Absolutely FABULOUS!!

She Does It Again

2010-10-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

The more I see of Bipasha Basu, the more I'm getting to like her sense of style. She does city chic so well. Like this appearance of hers at a movie premiere recently.

I love the color on her. Love that she kept the accessories and make-up minimal and went with a contrasting bracelet (definitely prefer the bracelet over a neck piece). The only thing I'd change would be her golden sandals, maybe replace them with nude/camel peep-toes. The golden sandals aren't taking anything away from the overall look, just that nude peep-toes would've taken the look a notch higher.

Jimmy Choo Quiet Patent Peep Toe, $665 (http://www.shopstyle.com/)

Charles David Jocelyn, $179.50 (www.shopstyle.com)

RSVP Katrina, $85 (www.shopstyle.com)

P.S.: I'm so glad her extra-long hair extensions are gone! This hairstyle looks so much better on her.

Picture Courtesy: http://www.highheelconfidential.com/

Seriously, How Good Does This Woman Look?

2010-08-30T03:27:00.000-07:00

When Ms Basu gets it right (that is when she's not wearing a "frock", or sporting Golliwog hair, or busy ruining a Sabyasachi saree with a tacky filmy bikini blouse just 'coz she's got the bod), she gets it SO right.

These are casual appearances and not photo shoots, so the styling is most likely her own.

She's the only Indian celebrity I know who can make a ghastly dress or a tacky gown work on her...

...and look gorgeous with exaggerated make-up.

Way to go, BB!

Can I have those arms PLEASE? NOW.

Photo Courtesy: www.highheelconfidential.com

Mr Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Take a Bow

2010-08-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

SO....PHEW!! Sabyasachi's flagship store in Calcutta has opened right in front of my house!

I just absolutely completely adore Sabyasachi. He makes the most beautiful clothes on earth. Breathtakingly beautiful. His designs are different from any other Indian designer around, and he's made it into the big league on his own terms, without blindly aping trends and giving in to the blinding overdose of "bling" all around in Indian fashion today. Sabyasachi's clothes spell class and that's probably why they cost an arm & a leg too.

Now, his store is really infront of my house and know what....it's like wonderland! It looks more like a store where you can go with a book rather a place you'd go to buy clothes. Why, it's even got a cafe!!

The concept of Sabyasachi's store is as different from the regular concept of stores as Sabya's designs are from those of his contemporaries. Don't believe me? Curious? Take a look yourself...

And here's the man who created wonderland...

Photo courtesy: The Telegraph

PS: I wish I had bigger pictures.

Valentino

2010-07-29T02:12:00.000-07:00

These pumps look so delicious I could eat them. They reflect exactly what Valentino stands for - luxury.

Can be worn on an all-black palette or with a white/off-white/nude gown.

Valentino Leather Platform Pumps

Cutie

2010-07-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, this man I love anyway. And how cute does he look in this Indian ensemble?

Cutie all the way.....

Breet Lee for Abu Jani - Sandeep Khosla, Delhi Couture Week

"Girly" Does It

2010-05-20T00:23:00.000-07:00

I love love love this orange-pink-grey Georges Chakra dress that Elizabeth Banks wore at the Cannes 2010 Red Carpet. It's soft, feminine, romantic and happy & playful at the same time!

I love how the soft colors come together in this swirling dress, love the flowiness of the fabric (organza), the shoulder detail and how she's kept the entire look so soft & feminine. It's such a "girly" dress, I'm lovin' it!!

BUT (and there's always a 'but', isn't there? :) I can't help feeling I would've loved the dress much more without the trail. Then again, that's me...I'm not a big fan of sweeping trails and I have a thing for short dresses ;)

She paired the dress with satin nude pumps. Another great choice! Absolutely Fabulous!!

And It Just Got Better!

2010-05-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

After a stellar appearance in a pink/fuschia pleated gown at the Cannes Film Festival, Aishwarya Rai gives us another Ab Fab appearance in a - hold your breath - Sabyasachi saree!!

She paired her ombre & gold embroidered saree with a dark green velvet blouse. I would've prefered a deep red blouse given the ombre base of the saree, but then that might have become too conventional. There's nothing to fault with this look.

She kept her accessories to a minimum, kept her neck bare. She also kept her make-up as nude as it could get. I thought both were excellent decisions - she let the saree be the center of attention.

I love Sabya. He's so different from the other Indian designers and his clothes are so breath-takingly beautiful that even something that's mediocre by his standards, looks exquisite. To me in any case!

Hoping we get more Sabya sightings in the days to come when she gets busy promoting 'Raavan' at Cannes :)

Nailing It

2010-05-17T02:19:00.000-07:00

Aishwarya Rai finally got her look completely right. Nailed it. She wore a fuschia Gucci gown to the premiere of 'Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps' at Cannes.

I love the color of her gown, love the mute make-up, love that she didn't over-do the accessories. The hair is perfect. And it also proves the point I made on my other blog about empire waistlines looking wayyy better on her than hip-hugging gowns.

The only grouse I have is to do with the untoned arms & back. I know, I know...we should cut her some slack, but then as someone mentioned "she's a movie star...she's part of the glamour industry...not a soccer mom". She really should pay attention to her body. She has confessed many times that she doesn't gym but I think it's about time she started. Afterall, gravity is known to do very unkind things to ageing women. And at 37/38, ageing she surely is.

Photo courtesy: www.pinkvilla.com, www.bollyupdates.com

Lust Edition: Office Chic

2010-05-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

Roberto Cavalli Suede Ankle Strap SandalsLanvin Crinkled Patent Leather Sandals

Jimmy Choo Private Patent Leather Sandals

Donna Karan Linen Canvas Platform Sandals

Christian Louboutin Ronette 140 Sandals

Chloe Wood & Canvas Wedges Stella McCartney Cork Platform Sandals

Lust Edition: F.i.e.r.c.e.

2010-05-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

Giuseppe Zanotti Strappy Leather Sandals - Perfect for pairing with a snug fitting LBD or a short white dress, sans embellishments.

Giuseppe Zanotti Studded Gladiator Heel Sandals - Great for a night out. Think electric or midnight blue, fuschia, purple....or good ol' black :)

Miu Miu Leather Multi-Strap Sandals - Perfect for day wear with a short, snug dress.

Burberry Prorsum Knotted Skirt Trench

2010-05-05T23:52:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with this ivory Burberry Prorsum knotted skirt trench coat, and I think Victoria Beckham wears it very well (pic below). The impact is heightened by the belt, the bag she's carrying, her shades and nude make-up. What a terribly chic look for a cloudy day!

