What really captivated me was his role in 2013 movie – the lunchbox. It was really heart touching love story where emotions are conveyed through a medium of lunch box. His battle with endocrine tumor was inspiring. He gave a tough fight but succumbed to it, but completed the last movie – angrezi medium. He had plans to make a second comeback.

A methodical actor with a innovative school of thought about acting and emotions, Irrfan khan was undoubtedly genius whose acting journey started with play to television series as a humble actor to his world wide recognition in Hollywood movies like life of pi, inferno, namesake etc.

Had he won the battle against endocrine tumor, we would have seen more of his movies on silver screen. He was the only actor who conquered Hollywood with his honest and dedicated performance. First it was legendary actor Om Puri who carved his name in Hollywood movies and the legacy was carry forwarded by Irrfan khan. Who can his role as bandit paan singh tomar or his immortal role in Life of pi. Artists never die. They continue to live through their works.

Jack the Ripper has been an enigma. How could a serial killer be a subject of research for several movies, novels and series even after 131 years? His appearance was terrifying. His disappearance left London police puzzled. His victims: prostitutes staying in slums of London. His motive of killing: unknown. I had first read about Jack the Ripper in Times of India newspaper. Ripper was no less than a terrifying urban legend whose name sends shiver of fear in minds of people.

While watching the 2009 suspense movie – The Stoneman Murders, I realized that the Stoneman stalking the streets of Bombay during 80’s targeted street side beggars by smashing their heads with a stone. Even the Stoneman disappeared after few murders. The Stoneman case was baffling for Mumbai Police as they compared him to London’s serial killer – Jack the Ripper.

It is been said that Jack the Ripper murdered his victims in gore. Most the bodies were found in mutilated state. Ripper’s terror was active between 1888 and 1891. There were lots of theories drawn related to the identity of Jack the Ripper. Was he psychopath? Why did he target only female prostitutes? What was his motive behind these senseless killings? There were lots of prominent personalities who had been suspected to be Jack the Ripper. Author Lewis Carroll (writer of book – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) was one of them. But it couldn’t be confirmed any of the personalities could be Ripper. Among the several murders committed by Jack the Ripper, it was the murder of Mary Ann Nichols which brought Ripper to limelight. Mary Ann Nichols was the first victim of Ripper. After the first murder, Jack the Ripper’s name became a terror for London’s Police. Also known as ‘White Chapel Murderer’ and ‘Leather Apron’, Jack the Ripper even sent letters to White Chapel Vigilance Committee to create more terror in minds of London’s citizens. One of the letters ‘From Hell’ was used a subject for a graphic novel written by Alan Moore. The graphic novel was said to be based on Ripper’s killings. Ripper’s disappearance has left many theorists puzzled to even today. Since Ripper was never caught, his identity remained an unsolved mystery.

The 1988 mini-series – Jack the Ripper featured actor Michael Caine as the investigator Fredrick Abberline who was assigned to solve Ripper’s killings. The 2001 movie – From Hell starring Johnny Depp is based on Jack Ripper. After Michael Caine, it was Johnny Depp who portrayed the role of investigator Fredrick Abberline in movie – From Hell. Even the 2013 TV Series – Ripper Street is a thriller where London Police solve crime cases after the disappearance of Jack the Ripper.

Even though Jack Ripper disappeared, many serial killers like Zodiac, Ted Bundy were inspired by him. Hollywood relived the legend of Ripper through several onscreen serial killing characters like Jason, Michael Myers and Bone Collector.

Was Ripper a psycho or was he purposely killing women? The mystery still remains unsolved.

The short stories and novels written by Tagore are hailed as masterpiece in Bengali literature. Whether it is Kabuliwala, Manihara, The Postman or the highly acclaimed ‘Choker Bali’, each story deals with the complexities of emotional relationship. No one could understand the pathos of common man better than Tagore.

The struggle of common people reflected in Tagore’s stories. One such story is ‘Return of Khokababu’ (return of little master) which highlights sacrifice, loyalty and atonement. Through the character Raicharan, Tagore shows the greatness the loyalty of a servant towards his master and how far he goes to prove his truthfulness and promise towards his master.

Tagore’s main protagonist Raicharan is recruited as a servant to take care of little Anukool, a zamindar’s son in Calcutta. With passing times, Anukool grows up under the care of Raicharan. Later Anukool leaves to city for further studies. When Anukool returns back after several years, he is now an engineer along with his own family – a wife and a child. Since Raicharan has no child of his own, he looks up to Anukool’s son as his own. But a tragic event takes place when the little child accidentally drowns in the river during monsoon and Raicharan is held responsible for it. While plucking a flower for the child, Raicharan fails to notice that the child had fallen from the pram and is dragged into the heavy flow of water by the riverside.

Despite being no fault of Raicharan, he is held guilty of kidnapping the little child Khokababu. A search party goes to trace the whereabouts of little Khokababu but there is no sign of the baby. Raicharan is not only held responsible for missing of little child Khokababu, but also terminated from his work. A year later, Raicharan’s wife dies after giving birth to a baby boy. Since the baby boy was born a year after the death of little Khokababu, Raicharan assumes that his little master is reborn again.

He pampers his child like his little master and gives him the best education. Ironically, the pampered son starts treating Raicharan like a slave. To fulfill his promise, Raicharan takes his son to Anukool’s home convincing them that their son has returned back. Thus Raicharan keeps him promise by sacrificing his own son. After that, Anukool sends money to Raicharan’s house to provide him monetary help but the money order returns back as there is no sign of Raicharan.

