Ajab Gazabb Love- Movie Reviews

Critic's Rating:3/5
Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Nidhi Subbaiah, Kirron Kher, Darshan Zariwala, Arjun Rampal, Arshad Warsi

Direction: Sanjay Gadhvi

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 2 hours

Story: An ameer boy makes a gareeb game-plan to woo his ladylove, and his whole family puts up a comical con-for-a-cause act for his sake.

Review: Even when poverty walks out of a red-hot Ferrari - it looks damn cool! Who'd know better than the Grewals? One of the wealthiest business families in town who pride themselves on winning 'loaded' titles, and flaunting their riches - Porsches, Ferraris, designer this and designer that.

The younger Grewal, Rajveer ( Jackky Bhagnani), who has a passion for hot-wheels, has designed a 'Dream Car' (something like a desi Ferrari for the average Indian. Wow!) He has mostly driven solo, but shortly, he bumps into the girl of his dreams, Madhuri aka Maddy (Niddhi Subbaiah) and his 'ball-bearings' start to roll! She hates everything rich, damn the fact that she dons fancy clothes, bags and accessories. But here's the problem.

Rajveer has only one way to impress her - he draws up a 'Grewals-turn-gareeb' plan. Maa ( Kirron Kher) who dreams of a DB (read: dreambahu) for her son, business tycoon Pitaji, Yashwardhan (Darshan Zariwala) - a number crunching brother; bhabhi and niece - all become victims of his 'poor' plan. They are rich by day and poor at night. Plight!

Yashwardhan's role suddenly changes from cracking deals in crores to sellingkelas, Maa gives up her 'Manish Malhotra creations' for the buddhi-blind-bechari 'DM' (read: down-market) look, his brother plays an alcoholic, and bhabhi turns into a bai (Hai-la!). All this while the love-starved couple - Rajveer and Maddy romance in dream sequences in exotic Italy (No 'penne' for your thoughts). Soon, there's double-trouble in this plan, when Maddy's twin bros, Karan - Arjun ( Arjun Rampal) walk into the chaos and turn thisgareeb-khana into a pagal-khana.

Jackky Bhagnani's decent effort shows (as much as his 8-pack), his comic-timing is well-toned in parts too; he flaunts smooth moves on the dance floor, though in emotional scenes he seems lacking in confidence and falters. Niddhi Subbaiah, in her first big Bollywood role, looks pretty and confident, but seemingly over-enthu at times.

Darshan Zariwala steps out of his serious-cinema mould and surprises us with a fab comedy act.Arshad Warsi in a cameo, tries to add southern tadka with his accent, but he doesn't do much beyond that, really. Arjun Rampal's, comic-timing is a revelation. His double-act entertains and adds energy to this comedy.

The star-performer, undoubtedly, is Kirron Kher; not that it's a surprise. She overacts convincingly (she's supposed to be a filmi Maa), and her over-the-top histrionics are hilarious.

The story (a remake of Telugu hit 'Seema Tapakai') is mounted on a weak idea, with paucity of funny moments and well-written scenes. Gadhvi (known for the 'Dhoom' series) has poorly patched the comic scenes with some songs (with a bounty of bikini-clad women - 'Dhoom'hangover, huh?), social messages (forced); and a story with a few laughs and even lesser romance.

This film is all about a bunch of people going bananas, yet, it doesn't leave you in splits. But if you care for a few giggles, go watch it.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Ajab-Gazabb-Love/movie-review/16967333.cms

Rush- Movie Reviews

Critic's Rating:

3/5

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Neha Dhupia, Aditya Pancholi, Sagarika Ghatge, Murli Sharma

Direction: Shamin Desai

Genre: Thriller

Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes

Story: Ambitious Samar joins a crime-news channel as top gun - to discover his employers committing crimes. Can Sam rush away? 

