Quizzito ergo sum, par TV pe quiz shows hain kam!!!

Knock! Knock! Mr. Basu, are you listening?? Where is the O'Brien family? OK, I am fed up of watching farces like "paanchvi paas...", etc in the name of quizzing. I remember the time when one of Mastermind or University Challenges were regularly on TV. It was perhaps the only thing on TV that I religiously followed and so did my family. BQC, however childish it might have been, was always there if you wanted some adrenaline-pumping quizzing action. Even KBC was much better than the showman-driven, moolah-distributing idiocities on-air these days.
I have been part of lots of quizzes in my college in the past two years and let me assure you that 'Quizzing' in its genuine avatar is much more exciting than seeing "over made-up" vamps dishing out soliloquies, tilting their eyebrows in every manner possible. Some people would definitely disagree but then television is supposed to cater to all sorts of audience. And I am sure there are many more of my tribe. :)
I guess the ESPN quiz is still on but being an exclusively sports thingy, its audience thins down further (Ok, here come my prejudices again).
So please, people concerned, listen... give us some "real" quiz shows and stop these KKKKK....KWIZ Shows. ;)

Alas, Federer is only a mortal !!! :(

Kudos to Rafa for playing some incredible tennis to beat the odds and vanquish the "King of grass". All right, that's enough praise for the new "champ"... :)
Now I am free to express my disappointment at what happened this Sunday night. To be very frank, I am not a die-hard tennis fan and only keep tabs on the results. However, my gut said that this one was going to be special and boy o' boy what an all-knowing gut have I got !!!

I said in my first post that I like to have an opinion on nearly everything. So, inspite of my limited understanding of the nitty-gritties of tennis, I would try to think out what went wrong for Feddy (and maybe end up justifying some of his mistakes unwittingly :) ). Now, as far as I think, Federer knew this was coming after last year's final and more so after the merciless thrashing he received in the french Open this year. Right in the first set, one could sense the difference in their approach to the game. Once Roger lost the first set, it was evident (atleast till set 4) that Nadal was calling the shots and Federer was the one catching up. Fed's genius was reflected in the way he clung on and managed to level the match inspite on being down.

Fed and Rafa have totally different styles. Federer banks more on his range and guile and Rafa relies on his agility and power. On this particular day, Federer really bungled up on shots he is worshipped for. One of the turning points of the match (Amritraj said so) was the volley Federer missed when he could have gone up 5-4 in the second set. Somehow I believe he panicked and tried a bit too hard. I would not wish to take credit from Nadal for showing unbelievable fighting spirit and conjuring some magical returns when everybody though the the rally was as good as over. Not to forget, his "bodyline" serves which completely rattled Federer. Talking of service, Federer surprised everyone too by serving brilliantly and ending up with 22 aces. I remember one of the commentators saying a few years back that true champions have this quality of producing amazing serves when they are down and that is the mark of a great player.

I would like to point out something interesting that I noticed during the third set. Nadal was on verge of winning the match and he double faulted. It somehow showed how he feared winning. This is not to be blamed on Nadal. This kind of "inner reluctance" of taking the final step When one is on the brink of doing the impossible (which in this case was beating Roger on grass), is often seen in life and more so in sport. Your insides just tell you -- "Ok, this is not happening for real. You can't be doing this", and... you just mess it all up. Federer pounced on this opportunity and took the set.

I can say a lot about the kind of tennis which was on display throughout the 5 hours of play and try to search for magnanimous adjectives to describe the match, but, it's rather pointless. For those who saw the match, they don't require that and those who missed it, would never know...

Well, Feddy, all I can say is you gotta BOUNCE back. Clay is territory enough for Nadal. The grass was yours for the taking and still is !!! Play on...

So when do you know the movie's good enough??

I am at home in Chandigarh and it was the fourth of July yesterday. No, don't believe that I am talking of a certain country's Independence day (which eventually turned out as the "slavery day" for the rest of the world.. :D). This date was a Friday and the day for the release of a much awaited movie "Jaane Tu..ya Jaane Na".

My sister and some of my cousins were here and tickets were booked well in advance. We pretty much knew what to expect and we made all efforts to get into the required mood. The movie didn't disappoint us; although on second thoughts, it could have had a much better story, or, a smaller runtime.

The movie's screenplay, presentation and caste selection was perfectly done. As is the case with many Bollywood movies these days, most of the situations escaped all kinds of logic. This one again proved that PJs are back in fashion (believe me; I am a trendsetter!! :D). However, towards the later part of the movie the comic instances started turning more comic and the ever so sweet ending leaves you with a very pleasant feeling. And I believe that was precisely the motive behind the making of this film. The performances of the lead pair is fascinating and so is that of the rest of the youngsters. The more experienced lot also added to the uniquely comic and ridiculous situations that keep propping out of nowhere throughout the movie. The music was really good, although most of the songs seem really weird when taken into the context of the movie.

It would have helped had the story had more meat, but anyway, this one is definitely a one-time watch.

P.S. Could anyone explain this new trend of naming movies after old song titles... JTYJN, Bachna ae Haseeno, My Name is Anthony Gonsalves, Om Shanti Om?? As if lifting melodies, storylines wasn't enough...:P