Guru En Aalu Ille!

After a very long time, we decided to see a movie. Decision taken, there seemed to be no great movies around to see (the multiplex strike not helping matters any!). We decided to watch "Guru En Aalu" which is a remake of the SRK hit "Yes Boss" - we reasoned that the original was a laugh riot so that remake ought to be watchable, right?

Wrong! And how!

I ve listed out why anyone shouldn't venture near Guru En Aalu:

1. throughout the film, you get the feeling that someone just took out what they termed "essential" scenes and wove a remake around it, never mind that those scenes seemed to stick out like a sore thumb!!
2. The editing is slipshod - all the scenes seem to run into one other haphazardly.
3. Music is terrible, not sure if the composer just decided to randomly mix tunes in his sleep! There is a song which starts off on an Arabic note and degenerates into a dapanguthu with everyone shaking more than just a leg to it - really crass!
4. There is no thought on what each character can do or not - the wife of the "Boss" decides to do a "Dapanguthu" in a company meet (why that happens - God knows!)
5. The comedy track is horribly vulgar and distasteful and not connected in any way to the plot - everytime Vivekh comes onscreen, you want to run out screaming
6. Unrealistic adaptation - in the original the hero and heroine were represented to be married - here it is just living together!!! and they go on honeymoon!!
7. No effort in acting - the casting is really terrible - Maddy does his bit but there is little to support him. Abbas in the role of Aditya Pancholi fails miserably and the newcomer who does Juhi's role needs to learn to act.

We almost decided to move out during the first half, but since we had nothing else to do and the only other alternative would have had us spending more (shopping in Citi centre), we courageously stayed on.

The original was a great time-pass movie with memorable acting, even if above the board hamming sometimes. The songs were hummable and nice.

The remake is something we need to avoid like the plague and definitely say "Guru En Aalu Ille, Illave Ille!!!"

Good times, bad times!

This is a blog gathering my random thoughts on bad times, good times.

There are days when I wonder about good and bad times. Are we really at the mercy of the planets? Is there something called a good time or a bad time. Do prayers offset bad times?

I am reminded of this story which I read in Tinkle a while back. There was this old Wazir who used to respond “Goodluck, bad luck, who knows?” to everything that happened to him. The story starts off with supposedly misfortune befalling him, which turns into a blessing in disguise, and then into misfortune and so on. I don’t remember how it ends, but that phrase stuck in my mind.

Therefore, if we were to presume that every misfortune is good fortune in disguise and vice-versa, then we are not at the mercy of the planets. Hmm, this merits a rethink….

One more phrase that I recall, however clichéd it may sound, is “tough times never last, tough people do”. Possibly true, since everything seems to follow a cyclical pattern and if you can keep your head up in the trough, you will reach high in the peak. Imagine the plight of all the employees in Satyam – probably the Rajus will stay happy for the next “Saath pusht” (seven generations). What of the employees? How are they to blame for the brink where they find themselves today? Can “bad time” hit 50,000 odd people at the same time? I don’t know, but this sure qualifies as a “tough time”. I hope that all those people are really tough to weather this storm.

I heard someone say that astrologers have it great during Recession with people flocking to them for advise and parikramas to ward off the evil times. I don’t know – probably there are a lot of these people who lead people astray for personal gain, but of the believers, I suppose that going to the astrologer serves the same purpose as going to a place of worship – you look for a source of hope, to stay afloat in a tough time and move on clinging to a vein of hope, no matter how slender it is.

Another piece of conversation strikes me is one I had with a friend. She was undergoing “Shani” phase in her life and was at the end of it. I was to start off on this same phase. She told me, that there are 4 forces in everyone’s life –
1. Suya-bal – refers to the will or the qualities that come from self
2. Griha-bal – refers to the power that the planets have on the course of events
3. Deiva-bal – refers to the power of God in charting the course of events
4. I forgot this one, but it refers to the goodwill and prayers that others offer for you.