Movie Review: First, the good news - Rush has an interesting plot and great detailing, the latter unusual in Bollywood. Such detailing - irregularly placed photos in Samar (Hashmi) and girlfriend Ahana's (Ghatge) home, favourite coffee mugs from which media tycoon-types sip their whisky, a T-shirt cheekily promising 'Endless Vacation' landing a billionaire in jail - add heft to this tale. Crime journalist Samar loses his job over a 'shooter ka shocking sach' from hired gun Prince (Sharma). Sam's seduced into joining 'Crime-24', owned by Roger Khanna (Pancholi - looking fresher than he has in decades, making money from, as he says, 'kir-minals' merrily 'voi-lating' rules), run by Lisa Kapur (Dhupia) offering him crores - if Sam doesn't broadcast how crimes Crime-24 'breaks' are actually committed in-house.
But sacha Sam rejects Crime-24 - and all hell breaks loose, Ahana (who sells paintings with the helpful tip, "It'll look beautiful in the house") abducted with killers dispatched to pack-up Sam. How Sam fights back forms Rush's fun, as do moments like a boss shouting, "This is a news channel, not an old age home!", policemen visibly annoyed with pesky reporters asking if they're letting off andhere mein teer, even Pancholi mouthing cliches about how dus mein se aath log sitar-vaadan nahin, triple murder dekhna chahte hain. 

But there's bad news too - no amount of lip gloss, nor shiny suits can hide poor acting, which Rush features plenty of. Not one actor bites fully into their role, Hashmi mostly mechanical, the ladies lovely but blank. You fully empathise when Sam, shooting for a breakfast cereal ad, is pleadingly told by the director, "Sir, please, more feeling ke saath!" In the second half, Hashmi does wade into the deeper end, exposing a criminal-media nexus - but after too much waffling with cliches, it's too little, too late. 

Still, while not the relentless thriller it could've been, Rush offers some slick seconds - the tie-tweaking Sam's face evolving from reporting news to becoming it, Gurgaon's glitz, Pahargunge's grunge, Dhupia's luscious trenches and form-fitted skirts. But despite all that, Rush lacks zip - plus, Hashmi doesn't kiss. 

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Rush/movie-review/16970877.cms

Facebook: Details of 1 million accounts sold for $5- Tech News

LONDON: A blogger has claimed to have bought information of 1.1 million Facebookusers for just five dollars.

The company, which has recently been accused that users' privacy is undermined, is now facing claims that a blogger was able to buy email addresses and user IDs, which were not publicly available.

In recent months Facebook has been accused of allowing private messages to be made public in their new 'timeline' feature - an allegation they have strongly denied.

According to the Daily Mail, users' private information is valuable to companies wanting to advertise to audiences.

Bulgairan Bogomil Shopov, a blogger and digital-rights activist, claimed that he was able to buy data containing names, user IDs and email addresses.

He also alleged that Facebook later asked him to delete his post detailing the purchase, the report said.

Shopov claimed that he bought the data from a user called 'Mertem' on digital odd-jobs board Gigbucks, where users offer to perform tasks in exchange for payments between five and 50 dollars.

"The information in this list has been collected through our Facebook apps and consists only of active Facebook users, mostly from the US, Canada, UK and Europe," Mertem apparently wrote in the sales description.

According to the report, Facebook said it would investigate how the data entries were obtained.

"Facebook is vigilant about protecting our users from those who would try to expose any form of user information. In this case, it appears someone has attempted to scrape information from our site," a spokesperson said.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/social-media/Facebook-Details-of-1-million-accounts-sold-for-5/articleshow/17001632.cms

Listen Amaya- Movie Previews

Director: Avinash Kumar Singh, Geeta Singh
Cast: Farouque Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Swara Bhaskar, Amala Akkinenni, Siddhant Karnick
Producer: Ashok Sawhny

Synopsis

Book a coffee, is an offbeat library cum coffee shop. It is owned and run by Leela Krishnamoorthy, a middle aged widow. She herself is as interesting and free spirited as the cafe she runs! Amaya, Leela's only child is a fire-brand 22 year-old writer; quick witted, confident and open-minded. They adore each other as only mother daughter can.

