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.

I tweet on:  https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
Facebook Fanpage:  http://www.facebook.com/shoestopper
Website: http://www.shoestopper.com/

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.

I tweet on:  https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
Facebook Fanpage:  http://www.facebook.com/shoestopper
Website: http://www.shoestopper.com/



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.

I tweet on:  https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
Facebook Fanpage:  http://www.facebook.com/shoestopper
Website: http://www.shoestopper.com/