Music: Some Not-so-popular favourites of mine!

5. Mere Falak ka Tu Hi Sitaara

  I doubt if anyone has seen, or even heard of the movie. 'Showbiz', was the title. Well, who cares? KK's genius is the only thing we have retained. And rightly so. If you're familiar with the song, you know what I'm talking about. If not, Just have a listen!

4. Yeh Hum Naheen

  One of my all time favourites, it's the first ever music video that I saved on my cellphone, back in 2008. Here's the full story behind this beautiful number. \Peace/

3. Maula Mere Bhaag Jaga Dena

  One thing we keep hearing when it comes to music. "It grows on you!". This one, actually did, on me. Especially the later portion of the unique twist halfway through this amenably bland track. Toshi, of 'Amul Star Voice of India' fame kickstarted his musical journey in Bollywood with this particular movie, titled 'Summer 2007' (LOL!).

2. Aksar

  No. Don't have to start recalling his scandal because you spot Shiney Ahuja again. He did give us some really good movies, once. 'Hijack' does not feature in that list, though. But KK's "Aksar" won hearts. Still does; the music-lover needs to just play it once.

1. Dil Deewana Kehta Hai [Movie: Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet (1999)]

  This one, Clearly, is the odd one out. Well, I did say, these are some favourites of MINE!

As an eight-year old, little did I care who the lead actor tripping to this peppy Udit Narayan number was(I did discover, a decade later, that it was our very own Mr. Arshad Warsi a.k.a. 'Circuit'!). I would jump up on the bed and start emulating these colossally stupid dance moves every time this appeared on Doordarshan. Hahh...the Good Ol' Days! ^_^

Limit: Reached.

Missy 'Fragrant' - A Lesson Learnt

♪-♬♪-♬♪-♫-♫- Jadoo Teri Nazar...

Khushboo Tera Badan....♫-♫-♫

Loverboy Level: SRK
(Image: Google)

Ahh! The beautiful, BEAUTYful reverie, envisioning yourself in the King's niche, playing Madhuri's Rahul or The 'Miss World''s Devdas. Amazing isn't it?
Well, there's more to it than meets the eye.

To start with, let's keep in mind that there's only one SRK - the Man himself. However, he, somehow, has automatically set the stage for a few self-appointed monarchs of romance, all over the place. Okay, not a few, countless. And it's about time I stopped patronizing my own behavioural brothers. I mean, seriously, how can you not try & emulate those moves if you spot even the slightest odds in your favour? Sorry, Dad, now you know the real reason I signed up for weekend acting classes.

The girl-boy ratio in the academy was funereal. My group was a bore, and the lessons, worse. Just as it was beginning to look like another feather to add to my well-endowed hat of squandered startups, the COO announced the programme for "Jashnn" - a theatrical fest involving budding actors and some 'stellar' graduates from the academy. A string of plays had been lined up to be staged, six weeks away. My incentive: The newly famed diva of regional television, who, opportunely for me, had obliged to play female lead in a soppy musical.
Five days and two rounds of auditions later, I'd been named in Her opposite role. Who says hard work doesn't pay off?!

Let's cut to the chase. Soon, in an unforeseen turn of events, I discovered that She stinks..Literally. It was a partner's nightmare! Unperceivable much? Legitimate, given the fact that TVs have never transmitted odour.


I had to pay the harshest penalty, thereon, since I had emerged as The Chosen One to play Her love interest. So, there I was, living 'a dream of thousands'. Little do the fans know of Madame's classy disinclination towards taking a bath every morning. I didn't either, until she spotted my instinctive grimace as I was pulling her close to practise the finishing scene of Act Two.
"Do I smell? Is it that bad?", she asked, at day's end. "Actually, the water's freezing.. Haven't been able to shower for a while now".

                     (Image: Google)

- Yes, Ma'am. You do, awfully. Please take one tomorrow!

I didn't know then, if being so blunt had been the proper way to behave, with a lady of elegance. But my concern was wiped away the next day, when she practically steamrolled over my hopes of attaining aromatic contentment.
"I couldn't do it. But relax. It won't be an issue anymore.. Chanel", she winked!

It Was. A BIG one.
If only Miss Coco had been insightful enough to release a requisite warning alongside her products; perhaps, stating that the perfumes cannot exempt a consumer from taking his/her daily bath, altogether! Because That, beyond the shadow of a doubt, is an absolute essential.

Subsequently, my misery was to continue.
But, as performers, we know that the show must go on.
Over our next few sessions, I came up with various ways to fend off any onslaught of the vile air on my olfactory nerves. Adding a nasal twang to my singing proved beneficial as I went about matching steps with her, and so did my newfound, personally devised techniques of rhythmic breathing. One final touch on my part, was taking longer showers everyday, just to keep my share of routine freshness maximized.

Our chemistry improved as well, her being a professional and me having made substantial progress in dealing with the smelly crisis. This was one close encounter I could just about manage to handle.

In the end, "Jashnn" turned out to be a huge success. Nevertheless, as the curtains came down on our stint with the audience roaring in applause, I knew what I was not gonna miss. All that glitters, is not gold.




-- My entry for IndiBlogger's "Close Encounters of the Smelly Kind" contest by Racold Thermo Ltd. For more details, visit https://www.facebook.com/racoldthermoltd.
Watch the smelly video, here:

Us Computer Engineers!

Call Me Crazy

As a kid, I was quite a handful. Justifiably enough, I used to get a good thrashing,every other day.