(Photo Courtesy: http://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/)

For those who're salivating at this trench, it's on sale at Net-A-Porter.com for a cool £2,376.84. That's 1,62,529.87 in Indian Rupees. Go hurry!! :)

Understated Elegance

2010-05-05T03:04:00.000-07:00

This is one outfit (Twinkle's, not Akshay's :) that I've really really liked in a long time. We see celebrities in all kinds of outfits all the time, but there are some that remain with you long after you've seen them. This is one such, for me in any case.

I think this white chikan (Abu Sandeep?) salwaar-kameez that Twinkle has on is BEAUTIFUL. It has such intricate embroidery, yet is so understated & elegant. And I like that the only pop of color comes from the green earrings. It also re-inforces the thumb rule I swear by while shopping for clothes - when it comes to clothes, the fit is everything.

Photo Courtesy: www.highheelconfidential.com

Sonam Kapoor in Anamika Khanna

2010-05-04T05:28:00.000-07:00

Sonam Kapoor is fast emerging as Bollywood's latest fashionista. I don't care much for her as an actress but I do like her sense of style. Sometimes classy, at times quirky but mostly chic. She can make even seemingly disparate ensembles work. And she can carry off kitsch quite confidently.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE her appearance in this Grecian toga-esque Anamika Khanna outfit with heavy kundan necklaces and gladiator sandals at the IIFA 2009 Awards.

So Greeak Goddess! How beautiful is that dress of hers! Of course, it helps to be flat, if you know what I mean :(

(Photo courtesy: www.pinkvilla.com)

Life Can't Wait!!

2009-11-24T02:21:00.000-08:00

Sunsilk has made a dramatic comeback in the shampoo segment by undergoing a makeover. The brand signed up Priyanka Chopra, role model to millions of young women across the country, as brand ambassador, and has successfully re-positioned itself as a top-end brand by targeting upwardly mobile young women (http://www.sunsilkgangofgirls.com) and launching hair care solutions rather than following the usual shampoo-oil routine.

Sunsilk has now launched ‘Sunsilk Co-Creations’ – a range of 7 shampoo-conditioner combinations that have been created in association with several leading international hair stylists who specialize in different fields such as shine, curls, hair color, hair fall, straightening etc.
I generally use L’Oreal / Garnier / Dove for my hair & skin-care needs but I do experiment with other brands as well. The concept of Sunsilk Co-Creations got me interested, so I tried their Thick & Long variant, co-created with Teddy Charles, a Paris based hair expert. And let me tell you something – their product is GOOD.

Sunsilk Thick & Long contains Yogurt Protein Complex that nourishes thin & wispy hair all the way down to the tips, and makes hair look thicker. I have fine hair and this product gives it volume, holds my hairstyle in place without me having to use hair styling products (I hate having products in my hair!), and gives just the right amount of moisturization to my hair.

I still think that L’Oreal, Garnier & Dove make excellent products but Sunsilk might just have come up with something good with its Co-Creations range!

Time for Some Color...Swapnil Shinde (LFW Spring/Summer 2010)

2009-09-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

Maybe this would've looked better without the trail?

Mandira Wirk...On Where Were You All This While?

2009-09-22T03:11:00.000-07:00

Mandira Wirk's collection was titled 'Humble Luxe' - a range intended to combine both simplicity & affluence. Which I think it does pretty damn well. I would genuinely love to own each of these outfits....

A cowl neck top again...and love that skirt!

Age of the jumpsuits!

Love how this scarf-top is paired with white shorts. Can't think of a better pairing. The print on the scarf is so subtle yet so pretty. And don't miss that belt!

Don't you like them too?

And for those who're interested, this is the lady behind those designs...

Gauri & Nainika at LFW Spring 2010

2009-09-22T02:52:00.000-07:00

Love the rosette detail on the shoulder!

The white dress against the black trail & with the black rosette gives the dress a 'starish' appeal...

Love this small black number. I love any dress with a cowl neck anyway. There's a rosette on the waist for those who didn't spot it...

This gown is simple yet striking. And very very elegant...

Like this floor-sweeping gown, without Dipika Padukone ofcourse (gaah, she's just so over-rated)

Which of these, if any, do you like the most?

Do You Like Smelling of Fruits?

2009-08-26T23:56:00.000-07:00

Warning : Major plug-in post for Bath & Body Works. I hope the people over at the store are reading this & will send me free stuff. Shower gels, body lotions & body butter please ;-)

Green Apple
Orange Blossom
Sun-ripened Raspberry
Cherry Blossom
Cucumber Melon
Coconut Lime
Sweet Pea
Enchanted Orchid
Mango
Warm Vanilla Sugar
Brown Sugar & Fig
Honeysuckle
Coco Cabana
Basil Orange
Country Apple
Creamy Coconut
Green Tea & Cucumber
Lemongrass
Jasmine
Pear Strawberry
Grapefruit
Shea Butter
Freesia
Strawberry Lemon
Sweet Cinnamon
White Tea & Ginger
Blueberry
Honey Almond
Black Currant Vanilla
Lavender
Peach
Wild Berry
Coconut Vanilla
Creamy Caramel

These aren’t names of hybrid fruits & flowers under genetic engineering. These are varieties of shower gels, body scrubs, body lotions, body butter, hand cream, bubble bath, hand wash & perfumes that are headier than orgasms – if you are one for fragrances, that is. And they are all available at Bath & Body Works stores in the US & in certain countries (other than India :(((

Bath & Body Works, LLC is an American retail chain under the Limited Brands umbrella – the group that also owns Victoria’s Secret & La Senza, and previously owned clothing stores such as The Limited, New York & Co., Structure, Express (which make awesome men’s & women’s apparel BTW) and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Apart from personal care & body care stuff, they also make cosmetics, lip balms, hair care products, scented candles, room sprays, detergent & odor neutralizing fabric refreshers! Imagine if your clothes too smelt like fruits & flowers, wouldn’t that be awesome!!!!!

I lurrrve lurrrve lurrrrve Bath & Body Works...way more than The Body Shop. The thing is, I love fruity smells, and they have the widest range of high quality body care stuff to offer. I’m salivating just thinking of the options.

Like most women who run amok in lingerie stores, I run around like a mad woman in Bath & Body Works stores! Sadly (very very sobbing-type sadly) they have no stores or even retail counters in India, so if you ever come across their store abroad, PLEASE check it out! You will want to bring the entire store back home with you, I promise you that!!

I hope they come to India soon. They must! They must!!

Legends I : Steffi Graf

2009-07-07T02:27:00.000-07:00

I have lost interest in women's tennis. I, who at one point of time, used to be glued to the television for all women’s tennis matches. That was when I was in school and Steffi Graf was the reigning women’s tennis champion.

