Predictions for the 88th Academy Awards – The Oscars

In less than 24 hours from now, the finest works from our western neighbors will be decorated with the golden statuette, The Oscars. Our version of this, The Filmfare Awards, was a big disappointment this year, with the winners of many categories sticking out like sore thumbs. So here’s hoping that our neighbours have better sense and that there aren’t many surprises,both shocking and delightful, in store. And beyond this point, I shall list my views on what is my predictions for tomorrow and ideally hope that they come true. Of course, these predictions are open to debate and your comments will be much appreciated.

So there will be four pointers in each of the categories. Two of them would be my prediction and a possible surprise pick, third would be my favourite performance from the nominees (which may (not) be in line with the predicted winner) and fourth would be the biggest snub(s) from the category. And this means that there will be some categories that I’ll be having to deliberately skip, like the best foreign film, documentaries and shorts.

Best Motion Picture

Predicted winner: The Revenant, because it was that one movie which displayed true human grit in the face of bear attacks,hostile conditions and even Tom Hardy replicating what was a 1900s Bane.

Other Nominees: The Big Short, The Martian, Bridge of Spies, Room, Mad Max: Fury Road, Spotlight, Brooklyn.

Surprise Winner: The Big Short, for its portrayal of the great American dream going up in smoke.

Favourite Performance: Both Bridge of Spies and Spotlight were terrific in their narrative.

Biggest Snubs: Chi-Raq and Inside Out, which are ground-breaking in their own realms and make for compelling cinema. Even Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens was a seminal return to the franchise and made waves at the box-office.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Predicted Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant, and please I shall not explain why this is my choice. The man has been giving us stellar performances from long and is due an Oscar.

Other Nominees: Bryan Cranston for Trumbo, Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs, Matt Damon for The Martian, Eddie Redmayne for The Danish Girl.

Surprise Winner: No, not in this category and not this time. Go Leo!

Favourite Performance: Hat tip to Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of Einar Wegener, in The Danish Girl, a street artist who became a transgender pioneer, Lili Elbe.

Biggest Snubs: Michael B Jordan for Creed, Will Smith for Concussion, Johnny Depp for Black Mass and Jacob Tremblay, the five year old Jack from Room.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Predicted Winner: Brie Larson for Room, as her portrayal of a single mother, making her son rediscover life in a 10 by 10 room and her resilience towards change, makes for an intriguing thought and translates to a palpable tension on screen and viewers alike.

Other Nominees: Jennifer Lawrence for Joy,  Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn, Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years, Cate Blanchett for Carol.

Surprise Winner: Maybe none as Larson’s been the unanimous choice of all opinion polls and has even landed a Golden Globe,much like how J K Simmons did last year for his performance in Whiplash for best supporting actor.

Favourite Performance: Larson and Cate Blanchett as the older woman trapped as the trophy wife in Carol.

Biggest Snub: Helen Mirren for Trumbo.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Predicted Winner: Sylvester Stallone for Creed, as he keeps Rocky Balboa alive in our hearts and on screen and in the process presented a more mature and ageing boxer compared to the era gone by.

Other Nominees: Mark Ruffalo for Spotlight, Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies, Christian Bale for The Big Short, Tom Hardy for The Revenant.

Surprise Winner: Mark Rylance for his act as a cunning yet endearing Russian agent in Bridge of Spies.

Favourite Performance: Rylance and Ruffalo; the latter for his engaging monologue in Spotlight.

Biggest Snubs: Idris Elba as the menacing warlord in Beasts of No Nation, Michael Keaton in Spotlight and (this will evoke some mehs, oohs and aahs) Seth Rogen for his portrayal of Steve Wozniack in Steve Jobs.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Predicted Winner: Now this one is a very tough category and picking out my prediction was hard. But after some thought, it looks as if Alicia Vikander should walk away with the honours for The Danish Girl.

Other Nominees: Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs, Jennifer Jason Leigh for The Hateful Eight, Rachel McAdams for Spotlight, Rooney Mara for Carol.

Surprise Winner: Kate Winslet, as the post presentation party could have her and Leo both holding Oscars, and reminiscing scenes from Titanic or Revolutionary Road. But nostalgia apart, she put in a good shift in Steve Jobs.

Favourite Performance: Winslet in Steve Jobs.

Biggest Snubs: Tessa Thompson for her Beethoven-esque musician act from Creed. And Vikander. Yes she might win it for The Danish Girl but there was a movie called Ex-Machina in which she plays a humanoid. And that could be termed as the single breakout performance across all movies of the past year.

Best Achievement in Directing

Predicted Winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant. This could be history in the making as Iñárritu will be on his way to become the second director, after Josheph L. Mankeiwicz in 1950-51, to win consecutive Oscars for best direction.

Other Nominees: Adam McKay for The Big Short, Tom McCarthy for Spotlight, George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road, Lenny Abrahamson for Room.

Surprise Winner: Adam McKay or Tom McCarthy as both their stories were based on high-impact millennial incidents.

Favourite Performance: McCarthy somehow touched upon a nerve in Spotlight.

Biggest Snub: Ridley Scott for The Martian. This is somehow reminiscent of 2013 when Argo won the best movie but Ben Affleck failed to land a nomination. Martian was no doubt Scott’s biggest moment in his illustrious movie career.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Predicted Winner: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy for Spotlight. Would it suffice if I told you that the investigation and the subsequent story, on which this movie is based, won a Pulitzer prize?

Other Nominees: Bridge of Spies, Straight Outta Compton, Ex Machina, Inside Out.

Surprise Winner: Bridge of Spies, as Matt Charman and the Coen brothers have dished out a compelling espionage tale. Even Alex Garland’s Ex-Machina could be a shoo-in.

Favourite Performance: Inside Out, as it isn’t everyday when you write a kids movie that strikes a chord with those who are kids at heart.

Biggest Snub: None.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Predicted Winner: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay for The Big Short, as they took Michael Lewis’ running lecture on America’s dwindling economy and turned it into a gripping drama.

Other Nominees: The Martian, Brooklyn, Room, Carol.

Surprise Pick: Emma Donoghue’s Room could land her an Oscar, adding to her ISA award for the same and a Lambda Literary Award for The Sealed Letter.

Favourite Performance: Andy Weir’s tale of a man stuck on Mars always held a special place in my heart. And it did translate into quite the adventure. Not quite as it was in the pages.

