What a Man can be forced to do

2 movies in 5 days. And this one didn't disappoint either.



From the first scene to the ending credits, this movie is all about 1 man, Irfan Khan, in his on-screen avatar of Paan Singh Tomar. It is like watching a 1 man infantry running through the movie and running into your hearts, the best he only can. From the first time he is introduced as the 'Bagi' - or dacoit as we would call him - to the reporter who gets the rare oppurtunity to meet him, to the end when finally he completes his 'race', Irfan Khan will enchant you with every word, every dialogue and every expression.
This is a story of a simple rustic who joins the army to fend for himself and his family. Once there, he differs himself from the crowd athleticly, seemingly enjoying the long runs out in the heat, and leaving everyone in his wake. He goes on to represent the army, becomes national champion, represents the country at the Asian Games and finally at the International Armed Forces Games, where he wins the Gold medal in front of the world. He returns back only to take retirement from the forces and return home to his waiting wife, played by an inspired Mahie Gill, and his children. A special mention here, and this might sound a bit far fetched, but Mahie Gill looks like a very young Smita Patil in the first scene where she is introduced. That in itself is quite an achievement!
The problems start once he gets back home. There are land disputes with his cousin, which ultimately changes him into the man he becomes later. He is forced to leave his village, leaving behind everything that ever belonged to him. The rest of his family also take refuge in his wife's maternal home. And then the transformation starts. From a man fighting for the country, to a man fighting against the wrongs committed against him and his next of kin. This is the story of a common man, driven to a life of lawlessness, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
There is only 1 person who runs this movie. Irfan Khan. The narration he gives while recalling the past to the reporter is said with so much emotion, the metaphors with such a touch of reality, that it will make you take notice. I've been a huge fan of his narration since he pulled off a stunner with the narration of 'Yeh Saali Zindagi'. And he doesn't disappoint here. The one-liners are worth hearing repeatedly. The conviction of a man robbed of his innocence is evident. And then he goes on to say the most important line of the movie, and I'm paraphrasing here because I don't remember exactly, "Jab desh ke lie race daur raha tha, tab kisi ne nahi pucha kaun hain. Ab ek do kya kidnapping kar li, sab Paan Singh Paan Singh kar rahe hain!"
The movie ends on a very poignant note with a message which is very close to my heart, and it should be stirring to all who enjoy sports. So go ahead and watch this movie, before this too is lost in the crowded archives of Bollywood.

The 'Mother' of all 'Kahaani'(Story)

My first visit to a movie hall since mid November. And boy! was it worth it!!



From the first scene itself, you are hit with what can only called a lot of 'Calcutta'. The city and its sights, its festival, Durga Puja, and all the sites and sounds surrounding it are captured brilliantly. And it is shown with so much reality, seen only very rarely, even in Bengali movies. As Vidya reaches the city, and is driven through it, you see it go by in a blur of sound and colour, just how an outsider would see it when they enter this bustling metropolis. As the story unfolds, you see the strength of a woman on a mission, to find her missing husband, lost in an unknown and bewildering city. You see the helpless vulnerability of a pregnant woman, seemingly on a wild goose chase a very long way from home. When the story reaches the climax, you see the resolve of a wife and mother to be, doing everything in her capability to get her life back to normal.
The story line is watertight, as watertight as I've seen in a Hindi movie in a very long time. At the end of the movie, no matter how much we tried to find some loopholes in the plot, there was none that we could put on finger on. No stone has been left unturned in making the story believable and gripping. Director Sujoy Ghosh has come up with Bollywood's answer to some of the more mind boggling movies we are used to seeing from Hollywood. I'm not sure if it would be right to talk about the movie in the same breath as 'The Departed' and 'The Usual Suspects', but it's the closest I've ever seen any Hindi movie come, except maybe 'A Wednesday'.
The movie boasts a who's who of Bengali actors with Parambrata Chatterjee and Saswata Chatterjee playing important characters. Parambrata plays a police officer who helps Vidya Balan's character in the movie. He is restrained and plays his part without much over-enthusiasm. The only downside perhaps is that he is so completely over shadowed by the Queen Bee of current day Bollywood. In every frame, in every dialogue, your attention is drawn towards the woman beside him, and perhaps it is also a complement to him, that he played the 'supporting' role so well. Saswata Chatterjee is downright scary as the LIC agent who only has one 'client', but that client doesn't ask him to help protect any lives, rather completely opposite to it. In the all too famous scene with Vidya Balan at the metro station where he pushes her onto the path of an incoming train, he is successful in scaring you with his smile, all the while shouting asking Vidya Balan's character to return back.
And then there is Vidya Balan. What do you say about someone who has won three consecutive filmfares and a National Awards in the same period? She is exemplary, stealing a march over every other of her contemporaries with this role, just like she has been doing with all of her past few roles. The expressions, the voice, the desperation of a pregnant woman caught in a dire situation she portrays with aplomb. Anything which is said in praise of her would be less. And then there is the climax, the stirring ending will make you sit up straight and take notice. Anything more I say here will just about spoil it.

