What kind of a man one should marry? After being married for almost three-and-a-half years, I would like to believe I'm an authoritative figure on these matters. Sister-in-law is going through "boy-seeking' phase of her life and constantly worries about whom she is going to get married. So, dear S, scroll down and look out for these kind of guys.
Who isn't afraid to hold your hands in front of elders.
Who compliments how beautiful you are every single day.
Who devours on food cooked by you and praises no matter how it really tastes.
Who pulls your hair back when you are puking your gut out after getting way too high.
Who is empathetic about your PMS'ing.
Who offers you his morsel of food in a fancy restaurant.
Who perfectly understands why you want to have a piece of chocolate or snack after each meal.
Who recognizes your period time and gives an amazing hot water bag massage.
Who respects your parents and tells he will maintain a relationship with them even after your death.
Who encourages your talent and nurture it.
Who coax you to try all kinds of trendy apparels.
Who makes you feel secured with cuddling.
Who is considerate to your pleasure before his own.
Who hugs and kisses at the drop of hat.
Who works his ass off for you to have the best of everything possible.
Who cares for your family as his own.
Who just smiles at your craziness after intoxication.
Who holds you tight when you are bawling like a baby.
Who still thinks you are hot with messy hair, unplucked eye brows, tattered pajama.
Who apologizes graciously if he is at fault.
Who helps you finding that perfect little dress you are eyeing for.
Who makes you laugh until you cry.
Who says 'I love you" a thousand times a day. Well, kidding, minimum 25 times.
Who shares equal responsibilities in running the household.
Who considers you an equal in marriage, not beneath.
Who genuinely loves spending time with you rather than a boy's night out.
Who stands up for you to the pesky relatives.
Who patiently listens to your rants and ramblings without being judgmental.
Who is a staunch feminist.
Who he brags about your teeny-weeny accomplishments.
PS: I'm truly blessed to be married to this amazing guy who is the "WHO"of this post. I can't thank enough of my lucky stars. Touch wood.
Cast: Nirup Bhandari, Radhika Chetan, Avantika Shetty, Sai Kumar Genre: Thriller Direction: Anup Bhandari Spoiler Alert Goutham and Indu lives an isolated life in Ooty. The couple visits Kamarottu, native of Indu's for a ritual (Bhootaradane). A Journalist, Sandhya is in search of an anonymous writer, "Anashku" as well reaches the same village. Mysterious events unfolds and that is crux of the story. I'm keying down why this much hyped movie didn't work for me. Positive Remarks: 1. "Dennana Dennana", a song from Guddada Bootha television soap of 1990s. I'm not able to recollect the plot, but the tune is still fresh in my memory. 2. "Kareyole" song where every word starts with Kannada letter "Ka". 3. Rafiq is the saving grace. He appears in a few scenes and will have you in splits. 4. Brilliant marketing strategy. My FB timeline is filled with this movie's promotion, applaud, reviews, and that is the only reason for me to watch this movie. 5. Avantika Shetty is beautiful. She reminds me so much of Kriti Samon. Logical Errors/Unanswered questions: 1. Goutham doesn't have a picture of his wife when he goes to the police station to lodge a missing complaint. He explains all their stuffs were destroyed in a fire incident. Well, couldn't he show a photo in his mobile? After all the incident happened in 2012 or so. 2. This leads to another point. Director claims his movie to be a "romantic mystery thriller. Clearly our hero is emotionally drained. Who doesn't have picture of their loved ones in their smart phones/normal phones these day? Here I have to mention Gautham is a freelance writer for an American magazine. 3. There is absolutely no chemistry between the lead actors. It was impossible to conceive that the couple were in love. 4. Dialogues were tad bit annoying and limp. 5. Back-to-back songs in the second half. 6. There were five people involved in the accident. We already know Siddharth and real Indu don't have parents. But what about Indu's husband (played by the director, Anup Bhandari himself), Harini Ranganath, and unidentified man? Don't they have parents, extended family, friends? Harini easily steals identity and lives merrily with a stranger in reclusive Ooty. 7. Sandhya, swears to be in love with Siddharth. Wasn't she distraught when he disappeared? Hasn't she frantically searched for him? 8. It is said that Thenkabail Kalinga Bhat only targets pregnant women on a particular day of the year. He appears in front of couple's car even before they could reach their house? How he gets to know Indu is pregnant is beyond my imagination. 9. A woman disappears(played by Swapna Raj) in the opening scene when she accidentally takes a different route while talking to her husband on the phone. Hey, there to talented Kalinga Bhat shows up. He must be a psychic to know the missed-routes of pregnant ladies. 10. Kamorattu is a small village and for nine consecutive years women disappears and they think it is Guddada Bhoota (Ghost in mountain) because they hear screaming from the mountain where precisely Kalinga Bhat has an ancestral house. This events happened between 2002 and 2012 and director is blissfully unaware of the cable TVs where crime shows are telecasted everyday. People are not ignorant anymore. 