Biggest Snub: Aaron Sorkin for Steve Jobs. One wonders that how he was snubbed when, in another instance, he landed the Golden Globe for the same movie.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Predicted Winner: Inside Out. Pixar’s best outing post Toy Story 3.

Other Nominees: Anomalisa, Shaun the Sheep Movie, Boy and the World(O Menino e o Mundo),When Marnie was There (Omoide no Mani).

Surprise Pick: None as I think Inside Out has done enough.

Favourite Performance: Shaun the Sheep Movie was a good throwback to the Shaun the Sheep serials. And Inside Out was a teary date with our emotions.

Biggest Snub: The storyline may have been inspired but I did feel that Minions deserved a nod.

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Predicted Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki for The Revenant. Yeah the locales and the camera work was intense.

Other Nominees: Carol, Sicario, The Hateful Eight, Mad Max: Fury Road.

Surprise Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road, because it was a lovely day!

Best Achievement in Editing

Predicted Winner: Tom McArdle for Spotlight. It felt like the actual investigation was taking place right then in front of our eyes.

Other Nominees: The Big Short, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

Surprise Winner: The Revenant, but only an outside chance.

Best Achievement in Production Design

Predicted Winner: The Martian.

Other Nominees: The Revenant, Bridge of Spies, The Danish Girl, Mad Max: Fury Road.

Surprise Winner: Either The Revenant or The Danish Girl.

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Predicted Winner: Cindrella. Just give Sandy Powell the Oscar for those glass boots.

Other Nominees: Carol, The Danish Girl, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road.

Surprise Winner: The war boys could help Mad Max: Fury Road cause a heist.

Best Original Score

Predicted Winner: Ennio Morricone for The Hateful Eight. Tarantino’s new classic had a haunting score that livened up a rather dull experience.

Other Nominees: Sicario, Carol, Bridge of Spies, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

Surprise Winner: Force Awakens, merely for old times sake.

Best Original Song

Predicted Winner: Lady Gaga for The Hunting Ground. Globe: check, Grammy: check, Oscars: check.

Other Nominees: Spectre, Racing Extinction,Fifty Shades of Grey, Youth.

Surprise Winner: None.

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Predicted Winner: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

Other Nominees: The Revenant, Bridge of Spies, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian.

Surprise Winner: The Revenant.

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Predicted Winner:Again Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. For sheer brilliance in the score and the desert sequences.

Other Nominees: Sicario, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, The Martian.

Surprise Winner: Doof Warrior….I mean the guitar guy from Fury Road.

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Predicted Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road, for its elaborate set pieces and that climax sequence which ends up in people witnessing true 3D awesomeness.

Other Nominees: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Ex Machina, The Revenant, The Martian.

Surprise Winner: Fans of the force would want The Force Awakens to cause a minor stir here. Also Revenant’s bear would want its own Oscar and might make for a good fight.

PS: Joker Fans, rewind! The Best Actor in a Supporting Role T-shirt is here – option 1, option 2. Buy now !!

-Sam

Dream High,Fly Higher: Harsh Mathur

Very rarely I come across people who value their passion, who aren’t afraid of trying and who offer some real life inspiration. Well, off late Harsh Mathur is one such name.

Harsh, an eighth standard kid from Bishop Cottons, Bangalore left me dumbstruck when I got to know that he has belted the college grads (almost 10 years elder to him on an average) in an aeromodelling competition held at IIT Madras last month and grabbed the third spot.

Aircraft modelling or aeromodelling is an art of making and flying model planes. It involves constructing small airplanes using materials such as balsa wood, foam, fiberglass and the concepts of aerodynamics must be very clear in the modeler’s mind.

So, here’s how the entire conversation went –

Just a small heads-up, he’s really witty and a smartass. Also, please don’t judge him. He’s just a 13 year old who talks straight from the heart, with no concept of political diplomacy what so ever.

Lalit: Tell me something about yourself. I know it’s a lame start but still.
Harsh: I’m named Harsh Mathur by my gracious parents, who have eloquently found deep meaning in this name; whereas I to this date remain undoubtedly naïve to this subject of naming. Logic interests me. There are many types of logics. Some of which are so complex that it may take quite a while to figure them out. An example for a tough logic can be seen very commonly which is a person of the feminine gender. I’ve named it, “The God’s Version of the Rubik’s Cube”. More of mockery later.

Lalit: Harsh, now time to get a bit serious. Tell me what interests you the most.
Harsh: Things which work interest me. Like, when I first saw a calculator, (when I began to understand some concepts of the physical world, maybe when I was 8) I was spellbound. I just wanted to know the “magic” as I called it at that time. Anyhow when I opened one, I got the concept and said, “This isn’t magic, it’s Science!” It just didn’t stop at the calculator. I went on opening things, because that’s what interested me at first.

Lalit: Please enlighten this world about your other hobbies.
Harsh: My other hobbies include, playing literally ALL sports whose facilities are availed to me, namely Basketball, Golf, Badminton, Table Tennis, Squash, Cricket, Football, Swimming, and even a bit of Hockey. Other activities on the Intellect side of me include: Elocution, Debating, Model United Nations, a frequent participator of Science fests and also Robotics.

Lalit: What’s your favourite subject?
Harsh: My favorite subject is buy in large Physics, just because it makes SO much sense to me. I also gives me of the feeling of a restless science enthusiast who is constantly at work just to make his life’s work make relevance to the world. When something I build works, gives me the greatest feeling ever. And the logic and relevance to “working things” has been given to me by Physics, that’s why I LOVE IT!

Lalit: What does aeromodelling mean to you and how did you get hooked to it?
Harsh: Aeromodelling in simple terms is expression of aviation dynamics and ideas through art. It can be at manufacturing scales at which companies like Boeing, Breitling, Airbus, etc. perform or also at a personal hobby scale at which I perform.

I live close to the airbase, and at a time this was a busy Airport. It wasn’t rare to see planes flying across the sky at blazing speeds or slow gliding landing speeds. And as I child, I bet all of us have ran behind these crafts shouting, “Aero plane, Aero plane”, etc. As I was introduced to the internet, I was exposed to way too many things. The internet along with my father helped me get going into aeromodelling. What started as a hobby, gradually developed into a hardcore passion of building, testing, flying, getting electric shocks, cuts and bruises etc.!

Lalit: How difficult it is to build and test a model?
Harsh: Contrary to popular belief, it is difficult. It’s NOT like a remote controlled car where a bang into the wall will just give it a scratch. Here one wrong move can cost you your neck. One literally has to dedicate countless hours of practice just to fly a plane. Building etc., can take years to perfect. I’ve been doing this for about two years now. And I’m loving every second!

