Baharul Speaketh

The Last Decade in a Glance

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:35:00 +0000

26^th February, 2000 – First Girlfriend

30^th February, 2000 – We broke up and became friends again. Wrote the first love letter.

March, 2000 – Loved the song ‘Na Tum Jano Na Hum’ from Kaho Na Pyaar Hai which is still my favourite Hindi song.

April, 2000 – First screwed up exam.

12^th April, 2000 – Proposed to Apple, the girl I liked for 3 years. Now you know why I broke up with my first and only girlfriend after 4 days into relationship.

June, 2000 – Saw the first porn film. I still remember every scene from it.

1^st Dec 2000 – Turned 16.

March, 2001 – Appeared for class X board exam.

May, 2001 – Results Declared. Stood 6^th in the class because those CBSE buggers had given me incredibly low marks in my favourite subject. People whom I taught got more marks by a vulgar margin of 20-30 marks.

June, 2001 – Left Navodaya to join GPS in Guwahati

July, 2001 – First exposure to computer and internet. First website – desibaba.com (fake pictures of Bollywood celebrities)

July, 2001 – Discovered that my best friend of 4 years is a filthy rich bastard.

Dec 2001 – Came back to Navodaya as I didn’t like the life in Guwahati. Most importantly I was still fond of Apple.

April 2002 – Second screwed up exam.

May 2002 – My joint family broke over my eldest cousin’s marriage.

2002 – A childhood friend fell in love with me. Stupid me I was still fond of Apple who had left school after class X.

October 2002 - Made my first email ID.

March 2003 – Appeared for class XII board exam in Science Stream.

May 2003 – Result was not that great. Stood second in the class thanks to my poor Mathematics marks. To all those freaky morons who doubt my changing stream in graduation – I got the highest marks in Physics and Chemistry in class. I was the first in school to get 80% and above marks in Physics.

June 2003 – Went to Delhi to prepare for competitive exams. Did nothing except watching movies and listening to FM.

July 2003 – My school was shifted to its permanent building. We lost our connection with our school. First big tragedy of my life.

2003 – Great learning period of my life. The biggest burden in life is to carry nothing.

8^th July, 2004 – Got admission in Ramjas College, Delhi University in the Honours course of Literature in English

16^th July 2004 – Love at first sight, Pari.

21^st September 2004 – First SMS sent

23^rd September 2004 – Reprimanded for the same. She didn’t talk to me for next 2 years for that stupid SMS.

6^th November 2004 – Bouquet of flowers. Now a legend.

November 2004 – Obsession

1st December 2004 - Got my first cellphone

December 2004 – Redemption

2005 – Coming to terms with urban life. Became friends with most of my classmates

September 2005 – My ancestral house fell into the river Beki thus erasing the physical part of my childhoos memory. Second big tragedy of life.

November 2005 – Went on a trip to Mukteshwar from college. The best trip of my life.

1^st Dec 2005 – Turned 21.

June 2006 – A senior in college fell in love with me. Bad luck for me again. I was still madly in love with Pari.

2006 – The best college year. Orkut.

October 2006 - Wrote the first poem in life for Ankita.

January 2007 – Pari finally decided to bury the hatchet and we became friends.

January – March 2007 – Best Period of my life. Living in a dream. Stared blogging. Joined facebook.

1^st May 2007 – Completed my memoir “Someone Like You” and gave it to Pari. Copyright is still mine.

July 2007 – Friendship with Pari went for toss again. This time for a photograph in our college admission brochure.

November – December 2007 – Sat for most of the exams for Management Studies in the country.

December 2007 – Discovered embarrassingly that half of IIMC (not Indian Institute of Management) knows me. Hum to Mashhur hue aapke pyaar mein.

January 2008 – First time went to Mysore to meet my favourite school teacher.

February 2008 – Got selected to study in Icfai Businesss School, Kolkata.

March 2008 – Left Delhi.

May 2008 – Came to Kolkata. The best month in my MBA life – the preparatory classes.

June 2008 – First time experienced truly hectic life.

July 2008 – I started to talk with Pari again. Became friends again.

18th September 2008 - Got my first laptop.

March 2009 – First experienced corporate life. Began to feel literature would have been better.

End March 2009 - First business trip. First trip to Delhi after I left last year. Realized how much I love this place

23^rd March 2009 – Met Pari first time alone. Mere zindagi ke woh sabse khoobsurat sattar minute. Perhaps the last time we met. Date shate nahin ji. Bas thoda mehnat karke ek coincidence banaya tha campus mein. Got my graduation degree the same day.

June 2009 – Met some interesting characters in IBS. First internet friend - Hasna.

August 2009 – Apple got married.

Perhaps August or later 2009 – Friendship with Pari went for a toss again. This time I don’t know why but I am sure the fault is on my side. Does not look like we are going to be friends again. She has blocked me on facebook.

October 2009 - Saw Salman Khan.

November 2009 – Realized that college was the last time I made close friends in big numbers. The number is very few here in Calcutta. Started to read vigorously.

1^st December 2009 – Turned 25. I don’t think I actively love Pari anymore. I mean now I can fall in love with someone else. The definition of love has changed a lot. The age for innocent, unconditional love has just ended. Pari still remains the sacred figure in my life. My Angel of the morning.

December 2009 – Got a greater purpose in life. Academic life is going to end in a month. 3 Idiots came too late eh? Decided to pursue my photography passion.

31^st December 2009 – Eagerly waiting for the new decade and a new phase in life. The girl is definitely not my first priority.

Supernova, Personally

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Two immediate things that come to mind when you think of Tenzin is that he is immensely talented and incredibly lazy. Talking about the talent, his creative energy is more than ordinary. Writes incredibly well which have been loved by everyone who has seen his work. About being lazy – he lives in Andrews Ganj which is five minute walk from South Ex and he travels that distance by auto. If he calls you to meet somewhere, he will leave his place only after you have reached the venue etc etc.

But he has been a great friend since we met during the end of our first year in college. We lived in the same part of Delhi, took almost the same path to college. That became the immediate reason for us to become friends. Going by personalities, one cannot imagine that we can ever be friends. In fact during the third year, a lot of our classmate would often wonder how on earth we could become so close friends. He is urban, suave with a very English taste who always got the girl while I was this semi-rustic Indian who never got the girl. But we have more intangible similarities that made us become such thick friends.

Since I came from a small town I had very little idea about things that had made its presence in post-liberalized India which had yet not reached everywhere. So he taught me how to place orders in CCD, surf net in Reliance Web world, how to pronounce English words correctly, what an i-pod was etc. On my part, every day I had to update him which class we had, which assignment to submit and made him acquainted with the rest of the class. It’s another story that later he changed side and started taking my case. Less about that here!

He is a peculiar person. He would hide most insignificant things on earth – like the fact that he shopped for grocery at home, he picked up his sister from school, or the fact that he loved one of Abhijit Sawant’s song. He thought it would harm his ‘image’ if people know about it. I never knew what image he wanted to project. He would lie to friends very often for no reason. The list of his peculiarity is also endless.

At the very core, he is one of the most caring person you can come across which again he will hide from you. He may have some fun at your expense but would always stand by your side when required. He is very sensitive and observant. He may never talk to you but can tell you when you kept your phone in your back pocket.

On the ‘limitations’ side he is very possessive and insecure. Though he kept talking about his girlfriend since the first day he went out with her we met almost a year after. Of course we spent some wonderful moments after we met. One of the most perfect women I met, I never really understood how she fell for him. :D :D

On a broader level, Tenzin is not the only close friend I have. I guess some people are even closer. But he has undeniably influenced my views and outlook the most. On a lot of occasions I have accepted whatever he said without questioning. A word of appreciation from him meant a lot, which got rarer with passing days. He has been like a brother and I always want him to be so. For that I don’t mind waiting in Ansal Plaza for 40 minutes when it is just 5 minutes walk from his home and I have gone all the way from Calcutta after a year.

P.S. - This post may sound disjointed because memories are often like that.

Politics Of Global Warming

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:38:00 +0000

In 1969, when US President Richard Nixon initiated to make environmental topics (such as Acid Rain and Greenhouse Effect) to be treated by a third and civil pillar in NATO, it was seen as American attempt to regain international terrain after the lost Vietnam War. It is ironic that when some serious steps were required to be taken (much later though), USA stepped back. To continue with the development of environmental concerns, it took another decade for first World Climate Conference to happen. The main concern of 80s was depletion of the Ozone layer caused by a class of chemical compound called Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program, to assess the risk of “Human induced climate change”.

The major development in 90s happened in Kyoto, Japan with the adoption of a Protocol (known as Kyoto Protocol) in 1997 which came into force in 2005. Under the protocol, 37 industrial countries commit themselves to a reduction of four greenhouse gases (Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Sulphur Hexafluoride) and two groups of gases (hydro fluorocarbons and per fluorocarbons) produced by them, and all member countries give general commitments. As of November 2009, 187 countries have signed and ratified the protocol. The most notable non-member of the protocol is the United States of America which is responsible for 36.1% of the 1990 emissions level.

The major contributor to the greenhouse gases are the industrialized, developed countries along with few developing ones. If they cut down on the emissions level, there is a fear that their economies would be in jeopardy. This is the same reason US has been reluctant to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. For developing countries, if they stop industrialization the economic growth would slow down. So no one wants to trade economic growth with environmental concerns. Usage of renewable energy is still minimal. For instance, China’s energy sector is reliant on coal by 70%.

