Honest Mumbling # 2

I am in the mood for honesty and here comes another little known fact about myself. I really dont know how anyone reading this would react but I am very serious when I say that I love to take bath. I can bathe innumerable number of times a day and the sheer joy of getting drenched and wet gives me a high.

Its not just bathing, even now when I see torrential rains outside, I find it difficult to control my instinct to get drenched! As a school kid, I used to be home alone most evenings- my sister would be in the creche and ma and pa would be at work- and I used to be out at the first drop of rain. I used to enjoy getting drenched so much that I used to climb the terrace to get drenched in the rain in all its splendor and glory. After all this, I used to get into the shower to have another round of getting drenched with clean water and by the time, ma was home, I would be dry, fresh and presentable again.

My fetish for taking bath continues even to this date and the only thing I am particular about is cold water- no matter how freezing the temperature outside is. This habit of mine is the only thing that helps me get over the Kochi summers- No one shouts at me when I bath 3- 4 times a day in the scorching summer!

My fetish extends to my toileteries as well. The very thought of using a new soap bar or a new shampoo drives me crazy and on such days, I keep bathing forever till my mom or sis start pounding on my bathroom door. I also love the bath I take after the customary oil massage once every month and also after my visit to the Saloon every month for hair cut.

This might sound very very odd and strange but I must tell you this is true. All my friends who know me from my CA days would vouch for this since I used to take an hour to finish my bath and it is not without reason. Gosh! I have written so much about taking bath that I should get into the shower now. Where's my towel?

Dinner at Times Square

The title might sound exciting but the dinner was not. The Times Square in question is a supposedly 3 star Hotel on Club Road, Ernakulam. While I abstain from questioning its star rating, let me tell you that the food was way below standard and the empty restaurant on a Sunday evening tells me that I can rightfully say so.

We, a group of 5 ventured into the restaurant a few minutes past 9 PM and found just one table occupied in the entire restaurant. We were already quite hungry and did not want to start looking for another option. Also, none of us had been to this one earlier. So, we decided we will go ahead and see what Times Square has in store for us. We were in for major disappointment.

Tomato Soup tasted sweet and the Chicken stock in the soup my friends ordered gave out a stale taste. Crispy Fried Vegetables had only cabbage with a trace of Capsicum. Paneer Butter Masala had very little Butter and I had to really hunt for the Paneer cubes in the gravy. Dal Fry had more vegetables than Dal itself. The saving grace was the fresh n fluffy Kerala Paratha which tasted good.

The Cool Bloom I ordered for dessert was supposed to have lime and mint but tasted more like Pista Milk shake- I did not create a ruckus because it tasted just fine. Pineapple Smoothie had too much of ice cream and the Fruit Salad had just a couple of fruits- Sour Grapes and over ripe Pineapples. All this at the cost of little over a grand and we left blaming it all on our "Time". This Times Square is squarely avoidable...

The Song that's rocking the nation...

...has to be the one from Kaminey- Dhan Te Nan. The magical combo of Gulzar and Vishal Bharadwaj is back and from the looks of it "Dhan Te Nan" is going to rock the nation just like "Beedi Jalai Le" did 3 years back!

With Sukhwinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani behind the microphone and a winner of a video in hand, this single song has contributed significantly towards making "Kaminey" the most anticipated release of the year in Bollywood. Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra are on a roll and Vishal Bharadwaj has an impeccable track record- Maqbool, Omkara, Blue Umbrella, Makdee- Dont you smell a winner here? I am all eyes for Kaminey when they are gonna be out in August 2009. Till then, I am rocking to "Than De Nan"...

Budget time in India!

