even better, they served coffee (I was desperate for my morning fix). The furniture looked inviting. We decided that we would park ourselves there and enjoy a nice morning cuppa. We were handed a menu which had the most delectable list of chocolate items. I wanted one of everything. Sitting there, I hated having to chose one or two items, it was nearly impossible! Finally we decided to try something from the 'Chocolate Meals' list and a savoury item to compliment it.

We decided on our coffees first. I ordered the Latte (Espresso with steamed milk), that looked like the famous 'cutting-chai' in glass tumblers in Mumbai. Surprised but delighted. 

The husband ordered Cafe Mocha (Cappuccino blended with premium Belgium chocolate). Clearly, the guy making the coffee was not creative enough.

By the time the coffee arrived, we had decided. From the chocolate meal menu, we ordered the Buttery Belgium Waffles (Waffles with chocolate sauce and honey). When the dish actually arrived, it did not look as exciting as the title or the description. The little black chequered triangles reminded me of mum's ragi dosa. I was happier to be clicking pictures, instead of digging in right away. Dip it in honey and chocolate sauce and yummy!

Our pick from the savoury menu was the Toasted Cheese Tortillas (Spanish Quesadilla filled with Jalapeno, Olives, Cheese and Spring Onion, served with Mexican salsa and sour cream). The waiter said it would take time to make (we were the first customers, he was yet to light up in the kitchen, remember) and suggested the American Cheesy Sticks (Breaded Mozzarella sticks, accompanied by a tangy, spicy Mexican salsa) instead. The sticks were crispy to perfection and the cheese inside just the right texture. Dip it in the Mexican salsa and you are immediately transported to another world (where fat is 'in'). 

A dream ride and an amazing breakfast later, we took off to watch 'Road, Movie'. It is a funny way to name a movie, with the word 'movie' in it. The girl selling me tickets at the counter just called it Road. Maybe she found it awkward to say 'the movie Road Movie' (the comma goes missing when we actually say it). A weird movie, very different, no story, just starts off and ends some place but totally worth a watch. Goofy and entertaining. At 100 bucks, much recommended. We also got an offer to buy a large popcorn and medium Pepsi for 100 bucks ("It costs 130 rupees inside", the girl said). 

Ride, breakfast, movie, shopping, ride back home. Shopping was awesome, the husband was a complete sweetheart all through. The ride back home was hot and tiring, a headwind all the way. I barely noticed the downhills but the uphills were enervating. I managed it. The husband and I are both proud of me. I am thrilled to bits, it is my best day of the year, so far.

My Name Is Khan

A typical KJo movie has a love story, lots of songs, fancy locales, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol/Preity Zinta/Rani Mukherjee, a few double-meaning jokes and plenty of colour. When 'My Name Is Khan' was released and I saw the trailers, it didn't seem much different. There was the colour, SRK, Kajol, shot in America... the usual stuff. I'd watch it if I could, a no-brainer entertainment is always welcome, beats the stress away but I wouldn't kill anyone for the movie.

One night, while all of us sat down talking after dinner, the sister-in-law said that she was going to MNIK with her colleagues and wished she didn't have to go. A friend, who was visiting, said he thought the movie was good, based on the promos he's seen. Wow! I jumped at that and asked if he would go with me. The next thing I know, I was booking tickets to the movie before anyone changed their minds.

MNIK was a total surprise. Of course, it had all the overacting and melodrama that a KJo-SRK movie must have. It had a serious message too. KJo has dealt with it in a diplomatic fashion, without offending any one group of people, as is also evident from the absence of publicity for the movie, in the name of religion. Of course, there was the scene with SRK being stopped at the airport in the US and the Shiv Sena issue but that's about it. How much of it is real and how much is a movie promotion is hard to tell (for me, atleast).

The movie starts of in a pre-9/11 era. As they movie rightly says, the time period was roughly split into two as BC and AD. When 9/11 happened, there was another split. The pre-9/11 and the post-9/11 days. 

SRK plays an autistic boy, who has a near photographic memory and can "repair anything". He can't emote but hugs his mother when asked to and understands that it seems to make her feel better somehow. He watches people around him and tries to respond to various situations in a similar fashion. As the friend with me put it, he seemed to have a milder version of the illness as he is able to travel across from India to the US and various places within the country on his own. SRK & KJo have kept it as realistic as possible (a few exaggerations in a couple of places but can be forgiven). 

A relationship between a Muslim autistic boy and a Hindu girl blooms. 9/11 happens. The story moves on to narrate the tale of their lives and how the 9/11 attack affects their lives and many others like them. The story revolves around how he ends up travelling across various parts of the country, with the President's iterinary in hand, in a bid to meet the president and say to him "My Name Is Khan and I am not a terrorist". 

The movie talks about the anger and reactions of some Americans post 9/11. It also shows that not all of them were upset or turned racists. It speaks about good Muslims who understand the Quran and the ones who twist the tales in the name of Jihad, in order to hire Muslims to act for them. It touches upon the suspicious nature in which various people eye all Muslims, post an act of terrorism. The message 'My Name Is Khan and I am not a terrorist" is hammered into the audiences mind, with innumerable repetitions, by the time the movie finishes. 

