This got me interested and I decided to do a comparison of the online presence of all the major players in Bangalore (and in India).

Here’s how they fared:

• Reliance Fresh: Its one of the biggest players in the sector but surprisingly neither Fresh nor any other retail formats owned by Reliance (Footprint, Digital, Jewels, Timeout etc.) have any web presence. Just a one page summary of the company’s retail plans exists on RIL’s website. There are, however, many unofficial blogs dedicated to Reliance Retail.
• More: Fabmall, one of the largest supermarket chains in South India, was recently acquired by Aditya Birla Group’s More making it an important player in the market but again, except for a page mentioning the launch of its first store and news articles on the aforementioned acquisition on the group’s website, nothing much can be found online.
• Nilgiris: This South Indian chain recently acquired Daily’s supermarkets belonging to Valdel retail but I could not find company’s official website even though I found Valdel’s website.
• Subhiksha: They do have a website and the link “Store Locators”(locators??) did get my hopes up only to be met with a “Page in Under Construction[sic]” message. I am still hopeful that someday soon, they might have a real page there.
• Fresh@: Interestingly, the owner of this chain, Heritage Foods, has a website with a store locator but unless one knows the parent company and searches for it, there’s no way to find the website. Now that’s some bad search engine optimization (SEO) at work!
• Food Bazaar: They have an info page on Pantaloon’s site and there’s also a common Store Locator for all formats owned by the company. Good!
• Foodworld: They too have a website that seems alright and there is a list of all stores too but unfortunately, it is on the “Contact Us” page which is linked only in the footer.
• Spencer’s: They have a proper website (with the useless flash intro and all) and do have a “our stores” link which works well. Its definitely the most impressive of the lot!

What this proves is that a lot of Indian companies still don’t understand the power of Internet. Sure, most people would go to the nearby supermarkets rather than search for one on the internet but I think an online presence is an important part of brand development. Let’s hope they would realize this soon enough and make amends.

I had booked my ticket for the morning show of “Fanaa” but I needed to eat something before that so I went to this nice, little joint called “Fresh n Natural” and ordered a juice and a sandwich. Now I don’t know about everyone but to me a sandwich means two slices of bread cut into two halves but to my surprise (or rather shock), the guy got me four slices of bread. Who eats that much? I could ate half the sandwich (2 slices, that is) and left the rest.

Coming to the movie now, I’m not gonna write a review cos I am too tired but it was nice. I’m not tired now and I accidentally wrote that the movie was nice so I must write a review now.

So here it is:

The moive is good in parts. The first half is really dull and too heavy on ghisi-piti shaayari that completely bores and irritates. The song “Des Rangeela” is awful. Apart from that, the music is okay. Aamir looks old in his guide getup. Tho I did like the fact that they cast ex-channel V VJ and Indian Sabrina Shruti Seth to play Kajol’s friend cos I really like her.

*review pause*

I must say that even tho I don’t believe that people have types as in “She’s not my type” but Shruti Seth is definitely the type of girl I like. Let me define the type for you – Beautiful and cute but very unsexy.

*review pause over*

I liked the second half far better. Atleast it didn’t have too much poetry. Both Aamir and Kajol look better in the second half. Tabu tries to lend some credibility to the terror threat plot and fails miserably. You never feel like something of (inter)national importance is going on. In fact, I laughed really hard when Tabu announced that the terrorists stole different parts of a missile from Russia, India and Pakistan and they now have a whole missile. How ridiculous is that! The special effects are particularly bad and make you laugh. There’s also a photo of Rishi Kapoor from the days of “Bobby” which looks out of place.

Update2: I forgot to mention Kajol’s really hot friend called Bobo. She looks like a softer version of Suzanne Khan Roshan (whatever she’s called). Also, when Kajol’s “Dil Kya Kare” (a terrible movie) released, Kunal Kohli mocked it on his show “Chalo Cinema” bcos Kajol got pregnant after having sex just once with Ajay Devgan in the movie…..and yet!