Into this mix, is thrown Jayant Sinha. A 60 year old retired photographer, who continues his chosen profession as a hobby today. He is passionate about people and the memories they create; he is also a great friend to Amaya Krishnamoorthy, with whom he decides to co-author a coffee table book, titled Memories...of The Busy Bazaar. The Busy Bazaar as a title has it's own story and adds a subtle but intriguing undercurrent to the narrative woven around it.

Listen Amaya is a modern, young, contemporary film about relationships, family dynamics, about pre-conceptions and about priorities. It encapsulates a simple thought that, one does not stop living for the future, on the back of memories one has of the past.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/previews/bollywood/Listen-Amaya/articleshow/16913580.cms

Windows 8: Is it innovative enough to lure consumers?- Tech News

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer can't afford to be wrong about Windows 8.

On Thursday in New York, Microsoft will unveil a dramatic overhaul of its ubiquitous Windows operating system. If it flops, the failure will reinforce perceptions that Microsoft is falling behind competitors such as Apple, Google and Amazon as its stranglehold on personal computers becomes less relevant in an era of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

8 new features in Microsoft Windows 8

If Ballmer is right, Windows 8 will prove that the world's largest software maker still has the technological chops and marketing muscle to shape the future of computing.

"This is going to be his defining moment," said technology industry analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy. Ballmer's "legacy will be looked at as what he did or didn't do with Windows 8. If Windows 8 is not a success, a lot of people will be looking for Microsoft to make a change at the CEO level."

Windows 8 is designed to run on PCs and tablet computers, heralding the biggest change to the industry's dominant operating system in at least 17 years. It also marks the first time that Microsoft has made touchscreen control the top priority, though the system can still be switched into the familiar desktop mode that allows for control by keyboard and mouse.

Ballmer sees Windows 8 as the catalyst for a new era at Microsoft. He wants the operating system to ensure the company plays an integral role on all the important screens in people's lives - PCs, smartphones, tablets and televisions.

"We are trying to re-imagine the world from the ground up with Windows 8," Ballmer told The Seattle Times. He declined to be interviewed for this story.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/software-services/Windows-8-Is-it-innovative-enough-to-lure-consumers/articleshow/16949030.cms

Shudra: The Rising- Movie Reviews

Critic's Rating:3/5
Cast: Aaref Rajput, Pravin Baby, Kirran Sharad, Shaji Chaudhary, Radha Srivastav

Direction: Sanjiv Jaiswal

Genre: Drama

Duration: 1 hour 44 minutes

Story: Shudra-The Rising showcases the plight of dalits in the country. It questions those who believe in the caste system. 

Movie Review: Couple of dalits in a village are forced to rise against a landlord who exploits the shudra (dalits) and rapes their wives/daughters. It's a story of a helpless community deciding to stop tolerating the crimes committed against them in the name of caste. 
Water is refused to an elderly dalit man, which causes his death; a five-year-old dalit kid is harshly punished because he mouths Om Namah Shivaya; a pregnant dalit woman is forced into bed by an upper caste landlord... Shudra highlights the atrocities committed on dalits in the past and leaves us believing it still happens. 

Is caste more important than humanity? How did the caste system come into existence? The film attempts to awaken those who still believe in the age-old casteism blindly. 

Shudra is a heart-breaking film. It's emotionally disturbing as all you watch is pain and suffering. The film is more of a documentary on the kind of crimes that were committed on the 'untouchables'. In spite of the film being extremely tragic, it works, as the storytelling and setting is authentic. The actors perform exceptionally well. The outfits, makeup, art direction, cinematography is first-rate. The music is touching and meaningful. 

The film however doesn't rise above the depiction of suffering. The awakening part is brief, while the director stresses on the misery. The story could have been much more than a series of tragic tales put together. 

