On the wrong tracks

Rarely do I come to overtly criticizing a movie and considering the efforts that go into making a movie and more importantly, into making a movie palatable for the viewers of a country as diverse as ours, I justify myself and my afore-mentioned actions. However, Mumbai Express derailed me like no other movie had for quite some time. As far as I can remember, the last comparable movie which I had to struggle to complete was some caper with Preity Zinta and Venkatesh, some absolutely forgettable movie which, I am sure, does not even figure in Zinta's filmography.

I was just thinking about Kamal Haasan's language problems the other day but did not realize that even after solving those to a certain extent, he will still be plagued by problems...the ones of obesity and absolute lack of interest in the proceedings being just a few of them. The puffy face does little to help the apathy with which Kamal goes about playing Mumbai Express (that's what he is called in the movie, for those who have not even bothered to see the trailors on television) and the absolutely insincere attempts at comedy that are spread across the movie. I don't know if Kamal tried to re-create the Pushkar magic by going deaf in the movie but unfortunately, the viewers were not deaf and dumb enough to like the movie, which has been reflected in the movie's fate at the box office.

Quite a lot about the movie...on to more important things now...like work, or the absolute lack of it. It has been two whole days since I did anything substantial (in fact, four if you count the weekend) and I am getting kind of concerned about the project. There are only two other trainees who are doing anything worth the salt at all. Anirban from IIML, after a false start with some highly technical XBRL project, has moved into hardcore finance, something he is finding difficult but interesting. Sivaram from IIMC has started going to the client site with PwC consultants (am not sure what he does there). For the rest, it is the same story as mine and though they try to busy themselves but for most of the day, they do end up trying to find ways and means of taking yet another break.

Anurag came back to PG after two days and contrary to our expectations (or darkest fears, if you like to call them), he did not end up in becoming a model, what with the fashion show that he was busy choreographing at his college, IIIT. With the electricity doing another vanishing act (second time in two days and I thought Salt Lake was a posh locality), the entire PG gang was up on the terrace and of course, Anurag, Asif, Anand, Abhinav (funny how I know so many people whose names start with A), Rajiv, and myself were up there too. Apart from the cool breeze that gave respite from the Kolkata heat, the only other point of grace was a small game (not too small...lasted for about an hour) of I-can-laugh-more-hysterically-than-you-and-can-be-more-scary-in-the-darkness with people on the terrace of the neighboring house (two of the voices...in fact, the loudest ones, were of the foreigner couple residing in that building). It was good fun for as long as it lasted and before we were forced back into our rooms by the power coming back, for the torture that Mumbai Express was about to inflict on our poor rails...oops, souls.

I simply must get some action today at work or else, I will be too rusty for any work this week. I am planning to go to Patna for the weekend to see my cousin, Shanu on his birthday and I just hope that all the pending work does not come knocking at the wrong moment.