Wednesday, December 06, 2017

Book - Farewell: The Greatest Spy Story of the Twentieth Century

Farewell: The Greatest Spy Story of the Twentieth CenturyFarewell: The Greatest Spy Story of the Twentieth Century by Sergei Kostin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Vladimir Vetrov, a high-ranking KGB spy in Moscow during the Cold War, was assigned the code name 'Farewell' by the French intelligence service that recruited him. This is the true story of Vetrov, presented with balance and objectivity, and the Farewell dossier handed to U.S. President Reagan during the Ottawa G7 Summit by Francois Mitterrand, the newly elected president of France. A 2009 French film was inspired by the 1997 French book, while an updated account was translated into English in 2011, a quarter-century after Vetrov’s death.

"Farewell: The Greatest Spy Story of the Twentieth Century" is an otherwise pacy thriller that occasionally falls victim to its own verbosity. Yet, the writers succeed in painting a vivid picture of Vetrov from the accounts of his family, acquaintances and handlers. Does the KGB discover the mole? No spoilers here, go read the book.

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Sunday, November 19, 2017

Books: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Olive KitteridgeOlive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first story in "Olive Kitteridge" is spell-binding and is among the best things I have read. Elizabeth Strout won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for this novel of 13 vignettes featuring the inhabitants of Crosby, Maine and linked by the title character, a retired math teacher. The other vignettes never match the brilliance of the first, but serve to breathe life into the characters in the lead-up to the final story, another masterpiece. Recommended. Yet to watch the four-part mini-series starring Frances McDormand.

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Thursday, November 02, 2017

Book: The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

The Days of AbandonmentThe Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a short but powerful novel about a woman who is deserted by her husband and how her life goes to pieces. Olga the protagonist is trapped in a visceral struggle, even as her children and the family dog get caught up in her delirium. At times, I wished I could be there to shake Olga out of her stupor, to forget her unfaithful husband and start life afresh. Easier said than done, and yet, I couldn't help rooting for her to survive and move on.

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Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Bigg Boss 11 recap: (Day 29) Luv the new captain and love is in the air

[UPDATE: This is my last post with recaps for the current season of Bigg Boss 11. Too few people are reading the recaps to merit my writing about each episode. I'll continue watching, of course, but I no longer have to worry about having to write about it. Catch the latest on Colors TV or on Voot.com ]

The overnight captaincy task continues despite Bihari lass #JyotiKumari's exit from the house. Folk dancer #SapnaChaudhary is chosen by the housemates to join #LuvTyagi and #BandgiKalra in being tethered to a semi-circular contraption.

Whoever stays attached to it till the end will be crowned the next captain of the #BiggBoss household.


Sapna doesn’t last too long and gets disconnected when she is trying to pick up a pair of socks for the night. Queen bee #HinaKhan stays up to ensure the task gets done and tells the contestants to try harder to loosen the other person’s hold. Finally, at 5.45 a.m. Bandgi gets detached from the contraption and Luv is declared the next captain of the house.


It’s not a result that rapper #AkashDadlani is comfortable with. After all, he’s had captaincy aspirations of his own. And he hasn’t forgotten Hina didn’t vote for him. Both Luv and Hina become subjects of his improvised rap. His child-like antics irk #DhinchakPooja as well. She loses her temper, but Akash is quick to apologise, and all’s well that ends well.

Sapna and bhabhiji #ShilpaShinde are criticising #ArshiKhan’s "provocative" dress and bare legs. The latter is not talking to them either. But it’s Shilpa/Sapna 1 - 0 Arshi in this round. They move away from the kitchen when Arshi walks in and wonder aloud where the bad smell is coming from.

#PriyankSharma hasn’t learned his lesson from the weekend scolding he received from host Salman Khan for revealing personal details about the housemates. This time he’s talking about something that appears to involve #VikasGupta. Vikas tried to make Priyank understand; Priyank walks off at first but later agrees he’s in the wrong and apologises on camera.

It’s nomination day and the housemates are called in pairs to the confession room where Mr. Bigg Boss tells them to decide in secret which one of them will be nominated while the other stays safe for the week. The mutually agreed decision has to be announced in the confession room itself and not revealed outside. Captain Luv is safe and cannot be nominated by the housemates.

#SabyasachiSatpathy sacrifices himself for #MehjabiSiddiqui, probably sealing his fate in the week’s nominations. He seems to be a decent fellow, but is rarely in the spotlight. Was this the right move?


