Ten Day You Challenge: 3 Films!

So basically, this is really hard for me. Ya'll know that naturally, all my favorite films are Hindi. But to choose THREE? Are you kidding me? Phir se suicide karne ka waqt aa gaya hai lagta hai. No, but seriously. How on earth can I choose three? Uhhh, yeah I'm gonna cheat...yet again.

Hindi Films - old, new, cheesy, lame, inspirational, social, parallel, comedies, tragedies, romance, apologetically stupid, completely idiotic and so on, I love em all. If it were possible, I'd prefer my life to be one big Bollywood film.

Foreign Films - I absolutely love a good foreign film. They really hold incredible substance and stories that really hit home.


Old Musicals - I very rarely find a Hollywood film amazing but I do love their old school musicals. Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Grease, Dirty Dancing, I could go on and on....

Must Watch: In Transit!

So you all know how I am really not one to promote anything. And if I do, then there really must be something rapchick, dhinchak about it, right? Exactly. So here I am requesting you, no, telling you to have a look-see at this promo for an indie film which is really creating quite a lot of waves. It happens to be the brainchild of my close friend Suniil Sadarangani who oozes talent in a number of ways. Based on a true life events, In Transit is about two people from completely different cultures and how their lives intertwine in L.A. It's been making its rounds at a number of film festivals around the world and trust me, it's absolutely fantastic. But enough gushing about it from me, take a look for yourself.

And after you're floored, go ahead and join the In Transit Facebook Page to get more details and updates about the film.

100 Word Review: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

In Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, you are forced to fall in love with Tom Cruise again. So we’re reintroduced to Ethan Hunt who is needed once again to save the world from destruction and chaos. However, it isn’t the premise but the action which keeps you glued. Whether it’s Cruise running on the Burj or vertically diving in a car, you can’t help but gush. Either way, Cruise keeps you sweating and asking for more. It’s beautifully constructed and incredibly made. The action sequences have never been seen before. The best dishoom film of the year, hands down. I love!

*It's rather rare that I review a Hollywood film, so you can imagine how much I liked it!

The Urban Rickshaw: Of Kim and Barbies!

The Urban Rickshaw is my attempt at a monthly column. Why the title? Umm, quite simply cause I’m as urban as they get (ironically, I currently reside in the burbs of California but boo hoo) and the autorickshaw is my most favorite mode of transport. There’s no real smart funda here. But figuratively speaking, The Urban Rickshaw aims to take you on a “ride” through issues and news that affects modern, urban folks— much like us. All this as you chill on my rickshaw, of course.

Kim Kardashian…if only she were Desi 

They knew early!

So for all this talk about love and nuptials, Kim has really put herself in quite a predicament with her 72 day marriage, no? While the international media is calling this a staged act, a publicity stunt and so on, here’s a Desi girl’s take on the her quickie marriage and even quicker divorce. Personally, I’m slightly more conservative when it comes to marriage— this is my OTT Desi opinion, but I think marriage is a bond forever. No matter how hard it gets. Please note: I am a byproduct of a “broken home” putting it politically incorrectly. My parents worked at it for seventeen years before they called it quits. Kim’s 72 days is a complete sham in comparison. On the other hand, if I shed my conservative mask, I think she knew she was doomed from the beginning. For all those who followed Kim and Kris Humphries from their courting to marriage, you figured out rather early that he was a royal jerk. That said, she could have easily called it off, one would think. Problem is she would have lost out on close to $18 million buckaroos. Ain’t nobody gonna give that up. And so, it made more sense for her to live with the jerk— yes, that is what we are naming him forever, stick it out for a few days, all of 72, and then ta-ta bye-bye. Now if Kim were Desi, she may have stuck it out a bit more: 720 days at least. Then we probably wouldn’t have deemed her pathetic and so on. Where do I lie with this? On the fence. So I put this to the one woman who would give me the best explanation: my grandmother. Her answer: “What do Americans know about marriage? It’s a joke for them. And a woman is incomplete without a man, you know (this was a stab at me, by the way). Now everyone will look at her and say, ‘See she couldn’t even keep her man.’” On a side note, I refused to tell her this was her second marriage. I was too worried she’d have a heart attack.

