August Osage County

There is a moving story of an aging couple coping with health issues and addictions. Their middle aged children are not around. And then one fine day the old man goes missing. The children come home to support their elderly mother and then the a string of stories unfold. Dysfunctional families, sad childhood stories make it intense. The performances are brilliant. The beautiful landscapes of the mid west are just wow.

Some movies...

Over the last couple of  weeks, have watched 3 movies -
1. Bhootnath returns - Did not look like "my type" of a movie. But then I felt like watching. It has a message that every vote in an election counts. Hmm cant agree more.

2. A perfect storm - Watched this movie on a rainy evening and it felt I was on the rough seas as well. Based on a real life story about fishermen braving a storm. It gave me a rare insight into what drives some people to extreme conditions, to take those risks, despite knowing the odds. Very engaging.

3. Disconnect - What happens to victims of cyber crimes? What is the cost of putting yourself out there a little too much on the internet? Money seems the cheapest of them - there is self respect, jobs, identity and lives of loved ones that may be at stake. And what were these people(victims) looking for? Ironically connection, some human connection. Kind of intense. Good watch.

Amazing Spiderman - 2

It is a new release and watched it in 3D because there aren't any other great options among the new releases.

I used to be a Spidy fan as a kid, when I was in school, he was in college and now it has been years since I graduated and Spidy still is in college! :P

The 3D effects are good. There seem to be a few changes from the original. Some are good, some not so much. The action is entertaining, some witty one-liners are amusing. Handling of some of the romantic scenes seem over the top for a Hollywood movie, it seemed a tad Indian in approach - there was a scene where Peter Parker is crossing the road looking at Gwen without paying any heed to the flowing traffic  - I thought the background score seemed sooo Bollywood, although it was not! :)... Am not complaining, just a feeling, it was nice anyway.

I love watching movies in the hall and in 3D, so yeah I had fun watching it!

"Her"

Watched the movie "Her"(2013 release).
A man falls in love with an OS. :) It is nice and engrossing in a way I cant explain. Watch it.

Queen...

Movie name: Queen
Language : Hindi

Rani is all set to marry her longtime boyfriend, when the guy decides last minute to call off the wedding. Rani anyway goes ahead with the honeymoon plan - she had always wanted to visit Paris all her life. This dream somehow seemed tightly coupled to the honeymoon plan when all seemed well. When things fall apart she chooses to anyway go ahead and fulfill her dream. Sets out all by herself, explores Paris and Amsterdam, meets people, makes friends, gets a better understanding of the world, copes with many changes - sometimes with the help of people around and sometimes all by herself. In the process she finds herself and starts believing in herself.

There are no overly sentimental and dramatized scenes. The story is simple - a woman faced with a difficult situation does not allow herself to feel like a victim. There is always a choice to make. A choice to accept the situation and move on. It comes across as a real story. And if you are a woman, you would enjoy it all the more.
Would highly recommend the movie. 

Captain Philips...

A couple of days ago watched this movie - Captain Philips, based on a real life incident. Tom Hanks plays the captain of an American cargo ship which is being attached by Somali pirates. The captain, with his presence of mind  manages to save his crew from the pirates, but himself gets caught as a hostage. What happens next makes the rest of the movie. Tom Hanks plays as real a captain could get, and the way he talks to the pirates is interesting - he is afraid at times,vulnerable, but he is a man with a mission and that comes across. Engrossing. Would recommend the movie.

RamLeela...Goliyon ki raasleela...

Language : Hindi

Watched the movie at the cinemas today. Loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. The performances and chemistry of the lead pair, the bright colours of the costumes against the dull(but not boring) colored sets, the music, the dance - all these are a delight to watch. The movie was slightly long and the violence affects. 

The best part that I enjoyed was the chemistry between Ram(Ranvir Singh) and Leela(Deepika Padukone) and they look extremely good looking! :) They believe in each others love despite all odds. They dance quite well too. Some of the outdoor locations - was it Udaypur and Rann of Kutch, not sure - they are beautifully shown. And most parts of the movie were a visual treat to watch, it was "paisa-wasool" stuff.

Gravity...