Shudra attempts to overthrow the age-old caste system in India. Watch it, if you are still not enlightened enough on the issue.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Shudra-The-Rising/movie-review/16876847.cms

Trai allows telcos to offer combo recharge vouchers- Tech News

NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator Trai has allowed operators to provide new kind of recharge coupons for pre-paid connections that will provide dual benefit to consumers. 

The new "Combo vouchers" will enable customers to add value in their mobile phone account as well as avail services at discounted rates. 

"...the Authority has decided, through the Fourth Amendment to the TCPR 2012, to permit the Combo Vouchers as a fourth category of vouchers with safeguards," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in a statement. 

Earlier rules allowed only three categories of vouchers, namely Plan Vouchers (either through cards or electronically) that enrols a consumer into a tariff plan, Top-up coupons for adding monetary value in to pre-paid account of consumers and Special Tariff Vouchers for getting value added services or discounts on services. 

After notification of Telecom Consumer Protection Regulation, 2012 (TCPR) in January, Trai said that there had been demands from several service providers and COAI to allow a fourth category of vouchers (Combo Vouchers). 

"The Combo Vouchers would provide monetary value and tariff concessions through a single voucher," Trai said. 

Combo Vouchers will enable mobile phone subscribers to add monetary value to their prepaid balance as well as get benefit of special tariffs through a single transaction instead. 

As per Trai's instruction to telecom operators, Combo Vouchers will bear a blue colour band whereas the Top-Up Vouchers will have a green colour band. 

Telecom operators will also have to provide option of standalone top up vouchers along with combo vouchers. 

The regulation says that Combo Vouchers will clearly have to mention the terms and conditions so that subscribers can make an informed choice. 

Trai has said that service providers should ensure that customers are properly informed and conveyed about conditions and restrictions, if any, imposed on the monetary value provided through combo vouchers to avoid the possibility of confusion.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/telecom/Trai-allows-telcos-to-offer-combo-recharge-vouchers/articleshow/16924434.cms

Delhi Safari- Delhi Safari

Critic's Rating:3/5
Direction: Nikhil Advani

Genre: Animation

Duration: 1 hour 36 minutes

Story: Five awesome-pawsome animals are enroute Delhi to fight for their rights, and bring justice to the jungle. 

Movie Review: Welcome to Animal Planet! Not the one of guts and gore of Tellyland's jaws, paws and claws; but our own animated jungle mein mangal. Yes. The Animals have landed. Look around the city; you can probably spot a lonely leopard at a 'zebra-crossing', a bear working his fat-ass off in your gym or a bandar - ek Virar-fast-local-train-ke-andar. Let's welcome the new denizens of the (concrete) jungle. What in the world are they doing in the land of tamed creatures (read: Man)? We'll tell you. Introducing Yuvraj (no, not Salman Khan) - lovingly called Yuvi - the cub leopard ( Swini Khara); and Begum, his Mom ( Urmila Matondkar). Bagga the bear ( Boman Irani), Bajrangi (Govinda) the head of the vanar-sena, with a gamcha around his head (take a bow Anurag Kashyap), and Alex ( Akshaye Khanna) the popat, who's the only one who speaks human language. 

Suddenly there's crisis in their 'wild-life', as men from civilized society bull-doze into their forest area in Mumbai, only to build towers and more towers. But Yuvi isn't ready to give up his homeland yet; he convinces his fellow janwars for jung, and they head to Delhi to protest at the Parliament. 

What's entertaining is that this animal kingdom is a product of Bollywood (they should've moved to Film City studios, instead). They do action scenes in slow-mo (inspired by 'Ek Tha Tiger',maybe), sing romantic duets, dance garba, say dialogues like, "Mere paas maa hai", and exchange jaadu ki jhappi (Munnabhai chale jungle mein, haan?). There are also creatures like a parinda with'Ghajini'-like tattoos under his wing, a bat (called Batman) who impersonates Dev saab, and an evil hyena called Kaalia ( Prem Chopra) who sings Tandoori Nights (die-hard Himesh Reshammiya fan). And guess what, these worldly-wise animals talk about casting couches, and saas-bahu tele-shows too (more power to Ekta Kapoor!) That's not it. They give live bytes to the media and make headlines (thankfully, they aren't tweeting yet). 

