Kolaveri-ed by Dhanush!

Oh-u My-u God-u! I think I've found the answer to the world famous question: "why this kolaveri kolaveri kolaveri di". It is because:

1. Dhanush has a smile and grin that makes the woman-kind go weak at the knees and eventually faint.


2. The way he says "kolaveri ... aaa di" at 0:43 and grins.


3. The way he sings "pa pa pa pan, pa pa pa pan.. " line and the music that follows.


4. The aalap that starts at 3:30 and only lasts less than 10 seconds.


5. Shruti Haasan is out of this world gorgeous! Especially at 2:25!


6. The direction and the lighting in this video are done so beautifully.


7. Of the very special soup boys. Who are they any way?


8. He resembles Vivek Oberoi but just a lot more handsomer.


9. It's his mooch!


10. Last but now least, it's "cow-u cow-u holy cow-u.." I mean HOLY COW it's the crazy music!!!

OK, scratch all of that. The REAL reason is because it's RAJNIKANT's son-in-law and daughter!!!

Rafi in Ten Moods - Part II

tum mujhe yoon bhoola na paaoge
jab kabhi bhi sunoge geet mere
sang sang tum bhi gungunaaoge...

He sang to us. And what an apt song! Rafi sahab, we truly can't ever forget you.

When a fire was ignited in the hearts of Rafi fans all over the blog-world by the creation of Rafi in Ten Moods at dustedoff, everyone was left wanting more of it. And who wouldn't?! I couldn't wait to come up with my top ten. It took a couple of days for me to narrow down the choices. As you can imagine, it was very very very difficult, and I removed and added so many songs back and forth to my list. Still it continually kept changing but I finally decided to finalize it and it's here. Phew!

My top ten favorites in no particular order:

Philosophical: aaj puraani raahon se, Aadmi (1968)
Music Director: Naushad Ali
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

It might be considered a sad song too, but I find it more philosphical, the kind when the search-light turns inwards and self-discovery begins: "jeevan badla duniya badli man ko anokha gyaan milaa... aaj mujhe apne hi dil mein ek nayaa insaan milaa...". My absolute favorite are Rafi sahab's voice that echoes... oh wow!

Gloomy/Sad: aye mere dost aye mere humdum, Meherbaan (1967)
Music Director: Ravi
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan

You can feel it in his voice, the pain, the hurt in his heart. It's about the best relationship in this world - friendship. It is one of those songs that makes me feel extremely emotional listening to it. Three Rs (Rafi & Ravi & Rajinder) give us this heart-wrenching number. I have a feeling these people were angels who just stopped by on this planet for us, to help us appreciate life. Listen to the ending part of the song "aye mere dost aye mere humdum" to see what Rafi has an ability to do.

Devotional: insaaf ka mandir hai, Amar (1954)
Music Director: Naushad Ali
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

There have been quite a few in this category to pick from and I had a hard time deciding on one, but I loved the lyrics and their meaning and raag of this one. It sounds just like a prayer, and I think it is. It tells us, there are no rules, no barriers when you want to pray and it tells about all the other truths about life. "yeh soch le har baat ki daata ko khabar hai... himmat hai to aaja yeh bhalaayi ki dagar hai...". I love both versions of it equally. Wish they were part of the same track.

Lovesick: aanchal mein sajaa lena kaliyaan, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963)
Music Director: O. P. Nayyar
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

When the singer sings, there isn't supposed to be any major music in the background and then when he stops singing, that's when the music picks up. That is how a song is supposed to be. This is the definition of song. Check it out... Mohd. Rafi sahab at his best romantic self and some awesome tabla playing in the background that don't compromise the beauty of the song just complement it. Sigh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PhcG40FvRg

Classical: madhuban mein radhika naache re, Kohinoor (1960) [Raag Hameer]
Music Director: Naushad Ali
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

The best classical song I've ever heard. Did you actually listen to the aalap and the taan and all other crazy hi-tech stuff he sings in this one? Even if a dancer attempted to dance to this one, it would be so unbelievably difficult. Naushad and Mr. Badayuni along with Rafi sahab are crazy people with crazy amounts of talent. That's all I got to say. I am speechless.