Lalit: Who are your role models?
Harsh: My role models are undoubtedly my Gurus: Mohsin and Sharath. Together, they make up TM Aero sports, an aeromodelling company where both have a combined experience of 35-40 years. They live for one thing only: Aeromodelling! Such dedication just makes me propel myself into this hobby further and further, just like a 6×4 propeller.

Lalit: How was your experience at the event?
Harsh: It was a very inspiring journey for me. I learnt A LOT from the teams who were in this for a long time. Actually I bagged something from everyone, because I was the youngest and all were at least in 2^nd year of collage! It felt good.

Lalit: What’s in-store for the champ in the years to come?
Harsh: I have advanced to the finals of this competition and hope to perform to my fullest at IIT Delhi. And of course, after that I am not going to stop. Actually, there is no stopping me now. I’m too deep in this stuff and too addicted! I aspire to become an able 3D pilot later on. I furthermore aim to become a tycoon of the aviation industry if the times abide by me, well I’m not referring to Vijay Mallya.

Lalit: Good luck for the finals and come back with flying colors. One last question! Any advice you’d like to offer to the aspiring aero modelers?
Harsh: Well I consider myself too young for this advice thing but I really want to tell budding aero-modelers that whatever happens, don’t stop. You may have blown up one motor of even exploded a Li-poly battery thereby exploding your house. But all of this is a learning experience and must be taken in the most positive form. Don’t blow your house! But what I’m trying to say is NOT to stop learning, NOT TO STOP perfecting and ALWAYS be restless. Okay, not too restless, but you get what I mean! So go on, nothing can stop the plane from soaring HIGH up, nor can anybody stop you from SOARING UP!

JUST FLY!

PS: Just give some wings to your travel plans and check out this amazing tee from FanGaadi.

Unpretentiously Funny -Biswa Kalyan Rath

Comedy is a matter of taste and Biswa’s jokes taste extremely stimulating to my neurons. I get high on his content, the dialogue delivery and the Hingoriya accent (Hindi+ English + Oriya). I almost cracked my ribs laughing at some of his videos especially the one English and Reproduction. The fact that he creates jokes on simple, daily level relatable things, makes it even more interesting.

His take on how his dad’s cool friends’ kids would come up to his house and say shit in English which never made any sense to him as kid remains my favourite. They were like ‘Tupperware Bro!’ and left him flabbergasted. I could so damn relate to it as I studied in a Govt. School in Hisar and I wasn’t a dude to converse in English and Hindi or Haryanvi was my preferred way of conversing.

His jokes are smart, funny, intelligent and natural. Thank GOD this guy doesn’t do slapstick comedy like Kapil Sharma. Damn, those derogatory complexion and couple jokes make me sick. A graduate from IIT Kharagpur, Biswa Kalyan Rath is my favourite stand-up comedian in India. He does his homework really well and presents quality content every time. Be it Pretentious Movie Reviews with Kanan Gill or his solos, he always leaves with a thing or joke to take back.

PMR is a show on YouTube where they take a dig on some of the most amazing movies produced in our Bollywood like Gunda, Jaani Dushman and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. Kanan and Biswa come across as intelligent and modern people. Most of their reviews are poking fun at absurd social norms like child marriage and taboo against pre-marital sex.

Of the two, Kanan has got the looks and Biswa has the brain. Well, Kanan honestly looks cooler to girls as he has a well-toned body but my vote goes to thin as a bamboo, Biswa. Moreover, brainy is the new sexy, broh! Once he used this phrase ‘Tu Pussy Hai Broh’ and ever since this then I’ve also got this knack of using ‘broh’. Fuck, this guy is contagious. As a viewer I really admire his work. I find his humor inspired from day to day life, like the one a group of friends experiences in their conversations. His style is a little unconventional and that’s what makes it so great.

It’s difficult to be funny these days without cracking racist or sexist jokes but Biswa knows the art.

Off work, he’s a bit rude when it comes to posing for photos. He’s been bashed lately a lot on Quora for his rude and arrogant demeanor but his comeback was awesome. I mean, honestly why you would force anyone to pose when that person doesn’t like it. He likes writing and creating humorous stuff and doesn’t being photographed. Simple. Fans these days are crazy! Nobody wants to enjoy the moment, capturing it has become the latest fad.

Anyhow, that’s his personal choice and it’s good if we focus on his professional side where he simply rocks. Go check out his videos on YouTube in case you haven’t, and send me a cheese burst pizza later as a token of gratitude.

Animal Farm: All stories are equal, some are more equal than others

Animal Farm shows how a society based on equality dissipates into tyranny. It’s a political satire on Russian Revolution which portrays how a “Communist Utopia” changes to “Dictatorial Dystonia”. Orwell accomplishes it by using certain animal characters symbolic of Soviet Communism. The book, Animal Farm is a saga about the pitfalls of Stalinism and totalitarian governments in general. It conveys that true equality is a myth.

Synopsis–

Mr. Jones, a farm owner in his sorrowful days forgets to feed the livestock. The ensuing rebellion under the leadership of the pigs – Napoleon and Snowball leads to animals taking over the farm. Vowing to eliminate the shrewd practices of inequality, the renamed Animal Farm is intended to benefit and look into the interests of all those who walk on four legs. But, gradually the ideologies of rebellion dispel and corruption sets in.

Here is a list of fictional characters and events from the book and their real life counterparts –

Mr. Jones.
Jones the farm owner, represents Nicholas II. During his reign, the Russians experienced dreadful poverty and mayhem, marked by the Bloody Sunday massacre in 1905. When Russia entered World War I and subsequently lost more men than any country in any previous war, the scandalized people began a series of strikes and mutinies that signaled the end of his control. Finally, Nicholas, like Jones, was removed from his place of rule and then died shortly thereafter.

Old Major.
Old Major is the animal version of Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Party who seized control in the 1917 Revolution. As the old Major outlines the principles of Animalism, a theory holding that all animals are equal and must revolt against their autocrats; Lenin was inspired by Karl Marx’s theory of Communism, which urges the “workers of the world” to unite against their economic oppressors. He dies before he can see the final results of the revolution. Lenin was responsible for changing Russia into the U.S.S.R., as old Major is responsible for transforming Manor Farm into Animal Farm.