Shilpa does Akash a good turn by agreeing to be nominated. Priyank and #HitenTejwani are both OK with nominations, but TV actor Hiten convinces him to stay safe for a week. Of course, his efforts come to naught later in the day when Mr. Bigg Boss punishes Priyank with a nomination of his own -- for revealing personal details of the housemates as also the nomination task when he asked audiences to safeguard Hiten.


Vikas and Sapna both offer to be nominated when their turn comes, but Sapna has the upper hand. Vikas warns her that indifference to being nominated could be a sign of her over-confidence, but Sapna doesn’t change her mind and keeps Vikas safe from the week’s nominations.

Hina and #PuneeshSharma are up next and I was surprised by how Puneesh begged her to safeguard him from being nominated. He even jokes about getting a Hina tattoo on his chest, but Hina is unmoved. It looks like a stalemate until Puneesh apologises for inadvertently abusing Hina the previous week and promises never to get personal with anyone in the house. A teary-eyed Hina then agrees to be nominated, dedicating this decision to her parents - of giving the guy who abused their daughter a second chance in the house. Bringing Puneesh to his knees is something Hina feels strongly about and she recounts the incident with great pleasure to her friends later in the garden.

Arshi and Dhinchak, who seem to be on friendly terms, are called to the confession room and Dhinchak is quick to nominate herself. Over-confidence again? Maybe, but I was disappointed Arshi accepted it so easily, even though Arshi later tells the cringe-pop sensation she shouldn’t have been so quick to get Pooja nominated in her stead.

VJ #BenafshaSoonawalla and model #BandgiKalra are the last remaining pair and neither is ready to make the other safe. In the end, Mr. Bigg Boss nominates them both for failing to come to a decision.

Love is in the air in the #BiggBoss house. Sabyasachi tells Priyank he really likes him, causing Priyank to blush. Sapna, who appears to be unaware of the concept of homosexuality, tells Sabyasachi he should have been born a woman.

Meanwhile, Dhinchak Pooja has apparently told her friends she loves captain Luv. The lights are off, but that doesn’t stop the news from spreading from wildfire from bed to bed. Cupid sure is in overdrive.

Who will be evicted from Bigg Boss this weekend?


Bigg Boss 11 recap: (Day 28) Jyoti is out and Priyank gets a scolding

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Monday, October 30, 2017

Book: "It" by Stephen King

ItIt by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephen King remains the undisputed master of the horror genre. His 1986 horror novel "It" sent chills down my spine. At around 1,200 pages, this was a long-but-engaging read about a monster (often manifesting itself in the form of a creepy clown) lurking in the sewer system of Derry, Maine. Seven children who wounded the monster in 1958 will battle it again as grown-ups in 1985. With a big-screen adaptation of "It" out and "Stranger Things 2" streaming on Netflix, there won't be a better time to enjoy this thriller. I think the book could have excised an underage orgy scene that didn't add anything to the plot - I'm glad Hollywood didn’t feature it in the movie.

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Bigg Boss 11 recap: (Day 28) Jyoti is out and Priyank gets a scolding

I have always found the #WeekendKaVaar episodes tiresome. We have host Salman Khan lecturing contestants, unfunny gags with Colors TV actors promoting upcoming programs, Salman talking to boring guests, and what seems to be less than 10 minutes' actual footage from the Bigg Boss house. Not stuff a true Bigg Boss fan would like.

Which is why I am keeping the Sunday episode recap short and waiting impatiently for Monday’s episode.


All you really need to know is that Bihari lass #JyotiKumari was evicted from the house after a unnecessary interlude where Salman pranks VJ #BenafshaSoonawalla into believing she had been evicted. Then it was  #LuvTyagi’s turn to go - until Salman relents and announces it’s actually Jyoti who got the least number of votes and has to leave the show. Looks like TV producer #VikasGupta will miss her the most.


Earlier, the housemates discussed the three nominations for the captaincy task. #AkashDadlani is pissed he wasn’t chosen - with queen bee #Hina Khan saying she wouldn’t vote for Akash. The captaincy task eventually saw Luv, Jyoti and model #BandgiKalra locked together attached to a semi-circular thingy - whoever can stay the longest will get to be the captain. With Jyoti’s exit from the show, only Luv and Bandgi remain in contention. Both go around the house tethered to the contraption - both claim they are ready to pee in their clothes if necessary. Ugh! I am hoping this task doesn’t last too long.