Watched the movie “Gravity” today. The 3D effects were amazing. It is a sci-fi movie. A couple of astronauts space walking and fixing a few issues suddenly have to face a shower of debris speeding towards them (why was there a debris - again, aaah it had something to with Russians trying to destroy an old satellite or something, which back fired causing more collisions leading to the cosmic debris…something on those lines may be). Suddenly the hunky dory stuff stops and you get a grip of how very dangerous it can get in outer space. It is a movie about how humans feel, hold on to things – emotionally and how everything is life has to be sorted out in the head first, to get better, in reality.  Sandra Bullock(as Dr. Ryan Stone – yeah Clooney’s character makes fun of the name “Ryan” J ) and George Clooney(as Matt Kowolski)  play the two astronauts who survive the accident. Then what happens, do they actually make it back to earth,  makes up for the second half of the 90 mins movie. It is wonderful, go watch it.

Lucia..

Movie name : Lucia
Language : Kannada

I just enjoyed watching this movie. The movie deals with lucid dreaming. The story movies back and forth between reality and the dream that Nikki, the hero lives and dwells in. The script is great. The actors are apt for the roles. The movie is very engaging.

Now and then I would get a couple of doubts, like the hero tells the heroin, that she will know why he is against her wanting to be an actress, and tells her when she realises, she'll come back. Of course she comes and she seems to have realised what he meant, but as audience you have no clue, why! I am not sure if I wasn't paying enough attention or this was really not dealt with.

But overall a landmark movie in Kannada and deserves an applause for the effort. I would highly recommend watching the movie.

And btw, I liked that "Tinbeda kammi, tin tinbeda kammi" song, very catchy and enjoyable! :)

The lunchbox...

The lunchbox movie was a good watch. The story is set in Mumbai. In the rush of life, things are forgotten. The purpose of life begins to fade away if we cannot experience and share. Life isn’t all that lively if we don’t care.

There is a line, which went something like “if you don’t talk about things(from the past and even the present), they cease to exist”. Excellent performances. It seems slow at places. Just make sure you watch the movie in a quiet place. I happened to watch it in the theater and for some reason strange reason the audience was somewhat a rowdy crowd, who kept commenting now and then. To me the ambience makes as much a difference to watching a movie as the story does. So I would have liked to watch the movie in a quiet place. 

The Illusionist...

Watched the movie last evening. A period film. Nice plot, my smile was intact when the curtains fell. Enjoyed. I have seen a few movies with a similar feel, but this was released back in 2006 and may be had I watched it back then, I may have found it quite novel.

Theatre

Author : W. Somerset Maugham

She is the greatest actress of her times in England and yet Julia Lambert leads a very lonely life in a loveless marriage. When she is on stage, she delightfully engrosses the audience - pure genius.
A whimsical consent to having tea with a persistent young fan changes her life and opens up a stormy romance. The immensely talented woman, with a great reputation for being a loyal wife indulges passionately with the young lover. So much is at stake. She is middle aged and he is a few years older than her son. She realises that the love is not as much from the other end. How does she get a grip and deal with it? Does she emerge sane and sound after the stormy affair, is the rest of the plot.

Brilliant. I kept hoping for Julia even when she was doing what seemed outright foolish, that is what Maugham does, he doesnt let you(the reader) leave the protagonist's side even when you feel they are doing things they ought not to do. Maugham helps you understand the protagonist so well that it feels very natural what they do, since you know why exactly they do.
Absolute delight if you are a Maugham fan.

Of Love and Other Demons...

Author : Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Translated from the Spanish by Edith Crossman.
Pages : 160

Intense. Gripping. Moving.

A twelve year old Sierva Maria, daughter of a noble man - the Marquis, is bitten by a rabid dog. Months pass by, there are no signs of rabies. With a mother who hates and an indifferent father, she finds a family amidst the slaves and speaks many African dialects.
Rumors spread - about her being possessed by the demons when she shows no signs of rabies even after months.

The "authorities" gets involved and a young priest is made in charge of exorcising the evil spirits. As he gets to know her better, he realizes what the real demons are. A young man, a teenage girl. The more they spend time, the more they end up in love. And the world they inhabit, does not understand.

The narration is lyrical. Expressions like "..the enormous tolling of four o'clock sounded in the cathedral and resounded in his belly." and "...a tunic of coarse linen with patches worn thin by abuses of soap." made me wonder that such familiar knowledge of the senses could so wonderfully be translated to words and with such economy!

Very enjoyable.

This particular observation am going to make does not concern the review of this book - these days, am not sure of the exact reasons, but when I read/watch a story, I appreciate and accept it for what it is and have the patience to hang on - till it gets gripping. Hmmmm how nice is that!

Immortality...

