3 idiots : A great way to end the year !!

Ragging.. tick.

Eccentric roommates... tick.

Common batchrooms.. tick.

Front bench teacher's pet.. tick.

College terror... tick.

Death in the campus... tick.

Drinking on rooftops... tick.

Gate crashing weddings... tick.

The girl you covet dating a weirdo... tick.

People learning to follow their dreams... tick.

The fun gang of 3 idiots ... tick.

ONE SUPER HIT... TICKETY TICK TICK.
Rest assured.. 2009's gonna end well for Bollywood, not just Hollywood (with Avatar ) ... after all, All izz well !!

3 idiots takes us on a journey into the past, into our college lives. 2 members ( Sharman Joshi and Madhavan ) of a gang of 3 have finally got news about the whereabouts of their friend (Aamir Khan ), who's been missing for over 5 years. As they journey across states from Delhi to Shimla and Ladakh, we're taken back into their own history from the day they first joined college and laid eyes on each other. This journey crosses roads we've all seen through our college days - from hostel life and ragging to crushes, drunken nights, irritating professors, failed exams and yes, even suicides and shattered families.

Of course, a tale like this has every scope to get boring too as each event just passes by our eyes. But not with Hirani on the director's chair and Aamir at the helm. And both excel in passing on a valuable message to the audience while ensuring they are having fun as well.

The treatment given to some scenes are just mindblowing - even the moments depicting a main character's family poverty and getting a sick man to the hospital are dealt with in such a manner that you can't help laughing. A student's 'memorized felicitation' speech for the chief guest where Aamir changed a few strategic words too brought the house down. Of course, at the interval point, there's a huge plot twist that'll leave you shocked too.

In the second half, while the hunt continues for their friend, we come to see different aspects of each member's personality and how Aamir influenced / changed their lives. Of course, the laughs keep on coming, once more diluting key moments that could have been really melodramatic in any other director's hands. But where is their friend ? Is he safe ? Is he even alive ?

Frankly, these are strong roles. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi are given ample opportunities to show just what college life is about - the joys and humiliations, freedom and restrictions, friendships and commitments. And they rock it. Kareena, as the girl who falls for Aamir has a much smaller role since they've chosen not to focus on the romance too much but that's okay.. we have too much of a story to worry about romance. And besides, she acts her heart out when needed.

Boman Irani , as the head of the college, is tremendous. When needed, he can make you laugh at him and minutes later, you see in him every professor you've ever hated. It's a class act from a class performer. I don't know the actor whose car Sharman and Madhavan use through their journey, but he is truly hilarious too and is a worthy glue binding the past and the present of these characters as he too seeks Aamir to gloat over how he won the 'bet of success' against Aamir's character. Mona Singh is sweet in her brief role.

As for Aamir, well, if you thought Ghajini was a tough role to top, here's your answer. This man is pure genius in the right hands. That impish smile is gonna make you root for him even 20 years from now, touchwood. As the 'kid' who refuses to follow the rulebook and convinces everyone eventually of the method behind his ideologies, he excels.

Again, here the director and script writer need a big round of applause. Because after depicting the iconic 'Gandhigiri' earlier in the Munna Bhai series , now he takes on the education system and it's flaws and succeeds brilliantly. He tries to show you the values of thinking beyond marks and textbooks and using practical application of what we learn in real life. His 'all izz well' policy too has relevance in real life and during the study period to prevent the tensions of life from breaking us down.

Scope for improvement ? Well, while the songs are visually appealing, I doubt they're ever gonna be chart busters ( even the 'All izz Well' number ). And for a movie that was truly realistic in nature, the end of a baby delivery sequence is as filmy as it can possibly get. But these are minor issues. Because in this hunt for Aamir Khan, you will find yourself having too much fun and laughter to care.

All izz well that ends well, after all.

Posted by Dr Roshan R

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Avatar : a magical journey

I can sum this review up in one line actually.

Get off your seat, find out the nearest theatre where Avatar is playing in 3D ( adjacent cities, included ) and go get your tickets.

The actual review :

There were a lot of reservations when news of this movie started filtering in.

People were put off saying it was all graphics. They asked "why do we need to see blue aliens when we have Jadoo from 'Koi Mil Gaya'( I'm not kidding - I really had to answer that one. ) Who was this 'Sam Worthington' actor? Why couldn't they get some famous actors ? My own doubts existed - Could the latest in cinematographic technology and an over 250 million dollar budget ensure a hit film ? I'll come to that last one later.

Avatar is a story based in the future where mankind has found a new energy source, in the form of a mineral, growing amongst the flora of a distant moon/planet "Pandora". Attempts to mine it have been unsuccessful owing to the presence of '10 foot long blue primitive savages' who don't appreciate humans destroying the land with which they share a holistic bond. 2 factions work to attain a solution - one itching to eradicate the 'savages', while the other aims to befriend these 'peaceful spiritual creatures' by using mentally operated cloned versions that look like the Na'vi themselves and can survive in the planet's atmosphere - called Avatars.

