God’s message for Anna

This message made me feel better today. It also reminded me of the song All Is Well from the movie 3 Idiots.

Have a blessed Wednesday!

“Today my respect for that idiot shot up. Most of us went to college just for a degree. No degree meant no plum job, no pretty wife, no credit card, no social status. But none of this mattered to him, he was in college for the joy of learning, he never cared if he was first or last.” – Farhan Qureshi

“Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down.” - Ranho

“Make Your Passion, Your Profession”

Rancho: That day I understood that this heart scares easily. You have to trick it, however big the problem is. Tell your heart, ‘Pal, aal izz well. Aal iz well.’
Raju: Does that solve the problem?
Rancho: No, but you gain courage to face it.

(L-R) Raju, Rancho & Farhan

“Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down.” — Rancho

While hosting the award events and reality shows, Mona too participated in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa while it was aired on Sony. For those unaware, Mona stood to be the winner of Jhalak’s first season. One even saw her playing quite an interesting character in Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Madhavan and Boman Irani starrer 3 Idiots. Read more…

This has reference to your super hit movie “3 Idiots” which was really a wonderful film and won accolades from all. However, I wish to draw your attention to a particular scene of this movie where the hero Rancho (you, Mr Khan) mischievously changes some words of the speech being delivered by Chatur Ramalingam (Omi Vaidya). Word “Chamatkar“  (miracle) was replaced by “Balatkar“ (Rape) and Omi Vaidya ends up speaking “Balatkar” several times without knowing its meaning during his speech.

Chatur did not know the meaning of the word. However, I am sure that you Mr Aamir Khan, along with Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra were not only aware of the meaning but also of it’s seriousness and implications.

How can you even think of using an appalling word like Balatkar (Rape) for humor?

But then I can’t blame you. The whole theatre was roaring with laughter at that time. And I felt really foolish as I was aghast and speechless due to callousness of the writer, director and all concerned with the movie.

Today I regret not protesting right at that time. What were my options? Maybe I could have just walked out. It wouldn’t have made difference to anybody else but it would have mattered to me.

Imagine the mental agony of a person sitting in the movie theatre, who has experienced the trauma of rape either personally or through someone near and dear to him or her. How he/she would have felt with everyone around laughing at the very word that has ruined so many lives.

This is in a way continuation of my previous post “Are we giving right lessons to our children?” There were plenty of children watching the movie along with us….. and I am sure they went back with an impression that rape can be a funny word……..

What do you say Mr Khan…….of Satyameva Jayate fame !!!!

Chulbul Pandey

Dabangg 2 showed a considerable drop at the Domestic Box Office on its 2nd Wednesday. The audiences didn’t show up in big numbers for Salman Khan starring Dabangg 2 as it was a working day.
However, since there was currently no competition for the film at Indian box office as no Bollywood big release hit the theaters last week, Dabangg 2 managed to earn about 3.15 crores nett yesterday. The movie now stands at a domestic total of about 142.65 crores nett at the Box Office.
Dabangg 2 has now emerged as the 3rd Highest Earning Bollywood Film of All Time at the Domestic Box Office, after Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots & Salman Khan’s EkTha Tiger.

Dabangg 2 (Day 13) 2nd Wednesday Box Office Collection

Paresh has witnessed the film industry very closely in the last two decades of his career, he now says that the Bollywood stars want to play characters and do not want to sacrifice for the good of their fame. “The star system will always be there, every film will need a star. Even if there are no stars, you want to make someone a star. Now, fortunately, actors like Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, began to play characters, “said the 62-year-old. “Now all of them want to play character roles. They do not want to sacrifice the character to stardom and is a very positive sign,” he added.

Paresh recently turned producer with Akshay Kumar-starrer OMG! Oh my God, who not only won critical appreciation, but also earned moolah at the box office. But the actor says he does not associate with numbers. “I do not associate myself with any kind of numbers. Rs 100 crore, Rs 200 crore – they are mere numbers. I am the best film will stay with you. Few films will stay with me for centuries as 3 Idiots Kahaani, Vicky donors, OMG! Oh My God, “said the actor.” These are films in good health who will entertain you with a message. This is a good entertainment. Teesri Manzil movies like Johnny Mera Naam also good entertainment, “at he added.

