Krrish

Who says sequels don't work? They do only if the film maker has the proper knowhow about it. After watching Krrish, its confirmed that Rakesh Roshan does have an extremely good knowhow about making a sequel.

The story, the cast, music, dialogues, special effects. You name it and its just fabulous.

Coming to special effects, if Koi..Mil Gaya brought about a revolution of sorts in Bollywood, Krrish has simply raised the benchmark to an incredible level.

So far as performances are concerned, it seems that if there is one director who can fully explore Hrithik's brilliance as an actor, its his father as Hrithik excels in every department of acting in Krrish. As a pair, Hrithik and Priyanka Chopra are just stunning.


Overall, Krrish is a must watch for any cine goer for it has everything for everybody. Rakesh Roshan, as a film maker, has
repeatedly proved his capabilities to dream big and profitable and make them come true.


Frankly speaking, Krrish is a perfect entertainer which is focussed, meaningful and simply laudable.

It's All In The Genes

In 1961, the Bengali film industry introduced Aparna Sen (then Dasgupta) through master film maker Satyajit Ray's classic, Teen Kanya. The debutant, was at that point of time, sixteen years and was quite an appropriate choice for theplaying the character of Mrinmoyee which she played to perfection.

Aparna Sen(DOB: October 25th, 1945) was born in Calcutta to a culturally progressive Bengali family. Her father, Chidananda Dasgupta, was a well recognized film maker and film critic and her mother, Supriya Dasgupta, was the cousin of renowned Bengali poet, Jibanananda Das.

After completing her graduation from the prestigious Presidency College in Calcutta, Aparna Sen resumed her film career in 1965 with Mrinal Sen's Akash Kusum. From 1965 till the end of 1970s, Aparna Sen enacted myriad of characters in Bengali, English and in few Hindi films.

It was the quest of achieving something substantial beyond her acting career that stimulated Aparna Sen to take up direction. With the English film, 36 Chowringhee Lane, Sen proved her potential as a promising, progressive and thinking director. Her debut as a director fetched her the National Award for the Best Director. The film also bagged some prestigious international awards. Aparna Sen followed her initial success with Bengali films like Paroma,Sati, Yugant and Paromitar Ek Din.

Meanwhile, in the 1980s, Aparna Sen began her successful career as an Editor of the Bengali women's magazine, Sananda(an Ananda Bazar Patrika publication). In 1986, the President of India awarded Aparna Sen the prestigious Padma Shri in recognition of her contribution to cinema.

Aparna Sen's second daughter, Konkona Sen Sharma(her father, Mukul Sharma, whom Aparna Sen married in 1976 after the death of her first husband, Sanjoy Sen) has many traits in her which are quite similar to that of Aparna Sen.

Konkona did her graduation in English Honours from St. Stephen's Collge , Delhi before joining films. Of course as a kid, she acted in some films which Aparna Sen directed, one of them being Picnic, a short film featuring Shabana Azmi and Farooq Shaikh.

Konkona's debut as an actress was with the Bengali film, Ek Je Aache Konya, which was a big hit and it firmly established Konkona as a force to reckon with in the film industry. Her next film was Rituparno Ghosh's Titli, in which she acted along with her mother and Mithun Chakraborty. The film was another major hit.

In 2002, Mr and Mrs Iyer was released. An English film directed by Aparna Sen starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Rahul Bose. The film had a great storyline and absolutely mindblowing performances by Konkona and Rahul Bose. Konkona's efforts were praised by all and she received the National Award for the Best Actress along with Aparna Sen, who received the Best Director Award. The film was featured in several international film festivals and got the due recognition there too.

In 2005, Konkona made her debut in Bollywood with Madhur Bhandarkar's Page 3. Playing the role of a journalist, Konkona, just like her mother, proved that language was no barrier to her acting capabilities. Her performance in the film was convincing and praiseworthy. Amu was another film for which Konkona's acting prowes was recognized.

In early 2006, Aparna Sen's another directorial venture in English, 15 Park Avenue was released. The film had Shabana Azmi, Waheeda Rehman, Rahul Bose along with Konkona Sen Sharma. Konkona, playing the character of a schizophrenic patient was simply outstanding. It was really a treat to watch her matching her acting skills with an extremely gifted artist like Shabana Azmi.

There goes the saying - it's all in the genes and what better example can we have than Aparna Sen and Konkona Sen Sharma, who as film personalities, are simply outstanding.