The housemates were also asked to use placards to describe a certain housemate (in most cases, their bete noire on the show) with the rest having to guess the name of the person being described. No surprises that the worst adjectives were used (kamina, kaamchor, chatur …) -- there seems to be no love lost among the housemates and all the names were guessed correctly.

Anything else? Well, when Salman was speaking to previous season contestants Lopamudra Raut and Manu Punjabi, the question of #PriyankSharma revealing personal details of #ArshiKhan’s life on the show came up. Salman scolds Priyank for doing so, and Priyank apologises to a teary-eyed Arshi. Bandgi asks Priyank again in #PuneeshSharma’s presence if Puneesh has a son. Priyank sticks to his statement, but Puneesh denies it and says even if it were true, it shouldn’t have been discussed on television.

Bhabhiji #ShilpaShinde seemed especially happy to see Arshi weep. Shilpa herself was pulled up by #MehjabiSiddiqui for a comment saying Mehjabi left her two-year-old to come on the show. Salman placates Mehjabi, saying the comment was actually a positive one and was taken out of context.

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Sunday, October 29, 2017

Bigg Boss 11 recap: (Day 27) Gauahar comes visiting; Pooja leaves Luv in the lurch

Former winner Gauahar Khan walks into the #BiggBoss11 house with a briefcase in her hand. Her mission: to grant a special power to one of the housemates, who each have to convince her why they deserve it.

After sessions with the inmates, Gauahar picks #ArshiKhan, #VikasGupta and #AkashDadlani for her shortlist and then announces Akash as the winner. The briefcase contains a suraksha kavach (safety armour) that will help Akash avoid being nominated for eviction - at least once. Use it wisely, Mr Rapper.


In a late-night altercation with Vikas, #ShilpaShinde gets personal and riles him up further. When Shilpa reveals a name from Vikas’ past, the TV producer threatens to expose details of Shilpa’s life. Later on the show, host Salman Khan jokes that this appears to be a pre-planned strategy by both to stay in the Bigg Boss spotlight.

When asked by Salman, the majority of the housemates name cringe-pop diva #DhinchakPooja as the weakest performer in the week’s task - and she gets seated on the bull. Salman isn’t convinced though and he wonders why, despite their mistakes, task referee #LuvTyagi, #MehjabiSiddiqui and others didn’t earn the housemates’ wrath.

Salman made Pooja sing her "Dilon ka shooter" number several times today, including an encore for the visiting cast and director of the 2017 blockbuster "GolmaalAgain". Methinks he’s obsessed with the song, considering he makes a few attempts at rap himself.

Next, Salman asks the housemates to pick three names based on their popularity among audiences. Akash is voted ‘Blockbuster’, Arshi is ‘Superhit’ while Pooja stands in the ‘Hit’ position on a makeshift podium in the house. Salman disagrees with the choices, although he retains Akash and moves him down to ‘Hit’ position. He gets Shilpa to take the second or ‘Superhit’ position and then invites Vikas … to escort queen bee #HinaKhan to the ‘Blockbuster’ slot.

For this week’s Sultani Akhada, folk singer #SapnaChoudhary squares off against Pooja. While Pooja wins the verbal round, Sapna triumphs in the tug-of-war round. In the tug-of-war tiebreaker, Sapna (aided by #HitenTejwani) gets the better of Pooja and Luv – thanks to Pooja letting go of the rope and leaving Luv in the lurch. Salman scolds Arshi for talking while the task was on.

Some relief for Shilpa, Vikas, Akash and Sapna - Salman declares them safe from eviction, with the final name to be announced in Sunday’s episode.

Three remain in the #BB11 nominations this week. Who will be evicted on Sunday?
#BenafshaSoonawalla #LuvTyagi or #JyotiKumari

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Saturday, October 28, 2017

Bigg Boss 11 recap: (Day 26) The return of Priyank and a new Dhinchak Pooja video

I had been wondering where #PriyankSharma was ever since Salman Khan announced last weekend that he will be entering the house. The choreographer/model/actor had been kicked out in the early days of #BiggBoss11 for assaulting rapper #AkashDadlani.


On Day 26, Priyank finally walks in and is welcomed (fake or not) by everyone. #BenafshaSoonawalla seems to have missed him the most - she breaks down as she hugs him. #VikasGupta gets emotional too. But Priyank loses no time in ratcheting up tension in the house, apprising housemates of what he learned in the days he spent outside.