After the Interim Budget, the General Elections, the resounding victory of the UPA and the promising cabinet that took charge, all eyes were on Mamta Banerjee and Pranab Mukherji. The reason- Railway Budget and Union Budget for 2009. The budget is out, the analysis is done and the general verdict is out. Mamta is largely a winner and Pranab did not deliver it fully! I too echo the sentiments of the majority of the country and here are some points that I thought was worth highlighting in the 2 budgets:

Railway Budget 2009:

• Introduction of non stop trains from 12 metros
• Proposal to introduce double decker trains
• Proposal to upgrade the Railway Hospital at Trivandrum to a Medical College
• Introduction of new trains and extension of some trains within Kerala- a state that is often neglected at Railway Budgets
• Introduction of Rs.25passes for the under privilaged
• "Yuva" trains
• No changes in Freight and Passenger fares
• Reduction of Tatkal rates and the period
• 50 Railway stations to be upgraded to international standards
• 375 Adarsh stations

Announcement of Welfare schemes of railway employees and the special privilages extended to Kolkata and West Bengal might have brought frown to few faces but there is no denying the fact that Mamta has put in deep thoughts into the budget and made it highly populist and user friendly. The budget proposals, now doubt, are shining and what remains for all of us to see is whether the proposals are actually implemented and whether they achieve what is expected of them. Only time can tell...

Union Budget 2009:

On a positive note...

• Abolition of Fringe Benefit Tax
• No changes to Tax Rates
• Abolition of Surcharge for Personal tax payers
• 10A, 10B tax holidays extended by another year (STPI, FTZ etc)
• MAT Credit set off period extended from 7 to 10 years
• Personal Tax- Increase of taxation slabs for all classes of assessees
• General Focus on Rural Development
• LLP's to be assessed in the same manner as Partnerships

On a not so positive note...

• MAT increased to 15% from 10%
• Surcharge stays on for Corporate Tax
• More services brought under Service Tax Net (as usual)
• Increased tax on Set top Boxes making it dearer (Its already very costly!)
• Not much incentives for the Industrial sector considering the tough times we are in
• Special aids extended to West Bengal and Sri Lankan Tamils making it look like favor returned to allies rather than contributing towards the nation or the general public

However, I need to confess that I am still very hopeful of the UPA government under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh with stalwarts like P Chidambaram, Pranab Mukherji, AK Antony, SM Krishna and many more. I am hoping that the economy picks up soon and moves in the right direction. Its tough times all around and only the fittest can survive. Lets hope the Union Government is fit enough to lead us out into better times...

Wimbledon 2009

If in the Men's category, it was more about Roger Federer outdoing Pete Sampras in a tough battle with Andy Roddick, it was the sibling rivalry in action in the Ladies' Category with the younger sister, Serena marching over the older sister, Venus in a not so difficult match. All eyes in the country were on Leander Paes and Cara Black, the Mixed Doubles jodi that had to succumb to Mark Knowles and Anna Lena in the finals- quite disappointing for us Indians! The highlight of Wimbledon 2009 was of course the men's finals which seemed never ending at one point of time and at the end of which not only did Federer walk away with the trophy but also created a World Record in the process- that of 15 Grand Slam titles outdoing Pete Sampras! There were quite a few surprises in the greatest Tennis tournament this time as well- Rafael Nadal pulling out owing to ill health, Soderling- finalist of French Open 2009- failing to make it to even the quarter finals, Dinara Safina- reigning French Open champion losing out in the Semi Finals, Andy Murray failing at the Semi Finals and many others who could not grab the limelight this time around- Wilfred Tsonga, Djokovic, Hewitt, Azarenka, Dementiva,...the list is endless. But, that at the end of the day is how things end up in the Sports world! Wimbledon 2009 will be remembered for Federer though...he is in fine form and looks like he is all set to lift the US Open as well...

The Greatest Tennis Player ever!

I always thought so about Roger Federer and look at how he has proved it to the entire world. The king of Grass has won the kingdom of Grass once again and this time along it comes with the World Record of 15 Grand Slam titles- can you believe it?

Winner of Australian Open in 2004, 2006 and 2007; US Open in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; Wimbledon in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and his lone French Open title earlier this year- that sums up the 15 Grand Slams with which he has outperformed another great Tennis star- Pete Sampras!

When the entire world thought that Federer was good only on grass turf, he proved them wrong with a clean win at the French Open earlier this year with which ironically, he equalled Pete's world record. And now with Wimbledon, he has done it! Later this year, the talented and immensely in form Federer could lift his 6th consecutive US Open title and go on to pick up his 16th- till that happens, let us keep our fingers crossed and raise a toast for the phenomenon that is Federer :-)

Meanderings of a Messed up Mind...