Snowball.
One of Lenin’s allies was Leon Trotsky, another Marxist who participated in a number of revolutionary reforms. His counterpart in the book, Snowball feels that a worldwide series of rebellions is necessary to achieve the mutiny’s ultimate aims. Trotsky comes up with the Five Year Plan, which is represented as the Windmill in Animal Farm. Napoleon claims it to be his own idea and chases off Snowball off the farm, the way Stalin does in real. Snowball’s banishment brings about a period of totalitarianism for the animals on the farm.

Napoleon.
Joseph Stalin is represented by Napoleon while the spirit of the Russian media who spewed out Stalin’s propaganda resides in Squealer. Like Napoleon, Stalin was unconcerned with debates and ideas. Instead, he valued power for its own sake and by 1927 he had assumed complete control of the Communist Party through the acts of terror and brutality. Stalin uses his military to cement his power, whereas Napoleon uses his secret police (nine attacking dogs) to drive out his opponent, Snowball, and instills fear in everyone’s heart on the farm and takes the role of a dictator.

Animals represent the different sections of society. The pigs are the Communists, the horses are the workers, the dogs are the army or police, the birds are non-labor types including clergy and farmers and sheep represent the masses.

Moses.
A raven, who occasionally visits the farm and tells animals about a “Sugarcandy Mountain” (Heaven) is an apt representation of the Russian Church. Though Napoleon ignores Moses initially, he later leverages Moses’ teachings to his benefit, just like Stalin did with the Church.

The neighbor, Mr. Frederick, is apparently Adolf Hitler, someone who forged an alliance with Stalin initially but then found himself fighting Stalin’s army ultimately. Frederick seems like an ally of Napoleon’s, but his forged banknotes reveal his true character.

Boxer.
The Horse represents the proletariat, who helped to build the Communist country, but then was betrayed by those in charge when they decided that they could build their own power easily.

In the animal farm Flag, the hammer and sickle of the USSR flag (the tools of men) are replaced by horn and hoof (the tools of farm animals).

The Seven Commandments are secretly changed, which mimics the way Stalin changed the “New Economic Policy” into his own Planned Economy. This makes the animals realize that the very leaders, who showed them idyllic dreams once were not honest anymore and instead were making alliances with the Humans (Capitalists) at the cost of their welfare.

Finally, the card game at the novel’s end parallels the Tehran Conference (November 28-December 1, 1943), where Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Roosevelt met to discuss the ways to forge a lasting peace after the war — a peace that Orwell mocks by having Napoleon and Pilkington flatter each other and then betray their duplicitous natures by cheating in the card game.

Over the years people have been manipulated by deceitful people and this is going to continue. Don’t fall for it. Kindly read this masterpiece by George Orwell, in case you haven’t. It’s truly a timeless classic that speaks so much of human nature. Trust me you’ll love it too.

PS: Check out this amazing fan-art, which will inspire you to read more.

The phenomenon called Zebunnisa Bangash(Zeb)

Gar firdaus baruhe zamin ast, hami asto hamin asto is a popular saying by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir on Kashmir, which means if there is a heaven on earth, it’s here! And trust me, it’s true. The moment I heard these lines from Zeb, I fell for it and I can proudly admit that the heaven is not only in Kashmir, but in her serene voice too. It’s there, for sure.

Zeb is Pashto singer from Pakistan who started off with Haniya as the lead singer in Pakistan’s first ever female band and is now ruling the mainstream Bollywood. Her pop group was a project started by her and her cousin, Haniya Aslam. The ethnic Pashtun duo sings mostly in Urdu, but some lyrics are also borrowed from Pashto, Dari and Turkish in their songs. Their music is a fusion of art folk and ethnic blues.

Zeb has been singing since age eight and has been training as a vocalist since 1998 with acclaimed Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. Haniya is the guitarist and songwriter of the band. What started as a college experiment, turned out to be a rage on internet when their initial songs ‘Chup’ and ‘Yaad’ got an overwhelming response.

After the success of Chup and Yaad, Zeb and Haniya’s started to rock the Pakistani music industry with their live performances. Also, their stint with Coke Studio Pakistani became a trend setter. Ever since I stumbled upon Bibi Sanam Janem, I’ve been in love with her voice and that’s when I actually noticed her talent.

If I could listen to just one song for the rest of my life, I’ll pick Bibi Sanam Janem. This vivacious track in the euphonious voice of Zeb is certainly a funk classic for the ages. This is the type of music that transcends the boundaries of language and religion.

Painoma and Chal Diyay are a few other songs of her from Coke Studio which are a treat to the ears. Well, after leaving such an impact at CSP, it didn’t take a long time for her to sprawl her wings into the Indian TV shows. She did The Dewarists and then Bollywood happened finally. Her raw voice in ‘Sooha Saaha’ – Highway and ‘Ajnabi ‘ Madras Café made sure that she was here to stay and she did become the one of the heavyweights alongside the finest singers like Shreya and Sunidhi. In my view, she has even surpassed them.

Recently, from the time I’ve heard ‘Haminastu’ from Fitoor and I just can’t get over that song. It’s been a week and I’ve been listening to it on a loop. Usually, if I like and song and play it till 50 times, I get bored and kill it. But Haminastu is just phenomenal and the heartthrob Zeb has some magic in her voice. I am addicted to it and can play it another 1000 times.

Hailing from the Valley, the lyrics and the pitch have come innately to her. No other voice could have sung this song this well. It’s like she was born to sing Hamin Asto. This song is the essence of the movie Fitoor, which happens to be a political drama based on an artist’s life in Kashmir. I am bloody so damn hooked to it, that I can’t even wait now Feb 12 for the movie to get released.

I am going to watch it just because of Zeb. Kudos to the music director and the producers for finding the right lady and offering her the soul of the movie. She has sung another song in the movie with Nandini Sarkar, ‘Hone Do Batiyaan’ which is equally hysterical and euphonious.

The lyrics of the song ‘Haminastu’ are really meaningful and appear even more beautiful in her mellifluous voice. Here’s the lyrical translation of Haminastu.

Gar firdaus baruhe zamin ast, hami asto hamin asto.
(If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here.)

Meri jaan rooh dil se vaabast, hami asto hamin asto.
(Inhabited by my life, my soul and my heart, this is the place, it’s here)

Khamosh darkhton ke saaye ye khauf hai soya sa! Oo.
(Even the shadows of trees are silent here. It’s a sleeping fear here)

Kuch khoya khoya humne abhi yeh chehra hai roya sa.
(I also have lost something. My face appears is if I’ve cried lately)

Murjhate gulon ne jhuk ke kaha humein aadat hai hamin asto.
(Even the dying flowers bowed and said, we are used to it here)

Chalte lamhon ne ruk ke kaha inaayat hai hamin asto.
(The flowing moments stopped and said, Mercy!)

