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Showing posts from July, 2011

Upping the ante

As the match started on the fifth day, every Indian eye was on the clock to check the time. Not surprising, because they willed the great man to score a century on the most hallowed turf of them all- Lord’s. What they didn’t take into account was the fact that the great man had a history of coming up short when the pressure mounted against him. Personal pressure, he can certainly take but pressure on the team is a different matter altogether From April 1 st on, the talk started gathering that he would achieve a century of centuries on the grandest stage of them all, the World Cup final. It did not happen as it was Gambhir and Dhoni who saw to it that India coasted home comfortably. When he skipped the Caribbean tour, it was widely anticipated that he would get to century of centuries in the 2000 th Test- as grand as they come. In fact he spoke openly about his desire to score a century at Lord’s. So did Dravid and Laxman. Only Dravid went on to fulfil it The question to be asked h

The importance of being Dravid

From the time India toured West Indies, the country has been waiting for bated breath for this tour. There were a lot of reasons for that. One among them was the fact that it would be the 2000 th Test to be played. Another number of importance was that it would be the 100 th Test to be played between England and India There was a lot of expectation leading into the Test that it would be the venue that would be witness to Tendulkar’s 100 th International century. With Tendulkar stationed in United Kingdom, it was expected that he would put in the yards during practice and come back rejuvenated for the Test series. With so much pressure weighing, it was but natural to expect that it will wear him down at some point After being accorded a standing ovation on his way to the crease, he proceeded to put on a champagne show for the crowd at Lord’s. It was a vintage show by a batsman as he punched drives of the backfoot and was looking to come forward at every given opportunity- a sure si

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Ten years ago a young man gave the Hindi film industry a breath of fresh air with his ‘cult’ film Dil Chahta Hai . It was, in all senses a coming of the age movie. That young man now acts in a movie directed by his sister. The movie bears uncanny resemblance to the movie made by the man himself Starring Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar (in the same order as they appear in screen credits), the movie has a lot going for it. The star cast is a major plus and the biggest positive for the movie is the location that it has been shot in- Spain What starts off as a fun trip changes into one where the protagonists confront their fears and in the process we peel the layers of their personalities. Though at some places the movie seems dragged, it does the job of taking you along with the proceedings. The only complaint, if there has to be one, is the fact that the comic track that involves the boys scaring others seems a little forced. All the three actors appear in most of the scen

Bbudah hoga tera baap

The last time Puri Jagannadh said ‘Thank You’ as a director, we were treated to one of worst movie ever . This time when he said those two words, he meant them for the purpose- thanking Amitabh Bachchan for what he is When the movie was announced, Sonu Sood said he would be playing a Police officer and he added that the director felt he resembles Amitabh Bachchan. Enough clues At the beginning a majority felt that the movie would be macabre underworld story. The way the movie pans out takes the breath away (in a positive sense) Puri Jagannath is known for making Telugu movies with superb characterisation of the protagonist. A lot of his movies were money churners at the box office only because of the characterisation In this movie, right from the moment titles roll, Puri had his brief – to project Amitabh like he has never been in the recent past. He starts off by borrowing from the man himself. Right from remixes of his old hits, rolled into one to his signature mannerisms, it’s