Oh, I used to idolize Steffi Graf. And like any other pre-teen who wants to emulate his/her idol, I too wanted to become like her.

She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male AND female players only to Margaret Court who won 24. She is, to date, the only player to achieve the "Golden Slam" by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same year (1988). She was also ranked World No. 1 for a record 377 total weeks - the longest any player has held that position.

Steffi Graf’s biggest strength was her versatility across all surfaces, her most powerful shots being her forehand & backhand slice. Her main competitors were Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario & Gabriela Sabatini.

She got involved in two controversies in her life – one, when a mentally ill fan of hers stabbed Monica Seles in the back so Steffi Graf could regain her No.1 spot, and two, when her dad got imprisoned for tax evasion.

There hasn’t been a champion like Steffi Graf yet in women's tennis, nor will there be for a long long time. The reason I’ve lost interest in women’s tennis is due to the lack of a champion. Every Grand Slam is won by a different player and the World No.1 tag is being passed on from one player to another faster than a baton during a relay race!

There were people, such as Martina Hingis & Maria Sharapova, who showed glimpses of their potential to become successors to Steffi Graf but they fizzled away without even matching up to one-fourth of what she was. I'm hoping her (and Andre Agassi's) kids grow up to be great tennis players as their iconic parents...true to this ad.

Sorry Roger but That One Belonged to Andy

2009-07-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

I love Roger Federer but I think Andy Roddick was more deserving of this year’s Wimbledon trophy. He held Federer off like only Nadal can do. His serve was so powerful that Roger had a hard time reaching it on numerous occasions. Roddick played bravely, he played big shots and he played with determination. He was motivated to win.

I wanted A-Rod to win last night. He’s always been the guy who made it to the semis or the finals but could never break that wall except at the 2003 US Open. He is a very talented player but he had a tough time with his game, leading him to almost give up on his career. He has come back from the brink and the way he played yesterday, he really showed the world what he is capable of. I’m really sad he didn’t win but he has a new fan in me!

So, congrats Roger but that one did belong to A-Rod.

PS: Funnily, Roddick is known for his outbursts against umpires (and I don’t blame him for it). One of his most notorious quotes was to umpire Emmanuel Joseph in an Australian Open 2008 match: "You're an idiot! Stay in school kids, or you'll end up being an umpire."

Death of a Star

2009-06-26T06:57:00.001-07:00

Another example of the spectacular downfall of a star. Sad it had to happen this way. He was an achiever, a phenomenon & he's left behind an indelible mark on pop music, for he alone was called the 'King of Pop'.

Finger Lickin' Good

2009-06-19T05:01:00.000-07:00

Conversation with ‘The Boy’ (A) yesterday:

Me : What are you doing after work?

Boy: Going swimming.

Me: Why’re you going swimming? Let’s do something.

Boy (1 second pause): We will. I’ll go swimming, you’re going to gym!

Me: I am?

Boy: Yes.

10 minutess later, I receive this text:

“I’ll come over after swimming. Will get KFC for dinner.”

Now we were talking! I have KFC cravings just like I have pizza, Chinese food & Italian food cravings. The post-consumption guilt associated with KFC is lesser if you feel you’ve earned it, so I dragged myself to gym.

I finished gym & called him:

Me: I’m done gymming. When are you getting KFC?

Boy: You just gymmed, no?

Me (Alarm bells going off inside my head like atoms spinning in a nuclear reactor): Yes, so?

Boy: So no KFC for you. I’m getting Subway.

Me: No fucking way!

Boy: But you love Subway.

Me: I do. But you can’t promise me KFC & give me Subway! I went to gym so I could eat KFC!

Boy: How shameless you are!

Me: I don’t care. Come fast & you better have a bag of KFC on you.

And that’s how I got my KFC :)

For the Love of Mangoes

2009-05-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

Yup! I luuuuuuuuurrrrrrve mangoes. Sinful as they are, is there any other fruit that lends itself to milkshakes as beautifully as mangoes? Except maybe bananas….and strawberries….and custard apples....

Wait, that’s quite a few fruits! But you get my point, right?

I’ve been having mangoes everyday for the past month. Not a mango a day but many mangoes a day! I’ve been having mango shake everyday for breakfast, made with two mangoes and with chunks of the fruit floating in it. Yummmmeeee!! And I have a mango again for dinner. That’s 3 mangoes a day, whereas mangoes are FORBIDDEN in my diet chart!

But what the heck? Dieticians are one of the most out-of-touch-with-reality people in the world. I’ve already written about how they prescribe diets that are unrealistic, troublesome & difficult to abide by. And then they go ahead and ban delicious fruits such as mangoes, bananas & grapes from your diet! Such morons! BTW…what’s the deal with ‘litchis’? Are they banned too?

Anyway, coming back to mangoes….I’ve discovered this new specie of mangoes called ‘Himsagar’. ‘Himsagar’ is a Bengal mango. It’s really sweet and heavenly. Mango experts consider it to be one of the most popular & lip-smacking varieties of mangoes. Unfortunately, unlike ‘Alphonso’, ‘Himsagar’ has not made it to foreign shelves yet as the quality checks required for exporting mangoes do not exist in West Bengal.

Speaking of ‘Alphonso’, I think they are way over-hyped. Like Deepika Padukone! There are other varieties of mangoes that are much sweeter and much more delicious than ‘Alphonsos’. Like ‘Zardalu’, ‘Dasheri’, ‘Langra’, ‘Maldah’ etc.

Did you know that India alone grows more than 40 varieties of mangoes? So how can those stupid dieticians expect Indians not to binge on them??!!

Fruits are supposed to be good for us, and last I checked mango was a fruit :D

The Four Hardest Tasks

2009-05-24T04:57:00.000-07:00

To return love for hate
To include the excluded
To fogive without an apology
And to be able to say 'I was wrong'

Bing is Back!

2009-05-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

Brett Lee is fit to play & will be playing today! He's such a pleasure to watch! Not only b/c of his pace but also b/c of his attitude, sportsmanship & ofcourse, his cute smile. Cutie he is!

Now that he's back, hope Sreesanth is out of the playing 11. I hate Sreesanth. The way he behaves on field, no wonder he's earned nicknames such as 'Appam C*****a'! No other word could describe him better than the 'C' word.

I mean, the guy gets slapped around for sixes & fours by Hayden throughout the over, and has the audacity to sledge him after ousting him!!

Actually, he's quite disgusting. Such an over-rated bowler and has an attitude from hell. The slap he got from Harbhajan Singh was so well deserved, I feel.

