I guess this summer belongs to Santy and his refreshing summaries. Our visit to Pune has indeed been a terrific outing and the star of the trip arugably was Hemanth Kollipara. But for him, I don't think the picnic would have been half as funny! Be it his imaginative interpretations in Dumb C, his inadvertent reincarnation of Akbar the Great or his Chip or not to chip situations, he was the source of most of the entertainment all through.
Dedicating this travelogue to HK, here's giving you the 10 most memorable moments of the weekend that was! Mostly in chronological sequence.
10. Arun swaggers into the railway station taking all of us by surprise. Santy had kept the sixth person under wraps till the very last moment. And this journey already promised to have a lot of excitement in store!
9. Jayanth gives out two of the most difficult English words - Room and King, after pausing and pondering at great length during word building ! We stretched the game as far as the last word beginning with Y would take it.
8. HK strikes - It's dumb c season! Long after the lights have died down in the other compartments, we played and played into the night. Long after Jay and Murali surrendered to sleep, we continued playing. Initially it was team against team. Then it almost transformed into mono-acting with HK given the liberty to monopolise the enacting department. The game became so addictive that it would spring up almost anywhere…at Sam's house, at the ice cream parlor, on the streets, at the wedding hall, during the afternoon siesta…you name it! Who'd ever forget HK's "Whoooooooooooooosh" and Jay's typing chicken!
7. The surprise in Didi's eyes when she swung around to see Arun tapping her on the shoulder! I'm sure she wished that the moment never passed and for a whole ten minutes, she was in total disbelief. As Santy then said, it was worth every pie of the fine Arun paid for travelling incognito!
6. Meeting Sam's folks. Lovely people and extremely hospitable. In spite of the schedule, amidst all the work to be done, they made sure we felt at home, ensured everything was ok and took real good care of us. Sam materialised after an endless wait. Her hair radiant with henna, she had that special glow on her face which was not from the visit to the parlor :)
5. Thought for food! Food was suberb - no second thoughts about that! The Vada-pav at Sholapur, Kachchi dhabelis on/off FC road, supper at Sam's place, poha for breakfast, lunch with channa masala, mastani to top it off, the dinner for the engagement, sabudana khichdi and the great Maharashrian buffet at the wedding. Along with the numerous cups of masala chais and coffees that we downed.
4. The pamperers' new clothes. Santy'd planned exactly what to wear. Jay'd planned to buy new clothes. My thoughts hung in the balance. Murali's were subject to change. HK's atm denied him his transaction. And Sam being Sam was very particular that we all dress up well. So off we went in search of something nice to wear. Jay led the parade, we marched behind. The salesman had a field day pulling out kurta after kurta and making a sale with almost every second one! He even got his picture taken by Santy!
3. The engagement. Seeing Suresh for the first time. Seeing Sam for the first time, in bridal attire. The festivities. The relatives and friends. The exchange of rings. The engagement.
2. I was fortunate to have read and known about the history of India, but that Sunday morning, I considered myself blessed when none other than Emperor Akbar manifested before my very eyes in the room of a modest flat in urban Pune. Like all super heroes having alter egos, like Superman was Clark Kent, like Spidey was Peter Parker, like Batman was Bruce Wayne, Shahenshah-e-hind Jahaanpanah Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar was HK in regular life! And like all alter egos, he too wore spectacles! :))
1. Of course, the wedding! This was the reason we'd all been there for. The customs and the traditions. A happy day for our dear friend Sam. A wedding from amongst the dance team after a long time. And we were all happy to be a part of her happiness.
That afternoon, after we took leave of Sam's family, we set forth to meet Didi who lived on the other side of the city. The chocolate toast eluded us that evening, but I'm sure there shall be a next time. The colossal video coach that ferried us back, almost subjected us to Tere Naam, but soon showed mercy. Ek Ajnabee laid out the mattress, propped up the pillows and spread the blanket. Chocolate sang the perfect lullaby.
Into another morning…another world.
