Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, a story of friendship, love and adventure!!

This movie is honestly one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a go to movie for whenever I don't know what to watch and it never fails to lift my spirits.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewaani is a 2013 Indian coming of age rom-com drama film, directed by Ayan Mukherji, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur. It follows through the story of Naina, an introverted studious girl who decides to go on an impulsive trip to Manali, reuniting with her former classmates.

Since it's release, it has become a widely popular movie among the youth and a cult classic. The entire storyline is refreshing to watch and you'd never feel yourself getting bored.

The characters have been written beautifully and are a great combination of relatable, inspiring and entertaining. Whether it be Bunny's struggles with family and ambitions, Naina's journey from shy to social, Aditi's battle with love or Avi's revival from immaturity. They all gave us unique stories to see and think about.

The setting of the movie, a trip in northern India, is exciting to watch as well. We get a glimpse into the colder states of the country, all while multiple adventures happen there. The characters do all sorts of shit during their travels, and all of it provides a great laugh.

Another thing that doesn't have much to do with the plot line of the movie but still should be praised is it's soundtrack. The music, the lyrics, the vocals, all are incredible and deserve the utmost praise. It's a soundtrack you would never get bored of. It's proof lies in it's popularity even 7 years later. One of the best ever made.

Overall the movie is seriously worth watching. I would also call it a face of Bollywood. It seems to have everything that Bollywood represents and does an incredible job of including all those things. It's a top recommendation of most people who have seen it and you should definitely watch it.

"Main udna chahta hoon, daudna chahta hoon, girna bhi chahta hoon ... bus rukna nahi chahta."

"I want to fly, I want to run, I even want to fall ... I just don't want to stop."

                                       - Kabir "Bunny" Thapar 

Ron Swanson, one of the most iconic sitcom characters!!

From the minute I started watching Parks and Rec, Ron has been one of my favorite characters. His one liners are some of the funniest I've ever heard, and whenever he's in a scene, he steals the show!

Ron Swanson is one of the main characters of the sitcom Parks and Recreation. He is the director of the parks and rec department of the local government of the city of Pawnee and an extreme government hater.

He is shown as a stereotypical "manly man", with his hobbies being woodworking and hunting, and is a strong lover of meat and whiskey. He despises people and avoids talking to them as much as possible and also hates making an emotional connections with them. 

While he acts as if he's a feeling-less stoic man, seen repeatedly by him calling his very close friends as only his works associates, he actually cares very deeply about them, going to lengths to help them in any way (an act he will deny ever doing). We also see his caring nature through the way he changes himself and tries adjusting for his wife and her kids. A man of his own principles, many a times he lets go of said principles for his friends.

His characterisation is that of the stereotypical image of a "man". But that image is shattered and instead improved by showing us another side of his personality, a softer side. We could also say his portrayal has been done to mock those said "men", and show us how that toughness and uncaring nature is merely a facade.

One hilarious gag throughout the show is Ron's hatred for government. He repeatedly talks about how government shouldn't exist and instead parks should be privatized. According to him government is useless and taxes are only a way of scamming people. The only reason he even works in government is to destroy it from within. Again a stereotypical image of the government hating, libertarian person has been shown to us through the character of Ron Swanson.

He is definitely one of the best written characters ever and certainly provides an amazing perspective to the show. Over the years he has become a cult phenomenon and one of the stars of the show. This vegetarian hater and America lover is greatly entertaining.

“When people get too chummy with me, I like to call them by the wrong name to let them know I don’t really care about them.”

                                                    - Ron Swanson 

Ben Wyatt, the nerdy accountant of Pawnee! and a human disaster!!

Ben Wyatt is one of my favorite parks and rec character, he's sweet but also serious and is just as weirded out by the antics of the rest of the characters as we are.

Ben Wyatt is one of the main characters of the sitcom parks and recreation. Introduced in the second season he goes on to become of the most important characters of the series. We first meet him as a strict state auditor who has come to help with Pawnee's budgeting problems.