On the other hand, the poor countries are majorly financed by the developed countries. Hence the developed countries would have more bargaining power when negotiating reduction of emissions level. Implicitly, the decisions have to be taken by the developed countries. The European Union has consistently been one of the major nominal supporters of climate issues, negotiating hard to get wavering countries to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

However, there is complications as per as setting emission level is concerned. China’s emission level is high along with the countries like USA, Russia, Germany, Japan etc. But it also has one fifth of the world population. So the per capita emission is much lower than the developed countries. Moreover, many developing countries are being industrialized in recent times to produce goods which are eventually exported to the developed world. Studies suggest that nearly a quarter of China’s emissions result from production of goods exported to developed countries. Who should take responsibility for that?

Presently, the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference is under way and many hopes are pinpointed here as Kyoto Protocol had objective till 2012. A new protocol or understanding has to be reached as the climate change is visible all around. The decisions have to be made, and fast enough.

Rocket Singh - Salesman Of The Year

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:10:00 +0000

Director: Shimit Amin

Producer: Aditya Chopra

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Gauhar Khan, Prem Chopra and few good actors.

The team of Chak De India makes a comeback not with a sequel though. But the subject is as novel and fresh as their previous one. The film undertakes to explore the lives of salesmen, a manifestation of modern business, to put broadly. The film san the trappings of Bollywood film, is a brave attempt at making a good film, which in turn may become commercially successful too. However, commerce hasn’t been given much importance as per as treatment is concerned.

It is the story of Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor), an average graduate, who want to make a career in selling as other avenues seem unattainable to him. He starts with a job in a computer selling company, who mainly assembles and sells to end consumers. However, he soon gets acquainted with the shoddy side of business, where deals are done under the table, all that matters is profit. Morals and Ethics may be damned. Young idealism lands him in trouble and he is pushed to the back office. The rest of the film is about how he comes out of that and writes a success story with the help of the ‘frustrated’ engineer, hot receptionist, the office boy and a corrupt salesman in the office.

The film is great in the first half with some true depiction of real life situations. The way sales people work, office politics, bias towards woman (“Booze would be from the company but no women, so bring your own” the boss announces once amidst the presence of female employees). The story of the underdog really touches you and when he resolves to make it big, you eagerly await for the intermission to end. But the film does not keep the promise post interval and the writing (Jaideep Sahni) is to be blamed. For every successful narrative there are few steps in order – Introduction, Conflict, and Climax. The film is introduced very well but the conflict seems very unconvincing. Harpreet starts his own business and becomes successful. Why does he still operate from the same office knowing well that if caught, they will land up in trouble? When the conflict is not convincing, it does not lead to exciting climax either. The hawkish boss’ sudden change of heart is not well explained either. Had the film found a different, solid conflict it could have been another Chak De India with all its glorifying moments.

Ranbir is terrific. He gets into any character with great ease. Rocket Singh would be another great addition to his CV. But Gauhar Khan takes charge of the film whenever in frame. The role is flamboyant and as potent as a rocket and she does with great panache. The rest of the cast do their parts effectively too. It has three songs which are good. But since music was released just a week ago, it has failed to register with most cine goers to make more concrete impact except the couplet “Pocket Mein Rocket”. Visuals are great as well. Yashraj is perhaps the only production house which can make low budget films with great production values.

Overall, Rocket Singh makes a statement about business practices. With all its failings, it has its moments as well. Though not the film of the year, it deserves a dekko for its novel subject and treatment and some good performances.

Stories We Need To Live

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:44:00 +0000

I am saddened by the way Media, Bollywood paid tribute on 26/11. The day which will go down in history of India as a tragic day when there was barbaric assault on a civilization; a day which will always remind us of the failings our security system. However I am more troubled because this particular day was chosen to remember. There were lives lost but this is not the only occasion when we lost innocent lives to terror. It has been happening from quite some time. There is guerilla war going on in the jungles of Central and South India where hundreds of lives get lost every month. In North-east terrorists blast bombs as if it’s Diwali (as much as 19 bombs go off in one single day in Assam). The big cities are not spared either. The blasts in Sarojini Nagar, Jama Masjid, Mecca Masjid, Bangalore, Mumbai local trains… the list is endless. But why don’t we remember those dates as well? The number of deaths is more sometimes? Were their lives any less important?

The reason is we live in our own stories. The protagonists in those stories are not the common men who die in the endless list I mentioned. Rather the protagonists are the ones who can afford The Taj Hotel. Suddenly when our protagonist become vulnerable, we sit up and take note of the direction the story is taking. If the rich and powerful is not safe, how can we be? We think. But we don’t realize that we were never safe. We have been dying these unknown deaths like the background scene of an epic battle in a film. Just that no one cares to know our names because we are not important to the narratives.

My contention is if we don’t want to forget 26/11, we must not forget other dates as well. And attack on Mumbai by a bunch of hooligans sent by some maniacs from Pakistan was total security failure. As common man we can’t fight terrorists. That’s why chose a government to give us security. We pay taxes to maintain an Army, Police, and Intelligence. But we are still not safe. We are as much vulnerable to a terrorist attack as we were prior to 26/11. Instead of writing a date on our twitter page, should we not be changing the system which has been failing us constantly?

Girl-friends

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:25:00 +0000

I was a cute kid and was a favourite with women – my father’s students or my mum’s friends, my cousin’s classmates etc. Over the years I have had wonderful women in my life. But the surprising thing is that apart from my family, they all have been strictly my friends. I am just wondering about that. I have closest of friends who are women and are indispensable part of my life. Also I have always famously got along with women of all class and creed. Still how come I have always miserably failed with the girls I loved! Not once but many times. It’s the biggest paradox in my life perhaps.

If you fail once, you can put the blame on other side. But if it always repeats eerily the same way, not the highest optimism can save you. Say you believe that every time you choose the wrong girl (By ‘wrong’ I don’t mean bad), the fault is still yours that you choose them or rather fall for them. I have finally realized this fact. Now I am not being able to figure out the point where the problem lies. Do I transform when I fall in love? Do I no longer remain myself? But the truest form of love is when you cease to be yourself. Does it mean true love is never appreciated?

I am not troubled. I am just wondering. I guess I do fine with my girl-friends.

Remaining 'The Other'

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Growing up in the Muslim part of Assam, I was like any other Muslim child not doing things that was forbidden. The two things which were prohibited and most emphasized were Pork and Alcohol. These two things were not even available in my part. After I went to school, I started to live in a cosmopolitan atmosphere. By 11^th standard my non Muslim friends started drinking. Since it was done secretly I never really came across alcohol. My first encounter with alcohol happened in Delhi University. Then I would refer to it as wine not knowing there were so many types of alcohol. During my college days, despite my unwillingness to attend those drinking parties, my friends would insist that I accompany them. Though I showed that I didn’t like it, secretly I loved the gesture. It meant I was important in their lives. But no matter how much they made me feel home, the feeling of ‘the other’ was still there. The culture I was acquainted with in Assam was poles apart from what I met in Delhi. It was like the other end of the spectrum. During my stay, the gap was definitely narrowed but some still remained intact. Not drinking alcohol is one of them.

Calcutta is much more conservative than Delhi, so I don’t meet people who give me does-this-kind-of-species-still-live-on-this-planet kind of look when I say I don’t drink. My MBA friends never insisted me on accompanying them to clubs. Even if they did I guess I managed to escape. Recently a close friend wanted to celebrate her birthday and it turned out quite an adventure. We went out to dine but it stopped with wine only. Then we moved to another part of the city to dine. The drama that happened in between was hilarious to say the least. A different self came out in everyone. After dining we went to lounge bar and danced till they closed shop. In college, though I saw friends getting drunk I didn’t see much of drama which I saw here. Though I was having all the fun, I could not deny that I was still the other. I have almost forgotten to live in a culture that I completely belong. Even back home I don’t fit in completely because of my ‘urban-ness’ and here because of my conservatism. Also people back in Assam don’t exactly believe that I have remained as I was.

But I never felt the urge to be like ‘them’. At times it is a bit lonely to be the ‘other’. But most of the times it feels special to be unique.

Sibling Revelry

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:59:00 +0000

My siblings are much younger to me. Rocky is five and years younger while Rasna is eight years. Both were very young when I left home 13 years ago. Rocky being closer to my age did spend some time with me but I could hardly spend any time with Rasna. Over the years we stayed together only during my vacations with maximum 2 months at stretch. Being the youngest child Rasna would accompany our parents during my parents’ days. But she ended up spending more time with my girlfriends than with me. She is all grown up now and studies in the same school. Though I make friends easily, she is one person I am yet not been able to be friendly with. May be in time to come we will become friends. Rocky on other hand has always been very pally with me though he is least like me.

In our separate lives, there were hardly any moment we lived ‘together’. However the time is soon coming. Rasna will appear for her class X exam; Rocky for class XII and I will appear for my Masters Degree, all early next year. With our separate lives, hundreds of miles apart, we will finally live the same life. For a little time may be; but we will live our moments together.

Another Year Goes By

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:57:00 +0000

I am at a very interesting phase of my life. In less than a month I will complete my 25 years on this planet (Not a day less ‘cos I have never been out of this planet). Twenty five years is seen as the official age of adult though general theories would say by 20 you are no longer a teenager. Whatever, but you become an adult by 25 even if you grow at a slower rate.

Changes are all around me. The way I look at life, my priorities, my goals everything is changing…rather rapidly. I have mixed feelings about it though. I am sad that a great phase of life is going to end and I am happy that a new life is about to begin. Over the years I have realized that whenever you compare your lives at different stages nostalgia always wins. So I would rather not compare. Life has been wonderful till now.