On the other hand, we have bowlers such as Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath & Anil Kumble. They're such better bowlers as compared to Sreesanth, so much more accomplished...yet there isn't an ounce of cockiness in them. You will never find them sledging batsmen. They celebrate wickets with their teammates, not by yelling at the ousted batsmen or making disgusting faces at them.

I think one of these big burly Australian cricketers, like Hayden or Symonds, who are twice Sreesanth's size should just beat him to pulp one of these days.

Skiing Down the Alps

2009-04-14T00:35:00.000-07:00

I didn't (how I wish I could say I did!!). My friend did. Down this....

The tiny figure in the pictures is my friend.

PS: This is Austria

Aha!

2009-03-18T02:34:00.000-07:00

Finally, men seem to be on the same page with women!

The male bra was launched in Japan a couple of months ago at a store called 'Wishroom' & has been selling like hot cakes, mainly online! The store sold almost 300 in the first month itself & had to waitlist customers.

The idea of a male bra originated from the owner of 'Wishroom' - a woman, of course - who knew quite a few men who were looking to "connect with their inner woman".

The male bra is a normal, underwired bra available in black, white & pink and can cost upto $30. And beat this...the Japanese have even coined a name for male boobs...they call them 'moobs'!! Yikes!!!

I think it's just a matter of time now when men start wanting to get their periods & to get pregnant. Afterall, what better way to "connect with your inner woman" than to ride the reproductive cycle!

Fusion Curry at the Oscars

2009-02-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

A R Rahman performs 'O Saya', followed by a performance of 'Down to Earth' from Wall-E by John Legend (after Peter Gabriel, the original singer pulled out of the performance because the producers of the Academy Awards decided to present the 3 songs nominated in the Original Score category as a medley & allotted only 65 secs to Gabriel).

Then Rehman comes back with 'Jai Ho'. The track has been modified to give it a fusion feel. Towards the end of his performance, Rahman is joined by Legend & both sing their respective songs side by side, Rahman very careful not to drown out Legend's voice with a high-pitch rendition of 'Jai Ho'. We like :)

What we didn't like was Sukhvinder Singh's opening act being cancelled by the producers and Rahman not mentioning him & Gulzar in his acceptance speech. But this isn't time to be petty, is it? :)

Ladies & Gentleman, Put Your Hands Together For Our Next Champion

2009-02-01T23:16:00.001-08:00

16-year old Yuki Bhambri won the Junior Australian Open Boy's Title & became the first Indian to do so. He trains at the Nick Bolletieri Tennis Academy in the US & is currently World No. 2. Only a matter of time till he becomes World No. 1, should we say? I just hope our great countru recognizes this talent & give him the support he deserves.

Love, Actually

2009-01-16T01:25:00.000-08:00

I purchased four DVDs this week – Love Actually, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Bridget Jones – The Edge of Reason & The Holiday.

When a couple of movie enthusiasts in office came to know which movies I bought, they balked. They asked me why I didn’t buy movies that are more realistic….serious, moving, heartrending movies.

I agree the movies I bought are by no means cerebral movies or classics, but my idea of buying movies is simple – I want to buy movies I would watch time & again. Such as ‘Love Actually’, ‘Bridget Jones’ & 'The Holiday'.

We have so many bad days in life. Days when we feel generally low or depressed (they certainly outnumber the days I come back home from work feeling on top of the world!) On such days, don’t we all wish to unwind with a light-hearted, funny movie? I know I do! So why would I want to buy movies that will depress me even further?

Love Actually is a brilliant movie, for those who haven’t watched it yet. It’s a perfect Christmas movie (haven’t come across a more heart-warming Christmas movie) but can also be watched any time of the year for feel-good factor. It’s nine stories in one, the characters related to each other by extension. The stories take place in London and culminate on Christmas eve.

There is a young couple who has just gotten married. The groom’s best friend video-records the marriage ceremony. The girl (Keira Knightly) later asks him for the tape, which he says is lost. One day she lands up at his house, insisting on looking for the tape herself, and finds it lying right in front of her! As she’s watching the tape, she realizes that the guy has been in love with her all along!

There is a man (Liam Neeson) who has just lost his wife & is left to take care of his pre-teen step-son with whom he has practically no bonding. However, in the process of helping his son win over the girl he (the son) is in love with, they come closer.

There is another girl (Laura Linney) with a brother who is in an asylum and a not-so-hidden crush on one of her exotic-looking colleagues. Finally, she & the colleague come together but just when they are having an intimate moment, there is a call from the brother who has had some kind of an attack. She eventually ends up breaking up with the guy because she always chooses to be with her brother, who because of his illness has a tendency to get violent.

There is an author (Colin Firth, people!!) whose wife has left him for his younger & more attractive brother (how could she! lol :). He moves to France to get some quiet time alone & continue writing his book, where he ends up falling in love with his Portugese housekeeper who speaks not a word of English or French! He does not speak Portugese either. They go their separate ways only to get reunited months later when he has learnt enough Portugese to ask her father to let his daughter marry him, in Portugese.

There is a much-married-with-kids man (Alan Rickman – Snape from Harry Potter movies!!) who is smitten by his Secretary, who keeps hitting on him. He buys her a diamond ring for Christmas, which the wife happens to see but thinks it’s a Christmas gift for her. When instead he gives her a CD on Christmas Eve, she realizes what is going on!

There is a couple who end up falling in love while shooting an erotic movie.

There is a guy who is desperate to get laid but is not able to in London. So he decides to travel to America because he thinks American women will dig him for being British.

Then there is the Prime Minister of Britain (the delicious Hugh Grant) who, the moment he steps into 10, Downing, is smitten with Natalie, his catering manager who had already screwed up at the first minute, and is marked by other staff for being rather ‘chunky’. The two share a back-stage kiss during the climax when the curtains are yanked, and there they are…exposed to the world!!

And finally there is an old rocker (Bill Nighy) who is climbing back up the charts after battling a heroin addiction, is on the radio & TV either trashing his new CD, insulting his manager or a new hearthrob boy band, or calling Britney Spears the worst sex he's ever had, and who promises to go naked on national television if his latest CD (which he has been trashing) does well! And it does! And he does go naked!!

The characters in Love Actually are falling in love, falling out of love. Some are with right people, some with wrong. It’s a snapshot of reality – love begins and love ends, and there’s not much we can do about it except accept it. Though the movie ends on a very happy, uplifting note.

My favorite scene in the movie is part of the track with the couple who’s just gotten married. It’s Christmas eve, they’re at home. Suddenly the bell rings. The girl gets the door. It’s the guy’s best friend, and he tells her through placards that maybe by Christmas next year, he'll be dating some hot woman, but for him she's perfect & he'll love her till the very end.