She reasoned, at any point in time, only 25 percent of what is happening to you is because of planets, which you cant do anything about. God doesn’t go against anyone, and goodwill is something that has to be earned. As for Suya-bal, it is upto each of us to bring it out. Why should 25 percent hold sway over the balance 75 percent. It can be only because the self has not realized its potential.

I recall this reasoning in the worst of my days to tide over that crisis, that moment. I really believe that what can be achieved by harnessing my will would be good, it will have the support of God and the people who matter the most to me.

Someone once told me, “I am going through a bad time, I should just put my head down and submit to it, endure what it gives me”. I think that person let the 25 percent override the balance. We shouldn’t do that – oh, I know it is easy to preach this, very difficult to try and follow it. But I remember that friend and her words – she may not have fully been able to implement the “Suya-bal” and I sure am not able to always do it – but the memory helps.

In this context, there are two other phrases/ verses which I recall when tested. Possibly, those who have the habit of reading Readers’ Digest, would recall these:

1. Why worry when you can fix it, if you cant do anything about it, what’s the use of worrying?

2. The optimist fell twelve storeys
And at each window bar
He cried to his friends who were frightened below
“Well, I am alright SO FAR!”

The second one especially has the ability to soothe frazzled nerves and give me the strength to move on.

There are various ways we all cope - it could be different for each of us. What never fails to amaze me, though, is the sheer capacity that we all have to cope and move on. We all have it and when it matters, we prove our mettle.

Yet another review on eat-outs in Chennai!

This kind of a blog has probably been done to death with! However, I think I will add one more to the burgeoning list of reviews of eat-outs in Chennai.

During the past couple of months, I have had occasion to dine at The Rain Tree, The Lemon Tree, Cream Center, Palimar, Chit chat, Mansukh and Gyan Vaishnav Punjabi Dhaba – I guess that kind of covers quite a bit of spectrum on dining experience.

The Rain Tree

Well, it’s called a EcoTel Hotel, but I haven’t quite figured out how “green” they are. Guess there should be something in the way it works… The location is good, on St Mary’s road, near Park Sheraton.

The first time that I dined here was at “Rainbow”, the 24*7 restaurant. The buffet spread was good and I felt that the portions in the a-la carte menu were generous enough. The ambience was also great – muted lighting, tables far apart, the works. The bearers served with a smile and were attentive and literally spoilt us. However, recently, when I went to Rainbow again, this time taking my family for a dinner, I wasn’t happy at all. The restaurant now looks crowded, what with walkways filled with tables for 2 and 4 people. The stewards were a harried lot, though they smiled at you in a lovely manner, it was obvious that they had far too much to handle. The quality of the food remained as good as I remembered. However, when we go to a “Star Hotel”, we are paying not just for the food, but for the experience, and in that respect, Rainbow came down in estimation and referral value. If I wanted to eat in a place that was noisy and filled to brim with people, with servers too busy to serve, I would eat in HSB – the same kind of quality food, quick service, no ambience but value for money. Raintree – you better take note here.

The other restaurant that I have had occasion to visit in The Rain Tree was “Above Sea Level”, their rooftop restaurant. I must say, this was one cool place to be in, literally as well as figuratively. Only one thing that could be improved is that the stewards were not as attentive to Indian guests, vis-à-vis the foreign ones. I understand the all consuming Indian obsession for anything “phoren”, and possibly the higher tips that a “firang” can leave - but hospitality needs to be an impartial industry. But I enjoyed my experience there and Chennai never looked better than from up there.

A veggie meal for two, without liquor, should cost around Rs 1,600 here.

The Lemon Tree

This is a new hotel, which has come up near Raj Bhavan. Location-wise, my first feel is that it is in an unfortunate location – the road is a one-way and to reach the hotel from Anna Salai, you have to travel quite a distance. And there is this large tree almost obscuring the “out” gate, and which requires some tricky maneuvering, if you are in anything bigger than a hatchback.