Frankly speaking, in future, we are sure to have many more meaningful cinema coming from this mother-daughter duo.

The 'Other Side' of World Cup Soccer

"Football is the great metaphor and the Cup the supreme example of a shared experience allied with individuality." These are words of internationally renowned author, Paulo Coelho. What differentiates soccer from other sports is the level of emotions displayed both by spectators as well as the players during a game. In this context, Keir Radnedge, former editor of World Soccer magazine says, "The game is about emotion- from utter depression to embracing euphoria and all the beats of the human heart in between."

Apart from the ecstasy and frustration, cheering and jeering, accolades and brickbats associated with each game in the tournament, there is another arena quite vivid and significant associated with World Cup soccer and that is fashion.
You browse through any newspaper, magazine or website providing updates on the World Cup and you surely can't miss out on the variety of fashion statements displayed both by models promoting various accessories on behalf of several corporate entities and also by the cheerleaders, who incidentally form a more significant chunk in this context.
Some fashion statements are really cool while some look wierd and crazy. But then, its that craziness and passion about the game that they wish to project. Face painting, body painting, designer head shaving, wearing wacky wigs, clothes and accessories.

There seems to be a plethora of style statements displayed by the cheerleaders,

which definitely adds to the razzmatazz associated with the tournament.
The Brazilians have always been found to be frontrunners when it comes to cheering their team throughout the tournament and more often than not the Brazilian ladies ensure to promote a distinct style statement and thus become the cynosure of photo journalists worldwide.

One reason behind the Brazilians grabbing a major share of eyeballs is the fact that Brazil always remain 'the favourite' team in any edition of the World Cup.

Lately, it has been observed that cheerleaders of other football teams are equally vocal in their support and fashion statement. Even a relatively conservative country like Iran has received tremendous support from its

female cheerleaders who have tried to make the most of their team's ephemeral existence in the competition.

The highlight of the fashion displayed by the cheerleaders supporting various countries is that thecolours and flavours of the home country are aptly packaged in it. It is this display of unique jingoism that makes the cheerleaders an integral part of World Cup soccer.

Just like the cricket World Cup, the corporates chip in with a range of offers and products during the soccer world cup too. But then the kind of incredible ideas that go behind their product developments and promotions are simply outstanding.

A recent trend which has been observed is that even the footballers' better halves actively participate in various ramp shows held during or before the start of the World Cup and create their own fan following in the process.

Frankly speaking, the World Cup soccer is not just about football but also about the glamour and glaze associated with it which surely will keep increasing with each subsequent edition of the World Cup. The one month event thus not only offers a rocking time to the football enthusiasts across the globe but also a rollicking time to those who simply love that 'other side' of World Cup soccer.

Coded To Succeed

There are books and then there are books like The Da Vinci Code which script incredible success stories in terms of sales and overall popularity. There have been an increasing number of books being made into films worldwide since the 1990s.
Sometimes, its the film that creates more publicity and sales for the book and sometimes its vice-versa.
But since the introduction of the Harry Potter series, it has been observed that the books have done a roaring business and have also been instrumental in creating a lot of hype around the films(based on those books) when they are released.
The Da Vinci Code is no exception in this context. The controversies surrounding the core subject matter, have made the book and the film a craze amongst millions worldwide. The subject matter however has been extremely disturbing for many Catholics across the globe and especially for the 'guardians' of the Vatican.
Any Tom Hanks film is a treat for any true cine lover but then with The Da Vinci Code, the stimulating factor is much more than Tom Hanks who plays the principal character of Robert Langdon in the film.
The book has actually not only lent publicity to the film but also to the previous books written by the author Dan Brown. One such book being Angels and Demons.
There are several reasons for The Da Vinci Code to be a run away success as a book. There are lots of elements in the novel which are true and there are many places mentioned in the book which actually exist but which were unknown to us prior to reading the novel. Secondly, is the plot, which is simply without a single dull moment.
Thirdly and most importantly, Dan Brown, through his book has added a new dimmension to some of Leonardo Da Vinci's renowned paintings like the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Vitruvian Man.

The way, Brown has used these paintings as indicators to project the true nature of The Holy Grail and also the motive behind the murder of Jacques Sauniere, the curator of Louvre musuem is simply incredible.