I'm planning to watch the movie this weekend. But why am I in such a mushy-gushy mood? How do I know??!! And who cares!!

I feel it in my fingers
I feel it in my toes
Love is all around me
And so the feeling grows
It's written on the wind
It's everywhere I go
So if you really love me
Come on & let it show
You know I love you, I always will
My minds made up by the way that I feel
There's no beginning, there'll be no end
Cause on my love you can depend....

Today's Fortune

2009-01-06T04:43:00.000-08:00

My fortune on Orkut today : The guy who reads your fortune lost his psychic powers (and his job). We hope you are feeling lucky.

Hilarious! I wonder how they come up with such random fortunes!

Submarine

2008-12-18T01:13:00.000-08:00

I love Subway!

There was a time not too long ago, 2-3 years ago to be precise, when I was no great fan of Subway food. I wondered what the big deal about Subway was! After all, they just sold sandwiches. I felt they were over-hyped because they were an American chain and because of the “yuppie” factor associated with “health food” such as sandwiches, suchi etc. Besides, I always found Subway to be overpriced. I mean, 100 bucs for a sandwich…no way!!

But about 2 years ago I got converted! I don’t know exactly when or how I started loving Subway, to the extent that I sometimes get Subway cravings & I’m satisfied only after I get myself a sub!!

My favorites are Chicken Seekh Sub, Subway Melt (turkey, ham & bacon), Italiam B.M.T. (ham, pepperoni & salami) & Spicy Italian (pepperoni & salami). They also have chocolate chip cookies to die for, and they’ve recently introduced rich dark chocolate truffle pastry that they serve hot!!

I absolutely love the Honey Mustard & Southwest sauces.

They also serve breakfast all day, which makes them even more endearing. They have these awesome cheese & egg, ham & egg and bacon & egg subs. Don't you just love to have such breakfast food for dinner or in the middle of the night?

I have still not managed to become a fan of Subway salads, and I doubt I ever will because I generally feel eating salads is a royal waste of time & digestive juices that can be used to digest other far more evolved & delicious forms of food.

The most enjoyable part of having a sub though is getting the sub made as per your specifications. You get to choose the ingredients that go in your sub. I get such happiness once my sub is ready, it’s like I made it myself!!

I think I can have Subway for lunch everyday…..

David Gray Comes Calling...

2008-11-23T00:46:00.000-08:00

I can’t stand to fly

I’m not that naive

I’m just out to find

The better part of me

I’m more than a bird…I’m more than a plane

More than some pretty face beside a train

It’s not easy to be me

I wish that I could cry

Fall upon my knees

Find a way to lie

'bout a home I’ll never see

It may sound absurd…but don’t be naive

Even Heroes have the right to bleed

I may be disturbed…but won’t you concede

Even Heroes have the right to dream

It’s not easy to be me

Do You Have Someone In Your Life You Can Sing This To?

2008-11-11T23:36:00.000-08:00

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay a while
'Coz she will be loved
She will be loved

PS: You can replace the 'girl' with 'boy' & 'she' with 'he' :)

I Want!!

2008-09-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

Christian Louboutin Anemone Pumps

I Like!!

2008-09-25T03:42:00.001-07:00

Christian Louboutin, Paris

LEGO

2008-09-25T03:27:00.000-07:00

Is there already a smile on your face or need I say more? J

Remember playing with LEGO when you were a kid? The bright red, yellow, green & blue building blocks that you used to construct towering buildings with? Remember fighting with your siblings for blocks?

I randomly thought of LEGO the other day when I was getting bored at work and logged on to their website. They now make a lot of other toys and even offer online games such as Batman & Star Wars. But the true fun of playing with LEGO was in making buildings with LEGO bricks….the taller the better!!

Amar Akbar Anthony Revisited

2008-09-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite AB movies is ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’. It’s as masala as a Bollywood movie of the 70s could get!

It’s the story of an ex-convict who must flee his mob boss, leaving his family to fend for themselves. His wife goes blind and he abandons his three sons at a park. They are found and raised separately, the eldest by a Hindu policeman, the youngest by a Muslim tailor, and the middle son by a Catholic priest. The Hindu-raised son (Vinod Khanna) grows up to become a policeman; the Muslim-raised son (Rishi Kapoor) becomes a tailor-cum-singer; and the Catholic-raised son (AB) becomes a happy-go-lucky local goon. Years later, they meet again at a hospital where they are all donating blood to the same woman. Following this reunion, they find their respective lady loves and their lives become entangled in a series of hilarious coincidences & furious action sequences interspersed with songs. In the end, the blinded mother recovers her sight, the evil mob boss is punished, and the family is re-united.

Can you get more masala than this?

My favorite scene in the movie is the fight scene between AB & Vinod Khanna inside a hut. Everyone thinks AB, being the goon that he is, would be beating Vinod Khanna to a pulp, but the latter comes out with AB hung over his shoulder.

All the actors have done a marvelous job in the movie. I loved AB’s portrayal of a Catholic hooligan & Rishi Kapoor for his charm & affability.

I like all the songs in the movie but my favorites are ‘Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyar Kya Karen’, which is a happy love song that puts a smile on my face every time I hear it, ‘My name is Anthony Gonsalves’, a peppy fun song, and the title song where the three brother are trying to rescue their lady loves from the clutches of the evil Robert.....Kickass!!

I have seen the movie countless times – the latest being this past weekend – and love it every time I watch it. Hats off to AB & Manmohan Desai, who is as instrumental in the making of Amitabh Bachchan as Yash Raj are to the making of Shahrukh Khan.

War of the Worlds

2008-09-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

So which do you like more….Cricket or Football?

Ask any self-respecting lover of both games & they’ll look at you as if you’ve asked them the most forbidden question of all times.

Their quandary is understandable too….for a person who loves both the games, choosing one over the other would be as difficult as choosing between coke & heroine (not that I have done either but going by their popularity, I’m assuming they give comparable kicks).

I started watching cricket about 12-13 years ago. For the wrong reasons of course! The reason being Ajay Jadeja. Probably like every other teenaged girl at that time. I say wrong reason not because of the match-fixing controversy he got embroiled in (unfortunate as it was, it didn’t take away an iota from his talent)….but because when I look back on it now, I feel it’s always a shame to start watching a game for a particular player. After all, no player can be bigger than the game. But then again, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. That is why we have “stars”.

Gradually I got addicted to cricket, much to the chagrin of my mother who, like all mothers, was worried about her daughter failing the tenth boards. I started understanding the game, and today I can have a conversation over cricket with any guy.