A movie that's worth watching. A pleasant surprise from Karan Johar's regular romance/comedy movies. His signature style remains. He does not have the power that an Aamir Khan's movie might draw. Aamir's casting might have been better too. Yet, well done. A good movie.

Sherlock Holmes Starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law

I first heard of this movie from a couple of my colleagues in Melbourne. They said it was a must watch and I put it on my list of movies to watch. It released in Bangalore theatres a few weeks later.

After failed attempts to find either the time or a fellow-enthusiast to watch the movie, I'd nearly given up until my manager from Melbourne landed in Bangalore one fine day. I decided to drag him along and watch it, me for the first time and he second. A colleague of mine offered to go with me, so I spared him the torture for the moment. Soon after, I realized that whereas the offer had been made, she had no real intentions of honouring it. Fortunately for me, I went back to Mr. Melbourne on my original plan and he agreed to accompany me.

To cut a long story short, I almost went alone to the movie but ended up with enjoyable company. The movie itself was great. The perseverance was worth it. Money well-spent.

My first impression of Robert Downey Jr., as Sherlock Holmes, was "What?? This guy?!?" He was nowhere close to the picture of the detective Sherlock Holmes I've carried in my mind, since my school-days when I'd devoured all of Sherlock Holmes stories from dad's library. This guy was shorter, looked older and was nothing like I'd expected! Jude Law as Dr. Watson surprised me too. Wasn't Dr. Watson supposed to be shorter, stubbier and definitely not so cute? I wondered why the characters had received rave reviews on the internet. I hoped the movie would not disappoint me.

In the next few minutes, I found myself engulfed in the story. The old picture of Sherlock Holmes in my head was replaced by the new, effortlessly. Jude Law, I realized, was not as cute in this movie as he was in The Holiday. He made a good Dr. Watson (a little fleshier might have been good too but hell, he is good). Rachel McAdams, as Irene Adler, and Kelly Reilly, as Mary Morstan (Dr. Watson's fiancee), were perfect casting, as were all the other characters. At one point, when the husband said that Mark Strong a.k.a Lord Henry Blackwood might have made a better Sherlock Holmes, I was inclined to agree. By the end of the movie, however, I did not quite have any issues with the existing cast. It hung together quite well. Strong had a sinister feel to his character, a great deal of his acting expressed through his face, which was not really required of Holmes.

Reviews had warned me that this was not one of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, so I went with an open mind. As Wikipedia enlightened me later, the movie-makers had used details from a number of Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories to make the movie. Holmes character has been tweaked a bit to highlight some of his idiosyncrasies. He is also more humane. He makes mistakes, is hoodwinked at times and screws up. None of these manage to overshadow his incredibly sharp mind or the demeanour that makes up Sherlock Holmes.

The story, although new, has retained the typical style of an adventure that one identifies with Sherlock Holmes, yet is refreshing at the same time. It has all the elements of a movie and it has all the elements of the books. I went through a range of emotions akin to disbelief, surprise and relief as the story unfolded before me, on the big screen. At various points in the movie, I was sceptical about certain aspects, felt compelled to accept some inconceivable occurrences and relieved when an incredulous event revealed a more meaningful explanation. 

The movie finishes with loose ends tied up and the mystery resolved, with a moral that screams 'good triumphs evil'. It also leaves one loose string, as had the book for so many years. I wonder if there will be another movie and if there is, if the professor will die or stay in the shadows until all of Hollywood is satisfied that they have milked Doyle's character dry. 

I can't wait to watch the earlier movies of Sherlock Holmes now. I've promised myself I won't miss any new ones there may be. I feel the same thrill I felt back when I read the books. 

Have movies gotten better or am I over-excited? I don't know but this is the third movie, that is also a book, that I have watched in the last one year and I have loved. The next and only movie on my list is My Name Is Khan, starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. It's got some fantastic reviews. Anybody listening?

3 Idiots - My Take

After much ado, I watched '3 Idiots' with the husband on Saturday. As is normal with me, I got late getting ready and we missed the first 15 minutes of the movie, much to the husband's annoyance. He was really sweet about it and didn't fuss too much. 

My head was buzzing with all the controversies and publicity around the movie being a rip-off from the book, Five Point Someone, by Chetan Bhagat. Bhagat's numerous claims on Twitter that people went back to him saying the movie was hugely inspired by the book and comments on his blogs stating that everything in the movie was out of the book had led me to believe that the movie would be an exaggerated version of the book. 

If you start watching the movie with that in mind, it is not so much fun. The movie feels fake whereas the book real. Brush those thoughts aside and watch the movie, it is immensely enjoyable. At various points, it seems real in a strange way. As real as fantasy can get. Most of the humour lies in the conversation and delivery but there are some comic acts too. The writer has preferred to use Hindi without the intrusion of English or any other language. 

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't but intend to read the book or watch the movie, avoid this review. 

The book was realistic. It was believable and it is definitely something that the college-going crowd can identify with. That's why the book became so popular among the younger crowd. The movie, on the other hand, is hugely exaggerated, as most movies go and has traces of a typical Aamir Khan style. The focus of the movie is entirely different from that of the book, as is the treatment of the theme. 

