Movie Review - Dangal

There are movies which are made for pure entertainment, to be watched at one time to let go of your realities of life. And then there are movies which are made to inspire and motivate you to face those harsh realities of life. Dangal belongs to latter.

I am no particular khan fan. But Aamir yet again, at the end of year gives a chance to reconsider him, to fall in love or under awe with him. The sheer work ethic with which I am told that he pulled off the makeover of time travel in the movie. Aamir is one of the finest, be it pk, 3 idiots, ghajni, Laggan...and list is on.

Dangal is spectacular. Dangal is masterpiece. Dangal is a movie you live inside with. Dangal is a movie you take out with you in ur lives. Dangal is a concoction of real life heroism and smart dialogues and brilliant performances.

Aamir as an actor makes you feel his life as he prepares his girls to the time he is tested by her disciple only. You run thru what his character goes thru and feel his emotions all thru. And he does it by putting right Haryana accent to gem of dialogues. He says once in the movie - Dangal ladne se pehle,  dar se ladna padta hai!

Geeta kumari played by 2 girls - younger and older version as a character was the executor in the script, her father being the master. Fantastic performance by both girls, but I really fell in love with the small girl who spoke so fantastic haryanvi and shown the dare in her eyes as she prepared to fight against men.

Babita as a character,  is the side role and done justice again by the other two girls. She displays that fine nuance of understanding her father when relationship of her father with geeta goes awry. Her smaller version also gives those funny punches to the movie which are required to tone down the intensity.

A sidey,  the cousin of the sisters plays a vital role of fun and an effective narrator of the story.

Music is awesome and I wonder how primal pulls such kinds at times. I liked gilahriyan and obviously dangal title track. Written by amita Bhattacharya, it's an amazing song..I liked the lyrics after a long time..may be since chak de india track, in that genre.

And, without giving any spoilers, at the end of it you gather a lot of things from the movie, - a desire and motivation to win against all odds, great lesson as a parent on what all Mahabir did for her daughters and how future of kids is dependent on the parents,  and above all the passion and dedication that the trio showcases on screen to achieve the end goal of getting and international gold.

It's a must must watch for anybody who wants to live life! And it's a truly story. So much inspiring life!!

Remembering Nida saab

Saddened by the news of demise of Nida saab, given he was one of the lyricists whose ghazals voiced thru jagjit singh gave a new direction in my life.

Some of the soulful lines -

Apne marzi se kahan apne safar ke hum hain, Rukh hawaon ka jidhar ho udhar ke hum hain.

Duniya jise kehte hain, jadoo ka khilona hai; Mil jaye to mitti hai, kho jaye to sona hai…”

And many more...

However, the circle of fate is such, Nida saab left the world on 8 Feb, which is the birthday of jagjit singh as well. Strange! Even jagjit singh died on 10 Oct while Nida fazli's bday was on 12 Oct!!

Insight album is my favourite album of this respectable singer lyricist combo. Remembering the same today -

Munh ki baat sune har koi, dil ke dard ko jaane kaun,
Awaazo ke bazaaron mein, khamoshi pehchane kaun.

Degrees of doing -> degrees of results!

Most of us have heard so many times in our lives - in books or lectures, workplace from your bosses, as a straight dictat that don't just try...make things happen!

I agree to the fact that yes, it is about degrees of action from degrees of drive and passion generating that kind of varied result. And you must have heard yourself also giving this Gyan statement to your subordinates or colleagues as well.

Just, step back and imagine yourself to be the person who is stating varying degrees of doing to his or her superior on being assigned a task -

I will try.
That's a very weak desire coming out to do the task. You seems incapable, uninterested and not at all looking like a finisher with a self force.Thus as a boss, i might feel that surety of task happening is a question. Thus, I should keep pushing you/cross checking again and again, else the task is in jeopardy!

Result - Micromanagement leading to further arguments and checks. Whether the task happens to satisfaction or not, environment to happen is already killed. And you, look like a pessimist, uninterested and incapable person.

I will do my best.
That's better. You appear a positive person confident of his skills and willing to give your best to the task. As a superior, I feel confident, less concerned and believer in the fact that task would happen and with a good quality levels. I will check less frequently and let you do your thing.

Result - Periodic review of work in a better environment leading to quality output. Both parties feel confident and professional and positive.

I will do it whatever it takes.
You already have the feeling! This is making things happen. Going beyond your roles or task territories with a single minded focus, getting all people/resources to kick in at the right times for the grand output.

