Tiger Zinda Hai Review!

The sets, location and costumes play an integral part in making a visually appealing movie. In addition to it, top notch cinematography will make your money and time worthwhile. 

Tiger Zinda Hai takes you to the land of religious fanatics,making you a part of the action, due to its setting, action sequences and the costumes. 

For these precise reasons, i liked the movie! Salman Khan was the cherry on top!

Kindly discount logic based on time taken to travel from one place to another, example: the RAW head shuttling between US and India in moments and the dearth of excellently trained agents. 

Katrina has finally delivered an amazing performance with jaw dropping action sequences! Salman goes rata-ta-ta-ta with a machine gun with finesse! 

It is well supported by its villain and the supporting cast.

Watch it only on the big screen for being a part of this mission.

Your 3 hours time might seem stretched at times, but the ongoing mission will definitely keep you hooked. 

Fukrey Returns Review!

Fukrey tickled our funny bones with its dialogues, the hare brained scheme of dreams and acting. Ambarsariya still finds it place in your playlist.

Despite the bar set by its predecessor, Fukrey Returns passes the test with flying colours. 

Just watch this movie without analysing the story and you will be entertained thoroughly! Definitely must see for this week! 

It is super howlarious, because hilarious is a small word to describe the tummy pangs experienced due to laughter. 

Recap of the earlier movie is shown during the opening credits. So, its okay if you haven't seen fukrey.

The situations and dialogues are super cute!

Choocha played perfectly by Varun Sharma is cute, crazy, innocent and loveable. His acting, dialogues and weirdness will give good returns on your ticket investment. 

Hunny (Pulkit Samrat) leads the gang but is overshadowed by Choocha. Lali (Manjot Singh) is excellent in his role whereas Zafar (Ali Fazal)'s character could have had more maturity and dialogues. 

Bholi Punjaban ( Richa Chaddha) is truly bholi by believing crazy schemes and even bailing out the fukras while being in debt herself. Her whacky attire will bling your eyes, dialogues will make you laugh and her swag will infect u. 

Best actor would be Pankaj Tripathi as panditji who has a quirky sense of humour, delivered with a straight faced expression! 

Ittefaq Movie Review!

2 different murders committed on the same night, has 2 suspects.

 One is a best selling author and the other is a “waiting for love” wife. 

Timeline to solve this case is 3 days!

When they start singing like a canary about their versions of the night, you are intrigued and confused just as the investigating cop. 

One version portrays the wife as the villain and vice versa, depending on the narrator. 

You are treated to 2 stories with conviction wherein the characteristics of the protagonists changes dramatically. 

The end result is the same. Death of a husband and death of a wife.

Who is the real culprit? Who was the honest suspect? What clues led to its closure? Did they find the right killer or he went scot free? 

The movie grips you during its play time of 108 minutes, thanks to the amazing cinematography which introduces the crime scene and associated people with innovative camera work. The background score is haunting and thrilling at the same time. 

Akshaye khanna is a fine actor, his expressions and dialogue delivery are full on paisa vasool. Siddharth had his good moments here and there, Sonakshi was wasted totally. She had a poker face expression for every scene. 

The end made me rethink the sequences of the narrated story and exclaim, “accha, aisa hua tha!”

Worth a watch, definitely! Its a different kind of storytelling from the hindi movie industry!

Hotel Stays - Why? How? Where?

A vacation frees your mind from worries, stress and enables your soul to soar high. It facilitates in discovering new places.

Vacation seekers have their own check lists in place. 

They filter their destinations and bookings depending on various factors such as financial budget, ease and mode of travelling, available time, essential requirements in an hotel, place of interests/adventure etc.

After selecting the destination, the next important task is to select a hotel. Hotels play a crucial role because your comfort factor on a vacation is of utmost importance.

Few points highlighted by reviewers on TripAdvisor are

• The ease of checking in/out
• Proximity to places of interest/city centre
• Hospitality by the staff
• Room service and amenities including room size and bedding comfort 
• Food
• Lobby decor
• Price

A memorable hotel stay is wherein you loved the smiling faces of the staff, relished the buffet spread or the alacarte selection and appreciated the room service tray arrangements. The concierge helped you with perfect directions and advise, the front desk personnel helped in reducing fatigue by  quickly checking you in without any hassles. The feel good factor of the lobby and hotel grounds and jumping happily on the comfortable bed after a hot shower!

Hotel Industry has grown by leaps and bounds. Many versions of holiday rentals are available to suit every type of budget. 

At every price point,there is a service provider. 