When I look back into the 25 years, the thing I miss the most is the time I lost to spend with my father. The time that I most cherish is also the times I spent with him. The person, whom I have always looked up to and loved the most, is also the one who guides my way at every crossroad. Today (11 November) will be 13 years since I came away from him. But it was an inevitable aspect of the life. He has become more precious for that, perhaps. Other things come to my mind from my childhood are the wonderful seasons of Assam (may be another post for that), my trysts with different aspect nature that I came to discover.

Coming back to the changes I feel today. The most important one would be the feeling of love. The meanings change with age. At one point or rather most of life, love meant stealing a glance of her. Now it’s no longer like that. Companionship is so important to be in love. Earlier I could never believe why people break after going to different places. May at this juncture I would understand better.

Of the last 25 years, I spent almost half with my family and half with my friends. Who would I chose? Family. Over the years friends whoever I loved have substituted my family by becoming an alternate family to me. Today, they are no less important than family to me.

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Director: Rajkumar Santoshi

Star Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Darshan Zariwala, Smita Jaykar, Zakir, Upen Patel and a Superstar in a very special appearance.

Till couple of years ago Rajkumar Santoshi claimed that he never repeated a genre in the films he made. But he can no longer do that as he goes back to comedy after 15 years of making the cult classic “Andaaz Apna Apna”. Well, comparing APKGK with the Salman-Aamir starrer would be blasphemous, but the present film is hilarious and will make you roll with laughter.

The film is about Prem (Ranbir Kapoor) a happy go lucky guy in a hill-town who runs a Happy Club with a bunch of funny morons. He has an adorable family. Jenny (Katrina Kaif) is a simple girl who shifts to the town and Prem falls in love at the first sight. However, the man who helps lovers unite is quite unable to express his own feelings and soon discovers that his lady love already belongs to someone else. However, Jenny does not have a hunky dory love story either because of dushman-zamana. The rest of the film is about Prem’s efforts to put Jenny’s life in order and see her happily married to her beloved.

The film is a welcome change from the crude comedies that have been served in recent times. APKGK is a clean comedy and in our times making a comedy without any innuendo is almost unimaginable for which the director should be applauded. It is a mix of both situational as well as slapstick which results in non-stop laughter. The villains den, kidnapping the heroine – it has everything with super hilarious climax. The film also takes the Bollywood setting to a small town, which is very rare in this multiplex-era. The town has a lot of innocence and purity which makes a great backdrop to the unrequited love story of Prem. All praise to the director. Though he has been making great films, box office success has often eluded him. Perhaps APKGK will end that.

Ranbir Kapoor has pitched in a great performance. He is funny and adorable at the same time. Till now I thought of him as an overrated star but he is the big star material. Katrina Kaif is superb. Finally the girl has ‘learned’ acting. In couple of scenes she will move you to tears. She is convincing as the de-glam girl. But when Prem wants to transform Jenny into ‘Katrina Kaif’, she actually turns super hot in a song sequence. She is in her best form. The rest of the cast has ably supported them.

Music by Pritam is terrific as it is already climbing the charts. Cinematography finely captures the beautiful location.

Overall, APKGK is a hilariously funny film with a sweet romantic track. The film is an ode to a superstar. If you can’t figure out who I am talking about from the title of the film then Go watch it and have a great time. At the box office, the film is gonna rock. Another hit on store.

BLUE - Movie Review

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Director: Anthony D’souza

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan, Rahul Dev and Katrina Kaif (Spl App)

Anthony D’ Souza is a first timer who dons the cap of directing one of the biggest films in recent times in terms of canvas and star cast. The expectations are bound to go high and that’s what goes against the film and most importantly the director. The same thing happened with Kambakkht Ishq which showed that only packaging does not make a film great; you need to have a competent director as well. To Akshay Kumar’s woe the phenomenon gets repeated here. Anthony D’Souza needs to learn a lot before he can handle such huge project.

Post India’s independence its treasure kept in Bahamas, a British colony, was supposed to be returned to the home country which gets lost due to ship wreck. Come to present, Akshay Kumar owns a fishing company but his main goal in life is to find that treasure apart from womanizing of course. But he needs Sanjay Dutt’s (his employee) help to unearth the hidden secret. Both have their secrets and a connection to that treasure. How turn of events lead these two to go for treasure hunt forms the rest of the story, which you will figure out very easily due to poor writing and direction.

D’souza fails to extract even decent performances from Dutt and Kumar who can deliver when required. The climax is abrupt and is quite non happening. The treatment is ordinary. The flaws of Blue are because of flaws of the director.

Coming to the good part, Lara Dutta is super hot in her bikini scenes which are quite a few. A R Rahman’s music as well as background score is outstanding as usual. The canvas is huge and cinematography is excellent but the best part is action. Done by a Hollywood director, action is the USP of the film. Though under water sequences don’t offer much due to the story, the surface action is at par with Hollywood and sets new standard for action films in Bollywood and the film deserves to be seen just for that.

Among actors, Sanjay Dutt’s character needed a much younger actor, younger to even Akshay. At 50, Dutt is anything but convincing as a struggler, who is yet to settle with his girlfriend. Akshay is good but not outstanding. Zayed is still stuck on his Main Hoon Na days and Lara does not have much to do except showing her well toned body which a treat.

Overall, Blue does not belong to its actors or to the director. It belongs to the technicians. Since the length of the film is lower than 2 hours, there is not much scope to get bored despite its mediocrity. For a regular moviegoer it is definitely recommended! It’s a visual treat.

***1/2

WANTED - Movie Review

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:34:00 +0000

Star Cast: Salman Khan, Ayesha Takia Azmi, Prakash Raj, Mahesh Manjrekar, Inder Kumar, Manoj Pahwa, Mehak Chahal and Vinod Khanna.

Director: Prabhu Dheva

Story: Puri Jagannath

When your all time favourite actor and actress decide to come together for a film, immediately it becomes the most awaited film for you. At the same time, you would be apprehensive whether or not the film is going to be a memorable one. But if it’s a remake of one of your favourite films, then you are pretty sure about the outcome. So you can’t resist watching the film even if your end term exams are underway!

Wanted is story of Radhe (Salman Khan), a mercenary goon who soon graduates to a criminal working for the infamous Mumbai mafia. With his fearlessness and effective strategy, he soon becomes the dependable man for the Don as he single handedly eliminates his enemies. Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia Azmi) is a middle class girl who works to earn bread and butter for her family of mother and a young brother. After couple of chanced encounters, she falls in love with Radhe despite the fact that he does not fit her dream boy’s bill. But before she could commit herself, she discovers the ruthless side of Radhe. As her repeated attempts to change him fail, she also fails to stop herself from loving him. To add to the mayhem, there is a lecherous cop (Mahesh Manjrekar) who wants to take advantage of Jhanvi’s family condition, there is an over-aged landlord (Manoj Pahwa) pursuing her relentlessly.

But not everything is what it seems. There is a well kept secret which when revealed will bring endless destruction. Sacrifices have to be made. The question is not whether it would happen or not. The question is when!

The film is a wholesome entertainer with a potent mix of action, romance, comedy and tragedy. A great reminder of the films of yore which was all about heroism but done in a very contemporary, slick way without using much of the clichés. Though action is predominant throughout the film, it has a beautiful love story imbibed within and Ayesha Takia makes it much more lovable! It has few beautiful moments between the top actors that you savour much after the film gets over. While action gives the thrill, the comedy laughter, the romance brings the sensitive part of the story. The dialogues are witty and there are plenty of ‘whistle’ moments. Overall, it is a fast paced film which takes you for non-stop entertainment.

Salman Khan hits back after a slew of mediocre films in past two years. He just has to be in the frame to be the character. He looks fabulous, dances great and perhaps this is his best action role till date. When he beats up 20 guys at one go, it is actually believable – the only aspect where Wanted did better than its original. Though the action is same as the original just that he makes it more believable by his sheer presence. He romances Ayesha Takia well too. But in the later part of the film, he shows the same ‘angry look’ which he reserves for his rivals to Ayesha as well which I think didn’t work for the story. There are few emotional scenes and he carries them really well.

To me Ayesha Takia is the best actress ever born and she always stands up to the expectations. Though she is better in subtle scenes, she carries her ‘masala’ part well too. She brings the much needed balance to the film, an opposite of the violent and arrogant Salman Khan.

But the scene stealer is Prakash Raj as Ghani Bhai. The two time national award winning actor is the main villain in the film and he is unlike any you have seen before. He is comical and menacing at the same time. He is the only actor who is part of all three films. Perhaps no one else could have done the role except him. The significant change made is Wanted is that Prakash Raj’s role has been extended and he is effective to say the least.

Mahesh Manjrekar as the lecherous cop is good. Inder Kumar, Mehak Chahal and Manoj Pahwa extend able support to the film. Vinod Khanna in his brief role does the best scene in the film. In fact the pre-climax scene is sure to give you goose pimples.

The person who needs to be applauded the most is Puri Jagannath, the writer of the story as well as the director of Pokiri, the Telugu original. The script is foolproof. The fact that it became super hit in Tamil and now in Hindi gives enough testimony for the script. As a film too, it’s a scene to scene copy of Pokiri which talks volumes about Jagannath’s directorial abilities. Prabhu Dheva did make some changes and he is quite effective in that but it’s too less and insignificant to give him the credit. The film is essentially Puri Jagannath’s dream.

