Movie Review - Chennai Express

Finally caught up with " Chennai Express " - A movie that broke most of the records in it's first 4 days in terms of business, collection, 100 crore club etc. It has been marketed as a romantic action movie but there is only drama. The romance and action is in patches. There nothing great about the script but the screenplay and direction is good. It also involves slapstick comedy similar to Rohit Shetty movies. Shahrukh Khan has done a better job than his last two movies. He has tried his best despite his age but it is not his fault. He does monkeying around and forcefully tries to act funny. On a serious note he is a misfit in the script. But the last 10 minutes belong entirely to him. Even Salman or Aamir would not have been able to do justice to this role. It may have suited Ranbir, Shahid or even Saif Ali Khan better. Why to watch this movie ? Watch it for Deepika Padukone who is the hero of this movie and for Rohit Shetty's directorial skills. If you like the Golmaal series you'll definitely like this. Deepika has aptly carried this movie entirely on her shoulders. She is definitely the forerunner for the Best Actress award this year. Her accentuated Hindi is too good. If you didn't fall in love with her after watching YJHD you'll surely do that after watching this one. The songs have also become chart busters. The picturesque locales are a plus. There is a lot of criticism about Shahrukh and I being his critic would still say watch it once. If you have not watched it yet. Just keep your brain at home, ignore Shahrukh's bad acting, focus on Deepika and you will enjoy the movie.

Movie Review - Once Upon a time in Mumbai Doobara

First Day First Show - " Once Upon a time in Mumbai Doobara " - If you are expecting the same treatment as the prequel you are in for disappointment. As the sequel is not a gangster plot or action but a romantic drama. The Don is shown as a lover who is crazy for love. Anytime the first part is better which had superb acting by Ajay Devgan and Emran Hashmi. In fact Emran Hashmi could have done justice to Akshay's role. Imran is just ok. Despite being a criminal he has that cool chocolate boy image. Sonakshi Sinha has done justice to her role as a bimbo. There are some good dialogues and there is not much action. There is nothing much to say about the songs. The script fails to do justice to the screenplay. Watch it only if you must.

Movie Review - The Conjuring

Watched " The Conjuring " - A movie in the horror genre which has been in the news off late and has been well received by the audience. It comes from the hit director James Wan who has previously directed SAW and INSIDIOUS. The plot involves a haunted house and exorcism. It is scary in parts and the fact that it is based on true incidents gives it more credibility. A good one time watch.

Visapur trek - 11th Aug

It was a trek to Visapur last Sunday alongwith a visit to Bhaje caves. A huge fort in the Maval region of Pune. It is also know as the elder brother of Lohagad which is just opposite. It has a vast area on the top . It should be atleast 3-4 kms from one end to the other. There is not much of fortification and it houses some unknown historic structures. Not many visit this fort unlike Lohagad as the route to the top is rocky and there are boulders and rock patches that you need after crossing a jungle to take during ascend and descend. After alighting at Malavali station we started on the Lohagad route and took the diversion at the left before Lohagad fort to take the jungle route to the Visapur fort. A waterfall was flowing through the route made of stones at the time of ascend. There are about 15 large water cisterns on top and a few abandoned structures. We tried to search for a Shiva temple but were unable to due to the heavy fog that had engulfed the vast area. Still we completed one complete round of the fort walking near the edges. After food and braving the heavy rain we started for the descend through another route which goes to Patan village near Malavali. The route is similar to the other route with stones and waterfall flowing through. Somehow we lost the way in the middle and drifted away from the route as we discontinued the rocky route and took for a path way. But with the guidance of the locals we reached Malavali station before dark. Thanks to Tejas, Manju and Menaka, we again had a great trek together this season.