Limelight...not for me please!

A house has four walls. Every wall is in itself complete. But together they make something that has a lot more meaning. But for now, let us concentrate on a single wall. Have you ever wondered how much stress falls on a single wall in holding up a house, or any free-standing structure for that matter? How much all the bricks have to work together as a unit to maintain the shape of which it is a part. Measure it and you'll be amazed. It's a wonder that buildings can stand on their own at all! Now consider the weight of expectations which fall on a cricketer in India, where cricket is more than a sport, and its players are more than demi-gods. In a country of more than 1.2 billion people, were every leading edge, every wide ball is scrutinised more than investigators at a crime scene, it is staggering to think that a player would last for 1 and a half decades, playing like he used to when he started, and remaining the perfect gentleman that he always was.



That, my friends, is the story of Rahul Sharad Dravid. A cricketer who represented the country with the verve and passion matched only by a few others. A player who brought hard work, dedication and determination to a sport, in a country which treats its players like a yo-yo, lifting them to the highest of highs one moment, and then plunging them into the deepest abyss the next. All because they won or lost a 'game'.
He made his debut at the crease on a cloudy day in the summer of 1996, at Lord's, no less, the home of the sport of cricket. But right from the start the spotlight seemed to have a way of avoiding him, running circles around his person but never settling on him. His debut score of 95 was overshadowed by the amazing debut century of a certain Prince of Calcutta, Sourav Ganguly. When he made 145 three years later at Taunton in the 1999 World Cup against Sri Lanka, he was overshadowed again by a pulverising 183 by that same guilty party. When he scored 180 against Australia in the now legen...wait for it...dary Test match at Eden Gardens (woohoo!!), a Very Very Special Laxman scored 281, which was at that time the highest score by an Indian. Not that Dravid did not get any plaudits for that innings, but again he was playing second fiddle. Even the Test match in which Dravid reached 10000 runs, Sehwag scored a record breaking triple century, blistering through the opposition bowling attack.



Not that he didn't star in any of India's wins. In the greatest Test achievement oversees(in my opinion) in the past 10 years, the win over Australia at Adelaide in 2003, Rahul Dravid played the lead role, scoring 233 in the first innings and a 70 odd not out in the second to pull India over the line, and forever engraving his name as a legend of the game.



His decision to retire came yesterday in what has to be described as typical Dravid fashion. When the spotlight was elsewhere, when he wasn't in the news, he decided to call an end to an illustrious career which reached across three decades of the calendar. I have come to expect nothing less of the great man. This is my salute to the glue which held the Indian batting line up together for 15 long years. Sad to see you go, The Wall. Thank you for the memories.

The Festival which Eludes Me

I think what would be more appropriate as the heading is 'The Festival I avoid like its the Plague'! If my memory serves me correctly, I was 14 the last time I returned home on the day of Holi looking like a Rainbow. And then it began, the scrubbing, the rinsing, the soaping, the shampooing, and yet, for some inexplicable reason, those damn colours just wouldn't come off! By the time I would give up on the task, I would end up having this pink hue all over with the darker colours still persisting on the fingers and fingernails. And then the worrying would start as to how I would save myself from the chastising which was awaiting at school the following day. And then, the following year, we stopped playing, my friends and me. That was that. And I haven't played Holi ever since.
It has gotten to the stage now that there are no more inclinations, no sudden urges to restart the old tradition. I used to hate it when people in college would try to put colour on me in the annual pre-Holi celebration. Even this year, when all others were busy colouring each other, I spent the morning like it was any other. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that most of the friends with whom I used to play Holi have moved on, moved to new places and to new avenues in life. Most of the friends I have in general have gone out of town as well. So, there isn't a lot of reasons to restart. Maybe, years from now, when I find a reason to, I'll play with colours on this festival again...
I have to say that I have made some friends recently, who, though I have known them for a very long time, having studied in school together since nursery, weren't exactly close. But now, having had the time to get to know them, I have to say that maybe all of us were a bit too judgmental in school, believing in people's reputations rather than giving them a chance to be themselves. The last couple of months have been quite well spent thanks to them, not to mention the people who have always been and will always remain close. They made my 23rd birthday last month really special :-). If you're reading this, you know who you are and I know you're smiling right now. So yeah, for making me smile that little bit more, this is to all of you.