He tells model #BandgiKalra to be careful with bosom pal #PuneeshSharma since Puneesh is apparently not wealthy, is divorced and has a kid. Bandgi who had the same conversation with Vikas some episodes ago, goes to Puneesh and asks him point-blank if he has fathered a child. Puneesh swears by his beloved grandmom (the closest to him in the whole world) and tells Bandgi he doesn’t have any children. Bandgi seems to believe him.

Priyank, who has no love lost for #ArshiKhan, stirs up more trouble when he tells folk dancer #SapnaChaudhary to mention the words "Pune-Goa" to Arshi, apparently in reference to an embarrassing incident in Arshi’s past. Sapna, who has her own bone to pick with Arshi, wastes no time in pointing it out during one of their frequent altercations. Arshi is flummoxed by how Sapna knows about the alleged Pune-Goa incident -- while Priyank denies having ever mentioned it. Arshi cries her heart out, saying her parents would never forgive her.

Earlier, jailbirds #DhinchakPooja, Akash and Arshi were released. Wannabe pop star Pooja has been tasked with making a viral video of her song about the Bigg Boss housemates, with some help from #ShilpaShinde and Vikas. This is no easy task since some housemates suspect Akash and Arshi have written lyrics mocking them.

Sapna is especially incensed by a line that says she sleeps all the time. She mocks Pooja’s music, saying listening to her sing for three months would give someone a brain tumour. She refuses to be part of the video song, but relents after queen bee #HinaKhan intervenes and changes the line to say Sapna is a good dancer. Arshi makes a comment about Sapna and that blows up into a shouting match between the two.

Later at night, the edited version of Pooja’s new song video is shown in the house. The housemates cheer for Pooja, but once she leaves the room, Hina grimaces and wishes someone would tell Pooja to stop singing.

Nominated this week on #BB11. Who will be evicted?
#ShilpaShinde, #VikasGupta, #BenafshaSoonawalla, #SapnaChaudhary, #LuvTyagi, #JyotiKumari or #AkashDadlani

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Bigg Boss 11 recap: (Day 25) Dhinchak Pooja sulks in the house

#ShilpaShinde has something nice to say about cool dude rapper #AkashDadlani. Shilpa tells queen bee #HinaKhan that Akash has a “good” heart, although he will still act like a child at the age of 50.

The after-effects of cringe-pop star #DhinchakPooja’s head lice infestation continue. #ArshiKhan is horrified to find a “kaali kaali moti moti tandrust joon”. Akash makes matters worse, scaring her by saying the lice will dig a hole inside her head.

Discussions continue over the weakest participant in the week’s “Khul Jaa Sim Sim” task. The axe falls on Pooja’s head. Even before her name is announced, Pooja is upset and sulks - even hiding in the bathroom for a good cry. She stays aloof and doesn’t talk to anyone - behaving as if the others don’t exist.

#BenafshaSoonawalla is feeling sorry for Pooja and offers to go to jail in her stead, but Hina tells her not to bother. The other housemates are not liking Pooja’s attitude either. In a rare verbal attack, #SabyasachiSatpathy tells the other housemates Pooja should wash her head lice out before she can act this way.


There is some relief for the 23-year-old when captain Hina nominates Akash and Arshi to join Pooja in jail. She gets along better with the duo and breaks into a rendition of her song “daaru daaru daaru” while in jail. Bihari lass #JyotiKumari and folk dancer #SapnaChaudhary mimic Pooja’s dance steps in the house.


Mr. Bigg Boss is being strict and takes away the luxury budget of the housemates for offences such as sleeping during the day, failure to protect their microphones, speaking in English, and discussing eviction nominations.

But he also offers them a chance to get it all back - IF Pooja can come up with a “good” viral song the #BiggBoss housemates. He allows her to take the help of jail-mates Akash and Arshi.

Meanwhile, outgoing captain Hina gets a chance to continue in Sapna Ki Adalat. Sapna presides over a court while Hina answers housemate questions in the witness box. Allegations fly fast and furious and Hina is mostly able to counter them until judge Sapna stumps her by catching her out in a lie. Sapna accuses Hina of having a “I , me , myself” attitude and rules that the house is ready for a new captain.

And what of the love birds? Well, #PuneeshSharma and #BandgiKalra continue to share some tender moments when the lights are off. Love is definitely in the air.

Nominated this week on #BB11. Who will be evicted?
#ShilpaShinde, #VikasGupta, #BenafshaSoonawalla, #SapnaChaudhary, #LuvTyagi, #JyotiKumari or #AkashDadlani

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