Monkey Business

26th December 2007: First Test Match Melbourne, Australia
Match is over in four days. Australia beat India by 337 runs. The media leaves no stone unturned to prove that India played poorly. Debates continue over team selection and speculation is rife about the final eleven who will play the second test.

The Indian team is disappointed and charts out a strategy to take on the mighty Aussies. The Aussies on the other hand are determined to win the next match. It's the most crucial match for them as winning the match means they will equal their own record of 16 consecutive Test wins.

2nd January 2008: Second Test Match Melbourne, Sydney
The match starts off with Australia gaining the momentum. India, not willing to be left behind, bat superbly to take a lead with Sachin and Laxman hitting centuries and Dravid and Ganguly backing up with well made half-centuries. Hey mate!! Wait wait...there's something wrong going on. How can these bl**** players snatch away victory from right under our nose. A draw wont help us either as we wont be able to equal the record. Let's try sledging first. Obviously, the aussies are perturbed. They are scared, petrified and afraid of losing. So they resort to tactics they are well known for. This time they pick up Bhajji. He is accused of allegedly passing a racial remark against Andrew Symonds. According to media reports, Bhajji allegedly called Symonds a 'monkey'. Does this qualify as a 'racial' comment in the first place. Racism means "The belief that one racial group is inferiro to another and the practices of the dominant group to maintain the inferior position of the dominated group." Bhajji faces a ban for probably the rest of the series and the kangaroos jump and down on winning another match.

The Indians still put up a fight to salvage the situation. They bat well enough to hope for a draw in the second innings. Oi there mate, we need to think of something else. The Indians have become immune to sledging, I believe...bellows Punter!!

Help comes in from an unexpected quarter this time. The team of B & B comes to the rescue. Instead of wasting their time in deciding whether the player from India is out, the decision is referred to a FOURTH UMPIRE. Mr. Fourth Umpire nods his head and puts up his finger. Ahhh!! The message has been received from the Lord himself. Now, I need not consult anyone and up goes Mr. Benson's finger and Ganguly is out.

The other players follow suit though Anil Kumble puts up a brave fight.

Why India lost the match?
- We did not cry mama when someone called us names
- We did not cheat
- We did not pay the umpires

IN MY OPINION, INDIA LOST THE WAR BUT WON THE BATTLE...kyunki haarkar jeetne wale ko hi Baazigar kehte hain

P.S: I really don't know when the Indian media will mature. Yesterday, amidst reports of bad umpiring decisions a SPECIAL NEWS REPORT promised to show the viewers something INTERESTING!! What you may ask, is more interesting and important than to know what's going on in Australia? Well, the media had kept a close on a certain Ms. Padukone who had traveled all the way to Sydney to watch the match. The Special Report was all about her reaction and expression on her face when Yuvi fell for a duck. The song "Aankon main teri ajab si ajab si.." was playing in the background. Pink graphic hearts were falling as snow on the screen. hmmm..need I say more??????

Sivaji - Review

Despite being a South-Indian, I was never in awe of the super star who reigned in the hearts of thousands of devoted fans. In fact, I used to find his gimmicks so sick that I never watched any of Rajni's super hit films. However, after watching Sivaji, my view about Rajni has changed a lot. I went to watch the movie out of curiosity rather than anything else...and came out of the theatre with my heart filled with content for a watching a good movie after a long time.

The Plot
Kudos to director Shankar for coming up with a fantastic story-line, fabulous action sequences, and hilarious punch dialogues. The reason for the film's stupendous success cannot be attributed to Rajni alone. It is the team work and a well-planned, cleverly crafted story that has done the trick.

Sivaji is a film that takes a dig at the black money market prevailing in India. The story revolves around an NRI, Sivaji, who returns to India from the US with a mission to educate the masses and provide free treatment to the poor and the needy. His sole aim in life is to run hospitals and provide education, to the poor and the needy. However, he runs into trouble as the existing corrupt system of bureaucrats and hand-in glove politicians turn his dreams to dust. His efforts are thwarted by the shrewd dhoti-clad business man, Adisheshan who feels insecure on hearing Sivaji's plans to provide free education and medical facilities. However, the must talked about project starts off after Sivaji bribes the authorities. Soon, he loses all the hard-earned money and the properties that he had amassed so far. The story is all about how Sivaji starts from the scratch and fights all the obstacles on his way to get his project back on track.

The Cast
There's hardly any scene in the movie sans Rajni. I don't think I need to write about his screen presence or acting prowess. The surprise package of the movie is Vivek, Sivaji's side-kick. The female lead, Shreya, has nothing to do except gyrate to the music. The charater Adi, played by actor Suman is fantastic. The character is cunning, shrewd, and lethal. Suman has done complete justice to the role.

The Music
A R Rahman fails to come up with a good music score this time. The music is disappointing though the picturisation is heart-warming and refreshing. The choreography is good and the costumes are unique and different.

Why should you watch Sivaji?
The star cast is terrific, the story line is awesome and the action scenes are well planned and executed. The first half of the movie is replete with humor and hilarious moments (the best being the one where Rajni tries to become fair and win over Shreya).

The Flipside
The movie is more or less in the genre of Shankar's earlier films like Nayak (Mudhalvan in tamil) and bears an uncanny resemblance in terms of treatment. However, the songs in Nayak were much better than in Sivaji.

To conclude, Sivaji is much better than the run-of-the mill films being churned out by Bollywood. It was a refreshing change to watch a good movie after a very long time.....

My First....finally

Finally it's here...my first blog. After months of deliberating whether or not to start blogging, here I am to put forth my views and opinions on anything and everything. For me blogging is a means to debate and a medium to express. All in all, blogging is a fun-filled experience to interact with everyone.

Welcome to Deepa's Corner!

Enjoy a five course meal with views, opnions, debates, and discussions on varied topics....

Appetizers: Bollywood gup-shup and Film reviews

Starters: Personal Experiences

Main Course: Technical Writing, Writing Techniques, and Current Affairs

Drinks: Travelogues

Desert: Sports and Wildlife