Heroic/Royal: hoshiyaar! jaanewaale zara hoshiyaar, Raj Kumar (1964)
Music Director: Shankar Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra

Wow! what a song... when Rafi sahab says "hoshiyaar!" it wakes up every single particle of your body and makes it dance with excitement. This one makes me happy when I'm sad and cheers me up and makes me want to "sang sang gungunaa" like he said to us earlier. It leaves me feeling proud of myself, for many or no reasons. That's the jaadu of Mohd. Rafi.

Praise/Taareef: salaam aap ki meethi, Boyfriend (1961)
Music Director: Shankar Jaikishen
Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri

The ultimate taareef song! And of course why not, it's for Madhubala. :) You've got to listen to the words for that though, because if you watch her on screen, you'd probably be rendered speechless. Only Harsat Jaipuri can write words like these and only Rafi sahab can woo his love by singing such a song. Rafi sahab, salaam aap ki meethi aawaaz ko salaam. Some of my most favorite songs are the ones picturized on Shammi Kapoor. Initially, I came up with songs in all these categories that were only Shammi Kapoor songs but I figured I was doing an injustice to Rafi sahab by including duets in there and so gave up on that idea and only concentrated on his solo numbers.

Adoring: yeh teri saadgi yeh tera baankpan, Shabnam (1964)
Music Director: Usha Khanna
Lyrics: Javed Anwar

Pay attention to the accordian playing and singing. They don't overlap eachother, they're separated and what a fabulous effect that creates... and the speed of music also slows down with the singer slowing down his singing. What beautiful lyrics and it is such a fun number to watch. I love Mehmood and love the fact that Rafi sahab's voice matches him so perfectly. In fact, he would be one singer who has given voice for practically the widest range of actors without actually changing his singing. And he was one of the few singers who insisted on knowing who he was singing for before he sang. This is what has made each and every song custom designed for the singer he has sung any songs for.

Patriotic: jahaan daal daal par, Sikander-E-Azam (1965)
Music Director: Hansraj Behl
Lyrics: Rajendar Krishan

Overflowing with love and respect for Bhaarat, that's what this song is! It's almost like a prayer. I simply love the Sanskrit shlok in the beginning "gururbrahmna gururvishnu...". It makes each and every single hair on my body stand up. Even the chorus sounds and chanting so fascinating and out of this world. And makes me feel so blessed to be able to appreciate being a Bhaaratiya. A song that tells us all about Bhaarat desh.

Romantic: door reh kar na karo baat, Amaanat (1977)
Music Director: Ravi
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhiyanvi

If you really want to enjoy this song, don't watch it. Best listen to it and if you can leave your window down/open while listening... and if it's raining out, even better. It transports you to a completely different world... what voice!! OMG, it's mindblowing! I agree, it wouldn't have been possible to do this, if it wasn't for the music or the lyrics. My most favorite line is "zindagi bhar ka hai ab saath, kareeb aa jaao...".

Video of song from film (missing last stanza):


Full audio song:



I feel like singing for Rafi sahab: O door ke musaafir, hum ko bhi saath le le re, hum reh gaye akele... hum reh gaye akele...

To this, he'd probably sing: so ke bhi jaagte hi rehte hai jaanbaaz suno... meri aawaaz suno pyaar ka raaz suno...

I could never have just 10 favorite Rafi songs. Here are some more of my favorites of Mohd. Rafi sahab.

Long live, Rafi sahab! May God bless you, whevever you are.

"Hum hai raahi pyaar ke... phir milenge... chalte chalte..."

What? You still haven't heard that dialog? Go watch Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, right now!

I really enjoyed watching this film despite of it being so bad like almost everyone says. It's one of those movies that falls under it-is-so-pathetic-i-love-it category. There's quite a lot of nice things in this one and one just has to sit there and ponder upon them before moving on to the next scene. What did I like about it? Here goes:

1. First and foremost, SRK's acting. This man's work just gets better with time, I think. I used to not like him as much but eventually have grown to like him for who he is on-screen and off-screen. SRK truly rocks!
   
2. How Surinder and Bobby love each other and would do anything for each other... their friendship is so close, they even say "I love you" to each other!! If you are a man, it takes guts to say "I love you" to another man.
   