Dudhsagar Waterfall trek - Rail route 4th Aug

Trekked to Dudhsagar Waterfalls last Sunday after a good 2 months gap with Trekmates India. It was more of a trip than a trek but quite interesting and enjoyable. Since it was a pilot trek for TMI a lot of instructions were passed around and there were some doubts about the train halt and the distance between the stations etc. The trek began with the train journey from Pune to Dudhsagar station on-board the Nizamuddin - Vasco Express singing songs, mashup some gigs etc. I was very excited as I was trekking in my home state for the first time and I had waited for this trek since the past 3 years. Also the fact that I was trekking withManoj Kalwar as the leader after almost a year. We reached Castle Rock station on Goa - Karnataka border and everyone were on their feet as we were told that the train would make an unofficial halt at Dudhsagar station for 30 seconds. With management and co-ordination skills in place a plan was chalked out to jump once the train became slow. It gave me the feeling that we were either fugitives running from the jail or dacoits come to loot a place. After getting down at the station had to wait for an hour for the sun to rise a bit. As it was dark and it was quite risky to walk in the jungle in the dark. Dudhsagar station is a 2km walk from Dudhsagar waterfall. The gigantic waterfall mesmerized me completely when I saw it for the first time. The scene was so engrossing that I could keep watching it for hours together. I wanted to climb to the top of the falls but couldn't as it was not part of the group plan. Still I manged to climb sideways to a certain height through a small flow of water but had to return. After that we had to walk along the railway track for about 12 kms to Kulem station. Some of the trekkers hitched a ride on a goods train for the entire track. I also joined them for about 5 kms which was again a first time experience of travelling in an open air goods train. We got some good rest and lunch at Kulem. I took this opportunity to have a tasty fish curry rice at a restaurant in the village. Perfect timing just before the month of Shravan. And we started journey for Pune in the evening. The return journey began by singing songs, the heavy rush of the nearby Kannadiga people. The best session was the late night intellectual discussion about life with Sai Iyer and a lady by the name Shweta which went on for a good 2 hours. Sai I am already looking forward to another brainstorming session with you and yes Adarsh Hemrajani a champion trekker in his own right. Thanks for the company throughout. My friends at TMI really make me miss the treks which I am not a part of.

Sudhagad trek - Jul 13

Last sunday it was a trek to Sudhagad with Wild trek adventure club Pune. First we went for a darshan of the Shri Ballaleshwar ganapati, one of the ashtavinayak's in Pali. Sudhagad could have very much been the capital of Shivaji Maharaj if not for Raigad. A massive fort and it looks like a replica of Raigad. An easy trek similar to Raigad and there is also an ladder at a difficult rock patch. It was known as Bhorapgad before the Marathas acquired it and it has the Bhoreshwar as well as the Bhorai devi temple. The other places to see on the top are the water tanks, Pantancha wada, Chor darwaza, Mahadarwaza and Takmak tok. There are 3 routes to go to this fort. The route from Thakurwadi, pali village, Pacchapur is the less time consuming. Thanks to Prasad Wagh the trek leader got some good information about the fort and the history around it. A good trek for beginners.

Movie review - Duniyadari

Watched " Duniyadari "- A hit movie right from the script. It is very well made, given the retro look from the 70s and 80s. Based on a Marathi novel by the same name written by Suhas Shirwalkar makes for a gripping plot and fast paced screenplay. The cast includes Swapnil Joshi, Sai Tamhankar, Ankush Chaudhary, Jitendra Joshi, Urmila Kanitkar and others. The songs are already a huge hit specially the romantic number Tik Tik Vajate Dokyat. This movie has everything you could expect in a movie made in the yesteryears. It has drama, action, friendship, romance, twists and turns. Sanjay Jadhav’s direction is a plus for the movie. A must watch for the Marathi speaking public specially Punekars. Marathi cinema is seeing such a nice movie after a long time and it is currently running to packed houses in multiplexes. Don’t miss it.