Ye veerane! Ye sannate! Kya bol rahe hain? Aate jaate. Aate jaate. Hoo!
(These desolate places, these silences, what are they saying as they pass?)

Panchhi saare udd Gaye kahin bas ghonsle hain hamin asto.
(All the birds have flown away somewhere, only the nests are here)

Gar jannat hai zameen pe kahi, yahin pe hai hami asto hamin asto.
(If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here.)

Last year I had been to Dal Lake, Srinagar and right now I can so relate to it. What I felt back there and what I’m feeling now after listening to this song, is exactly in synch. Her voice gracefully fuses the prismatic language, history and culture of her upbringing into her songs. She offers a gamut of style, passion and a creative high to the listener.

Please stop whatever you are doing right now and tune to Haminastu. I bet it would be the best thing you would’ve done in the entire day.

The Chetan Bhagat Conundrum: To read his books or not?

On social medias like Goodreads,Chetan Bhagat is being bashed everywhere by the sapiosexuals. But, on the other hand an average non voracious reader is the one to finish his book first.

“That book? 800 pages? Are you fuckin kidding me?”, “It costs 1000 Rupees!” “The language is too hi-fi” are now valid excuses for a lot of people to avoid reading something. But those with below-amazing English skills and low patience or lighter wallets won’t think twice before reading Chetan Bhagat. This at least gives them the chance to get reading and mature into better readers with time than be shut out from books completely.

It’s entertaining, simple vocabulary, someone who has the phobia to grab a book can pick up a CB book, enjoy it and can confidently say that he has finished a book. It’s a great morale booster.

I am not saying his writings can be called as literature. In fact, it should exclusively be put into Masala category. I also, started reading avidly by finishing 5 point someone as my first and have gracefully moved onto to obviously better technically correct books.

Chetan Bhagat’s writings are the stepping stones to better reads.

He writes simple stuff, which sells! He knows the trick. He isn’t denying the fact that he writes ready to movie made scripts. Come on! We cannot have Italian delicacies or French everyday however classy it may be. You need samosas and vada pavs with desi tadka too. That’s exactly the case with him.

If we have hardcore writers like Ruskin Bond and Rudyard Kipling then there should be a Chetan Bhagat to maintain the equilibrium. There is nothing wrong with it(stereotyping)!

Also, judging him as a reader on the following parameters –

Did the book engage me sufficiently enough? 
Did I not feel like putting the book down until it was over?

Yes! So, I give a green to his books.

Why do people hate him?

They feel that he writes cheap novels that indulge more to the senses than the intellect. They feel he has abused his alma mater’s name to gain popularity and maligned its image. And, Chetan Bhagat is one of the shrewdest salesman we know of, hardly anyone could think of making so much out of the alma-mater. All the intellectuals can go take a hike on that count! While they are busy tweeting bad about him, he is minting money from his bad literature.

I feel there’s nothing wrong in it! The losers who are crying, would’ve done the same if they had got a chance.

Where Chetan Bhagat is actually going wrong –

He represents himself as ‘The Voice of the Youth’ in newspaper columns and then writes the most clichéd stuff possible. Surely, he represents the mentality of a section of the youth but constantly writing as “Youth nowadays wants ABC” is a bit naive. Most of what he writes is liberal stuff- youth wants economic and sexual freedom- but becoming our voice based on his clichéd books- I don’t give him that permission. Moreover his views are one-sided, he looks into one side of the argument and goes on to represent a much larger super set with them!

He must proudly accept himself as the Salman Khan of the industry. Someone who does pure commercial cinema, caters to masses and shouldn’t try to look like a Nawazuddin Siddiqui or Irrfan Khan.

One cannot deny the fact that from a 10th pass to an Engineering student to a teacher, everyone has a CB book in their collection. A lot of so called ‘self-proclaimed dorks’ have started to spread hatred about this man, which is helping him in turn actually. After a terrible response on Quora, I had the curiosity to see actually how bad his book is ‘Half-Girlfriend’. Just a heads up – I’m a bookworm, who has a good taste. My favorite book is Shantaram. Without judging him at all, I simply grabbed it as a light read, since I needed a break after reading a dark 970 pages The Mountain Shadow and trust me I liked it. It looked as if I had seen a 3 hours Bollywood flick as I took almost the same time to finish it at a price much lesser than a PVR ticket.

Where people are wrong-

Agreed, people’s tastes might be of a higher level than his books provide, but why should you hate him for not satisfying you? Is it just because everyone believes it’s alright for something that’s fit for consumption of only the top bunch of readers to become popular, but not something exclusively for the bottom bunch? There are all kinds of writers and Chetan Bhagat is one kind. Different from Rushdie, Archer, Rowling. He writes low-priced books in simple language for the “lazy readers”. Why to stop him from doing it? He’s important for India in his own way, he gets the mango man reading something, picking up some sort of book he enjoys.

Boon for the publication industry-

The youth(majority of them) is busy fiddling with their iPhones and have stopped reading. Hardly anyone goes to a bookstore. Book shop owners themselves know a lot about books and can differentiate between good authors and bad. But they have to earn a living as well. They are running a shop and not a library. Ask them what magic Chetan Bhagat’s have done. If the book shops can remain in business, chances are people will continue to ‘stumble upon’ other good books as well. Even, the piracy industry at the traffic signals is making a good livelihood out of his paperbacks.

So, blindly don’t form an opinion that you won’t read his books just because some pseudo-intellectuals with a good fan following on Quora have told you to. Be your own judge and keep experimenting. Don’t kill the fun!

So, are you going to his books ?

PS: Bibliophiles please check out this Library stamped phone cover. Available in all models. Cheers

 

Confessions of a Fake Football Fan

To be a ‘true’ fan requires the ‘living’ experience of Football. Apart from just watching, one must play the sport to actually get the feel of it. It’s all about the passion, the emotions, the excitement and the faith one shows towards the sport.

Well, if this is the criteria for anyone to be hailed as the real Football fan, I’m the most fake one ever produced in the history of the game. I haven’t played or seen a Football game in ages. Neither do I watch it with uttermost dedication. But, I’m a fan. The fake one. The one who knows how to play around with a few keywords, who knows a little too much to keep the conversation going in a gang and who honestly likes Arsenal’s game. The last bit isn’t fake.