3. The music, because it includes songs such as "haule haule" and "phir milenge... chalte chalte". I like the others too but these two are more fun songs than the others. And I totally adore the background music by Salim-Sulaiman. "Tujh mein rab dikhta hai" is one of those that you start liking after listening to it like a gazillion times and Sunidhi is awesome is "dance pe chance" though I admit I don't understand all of the lyrics but Labh Januja's voice haunts me day and night, in a good way of course.
   
4. How in the first half you just keep laughing at almost everything about Surinder - the way he combs his hair, the way he walks, the way he dresses, the way he receives phone calls at work, the way he talks to himself, just about everything he does.
   
5. The mucchad, chashmish, shy, quiet, innocent, adorable, pure-at-heart Suri.
   
6. How this movie reminds me of good ol' Golmaal. There are so many similarities, it's unbelievable. (1) our hero has the mooch-munda and mucchad versions!! (2) one super cool alter ego and the other "mucchad buddhu" like how Urmila would call him (3) the heroine falls in love with the "luccha lafanga" hero and hates the seedha-sada hero (4) the dad loves the "mucchad buddhu" but the daughter doesn't (5) the sidekick of the hero - Deven vs. Bobby (6) the cool hero gives lessons (study vs. dance) to the heroine (7) the frustration that our hero goes through... I am sure there's more to add to this list.
   
7. How Suri says on phone: "Punjab Power... lighting up your life ji".
   
8. How the movie shows that it's the nice little things, little acts of showing our consideration towards the others that wins people's hearts.
   
9. How simplicity is portrayed along with the theme that God is great and that no matter what the end result is in His hands for everything.
   
10. Did I already say SRK's acting? Yeah, during scenes like Taani walks in and he's working on laptop and gets up all of a sudden only to realize he has the string of his pen-drive around his neck, his fight with the sumo wrestler, how he tries to hide his brand new wedding, how he requests Taani to come out and greet his coworkers, how he accepts the lack of love from Taani and continues to love her and be nice to her.
    

Btw, this becomes the first movie ever that I watched in theater TWICE! :D

So now you know what to do, right? If you haven't seen this one already, it's totally worth a watch. Mostly because you won't need to use your brains. ;) Enjoy!

Ten Things I like about "Chak De! India" & More

Here goes:

1. Kabir Khan's character and acting. SRK truly rocks! Loved his unshaven look too. ;)
   
2. The lessons that the 16 girls' characters teach us - anger hurts you more than anyone else; you can come from not knowing English at all and still learn it and succeed in life; you can love your husband and family but don't have to give up your dreams for them; being egoist isn't worth it, and that if you're talented, people will learn to respect you if not right away over time; respect can not be snatched but earned; it is inappropriate to mix professional and personal life; jealousy brings you down; sulking has no benefits; it is better to not marry than to marry someone who doesn't respect you.
   
3. The lesson the movie teaches us: anekta mein ekta (unity in diversity) - that no matter how different we are in looks, religion, in the way we think, the language we speak, when we are together we can make a difference, this has a bigger meaning if we want to look at it that way - a message for world peace.
   
4. That saari is the most beautiful garment a woman can wear.
   
5. If someone does something you don't agree with or don't approve of, there could be reasons behind it. Don't judge anyone to soon. Don't say mean things to anyone. You might regret it later on.
   
6. That sports are not a bad thing. Of course, they shouldn't and don't replace education, but they make a great extracurricular activity and if you see talent in your kids, encourage them to pursue it.
   
7. Kabir Khan's dialog "aaj ek firangi ko tiranga lehraate dekh raha hoon".
   
8. Sukhlalji's character and acting. All through out the film, I was reminded of the 'HUM JEET GAYE!! HUM JEET GAY!!" screams by Ram Singh of Lagaan. And his "rakshason ki sena" dialog about the Hockey team is hilarious. Also, how Bindia confidently tells him they will come home winners, and the way they miss the homemade food he makes. Fantastic!
   
9. My other favorites are Soimoi's affirmative "ho" dialogs, Balbir's anger towards everything, Vidya's passion for hockey, Komal & Preeti's fights, Bindia's pride, Rani's encouragement towads Soimoi.
   