If you want to get a affordable night stay then backpackers hostels, inns and 1-3 star hotels are your best bet. Alternatively couch surfing ( an individual can stay at the host's place free of cost) and renting Air bnbs ( people rent their unused properties) are the latest trend. 

For individuals looking for more facilities, comfort, bigger rooms and great property, the 4-5 star category features some amazing properties with jaw dropping prices. The opulence and hospitality of such hotels is what makes it pricey. 

As a self confessed luxury hotel junkie, I absolutely urge everyone to atleast try one high end place with superior rooms to feel every money worth spent! 

It kinda makes you feel like royalty when you lounge comfortably in the sitting area of the suite and watch the phenomenonal view through the balcony. Ah... such bliss!


Researching about a hotel and its pricing is very easy thanks to TripAdvisor and Booking.com which I highly recommend. 

Maximum reviewers write good stuff about their experiences in the hotel, it is upto your requirement , attraction and leap of faith regarding it. Sometimes, you can be disappointed as well. Example: the pool looks enticing and big in photographs but it isn't that great in real life. 

Nevertheless, the reviews and photos posted help us in arriving at a decision because it is real time experience.

Booking.com is the best site to check out prices and confirm  your stay without the hassle of paying right away. You can pay at the property directly, however reserving the property with a credit card number. 

Why and how to go on a luxury vacation is another blog post which can be read under 4 minute..
                       
                             Luxury Vacations!


The following hotels hold a special place in my memories, second visit for sure in foreseeable future.

In India 

Orange County Kabini - 

Situated on the banks of river Kabini, this high end luxury resort features rooms with jacuzzi and private pools. The tariff includes dinner and breakfast along with the room. 

The hospitality is par excellence, setting it apart from its competitors. Every penny spent here gave us a divine experience! 

River and Jungle safaris are available in the adjoining national park. Must try once in lifetime. If you are lucky, you can spot the wild cat.

Park Hyatt Hyderabad

Spacious and well furbished suites with awe inspiring bathroom. The spa treatment takes you the summit of relaxation. 

The room provides complimentary pastries and macaroons, which is so tasty that you wish to meet and thank the chef personally. 

Beautiful lobby greets its visitors who can sample multiple cuisines in their stand alone speciality restaurants. 

Ry Kinjai Shillong

Built entirely of wood on the banks of the lake umian, this resort has fabulous views of the lake and its surrounding natural beauty. The rooms are limited in number. They feature an extensive balcony and sit out. Spa is highly recommended here. 

The food is just not upto the mark. sadly, nothing else is in the vicinity for a quick bite.

Orange County Hampi

Sister property of Kabini, this place is built exactly like a palace. The jacuzzi rooms are within the main building, whereas the plush Jalmahals, having its own private infinity pool are at walkable distance. 

As expected, the hospitality and food is par excellence!

This one shall burn a big hole in the pocket. But nothing less than jalmahal for luxury seekers. 

The Leela,Goa

Imagine waking up to the chirping of birds and beholding the sight of lotuses in your own lagoon area! 

The lobby area has ancient sculptures scattered all over, the overhead fans are an art piece in themselves. You definitely get the "goa feel". 

Their private beach has pristine sand and a sand bar! Savour some amazing cocktails while lounging on the sun decks! 

It is advisable to opt for meal plans since it is criminally expensive to drink and eat here. Trust me!


Overseas

Atlantis Dubai

Standing magnificently on the end of the manmade palm island, Atlantis features many categories of rooms. The premium section has its own dedicated check in counters with personal concierge.

Although the rooms in this category may not be very spacious, it definitely gives you better view of the sea and facilities. Their exclusive lounge provides 24 hour food spread and happy hour on-the-house cocktails. 

Atlantis stay allows free entry to their water park - one of its kind and an unavoidable attraction - and their special aquarium - the lost chambers. 

Swimming with dolphins is chargeable in the separate area of the hotel. 

Many restaurants and luxury brands are present to enrich your senses. The nightclub is visited by superbly dressed people! 

Kurumba Maldives

Feel like a celebrity when their speedboat greets you at the airport's entrance. A quick 10 min ride deposits you on their private jetty. Here, starts your dream holiday. 

You are welcomed with the most amazing coconut ice cream and then guided to your room. Again, many categories of rooms exist, recommended is the jacuzzi villa. 

Dreamy place meets OH MY GOD, such a big room with pvt jacuzzi! your porch opens up on the private beach with your personal sun beds. 

Only glitch here is that the dinner timings are early. By 9:30 pm everything is wrapped up. 

The open air bar features foot tapping live music, hookah and comfortable seating. 

Many water activities are available on chargeable basis. Clear blue alluring water makes you sigh in admiration!

This has been voted as the best island resort by TripAdvisor.