15 minutes into Bhramaram, you slowly start realizing that this time around Blessy has worked towards showcasing Mohanlal the actor in a plot that does ample justice to his unquestionable talent and screen presence. The script relies totally and completely on his leading man and every other character is seen through the eyes of Sivankutty, the battered soul played soul stirringly by the Super Star.

I had heard that Blessy was basing "Bhramaram" on a premise similar to Bharathan's skilfully directed "Thaazhvaram" and I was hoping that it should not be the case since I knew very clearly that Blessy would not be able to do justice to a similar script. But, thankfully, Bhramaram is quite a different ball game altogether and Blessy, the director, scores a few notches higher than Blessy, the writer here.

Blessy's linear narrative style and the contrasting life styles of the 3 main players provide many layers of contradiction within the movie- allowing cameraman Ajayan Vincent to clearly bring out his talent with the lens. The initial 30 minutes of indoor drama within Unni Pillai's modern apartment suffocates not only Unni Pillai and his wife (Suresh Menon and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy) but also the audience. Cut it to the lush greenery and bright exteriors of a silent hamlet somewhere in Idukki district that forms the backdrop of Sivankutty's blessed family life and you realize that Blessy, thankfully, is in his elements here compared to his earlier outing.

While Blessy's choice of the 3 main actors is good- with Suresh Menon getting a chance to play something different from his comic persona that has been done to death on television and the hugely talented but neglected V G Muralikrishnan coming back into the limelight- he falters in the casting of Bhoomika Chawla who looks completely out of place amongst the rustic folk on the hills. Blessy's husband- wife duo always indulge in touchy- feely romance and I dont think a couple in real life would do such things in the presence of their kid daughter. The weakest link in the film is the casting and performance of the child artiste who plays Mohanlal's kid. Sobha Mohan's theatrical outburst at the wedding should not be reason enough for a 3 year old kid to start believing that her father is a murderer! On the other hand, the sprightly Nivedita scores as Suresh Menon's smart daughter. However, Blessy the writer can be a little more careful when he writes dialogues for his child characters in future- all his kids, right from Sanusha in Kazhcha to the child artiste in this one- mouth dialogues that are unbecoming and unnatural for real kids their age.

There is no point in discussing the limited screen time given to other actors- Lakshmi Gopalaswamy (who looks stunning as the upper middle class house wife), KPAC Lalitha, E A Rajendran, Fathima Babu or even Bhumika herself- the focus here is on the meanderings of Mohanlal's disturbed mind which has been brought out quite well.

Not that the film is free from flaws- the track involving the neighbouring Inspector and his wife could have easily been avoided, the lorry driver gazing and commenting on Mohanlal's genitals was crude, the journey to Mohanlal's place could have been cut short- all through one feels the absence of a talented editor with razor sharp scissors. Vinod Shankar is simply not good enough. Mohan Sithara's music is pedestrian but Anil Panachooran's lyrics endear the 2 songs to one and all. All other technical departments have done their job well.

This is easily Blessy's best till date but a little more care on scripting and direction would have made "Bhramaram" a classic. It falls short on certain parameters but there is no denying that it is a refreshingly good watch. Grab your tickets now!

Pai Dosa@ Kochi

If you are a lover of Dosas and if you love varieties in Dosas in particular, you should never miss a chance to visit the Pai Dosa on MG Road (between Shenoys and Padma cinemas, on Pai Dosa Lane to be precise).

Dosas of different varieties are made hot and fresh to you based on your order and you have 36 mouth watering varieties of dosas to choose from. Apart from the regular Ghee Roast, Thattu Dosa, Masala Dosa, Paper Roast, Paper Masala, Uthappam, Onion Oothappam and Vegetable Oothappam, you also have Lasoon Dosa, Lasoon Masala, Chutney Dosa, Chutney Masala, Podi Dosa, Podi Masala, Kancheepuram Dosa, Kancheepuram Masala and many more...

If you feel Dosa could get better with addition of Egg, you can choose from Egg Dosa, Egg Masala, Duck Egg Roast, Kada Egg Dosa and more such varieties. Every variety of Dosa is served with yummy coconut- red chilly chutney, hot sambhar and pickle. A generous sprinkling of Pepper powder will be added to your Dosa if you like.