10. The fight scene at McDonald's. There's more to be said about this last one.
    

After I read about moments in filmi feminism (the first installment in an occasional series): the restaurant brawl in Chak De! India
and 16 Angry Women today, I had to write this post.

And while I was reading more about this film and this particular scene, I found out that this incident actually happened in real life and the scene was inspired from that:

The scene where they start fighting, happened to us when we were returning from a game in Bangalore, and some boys started passing comments...

To be honest, I find this scene so much more fun to watch than inappropriate for the message it might convey about violence, "not cleaning up after yourselves", "making a mess in someone else's place". It is because it shows triumph, triumph of women over men, that women or not any less than men, that they are not mere objects of entertainment, and that men making lewd remarks towards them should be responded back royally. This scene is an inspiration for women who feel they can not voice their feelings, their humiliation, the disrespect shown to them by those men who think anything goes when it comes to women of my country, who think of women to be lower than themselves, who have no respect for women.

One film where I remember I got really upset while watching was Lajja (2001). I hated some of the scenes in the film but at the end, I realized that it was actually the bitter truth of how women are treated in our society. Also, having a first hand experience of this harassment on trains, on buses, in theaters, in schools, in colleges and practically everywhere we go, every time some woman gives back what these men actually deserve, it gives me a sense of gratification. Sort of happiness that one can never imagine unless they experience it themselves. I say more power to these women!

I felt blessed the day I set my foot in the US. Here there were no boys winking at me while I walked back after school, no boys to ask me out the second time after I refused for the first time, no men staring at me on buses and trains while I traveled, no boys chasing me on their scooters while I rode my bike from that market, no men sitting on their parked vehicles talking about me and laughing while I crossed the road, no strangers asking the kiddie-me to sit in their laps on buses so they can make an attempt to touch me in wrong places, no men to stalk me up to my home, no men to make harassing phone calls to my neighbors or asking their friends to try and get to me. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was able to go out with an all girls group and not be harassed at all even if it was 11 o'clock in the night.

So when I look at these 16 girls beat up those &*%^&^*^$*&^ men, I wanna go "yayyy! go for it girls". My three cheers to you.

Ten Things I Like about "Hera Pheri"

1. How easily the film portrays the bitter truth of life that every one of us have our problems, things that worry us, and still life moves on.
   
2. The honesty and innocence portrayed in Baburao Apte's character.
   
3. How Ghanshyam and Raju fight but still love eachother.
   
4. How simple the romance is between Ghanshyam and Anuradha.
   
5. Kharagh Singh's acting
   
6. Manager (Asrani) has just convinced Anuradha to go after Ghanshyam to soften him up, she climbs up on the bus behind him. The guy at the bus stop (Snehal Dabi) thinks he is some dalaal and tries to get him to find another raapchik maal for him.
   
7. Babubhaiya's love for santra/khambha/sharaab.
   
8. The song "chhana-chhan-chhanaana.. jab bhi koi haseena main dekhoo..." and everything about it - the hummer, the ferrari, the sand-surfing, the horse-back riding in ocean water, the rugby-like sport, the beach boys, the cute-chubby-Mamta-Kulkarni-like actress and of course oh-so-handsome Akki!
   
9. The fight/action scene at the end of the film, specially when Babubhaiya's gun fires off.
   
10. Kabira's sidekick (Razak Khan) saying: "the end, sir!" at the end of the fight.

Ten Things I Like About Men!

It is an ocean out there, I tell you.

Today, while reading recent posts on Soham's blog, I came across Solitaire's Ten Things I Like About Men!, on Warm Fuzzies, she claims, are "guaranteed to make you smile!" Okay now getting to the point, so I too started thinking what it is about men I like.

Hahahahaha!

That was my first reaction. Sorry. :P

Don't be disappointed yet! This post is to be updated as I can think of things to add here.