Happy HOLI everyone...

Think twice

Before I write this blog, I want to make one thing very clear to everyone who reads this. I have absolutely no political inclinations and I definitely DO NOT support any party. On the contrary, I do not like the word 'Politics' and everything it stands for in this state and country. This is just some thoughts which I'd like to share regarding everything that's going on in our state at the moment.
I have a question to the person calling all the shots in our state at the moment, how many mistakes and verbal faux pas will it take for you to realise that statements made to the press or otherwise should be done after careful consideration and understanding all of the facts involved? Recent times have seen a spate of unfortunate, and even horrendous events, which have brought disrepute to our state and city. But the situation has been made from bad to worse by the statements made by our Leading Lady. Is it really necessary to make statements the moment a uncalled for incident occurs, without getting to the bottom of the problem first? I know, a Chief Minister is supposed to come out in the open with an explanation of how the state is approaching the problem. I can understand that it is not easy being in front of a hall full of people, journalists, who often ask difficult questions and dissect every strand of the statements made, with an almost vengeful desire to find the minutest faults. This, however, cannot be an explanation for everything that's being said every time a crisis comes to the fore.
I mean seriously, when all those babies passed away in that Malda hospital, the whole country sympathised with their families and demanded an explanation be sought from the state. And what did you reply? I'm para-phrasing here, 'They were conceived when the opposition was in power'. Do you even hear yourself speak? Do you know what these kind of statements do to your reputation? What does when a baby is conceived have to do with infant mortality?? This is probably unheard of in any part of the world!
And then, more recently, when a woman comes on national television, goes to the major newspapers, to tell her story, and a horrific one at that, you dismiss it without even bothering to let the police do the investigation. And what did that lead to? More disrepute. It has been proved that her story was in fact, fact. This has again lead to our state and your position being questioned. Why? All because you were too keen to pass the buck of responsibility from the state to one of its citizens.
Everyone keeps telling me that I should give you some time, to get things in order. But tell me, if all this had been said by someone who weren't you, would people give them the same 'time'? In the coming years, or maybe even months, I'd probably have to go out of this city and state for work or otherwise. If all this continues, how can I feel proud about where I come from? How do I represent West Bengal in the rest of the country, leave alone the world? Think about it Madam, this is no small matter...

Clash of the Titans

“Man Utd v Liverpool is the biggest game in the world – Sir Alex Ferguson”

Cliched heading, but not the event. Just over 3 hours to go for the big game today, Liverpool vs Mancehster United, at Old Trafford. The last time these two teams met in the Premier League was in October, when a whopping Half Billion people are said to have watched the event. That's 1 in every 12 people! Today, the predictions say that 900 million people will watch the match, almost double that of last time, and approximately 1 in every 7 people in the world!! Now that's what I call popularity. Perhaps the El Classico, Barcelona vs Real Madrid, in the Spanish Primera Liga, is the only other match which rivals this particular fixture in the footballing calendar.
The history between these two clubs goes back a long long way, and surprisingly, and quite unknown to most, wasn't always this choleric. The two clubs are seperated by only 40 minutes by roads, and are often considered, along with Nottingham Forrest,Leeds United and West Ham United, to be the backbone around which English football reached out to the world. Perhaps the biggest indicator of the respect that the two clubs have always shared for each other can be understood from events after the horrendous Munich air crash which wiped out nearly the entire Manchester United squad. Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were the only teams who offered the services of their reserve teams to United, to help them rebuild. As I found out from a recent status update on my friend's facebook page, there are some United supporters who still hold Liverpool in high regard for that gesture half a century ago. Truth be told, even I wasn't aware of this fact before I had read that particular update. Thanks Arghya for the enlightenement :-).
The two teams combine for 117 trophies in total. So it was quite natural that their paths would cross in many tournaments down the years. But the two League fixtures in the year are ever present, and to me, the biggest games of football in the year. The recent matches between the two teams have produced some magical moments, some astonishing scorelines, and some ugly tussles. Perhaps the immediate talk of the ugly racism row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra threatens to take some sheen away from the impending slobber-knocker we have on our hands.

Perhaps the match-up that'll decide the match, and no more hanky-panky please

Recent matches have seen Liverpool do the double over United in 2008-2009, including a 4-1 win over United at Old Trafford, a Dimitar Berbatov hat-trick last season, when most critics were writing the obituaries of his Manchester United career, and a Dirk Kuyt hat-trick in the reverse fixture, with a lot of help from Suarez to get there. The reverse fixture at Anfield this season ended in a 1-1 draw, with Javier Hernandez cancelling out a Steven Gerrard free-kick. The most recent match ended 2-1 in favour of Liverpool with Dirk Kuyt scoring the winner at Anfield to secure Liverpool's place in the F.A. Cup 5th round.

