Arbit!

Disclaimer: My mental state is far from stable. Do not proceed if you want to read something that makes sense.

I've just come back to my room after an end-term paper. We have the last one tomorrow. I'll be one-third of a manager. Its been five times I've clicked on "New Post" and then aborted the operation. I desperately want to write about something. Some...thing. But it eludes me. I don't know what it is. I don't have a frickin' clue, whatsoever. Read about an IIM-I prof murdered at her residence. Its bothering me. I want to watch 'City Of God' for ages and its right there on my hard disk drive. Why do people always misunderstand me? Why do I always want people to understand me? Am I an approval junkie - a monkey wrapped in suits? (Link) I pretty much pride myself of being exactly the opposite. I am what I am. The tagline has made me loyal to Rbk. I don't give a nine-legged spider's ass to what they think. I think I do. I think I've started doing that. Heck. Suleimann Benn manhandled Mitchell Johnson. Haddin instigated them. Cricket is no longer a gentlemen's game. Am I a gentleman? I want BM to win the Prestige Cup 7-0. Why cant I bowl leg-breaks the way I can bowl off-breaks. I believe in God. I used to talk to him. It has reduced to a mere formality now. I am not on Twitter. I want to tweet. What's so special about Google Wave? Is it a distorted example of Missionary Selling? Do I care? New orkut sucks like hell. I want a PPO in HJ Heinz. I want to prove things to the world. Again. I suck. I'm changing. I don't like the change. I will quit smoking one day. Smoking kills. It has started showing effects on my lungs. I don't smoke much. Why me? Why cant I quit? Bon Jovi is religion. Their music never got its due. I've ceased listening to music. I need to install Windows 7. I wish I had a Macbook. I like Pacino. Is De Niro better? I want to act. I think I can. Everybody thinks he can. Is "everybody" singular? The show's name is Everybody LoveS Raymond. Its singular, or is it? I need to get my bike serviced. I'm just in love with the machine. Its the best babe on earth. Why don't people leave a word of appreciation/critique on reading a post? Why can't they do a little thing that means so much to the blogger? Why is it important to the blogger? I've started drinking again. Jesu's business dinner was awesome. The same White Mischief felt so different, so smooth. Five-rupee coins are being smuggled to Bangladesh where they are melted to make razors. Six of them, two-rupee each from a five rupee coin. This would contribute towards a liquidity crunch. Inflation will rise. As if I care. I don't have another B-school interview scheduled. MBA sucks. The education system is as outdated as Ashish Nehra's scantily disguised out-swingers. There's a lot of learning involved. Outside the classroom, of course. Would I spend my life selling sabun-tel? FMCG attracts me. I've been trying to find dental floss for some time now. What has come upon Jamshedpur? There's no Gilette deo as well. So much for the 'push' strategy - the thumb rule in FMCG. I loved yesterday's Marketing question paper. People thought it was gas. It was a quality B-school paper after months. Practical problems that required on-the-feet out-of-the-box thinking. I want to make ads. I think I'm creative. How? I don't know. I am. I haven't done anything to proclaim it. MTV Roadies is deteriorating. I miss Roadies 4 and 5. Our senior is there - one of the roadies - in Africa in the current edition. I don't wanna end this post. Would I publish it? I think I would. Would anyone be interested? Do i want them to be? I think I do. Again.

Sorry!

Kuchh bhi!!!

ROFL!!!

If you can't figure out the hilarious discrepancy...one, get a common sense and two, go join American Megatrends, Inc.

Ashamed of being a man!

"Don't tell me hundred ways how you cannot respond to the problem. Can you ply your mind for that one way that you can respond to the problem?"

- Sunitha Krishnan

I've always believed in the superiority of females over us when it comes to being the stronger species. But if this is what being a man is all about, I'm ashamed of it. Sunitha Krishnan(blog) co-founded Prajwala to rescue 'sex slaves' and find them safe haven. If nothing else, we could contribute our bit by sharing this video with as many people we know.

Make sure at least one of the link works.

TED | Youtube | Veoh | Milk & Cookies

Magma | Mefeedia | VTap

"Can you break your culture of silence? Can you speak to at least two persons about this story? Tell them this story. Convince them to tell this story to another two persons. I'm not asking y'all to become Mahatma Gandhis or Martin Luthers or Medha Patkars, or something like that. I'm asking you, in your limited world: can you open your minds? Can you open your hearts? Can you just encompass these people too? Because they're also a part of us. They're also a part of this world."

Find the Transcript here

Disclaimer: I might be guilty of yellow journalism as the title is not that relevant to the post but the purpose was to share this video with as many people as I could. The ends, baby, not the means.

