#Raees

As always, ShahRukh Khan took me to the cinemas. I saw Raees on Saturday despite my marathon training earlier in the day as well as me getting to the theater late, there was no way I would miss my date with SRK.

Truth be told, if Silverbird cinemas had shown both Raees and Kaabil, I would have seen Kaabil; I prefer its storyline...

SYNOPSIS (I missed about 20 minutes):

I walk in on a young Raees and his friend Sadiq getting a job with a bootlegger named Jairaj. Jairaj is impressed with the way Raees dealt with an older guy who had called him 'Battery' (apparently battery is an abusive word for those who wear glasses); and also how he was able to get his bottles of alcohol past security. 

Raees works with Jairaj till he is full grown (now becomes SRK) and decides it was time to set up his own business with his friend. This of course does not go down well with Jairaj and he creates a stumbling block for Raees who doesn't have the money to start the business. A determined Raees hatches a plan and goes to Mumbai to get money, there he meets Musa who ends up giving him the money (long story - go and see the movie to find out how 😏)

Raees becomes a full blown bootlegger and builds an empire. We also see his personal life, his marriage with Aasiya (Mahira Khan), and how they plan to build what they referred to as 'Our World'. 

We further meet a very resolute and unwavering cop, ACP Majmudar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), despite being transferred all over the country courtesy of corrupt politicians, is hell bent on putting an end to Raees' criminal ways. 

What was not surprising to me, is how Raees' is both evil and good at the same time; a villain that is a do-gooder (and why not, it is SRK afterall). His criminality is given a human face and he garners popularity, fame and love amongst the people by being their messiah who always came to their aid.

As the film went on, I played it out to the end in my head. Raees would win, he would become a good person and live happily ever after with Aasiya and their son; Majmudar would become his friend and help him somehow. Alas! I imagined too soon... Raees is betrayed by Musa who use him to import bomb explosives causing chaos and deaths; Raees is held responsible and Majmudar becomes more determined to end it all. He secures an unofficial approval to deal with Raees since he always got away everytime he was arrested. 

Majmudar and the police force raid Raees' neighbourhood and tortures everybody to get to him. Raees sends Aasiya and Faizan (their son) with Sadiq out of town and goes to Mumbai to seek revenge on Musa. He gives himself up afterwards to a bitter Majmudar who had given a shoot on sight instruction to his team. A brilliant Raees evades that by surrounding himself with reporters. He is arrested, taken away, and shot dead by Majmudar on the land where he was building 'Our World'.

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The first thing I said to myself after the movie was, 'If I knew that SRK would die, I wouldn't have seen the movie'. I was left with the haunting image of SRK's (no - Raees') lifeless body at the end, I almost teared up. 

SRK, as always, gives us a feisty performance. His shadowy eyes and 'batteries' (I hope Raees does not come and give me the beating of my life for calling him that 😃 - oh wait, he's dead! lol!) give him the perfect bad boy look. He delivers the action scenes superbly. And why not, he is King!

I love Sadiq (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), he was funny and good looking too 😊

Fierce Majmudar and his constant request for illegal orders to be given to him in writing; he was excellent! 

If you love goons, guns, and blood... especially where the villain is ShahRukh Khan, you do not want to miss this one!

The movie also shows the 'culture' of Islam in Gujarat. We see a traditional marriage ceremony, the celebration of Muharam, the first Islamic month by 'mourning', and the Shia muslims celebrate Maulud (the birth of the prophet). 

All the songs were nice (although I thought they were too much - about 6/7 songs in all); I especially like the rhythm of 'Dhingana' but my favorite is 'Zaalima'...

#Samadhi

Bandits can be so fine and romantic... especially when they are Dhamendra 😍😜

Let's throw it back to 1972's Samadhi! 