The music by Sajid-Wajid is ordinary. Except Dil Leke, there are not many tracks that you would like to take home though you might enjoy them at that moment. The background music by Salim-Sulaiman is subtle unlike the original which is great. The action is raw and well executed, though a lot has been copied from a foreign film. Choreography is of top notch which is obvious when the director is the best dancer in the country.

Wanted may not be a great film per se but it’s one of the best films made in its category. The tender hearted people might find some action scenes hard to see, but there are plenty of beautiful moments to compensate for that. For action buffs, it’s a sheer delight. Above all, if you want to be entertained, go watch Wanted. The film comes with an invisible tag line – satisfaction guaranteed!

Part III?

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:18:00 +0000

The trend of making a series of films with same characters or carrying the story forward is very common in Hollywood. The fourth part of Spielberg’s Indiana Jones series released last year after almost two decades. Harry Potter… series is eagerly awaited each time a new installment arrives. The trend of making sequels is very recent in India. The first director who walked on this less travelled path was Mahesh Manjrekar who made Hathyar (2002) as a sequel to Vaastav, his most acclaimed and successful film so far. But the sequel didn’t work and nobody perhaps even remembers it as a sequel.

In the year 2004, Yashraj film’s Dhoom directed by Sanjay Gadhvi became a huge hit. During the promotion of the film the actors were fondly remembering the shooting and wished if a sequel could be made but the culture was non-existent in India. But the idea struck the maverick producer Aditya Chopra and he decided to make a sequel to the film. After the announcement, two other filmmakers whose films had become huge hits in the previous year also chose the path. Rakesh Roshan decided to follow up super hit Koi Mil Gaya with Krrish and Rajkumar Hirani decided to make Lage Raho Munnabhai as a sequel to the cult film Munnabhai MBBS.

All the sequels arrived in 2006. The first one to come and woo the audience the world over was Hrithik Roshan starrer Krrish which became first successful superhero film in Hindi film industry. Though it didn’t receive the same critical acclaim but it went much ahead in box-office collections than the previous one. It was followed by Sanjay Dutt-Arshad Warsi starrer Lago Raho Munnabhai which became much bigger hit than the prequel. Lage Raho… was not a conventional sequel where story is carried forward; rather two most important and popular characters of the first part were kept and a new story was written for the film. Words like ‘gandhigiri’ became a part of popular culture and many incidents happened in real life which was directly influenced by the film. The last film to come that year was Dhoom: 2 starring Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Uday Chopra and Bipasha Basu which went on to become the biggest grosser of the year despite some multiplex chains not playing the film due to revenue issues. These sequels became the top three grosser in the year.

After 3 years, there are no concrete plans to make ‘part three’ to all these successful films though all the makers are very much keen to make their respective films. Post Dhoom: 2, director Sanjay Gadhvi’s contract with Yashraj films got over and he left the production house to make Kidnap with Sanjay Dutt and Imran Khan which was a flop when released last year. He is now planning 7 days in Paris with Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif. It is sure that he is not returning to Yashraj soon and hence the part 3 of this hit franchisee might not be directed by the original director. There were rumours that Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan would come together for Dhoom: 3 which will be directed by Aditya Chopra (who makes only romantic films as a director) himself. But proving the rumours wrong Aditya went on to make Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi with his favourite actor Shahrukh Khan which became a big hit bringing Yashraj films back on track. Though no formal announcement about the making of the film has been made yet, it is highly likely that Shahrukh will play the glamorous and ever elusive thief in the film. Still there is time till we can see the adrenaline pumping action sequences in part 3.

The same delay happened to other two films as well. Vidhu Vinod Chopra announced Munnabhai Chale Amerika and even released a trailer with Eklavya (2007) but the makers decided to go ahead with 3 Idiots with Aamir Khan in the lead. The film will release by Christmas this year and the director can start working on part 3 only after that. Rakesh Roshan announced Krrish 2 but nothing more has been done to it. Meanwhile he produced Krazzy 4 (2008) and Kites (yet to release). Hrithik Roshan who works on one film at a time is shooting for Sanjay Bhansali’s Guzarish which means Krrish 2 is not happening anytime soon. Meanwhile Ram Gopal Varma paid his tribute to The Godfather with Amitabh-Abhishek starrer Sarkar (2005) which became a moderate hit. It was followed by Sarkar Raj (2008) which couldn’t become a huge box office success either. Varma has no immediate plans to make, if at all it happens, the part 3 of his Sarkar series either.

There is no doubt that part three of at least one of the series will release, but it is taking too long a time and it doesn’t seem to happen soon either. As viewers we have to wait for sometime till our favourite Munnabhai-Circuit make us roll with laughter or desi super hero taking on bad guys to save the world or a cool cop with his buffoon assistant chasing the shadows of an elusive thief.

Kaminey

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:13:00 +0000

Written, Music, Directed by: Vishal Bhardwaj

Lyrics by: Gulzar

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Amole Gupte

When Vishal Bhardwaj does not make films about children (Makdee, The Blue Umbrella) he ventures into the murkier side of human character and society (Maqbool, Omkara). He doesn’t see world in black and white. His world is grey, so are its characters and its colour. Kaminey is no different.

Charlie and Guddu (Shahid Kapoor) are identical twins with physical disabilities. Charlie lisps while Guddu stammers. But the similarities end here. Both are very different in their characters and outlook towards life. They dislike each other and hence live separately. Sweety (Priyanka Chopra) is a young, headstrong Marathi girl who will go to any extent to get her love (Guddu) even if it means not telling him that her brother (Amole Gupte) is a gangster with political aspirations. The problem is that the brother is contesting election from a party which stands for Marathi chauvinism so he can not marry his sister to a North Indian. On Charlie’s part, he has just lost his entire money in Horse racing because whoever he had fixed double crossed him. Accidentally he lands himself in the middle of a drug deal between corrupt anti narcotics department and Mafia. Now, both have to run for their lives simultaneously. Their paths are inevitable to cross and they cannot escape from revisiting their intertwined history.

The film is essentially a ‘Satire’ with element of ‘Absurd’ throughout the film. It is a satire on the divisional politics, law enforcement departments, inter-racial marriage (there is very witty reference to Rizwanur Rahman case), relationships and above all society’s double standards. The director explores the sibling relationship in different milieus. Apart from Charlie and Guddu, there are three Bengali Muslim brothers who are big bookies, two corrupt brothers at anti narcotics department, the two African brothers who smuggle drugs and of course Sweety with her brother. The dynamics between them actually determines the proceedings of the film.

The lead actors deliver their best performances till date. Shahid Kapoor has done so well in the double role that you will feel that two different actors are playing those roles. Priyanka Chopra is superb and greatly convincing - whether she claims to know “Home Science” or when she pleads to save her husband’s life. Amole Gupte (The writer of Taare Zameen Par) is excellent as the opportunist politician.

But the film belongs to Vishal Bhardwaj. Apart from the credits mentioned above, he has also written the dialogues, co-written the screenplay, done the background score (which is superb) and sung the title track. This is proof enough of his versatility as well as completeness as a filmmaker. The characters are very real yet they are entirely new. His understanding of complexities of characters and society is amazing. The film is like an onion with multiple layers in it. You need to keep all your senses open to explore it. He is arguably one of the best filmmakers in the country we have today.

The person who stands tall to him is the lyricist Gulzaarsaab who never seems to resort to ghisa-pita lyrics that we come across in every other film. His lines are extraordinary as expected from a distinguished poet. The music of the film ably supports the lyrics and takes the soundtrack to a different level. No wonder it is ruling the charts.

Finally, this is amazing piece of cinema which will go into the annals of Bollywood as outstanding work. But the only hitch is that as viewers we are so much fed with escapist cinema that it will take some time till we get the hang of Vishal Bhardwaj’s dark yet real world. But keep patience, the experience will be wonderful.

Rating ****1/2

Goodbye, Sweetheart

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 08:35:00 +0000

When you came you conquered

The damage you did was irreparable

I ask forgiveness

For I failed to resist you

I forgive you

For your unintentional tyranny

As you leave

Pick up every rubble and go

Let no sign remain

Of your footsteps

Home Truths

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:45:00 +0000

Recently Emran Hashmi alleged that a housing society in Mumbai didn’t give him a No Objection Certificate to buy a flat because he was a Muslim. A lot of us might find it shocking that why would somebody deny home to a star. But he is not the first case. Earlier it happened with Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Saif Ali Khan and many others who chose to keep it quiet. The reason I am writing this is because the incident has direct echo in my life. Finding an accommodation is indeed difficult for Muslims in India.

In 2003, I went to Delhi for my further studies. The first house I stayed in Hauz Khas belonged to Muslims. They didn’t have any identification issues. In fact they thought we were Hindus until Eid when we went out to pray wearing the traditional attire. After three years, few of my friends came from Assam and we decided to move to a bigger place because the space wasn't enough. We moved to Gautam Nagar just couple of miles away. We went through a property dealer and he had to do the police verification for us. It took unusually long for us and the dealer got frustrated after a point of time, “Otherwise it happens so quickly, they are taking so much time this time”. Soon police landed up in our flat to check our identities. There was perhaps order from top level to check every Muslim who seeks house in the capital. I knew that the whole verification was being done because we were Muslims, so did the officer and he was not at all comfortable doing it. He kept his cool throughout and politely replied despite some of my caustic comments.