So the movie sure has a few flaws but it is so insipid that I didn’t dislike it.And yes, really far, far better than what I expected. Altho I must confess that my expectations from movies have taken a serious hit ever since I watched “Humko Deewana Kar Gaye”.

My rating *changed after Lucio’s comment*: 6.25 / 10

And yes, I kept my promise of 1 post per week.

PS: I forgot to tell you about the second shocker of the day. I have seen cars and bikes with a “L” sign but for the first time, I saw a BMTC bus with a giant red “L” painted on its back. What’s that about?

Requiem for a Dream

The film depicts the lives of four different people living in Brooklyn on their quest for satisfaction in life. It shows the direct and indirect effects that drugs and various addictions have on each of the individuals, and then portrays their downward spirals from the hopes of blossoming dreams into the helpless state of moral and physical decay. – From IMDB

The first time I watched it was back in 2001. I had to look for it in 3 video shops before I finally got the VCD and the print was really bad. I remember liking it back then but it never had the effect it had this time. The movie is absolutely brilliant. It has an award- worthy performance by Ellen Burstyn. Other cast members – Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans (first time I see him in a non-comedy) are good too. The maker succeeds in making you feel as helpless as Ellen’s friends by the time the movie ends. The scariest thing about the movie is that the main characters are happiest right before their fall starts. In spite of being a serious movie, it is very slick and stylish. It’s a must watch for everyone. But remember, it’s a downer.

Paheli

A folk tale – supernatural love story about a ghost who falls in love with a newlywed woman. – From IMDB

I couldn’t see it last year cos I had other movies (Bunty aur Bubli and Parineeta) on my must watch list and couldn’t watch it after that because my DVD player doesn’t work with my TV (which is such a sad part of my life that it deserves a post!). So Star Gold, of all channels, gave me the opportunity of finally watching it. I expected it to be bad given all the negative comments it got after it was sent for Oscars but it was surprisingly good and not boring at all. The movie is entertaining and has good performances by Rani Mukherjee (who’s my current favorite). She looks hot even in traditional clothes. The fact that such movies aren’t made anymore works to the movie’s advantage. The movie never gets too serious or melodramatic either. Plus it has some scintillating songs.

The song, “Dheere Jalna” is one of my favorite songs from last year. It just doesn’t have great music and good singing but awesome lyrics too. All credit goes to Gulzar, of course.

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

The film reflects the intensity and fate of three young characters, who start out on the same platform but board different trains and reach a destination of their own making. – From Rediff

I wanted to see it ever since the Indian blogosphere went crazy over the movie last year but got the change only this Monday, thanks to Star Gold again. (I guess, they are finally tired of showing dubbed English movies.) It’s again a great watch. The movie has got me interested in the late 60s and early 70s’ India – something I don’t know much about. The movie is very real. All actors too give a real performance. Kay Kay is good and Chitrangada Singh both looks good and acts well too but its Shiney Ahuja who steals the show. He is very natural. The movie is a little amateurish but still makes an impact. The surprise ending totally caught me unawares. It was great to see a good film by Sudhir Mishra after Chameli.

Incidentally, this film too has a song that I love. I loved “Bavraa Mann” the moment I hear it the first time in 2003. The song has great music (Shantanu Moitra), has been sung well (Swanand Kirkire) and has fantastic lyrics (Swanand Kirkire).

Since I’m in the mood, here are few lines from the song:

Bavre se is jahaan mein bavraa ek saath ho
Is sayaani bheed main bas haanthon mea tera haath ho
Bavri si dun ho koi bavra ek raag ho
Bavri si dun ho koi bavra ek raag ho
Bavre si pair chaahne, Bavre taraano pe
Bavre se bol pe thirakna

Warning: Contains few spoilers and “my” views

This is the first time I saw the fist day, first show of a movie and I’m happy that I did.

Storyline:

Rang De Basanti tells the story of Sue (Alice Payton) who comes to India to make a documentary on Indian freedom struggle as mentioned in her grandfather’s diary. She meets Sonia (Soha Ali Khan), DJ (Aamir Khan), Karan (Siddharth), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor), Sukhi (Sharman Joshi) and Laxman Pandey (Atul Kulkarni) who are all college students and work as actors for her documentary but due to some twists and turns, she finally ends up amidst another revolution in the making.