PLOT:

Lakhan Singh (Dharmendra) is the leader of a gang of armed robbers who are greatly feared in their locality. One evening they raid a village that was celebrating a child’s birth with the feisty Champa (Asha Parekh) dancing and singing. The celebration is interrupted by the arrival of Lakhan and his men who rob everybody. Lakhan takes one look at Champa and is smitten. He throws her onto his horse and rides away with her. 

Back in their cave, Jaggu and Kundan (members of Lakhan's gang) are displeased when Lakhan refuses to 'share' the girl with them. He talks them down and takes Champa to his room to assault her. She refuses him and even shoots him with his own rifle; this makes his respect for her overtake his lust and he decides to escort her home safe. 

When they reach her house, they overhear Champa's aunt and uncle talking about how glad they were to be rid of her and how all her property will now belong to them. This saddens Champa immeasurably and she decides to cast her lot in with Lakhan, who is now completely in love with her. 

They get married in a temple and Lakhan gives up his gang life to settle with her; he even changes his name to Laxman (but I will keep using Lakhan for easy reference). He buys a cart with the proceeds from selling Champa’s jewelry, which she forces him to accept, and they build a happy life (of course with some pretty songs in between 😊). Together, they have a son, Jaswant.

A few years into their new life, Champa becomes very ill with cancer and the doctor tell Lakhan that her treatment would be expensive. He approaches a local moneylender named Lalaji to borrow the money to treat his wife but the guy was just too callous (all Lakhan needed was 5,000 Rupees). 

On his way home from Lalaji’s, a desperate Lakhan sees a little boy (named is Ajay who is about the same age as his own son) playing in the courtyard of a big mansion and gets an idea (a bad idea, if I might add). He scribbles something on a paper and gives it to the maid who was with the boy telling her that his employer had sent it for her master; he tells her that he would watch the boy whilst she ran the errand.

Inside the mansion, Ajay’s father, Manoharlal is horrified to read a ransom note from Bandit Lakhan Singh instructing him to bring 5,000 Rupees to a temple that evening in exchange for his son. He does so, but tragedy strikes when Lakhan, who was in a hurry to return to Champa with the money, rushes down the rocky slope beneath the temple to meet Manoharlal, loses his footing and accidentally drop the boy, who rolls down the hill and die (I cried at this scene... it was just too painful and heartbreaking).

Manoharlal reaches the temple from another side and calls desperately for Lakhan to return his son. Feeling terrible, Lakhan hides until Manoharlal gives up and goes; he buries the boy under the rocks. He returns home dejected and finds Jaswant outside crying, Champa had died.

With the police now looking for him, Lakhan, takes Jaswant and returns to his life as a bandit; they welcome him back and his bad ways take a full swing. The gang members become fond of Jaswant, they even begin to teach him things like how to fire a rifle (which Lakhan didn't approve of). Years of looting pass and the police finally catch up with them; Lakhan escapes with Jaswant while the others are either arrested or killed. Lakhan ends up at the temple where little Ajay had died, he is suddenly reminded of his haunting past. He sees people who had just finished worshiping in the temple and notices a frail man get into his car. He meets with the temple's priest to enquire about the man. 

The man is Manoharlal, his wife had died from the shock of Ajay's kidnapping and he comes to the temple every day with the hope that he will find his lost son. Struck anew with guilt, Lakhan makes a decision that will profoundly affect the rest of his and Jaswant’s lives.He goes to Manoharlal's house and declares Jaswant as Ajay, convincing him that on the day the ransom was to be paid he had been forced to flee with Ajay because of the police. He tells him that he has brought Ajay up for the past eight years as his own son. 

Manoharlal's brother calls the police and Lakhan is arrested and sent to prison for 17 years. Jaswant (now Ajay) grows up (is his father's look alike) and fall in love with Rekha (Jaya Bhaduri). Lakhan is released from prison and he goes to Manoharlal's house to find his son; he is elated to see him but Ajay is not as happy referring to him as 'Daku Lakhan Singh' (Daku is hindi for Dacoit). Manoharlal scold him and tell him that Lakhan will live with them going forward. Ajay is pissed and walks away. 