Grab a couple of dosas and wash them down with coffee, tea or lime juice. You will go home with the satisfaction of having had a yummy, hot and fresh meal at a price that will go very easy on your wallet (A dosa meal for 2 will cost you around 60 bucks!). So, what are you waiting for?

The King of Pop is no more...

Anything connected with Hollywood or English music is generally not my cup of tea. That said, I make it a point to understand what exactly is going on in the West and generally respect pioneers in any field of activity there. And thats precisely the reason why I thought I should write a few lines about Michael Jackson- the iconic King of Pop whose fall from superstardom to disgrace is fodder enough to write 500 page novels!

My earliest memory of Michael Jackson was his poster adorning the walls of my father's cousin (in his 20's then) as early as mid- to- late 1980's. It might not sound like a big deal for anyone but the fact is that this cousin of mine was a resident of the then small town of Aluva in Ernakulam District and you do not generally expect a 20 something Tam- Brahm from a town like that to adore MJ at those times. That precisely tells us the kind of influence that MJ and his music had on us, ordinary souls.

And this could be the reason I remember only 2 of his albums- "BAD" and "DANGEROUS" which were out almost at that time. There is no denying the fact that he was a big influence on Indian youth. The hysteria that his concert in Mumbai created a decade ago is testimony to that. Look at the number of mainstream Indian dancers who were influenced by his style- Prabhudeva, Javed Jaffery, Govinda- the trend continues even to this date. It was not uncommon to see Bollywood songs choreographed and picturized a-la Jackson style in the 80's and the 90's.

While the entire world acknowledges the magnificent talent that was MJ, the controversies in his personal life brought its fair share of disgrace too- the multiple cosmetic surgeries he underwent, constant use of drugs and most importantly, sexual abuse of children which he used to indulge in filled up newspapers and tabloids like anything. MJ had this knack of creating controversies one after the other- when you thought it was all over, he would come up with something new (Remember how he was holding his kid on the balcony of his room in a Hotel!). All through his career, he did live his life king size and made significant contributions to charity- something which no one can forget.

MJ had hit rock bottom with all controversies in his personal and professional lives and kinda withdrew from public attention after the not so good performance of his album "Invincibles" in the early part of this decade. The star singer was in the midst of collecting himself and giving his life and career another shot with a planned European tour in the latter part of this year when this catastrophe took place. While the entire World is creating controversies on what could have been the exact cause of MJ's death, for music lovers across the world, the iconic crotch grabbing superstar would not appear on stage once again, singing "Just Beat It" anymore...

MJ will always be remembered for having carved a niche for himself through his unique singing style and for inspiring generations of music lovers, musicians and dancers. The king of music and controversies has left for his heavenly abode and while we settle down to that fact, we also realize that the void that he has left is something that cannot be filled by anyone else. Yes, there just cannot be another MJ...

###$%^^&&((&*(^))T%((^%%(%$!

All of us swear or use bad words at some point of time in our lives with a certain regularity and thats the reason why I have left the Title of this post open for people to fill up the way they want to after watching "Kambakkht Ishq". This is the most crude, sexist, irksome, tiresome, disappointing, irritating, sleazy, pointless, embarrassing movie to have come out of Bollywood ever.

"Pammal K Sambantham"- the original Tamil movie that this one is based on is easily Kamal Hassan's worst ever. Why would anyone want to remake that scrap is the first question. And if it all Sabir Khan decided to should he have made it this way so much so that the original feels as if it is worthy of an oscar in comparison?

Sajid Nadiadwala would have figured in the prayers of millions had he spent 60 crores on feeding the poor than making this movie. And Kareena Kapoor stoops to levels that no mainstream actress has in the history of Hollywood. She looks undeniably HOT but need not have taken additional efforts to expose her plunging neckline and hemline. Amrita Arora, on the other hand, leaves very little to the audience's imagination. I dont think her husband would have seen anything in her that the audience of this movie has not. Aftab Shivadasani maintains one expression throughout- I did not understand whether it was disinterest, disappointment or helplessness- Neither would have helped anyways!