Result - You appear super charged, champion of the task with safe hands and shoulders to treat it as you baby. As a superior, I feel wow! I would review things to add value to the output, stretching the creativity and making everything gigantically great! This is where 2 humans really use their power to make things as masterpieces, giving a meaning to human lives!

Let's watch our words, and work for any task personal or professional with the highest degree of action - whatever it takes and see how happy we would be! And results of what kind - you would feel it on the way!!

Tamasha - a movie, from which u draw sth 4 ur own Life!

For ppl, who want to read this post to decide whether they should watch it or not - I will make it simpler here, it's a mix of fun and 'self think' movie. I loved it for the latter and hence it's a must watch from my side. If you are somebody, who likes a little bit of 'meaning drawablity' from those 2-3 hrs, then u are with me. Although there is good enough fun that also comes along.

PLOT
Now, I am not going to put spoilers here and say that plot is awesome and imtiaz has done a great job with all small details being looked at. He is a master storyteller in my books now after having seen highway, Rockstar in particular. It's not the kind of love that bollywood has been showcasing since last 50 yrs. The key idea which will hit u more than the movie - Ur life is ur story/dream/plan, u don't need approvals, appreciations from others to execute it. Somewhere down there, we start mimicking the world and lose our story where we are special, and rather than becoming a Rockstar we end up becoming a me too without a real identity.

ACT
Ranbir Kapoor is back with an award winning performance. Deepika within a small role does full justice and looks desirable.

MUSIC
Rahman does a decent job with matargashti being the most likable. However, somwhere I felt I hear sada haq in the matargashti song... Lukka chhuppi in agar tum saath ho song. That's probably because of his signature. Mohit chauhan hums lovable matargashti. And do notice amazing lyrics in this song!

FINAL TAKEAWAY
Given, everybody is in a rat race, you relate with the movie and want to become that ved who can detach himself from the race and creat his own happy ending!

Must watch. RESPECT. IMTIAZ ALI.

What u believe is what u become!

I came across this thought today...and i think have read it somewhere before also. To me seemed like a hyperbole of sorts...with impressive words sandwiched to create an awesome sentence.

However, I started thinking about it.

One-day long back in my life, I believed that I would want to be part of this exciting marketing and advertising world... Having no idea of first or third hand experience of it, being a son of an engineer turned businessman and having spent 18 odd years reading dainik bhaskars of the hinterland ( no exposure to business press).

But I think, the belief came from reading a few business magazines during CAT preparation. And I believed it..that I can.

Thoughts started zooming in on my mind..as to how exciting life would be around brands and consumer behaviour etc. Al rises and Jack trout rocked my engineering days with I reading more of marketing warfare,  positioning etc than integrated electronics!

And yes, thoughts became words..with me finding myself talking more about marketing with my engg friends than anything else.

And words became actions. Mini adverts of sorts were getting circulated by me in the class rather than focussing on telecom networks lecture. Though that was also transmitting a message in the class:-).

And, I think that belief developed a habit in me to read about this side of the world. Out of no where I was reading business press especially likes of business today with a focus on brand buzz. At infy, my focus was more on activities which lend me explore my passion and I realised I was part of the communications team making ads for hr events, participating in ad-mads and so on...which helped me ratify my belief....that the other world is calling me

And here I am today, working as a marketer for last 8 yrs. And I enjoy where I am vs a world of machines with ppl handling them to increase output, efficiency and creating newer inventions and more machines and programs. I love to think what to do with those machines to get happy consumers.

Believing is becoming. Indeed!

Law of 10000 hrs - from Sachin to Gates!

When I was small, my dad told me while making me do maths problems - " Practice makes a man perfect". I didn't bother that much and worked on problems multiple times and used to remember...however didn't find any profoundness in that statement.

Years later, I read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and got this concept of 10,000 hrs - if you spend 10,000 hours of practice on a skill, you become a master in that.

And for example, author quoted Bill Gates. Behind the fact that bill was able to build Microsoft so successfully, lies a veil of circumstances and his personal interest that made him do 10000 hrs of programming so earlier in his life.

He was staying near a university which had a mainframe computer, and had access to it in his school years. Out of his interest, he used to write a program and used to punch his cards in university. For kids his age, it was next to impossible that they were given access to a mainframe. Thus, his passion for programming + circumstances made him do 10000 hrs of programming and master it without anyone of his age  remotely can even wonder! That's the secret behind his success.