Barbie Gone Deglam

Barbie the Nerd

I really thought it was only our Bollywood actresses who went about scraping for deglam roles because they believed it would add substance to their careers. Negative. The makers of Barbie have come out with this new angle to Barbie called, “I Can Be”. The idea is to normalize Barbie. So now instead of Princess Barbie and Prom Barbie, you can have Architect Barbie—which is apparently the 2011 career of the year (where they got this from, I have no idea). Is anyone else really bummed by this? I’ll be the first to admit it. I loved Barbie as a child. But I liked her cause she was out of the ordinary, popular and perfect. Barbie didn’t go to school, struggle with acne or bullying. She was OTT and that was the magnetizing factor. She was anything but regular. By normalizing her, Mattel has totally taken away the Barbie novelty factor. What upset me even more was when I saw Computer Engineer Barbie. Imagine all the sleazy Desi guys at Cisco Bangalore. The thought of a Barbie working in their office must really make them want to work “harder”. In the words of Twitter, #epicfail.

And keeping with the theme of autorickshaws, guess what? Mumbai rickshaw wallahs will now be given a lesson or two in politeness and etiquette. Yeah, no more rude crude drivers. What more could you want? The best mode of transport and good service too. Oh and soon, you’ll be able to dial and call for a rick. It just gets better!

The Social Side of Bollywood

I'm all about the glam and gloss in Hindi films -- trust me, I may sit and oust Karan Johar, but I've seen every single of his OTT films. However, amidst the luster of a Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and one I Hate Luv Storys lie a few films which make an impact which is far greater. Every so often, when we are lucky enough I believe, we are bestowed with a social film. A director will take it upon himself to make a film that is hard-hitting and honest. Over time, the issues have changed from being more complacent to ones that are more prevalent in time. I for one, have always advocated for such films. You see, the only two things that really sell in India is Cricket and Bollywood. Now, how do you incorporate the murder of the female child into cricket? Can't do it right. So you opt for option two. Desi folks (or most of them) absolutely adore Hindi films and thus, if you can manage to work a burning issue into a film, you can pretty much be sure your message will be noticed, if nothing else.

The first social film that my memory can recall was Deepa Mehta's Shabana Azmi-Nandita Das' Fire. I remember being all of 13 and watching a film about women in love with one another. That was my introduction into the world of homosexuality. I grew up with a pretty liberal mother who believed her children needed to be aware of everything in the world. And thus, despite our rather sheltered upbringing, we were aware of issues that were taboo. From then on, I developed a slight bias to such films. In time, more such films were introduced into the world of Hindi films. But the issues haven't always been related to sex. Yes, we are yet to completely understand and fathom homosexuality in India without mocking them - ahem Karan Johar ala Dostana; you can be sure more films on the gays and lesbians in our country will be made, but our socially aware filmmakers have moved on. It's about political strife, infidelity, education, AIDS, suicide, ragging, violence and even untold secrets of the glamour world. Some issues work better than others; Some win awards, others are shunned for reasons that are rather shameful, I believe.

Very few filmmakers actually have the balls to come out and place pinpoint such issues. Can we expect Karan Johar to shed the glam quotient and make such a film? Probably not - look what he did with KANK and My Name is Khan? Serious issues; sugarcoated. And the west is no different. Slumdog Millionaire is hardly a true depiction for the slums in India. Mahafail, Danny Boyle. But you can be sure, other filmmakers will continue to do so. And sadly, we need to recognize them for their courage. They know the film will probably not make waves or rake in heaps at the box office. And yet, they stand by their films hoping it will make a difference in India and will educate the ignorant, motivate the youth and open eyes of those who choose to wear a blindfold to social issues that are blatantly in front of them.

100 Word Review: Luv Ka The End

Luv Ka the End is YashRaj’s first Y-Film Production but in all honesty, I hope it is “the end” of this segment of the production house. The actor’s nonstop use of the word, “babes” made me want to fast-forward to the end and Shraddha Kapoor’s OTT acting was cringe worthy. If you’ve seen Hollywood’s John Tucker Must Die, then LKTD is just a Desi copy. Silly, lame and worthy of tomato throwing, the film offers nothing. Performance-wise the only reason to watch the film is for the neurotic Dadi, the sly younger sister and Jugs – the heroine’s sidekick. Otherwise pass.

Western Boyz!

Okay, so maybe I gush over Bollywood lads a tad bit too much. What to do? I'm a sucker for Desi boys. But that doesn't mean that the boys out west aren't cute. Hardly people! Hollywood houses some uber cute hotties and needless to say, there are days where I gush and swoon over them too. Hello! There are days where my favorites in Bollywood become like "ghar ki murgi, dal barabar" types and then of course, variety is the spice of life too! So who are these cutesy boys that I personally swoon over? Take a peek!

