When I was a ‘lil girl, which, as my good friend Satya puts it, was in ‘baba aadam key zamaaney mein’, amma told me that whatever you did in the new year, would happen all yr long!
My mom offered gyaan on lotsa other stuff, towards becoming a good human being, which obviously I ignored & lived to tell the tale, but somehow, this funda stuck!
31st was spent working – survived a couple of clients, whom I wanted to clobber or muzzle or preferably do both, but instead bravely smiled ‘em off!
Come evening, we donned our party gear & as Shiksha’s self-appointed social secretaries, dropped her off for the Rihanna concert …. an opportunity to feast our eyes on the fabulous looking & hiply dressed gen next, thronging towards the show – abu dhabi zindabad! Sent up a small prayer of gratitude – to enjoy such liberal, fun living, that too in the Middle-East!
With suputri well taken care of, it was time for us senior citizens to break a leg!
The essential ingredient was well in place – being with a bunch of good friends!
Then there were fringe benefits – an emcee who insisted on loudly announcing that the ‘buffet’ was ready, pronouncing it as in ‘Muffet’ of Little Ms Muffet!! An auspicious beginning!
The co-emcee added to the unintentional fun – a guessing game was played trying to figure out what the hell she was wearing! A shimmering night gown, so that she could go straight to bed after the party?!
Our ecstacy peaked when we learnt that we were to be serenaded by the jhinjak desi beats of guess who ……………….. DJ Happy!!! What’s a “Happy New Year’ party without DJ Happy!
What more could we ask – we uninhibitedly hit the dance floor!
2010 was here!
Apart from family, friendz, fun ‘n food, we reflected on what else we needed to do on the first day of the year to ensure that it happened for the next 365 days & came up with the obvious solution – MOVIES!
So after spending some quality time gazing at daughter dearest’s sleeping form – (kids always look so purrfect when they are lost in slumber’s arms – serene, angelic, peaceful …. & then they wake up!!!!)
& headed to the theatre.
That’s the uncomplicated story behind how we saw ‘Its complicated’ – some movies u don’t wait for the reviews – like we watched ‘3 idiots’ first day first show for Aamir Khan, ditto this one, for “Meryl Streep.
Having said that, must confess, won’t describe this as a must watch – just very pleasant viewing - a bunch of awesomely talented actors – Alec Baldwin is surprisingly cute & charming as the wicked ex-husband, while Steve Martin & his comic talent are wasted on playing a very regular role.
‘Its complicated’ is about how after learning to cope with life as a divorced single parent & woman, Meryl Streep has an affair ….. with her ex-husband & finds herself in the role of the ‘other woman’, cheating on the original ‘other woman’ & in the process discovers, that she is no longer in love with her ex, when he falls back in love with her!
While the plot seems convoluted, the movie flows easily & if you have nothing better to do, only then take on “Its complicated!”
That was the story so far … what more did we wanna happen for the rest of the year – so we indulged in our favorite pastime – SLEEP!!!!
But wait, we hadn’t done family movie time – so set out again for the cinema hall, this time with Shiksha!
“Everybody’s fine” … not so fine –
despite Robert De Niro & two hot babes – Kate Beckinsale & Drew Barrymore. A deep, but morbid movie about a father, who after the loss of his wife, sets out to visit his kids, only to discover that thanx to the pressure hez put on them for perfect lives and careers, are struggling & simply surviving, but have just lied to him to spare him the agony of the truth!
At some levels, a movie which makes you think about parenting, your expectations from your kids, loneliness …. not bad, but a trifle sad!
“The End” you hopefully thought – picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!
The finale was the heart-warming ‘The Blind Side’ – have always associated Sandra Bullock with cute, candy-floss romances & comedies & loved her!
But with this role, she proves that shez an actor of substance & well deserves her Golden Globe nomination.
That this one’s based on a true story & ends with snapshots of the real people, on whom the movie is made, is truly remarkable!
A simple plot about a homeless African-American teenager who is taken in by a white family who accept him as one of the family & how he goes on to become a famous football player!
Sandra Bullock as the spunky blonde Leigh Ann with a pronounced Southern drawl & a heart of gold is FABULOUS!
My favorite were the two kids who unquestioningly embrace the addition to their perfect lives & go out of their way to make his life more comfortable.
With so much goodness flowing around, my cynical mind sometime questioned whether it was possible that such genuine compassion & humanity could actually exist & the true story bit re-affirms your faith in life & fellow-human beings!
Blindly watch ‘The blind side!’
