Ten day you Challenge - Post 8. Three films.

Lights, Camera….Action…

I am movie buff to the core. I have loved watching movies for as long as I remember. I grew up watching Yash Chopra brand of cinema, all love and no war. The ‘happily ever after’ types movies. Well I still love them,  but I have evolved to some extent to accept ‘itches and glitches’ and  ‘not so happily ever afters’.

From the moment I understood cinema, Shah Rukh Khan became my favourite. I think I have watched almost all his movies, barring a few real bad ones. I loved his portrayal of that caring loverboy image and to be honest, Shahid Kapoor does that part really well. I loved him in Jab We Met.

So ya, after watching DDLJ in mid-90s and Jab We Met after almost a decade and a half, I think I want someone who is just like Raj Malhotra of DDLJ and Aditya Kashyap of JWM….perfect amalgam of the two…(sigh)…

Ahem…ahem…back to the topic of my favourite movies, well, choosing three is such a difficult task. Very difficult. I will try and not cheat by putting options in one choice… My favourite genre in movies is romance, drama and thrillers. I particularly like racy political thrillers like Frost/Nixon and A Mighty Heart.  

I am not too much of a fan of animated movies and I also don’t like movies which have tameless wild animals flying all over the city…I am sorry if I am being offensive to lovers of such cinema but I don’t understand this and I have no intention of spending time in making friends with this genre either.

Now that we are sorted, let’s get started.

1. The Pursuit of Happyness

There is no reason why anybody would not like this movie. I have seen this movie many times and every single time there is a new learning. There is some positive energy around this film. The honesty with which Will Smith plays Chris Gardner and does justice to this true story, moves you. There are many scenes in the movie where your heart goes out to Smith when he is running to make his ends meet while raising a kid.

My most favourite quote from the movie happens to be the conversation between Chris and his son, Christopher Gardner:

Chris Gardner: Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. All right?
Christopher: Allright.
Christopher Gardner: You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.

Ten day you Challenge - Post 7. Four books.

Post seven in the challenge, four books.

I do read a lot. I read on lot of topics. I like to read on politics, social issues, romance/fiction etc.
I get my politics feed through newspapers, magazines and web. I feel the stories on Indian politics are no less than a racy thriller. I am such sucker for the political stories and articles that I can even start reading an interesting article on the piece of ‘newspaper bag’ in which I just bought ‘jhaalmuri’… :)

I usually pick up ‘nice reading’ random titles on fiction, romance from bookstores. They are easy reads for the mind and eyes. Though I would admit I have not read any ‘classic’ English novels and it is on my list to pick up a few, I think reading a Chetan Bhagat suffices for me at the end of the day as I really want something like a ‘feel good’ story to read and call it a day.

Genre which I don’t understand and can’t pick up is Sci-fi. Never ever. All Greek and Latin to me.

So, my list of four books, in no particular order, goes like:

1. Don’t lose your mind, lose your weight by Rujuta Diwekar

Ok, before you get any judgmental about I reading such weighty books, I have to tell you if you have not read this one so far, please go and read it pronto. ‘Losing weight’ is probably the last topic discussed in this book. What you eat, how you eat, how it affects your body, all the myths that we have been carrying for food…everything. It clears all the cobwebs and gives a whole new perspective on food, diet and health. A must read for all and not just for those ‘who want to lose weight’!! Besides, title is so catchy!! :D

2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I loved this book. I have not read Hosseini’s other titles but after reading this one I would sure like to pick up ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ soon.

The characters, surroundings, portrait of Afghanistan then and now, all are so well-defined that you actually are living in it. Yes, many scenes in the book made me choke.

A must read, again.

Those of you who have read the book and seen the movie by the same name would sure agree with me that the movie doesn’t come any close to the emotions and pace that the book had created. I was disappointed with the movie adaptation.