Nishabd: Film review.

Let's not have any doubts about the fact that Nishabd is a bold move for Ram Gopal Verma. That's because in Indian society, we still don't want to talk about certain things in spite of being aware of their presence.

Nishabd tells the story of a photographer (Mr. Bachchan), his wife (Revathy), his daughter (Shraddha Arya) and her friend (Jiah Khan). During holidays Jiah visits her friend and comes to stay with her family at their quaint house in a beautiful hill station. In the process, Mr.Bachchan (Vijay in the film), falls in love with Jiah or we may say gets attracted to her, who throughout the film roams in skimpy short pants and exhibits her nice pair of legs to the audience. As we know that love can happen anytime anywhere and between any two people. In this case it happens between 60 yr old Vijay and 18 yr old Jiah. Jiah is a carefree, effervescent teenage girl who finds this 60 yr old very sexy and hard to resist.

There is obviously a sexual connotation attached to this attraction (though Mr. Bachchan claims otherwise in his numerous interviews on different News channels). But RGV the director comfortably stays away from showing anything overtly sexual; (Jiah gives a kiss on Mr. Bachchan's cheeks only). I am disappointed here. But may be Ramu didn't want to hurt the celebrated & much talked about Indian sensibilities! Though I must say that in spite of this self-control (on part of Ramu), there is a sexual undertone in the script and it gets manifested in the manner of 'shot taking' & 'camera angles'. By the way, cinematographer Amit Roy's craft is wonderful in the movie.

I am not going to give out the full story here, because that's going to spoil the charm for readers who haven't yet watched the film. The story is good, with Ramu's directorial brilliance present in glimpses but as a whole Nishabd fails to deliver. Moreover the 2nd half of the film is bland and surely lacks the pace, which was prevalent in the 1st half. To some, even the ending may seem a little abrupt.

Performances:
Mr. Bachchan is brilliant and is surely the saving grace of the film. Only he could have depicted this role with such sobriety. Kudos to Mr.Bachchan, for being a part of this bold (by Indian standards) venture. And he delivers his job with unmatched composure and aplomb. If only he had the chance or opportunity of doing such varied roles in his younger days!

Jiah Khan is beautiful, sexy, and attractive.She does a fine job in her debut. She gives quite a mature performance, being just 18/19 years of age.
Revathy as usual is excellent and naturally beautiful, while Shraddha Arya is a talent to watch.

In conclusion, I would say that Nishabd is good in bits n parts but as a whole the movie fails to deliver. A niche audience will appreciate it, only (in multiplexes).
But RGV should be complemented for showing the courage to break away from the inconsequential candy floss style of film making, yet again. In the same breath I would say that he could have done a better job, we all know that he has the talent required. I give Nishabd 3 Stars out of 5.

CrossPosted on Mutiny.in

E-Bikes are a cool way to ride

With inflation at more than 6% and fuel prices zooming only upwards, it is hard time for the common man in India. But now there is an easy and fun way to cut the pain in your pocket. It is simple. Just get yourself an E-bike (electric bike) - two-wheelers that run on electric power instead of petrol/gasoline.

There are many advantages of using E-bikes.

• Zero fuel consumption!
• Lower maintenance costs (almost negligible).
• Environment Friendly (zero emissions).
• They can run for 10 to 15 paise per km in comparison to fuel cost of Rs1 per Km for regular bikes or two-wheelers.

Though the cost (Rs14,000 to Rs 35,000 depending on the model) of E-bikes is a little more than petrol powered bikes, the obvious advantages cannot be overlooked. Plus, as these bikes have a top speed of 25 Kmph, are below 25 cc category and are gearless, most of them do not fall under 'Automotive Research Association of India' (ARAI) requirements. So there is no need of registration and payment of road tax. One doesn't even need a license to drive these bikes! Now ain't that cool!

According to a recent 10-city study by A C Nielsen, it is assumed that the nascent electric two-wheeler (E-bike) market in India is at nearly 5 lakh units. It is not a small market for a comparatively new technology and obviously many companies want to launch their models in India. According to (ARAI), since January this year atleast 12 companies have applied for certification to launch their E-bikes in the Indian market.

Among the existing E-bike manufacturers the well-known ones are:

• Electrotherm India (Ahmedabad based), Brand name: Yo-Bikes.
• Ace Motors (Maharashtra based).
• Hero Electric [this is a joint venture between the Hero group (India) & Ultra Motors (UK)].
• Atlas (Haryana)

Various surveys indicate that its only a matter of time that E-bikes take-off in a big way in India and become a popular mode of transport. So students, housewives, office travelers or whoever you may be, just be ready for the E-effect?!

CrossPosted on Mutiny.in

Romancing Life with a Cappuccino in hand!

<sup>I slowly turn around in my bed & in pure lethargy watch the clock on the mantle piece. Its 7 in the morning. It’s Sunday (thank god!) , so no rush , no deadlines, no meetings, so eventually no hurry for anything. I leave my bed and go to the loo. Finishing off there I prepare some hot water on the heater for some coffee, cappuccino to be specific. I am very finicky and particular about this one thing in my life, that is my coffee. It has to be brewed in a certain way and mixed with hot water at a specific temperature and poured only in my favorite porcelain Mug . Only then can you be sure that the wafting aroma of the warm drink will flirt with your olfactory senses in the right way and magical pleasure of the steaming mug will be just next to heavenly. After arranging everything to perfection, regarding the coffee I move on to my bookshelf. I pick up ‘Five Point Someone’ a bestseller by a guy called Chetan Bhagat , heavily and heartily recommended by all my friends, and also presented to me by one of them on my birthday last month. Now that the coffee is here , I start flipping through the pages. After drawing in the soothing smell of the freshly printed pages and lightly caressing the cover a bit, I start reading the first page and its gripping. There is something about it, which strikes u pleasantly, may be the lucid style or the endearing charm of the characters. One is bound to identify with them. I put on some music on my PC. Its ‘please forgive me’ by Bryan Adams. His rustic melodies enthrall me like everyone else on this planet.