Therefore, holding or keeping my back against the wall all the time had become my natural course of moving around or sitting, in the house. One can understand why. I'd rather face my merited medicine during dosage, than fall upon an abrupt ambush from behind. Funny thing: Years later, I felt flattered watching one Mr. John Rambo adopt the same technique as he went about his escapades, on the silver screen.

Now on occasions,this happened-
My parents,more often Dad,would call me close,for any random reason. Kid-Me was adorable you know. The inclination to shower some affection,twiddle with me,was enticing. So, taking someone to the threshold beyond which there remained no choice but to whack me, needed some doing. But of course, I would never fail to get you there. If you know me, you Can imagine.

I knew that it's just a matter of time till I'm beaten up,so I refused to go near. He would ask again,and knowing the obvious reason for my reluctance,he would promise not to hit me. I still wouldn't listen. However, when he would relentlessly insist that me being such a lovely child it'd be a shame if I didn't oblige to my parent's request, and make a sincere promise that he's definitely not gonna hit me this time,I would soften up; rather count on his assurance, and let my guard down.

(Image: Google)

Meanwhile, the warmth would ease me up, and before I knew it, I was back to being my natural, impish self. Within minutes, I would get the hardest & loudest,full-fledged swat, on my back. It hurt. Beyond measure. But even more because I'd known for certain this'll happen. I was the only one responsible for it, Every Freaking Time! That,apart from the physical pain,used to choke me up,real bad.
The entire thing was an unending cycle. Every time, I would swear never to step into that well-familiar puddle, yet eventually, I would end up slipping, and encounter the same. And so on.

(Image: Google)

I still remember,vividly, the time I had an epiphany about my parents,teachers - practically everyone who'd ever rebuked me for my alleged misdoings. "They are ordinary. That they fail to comprehend me, is not their fault. It's me who is just too good for their perception."

Cracks me up, when I'm reminded of it nowadays. But at the age of 10, I'd taken it pretty seriously. In fact, it was the very reason that I never felt as bad at similar incidents, from that moment onward.

Call me crazy.

P.S. - Some days, I would sit before the mirror and take a good,long look. And I used to think to myself, "Ohh god... How can anyone,ever, hit such a cute kid? Are they blind?".

One (More) Wolverine Wannabe

Summer of 2012. Nokia had just launched the 808 PureView,its first 41 MP cameraphone. This one was a dazzler, and quite understandably so. As a part of promotions, they held a contest, titled 'My Hollywood Impersonation', on their worldwide blog NokiaConnects. The winner would be getting a brand new Nokia 808 PureView. All we had to do is pick our favourite Hollywood character and act out a scene playing the same.

I happened to learn of this ongoing event from an uncommunicative,camera-shy person who's otherwise ever-enthusiastic about any activity that might yield such lucrative rewards on success. And the allure of the promised trophy wasn't my only incentive for leaping at it. My profound childhood dream of becoming an actor in life had taken a (permanent) step back by the time I reached 11th standard. I mean, sure we had school plays and the occasional college fests here & there, but that was pretty much it. The drive to thrive in front of the camera wasn't getting a scope to fulfill itself.

So there I was, on our terrace,with my schoolmate-cum-neighbour and a Nokia E63 in his hand for the filming. I'd chosen Wolverine,my unrivaled favourite since back in our Cartoon Network days. The objective was to capture a short clip in which I would be portraying Hugh Jackman's character from X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
For the next 15 minutes or so, we made a complete fool of ourselves before the surrounding terraces' spectators. But the feel of it,the entire thing, was out of this world! The 'shoot' took a very short while, but its effect was long-lasting, liberating. With a simple upload, I'd entered the contest by evening.

    

I didn't win the phone. A guy from Hong Kong did,with an extraordinary impression of Heath Ledger's classic, The Joker. However, the European judges' panel had made a special mention of a couple other entries they'd liked. Mine featured there, along with some words encouraging me to take up acting someday, professionally. The appreciation pleased me. My peeps would argue,that it's stupid, that all the effort,ultimately had nothing to show for it, and that it was a mere promotional event online; but I know what superlative joy I had attained from that brief experience. And given a chance, I'd do it again...over and over again!

I Want My Morning Back!

Starting off the weekend isn't easy. For starters, last night I could afford the luxury of not setting an alarm to wake me up this morning. Oi, it's Saturday after all! Any prospective disruption to my prized morning sleep is immensely unwelcome.

(Image: Google)

  "13:01", read my phone's lock-screen. My first sight of the day. Damn, am I a slug!
So where do I stand now? Let's see. Something I've never quite got around to doing, before this moment - putting these on record for future reference; Here goes:

• It's past noon. So technically, it's afternoon. Hence, I've deprived myself of an entire morning.
• No Bournvita for me today. No breakfast either. Lunch will be my first undertaking now. (Man I hate missing meals!)
• The further I delay getting off the bed to go about my chores, the groggier I'll feel through my first few strides. This one,notably, is from first-hand experience. 

The list goes on. To sum up, this can't keep happening i.e. I have realized(for the millionth time) that I should not let this happen. The way I see it,now there are two choices:- Either I take up an added responsibility of following an uncompromising regime hereon, OR, I renounce waking up altogether.

Footnote: A certain Charlie Harper from the widely popular American sitcom 'Two and a Half Men', comes to mind.

CHARLIE HARPER [slowly making his way down the steps] Never again! Never, ever, ever again!

BERTA You gonna quit drinking?

CHARLIE HARPER Don't be ridiculous! I'm gonna quit waking up.