Grandiose (adj): impressive or magnificent in appearance or style, esp. pretentiously so...

Hola! 

With this post, I'd like to confess something. It's 100% true, so try not to laugh. 

I believe all of the following things are real: Santa Claus, mermaids, goblins, witches, wizards, Hogwarts (and everyone in it), aliens, angels, archangels, fairies, Peter Pan, Mary Magdalene, existence of multiple universes/ galaxies, the Hatter, Absolem, Wonderland basically, and  Ganpati Bappa among many other things. But I do not, oh, wait... do NOT believe that what happens at St. Teresa school shown in Karan Johar's Student of the year could be true in any of  galaxies that exist.. 

Clearly, I just saw Student of the year and trust me, since the 11th minute of the movie I had been waiting to get back home and write a review on it. So here it goes! 

What story? 

The title of the movie makes the story one of the most obvious ones and no, there will be no surprises waiting for you (if you still haven't seen it). Two boys, Rohan and Abhimanyu, fight over a championship award, both love the same girl, Shanaya, she's confused about them both, ta-da ta-da d-dah... 

If you're the kind of person who likes to watch movies that make sense and have a story, don't go for this one. It does NOT make sense and the story sucks. The whole setup is ridiculously unbelievable. The school which is supposed to be in ___ (I seriously don't know where exactly), looks better than any private school in the US. 

Oh, and the amount of skin-show in this movie is 'woahhhh'. I am now aware of all the veins and nerves that run through the bodies of Siddharth Malhotra annd Varun Dhawan. At one point, my bestie who was watching it with me commented, 'Yaar, kabhi toh (shirt) button bandh kar lo.' For the record, we are both very normal, if you know what I mean. 

Oh, KJo! 

I do like Karan Johar movies and mindless comedies, and I LOVED K3G. But this one didn't hit me on any level. The humor didn't make me laugh (like K3G did), neither did it make me cry (like K3G did). The dialogues, the screenplay was just okay. Some things were very cliche, for instance, the way the Dean's (Rishi Kapoor) homosexual tendencies were shown. 

However, the newcomers have done a pretty decent job with their acting skills, especially Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan. They were confident, stylish and sure as hell good-lookers!

Review abhi baaqi hai, mere dost... 

Not all was bad with the movie. I am going to give you three reasons why you should watch this movie. If they appeal to you, then go. The three reasons are:

1. Clothes

The clothes in this movie are fab! I wonder why none of the fashion bloggers have blogged about it. This fashion should be noticed. The clothes and shoes worn by the star cast is of course amazing, but what really caught my attention was Rishi Kapoor's style. It was brilliant! Kudos, to whoever designed the look for him. It paves way for classy style for the above 50 age group. 

Rishi Kapoor has worn great checkered shirts, unconventional ties and unusual (for a male) brooches. The brooches were really the best of them all. 

2. Music

The music is fun, and although there are EIGHT darn songs in the movie, which was too much to bear, would all find a ear to sound good to. 

3. Visually appealing 

The movie was a visual treat, but that's a given when the screen reads 'Karan Johar film' anywhere. It's grandiose, a world of its own. If you are looking for entertainment, well you will get some from SOTY. 

So well, there you go. Fashion, wee bit of entertainment and 'time pass' are definitely the things SOTY gives. I'd say, go watch it for the clothes, but ensure you leave your logic back at home. Oh, and catch a cheap show. My wallet's still tingling with such a loss of 300 bucks. With that much  money, I could have had the cheapest coffee at Starbucks. Ha. 

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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Then she returned fifteen years later...

Hola!

I've been MIA, but trust MBA and exams to do that to a being as insignificant as me. I can't say how the darned exams were, but I can tell you how they ended. Well, I must say. I saw English Vinglish, so yes, time for a review!

The plot surrounds pretty much around the story that Shashi (played by heavily cosmetic surger-ied Sridevi), your average house-wife who cannot speak English, isn't given respect by her husband and teenage daughter who make fun of her lack of English-speaking abilities, and is ruled heavily by the requirements of her duties as a home-maker. 

Then as luck would have it, she goes to New York to help her elder sister with her daughter's wedding preparations where she comes across an advertisement that says 'learn English in 4 weeks'. Having some extra dough that she earned from her laddoo making home business. She signs up for it, and baaam... life changes. 

At the classes, she meets different people from different backgrounds (very Zabaan Sambhal Ke-ish). One (very cute) French chef, Laurent, is consumed by her simplicity and beauty and well, I'll leave the rest for you to watch. 

What's endearing about the movie is it's simplicity. Shashi's simplicity. Gauri Shinde wrote a beautiful character, but Sridevi brought it to life. I was never a fan of Sridevi... ever. However, I don't think any other actress could have done this role as well as her. When she cried, you feel like crying; when she's excited, it shows on your face... 

Although, I couldn't help but cringe a bit at close-up shots, because you could see right through her cosmetic surgeries gone wrong. *ouch* (though the bloody beautiful sarees by Sabyasachi made up for anything not-so-pretty things in the movie)

The script seems very real. Some scenes almost make you cry. Her struggle to order a cup of coffee, her daughter's embarrassment to introduce her to her school friends and teachers, her husband's lack of respect for her in public and very many such scenes that leave you feeling so sorry for her that you want to get up and slap her husband and daughter, and hug her through the screen. 

