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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

The world through my eyes: NH10 - a must watch Anushka Sharma

The world through my eyes: NH10 - a must watch Anushka Sharma: Director: Navdeep Singh Cast: Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam, Darshan Kumaar, Ravi Jhankal, Deepti Naval I had seen Badlapur recentl...

NH10 - a must watch Anushka Sharma

Director: Navdeep Singh
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam, Darshan Kumaar, Ravi Jhankal, Deepti Naval



I had seen Badlapur recently and thought this one would be similar after seeing the trailers. the films starts with negativity showing how bad ,people are in North India and how unsafe it is for girls to travel even  in closed big cars at night.a bitter truth though that all might agree.

A normal couple Meera and Arjun are out for a romantic vacation to a private villa. They take a wrong turn( they could have just used a GPS; strangely they did used paper map) and it seems that everyone they ask for directions is a goon and something bad is going on behind his mind. They  witness a public brawl where several people are mercilessly beating and kidnapping a girl and a boy. Arjun tries to interfere and is slapped in front of everyone. then follows the journey where Arjun, hurt by his public display of humiliation takes it up on his ego to teach those "gav wallas"  which turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life. they are made to watch the honor killing and now must run to save their lives.

Anushka Sharma as Meera has given her best performance till now. she plays a typical wife who can beg the goons to leave them alone but also can turn into a brutal woman when it comes to save her husband.  the movie displays the horror of honor killing and is one of the most gruesome movies made in bollywood.


There are many scenes which very well describes the society today.

- A part where the mother-in-law slaps her bahu in front if her grandson, and the boy starts clapping and laughing. its easy to imagine how that kid would turn into in when he grows up.

- A board on the streets saying "abortion is done here" hits right on the mark of the female infanticide  issue prevalent in those parts.

- The film hits hard on the honor killing and it was shocking to see the whole village being supportive of it right from the police.

- The gender discrimination is also showcased well and we see a woman hitting another woman which is quite disheartening.

The film doesn't let you relax at all. it has no love songs and doesn't loose  the track anytime. the plot is small yet gripping. There is brutality, no-frills narrative that hurtles from one skirmish to another between the pursued and the pursuers.
 Although one might feel it was impractical for a couple to chase some dangerous looking goons  in a lonely place, yet we get a faith that such people exist who do the right no matter how stupid that might sound.

Anushka has done a brilliant job as a wife to give back to his tormentors.



NH10 is indeed a triumph for the lead actress: she runs through a gamut of emotions as she flits from being a capricious coquette in the initial minutes of the film to quickly assuming the persona of a hopelessly cornered woman left with no option but to fight back with all her might.

Neil Bhoopalam, who is cast as the husband, is a fine actor who suffers a bit on account of the fact that his second-fiddle role isn’t endowed with much meat.

The pack of antagonists is led by two actors that are clearly capable of handling more complex roles
“Darshan Kumaar and Ravi Jhankal. But here, they are reduced to single-note characters.

The cast of NH10 includes Deepti Naval in a small but significant role that propels the film to its distressing yet satisfying climax.

NH10 is disturbing, thought-provoking and entertaining all at once.


A must watch

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Being #together in sadness


Written for housing.com


worlds strongest dog
We have a cute dog at home since 2004 that we got after continuously pestering our parents. Within days, he became an integral part of our lives and we couldn’t imagine a day without seeing him.
As time passed me and my brothers moved out of our homes for higher studies. we would occasionally come back to spend our holidays but it was very rare that all of us came together at the same time. Either one of us siblings would be missing every time.

I vividly remember the day when my mother had called me while I was in college telling me that our dog had been bitten by some local dogs and has got a huge wound under his belly which has become septic. I was shocked and couldn't imagine the pain that little thing would be going through. my mother informed that the doctors have said that he would not be able to survive this attack and would eventually die. I couldn't control my tears. the poor dog would be whining and I was not there to console it. no one could keep me in hostel at that time. I decided to go home and take care of my most loved youngest brother.
I called up my brothers and had no surprise when I heard that one of them was already on the way to home and other had booked his tickets as well. I took leave from my college and caught the bus to my hometown the very next day. One side I was happy to see my family together after a long time and on the other side I was sad for my dog.

