Yogi's Corner

An Oscar for the writer please!! And ditto for the director of photography The way and the pace at which the movie moves forward is amazing. Anni (Sushant) and Maya (Shradha) transformation a from the 90s to 2000s is amazing. Unbelievable to watch them on screen infact. This movie is probably the one that each one of us could relate to. In some way or another, you could find yourself or a friend in the film !! Relating to the story is so easy and even without a funny moment, it will surely draw a few chuckles from you. It's the kind of in your face, "been there, done that" kind of effect.  Songs are amazingly good, as much so that they just breeze past without interrupting the narrative. Comparison to 3 idiots or even ZNMD is likely. The essence might be the same but the flavour and delivery is different Nostalgia would be an exaggerated word for a life lesson. Anecdotes on hostel life serve as a timely reminder as well as a wonderful reflection on the past.  Th...

I was watching a news report on Times Now last night. They called it as a new initiative which was the need of the current moment. And I will seriously disagree with that. For ages, I have been commenting on this issue but could never bring it to the right platform. So the debate on hand was about traffic safety. On how there needs to be an education for the drivers so that they realise how important it is to maintain sanity while driving. Most of the accidents per statistics is from over speeding and then to drunk driving in majority of the cases. My take on this is simple. In india, people just don't value their life. It's not just about road accidents alone. 10 people die everyday on Mumbai local trains. It's so scary the way people cross the roads or board a running train. I encounter almost 10 two wheeler motorcyclists every day, when a bump to them is just a second away.    Traffic commissioners from Delhi as well as Mumbai were present and each had their o...

The Pink Ball Exam (Test) Change they say is inevitable. Infact in a very paradoxical form of the way, change is forever constant .  On the 22nd of November, (6 days after the historic retirement of the iconic Sachin Tendulkar and 7 days after his debut !! ) the Indian Test cricket is on the cusp of a new history. India as always has always been the late adopters of the new improvisations in cricket but like in the past history, it will take to this change as well as a duck takes to water. Eden Gardens already wears a festive atmosphere and the first 4 days are fully sold out !! Day & Night Test match cricket is here upon us and the "Pink Ball Test" is here to stand the "test" of time. This will be the first time that both Bangladesh as well as India will feature in a Day & Night Test match as well as it being such first Test to be held in India. And what better venue than the iconic Eden Gardens ! Saurav Ganguly, the local super hero as well as t...

In one of the very rare Dad to Son moments, my 85 year old dad called me and very eloquently gave me his take on the recent Maharashtra politics. He even insisted that I pen it down. Though, I could not much agree with his views, it was an occasion to savour where he could speak for an hour and I would want to constantly interrupt but stayed speechless. So here please allow me to present his views : The midnight coup by BJP would have been quite possible and successful only if the Supreme Court had not intervened in the decision given by the Governor. The Guv had given about 15 days to the BJP to prove their majority on the floor, while the SC in their haste, just granted 24 hours to the BJP. An open ballot was sought for and BJP was left with no choice. Let it also be known that Ajit Pawar has a very limited influence on his cadre, most of who are still Sharad Pawar loyalists. Which also brings us to the next important question. Why did Sharadji not deflect towards his nephew...

The Cricket World Cup Mania is here again … Aha ! The World Cup fever bug bites us again & this time it promises to be bigger & faster and high scoring than before. I like this format than the ones in the recent past, in the sense that each team plays the other & hence has an ample opportunity to address a slip and recover in time. This also means unlike the 3 or 4 team groups where a single “upset” can (* & has …. remember the heartbreak of both India & Pakistan in 2007 WC ?) potentially knock you out of the tournament without a “second chance”. In the current scenario, the more fancied teams or shall I dare say, the stronger of the lot of 10, have a more realistic chance of making the top 4. As mentioned above, any slips-ups or upsets would set the alarm if only to come back harder in the next match.  For any proud cricket follower in a cricket crazy nation, it becomes his birth-right to first, dish out predictions on the champions; boil it down to the...

BADLA – MOVIE REVIEW A very riveting story, with a gripping climax, BADLA promises a lot & delivers on several fronts. A strong story revolving around just 2 protagonists, keeps you rooted on the seat for most part of 2 hours. At the climax you are at edge of your seat and even screaming, “Get to the end of it; why are you prolonging it so much” ? In a way, it’s an admission of the fact that the climax has just been stretched or probably you are just as excited, where you are like “come on, let’s get on with it.” Its that kind of a story that you want to move along but the director Sujoy Ghosh, decides to hold back on each frame. He is telling his story at his own pace and he holds us so woven in the spell that even though we want to fast forward to his last frame, we are compelled to hang on to the rusty handle and take the rough ride to the end. Amitabh Bachaan (Badal Gupta) & Taapsee Pannu (Naina Sethi) become the showcase of this Bollywood classic, that has bee...

The Accidental Prime Minister Let’s start with the politics first. NDTV calls it 1.5 stars, while TIMES NOW calls it 3.5 ! Such ratings are only politically motivated which depends on which channel leans on which side at a given time. Similarly, most of the reviews including mine would possibly favour the political flavour and even your viewing pleasure would depend on the same. You will then decide whether it is a propaganda film or an intense political drama. This movie is based on the book by Sanjaya Baru who apart from being a journalist also became media consultant to the then PM Man Mohan Singh (henceforth referred to as MMS). He is the suthradhar but yet again, the way he instigates this story, would remain a matter of debate if these things actually happened or a classic case of pure fiction. The timing of this movie so close to the election, is another point of discussion. This role is powerfully played by Akshayee Khanna. A wicked and yet on the go character whose wisdom...

URI movie review First things first, this is one story that had to be told and that too on the big screen, so that it reaches out to the mass audience & not only to those who are relegated to the News Channels. An excellent story that will surely make every Indian proud & make his chest swell in pride ! Very historically pertinent to us & to our future generation which is just 2 years old in the books of history and yet evokes such a sense of accomplishment. I start this blog with the dialogue from the movie … “Ye naya Hindusthan hai, ye ghaar mein ghussega bhi aur thogega bhi ! “ This sole dialogue epitomises the very fabric of the film and the resounding cry of each and every of us Indians who no longer wants to offer the other cheek but slap back in return … IN DOUBLE !! Vijay Kaushal deserves all the plaudits that he is getting from the critics and fans alike. From a shameless Kamless in Sanju to Major Vihaan Singh in URI is unbelievable. He has also played a role as...