Final word: 
My verdict is a 4 and  a half stars for good acting, good direction, a very real script and good portrayal of emotions. The music supports the script well too. Go watch it and take your family along. Especially your mum. It may leave her positively inspired, and it'd be worth it.


Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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I have found soul in the soil... 3

Hello!

Another month of these poor rains and drought would have to be declared, say government officials. True that. But weeks ago, when there was a semblance of monsoon there were mixed feelings by the 'greens' of my garden. Like most of you who follow the blog know that my garden is on the terrace, therefore rainfall is abundant on the plants. Some reacted well and grew abundantly, but there were some plants that caught some of the blues of the weather.

It's the first time I had to handle the care of my plants in the monsoon; and may I add, it's not easy. I realized there are some things that amateur gardeners can't manage mainly due to lack of knowledge. Therefore, for the very first time, much to my disappointment, I called a professional gardener aka 'maali' to apply medicines to the plants.

The infection/ insects affecting my plants is basically looks like some white residue of some paste. If you have a garden (I fervently hope you do), you should get it fixed soon too. Why? Because the plants' growth gets stunted and sometimes it may even die. I observed that mainly my vegetable plants were affected, i.e. chilly, tomato and curry leaves. The tomato plant was affected worse and had to be uprooted completely. :'(

I asked the maali where he got the medicine from for future use and he told me it's available at most nurseries and gardening related shops. Ask around, you may easily get it.

This maali or in this case the doctor, did apply the medication, but the bad news for me was he removed some of my plants that, according to me, were growing pretty well. :'( I had planted marigold and a couple other seeds which had been growing well this season, however he uprooted these plants completely because he diagnosed their roots weren't healthy.)
However, the good news is, I asked him to give me small plants of flowers and seeds of brinjal and capsicum, which he did. So I now have a lot of new additions to my 'green' family! :D

Have a look at the pictures. I haven't been able to add a picture of the medicine because he had already applied it and thrown the packets. However, in my next post I'll try to add a picture and get the name of the same for you.

Happy monsoon! (if we are blessed with some more.) 

Aloe Vera.
It's got black spots at some places which was caused due to overdose of water thanks to the rains. However, if you look to the left of the main plants, you'll see new shoots coming. :D 

I love white flowers! They give so much peace. 

My first ever rose plant! :D 

Yellow roses. Can brighten the dullest day. 

Hibiscus flower plant. A huge white flower blossomed in this one a week after I took this picture. 

Another rose plant! Got a lot of these ones. 

Just look at the shades! Pretty, much?

This is a plant which grows small sizes roses. According to my maali, it's called 'desi-gulaab'  and there will always be at least one rose on this plant at a time. Only time will tell whether it's true or not. 

Brinjal beginning to grow. 

Peppermint plant, growing as much as ever! 

Curry Leaves plant. If you focus on the main branch you will see some whitish residue. That's the thing bothering my plants. :( But these curry leaves are being used everyday in my kitchen! No heath issues because it is cooked well. 

More hibiscus plants. Each gives flowers of different colours. 

Chillies. Here you can see the green chilly turning into a red one. These too are regularly used in my kitchen and so many grow that I can easily distribute it out to friends. :D

My chilly plants too had caught that infection. 

The largest plant in my garden. :D

Monsoon or not, sickness or none, these plants are a great way for me to break away from 'worldly' issues, even if it is just for 5 minutes. Watering and taking care of them give me a huge sense of calm and peace.

Want to know how exactly? Get a garden. There's no other way you'll ever find out.
Wishing more green to you...


Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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Tiger proves the power of 'stars'...

Salaam!

After a tedious day of shopping yesterday, I was feeling generous and thus, I agreed to go on a world tour with my mother. Oops! Sorry, I meant I agreed to watch Ek Tha Tiger with mes parents. I will try to do justice to humanity and the credit its intelligence is given and keep this review really short. 

Why Ek tha Tiger works. He is why. 

Ek Tha Tiger is quintessentially a post-40-Salman Khan film. The Yash Raj banner, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and the song Mashallah are the sole reasons people went for the movie and helped them make crores of rupees. 

What was good?

Photography, especially in the first couple scenes where 'Tiger' is hunting for an agent gone rogue, look good. Mashallah the video was good too. It came at the end with the credits, but more than half the theater stayed back and watched the entire song. (Were still trying to make up for the money spent on the movie). 

I also liked Ranvir Shorey. I am biased here. I think he's a good actor and I like him in whichever role he plays.

The only good thing in Ek tha Tiger.
This song makes me miss
Belly Dancing terribly.

For the sake of my mother, who enjoyed the film, I'm going to say CERTAIN action scenes were good. I also liked Salman's costumes in the film; especially the Afghani look ones. Made him look real good. 

What I liked best were the locations. This movie, much like Agent Vinod, covered so many countries and showed where all I could plan my next vacation. I took a virtual tour to Cuba, Afghanistan, Dublin, Kazakhstan, Iraq and apni Dilli of course. Or wait, was it all Mehboob studio? *face palm*

What was bad (which made it funny)? 