An unique voice, incomparable, effortlessly exudes a certain warmth and a feeling of urban romance. I feel happy and contented with my self and life at this very moment. And to think of the trinkets contributing to this feeling, very paltry simple things…….. some coffee, a good book and a piece of music. Wow ! This you may call the ‘romance of life’. Sometimes if one can find some solace amongst the mundane rigor of ones life, then it rejuvenates the soul and puffs in fresh air into the lungs or shall I say the heart? Unshackling ourselves from the squabbles and quirks of our lives and redrawing from the humdrum gives us profound vibes of gleaming happiness.So take out some time for yourself during the weekend and indulge yourself , prodding away any pique or dissonance from your heart and believe me, feeling of a quaint congenial fulfillment will fill you up from within. Life is beautiful and sometimes one needs to romance it……….yes just it.</sup>

It Flows along...................

It flows along. . .. . .. . .
It meanders through sorrows and pain
Makes you feel that all's in vain.

But endless the journey is
With little touches of eternal bliss


Clattering clouds in the sky
Move on like the days gone by.

Its turbulence, what it signifies
Yet.....one wants to live until he dies.....

It is life
. . .. . .. . .. . .and it flows along.

Kolkata a city metamorphosed !

Kolkata or Calcutta as it used to be known was often described as the place where intellectually inclined, argumentative, garrulous Bengalis lived passing each day discussing Mrinal Sen., Ray & Tagore, visiting the numerous art galleries & theatres, with ample tea (Cha) for company, effortlessly meandering from Gabriel Garcia Mrakuez to Marx and Che Guevera in course of their neverending Addas or discussions. Along with this there was the obvious mention of it being a dying city where nothing new happened and it was far cry from the happening places such as Mumbai or Delhi or Bangalore. And this blasphemy went on and on and on……..u could do nothing even if u were tired of listening to this boring partisan view. But suddenly something happened 5 yrs ago & the city started metamorphosing into a different place altogether! Calcutta became kolkata and along with the change in nomenclature, in quiet irony the city changed its character with the speed only comparable to that of a Pablo Montoya on the F1 track. Shopping malls sprung up everywhere. Suddenly the average kolkatan took to places like Forum, Shoppers' Stop, Metro Plaza, Pantaloons, and Westside in full vigor. Pizza Hut and Dominoes became hangout places for the youth replacing the Coffee-house at College St. Barista, Café Coffee Day along with home grown Café Pai & Caffeine transformed the Tea loving Bengalis to avid coffee lovers. Simultaneously flyovers started zooming over our heads and crisscrossed the city in jet speed along with the beautification of the city as a whole (credit partially goes to our ex Mayor Subrata Mukherjee & our chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya). As if the once dirty dying city was shedding off its old clothing and putting on designer wear. On the economic front the It Sector started booming. IT biggies like IBM, Cognizent Technologies,Wipro,Ge,ITC infotech along with homegron smaller It companies started setting shop. Numerous call-centers set shop here & along with the buyont retail sector started sprouting hoards of jobs for the generation next. Even Narayan Murthy wants to set a new Infosys campus here! More than one proposals for the formation of SPZs (Special Economic Zones) have been finalized and once they are complete even manufacturing sector is going to boom once again! Infact The TATAs are said to be thinking of bringing there much pulicised Rs.1 Lakh car project to the state.If that happens , it will surely be a gigantic step for the manufacturing setor. Encouraged with a glimpse of this positive transformation thousands of educated successful Bengalis living in numerous states of the country & abroad started coming back to the city. In the process plush real estate started coming up allover in a zippy to provide housing for this class. Not to mention the 5star Hotels like ‘Hyatt regency’ or the ITC group venture called ‘Sonar Bangla’. ‘Lake Land Country Club’, The Princeton Club added to the luminous club list in the city. Well guys so much on the economy, now lets talk about partying.

Many will be surprised to know that kolkata is one among very few Indian cities where pubbing and partying goes on nonstop throughout the night without any legal hassle. If u don’t believe me just hop in any night into Tantra at the Park, or the London pub or any of the so many Lounges in the city. Let me tell u man the Kolkata parties like there is no tomorrow. In conclusion lets say kolkata is not any more a dying city rather with its bowling alleys and branded saloons, multiplexes, Pool parlors, it is rocking like never before bearing testimony to its incomparable spirit and truly becoming the City Of Joy and diving full-fledged into consumerism and enjoying every single bit of it. So not only Banglore or Gurgaon or Mumbai, even kolkata is on the way of becoming a part of the 21st century globalised world. The more the merrier……….lets drink to it……..may be not champagne…….but even a steaming Cup of cappuccino @ the Barista will be just as fine……I guess!

(Disclaimer : The pictures are taken from different websites )