P.S. If you can't access any of the links, let me know. I'll do something about it. But please, spare a few minutes to support this cause.

Jab We Met...Socha Na Tha!

A day of failed and partially-showing-promise visits to all the offices in Jamshedpur for the sponsorship of the largest and the oldest Marketing Research fest in India - MAXI Fair @ XLRI. Headed to Bauaji (Google Maps link) for the best tea in Jamshedpur.

Guess who I met at supposedly his favourite hangout in the Steel City on a dilapidated chabutra at the world-renowned-in-Jamshedpur Bauaji Tea Stall.

Imtiaz Ali and moi!

Ganged Up - Part2 [6-10]

Read the part 1 here.

Well, I pretty much expected the sworn Scarface fans would mind its being there in the first part. Just to make it clear, I would any day love to watch Scarface more than a couple of movies in this part. But that's majorly due to Pacino and the overall influential style. As far as the genre goes, the plot, the treatment, the technology (as much as I understand) and the overall impact as a Gangster movie helps the following movies make the cut in the top 10.

#10 Blow (2001)

Tagline: Based on a true story.

Nothing new. Misguided, intelligent, good-at-heart protagonist makes it big in the drug peddling industry. But the very fact that it's inspired from a real life saga makes us stop and think. Father-child relationships: Liotta-Depp and Depp-daughter well explored. Liotta, by the way, is outstanding, understated, touching. Depp's one of the finest performances. Emotions. Love. Greed. Desperation. Power. Rise and fall movie. Nuances, nuances, nuances. Funky. Sixties to Eighties well captured. Empathy invoking climax. Penelope's sensual (in her clothes). A must-watch!

# 9 Casino (1995)

Tagline: You don't stay at the top forever.

Scorsese-De Niro- Joe Pesci: my fave hollywood trio. After an awful lot of cheap comic flicks about Vegas and casinos, I came upon this classic lately. A fabulous exploration of the work that goes on behind the lights, moolah, greed and deception. Relationships captured beautifully. De Niro-Pesci; De Niro-Stone; Pesci-Stone. Not a dull moment. Unbelievably under-appreciated. Complex. Multi-layered. Betrayal. Lust. Power. Destruction. The finest details. Great homework. Rise and fall movie. Profanity reaches dizzying heights and yet it never seems forced. 398 uses of "Fuck". Magnificent performances. De Niro's one of the understated best. Pesci: well, he's a gem of an actor who never got his due. Quintessential him: the same crazy dialogue delivery. And Sharon Stone...gosh! An unbelievably fine performance as a psychotic who makes us hate her like hell. Go watch!

#8 Mean Streets (1973)

Tagline: You don't make up for your sins in the church. You do it in the streets...

First of the nine Scorsese-De Niro. The gangster stuff. The streets. The hoodlums. Their bonds. Their relationships. Their (lack of) ideals. Their life. Charlie(Keitel) doesn't fail to impress. Johnny Boy(De Niro) stands apart. The simple yet surreal string of "Wha(t)"s or the wild rebel dance with respect to nobody towards the end, he's one of my all-time favourite characters. Energy. Vivaciousness. Flamboyance. The very fact that it was made way back in '73 makes us realize the influence it has on the so-called cult crime sagas. Honest. Real. Into the skin. Highly under appreciated. Crude. Minimalist. It's said that Scorsese wanted to be either a priest or a gangster and he could be none. The movie, though, does full justice to both the themes.

#7 The Departed (2006)

Tagline: Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?

Scorsese fiiiinally gets an Oscar! Its a treat. Di Caprio-Wahlberg-Nicholson-Damon. The most enchanting plot I've ever seen(credit to Infernal Affairs). Fantabbbulous performances by all. Probably the best by Di Caprio. Quirky, hilarious lines for Wahlberg. One of my fave characters - Dignam!

"Let's say you have no idea and leave it at that, okay? No idea. Zip. None. If you had an idea of what we do, we would not be good at what we do, now would we? We would be cunts. Are you calling us cunts? "

Intelligent. Edge-of-the-seat. Flawless. Refined. Violence. Gore. Profanity. Stunning. Engulfing. Twists and Turns. Unpredictable. Entertaining. Fresh. Dark. One of the most interesting screenplays. A story-telling that keeps you involved. A cant-afford-to-miss!

#6 Reservoir Dogs

Tagline: Seven perfect strangers team up for the perfect crime. They don't know each other's names. But they've got each other's colour.