While the skeleton of the book has been preserved, the fleshy bits have been significantly modified to appeal to the larger audience that the cinema goes out to. The spotlight has been moved from the main character of the book to the more fun character in the movie, to keep the viewers amused as the tale unfolds. The target audience for the message that jumps out of the movie is parents, teachers and students of all genres.

The writer of the book places himself (Hari) at the centre of the story, with some significant characters woven around it - his 2 friends, the dean's daughter, a lecturer or two. Bhagat narrates the story from a first-person point of view and he could be any one of us, never the star of the college. He brings out the picture of the state of affairs in an IIT, from the student's point of view, without directly doling out a moral at the end of the book. 

The movie has it's focal point on Hari's friend Ryan. The movie glorifies the more outgoing character that Ryan is and conveys the message of the story through his antics. Aamir Khan, as Rancho a.k.a Ranchoddas Shyamaldas Chaanchad a.k.a Phusukh Wangdoo, questions the current education system and points towards a better way of learning, at various points throughout the movie. The narrator remains Madhavan a.k.a Farhan (Hari in the book). They are supported by Sharman Joshi a.k.a Raju (Alok in the book).

When we reached the theatre, the scene on screen was that of the seniors-ragging-first-years i.e. first year students. That's the first of the many ideas taken out of Bhagat's book - first for me, I came in 15 minutes late, remember? As is the case with almost all of the ideas that were picked out of the book, this was not a mere exaggeration of the way the writer has related the event but handled in a completely different manner. 

In the book, the scene has the seniors ragging 3 students - Hari, Alok and Ryan. Alok is the wimp, who is ready to burst into tears, Ryan is the hero among the 3, who saves them from humiliation and scares the seniors away while Hari is the in-between character who neither whines nor has the nerve to protest. The movie, on the other hand has a large room full of scared first year students, all stripped down to their underwear. The senior is standing at the door, trying to get Rancho (Ryan's name in the movie) out of his room. Rancho ignores him, plays a prank right back at him (a moothra visarjan gone horribly wrong) and instantly becomes the hero of all the juniors (except the nerdy guys, of course). Alright, so both the book and the movie start with the ragging scene and Ryan a.k.a Rancho emerges hero - that's where the similarity stops. The literature in the book greatly differs from the comedy in the script.

Move a few reels ahead. Change of rooms. Alok moves out of his room and checks in with the geek of the class, Venkat, as a fallout with his friends after they scored low grades. He blames Ryan easy-going attitude and Hari hero-worship of Ryan as the reason for his bad marks. Raju & Farhan are invited by the dean into his room and advised to switch rooms if they want to perform well in the exams and steer clear of Rancho's companionship. Raju moves in with nerdy Chatur, Farhan stays with Rancho.

Who gets the girl? The hero always gets the girl. Hari falls in love with the professor's daughter, "does it" with her and uses her keys without her knowledge to steal papers from her father's office. There's a fair deal of emphasis in the book, of her relationship with her brother who was believed to have been hit by a train but had committed suicide. The father finds out only in the end and his has a change of heart from the grumpy professor that he always was. Rancho wins Neha, the dean's daughter (professor Viru Sahasrabuddi, popularly called ViruS), with his charming ways. Neha has a scooter, which plays a fair role in adding to the comic element in the movie. She incites them into stealing papers from her father's office and the only reference to her brother is very much later in the movie. As for the all-famous "doing it", the movie chooses the more conservative path and they don't even kiss till the end of the movie. This is in keeping with how Rancho's character emerges in the end and is also used to add a bit of humour to the romance.

Raju/Alok attempts to kill himself. Alok jumps off the terrace of the IIT building because he cannot get his sister married, cannot get good grades and cannot give up his friends. Raju jumps out the window of the dean's office because he is nearly rusticated after being caught peeing on the front door of the dean's house, in a drunken state one night. He has to chose between being thrown out of college or telling on his friends. He chooses to die. Alok's recovery is fast-forwarded to a few days, all is well in the end. In the movie, Rancho and Farhan go through a number of attempts to save their paralysed-but-brain-alive friend (don't know if that's possible in real life but it's only a movie, so the friends can save a life that a doctor cannot). 

As I said when I started off, the skeleton is definitely the book. The treatment very movie-like. If you try to make a comparison, you might be biased to chose one against the other, depending on what your preferences are. I found the book closer to reality and had I watched the movie with that in mind, I might not have enjoyed it at all. As separate entities, they are entertaining. 

Apart from the various hilarious moments in the movie, there are a fews twist towards the end - some predictable ones (ViruS gives his famous zero-gravity space pen to Rancho), some not so predictable (who is Phunsukh Wangdu and how did he get there). There are a few emotional moments and some unbelievable heroic deeds (Engineering students delivering a baby with a vaccum cleaner on the TT table in the engineering college campus, you have got to be kidding me!!). 

The take-away bits from the movie are entirely original. Even though I was skeptical the first time he mentions it, 'Aal eez well' (All is well) seems to have become quite a popular mantra among viewers. That explains all the status messages on Gtalk and Facebook, in the recent weeks. Then there's the extremely funny "Jahanpana, tussi great ho, tohfa kubool karo" (Your Highness, you are great, please accept my gift) - where the guy pulls down his pants, turns around and bends over at Rancho, as a sign of admiration! Love it when Chatur does this in the end, accepting Phunsukh Wangdu as superior to him

There is lots more that I haven't mentioned in this blog but if I had to cover all of them, I'd be narrating the story of the movie and reproducing the book here. It's worth a watch, might as well spend a few bucks. Value for money, either way - book or movie. I read the book, watched the play and then the movie. Watching the movie again today. The buck stops here.

