RDB finally!

Yes, I finally succumbed to everybody's wishes and watched Rang de Basanti. Or should I say, was forced to watch it. My brother bought tickets for the 10.45 pm show at PVR Saket and all four of us - Mom, Dad, bro and I - trundled down to the multiplex for a dekko at the Aamir-Khan starrer.

As it turned out, I wasn't disappointed although the film isn't the masterpiece everybody keeps swearing it is. The breezy first half, before the brouhaha over (Warning: Spoilers ahead) Madhavan's death and the Defence Minister's assassination, is like a breath of fresh air for Indian cinema. But all hell breaks loose after the interval.

Five college-going lads turning into modern-day freedom fighters by avenging their friend's death is a bit too dramatic for me. Will not elaborate.

The star of the film for me was not Aamir Khan but young Karan Singhania (aka South Indian actor Siddharth Suryanarayan) who impressed with his understated acting. Hope to see him in more Hindi films.

My favourite supporting character - Kirron Kher who was endearing as the back-slapping Punjabi mom. The music by A R Rahman grows on you as usual, especially the Rubaru number. I don't believe there's anybody else left who hasn't watched Rang de Basanti, but if you haven't, go take a look.

Accompanying Kalam on his Submarine

Actually, the title is a misnomer. Coz although I did cover the event in Vishakapatnam, I was always at least 100 metres away from the President and could only look at the submarine he was embarking on from a distance of 50 metres, let alone make an undersea sortie in it.

We(the media) flew to and fro on an AN-32 cargo transport plane with a refuelling stopover in Nagpur. It was fun at first but the experience soon became akin to travelling in a flying bus. Pretty soon, everybody dropped off to sleep except for Monica from 'Channel 7' who kept videotaping poeple in weird postures as they slept. She later showed me footage of my 10 seconds of fame - as my head drooped down in synchronised motion.

The trip was for three days and I loved every minute of it - even the part where Yoga from 'Pioneer' and myself got trapped in a veritable stampede while walking back to the hotel after the naval display at R K beach. That was one hell of a walk.

Here are some links to the reports I filed -

Naval operations a hit with the crowds

Curtain-Raiser on Kalam's Submarine Trip

Kalam does his undersea thing

Kalam impressed with Fleet Review

Crowds cheer for lone woman skydiving instructor

Kalam presents his Colours to Eastern Fleet

Kalam reviews naval fleet

Kalam turns poet

Onboard Ex-submarine INS Kursura

Ash is now seeing someone else

Apni Aishwarya is no longer with Viveik Oberoi. To find out who she's really dating, click here.

Bollywood beckons

A friend of mine has just launched Bollywood ABC - a brand new website on the desi film industry.

Do visit it for a sassy take on who's hot in tinsel town, the latest celebrity pics, movie previews, Hollywood tidbits, forums and much much more.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the filmi stuff you will encounter there

- Actresses face MMS heat
- Is Amisha getting knotty?

Hey Bee, wishing you all the best for your Bollywood venture.

Faizal gets cozy with Noemie

Journo Faizal Khan has achieved what yours truly could only dream of.

Here's a pic of this hot shot reporter hobnobbing with French supermodel and actress Noemie Lenoir at a French embassy party in Goa last December.


Please excuse the photo quality - it was not clicked by a professional.

I was there somewhere in the background - Sigh! - as Khan wended his way to the seductive beauty and got a peck on the cheeks in the bargain.

The grapevine has it that Lenoir was drunk but I know for sure Khan hasn't washed his right cheek since.

For those who don't have a clue as to who Lenoir is, she played a sultry siren in the French blockbuster Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra.

Birthday Blues at the Office

I turned 26 yesterday on what has to be the most depressing birthday of my life. It's not that I am obsessed with birthdays or that I want every person on the planet to remember me on Makar Sankranti (an Indian festival which falls with unwavering precision on January 14 every year).

But... I am human and unlike Robinson Crusoe who could get by with Man Friday, I have made it my life's mission to hunt for a very rare and endangered species -

Wanted: People who remember my birthday and wish me.

This category does not include my parents and brother, who I honestly admit forced a very tired and reluctant yours truly to stay up late on Friday the 13th so that the family could gulp down plum cake at midnight.

On D-day, I got up really early (5.30 am - Ouch!) to go to office which is more than an hour's bus ride away. It being Makar Sankranti, there were plenty of stories in our files to remind me (and fellow colleagues) of my birthday.