On reaching home, I directly went to my dog. He was sitting on his same bed with bandage on his stomach. Even though he was in pain, he was excited to see me and started whining and wagging his tail. I had tears in my eyes and started consoling him and more to me that all would be well.

My brothers arrived within the next day. We were happy that we were finally together even though not for the best of the time. We all discussed what the doctors had said about our dog. my father was optimistic that he would survive this because the dog wanted to and if we took lot of care and gave him medicines at the right time, there was no way he would die. that night I sat there patting my dog thinking that he made us all get back together under one roof. I was happy to have dinner together with my family. we discussed our lives and for sometime forgot about our sadness. It had been a very long time, we had got to sit together. the family seemed complete. Sometimes, even the saddest things in life can bring out the hidden joy. my dog was dying and he brought our family together.

From the next day, we started our daily routine of our mission to save our dog. We did our best and made sure he was happy and had minimal pain. As my father had predicted, this little fellow survived the attack. Within 4 days, the wound had started to heal and he had become healthier. The vet was surprised to see the changes and was now confident of it becoming well soon. Before my vacation ended, the dog was much better. He had started to move out himself and was eating properly.

That day taught me that if the family is together, we can survive all the bad things in life.




Also read ->  https://housing.com/.


Friday, March 13, 2015

My deStress mantras: #SlowDownZindagi


Newly married(happily) and working in IT firm, my daily routine consists of


yes, this is IT effect


Working at home and also at office sometimes  gives me lot of stress. worrying about the pending tasks at office,daily different menu for food, savings, paying bills etc leaves very less space for rest.

so what do I do to get rid of the stress and get instant energy to keep myself going ?

                                         1. warm parachute oil massage

one very good thing that came out of marriage was head massage by my loving husband and he never says no to me. 10 minutes of this massage before sleeping works like alcohol and I get a good night sleep.
I am going to try a new quick way to De-stress & #SlowDownZindagi using Parachute Advansed Aromatherapy Oil in association with BlogAdda

                                          2. playing with my neighbors dog.

dogs are my weakness and my best friends. the wagging of its tail and constant barking and whining when it sees me back from office is a feast for the eyes and comfort to heart. a mere  five minutes can relax and bring back m energy. I forget all my tensions and walk in to my home feeling like a queen,

                                    3. Treat myself with ice cream watching my favorite TV show.

I don't like desserts but get me a box of nutty butterscotch ice cream and I can gulp it down in one go. the icecream combined with watching Big Bang theory is my stress buster. I laugh all the way and all my tensions fly off to an unknown land .

                                         4. A hot water bath
 nothings relieves you of body pain and stress than a hot water bath/shower. I mix this stress buster with my favorite body wash and just soak in the tub and forget everything else. I then remain unavailable for the next half hour atleast.

                                          5. A Weekend escapade

I love walking under the skies and watching the clouds around me. whenever I am really stressed out and need a break ,me and my husband go on a short bike ride to nearby hills and enjoy the weather and the beauty of nature. this really gives me ample time to relax and spend the best of my time with the love of my life.

these are my stress busters.. what are yours.?



in association with BlogAdda and  Parachute Advansed Aromatherapy Oil . watch the video below


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

The thin line



I  had met Akash 5 months back, when he joined my project for the company I worked for . He was a fun loving fellow and very handsome. With good looks he also had gym body. He got on well with everyone from my team instantly and they all seemed to enjoy the attention he gave to them. But I wasn’t. I thought it was fake show and he was just pretending so that he gets in easily in the group. I did not even react well to his daily morning greeting. He did not care much about it though.
The very next day, I was assigned to teach him the work and later he would work with me. I was not very happy with it. He came to my seat right away and started cracking jokes on how difficult it would be for me to teach a dumb person like him. I smiled and told him we would start from the next day.

Starting from next day, we got to spend lot of time together. He was always his own funny self and had started to make me actually laugh at his jokes. A week passed, before I came to know that I was getting attracted to Akash. He seemed to have a hold on me. I would wait for him to come to office and listen to his voice. His smile made my day. We would go out for lunch and tea breaks together. He would tell about his family and life and share almost everything with me. I would listen intently and it seemed I knew him from a long time. He was this long lost friend who had suddenly entered my life and turned it upside down. Everything was perfect when he was around. He would understand me so well. Give solutions to my problem. We would laugh incessantly every now and then. What was that feeling, I used to wonder. And to make matter better or worse, he also seemed to have the same interest in me. We had chemistry surely and there were talks about it within the team as well. I was not in for this and tried hard to ignore it initially but this attraction was so high that I could not help but roll back to him, when he smiled. I knew it was wrong. Very wrong!

