Tangled and days of the underdogs…

The underdogs are finally winning. Several good wins across the nation (India).

Rahat Taslim won Rs 1 cr. at Kaun Banega Crorepati. The first ever woman to do so. And an ordinary lower middle class housewife to boot!!! Yipeee.

She of course had some luck on her side but hey you do need luck to really strike big! No matter how well prepared you are. That one question can eat up all your lifelines and some.

I am not elated because she is a woman, I am elated because she is a simple housewife who runs a tailoring class from home. In India, with the advent of industrialisation, women have started working. But with that independence has come arrogance. Working women look down on the housewives, which is completely unfair. Its kind of similar to Indian women (especially from the smaller towns of India) here in the US who drive and have US licenses looking down upon those who don’t. Funny, isn’t it?

To work or not should be a choice based on economic and personal aspirations, not because it’s the in-thing to do. Wonder why we turn everything into a “status” thing.

Anyways, the point here is to congratulate this smart lady Rahat.

Also India has been doing well in the sports arena. Gold in shooting, weightlifting, boxing, swimming, kabaddi..Hmmm..Finally we are becoming a sporting nation. Not just naach gaana, religion and festivals.

Ok this is unrelated but I absolutely lovvvveeed Tangled. Definitely go watch it. Loved Flynn Ryder. His voice, face and expressions were to die for. The movie is very well made and the story tweakers have done an excellent job. Noteworthy is the duel between Maximus (the horse) and Flynn. Its the first time I have fallen for a movie in totality. I am going to buy the DVD too when it comes out!

It was a good idea to not make the evil woman a witch, just a normal woman who has an evil desire. More realistic! The movie does not feel dated or out of sync with 21st century. But its not a serious movie, so forget the analysis and simply WATCH IT!!!!!

Thank You, Mr Ratan Tata!

Ratan in Hindi means gem. Aptly named Mr Tata. You are truly a gem! Indeed I rue that you haven't passed on your gem of a gene to some worthy heir.

Why? Several reasons...

The reason that prompted me to write is the MSN headline: Rs 15 cr bribe? Ratan Tata says "No way". An unnamed minister asked him for a bribe to let him operate a joint venture airline in India.

Seriously??!! The minister asked THE IRON MAN for a bribe?!! Imagine being told by a so-called industrialist "You are idiot people. You should have paid the bribe".

Thank you Mr Tata from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for standing up to shitheads. Thank you for not bowing under pressure and doing what every nincompoop in India does. Pay the bribe!!!

For those who do not know; Mr Tata belongs to the illustrious family of the Tatas. JRD Tata is the Father of Indian Aviation. He started the first Airlines in India and held the Pilot License no 1. The Airlines was taken over by the Govt and is now an ailing Air India. :( JRD went on to lead his industrial group to stupendous success in every imaginable field, reaching Rs 1 Billion before he died in 1993.

The name Tata was stamped on almost every thing you could buy, soap, cars, chemicals, now IT & Telecom. In fact Tata Young, a Thai model, and actress was so named, because her father was reportedly astonished by the omnipresent name TATA.

The Tatas are also known for their philanthropy. Their hospitals, trust funds, student loan funds are well known in India.

Mr Ratan Tata however stands out in this long line of illustrious family of entrepreneurs. He is solely responsible for putting a car in the hands of an average middle-class family. His $2000 or Rs 1Lac car has sheltered lakhs of family from the elements, transferring them from a scooter to a small car. Atlast the poor could travel in comfort. He did this, whilst the entire motor industry was laughing at his idea and waiting for him to fall on his face. He succeeded.

I therefore call you, Mr Tata, the IRON MAN. For your guts, your vision, your strength and your spirit!

To this man, then, an unpadh gavar (uneducated) minister asks for a bribe just to start an airline operation. Heaven knows from where that idiot got the guts to open his fat mouth. He should have been counting himself lucky to even be in the presence of a legend. And he actually sullies it..Like Wow!

If just 10 more industrialists become 10% the man Mr Tata is, India will be a supernation that it wants to achieve. Just 10%. Got guts, Mr Minister??????

I am Cumberbatched!!!

Yeah I know, you don't think that's a word..."Cumberbatched". Its a name! Benedict Cumberbatch and he has taken the British television by storm. So UK has been "cumberbatched". :)

He plays the latest Sherlock Holmes, (very difficult shoes to fill) in the 21st century. Earlier, Basil Rathbone (whom I am not a fan of) and Jeremy Brett (who for me IS THE MAN) have taken on the challenge!

Jeremy Brett played Sherlock Holmes to such perfection that even after repeatedly watching his episodes, I can honestly say I have never liked another man with that name!

Thanks to PBS Masterpiece Mystery series, I can watch all my beloved British mystery drama. They are so much better than the American tech obsessed teams. And please don't any of you start on the Indian series CID.

So I start watching the new Sherlock Holmes with some small resentment and a critical heart. LO! Benedict has a fantastic voice, great screen presence and is dressed sharp. He has managed to win the new generation Sherlock fans and I am sure a lot of the older generation too.

So far only 3 episodes have aired: A study in pink, The blind banker, The great Game.

Good stories but mostly carried through by Benedict. His sidekick, the very ordinary Dr Watson (Martin Freeman) looks credulous as the slightly idiotic, action man.

The action is very fast and energetic. Rightly so. The producers have remained faithful to the original character. Rightly so! The stories are a bit of a let down. Not the best scripts. Nor does it make sense that Sherlock can guess about Watson's drunkard brother by an inscription and scratches on the mobile. I have scratches on each of my electronic possessions!

To match Jeremy's energy, Benedict tries to deliver his dialogues very fast. His problem: unclear diction! That my dear, was Jeremy's strongest point! His precision honed diction. You can clearly understand what he says irrespective of a fast pace or a low tone. Benedict has his work cut out there.

Overall Me likes!!! Watch it if you can..