The protagonist, Sam Wothington as Jake Sully, a crippled marine gets a chance at using these Avatars when his twin brother dies and much to the dismay of the creator of these Avatars ( Sigourney Weaver in a well cast role ) actually becomes closer to the tribesmen than anyone else before him. What she doesn't know is that Sully is also working a deal with the military faction, looking for weaknessess in the Navi which can be used to defeat them, when war is eventually declared. All is going according to plan for him... till he befriends the daughter of the clan leader, learns the way of the Na'vi, falls in love and eventually realises what his real priorities are.

The first scene which you see in 3D alone captures your visual senses. And James Cameron doesn't allow you to relax your stunned expression from there on in. The planet is easily the most gorgeous habitat I have ever seen and as Sully learns the rituals of the Na'vi, we get ample opportunities to walk through the fantastic fauna and flora and befriend the creatures there. The attention to detail is astounding and unmatched with even the burning ashes flickering through on 3D.

But even without it, the film is bound to be a winner, even with the 'David vs Goliath' tale it seeks to tell. There are small servings of 'religious beliefs', 'the power of mother nature' and even a play on one of the most infamous 'war strategies of the decade', all interspersed in between. The action sequences at the end as the inhabitants come under attack are truly amazing and really have you rooting for good to triumph over evil, for the Na'vi armed with bows and arrows to somehow defeat the planes and missiles of the humans, though you wonder how.

Performances are par for course, with most of the facial expressions peering through even the blue skins of the aliens. Zoe Saldana as the princess,Neytiri, will feel sad we didn't get to see her real face but it's a very realistic performance of a woman in love with both her tribe and her man. Sam Worthington will probably never get more famous than this ever again.. this is to him what Titanic was to Di Caprio. How he utilises this fame from here on in is worth watching.

So can the latest cameras and 250 million ensure a hit film ? Most definitely.

This is a must watch film in all it's 3D splendour. Why ?

So that 20 years down the line, you can still tell tales to your kids of the visual spectacle that director James Cameron so painstakingly created for us all back in 2009 that made the art of watching a movie on the big screen magical again for the first time in over 8 decades.

Posted by Dr Roshan R

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Of Broken states, broken bones and Blonde Babes

It's been awhile since I've last posted. I got caught in the 'give up everything that'll take your focus away from work' hype. I thought spending time blogging or catching up with fellow bloggers would be a cardinal sin considering I have a countdown on my desktop informing me of the 167 days left ( It was 267 days when it started, mind you ) for the big one - my post graduate degree exams. But turns out I was wrong... sometimes, you really need to take time off and be yourself and more importantly, lead a normal human life instead of being the zombie we post graduates tend to become.

So this here is a brief recap of how I broke my hand, predicted the future.... and got kissed at a Fosters party filled with babes.

Unfortunately, my last post 2 months ago seems to have turned dramatically prophetic. It seems like the nation has turned bonkers trying to divide themselves. Sure, a guy's 11 day fast started it in Andhra Pradesh/Telengana but now everyone's crawling out of the woodwork to get a piece of the pie. UP wants to be trifurcated, Coorg and something called Hyderabad-Karnatak wants to be separated from Karnataka, West Bengal, East India, even Vidharba in Maharashtra... I mean, seriously, are you kidding me ? If every family name and caste wants to have their own state based on their dialect, how many bits are you gonna tear us up into ? I can picture it already - THE UNITED SUBCASTES OF INDIA.

Anyway, since everyone's dying for their rights - I think it's time we Mallus too got into the act - doesn't feel right when there's a fight and we're just sitting quietly with our lungis down. So, Mallus of the blogworld unite - join me as I demand what is rightfully ours - A part of the United Arab Emirates which we presently coinhabit @ 50 % atleast with our fellow shawarma eating Arab friends. We've lived there long enough.. longer than the UAE was formed, I can confirm. I think that entitles us to have our own state in Dubai.. what say, guys to the formation of Mallutopia ? Of course, since fasting ain't our thing, we'll just have to find another way - how about threatening to speak only in Manglish ( Mallu- English, of course ) and infecting everyone around us with the same ? Niiice... Oh, and by the way, I call dibs for being Sheikh of Mallutopia.

Bow before me, minions, I Sheikh Roshan bin Hunky Al GreekGod commands you. Oh, and I want my Burj-al-Roshan hotel shaped like a coconut.