Then one day something happened which I was dreading but still expecting. I remember, that day he had worn his best shirt to office, had shaved perfectly and had put an extra dose of his daily perfume. Yes, indeed it had THAT effect he had wanted to put on me. I knew something was fishy and tried my best to avoid an eye contact with him. We went for tea at the same usual time and I was particularly silent that day.
Out of the blue he suddenly turned to me and asked “I like you, do you like me as well? I know something is going on here and I just want to be sure if it’s same from your side as well”. I was expecting this but not in this way. I looked at him for few moments and then  suddenly closed my eyes and sighed. “Yes, I do like you but I am really sorry Akash, it’s not possible and you know why. I should not have let this happen. It’s my entire fault. I let it go too far.”

I excused myself and ran to the washroom. I had tears in my eyes. I washed my face and looked at myself in the mirror. There was so much guilt in my eyes. I was so ashamed, felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart. After few minutes, I picked myself up and went back to my seat.Akash was sitting there checking his facebook profile. We did not speak the whole day after that and I thanked the gods when he was called for training for the next few hours.

As the day ended, I quickly wrapped up my work and got ready to leave before Akash came back. I actually ran the whole way to the bus stop. There was turmoil in my head. I was lost.
I reached home an hour later. I washed myself up and went to the kitchen to make tea and prepare for the dinner. At 7 pm the doorbell rang; my heart skipped a beat and my legs froze. He had come home. I took a deep breath in and opened the door.

There he was standing. The love of my life, My husband of 3 years. As soon as I saw him, I couldn’t control myself and hugged him. It seemed I had seen him after years. Tears were all over my face and I was so happy to have got my senses.

“I love you Siddharth. Never leave me; I will not be able to survive without you.” I cried frantically, kissing him all over his face. I was repeatedly asking him to pardon me and there he was standing puzzled as to what had gotten into me. He happily took me into my arms and consoled me even though he didn’t know what it was for. I looked into his eyes and my whole life flashed before me. His love, care and support. He worked so hard to give me a good future and loved me like no one else could. I didn’t know if I deserved him. I was about to fall for another man. I was just a hair like line away from committing the biggest mistake of my life. I was ashamed of myself. That’s the day I realized what this man meant to me. Fortunately, I made this discovery sooner that brought an abrupt end to what might have developed into a more serious extra marital relationship

There is a very thin line of infidelity.

Once crossed, it can never be repaired. There will be physical attraction always, whether a man or a woman, it’s for our judgment to decide which way to take. Infidelity doesn't only mean physical affair but crossing THAT line that separates your spouse from the rest of the world.it can be emotional as well





 pic courtesy-google

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Starting over: cheers to the life changing decisions

Bangalore is my second home after Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. My maternal family lives here and so when I shifted for work, I did not feel a lot of difference. I got selected in campus recruitment and started as a trainee In a software company in Bangalore in the year 2011. I was staying with my uncle and cousins and having the best time of my life. I earned, spent and saved and was living a dream.
During my training days, I had got attached to one guy and he had become one of my best friends. Not that I was interested in having a relationship but it was good chemistry between us. And as time flew, people started tagging us as a “couple”. I never took it too seriously since it’s what people do and I hardly cared what other think of us.

After training, he immediately got project while I was still on bench. I used to visit him in his office sometimes for work or taking printouts. During that time, he used to take me out for tea or just come a little closer and grab my hand sometimes. This was surprising to me since he had never behaved like this before. Still I did not judge him since, he was very close to me and I shared almost everything with him. The shocking part was when I came to know that He had been telling his colleagues and his college friends that I am his girlfriend. He used to make me deliberately sit near beside his seat for long to show off to his teammates. I was aghast. I had least expected this from him. We had made it clear long back that we would not end up together. I never knew, he was interested in me. Even if he was, I had all the right to know it first rather than the whole world. I was not an object to be showed off or be carried like a prize.