Stunts in Ek Tha Tiger. *seals lips*

Romantic songs that crop up every time Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan blink. The story. The logic in the story.

Additionally, for my own sake, may I mention the stunts? They were impossible and funny. I believe everything Bruce Wayne can do, but the kind of effects they give in Sallu movies make me sit back and laugh. Then, there's this other car chasing scene where animation has been used and... it's PATHETIC to the C. 'Nuff said. 

On the whole:

the movie made me laugh and wonder when it will get over; showed places which I'd like to visit; made me feel like Katrina may have put on some weight on her face(not a good thing to observe, no?) and make me understand that I'll never watch a Sallu movie which does not have a good song/video in it. 

Go if you need some time pass and the wallet is still feeling heavy. Like me, you might just end up laughing at everything that was not intended to be laughed at. 

My Rating: **

Ek tha Tiger has made some 33 crores before the end of the weekend. It is clear proof of what a powerful star cast can do. Sadly, this motivates them to make more such films. 

Godspeed to good cinema. Wherever it is. 

Au revoir,

Miss Bee.

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P.S.- Might I just add how darn expensive shopping has become; and every other store has almost the same design! Style has died. Fashion killed it. I spent an obscene amount of money but barely had any weight of shopping bags in my hands. :( 

Product placement: a fad or the next best marketing trend?

When Subash Ghai asked Pepsi whether they would be interested to be the drink that bonds two lovers in his upcoming movie Taal, they refused; but Coke instantly consented with a handsome fee of 1 crore rupees, following their own trend of product placements in Hollywood. Pepsi and Thumbs Up took note of this opportunity. Pepsi starred in Sharukh Khan's Chalte Chalte and Thumbs Up became 'the' drink in Mahesh Manjrekar's Kaante. 

Vaio with Kareena Kapoor
in Bodyguard

Cola biggies aren't the only ones that  have lined up behind this trend. Product placement has been observed in many other Bollywood films since the 1970's and in a plethora of Hollywood films; some better done than others. So, why product placement? 

Many marketers say television and other traditional forms of marketing got monotonous and they needed a new startegy to educate consumers about their products.  Product placement creates a higher brand recall and an emotional connection for the audience as watching a movie is an attention seeking act.

Product placement's not just all about the product, but also about big business. Movie producers have found a great way to attract finance for their projects. Occassionally, the whole production cost can be recovered solely by the means of product placement. 

While film producers are more than happy with the incoming funds, the companies get their fair share too. Thanks to technological growth, the product placements have extended to satellite features, VCD and DVDs and the internet. The kind of distribution movies receive today is worth all the bucks spent on product placement. 

Stroh's beer had paid Rs. 15 lacs to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge's producers for a scene where Shahrukh mentions the name of the brand while drinking it. The movie is still watched by audiences around the world and Stroh's got more than their worth of 15 lacs. Additionally, in product placement, the brands also get celebrity associations with the starcast of the movie through movie promotions.

Gazillions of products have been featured
in F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Next time you watch the series, look carfeully.
OREO featured in this image. 

Sounds all good, doesn't it? But product placements can go wrong too. Today's consumer is highly aware about the advetisements he's being exposed to and thus, if the product placement is done in an obvious or very agressive manner, it could be a huge failure, not only for the product but also for the movie itself. 

In Subhash Ghai's Yaadein, the audience suffered an overkill of product placements of Coca Cola and Pass Pass. Besides, the failure of the movie didn't do well for the products.
Marketers went terrbily aggressive in the movie Ta Ra Rum Pum and exposed audiences to close-ups of Castrol, Chevrolet and Goodyear throughout. 

Another drawback of product placement can be celebrity confusion. Stars like Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Amir Khan endorse so many brands that the consumer may not be able to remember the concerned product. 

Product placement clearly isn't just a fad in Bollywood and it's use is only increasing. It is an art which if done well, can create a great image in the consumer's mind. In Dostana, Priyanka Chopra works at Verve magazine, creating a stylish brand image for the magazine. In Koi Mil Gaya, Hrithik Roshan's references to drinking only Bournvita for good health got the message across swiftly.  

Reid and Taylor and Aston Martin could very easily take you down memory lane with the James Bond series. Many other examples would include: Audi in the Tranformers: Revenge of the fallen,  Apple's Mac being ued by Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the city, Manolo shoes in the Breaking Dawn, amongst many more. 

Bond in Reid and Taylor.
'Nuff said? 

Product placements should ideally be worked upon at the scripting stage; so that the product can be used so innately that the viewer doesn't even realize that he is being exposed to advertisements. Brand managers and marketers should ensure that the scene or script their product is being used in is relevant to the product. Efficiency is vital. If done well, product placement could be the next best marketing manouever around the globe. 

So to 'film' it or not to film it? Post your comments below!


Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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Rising above a regular 'epic finale'

Good Morning/ Night! 

After 8 days of struggle, I finally got to see The Dark Knight Rises. After watching a late night show, I walked past the door and picked the laptop up, because I just cannot go to bed unless I gush about the movie.

Just for the record, Christopher Nolan just got placed at number 2 in my list of excellent series' makers. (First one is, and always will be, JK Rowling for the Harry Potter books.) Clearly I'm bowled over with the movie; but what is it that makes me, like so most others, crazy about this epic end to the Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy. 