Though this short story of master and servant is less popular to Kabuliwala, it is one of the memorable short stories widely read in Calcutta. I had read this story long back in 1995 during my college days. It had remained etched in my mind. Later, I switched to several American stories and this classic story by Tagore was completely forgotten. Two decades later, the memories of this story were refreshed when Epic channel telecasted ‘Stories by Rabindranath Tagore’ on television. The role of Raicharan was played by actor Joysen Gupta in the television series. Uttam Kumar, the popular star of Bengali cinema had played role of Raicharan in movie – Khokababur Pratyabartan. It is a highly emotional movie with heart touching performance of Uttam Kumar as Raicharan. A new Bollywood movie – Darbaan based on ‘Return of Khokababu’ is scheduled to release soon this year.

If you love Tagore’s writings, then I highly recommend to read his short stories – especially Kabuliwala and Return of Khokababu.

What will be your reaction when someone calls from behind in dark of night? Will you keep moving or turn back to see? Especially if it is Amavasya or Friday 13th, no one will dare look behind. Supposedly, if one turned back to see, he is doomed to die. Sounds absurd? Isn’t it!! In fact, such instances have happened in Karnataka, India. Long back in 90’s, a witch haunted the streets of rural side of Bangalore. She mostly targeted men. Any man, if mistakably roaming the streets of night was sure to die if he sighted her. Such was her terror that people used to write ‘Na le ba’ (Come tomorrow in Kannada language) on walls to drive her away. After reading this sign on walls, the witch used to go away and return back to haunt the streets. This cycle continued for several days. This ghostly terror was short lived. Afterwards, such ghostly instances stopped happening in Bangalore. No one knows how much truth was in this supernatural phenomenon.

‘O Stree Kal aana’ – lines from movie ‘Stree’

The 2018 Bollywood horror-comedy movie – Stree was based on urban legend of ‘Na le ba’. Only the location of the ghost story was shifted to Chanderi, a small town based in Northern India. The witch haunting the streets in movie had her back story. She was a prostitute who longed for true love. When she had found her true love, the prostitute and her lover were killed by the villagers. To avenge her death, she stalks the streets of Chanderi village, targeting men. There was no backstory of witch stalking the streets of Bangalore. No know could trace the origin of her existence and the purpose behind targeting men.

There are many urban legends and haunted places in India which have their own back story. Author Rudyard Kipling had once written about an urban legend of Shimla in his short story ‘The Phantom Rickshaw’ which revolves around a ghostly figure of a woman who is seen haunting the streets of Shimla, searching for her love.

To know more about Na le ba, do watch the 2018 movie – Stree and for further reference, do read the 2019 ghost story collection – India’s most haunted: Tales of Terrifying places written by K. Hari Kumar. I am keen to pen down more stories on haunted places of India in my upcoming blog posts.

So next time, if you hear a woman calling you in dark of night, keep moving, it may be your quarrelsome mother-in-law

‘Everyone dies, not everyone really lives’ – lines from movie ‘Braveheart’

Very less is known about Farzand, the Maratha warrior who fought for Chattrapati Maharaj’s dream of gaining Swarajya. Historians were very biased towards unsung Maratha heroes like Farzand, Yesaji Kank, and Baji Pasalkar and hence as a student I couldn’t find any mention about these forgotten bravehearts who waged a war against Mughal Empire. The courageous feats of the brave Maratha warrior Kondaji Farzand were highlighted in the 2008 historical movie – Farzand which was based on mission of recapturing Panhala fort which was under the control of Adilshah’s general – Beshak Khan.

Blessed with a Greek warrior like physique, Farzand was a skilled warrior who was specialized in warfare (sword fight, wrestling), climbing high scale peaks and planning battle strategies. Farzand was trained under the guidance of brave warrior Tanaji Malusare. Though there is no actual historical record of Tanaji as a mentor to Farzand, the biopic ‘Farzand’ showed Kondaji Farzand on a mission to avenge the death of his mentor Tanaji who was treacherously killed by the Adilshah’s general Beshak Khan. Historical records say that Farzand only gathered 60 skilled warriors to take a might against 2500 soldiers guarding Panhala. Farzand not only captured Panhala fort, but also avenged the death of Tanaji by killing Beshak Khan. He was highly praised by Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj for capturing Panhala.

Betrayal and martyrdom – After death of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, his son Sambhaji Maharaj ascended the throne and continued the fight for Swarajya. The Janjira fort was under the control of Siddis and had to be gained back. Kondaji Farzand took this mission to recapture Janjira by befriending Siddi and attacking his artillery and ammunition. But Farzand’s plan to recapture Janjira was failed as his identity was revealed to enemy by an inside mole. The brave Kondaji Farzand was taken captive and killed. Had Kondaji not been betrayed, he would have regained Janjira fort back for Chattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Sambhaji Maharaj was very devastated after hearing about the death of his great commander Kondaji Farzand.

It is sad to know that courageous legends of brave warriors like Farzand are fading from memory of today’s youngsters. This blog post was an attempt to pay a great tribute to forgotten heroes who fought for Swarajya. Farzand was one of them.

‘All human wisdom is contained in these two words: Wait and hope.” – Lines from Alexandre Dumas’ novel ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’

What would be your reaction if you are imprisoned for 14 years for no fault of yours? How will you escape death if you are thrown from a cliff? Can you cheat misfortune and rewrite your destiny?

Alexandre Dumas’ novel – The Count of Monte Cristo is a swashbuckling tale of an innocent sailor named Edmond Dantes who is labeled guilty for crime he didn’t commit. Author Alexandre Dumas took inspiration from a real life case to pen down story of a sailor’s venegeance. I had read this classic long back in 2002. The storyline kept me hooked from start to finish. It had everything I had expected in an action packed story – romance, hope, revenge, tragedy, suspense, thrill and shocking twists. Set during the times of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile, Edmond Dantes, an honest, happy-go-lucky and innocent sailor becomes a victim of a political conspiracy for betraying his nation and arrested on day of his engagement with his fiancé Mercedes. His only crime: He carries a letter from Napoleon that has to be delivered to a particular person. Little does he realize that same letter becomes the cause of his destruction? Since Napoleon is dethroned, the people supporting him are held as traitors. A jealous ship mate named Danglars takes advantage of his situation to put Edmond behind bars. Not just Danglars, there is one more enemy – Fernand Mondego, a soldier and cousin of Mercedes who hates Edmond. Fernand wants to marry Mercedes, but can’t own her unless he has killed Edmond. Danglars and Fernand join hands to trap Edmond in a conspiracy.