Westin Villas, Langkawi

Tucked neatly in their sprawling property, these villas are an masterpiece. 

Massive bathroom is connected with your private pool area, which also features a comfortable bed sit out. 

The chandeliers, bed, sofas, bar, kitchenette are simply drooling over! 

Again, this will torch your wallet! 

Go, explore these places on your own. Feel the happiness of living life, King style! jaa simran jaa....

This post has been inspired by Indispire on Indiblogger. 

Secret Superstar Review!

A heart touching, sensitive and earnest movie always finds its takers. Secret Superstar is one such movie. 

Secret Superstar is the story of giving your dreams a wholehearted try despite the restrictions imposed. It also highlights the beautiful bond of a Mother-Daughter and friendship. The movie moves at a leisure pace to the point of being sluggish. Acting is its USP. Watch it on satellite tv or prime video/netflix preferably.

Plot : 

Musically gifted Insiya dreams of showcasing her talent to the entire world, despite being stuck in a conservative household who has a hot tempered man as its patriarch. Her mother is her friend and co-conspirator who allows her freedom within boundaries. It is their journey together. 

Review : 

Zaira wasim is a cute, freckled, kinda chubby cheeked girl with the most expressive eyes. Insiya’s character is bought to life beautifully by her.

You can associate with her subordinate nature - when you have to comply to some rules even if you dont agree to it, the anguish wherein you relieve the stress by smashing everything to smithereens, the rebel streak which doesn't compromise on dreams and wishes for their fulfillment. 

The mother, Meher Vij, takes the cake, bakery and the ingredients manufacturers! Her najma will make everyone teary eyed with its acting sincerity, her helplessness of being stuck with a hot headed husband who needs no provocation for belting out the blows and standing by and for her children’s dreams and security. She is very pretty and casted perfectly as zaira’s mom. 

The father will provoke you to try slapping the screen, thanks to his narrow minded thinking and antics. 

Aamir is a cheepad and leechad with the perfect expressions and moves, but with a golden heart! Perfect as usual! 

Insiya’s friend, Chintan, is soooo adorable with his dimples and smile! 

The songs are good but the spark of superstar voice seemed missing!

Golmaal Again Review!

In true Rohit Shetty style, lots of exotic cars greet your visual organ at the onset of the movie. Ajay devgan gets nostalgic by entering atop 2 moving cars.. others are either sitting on car’s bonnets or somewhere around an drool worthy automobile. 

Golmaal Again features a simple storyline ridden with many silly loopholes and irrelevant sub plots. You know what will happen and why it is happening. No KBC’s Jio jackpot for cracking this. 

The funny one liners and dialogues will assure belly pains. Rolling in your seats is assured! 

The screen is full of vibrant colours or extreme greenery making you wish for a house like that. Action sequences do not justify the larger-than-life expectation from Mr.Shetty. Music and songs are okayish, blended in the narrative. 

Plot :

An aatma returns to get justice for self and save the orphanage from criminal minded builders. A psychic (if i can address her so, Tabu) who can see and interact with ghosts helps in uniting the 5 orphan kids who can help to extract revenge.

Cast :

The show stealer, i felt, was Shreyas Talpade as Laxman. His lisping and crackling dialogues were worth the money paid for the tickets and yes, the parking tickets as well. 

Johnney lever is the star atop the Christmas Tree. Simply Brilliant! The villains are cute, not very menacing.

vrujesh as the nag baba, tushhar’s speech moment, The “nana patekar” ghost, sanjay mishra’s act are the additional parts which are awesome.

 Kindly ignore the icky feeling when you see out of shape and looks, ajay devgan and ahrshad warsi. Parineeti is just fine, as required by the script. Khemu is good, rare movies that he stars in.

Watch this movie over the week/weekend after firmly locking logic and mind at home. Just carry your heart, wallet and keys along. 

Newspapers!

It's a morning ritual to read newspapers while drinking hot masala tea!! 

Sunday editions are most looked forward to because of additional offbeat articles.. 

Despite the advent of instant news at your fingertips, you still look forward to it. 

The feel of turning pages, inhaling the smell of print and paper and reading local announcements,ads and information is indispensible.  

Sometimes, you read the headlines and exclaim "hey I read it online yest!", yet you will devour the article thinking if any extra Info is listed.

Newspaper articles enriches your vocabulary as well. As a matter of fact, any reading will ensure this. 

Unfortunately, these days newspapers are more of advertisements. During festive season, you have to swim through 4 huge cover pages of latest sales ads before reaching the front page section. 

Well, describing news articles consisting of terrorism and gruesome incidents like rape shall take up the entire blogger space. When you feel you had enough scare of one event, another takes place with more ferocity.  Alas, this is how it is, I suppose.