Christian,no, Bruce, oops, Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises!
Isn't he a marvel? *swoons*

Story

By far, the strongest factor of the Dark Knight series. What the Nolan brothers did with the story and script writing is pure magic. They have revolutionized the comic character to a completely different, large and real personality. The Dark Knight Rises, I noticed, had more emotions packed than the previous movies in the series. Batman and the surrounding characters could all be picked as case studies for psychology lessons; and I bet the discussions wouldn't stop. Because that's what they have done: added so many layers, good and bad, to each character. 

The star performers in The Dark Knight Rises

I can't help but make the comparison, however, much the Harry Potter series, The Dark Knight Rises concludes the stories of the previous two magnificently. In both the series, everything that happened in the stories earlier, finally makes sense in the finale. I don't want to give a summary of the movie's story, because if you haven't seen it, make some time available and go watch it. 

However, I feel, the movie could have been a little shorter. Although they must have been important to make sense of the whole plot, some scenes of elements could have easily been cut short. There were moments when I felt like the movie was going a bit slow for me; and the story is where I placed the blame. 

The New Batmobile in The Dark Knight Rises

Cinematography, Photography and Production Design: 

What a job they've done! Excellent, excellent visual execution. This is by far the most important element to make the movie what it is. Though I have always wondered why Gotham city looks like New York city; it looks good. The locations, the principal photography, the effects, the designs of the costumes, the sets, the Batpod and the new Batmobile are all tres magnifique. 

Music

If you too had 'deshi basara' playing in your head hours after you left the theater, you's understand why I have put this section is a review for a 'war' movie. It is effective. That's how simple and powerful a tool the background score was to the entire script. It added a very raw kind of an appeal to the movie, thus adding strength to the story. Three Cheers for Hans Zimmer.

Characters + Actors

Christian Bale deserves a standing ovation from us all. I do like George Clooney a lot (he has played the character of Batman before), but no one can be as perfect a Batman as Christian. He truly turned himself into Bruce Wayne's body, mind and soul. Like I said, the characters in this movies, especially Bruce Wayne's had a lot more emotional aspect to it than ever before. And Christian mixed into Bruce just as a river does into a sea. Unidentifiable-y. (If only that was a word).

Anne Hathaway as Cat Woman.
P.S.- Did any of you say a woman can't drive? 

Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard and Morgan Freeman were all as brilliant actors as you and I would expect them to be. however, I was pleasantly surprised with Anne Hathaway as a cat burglar. She was sassy, swift and fit as you'd like anyone in a 'Cat' suit to be. For me, this for the first time that she truly broke out of her innocent, girl next door features. Good for her. 

Tom Hardy as Bane was... hardly effective. That was one role I thought that anyone could have done and for which Tom wasn't required to put on a zillion kilos for. Really. His features didn't matter much, and his voice didn't matter at all. He was hardly as effective an antagonist as the Joker was. I didn't find him menacing enough and they could have picked any body builder to have the 'Bane' effect. 

Here's some very technical information of the team of the movie. These names should be remembered. The Dark Knight Rises is their legacy. An epic legacy.

Direction- Christoper Nolan

Producer- Emma Thomas

Christopher Nolan

Charles Roven 

Screenplay- Jonathan Nolan

Christopher Nolan

Story- Christopher Nolan 

David S. Goyer (who I believe left this project early to work on Man of Steel) 

Music- Hans Zimmer 

Cinematography- Wally Pfister

Editor- Lee Smith 

If the movie has kept me, an eternal early-to-bed kinda girl awake till 3.30 am, The Dark Knight Rises sure has something in it. 

Overall, great film. I had MASSIVE expectations, and apart from a couple of moments where I thought the movie could have been shorter, I have NOthing non-positive to say about the film. Emotions, actions, great visuals, greater background score... Money and time well spent. I could not have imagined an end to a Batman series like this by anyone else. Christopher Nolan does justice to the real Batman's career. 

Go watch it; and watch it in Imax if you can. You might just see me around, because I am going for Round 2 of The Dark Knight Rises. 

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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Friday the 13th 2012, came true to its notoriety.

After a long, hectic week at management gyaan, I put the internet on hoping for some 5 meager minutes of chatting before the work pressure of the weekend took over; and here's what I see:

• A young girl is publicly molested for 20 minutes. Disgusting excuses of human beings are committing the crime. Those weak enough to join watch and enjoy. And a journalist looking for a 'story' records. The police... oh, you know what. 
• Women under 40 are not allowed to go shopping & are not allowed to use their mobile phones outside their homes, in Asara Village. (Apparently for their own safety).
• Those involved in a love marriage will have to leave the village. (Good riddance for the couple). 
• Even after 9 years of being a victim of an acid attack, Sonali Mukherjee and her family are still threatened and harassed. She is still begging the government to intervene or at least give her permission to die. 

Charming. 

So this evening all I found is my abysmally declined faith in humanity, a new height of security concerns and my dislike for the people of my own country. 

A long time ago, a friend of mine from another country told me somehting I'll never forget. She said, "In India, the lecherous, cheap men are scared of touching you, unlike in many places, such as South America for example; touching a woman's butt is almost as okay as shaking her hand. You won't be able to say/do a thing. Here, just scream if that happens to you, someone will help."