I am even more convinced, after watching the movie that the entire controversy between Aamir Khan and Chetan Bhagat was staged. Bhagat has got his due credit (yes, I stayed to watch the credits and see where his name appeared) and his book sales have shot up. Khan and the movie-makers are still minting money out of the movie. The script-writer got his vi-si-bi-li-ty (a.k.a Paulo Coelho style) and his dialogues are repeated in offices and colleges. Everyone is happy. Did I miss mention of the audience? Oh no.. they are happy too. No one's complaining. 

The movie also has a few rip-offs from ads on television and the internet. Cliches but well presented. Remember the ad where the kid finishes his exam paper well past the time and stuffs his answer sheet in the middle of the bundle when the professor says he doesn't know who he is? Remember those email forwards of a man in black taking pictures of half a dozen women in burqas? I wonder what might happen if all those people came looking for credits. I bet none of them have got any mention in the names that scroll through.

The ugly business that the media happily fired and flamed has now relegated to being warm coal in the fireplace. Aal eez welll.

PS. While Aamir Khan is really good in the movie, the guy who took my heart away... Maddy. Look out for Farhan in the movie!

The Case Of The Stolen Wallet

It takes a lot to convince my husband to take me to a movie. Especially a Hindi movie. He hates sitting in the theatre for 3 hours. After 3 weeks of trying, I finally managed to get him to agree to watch 3 IDIOTS with me. Even better? Mum also agreed to come with us for a 7PM show. She never says yes to anything that's past the streetlights hour. I was in an awfully good mood that day.

Having lots my wallet numerous times during my college days - the routine of paying for a bus ticket, leaving it on my lap and walking away - I've grown to be excessively careful. I pulled out a note of 100 Rupees when I went for a snack in the afternoon, inserted the notes in the side pocket of my bag, taking care not to get the wallet out lest I lose it.

Come evening, the husband and mum left home in bro's car (how that happened is a story for another day - our car alarm going off, the punctured tyre, newbie girl driver, etc, etc). I was to meet them in Indiranagar, which is half the way for both of us. Considering that it was traffic hour, I decided that I could easily take a bus and still catch them in time. Faster than walking, slower than an auto (10 times cheaper too).

I wasn't wrong. I got off the bus and met them just as they reached the designated place. Brilliant! The bus ride seemed without much fuss. I got a seat pretty soon. I was holding it in front of me (beware of pick-pockets in crowded buses). I placed it on my lap and proceeded to check my email on my mobile. After frustrated attempts to connect to the internet, I gave up and began to enjoy the view outside. About 5 minutes before it my stop, I headed towards the front door. A minute later, a lady got on to the bus with a baby and I was forced to move the bag behind me. That's all it took! Five minutes for the pick-pocket and three weeks later, I am still under enormous stress!

We reached Lido (where the movie was playing) in the hellish traffic, where mum and I got off while the husband went ahead to park the car. I opened my bag to get out my credit card. No sign of my wallet! Oh hell! My new wallet, my favourite, my expensive Xmas gift. A beautiful brown wallet with the perfect number of compartments, well-placed, an awesome antique-metal coloured ring in the centre. My debit and credit cards, my Crossword card (paid 220 bucks and still not got my replacement), my Driving License (still haven't been able to get a replacement... expected cost - 1100 bucks) and about twelve hundred rupees. I never carry so much money... took money from the ATM the previous day for the car service, the thief got lucky!

I still haven't been able to lodge a police complaint. The cops at the Jeevan Bhima Nagar police station refused to register a complaint because it was not within their jurisdiction, asked me to go to the Indiranagar police station. The cops at the Indiranagar police station insisted I get a letter from the bank that I had indeed had a card in my name that had been blocked. The bank would give me a letter for the debit card but nothing for the credit card. They asked me to call the customer care. I called the customer care and they want me to go to the branch. Finally, after numerous calls and providing one of the 5 or 6 agents I spoke with, my entire "personal details" and yelling at her, I managed to have a request placed for my debit card replacement. A week later, the PIN has arrived, still no sign of card. The credit card, on the other hand, I can do nothing about. They have delinked it from my account, blocked it, won't let me cancel it or get a replacement - all because I cannot remember the incorrect PIN number they have registered against my address. Hell! However, they have no problems sending me a bill for a thousand bucks today. Hell again!

As luck would have it, I also had my office meal card in the wallet (never do that but that fateful day...). After about 5 emails, 2 phone calls and a week and half, I finally have my meal card.

I am yet to lodge a police complaint (wonder how much it will "cost me" to get an FIR), yet to get a duplicate driving license, yet to do something about the credit card and above all, yet to get over the loss of my wallet with all it's belongings. All because of one inconsiderate woman who took less than 5 minutes to grow rich, probably trash all the stuff I'm trying so hard to get together!

What A Girl Wants - Quips

Daphne: From now on, I'm going to behave 
Ian: Behave like what, now? 