‘Cheated by his enemies, a young man vows his revenge’

Edmond not only becomes a victim of deception by Danglars and Fernand, but is also betrayed by the assistant prosecutor Villefort who sees the letter of Napoleon as a threat to his reputation and honor since it is Villefort’s father who is enemy of nation. Edmond is confined to Chateau d’if, a dark fortress where convicts are imprisoned. He spends fourteen years of his youth behind bars for the crime he never committed. Just when he is about to lose hope of living, he hears scrapping noise on his wall. There he discovers that an old prison mate is trying to establish communication with him. How he establishes the communication with the old prison mate ‘Father Faria’ and plans his escape is best to be read.

What remained etched in my mind was the protagonist Edmond Dantes and his later transformation as Count of Monte Cristo who settles his score with all the three people who destroyed his life. Edmond not only loses his youthfulness in the dungeon of Chateau d’if, but also is shocked to discover the death of his father and Mercedes’ marriage to Fernand. Did Mercedes really betray him? The Count of Monte Cristo decides to make all his enemies’ payback what Edmond couldn’t do.

Edmond’s character goes through various risky and grave situations and how he emerges from it is really worth reading. After decades back, I turned to this book during lockdown hours for fast paced reading session. What I discovered back was sympathy and empathy both for the character Edmond who is left for dead in a dark cell for fatiguing 14 years. Isn’t that scary? Today everyone is feeling like prisoned in this outbreak of Corona. One can’t go and see the outside world. He is confined within four walls of his house. But what worse is about Edmond is not allowed even books to read so that he could maintain his sanity. This quality of survival in odd situation sets Edmond Dantes apart from other literary characters. Since his old friend Father Faria makes him his heir to an old treasure hidden in Monte Cristo, Edmond takes a new identity as ‘The Count’, an alter-ego that won’t spare its enemies.

The Hollywood movie – Fugitive was highly inspired by ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ where a doctor is falsely accused of murdering his own wife and how he plans to break away from prison to prove his innocence is worth seeing. Even the Korean movie ‘The Old Boy’ was inspired by Dumas’ classic. Actor Jim Caviezel played the role of Edmond Dantes in the 2002 movie adaption of Dumas’ classic.

Even after several years of publication, The Count of Monte Cristo continues to be the best literary character.

The outbreak of Pandemic ‘Corona’ has taken the world by storm. No one realized its enormity till it had claimed lives of more than lakhs of human lives worldwide. Today we are living in our homes under a lockdown phase, protecting ourselves from this contagion. But what about the Doctors, Nurses and Mumbai cops who are working down 24×7 to ensure minimum casualties in the city. Many cops lost their lives due to Corona. Several decades back in Pune, the epidemic ‘Plague’ had claimed lives of several people. The ‘Bubonic Plague’ was spreading like wild fire. The year was 1897. To bring this epidemic under control, a special Plague committee was formed by a British ICS (Indian Civil Services Officer) Walter Charles Rand. Instead of providing proper medical treatment, the patients were subjected to harassment by British Police. Every house in Pune was checked and the plague patients were subjected to rude treatment. No one was spared: cradles were thrown, women were molested, house items were ransacked, and children were pulled away like cattle. One young Maratha stood against this injustice. His name was Damodar Hari Chapekar.

The brutal actions of British officer Rand and his officials were highly criticized by great leader Lokmanya Tilak in his newspaper – Kesari. Lokmanya Tilak himself felt that an armed revolutionary was important to curb the actions of British officials. It was this juncture where Damodar Hari Chapekar and his associates entered the scene. Damodar and brothers – Vasudeo and Balkrishna decided that enough was enough. Rand must no go unpunished. An ardent follower of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Damodar Hari Chapekar decided to tread the path of armed revolution when he realized that it was time these British authorities must be brought to justice. On 22nd June 1897, the golden jubilee celebration of Queen Victoria’s coronation was in full pomp. It was planned that once the carriage of British officer Rand arrives, a code signal will be shouted to alert the arrival of their prey. As soon as the carriage arrived, Damodar Chapekar leaped in the carriage and shot down officer Rand. Prior to the arrival of Rand’s carriage, there was one more carriage that arrived on the path where Chapekar brothers were waiting. Mistaking it for Rand’s carriage, Balkrishna shot down a British officer Ayerst, who was a military escort of Rand. The death of two officers was a big nail in the coffin of British Empire.

A big hunt began to nab the assassins of British officer Rand and Ayerst. Several innocents were rounded up and arrested as suspects by British police. Damodar Chapekar and his associates had already escaped to Bombay after killing the British officers. Damodar’s whereabouts were leaked by Dravid brothers to British police. Damodar Chapekar was arrested for killing Rand and charged under section 302. Damodar was hanged to death on 18th April 1898. The martyrdom of Damodar Hari Chapekar was a turning point in the revolutionary movement. Later, Balkrishna Chapekar was too arrested in connection with murder of Rand. It is been said that Balkrishna was betrayed by one of his friends. Vasudeo Chapekar, Mahadev Ranade and Khando Vishnu Sathe avenged the death of Damodar Chapekar by killing the greedy Dravid Brothers. Vasudeo, Mahadev and Balkrishna smiling climbed the gallows. A glorious chapter in armed revolution had ended with martyrdom of Chapekar Brothers. The sacrifice of Chapekar brothers was just the beginning. A wave of new armed revolution was to begin with the arrivals of great revolutionaries like Rajguru, Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh.