11. It hasn't shown how Kalinga Bhat kidnaps his victims. He makes upside down appearance in front of vehicles and vanishes in a split second. How? He is a human being. Is'nt he? 12. What is the relationship between Garnal Babu and the maid? 13. Harini Ranganath murders a stalker, steals identity, assumes/presumes Siddharth will lose memory, and weaves a story around their life, visits ancestral village as Indu, where police record clearly says Indu is dead in a car accident. Pretty smart. Isn't she? 14. Kalinga Bhat's costume is confusing, is it Bhuta Kola dancer's or Yakshagana artist's, looks more like the latter to me. 15. Character's played couldn't pull off South Canara accent. 16. No explanation as to why strange things happen in the house, Indu falling into well, tape recorder playing automatically, etc. Verdict: With so many unanswered questions and logical errors, it is an average movie. It is a good attempt, but could have been better with loose ends being tied. PS: How I wish "Ulidavaru Kandanthe" team could have used the brilliant marketing strategy, which is a cult classic in the Kannada Industry.
Anybody who knows a little about me ought to know I'm a big time movie buff. I was high on Bollywood and knew most songs by heart. I can see my parents rolling their eyes. However, I vehemently blame it on gene pool. What made me write this post. I was listening to this particular song traveling back home. "Hunter" from the movie "Gangs of Wasseypur." It is a sequential song in the movie and chances are that you miss the suggestive meaning. When listen to it as a stand alone, nothing is left for imagination. By the way have you seen this amazing cult classic?
Following are the few songs of my growing up years, which I enjoyed immensely then and a little embarrassed now. These songs either had double meaning or the choreography suggestive. Hey, I was naive back then. I used to keep tape recorder in high volume and dance like nobody is watching. Yeah! Tell me about the cheap thrill. 1. Sarkai lo Khatiya jaada lage Film: Raja Babu (1994) Singers: Kumar Sanu, Poornima
Yesterday I came to know a friend's friend has been a victim of domestic violence for almost two years and I'm seething with anger. In this time and age? This girl I'm talking about was married almost two-and-a-half years back. Marriage was not consummated. She has been suffering physical, mental, emotional, and verbal abuse. Even her mother-in-law blames this poor girl. I don't know her personally, but I gather she is a 'modern girl with traditional outlook." Pun unintended. The thug of her husband beats her black and blue, she comes and stays with her parents's house. They nurse her back to health and send her to husband's home again to return with battered mind and body. Why? Why? Why? This girl is worried about honor of both families; one who raised an insensitive, wife-beating offender; another one concerned more about society than their own daughter's well-being. I sound a little harsh and judgmental here, but how could any parent throw their kid as a sacrificial lamb to wolves knowing her misery and woes. What if the abuse turns ugly and kills her accidentally? Can they forgive themselves and outlive their kid without guilt? My advice, though unsolicited is to annul the marriage. Marriage is all about friendship, love, respect, compatibility, equality, passion, contentment, and happiness. When spouse raises a hand, it is time to walk out of that relationship because the abuser will never mend his way, never. My hot-headed suggestion is to start criminal proceedings against him immediately. Abuser will continue this silencing the victim because it is acceptable in our society and we turn a blind eye to it and ask the girl to adjust. Yes, getting separated is never easy. Society will stigmatize and disgrace you, but at least you will have the self-respect and dignity. Staying in these kind of relationships are like dying thousand deaths every day. Getting a job, being financially independent, counseling, genuine support of loved will help a lot to one's self-esteem. It is better to be single and divorced, after all, we all have one life and living to the fullest is what matters, rather than being trapped in a vicious mess called marriage. And "the society" will not come to your help. It is your battle and you have to fight it real hard for survival. Why parents can't raise their daughters like daughters and not as somebody's daughter-in-law? Why it is so important for Indian parents that their daughter's to get married and stay married even though it is a nightmare. Why even well-educated women become victims of domestic violence? Agreed ours is a patriarchal society and women are treated like commodities here. Marriage and making babies is not the only destiny for women. Why even we think broken marriage is a failure? When I hear violence against woman or unjust around me, my blood boils. Hubby says there are only 5% people like me who are liberal, progressive, and fiercely independent and the rest are entangled by our glorious culture of patriarchy. PS: V, I hope you wouldn't mind me taking the liberty of posting this.