Her observation, or personal experience, I believe is almost absolutely true. Except now that last sentence is redundant. We have the Guwahati case as an example. People stood watching as she yelled and cried. Those molesters were smiling while they pulled, pushed, hit, groped her. SMILING. I, like many others, cried when I saw it. I could not help but think of myself or a friend in that situation. Many might add, make sure you have male friends along with you. Why? So they end up like Keenan and Santos? (You guys remember who they were, don't you? Yaa news gayi, baat gayi?) 

On the other hand, where the hell were that girl's friends? 

I have no words on why this happened, or what kind of a society this is, or what kind of people we are... No, none at all. I don't have hate left to send out to the universe.
We all need solutions. All I want to say is educate. Not just about science or history, but at least and more importantly about basic human morals and ethics. And if I may be so bold in hoping, I wish the government makes a good example of this case. They have proof and the victim's mother bothered to file a case (unlike the new year incident that happened with two NRI women a couple years ago. They did not file a complaint and left the country asap.) 

As far as the village of Asara is concerned, I am not surprised at all, because that is how the rural mind set is till date. But I hope they are educated about how the rules set by the panchayat are not legal and they can choose to do what they wish to. Shockingly, one of the rules that panchayat passed is that AGAINST dowry. 

However, Sonali Mukherji's case is one that baffles me. She and her family are now completely drowned in harassment and threats, has the police and government answered to none of their calls? 

I now hope predictions made by the Mayans come true. We have done a shoddy job with this planet.
With no more words left, I'd like to leave you with one brilliant and one stupid tweet, by two respected women of this nation and a great poem every woman should read when she's low.

Kiran Bedi's tweet: "Pubs attract hooliganism and violence just as holy places attract peace and devotion."
"Pubs breed lust, holy places reduce it."

Barkha Dutt's tweet: "Don't let the Mob win. Don't tell your daughter she can't go out alone at night. Don't restrict the clothes she wears. teach your sons better."   
Here's one solution for those who asked for it. 

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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Where small cars and female drivers take over...

Salut!

Growing up as a girl in a city like Mumbai hardly meant anything tough. We girls have more or less lived without brutal gender discrimination all our lives; but every once a while comes up the universal, probably eternal, battle of estrogen vs testosterone. One such battle I've been constantly subjected to each day of my life for the past 2 years is that of driving. 

I, like many others in urban cities, have been blessed by the small, affordable yet efficient cars market. If you're a Mumbaikar, take a journey through the past couple years in your head and you will realize just how many small cars there really are now on the streets. Tata Nano, Hyundai i10, Maruti A-star, Chevrolet Beat, Chevrolet Spark are some of the most commonly seen cars on the streets now.

So who all are driving these affordable, efficient cars? 

The entire middle class. Youngsters. Women. The aspiration-ists.

These cars have not only given the aspiration-ists the ability to drive but also a certain amount of freedom and liberty. I can offer my own example here. I am a conservationist, so I still take or occasionally usurp (sorry, mummy!) permission by my parents to go anywhere. However, ever since I have started driving, my deadlines and permissions have increased. Why? Because I can drive. I can go anywhere in the city and can come back in a way safer than in pre-booked cabs. 

I am just one example. Personally, I know and have observed so very many female drivers driving all over the city confidently. Truth be told, it gives me a sense of pride and power. A woman can choose where she wants to go and when. (Though the issue of 'when' hardly matters now that the nightlife of this city is dampened by the latest hockey stick loving, moral cop).

This rise that I am talking about in the number of small cars, is both obvious and now evident; but even more evident now is the increasing girl power in terms of driving. Companies such as Mahindra and Nissan are actually conducting surveys to make cars and advertisements suited to the female audience. Furthermore, even the Indian District Transport office says there's a 40% rise in the number of licences issued to women and the number of cars registered to women has doubled. Godspeed, ladies. 

Another positive trend that has resulted out of the society is that of hiring female drivers professionally. We now have so many cab services that hire women as drivers. The reasons may include facts like it's an emerging market and there's a lack in male labour, or even the fact that women are now accessible to job opportunities and roles that predominantly belonged to men. 

With more small cars being manufactured in India as we speak, by almost every major car company, I can only see a lot more free, confident drivers out there; female and otherwise. I would really like to discuss the cons of that too (there are many), not to forget the brutal discrimination and looks given to female drivers; but for now, let's just drive down this happy road. 

Say what you may, but female drivers are here to stay. 

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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P.S.- Don't forget to check my guest post on http://www.desimba.in/guest-post/from-paint-brushes-to-management-education-how-she-made-it-to-kj-somaiya-2012-2014/

They like to move it... and well!

Hola!

There are few movies that can be credited with their ability to get better or at least stay as good through its series, and the Madagascar franchise just joined that list.

Madagascar 3: Europe's most wanted Review

Appropriately short with a gripping fast pace, Madagascar 3- Europe's Most Wanted, is an animation movie made for viewers of all ages to enjoy. The old characters are as fun as ever, but it's the new characters that add a load of freshness to the movie.