It is sad that the memories and sacrifice of Chapekar Brothers are only limited to Maharashtra, India. They didn’t get that accolade outside the borders of India. Even the history textbooks labeled Chapekar Brothers as misguided youth. They were just trigger happy revolutionaries. How wrong is this mindset? No one thought what happened to Chapekar family after the death of Damodar, Balkrishna and Vasudeo. Their wives became widow. The children became orphan. Even Hari Chapekar the father of three great sons couldn’t bear this shock. No monetary support was given to Chapekar family. Except Lokmanya Tilak, no one took notice of the sacrifice of Chapekar Brothers. Before dying, Damodar Chapekar had borrowed a copy of Bhagvad Gita from Tilak in Yerawda jail. His last wish: He wanted to die with Bhagvad Gita in his hands.

The outbreak of plague and the brutal torture of British authorities was a double blow to our Indians. At this critical juncture, the three brave sons of motherland – Damodar, Balkrishna and Vasudeo decide to retaliate against the tyrannical alien rule.

‘Living in Hollywood makes you famous, dying in Hollywood makes you a legend’

What do Heath Ledger, Marilyn Monroe and Robin Williams have in common: Their shocking deaths. Paparazzi and news media was hounding Marilyn Monroe’s residence even after her death. 14th June 2020 was a dark day for Hindi Cinema. Bollywood lost its own James Dean. Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s shocking suicide shook an entire nation. An emerging talent who rose to stardom through television, Sushant Singh has now earned the cult status similar to Hollywood’s departed stars like James Dean, Heath Ledger and Monroe.

His last film ‘Dil Bechara’ was supposed to hit the screens in May this year. Unfortunately, due to Corona outbreak, the release got postponed for uncertainty. Now ‘Dil Bechara’ a Bollywood movie adaption of Hollywood movie – Fault in our stars will be released on OTT platform. According to sources, he was given an unfair deal and cold behavior by Bollywood biggies. In the world of nepotism where only star kids only survive, a talented actor without a film background had carved a niche for himself with movies like ‘Kai Po Che’, ‘M.S.Dhoni’ and ‘Sonchiriya’. Sushant had worked out for a year to get into role as cricketer Dhoni. It is been said that he had practiced the helicopter shot for 225 times a day to bring the perfection of a batsman on the screen. What a dedication!!

It is such a sad irony that big production houses will approach mediocre level star kids for their movies but won’t give a chance to talents from non-movie background. There is darkness lurking in the big bright world of glamour. Sushant’s last movie in theatres was the commercial hit ‘Chhichore’ which had struck a bond with audience. I was very sad to discover that even after his death, news channel were hounding in his apartments to look for a scoop that will boost their ratings. In his last Instagram post, he had remembered his late mother. That was the last that world heard of him. His struggle for success that started with television to movies was tragically cut short by his shocking death. According to me, he will be remembered in hearts of audience as a timeless artist in league of big actors like James Dean, Heath Ledger and George Reeves who carved a niche for themselves in such a short time.

On June 16th 1959, the popular TV star George Reeves was found dead in his room. The reasons and mysteries surrounding his death are still unsolved till date. It is been said that he committed suicide by shooting himself. Was it a suicide, accidental shoot or a well-planned murder? The Superman curse had befallen on George Reeves, who was popular among audience as Superman: Man of steel. Call it a superstition or a misfortune, any actor playing superman met with unfortunate incidents in his life. George Reeves’ suicide was a subject of a thriller movie – Hollywoodland starring Ben Affleck as George Reeves.

The movie Hollywoodland is a mystery movie cum biopic which throws a light on life of George Reeves success as Superman, his growing popularity, his romantic linkup with a Hollywood director’s wife and his mysterious suicide in 1959. Though the ‘Superman’ role gave George fame, money, popularity and a growing fanbase, he was fed up of playing Superhero character repeatedly. He wanted to explore variety of roles. George became synonymous with his superhero image. Kids were keen to watch the series: Adventure of Superman and the movie ‘Superman and the mole men’ in which their favorite actor George starred as Man of Steel. Apart from playing Superman, George wasn’t getting any challenging or meaty roles he expected for. His Hollywood dreams were crashing down. What was the actual reason of George’s death? : His failing career, competitive rivalry, personal affair or his own Superhero image. There are speculations that his death might not be suicide, but a cold blooded murder. Did a hitman kill George Reeves on order of a Hollywood director? The George Reeves’ death has baffled Hollywood even today. Even today, George Reeves is best remembered as Superman by his fans.

Another actor to be affected by this Superman curse was Christopher Reeve. After the death of George Reeves, it was Christopher Reeve who stepped in role as the man of steel. Christopher Reeve shot to fame with Superman movies. He became legendary with his role as the man of steel in the 1978 superhero movie – Superman: The Movie. He was the fresh face in world of Hollywood. Hollywood legend Marlon Brando played the role of Superman’s father in the movie. Christopher Reeve became a household name. Several fans crowded to see Superman movie. But this success and fame was shortlived. After the first part of Superman, the other Superman movies weren’t as successful and engrossing as expected. Christopher Reeve wanted to come out of his superhero image and experiment with different roles. The curse came to reality when Christopher accidentally fell from his horse in a riding event in 1995. He was paralyzed for life. Despite being wheel chair bound, Christopher continued to inspire world his motivational speeches and writings. Reeve passed away in 2004 at age of 52. On the personal front, Christopher Reeve was my favorite actor and the first super hero whom I idolized during my childhood days.

It is also been said that actors associated to Superman movies had to face unfortunate events in their life. Actor Marlon Brando had to face lots of tragic events on personal front. He died unsung in 2004. Even actress Margot Kidder, who played the reporter Lois Lane and love interest of Man of steel in 1978 Superman movie was found dead in mysterious circumstances in 2018.