The art of faking began in the year 2009 I guess, when I moved to Bangalore from Hisar.
Hisar is a small town in the North-Indian state of Haryana, a state known as the Gold-Mine of medals in the Olympics where physical sports like Wrestling, Kabaddi are religiously preached and even Cricket is followed to a great extent. There is no scope for Football. Hardly anyone talks about it, forget about liking and playing. At least when I used to live there, nobody used to. Not sure about the current situation. I just hope it has picked up.

Basically, there wasn’t any predominant Football culture back there and in a flash I got exposed to this Football frenzied city of Bangalore. Bangalore, where ‘Cool Kids’ follow, play, talk, wear and even shit Football.

Obviously, I had to be socially accepted. Moreover, what could a potentially insecure fellow, someone who didn’t even know how to converse properly in English do? There wasn’t any option left! Fake it bro, echoed the heart and there I was googling which club ‘Rooney’ belonged to. Haha! That was the only name I had ever heard. Not kidding! Alright, it was just a matter of a few nanoseconds and I was a Red Devil. Manchester United was all I lived for. If there was WhatsApp back then, my status would have surely been ‘GGMU’.

I seriously think the branding of Manchester United has been impeccable in India. Just when I wanted to show-off that I belonged there, a Nike store popped up right into my eyes, provoking the fan inside me to shed a few grands and earn the certificate of loyalty. And, deep inside that was exactly what I was looking for. There you go, the cool kid on the block had an official hoodie with a red-yellow emblem stuck on his heart.

It didn’t stop there. Now, the foodie inside me wanted to dine at the newly opened Manchester United Bar and Restaurant. Thanks to that, I got to know about a few more players. I had to stay updated but I never even watched a game. Technically, I didn’t even know the rules. What to do? No problem! It was time to use Mark Zuckerberg’s baby, Facebook. The official page of Manchester United was liked and everything in life was sorted.

Years went by till I realized that what sort of a blunder I had committed. You choose a Football Club once in a lifetime. You can change your name, your identity and even your religion but NOT the Football Club. It’s divine. A deep realization had struck like lightening. I never even liked their game. Their monotonously sheepish stroke play and Louis van Gaal’s out of the box tactics bugged me to the core. And it was time to fix things.

Thanks to my roommate Joe, who is an ardent United Fan; unlike earlier, I actually watched some Football and a lot of United’s games, to actually realize the fact that it was Arsenal, which I really admired and how bad actually United played in the recent times. There is hardly anyone to look forward to except Mata and Martial. Rooney is confused which role to play, an attacking midfielder or at the front. Mata also doesn’t play half the time, thanks to Van Gaal’s love for Fellaini.

On the other hand, Arsenal’s game is really attacking and is actually fun to watch. And yeah, Arsenal is not named after Arsene Wenger. I’ve got my facts straight. Had I supported United based on their rich legacy, the class of 1992 it would have made some sense. Seeing the averagely-playing-overly-hyped, team United lose now and the looks on Joe’s face make up for all the sins I had committed.

Following United is my biggest mistake till day! As a fan, please do not replicate such injudicious behavior. DO NOT START FOLLOWING ANYTHING BLINDLY. Till you actually know what you are supporting, kindly don’t be a part of the following.

Staying uncool is absolutely cool!

I felt a similar chutzpah recently when a lot of naïve guys signed up for free basics. Every time I got a notification that so and so loser has fallen in the social trap, I had a hearty laugh. You’ll see a lot of fakes like earlier me, popping up during World Cups and Euro Cups. But don’t count them as fans. I bet they can’t even name 5 guys playing in the team they support. I even have friends who do that! As a responsible fan, it’s my duty to warn you and I’ve done my part.

Now, I am absolutely sure that this is the club I am supporting till I die. Even though Deepika endorses Arsenal, I still have not bought Arsenal’s jersey. Too old for that kind of shit. I am not going to put Gunner Forever as my WhatsApp status because I know however hard I follow Football, it’s not innate. I don’t even watch all their games. But Football means Arsenal to me, whatever the little I follow. Cricket is what flows inside my arteries and Football doesn’t come that naturally. It won’t be fair on my part to objectify my faith towards something I’ve started to like,by faking it.

Over the time, I have started to read more about Arsenal. The other day I came to know how Bergkamp and Henry took Arsenal to new heights in the early 2000s. It felt good and honest. Gradually as I know more about them, a time will come when I’ll be actually a true fan and Ozil 11 would be the greatest possession in my wardrobe.

Breaching the fortress: A day out in Jaipur

Khamma Ghani traveler, echoed every kite flying in that lustrous vivid sky. It was Makar Sankranti, a festival in North-India which flags the arrival of prosperity. That was indeed a special feeling for me to breach the fortress and explore the Pink-City. There was joy everywhere and maybe I felt it more because I was on a business trip, the company had paid for the travel, there wasn’t anything major on the cards and I could be myself and feel the city.

So, here’s my tête-à-tête with Jaipur in those 12 hours (1100 hours to 2300 hours).

Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan in the northern India. It was founded by Maharaja Jai Singh, the ruler of Amer after whom the city is named. Located at a distance of 260 km from the Indian capital New Delhi, it forms a part of the Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Agra (240 km) and is one of the most popular tourist destination in India.

Due to the desert, it’s really hot during the day and as the sand gradually cools down, it starts to go the other extreme.

1100 hours.

I kick started the day with a glass of chilled Lassi (malai marke) on the Mirza Ismail Road. Me and the auto guy clinked our earthen pots after every two- three deep sips and had a hearty laugh seeing our milky white moustaches. He dropped me near the Sardar Patel Marg, where I had a sun board to be printed for an event in LNMIIT later. While waiting for it to get printed, I grabbed the tea-patties (puff) combo and did some small talk with the chaiwallah next door. It helps, trust me. The guy feels important and shares all the routes, vital info and DONTS within no time. For a person like me, who relies much on human interaction and not technology, this is the most important travel hack.

I collected the printed board and with his instructions, I started walking towards the next lal-batti (red-light), from where I was supposed to board my bus for the first destination – Hawa Mahal.

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), is so named because it was essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the royal household could observe street festivals while unseen from the outside. The palace is a five-storeyed pyramidal shaped monument that rises 50 feet from its high base. The front part is like a honeycomb web of a beehive, built with small portholes. Each porthole has miniature windows and carved sandstone grills, finials and domes. It gives the appearance of a mass of semi-octagonal bays, giving the monument its unique façade.