Page 3 features the latest parties and their party animals. Sometimes i wonder, how difficult it would be for wannabes/constant people to maintain a wardrobe with different styles to attend events regularly.

Its a great medium to reach out to the users who aren't net savvy. 

Also helps in promoting the local events/exhibitions/sales to a better effect.


What are the other uses of newspapers?

• Spread it on your almirah shelf to contain dust.
• Use it to soak extra oil while trying those bhajis and puris.
  
  
• Wrap your sanitary pads for disposal.
• Cover your unused items for storage.
• Spray some Colin liquid on window panes and tables and wipe it off with it.
• Keep it in between your ironed clothes for starched look.
• Best of all -- keep collecting newspapers and sell it off to the raddiwala for a good price, after bargaining!

Sunday Ritual - Doordarshan Time..!

In the 90's, growing up was uncomplicated and active! 

We had mud on clothes, scratches worn as war  medals, anticipating cousins' visits, waiting for holidays to go to nani-house, calling from the round-dial telephones and much more. 

One vivid memory, etched for eternity, is fine tuning the old television set manually to smooth out wrinkles of Doordarshan Channel!

Elders fondly recollect shows like Hum Log, Karamchand, Mungerilal ke haseen sapne, News, Surabhi etc while we have great memories of Shaktimaan, Alif Laila, Ramayana,Shri Krishna etc.

School time discussions centered around shaktimaan and emulating his spinning action. Andhera kayam rahe! 

Discussions at home revolved around renuka shahane's hairstyle and signature namaste. 

Mythological gyaan was duly enriched by Ramanand sagar's Shri Krishna and Ramayana. 

BR Chopra's Mahabharata! 

Every 90's kid will at least have a vague outline along with protagonists names and characters of the 2 legendary works, Ramayana and Mahabharata.

A typical sunday morning scene featured gulping a glass of milk in front of the TV screen, while mom screamed "peeche baitho, aankhen kharab ho jaayegi"! 

Grandma literally used to worship Lord Rama on TV when Ramayana used to be telecasted. 

Lord Krishna seemed to be manifested in Nitish Bharadwaj ( the actor).

Mahabharata and Ramayana war scenes (arrows flying, thunderstorms etc) introduced the concept of graphics and VFX, albeit in nascent stage. 

Alif Laila took us to exotic lands of djinns,chudails and treasure hunts.  Show me a single person who isn't fascinated with such stories! 

Who can forget the multi coloured vertical lines before the start of any show or in case of "inconvenience is regretted"! 

 Such was the massive following and power of visuals.

Sacrosanct time for the entire family. Congregate on your assigned seats and watch TV. No fighting over remotes ( there weren't any!) or having a plethora of channels to choose from. Just one and only one, Doordarshan! 

This blog post is inspired from Indispire topic on Indiblogger. 

Tumhara naam kya hai, Basanti?

Few friends met up for a casual dinner. 
One of them bought along his cousin, who had just shifted to the city. 
Quickly the introductions took place. His epic reply  stunned everyone, eventually dissolving into peals of laughter!

" hello everyone, my name is avinash dutta. Mom and dad had named me after consulting my horoscope letter but they keep calling me beta or Sonu. 

My friends call me avi. Teachers refer to me as dutta.  My girlfriend calls me by tons of name depending on her mood. I go from mera baby, jaanu,honey, jaan till kutte. Maid and society watchmen address me as bhaiyya. Kids call out to me as uncle.I sometimes feel am avu, simple and sweet.  Hence please feel to call me whatever you wish!" 

His reply perfectly summarises what name means to various people in different contexts. 

Our brain cells guide us in selecting a name for a newborn. Many algorithms, such as the name should have a good meaning, it's short form shouldn't change the intrinsic meaning, the letter as per the
horoscope/birth chart has to be used; determines it finally. 

Indian parents love rhyming names for their children. Example : my name is anushree and my sister is addressed as tanushree! Talk about being lazy, rather than smart!

These are good for the official paperworks and Ids. Half of the time, you are called anything, but your real name! 

Nick names are called by our family and friends,lovingly. They can either be short form of the real name or something very different! 

Friends have a uncanny knack of bestowing the creepiest,funniest and whackiest of names.

Your character traits, your physical traits, social traits, sometimes no reason whatsoever etc help them to name you! 
Example : My best buddies call me teddy bear, chudail and moti murgi! 

Best ones are when little kids call you. Its like they have internal antennas to gauge you and your age. 
Looking young and smart? then its Bhaiyya! 
Having a bad day? its Uncle time! 