Currently, Henry Cavill has portrayed Superman in Man of Steel, Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice of League. So far, Henry Cavill hasn’t been affected by Superman curse.

Whether this Superman curse is really unfortunate coincidence or a Hollywood urban legend, this myth is shrouded in mystery.

The most awaited romantic movie of the year – Dil bechara is finally scheduled to release on digital platform. An official Bollywood movie adaptation of John Green’s book – a fault in our stars, Dil bechara stars Sanjana sanghi and late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. This will be the last movie of Sushant Singh Rajput.

Initially slated to release in may month, the movie was postponed due to Corona outbreak. The shocking suicidal death of lead actor Sushant Singh Rajput was a tragic blow not only to Bollywood but to whole nation. Sadly, this movie is releasing on hotstar entertainment app. Had this movie released on big screens, it would have been a perfect tribute to the departed actor. Sushant and Sanjana will play the roles of terminally ill patients in this heart touching movie. Saif Ali khan will play an writer in this movie. Though Saif’s role is cameo, it will be a turning point to the story. Actor William Dafoe played the role of writer in the original movie while shailene Woodley and Angus played the terminally ill patients based on the characters by author John Green.

Dil bechara will premiere on 24th July for free viewing.

The outbreak of Corona pandemic has affected every industry and movie making is not an exception. The shutting down of multiplexes and single screens had badly affected not just the filmmakers, but the whole movie fraternity. Several movies are scheduled to release on digital platforms like Amazon prime, Disney plus hotstar.

Ambitious Bollywood movies like Bhuj: the pride of India, Laxmi bomb, Sadak 2, big bull are releasing on digital platform. Even late Sushant Singh Rajput’s last movie – Dil bechara is releasing on Disney plus hotstar.

But can digital platforms give you the kick of watching movies on big screen? I miss that punch that I experienced on single screens or multiplexes. Before ott platforms, vcds and DVD’s were sources of home entertainment for movie lovers. Seriously, I loved shopping DVD’s of bond movies, horror flicks and Bollywood classics. No one knows when the pandemic will come under control.

I pray and hope that this Corona outbreak ends soon so that movie lovers can return back to single screens and multiplexes to relish the movie joy in real sense.

Among many writers who inspired me to write, William Shakespeare ranks first. In summer of 2001, I got familiar with his tragic play – Romeo & Juliet, a story of star-crossed lovers who take their lives due to the feud between their families. Today, while I was browsing some books in my shelf to gain inspiration, my hands stumbled upon the book – Stories from Shakespeare. It was a nostalgic treat re-visiting the classics. The best part about reading classics that they give teeth to your words while you compose your article or story. How can I forget Macbeth, Desdemona and Hamlet? All his plays had elements of romance, betrayal, humor, revenge and redemption. There is also a twist at the end of every story, especially his tragic plays: Romeo & Juliet and Othello.

Every play of his was adapted as movies by Hollywood and Bollywood. Who can forget Omkara and Maqbool? While Maqbool was an Indian remake of Macbeth, Omkara was based on Othello. Omkara remains one of the faithful adaptions of Shakespeare’s works. The story of Othello is based in northern regions of India where politics and crime reign. Here Omkara, the desi avatar of Othello suspects of infidelity about his wife Dolly. What follows later is series of deception, suspicion, revelation and final redemption. The character ‘Langda Tyagi’ from movie ‘Omkara’ has more grey shades than the Shakespearean villain ‘Iago’ in the original play. There was one more movie titled ‘O’ based on Othello featuring Josh Hartnett, Julia Stiles and Mekhi Phifer as Odin, the modern avatar of Othello.

Even after several years of his death, Shakespeare’s stories are still relevant to modern times. Not just tragedy, he was even skilled in writing light hearted and humorous plays. ‘A Comedy of errors’ and ‘As you like it’ was one of them. Bollywood writer Gulzar adapted ‘A comedy of errors’ into a movie titled ‘Angoor’ revolving a pair of twins – Master and his servant. When I read ‘A comedy of errors’, I couldn’t stop laughing around the confusion situations written by Shakespeare.

Even the Hollywood movie ‘Ten things I hate about you’ starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles was based on Shakespeare’s work – Taming of the Shrew. But what made him an iconic figure in literature and theatre was his play – Hamlet. From Laurence Oliver, Kenneth Branagh, Mel Gibson to Ethan Hawke and Shahid Kapoor, every actor had proved his mettle by playing the role of doomed prince Hamlet who loses his sanity and destroys everyone in his journey of vengeance. I am keen to write on every of his plays in detail in my coming blog posts. There was a latest Hollywood movie – Anonymous which threw a light on the untold facts on Shakespeare’s life and his writings. It is been said that it was not Shakespeare but some other ghost writer who actually wrote ‘Hamlet’, ‘Othello’ and several of his notable works. Who was he? Did Shakespeare hire a ghost writer to write his plays? One may never know. But who can doubt Shakespeare’s creativity? He still continues to inspire several novelists, playwrights, bloggers, poets and theatre actors through his writings. As for now, I don’t have any writer’s block. Shakespeare is my muse for this write up.

‘To write or not to write is not the question’

Thanks Shakespeare.

‘yeh Dil maange more’

No one never knew that this line from a TV commercial will become a patriotic adage. These lines were spoken by Captain Vikram batra during kargil war.

Shershah was the code name of Captain Vikram Batra during the Kargil war and it is been said that an enemy soldier had intercepted the call of Captain Batra and threatened to leave the battlefield but Captain Vikram gave him such a fitting reply that he never dared to communicate. Captain Batra conquered the point 5140 and 4875 which were under enemies’ control. Sadly captain Vikram batra attained martyrdom while capturing the peak 4875. A sniper’s bullet hit Captain Vikram during the line of action. Now a upcoming biopic – shershaah based on captain Vikram batra is scheduled to release soon this year. Actor Siddharth malhotra will be portraying the role of Captain Vikram batra in this biopic while actress Kiara advani will play the role of dimple, the girl whom captain Vikram batra loved. It is a tribute to the great soldier who laid his life for nation in 1999 during kargil war.