Author : Milan Kundera

A few weeks, the first time I paid attention to the name Milan Kundera(In Pamuk’s – “The naïve and the sentimental novelist”), the Indian-ness of the name struck me. I was curious how I had missed an Indian writer who had impressed Pamuk. I wiki-ed and found he was actually Czech born. Later I started looking out for his books and the first one I found was “Immortality”.

First impression :  Great ideas thrown at you in randomness. On the cover is a review quote that says – “It will make you cleverer, maybe even a better lover. Not many novels can do that.” (The smart cover designer put in a place where a reader notices it despite the small font.) I was curious, “a better lover" of what!? I could not keep the book back, the question was too interesting not to pursue.

After a few chapters, when the seeming haphazard-ness of topics, thoughts, ideas – brilliant though when I considered them individually, I so deeply wished for some order, some chronology and some sense in the bigger picture terms. But I could not give up, nonetheless. What about the answer I was seeking. It took some effort to keep me going and I felt like a “wanna-be” intellectual trying to read something smart, just because it claims to be – and to seem smart and in the process hoping the book smartens you in some-way kind!

I, as a reader am very comfortable in my skin. I care not much about being an intellectual. I say so, because at a certain time, I strove to be one, but no more. I am more the fun kind of a reader – no strings attached, just seeking pleasure in the company of a book, if I could say so! I prefer reading anything that I can lay my hands on and interests me. I just want to read all kinds of interesting books just to see how it feels.

Cons:

It was like the novelist took no pain to arrange his thoughts. Just wrote them as it occurred to him(Was there no editor at all one wonders initially!), he keeps throwing Goethe, Beethoven, Bettina, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin at you, amidst the actual characters – I take the liberty to use “actual” since the author himself talks of a heroine for his novel, and I refer to her and everyone related to her as the actual characters. References to history and Bible(Kundera suddenly mentions “Simon” like we all know him and you wonder who is Simon now, although from context I get what Kundera wants to say, I was plainly irritated by the suddenness! I look at the author when he writes in first person - like a good friend who takes me through the story introducing people I do not know and maintains that basic courtesy and not throw people and references at you like that! Or is it precisely so, that he thinks of you as a good friend, he takes the liberty to do so! J ).

I did not even know Goethe, Beethoven and Napoleon were contemporaries! I was only glad I knew they existed once! Then I suddenly find Goethe talking to Ernest Hemingway and give up all hopes of recollecting anybody from history correctly, when to my relief it turns out its an imaginary conversation they have in the other world!

There are some places where nothing seems to make sense, and you need to have patience! That’s one thing that this novel almost demands as a pre-requisite(if you are like me – a first time reader of Kundera i.e)!

Pros:

If you pursue with a little more patience, you will slowly get a hang of his narrative style and random references don’t annoy you anymore. It does not bother you if you don’t understand what Kundera is talking about when he seems to start off on something totally new thus far , because in the next few lines or paragraphs you know it will be made clear and he will give you more context eventually. And his references may be seem absurd, but on closer observation you don’t need to know history or Bible to get what he is saying – it’s the parallels he draws - between the people of then and now, of the situations then and now – and how what you say has been said before – someone else in history has been there and done that - how what you think has been thought before, what you feel has been felt before, that gesture – that facial expression – that feature- you think is unique to you, could be your mother’s or father’s or someone in your family tree so long ago before you, that you never got to see! When you get it, you go wow! 

His observations about many things change the way you feel about things. The way he talks about ‘life theme’(something like - even if you started your life all over again, it would more or less be the same, set around the same theme!) , how time is circular and how beautifully he puts it.

Brilliance! Great observations. That acute sense of humor! A joy to read! (All these appear at the back cover including “one of those great unclassifiable masterpieces that appear once every twenty years” – taken from book reviews, but these were my feelings as well – like the book says, what I have to say has been said before! :P)

You need to have patience for wonderful things to unfold and make sense to you. When it is in progress, it may or may not make any sense. Wait. Patience is a virtue. J

I was in no hurry to finish the book, I savored passages that I enjoyed - slowly, soaking the ideas, warming up to the brilliance and germinating thoughts. Mostly with a smile!

Some brilliant lines from the book. They are flavored with humor, that only makes the brilliance strike you with a smile.

Check these out:

“When someone is young, he is not capable of conceiving of time as a circle, but thinks of it as a road leading forward to ever-new horizons; he does not yet sense that his life contains just a single theme; he will come to realize it only when his life begins to enact its first variations.”