Pluses:

• The movie is well directed. I was really hoping that it doesn’t turn out to be a disaster like “Aks”. But Raykesh Omprakash Mehra didn’t disappoint me. It has a fresh storyline, good screenplay, fantastic cinematography and efficient editing. The film is technically very good.
• The film has a great cast and the fact that most of them are relatively new helps. All performances are commendable. Aamir Khan is good, as expected. Kunal Kapoor and Sharman Joshi are impressive. Soha Ali Khan is surprisingly good. Atul Kulkarni is always efficient so that’s no surprise. Alice acts well and speaks great Hindi. The best performance, however, belongs to Siddharth. It is his character that is “awakened” by the happenings the most and he is remarkable in his role. Thats good casting at work.
• The dynamics of the group has been well-developed. Even the relationships within the group, like the Aamir – Sharman duo and the closeness between Siddharth and Soha have been developed effectively.
• The dialogues are different from the normal fare and all the songs are of course superb. The placement of most songs is good too. In fact, “Rubaroo” gets the best place a song can ask for in a movie.
• The film tries to present the freedom fighters in a new light. Sepia tone, special effects and bike chases make them look very cool.
• The film touches a very contemporary issue of MIG accidents.
• The movie never gets too dull or boring. Its entertaining throughout. It also has a certain freshness about it.
• The message of the movie has been put across well.

Minuses:

• Aamir Khan looks old. I know he is a great actor (though overrated) but if the director could find so many young actors for other roles, he could have very well found someone to play Aamir’s role. Bollywood really needs younger actors.
• The mixing of scenes from the freedom struggle with the present scenario works most of the time but not always. Some people in the audi even laughed when the five heroes were shown as freedom fighters just before they enter the AIR.
• The Jalianwala Bagh sequence is not effective. Its a little shoddy. Though the satirical replacement of General Dwyer with the Defence Minister as part of a dream is funny.
• Even though the songs are good, the film could have done with lesser number of songs.

My Rating: 8/10

My Verdict: A well-made movie definitely worth a watch.

I’m really thankful to INOX for starting SMS booking. No, I don’t buy my tickets though it but others do and then they don’t turn up to collect them on time and so I get a ticket to “sold out” shows at the last moment and that too in the second row from the top. This has happened thrice till now.

King Kong – Movie Review

Warning: Might contain spoilers and infantile views.

So I finally saw “King Kong” on Saturday evening.

And, to say its great or fantastic would be an understatement. I’ll just say that it’s an experience worth having and that Peter Jackson has done it again.

The movie makes Jurassic Park, Godzilla and the likes look like b-grade sci-fi flicks.

The CGI is of course out-of-the-world. Not that you expect anything less from Jackson.

The story in a line if you don’t already know it: A film crew sets out on a voyage in search of a mythical “Skull Island” and finds a lot more than it bargained for. The crew comprises of the moviemaker, Carl Denham (Jack Black), the lead actress, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), the scriptwriter, Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) and few other not-too-important people.

The movie starts off slowly and the build up takes a little too long although it does provide a very good contrast to what you are about to witness but once the real action begins you forget all about it cos there is simply no time to think.
The screen is soon bombarded with one sequence after another and the excitement never ends. Some commendable examples are the ship hitting the rocks, the first interaction between the film crew and the inhabitants of Skull Island, the subsequent kidnap of Ann and the dinosaur stampede.
It’s difficult to not think of Kong (played by Andy Serkis), the giant ape, as a quintessential bollywood hero who fights off baddies for his girl in the long one-dinosaur-after-another sequence.

The director is also successful in lending a somber tone to the worms-n-crustaceans-attack-humans sequence.

The relationship between Kong and Ann has been developed beautifully. Ann moving closer to Kong when the last dinosaur approaches and Kong showing off his anger when Ann refuses to perform have been executed well.

