As the weekend zips through blithely, I attempt to capture and pen down the flitting thoughts that come to my mind.

Filmi Flavor:
Two films that I saw over this weekend were Khoya Khoya Chand and Dus Kahiyaan. The former does manage to capture the nuances of the tinsel world (that shimmered during the 50’s and 60’s). A slew of films, released this year (like Om Shanti Om and Saawariya), attempted to recreate the magic and aura of this golden period in Indian cinema, but none could have done it better than Khoya Khoya Chand.

The film’s central character Nikhat, (Soha Ali Khan) is an actress who has carved out a niche for herself in the film industry and is a bundle of talent. However, in the blind pursuit of love, she ends up heart-broken and an alcoholic. I would have liked this movie, if it had a more coherent ending…perhaps one that would have shown Nikhat emerging a winner, despite the odds. She need not have been portrayed as someone who steadfastly needs and seeks succor from the men in her life.

This film fails to touch a chord with the audiences and will therefore not be appreciated by most. Dus Kahiyaan (featuring 10 unconnected stories) was a big disappointment. Except for Rice Plate and Gubbare, none of the short stories really leaves an impact! A couple of them were way too amateurish to be shown on the big screen, and you thank heavens that it doesn’t tax your mind for long!

Food Fetish:
I stumbled upon this wonderful site http://www.vahrehvah.com/ which attempts to explore the numerous spice combinations that adds to the depth of flavor in the Indian cooking. Truly, Indian cooking is a celebration of spices- one that pleases the eyes and tickles your taste-buds. It truly appeals to your senses!

That reminds of a bizarre place in Montreal – a hotel owned and run by blind people. When you enter this hotel, you are directed to a dark corner, and you can hear only the whispers of the blind waiter or smell the wafting aromas of the food. Strangely enough, the experience is as much palate-rewarding as its unique appeal (of course sans the visual sense ).

Cricket Crackers:
Today is a day of shame for cricket. Two of India’s leading batsmen were declared out by the umpires, in what appeared to be as a clearly machiavellian act. This might remind us of the infamous Bodyline Series when Chappell directed his brother, Trevor, to bowl the last ball of match, underarm. We espied, one of the most shameful moments of the international cricket. Wonder, why no action taken against the erring Australian team that so brazenly broke the rules to win the match. Hope some action is taken this time so that we dont encounter moments like these again in what- is- considered-to- be a gentleman's game of cricket.

Signing off for now…will be back with some more pot-pourri thoughts in my next posting.