Ian: Why are you trying so hard to fit in, when you're born to stand out?

I'm watching 'What A Girl Wants' and as I expected, it turned out to be an enjoyable movie. Just another movie similar to Princess Diaries and the like. Another typical Amanda Bynes movie. When I say typical, let me clarify. I base my statement purely on one other movie of hers that I have watched. She's The Man.

Daphne: Mom says if you can walk on the sand in bare feet and you have a steady hand with nail polish, there's no reason why you need a pedicure.

3 Idiots - Five Point Someone?

Chetan Bhagat, Aamir Khan, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and '3 Idiots'. They have been behaving like 3 Idiots ever since the release of the movie, as if that's a way of advertising the movie itself. The controversy of who should get the credit appears to be getting uglier each day.

Chetan Bhagat insists that he was not given enough credit for the movie. According to him, the movie is based on his book upto 70% and his name only appears at the end of the credits ("after the asssistants", etc) as author of the book 'Five Point Someone' whereas he was promised that his name would appear among the "big actor and actresses" right at the top. He also has a problem with the movie-makers claiming that the movie is "loosely based" on his book with only 2-5% similarity and the rest of the script is original, with Abhijat Joshi credited for the script.

Those part of the movie claim that Bhagat has been given his due credit, as promised ("exactly as in the contract") and maintain that the script is largely original. Really? How can something be 'original' if it was "loosely based" on a book. I have read the book but do not remember enough details to make a comparison. In fact, I have not even watched the movie (still hoping I can... sigh). However, as Bhagat points out and so have numerous readers, TV channels and newspapers, there seem to be a fair number of instances that are a straight rip-off from the book.

I'm not really trying to take sides here but going by the support Bhagat is getting from his readers who, I think are the best judges, it seems rather lame that the producers of the movie are spending large amounts of money and time in press conferences, threats of going to court and fighting him in public. As Chetan says, the best way to know the truth is "read the book & watch the movie". I religiously watch all of Aamir Khan's movies and I have read all of Chetan Bhagat's books. Someone like me doesn't need to be prompted. I am sure there are a lot of people out there like me. It's quite clear that the entire hungama is a gimmick to make more people "read the book & watch the movie"

As I already tweeted yesterday, I'm inclined to agree with Pritish Nandi's take on this issue. It is a typical AK method of trying to notch up sales for the book and increase viewership for the movie. I'm not sure it is really necessary, though. Aamir Khan's movies need no other publicity than the fact that they are his. Add to that, his unique methods of marketing them (remember the staff at PVR Cinemas in Mumbai with the Ghajini hair-cut, last year?) and he's got a winner. In fact, didn't 3 Idiots make a whooping 7 crores in just the first 3 days of it's release? Five Point Someone is already a pretty popular book and Chetan Bhagat markets his book pretty well. The hype he created for his latest book '2 States' was no mean task. Millions of copies of his books have been sold and still are. So, why are they behaving like idiots? Simple enough answer, eh? The movie is called 3 Idiots. Surprise surprise!

Khan is definitely trying to keep the excitement for the movie alive for a few more weeks. The movie has been selling at an exorbitant price of 350 bucks per ticket on weekends and cinemas are still running houseful. Clearly, the ruse is working. He's brilliant, no doubt. When it's Aamir Khan, no publicity is bad publicity. By making Bhagat the victim, the latter retains his fan-following. Everybody wins.

Obviously, there will be no court case, although they have been threatening about it. Why have they not done it already? Whereas the papers have been reporting Chetan's stand on the threat as being ready to face whatever comes because he has the support of his fans, that is not what I saw on TV last night. At the threat, Bhagat simply said that he merely noted in his blog about being hurt by the attitude of the makers of the movie and he did not really care so much for the credit. It seemed like he was not up and ready for a fight in court but was rather resigned to accept it if it happened. Either he is a bad actor (on the premise that this is a publicity stunt) or he is just giving interviews because he opened his big mouth in the first place.

Chetan's latest tweet says that he is tired of the interviews around this issue and would stop after the next two, which he has already committed to. It reeks of Aamir Khan's style. He stays mum throughout the making of the movie, lets the producers start promoting the movie towards the date of it's release and then makes his media appearance just around the time of release. Then he goes quiet and lets the dust he raised, settle. In the meanwhile, the gullible audience has grown poorer by the rupee while he laughs his way to the bank and so do the producers.

My Lists

As a kid, I used to have a list of books to read and places to visit. As I grew up and got busy with more important things, I found less and less time to read. I still had the list of places I wanted to visit and a new list for 'movies to watch'. Of course, I never visited or watched any. It just made me feel good to think that maybe some day I might. Funnily enough, OZ was always somewhere in the top on my list of places to visit... still is and I still hope 'some day'.

I took a break from work today and looked at some random blogs on blogger. There was a movie review of 'Julie and Julia'. These lines from the author made me want to watch the movie:

"Do go and see Julie and Julia at the cinema. Good fun for girls. It ticked a lot of boxes for me"

"But don't take a man to this movie unless he is very interested in cookery. The male actors are just there to support the heroines with the occasional word of wisdom and adoration"

I already said this morning that I wanted to watch Avatar. The reviews have been good, it is all over twitter and someone said to me that his kids watched the movie twice. I must find out why it is so popular. Actually, I just need an excuse to watch a movie. I think this will do, to convince the husband. So, when I read the review on Julie and Julia, I ended up making a list again. A list of 2 movies to watch, so far. How many more will go on the list before I get to watch atleast one I wonder.

