This one came in an SMS today morning:

FEAR has two meanings:

F – Forget

E – Everything

A – And

R – Run

F – Face

E – Everything

A – And

R – Rise

The choice is yours!

The other day, I was watching the program '५0  अनसुनी कहानिया'. That day the program was about late actress Meenakumari. Along with the anecdotes from her life, the program featured some of the gazals and shers penned by her. One of them struck me particularly. Here it is:

पूछते हो तो सुनो कैसे बसर  होती है
रात खैरात  की सतके की सहर  होती है

Talaash (Spoiler Alert!)

So I managed to watch Aamir Khan’s Talaash – finally! From what I hear, I wasn’t the only Indian to catch the movie on TV though. And that meant I could discuss the movie with colleagues without them erupting incredulously into ‘What? You mean to say you hadn’t seen the movie till now?’. That’s a huge relief J

There is a sharply divided opinion, I guess, about whether the movie made sense or not. A few years back, we wouldn’t even have thought of this question. But here we are! However, the lines don’t seem to be drawn based on whether you believe in the supernatural or not. One of my friends, who is a believer, made a face at the idea of a spirit hanging about dear earth just to take revenge. Some others, who scoffed at the very idea of the existence of spirits laughed about it. And I, being a believer, think that the movie was well executed.

The concept that a spirit can be seen by a select few is not novel anymore. It has been exploited before in Sixth Sense, The Others and God knows how many more movies. But even for those who have seen these other movies, it might not immediately become apparent that Kareena is an earth-bound spirit and not a flesh-and-blood person. Of course, sooner or later, most of them are bound to reach the conclusion. That cannot be helped. But the fact that it is not obvious is a credit to Aamir and his team.

As far as the acting goes….Aamir looks cool, and believable, in his new Mustachioed Avatar. Rani looks realistic as the devastated mother who has lost her only child. Kareena, however, looks more like a fashion model than a prostitute, as one of my colleagues so succinctly put it.

There was a time when songs played a very critical role in the success of a Hindi movie. I don’t know what the state is today because I don’t watch Hindi movies much. I liked the song ‘Hona Hai Kya’ – both music and lyrics.

So, all in all, it was a good experience – even without popcorns and cola J

It’s always good to read about Theo. Theo is Theodore Boone. And he is also ‘half the man, twice the lawyer’ as his creator, author John Grisham describes him. I first came across Theo when he was just a ‘Kid Lawyer’. Reading about him made me forget my anxiety as I sat in the waiting room of my dentist, waiting for my root canal. J I am eternally grateful to Theo for that!

It was to be full 2 years before I stumbled across him again when his friend April got abducted. Needless to say, I enjoyed every minute of the account and wasted no time in bringing home ‘The Accused’. Reading this wasn’t, however, easy. My favorite character was in hot water. He was being stalked, harassed, attacked and framed for a robbery which he didn’t commit. It appeared as if he was out of his depth. It became so painful to read each page that I did the unthinkable. I skipped a few pages to take a peek at the storyline ahead – this despite having watched countless Hindi movies where ‘they all live happily ever after’ – always!

Of course, the book did one major question behind – whatever happened to Pete Duffy? I am not too perturbed because I know that’s going to be the plot for another Theo book. J I hear a new one has the stands already – The Activist. J