Jungle Book!!

Hi Friends!!

Its been a real long time since I wrote... In most of the countries including India the first 3 months of the year are actually the last 3 months of the financial year and are pretty critical... Either you complete your targets or you get fired, screwed, whatever you call it... In my case, it was April when I woke up to complete the mission of "Achieving Targets"... I got screwed and warned for my performance and wasting my time in unproductive meetings in a million coffee shops...

Well before promising myself that I wouldn't do the same mistake again and start working very hard 'again'... I thought why not see the movie that would cheer me up for sure...

I had the video cassette of the animated version given to me by my aunt when I was a kid and let me tell you guys it just reminded me how wonderful the movie is... "Bear Necessities" my favourite...

What can I say about the characters; Mowli, Bagheera, Baloo, Kaa, King Louie and the Great Shere Khan... Baloo always the most interesting character in this story... Bill Murray did an amazing job...

It is a complete family treat... Don't miss!!

Katyar Kaljat Ghusli !!!

Extracted from a musical play written in 1967 by Purushottam Darvhekar, was made into a movie and directed by Subodh Bhave who also enacted the role of Sadashiv, the pupil of Pandit Bhanu Shankar Shatri (Shankar Mahadevan).  The movie had other main characters like Uma (Mrunmayee Deshpande) and Khansaheb Aftab Hussain Bareliwale (Sachin Pilgaonkar).

The Plot:

Shankar Shastri is a very renowned classical singer living in the princely state of Vishrampur during the British Raj.  There is no one in the state as good or equal to him.  In one of his musical sessions he comes across Khansaheb, befriends and invites him to Vishrampur.  On the festival of Dussehra, the Maharaja of the state announces a singing competition where the winner will be awarded the status of the Royal Singer, a Mansion and a Katyar (Dagger).  The Maharaja also proclaims that the winner would be pardoned if he committed one murder with that dagger for self defense.  Khansaheb is a nobody in Vishrampur, and he wants to make his presence felt.  He challenges Shankar Shastri.  The rest... is a musical fight between ego and devotion. 

GUYS... it was one hell of a movie.  I'm sure my maharashtrian friends have seen it.  It has passion, romance, suspense and all of this is communicated in the form of music (classical).  Two and a half hours and a whooping 16 songs... the best part is that you want to hear more and more.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have really done a superb job with the music and yes I have no words for Pt. Jeetendra Abhisheki.  The movie opens with Shankar singing "Sur Niragas Ho", a song in praise of Lord Ganesha...  and then, what can I say, 'thunders and lightnings'.

It was like one of those moments when I felt like thanking my brother, who actually has no interest in movies, who coaxed me to see this one.  Well my friends, if you are a music lover, you won't regret watching this one.

Cheers!! :)