What made me happy? King Julien (my favourite Madagascar character) finally finds a love interest! And so does Alex. Melman and Gloria's chemistry remains ever-so-cute and Marty is in his brightest best. Talking about the characters, I REALLY wish that the Penguins were real AND a part of my life. Their part in the journey of the 4 main characters in vital; and how the hell are they so cool and so, so smart?!

Amongst the new characters, French animal-control officer Chantel DuBois, who trails the animals with the objective of slaying Alex's head, makes for one evil, very talented antagonist. On the other hand, Alex's new love interest, Gia, makes for one pretty jaguar (with a very pretty turqouise neck piece.)


While the story had a very fast pace and all that, there were weak moments in the story; such that I thought they got confused about what they really wanted to focus on for the story. However, I think this sequel was far better than its predecessor. Lessons learnt by team Madagascar?

The music was great and had me grooving in my seat. The only thing I really missed was the old granny from the previous movie. I still remember how I loved the penguins for kicking her around.

However, I am going to insist, do watch the movie if you can! It had some great humorous moments and conversations, especially for adults. For children, it had truckloads of visual appeal, which is primarily what they're there for. It's a movie with rich animation and funny moments for the whole family and might just be the last one by the franchise. (Or so I think)

Me love: King Julien

Like Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman, I like to move it, do you?


Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

I tweet on:  https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj

Facebook Fanpage:  http://www.facebook.com/shoestopper
Website: http://www.shoestopper.com/


P.S.- I'd like to tell you, DO NOT GO TO STUPID CINEMAX. They charged a NON-refundable cost on the 3d glasses and when I called the manager to tell him no one has ever charged for 3d glasses and that they are cheating us outright, he told me I could return the tickets and leave. :| I will pay obnoxious high rates even at PVR, but I am NOT going to Cinemax. Nope. (Couldn't even find their customer care/ complaint service's email address or anything).

I'd like to share another funny thing that happened while lots of disgruntled customers were talking to the manager. A lady said, "Now we should all ask Aamir Khan to fight for us." I found it SO funny; but I'm keeping my lips sealed on that one.

All white and no red...

Hola!



Talking about a movie 6 days after it has released is practically criminal. I know. But I just had to talk a wee bit about Snow White and the Huntsman.

I'd like to start with the truth. The movie Snow white and the Huntsman is NOT a fairy tale. Furthermore, I don't think it is about Snow White OR the Huntsman. Not really. They might as well have sub-titled it as: Snow White and the Huntsman: a journey of the step-mother/witch. A lot of time was given to the witch, Ravenna's past, present and emotions.

The story was confused. Just when I thought "I'm going to get seriously bored now", the story picked up; and just when I thought "wow! This is so good", the pace dropped like cow dung. The pace of story kept dwindling. What added to its drop was the acting; particularly Kristen Stewart's. But truth be told, there has been a 5.8282894729% improvement in her acting skills since the Twilight Saga. For the sake of her movie viewers, I hope it keeps increasing.


On the other hand, I think Charlize Theron made for an amazing evil queen (far batter than Julia Roberts). Her features made for the perfect match of beauty and evil. Chris Hemsworth too did fairly well as the huntsman. Another actor who acted befitted to the character was Sam Spruell as Finn, the queen's brother.

Symbolization 

The best part of the movie, for which I thought this review was a must-write, was the symbolization included in the movie.

The creative heads did a a great job of including points and ideas were particularly related to fairy tales. In the beginning of the movie, young Snow White's friend plucks an apple, which falls on the ground and the red, bitten apple then rots and simultaneously the scene fades as the kingdom falls into the arms of evil.

The 3 drops of blood in different parts of the movie were beautifully and strategically placed too.
The presence of dwarves was a good touch too. Truly I didn't think there would be any before I had seen the movie. Even the personality of each of them was pretty much like the ones in the original Snow White by Brothers Grimm.

One great addition to the original story was the mirror, which in the movie, took a human form, visible only to Ravenna and had the support of a great voice-over.

This scene where Chalize Theron comes out of a milk bath looked excellent too

Ravenna agony at turning old and losing her powers were well  shown by Charlize Theron.

Where Snow White and the Huntsman disappointed...

While they took great efforts and reportedly did a lot of research to get fairy tale elements, they failed on some very basic points. Snow White is supposed to have rosy lips. Stewart's lipstick shade was red nowhere in the film. Furthermore, her lip colour was very unbalanced and even uneven in some places.

While the title of the movie is Snow White and the Huntsman, their chemistry is so mildly treated that until the moment that he kissed her, I had no remote expectation of something possibly happening between them.
The script could have been edited a bit more and made for near perfection. 

Where are Snow White's famous rosy lips?  

All in all, the whole movie was filled with characters, locations, animals, names, etc. from classic fables. It made for excellent viewing and was a great fairy tale for the eyes. I say, give it a watch. It is a different perspective of the story we have heard since we remember hearing. You might be pleasantly surprised.  


Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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PC Sorcar and the Sorcar's stone....

Hello!

The things and thoughts of the 90's put a smile on most of us who were brought up during that period. I too have been smitten by the revisiting-the-90's bug and last evening I spent it in the most magical way possible. Literally.

