Padman

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The first girl in my life who frankly talked to me about periods was my first girlfriend in the year 2001. We were both in Class XI then. In those days we did not have mobile phones and we used to chat for hours on our landline phones. She used to tell me every time she had her periods. I used to be extra-caring and extra-loving during those 4/5 days. Sometimes she used to have tremendous menstrual cramps. I used to feel really sorry for her. I wish I knew a way to make her pain go away. I used to feel really helpless during those 4/5 days. I wish I knew some magic to free her from the pain of her menstrual cramps. Whenever we used to meet during her periods, I used to give her chocolates to cheer up her mood. Seventeen years have passed. Now she is married to someone else and has become the mother of a cute little boy. I wish her a very happy married life. 

I usually do not follow Facebook trends. But this latest 'Padman' trend has really touched my heart. Therefore today for the first time in my life I bought a packet of Stayfree for Rs. 28. I entered a medicine shop and asked for pads. The shopkeeper looked at me and paused for a moment. Then he hurriedly bought a packet of Stayfree and quickly put it inside a black plastic bag and gave it to me. I do not understand why these pads are put inside black plastic packets. Is it a crime or sin to buy sanitary napkins? 

Anyways I came back home, opened the packet and clicked some selfies with a pad. Tomorrow 'Padman' is releasing in theatres. I would request everybody to go and watch this film only in cinema halls. Salute to R. Balki for making a film on such an unique subject. We all must support this kind of cinema. Thank You...

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Padmaavat

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Yesterday I went to watch Padmaavat at Lake Mall Cinepolis. Usually I don't go to theatres to watch films but this was an exception because it was an exceptional film. The reason why I don't go to theatres is this :

http://rajgauravdebnath.blogspot.in/2017/03/bastards-in-theatres.html?m=1



Anyways I loved the film. This film glorifies the Rajputs and demonises Alauddin Khilji. This film is all about Rajput pride, valour, bravery and honour. The film is all about the Rajputs who will stick on to their principles even in the face of death.

Chocolate boy Shahid Kapoor looks too short in height to be a Rajput. He was a wrong choice for the role of a Rajput warrior-king. And he had almost the same expression on his face throughout the film. Though he tried his best to give a stellar performance, yet something somewhere was always missing.

The role of Padmavati belongs to Aishwarya Rai. Several Bollywood websites mention that SLB wanted to make this film years back with Aishwarya Rai as the heroine. However unfortunately that project did not take off.

Deepika Padukone has given a fantastic performance. The trio of Deepika-SLB-Ranveer are proving to be an awesome combination. I am hoping for more such gems from this trio in the near future.

There is absolutely no chemistry between Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone throughout the film. I was hoping for that kind of chemistry which was there between Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in Jodha-Akbar, but sadly there was none.

Gabbar - Mogambo - Khilji...

Ranveer Singh owns this film. He has set a new benchmark as a villain in Bollywood. Hollywood has Heath Ledger's Joker. Bollywood has Ranveer Singh's Khilji. After the end of the film, someone from the audience commented, "Iss Picture Ka Naam Khilji Hona Chahiye Tha". If everything goes fine then Ranveer Singh has the potential to be the next Amitabh Bachchan of Bollywood! 

Jim Sarbh really draws one's attention towards himself. There is something mysterious in his eyes throughout the film.

I did not like Anupriya Goenka's performance. There was something missing in the way she delivered her lines.

SLB always paints pictures on a grand canvas. His brush strokes roam freely on a lavish scale. He loves larger than life things. Salute to SLB for making this film. Only he could have done this.

The music is however ordinary. The songs are simply not that great. Only 'Ghoomar' and 'Binte Dil' are something to take home. The other songs are below average. I miss the SLB-Ismail Darbar collaborations of 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas'. SLB is a great director but a very average music director. The choreography of 'Ghoomar' and 'Khaalibali' must be appreciated.

Here is the link for Episode 26 of 'Bharat Ek Khoj' which used to air in Doordarshan years back. Apparently SLB was an assistant editor in the Delhi Sultanate and Padmavat episode...

  


   

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Golden Moments (Domestic)

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That last Saxophone part of "Raja Ko Rani Se Pyaar Ho Gaya"...

