Jannat-the film on cricket betting

The meteoric rise of a common man having a sixth sense in cricket betting and his eventual downfall- that’s “Jannat-in search of heaven” in a nutshell for you. Actually, I have been hooked to the song “Zaraa si dil mein de jagah tu” (sung by K.K) from this film for the past few days and was wondering if I could watch the movie just to see the song’s picturisation (yeah, yeah ..I know you would be telling….kya bahana hai film dekhne ka), a chance invitation from a friend came my way. I just can’t stand Emraan Hashmi and was dilly-dallying whether to go or not. Finally, I decided to go for this movie. I won’t say that I loved the movie but it was an interesting presentation nevertheless. In fact, films by the Bhatt Camp have always something to offer the viewers. Even if it is a stale story or situation, their intelligent presentation makes all the difference. Jannat also belongs to that genre. Some witty one-liners, good acting (of course Hashmi would have better got a hair-cut with all that moollah coming into his pocket), an insight into the world of cricket betting-all keep the viewers engaged. Though the climax was somewhat cliché, there would not have been any other way of ending the story. My verdict-go if you want to but stay back if you’ve better things to do.

Prince Caspian:Film Review

Prince Caspian is a better and much bigger-canvas film than its predecessor. As with all other sequential stories on the reel (like Harry Potter series, Spiderman etc), the first Narnia film (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) was a slow one, justifiably so because the characters needed an introduction as did their background for the build-up of the story. Prince Caspian on the other hand had no such responsibility and started much breezily. From the very beginning, the tone of the film is set when Prince Caspian’s professor helps him flee from being murdered by his uncle Miraz (played by Italian actor Sergio Castellitto). As he is pursued by the soldiers of Miraz, he escapes into the woods and blows the magical horn (which was given to Susan in the first film by Santa; Santa told her that blow this horn whenever you’re in danger and help will come). The horn transports the Pevensies from an underground train station to Narnia. The only difference this time is that the Narnia the siblings left had changed a lot (1300 years had passed in the Narnian time-frame).

From here events unfold rapidly. Though the central character of the first film, Aslan-the mighty lion, appears only towards the end, there are many new characters. Apart from Prince Caspian (played by Ben Barnes, the British stage actor)- the rightful heir to the throne, there is Trumpkin- the dwarf (Peter Dinklage), Reepicheep - the mouse who is a brilliant sword fighter (voiced by Eddie Izzard) and several non-human creatures like centaurs, dwarfs, minotaurs, flying gryphons and mice with quick reflexes in this episode who fight against the troops of Miraz (called the Telmarines). I loved Reepicheep who is believed to be one of the descendants of those mice who cut the ropes of Aslan in the first film when he lay dead on the Stone Table.

Prince Caspian employs a huge cast and crew counting almost 2,000. The numerous special effects (over 1,600 CGI shots) also form a major chunk of the film. There are two important battle scenes-one inside the castle and one beyond the woods, which form a significant part of this 2 hour & 18-minute film. I liked the one inside the castle fought in the dead of night. Everything was superbly planned, getting Caspian, the Pevensies and their troops via flying gryphons (taking the aerial route, which will be monitored by no-one), Edmund’s torch signal, the valiant fight, the retreat and then the miscalculation resulting in the death of many brave hearts. The pain in the eyes of Peter (William Moseley) when he can’t do anything to stop his troops (trapped on the other side of the castle gate) being butchered by Miraz’s men and instead has to flee was a touching shot.

The second battle scene is also done beautifully though I would vote for the one-to-one fight of Peter with Miraz. Apart from its fast pace, this film is also different from the first one with respect to sibling bonding. The first film saw Edmund switch over to the team of the White Witch but finally coming over to fight with his brother and sisters. In this film, the Pevensies are a close-knit family. All the siblings have grown up and Susan (Anna Popplewell) even gets bits-&-pieces of romance with Caspian though there’s not much time to let love blossom between the two. Her kiss perhaps makes amends for it.

In brief- Prince Caspian is a better movie than “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and the more polished effort shows in every frame of Prince Caspian. As Aslan told Lucy- “Things never happen the same way twice, Dear one”, don’t expect hangovers of the first film. However, old characters like the Pevensies, The White Witch (appears for a short while in this film) and Aslan help maintain the continuity. Only that this time, the story unfolds on a much bigger scale. I am already waiting for the next Narnia film, shooting of which has already begun. My verdict for this film- you won’t regret watching it; instead, you may be tempted for a second dekko just as I did. And yes, if you can get a DVD of the first film, it would not be a bad idea to see that as well.