I read minimum three books at any given point in time. The books I'm reading currently are, 1. The Taj Conspiracy by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar. I've bought this book almost two years ago and completely forgotten about it. It was begging to be read from my book shelf. Weighed down by guilt for spending so much on books and not utilizing it, I picked this one. It is a mystery-thriller and I'm halfway through it.
2. "Paper Towns" by John Green. Yes, the same famed writer of "Fault In Our Stars." This is my first book of the author, and I deliberately wanted to start with less important work of his. It is of young adult genre.
3. "The Best Of Me" by my all time favourite Nicholas Sparks. This man is trying to change my loyalty from New York to North Carolina. It is a romantic drama as this genre is author's forte.
I totally detest Indian TV shows, be it regressive Saas-Bahu Saga or well-orchestrated reality shows. It is either News channel or music, mostly music for me. News channels are no better, less news and more debate, yelling news anchors, breaking news, mudslinging. I digress. I am engrossed by English TV Shows. Right now it is marathon of Modern Family. I finished six seasons and can't stop gushing. Modern Family is an American Sit-Com shot in mocumentary style with characters frequently directly talking into the camera. Set in suburban Los Angeles, CA, the story revolves around Jay Prichett and his dysfunctional family. Old fashioned patriarch Jay Prichett, married to much younger and sexy Colombian, Gloria with whom he has a baby boy; and a son, Manny, from Gloria's previous marriage. Jay has two adult kids, Claire and Mitchell from previous marriage, which ended in divorce. Claire is married to Phil Dunphy, a realtor and self-proclaimed "cool dad". They cluelessely raise three kids together; Haley, a popular, bemused teenage girl; Alex, super intelligent, nerdy; and Luke, a weirdo and cool in his own way. Jay's son Mitchell, an environmental lawyer, a gay and his husband, Cameron raises an adopted Vietnamese baby girl, Lily. They all stay in the same neighborhood and its their daily life's nitty-gritties. It is not a traditional sit-com with usual laugh track. The show focuses mainly on parents and how they raises their kids and interact with each other. Theirs is a modest and close-nit family. Each character is very well-etched, though I see little bit streak of Monica in Clarie. We will be well-acquainted with the character's mannerism and quirk to an extent that we feel they are real people whom we actually know. And the episodes are not interconnected. It is clever and well-written story. The writers deliberately take on a lot of social taboos to show us how shallow and prejudiced the society we live in. The life lessons at the end of episodes are heartwarming, but never preachy or soppy. It broadens your way of thinking and compels you for self-introspection. The writers create most hilarious and tear-jerking moments throughout the series. Kids get razor-sharp one-liner to match the adults too. All character share great chemistry with each other and they cracks you up most of the time. The entire ensemble of cast is brilliant. I'm not surprised it has so many accolades in its kitty. My favourite characters in order of preference. 1. Cameron Tucker; over dramatic, passionate, bubbly, and outgoing. 2. Phil Dunphy; a cool dad, calls parenting as peerenting, drives his wife, claire up the wall most of the time. 3. Gloria; loud, outspoken, feisty, sexy, with a heart of gold. 4. Manny; wise beyond his years and an aptly called "old soul". 5. Jay Prichett; acts tough, although deeply cares for feelings of all his family members. 6. Claire Dunphy; over protective, over-bearing, stressed out mother. 7. Mitchell Pritchett; oh! I love his eye-rolling. 8. Haley Dunphy 9. Alex Dunphy 10. Lily Prichett-Tucker 11. Luke Dunphy 12. Joe Prichett With critical acclaim, this one is a stellar. I recommend this one to anybody who appreciate good comedy. PS: I already know them inside-out and sheepishly I must admit they are my extended "Modern Family."