My favorite team, apart from India of course, was South Africa. Unusual choice, I know. But then, they had Jonty Rhodes!! And Hansie Cronje. It was really disappointing when Cronje got implicated in the match fixing case too, and even more sad when he died in a plane crash. South Africans were the perfect “gentlemen” playing the “gentleman’s game”.

I didn’t like England because they have been thanda for as long as I can remember. They were responsible for the genesis of the game but they lost it somewhere along the way.

Didn’t…and to this day I don’t like the Australians because they are too aggressive & virulent, except for a few players like Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee - among the ones I have grown up watching.

Then I moved to the US for college and lost touch with cricket. When I returned, I realized I had very little left of my old love for the game.

UNTIL Twenty20 happened!

That got me right back where the action was. The world is full of doubters but I feel T20 is the best thing to have happened to cricket since one-day cricket was invented & it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Then came the IPL that put India right in the center of the cricketing map. These are glorious days for Indian cricket. The sun is shining on India and any player who is worth even a dollar is wallowing in it! Wonder what the English have to say about what the world has done to the game that was literally THEIR “baby”, and that they took with them wherever they went. They must have spent considerable time thinking up the game, and even more time & resources teaching people across their colonies how to play it! It’s like having a child that you have given birth to and raised as a conservative for 20-30-40 years, and one fine day some outsider comes along and changes her/him into a hippie overnight!!!!

I got initiated into football as a kid. I remember kicking the ball around with my dad in our huge green lawn when I was all of 2 feet tall. Then life took over….I got caught up with studies, we moved, we lost the football somewhere in the process & a new one never made it home. I have no subsequent football memories.

Years later I rediscovered my love for the game. And I loved it for the right reasons. For the sheer beauty of it. For the skills required to hold on to the ball & score a goal.

Football is pure skill and stamina, whereas cricket is more about precision. It’s like the tiff between the head & the heart. Cricket is played from one’s head….keep a cool head, keep your eyes on the ball, try to get inside the head of the bowler & guess what kind of ball he’s going to throw next etc.

Whereas football is ALL heart. Just go out there & play. Give it all you’ve got. Pass, dribble, block. Do whatever it takes to score!

Football requires skill which is mostly innate & not often acquired. What can be acquired is honing the skill. Take for example, the Brazilians & Argentines. Every child in these countries grows up playing football on the streets. That’s what they know and they are brilliant at it! If you look at the way Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo, Robinho, Messi, Riquelme etc. play….or the way Maradona & Pele played….you HAVE to agree that they were born with it. It can’t be purely acquired.

Cricket, on the other hand, is learnt. You can learn to put bat to ball, you can learn to think like the bowler who is bowling to you. I think one is born to be a footballer but I’m not sure if one can be born to be a cricketer.

So I like football for (not necessarily in this order) :

• The beauty of the game
• The moments when goals are scored
• The brilliant passes
• The tenacity and athleticism of the players
• The hysteria it generates
• Brazil
• Kaka
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Fabio Cannavaro
• David Beckham’s free kick (and his drop-dead gorgeous looks, of course!)
• Manchester United
• And most importantly, the memories it brings back of my dad teaching me how to dribble in our lush green lawn, of picking me up every time I fell and scraped my knee, of asking me if I had ever seen a tiger cub cry when it got hurt….

Notice I haven’t mentioned Zinedine Zidane. But then, you can’t touch him. He’s right up there with the Gods, that’s how talented & blessed the man is. Is it possible not to love a game that has given the world a Zinedane Zidane?

This post is more a labor of love than a post on cricket or football. It has been as emotionally satisfying to write as it is to think back of the times my dad taught me to play ball.

Bang On!!

2008-08-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

Al Ries, one of the most prominent marketing gurus, who along with Jack Trout coined the term ‘positioning’ as we use in marketing today wrote in one of his books on branding that a second brand can enter the market and gain share by staying far away from the leader in terms of mind space, or by taking an opposite positioning.

Perhaps ITC borrowed a leaf from his book when they were working out the positioning strategy for their packaged snack brand, Bingo!

While Lays was selling its American Sour Cream & Onion and Spanish Tomato flavors, Bingo! was positioned with its Indian flavors such as Tandoori Paneer, Tikka, Spice Paneer etc. We all know how the North Indian market (in fact, all of India except the South) loves all things Punjabi. And to appease the South Indian market, Bingo! had flavors such as Chatkila Nimbu Achaar, Achari Masti etc. In fact, Bingo! comes in 16 flavors to cater to the taste buds of different regions of India.

Bingo!’s advertising follows the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). The clutter-breaking ads with their slapstick humor and irrelevant themes garnered enough eyeballs to create awareness of the product and generate an interest towards the product in the minds of consumers. The ads are simply insane & nonsensical to the point of being bizarre & utter crap. And that is why they are so funny!! This resulted in high product trials.

Take for instance the Glad Bangles ad with the Caucasian model complaining about her life being so pathetic that even her cat walked out on her!!

Or the one where the scientists at the Bingo Mad Labs issue a pregnancy certificate after feeding you Bingo! Mad Angles. The procedure, the ad claims, to test whether you are pregnant is fast, simple and painless. The scientists will offer you Bingo Achaari Masti, and if you are driven crazy by the tangy "achaari" taste of the snack & chase the scientists for more, then congratulations you have tested positive!!

Or the one where a guy says he has tried his hands at making a combination of his lazy brother Jignesh & a toaster!!! Posing for a family poster, Jignesh jumps up in the air even before the photographer could click. In another shot, his girlfriend gets the shock of her life as he springs up from his motorcycle leaving her alone on the running vehicle. These incidents lead the guy to conclude that unlike Bingo’s Mad Angles combination, his combination was a failure.

There are many other attention-grabbing Bingo! ads such as the Vango Pango ad etc. but what's interesting is the fact that Lays uses a brand ambassador approach with mass appeal celebrities such as Saif Ali Khan, Juhi Chawla & M S Dhoni whereas Bingo still doesn't have an ambassador. Finding one that can match its image would be quite a task!!

Branding in the shampoo segment

2008-08-20T01:55:00.000-07:00

It has been seen in the fast moving consumer goods category that brands that focus on projecting one or two aspects of brand imagery have been more successful than those that try to stand for too many things. The latter end up with a diffused imagery, therefore losing out on brand registration & recall in the minds of consumers.

Take for example 3 of the leading brands of shampoos in India – all in the premium category.

Proctor & Gamble’s brand of shampoo, Pantene, has harped on ‘shine’ through its communication, most recently through its ‘Shine Pantene’ campaign. As a result, the moment someone says Pantene, one thinks of shiny hair.