“…Nineteenth-century writers often ended their novels with marriage. This was not because they wanted to save the love story from marital boredom. No, they wanted to save it from intercourse!”

“I think, therefore I am is a statement of an intellectual who underrates toothaches. I feel, therefore I am is a truth much more universally valid, and it applies to everything that’s alive”.

“Many people, few ideas: we all think more or less the same, and we exchange, borrow, steal thoughts from one another. However, when someone steps on my foot, only I feel the pain. The basis of the self is not the thought but suffering, which is the most fundamental of all feelings. While it suffers, not even a cat can doubt its unique and uninterchangeable self. In intense suffering the world disappears and each of us is alone with his self. Suffering is the university of geocentricism.”

My take : Highly recommend it! Go ahead, enjoy! J

P.S: I found my answer to “a better a lover of what!?” question. Icing on the cake, indeed!

Lootera...

Movie : Lootera

Language : Hindi

Why did I watch : New release, a period movie set in 1950s around the time when Zamindari system got abolished, looked interesting from the promos.

(Why do I even have this section when I write movie reviews I wonder, I just love the theaters, the darkness, the big screens, the uninterrupted joy of watching the movie, the surround sound, the smell of popcorns, the promos before the movie starts! I love the experience of watching movies on the big screen! I anyway watch most of the new releases with a decent imdb rating.)

My take : A Zamindar in Bengal dotes on his only daughter - Pakhi, and tries his best to be the mother as well, whom she has lost.  A young archaeologist Varun comes along and asks the Zamindar for the permission to excavate around the temple with a golden idol, that belongs to the Zamindar. Turns out Varun is not who he claims to be, but unwittingly falls in love with the Pakhi. Torn between the “duty” of being a “looter” and a lover, the twists and turns of the story demand for a decision and he chooses duty, as he feels that is in the “best” interest of his lover.

The world, even in the 1950s was round, and of course they meet! What happens when they meet - does she take revenge or let go, does she love him or hate him – that consists the rest of the story.

There is a scene where you know their fate – Varun and Pakhi’s i.e, but with all your being you wish they could be together when you know however you see it, there is no way that is possible – that moment of absolute helplessness of the twisted fate of the two lovers and sincere wish against all odds, contradicting one another – I was almost in tears for Varun, although he is the bad guy!

The chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha as Varun and Pakhi is quite good. There is a scene where they look at each other and exchange feelings worth several pages of dialogs. And you sigh, getting it all!

It is inspired from a O’Henry’s short story - “The last leaf”. I would say worth my while and money. Enjoyed the show.

The naïve and the sentimental novelist...

It is a series of lectures by Orhan Pamuk. I had read his books ‘Istanbul’ and ‘My name is red’, and ever since, loved the way he writes. This book is a personal account of what Pamuk thinks about how the novel is read and what goes through in the mind of the reader. He sometimes gives an academic background and sometimes gives insights about his own experiences while reading or writing a novel. The latter is what interests me more. I am also making a note of the books he seems very impressed with, for future reading.

This on the dedication page, made me smile - To Kiran Desai.

I could relate to a lot things I do as a reader, as I read through the first chapter – “What our minds do when we read novels”

- like I try to guess which part is fiction and which part is real in story based on the author’s own life experiences!

- I also take moral stands sometimes about the characters and at times it actually affects my pace of reading, I realized this influence after reflecting on what I read on the subject! I need to understand the characters for who they are to enjoy the story better. In future I got to remember this!

- at times I keep looking for hidden meaning in anything, even when there may be none!

- I imagine what may happen next while I am reading and sometimes am thrilled if it turns out some other way and sometimes disappointed.

- keep searching for that “core” of the novel .

The second chapter/lecture is called “Mr.Pamuk, did all this really happen to you?”. It deals with how readers sometimes speculate and to an extent believe that some facts about the protagonist of the novel is based on the author itself. Pamuk gives an anecdote from his experience.

The third chapter is called “Literary character, plot, time.  I found really interesting – “People do not actually have as much character as we find portrayed in novels, especially in nineteenth –and –twentieth –century novels.” He being a 57 year old at the time of writing this goes on to say “human character is not nearly as important in shaping our lives as it is made out to be in the novels...”. When I sometimes unconsciously compared myself to a character I was reading about in a novel, it would leave me dissatisfied, I kind of know now the reason!