To sum it up in just one word in pure HK style 'Sam's wedding was a happy memorable event in our lives'
And to sign off in true Rashmi style… 'Thanks Kolli!'
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Play Back Circa 2007
After an uncomfortably long hiatus, I was inspired to write again. In fact, a few unfinished pieces resulting from half hearted attempts at writing, still lie inside My Documents in the hope of being liberated someday.
Three trips to Shanghai and calling in the New Year from Beijing definitely warrant articles that would make good reading, but I reopen with the most accepted form of entertainment - movies.
My final Sunday at The Chateau Regency last weekend, was also oddly my first Sunday without any colleagues for company. The slightest attempts to wake up early were successfully aborted by the comfort of the quilt and pillows and the alibi of the cold weather.
With the Sun already having traversed half way towards the west, I decided to stay indoors closely interacting with the television. And we splurged the day telling each other about three movies.
Dhoom 2: Negative points for even guessing! Advanced technology enables information to be stored inside those flat glittering plates that they call DVDs. A few such were on request, infiltrated by harmless subterfuge.
For the very minute percentage of people who still haven't watched it, Dhoom 2 is a high adrenaline story that spins in incredible orbits, also transforming itself into a perfect showcase for Hrithik Roshan's infinite talent and immense persona. The screenplay has enough imagination fuelling it constantly on the fast lane.
In one of the most stylishly essayed performances of the antagonist, Hrithik infuses perfection and evokes interest in every frame. His looks, speech, demeanour and dancing are just superlative. I was a trifle disappointed when his character has to abandon sleuth and resort to firearms in the final getaway. That however, is a pardonable glitch in a passionately etched character.
Baby AB is the ever laconic no nonsense cop from Part I. He is sincere and deftly underplays his role but is pale in comparison with Hrithik. His role has substance but lacks the sheen.
Ash is good and tries hard to keep pace with Hrithik, but again, nothing matches up to the shimmer of the Roshan. He simply burns the screen with panache.
Uday Chopra is in his elements as the comic relief. Certainly not of the caliber of Arshad Warsi, though he manages to time them quite well. Bipasha Basu has a few good lines. Rimi Sen is also there in a miss me if you blink role.
Music blends well with the choreography and never pulls the brakes on the narrative. All in all, a movie of the new season that is designed to thrill!
Modern Times: Still dazed by the glitz of Dhoom 2, the DVD player put it's tongue out and swallowed a CD of Charlie Chaplin Series.
Modern Times speaks of the days (probably the great depression) when there were more strikes than work, more hunger than food and oppression looming large.
Chaplin is a factory worker who becomes victim to the most unusual circumstances. He is the guinea pig for a newly built automatic feeding machine, suffers a nervous breakdown, is jailed for being a communist leader, inadvertently foils an ambush and goofs up on any odd job that he is given. Amidst all this, he meets a street urchin who is also running away from the law. Together, they dream of a home to live, a job at hand and a better life.
Charlie Chaplin is not just a legendary comedian, but also a refined actor and a seasoned director. I was in awe of the portion where he sings, mimes and dances in a restaurant. And to say the least, Modern Times assures all the laughs that will do you good.
Fahrenheit 9/11: I stumbled upon this film in HBO during the last minute surfing rituals before sinking into the pillows. It is a docu-film about the political backdrop before and after 9/11. I was astounded at the way the film blatantly exposes the misgivings of the US government that may have attributed to 9/11.
The Great Dictator: The next evening, the Chaplin hangover persuaded me to watch another movie in the series. I had probably heard about this movie, but never seen it. Unlike the usual silent movies, this one is a talkie! Charles Chaplin renders a premium performance in a double role, one that of Hynkel, the dictator of Tomania and the other, of a Jewish barber. It's a hilarious spoof on a certain dictator with a tooth brush moustache. The humour multiplies when Hynkel confronts Napaloni over the conquest of Oestereich. The actors, especially Napaloni, the two generals of Hynkel and Anna give sterling performances. Chaplin again proves that amongst other things, he is also a classic narrator and a gifted voice over artist (hear him dub for the characters in The Gold Rush). Do watch The Great Dictator sometime. The magic of Charles Chaplin is sure to leave you spellbound.