Its creeped me out when after my wedding, i met few kids ( the following week of wedding mind you! ) i was instantly addressed as AUNTY! 
did they see my ek chutki sindoor? I was remembering Ekta Kapoor & Hum Paanch serial. Aunty mat kaho na!! 

Household staff, waiters, parlour staff, support personnel etc always address you as bhaiyya or didi! Some enthu cutlets over do it by adding ji to the bhaiyya and bhabhiji to his wife! 

"Madam/Sir" -- Doesn't this give the feeling of sophistication? Thank your office staff and luxury hotel personnel for the sudden elevated feeling :) 

Embarrassing names are reserved for your special someone. 

Imagine, your spouse loudly yells, jaaaanuuuu where are you? in a busy mall.! 

sniggers, here and there, i tell you! 

yes! 

Jaanu, honey, munchkins, cupcake,jaaneman, puppy,shona, mera baby, mera babu etc are common lover names. 

Wait a minute, Awwwwww..... That is cho chweet! :) 


Am sure, you have heard all of the above, sometime during your yatra of life! :) 


This post is inspired by indispire on Indiblogger

Aarambh of Blogging ..

Once upon a time, an astrologer, who coupled up as a face reader,  visited us at home. She was warmly received by   my Matashri, who has a affinity towards consultations. 

Only genuine and trust worthy people make it to my mother's list. This is a side view info :) 

After the chai-paani nashta scenario, Matashri paraded me happily in front of her as the new guinea pig of experiments. 

Source: Google

The lady took my right palm in her hands, turning it left- right and finally zooming on the criss-crossing fate lines.

She prophesied about my many hidden talents, hitherto undiscovered after snippets of what is in store for me. 

I was guffawing to myself about the whole absurdity.

 Let me tell you, this was my first brush with a soothsayer and my jawani ka josh was at its boiling peak, pursuing my graduation year. 

Special advisory, apart from wearing a cat's eye stone, was to pen down anything everyday. A page of writing connected words. 

Bemused, I nodded affirmation and thought of giving it a shot. 

Mind you, this was merely to kill little time while humouring my matashri.

Circa 2008-09, armed with my Sony Vaio,  hostel's wifi connection and newly discovered word, " #blogging ".
Google informed me, it means writing personals journals or anything worthwhile on the World Wide Web. 

Enabling its upcoming application, "Blogspot",I set sail on this journey. I didn't wish to write about my plan of the day!
 So my enlisted crew members, my friends, hoisted lot of topics to write about, aboard. Again, world was round, so my duvidha came to square one. Kya likhu? 

Source: Google

Vishesh tippani - when you study in a Co-Ed college, few harami type friends are bound cross your pathway. 

One of the charlies suggested me to talk about what happens within a girl's hostel. 

Curiosity always charms the cat before it kills it !! 

Done done done...Juicy details of talking under blankets, the conditions of washrooms etc, wormed its way in my post. 

 The first post was so excitedly received that the feedback was given unabashedly over cups of chai and sutta. 

Such a good feeling to get appreciated! 

This was the start of my journey of #blogging

Over the years, topics became little varied. 

Wrote about various kinds of Alcohols, to educate my girlfriends... 
Typed about current mood swings, like why being fat makes people around you judgmental and so on.... That was purely rant blogging. 

Wait a minute,  people still loved it. 

Not bad, at all !! 

Selection of Topics - Kya aur Kyu?

Someone asked me, why do you review movies on Facebook? Answer is simple : I love watching movies. If i can save someone's hard-earned money and time (metropolitan city crowd) by writing unbiasedly, why not?

For a change,  I wrote movie reviews on my blog. Statistics showed me great views scores. My faithful followers from Facebook indeed took the effort of checking my links! 

Did i mention, I am a avid luxury spoilt traveller? 

Travelling all over India and the World has made me see different cultures and customs with more respect. It truly widens your horizons. 

I aint your backpacker type of traveller, but a guilt free luxury seeking person, who loves good hotels and ambience! 


Reading bug crawls all over my body.. I itch to read any romantic stuff and Indian fiction i can lay my hands on! So... it also gets featured on my blog! 


My husband,Ranbir, has been a monumental encouraging force and has resurrected my writing. He feels my writing can help people with their travel plans, books and movie selection. 

Source: Google

Never have felt so Happy !! 

Imagine the power of communicating your views, ideas and experience with your friends and connecting with new friends, thanks to Indiblogger. 

Making them visualise things, just by your descriptive sentences and helping them embark on their own sojourns. 

Reading their encouraging feedback, makes you pat your back,Well done girl! 


This post is inspired by Indispire topic on Indiblogger. #blogging