That was the only time I changed my house in Delhi. Last year I came to Calcutta and I didn’t need to worry about my accommodation as my cousin was already staying here. He had come to Calcutta a year before. The day he had come to see the present accommodation Calcutta was flooded with rain. They searched the house walking in knee deep water. The landlady was shifting to a new house and she wanted to make her present house a PG for boys. After the initial talk when she learned that they were Muslims, the landlady flatly refused that she can’t rent her house to Muslims. After the intervention of her ‘progressive’ son, they were allowed. Two years hence, my cousin and his friend are the only guys living in the flat throughout and a darling of the landlady. We pay rent on time, we behave well with her. Whenever she comes, she sits only in our room. We are even more favourite with our maid. Many people came and went, but we have been living here without any issues.

Coming back to Hashmi and Co, this is a lesson for them to know that people love their characters on screen, not necessarily their real selves. I also want to point out that I personally don’t have any grudge with the policeman or this landlady. But when such incidents occur with someone else, those not-so-pleasant experiences come to haunt me, or should I say “us”.

WANTED

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:13:00 +0000

CAST

Salman Khan

Ayesha Takia

Prakash Raj

Mahesh Manjrekar

Vinod Khanna

Aseem Merchant

Inder Kumar

Govind Namdeo

CREW

Directed by: Prabhu Dheva

Produced by: Boney Kapoor (S.K Productions)

Music : Sajid Wajid

Story: Puri Jagannath

Background Score: Salim-Sulaiman

Music Label: T Series (Releasing in August)

Release Date: 18 September, 2009

SYNOPSIS

Radhe (Salman Khan) is one of the wheels of the mafias, but with a difference. He is a trained street fighter and shooter who is totally fearless. A man who can keep his cool, in a situation where death itself is looking at him in the eye. He is rebellious and loves to defy authority. He cannot think of being in any other position but the leader's, always fighting his way to impossible goals. He works for Ganibhai, the most dreaded Mafioso, but on his own terms.

Mafia Don Ganibhai (Prakash Raj) has a great mind for strategy, which is razor sharp. He stays in a foreign country but comes to India whenever the need arises. He is revered and feared by friends and foes alike. Ganibhai is the worst enemy anyone could wish for. He is vindictive to the point of being sadistic. He will not only destroy his enemy but wipe him off completely.

Radhe is in love with a girl named Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia). They share a strange love hate relationship. Jhanvi tries to change him by imploring him to leave the world of crime, but Radhe, though he loves her, is too hardcore a criminal to adhere to her wishes.

Radhe moves ahead in his criminal world by single handedly eliminating Ganibhai's enemies with his wit, grit and fearless strategy. A time comes when Ganibhai, whom Radhe has never seen arrives in India specially to meet him. He then offers Radhe a job, which Radhe for the first time refuses point blank, in return making Ganibhai his biggest enemy. Then the surprise element of the story arrives, a twist that changes the very premise on which the story is based on. A shocking twist that makes Radhe - WANTED by the mafia and by the law

TRIVIA

ü TThis film is a remake of Telugu super hit film Pokiri starring Mahesh Babu and Ileana D’Cruz. When the film released in 2006, it broke all the previous box office record in Telugu film industry.

ü TThe film was remade in Tamil by Prabhudeva with the name Pokkiri starring Vijay and Asin which again became a big hit.

ü P Puri Jagannath who wrote the original story as well as directed the original version had earlier worked with Ayesha Takia in Super and wanted to again cast her in Pokiri but she couldn’t do the film due to some problems.

ThT Ayesha is finally working with one of the Khan triumvirate. Earlier she was considered for Shahrukh Khan's Main Hoon Na and Aamir Khan's Ghajini but it didn't work out.

Thi This is Salman Khan's first role as a gangster.

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Photo Courtesy

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Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Director: Michael Bay

Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro.

When the film opened on 24 June in the USA it felt short by couple of millions to create history earning US$ 201 million in the opening weekend standing next only to The Dark Knight (US$ 203) in all time big openers. When Michael Bay (Bad Boys, Armageddon, Pearl Harbour) is at the helm of direction, Steven Spielberg (ET, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones series) at the executive production and already a hit prequel, the expectations are bound to go high. Surprisingly it released in India this week without much hype as I didn’t find a single ad on newspapers prior to its release.

The film takes the story forward from the first part of the planned series. It’s been two years since the last encounter with the Decepticons where Optimus Prime, the leader of Autobots came out victorious. Now Optimus heads a military organization with human beings where fellow Autobots have also joined in. While hunting a decepticon in Shanghai, they come to know that the Fallen is planning to take revenge. Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) has graduated from school and is going to join college to learn astronomy while trying to lead a normal life. But his destiny is intertwined with the aliens as he possesses what they seek, much unknown to him. Soon he is drawn into a conflict which apparently is not his. But as the story unfolds it is discovered that the so called aliens are not new to earth as they have been living here for thousands of years. In this grand battle of Autobots Vs Decepticons, the humans must take side with the Autobots to stop the Fallen and save the earth from annihilation.

As it happens with all sequels, the narrative structure of the film follows the trend of the earlier one. Innocent human beings who are going about their lives are affected by the larger than life events and soon they are in the middle of a war and secrets start revealing itself. The best part of the story is that it has been able to camouflage with the real history of Human race over the years. In the film, the main action takes place in the cradle of all civilizations, Egypt and it is wonderfully shot.

Although there could be hardly any scope in this kind of adventure films to show histrionics as an actor, it can be seen that Shia LaBeouf is maturing as an actor. The ‘boy’ is fast growing to a Man and is heading to be a prominent star in Hollywood. Megan Fox’s role is less defined than the previous one hence loses its significance. Josh Duhamel reprises his role as the Major who leads the fight against the awesome aliens and is fairly competent. But the man who steals the show is John Turturro as Agent Simmons who causes much of the trouble to Sam Witwicky in the first part. When things become too formidable for Sam to carry on, Simmons shows the way and indeed seizes his moment to stand out for his country. Also, his comic timing is of top grade.

The aspect where the film is outstanding is its action and visuals. The scale is huge, locations breathtaking, and greatly executed. I am personally fond of aerial shots and the film has a galore of it. It is one of the most extravagantly shot films in recent times. To the film’s discredit, some of the characters which played significant roles in the prequel were not developed properly. Add to that the first part of the film lacks the flow in narration and hence fails to thrill. But as the story progresses the film picks pace and leads to a grand finale.

At the end, the film deserves to be seen for its brilliant action and grandeur. The experience could be awesome. And for all those Transformers fans, the 3^rd installment is already announced. Cheers!

Movies I saw in 3 Months

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:06:00 +0000

My summer internship was smoothen by the following factor. I have never seen so many films in such a short span of time.

1. Johnny Gaddar (Hindi) Neil Nitin Mukesh, Rimi Sen, Dharmendra

2. Chirutha (Telegu) Introducing Ram Charan Teja (Chiranjeevi’s son)

3. Jodhaa Akbar (Hindi) 3^rd time Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

4. Pokiri (Telugu) Mahesh Babu, Ileana D’cruz

5. Fanaa (Hindi) 3^rd time Aamir Khan, Kajol

6. Saamy (Tamil) Vikram, Trisha

7. Enemy of the state (English) Will Smith, Gene Hackman

8. Boys (Tamil) Introducing Siddhartha, Genelia

9. Charlie’s Angels (English) Drew Barrymore, Charlize Theron, Lucy Liu

10. Khuda Kay Liye (Urdu) 3^rd time Shan, Naseeruddin Shah, Iman Ali

11. The 13^th Warrior (English) Antonio Banderas

12. Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar (Hindi) Ruslan Mumtaz, Hazel

13. The war of the worlds (English) Tom Cruise

14. Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu (Tamil) Kamal Haasan, Jyotika

15. The Kite Runner (English)

16. Teesri Manzil (Hindi) Shammi Kapoor

17. Rogue Assassin (English) Jet Li, Jason Statham

18. Mumbai Salsa (Hindi) Vir Das, Manjari Phadnis

19. Gharsana (Telugu) Venkatesh, Asin

20. Kung Fu Panda (English)

21. Sins (English) Shiney Ahuja, Seema Rehmani

22. Ghajini (Hindi) 3^rd time Aamir Khan, Asin

23. Independence Day (English) Will Smith

24. Mississippi Burning (English) Gene Hackman

25. Bommarillu (Telugu) Siddhartha, Genelia

26. The Sword Of Tipu Sultan (Series) Disc 1

27. Sunday (Hindi) 8th time Ayesha Takia, Ajay Devgan, Arshad warsi

28. Tere Ghar Ke Samne (Hindi) Dev Anand

29. Apocalypto (English) Directed by Mel Gibson

30. Love Story 2050 (Hindi) Priyanka Chopra

31. Aata (Telugu) Siddhartha, Ileana

32. Poison Ivy (English) Drew Barrymore

33. Fantastic 4: Rise of the silver surfer (English)

34. Devdasu (Telugu) Introducing Ileana D’Cruz

35. Syriana (English) George Clooney, Matt Damon

36. Sahara (English)

37. Rush Hour 3 (English) Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker

38. Idiocracy (English)

39. Enchanted (English) on a very special recommendation

40. Blood Diamond (English) Leonardo Di Caprio

41. Bachelor Party (English) Tom Hanks

42. The Contractor (English)

43. Hindustani (Hindi) Kamal Haasan, Urmila, Manisha Koirala

44. Sye (Telugu) Genelia, Nitin

45. Yes Man (English) Jim Carrey

46. X-Men (English) Hugh Jackman

47. Jugaad (Hindi) Manoj Bajpai

48. The Marine (English) John Cenna

49. Cloverfield (English)

50. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Hindi) ‘cos my cousin hadn’t seen it

