Thursday, October 13, 2011

Review of 'Real Steel'

I reluctantly went to watch this one as the trailers almost dare you to dislike it. The story seems far fetched and anachronistic till you set your foot in the hall. But once there, It’s a real revelation. With no ado, the premise of it being set in near future is spelt upfront. There are no gimmicks put in to make it overly sci-fi and you can very much relate to the scenario. The film rightly extrapolates the trajectory that video gaming is likely to take. With that being a futuristic premise, it however at heart remains a tale of emotions, relations, defeat, victory and redemption. It is also an underdog story and delights you with a grounded narrative. Very much watchable 3.5 STARS

Review of 'Saheb Biwi aur Gangster'

‘Saheb Biwi aur Gangster’ is set in a part of rural Uttar Pradesh, which hangs onto its colonial roots and hence erstwhile title of 'Saheb' has been maintained albeit with waning respect of people.
The male protagonist is less of a Raja and more of a local don, and constantly short of money to maintain his lavish haveli and royal tastes. The local politics and his royal step mother are his only source of income. His wife(Biwi) is confined to her house and has to encumber the overbearing responsibility of the title despite a philandering husband and boring life.

The film is about the Sahib’s scheming enemy planting a mole(Gangster) in his house and the resulting melee which has to do with the gangsters ever increasing ambitions, the Biwi's search for justice and carnal pleasures and Saheb's desire to eke out his lavish lifestyle. The film meanders along unpredictability through fine writing, slick editing and wry humour. It keeps the viewer interested and engages myriad emotions.

Alas, the noir theme and serious tone with only smattering of situational humour will kill this film in the relatively juvenile Bollywood audience. It's a must watch for any cinema lover but for those looking for cheap thrills and laughs, it might disappoint.

Polaroid Sunglasses - The best for me

Back in 2006, as I began earning a decent salary, I decided that it was time to overcome the perpetual squint that I used to wear on my face since childhood due to the unforgiving Indian Sun. It was time to buy a pair of sunglasses.
I have always believed in deriving value for my money and hence wanted to go for a reputed brand. I checked out the West Side in Spenser Plaza, Chennai which was selling a number of brands of which only two were familiar to me viz. Ray Ban and Polaroid.
While Polaroid couldn’t match up to the glamour quotient of Ray Ban, I had to settle for it due the large price difference. For Rs 3000/- I had a nice looking shade that became a part of my dress code every time I went out. It was tinted brown which made it conducive even in places with mild shade.
My Polaroid has been my loyal buddy since then. Its reddish tint lets me wear it late till the sunset time when it isn’t very bright anymore. Also since it was my first Shade, I took care to ensure that it was absolutely fitting my face and so I never go out without wearing this one. So resplendent and bright is the tropical sun that constant squinting had resulted in crow’s feet around my eyes in my teen years itself. The Polaroid has helped me lose some of them.
Over the years I spent lot of money on fashionable gadgets and mobile phones ranging from Rs 3000 to Rs 20000. Most of those gadgets are obsolete and have already been discarded. When I now look back at that investment of just three grand I made to procure this lovely pair of glasses, I can’t pat myself on the back enough for this decision. It turned out to be one of my best investments.
Over the years, the lens developed few scratches due to mishandling but so perfect is the design and optics that i can still wear it for hours together without any headache.
My respect for Polaroid Company and love for my shades has increased every passing year with the knowledge of its reliability and longevity. When I acquired my car two years ago, I realised that the shades made my life a lot comfortable on the steering wheel. That is when I stopped going out without the Polaroid. Driving around with the glare becomes a lot for tedious and i advise every person owing a car to buy polarised glasses and preferably a Polaroid.
My love for my Polaroid went a few notches up recently after I finally purchased a Ray Ban for 5.5 grand. Buying the Ray Ban was a spur of the moment decision. Invariably I began to compare my two sets of shades. The complete review of the Ray Ban will follow in due course of time but my initial verdict is that Polaroid is surely better as far as the optics and value for money is concerned.
If you want to buy a shade which is reasonably priced with high quality eye protection, go for Polaroid.