Shor in the City

Instantly liked the movie. Unarguably, one of the better Bollywood movies of the year. I would count "Phans gaya re Obama" and "Shor" as some of the finest products of coming of age Indian cinema.

If I may take the liberty, I perceive "Shor" as a "Dhobi Ghat" (DB) on crack. While DB is very subtle, understated and subdued, "Shor" is pulsating, vibrant, chaotic and tantalizing. Snippets of dark humor here and there, but nothing surmounting to the backdrop of Mumbai. Again, unlike DB the story lines never cross, nor do the characters interwine. However, the crisp editing and repeated cuts to cyclical plots make it seem that way. The film essays eleven days worth of events in the lives of three different sets of inhabitants trying to slug it out in Mumbai City leading up to the festival of Ganesha Chaturthi.

Three bootleggers (Tilak, Mandook and Ramesh) live off cheap thrills, carrying out petty crimes, and following up with debauchery in local bars. An expatriate Abhay, relocates to Mumbai to start a business. And an aspiring cricketer, Sawan, looks to make a big name for himself. It is hard to say weather these guys seek out troubles or it is the other way round. Abhay faces local turbulence in the form of street ruffians who demand protection money, and cannot seem to make the city welcoming. He wants to like it, but can't seem to like it. The cricketers' despair is to overcome the extraordinary competition by bribing the officials with money. And Tilak has a plan for future and sees his business expanding if he takes up more responsibilities.

The only common thread which resonates with the" Shor in the city" is the metamorphosis of these inhabitants. Abhay, does he what he has to do; grows out of his mainstream sophistication and grabs the bull by its horns. Sawan, disowns the loot, that he so meticulously plans, for something better than his obsession. Tilak gets a breather and walks out unscathed, as he watches the kid dance to the tune of Ganesha in full glory. Mandook and Ramesh, cannot seem to let go of their tomfoolery, which leads to their predicaments. In doing so, all of them find themselves closer to their hearts and lovers.

The music is quite good. Most of the tracks play when people are running around or riding their bikes. Then there is beautiful depiction of disorder, as the city itself morphs into a loud and tumultuous world. Edgy direction and lowkey actors, excluding Tusshar Kapoor, bounce off the screen as every day folks which are very identifiable in sync with the script. Sendhil Ramamoorthy (Abhay) looks radiant and very different from his Mohindar of "Heroes". Shor is a different movie in a very real sense and a very decent watch.

J.E.E.T.

Man's reach exceeds his imagination.

This time the stars aligned perfectly. Winning the cricket world cup has been a long cherished dream for us. It is significant for so many reasons. Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest player the game has seen in recent times participated in five world cups, but was still with out a world cup victory. The world cup's second homecoming christens Tendulkar. It breaths life in Yuvraj's twilight years. It screams that a young team of talented individuals can bleed blue. It amplifies the echos of a resurgent India. And more importantly, it makes the 1.2 billion inhabitants of the planet who adore this totem, a force to be reckoned with.

The 1983 victory didn't matter to me. The first friends I made were on the cricket field. The first time I remained up all night watching telly was during an India ODI. I have experienced the highs and lows of Indian cricket just like any other cricket loving kid growing up in the 90s. So when we lost in 2003 and perished in 2007, the corner of my eye was a little moist. This time around however, there was a wide grin on my face along with a dry throat. Shouting and reveling with the brethren seemed like a transported act that sent me right back to where I belonged. My childhood.

India won the 2011 cricket world cup. Maximum city erupted with celebrations. Mass hysteria has swept the nation and Indians all around the world are relishing this momentous occasion. Cricket begets nationalism like anything seen in the world of sports. With Indians already high on MSD for the entire month and a half of world cup mania, the zephyric-crescendo culminated on the fateful night of 2nd April, 2011. MSD, thundered for the first time announcing the arrival of world champions. A power shot over the boundary rope, as Ravi Shastri shouted from the commentary box, sealed that memory forever in our minds. What a game, what an evening, what an amazing weekend.