While describing the role of a plot in a novel, he says that protagonists are not just invented. A novelist’s desire to explore a certain topic shapes the world of the protagonist. The writer tries to see the world through the protagonist and this could leave aspects of the writer in the protagonist as well vice-versa. Very, very interesting thoughts and to me they give a fresh perspective.

Words, picture, objects – in this chapter Pamuk talks about two kinds of writers – visual writers and verbal writers – based on whether the writer triggers the visual imagination of the reader or the textual imagination.

A chapter titled “Museums and Novels” draws parallels between museums and novels. J There are interesting observations on how a reader sometimes uses the novel she is reading to give a certain image.

“The center” deals the core of every novel. The kernel around which the narration evolves. He mentions as a writer, the techniques employed sometimes to make the center less evident while sometimes efforts are made to make it more evident. There are some philosophical thoughts about life and its meaning in the same context, about how the center is what the reader and the writer strive for in a novel and how that gives satisfaction to both.

It is not a book I would read in one shot. I was reading other stuff and would come back to read a chapter and take a break before returning to it.

Pamuk uses metaphors to get across certain aspects of the art of writing a novel– like a scene from Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, which he uses to compare finer aspects on novel writing, while another - classical Chinese landscape painting, he uses to bring out the “bigger-picture” aspects. There are several of these, but these were the ones used across the lectures, so I remember it.

Reading the book, has made me more of a conscious reader. I become aware now, when I am “judging” a character rather than understanding it. When I began reading the book, I thought I was the naïve kind of a reader, but gradually realized that am not solely of any kind, sometimes naïve and sometimes sentimental/reflective reader. I had not imagined a book on such a subject, since it has a more academic tone, to keep me absorbed! Pleasantly surprised indeed! J

Summertime...

Author: J M Coetzee

A young biographer - Vincent tries to construct the life of a deceased Nobel laureate - John Coetzee– at the time of which John was trying to establish himself as a writer, through his thirties - with a series of interviews of various people, mostly women. Vincent chooses these people based on John’s notes.

It is a reflective piece of fiction. Autobiographical to an extent.

My great take-aways:

o   The whole narrative is a series of interviews. Lovely conversations. Delightful insights. [This is what I feel - Conversations, interesting and engaging,  be it with a person or in a book, active or passively involved,  are one of the best indulgences of life. ]

o   The women interviewed seem very real. That goes to show the author has a great sense of observation and understanding of the human nature.

o   Great men, even a Nobel laureate for that matter, may have confusions, needs to sort of things to getter a perspective, may not be sure of his calling and lead a “boring” existence! Lives of great people may not be a series of exciting events. [ No one ever claimed so, just that as a child I expected life to be a series of fun adventures and exciting moments as an adult – the greater the person, the more I felt his/her life was interesting. Only life itself, literature and insightful interactions sobered me down to accept the plainness of adulthood and the ordinariness of life!]

o   John is an introvert [And it turns out, an introvert is not closed or cold when he starts writing!]. The book has interviews at first followed by notes of John. One of the points in the notes about dance can be linked back to the what a Brazilian woman thought were John’s undue advances (as shared in an interview) when he tried to learn dance from her! It is actually comical if you could link the two!

o   A grown man’s struggle to understand his own father, how without a woman the two men of the family have nothing to bond over and just co-habituate uncomfortably! He is ill at ease with people who are not ill at ease! He is a product of a damaged childhood, as his notes say. His relationships and expectations from women don’t seem natural, it takes effort on his part to even have them in his life, he is not sure if he belongs in their world and all of it is obvious to the women.

In the notes section there is a mention of one John’s lists titled – “Ways of doing away with oneself”.

If literature cannot open up to you the life in all its variations, and give a peek into minds and lives of people very different from yourself, what else would? Life is too short to know all kinds of people. And it is always a pleasure to read a book like this.

o   There are very interesting ideas, to ponder, muse about. Hmmmmmm. Thoughts and ideas that makes the reader feel like having a very intimate conversation with the author(of course the reader is a “good” listener here!)  are some of the best moments of reading a book. This is at the fag end of the book, and by then you know the kind of person John is. I was nodding, smiling and couldn’t agree more!

o   I love the cover picture of the book. This was what caught my attention first.

Enjoyed reading the book a great deal. A delight. Makes me wish living was as pleasurable an experience as reading a well written book! J

Now you see me....well, I almost did!

Movie : Now you see me

Language : English

Why did I watch the movie : New release, promo was too good!