Vandana Tripathi's heart was not interested in When Eight Bells Toll...

Pardaa Nahin Jab Koi Khudaa Se

Baando Se Pardaa Karnaa Kyaa...

And how The Great Akbar lowers his Eyes...

That Mouth-Organ and how She slowly puts off the Lights...

That extended hand in "Do Lafzon Ki Hai Dil Ki Kahaani"...

That Paper-Boat scene in "Ho Gayi Hai Mohabbat"...

Socho Naa Kyoon Kab Kya Hoga

Main Hoon Tumhaari Hamesha...

That initial Guitar part of "Tera Mera Pyaar"...

Hey Maajhi Rey 

Tohar Bina Mor Jiboney Nayi Maaney

Phirey Aaasi Ja Tui Mor Kaasey

Jaton Korey Rakhiboho Tohkey 

Mor Booker Moddhey Maajhi Rey...

Kaise Main Batau Tujhe Kaisa Mera Haal Ve

Jeena Marna Hai Sab Aab Tere Naal Ve...

Preity Zinta's hand movements and Jimmy Shergill's facial expressions...

That moment when Muzammil Ibrahim kisses Shonali Nagrani's daughter's hand in "Teri Yaad Jab Aati Hai"...

That moment when Shah Rukh Khan was listening to the poor man's words in Swades...

That moment when Shah Rukh Khan drank water in a mud-cup in Swades...

Oh! That moment when Shah Rukh Khan and Gayatri Joshi looked into each other's eyes when "Chura Liya Hai Tumne" was playing on the temporary screen in Swades...

Oh! That moment when Shah Rukh Khan looks at some place where he should not be looking and then lowers his eyes and turns around in "Ladki Badi Anjani Hai" from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai...

That moment when Mahima Chowdhury looks at Shilpa Shetty for the first time in Dhadkan...

Oh! When Hrithik Roshan says Chatni Chataayi for the Second Time in K3G...

Oh! That moment in Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai when Amisha Patel was feeling a bit shy in her short dress and Hrithik Roshan was looking the other way...

Oh! That moment when Jimmy Shergill walks in with a cut on his hand for the Second Time in "Chalte Chalte Yunhi Ruk Jaata Hoon Main" from Mohabbatein...

That moment when both Sanjay Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna were visualizing Madhuri Dixit on the side-mirrors of their car in "Aaina Bata Kaise" from Mohabbat...

You Know My Age, I'm Thirty Plus Nine
Oh That Means You Are Old Wine...

Oh! That Whistle in "Sambhala Hai Maine" from Naaraaz...

That moment when Fardeen Khan drinks water from the same bottle in "Hum Ho Gaye Aapke"...

Oh! So Much Sadness In One Scene...

Aur Ek Baat Aur Bata Du, Aapki Halwai Ki Dukaan Toh Main Haraap Kar Hi Rahoonga...

Thorisi Pagal Hai, Actually Bilkul Pagal Hai...

Points : Two

to be updated regularly...

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5th March 2017 (Sunday)

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My Dear Blog,

Today I woke up around 9 a.m. Missed Rangoli on Doordarshan. Around 11 a.m. I went to Khudiram Anushilan Kendra for the Tea Expo. Had a lovely time. Made a few contacts there. From there I came to Rashbehari and had my lunch at Bachan's Dhaba. Then I took an AC Volvo bus and went to Howrah Station. From there I took a train and went to Chandannagar. From Chandannagar Station I took a Toto and went to Rabindra Bhavan. I really love riding on these Totos. They should be introduced on the Calcutta roads too. Near Rabindra Bhavan I met up with a friend. Had a lovely adda with him near the river bank. Met up with some other friends too. Entered Rabindra Bhavan around 5:30 p.m. The one and only Kabir Suman started performing on time. It was a mesmerizing performance. He sang most of his old songs. Especially on public demand he sang his song Swadhinota after many many many years. After the concert I again took a Toto with a friend of mine from the auditorium to the Station. Had a lovely adda with her while munching on potato chips on our way back to Howrah...