Times like these, I wish I was 22, just starting to work, single and in Mumbai. Sigh! Alternatively, I just wish there were more people in my life who wanted to do the same things I do. Or maybe... ok, ok, I must stop. Time to get back to work. A document awaits me. Sigh!

Flashback Aaj Kal

Flashbacks are an age old tradition in movies. The way they are shown in movies has changed over time.

My favourite flashback narration is in the movie ALAIPAYUTE. That was the first time I had seen that kind of a story-telling. The story was in the present but kept jumping off into the past. The switch between the past & the present was so subtle & yet one wouldn't lose track of which is which. It was understandable. When the past and the present merge, it is so seamless! Since then, there have been other movies that have adapted this method with slight variations. They all work just as well.

Another movie I loved for the way the various tenses were merged is TEEN DEEWAREIN. The story is of 3 criminals in jail, strangers to each other, and a reporter who is writing a piece on their lives. The story goes back and forth between the present and the past of each of the jailbirds as they narrate their story to the protagonist, in a very ordinary flashback method. The beauty of the narration is when each of their past merges with that of the other 2 and slides into the present, making the 3 strangers party to a single event in present. It's amazing the way the writer has merged their past and in doing so, merged the present, with utmost clarity. The plot thickens when the journalist's past pops up where theirs seems to end, merges with theirs and the present is one big concoction of her today and that of her subjects.

The climax is where the con-reporter-actually-revenge-seeker girl connects the dots, linking all the pasts and relates the tale of her sister's accidental murder some months ago. Characters spring up suddenly, that have very little screen presence, yet played an important part in the movie all along. A lot of subtlety and a wonderfully woven tale, I think.

It is a Nagesh Kukunoor movie. I'm a huge fan of his and have watched all his movies, except the latest commercial flick, which was a big failure anyway.

Another one of his movies that I loved is the DOR. It is a remake of a Malayalam film. Hardly much of a flashback but that one too starts off in the present and takes a peek into the past every now and then, just enough for the viewers to understand the background of the story.

I watched LOVE AAJ KAL a couple of nights ago. As the name suggests, it's about love aaj (today) and kal (yesterday). There's a parallel drawn between love in the yesteryears and in today's world. Like all love stories end, the movie goes on to prove that no matter what has changed across generations, one thing that remains constant is that love cannot be beaten, matters of the heart always rule and should. The best part of the movie is where the older man tells the younger one that the latter reminds him of himself in his younger days. The flashback has the younger actor doubling up as the older guy in his younger days. The story has been narrated very well and the double role play is another first time, another amazing flash of originality!

A dash of creativity can do wonders to an ordinary act. There were the days when a flashback was a mere narration of the past, one character to another. Now, it's a whole new arena for story-telling.

EMA Night Eve - Movie night

I watched Harry Potter last night with some of the boys at work. As all things go in my life, it wasn't without stress. Waiting for last minute installations on my laptop, chasing up with the support guys... you know the stuff that always holds you back at work on an occasional day that you need to leave early!

The boys were great. They insisted on holding on to my ticket and waiting up to take me to the movie, even after I asked them to go ahead without me. And it wasn't even about paying for my ticket... I would've done that anyway. A really really nice gesture! Reminds me of the old days... college days... boys were always like that. Chivalrous. Drop a girl home after going out, wait & make sure all's okay. It doesn't happen so often these days, what with girls becoming independent and equal and all that. Boys don't have the time or patience anymore either! These fellows with me were nice. And yes, they waited with me after the movie until my husband picked me up. If not, one of them would've made sure I got home safe. I don't doubt that.

Their company was great too. No grumbling, no complaining about anything. We talked about the movie & Harry Potter for a long time after the movie. Abhi & Joy amaze me with their capacity to remember names of characters and spells in the book! They remembered what the movie missed showing too. Wow! That is so cool! I can never remember names and barely the details in the books that I read. Oh yeah, when I say names, I mean... full names. Including the Surname. A nick-name, had there been one, I bet!

I couldn't help overhearing a bunch of guys frustrated after the movie. Joy & I laughed when he heard them. They were wondering why Dumbledore died and why so easily, without even a fight. They were wondering what would happen to Harry Potter now and why there was no Voldemort in this movie. Snape & the BIG question - Good Severus, Bad Severus? The action was less & there was more of teenage drama ('snogging' et al). In fact, even our own Sham had those questions. Well, atleast they can read the next book if they wanted to. In our days, we had to wait for the next book to be published, then stand in the queue on the day of release from 6AM in the morning. No regrets though, it was totally worth it!

This is one of the better made movies in the Harry Potter series too. I loved the visuals. Harry Potter & Hermione have grown way more cute over the years (yeah, ok, Daniel Radcliffe & Emma Watson). Hogwarts brought back old memories from the book & earlier movies...

All in all, a very enjoyable evening. It's been so long since I'd been to the movies, since I'd gone out and since I'd been out with a group of fun guys.