Kirron Kher, Boman Irani and Javed Jaffrey add to your irritation- the gags are the kind that have been around ever since Bollywood! Brandon Routh puts in a harmless special appearance. But you get puzzled when you see Denise Richards falling for a stuntman in Hollywood to produce "golden babies" or when Sylvester Stallone lands up in a lowly boulevard to save our damsel in distress.

There is not even a single scene that justifies spending money on "Kambhakth Ishq'. The "Bebo main Bebo" song passes muster and Kareena's clothes (some of them) are attractive. You just need to tune into a sattelite channel to catch those. As for Akshay Kumar, his career is fast heading towards South Pole and if he does not take care, he will end up with the same fate as Govinda's.

My recommendation to you- Stay as far away from a cinema screening this humbug as possible!

Remembering Lohithadas!

28 June 2009 will remain a dark day in the history of Malayalam Cinema for having lost one of its most talented scenarists- A K Lohithadas- at the tender age of 54. Considered by many as the heir of stalwarts like P Padmarajan and M T Vasudevan Nair, A K Lohithadas started his career in Malayalam cinema with a bang- the skilfully written and emotionally moving "Thaniyaavarthanam" which won the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Story in 1987. Mammootty's moving portrayal of the troubled Balan Maash who is stamped as mentally ill by his family and villagers by blindly giving into the belief that every man in his family will have to succumb to mental illness following a curse disturbed the audience to no end and to this date is considered one of the best characters that Mamootty has enacted in his 30 odd year long career.

Thaniyavarthanam also paved way for a successful scriptwriter- director duo- Sibi Malayil- Lohitadas who went on to give us one masterpiece after another- Ezhuthappurangal (Suhasini won a State Award for Best Actress), Kireedom (Mohanlal won a special jury award at the National Level), Mudra, His Highness Abdullah (Nedumudi Venu won a National Award for Best Supporting Actor), Bharatham (Mohanlal's first Best Actor Honour at the National level), Kamaladalam, Chenkol (sequel to Kireedom) and Dhanam (the weakest of the lot). Lohithadas successfully teamed up with other directors also like Sathyan Anthicaud (Sasneham, Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal, Thoovalkottaram, Kudumba Puranam), Bharathan (Amaram, Venkalam), I V Sasi (Mukthi), Cochin Haneef (Vaalsalyam) and Joshi (Kauravar, Mahayaanam).

He also helped out debutant directors like George Kithu (Aadharam), M A Venu (Chakoram) and Sundar Das (Sallapam) and made a huge impact with his directorial debut "Bhoothakkanadi" in 1997 which also won him the Best Debutant Director award at the National level. Unfortunately, from there on started his journey downhill which was characterised by mediocre to poor scripts, box office failures and unnecessary controversies. His subsequent outings like Karunyam, Ormacheppu, Kanmadam, Joker, Kasthooriman, Chakram, Nivedyam, Arayannangalude Veedu expected with mediocre to poor response at the box office. The ones that made fair amount of money were Joker, Kasthooriman and Karunyam.

The superstars who had won multiple awards playing his characters started avoiding him and his unwillingness to write for other directors landed him in trouble. The positive contribution that he made to Malayalam Cinema during his last 10 years were the few talented actresses that he discovered/ re discovered- Manju Warrier (Sallapam), Lakshmy Gopalaswamy (Arayannangalude Veedu), Samyuktha Varma (Veendum Chila Veetukaryangal), Maanya (Joker), Meera Jasmine (Kasthooriman) and Bhama (Nivedyam).

While the Malayalam Film Industry acknowledged his talent to spot talent, this also brought with it fair share of controversies- the major one involving Lohitadas and his favourite protege- Meera Jasmine. The actress even walked out of her family and Lohitadas was blamed for all issues in her personal life- so much so that the duo decided not to work together after the debacle of "Kasthooriman" (Tamil) which also pushed Lohithadas into financial troubles from which he could not free himself until his death.

His untimely death did come as a shock for multitudes of his fans who were still positive that Lohitadas could weave magic once again with his pen and scores of artistes who wanted to associate with him one way or the other.

