Johnny Gaddar all the way!!!

What a movie!! My opening line would have given my game away, but I couldn't hold myself back. Its been ages that I have been to a movie where I sat at the edge of my seat for the entire duration of 3 hours! Quick, impulsive and honest, this movie is a slick thriller that does not depend on cheap bollywood tricks like dead people not actually being dead or unnecessary drama like an extra marital affair being found out. The movie plays on a slippery edge between the old cinema of yester years and editing to rival hollywood films and does it with panache.

Neil Mukesh is a find. His good looks don't distract you from his character. He plays the innocent guilty so well that you come out of the movie not even hating the man though he plays a villain and not really a hero.

The music, like the movie, is fast and brilliantly done by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. There is an element of freshness and at no point in the movie do you feel that you have to go through a song sequence. Neither has the director resorted to popular antics ala Gangster/ Omkara etc. to have all of them get drunk and start singing songs together.

The women are really quite inconsequential. They are around but you dont notice them much! The 5 characters are able to hold your attention all along. Dharmender keeps resorting to broken english which seems forced but its probably an attempt to keep him away from slipping back into popular 'kutte kamine' mode. Shartul is as grimy as they get and Prakash keeps urging you to sympathise with his circumstances.

All in all, a movie that does not happen too often. Full paisa vasool.

Rating - 4 on 5

Tanha - Javed Akhtar....

Dekhiye to lagta hai,
Zindagi ki raahon mein,
Ek bheed chalti hai...

Sochiye to lagta hai..
Bheed mein hain sab tanha.

Jitne bhi yeh rishte hain,
Kaanch ke khilone hain,
Pal mein toot sakte hain..

Ek pal mein ho jaaye...
Koi jaane kab tanha.

Dekhiye to lagta hai,
Jaise yeh jo duniya hai,
Kitni rangeen mehfil hai...

Sochiye to lagta hai...
Kitna gam hai duniya mein,
Kitna zakhmi har dil hai..

Woh jo muskuraate the,
Jo kisi ko khwaabon mein,
Apne pass paate the..

Unki neend tooti hai..
Aur hain woh ab tanha.

Basant Lok - Explored

We often succumb to the monotony of the familiar. We don't venture far into the unknown and take sanctuary in the comfort of the known. It is to avoid this pitfall of human nature that we decided not to visit our regular haunts for our Saturday night evening but go find something new.

We zeroed in on Basant Lok Complex for the variety it offers. Though a good half an hour drive from our house on Janpath, we were sure we would not be disappointed. We started our survey by walking all around (which doesn't take long as its a small complex). For our first experiment, we entered the lounge and bar- Barcode. A 3 storey high building, the bar has been divided basis audiences. Ground floor seats those on a business outing. The first floor is more of couples or groups. The second and third floor house the dance floors. They have tried to give it an urban classy look but in a few places, the decor trades comfort for looks. A bit on the pricey side, a pint of kingfisher beer costs Rs.200 with taxes. The snacks menu is also quite basic with the regular chilly chicken types listed. Not too impressed and a little tired of reading the menu with our mobile phone lights (thanks to the dingy lighting), we decided to make a move and find something more exciting.

By chance, my gaze fell on a non-descript sign on the first floor on the opposite building that suggested of a place called 'Haze'. Curious to see what this place had to offer, we found the entrance behind the market and climbed to the first floor. As we entered, we realised that we had found one of those hidden alcoves that you only hear about by word of mouth. A smallish place with tables seating around 30 people, a portion of the floor is dedicated to bands that perform on weekends. The music here is mostly rock and regulars are a mix of foreign tourists and young rock fans. The menu has a flat rate of Rs.200 for IMFL and Rs.100 for all snacks. All in all, a place where one can let your hair down and drink to the night without making too much of a dent in your pocket.

On this note, we moved on from Haze and decided to have our dinner at Hookah. Hookah is a quaint lebanese and moroccan restaurant in a corner of the market. The decor is very Arabian with bright red wall papers and low seating allowing you to enjoy a hookah in a group. It almost reminds you of the excellent ambience of Cafe Mocha. The menu is a mix of Lebanese, Moroccan and Italian food. We chose the Chicken Caesar Salad (If you read my blogs, you will know why) and on their recommendation, decided to go for the Chicken in Lemon and Carrot sauce. A little sceptical about the 2nd dish, we were pleasantly surprised. The sauce had a tangy taste and was flavored well to titillate the palate. A meal for 2 costs a comfortable Rs.600 here.

So next time the bug bites and you feel like doing something adventurous, just pick up the car and go explore a new area....you never know what you may find!!