Without warning or explanation, Indian government blocked 875 pornographic websites this weekend, which was welcomed by some and opposed by many. I want to share my two cents here. I've seen porn and I must concede I don't enjoy watching them. If I do, then nobody should dictate terms, because that would be my right. I don't accept government's intrusion in my private life. Supreme court declined a request to block access to online pornography. In rejecting the request, India's chief justice, H.L. Dattu, said adults had a fundamental right to watch pornography within the privacy of their own homes. I couldn't agree more. If a person enjoys within the privacy of his/her home, nobody should have problem with it. It is not like they are watching it in assembly. Right? What happened to those 3 ministers caught on camera watching porn? Was there any action taken against them? Do they genuinely expect the habitual porn viewers will stop watching it? They will find ways to get their hands on it anyways. It is like a forbidden fruit. Another argument is it contributes to sex crimes against woman? Do rapists/sexual perpetrator would watch porn and go on raping spree? Give me a break. Will ya? Rape is never about sex. Never, period. On that in some other post. And post I shall. On the contrary, child pornography is a crime. It can have devastating physical, social, and psychological effects on children who were portrayed in the films. And user of child pornography in the long run may also turn into a child abuser or worse a pedophile. (He/She must be one) Because of blocking, even the hush-hushed topic like porn came to mainstream news and now each Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to know about it. After Swatch Bharat, Modi Government wants "Swatch Internet". First, the Government ought to have an open discussion in parliament and pass a legislation. This mere blanket ban is unacceptable. My political knowledge is limited. But I know for a fact that is how democracy works. The government has no business imposing what Indians watch online. Edited to Add: Government revoked an order to block hundreds of pornographic websites except sites that promote child pornography. PS: On topic of #pornban, Sunny Leone reacted in a smart way, her hubby wearing a T-shirt that says "Sex sells."
Life is so unpredictable. We all have only one life and living to the fullest is what really matters the most. Sooner or later we have to face the inevitability of death. So, I'm scribbling down my "bucket list" for clarity.
Travel the world. I am quite sure this must be on everyone's list. Watching sunrise in majestic Angkor Wat to Colosseum in Rome to magnificent The Great Wall of China to charming Santorini to glorious Egyptian mummies to floating on the Dead Sea to trailing on Inca Civilization to snorkeling in Great Barrier Reef to African Safari. I want to see them all and be lost in history, serenity, grandeur, and tranquility.
Learn at least 5 music instruments. I know I'm being greedy here. All my life I was under the impression that I am melodious singer. Bless all those kind souls who were tortured to listen me sing and never complain. It is really brave of hubby to say in no uncertain terms what a bad singer I was. I was heartbroken to say the least. However, I've made my peace with it. What if I'm not a singer, I can excel in playing music instruments.
Swimming. Yes, you heard it right. I don't know swimming. After a near death experience at my stint with swimming lessons during childhood, I was prohibited from anywhere near water body. It seems like an achievable task, but with crazy busy life, I'm left with no time at my disposal to pursue this.
Have a big, giant library of my own that will houses all kind of books of the world, where I can put my feet up with a bowl of my favourite snacks, with zero distraction, devouring over a book. Oh! That is a luxury.
Own a cottage/beach house in snowy mountains/ethereal sandy beach respectively. It requires a shit load of money and perhaps I've to a billionaire to do so. How will I able to do that? Well, scroll down please.
This is last, but not the least on my list. Be a best selling author like J.K Rowling and create a phenomenon like Harry Potter or some wonders like Game Of Thrones. All I want to be is a writer. Do I've what it takes to be one? Well, only time will tell. Hey, but a girl can dream right?
These are the things I want to do before "I kick my bucket."