There is no doubt that Lohitadas has left a void in Malayalam Cinema that is hard to fill. He will be remembered through the scores of timeless characters that he created and Balan Maash, Vidyadharan (Bhoothakkanadi), Achooti (Amaram), Bappootti (Aadharam), Gopinathan (Bharatham), Abdullah (His Highness Abdullah), Sethumadhavan (Kireedom), Rajalakshmy (Ezhuthappurangal) and many more will continue to haunt us for a very long time to come.

May his soul Rest in Peace!

A treat for Veggies!

Mint Masala surprisingly has not been reviewed kindly here but my first visit to the restaurant at Bashyam Circle, Sadashiv Nagar, Bangalore left me wanting for more. I tried out their Weekday Vegetarian Lunch Buffet moderately priced at Rs.225/- net aur main ungliyaan chaatthe reh gaya...

It all started with a yummy Banana Shake and Talumein Soup. Aloo Bajji, Soya Bean fritters and Barbacued and spiced Paneer formed the starters. The Papdi Chaat was the major attraction at the Salad Bar along with the Customary Green Salad and yummy Tossed Salad. Dahi Vada was a tad too sweet (probably the weakest link on the spread) but was more than compensated by the presence of yummy Singapore Noodles and spicy Biriyani. The Bhindi- Aloo curry was sumptous and the Gobi- Mutter curry in rich Pudina gravy was new to me. The Fetuccine was average at best and the curd rice and mixed raitha were good.

Gulab Jamun, Rajbhog, Vannila Cake and yummy Ice cream were waiting for us at the dessert counter and we had a gala time binging on them with a generous dose of hot chocolate syrup all over them. The rotis and kulchas are provided at your table on request and the ambience and service are average.

I particularly liked the frames adorning the wall- with pepper, cloves, cinnamon and the like neatly arranged within the frame. The variety of saunf (after mint) provided eases you out after the heavy meal though Mint Masala can restrict the amount of rose essence that they add to your finger bowl- the strong aroma almost gives you a headache!

That said a sumptuous 100% vegetarian lunch spread at an economic price should be attractive enough for any veggie foodie and if you are attracted, dont hesitate to step in...

Dining at Level 13!

A Breezy evening on a weekend is the right time to enjoy a sumptuous dinner on the 13th Floor of Barton Centre on MG Road, Bangalore. The restaurant in question is Ebony- its a unique experience in Fine dining.

The Cool Bangalore breeze blowing onto your face and the lights on top of the UB City gleaming at you from a distance, the maddening rush on MG Road below you feel is happening at another end of the globe for the serenity and calm that you experience at Level 13 on MG Road is uncomparable to anything else (in spite of having a noisy pub next door, I dont know how they do it!). Add to it, wide array of dishes to choose from and you are in for a treat!

We started off with mocktails, fried baby corns and roasted papads (papads are on the house). The list of mocktails was quite alluring and all of them were equally exotic. The baby corn dish was rightly spiced up and the hot, crispy papads on a chilly evening just added to the pleasure.

Time for main course- it was Subz ki Biriyani, Egg Pad Thai and the traditional Rotis for us with a Rajasthani style Mixed Vegetable Curry. The Biriyani was served with Vegetable Raita with a generous sprinkling of Chaat Masala and Mirchi ka Ras- a dark brown gravy with a whole lot of green chillies. To be very honest, it tasted like manna. The Pad Thai serving was quite generous with Vegetables and Rice Noodles neatly filled into an Egg Wrap. I cannot describe enough of its taste. We had yummy chilly pickle to go with the above. The rotis were soft and fresh and the Mixed Vegetable Curry was lip smacking to say the least.

We would have loved to take a generous go at the Dessert menu. Though all of us had the right bend of mind, none of us had enough space in our over sized tummies to take it. We ended up buying a Lemon cream cake (well, sort of, forgot its exact name) and shared it among all of us- It had rich cream with a squeezing of Lemon Juice and crushed cookies mixed with strawberry cream- Mix it all up and give it a try- you will land up straight away in heaven!