Ajay does not trust Lakhan and shows it. He even slaps Lakhan during an incident when they found him with a gun. 

Ajay gets engaged to Rekha and Lakhan is very happy. He imagines that he is standing there at the venue as the father of the groom and also hands out sweets to the guest in excitement before Manoharlal's brother come to chase him out. 

Lakhan's grave past catches up with him as he meets Jaggu (a former gang member) who had also been released from prison but has not let go of his bad ways. Jaggu plans to rob Manoharlal much to the disapproval of Lakhan. Jaggu visits Lakhan at home and they have an arguement and a struggle which was broken by Manoharlal (he had heard their arguement and realised that Ajay was not his son). Lakhan leaves Manoharlal's house for good afterwards.

On Ajay's wedding day, Lakhan stands outside the mansion with some beggers watching the event from afar. He notices Jaggu and the other bandits pose as guests following the wedding procession. As he was about to stop them, some of them capture him and begin to hit him. Ajay's wedding is disrupted by the bandits who begin to rob but Ajay will have none of it as he swings into hero mode and begins to take them down one by one. Lakhan too fights for his life and defeats the two bandits that captured him; he enters the mansion and has a face off with Jaggu with the intention to kill him but he is stopped by Manoharlal.

As Lakhan and Manorhalal were talking, Jaggu picks his rifle and shoots Lakhan. Ajay shoots Jaggu from behind and kills him. As Lakhan lie on the floor breathing his last, Manoharlal reveals to Ajay that Lakhan was his real father. Lakhan dies and all are in despair.

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I really loved this film. It's my third film seeing Dhamendra play a double role. He looked really cute an as old man ...

And that scene where he dropped the real Ajay at the temple, it was oh so real and I truely cried. I felt so bad more for Lakhan than the boy who died.

When Champa died, the way that kid cried, he couldn't have been acting and if he was, he deserved the Filmfare award for that year.

The film was filled with a number of 'what the heck?' but it had the stellar performance of Dhamendra so I will pardon but still mention them 😃 

Anyways, it was the 70's and they did a great job! 

So here goes...

- Lakhan and Champa's love and marriage. Everything happened overnight. Literally!

- Manoharlal must really have a forgiving heart to accept Lakhan so easily. Who does that?

- Ajay grows up to be Lakhan's look alike and no one notices?!

- Oh yes, the magic beards of Bollywood that can disguise anyone beyond recognition 😝

My favorite song from the movie is 'Jab Tak Rahe Tan Mein Jiya'

#Ghazab

It's Friyaay... and today's shot is throwing back to 1982 when we saw Dharmendra in two avatars (Ajay and Vijay). Let's talk Ghazab...

PLOT:

Ajay (Munna Babu, as he is called) is a semi-senile, gentle but naive young man who is heir to a wealthy family estate. His employees and alleged well-wishers (Arjun Singh, Jatha Shankar, Munishi Gurbachan, Bhairav), who conspired and killed his father also conspire against him and introduce him to his long-estranged mother, Shakuntala, and brother, Vijay; whom are actually actors who have been hired by Jatha Shankar. 

Munna, who believes he has met his mother and brother, is overjoyed and asks his 'brother' to take charge of the affairs of the estate. This joy is quite short-lived, as he finds out their plan and gets killed. Jamuna, his love interest, and her brother, Raju witness the killing. Jamuna goes mad and Raju gets his tongue cut off.

Munna's restless spirit seeks out his real brother in Bombay; he finds him and appeals to him to avenge his death. Vijay initially thinks he is hallucinating, but when his mother confirms that he had a twin brother, he agrees to accompany Munna's spirit back to take vengeance. 

