Though Im not a biiiig fan of mushy romantic flicks, I often flip for movies that have love stories that are sensible, stories which leave me feeling good inside. Love Actually finds a place in my all time fav list and once I saw the promos of SEI, I was tremendously excited as I always thought Love Actually had atleast three or four tracks which could be incorporated into an Indian Movie.

After seeing the movie, me and my friend came out and told ourselves, not bad, but gimme a dvd of Love Actually anyday. Sitting here jotting down my impressions, I would think I was being unfair to SEI by comparing it to the original. SEI worked in parts for me. It started off nicely, meandered and lost direction in between (The Ya Rabba track that I like in the sound track was stretched interminably) but finally managed to tie it all up nicely in the end. The ability to poke fun at itself plays a major role in making it work. It uses some of the oldest bollywood cliches to a humorous effect (something that Farah Khan does far more effectively in Main Hoon Naa). It draws u into atleast a couple of the stories, u start feeling for the characters in those stories and want them to end well. The music is fab (mostly), the songs are all well staged Bollywood Numbers, elaborate sets, choreography, loads of dancers in the background.

Amongst the stars, Vidya Balan and John Abraham have a lot of scope and do complete justice to their roles. Akshaye Khanna was fun and I was left wishing Ayesha Takia had something more substantial to do. Anil Kapoor and Juhi played whatever little parts they were given to perfection. Govinda and Shannon were lovely. Govinda was back to his old self saying cheesy, corny lines that only he can pull off (Tu aadmi hai ke Pyzama- anyone???). Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar are hardly there but manage to evoke a chuckle everytime they come on screen. Priyanka Chopra hammed sometimes, but otherwise was a delight to watch, looks and performance wise. Salman actually looked outlandish in certain scenes, what was with his weird hairdo and make up anyway???

The movie would have been so much better if Nikhil Advani had not indulged his labor of love. When u fall in love and indulge something to a great extent, u end up spoiling it. Nikhil Advani suffers from the same problem... He loved his movie so much, that he ends up spoiling the overall effect, a once in a lifetime ensemble starcast not withstanding. SEI, for me makes the ideal DVD movie... it neither bores u to death, nor moves at a breathtaking pace...so U can give a few scenes the flip and actually rewatch some memorable portions for the effect...

Go see SEI when u have some time to spend, u will not regret the time or the expense. Or if u do not have that time to spend, do see the movie when it comes out on DVD - ideal for a lazy sunday watch!

No Cricket on TV!

Breaking away from my usual photographs, I really had to rant about this. Cricket in India is nothing less than a religion. A match on a sunday is the sweeetest thing that can happen to millions of us around here. School going kids, working professionals, businessmen and just about everyone else in sight will agree that the best way to spend a sunday would be to sit at home with family and see India play. And then celebrate if we do manage to win.

Now, picture this... Dada is back in the team after a long time... we expect him to show off some fireworks, all of us geared up to see some good cricket, never mind the poor showing in South Africa, we can never be too angry at our gods, u see, lo and behold, u realize there is no live/delayed telecast. The I&B ministry, so prompt in banning AXN for showing an 'Adult' program well after 11 pm which is very much within guidelines, thinks nothing of not being able to telecast a match that is being held in that very far off place, India. It was almost like I was back in the US. Sitting in front of the computer and seeing the commentator go gaga over the cricket. Everytime he wrote Dada on fire, typical ODI shot, typically Tendulkar, Meaty blow by Dhoni, Sublime stuff from Dravid, I would go on flipping channels all the way from 0-99 in the hope that the cable operators might have gotten the channel's feed from somewhere.

Mr. Munshi, (the I&B minister), please stop deciding what we should and we should not see. If u want to continue doing that, ensure that u can atleast arrange for millions to see what they want to see. Banning something that a handful mite have seen (what with the millions of BPO employees who work nites and have no chance of seeing what was shown on AXN) is all good, shows u are awake and are working actively to make sure that u are spoonfeeding us all the satellite feed that we get. But ensure that millions like us who want to have some simple pleasures of life like watching a cricket match that India plays in India, get that gift...

PS: Someone, show me some highlights plzzzzzzzz.....

Pardes mein des, I know, I know, those balloons should have been in reverse order...nevertheless...

Near perfect Mirror Image - But for that darned flash... Friends at the Tennessee Aquarium

My friends dancing in gay abandon during the International Street Festival at the University - Both of them mesmerized the audience with their performance.

A shot of the moon, early evening, 4 pm likes... The ambience created by the electric wires was nice overall...

Though I generally run a mile away from lizards, this one trapped inside a street lamp made for a cool picture - I have lost the number of times I have thanked my N-72 now...

Beautiful mehndi adorned hands of an Indian Bride - Who wouldnt fall in love?

This pic has me searching for words! The combination of those colorful balloons and India Gate in the background - the balloons, for me, reflected hope for a colorful future for India - AMEN!!!

The feeling of awe grows as u approach the actual monument. On a winter evening in Delhi at India Gate!

IndiaGate in Delhi. Makes u feel good, this place. East or West - India is the Best! 

Little Jose and his girlfriend - balloons et al, luv this pic. During the International Street Festival in the University! 

The lassi was really yummy and the patterns in the glass once I gulped the thing down made for a good photograph... Good value for my Rs. 15. This was in a dhaba on the outskirts of Hyderabad. 

When u do not have a candle, u make do with a matchstick! :) 

These two pics do look very ordinary at first glance. The interesting thing is that the shadow in the second pic is that of the cloud in the first pic. This was in Chattanooga where we were on top of Lookout Mountain. Only when u r at such a height can u get this effect, I guess. This was a point from where you could see 7 different states and hence the name!

A Rang De Basanti inspired shot, this is a shot of a Poultry farm with all its lights on, taken from a fast moving car... 

A beautiful arrangement of Diyas on Diwali day - India is the place to be...Another one using my N72 phn...

Clouds always provide the perfect backdrop for pics. A frnd of mine posing against some billowing storm clouds... 

BullDog everywhere... Go Dawgs sic 'em! 

During a game of cricket in the US, look at the thing as it sits innocently.