Movie review - Time Please

Watched " Time Please " - Finally got time to catch up with a Marathi movie after a good 2 months. It is based on the hit Marathi play Nava Gadi Nava Rajya. It's cast includes real life couple Priya Bapat and Umesh Kamat along with Siddharth Jadhav and Sai Tamhankar. It talks about conflicts between married couples in day to day life. How the understanding and logic factor needs to be given importance while dealing with marital issues and not to take any decision or assume anything in haste. It can't be called a romantic movie and has some funny scenes and some drama added to the plot. A must watch and highly recommended for people who are to marry soon or are recently married. Overall makes good for family viewing.

Movie Review - The Wolverine

Watched " The Wolverine " - Hugh Jackman is back. This edition takes you through a Japanese safari. There is nothing great about the plot. A story of lust for power, strength and immortality. Hugh Jackman is taken for a ride in Japan by creating a false story and how he gets lost in a false plot. Hugh Jackman fans would like it.

Panhalagad - Pavankhind trek - Jul 2013

Last weekend it was a trek to The Last Stand which paved the way for the founding of the Maratha Empire and the making of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. One of the most historic, significant and bloodiest battles was fought by the great warrior Baji Prabhu Deshpande and his 300 Mavalas against an 15000 strong Mughal Army led by the Mughals at the Ghodkhind which is today known as Pavankhind. I waited for 3 years to do this trek. I had to grow in confidence since this was a 47 kms range trek through an historic escape route from Panhalagad to Pavankhind. I started on Saturday morning with my cousin Pankaj and a group of 115 plus people from Kolhapur hikers. And soon we were joined on our trek by a 400 strong group from Ichalkaranji and some other 100 odd trekkers from Pune and Mumbai. The trekkers consisted of kids as young as 7 years old and adults as old as 60 plus. The enthusiasm and spirit shown by all the participants was motivational for one another. The trek goes through mountain ranges, muddy slippery roads, paddy fields, jungles, waterfalls and above 40 streams and rivulets. Except for a lunch break on the first day and an overnight halt at a villagers house we walked for two days braving the continuous heavy rains, escaping from leeches and lifting ourselves from the sticky mud. A different experience all together. This trek would be quite easy in the winter but it is done in the monsoon to experience and get a feel of history about how the Marathas would have made good their escape in the monsoon about 4 centuries ago. The 47 kms route goes through Panhalagad, Pusati Buruj, Turukwadi, Masai Pathar, Kumbharwada, Chaphewadi, Kelewadi, Khotwadi, Mandlaiwadi, Karpewadi, Ambewadi, Ringewadi, Malewadi, Sukumacha Dhangarwada, Mhasavade, Pandherpani and finally Pavankhind. The entire route is marked with arrows specially at bifurcations and the locals are very helpful in providing the right directions hence there is very less chance of getting lost. We ended our trek at a village called Bhaat Tali with a sumptous buffet lunch which consisted of mixed vegetable, puris, masale bhaat, dal and sevai kheer. After that we moved to Pavankhind to pay our respects to Baji Prabhu Deshpande. The sight of the gorge which was successfully defended by the Maratha Army was terrifying with a huge waterfall flowing through it. After the salutations, worship and a closing speech the trek was ended. Three cheers and a round of applause for the founder director Sagar Patil and his team of Kolhapur Hikers who organised this trek. It was very well planned and executed to the hilt. Right from organising the transport, the motivational speech by historians Appa Parab and Amar Mohile at the strt of the trek, the worshipping of the statues of Shiva Kashid and Baji Prabhu Deshpande, the distrubution of ID cards and route map, the food arrangements, expertise and making history come alive throughout the trek. A must do trek for all Maratha trekkers and to those proud of Maratha History. I can call myseld an expert at trekking after this success. The trek ended for all the trekkers on Sunday but for me it is incomplete until I trek from Pavankhind to Vishalgad from the same Khind or valley that Shivaji Maharaj escaped. A trek rarely done by trekkers. But I have to do it solo or with my cousin later in the year when there are no rains. Such was the impact of this trek that it has made me even more crazy for forts in Maharashtra and I ordered Babasaheb Purandare's Raja Shivchhatrapati online to understand the complete Maratha history