The capture of Kong, “The King Kong Show” and the Kong-in-Manhattan destruction sequences are again brilliant. I especially loved the way Kong picks up random blondes and throws them when they don’t turn out to be Ann. The ice-skating sequence also deserves a special mention.
And the climax, set against New York skyline, is spectacular and heartbreaking.

All the actors are good in whatever role they have cos we all know that the main hero here is Kong. Naomi Watts is already one of my favorites and she is brilliant here as the beauty who captures the heart of the beast. You can feel the pain in her eyes when Kong slips from the top of Empire State building. She looks very beautiful in the movie. But I couldn’t help noticing how with every movie, she’s starting to look more and more like Nicole Kidman.

Andy Serkis is great too. First Gollum and now Kong, he surely knows how to play CGI generated characters. Adrien Brody plays second fiddle to an ape so it won’t be wrong to say that he’s totally wasted here. I was apprehensive about Jack Black playing the role of a ruthless, unredeemable showman but he manages to do a fine job.

But the biggest winners here are Peter Jackson, CGI and the audience.

Go watch it for the kid in you!!

Rating: 10/10

1. Ik Onkar: ARR can always be trusted with religious songs and this is a perfect example. He doesn’t meddle too much with it and hence the album starts off beautifully.
2. Rang De Basanti: Daler Mehendi is still around? Who knew? Anyways, in spite of being a Punjabi song, it doesn’t sound like a typical Punjabi song and that’s what’s great about it. The song has a great beat to it. Daler sounds different from his usual self (which is a relief) and Chitra has been wisely used to add a unique flavor to it. A great title song that efficiently conveys the mood of the film. 8.5/10
3. Paathshala: A peppy song with great youth centric lyrics and great music. ARR has used new voices for the song and it helps. Naresh Iyer and Mohammad Aslam give a young n fresh feel to it. The only bad thing about the song is that it is picturized on a 40-year-old Aamir Khan trying to pass off as being in his early twenties. 9/10
4. Tu Bin Bataye: A slow, romantic song (the only romantic song in the album). Sadly it’s just an average song with a strong typical ARR stamp on it. Madhushree sounds sweet, perhaps too sweet. She should try a little less honey laden sometime. Naresh Iyer is good. 7/10
5. Khalbali: Probably the weakest song of the album, it has an Arabic tune and even Arabic vocals. ARR sings himself with Nasim and Aslam. Starts off slow but gets better towards the end. It’s a situational song and will (hopefully) make more sense in the movie. 6/10
6. Khoon Chala: A slow but fantastic song. I just found out that Mohit Chauhan who has sung this song brilliantly is actually the lead singer of Silk Route. No wonder then. The orchestration is commendable too. But what really give the song an edge are the lyrics. Easily, my favorite track of the album. 9.5/10
7. Paathshala (Be A Rebel): A slightly modified version of Paathshala, it somehow reminds me of the song “Dating” from Boys. I guess Blaaze is the common link. A great song, nevertheless. I like this version more than the first one. 9/10
8. Luka Chuppi: A rather strange song between a mother and a son. Once again, great lyrics and good music. ARR sings himself, this time with Lata Mangeshkar, who is great as usual. The tabla is sure to make you like the song. 8/10
9. Lalkaar: Its wrong to call it a song. It’s more like Aamir Khan reciting a verse accompanied by chorus. It’s obviously a situational song. 7/10
10. Roobaroo: An easy going, mid tempo, upbeat song. A great way to end the album. Its sung well by Naresh Iyer with help from ARR. 8/10

In totality, it’s a great album and even the not-so-good songs are better than your average Himesh Reshammiya and Anu Malik songs so it is a must buy for ARR fans/ non-fans alike.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Update (Friday, 16th December): It been two and a half days since I wrote the review and after repeated listening (with continuous looping), “Rang De Basanti” has become a favorite with the standout line being “Dheemi aanch pe tu zara ishq chadaa”. “Roobaroo” too. Love the line “Dhuan chhata, khula gagan mera”. But the most favorite is still “Khoon Chala”.

I went to see the movie with an idea of what it’s about, thanks to an interview style promo of Saif and Preity that’s been airing on all TV channels lately. So I pretty much knew what to expect.