At the same time, Garnier Fructis has adopted the extreme imagery route, the focus being on ‘strong hair’. In their ‘If you want it long, it’s got to be strong’ campaign, the models wear unrealistic hair & are shown breaking objects that their hair gets tied to, rather than the hair giving way. It’s far-fetched but it works with the audience as suggested by the sales of the brand.

On the other hand, ITC’s Fiama di Wills shampoo has a very diffused imagery in the market. Their proposition is ‘gentle yet effective…through a combination of nature & science…for a beautiful you…today, tomorrow’. There are too many things they try to say through their communication. As a result, the ads have failed to register with the audience & trigger brand recall.

*****

An interesting piece of trivia about shampoos…transparent shampoos are not accepted as much by Indian consumers as opaque (non-transparent) shampoos. This is the reason there are only two transparent shampoos available in the Indian market – Pantene Lively Clean & Garnier Fructis Oil Repair – while the rest are all opaque. The misconception among Indian consumers is that opaque shampoos produce a higher amount of lather as compared to transparent shampoos, and therefore clean better.

*****

An interesting insight into the marketing strategy of Proctor & Gamble (P&G)….P&G plays only in the premium segment of the market, at least in India. They have concentrated only on 7-8 brands in the Indian market - Pantene, Olay, Head & Shoulders, Ariel, Vicks, Pampers, Whisper to name a few - all of them in the premium segment. Rejoice is the only P&G brand that is present in the economy segment while Tide plays in the mid-value segment. HUL, on the other hand, operates across all price segments.

Given that India is such a price-sensitive market, P&G’s strategy has been to wait for HUL & other FMCG companies to develop the premium segment in India, before they launch their own brand in the segment, so that there is already a market for premium products & the chances of their brand facing rejection are low.

For instance, Head & Shoulders was introduced into the Indian market immediately after HUL came out with it’s Clinic All Clear range of shampoos (not to be confused with Clinic Plus that straddles the mid-value & economy segments). Pringles was introduced after Pepsico had already created a market for Lays range of potato wafers. Olay was introduced after L'Oreal & Garnier had introduced various enhanced face creams in India. Similarly, Ariel was introduced to compete with Surf Excel.

Phelps, The Phenomenon

2008-08-13T02:42:00.000-07:00

Michael Phelps was just 11 when his coach Bob Bowman called in his parents to tell them the boy could become an Olympic champion if he just applied himself

His policeman father Fred & school teacher mother Debbie separated when he was only 7. Elder sister Whitney, also a swimmer, has written that she used the swimming pool as a refuge from the yelling

Phelps' physique is perceived to be his greatest advantage. He's got broad shoulders coupled with a huge torso tapering down to small hips & strikingly short legs - a combination that provides minimum resistance under water

Unlike most people, Phelps also has an extraordinarily long arm reach, with his arm span about 3 inches longer than his 6 ft 4 inch height. This means he has extra long "oars" to propel a shorter body through the water

When Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe said he did not think anyone could win eight races at a single Olympics, Phelps memorised the quote to motivate him for Beijing

Phelps' underwater turn is supposed to be his signature style - he tends to go down deeper to the wall than other swimmers, performs a dolphin kick & rockets back to the surface, leaving the other swimmers behind

While most swimmers tend to specialize in one or two events, Phelps has entered eight races in Beijing

Phelps averaged 75km a week in training & took not more than 4 days off in the four years leading up to the Athens Olympics in 2004, none of them holidays

Nothing short of fabulous

2008-08-11T02:44:00.000-07:00

Abhinav Bindra wins the Gold for INDIA in the men's 10m air rifle event. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, BABY!!!!!

The Starbucks Success Story

2008-08-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

The original Starbucks opened in Seattle in 1971 as a store that sold coffee beans & equipment. In 1983 Howard Schultz joined the company and after a trip to Milan, advised the founders that the company should start selling coffee as well as coffee beans.

His idea was rejected by the three founders as they thought that getting into the beverage business would distract them from their primary business which was to sell coffee beans. However, Schultz believed that there was enormous opportunity to sell coffee to ‘pressed-for-time-on-the-go-Americans’ and he started his own chain of coffee shops called ‘Il Giomale’. Subsequently, the founders of Starbucks sold their chain to Schultz, who re-branded the consolidated business as Starbucks.

Starbucks then experimented with food but realized that it had to contend with high materials cost and stiff competition from low-price fast food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts etc. that also sold coffee. So they decided to shift their focus back to coffee and started the process of re-branding.

Rather than communicating a set of images that Starbucks wished to stand for, they adopted the ‘Experiential Branding’ route where they tried to create an atmosphere inside their stores that would not only draw people to the store but also make them linger and return. They decided to spend very little on advertising & instead create a brand image through their stores. They made the following changes to their stores:

1. They discontinued the use of pre-ground coffee as grinding of whole coffee beans within the store would add aroma to the store

2. Smoking was prohibited inside stores & employees were asked to refrain from wearing strong perfumes as the smell of smoke & strong perfumes was believed to adulterate the aroma of coffee

3. They introduced the concept of “Coffee of the Day” as well as seasonal beverages such as ‘Pumpkin Spice Latte’ (served around Halloween) & ‘Eggnog Latte’ & ‘Christmas/Holiday’ blend of coffee that is sold during the Christmas season

4. They introduced Starbucks ice-cream for coffee lovers who also loved ice-creams & Frappucinos (sealed bottles of cold coffee)

5. They introduced the concept of the “Third Space” – the space besides home & work. This essentially meant that people could spend time at Starbucks outlets studying, working on their laptops, writing, reading, meeting friends, holding formal meetings etc. They were not kicked out of the stores or the bill thrust in their faces as soon as they finished their cup of coffee (unlike in Indian coffee shops)

6. The store format varied depending on the location of the store…downtown buildings, college campuses, shopping centers, bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Borders etc. The stores had fireplaces, leather chairs & couches for those who wanted to lounge & tables with hard-backed chairs for those who wanted a more structured environment to study/work etc.

7. Starbucks began selling special Jazz & Blues CDs, which in some cases were special compilations that had been put together for the company to use as background music inside its stores. The idea for selling the CDs originated with a Starbucks store manager who had worked in the music industry and selected the new "tape of the month" Starbucks played as background in its stores. Customers liked what they heard & started expressing a desire to purchase those CDs. The Starbucks CDs thus became a significant addition to the company's product line.

8. Employees would know the names of the regular customers along with their order, INCLUSIVE of the “decaf venti 0% no-whip no-foam extra-hot extra-cocoa mocha” bit

For a person that loves Coffee, Starbucks indeed is a God-sent. Once exposed to Starbucks & the likes, the coffee shops in India seem to be a sham!!