I had the opportunity to go to PC Sorcar Junior's Magic show last night! Well, he is back in the city after 12 years and well, I had to repeat history from back then. Many of my friends apparently have never seen his show yet; so I guess I was really lucky when I saw it the second time yesterday.

A lot of people asked me how the show was and wanted to know more. So  here comes the details about the great PC Sorcar's  Magic Show!

Artist: PC Sorcar Junior, joined by magicians: wife Jayshree and daughter Maneka

Name of the Show: Indrajal (which means magic in sanskrit). "Indrajal" was also conducted by his father, PC Sorkar Senior

Indrajal troupe: They use about 48 tons of equipment, 75 artists, 12 jadoo girls (who will remind you of extras from the 80s' movies), psychedelic laser lighting systems, over 400 dresses made of brocade and original music composed by his own orchestra (which also sounds like the background music of action or comedy scenes of movies).

Photography and Videos are not allowed. Like they said, it will disappear on its own. Slick

Miss Bee's Rating: *****
% whole stars because it was so much fun! The only suggestion I could possibly have is that the show could have been a little shorter. It was about two and a half hours long.

Indrajal

The show started with psychedelic laser lights beaming everywhere in the auditorium with one of Sorcar Junior's songs warning us of the impending magic, waiting to be performed around us. And then out of nowhere appears the Magician on the stage.

A magician, should not only be a great performer but also be a  good orator; and Sorcar Jr possessed both these qualities. The way he spoke was very entertaining.

He was dressed in very shiny, brocade kurtas and even shinier pajamas. In any other circumstance, it might have been an eye sore. But on stage for a magic show, it was PERFECT. Besides, I think it added a nice Indian, ethnic touch to the performance.

What is a magician without his crew? Not much, I'd like to believe. Well, Sorcar Junior's crew is an added brownie point. The "jaddoo girls" and the extra artists are all dressed in the jazziest clothes, with great expressions accompanying every emotion they are supposed to portray and smiling and moving constantly through the acts to keep the viewers interest unwavering and active.

The Acts

PC Sorkar Junior included many Indian street magic acts in addition to some international ones.

The 'Water of India' is a famous act by magicians where they have a jar that constantly pours out water. PC Sorcar and daughter Maneka performed this act almost after every 3rd act. It sort of kept a humorous element and by the end of the show whenever they were about to announce the next act, the audience expected the 'Water of India' to be poured.

There were many acts through the show. Some we all have heard of. For example, the act which involves the parts of a person in a box' body cut; the one where ducks in a box disappear and instead a huge white cloth rolls out; or an act where as many as 6 girls come out of a small box in which 2 girls had entered.
Further ahead, I'll mention just a few that really blew my mind.

Like most of us know, PC Sorcar Junior made the Taj Mahal and the train: Indore-Amritsar Express disappear for a couple of moments disappear. So honoring these great acts, his daughter Maneka Sorcar performed an act where she made a huge, life-size statue of Goddess Venus disappear right in front of our eyes! 
Additionally, she, herself, also went through a huge, running fan on stage. When I say a huge, running fan, I mean a HUGE, fast-running fan!

'Father of Indian Magic' PC Sorcar Junior also performed  many such great acts; many of which involved his crew members disappearing, reappearing, and being cut,. It may sound gross, but it was magical.

His wife Jayshree Sorcar, appeared for the  final act where she cut her husband into two! Magic hath no fury like an angry wife? Haha... The really cool part of this magic was that after cutting him up, they did lift the boxes up and there he was! Lying on two separate beds.... separately. :P

Summary: 

The show was everything you can imagine a magic show to be like. It was absolutely entertaining and it makes for an excellent program for the whole family. I sincerely pray that all of you get a chance to watch this show sometime. A little bit of magic in life could do wonders.

Abracadabra until the next...

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

I tweet on:  https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj

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Extra Note:  An acquaintance and I were discussing during the interval of the show about how rare it is to see magic shows, let alone PC Sorcar Junior's show in today's time; and he said: "Nobody's interested in magic anymore." And what I said to him, I am going to say to you now:

It's not the magic that people are no longer interested in, it is the  fact that we look for logic  in everything we do. So even when a wondrous magic TRICK is being performed, instead of enjoying the magic, people ruin their experience of the show by looking for the logic.

Of course, it's not magic being performed. I knew that too. But I really had a great and memorable evening because I chose to enjoy the magic. Try doing the same if you get lucky enough to go for a magic show. 

Bombay to Mumbai... Rediscovering my city.

Hello!

The south-westerly winds inform me that the summer is coming to an end. Thus, I am going to make the most of it, because for a lot of reasons (most tres personal) this feels like the last summer I am truly going to be able to enjoy completely. So here I am, making the most of it.
How, you ask? Like this.

I have been grateful to be able to visit those spots in Mumbai that most of us haven't visited since the summer of 1999. I am, of course, talking about the forgotten, parks, aquariums, museums and zoo. Although, to be true, the joyride to the past hasn't been all about the joy... Soon you'll find out why.

But I know one thing for sure now, Bombay isn't Bombay any more. Like many others, the change to "Mumbai" wasn't all cool with me. Even now, most of the time I refer to this city as Bombay when all my relatives from elsewhere call it Mumbai. Bombay stands for a lot of things in my life. It stands for my childhood, the glorious 90's. It stands for limited commercialization and for good and innocent times. It stands for purity, freedom and everything that makes Bombay, the city of dreams.