Vijay arrives the estate and meets with the conspirators who introduce him to their hired actors as his step mother and brother, Ajay. He plays along with them. They soon find out that he was on to them and kidnap his mother. They begin to bury her alive but Munna's spirit enters Vijay's body and gives him astonishing power with which he defeated all of them.

Vijay and Jamuna get married and the film ends with Munna making sure that he sees Vijay kiss Jamuna and chases us (the viewers) away...

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I love this film. Dhamendra was my crush growing up and Munna's avatar was very cute and fun to watch. 

My favorite song from the film is 'Aage Se Dekho Peechhe Se Dekho' although the most popular is Munna's  'Jan E Man Jan E Jigar'. 

#JioFilmfareAwards

Bollywood came together to raise a toast to the best in the industry at the 62nd Jio Filmfare Awards 2017, held on January 14 in Mumbai. Co-hosted by ShahRukh Khan and Karan Johar, the event witnessed many spectacular performances by Sonakshi Sinha, Tiger Shroff, Sushant Singh Rajput, Jacqueline Fernandez and others.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Film: Dangal

Best Actor (Male): Aamir Khan for Dangal

Best Actor (Female): Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab

Best Director: Nitesh Tiwari for Dangal

Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film: Neerja

Filmfare Critics Award For Best Actor (Male): Manoj Bajpayee for Aligarh and Shahid Kapoor Udta Punjab.

Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor (Female): Sonam Kapoor for Neerja.

Best Actor (Male) in a Short Film: Manoj Bajpayee for Taandav.

Best Male Debut: Diljit Dosanjh for Udta Punjab.

Best Female Debut: Ritika Singh for Saala Khadoos.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Rishi Kapoor for Kapoor & Sons.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Shabana Azmi for Neerja.

Best Film People's Choice: Khamakha.

Best Short Film (Fiction): Chutney

Best Short Film (Non-fiction): Matitali Kusti

Best Actor (Female) in a Short Film: Tisca Chopra for Chutney.

Best Dialogue: Ritesh Shah for Pink.

Best Screenplay: Shakun Batra, Ayesha Devitre Dhillon for Kapoor & Sons.

Best Story: Shakun Batra, Ayesha Devitre Dhillon for Kapoor & Sons.

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award: Shatrughan Sinha.

Best Music Album: Pritam for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Best Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya for Channa Mereya

Best Male Playback Singer: Arijit Singh for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil title track

Best Female Playback Singer: Neha Bhasin for Jag Ghoomeya

RD Burman Award for New Music Talent: Amit Mishra for Bulleya

Best Visual Effects: Fan

Best Editing: Monisha Baldawa for Neerja

Best Costume: Payal Saluja for Udta Punjab

Best Action: Shyam Kaushal for Dangal

Best Background Score: Sameer Uddin for Kapoor & Sons

Best Choreography: Adil Shaikh for Kar Gayi Chul

#GoodNightOmJi

Critically acclaimed Indian actor Om Puri has died at the age of 66. Report says he suffered a heart attack at his residence in Mumbai on Friday 6, January 2017. Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, a close friend of the actor, first confirmed the news of his death on Twitter.

Om Prakesh Puri  was born 18 October 1950 and has appeared in mainstream commercial Indian, British, and American films, as well as independent and art films. He was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 1990; and in 2004, was made an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). 

He made his film debut in the 1976 film Ghashiram Kotwal and was the recipient of two national awards and two Filmfare awards including a lifetime achievement award. Om Puri had an illustrious film career, spanning over four decades; the actor had posted a tweet, looking back at his career in December 2016.

On his personal life, Om Puri's first marriage to Seema Kapoor, the sister of actor Annu Kapoor, in 1991, did not last long. After they broke their 8-month long marriage, Puri tied the knot with journalist Nandita Puri in 1993. The actor had a son named Ishaan with Nandita. In 2009, Nandita wrote Puri's biography titled 'Unlikely Hero: The Story Of Om Puri.' 

Folks of B-town have all shared their condolences on social media. 

Rest in peace Om Ji. You will be missed!