With satire, spoof, humour and wit, director, Nikhil Advani has highlighted the ongoing aadmi v/s animal battle, the desperate need for preservation of wildlife and the downside of deforestation. His creatures entertain and tell the story in true Bollywood style (too many songs and too much drama 'foxes' the plot). The problem is, he doesn't cut to the chase, and it turns out to be more like a long safar than a safari. The 3D effects are striking in parts and amongst the best we've seen in India, but few scenes are deja vu 'Lion King'. Alex and Bajrangi with their histrionics and rip-'roaring' banter are the stars of this show. While the cartoon creatures will appeal to kids, there's more for adults here. The 'real' Men of the jungle that is. 

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Delhi-Safari/movie-review/16840011.cms

Apple sends invite for 'iPad mini launch'- Tech News

NEW YORK: Apple has sent out invites for an event next Tuesday, where it's expected to announce the release of a smaller iPad. 

The invite, sent to reporters Tuesday, doesn't hint at what will be revealed, beyond saying that "We've got a little more to show you." The event will be held in San Jose, California. 

Media and analysts have said for months that Apple has an " iPad mini" in the works. The tablet is thought to be about half the size of the regular iPad and to start at $249 or $299. The regular iPad starts at $499 for the most recent models. 

Apple founder Steve Jobs derided the idea of a smaller tablet two years ago, but Amazon.comhas had some success with its Kindle Fire, which is about half the size of the iPad and starts at $159. Analysts believe Apple wants to tackle that competition with its own similarly sized tablet. 

Reports suggest that the smaller iPad would have a screen that's 7.8 inches on the diagonal, a bit more than the Kindle Fire or Google's Nexus, with their 7-inch screens. The full-size iPad has a 9.7-inch screen, giving it about twice the display area as the 7-inch units. 

Apple typically starts selling a new phone or iPad a week or two after announcing it. But it could treat the new iPad as a minor product update, in which case it could start selling it right after the announcement. 

Apple shares rose $14.02, or 2.2 per cent, to $648.78 in midday trading Tuesday. The shares are off their all-time high of $705.07, hit September 21 when the iPhone 5 went on sale in stores.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/hardware/Apple-sends-invite-for-iPad-mini-launch/articleshow/16847123.cms

Aiyyaa- Movie Reviews

Critic's Rating:4/5

Cast: Rani Mukerji, Prithviraj, Subodh Bhave, 
Nirmiti Sawant, Satish Alekar, 
Jyoti Subhash, Ameya Wagh, Anita Date

Direction: Sachin Kundalkar

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Duration: 2 hours 28 minutes

Story: A middle-class Marathi mulgi falls in love and romances a Tamil boy in her quirky fantasies, while her parents are looking for the perfect matrimonial match. 

Movie Review: Arrey Deva, hey kai? Kinky Kanda-pohey topped with sexy sambar-chutney? Of course, this can't beat the madness of the dramatic Deshpandes. A family of 'weird-Ums' - With aai, baba, bhau, aajji and dream-girl Meenaxi Deshpande ( Rani Mukerji), who's truly the Queen of her filmi fantasies (she's revisited every dream sequence as Sridevi, Juhi, Madhuri). So what if this D-family is busy arranging 6pm and 9pm shows of 'Meet The Bride', this one is no Balaji brand bahu, really. She needs more tadka in her life than what a plain diet of varan-bhaat can give. Meenaxi spends time chasing her unique olfactory senses (read: nose) and slipping into long dream-um sequences (where jumping, pumping, thumping, laavni, belly-dancing and more happen) AGB!!!(read: Aga Bai!). When a studly, mysterious Tamil boy Surya (Prithviraj) walks in 'reeking' of manhood, sexuality and 'fragrance', this mulgi just doesn't want to wake up from her wet dreams (funnily, he's the one getting wet in all her dreams); so she starts reading books on Tamil fiction, watching Midnight Masala (Isshh!!), and turning aiyyaas to aiyyos. In the meanwhile, she also meets a potential groom, Madhav ( Subodh Bhave), who believes in filmi romance too, albeit the Farooq Sheikh - Deepti Naval type. 