Good Night,
With Love, Kisses, Moonbeams and Rainbows,
Raj Gaurav Debnath

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4th March 2017 (Saturday)

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My Dear Blog,

Today morning I went to Office. From Office around 2 p.m. I went to RCTC. Today we had Bangalore Races. Had a hectic day. Missed the Jackpot by only one leg. I became very depressed after that. Ate a plate of Chicken Biriyani. The Biriyani helped me to cheer up a bit. Biriyani is always the best anti-depressant.

I took a cab from RCTC and came back home. On the way I bought a small bottle of Old Monk rum and a big bottle of Thums Up. Reached home around 8 p.m. and took a shower. Then I finished off the rum while listening to Kabir Suman's songs in my laptop...

Good Night,
With Love, Kisses, Moonbeams and Rainbows,
Raj Gaurav Debnath

      

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3rd March 2017 (Friday)

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My Dear Blog,

Today morning I went to Office on time. Had a normal day in Office. Around 6 p.m. I went to ICCR to watch Kabir Suman's concert on Bangla Kheyal. It was a fascinating concert. Kabir Suman is really doing his best to popularize Bangla Kheyal. He firmly believes that it is possible to sing Kheyals in the Bengali language. 

After the concert I went to London Pub with a friend of mine. Had a lovely adda with some drinks. Watched parts of the England-West Indies one day match there. The last time I had gone to LP was like ten years back. So many days have passed in between. Left LP around midnight...

Good Night,
With Love, Kisses, Moonbeams and Rainbows,
Raj Gaurav Debnath

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26th February 2017 (Sunday)

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My Dear Blog,

Today I woke up around 10:30 a.m. Yesterday Australia thrashed India very badly at Pune. Congratulations to the Australian Cricket Team for winning the First Test Match. Almost all Indian so-called "Experts" including Sourav Ganguly were predicting a 4-0 win in favour of India in this series. Australia have shown that they are made of sterner stuff. One must never underestimate an Opponent. I personally was really angry at Virat Kohli because he did not enforce the follow-on against Bangladesh in the last Test Match. There is an unique kind of heavenly pleasure in enforcing the follow-on. There is an unique kind of heavenly pleasure in giving an innings-defeat to your Opponent. Really felt sad because Virat Kohli did not have the balls to impose the follow-on against a weak team like Bangladesh, that too on his own country. Now I am very happy that Virat Kohli's Team has lost in such a pathetic manner. He really deserved to lose this Match. Its as if God has punished him for not enforcing the follow-on against Bangladesh. Ha Ha Ha! Or maybe since the IPL is just around the corner, therefore the players are mentally more obsessed with the T-20 format. After all, there is more money involved in IPL!

Anyways around noon I took a shower, had my lunch and then straightaway went to RCTC. Today we had Hyderabad and Mumbai Races. I started betting on horses from around 1 p.m. and kept on betting till around 8 p.m. Lost a lot of money though. Ate a plate of Chicken Biriyani around 5 p.m. Drank lots of Thums Up and Mountain Dew. Had a rough day at RCTC. Did not win a single penny. Came back home around 9 p.m. Started watching Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times on TV. 

I firmly believe that the famous and hilarious assembly-line sequence of Modern Times was inspired from the 1931 French film À Nous La Liberté (Liberty for Us) which was directed by René Clair. I have myself seen the French film. If anyone wants to watch this film then the Youtube link is given below.

Good Night,
With Love, Kisses, Moonbeams and Rainbows,
Raj Gaurav Debnath

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25th February 2017 (Saturday)

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My Dear Blog,

Today I did not go to Office. Instead I went to RCTC. Today we had Calcutta and Bangalore Races. Today's main attraction was The Governor's Cup. Had a lovely day at RCTC. Drank two cans of beer. Ate lots of junk food there too.

Came back home around 7 p.m. Started watching The BFG from 9 p.m. on TV. What a wonderful film by Steven Spielberg! I am a huge fan of Spielberg and I love all his movies. He always leaves his trademark stamp on all his work. My most favourite Spielberg films are Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1941, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Munich, Lincoln and Bridge of Spies.

