The Name is Rajinikanth

This blog is about ... er ... Well! The title says it all. This biography of RajiniKanth written by an "ophthalmologist" Dr. Gayathri Srikanth is in the least an interesting read let alone being a bad one as most people claim it to be. She has done some great research on the superstar. Also, I like it that she doesn't totally idolize the superstar by omitting his misdeeds or censoring them. However, there are parts of the book where I feel it would have helped if she weren't a doctor. At times she throws in a geeky statement like - "Rajini had multiple knots in his stomach ... one right next to his peritoneum ..." or something to that effect. I understood that Rajini was going through anticipatory pangs about his future as an actor but, peritoneum !?? Anyways also, there are an unusually high number of typos in this book which only get worse towards the end. I probably should blame the editor more for this than the writer herself but, isn't there such a thing as a spell checker in the latest word processing applications these days? Also, I could go on and on about the geeky anecdotes and the slightly repetitive nature of the book but, here I am with no books to my credit and look at her she has already sold 20,000 copies of her first book ever. :) If not for her writing abilities I should at least appreciate her for having picked up such an easy to sell topic to make a mark with her very first book itself.

/PhaKuDi

The 3 mistakes of my life

The third book by "India's most read english author" makes a good script for a movie more than a great read. I liked his first book "Five point someone" the best. The second one "One night @ the call center" was a disappointment towards the end. Although the latest one, "The 3 mistakes of my life" has a slightly thrilling ending and is a bit of a page turner, it doesn't leave you with the feeling of having read a great new piece of work from an upcoming author. It feels repetitive - it is set in the same contemporary young india like the other two books, the male lead character bears a borderline cynical attitude, the male and female lead characters end up having an affair. That said, I really like some of the thoughts which keep on inside the lead male charater's head - "A beautiful girl like her doesn't need math. Math is for losers like me.". I sometimes wonder if all of these novels are inspired by Chetan Bhagat's own life, I think atleast some parts of them must be. Anyways, it's not a bad read considering Rupa & Co still choose to price their most revenue generating author's works at Rs. 95 per book.

/PhaKuDi

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

I was a stereotype English movie lover who would worship superhero movies like Hulk, Spiderman and Batman, I would buy box sets of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and watch them three times over (sometimes back to back) until I met my Bollywood Buff of a Girlfriend. Now I make room for Hindi movies too. Yesterday was one such occasion when I had to cook up some appetite for the new movie "Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na" introducing Imran Khan (Aamir Khan's nephew) with Genelia D'Souza in a bit more successful role than the one in her first film.

2 Opposite sex best friends in a college setting not realizing they are perfect for each other till the end of the movie - sounds boring? sounds too simple a storyline? sounds like yet another film to launch some big star's bhaanja? - that's what I thought. Well, it is anything but all that. Whoever says a simple and repetitive storyline can't be made into a beautiful movie should watch this one. It has all elements of a good commercial film - love, a little action, lot of comedy, romance, a hint of senti, etc which come together very well to create a fresh (if not new) and entertaining experience for you. Be it the funny philosophy about Ranjhor ka Rathod or the bubbly friendship in between the lead characters of the film the director Abbas Tyrewala simply knows what he is doing and has executed the script very well. Also, this movie along with the last one (Taare Zameen Par) from Aamir Khan productions has secured a very good name for both Aamir Khan as well as the production house itself. Aamir seems to be an even bigger hit as a producer than as an actor. Though her dialogue delivery isn't perfect for some bits in the film Genelia does her part well and this is her big break in Bollywood. Imran Khan can really be termed as a breath of fresh air when compared to rest of the burly faces introduced this year - Harman Bhaveja, Sikander Kher and the likes. He has a killer smile that even I think is "cute", no wonder if he scores big time with the chicks and aunties. Added to that it seems he has inherited some bit of the acting talent from Aamir. Probably the only thing I don't like about the fellow is his long arms. I would image he has strong arms and strong everything but, in some parts of the movie the arms look a bit oddly long, almost long enough for being termed as scrawny.

The songs - all very nice. Mini (my girl) was totally stuck with the song "Pappu can't dance sala". Every few minutes she would go into this fit, sometimes even scaring / shocking me, reciting the part where a shrill robotic sounding voice would sing "pappu bada naam karega". Phew! The hangover lasted couple of hours.

All in all, it's a definite five starrer and a must watch especially for all the Hindi movie buffs.

/PhaKuDi