Unfortunately, the stories did not work and despite several hints, my colleagues remained blissfully unaware of the importance of the occasion.

In the meantime, I received several calls from friends and acquaintances and people I had forgotten - all wishing me Happy Birthday but it didn't have any effect on my steadfast colleagues who have put up with my presence for almost two years.

Just when I was about to give up and mimic something on the lines of 'It's a dunderhead's world,' Friendly Ghost walks up and wishes me.

FG: Happy Birthday
Toe Knee: Sssssh! (look around to see if anyone is listening but unfortunately nobody heard it). Thank You.

The Ghost was sworn to secrecy. "Do not betray me and my birthday."

My shift over, I rush over to the Magazine Desk where I have to submit a story. Here too, history repeats itself and no one bothers about the birthday boy. I skip lunch because I have a deadline to meet.

I leave the office, tired and exhausted at six in the evening. I soon get a bus only to find myself caught in a traffic jam. (Groan!)

I reach home at eight pm to find it locked. My wonderful parents had decamped somewhere. What could I do? I sink into the couch and watch the second half of 'The Day After Tomorrow.' (Crummy movie)

Even recounting this has become tedious now and I can sense the predicament of readers who are waiting for the end of this sob story. Sigh!

My parents arrive at ten. There's no nice dinner in the microwave. No sizzling takeaways in their hands. The solution - leftover sabzi from the refrigerator and Harvest Gold bread. This meagre dinner over (I now totally empathise with the Israelites who wandered around in the desert for 40 years) I curl up in bed and drift off to sleep. Life is miserable.

For all those moved to tears by the plight of this great journalist, there's a moral in the story. January 14, 2007 is not too far away - Get ready to wish me next year.

Goa gets going with filmi fervour

The big stars may be missing this year but that didn't matter. With its sun, sand and sizzle, Goa is the perfect place for a film festival.

Not that I would know much. I spent most of my time huddled at the media centre buried under an onslaught of press conferences and stories. Films! What films? For the first eight days of the fest, I hadn't watched any. By the ninth day, I was sapped and headed for the India premiere of the French blockbuster Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra - a decision I will never regret.

Do catch up on this wonderful creation of Alain Chabat which features Monica Belucci as the gorgeous Cleopatra and loads of rib-tickling moments. The dubbed version of the film (in English, Hindi and other languages) hits Indian theatres around Christmas 2005.

The only other film which I managed to catch was another French flick - Cannes winner L'Enfant - a thought-provoking film which held audiences transfixed to the screen.

Of course, next year's film festival will be a different ballgame altogether now that Johnny Depp is expected to drop in for a visit.

Here are some of the 50-plus stories this tiresome PTI journalist turned in as others were busy watching films or cruising along in luxury liners or shaking a leg at PIB dos. Sigh! Even rival agency correspondent Faizal Khan got a peck on the cheeks from French supermodel Noemie Lenoir while poor yours truly got left out of all the action.

Rajnikant gets set to jive in French film

Aishwarya Rai to star in Asterix flick

Reddy for global stars to promote IFFI

Big B makes it to IFFI in a sketchbook

IFFI faces desi competition in Goa

First Indo-Italian film to roll in 2006

IFFI loses out on Satyajit Ray film

Filmmaker turns poster boy for IFFI

Italian maestro misses date with IFFI

Iranian film wins Golden Peacock

Britain draws a blank at IFFI

Dholakia stands by his film on Godhra

Taal's UK extra comes to IFFI

Italians say mama mia to Sonali

Bond in movie theatre after 25 years

Indian docu to premiere in NY

Godhra film leads to fracas at IFFI

Premieres rock the boat at IFFI

How Page 3 came about

Get set for gastric lie-detectors

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. And if Indian-American scientist Pankaj Pasricha has his way, one could also use a man's stomach to know if he's lying.

You can read the rest of my article here.

A bit about Blogging

Wrote an article about the perils of blogging in the wake of the Gaurav Sabnis controversy. It's a bit sketchy on details but I did talk to an IT expert on whether bloggers have any rights at all. You can take a peek at it here -

Mind what you write, bloggers! The days of carefree blogging are over. As more and more blogs get into the public domain, the danger of being sued can only increase.

You can read the rest of the article here