Food and ambience at Ebony scores very high on my rating. Considering the fact that you dont get to see many such places in Bangalore I would call Ebony good value for money. A decent meal for 2 would cost you between 1- 1.5 K. Strongly recommended especially for dinner and make sure you spend considerable time at the restaurant. Start early and come back late :-)

Noble Interiors beyond Glossy Exteriors

I personally think it is time we moved over the whole 9/11 debacle. Come to think of it, its been almost 8 years now and construction is fast progressing at the site right in the heart of New York. Every one has moved on and are trying to forget (if not forgive) what happened in the past. But our movie makers on this side of the globe are yet to get over the ill treatment meted out to Muslims in the US post 9/11. Lets hope this is the last one on the subject...

That said, New York is not half bad. It is quite watchable though the first half is comparatively dull and highly wordy, some of the scenes do not work (especially the reaction of the entire cast to the twin towers being bombed, thats a real spoiler!) and the lead cast does not exactly comprise of the best of actors.

John Abraham with his lethal torso and boyish grin is appealing but he has never been much of an actor and in spite of graphic scenes that show him being tortured by FBI for no rhyme or reason, your heart does not quite go out to him, thanks to his limited acting talent. Katrina Kaif looks fetching and that is no news! This is her best performance till date but she fails to look convincing as the mother of a 4- year old.

Irrfan Khan is a solid performer who has the ability to rise above any script and here also he does the same. If there is one actor who is likely to benefit immensely from this enterprise, it ought to be the blue eyed Neil Nithin Mukesh. He slips into the fresh, naive, innocent Omar in the first half like a glove and brings out the helplessness in the second half very clearly.

Another interesting performance is of John's assistant who was similarly harrassed by FBI and his rendition of his sufferings to Katrina will touch everyone's heart. The guy is definitely someone to watch out for!

I agree that Kabir Khan's intentions behind putting together something like New York is noble and this is much better than his previous outing "Kabul Express" which ended up being a documentary. However, Kabir fails to strike the right balance between glossiness and realism and ends up alienating the characters from the audience to a great extent. John and Neil do not make good classmates- the former easily looks a decade older than the latter! If he had chosen more talented actors instead of John and Katrina, may be the film would have ended up looking better.

Pritam's music is pedestrian and there are sequences you feel could have been trimmed down (Rameshwar S Bhagat is the editor). Aseem Mishra is successful in giving a glossy look to the film and Rocky S needs to be creditted to make his actors wear clothes that are really "wearable" (quite opposed to Yash Raj Culture). Technically, New York is as good as any other Yash Raj production but while walking out of the cinema hall, you cannot help but feeling that Kabir Khan did not use the potential of his script to the fullest...That said, New York is definitely a one time see...

Colonial Cousins @ JTPAC

I have been unpardonably late in coming up with this post considering the fact that I ended up taking 3 weeks to post what I thought about the Colonial Cousins' concert at JTPAC, Tripunithura.

And let me tell you in the first instance itself that for me, the concert was nothing more than average. Probably, I expected lot more from the talented duo. Probably, my expectations soared higher when I saw JTPAC jam packed for the first time. Probably, my energy levels started increasing when the otherwise emotionless crowd starting clapping, hooting and howling to the music of Colonial Cousins. And worst thing, probably (well, not really), I did not enjoy Hariharan's characteristic tampering of songs when he rendered them on stage.

I am not a great expert of any of the music forms- Carnatic, Hindustani, Ghazal, Fusion or Rock- forms that Hariharan claims to be an expert on. But I did feel that in many places while Hariharan added his own to the songs, his singing went off key and off pitch with the sangathis and the swara sthanam's moving totally out of control. The good thing was that the concert ended on a peak. Hariharan and Leslie started with their little known songs and kept the best for the last. They did a good job reproducing their best songs and the audience went home happy.

I was particularly happy with their rendition of "Krishna Nee Begana, Oho Kaizala and Something in the way you smile". Hariharan added his share of popular film songs as well- the opening lines of "Kallai Mattum" was particularly engrossing and so was the high energy "Chappa Chappa" which he chose to end the concert with. The classic "Uyirae" and the lilting "Walking in the Moonlight" did suffer partially from the Hariharan- on- stage syndrome. Leslie was comparatively better and used his guitar much more than his vocals. Stephen Devassy on his synthesizer contributed significantly to the duo and the rest of the crew were good enough.

I dont know how many of those who were present at the concert would agree when I say that the performance was at best mediocre, but I would still vote the Subramaniam's higher than the Colonial Cousins...