The actor, who tore all his roles to the best of its ability, feels his best is yet to come. “I would like to say my best is yet to come because there are new writers, new directors and new ideas to come. Work culture has changed because of multiplexes. Low-budget films like Vicky donors, Kahaani, OMG! Oh My God among others, had an audience who are willing to watch this kind of movies. At this point in time, I’d love to work more and I feel my best is yet to come, “he added.

they take you down to a blow–mesmerize you tantalize you and finally distract you from whatever shinannigans you’re up to!

for a dreamer like me–movies are the ultimate end of life. Why? because we ought to find sources of inspiration to fill our dreams! to fill in the bits and pieces that haunt our curiosity. but of course–not all dreamers are like me–full of potential, PERIOD. 

Today, I just watched the “3 idiots” for the 3rd time around (excluding the number of times I replayed the scenes on my handphone)–and it inspires me… and makes me think: hey! what am I doing with my life? I can be working enjoying what I do… but instead I let myself get stuck in responsibilities and expectations the world has for me. And it’s wild, you know? if I were in charge, I would have probably writing for a famous magazine now… have become a script writer… or who knows become a famous novelist who follows the footsteps of JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Paolo Coelho, EL James among others? the possibilities of that! Hell I could just be stuck in a local news papers writing news features or contribute weekly columns and I’ll be a very happy soul!

But no–here I stand–along many others who could only look at their dreams for the moment for responsibilities comes first. Amir Khan would hunt me down and probably make it clear to me that (even after all those times watching his movie–) I still don’t get the point; that I should chase down “excellence and success will chase me, pants down.” I admire the theme of the movie, the lessons… and perhaps, really if I gave it a shot, I would probably be in that place where he say I could be. I know I’m wasting time (even though I love what do too), and I might regret not catching up to that train I needed to ride on to follow my dreams long before–but I chose this for myself—no! I chose this for others and by doing that I chose this for my self indirectly. Because I believe that everything has its own time… I’ll take my time doing this other thing that I love and I will someday chase that dream down… that first love of writing… and I will be well… because I didin’t really abandon that dream–I’m still living it–here right now. I write for myself. and for now…that will be enough. it’s not very long–I’ll get to that train ride soon! Watch me!

p.s. I would like to note that even though I detest movies as they distract me from the world I live in, it’s not really the evil… it’s a material, and we ought to control ourselves for weaknesses we have—I ought to do that. I’ll do that. I’m doing it! focus!

p.p.s. to answer the title–yes–it’s just me and you (don’t deny it!)… okay… if you say so… then it’s just me….. really?

Artist : Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Suraj Jagan, Swanand Kirkire, Shantanu Moitra, Sharman Joshi
Album : 3 Idiots
Tracks : 7
Released : 2009
Label : T Series
Tag : Hindi Movies

Listen/Download  3 Idiots   Link 1

Listen/Download  3 Idiots   Link  2

  ]]> http://celebupdatenews.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/kareena-and-karishma-kapoor-aamir-khan-is-a-living-legend/ Mon, 31 Dec 2012 01:30:35 +0000 celebupdatenews http://celebupdatenews.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/kareena-and-karishma-kapoor-aamir-khan-is-a-living-legend/

Kareena and Karishma Kapoor have both expressed their thoughts on actor Aamir Khan. The two sisters and Bollywood actresses have called Aamir Khan “a living legend.”

Talking to The Times Of India Kareena said: “Aamir is a living legend. He has a beautiful mind and he definitely is one of the finest actors of all time.”

Whilst Karishma added: “Aamir is most definitely an icon and a true legend. He is always up to something new and different. I’ve had the opportunity of working with him in iconic films like Raja Hindustani and Andaaz Apna Apna.

Talking about Kareena starring alongside with Aamir in 3 Idiots and Talaash, Karishma said she was pleased that the pair have bonded well: “I’m really happy that after Talaash and 3 Idiots even Kareena-Aamir relationship has become a hit pair.”

Ok, let’s imagine another situation. You make lots of money, enough to enjoy the best of foods in the market, best clothing, best house, essentially the best lifestyle. Now someone comes along and defies morality by poisoning your food. No worries because you can afford the best treatment. But the doctors no longer make the effort to save you because they can make more money elsewhere saving another rich victim or they treat you poorly by overdosing you with more medication than your body can handle. Even if we presume that you will be saved and have enough money to sue the doctor and the server of your food with a great lawyer, even he may come around and bite you in the ass. How long before you realize it is not just about the money?

Dear citizens of social networks, morals take precedence. Teach your kids to learn to become better human beings who strive hard and work smart for every dollar they earn because money has a way of quickly changing you as a person.

Morals run the world, not money.