God Tarantino's debut. Quintessential him: razor-cut characters - each a masterpiece; supreme wit; crazy funny dialogues; cynical; stylish; violent; non-linear; motormouth; profane; debauch; dark humour. Real. No-nonsense. No comic relief. No romance. No big stars. No make-up. Just a gang where trust is the last thing to be found. Intentionally ludicrous at times. Plot revolves around a jewel heist, never touching it. Almost entirely within the four walls. It's a movie that grows on you. No one can watch just once! Michael Madsen's best performance among the ones I've seen. Every other just eases into the character. Dialogues just make you wonder and get amused at things not funny at all.

"Listen kid, I'm not gonna bullshit you, all right? I don't give a good fuck what you know, or don't know, but I'm gonna torture you anyway, regardless. Not to get information. It's amusing, to me, to torture a cop. You can say anything you want cause I've heard it all before. All you can do is pray for a quick death, which you ain't gonna get. "

"You shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize."

"Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy, or are you gonna bite?"

P.S. Go watch it even if you have already watched and loved "Kaante". It has got much more to it. Kaante was just a masalized version of Dogs.

Ganged Up - Part1 [11-15]

The Mob | Mafia | Syndicate | Cosa Nostra

Guns | Goons | Gangsters

Sex | Dope

Power

My favourite genre of movies. Here starts the trilogy of the top 15 Gangster movies I've watched. You might, rather, you are bound to differ. I have my own criteria of "judging". :P

I definitely haven't watched all of them. Its just the list of the ones I have.

#15 American Gangster (2007)

Tagline: There are two sides to the American Dream.

Loooong movie. Interesting casting of the lead pair. Denzel Washington vs. Russel Crowe. Top-notch performances. Honest. True story. Thoughtful. Drug Trafficking. No cheap drug peddler but an elegant, suave, black one. No fireworks, no frills. An amazing glorification of the drug trade. Rise and fall movie. Highly under-appreciated.

Simplicity at its best though too easy to forget if not appreciative of the nuances. Go watch!

# 14 Donnie Brasco (1997)

Tagline: Based on a true story.

Pacino-Depp-Madsen! Reminded me slllllightly of Hrishikesh Da's Namak Haraam but in a whole new avatar. Underrated. Honest. No frills, what-so-ever. No great camera shots, no great dialogues. Not the most original or something out of the way but a nice taut plot. Depp is the angry-silent-hunk while Pacino is Pacino! Michael Madsen at his best. Watch it for its honesty.

# 13 Snatch (2000)

Tagline: Stealin' Stones and Breakin' Bones.

Crazy. Confusing. Pulp. Funny. Hilarious. Weird camera angles. Pitt's goofy accent - "Dags!". Freakin' unbelievable dialogues! Wit at its supreme.

• "Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity"
• "You take Sugar?" "No thanks, Turkish. I'm sweet enough"
• "Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an 'orrible c*nt... me."
• "Yes, London. You know: fish, chips, cup 'o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary fucking Poppins... LONDON."

Better watch "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" before it to appreciate it better. In either case, you won't have a friggin clue of what's going on!

#12 Road To Perdition (2002)

Tagline: Pray for Michael Sullivan.

American Beauty fame director Sam Mendes. Few dialogues, bordering on none. A dark, cold, rainy feel. Silhouttes. Coarse overcoats. Tom Hanks's poker-face throughout. Daniel Craig's close-ups. Emotionless. Full of emotions. Father-son relationships: Paul Newman and Daniel Craig, Paul Newman and Tom Hanks(surrogate) & Tom Hanks and his son. Revenge. Jude Law, the mystery. "I shoot the dead. Dead bodies, that is. I don't kill them."

# 11 Scarface (1983)

Tagline: He was Tony Montana. The world will remember him by another name.

Epic. Cult-following. Visceral. Loud. Over-the-top. Unrefined. Dope. Violence. Gore. Greed. Corruption. Death. Al Pacino does what he does best - getting into the skin of Tony Montana. Razor-cut characterization - Cult. Hypnotic Cuban accent - Cult. Bucketloads of swearing - Cult. "Fuck" used 207 times. One of the most influential climaxes - Cult. Dialogues - Cult. #8 on Entertainment Weekly's Top 50 Cult Films.

• "I always tell the truth. Even when I lie."
• "This is paradise, I'm tellin' ya. This town like a great big ***** just waiting to get fucked"
• "Is that coke in your bra or are you just happy to see me?"
  
• "My boss is gonna stick your heads up your asses faster than a rabbit gets fucked."
• "You wanna fuck with me? You fucking with the best! You wanna fuck with me? Okay. You little cockroaches... come on. You wanna play games? Okay, I play with you; come on. Okay. You wanna play rough? Okay. SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!"