Kurbaan

Saw a really good movie after a long time...The movie is 'Kurbaan', starring Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and others.

First of all, for some reason or the other, I had been very eager to watch 'Kurbaan' long before its release. So, I went to watch it feeling glad and excited. I'm not saying that this is the best movie I have ever seen ,or that this is the best movie made this year. But, it is certainly one of the best. Most of you must already be knowing what the movie is all about. Its common knowledge by now that Saif plays the role of a terrorist in the movie and Kareena marries him without knowing that. Maybe, the element of terrorism in the movie is not something new. There have been other movies, even in the recent past, which have talked about terrorism. But, its the way in which 'Kurbaan' tells the story of terror that sets it apart from other films. Its not just about violence, gunshots and plans to bomb areas. Its also about the psychology of different people and the way in which they react in different situations. It also tells a heart-rending love story...love, in the time of terror...

All through the movie, there is tension and excitement. Not a single moment allows the viewer to think about anything else and he/she is completely immersed in the movie. The film has some great performances, which I feel, should be the numero uno reason for everyone to watch it. Saif Ali Khan was exceptional and seemed to portray different emotions with equal ease. Kareena Kapoor was also great, specially in the last scene. Both of them were looking very good, individually as well as together. The supporting cast deserves special mention. Om Puri and Kirron Kher are just perfect in their roles as jehadis and I loved Vivek Oberoi in all the scenes, no matter what the newspaper reviews had to say about him( only looking good and giving an uneven performance, etc., etc.). Vivek was even better than Kareena in a few scenes. Plus, there was this guy playing the role of a suicide bomber and although he had no lines, he was brilliant in the few minutes of his screen time.

The film has just two or three loopholes, I guess, but they are not so noticeable. The good things will ultimately make the viewer forget them. I'll suggest to all those reading this post, to watch 'Kurbaan' soon. I'm sure they'll love it in one way or the other.

All that glitters...

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to a gold jewellery shop and the experience was just boring. Yet, as I looked all around me, I saw people, specially women, buying different articles of jewellery having different designs. Some of them were even ordering jewellery, suggesting their own designs, not being satisfied with what was being shown to them. Seeing all the fuss, a series of questions gradually came to my mind.

First of all, I thought, why do people buy gold jewellery? That's because gold is an asset.
What is an asset? Well, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is a property having money value. But then, other things can also be assets. Even after that, why do people buy gold jewellery? Ah, it is required in weddings, to be gifted to the bride and bridegroom. As soon as I got this answer, I suddenly started hating this Indian custom of presenting gold in weddings. I slowly realized the demerits of this custom. No matter how much is gifted at the time of the wedding by the bride's parents, if the amount of gold is less, the bridegroom's family will be dissatisfied. Their dissatisfaction will be visible even if the dowry included a bed, an almirah, other expensive furniture, clothes for everyone in the bridegroom's family and so on, but there was just an article of gold less. I just don't understand the reasons behind this kind of attitude. The rest of the things given at the time of Indian weddings are assets as well. In spite of that, people in India just seem greedy for gold. In South India, there's even a custom of giving gold to the bridegroom's family equal to the weight of the bride! And, to think that we talk about our 'rich' culture!

So, I don't think that Indians are bothered about assets when they demand gold in weddings. Its just a tradition, which has become dirty and harmful over the years. If I had some sort of ultimate power, I would just ban it. The price of gold is rising every day and with the advent of costume jewellery, gold jewellery just remains securely in bank lockers. One fine day, when people find that they are too short of money and the last resort for them to keep on feeding themselves, is to sell the gold, they do it. They actually sell all those glittering articles they had once longed for. True, it brings them immediate money and helps them in one way but on how many occasions could they adorn themselves with the jewellery? That was the real purpose, wasn't it? Selling it all off some day couldn't have been the real purpose!

So, after writing so much, my main point is that gold jewellery has no utility in the long run and therefore, the custom of presenting gold in Indian marriages shouldn't continue. But, unfortunately, it will because there's no one to protest...