Why is that investment bankers, a field dominated by men in high ranks, mostly trade on artificial commodities, interest rate differentials, bet on risky securities that have little no inventive value, yet make great sums of money; but social workers, a field dominated by women in high ranks, who try to balance the inequities in distribution of wealth, human rights and social inequalities end up being one of the least compensated? The world can probably use more investment bankers if they invest towards meaningful science, technology and artistic areas of innovation that promote talent not greed, but the world desperately needs more healers, more listeners, more social workers. 

For my non-desi friends, I would like to introduce the following speech from one of my favorite movies, 3 Idiots.

It is nothing but a strong play on the word “balaktar” (rape) to replace “chamatkar” (miracle).

Everyone cracked up when they first heard this speech to prove a point that one shouldn’t memorize or rote-learn their way out in life because sooner of later life is going to fuck you over. Pardon my language. But that is the literal translation.

Like a bad omen, this speech has become eerily true for the disrespecting males of India and many others like them in different parts of the world.

Some “munni” is getting “badnamed’ because her innocent “jawaani” (age no bar) is suddenly difficult to tolerate and she suffers silently, keeping her mouth closed “fevicol se” as the shameless culprits pat themselves on the shoulder for proving their manhood.

Read this speech again. For us desis, we may laugh some more till our belly hurts. But I urge you, reread again and again till you get my point.

Peechle battis saal se inhone nirantar is college mein balatkar pe balatkar kiye.

Our principal has raped time and time again for the last twenty years.

Umeed hai aagey bee karte rahege.

We hope he will continue doing so.

Hamein to aashcharya hota hai ki ek insaan apne jeevan kaal mein itni balatkar kaisi kar sakta hai.

We, the students, are surprised that how can one person rape so much in one lifetime.

Inhone kadi tapaasya se apne aapko is kaabil bunaya hai.

He has worked hard and prepared himself well to become such a capable rapist.

Waqt ka sahi upyog ghante ka purna istemaal koi inse seeke. Seeke inse seeke.

Everyone should learn how to use their time full and wisely from this man to rape some more.

Aaj hum sab chaatra yaha hai,

Today, we are all students

Kal desh videsh mein fail jayenge.

Tomorrow, we will be flourishing over the world

Waadaa hai aapse jis desh mein honge waha balatkar karenge,

I promise to you that no matter where we go, we will continue to rape

I.C.E ka naam roshan karenge.

We will make our (University/Country) proud.

Dika denge sabko jo balatkar karne ki kshamtaa yaha ke chaatro mein hai wo sansaar ke kisi chaatro mein nahi.

We will show everyone that no one else in the world has the capability to rape better than our own Indian counterparts.

No other chaatra. No other chaatra.

No one else.

I think these rest of the following lines on “sthan” (breasts, yes some men have them too) are completely applicable for women, who, by simply following their normal life routine, are somehow demonstrating that we are hiding something so special that it needs to be abused by rapists.

Sthan hota sabi ke paas hai.

Sab chupa ke rakte hai, detaa koi nai.

Aapne apna sthan is balatkari purush ke haat mein diya hai,

ab dekiye yeh kaisa iska upyog karta hai

Everyday we hear about more and more cases of rape:

Every fucking day.

• Gang or individual
• In private or public
• Tortured to death or alive
• In daylight or at night
• Minor or adult victim
• Remote area or major metropolitan city

Sadly there are many more categories that we can dissolve these crimes into, the two biggest being-

• Reported or unreported and
• Received justice or still waiting for their case to be heard.

It’s bad enough that these crimes happen. It’s worse that we have so many in number that we can neatly classify them into these buckets, debate in circles and turn around to see another one happening.

Hearing these reports, I wonder what kind of a country was I born in?

The same country that gave the world the wonders of Gita, yoga, ayurveda and many more jewels of wisdom that the Western world is opening its arms to and thriving on today.

I learned more about my religion and Gita spirituality in a simple New York City temple where hundreds of all faiths, and backgrounds gather in peace than my recent trip to Vrindavan, a holy pilgrimage site where “tour guides” would haggle me for money to put into their pockets and if I don’t, then my life is at risk and I will live miserably without the blessings of God, in essence, perpetuating fear in the name of religion. But that’s another story and another blog post waiting to happen.

Why is India moving so backward in the one area which practically runs the world?

I am speaking of morality, not money.