In short, the movie is about an Architect/Chef [Saif] and a Doctor/RJ [Preity] who both hate each other initially, then love each other, start living together, get pregnant, start hating each other again for a while and then finally have twins and then get married. (Not a brilliant summary but it will do.)

And now for my review:

The Good:

• The lead pair of Saif-Preity is perfect. They suit their roles to the T and are very real in their roles. I am a big fan of Preity and she is great in the movie. She looks beautiful, as always.
• The first half is refreshingly fresh and different from the other popcorn flicks of the recent times.
• Saif shows more skin in the movie than Preity so one point for objectification of the human male.
• The movie has genuine kissing scenes, unlike the rushed through ones in most other bollywood movies.
• The humor in the movie is pretty good and classy (except in the last few minutes of the movie which is mentioned in detail in cons). Saif, Preity and Arshad are all good in the comic scenes. But the winner here is Javed Jaffery, who is very funny, for once. May be he should thank the writers for coming up with the hilarious “Sorry…Exactly” routine.
• The movie has no parents, which means no old-fashioned rona-dhona only the subtle, stylish tissue paper crying.
• The movie has only four songs (Can you believe that?)
• The music of the movie is pretty good. “Salaam Namaste” as well as “My Dil Goes Mmm” are nice. The songs have been shot in an imaginative manner too.
• The movie is very glossy and stylish, has been shot very well and surprisingly, edited well too.

The Bad:

• The story is not all that thought provoking and representative of the current youth and live-in relationships as being claimed by the media. It’s more about this one couple and how they deal with pre-marital pregnancy.
• I also have a problem with how this movie was publicized as yet another Yash Raj-Karan Johar style popcorn flick, which it is but only in parts. The result of such publicity was that there were a lot of families with kids in the theatre. This movie has been rated U/A and rightfully so cos the film is not at all suitable for kids under 12 and we all know how no cinema halls in India would stop kids accompanied by their parents. But there is too much in the movie about protection, pregnancy and delivery that the kids under 12 need not know about. But may be I am old fashioned. I mean most of these kids watch all the ‘K’ soaps on TV so they cant be all that innocent.
• The movie itself is very entertaining till the penultimate reel after which the movie becomes a cheap copy of an episode of Friends and the climax of Nine Months and I cant tell you how unhappy I was with all this. I came out of the theatre praying that the director has shot an alternative ending that will be at least released on the DVD. I have never seen such a good movie fall flat after ridiculously terrible climax. And why the hell would they think of copying from Friends given that the intersection of the target audience of this movie and that show would be almost 100%.
• Tania Zetta cannot act. Both Preity and Saif’s bosses are irritating.
• The song “What’s Going On?” does not fit in the movie well because the dynamics between the lead pair at that time do not permit them to sing and dance together (especially when Preity is 8 months pregnant!!!)
• Abhishek Bachchan is miscast as the stupid doctor in the final scene that ruins the movie.
• The whole “radio listeners rushing to help unite the lead pair” thing is pretty ridiculous too.

The Ugly:

• Preity’s voice in the argument scenes is so shrill that it would have been enough for me kill her.
• Javed Jaffery is now on my list of “People I hate because of their bad, irregular teeth”.

Verdict:

The first half is great and the second half is okay till the last scene where everything goes down the drain. (I cant stop going on and on about it) It’s a Commendable effort by debutante director Siddhartha Anand and definitely worth your money and time.

Rating:

6.5/10 (Which means good enough for watching once and in case you are a fan of Saif or Preity’s then probably twice)

Pon De Replay by Rihanna is pretty good. She’s new so her style is little different from others. Let’s see if she manages to retain her style. 7/10

Bananza (Belly Dancer) by Akon is good and remarkably different from his earlier hit, “Lonely”. Variety is almost non-existent these days. 6.5/10

Touch by Amerie is okay, at best. The video’s great and Amerie is hot but with lyrics like “Don’t be afraid to touch, I know you think I’m a good girl, don’t you think a girl like me can be (touched)”, how could the song be. 4.5/10