We dined at their 24*7 café. I liked the ambience – the room was large, tables well spaced – but the best sell here is all the quotes, one liners, cartoons and jokes that they have on the walls, on the table mats and even in the restrooms! The stewards all but fell over themselves to serve us – to be expected, since we were the only brave souls to try it out! The uniforms were a perky yellow, which was the theme color throughout. The food wasn’t spectacular but it was obvious they were in the start up phase. Our steward was so proud of the hotel (first job?) that he took us on an impromptu tour of the ground level – we saw the cozy bar, the spotless kitchen (yes, I am not joking here) – we dropped a hint to the chef that maybe, just maybe, he wants to work a bit on the salt and spice… A good experience, but would want to wait and watch, once their start up is over for improvements!

A veggie meal for two, without liquor, should cost around Rs 1,000 here.

Cream Centre

This is not a new establishment and has quite a fan following. I wasn’t aware of it till about 6 months back though. We went there twice, once as a large group. They have quite a choice – despite being a pure veg eatout. I must say, the service is fast, no matter the size. The food is finger-lickin’ good. The Cream Centre Chola-Batura was out of the world, and so were the desserts! But maybe, if you are a health freak, you should not go here – everything is loaded with cheese – Italian, Mexican – its all desi here, with cheese to cover any hiccups!!!!

A meal for two should cost around Rs 800 here.

Palimar

Again, an old establishment, though with a new look now. More suited for office-goers on the lookout for a quick meal-deal. The food is okey-dokey – don’t expect dazzlingly new items here – only a choice of Thalis and a few a-la carte items. The thalis are preferable and are adequate.

A meal for two should cost around Rs 500 here.

Chit Chat

Located on Anna Salai opposite Anna Arivalayam, at first look, you think it’s a coffee shop. It has a tiny restaurant packed in though. The food is not spectacular, nor bad – it’s just indifferent. The prices though are a different story – maybe they are recovering the rent is what you end up feeling.

Go only if you don’t have a choice otherwise - a meal for two would cost around Rs 700-800.

Mansukh

A veg restaurant in T Nagar, which serves both chat and thali items, it is busy at any time of the day. The chat section downstairs works on self service and the meals section upstairs thankfully has someone to do the running. It’s an inexpensive hangout, but the quality has declined compared to what it was earlier. I have visited this place around a dozen times, over the years, and I feel that the taste isn’t what it used to be. Maybe its part of the strategy to stop people from asking for seconds in an unlimited thali, still – you expect a certain standard, which is missing of late. Hope they ramp back to their original score soon!

A meal for two will cost around Rs 300-400.

Gyan Vaishnav Punjabi Dhaba

This is near the old Anand theatre on Anna Salai – pure veg, authentic Punjabi Khana. I have a soft spot for this place, I admit – it is fast becoming my most visited place J The service is super quick – this is not the place for people who want to linger over their lassis! All you order is on your table in “punch minut”. The food is the talking point here, it scores over any Dhaba in the city – all of which present some greasy, paneer loaded stuff as “Punjabi food”. Not here though! People who have eaten authentic Punjabi Khana elsewhere and sample it again in Gyan Vaishnav would agree. It’s really a “filling” experience to dine here. Don’t look for ambience or any of the works – it’s a dhaba plain and simple, with super food.

Their Punjab-Di-Beer (A bottle full of super buttermilk) and Rabri-with-Laloo-free (rabdi rasmalai sweet), not to mention Kashmiri Pulao is awesome. So are the rotis and parathas. But the gravies are not for the health conscious – sometimes, you may want to strain out the oil before sampling!!!! And yes, the portions aren’t as large as you would expect – diminutive at best. But it’s not as expensive, so you say “Chalta Hai”. I have never had to spend more than 40 minutes in this place, and the quickest out time was 20 minutes!!!

A meal for two should cost around Rs 500 here.

This kind of wraps up my recent dining experiences, but there is more to follow….keep you posted!