Chak De India!!!!

S and me had been to see this movie today and am I glad we did that. Just when I was beginning to think the genre of movies showcasing the "India spirit" was totally used up, there came this one which presents it in an all new light.

Though I would not go as far to compare it with Lagaan (that one was one of a kind), it would definitely be rated as good as Swades which I'd loved. It is worth at least one watch, if not more.

I loved the way a few critical points were addressed in the same movie. I'll list them down here to make my point clear:
1. The all pervading sense of patriotism in seeing our country's national team compete at the international level.

2. The attitude of thinking girls are meant only "cooking and washing at home" and "they can never compete like men can" and the general apathy towards women rampant in our country.

3. The building of teamwork, a bond that can overcome all obstacles and take the unit above an individual's gratification.

All the girls who essayed the roles of the hockey players in the movie look the part and have been selected with extreme care. A few of them stand out - Komal Chautala (a dimunitive Haryanvi with a well oiled tongue), Preeti Sabarwal (a good looking, tall, athletic player who shines the most on the field), Baljit (an endearing well built Punjabi lass who uses her fists as much as her mouth to good effect), Vidya Sharma (the married goalkeeper whose hubby and in laws play the spoilsports in her hocker career) and Bindiya Jain (the seniormost player of the team who embodies the "I'm jealous of the player who was made captain" spirit first and then the change over into playing for the team and take it to victory).

There are quite a few very good scenes in the movie, scenes that make you want to whistle (unfortunately I can't), stamp your feet in admiration and shout out "Chak De India". There are also some scenes which bring a lump in the throat and make you think how good it is to be Indian.

SRK has portrayed his role with the professionalism characteristic to him, he makes Kabir Khan seem very real, someone who you might have had the opportunity to meet or at least have read about in the papers. He uses the women's hockey team to achieve his dream of India winning the Hockey World Cup and in the process runs them through some gruelling practice sessions.

All in all, this movie is extremely watchable and I would recommend it to everyone who is Indian and to whom the whole idea of this new age Indianism is something to look forward to and to identify with.

Sorry for the cliche, but chak de India!!! You rock!!!

Eight Random Facts....

..about me. And yes, you will have to read through them, just to make my effort (of thinking about these) worthwile. :)

I picked this tag up from Shruthi's blog.

1. I am left-handed and I think it makes me one among few!

2. It is my fantasy to have a washboard flat tummy! Sigh...

3. I have actually read the Harry Potter series (from books 1 to 5) 4 times.

4. Sometimes I get tongue tied while talking to someone senior to me. Either I end up saying something different from what I meant to or I just jumble my words up. All the while, I have the correct words playing in my head.

5. I think the "Aviator" series from Rayban are the coolest ever sunglasses to have come out.

6. Though am not a big fan of chocolates, there are times when the urge to eat chocolate is bad, that I buy and eat a whole bar of Dairy Milk.

7. Patriotic movies or songs always bring tears to my eyes (though I'd never accept this in real life).

8. I blush very very easily.

For lack of enough people to tag, I pass this on to whoever wants to do it.

An Unusual Tag!

After this long hiatus, it is kind of unnerving to be writing again. Pixie tagged me with this one and it has been quite some time now, seeing she tagged me May end. So apologies to her for the delay!

I have to tell you 9 things that you don't know about me, only 8 of them are true. You need to guess which one isn't true!!

So, here goes:
1. It is very difficult for anyone to make me angry, I mean really angry. And if I choose not to lose my temper, it is impossible.

2. I hurt very badly when I see people who are not as well to do as others are. When I see them, I feel like the biggest loser on earth as I am not capable of helping them. I feel so helpless especially when I see their eyes.

3. I always dreamed of playing cricket at the highest level, but somewhere along the way very early, I lost the required focus.

4. I have known my wife for about 18 years now!

5. I love reading books. Anyone who knows me can tell you that when I'm reading I am hardly aware of what anyone says to me or what happens around me.

6. I am very unlucky when I have to get somewhere at a particular time. All the forces of the transport machinery and the weather will join hands in making me late.

7. I have walked almost 12 kms at a stretch with a good friend and that too in Mumbai itself - starting from VT to Haji Ali.

8. I hate food. I eat it only to survive, well if it tastes good, its just a bonus for me.

9. I believe in thinking that everything happens for a reason, and that in the long run, we do manage to take it in our stride, whether good or bad.

Am sure I've made it very easy for anyone who knows me to find out the one untruth in this pack of 9! So request you guys to not spoil the fun!

I tag anyone who reads through my tag and has not done this one before. Now that I've finally posted something (even though its only a tag) I hope I don't stop.