#MuchAdoAboutInagbe

This is not a Bollywood post!

As is our family tradition to go on short vacation at the end of the year; in December 2016, we chose to go to Inagbe Grand Resorts. There has been so much hype about the resort and the pictures on their website http://inagbegrandresorts.com/ were just too beautiful not to want to visit. It was everything we wanted from a get away - a 'Grand' resort!

I asked a colleague who was really into travelling and vacations for her opinion and she had told me, 'Inagbe has lost its glory. I would only go and hang out on a day trip with cool friends who would make the outing fun. I wouldn't consider it for a vacation'. 

I further searched for online reviews to assist with my decision and found this one; read here

So I made our reservation for 3 nights. Forex was too expensive to even think of travelling out of the country; and we had been to La Campagne Tropicana. There really wasn't a lot of options left.

MY OPINION: 

Let me start with the good things...

- The boat ride was fun! I have never been on one so it was an amazing experience.

- Customer service was excellent. From the captain of the boat to the first staff we met on the docks, to our tour guide, to the waiter that was attached to us. Every single one of them was very courteous and was glad to help.

- I like the way they named their chalets after states in Nigeria. We stayed at Imo room 4!

- The room was beautiful. For a standard room meant for two people, it was tastefully designed and conveniently accommodated our family of 4. It was very spacious too.

- Electricity was available all through our stay. It didn't go out for once!

- The 'floating bar' or 'platform' was very beautiful. It is a great area to have your meal with a good view of the lagoon. The loud music didn't quite work for me though!

- There are a number of recreation activities available. A game centre which is a building with partitioned rooms for video games, pool table, table tennis, table soccer, and a gym. There is a basket ball and tennis court as well as an area for the kids with bouncing castles, swings, slides, and see-saws. The horses were very well groomed but the quad bikes were not working during our visit.

- The beach water is very clean. The boys and I had a good bath in it 😃

- WiFi is available although very poor.

- Security is also top notch. We saw them strolling up and about at night.

- The resort is very beautiful at night once all the lights are lit.

- Peace & Quiet: The resort is very serene. It is a perfect location for a get away from the crazy hustle of Lagos life. You will be able to clear head!

Unfortunately, the resort is not so GRAND! 

- The grass isn't as lush and green as expected (perhaps its from the harmattan) and there weren't a lot of palm trees for a resort.

- The picture of the beach front pool on their website is a far cry from its real state. 

- The beach front was very desolate and unkempt.

- The beach is quite far from the resort. Its about 5 minutes with their truck or 15 minutes by foot.

- All the swings, slides, and see-saws in the kids area are falling apart. They could not hold the weight of my eight year old. They were all shaky and broken. The only thing in good condition were the bouncy castles.

- The game room needs an upgrade. 

- The food is quite expensive. Although, there was complimentary breakfast for two on our room, there wasn't much choice on the menu. It was yam and egg for the two days we spent (we changed our mind and left a day earlier).

PRICING:

- Our single room cost N45k per night with complimentary breakfast for two.

- The boat ride cost N18k per person. It was half price for my eight year old and free for my four year old.

- It cost N400 for a 75cl bottle of water and a can of soft drink costs N500. I envisaged this and had taken a pack of water on the trip. 

- It cost an average of N3,500 for a decent meal per person. I packed cereals, biscuits, and some other snacks. This saved us from spending so much for lunch especially with the kids.

- It costs N2,500 for a horse ride per hour and N5k for a quad bike ride for one hour.

Perhaps, it used to be so very grand per the pictures on their website? Perhaps the management is overhelmed by the need to develop the other parts of the resort? It sure needs a lot of overhaul to reinstate its glory.

I loved the peace and quiet until the Indians arrived in their battalions 😂

I also loved bathing in the sea with my boys. It was so much fun. 

Will I go back there?!... Maybe for a daycation and someone else will be paying 😁

Wink!