My take: Very interesting idea – four magician loot a bank and distribute the loot among the audience, during a magic show in Las Vegas! There is no evidence that the police can use against them. The movie begins with a series of interesting magic tricks by the 4 magicians, and you as audience would be thrilled! Then the 4 of them meet and magic tricks at a grander scale happen and wow you. 

Then comes the climax. It seems so hurried. You would be eager to know how the earlier “magical” stuff would get explained and you are waiting. More or less you are left with the same feeling even at the end of the movie! Except for the last 15-20mins, the movie is wonderfully exciting. Liked all the magic. J

Raanjhana...

Movie      : Raanjhana

Language : Hindi

Why did I watch it: New release, good reviews

My take   : I am not sure if it is that if I like a movie on big screen, I more often than not, like it – but I felt I liked this movie. There was something very convincing about the script – as to why the characters take those crucial decisions to alter the course of the story, there were some surprising moments when the medium of connect was more verbal than visual – some amazing dialogs(there were a good number of gaalis also, I couldn’t follow them all though!).

There are some good performances –Dhanush - I actually disliked, liked, sympathized, sort of disappointed and finally kind of adored the character of Kundan, the protagonist – if an actor can so convincingly do all that to the audience he must have done a good job. There is nothing portrayed about Kundan that is larger than life, since this is his first movie that am watching I did not even have an image in mind to cast him into, and he surprised me, pleasantly. Sonam Kapoor – looks like the lady can act as well, I am a fan of her dressing sense, but this is her first movie that I watched in the theater. She comes across as a determined Zoya, a bubbly girl, who at times is helpless, at times ambitious, in love but who definitely keeps her scores. She seems sincere, but her deepest agendas are hidden. Shrewd yet vulnerable. Abhay Deol has a small role as Zoya’s love interest, he does a neat job.Also, I liked the role of Kundan's friend.

The story is mostly set in Varanasi or Benaras. The backdrop of Ganga, Aarati going on, temples makes it nice to watch. 

I must say more than 80% of the time I found the movie engaging, but there are moments when the flow is disruptive –may be there are no loose ends in terms of logic, but there is abruptness in the flow. Feels like the film gives too much emphasis on the lead characters at times, making the rest of the cast foggy.

There was a time when I could never sympathize recklessness of people in love,wanting to be with the one they love the most,  particularly when one of two involved is not as keen, – I would wonder how can people be so selfish and how they cannot care what the society would perceive them to be - it is actually strange given that I am able to sympathize about that when am older! I mention this as I only sympathized with Kundan for what he does on Zoya's big day, which indeed surprised me! I judged him ofcourse given the situation, but then somehow could see why he did that - the screenplay ensured that!

I liked the song "Tum tak, tum tak". Melodious and nicely pictured. I cant recollect any other song! 

I liked the last scene, the last narrative Kundan gives! Beautifully written.  

Would say, go watch it, it is different, you may even like it!

Yeh jawaani, hein deewani...

Movie : Yeh jawaani hein deewani

Language : Hindi

Why did I watch it : New release (well not so new, released 3 weeks ago), Big fan of Ranbir.

My take : It is a simple love story, first half is fun, second half is somewhat an emotional drama. I felt only Ranbir’s character – Bunny is somewhat complete – he is flawed, he is selfish, fun loving, wants a lot from life – and like he says – he wants “Raftaar” – “chalna hein, bhaagna hein, girna bhi hein, magar rukhna nahi hein”. With all his flaws he is real. Deepika’s role as Naina is not substantial I felt. She has done a good job as a girl who wants simple things in life. The two meet, fall in love and meet again after 8 years, now, mature and well aware of how different they are and how different their expectations are from life. Naina tells Bunny – “It is not like you are wrong or I am right, it is just that we are very different from each other”. The conversations between Bunny and Naina are interesting. In the end all gets rosy abruptly! J I am not complaining of the rosy part though!

Aditya Roy Kapoor as Avi seems to be struggling with his dialogs, I had expected more from him. He looks intense and seemed promising in “Guzaarish”. Kalki fits her role.  Kunal Roy Kapoor is somewhat delightful, despite the stupid dance moves!

Ranbir dances like a dream and kept my heart racing. His dance number with Madhuri is awesome. I loved the song - “Badtameez dil” the most. Oh man! “Balam pichkari” and “Delhi wali girlfriend” songs are catchy and are also choreographed well. The music is quite good. My expectations were quite high from the promos and because it has Ranbir, but the film is ok. Ranbir makes it worthy of a watch.