In 2003 war movie – loc: kargil, actor Abhishek bachchan had played role of Vikram batra on big screen. Portraying Captain Vikram batra will be a challenging role for Siddharth malhotra in his career and how he will immortalise the great soldier is best to be seen when the biopic hits the screens.

The outbreak of Corona pandemic has affected every industry and movie making is not an exception. The shutting down of multiplexes and single screens had badly affected not just the filmmakers, but the whole movie fraternity. Several movies are scheduled to release on digital platforms like Amazon prime, Disney plus hotstar.

Ambitious Bollywood movies like Bhuj: the pride of India, Laxmi bomb, Sadak 2, big bull are releasing on digital platform. Even late Sushant Singh Rajput’s last movie – Dil bechara is releasing on Disney plus hotstar.

But can digital platforms give you the kick of watching movies on big screen? I miss that punch that I experienced on single screens or multiplexes. Before ott platforms, vcds and DVD’s were sources of home entertainment for movie lovers. Seriously, I loved shopping DVD’s of bond movies, horror flicks and Bollywood classics. No one knows when the pandemic will come under control.

I pray and hope that this Corona outbreak ends soon so that movie lovers can return back to single screens and multiplexes to relish the movie joy in real sense.

‘Behind every great fortune, there is a crime’ – Balzac

The 2010 Bollywood gangster flick – Once Upon a time in Mumbai broke the stereotypes of crime and gangster movies. Inspired by smuggling crimes in 1970’s, ‘Once Upon a time in Mumbai’ sheds a light on the forgotten gangsters of bygone era. 70’s was the year when smuggling was on its peak and was ruled by Robinhood type gangsters. These so-called godfathers donated money to poor, financed movies, dated film actresses and ruled the sea where lots of criminal activities used to take place in dark of night. The movie opens on a thrilling note where Agnel Wilson, a Police commissioner is rescued from drowning. Later it is revealed that he attempted to commit suicide. When the commissioner is enquired about this reckless decision, the commissioner considers himself for the criminal activities happening in the city. The movie goes to the flashback and a saga begins about the rise of a small lad who rises to become a top notch smuggler of 70’s Bombay.

This is story of the godfather Sultan Mirza who worked in coal mines and docks to later emerge as leader in crime world. While Sultan is strengthening his hold on the city, another young lad Shoaib aspires to make it big in world by robbing people. Here Shoaib crosses the path with Sultan and they together bond to form a strong crime empire. While Sultan is against drugs, liquor, Shoaib allows bootlegging, contract killings in absence of his mentor. Here the ideals of Sultan clashes with his protégé Shoaib, the young man intoxicated by glamor of crime. The climax is one of the highest points in movie when Shoaib shoots down Sultan in broad daylight, bringing an end to reign of the man to whom Mumbai once feared. Both the protagonists – Sultan Mirza and Shoaib are based on real life gangsters of Mumbai. Ajay Devgan’s portrayal as Sultan sends goosebumps. In my views, Sultan was a strong personality compared to Marlon Brando’s role as Don Vito Corleone in Mario Puzo’s movie – The Godfather. In the movie, Sultan is shown falling in love with a 70’s actress Rehana played by Kangana Ranaut. It is been said that a yesteryears Don of 70’s on whom Sultan was based, was a big admirer of actress Madhubala. Even Amitabh’s role in Deewar was based on that 70’s Don.

It is Emran Hashmi’s role as Shoaib which steals the show in the climax. Though actor Randeep Hooda is in small role as Commissioner Agnel Wilson, he leaves his powerful mark as the cop who is trapped in clash between Sultan and Shoaib.

The movie is inspired by Hollywood gangster flicks like ‘Once Upon a time in America’ and ‘The Goodfellas’. Released in July 2010, ‘Once Upon a time in Mumbai’ is homage to the crime lords who were godfathers of the masses.

The 2020 motion picture – Dil bechara is a celebration of love, hope and life. The protagonist of the movie – Immanuel Raj Kumar Jr reminded me of Rajesh khanna’s immortal character ‘anand sehgal’ from movie Anand. It was a de ja vu moment for me. Based on author John Green’s best selling book – the fault in our stars, Dil bechara gives you a glimpse at the lives of the terminally ill people and how it is difficult to come to terms that their life span is short. The female protagonist kizzie basu, a girl suffering from thyroid cancer aspires to live life like a normal girl – date a guy, attend parties and gossip. Only she ends up attending funerals of strangers to empathize with their sorrows. Her companion is her oxygen tank named ‘pushpinder’ until she meets a spunky guy named Immanuel Rajkumar Jr fondly named as Mannie. Like her, Mannie too had a close brush with osteo carcoma in which he loses one of his legs. They bond over music, movies and plan to meet a musician Abhimanyu veer, who has left a song incomplete. When they reach Paris to meet Abhimanyu veer, things takes a drastic turn. To know what happens next, you have to watch Dil bechara.

After watching this movie, I am keen to read the best seller – the fault in our stars which on my wish list for long time. If you enjoy watching Dil bechara, do check out other movies – a walk to remember, five feet apart and the midnight sun.

Though everyone has read the book or watched its Hollywood movie adaptation, Dil bechara still has different approach towards its story telling. Bursting with humour, love, this movie is sure to tug your hearts. Even in his last moments of life, Mannie encourages kizzie to live life joyfully. He not only completes the incomplete song, but also fulfils his promise to make a movie along with kizzie. Actress Sanjana sanghi gives a heartfelt performance as kizzie basu. It is Sushant Singh Rajput’s swan song that will remain etched in your memories. Every scene of his will bring tears in your eyes. This movie will definitely change your perspective towards life. This movie is available on Disney plus hotstar and is streaming free.