Felt like a perfect way to get ready for the install night. Big night tonight. Hubby's promised he might stay up to give me company. That's nice, really nice :) I was worrying unnecessarily about having to work alone at home, while the rest of the crowd was at office. Not any more.

What does it mean when so many nice things happen to you at once? Happy days are here again!! Touchwood! A nail-biting wait, a nail-biting night, a nail-biting weekend later I'll know what ANZ Portfolio looks like in the real world. Can't wait for it!

Turn back time

The Spiderwick Chronicles. I watched it twice last week. Three kids & their mother kill a monster 'Mulgarath' and find happiness for their Aunt Lucida. Whereas the movie is all about magical creatures or their quest to destroy 'the book', written by a man who has discovered their secrets, what really touched me in this movie is something else.

Aunt Lucida - 86 years old. Daughter of Arthur Spiderwick, the author of the Spiderwick Chronicles, referred to as 'The Book', in the movie.

The story behind the story of The Spiderwick Chronicles goes like this. Arthur Spiderwick & his daughter Lucy stumble upon a world of magical creatures. While Arthur is fascinated by his findings of these life-forms, chasing and stumbling upon all their secrets one by one, he forgets his 6 year old daughter Lucy who patiently waits for her father! Further and further he goes from his child as he gets busy digging deeper into the life of these bewitched creatures.

As all secrets go, some of Arthur's discoveries could lead to serious destruction! To safeguard their little-known world and protect themselves, fairies take Arthur away into their world and hold him captive in time. Eighty years pass. Lucy spends these years of her life waiting for her father to come back and hold her in his arms.

Cut to the present, Helen Grace moves into her Aunt Lucinda's house, with her children - twins Jared & Simon and their sister Mallory. The kids chance upon the magical world of these little creatures, find the book and stir up the goblins, led by Mulgarath, who is out to learn the secrets and take control of the enchanted world. When Arthur meets Jared and learns of his "Aunt Lucinda", he says, 'Aunt Lucinda? That cannot be! Lucy is only 6 years old. I just spoke with her this morning! Or was it yesterday?' Alas! While Arthur chased after the mystical world, time has moved on, taking with it the 6 year old daughter he loved so much! As Jared puts it, he has spent 80 years unaware of the real world while his daughter waited for him, all because of his book!

Later in the movie, when the children finally destroy Mulgarath, they bring Aunt Lucinda back to the house. In the garden, who does she see but the "daddy" she has waited all her life for! Arthur walks towards her, trapped in the spell of the fairies. He still looks the young father she remembered, whereas she is all of 86 years. "My child" he says when he sees Aunt Lucinda. My heart tore when I watched this scene... it brought tears to my eyes!

Lucy wants her daddy to stay, she doesn't want him to leave her ever again. Arthur cannot come back into the real world for if he does, all his years will return to him and he will turn to dust. So she pleads, "Daddy, this time take me with you!". Her papa's hand reaches out to her and she steps into the charmed circle of the fairies. She turns 6 again and in the beautiful world of goblins and fairies, daddy and 6 year old Lucy start again.. where they left off!

Often we move so far away from our loved ones in the quest for something that when we finally find it, we are alone! Time does not give us a second chance like it did for Lucy and her papa. What a pity that we cannot break away for a while, to chase our dreams, and come back to start where we left off...

Angels and Demons

When I was a kid, all movies with the hero emerging a winner. The villians were bashed up by the hero and they either died, retired hurt or turned over a new leaf. I was given to believe that movies, like the 'moral' stories we heard so often, had a message - something about good prevailing over evil.

Times change, themes change, movies change but for a long time the ending never did. The heroes always won, the baddies ended up losers.

In the recent past, I have noticed a change in the trend. It's not the traditional 'good wins bad' story anymore. Movies aim at touching the mean streak in a person. Take the The Dark Knight, for example. The Joker completely over-shadowed every other character in the movie - not just the actor but the role itself. Come to think of it, this 'villain' did not even have one of those all-famous 'bad childhood', 'abused by society' stories behind his evil streak.

Think 'Angels and Demons'. You see a dark picture forming... not one of fairies or white, fluffy clouds. Not to blame anyone. The movie was made that way, the story was told in that fashion. Where are the angels in this story? The hero wins, nevertheless he is not what is most talked about or remembered.

Someone once told me to 'step into the real world' as if it was foolishness to expect an honourable act to bring results. Time and again I've heard people say that it "doesn't work" to be too straight, that honesty is only good in theory. Words like 'saint' & 'naive' are used to mock someone. No doubt people write books and publish papers talking about the wonderfulness of all of this, biographies claim that all their protagonists are men of truth and honour. Only because that is what will sell. People will not practice any of this because it 'does not work in the real world' but everyone likes to read that the path of righteousness is the only way to nirvana. Nobody wants to tread that path for fear of losing foothold!

There are so many who make harsh decisions and stick to it, as a show of strength. The resolve is stronger if it hurts someone... the claim is that it's harder to make that decision but they are 'being strong'. Have you tried being true to yourself is what I want to ask them. If you want to show your strength of mind, hold tight and make it through that difficult journey. Everyone chooses the easier path and convinces themselves that it's the best. Eventually, the road to kindness becomes the one less trodden and therefore harder.