51. The Sword of Tipu Sultan (Series) Disc 2

52. Tropic Thunder (English) Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Ben Stiller

53. The Lost World: Jurassic Park

54. Behind Enemy Lines II (English)

55. Dhokha (Hindi) Introducing Mozammil Ibrahim, Tulip Joshi

56. Money Hai to Honey Hai (Hindi) Govinda and others

57. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (English) Harrison Ford

58. International Crook (Hindi) Paying tribute to Feroz Khan on his death

59. The Sixth Sense (English) Bruce Willis

60. Demolition Man (English) Sylvester Stallone

61. Fool N Final (Hindi) Ayesha Takia, Shahid Kapoor

62. Rush Hour (English) Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker

63. Jurm (Hindi) Bobby Deol, Lara Dutta

64. 1947 Earth (Hindi) Aamir Khan, Nandita Das

65. The Train (Hindi) Emran Hashmi

66. Allari Pidugu (Telugu) Katrina Kaif, Balakrishna

67. Videsh (Hindi) Preity Zinta

68. Don (Telugu) Nagarjuna

69. 13B (Hindi) R. Madhavan

70. The Inner/Outer world of Shahrukh Khan (Documentary)

71. If Only (English) Again on recommendation

72. Athidhi (Telugu) Mahesh Babu, Amrita Rao

73. Manorama Six feet Under (Hindi) 2^nd time Abhay Deol

74. Taarzan: the Wonder Car (Hindi) Introducing Ayesha Takia

75. Collateral (English) Tom Cruise, Jamie Fox

76. Romeo Must Die (English) Jet Li

77. The Patriot (English) Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger

78. King Kong (English) Jack Black, Naomi Watts

79. Hulk (English) Eric Bana

80. Rush Hour 2 (English) Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker

81. The Matrix Reloaded (English) Keanu Reeves

82. Jurassic Park III (English)

83. Schindler’s List (English)

84. Antaheen (Bengali) Rahul Bose

85. Tasveer (Hindi) Ayesha Takia, Akshay Kumar

86. Karma Aur Holi (English) Sushmita Sen

87. Bobby (Hindi) Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia

88. No Smoking (Hindi) Ayesha Takia

89. Kalpurush (Bengali) Mithun Chakraborty, Rahul Bose

90. Darr (Hindi) Sunny Deol, Juhi Chawla, Shahrukh Khan

91. Aloo Chat (Hindi) Aftab, Aamna

92. Aliens vs Predators (English)

93. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (English)

94. The Transporter (English) Jason Statham

95. Shoot ‘Em Up (English) Clive Owen, Monica Belluci

96. Harry potter and the philosopher’s stone (English)

97. Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets (English)

98. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (Hindi) Preity Zinta

99. The Mummy (English)

100. Namastey London (Hindi) 2^nd time

101. Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban

102. Prince No. 1 (Dubbed from Telugu) Preity Zinta, Mahesh Babu

103. Universal Soldier (English)

104. Dhaam Dhoom (Tamil) Kangana Ranaut

105. Thank You for smoking (English)

106. Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom (English)

107. Amar Akbar Anthony (Hindi)

108. Ghajini (Tamil) Surya, Asin

109. Bulletproof Monk (English)

110. Welcome to Sajjanpur (Hindi)

111. Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar (Hindi) Salman Khan

112. Chandramukhi (Tamil) Superstar Rajnikanth

113. Khal Nayak (Hindi) Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri

114. Rangeela (Hindi) 2^nd time Aamir Khan, Urmila, Jackie Shroff

115. Gladiator (English) Russel Crow, Jaquin Phoenix

116. Chachi 420 (Hindi) Kamal Haasan, Tabu

117. Charlie Wilson’s war (English) Tom Hanks, Om Puri, Julia Roberts

118. The International (English) Clive Owen, Naomi Watts

119. Unleashed (English) Jet Li, Morgan Freeman

120. Arahan (dubbed from Korean)

121. Dil Deke Dekho (Hindi) Shammi Kapoor

122. Baaghi (Hindi) Salman Khan, Nagma

123. Sadak (Hindi) Sanjay Dutt, Pooja Bhatt

124. Nijam (Telugu) Mahesh Babu

125. Golden Eye (English) Pierce Brosnan

126. The Girl Next Door (English)

127. Khuda Gawah (Hindi) Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi

128. Indra (Telugu) Chiranjeevi

129. You’ve Got Mail (English) Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan

130. The Good Shepherd (English) Matt Damon

131. Harry Potter and the goblet of fire (English)

132. Die Hard 3 (English) Bruce Willis

133. That Thing You Do (English) Tom Hanks

134. Underworld 3 (English)

135. The Green Mile (English) Tom Hanks

136. The fast and the furious 4 (English)

137. Okkadu (Telugu) Mahesh Babu

138. Aa Dekhen Zara (Hindi) Niel Mukesh

139. Big (English) Tom Hanks

140. Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix (English)

141. The Godfather (English) Marlon Brando, Al Pacino

142. Turner &Hooch (English) Tom Hanks

143. Straight (Hindi) Vinay Pathak

144. Gulal (Hindi) Kay Kay

145. Cast Away (English) Tom Hanks

146. Angels & Demons (English) Tom Hanks

147. Shanghai Noon (English) Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson

148. Pokkiri (Tamil) Vijay, Asin

149. Billa (Tamil) Ajith, Nayanthara

150. My Fair Lady (English)

151. Pyaar Ke Side Effects (Hindi) Rahul Bose, Mallika Sherawat

152. Dashavatar (Dubbed from Tamil) Kamal Haasan, Asin, Mallika

153. Death Race (English)

154. The Last of the Mohicans (English)

Salman, Filmfare and I

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:21:00 +0000

The reason Salman Khan’s name preceded Filmfare is because I don’t know when I became his fan but I exactly remember the time I first saw/read a Filmfare. It was the February edition of 1994. During that time I had just started with my abc of English as my preliminary education has been in Assamese. I guess I could just read the names of actors and films and could see the photographs. The cover had Karisma and Govinda. Back then Govinda was a big star and they were doing some hit films which are now considered cheap. It had carried interview of Aamir Khan, soon after the birth of his son Junaid (excerpt of which I have published earlier). After seeing a photograph of Shahrukh Khan I wondered is this guy also an actor. One thing was sure I had fallen in love with this magazine right then.

By the time I became aware of the world around me, the country was gripped with Salman hysteria as his film Maine Pyaar Kiya was a monstrous hit. Watching new films in those days was tough though. There was cinema hall in the town which was around 13 km away but that was the privilege of the grownups. My village had no electricity. There was TV in my house which was run on batteries. But it couldn’t take the load of VCRs. Then Doordarshan showed films of Rajesh Khanna or Rishi Kapoor which at that point I disliked so much. So no new films for me! By ’93 I was allowed to go to the bazaar which was 2/3 kilometers away and watch films on Video Parlours. The reigning superstars there were the action trio – Sunil Shetty, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan. These guys were a rage. Frankly at that point I found love stories a bit silly and loved these films. Most people who watched films in those Parlours aspired to become like Ajay Devgan who never goes after girl but the girl follows him. Later, after an untoward incident for which I was least responsible, I was barred from going to bazaar to watch films.

But I knew that Salman and Aamir were bigger stars. A poster from the film Andaaz Apna Apna where both were sitting on stairs wearing red jackets hung on my wall. I just didn’t get opportunities to watch their films. Then I went to my school where the opportunity to watch new films was open again. By then piracy had come into the Video Cassettes sector. The pathetic prints were really pathetic to see but then that was the only way to watch new films. Cinema Halls were soon to be shut as few years later VCDs made its way in. Though nowadays whenever I see a bad print in YouTube, it takes me to those days.

In June ’98 I had bought a Filmfare during my vacation as it had Salman Khan on cover post the success of Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. I took it along to my school a month later. One day a teacher found out that I had ‘Filmfare’ with me. It was confiscated from me. If I read Filmfare at that age (I was 13 then), what I would do later. That was the reaction of my teacher. My house master was a cool person. He kept it with him and promised to give me when I go home next time. May be my teacher would be surprised to know that I ‘still’ read Filmfare only and ‘did nothing else’.

After coming to Delhi, everything changed. Here I watched films in the best cinema halls in the country and regularly read Filmfare (which I still continue). After few months, it became like an addiction. Whenever a new edition came out, I would finish reading it in one sitting and then wait for one month for next issue to come out. The love for the magazine was not just because of my love for films. The interviews are very well written and intelligent. Nowadays, I'm sure it influences my writing heavily.

Just before my admission for undergraduate course in Literature in English in college I appeared for interview in a South Campus college. I had forgotten about the interview. So I was sitting in front of the penal for my first ever interview wearing a T shirt bought from SN Market which had one of those cheesy one liners.

Interviewer1: Do you read?

Me: Yes.

Interviewer2: What have you read recently?

Me: Biography of Shahrukh Khan.

Interviewer2: Do you think censorship should be allowed into a piece of art?

Me: Yes.

Interviewer2: Why?

Me: Because there is lot of vulgarity in films.

Interviewer2: How do you define vulgarity? Can you name one actor who indulges in it?

Me: Yes. Meghna Naidu in Hawas (Lust).

Interviewer1: In literature, one has to read really fast. How is your reading speed?

Me: Pretty good. I can finish Filmfare which is of 142 pages in 4 hours.

I was selected.

Introducing Shruti Haasan

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:31:00 +0000

She is a Rock Singer, a Music Composer, a Model and finally turning into full time actress . Her father is one of the legendary actors of the country. Her Momma is one of the beautiful women I have ever seen (Yeah, I have seen Sarikaji in real life). She is going to make her big screen debut on 24th July this year.