Book Title : Harappa – Curse of the blood river
Genre – Fiction
Author – Vineet Bajpai‘I am half human, half God’ – excerpt from the bookDid Harappa city ever existed? Is it a matter of imagination? Did Aryans really invade the Indus valley? Why did Britishers wiped out the existence of Indus valley civilization?Harappa: Curse of the blood river holds key to the secret hidden under the debris of forgotten time. Unfortunately, the back history of Harappa is filled with so many intriguing stories that one cannot resist the temptation to know more about the culture, lifestyle, and temples existing during those times. Though I had learnt about Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro cities during Indus valley civilization, our school teachers never motivated us to know more about the back history of the people living in that era. If you loved movies like Mummy, National Treasure, Indiana Jones, then Harappa Trilogy is sure going to be an adventurous treat to your mind and eyes.This is one of the best fantasy/mythology books I thoroughly enjoyed since Immortals of Meluha. The story shuffles between two timelines – present day and the Harappa age. The story has two protagonists – Vivasvan Pujari and Vidyut Shastri. Vidyut Shastri, a Noida-based CEO of a security company is urgently summoned to meet his 108 years old great grandfather Dwarka Shastri who is on his death bed. Vidyut flies off to Banaras, his hometown to connect with his long lost blood relative – Dwarka Shastri. While in Harappa, Vivasvan Pujari, a highly respected personality becomes a victim of treachery, deceit hatched by his own brother-in-law Chandradhar and his wife Priyamvada. As Vidyut meets his great grandfather, he discovers he is the prophesied Devta and he possesses the same divine powers like his ancestor Vivasvan Pujari. Vidyut is unaware that an assassin has been hired by a Mafioso to kill him. A life threatening attempt is also made on Vidyut by an assassin, but Vidyut’s grandfather succeeds in saving the life of Vidyut. The novel ends on a cliff hanger note when Vidyut realizes that he is none other than Vivasvan Pujari, the devta of Harappa who is reborn again. Is Vidyut the prophesied Devta? What happened to Vivasvan Pujari? How is Vidyut’s life linked to Harappa civilization? To know the story of Vidyut and Harappa’s mysterious civilization, you have to read Harappa: Curse of the blood river written by author Vineet Bajpai.This book is a refreshing read in mythology/history/adventure genre. Every page is filled with racy sequences, historical trivia and well sketched characters. If you love historical adventure stuffed with mythology elements, Harappa is a literary treat.

There is an old saying that action speaks louder than words. A clenched fist with a punch is enough to bring a ruffian to his senses. Action has created a new genre in movies and its own group of audience who whistle when the hero knocks down a bunch of goons in one blow. Though Hollywood action movies are larger than life, they definitely have inspired lots of young masses to imitate their onscreen idols. This article is a compilation of the best action movies I thoroughly enjoyed.

1) Rambo – Rambo: First Blood gave birth to a new action icon – John Rambo, a Vietnam soldier wronged by his own people. Sylvester Stallone became a rage, an icon after the success of Rambo 1, 2 and 3. The action sequences in Rambo 2 were aesthetically choreographed, giving a rawness and realism to violence. I am a die-hard fan of Rambo Series and the way he welded his bow to shoot fire arrows on his enemies sends goosebumps to every action lover. After several years, Rambo is still a cult movie in action genre

2) Commando – The posters of Commando movie were a rage in 80’s and late 90’s. Arnold became a cult hero with movies like Commando, Terminator: Judgement day, Total Recall and Red Sonja. Commando is my favorite pick in this action list for the amazing action sequences choreographed in the movie. How Arnold goes to the end of the world to rescue his daughter from the terrorists and single handedly brings down the whole army of baddies is best to seen on the silver screen. I clapped and whistled at the action scenes, bringing out the best of Arnold’s moments on screen.
Seeing is believing. Rent a DVD to enjoy this cult action movie that will bring out the Commando in you.

3) Die hard – NYPD Cop John Mc Clane (Bruce Willis) is the wrong man at the wrong time in Die Hard movie. This flick brought out the action hero in Bruce Willis. John Mc Clane unknowingly bumps into Nakatomi plaza on a Christmas night. By coincidence the plaza is taken on hostage by a terrorist group. How John Mc Clane saves the day is best to be seen on silver screen. I loved the fourth part of Die-hard which had Bruce Willis fighting with Internet terrorists. This is one of my favorite action movies in this list.

4) Matrix –Matrix changed the definition of action genre. A Sci-fi movie loaded with never seen before slow motion action sequences. Directed by Wachowski brothers, Matrix set new trends in storytelling, action choreography and visual effects. The slow motion bullets, martial art fights, high octane chases made Matrix a memorable action flick. What stayed in my memory was the role of Agent Smith played by Hugo Weaving and the underrated actor Keanu Reeves in his memorable role of Neo.

5) Face/Off – I was completely blown away with the action sequences in John Woo’s flick – Face/off starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage. I regard this action flick as one of my favorites because it had everything you desired in action movie. A cop undergoes facial surgery and adopts the identity of a menacing terrorist. With the face of the terrorist, he undergoes undercover to uncover a deadly terror plot. What he doesn’t realize that the criminal has undergone facial surgery and taken his identity. John Travolta and Nicholas Cage are pitted against each other in this high octane action thriller. Filled with high octane chases and swift action sequences, Face/off is worth the ticket.

6) 300 – This is Sparta!!! Immortalized in Hollywood as one of the epic lines, 300 is legend of the fallen Spartan heroes and their King Leonidas. What separates this epic action movie from other action flicks is its sleek action choreography. Slow motion sword fights, clanking of shields, chopping of heads and blood splatter bring more realism to the action scenes. Gerard Butler shot to fame in Hollywood with the dream role of King Leonidas. With 300, director Zack Snyder created a new milestone in movie making and action genre.

