Ranji Final

At some point or the other we have cribbed that India is such a big country, why can't we select 11 or 14 Good Cricketer out of Crores. But how many of us actually follow domestic cricket? How many of us tell the pattern of Ranji Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Duleep Trophy or Irani Trophy? Leave the pattern, do we even know who is the current champion? or whats the status of current championship? If Yes, then its really great.... 

I was too excited about this year Ranji trophy, mostly during and more after semi finals. This might be because aamchi Mumbai is in Finals once again..

So, here is the glimpse of Final (day 3 in progress as I write this) between 37 times champion Mumbai and underdogs Uttar Pradesh, being played at Hyderabad. Mumbai defeated Saurashtra in thrilling semi-final and UP defeated strong Tamil Nadu in semis. Just to give an idea that Ranji matches are interesting: Decision for Mumbai Vs Saurashtra came in favour of Mumbai just half an hour before the scheduled end. 

Before the start of the final, Mumbai were clear strong team, with likes of Wasim Jaffer (skipper), Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma to bat and Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Sairaj Bahutule and Romesh Powar to bowl. But Mumbai were down to 55 for 4 with Jaffer out on 1 and Sachin out on duck. This is Sachin's first duck in domestic cricket. With some brave batting of Rohit Sharma (141) and Abhishek Nayar (99), Mumbai made 402 in first innings. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 5 and RP Singh took 3 wiskets, while Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla went wicketless for UP. UP innings is on and they are 119 for 3 losing Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif (the skipper). Whichever way the match goes but I am enjoying and developing interest in India's domestic cricket and Ranji!

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

A: Its Okay
B: Its Good
C: Very Good
D: Amazing

What a movie is this!! Its not more than 5minutes I have finished watching the movie and I start pen down what I am feeling right now. When I watched 'City of Gods' or 'Amorres Perros', I used to think, cant we have such movies in India. And here it is, look and feel of the movie is mostly like 'City of Gods' or 'The Kite Runner'. The idea of showing a real life story of a slum dweller through a realty show 'kaun banega crorepati' is simply superb. It rightly got the Golden Globe award for best screenplay. It shows that best knowledge you get is through life and that's how the protaganist gets all answers to his journey to be millionaire. A well knit love story travels parallely to the entire life story of the slumdog! Music, back ground score is great, story - screenplay is great and acting is The Best. All the child artists have shown the best piece of acting in the movie. All in all, a very very good movie. I don't feel I am capable of giving rating to such movies. I am falling short of stars and praising for the movie..

D: Its Amazing!

Movie Review: Rab ne bana di jodi & Ghajini

*************************Spoiler ahead*******************************

*************************My views only******************************

I will start with one liners of SRK and Amir before their movies:

SRK: RNBDJ will bring smile to tense Indian (as it released couple of weeks after 26/11)

AK: Ghajini is not Memento

Good to know that both Khan's knew the worth of their movie. 

SRK starrer RNBDJ has one thing to describe everything : Shahrukh Khan. Movie does not have number 1 actress, music director (Salim Suleiman), Choreographer (Vaibhavi Merchant) and not the number 1 Director (Aditya Chopra) at present. All it has is Shah Rukh KhaN. SRK as Surinder Sahni has done exactly what SRK has said before, it brings smile to normal Indian. SRK carried this role quite well. He acted like a normal person who luckily gets a more beautiful girl he could have ever expected. His other part, Raj is typical SRK overacting. I give 2* to story, and yes I am convinced by the fact that the wife was not able to recognise her husband in two avtars. In almost all the frames where Tani faces Suri, either she is not looking at her with interest or they are sitting far across the table. So she dont remember, rather dont care to recall his husband when she faces Raj. Another 1* for music and background score. 1* for acting SRK as Suri and -1* as Raj, 1/2* for debutant actress, 1/2* for dance in the movie and -1/2* for the long 15-20 minutes in second half (unnecessary bike scenes etc.). Overall 3.5* for SRK and RNBDJ.

Ghajini is not Memento. In fact it is just a South Indian movie, with South Indian cameraman, actress, director, Villain.. everything. It just needed a north Indian face to be released in Hindi and so it has Amir Khan. All the flashy zug-zug-zug camera movement, bright colours (pink, orange) clothes and cars of Amir in songs, repeated comedy of actress and exaggerated violence. Typical Hindi (or South Indian) movie action in the end when a hero single handedly brings down dozens of large sized villains men. Too much of co-incidence and dramatisation when hero loses his memory after a long time of action exactly when he reaches main villain. In all 1* for story, 1* for acting as there is so little scope for acting of Amir, only anger and anger, love story part is not well knot. 1/2* for debutant actress, -1* for background score. I wonder what A.R. Rahman did, music is good with some good songs but background music is absolutely hap hazard, with techno music anywhere, emotional melodrama somewhere else. -1/2*for  over-violence without much story and 15-20 minutes longer second half. Overall 1* for Ghajini.