Hours before capturing the entire soul of the nation, the world cup swayed in a delicate balance, as Sri Lanka posted a formidable total on board. Indians dove in the field like hungry vultures, pouncing that white flesh of kookaburra every time it came close. Mahela, the cunning silver fox, produced a grand display of calculated hitting, scripted a gripping first half and set the stage for a resplendent second half. What would be in store, as team India went inside for the lunch break. Twenty minutes later walked in the local boy - the master blaster and his protege. However, Malinga spoiled the mood early on, jarring a billion. Gambhir came to the fore, once again on duty, at the greatest stage he would ever come close playing and laid down the launchpad from where the Indian party would take off. He has done that so many times, that he has become the equivalent of Rahul Dravid under the shadow of Sachin Tendulkar. Resilient, accomplished, team man, unsung hero.

Minutes later MSD came in the middle to prove a point and stroked away his destiny, per his terms and conditions. He initiated the charge transfer from Gambhir and then took over complete control. He must have dreamt about this for a long time. The moment lay frozen and Dhoni rose up to the occasion. For all the big talk, press conferences and tactical fiascoes this was his inning of redemption. Had he lost in the gambit, only God knows what would have happened. The audiance is simple. Solid all the way through. Captain cool was wearing the coolest hat over the spiked hair. He worked his way through the second half and got to see something remarkable. The look on the faces of his audience. He brought the game home.

As the glory of victory sinks in, Dhoni has once again altered his hairdo. They will soon have a different plan of action with new outlook and attitude. Till then, we will be safeguarding the honor manufactured perseveringly over the generations of men that enclosed Kumbles, Dravids, Gangulys, and Azhars. Somehow the purpose was not lost until after 28 years team India mastered the art of marrying unbridled passion with the nerve.

Man's grasp exceeds his nerve.

Lu lu lu I got some apples, lu lu lu you got some too!

India defeated Australia today in the quarter final match of cricket world cup 2011 ending their world cup dominance for the past twelve years. It was a game where some heroes were fallen and some were made; a game where mistakes turned into opportunities and most importantly a game which made us live to die another day.

I woke up late for the game despite of the dogged determination taken previous night of getting up at 5 AM in the morning. However, hardly missing the good part, except for Ponting's century, which was anyway in vain, it was a morning well spent. I would like to give the man the taste of his own medicine by simply saying that "Mate, you know your way out, right?" As I woke up rubbing my eyes I saw Ashwin spinning Ricky out of the field. Boom roasted! However, Hussey was belligerent and looked menacing, and it was good to see Australia post only a par-something score for India to chase. India started decently with Sehwag and Sachin getting 40 odd runs in the first ten overs before Sehwag perished to a short delivery from Watson. Johnson and Tait were not effective on the placid track of Motera and were wayward dispensing quite a lot of extras. Australians habitually target Sehwag before the game and this tactic worked this time as well.

Then walked in Gambhir asking the question "what is the perfect crime?", which he answered after facing 64 deliveries and scoring a perfect 50, the answer being, to get involved in suicides and keep trying until you die. During the presentation when Shastri was prying about the pleasantries exchanged between Gambhir and Yuvraj on field, I couldn't help but recall Gambhir's wrathful "bhe*****" directed at Yuvi, with Ganguly commenting "only he is to blame" in the background. Apart from that circus, Gambhir showed a class act along with Sachin in consolidating the innings and working around the singles on a slow track where ball was not easy to hit. While he labored mostly with singles, hitting just 2 fours, Sachin was batting away to glory, with relative ease. What do you expect from a 38 year old man eying his 100th international ton? Nothing less than that.

Just when the ghosts of 2003 were seen getting dispelled, in came a devilish off side length ball to which Sachin edged out. One man's loss became another's opportunity. Yuvraj, the man with the Midas touch, as far as this world cup has gone for him, once again took up the challenge and played the match winning knock. He started with a boundary and made Shaun Tait look like a constipated cow. Poking dangerously for a while, he started hitting through the line and keeping the ball on the ground. He had dreamt of this moment and the dream verily came true (as he mentioned in the post match conference). He was able to chase out the demons that were surrounding him, his belly and his form over the past year. True grit that was, where he paced his innings according to the situation, stole the occasional boundary and never looked in a hurry. After Gauti's encounter, Raina came in to do exactly what was required of him, putting an end to the Yusuf/Raina debate. He walked when another 74 runs were required with the pitch not helping much and the likes of Lee remaining to be seen. The duo undid the Australian pace dismantling Lee and Tait out of the attack, forcing Ponting once again to consider the ineffective spin action. That was no good either and eventually the game slipped away from the mighty Ozzies.