7) Enter the dragon – Bruce Lee made his debut in Hollywood with Enter the Dragon that made him a legend overnight. His martial arts stunts, swiftness, adroitness fetched lots of audiences not only in foreign nations, but also in India. Bruce Lee became a cult star and his legacy was carry forwarded by Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chow-Un-Fat and Tony Jaa. The most memorable scene in Enter the dragon is the climax where he single handedly knocks down several martial art henchmen.

8) Robocop –

Robocop gave birth to a new breed of hero – Half human, half Robot. The 1987 sci-fi action flick became a sensation in action genre. A cop returns from dead after he is killed to death by a street gang. The mortally dead cop is resurrected as a Robot cop to take down the crime in Detroit city. How Robocop wipes the crime and settles his personal score with his enemies is best to be seen. The role of Robocop/Cop Alex Murphy is played by actor Peter Weller.Action is worth a thousand words. Movies of action genre are very vast in Hollywood. This is my first compilation of my favorite action movies. I will definitely be coming up with a new post on my next list action movies in coming times. Hope you will definitely like this action packed article.

Was Arjuna really a famed archer or an insecure warrior prince? If Arjuna was a skilled warrior whose courageous feats are still praised by historians, then why there are more literatures dedicated in memory of the generous Karna, the elder brother of Arjuna. To get the queries answered, the mythology book – Arjuna: The Pandav warrior prince was guide to me. As I read the pages describing the adventures of Arjuna, it made me realize that Arjuna was not the one I idolized during my childhood days. He had his own flaws, insecurity and a superiority complex. He was the divine child of God Indra. Born on earth as son of Kunti and Pandu, Arjuna was destined to gain glories as a famed warrior. Despite being a skilled warrior, he was bit jealous of two warriors – Karna and Eklavya. Today history recognizes and accolades Eklavya as an ideal student who chopped off his thumb to offer as ‘Gurudakshina’ to his teacher. Ironically Arjuna doesn’t get that status bagged by Eklavya.

Even Karna was famed for his generosity. He was so generous that he gave his armour and earrings to God Indra who came in disguise to deprive Karna of his immortal armour. In author Anand Neelkanthan’s book – Ajaya, there is a mention about a temple that worships Duryodhana as its deity. Was Duryodhana greater than Arjuna? How come there is no temple built in honor of Arjuna?

Arjuna also considered himself superior compared to his siblings – especially Bheema, the divine son of God Vayu. Initially the book – Arjuna showcases the Pandava warrior as highly ambitious prince who put all his hard work at stake to make his glory count. It is his hard work, dedication and severe penances that make Arjuna an accomplished warrior in pages of Mahabharata. Such was his devotion towards Gods than even Lord Shiva appeared on earth to bless Arjuna with celestial weapons. Did nuclear weapons and missiles exist in Mahabharata times? Weapons like Brahma-astra and Pashupat had the power to destroy the world. Only a skilled warrior like Arjuna could release the weapon and withdraw it. Apart from being a skilled hero, he was also a romantic figure. He had three wives apart from Draupadi – Uloopi, Subhadra and the serpent princess Chitrangada. Uloopi’s son Iravan and Subhadra’s son Abhimanyu attain martyrdom during the battle of Kurukshetra. Compared to other Mahabharata warriors, Abhimanyu was one warrior who had made his valor count by singly facing a dozens of Kaurava warriors. Though he was killed by deception in battlefield, his courageous stand is inspiring. Even Babruvahana, one of Arjuna’s sons was mighty to challenge the Pandava archer. It is been said in Mahabharata that Babruvahana had nearly killed Arjuna by beheading him. Later Arjuna was resurrected and Babruvahana realized his mistake that he had killed none other than his father.

The story of Arjuna is narrated to his great grandson Janmajeya by Sage Ved Vyasa’s disciple Vaishampanya in the book and the story moves in flashback where the origins of Pandava race and the courageous feats of Arjuna are narrated in full detail. If you are new to Mahabharata and clueless about the Pandavas, this mythology novel on Arjuna is a compelling read.

If you are feeling lonely, read a ghost story and you won’t feel alone. From Rudyard Kipling, Ambrose Bierce, Bram Stoker, Dickens to Stephen King, everyone has his own perception towards supernatural theme.

In the new anthology of scary stories – ‘Ghosts of the silent hills’, author Anita Krishan takes you on an unforgettable scary trip through her ghost stories that are based in Shimla. Even author Rudyard Kipling’s popular ghost story – The Phantom rickshaw was based in Shimla. Whenever I complete reading a good scary story, I can sense an eerie knock on the door in midst of night. Have I developed mutant powers to see paranormal objects like the kid from the movie ‘Sixth Sense’? I was averse to horror genre till I started reading Ruskin Bond’s ghost stories. Compared to other ghost story writers, Ruskin Bond’s ghost stories are believable, light hearted and heart touching. In one of his short stories on supernatural theme, Ruskin Bond comes face to face with the ghost of his late father – Aubrey Bond who inspires Ruskin to continue writing. Even the 2018’s horror comedy movie – Stree reminded me of the scary story – The Wilson’s Bridge.

The mists, the fog, the abandoned places and phantom figures are sure to scare the hell out of you once you start reading the anthology of ghost stories penned by author Anita Krishan. Some ghost stories are based on real life experiences happened to author during her childhood while some scary tales are fusion of fiction and true events.

I won’t spill out the chilling spoilers about the scary elements about the scary stories in this horror book. Seeing is believing. If you loved watching scary flicks like Conjuring, The Grudge, Shutter, The Omen and Stephen King’s IT, then Anita Krishan’s book is sure going to a treat.