Three trips to Shanghai and calling in the New Year from Beijing definitely warrant articles that would make good reading, but I reopen with the most accepted form of entertainment - movies.
My final Sunday at The Chateau Regency last weekend, was also oddly my first Sunday without any colleagues for company. The slightest attempts to wake up early were successfully aborted by the comfort of the quilt and pillows and the alibi of the cold weather.
With the Sun already having traversed half way towards the west, I decided to stay indoors closely interacting with the television. And we splurged the day telling each other about three movies.
Dhoom 2: Negative points for even guessing! Advanced technology enables information to be stored inside those flat glittering plates that they call DVDs. A few such were on request, infiltrated by harmless subterfuge.
For the very minute percentage of people who still haven't watched it, Dhoom 2 is a high adrenaline story that spins in incredible orbits, also transforming itself into a perfect showcase for Hrithik Roshan's infinite talent and immense persona. The screenplay has enough imagination fuelling it constantly on the fast lane.
In one of the most stylishly essayed performances of the antagonist, Hrithik infuses perfection and evokes interest in every frame. His looks, speech, demeanour and dancing are just superlative. I was a trifle disappointed when his character has to abandon sleuth and resort to firearms in the final getaway. That however, is a pardonable glitch in a passionately etched character.
Baby AB is the ever laconic no nonsense cop from Part I. He is sincere and deftly underplays his role but is pale in comparison with Hrithik. His role has substance but lacks the sheen.
Ash is good and tries hard to keep pace with Hrithik, but again, nothing matches up to the shimmer of the Roshan. He simply burns the screen with panache.
Uday Chopra is in his elements as the comic relief. Certainly not of the caliber of Arshad Warsi, though he manages to time them quite well. Bipasha Basu has a few good lines. Rimi Sen is also there in a miss me if you blink role.
Music blends well with the choreography and never pulls the brakes on the narrative. All in all, a movie of the new season that is designed to thrill!
Modern Times: Still dazed by the glitz of Dhoom 2, the DVD player put it's tongue out and swallowed a CD of Charlie Chaplin Series.
Modern Times speaks of the days (probably the great depression) when there were more strikes than work, more hunger than food and oppression looming large.
Chaplin is a factory worker who becomes victim to the most unusual circumstances. He is the guinea pig for a newly built automatic feeding machine, suffers a nervous breakdown, is jailed for being a communist leader, inadvertently foils an ambush and goofs up on any odd job that he is given. Amidst all this, he meets a street urchin who is also running away from the law. Together, they dream of a home to live, a job at hand and a better life.
Charlie Chaplin is not just a legendary comedian, but also a refined actor and a seasoned director. I was in awe of the portion where he sings, mimes and dances in a restaurant. And to say the least, Modern Times assures all the laughs that will do you good.
Fahrenheit 9/11: I stumbled upon this film in HBO during the last minute surfing rituals before sinking into the pillows. It is a docu-film about the political backdrop before and after 9/11. I was astounded at the way the film blatantly exposes the misgivings of the US government that may have attributed to 9/11.
The Great Dictator: The next evening, the Chaplin hangover persuaded me to watch another movie in the series. I had probably heard about this movie, but never seen it. Unlike the usual silent movies, this one is a talkie! Charles Chaplin renders a premium performance in a double role, one that of Hynkel, the dictator of Tomania and the other, of a Jewish barber. It's a hilarious spoof on a certain dictator with a tooth brush moustache. The humour multiplies when Hynkel confronts Napaloni over the conquest of Oestereich. The actors, especially Napaloni, the two generals of Hynkel and Anna give sterling performances. Chaplin again proves that amongst other things, he is also a classic narrator and a gifted voice over artist (hear him dub for the characters in The Gold Rush). Do watch The Great Dictator sometime. The magic of Charles Chaplin is sure to leave you spellbound.
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