And today, when I think of this law, I draw multiple living examples.

Why Sachin Tendulkar was God of cricket? Technique, passion yes! But I think, somewhere I read that he used to play a lot in gully in his neighbourhood and because of narrow lane, only way you can score runs was straight. And that is why he did 10000 hrs of straight drive so early that he was way ahead of Kids his age. And yes, a great straight drive, does a great deal for your cricketing technique!

And yes, there are many more who grow up playing in lanes, but I think there comes the fact of passion and ignite to go single minded in a direction and make it happen.

Building a life myself with my kid,...all this makes a great sense!

Experiencing the deserts of india

Visited recently jaisalmer with family in chilling winters of delhi; and wow, the winters are pleasant contrary to the belief that deserts are chillier.

Sand dunes at sam in jaisalmer are amazing with camel safari on the dunes with my 4 yrs old. That too...the camel we rode was also 4 yrs old ;) some awesome sunset shots followed. Went to a desert camp for folk programmes, which my kid loved amidst bonfire.

Jaisalmer is also known as golden city as 80 % of houses are made of sandstone which is brown. Highlight of the city was patwa haveli which has some breath taking carvings well maintained along with collections of the trader of gold, silver and afeem.Boating at gadsisar lake was serene.

Food at wh mandir palace, trio and desert boys safari was good.

Photography paradise - haveli, mandir palace, jain temples, lake, and dunes.

Decoding Life with random perspectives

Dhund aisi gehri thi ki, Kitna bhi ujaala aaya, dhund hat hi nahin rahi thi aur mujhe sab dhundhla lag raha tha...bhagwan ko bhi bahut kosa Maine, ki Kyun?

Phir, dekha ki Mera chhashma shayad saaf nahin tha...aur saaf karte hi sab kuch theek dikhne laga mujhko...

To decode, I think we get so muddled in our lives thinking about circumstances and people that we keep missing the sunshine just what fog does...

But, at a lot many times you will realize that there is no fog, it's only your specs which aren't clean leading to poor picture of what is happening around you.

We should always remain positive and open to the world at large,  that we see the sunshine.

2015

New year is here...and we are all ready with clean slate to do the best and etch greatest memories of all times here in 2015. And to make them happen, the mind goes back to recollect what I thought I wanted to become in earlier years...

Flashback 2002, I was fresh out of engg college, subdued post 9/11, not placed by the campus process. World was very scary...going back to house without any job and after 4 yrs of a promising college! I wanted to become somebody like an mba who sets businesses up and deals with all kinds of strategies and so on...but first confidence booster was to find a job. With a 75+degree from the second best college in the state, I applied all across and after a few visits to some consultants,  I was offered a job at 5000 salary. The world came down, but mba prep became stronger. Appeared for a software company, got thru info. Was very happy. At that point of time, it was literally god sent. Desire to become an MBA was still there...

2004, posted in USA. Rogered by the GDM, global delivery model where both client and your offshore team eats into your sleeping time. Saw shawshank redemption one day, and literally walked in rain to soak in the message for my life summed up in that movie. Started on my dream for becoming that cool mba thing...came back soon. Got thru IIM. Loved it....just like the movie. On the top of the world.

2008, journey post Mba begun on a dead slow note given global economy meltdown. Got married as well. Realized a few things about life and family and the great commotion which follows post marriage in traditional joint families of hindi heartland. Made a choice and went ahead with it. Learnt all the things which I wouldn't do as a parent, as a husband and so on. Learnt all hard way...that's life, doesn't give a how to do manual as you are born :-)

2011, became a father. Wow! That special feeling is still there. Posted multi cities - kolkata and then Mumbai. What an experience. Shifting takes a toll on the entire family but develops that independent value, that fighting spirit, to meet new people and so on...

During the ups and downs of the life on the hillock, posted one number on the blog, this one, same; that 2015 would be the year where the cool mba thing should result in significant achievement. Just struck me while going back some posts on this dead blog....and just thought what if this can turn out true.

Welcome 2015. Hope u r special. And yes, you have brought me back to my beloved blog which is a good thing to begin with.

I still still... Still have a dream

Just stumbled on my own blog after years. Thought now I can blog on the run! Some nice thoughts came while browsing old posts and readers comments. Feeling...good. Smelling coffee at this hr.

Thought, I still still have more dreams to accomplish. The grand year is going to be here...2015 soon.

Wow! The blogger app is amazing. Works in a jiffy.