Think I'll leave you with these. "Drink" for thought? :p

The Apple Story

2008-07-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

We know Apple for it’s Macintosh computers (lovingly called ‘The Mac’), iPods, iTunes and iPhones.

Apple iPods stand out from the other brands in their respective categories because of their style - the lovely vibrant colors accompanied by a white wire connecting the earphones to the gadget - that has become a signature of the brand.

Just a little bit of history about Apple first. In the mid-80s, one of the co-founders of Apple, Steve Jobs, was asked to resign from the company as a result of an internal power struggle between him and the new CEO John Sculley. The board of directors of the company sided with Sculley & Jobs was asked to leave. After his departure in 1985, Apple’s stocks started plummeting, partly because Apple had two incompatible platforms that it was selling to different sections of consumers and partly also because IBM was making its presence felt stronger in the PC market. After twelve years, in 1997, Jobs was asked to join back the company as CEO, a position he serves in till the present.

Steve Jobs took a number of steps to get Apple back to the position it was at. Apart from strategic moves such as tying up with Microsoft software (rather than trying to compete with Microsoft), he also re-designed the Apple products and the company’s marketing, communications & branding strategy. Thus Apple came up with the transparent, brightly colored iMac computers, and more recently the pink, green, orange, yellow, red, blue iPods!

The re-designing of the products was not just to make the product stand out on shelves. It was more a result of understanding & segmenting the consumers. And indeed, today there are two types of consumers – there are the Apple consumers & the Dell-IBM kind of consumers.

So what does Apple stand for today? It stands for simplicity, user-friendliness, style, personalization & “coolness”. Apple isn’t about the latest technology in computers, phones & music players, and yet it has changed the way people listen to music or use their phones & PCs!

Apple is about people having fun, and their advertising campaign too is in line with this image. Take for example these print ads. Simple & fun!

Another very interesting concept Apple has adopted, that has borrowed right from the heart of Experiential Branding, is that of the Apple stores. They created these stores because the kind of brand experience they wanted customers to experience was not possible at third party retail outlets. The interiors of Apple stores are completely white, and they have something called the ‘Genius Bar’ where Apple “geniuses” help you repair your iPod/iPhone. The layout of the Genius Bar is like a bar – it has bar stools where the Apple “geniuses” sit with you while fixing your gadget & in case they can’t fix it on the spot, they call the Apple service center using red phones – an allusion to the Cold War between the United States & Soviet Union before the latter disintegrated, when red telephones were used for confidential, top level talks between the heads of the two countries.

So Apple has tried to create this “cool” image among its customers which, along with the revised product line, has done wonders for the company.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

2008-07-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

Two best friends, a boy & a girl, who spend ALL their time together, can't live without each other, yet do not know they are in love. In fact, they vehemently deny being in love with each other whenever someone suggests they are. That's one of the most common, hackeneyed & done-to-death story lines in Bollywood, idn't it? The first movie that comes to mind is Karan Johar's 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (gag!)

However, what separates Jaane Tu...from the other movies made on this subject is the way the movie has been handled by debutant director Abbas Tyrewala. There's no over-the-top melodrama as we saw in KJo's movie. The story has been handled in a straight-forward, youthful manner with TONS of humor and college banter. Sweet (I hate the word 'cute'), funny and most of all, REFRESHING are the words I would use to describe the movie.

As for the lead actors, I don't find Imran Khan all that cute but he's a package deal. He can act reasonably well and has good comic timing. Maybe he'll go the Aamir Khan way, playing the "romantic chocolate hero" before carving out a niche for himself as a "thinking actor", for he surely can act. Genelia might not fit the bill of the conventional Hindi movie heroine (she's too much of a pao for that, no offense to my pao friends :) but is quite apt to play a college-goer.

I haven't stopped singing 'Kabhi Kabhi' & 'Pappu can't dance' since I saw the movie last night. Especially 'Kabhi Kabhi'...I don't remember the last time a Hindi movie song had the name of the protagonist in its lyrics, showing how customized the song is to the situation in the movie. And ofcourse, there's A R Rehman's music! It's lilting, catchy & flows perfectly with the mood of the movie. Good stuff.

I think the last time I left the theater with a smile on my face that came from the heart was after watching Jhankaar Beats. I've watched funny, even hilarious movies since then but none that has put me in such a mellow yet happy frame of mind.

The movie isn't college-goer nonsense that only college going kids would enjoy. It's a movie that can be watched & loved by people of all ages. Irrespective of whether you had that one special friend in college, you would still identify with the movie because it's also about friendships. It'll make you call/SMS your closest friends to tell them how much you love them. It surely made me do that!

One more thing I loved about the movie was the shots of Bombay. I ABSOLUTELY love movies that are shot in Bombay, Life in A Metro being a case in point. Jaane Tu...had Marine Drive, Bandstand, Bandra Fort, Asiatic Library & the Fort area all through. Places I've spent 5 years hanging out at.

Watch the movie if you haven't yet. It's worth it!

We love you, Roger...

2008-07-07T04:57:00.000-07:00

...for the game you play...for your elegance...for your class...for your sportsmanship...for your spirit...for the respect you have for your contemporaries...for your magic on court...for being ROGER FEDERER

Lionheart tames The King

2008-07-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

The commentator, at the end of the marathon 5-set Wimbledon Men's 2008 Final between Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal, said "What we have witnessed here tonight is something very special, very extraordinary..."

His words couldn't have been more apt. After five successive Wimbledon Championships, Federer had to hand the cup over to Nadal. We all love Roger. It was very sad to see him lose last night, but throughout the match I was supporting Nadal...because he has always been touted as a player that can win only on slow clay surfaces. He was perceived not to possess the calibre to win on grass, and we've read enough about how much he wanted to win on grass. But the bigger reason I wanted Nadal to win was because he has worked really hard on his game on grass & the way he was playing yesterday, he totally deserved to win. Not that Roger deserved it any less. He's a player of a different class altogether but Nadal gave him a fight on every ball.

Yesterday, while Nadal held the champion's trophy, Federer held the runners-up trophy. Am not sure when Federer saw himself holding the runners-up trophy last!

What's extraordinary is the respect the two players have for each other. While Federer said that Nadal was a deserving champion, here's what Nadal said about his great rival :

"Well, it is disappointing for me I am in the same time as the best player in history, Roger Federer.

...I just congratulate Roger, because he always fights unbelievably

I lost the last two finals, close finals. But he's still the number one. He's still the best. He's still five times champion here."

If watching Federer & Nadal stand side-by-side on Center Court, holding trophies that the other generally holds, and reading the words above didn't touch your heart and put you in a mellow mood, I don't know what would.