What kind of signal are women in India getting? Women that are strong, intelligent and very much capable of surviving without their male counterparts if we had to. A signal that if we leave our homes past 10p, 9p, 8p, 7p…now what is it 10am?….we are practically asking for trouble? There’s a thin line between something being a respectable threshold and being considered insanity. Should we all move abroad? Should we hide inside like a coward?

How would these men feel if we women starting hitting them on public buses, clubs, parks (and almost everything other venue where a woman had been raped) with iron rods, at their weakest point which they might consider their strongest source of manliness. Should we get justice by doing what Usha Narayane and other women in Kasturba Nagar did to Akku Yadav, a rapist and murderer, who terrorized the lives of hundreds of families for a decade and bribed the police for his own security? 

No, don’t turn into one of them.

We have a great law system guys.

They’ll do something.

Relax.

No, you can’t do tit for tat.

I’m sorry but did my just saying “tit” signal that I’m open to getting assaulted?

These rapists, we can call them, uncouth bastards, worst scumbags of the earth and many other names to appease our boiling rage for the acts they have committed. But men are not alone. Many women allow such acts to perpetuate in their homes against their daughter-in-laws or fellow kin in their circle, in brothels etc. taking out the violence against their own gender. It hurts even more when women don’t support each other.

How would these men feel if I told them working in a company and earning money does not nearly even come close to running a household. I’ve been on both sides of the equation and I can safely say that the amount of responsibilities that come with taking care of a family’s needs at home are a billion times more hard work than completing projects for your boss. I’m sure there are some men that carry out these roles of a “househusband” as the women go to work and I say, kudos to you for breaking the stereotype and now please go tell everyone else just how much more difficult it is to sacrifice everything, be unpaid and still be content enough to keep doing it for the family.

I am lost at words to understand what can be really done.

These men and women can very well even get a degree and stamp that symbol of “I’m educated” on their asses, yet they are far from it. They may even pray and sing “aartis” to the many Goddesses (Parvati, Durga, Lakshmi) for blessings, forgetting very well the wrath of Goddess Kali. How have we become so hypocritical? I can no longer blindly sing praises of “Incredible India” as these atrocities continue. The basic driving conscience of treating others as you would want to be treated, or doing good karma to receive good karma, and simply put, just being a respectful human being seems to have evaded their minds at some point when they were growing up.

It is not a paucity of literacy programs I am concerned with now, it is raising awareness that even the most reputed and most admired men and women in power positions may get away with this backward thinking (*cough* some politicians). We need to, individually, learn to imbibe the correct morals and be good citizens. No one change our thinking but ourselves. It has to come from within. 

Damini’s life will not go in vain. We will get her and many others like her the justice they deserve. You will find that these women are quite the resolute fighters themselves, so take inspiration and kudos to you for your efforts.

I will keep doing whatever I can to fight for them. Even if I may die screaming my lungs out.

Right now, personally, moving back to Delhi to work, enjoy its nightlife (wherever it’s not infested with such scum) and live a secure life seems like a distant dream. But it will surely come. One day.

3 Idiots

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Country: India

Talking about unexpected… When you see the title of the movie and know that it was best grossing Bollywood film that went around the wowrld as a hit all around – well, you expect something watered down, something for everyone. Maybe in some way it is for everyone, but by far not in a bad way. It is one of the best inspirational movies I have ever seen.

The message is simple – follow your heart, follow your dream and All Izz Well (a little chant of main character – Rancho – used in stressful situations). In India engineering is a prestigious occupation where many Indian parents see as future for their sons. Story is set in Nr. 1 Imperial Engineering University where our 3 main characters – Farhan, Raju and Rancho – meet. Most students are there to blindly cram book, get best scores in exams, get good job and buy big houses and big cars. But Rancho is different – he loves engineering and does not like the school system, he tries to change it. Sounds familiar? Well it is. But this is story is special. It is about real friendship, real emotions and a person who is able to inspire people, shake their mechanical lives, and wake them up. (Oh, and it has Bollywood song-and-dance cuts too, a lot of fun). It is indeed very pleasant to watch.