---

Okay so it's been a couple of hours (four and three quarters to be exact) since I started thinking about this and I admit, it wasn't hard at all. :)

1. When they admit their mistake and laugh at it thinking it's okay.
   
2. When they don't hide their tears when their hearts overflow with emotions.
   
3. When they spoil us rotten by not letting us do things that we're supposed to be doing. e.g. cook, drive, clean, etc.
   
4. When they sing to us even though they know they terribly suck at singing just to woo us.
   
5. When they don't say they love us but let their actions say it for them.
   
6. When they don't feel shy in asking for help, for anything.
   
7. When they give us their hand to support us while climbing up/down from somewhere.
   
8. When they are able to carry us on their shoulders given the fact we are carry-able. LOL!
   
9. When they ask us to pick out what to wear today.
   
10. When they grow a mustache/beard even though they hate how it feels on their face and know that it makes them look ten years older than they actually are, just because we like it.
    

Guess what!? I can keep going on with the list, but that will make some of the audience climb up on some tree from where they wouldn't want to get off for a long time so I'll stop for now. ;)

So what are the ten things you like about the opposite gender?

10 things that make my day!

This is what I love about blogging: you read other blogs and get inspired by them and hopefully they strike that chord in your mind to make you think, and may be to make write your own.

Inspiration post: 10 things that make my day! by Neha

I believe that happiness has nothing to do with people we interact with so mine are all boring ones; they don't include people. In any case, here I go -

The day starts with morning, so will I.

1. Waking up full of energy and motivation to take whatever may come your way.
   
2. A great satisfactory dump. Now nothing compares to that.
   
3. Sleeping for another couple of hours after that.
   
4. A nice long shower.
   
5. Driving to work with no traffic jams.
   
6. A great calorie-burning-sweat-dripping workout before lunch.
   
7. Finishing up more chores/tasks in a day than you expected.
   
8. Driving back home listening your favorite old Hindi songs, with car windows rolled down in warm breezy weather.
   
9. Reading your favorite book while you lie in bed before falling asleep.
   
10. An 8-10-hour restful sleep at night.
    

I hope you are getting some inspiration.

10 Commandments of Cell Phone Etiquette

1. Thou shalt not subject defenseless others to cell phone conversations. When people cannot escape the banality of your conversation, such as on the bus, in a cab, on a grounded airplane, or at the dinner table, you should spare them. People around you should have the option of not listening. If they don't, you shouldn't be babbling.

2. Thou shalt not set thy ringer to play La Cucaracha every time thy phone rings. Or Beethoven's Fifth, or the Bee Gees, or any other annoying melody. Is it not enough that phones go off every other second? Now we have to listen to synthesized nonsense?

3. Thou shalt turn thy cell phone off during public performances. I'm not even sure this one needs to be said, but given the repeated violations of this heretofore unwritten law, I felt compelled to include it.

4. Thou shalt not wear more than two wireless devices on thy belt. This hasn't become a big problem yet. But with plenty of techno-jockeys sporting pagers and phones, Batman-esque utility belts are sure to follow. Let's nip this one in the bud.

5. Thou shalt not dial while driving. In all seriousness, this madness has to stop. There are enough people in the world who have problems mastering vehicles and phones individually. Put them together and we have a serious health hazard on our hands.

6. Thou shalt not wear thy earpiece when thou art not on thy phone. This is not unlike being on the phone and carrying on another conversation with someone who is physically in your presence. No one knows if you are here or there. Very disturbing.

7. Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell phone than thou would on any other phone. These things have incredibly sensitive microphones, and it's gotten to the point where I can tell if someone is calling me from a cell because of the way they are talking, not how it sounds. If your signal cuts out, speaking louder won't help, unless the person is actually within earshot.

8. Thou shalt not grow too attached to thy cell phone. For obvious reasons, a dependency on constant communication is not healthy. At work, go nuts. At home, give it a rest.

9. Thou shalt not attempt to impress with thy cell phone. Not only is using a cell phone no longer impressive in any way (unless it's one of those really cool new phones with the space age design), when it is used for that reason, said user can be immediately identified as a neophyte and a poseur.

10. Thou shalt not slam thy cell phone down on a restaurant table just in case it rings. This is not the Old West, and you are not a gunslinger sitting down to a game of poker in the saloon. Could you please be a little less conspicuous? If it rings, you'll hear it just as well if it's in your coat pocket or clipped on your belt.


Source: http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/00/05/26/000526opwireless.html

http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/null/1225