The world has learnt a lot about these paintings and also the various possible hidden connotations in them. In short, this book is just not an entertaining and thrilling read but also an extremely informative and well researched one.

Frankly speaking, high-profile publicity do create a lot of hype and what not but then, at the end of the day, if the content isn't appreciable, the publicity efforts soon lose their magic. Hence, though there have been lots of innovative publicity tools and techniques that have gone into marketing The Da Vinci Code, but it has been the book's content that has been a clear and deserving winner.

The Russian 'Temptations' of Tennis

Since the late 1990s, the Russian girls in international tennis have been found to redefine the glamour quotient of the game. They have bowled the world over not only with their professional skills but also with their looks.

It all started with Anna Kournikova, the Russian tennis player who never won a single Grand Slam event in her ephemeral tennis carrer but then, she created ripples the world over with her looks and physique. Over the years, she proved to be a more successful model than a tennis player.

But then, the Russian players who emerged in the international tennis arena after her, were more successful in proving their mettle.

Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina, Nadia Petrova and Svetlana Kuznetsova are some names who have displayed exceptional skills in the game and has also won the hearts of millions with their great looks and stunning

physique. This has enabled them to win various coveted trophies in the game of tennis along with bagging some prestigious international modelling assignments.

These glam dolls have experimented not only with their playing techniques but have also done the same with their wardrobe, displaying 'never seen before' versions of their playing attire and have thus added a substantial commercial angle to the game.

Frankly speaking, across the world, the men simply seem to bow before these modern-day Russian goddesses of beauty. They are not just an object of their fantasies but also a major catalyst of their irresistable temptations.

A Bug Called HYPE

It has often been found that in Indian sports, whenever any player achieves something significant, the media starts making a lot of hullabaloo about it. Especially if the concerned player is of the feminine gender. The news channels start airing the news of the concerned player's achievement day in and day out. The lifestyle channels air special rendezvous with the rising star. Corporates like the soft drink majors, FMCG companies, shoe and apparel companies, all want the upcoming star to endorse their products. Result? An excessive hype makes the promising player more aware of his/her looks et al. Even on the field, the player starts imagining himself or herself to be the one and only one, the cynosure who is just there out for an endorsement commitment. The player's responsibility to represent the country and bring respect, recognition and glory to it takes the back seat. There have been scores of such instances.
Is an example hard to seek?? Certainly not. Take our very own Hyderabad- based tennis player, Sania Mirza. After winning the Hyderabad Open and her string of some good performances in Dubai Open and the Wimbledon a year back, she not only had the opportunity to see her rankings improve but also her bank balance, which apart from her professional source, came from the endorsements. Sania had even seeked a nomination as the MTV Youth Icon along with some stalwarts belonging to different other fields which was absolutely irrational.No doubt, Sania is a beautiful lady but that she is something extraordinary became part of her attitude because of the hype created wholly and solely by the media inspite of her dismal performances in subsequent tennis tournaments. Not just the corporates but even the government made her a brand ambassador for various products and issues.
The ultimate, the unnecessary and the most premature hype was created around Sania by the government of India when it awarded her the Padma Shri. An award that should and is generally awarded to those sports personalities who have graduated from being a boy to a man (the genders change in Sania's case) in a particular sport. An 18 year, who has just played couple of years of tennis as a professional and hasn't achieved something out of the world as such can certainly not be a deserving recepient of the award. Let the girl in Sania mature. Let the player in Sania seek experience from her debacles. Allow her to be a consistent performer. Don't just make an incredible buzz around her just because she has represented the country at a level where no other Indian lady has represented earlier.
However, that is India and the media is simply hyper active in blowing some initial achievements of an upcoming player to an unimaginable extent. They just don't wait for the guy or the gal to settle in his or her career and allow him or her to understand as to how to navigate his or her way up the success ladder in his or her chosen field of sport. The media badshahs provide the player with a short cut to fame and money via the glamour route which actually harms the player's subsequent performances and the country fails to produce a world class player in the long run.
Frankly speaking, hype generally has been found to have more adverse effects rather than bringing out any positivity in the context of a player's performance. It causes distraction, creates an " I am Mr/ Ms. Extraordinaire" attitude which halts the learning process of an individual player. The player becomes an instant hit in the ephemeral scheme of things of the glamour industry and not actually a role model for those budding talents in sports who visualize seeking their recognition one day by being just a great sports personality.