As usual I would like to ponder upon one of notions of the movie. We all in our lives are faced with important choices and struggle to answer dilemmas they give us. Who should we listen to when we choose most important things in our lives – the Tradition, our Parents and Grandparents, our God or Gods, our Friends, our Hearts or our Rational Mind? It is tough. Sometimes it seems to me it was easier in the times when you knew from childhood who you will be – a son of blacksmith will be a blacksmith, a son of tanner most probably will be a tanner (well, for girls even more easy – marriage – but that’s another topic). In Hindu philosophy, in Bhagavad Gita, a similar question is discussed. A great hero Arjuna I faced with a dilemma – he has to fight the battle, as he is kshatriya, warrior cast, however in this case he would have to kill people he knows and loves. He consults his chariot driver – god Krishna. Krishna tries to persuade him to fulfill his duty, his dharma as kshatriya. It is better to be mediocre warrior if this is your dharma, than to be best cook in the world and go against it. A philosophy difficult to pursue in life, especially in modern world. I personally think that since industrial revolution and alienation of worker and his/her work (to borrow the term from Marx), there is no way to see the profession, a job in the same way as it used to be (like I mentioned – son of tanner is tanner, but it was not a “job” in nowadays meaning). Our jobs are almost a consumer choice, just usually more permanent one. You choose your career along with it comes the attached lifestyle (a doctors lifestyle is different from engineers, and it is not only about the money, it has much to do with the constructed image of the profession).  So in ambiguity of modern world, what does constitute as dharma? Rancho says it is voice of your heart.

The movie has a happy ending. And if it is not pretentious enough for some critics – well, eh… I think some things need to have a happy ending.

P.S. I wonder how many engineering students in India dropped out after seeing this movie…

“Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down.”

It’s the first time in my life, watching a movie and crying like a baby ‎(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Artist : Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Suraj Jagan, Swanand Kirkire, Shantanu Moitra, Sharman Joshi
Album : 3 Idiots
Tracks : 7
Released : 2009
Label : T Series
Tag : Hindi Movies

Listen/Download  3 Idiots   Link 1

Listen/Download  3 Idiots   Link  2

Never Try To Be Successful

Success is the bye-product.
Excellence always creates success.
So, never run after the success, let
it happen automatically in the life.

All of us have already experience rejection… not just once or twice. We get it a lot. Whether just asking a friend for a favor or adding someone randomly in facebook. You can get rejected but that’s not such of a big deal. I mean, you can just ask another friend for a favor… you can just add someone else on facebook. You can even ask a waiter for ketchup. I doubt he’ll reject you. That’s his job. Anyway, that’s not the point.

I’ve been rejected hundreds and thousands of times… we all have. There are a lot of people who give up when they get rejected. Take Raju Rastogi from the movie “3 Idiots” he attempted suicide… luckily he survived. Did he give up? Maybe… at some point, he did. But he was able to treasure his life more after… We all get problems… but that’s not a reason to give up especially your life.

                Rejection… That’s not a reason to feel down… be depressed… and give up. We just need to accept it because truth is all of us gets rejected every once in a while. It’s just a matter of having the guts to keep on fighting. Believe in yourself.It’s not over yet. 

Salman Khan takes another shot at 200 crore club with Dabangg 2

When almost every contemporary of his is looking at consolidating his place in the 100 crore club, Salman Khan is finding himself in a different planet al together. While leading the pack in the century club, what with as many as four films already in there, he iseyeing the much coveted 200 crore club with Dabangg 2.
“100 crore is passe now, not just for him but every superstar worthhis salt. Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and now even Ranbir Kapoor has cracked it. Aamir anyways started it all. So for how long can one continue to bask in the glory of something which is fast becoming a trend and is almost a rule than being anexception. The new ‘mantra’ is 200 crore. Only Aamir is sitting pretty there after 3 Idiots. Now Salman is the one who can take a possible shot at that mark”, comments an insider.
To Salman’s credit, he did come precariously close to achieving that with Ek Tha Tiger. However his film fell a few crores short of that mark and though it is the second highest money spinning film ever after 3 Idiots, the fact remains that Salman missed the chance with a whisker.
“He is not saying it yet but deep within everyone associated with Dabangg 2 is not just hopeful but also confident that this is one film which would cross the milestone”, the insider comments,”After all, on its release Dabangg had crossed the 140 crore mark and two years down the line, the buzz as well as the market is mani fold. Moreover this is a true blue sequel. The hype is unprecedented and there is no reason why 200 crore won’t be a possibility.”
Add to this the fact that the film has no competition whats oever for three weeks straight till the arrival of Imran Khan’s Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola and Salman could well be sitting on a jackpot this Christmas.
Now if only Santa was hearing hiswish as well and be ready to bring on his bag full of goodies, Bollywood could well be benefiting from a grand finale like never before

I watched Talaash recently, prompting me to write this post.  I don’t remember what I was going to say three years ago.  But hey, it’s a blog, not the New Yorker, so I can just jot down some rambling and link a few songs, right?