I firmly believe that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was actually inspired from a script by Satyajit Ray named The Alien which was circulating freely among the Hollywood Studios in the sixties. Ray had based this script on his own short story named Bankubabur Bandhu which he had written for Sandesh in 1962. Its a sad thing that Hollywood ditched and hoodwinked the great and noble Ray. I firmly believe that it was actually Hollywood's loss. Well, ultimately Hollywood had to bow down to Ray's genius...

Good Night,
With Love, Kisses, Moonbeams and Rainbows,
Raj Gaurav Debnath

  

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Do You Remember?

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Do you remember that winter Sunday afternoon at Park Street Cemetery?

Do you remember that monsoon Boat-Ride at Babughat?

Do you remember that Pineapple Pizza at Domino's?

Do you remember that Durga Puja night when I was wearing that Black Panjabi and you were wearing that Black Saree?

Do you remember that Durga Puja night when I was wearing that Blue Panjabi and you were wearing that Blue Saree?

Do you remember that Durga Puja night when I was wearing that Maroon Panjabi and you were wearing that Red Saree?

Do you remember that afternoon at the Caffeine Coffee-Shop at Golpark?

Do you remember that evening at Park Street Barista when it was on the opposite side of the Road?

Do you remember that afternoon and evening at Rabindra Sarobar Lake?

Do you remember that afternoon at Nescafe Coffee Shop at Park Street?

Do you remember that evening at Olypub?

Do you remember that GLS-11 bus-ride?

Do you remember that dinner at Silver Oak?

Do you remember that evening at Lake Road CCD?

Do you remember that Kabir Suman concert at Kala Mandir?

Do you remember that Kabir Suman concert at CU Institute Hall?

Do you remember that Kabir Suman concert at Gyan Manch?

Do you remember that hand-pulled rickshaw-ride at College Street?

Do you remember that summer afternoon at Paramount?

Do you remember that sleep-over at my Bedroom?

Do you remember that afternoon at College Street Coffee House?

Do you remember that Rabindra-Jayanti at Jorasanko Thakur-Bari?

Do you remember that Christmas evening at Aqua Java?

Do you remember that evening at 'Cafe The' at ICCR?

Do you remember that 'Devdas' screening at Priya?

Do you remember that 'Arekti Premer Golpo' screening at Metro?

Do you remember that 'The Aviator' screening at New Empire?

Do you remember that night-out at Venom?

Do you remember that 'Abani Opera' play at Gyan Manch?

Do you remember that date at Park Street Au Bon Pain?

Do you remember that Anjan Dutta album 'Rong Pencil'?

Do you remember that kiss inside Uttam Manch?

Do you remember that blow-job inside Birla Planetarium?

Do you remember that Holi on our Terrace?

Do you remember that lunch at Grub Club?



(to be updated...)


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Bastards in Theatres

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I really hate going to Theatres to watch Movies and Plays. I can still watch the Movies later on dvds in the comfort of my bedroom. But to watch Plays, I have to go to the Theatres. I hate going there because of the following Bastards :

The first kind of Bastards do not keep their mobile phones in the silent mode. They also never switch them off inside the Theatres. Their phones always end up ringing. 

The second kind of Bastards are always busy talking on their mobile phones. They don't realize that they are inside the Theatres and not inside their fucking bedrooms.

The third kind of Bastards are always busy talking among themselves. If they have such an important issue to discuss inside the Theatres then they should atleast take their discussion outside to the lobby or to the loo.

The fourth kind of Bastards are always busy eating potato-chips and other things from plastic packets and making noise in the process. They also carry stuff inside plastic packets and these fucking plastic packets create a lot of irritating noise.

The fifth kind of Bastards, generally suffering from Tuberculosis, always start coughing during the important scenes. These Bastards however will never cough during the boring scenes. 

The sixth kind of Bastards, generally suffering from loose-motions, have to go to the loo urgently again during the important scenes. These Bastards however will never go to the loo during the boring scenes.

The seventh kind of Bastards have a habit of yawning loudly.

The eighth kind of Bastards will always spill and spoil a good storyline even before you hit the Theatres.

The ninth kind of Bastards will tell you great things about a bullshit movie and then lead you to waste your precious time, energy and money on it.

The tenth kind of Bastards will bring their children into the Theatres and these children always end up crying or making noises of all kinds.

This List goes On and On and I will keep updating it...

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