It's easier to become a demon because everyone around you is. Is that true? Everyone has a shade of light and a dash of dark in their hearts. You view the tyrant in others in order to favour yourself. It's easier to look outside then peek inside. Right?

When you smile at a stranger they will smile back at you. Try thanking a door-man for opening the door or the security guard who stops you for a 'bag check' outside a building. He will smile at you, for theirs is a thankless job.

Cut your neighbours some slack. Step back and re-do your actions differently. Think of the people you have touched in your life and think of the nice things that you missed to see in them. Take a chance with life. Try kindness, try good even when the world is bad to you.

Rudyard Kipling writes about this beautifully in his poem 'If' (that's my next blog).

Resilience

I watched 'The Holiday' a couple of nights ago... again. A nice movie where 2 women, with guy problems, swap homes for a holiday and meet the love of their lives. Throw in a bunch of cute guys and the movie is quite a treat! The guy who Cameron Diaz (Amanda Woods) falls in love with is awful cute. You feel like grabbing Diaz out of the frame and taking her place every time he comes on screen - Jude Law aka Graham Simpkins!

Let me not get started on Graham. This blog is not about him (I want to watch the movie again!!!). Nope, this one is for Jasper Bloom (Rufus Sewell), Kate Winslet's ex in the movie. Jasper has very little physical presence in the movie but plays a striking role in Iris Simpkins' (Winslet) story.

"Square peg, round hole" is what Jasper says to Iris, explaining why their relationship can't work. While he is engaged to someone else, Iris has just swapped homes with Amanda in a desperate attempt to nurse her broken heart. Slowly but surely, she's gaining control of her life and picking up the pieces with the help of all her new friends in NY... and forgetting Jasper for all he's worth. Whereas the affair is long dead, Jasper continues to stay in touch with Iris 'as a friend' and she sees no way to ward him off. Until, her new life teaches her "gumption". She finds a way out of her past and begins to enjoy the new seasons in her present.

One day, Jasper lands at Amanda's home to meet Iris. He claims that he misses her, cares about her and her not staying in touch is driving him crazy. Iris believes that he's "coming back" to her and does not know what to do. A very normal reaction, considering what's been. Imagine her horror when she finds out that he's still engaged to his fiancé! He has left her, gotten engaged to someone else and will not break the engagement... but he will not let go of Iris or let her move on! He expects Iris to stay, as a pushover that she's always been with him, while he has nothing to offer to her.

The old Iris might have been shattered, not known what to do. The new Iris deals with him with just two words - "Get out". Then she gets ready to attend the function where her neighbour-friend is being honoured for his lifetime achievements in Hollywood. She goes on to find happiness with Miles (Jack Black) and her tale ends with a happily ever after!

There are men like Jasper and women like Iris all around us. Unfortunately, the story does not end happily for everyone like it did for Iris. That Jasper ended up losing her is a good thing but all real stories do not end that way either. It was probably easier for Iris because she had met Miles by then. What would have happened if she went back to England, alone as she was, when she swapped homes with Amanda and came to NY? What would have happened if she had not met the dear old script writer Arthur Abbot (Eli Wallach) - her temporary neighbour - who helped her bloom into the strong woman that she always was but never knew? It's anybody's guess!

Among the two, Iris' story touched my heart more than Amanda's did, in spite of the various emotional angles in that one too. Amanda's story touched me too, but in a very different way... I fell in love with Graham around the same time she did! A lovely fairy tale, a movie I can watch a hundred times and still have tears in my eyes all along!

A broken heart

This is a song from a Hindi movie titled 'Anamika' (anonymous). One of my favourites.

Meri Bheegi Bheegi Si Palkon Pe Reh Gaye (Wet, they stayed on my eye lashes)
Jaise Mere Sapne Bikhar Ke (My dreams strewn)
Jale Man Tera Bhi Kisike Milanko (May you burn with desire for that someone)
Anamika Tu Bhi Tarse (And may you feel the desperation)

Tujhe Bin Jaane Bin Pehchane (Without clearly understanding who you were)
Maine Hrudayse Lagaya (I gave you my heart)
Par Mere Pyar Ke Badle Mein Toone (In exchange for my love, you...)
Mujhko Yeh Din Dikhlaya (Showed me this day)

Jaise Birha Ki Rut Maine Kaati Tadapke (I have spent a season of loneliness)
Aahen Bhar Bharke (Doing nothing but sighing)
Jale Man Tera Bhi... (May your heart burn with the same desire...)

Aag Se Naata Naari Se Rishta (Being in love with a woman is like playing with fire)
Kaahe Man Samajh Na Paaya (Why did the heart not understand that?)
Mujhe Kya Hua Tha Ek Bewafaa Pe (What had come over me that I)
Hai Mujhe Kyon Pyaar Aaya (Fell in love with a traitor?)

Teri Bewafaai Pe Hanse Jag Saara (The whole world laughs at your betrayal)
Gali Gali Guzre Jidharse (On every street I pass I see that)
Jale Man Tera Bhi... (May your hurt burn with desire...)

Don't watch the video for this one, it sucks! Just listen to the song... it is beautiful. There's a दर्द (pain) in the singer's voice that is so endearing!