"Naam Hai Shruti Haasan. Na main Luck pe jeeti hoon na Luck pe bharosa hai mujhe. Kyunki Luck bhi sirf uska saath deta hai jismein jitne ka jazva ho." She declares in her introductory promo of the film Luck. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsBiyPDq7_8)

Shruti Rajalakshmi Haasan was born on 28 January, 1986 to Kamal Haasan, a legendary actor and Sarika, a beautiful actress. She began her singing career singing alongside another great actor Sivaji Ganesan, when she was six year old in her father's Tamil film Thevar Magan (1992) followed by Chachi 420 (1998) in Hindi and the bilingual Hey Ram (2000). Soon after her parents got separated and she came to Mumbai with her mother where she completed her final schooling. She then went to the Musicians Institute, Hollywood (USA) to further hone her musical skills.

After returning, she was doing a lot of live performances specially in rock concerts. The first playback singing as grown up happened in the Tamil film Varanam Aayiram (2008) with the rocking song Adiya Kulluthey. Amazing voice. She will compose music for her father's next film which is a remake of the acclaimed A Wednesday. Her music album where she is composer-lyricist- singer will release soon.

She is making her big screen debut in the adventure action thriller Luck directed by Soham Shah alongside Imran Khan, who is a long time friend and has a peculiar relationship. Shruti's mom is dating Imran's mom's ex husband Raj Zutshi. :P. Coming back to the film she has sung the rock version of the title track Aazma Luck.

Many star children make their entry to the film world. Some succeed, some fail and some reach the dizzying heights of stardom. But seldom such multi talented person makes an entry. Watch out for the first female superstar who is truly a rock star. Shruti Haasan. Lastly about her 'Muslim' sounding surname. Her grandfather had a dear friend by the name Haasan. The friendship was so deep that grandpa decided to give the name as surname to his children which is now passed onto children's children. Her grandfather's surname was Ayyenger and he was a Tamil Brahmin.

Raining Films

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:03:00 +0000

After two month long deadlock between the producer and distributor one side and the national chain of multiplexes on the other, a consensus has been reached. The main issue was the share in the revenue between the distributor and the multiplex. Earlier there were no hard rules of the share, meaning the distributor got the share as per the general perception of his film. If it was a good hyped, big starrer then the distributor got his own terms else it was the multiplex who dictated terms. The reason why the multiplexes have become so powerful is that the major share of the total revenue comes from the multiplexes and it’s increasing like weed in the field. Yes, I dislike watching movies with lesser people around.

Now there will be uniform rate of revenue sharing for all films irrespective of the star cast. As per the agreed terms, the distributor’s share will be

Week 1: 50%
Week 2: 42.5%
Week 3: 37.5%
Week 4: 30%

If the nett box-office collections, after deducting entertainment tax, crosses Rs. 17.5 crores in the national chain of multiplexes [PVR, Big Cinemas, Inox, Fame Cinemas, Fun Republic, Cinemax], the first two weeks' terms would be upped by 2.5%. Which means Week 1 will be 52.5% and Week 2 will be 45%.

But if the film is a disaster, and does less than Rs. 10 crores nett from the national chain of multiplexes, after deducting entertainment tax, in such a scenario, the second and third week terms would be brought down by 2.5%. Which means Week 2 will be 40% and Week 3 will be 35%. This is applicable only if films are released in over 500 screens. (Source: Bollywoodhungama.com)

The month of May/June is considered good months as most school/colleges go for vacation. Due to this strike, these precious months were lost which is estimated to be a loss of 350 crore. Even though the strike ended in the beginning of June, no major release can take place until the last week of the month as no film except Kal Kisne Dekha was promoted during the strike. At least 3 weeks of promotion is required for any big film to release. Here is the list of biggies that will be storming the theatres on coming days till Ramzan. Ramzan is the holy month for Muslims when they stay away from luxuries. Hence traditionally the industry doesn’t release any of its big films on this month. This year Ramzan begins from 21^st August. The list of films expected to release before that:

12 June:

Kal Kisne Dekha:

The film marks the debut of Jacky Bhagnani (son of producer Vashu Bhagnani who produced much of the No. 1 series with David Dhawan) and Vaishali Desai, the grandniece of Manmohan Desai, the father of Masala films in Hindi film industry. Though Bhagnani is promoting the film really well, I don’t have many expectations from it.

19 June:

Paying Guests:

Lately films produced by Subhash Ghai work better than the ones he directs. Here is another film from his banner Mukta Arts starring a lot of small time actors such as Shreyas Talpade, Javed Jaffrey, Riya Sen, Celina Jaitly, Ashish Chowdhury etc etc. It may turn out to be a good entertainer.

26 June:

New York:

This is the first big film in actual sense of term. After Kabul Express, director Kabir Khan comes with another film on the effect of 9/11. This time the canvas shifts to New York and what happens to three Muslim friends played by John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Mukesh post the attack on the World Trade Centre. I am looking forward to this film. Though I’m little surprised with the marketing strategy of Yashraj as traditionally they promote their films in a big way. Barely two weeks remain for the film to release and the music has yet not come. The song Yaaro by KK is surely going to be a chartbuster.

3July:

Kambakkht Ishq:

The film has been in news for the special appearances of Sylvester Stallone and few more Hollywood actors. Add to that it stars Akshay Kumar whose films have been doing well except the last two releases. This one also looks like another of his Masala films which is expected to do well. The rest of the star cast includes Kareena Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani and Amrita Arora. Initially I was really looking forward to this one but the enthusiasm has diluted in recent past for my increasing disliking for Akshay Kumar.

10 July:

Short Kut:

Not much information has been released about this film except its cast and crew. The film stars Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao and is produced by Anil Kapoor. Whatever I know about the industry, I don’t expect this film to release on the given date. But that’s the official date given by the producer. Let’s see.

17 July:

Jashnn:

Shekhar Suman is a big loser and his son is a bigger one. Where on earth would you find a father giving public statements on the happenings of his son’s love life? Adhyayan Suman, more known as the boyfriend of Kangana Ranaut, stars in this film along with Anjana Sukhani. Given the star cast of the film why I’m including it in my list. Well, it’s a film from the Bhatts. The music is going to be good and they have a history of giving unexpected hits.

24 July:

Luck:

This is one film I’m really looking forward to. It stars my recent favourite Imran Khan and daughter of one of my favourite actors Shruti Hassan, who is making her debut, as the lead pair. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny, Ravi Kishan etc. The film is directed by Soham Shah (of Kaal) and is produced by Ashtavinayak who are really producing some good films in recent past.

Agyaat:

Another film that will release on the same day is Ramgopal Verma’s Agyaat. The film stars his recent muse Nisha Kothari and Telugu actor Nitin which is about a film crew who enter a jungle in Sri Lanka to have fun and end up dead. The promos are interesting and I am hoping the film to be as interesting as well.

31 July:

Love Aaj Kal:

Saif Ali Khan is making his foray into production under the banner Illuminati films with Love Aaj Kal directed by Imtiaz Ali. Post Jab We Met the expectations are huge from the director. The female lead is played by Deepika Padukone. Another major highlight if the film is that Neetu Singh will make a comeback to the big screen after almost 3 decades with Rishi Kapoor as company. The film also stars Rahul Khanna, the lesser known son of Vinod Khanna.

7 August:

Wanted:

This would be truly the day of my life. First time ever my favourite actor and actress would be coming together in the remake of a film (Pokiri) I loved so much. I have never been looking forward for any film so much as this one. I’m going to make a record for myself. Even before the release of the film, I will book two tickets on different days. Even if the film turns out to be a dud, I will watch it twice anyway – once for Salman, then for Ayesha. If it turns out good which I really think it would then I’m going to break all my previous record of watching a film in theatre. Now it’s 4 times (Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Chak De India, Sunday, Jaane Tu...). The film is directed by Prabhu Deva and also stars Vinod Khanna, Mahesh Manjrekar, Inder Kumar and the Southern star Prakash Raj. I had started my audio cassette collection with ‘Soldier’ in ’98. Though I have not been buying cassette after getting this laptop (Rock On was the last cassette I bought), it will formally end with Wanted. Not that I intend to spend the rest of my life downloading music. Next time it would be CDs or whichever format the music comes in.

14 August:

Aladin:

This one is a modern take on the famous Arabian Nights story by director Sujoy Ghosh who earlier made films like Jhankar Beats and Home Delivery. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan as Genie, Riteish Desmukh as Aladin and Sanjay Dutt as the baddie. The films fate will depend how successfully Ghosh adapts the story. I personally don’t have much hope though.

Kaminey:

The film stars the newest couple in town Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra which is directed by the maverick director Vishal Bharadwaj. From the promos it seems to be a black comedy. But Bharadwaj makes quality cinema and this one should be no different.

These are the tentative releases for the next three months. Though there is no surety of it as it keeps changing. Still the major schedule will remain unchanged. So fix your date.

ANGELS & DEMONS

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:36:00 +0000

I was disappointed with the film version of The Da Vinci Code as it failed to replicate the finer history as well as the thrill of the book. But I was upbeat about Angels & Demons, which I didn’t like much when I read it 4 years back. The reason I didn’t like the book was that it was very filmy in setting while The Da Vinci Code was more like an alternate view of history. When I heard that the producers were also making Angels & Demons into a film, I knew they were going to make a better film this time. Today I can say I wasn’t wrong in my assumption.