Represent Me by Ciara is good given that it is just for the DVD. It’s a little flat but still good. 5.5/10

We Be Burnin by Sean Paul is as irritating as any other song of his. Of course, no song can suck as much as “Gimme The Light” so it’s not that bad. 3.5/10

N Dey Say by Nelly is a good song coming from him after a long time. I like it. 7/10

Appreciate by LaToya London f/ Black Thought is above average. Lets see what the American Idol reject is able to achieve.6.5/10

The second single from Coldplay’s new album, X&Y, is a slow ballad that turns powerful midway. The song has a good melody and powerful guitar strains and has a “Yellow” like quality to it. It’s a song about loss and pain but very uplifting. Yet another memorable Coldplay song.

Album: X & Y
Genre: Indie Rock
My Score: 8/10

“Don’t Cha Wanna Ride” by Joss Stone

Retro, funky, up-tempo, soulful – that’s what the song is. It showcases Joss’s voice beautifully. The lyrics are catchy. The song has a summery feeling to it. A standout song.

Album: Mind, Body & Soul
Genre: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
My Score: 7.5/10

“My Dil Goes Mmmm” by Shaan & Gayatri Iyer

Salaam Namaste is a typical Yash Chopra-Shahrukh Khan-Karan Johar-style movie and this song is also a typical love-hate song, which sounds good, but you know you will start loving it once it is on TV, even more when you watch the movie and will eventually hate because it will be on TV 24/7. The music is okay, Shaan is good and one wonders why a newbie, Gayatri Iyer, has been asked to sing one of the most important song in the movie (given that the song also has a remix and an instrumental version). She does an okay job too. All in all, a good song.

Album: Salaam Namaste
Genre: Hindi Soundtrack
My Score: 7/10

“Kitni Narmi Se” by Sonu Nigam

This song was a bit of a surprise. Never expected such a good song from this movie. It is a slow song about love and Sonu Nigam does an excellent job singing it. The song reminds you of “Kal Ho Naa Ho” (also a collaboration between Sonu & Shanker-Loy-Ehsaan) but that doesn’t take anything away from the song. Easily, one of the best songs of the year.

Album: Dil Jo Bhi Kahey
Genre: Hindi Soundtrack
My Score: 8/10

Save the Last Dance for Me by Michael Bublé

I have no idea what genre this is or what kinda people listen to it. It sounds a little like Jazz. The music is good and Michael has a very distinctive voice. The fact that the song is so different from the regular stuff makes it stand out even more.

Album : It’s Time
Genre : Miscellaneous
My Score : 6.5/10

Lose Control by Missy Elliott/Ciara/Fatman Scoop;

The first single from Missy’s new album is nothing you haven’t heard before. It even has the words “work me” reminding you of another song of her. Even Ciara’s presence doesn’t help much. Must say it’s a huge disappointment.

Album : The Cookbook
Genre : Rap & Hip Hop
My Score : 6/10

So Good by Rachel Stevens

Rachel Stevens is back with a new single and I must say that its video is really boring. Having said that, the song isn’t boring at all. Its a fast-paced dance-pop track and since I have a softspot for BritPop, I can’t help but like it.

Album : So Good [Single]
Genre : BritPop
My Score : 7/10

Aashiq Banaya Aapne by Himesh Reshammiya & Shreya Ghoshal

I’m sorry but I can’t tolerate Himesh’s voice. He tries to sound like Kailash Kher in the sufi style but manages to do just an okay job. But that does not take much away from the song. The music is fine and Shreya Ghoshal, as always, is a delight to listen to.

Album : Aashiq Banaya Aapne
Genre : Hindi Soundtrack
My Score : 6.5/10

Chal Diye by Amit Sana

So the Indian Idol runner-up finally has his own much deserved album and if the title track is any indication then this must be a great album. I am yet to hear the rest of the songs but this song is pretty good, far better than the boring songs of Abhijeet Sawant. He sounds great but his voice reminds me of some other singer but I am yet to figure out who. Anyways, a fantastic debut.

Album : Chal Diye
Genre : IndiPop
My Score : 7.5/10