What was the first Aamir Khan movie I watched?  Not Qayamat se Qayamat tak.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever watched that film in its entirety.  Aye mere hum safar is a great song, but what’s really there in that cheap knock off of Romeo and Juliet?

I think the first Aamir Khan movie I watched was Dil.  That was the movie all the girls were crazy for when we first started going crazy for girls.  I don’t think I noticed it then, but is it me, or Madhuri Dixit actually looks much older than Khan at mujhe neend na aaye?

The first Khan-starrer that I actually liked was Dil hai ki manta nahin.

Back in 1991, I thought it was a very cool movie.  I had neither watched the original nor the original remake back then.  Perhaps I’ll do a post on the three some other time.  For now, let me note how that movie has dated, while the next one I watched is still one of the best.

I had not followed Bollywood for much of the rest of the 1990s.  And the next time I watched Khan wasn’t exactly a Bollywood film.  The thing about Earth is just how much better it is than the other two in the trilogy.

I had similar thoughts after watching Dil Chahta Hai and Lagaan.  Both were classic, groundbreaking stuff.  What did the respective directors next make: turkeys like this and this.

I wrote about Dil Chahta Hai earlier.  There is not just a post but probably a long form article, or even an academic paper, comparing QSQT‘s Papa kehte hain to DCH‘s:

And Lagaan — that really deserves its own post some day.  That’s the closest to an epic Bollywood has successfully made in recent decades.

After the trio of Earth, DCH and Lagaan, I watched a couple of late 1990s movies.

The ending notwithstanding, Sarfarosh was very good, while Ghulam wasn’t a bad remake of On the Waterfront.

But what I really anticipated was The Rising: ballad of Mangal Pandey.  To this day, I lay awake at night wondering what disappointed me more: Episode 1 or this.

Unlike Mr Lucas, Mr Khan more than made up for it with Rang de Basanti which again, deserves its own post.  For now, Inquilaab Ziandabad.

This was followed by Fanaa, by which point Khan made three movies in a row where he goes from a happy-go-lucky homeboy to, well, just watch the damn movies.

If Aamir Khan acted movies appear to be better than the respective directors’ other projects, how does Aamir’s own directorial work fare?  Taare Zameen Par is a fine movie, but not a classic by any stretch.  And the same goes for 3 Idiots.

I haven’t watched Ghajini yet.  Frankly, not sure if I want to given I have watched Memento.  I did watch Dhobi Ghat, and the slow pace notwithstanding, enjoyed it.

From the opening scenes, I thought Talaash would explore the Maximum City’s underbelly in a similar fashion.  Sadly, I was mistaken.  About that, some other time.

I can safely certify that Talaash is nothing like any of the flicks cited above. If anything, it’s far more superlative in terms of performances.

Aamir gets into the skin of his character- a tormented soul trying to exorcise his demons by diving headlong into his work. Another stellar job, yet another feather in his cap.

Rani is a breath of clean, fresh air- a clean look, and a clean act, consolidating her position as the Queen of Bollywood.

Kareena is lethal- right from the provocative swaying of her hips to her killer histrionics.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the brash, unapologetic special agent in Kahaani does a complete U-Turn as a shady, limping pimp. And if the jury left it to me, he’d be the one getting all the accolades from amongst this bunch of supremely talented actors.

But alas! An actor is only as good as the script and while Talaash is majorly a slow-paced, brilliantly constructed film, its climax was an unappetizing goulash (mish-mash) of sorts.

Without giving the suspense away, I thought it was the desi version of an acclaimed Hollywood psychological thriller that gave us all goosebumps in the last millennium. And another supernatural/horror flick that the Bhatt camp has been milking dry for the last decade or so.

I was reminded of the great fear that consumed me prior to entering the Haunted House at Essel World…the cold sweat trickling down my back…the sudden rush of adrenaline…and I don’t even want to elaborate on how I felt when I was back out in the sunlight!

Talaash’s twist is that nonsensical, that infuriating and THAT big a letdown! It might have been better to share Kahaani’s climax and end on a sensible note than reshoot it in a panic on a half-baked idea!

And here’s what stumps me. A man with as strong a business acumen as AK would want to co-produce a flaccid Talaash!? Not 3 Idiots, not even Ghajini, but this!?

There’s a method to his madness, everyone close to him insists. Still on the talaash for that!!!

BELOW: Nothing can describe angst and the general tone of the movie better than this still.