I boarded the mini-shuttle and within half an hour I was near my destination at Johari Bazaar (Jeweler’s Arcade). I made sure I only walked within the covered verandah on both sides of the market and not in open, as suggested by Mr. Satish Sharma, a person whom I had befriended in the shuttle. Simple reason, the threads of the kites weren’t just threads, they were potential be-heading wires. Anyhow, after a 10 minute walk; I reached Hawa-Mahal safely.

There wasn’t anything too fancy about the palace. The most interesting aspect of visiting it was that I got to talk with Balram Saini. Balram mans the India Post’s kiosk there. He shared how he feels proud sharing his knowledge about India and the historic importance to the people visiting Jaipur, especially the foreigners. I did buy some stamps and postcards from him. He also enlightened me about India Post’s new marketing strategy and how going personal has rewarded them millions in the turn-over.

One sincere request, start using more of India Post. Their employees aren’t lazy and inefficient anymore. And,their network is the best. You won’t believe there’s even a floating post office by them in the Dal Lake.

There were new banners of Rajasthan Tourism all across the street.

It was hot and in the quest of sugarcane juice, I started wandering. Within minutes, I was lost in the colorful lanes of Bapu Bazaar. One thing led to the other and somehow I ended up at “The Indian Ice Cream House”. Trust me, I had the best rabdi-falooda of my life there. Served in a small bowl and topped with rose milk, the multilayered Indian ice cream floating over the sweet noodles made me ecstatic. I sat there for close to half an hour and did write some good poetry. At the corner of that complex, Saraogi Mansion; I ate Sabudana Khichdi at Falahaar and got into the shuttle for Amber Fort aka Amer ka Kila.

The palace was the residence of the Rajput King and their families. Amer Fort is known for its artistic Hindu style elements. With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, major aesthetic ambiance of the palace is seen within its walls. The opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. It consists of the Diwan-e-Aam, or “Hall of Public Audience”, the Diwan-e-Khas, or “Hall of Private Audience”, the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace) and Jai Mandir.

And the funniest part, there’s a Café Coffee Day in there too. CCDs are literally everywhere. Wherever you go, a CCD follows you. If you are wondering if I had coffee there or not? NO. It was freaking expensive there. I made truce with the tea-vendor selling tea on the bicycle outside, near the boundary wall. Looking at the boundary wall, I could clearly deduce that the city is an encapsulated region inside forts across all sides. This part of the city had Nahargarh, Jaigarh and Amer protecting the realm.

I didn’t climb the wall as I didn’t have much time. There were close to 5000 steps I guess and I had to rush back to the city too. I got into those private buses and asked the conductor how to reach Birla Temple, my next destination. The same place where I got lost as a kid. He advised me to get down at the Reserve Bank of India and walk. Did the same. One advice, if you are tired of walking, board the electric rickshaws. They travel on shared routes and are very light on the pocket. I took an e-rick for Birla Temple and boom in 3 INR, I was there.

I observed a lot of locals in that trail and I must say, the women are beautiful and nothing can beat the swag of those sexy male-moustaches. It reminded me of the Coke Studio song “Chaudhary” by Amit Trivedi ft. Mame Khan.

I was constantly humming that in the ride and finally as I got down opposite the temple, I couldn’t believe what my eyes just saw. Plagiarism of the finest quality. There were roughly 20-30 vendors selling Pav Bhaji under the same name ‘Pandit Pav Bhaji’ and everyone claimed others to be fake. I tried my luck and went to the one with the maximum crowd. It was amazing and I hogged like crazy. I don’t even have the tab of the extra breads which I had ordered.

After that intense gluttony, my body needed a long walk and my legs didn’t disappoint. In pursuit of maintaining the equilibrium I started walking towards the nearby University area. After half an hour I realized that I was hungry again and some serious cravings had started to kick in. That’s when this guy in the Bapu Nagar (an area filled with students and low-budget eateries) came to my rescue.

He recommended with all his enthusiasm, “Bhaiya, Jaipur aye aur Sanjay Omellete nahi gaye, to kya fayda?” (What’s the point of coming here if I don’t eat at Sanjay’s Omellete?) I took his words seriously, enquired about its whereabouts and effortlessly landed up there within no time.

Sanjay Sharma owns a small joint in the Janta Bazaar and specializes in egg dishes. His café gained immense popularity after he got featured in Master Chef India, a couple of years back. It is an institution for cult food in the University area. Priced moderately, it’s queued up like crazy with students and travelers all the time. I tried their egg pizza worth 90 INR. It took me to a gourmantic high, that it made my fall in love with it, instantly. It’s a must go if you are in Jaipur. Hands down. From a Bangaloren reference point, it tastes better than Egg Factory, a place which is treated as the benchmark for Eggetarian food. The waiting time is usually 10-15 minutes. If you hold the butterflies till then, you are served with some orgasmic exuberance. In fact, these guys are tied up with National Egg Coordination Committee and the quality of food they serve, definitely does justice to NECC’s tagline of ‘Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao anday’.

It was 8pm and just when I had thought that I was done for the day, I got a call from cousin stating that he had some plans to surprise his foodie-cousin and he’d pick me up in a while. I went to his place , made room for something new to eat and later around 9:30 pm we left for Raja Park driving in the foggy weather with ‘Kaali Kaali Ainkaan’ being played in the loop. The mood was set and I knew it had to be something Punjabi. I cleared the misty windshield to realize that we were parked near a flashy signboard reading out Sethi Bar-Be-Cue. There’s a sardarjee at the counter, the owner who keeps shouting his lungs out in the microphone which is connected to the speaker back there in the kitchen. Hats off to his coordination skills. It’s not an easy ask, especially when you’ve got more than 100 orders flowing in an hour.

We ordered Lahsooni Chicken Tikka and Amritsari Fish with coke. It was served hot with mint chutney and vinegar-onions. Blissful is the word.

2245 Hours

Finally, my eventful day was wrapped with a mango paan from Annu Mobile Paan Bhandar in the next lane. He’s the Shahrukh Khan of Pan Industry. He has the privilege of catering in celebrity weddings. You’d be amazed to know that he was the common factor in Saif-Kareena and Mira-Shahid wedding. His paans range from INR 10 – 10 thousand. I was delighted with mine worth INR 20. I couldn’t try their famous fire paan. But it’s on the list.