Then again, maybe Greek God ain't the right psudosurname to pick.. after all, this year, my body's really been taking revenge for all that binge eating. It seems like I'd only just recovered from that damn sacroilitis-sciatica combo when

I went ahead and ticked off my next limb... in what can at best be described as a freak fall at the cricket ground, I landed on my arm and ended up fracturing it around the wrist. Ya, I know. Doesn't sound macho enough, right ? I figured I needed to spice it up so I tried telling people I fractured my arm while diving to stop a stray bullet that was heading towards a stray puppy that was, well, straying onto the field where a stray land mine lay not more than 4 feet from the poor thing. I don't think anyone bought it though.

( Should have added a stray viper in there too, somewhere, methinks. )

Now a really hardworking doc would probably have been heartbroken considering the loss of work opportunities, especially in a profession where my arm is essential. But luckily, my mind was too busy thinking of the new possibilities - me lying bedridden with lovely interns feeding me grapes and fawning over my every slight grimace, cute little finger massages to make sure those fingers don't get atrophied out of boredom, sympathy from the nursing students and admiration for my steely resolve to continue working inspite of the grueling pain...

Sigh.

You really didn't think God was gonna give me all that, did you ? instead of "above mentioned" fawning apsaras and pillow fluffing babes, I got mauled from all corners. The sisters had a good laugh at my expense, even making up a 'fake' story involving me getting beaten up by pious goondas as I was eve teasing a girl. ( Fake, I repeat, fake!!! )

My fellow juniors were more concerned - they were worried that my falling on the ground had destroyed the cricket pitch by creating a big crater in the centre of it !! As for work, well, since I'd used up my medical leaves earlier, I was left wandering around the operation theatre with my arm in above elbow cast amid snide comments about 'having a holiday' from senior staff ( no comments - @$%*&!! ).

Word of advice for those of you planning to break your arms as a hobby : do not underestimate the annoyance of the 'unattainable itching sensation' that lies within that cast.. when finally, my cast was removed, I actually scratched so hard, my hands started bleeding.

Since then, it's been all work and very less relaxation.. till this past weekend, that is. I'd attended the Foster's Poolside Party earlier this year when it was in Pune and so was actually caught in two mind's when it arrived again. On the one hand, guilt abouting ditching the books was there.. luckily for me, I'm a sucker for temptation so I ended up going after adjusting my workload. And boy, was I glad I did.

Let me clear a few things rightaway. To be frank, the earlier party was a lot easier on the eye... there was a more 'party' atmosphere there, more intellectual (hotter) babes and well, better use of the pool by the Australian hotties.

This time around, there was a more sedate atmosphere, everyone sat in lawn chairs and probably discussed which muffins went better with Darjeeling Tea...

and sure, while the two Aussie swimsuit models promoting the beer were probably giving me the "come hither, you hunk" look ( or was it the "stay away, you perverted .. pervert !!" look ? I get confused. ), I actually had a better party this time around.

And it's all thanks to meeting fellow Bloggers ever friendly Prateek, superfun Poonam and 'da kewl dude' Gaurav. Earlier in the day, I and a very jovial fellow blogger Colonel Ashwin had met a distinguished gentlemen who questioned the need for blogging in today's world. He seemed less than satisfied with our answers. It's thus ironic that the answer would present itself in the very same party.

You see, I've always maintained that it's about meeting like minded people or people who's company you can enjoy, irrespective of silly things like religion or caste. Even though I met them for the first time that day ( except Prateek ), we gelled together great, laughing and tweeting away the whole afternoon with our antics.

What did we talk about ? Probably everything and nothing at all - from premarital blues (Good luck, mate ) to doc tales ( Prateek proved to me that girls have balls !! Man, I really missed that chapter in the anatomy class. ), restaurant reviews, beer can pyramids and idle teasing : just what you'd expect from a bunch of friends. We chatted away, meeting up with another funloving dude Satinder, till finally the DJ had played his last song and then carried on, late into the evening, first whiling away time at the hotel's bakery ( I swear to God, I did not order the macho pink Madeline!!! I went for the umm.. macho cream muffins ? ) before ending up at a food festival where we got lost in the 5000 strong crowd and some yummy pomfrets and meat.

All in all.. it was a great break for me from this ever ticking timebomb called P.G. exams and I'm glad I made some cool friends in the process.

Oh, what was that, you say ?

Didn't I mention a kiss at the party ? Well, ya sure, there was a choice for me between the blonde and the brunette in the swimsuits but well... I think I'll let the picture tell the story.

P.S. Sorry, Sats.. we had a great time and all but I'm just looking for something more in a relationship.. plus I don't think Mom would have been favour of the blonde or brunette in the first place so bald is definitely out of her list.

P.P.S. Mom, get me married quick please !!! It's getting hard for a young man to live alone in the big cities without being groped at parties !!!

P.P.P.S. For a good review on what went on at the party, check out Prat's post.

Posted by Dr Roshan R

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