Cricket is a decent metaphor of life. Ups and downs, rewards and penalties, loses and victories. Pathan's loss turned into an opportunity for Raina, which he relished and gave selectors many things to think about. Ponting found himself in a situation similar to what he is normally known for handing over to others. Dhoni although slipped out with the bat, made smart moves in the field and kept rotating bowlers. Collective team effort and lot of self belief saw us through today. Its time that a team from subcontinent lifted the world cup which has been away with Australia for far too long and it was only fitting that India co-hosting the world cup got a little closer in that pursuit.

Now the epic battle awaits. India Vs Pakistan. Favorites Vs the Underdogs/ The fallen heroes/ The crazy farlkempts. Pakistan was dubbed a team with such euphemisms and an uncertain future. Look at where it got them. The most unpredictable team has thrown up the most celebrated of all the battles. An Indo-Pak clash has always been a cricket-lover's dream and I expect this semi-final to be anything like seen before. Friends, Romans and countrymen, lend me your ears: for this will be loudest you would hear from Mohali... "Jeetega bhai Jeetega, Hindustan Jeetega". Unless, Pakistan puts up a show like Butterss Leopold Stotch below, we are in for some serious skull cracking.

Buzzed

What is common between the Duke of Westminster, Donald Trump and Big B. Yes they are all heartbreakers. But they are also family men with an iron fist. I have joined this bandwagon recently bidding adieu to bachelorhood. The first few days of my wedded life have been quite exciting to say the least and have only matched up to my big fat Indian wedding. It was a three day affair whence family and friends gathered to shower love and blessings. Actually every function was sort of a costume party, where I was dressed up for the occasion. North Indian weddings are always a package deal of extravaganza : band, baja, baraaat, nikah, mehandi and reception. My wife Saniya, has made my stay wonderful with her overwhelming affection and love and I really couldn't have asked for more. We wish both of us were traveling together, but I will see her soon.

I had a pretty good time this vacation and shudder to think about my research at this point of time. One of the best experiences apart from the wedding was driving around the city on a two-wheeler. My hometown, Udaipur city is a crowded place with people scurrying around in every direction as though looking for a cover under fire. Folks want to rush in and out as quickly as possible. At the traffic signal vehicles start exactly five seconds before the green lights come up, and if you are standing in the front row don't get upset getting honked for no reason, its just a thing that people have developed over time while navigating narrow roads. So the other day, I was driving with my wife to run an errand on a two-wheeler ( a four wheeler is too much to ask for to drive in a left handed traffic and a manual 1997 Maruti). We got stuck in a jam. Cars were moving bumper to bumper at a snail's pace while smaller vehicles revved up to cover every unoccupied piece of land. There were some guys who were honking their horns off at the top of all the screaming and screeching, perhaps vindicating their blindness under the sun. This was frustrating as well as funny as it brought back some old memories, when I used to drive down to my school. The traffic then was far less but our driving etiqoettes remain quite the same. Driving down the memory lane was was very spicy, peppered with lot of smoke and dust.

I made a small stop over in Mumbai while returning back to the states. It was really good to get inside the city after a long long time. Last time I remember visiting Mumbai in the middle school. After a nightmarish two hour long cab ride from Airport to Kurla, I realized how people travel on a daily basis. The funny thing is that nobody seemed to notice. People have a general apologetic look when they cross each other in line or overtake from the wrong side but everything seems to work fine.

My vacation is drawing close to end. It was a quite a rush, and very exciting - clearly one of the most memorable ones. I am once again ready to walk in the dark with ferocity.