The Chronicles of Narnia:Prince Caspian

I've already seen the film 2 times. I don't feel like writing today, so will put the review in a few days' time here.

Contemporary Indian Short Stories in English

This book published by the Sahitya Academy and compiled by Shiv K. Kumar is a compilation of 24 short stories by eminent Indian writers (including some lesser known authors, as well). Each of the stories is rooted in Indianness and is unique in its own style. In brief, the book presents a collage of contemporary India, its values and culture, albeit in a language that some still feel is an alien in this land.

Though it is difficult to pick the best of the lot, I do have my favorites in this book. Some stories that I loved are (in their order of appearance) The Betrayal by Sujatha Balasubramaniam, The eyes are not here by Ruskin Bond, To nun with love (yes, the title reminded me of the much loved story To sir, with Love penned by E.R.Braithwaite) by Shiv K. Kumar, A Pinch of Snuff by Manohar Malgaonkar, Absolution by Dina Mehta and Green Sari by R.K.Narayan. Khuswant Singh is at his raunchiest best in The Bottom Pincher. The stories that I disliked and was quite bored to read are A Fable by Raja Rao, Martand by Nayantara Sehgal, Letters/4, 5 and 6 by Anita Mehta and Not to be loose shunted by Ashok Srinivasan (this last one totally went above my head).

All-in-all, getting to read so many different author's work under the same cover was an interesting thing to do in order to overcome my otherwise bored holidays.

Bloodstained Pink City

The serial blasts, 8 in total, that killed almst 60 and injured more than 200 in Jaipur, has taken the government at the center by surpise. While the center was busy tightening the security at the metros, no-one perhaps thought that the Pink City could be targeted. Though no military outfit has yet claimed the act to be their own, the different newspapers reported their own versions of suspects. Till it's figured out who's respnsible, it's stock taking of how many innocent lives have been wasted and how many maimed by these killer attacks.

Phuchka: cutting across the gender divide

For ages, men have sneered at Phuchka (also called golgappa and pani puri) as something that is only eaten by the fairer sex. However, it appears that men are slowly overcoming this self-imposed gender divide and enjoying this snack at the roadside stalls, sometimes with an enthusiasm that's ready to rival the old bastion so far held strong by us, the fairer sex. However, we aren't complaining!!!

The Forbidden Kingdom: Movie where Jet Li + Jackie Chan for the first time

Director: Rob Minkoff

Cast: Jet Li (both as the Monkey King and the Monk), Jackie Chan (both as the Old Hop and Lu Yan), Michael Angarano (Jason), Liu Yifei (Golden Sparrow), Deshun Wang (the Jade Emperor).

The story based on: Journey to the West, a Chinese novel

Why to watch: The biggest attraction for me to watch this film was the coming together of two kung-fu experts for the first time on the screen, Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Needless to say, I loved the action sequences and the occasional humorous dialogs.

Synopsis: In modern-day Boston, Jason who is a teenager comes across a golden staff while buying DVDs from the shop of Old Hop. Though an admirer of kung-fu moves, Jason doesn't boast of possessing the skills and moves himself. So, bullied by a local boy, he has no other way but to knock at Old Hop's door at night. Once the door opens, the local bully and his gang comes inside to rob the shop. In the scuffle that follows, Old Hop is shot and urges Jason to return the golden staff to its rightful owner. Jason grabs the staff, runs upstairs to the roof, his enemies close on his hills and then......he finds himself in ancient China. He is soon spotted by the soldiers of the Jade Warlord and though he runs, he is easily surrounded by the soldiers on the horseback. However, it's just the beginning of the magical journey as in comes the wine-loving wanderer Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), a kung-fu expert and saves him. Yan tells Jason the myth about the golden staff and its owner, the Monkey King (Li) who was deceived by the Jade Emperor and turned into stone. Yan tells Jason that he is the fabled Seeker who has come into this time to fulfil the prophecy and return the staff to the Monkey King so that the Jade Emperor can be stopped from spreading further evils. Later, Lu Yan and Jason are joined in by an orphan (Liu Yifei) and a kung-fu master, the Silent Monk (Li). What follows from here is a roller-coaster ride, ending in the triumph of the good over the evil.

My verdict: The Forbidden Kingdom is a fully paisa-vasool movie.