Until further notice, hog everything.

Cheers! I’ll be back soon.

For travel related awesomeness, check out these men tees and women tees ! Trust me you will love it.

5 Netflix Shows you must Stream Right Now

One of the biggest developments of this past week has been the arrival of the web-streaming service Netflix in India. Netflix has had a very vivid history of giving us memorable stories and inspiring trends alike (NDTV carrying Netflix and chill was hilarious). And the best part about all this is that your first month’s subscription is free. In case you’re still contemplating what to watch or how best to make use of your chindi powers, here’s a list of five shows which you should stream. Bear in mind, all of these shows are for a mature audience. So if you’re sensibilities are called in to question then please do let us know in the comments why you felt so. Also message us what we missed and what we didn’t.

1) Narcos

It is not every day that you come across an in-depth look into the Colombian drug cartel, made famous by Pablo Escobar. Escobar has been the subject of many non-fiction books and has inspired many mainstream movie characters. Wagner Moura as Escobar chews up the scenery without effort and the cat and mouse game with the DEA makes for edge-of-the-seat stuff. There’s much to look forward to from the second season. But for now, don’t miss this gem.

2) Sense8

Sense8 talks about eight people who find that they’re linked mentally and are now thrust into a fight for survival. The brainchild of The Wachowskis (The Matrix Trilogy), this show is a cerebral roller coaster ride. And it has a solid Indian cast as well, comprising of Anupam Kher, Tina Desae and Naveen Andrews. The high points however are the scenes having Doona Bae and Aml Ameen, especially a particular hand to hand combat in the second episode.   

3) Master of None

This show has Aziz Ansari playing a 30 year old professional actor in New York, who’s still single and is struggling to find the love of his life. There are some memorable characters over the length of this series and most of the show is like a leaf out of our daily lives. It promises to deliver the laughs and it makes good on its promise by some margin.

4) Marvels Daredevil

Now most of you would’ve seen this. And most of you would’ve understood the universe Marvel is creating for its TV viewers. Still this outing of the blind lawyer fighting for justice is a sight to behold. Despite the arrival of its follow up, Jessica Jones, based around the same environs of Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil had the more engaging sequences and had a certain Vincent D’Onfrino who gave a really scary Wilson Fisk. If you’ve watched it before, this will be a good revision before the second season arrives on 18^th of March. If not, then stream immediately.

5) Making a Murderer

This is one of the most hard-hitting documentaries to have come out in the recent times. Filmed over a period of 10 years, it talks about the story of Steven Avery who served 18 years in prison, for a crime he didn’t commit, and then is exonerated by DNA evidence. His relief is short-lived as he finds himself a prime suspect in another brutal murder. This docu-drama charts the course from 2003, when he is in the eye of the storm for a second time. It’s a long hard look at America’s justice system and at Avery’s family, whose lives are broken beyond the point of no-return.

– Lord of the TV, Sam

Wazir –A Review

The screen opens with everything happening in ultra-motion (slow motion but like you see in cricket games). Heck there’s an entire song that’s almost 50 percent in slow-mo. Maybe this was the director’s idea to include slowness in the plot because, and I emphasize this fact here, not even a single bit of the next one hour and forty minutes feels slow, drab or dreary. Predictable, yes. Missing or flawed logic at times, yes. But definitely intelligent, witty and a good old throwback to the days of revenge dramas and (I’m sure this might coming for some debate) a nice hat-tip to Shatranj Ke Khiladi.

Wazir, directed by Bejoy Nambiar (Shaitan and David), is actually a Vidhu Vinod Chopra brainchild. He does the story and also the screenplay with Abhijaat Joshi. A combination that has given us movies like Parinda, 1942 A Love Story, Mission Kashmir, 3 Idiots and PK. This movie may not exactly be in the league of the taut thrillers that western cinema gives us each year on end, but will surely make for a good compelling watch. And yeah, Nambiar does invoke his inner Villeneuve at times (a particular sequence played out in Delhi’s traffic) which makes this flick that much more stylized and glitzy.

Daanish Ali (Farhan Akthar) plays a cop in Delhi’s Anti-Terrorism squad who is suspended for messing up a crucial counter-terrorist op. This because he suffers a personal tragedy and is blindsided by his rage. It also leads to him separating from his wife Ruhana (Aditi Rao Hydari). Enter Omkar Nath Dhar (Amitabh Bachchan), a handicapped chess teacher who shares the same bereavement and an old wound that needs healing. And they both square up against a common enemy, who’s making his plays from the shadows.

A movie’s critical component remains its support cast. And in this regard, they back up the collective talent of the two leads. Manav Kaul, as the welfare minister hailing from Kashmir, gives us a glimpse of his sinister shades (one that we’re familiar with from Kai Po Che and also from the trailer of Jai Gangaajal). John Abraham briefly appears as a RAW agent and his bulky looks leave little scope for his acting chops. Hydari, as the bereaved wife, is a good addition to the cast as she excels in her scenes with Akthar and Big B. Neil Nitin Mukesh is the surprise package of this movie. He has a little less on-screen time compared to Kaul or Hydari but manages to leave an impression. I’m sure his rendition of lakdi ki kaati will ensure sleepless nights for most kids and young adults.

The high points of the movie are its visuals and the frequent interactions between the leads. They’re emotional and purposeful. The scene involving Akthar and Bachchan playing chess over vodka shots is a really witty one, including references to Ghalib, Shakespeare and chess jargon. The film isn’t short of its one liners though. And Bachchan gets most of it. Some of the lines even drew whistles from a motley bunch in the theater. Where the film lacks though is at instances when common (re)action would’ve been different in real-life circumstances. I dare not say what these would be as they’ll become spoilers. Also, the big reveal/twist is visible and most of the story progresses on predictable lines.

Despite having inconsistencies in its narrative, Wazir still retains your attention. And credit goes to the movie’s runtime which doesn’t go about explaining each and every aspect. Amitabh Bachchan also excels as Dhar, who is every bit the common septuagenarian you’d find around you. Farhan Akthar also matches up to the great man and it’s their combined talent which makes Nambiar’s third outing that much more watchable. True I was one of those few people who really appreciated David (I watched the Tamil version) and was raving over Shaitan but in no means are they lamentable, as one idiotic clickbait puts it. And yes, if your weekend plans doesn’t include this, then I suggest you make time. After all, it’s not everyday that you’d indulge in a game of chess and be handed a life lesson.

Overall 3/5

– Sam