I was broken and confronted him. He had all the excuses to his defense and he tried to propose to me as well. I denied it. Our friendship was over and in fact I lost a little faith in men after this incident. I just wanted to put all this behind me and move on, but all these months that I had spent with him, the good times we had, the stuff we did together, all those moments reminded me of him all the time. His duplicity had left me alone.

After around a fortnight a good surprise came to me in the form of a project allocation. I was given a project in Hyderabad and had to relocate. I had never been to that city and was a little apprehensive in accepting it. I was afraid of this change. I knew no one there and had no friends.I was living with my family  here and even they did not want me to leave. There were Telangana fights going on that time and everyone told me it would be dangerous. But it was destined to be. I had turmoil going in my head and was heartbroken at that time. I needed to start afresh and be as far away from him as possible. I took the decision to go.

I left for Hyderabad in Nov 2011 and trust me; it was the best decision of my life. Till date I feel that the life I had in Hyderabad for 2 years were the best days of my life. The project I went into was one of the prime clients of my organizations and I did surprisingly well there. I got two awards within a span of 6 months. I was part of the team meeting with clients and they had huge hopes with me. I was ruling and expanding my knowledge. More than work, I was personally very lucky since two of my best friends were relocated to Hyderabad as well later and I spent a wonderful time with them.I was a part of the badminton team as well and gained lot of popularity as well.

I moved on fast. I forgot what happened to me in Bangalore and did not regret even a bit leaving that city. I lived alone in a room and learnt to be independent. I spent wisely and also bought a gold chain. My first ever investment with my own money. I was proud of myself. And thanked the gods, for bringing this change in my life.

As for that guy in Bangalore, I never heard from him again. Time flew and it patched all wounds. I was happy and Successful

Do not be afraid to start over. It’s a new chance to rebuild what you want


Thursday, March 5, 2015

Look Up to Father : the story of #optimism #love # faith #life


"Appa, Am home", Ritu shouted as she dragged her cycle inside her garden. she could hear her mom yell "first change your clothes and have lunch beta"
she ignored her mother and went directly to her dad seated on the couch watching news as usual


seeing his face only brought a huge smile to her face. " I was the best scorer in today's match Appa. I made 10 baskets out of 15 in the match and we won. tomorrow is finals and our school will definitely win  the 'Inter school basketball championship' this time.

Her father beamed with pride and took her loving daughter on his lifeless legs. he was struck with polio at the age of 3 but his disability never came on his way to success and raising a family on his own.

"I am so proud of you Beta, I knew you would win.now tell me everything about the match", he said while stroking her daughters small boycut hair.

Ritu went on to describe the match, telling how she managed to take a three pointer and 4 fouls from the defending team. then at the last 5minutes she was able to score 3 baskets back to back and how her team lifted her up after the match ended.

" how can you manage so many baskets being so short and so much younger than other girls? do they pick you up for throwing balls " teased her father. Ritu laughed and replied " because I am your daughter, I am short but I haven't let this come in my way to become a basketball champion"

And it was true. everyday, Ritu woke up to see his father crawling on the floor helping her mother do the daily chores. who ever said disabled people cant do anything can now regret. he could do almost anything a normal man could do. Her mother was working too. Ritu had 2 elder  brothers who were also studying.Preparing food and making all the kids ready for school and then getting ready herself for work was definitely a hefty task to do daily for a mother.
her father never complained. he used to daily wake the kids up and pack the lunch boxes and constantly pester to get ready soon.
then he used to drop her mother off to her school, where she worked as a teacher and then go to his work.
Ritu grew up seeing this man who was her inspiration and who taught her that nothing is impossible in life. A man who couldn't walk, was teased always in his young age but dared to raise a family. He did not earn too much but dared to give the best education to his 3 children. a man who could not afford luxury but never said NO to any of his children demands. a man who could not afford but still paid the school fees of his workers children. a man filled with compassion, who rarely got angry. always smiled and laughed as if there is no worry in his life. a man who no matter what tensions might be in his life, always slept with satisfaction after the days end. he planned for future but enjoyed every moment of his present.

Ritu grew up to be a strong woman like her father. she joined the Army and now serves the nation. The only regret in her life is that her father is not alive to see his favorite child's accomplishments.

This man's story is a story of optimism - optimism about life, about love, about the world and its future.