Which side are you on?

PROBABLE LINEUPS

       
      MANCHESTER UNITED                                                      LIVERPOOL


                   De Gea                                                                      Reina
 Rafael,Ferdinand,Evans,Evra                                  Johnson,Skrtel,Agger,Enrique
Valencia,Giggs,Carrick,Young                                      Gerrard,Spearing,Adam
          Wellbeck,Rooney                                                  Kuyt,Suarez,Bellamy


It promises to be a spectacular Saturday evening of football. I've missed the last two matches between the two teams, so there's no way I'm missing this one. Oh, and the last time I wrote about a great sporting event was the Australian Open final. That one became the longest and, in my opinion, the best Grand Slam final in history. So here's hoping my hype here doesn't jinx the match today.
And for all you Man Utd fans out there, for those 90 minutes, it's war...

Grand Slam!!

Before I go on to write anything about the year's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, here is a big shout out to a certain 38 year old who's still making us proud, despite, as some would say, his 'old' age. Congratulations Leander Paes on another major tournament win. And congratulations on completing a career Grand Slam. There's still the mixed doubles final to come today, so thats definitely something to look forward to. At a time when the whole country is calling for the axe on a couple of other 38-39 year olds in a different sport, Paes still keeps on proving that age is simply but a number.


1. Men's tennis is in good hands
There is no doubting the quality of the top three in men's tennis. They've proved there worth time and again and still keep doing so with Nadal and Djokovic reaching the final. The chasing pack are getting closer with Murray getting closer than ever for his chance at the top. There are others like Del Potro, Tsonga and the new kid on the block Tomic waiting to take up the reigns.



2. Women's tennis has a new number 1, but it needs a couple of new stars
Congratulations to Victoria Azarenka on her first Grand Slam victory. 
But women's tennis still remains as unpredictable as ever, which though good at times, often leads to poor quality of tennis, case in point the final yesterday, where Azarenka blew Sharapova off the court! Considering that players like Serena Williams, even with all her injuries, and Kim Clijsters, after taking a couple of years off due to child birth, still often being stronger than the top ranked players in the world, it is a sign that the game is not progressing at the same pace as the men's game. The women's game needs someone, or a couple of new players, who can dominate just like the Williams-Henin rivalry in the middle of the last decade. At the moment there is too much inconsistency in women's tennis.

3.Federer still has the game,he just makes more mistakes nowadays
The great man's matches against Tomic and Del Potro were a treat to watch for Federer and tennis fans the world over. It's what you would call a 'Lesson' in tennis. And then the way he started against Nadal, I was sure he would win that match. But then he served the worst in that match in recent memory, and his trademark forehand winners deserted him on that day. He's still got the game, he just loses focus sometimes these days. Can't blame him for taking his eyes off the ball after everything he has achieved. In my humble opinion though, he's still good enough to win one if not two more Grand Slams. It's the unforced errors he needs to control.

4.Australia has new hope
Lleyton Hewitt has been the flag bearer of Australian tennis for the past decade. But there's a new kid on the block who seems ready to take on the mantle from Hewitt. He is the calm, cool-under-pressure, bordering on unemotional, Bernard Tomic. He showed in the first three rounds what he is capable of producing. And his brand of tennis is not the usual fare that's served up these. He doesn't rely on brute strength or manic running chasing down balls from Melbourne to Perth and everything in between! His game is a breath of fresh air, with slices and drop shots dished out with equal aplomb, along with a forehand which is more like a slap, it is hit so flat! Definitely someone to watch out for.

Match of the tournament : Djokovic vs Murray, semi-final(5 sets,almost 5 hours)
Comeback of the tournament : Tomic vs Verdasco, first round(from two sets down)
Disappointments of the tournament : Stosur's first round exit and Sharapova's tame surrender in the final
Biggest effort of the tournament : Clijsters defeating Li Na(after twisting her ankle in the first set)
Most different match of the tournament : Tomic vs Dolgopolov(filled with drop shots,all kinds of slices and everything else you don't see much these days)



The Mixed Doubles Final is on and the Men's Singles Final is from just after 2 pm today. Enjoy a great day of tennis.

CORRECTION CORRECTION CORRECTION
Everything above this point was written before the men's singles final.

Match of the tournament : Djokovic vs Nadal(without a shadow of a doubt)
Probably the best tennis match I have ever seen, Period.