From top to basumm Rani is truly Wonderum! As Meenaxi, she's 'nose-dived' into the character, literally. She's looking fabulous (especially in her bronzed dream sequences), and has dished out a brilliant performance, slipping from traditionally simple to shockingly sexy in a heart-beatumm. Her comic-timing is a revelation and so are her belly-dancing skills. And even with all that boldness, she steals the thunder (more with talent than her thighs-sighs). 

Prithviraj is simply Eroticumm! He exudes chiselled, raw sexuality in every scene; gets wet, adds Southern masala with his moves, but says nothing really. Adding to all the drama is the supporting cast led by an over-the-top Aai ( Nirmiti Sawant), chain-smoker Baba ( Satish Alekar), eccentricAajji who hilariously zips around in a wheel-chair with dentures made of gold (saved for Meenaxi's wedding), Nana (Ameya Wagh as her bro) who prefers stray dogs to the human race, and her girl-friend, Maina ( Anita Date) - the Gaga-bai of the gang (modeled on Lady Gaga), - who lusts for John Abraham, thinks 'sex' and breaks away from the sweet Modak-mould of this typical Maharashtrian family. 

Sachin Kundalkar starts out well, but while juggling between Marathi matrimonials and midnight-masala, his plot goes 'wakda' (read: digresses). After a few giggles, erotic gasps, and gaanas (Amit Trivedi), the story stretches pointlessly and loses its scent. 

Even with such a talented ensemble, this one turns into a cultural showpiece, and gets lost in translation. That's the sad-partumm!

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Aiyyaa/movie-review/16768189.cms

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2- Movie Reviews

Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Peter Facinelli, Dakota Fanning, Kellan Lutz, Taylor Lautner, Maggie Grace, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Sheen, Elizabeth Reaser, Jackson Rathbone, Jamie Campbell Bower, Joe Anderson
Banner: Summit Entertainment
Worldwide Release: November 23, 2012

Synopsis

After months of anticipation and curiosity on the part of its avid fans, the first look of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2 is finally out to give them some respite. The first look poster for Breaking Dawn-Part 2 features a bright background with the lead characters - Edward (Robert Pattison), Bella(Kristen Stewart) and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) - running towards someone... the Volturi perhaps? Also featured in the poster are Lee Pace who plays a nomad named Garret and Rami Malek who plays the Egyptian vampire Benjamin. The movie carries the tagline "The epic finale that will live forever."

The astonishing conclusion to the series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2, illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions till date.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/previews/hollywood/The-Twilight-Saga-Breaking-Dawn-Part-2/articleshow/16750625.cms

Chittagong- Movie Reviews

Critic's Rating:

4/5

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Delzad Hiwale, Barry John, Vega Tamotia

Direction: Bedabrata Pain

Genre: Drama

Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes

Story: Jhunku Roy joins Surya Sen's youth-brigade against the British - will he be free? 

Movie Review: Who is your master? Someone who teaches you? Someone who rules you? Or your own inner voice? Chittagong answers this in sensitive style, following Jhunku Roy, the 14-year-old boy-soldier in schoolteacher Surya Sen's historical 1930s uprising against the British. Born to privilege, Jhunku is torn between studying at Oxford and being tutored by District Magistrate Wilkinson (John) versus discovering his own inner self. When his friend is shot dead by vicious Inspector Johnson, Jhunku chooses to join Chittagong's freedom struggle. 