'Mumbai' makes me feel like I am stuck in a traffic jam, in Dharavi, in the heaviest rainfall, in a Rickshaw, without a jacket, wearing white, without any food, at night. *shudder*

But these recent visits to the defining spots of the city have now made me realize, I am now in Mumbai. Bombay is long gone...

Anyway.
So the first visit to the tourist spots of the city of Mumbai started with the Aquarium!

Taraporevala Aquarium Review

Details: 
Name: Taraporevala Aquarium
Location: Marine Lines, Mumbai.
Built in: 1951
Closed on: Mondays
Entry fee: Rs. 15/- for Adults, Rs. 10/- for children
Photography and Videos not allowed. (Though everyone was clicking pictures. Som even with their flas lights on).
My rating for Taraporevala Aquarium: **
(And those 2 stars are for the aquatic animals for surviving there)

This is one aquarium you can't just swim through and have fun. Unfortunately, I went on a Sunday and exactly at a time when 2 other tourist buses had arrived. So it was terribly crowded and there were about 50-60 people in the queue before me. Also, there was a staff member of the aquarium yelling and screaming at me, and others, to move quickly and stand in line, and everything else you expect to hear in an over-crowded BEST bus. After standing in the sun, waiting in line to get tickets, we finally entered past the doors of the only aquarium in the city; and here's what I unleashed. 


Stink. Darkness. Uncontrollable, wee bit rowdy crowd. And stink again.

The main exhibit area:

The first thing you see when you enter is a dolphins skeleton. It's huge, but didn't impress as much as it could have by just lying on the floor. Can someone buy the dead guy a glass case at least? Moving on.

The state of the aquarium is almost depressing. It is horribly maintained. There are paan stains all around the walls and boundaries. The whole place stinks thanks to the loo inside the first chamber, so much that I had to cover my nose and mouth with a scarf. It was so bad that I couldn't breath it directly.
The aquarium is very dark and dingy and not forgetting to mention, dirty!

Talking about the exhibits, the collection isn't impressive at all. But it is not that bad either. Some of the better parts of the collection were fresh water sharks, Moray eels, sea turtles, an alligator fish and skate fish. Some other sea inhabitants were hermit crabs, milky koi, Bottan shark, sting rays, puffer fish and bat fish.

While the list sounds good, but the condition in which they are made to live don't. The aquariums of the exhibit are dirty and the water looked stale and practically green due to algae or whatever. Oh, and some of them were even cluttered with fish poop.

The place just has fans and no air-conditioning making it the wrong place to visit during the summer. I fervently hope they add air-conditioning when and if they renovate. Much needed. Thank you.

The room with fossils and sea shells: 

I hoped this one would have been better, considering most things here were dead and thus didn't need any cleaning. I was wrong. This section which had fossils and preserved dead fish, such as various types of star fish, also had aquariums with smaller kinds of fish (alive ones) on display.

The glass shelves and casings of the fossils and the rare sea shells were covered with dust. I, for one, am a cleanliness freak. The sight of those shelves sent me in depression, not to add the fact that these things that must be valued aren't even being cleaned.

Summary: 

The exhibits, like I said aren't completely unfortunate. But don't expect much action or think that you will get a feel of the real life of the ocean, because most fish were lying dull. In some aquariums, there were just 1 or 2 of the kind. You and I, both, can imagine what must have happened to the rest if they were alive. All in all, give it a visit considering it costs almost nothing.

I spent as little as 10 minutes there, which included a second round of seeing everything again. Make other plans too, the day you go visit Taraporevala Aquarium so that you feel like you made use of the time and travel.

The photos are dark and unclear, because I did not want to use the flash light as it would scare them and also because I don't have a good camera. :P
But this will give you a fair idea of how the place looks!

I think that's the lonely Alligator fish

That's one type of Shark

That's the Moray eels, which are supposed to be quite the dangerous aquatic animals

I don't know if you can tell the difference, but that's a fish in the bottom corner
(Notice the condition of the aquarium from the inside)

Turtles. There were many of these. See how dirty the water is!

Turtles

Hermit Crab

Can't tell what that is.

Skate fish

Sea turtle
(Sorry for the shaky picture. It was horribly crowded and I was being PUSHED!)

Sea turtle
(Sorry for the shaky picture. It was horribly crowded and I was being PUSHED!)

Sea Snails, I think.

Shark

Out of order 

The Taraporevala Aquarium, Marine Lines, Mumbai

Rumor has it that the aquarium will go through massive repair and would be renovated to have an underwater sea walk and a glass vision sea-world. Something like that in Ocean Park, Hong Kong. (You can view my personal experience of that here: http://devikabharadwaj.blogspot.in/2011/12/day-3-ocean-is-always-alive.html)

I hope they are successful in achieving this dream. One good aquarium isn't too much to ask for in a city like Bombay, oops Mumbai, is it?

Hoping to fish through a better aquarium again.

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

I tweet on:  https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
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P.S.- I apologize if I have made a mistake in identifying the fish in the photographs. I was, admittedly, in a rush to get out of the heat and stink there. :(