Jake Gyllenhaal
I have always thought Jake is one helluva looker - bearded or otherwise. But besides being incredibly hot (read: me is swooning and how!) he's a great actor and also politically active. I love a guy who stands up for something!

Ryan Gosling
Definitely one of my childhood celeb crushes! I remember loving Ryan Gosling as he played this despo-for-a-girlfriend character in Breaker High. Even then, at such a young age, I was just mesmerized by his sense of humor. And now, many moons later, he's cuter, more talented and still a funny lad.

Richard Gere
Forever and ever, I'll gush over Richard Gere. I think it's the salt-and-pepper hair that does it for me. Add to that the fact that he looks so freaking cute in a pair of glasses (my weakness in a man) a sexy smile, and I'm done.

George Clooney
Who on this planet doesn't find George Clooney hot? He's beyond hot and sexy. I don't even think I need to say anymore. As I normally say: enuff said.

And last but not least, Leonardo DiCaprio
I wasn't a fan instantly. No siree. In fact I think it took me ages to finally see what every other girl in the world saw in Leonardo DiCaprio: sexy and how! But now in every single film, I go va-va-vroom. Yes, Leo, suddenly I see!

What is Love? Pyar? Ishq? Mohabbat?

The answer to the above question: who knows. Basically a person like myself, an avid Hindi film watcher is screwed for life when it comes to love and marriage. I expect a man to do everything a Bollywood hero would do! Fight for me, shower me with sweet nothings, dance with me to my favorite songs and even place a dupatta over my head to tell me I'd make the most beautiful bride as I would coyly look away feeling shy. But life ain't no Hindi movie and in reality, no man will do any of the above. This means that the man I am looking for doesn't actually exist. And thus, I am f**cked.

But why should I only and merely blame Bollywood. Hollywood is no less. I found myself flicking channels this evening and stumbled on the ever romantic A Walk to Remember. Needless to say, I cried and sobbed over the romance and depth of love the couple felt for each other. I want a man to name a star after me! Okay, I wouldn't go too nuts if he didn't but you get the idea. Why do films do this? Why do they give us unrealistic expectations about men (and women, I guess)?

It is really hard for a girl of 27 to be single. Believe me, the world looks at you like you are an alien. Ideally, a girl in her late twenties should be married or engaged at the very least. Not waiting for her Bollywood hero to come along and sweep her off her feet. But what can I do? Like I said, my passion in life, Hindi cinema, has also screwed me for life. So I guess until I don't find a man who will sing when confessing his undying love for me, I'll wait. He is out there because as Madhuri Dixit said in Dil Toh Pagal Hai, "Somewhere someone is made for you". Yes, I had to end on a filmy note.

I Speaketh!

In my mission to become a master of all trades, my most current addition to my list of media achievements is being a part of the new BollySpice Podcast: FilmiTalkies. It all pretty much happened overnight and before I knew it, I was co-hosting a weekly edition of this totally unique show that my friend Prathna Tiwari and I are thoroughly enjoying. So we were super nervous about our first edition. We both sat and down and bashed (not completely) Raavan along with giving out some pretty much news. The feedback: amazing. It's actually been quite fun! The idea of being an Radio Jockey and speaking a lot has fascinated me in the past; basically I'm living it now. But I'll say this: It's not as easy as it looks! And we realized this rather quickly. Its really easy to say, "Yes, we'll hone our craft and in no time we'll be great." Believe me, its not so easy. I have so much more respect for RJ's and their ilks. As a listener, you have to sense some connection with the RJ and sometimes, that is the hardest part. I hope we've managed to create that connection. You also have to be tough-skinned enough to hear some pretty terribly remarks about what you say. People will disagree, call you names and if you diss out their favorite stars, the God only help you! Been there, done that. Check out our second episode as we describe our non-approval of the much awaited I Hate Luv Storys. Yes, we received much flack but hey, love us or hate us, you cant ignore us!

FilmiTalkies is really an experience in 30 minutes. A fun one that too. In the future, we are hoping to get some fun people to chat with - film related of course. And also hoping that we gain more viewers. You should take a quick listen. And drop me a line! I wanna know your opinion. Did we suck? or are you intrigied by our knowledge for Hindi cinema. Whatever it is, tell me! This week we take a completely different route from the usual and we discuss Leading Ladies we miss as well as recast some of the most popular (and over rated) Hollywood films with Bollywood stars.