Hiwale performs marvelously as Jhunku. Film aficionados will spot the subtle resonances between Hiwale's protagonist and Aparajito's young Apu. But Jhunku is not alone - with a super performance by Siddiqui as Nirmal and Tamotia competent as Priti, Chittagong showcases the courage of extraordinary ordinary folk, fighting against a cruel Raj. Bajpayee presents a tightly restrained performance as 'Master-da' while John captures Wilkinson, trapped between anger and admiration. 

The camerawork is remarkable, framing locales like a Japanese painting, hills wreathed in mist, mangroves sunk in water, a Van Gogh-like patchwork of green and yellow fields. It even reflects why the Andaman imprisonment was called 'kala pani' through shots of hopelessly dark waters. The music hops nimbly between yearning and rousing and some sequences - child soldiers fighting machine gun-bearing British troops, Jhunku beaten savagely by British officers in jail - are memorable. 

The editing is over-zealous though. Barely do scenes with eye-catching period details start developing - like a tense dinner party at the Wilkinsons' - do they get cut. It takes the second half for the film to show more swagger as Jhunku grows up (played by Vijay Varma, whose angular looks add interest) and returns to Chittagong. 

This is a serious film - but far from somber, a tongue-tied Nirmal blushingly telling Priti, "Mujhe tumhare pyaar karne ki - matlab, larne ki shiddat bahut pasand hai," the brigade's youthful high spirits including stripping British guards and making them do utthak-baithak, and finally, the real 'Jhunku' or Subodh Roy talking about his life's most amazing experience. Like a Chittagong orchid, the movie takes time to blossom - but when it does, it's beautiful. And pleases a certain master.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Chittagong/movie-review/16768238.cms

If and when captaincy comes, I'll be ready for it, says Virat Kohli- Sports

Virat Kohli has been batting in a different zone in recent months. On Thursday during an exclusive interview with K Shriniwas Rao, he gave a rare peek into his world as he spoke about his game and life beyond cricket. Excerpts...

India lost only one match but still couldn't make it to the semis of WT20...

Yes, it was very unfortunate. Other than that one defeat to Australia, we played reasonably well. This tournament once again showed how crucial net run-rates can be in such a format.

Your batting was again the highlight...

I had good fun and was really enjoying myself out there until our game against South Africa. It wasn't a good feeling that in spite of winning the game, we could not make it to semis.

You are batting in a different zone...

I am doing the same things that I've always done. Yes, this phase has turned out to be really good and I hope to keep it going. You can't just go out there and keep scoring in every match. So I believe that as long as I keep working hard and maintain that focus, it's fine.

Any change in your training schedule?

I still do the same things - fitness training, batting, gym sessions, spending time with teammates and so on. The only difference is I perceive things differently these days. I'd like to believe that I'm far more disciplined today than what I used to be and I work a lot harder on all aspects of my game. The idea is to strive for consistency and stretch it farthest. It can happen only when my mind and body are totally into it.

Discipline - is it something that you've inculcated over time?

I always had a sense of discipline in me. However, there was a time when I couldn't divide my time properly between off-field things and on-field assignments. The focus would be missing at times and that would affect my preparation for matches. I managed to change that. Now I neglect everything else and focus only on the game.

Some players are just naturally talented while others have to work hard to achieve success. In your case, talent and hard work seem to go hand-in-hand...

Irrespective of whether you have talent or not, one has to work hard. Just being talented doesn't mean anything; you can end up wasting it before you realize. I work very hard, there is an urge to keep striving. I enjoy it.

You seem to enjoy responsibilities too...

I love playing under pressure. In fact, if there's no pressure then I'm not in the perfect zone. Frankly, I love taking responsibility. It brings out the best in me.

What do you think of captaincy? There's talk you may lead the Twenty20 side...

I too have heard the chatter about captaincy, but I am not thinking about it right now. If and when it comes, I'll be ready for it. As of now, I'd rather concentrate on my game.

