Arabs & Africans love B'wood !!!

Critics may have snubbed B'wod movies for their over the top acting and exaggerated storylines.But they cannot deny the fact that it is the most successful medium of cinema in the world, as far as viewership and popularity ratings go.

Even the United Nations Development council has gone on to say that since Indian films have over-the-top acting and narration,they have easily overcome the barriers of language. What is even more surprising is their popularity in Africa and Arab nations, people in Senegal and Morocco can enjoy hindi movies without knowing the language and without the help of subtitles. Everything is so telgraphic and reaches out to the people easily.

People also seem to love bollywood since it creates an alternative reality. Most people in UK, US and Asia would agree that for them, the storyline and song and dance routine is more like a "three hour escape ". With an outreach such as this, b'wood can soon bid for having its own version of Oscar Awards.

Tintin Reloaded!

Going back to our school days most of us had an undying passion for Tintin and his adventures. To this day everyone seems to have read the books numerous times, and still none of us would flinch an eyeball , if we get another opportunity to have a go at them again.

The Adventures of Tintin scripted by Georges Remi under the pen name of Herge have acquired cult status in the world of comics. Herge started in 1931 and went on for around 20 adventures till his death in the early 1980's. The books are action-adventures loaded with humour, satire and eccentric personalities, perfect for kids but substantial enough for adults to enjoy. I would say that the books were well ahead of their time going by the plots and the illustrations.

Well now we all are addicted to the internet and so we can download Tintin ebooks and read them at our convenience. Follow the link below if you want quick access to Tintin, these books are not downloadable , but if you are looking for a quick read its worth it.

http://tintincomics.topcities.com/index.htm

Enjoy and watch this space, Asterix is comin next!

Dubya's Empty Pockets!

What does Bush keep in his pockets?

President Bush may be burdened with the world's problems, but his pockets are pretty light.It turns out the leader of the free world doesn't have to worry about carrying all the essentials of the common man.Bush revealed the contents of his pockets Tuesday to an Argentine newspaper reporter who was interviewing him in advance of a presidential trip to Latin America later this week.

When the reporter from La Nacion asked Bush to show him what he carries, the president stood up, fished in his pockets, then dramatically pulled his hands out holding nothing but a white handkerchief that he waved playfully in the air."Es todo," Bush told the Spanish-speaking reporter, meaning the handkerchief was all. "No dinero, no mas. No wallet."He doesn't need any cash, since his staff takes care of buying anything he might need. He carries no cell phone, either, since he is surrounded by aides who take care of dialing his calls.

And why would he need keys since every door is held open for him and his car comes with a driver trained by the Secret Service?The Argentine reporter, who interviewed Bush at the White House with other journalists from the Latin American media, asked the president if he even had a watch."Si, Timex," Bush said, thrusting out his wrist to show off a timepiece that had his middle initial, W, on the face. "But I'm not supposed to be endorsing products."

See no Evil, Hear no Evil , Speak no Evil !

Epitomised by Gandhiji through his 3 monkeys,who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil ,this tenet stills holds good even after a good five decades post Independence. Topping the list are our beloved internal agencies,political honchos and bureaucrats , who have made it a point to follow Gandhiji's philiosophy at all costs.

The rate at which scams are being exposed today is phenomenal.(Ripley's might as well add it to their list).Well the most recent one is the Volcker Report , which suggests that the major beneficiaries in the payoffs related to the UN oil for food program include the Congress party and our Foreign Minister Mr. Natwar Singh. The list is unending, Mitrokhin archives which again had the Congress and Left parties under the scanner, the infamous Hawala scams, Bofors etc etc, the list is unending. As a matter of fact the above list only includes scams initiated in deals and arrangements with foreign entities, if we sit and count the internal scams, we have to start a new department.

But there is a certain change post 2000, most of these scams are being reported by foreign instituted panels, which as i see is pretty surprising. Is this a ploy by foreign countries to ruffle the political environment in India or its just that our agencies and a few responsible persons are following the aforementioned policy of see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.Kudos to our daredevil news channels like AAJTAK , who have taken it on themselves to expose these scams.
In lighter vein i suggest that we outsource our scam investigation and enquiry to a department abroad.

Must See Flicks for under 30's!

Not yet 30 , check out how many of the following movies you have seen;

1. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron Genre : Comedy Rating *****Best ever Comedy made in India.
2. Being John Malkovich Genre : Comedy/Drama Rating **** Cool & Happening
3. Pather Panchali Genre : Drama Rating***** Best treat for Satyajit Ray's fans.
4. Anjali Genre: Drama Rating***** Arguably Mani Ratnam's finest hour
5. Memoirs of a Geisha Genre : Drama Rating***** Based on Arthur Golden's bestselling novel
6. Life is Beautiful Genre: Musical Comedy Rating***** Oscar winning best Tragic Comedy ever made.
7. Pretty Woman Genre : Romantic Comedy Rating***** Best love story ever told on screen
8. The Godfather Genre : Action/Drama Rating***** Need i say more
9. American Pie Genre: Comedy Rating***** Has achieved cult status in the US.
10. The Matrix trilogy Genre: Action Rating*****Awesome Special effects.
11. The Shawshank Redemption Genre: Drama Rating*****Exceptional portrayal by the lead actors.
12. Maine Pyar Kiya Genre : Romance Rating***** Pathbreaking & Recordbreaking movie in India.
13. The Full Monty Genre : Comedy Rating***** One of the best ever satirical comedies.
14. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge Genre: Romance Rating***** Words are not enough...
15. Forrest Gump Genre : Drama Rating***** Tom Hank's incredible Oscar winning performance.
16. The Terminator Genre: Action Rating***** Science Fiction at its Best
17. Catch Me if You Can Genre: Comedy/Drama Rating***** Steven Speilberg's directorial Magic
18. Bend it Like Beckham Genre : Comedy/Drama Rating***** Gurinder Chaddha's best work to date.
19. Back to the Future Genre : Sci-fi/Comedy Rating***** Sci-fi & Comedy , Action, lots of fun.
20. 2001: A Space Odyssey Genre: Sci-fi Rating***** Stanley Kubrick's only Oscar for Special Effects.

All the above movies are rated at 5 stars translating to "Must see" .

See the entire list at http://people.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/1282921.cms

Well i have a few movies i got to catch up on from the list.