Natrang

Had been wanting to see this movie for sometime. The promos seemed too good for a Marathi movie. And I was not disappointed. Since this movie would never come to the theaters in Kolkata, I had to wait for my roommate to bring it on his laptop from Mumbai.

The movie is about Gunavantrao Kagalkar(Atul Kulkarni), a poor villager who makes money doing odd jobs. The man has problems making ends meet, but spends all his paltry earnings on the tamasha (theater) that comes to the village. He also has a passion for acting and theater and harbors plans to become a famous theater personality. The movie shows the tragedy of his life and the sacrifices he makes in order to achieve his goal.

Atul Kulkarni is superb as Gunvant. The character is very well developed.The transformation from manly body builder to the lighly built eunuch is too good. The conundrum he faces over his family and carrer is very well showcased.
Kishore Kadam deserves a mention for playing the role of Pandoba, the manager and friend who tries his utmost to further Gunvant's career.


The movie is very well made technically. The cinematography,make up and method acting is evident in this.
The movie is serious, some might find it sad. I would describe it as realistic, showing that nothing comes free and easy in life.
Go watch it.

Nothing Like A Hard Day's Works

This is my second post within the space of an hour. Too many things in my mind.
I am too happy right now. For 3 days I beat my head over what could have been causing the error I was getting in the code. Well, it has been diagnosed and fixed and I am glad for it.

Twilight Saga

Well,..I was forced into reading the book after one of my colleagues made me watch the first book motion picture.

For those who don't know
Twilight is a best selling series of 4 books by Stephenie Meyers, 2 of which have now been adapted to motion pictures. The third one is releasing soon.
The story is about Isabella Swan(Bella) and Edward Cullen,a vampire who lives with his family(all vampires) just outside of town.
The two fall in love and several complications are provided in the form of Jacob Black and his pack of werewolves.

When I started reading the book, I had already watched the first two episodes. So it was like getting a more detailed account of things. I must say the film has stayed true to the book in most cases. But some important details are missing, like Jasper's power of manipulating emotions are given only a fleeting reference in the second movie,the stories of the individuals of the Cullen family. The transformation of Jacob to a werewolf and the time Bella spends with the pack is completely skipped. Kristen Stewart is passable as Bella. The shortcomings in her acting overshadowed by the character. but Robert Pattinson as Edward needs to understand that even vampires can't seem so dead.
Coming to the books. The first two suffer from a slow pace. The first is just an introduction to the characters. But the second one is a painful experience. There are paragraphs devoted to Bella's suffering,which become monotonous as the book progresses. Going by the second book,I had decided not to read the last two books, but was pleasantly surprised. The last two books are amazing.The action sequences are too good. The fourth book is a faster read because of a part being narrated from the point of view of Jacob Black. Also, the mushy romance is shelved in favor of action. Among the characters Jacob Black seems to be the most well developed, striking a balance between romance and action.The lead characters seem very one dimensional to me.

I won't say more. Watch the movies. If you like them, read the books.

Laptop and Internet finally!!!

No more sneaking the few minutes on Gmail and Orkut in the office, no more worry about security policy. All I got to do now is log into my new net connection using my new laptop and I am good to go. This blog has just received a new lease of life. Let’s see where I can take it from here.

Night Shift

Recently out here there have been rumours of night shifts.
This is the result of some atrociuosly low bidding done in order to get a contract renewed.
The justification for the new timings is that things will now be managed from Offshore. Hence the need to support at night i.e. daytime in the US. Although the night shift timings are not yet official, people are already freaking out.
I am not saying they should not. After all, such extreme timings warrant a raise (which seeing the current condition of the economy, is highly unlikely). If not a raise then atleast some perks (taxi fare, good food, some extra holidays). But I don't see any of the things in our future.
Those who are onsite say that onsite is hell. Well they are being payed a pretty high amount to stay out there. And they don't seem to be too eager to come back. Funny is it not, that people will so gladly walk into the fires of 'hell'.
Most people in my project are either experienced or married(which means they will not come for the night shift), or they are on their way out.
I fear that it will come upon me and the few other rel;atively inexperienced people.