Whoever hasn’t read the book, (though I don’t really fancy that someone who hasn’t read Dan Brown’s books reads my blog and if it happens it surely is a tragedy), here is a peek into the plot. Robert Langdon is a Harvard Symbologist who is called by the Director of CERN, Geneva to inspect a symbol inscribed on the body of a murdered scientist. Soon they realize that the murderer has stolen the ‘anti-matter’ which can turn into an apocalyptic bomb if used. But the bigger revelation is that Illuminati, a secret society of scientists, which was thought to be dead a hundred years ago have resurfaced to take revenge. Great intellectuals of middle ages were part of this society to save their knowledge from the atrocity of the Church who didn’t allow any ‘blasphemous’ discourse to happen. Many scientists including the Great Galileo were killed. As revenge, the Illuminati will blow up the Vatican City while a new Pope is being elected. Not before the assassin kills the four Preferiti (among them one would be the Pope) by branding them with Illuminati symbols. The major part of the book is focused on Langdon’s efforts to save the killings along with Vittoria Vetra, the adopted daughter of the murdered scientist, by following the hints hidden in the Vatican architecture while they are running out of time. The climax throws few more surprises and though Langdon fails to save any of the papal candidates, he saves the day.

The film is very well made. In fact I found it more thrilling than the book. Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon is superb of course. He is the kind of actor who remains above the script always. The producer said they were too reverential in adapting The Da Vinci Code which resulted in it being little too long and stagey. This time no such mistake has been made. Every moment is thrilling. But a lot of minor changes have been made to suit the feature film mode like- the book is a prequel while the film is made a sequel to The Da Vinci Code. Wikipedia mentions all the changes made in the film except one which I think is very important. In the book, the assassin is a Middle Eastern while in the film he is a regular white guy. In middle ages, the idea of contract killing began in Middle East or Muslim World. The killers who secretly lived in caves used to take Hashish (also known as Hash or Ganja, is a form of drug) before going out on mission. They were called Hashishin in Arabic and the word ‘assassin’ originates from it. The fact that the assassin in the book is a Middle Eastern draws direct parallel to its history which is mentioned in the book itself. Now the book was written in 2000, before the attack on World Trade Centre and popularization of ‘Islamic’ terrorism. Much has changed since the book was written. I think there are two reasons for changing the assassin from a Middle Eastern to a White man. Firstly, the assassin is an Illuminati who fights for science against religion while post 9/11 Middle Easterns are increasingly seen as people who fight for religion. Secondly, the mere indication that the assassin could be a Muslim planning to blow up the Vatican would have taken the focus away from Illuminati v/s The Church to Islam v/s Christianity in the current milieu. I really wonder how such small things could mean so much.

Coming to my favourite series, the sequel to The Da Vinci Code was scheduled to arrive in 2006. Now it’s finally releasing on 15 September, 2009 with a different name. The working title was The Solomon key which will be released as The Lost Symbol. I’m eagerly waiting.

Individual And Civilization

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:41:00 +0000

The picture above gives a very good illustration of the tension and gap that lies between Civilization and the Individual, the actual and the implied, the real and the ideal. Civilization means a better society than known in the history, “something in process of attainment”. The society we seek should serve the material needs of individuals, while raking them spiritually, by means of the love that is of God and which involves a giving of the self, to love the people around him. Civilization is an idea, while individual is real with a lot of material needs.

However, if we are to endeavor to attain “civilization”, it cannot be done solely by means of materialism, as unmitigated materialism only “debases” human beings. Materialism, whether practiced in a democratic nation or in a communist one, has failed in reality to achieve its presumed goal. Contrary to the general belief, our actual experience has shown that material improvement does not necessarily elevate human beings at all levels. It does not help people to be more virtuous and serve their fellows with love. Neither does it help them create beauty. Instead of a new dignity of man, materialism has brought a respectability to “vulgarity, bad taste, and cheapness” in our society.

As a society is actually composed of individuals, the improvement of individuals is a basic task to be undertaken, if we are to strive for that “Civilization”. Of course, scientific knowledge is useful, but “the wise and humane use of this knowledge depends on the existence of better individuals.” It ought to be understood that knowledge itself is neutral. The making of better human beings is a personal not a mass matter; it is a matter of excellence not of uniformity; it grows out of individual responsibility and effort, not out of techniques of mass education and mechanized social improvement.

Freedom consists in choosing the right slavery; slavery to oneself is one of the worst forms of slavery, while love is the highest form of slavery. The search for civilization by individuals who have chosen the right slavery may well provide a means to cope with critical problems of our age. Scientific and technological development may have done immense good to man but it has also created a danger of total annihilation of the human race.

Reference

A Search for Civilization, John U Nef 1962.

Howly: Town of My Teens

baharul007@gmail.com (Baharul Islam) — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:12:00 +0000

Howly is a small town. In fact it is much smaller than what ‘small towns’ suggest. It is situated exactly in the middle of Barpeta town and Barpeta Road (that’s name of a town as well). The former is the administrative centre while the latter is the business centre of the district. Perhaps that’s why Howly doesn’t have the trappings of a busy urban life. It doesn’t have any congested alleys, no unwanted shops; everything is more or less planned, may be by default. The national highway which connects the Northeast to the rest of the country passes by the outskirt of the town, which makes it a strategically good place. One can easily go in any direction he/she wants to. May be the presence of two battalion of paramilitary forces (BSF and Assam Rifles) will validate that.

Howly means ‘Palace’ in Assamese. I’m ignorant about the finer history of Assam due to my CBSE course which doesn’t give any emphasis on regional history. Perhaps one small time king had a palace here which has no remains, for the town to be named Howly. This was the place I spent my teenage years as my boarding school was situated here. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya opened in my district in 1995. An old government campus, used to train school teachers was converted to the school. The campus was relatively bigger than other ‘temporary’ JNVs. I joined my school in 1996. Initially we lived comfortably but as newer batches started coming in, space became an issue. Rooms were full with 12 students per room with double bed not a single piece of furniture in place. But this was made up by the amazing life we had in school.

Assam in general is very beautiful with a lot of greenery around and Howly is even better. Every road has well planted trees. Every house is beautifully made. Nothing in that place would qualify to be an eyesore. There is lot of space available, everywhere- be it housing colonies or bazaars. As kids we used to go to market in groups to shop for groceries. It was an activity everyone looked forward to as it was the only opportunity to go out of the campus. We liked it not just because it was our moment of freedom but also because it was an extremely pleasant place to be in.

But the most amazing thing about the place is its people. Bengali Muslims and Assamese Hindus are two dominant communities while Bengali Hindus are also a part of it. Language is very crucial to the general consciousness of Assam and there have been agitations in the past because of it. Even at peace, there is always certain sort of tension between two different linguistic groups (not religious though). But Howly is a place where the rule doesn’t apply. Everyone lives so amicably and has accepted each other that there is not even a slightest undercurrent of any sort of tension or insecurity. One can roam anywhere in the town at any time. The place is completely safe. In my 7 year stay, I never heard of a fight breaking out or any untoward incident. The town retains its simplicity with a certain panache which makes it attractive to one and all.

Delhi was the final stage in forming my identity. But Howly was the place where I started to become aware of it. I experienced the first change – physical, emotional, mental at this place. The first crush was so life defining. The things that I did then, is so embarrassing at the same time so beautiful to recall. Whatever I am now, the base was laid in my house and was strengthened in Howly. But the best thing I learned there is to have control on oneself. We were free to do things that we liked. Back then I was one of the bad boys, unofficial though (After going to Delhi ofcourse I realized that the outer world was much meaner). Unofficial in the sense that the teachers never thought I was one because I was never caught or maybe I was little better in studies than actual bad boys. But the fact remains that I was involved in the worst rule breaking game in school. Still I had certain control which remains with me and hopefully will continue to be so. I didn’t smoke, I didn’t drink, I didn’t eat Gutka. I didn’t do anything that I won’t be able to tell anyone. In fact we made smoking so uncool, that whoever smoked had to do it secretly. It may be because there was so much freedom that I didn’t need a cigarette to express it.

Howly hosts my most favorite festival – the Raas Mela. It’s a festival of Lord Krishna. Then we didn’t know what the festival was for but it was the biggest event not just in Howly, but in Western Assam. It happens in the month of November and lasts for two weeks. This was the only time we could go out at night, wear our best clothes and of course roam with the girl we liked. Since there was strict instruction to remain in groups, the dating happened in group as well. Although I was not that lucky since my story was a bit complicated. But the pursuit was no less interesting. Some of my best memories are attached to this festival. After leaving Howly in 2003, this is the festival I miss the most.

The year we passed out of the school, the campus shifted to its permanent building. Hence whenever I have gone to meet my teachers or my sibling who also studies in the same school, it’s in the new campus to which I have no memories attached. It’s the most magnificent building in the whole district still juniors who stayed in both the campuses say Howly was much better.

Nowadays whenever I pass through the town, I make it a point to drive slowly so that I can feel the vibe and it gives me tremendous satisfaction. The barrier of time ceases to exist and I see myself everywhere doings things that I did while in school – as a little kid as well as a grown up boy. The place hasn’t changed a bit. The trees, the shops all are in the same place. The only change is that the VCD stores are closed down. The building is again changed to training centre which is hardly used since there are no new recruits in teaching sector in the state. The mango trees we had planted have grown, but there is no one to eat the fruits. If I segregate my conscious life with different places that I have lived in, then Howly would top the list. Those seven years were crucial in every sense of way and played a vital role in shaping me up. May be next time I go home, I should go to my old campus, sit under the trees and relive.