What do you prepare for a match?

I just try to stay as calm and confident as possible. Good Punjabi music before a match pumps me up. It gives me a kick.

And how do you relax?

Music, for me, is vital. Punjabi, Bollywood, Sufi, RnB... I listen to it all. When I'm not listening to music, you will find me chatting with friends. Off the field, I just let my instincts take over. I certainly don't think about batting, or which bowlers I'm going to face.

Are you a spiritual person?

I am. I do believe in God. But you won't find me visiting temples every now and then. I believe in self-realization. Peace of mind matters a lot to me. What's the point in doing something just for the sake of it? I'd rather do something I like doing as long as I'm being true to myself.

In 2008, you led the U-19 team to World Cup triumph, got picked for IPL and were on the verge of making your debut for Team India. But something went wrong...

Probably, I was a little lost with what was happening around me. I took time to adjust. When you don't have someone to guide you through such situations, things can get very difficult. I was confused, my priorities had suddenly changed and things didn't go as I had expected. That was a mistake.

Your exposure to big league was sudden...

Yes, it all happened very quickly. I was confused about which direction to head. I used to feel stupid at times. As a result, I didn't enjoy the best of seasons. I needed to learn it and I realized that what you do out there on the cricket field is all that matters. Everything else is secondary. I'm glad it happened at the beginning of my career.

Today, there's certain calmness in the way you talk...

I don't know about that but I certainly give a lot of importance to conversation and communication. I'm pretty clear in my head about what I want to say and where to say it. It helps me and probably keeps me calm too.

Five hundreds in you last 10 ODIs - you seem to be mastering the art of converting 50s into 100s...

I bat at number three, so more often than not, the target is to bat at least till the 35th or 40th over. The whole idea is to ensure that the team gets into a good position. That's why I make it a point not to throw away my wicket. In doing so, runs begin to flow and it all falls in place.

Can you tell us an instance when you may not have been in the perfect frame of mind, and yet you walked out to bat, put in that extra effort and did well...

Yes, in the Adelaide Test. They (Australia) scored 600-odd (604) in the first innings and we were 100-odd (111) for four when I walked in. I didn't have a good feeling at all... Maybe it was all the effect of what had been happening overall and the defeats. I was feeling low but managed to stick around and get a hundred (116). That kind of experience always stays with you.

Do you remember your dismissals?

I do. There was a span of six or seven games in Sri Lanka, when I kept getting out, fishing outside the off-stump. It made me conscious and I actually gave it a serious thought.

Do you watch videos of your batting?

I am not completely into it. Technology is good but I don't feel the need to depend on it too much. If I am doing something wrong again and again, I think about it and watch replays of a few innings at times. It helps when you're in need of some inspiration. It's more of a mental thing.

Is money also an inspiration for you?

Sport is the first priority. And if you earn from the game as well then there's nothing wrong. As long as you are honest to the sport and making an effort, everything else is fine.

List your five favourite innings...

The World Cup final was special. We were in a very tricky situation and got out of it. It will always be very special to me. One big favourite is Adelaide, the low that we were in. Hobart has to be next. Also, the recent one against Pakistan (in WT20).

How was Kirsten to work with? What about Fletcher?

Both are very different persons. Gary was more of a guy who would have regular conversations with every cricketer. He kept talking to us all the time and he could make the players talk too. On the other hand, Duncan is someone who will come to you if he thinks you're making a mistake. Duncan has great knowledge and he can talk about the game at a totally different level. Some of the things he told me have helped a lot and I'd say, the improvement has shown. I have great relationship with both of them.

And your relationship with MS Dhoni?

We share a good friendship. It wasn't like that when I came in first. It took time but now he allows me to take certain responsibilities and I enjoy it.

Resource:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/interviews/If-and-when-captaincy-comes-Ill-be-ready-for-it-says-Virat-Kohli/articleshow/16775396.cms