On a surface level he seems like a mature, no bullshit kind of person, only thinking about work. But we go on to see that he has a very dorky side to him. He loves star trek, game of thrones and anything sci-fi/fantasy. He also has an obsessive love for calzones. We also see him making an entire board game "Cones of Dunshire", during a time period when he's jobless. All of these things add a fun twist to jis character. They are also a recurring joke throughout the series with the rest of the characters calling him a "nerd". But all of this is certainly entertaining to watch. 

One great thing about his character is also his sweetness. Although he seems stoic, he is actually a kind person. This is prominently seem in his interaction with Jerry(Larry/Garry/Terry). While the others constantly bully the man, he never indulges with them, instead he has stood up for him. They later on also become great friends. From this we see that while he may seem cold, he isn't.

An obvious introvert, he emphasis this by his interactions with people outside his friend circle(sometimes even within), by becoming at a loss for words, stammering and blurting out weird stuff. This increases when he is publicly speaking and also when with the police. This problem of his puts him in trouble many times, but makes him all the more endearing.

Overall Ben Wyatt is an amazingly written character with an even more incredibly written journey. He is fun to watch and extremely relatable. While you may hate him in the beginning, he definitely becomes a fan favourite, even if he doesn't understand the hype with Lil Sebastian. Also didn I mention he became the mayor of his town when he was 18.

"I'm not afraid of cops. I have no reason to be I never break any laws, ever, because I'm deathly afraid of cops."

                                                  - Ben Wyatt 

Gina Linetti, is she the worst Brooklyn Nine-Nine character?

When the show first started I liked her character then even went on to love it so much it became my favorite. But gradually a dislike for her grew. So much that I felt kinda glad when she left the show.

Gina Linetti is a character from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a show set in the 99th precinct of Brooklyn. It is a sitcom on the lives of the detectives there and their journeys as police officers.Gina is not a detective, but a civilian administrator at the precinct. She is shown to have a great amount of self confidence and narcissism, but is also at times caring and helpful. 

While her narcissism was the base for her jokes and was meant to be taken light heartedly, soon enough those jokes became less fun and more mean. They started becoming jokes that would actually hurt someone. A common saying in the fandom and even by her fans is that while her character is fun to watch, they would hate her in real life. This is quite the opposite of the other characters, whose strength is that they seem like real people you would love to hangout with.

Another major issue is her sexual harassment of Terry throughout the show. Her remarks on wanting to touch his body and even schemingly managing to do so, is borderline creepy and even disturbing how the creators seem to make a joke out of it.

Now there have been many narcissistic characters throughout various tv shows, but the major difference is that they have been repeatedly called out by the other characters and we see that this bubble of superiority remains only in their mind. The same cannot be said about Gina, no one around her ever calls her out and her narcissism is never shown in a weak light. Instead her constant displays of self praise are seen as normal. This makes watching her irritating and definitely not funny.

An amazing example of a narcissistic yet fun character is Tom Haverford in Parks and Recreation. While he also has the same air of superiority, he is fun to watch. Surprisingly, both the characters have been written by the same person. Yet the difference is astonishing.

She was certainly fun in the beginning but in the later seasons I don't know what happened. The time period between when she comes back from maternity leave and then leaves the show was one of her worse, and so her leaving was not sad at all. Somehow her character never fit with the others. 

She did have her good moments too. Many times we see how caring she can be, and the lengths she goes to for the others, but those moments are all so little compared to her negative ones. Still Gina is definitely an iconic character.

"Hi, Gina Linetti, the human form of the 100 Emoji."

                                               - Gina Linetti

   

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, is it overated?

Don't get me wrong, I love the film, I've watched it many times, and laugh just as hard each time. But while it may be a fun film to watch I don't necessarily feel that its quality matches with the hype it gets.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a 2011 film directed by Zoya Akhtar starring Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin. It features the story of 3 childhood friends who go on a bachelor's trip to Spain they planned many years ago. On the trip they will do three activities each of them has planned in order to face their fears.
It was a critical and commercial success on its release since becoming a cult hit.

Let me start off by explaining one of my main annoyances of the movie. Arjun Saluja. Seriously, he was one of the most arrogant and rude main characters I have ever seen. His entire obsession with money and clapping himself on the back for earning a few more pounds than your average person was not fun to watch at all. Also every time he made fun of Imran for not being rich, yeah total mood killer. And yes we are later shown his reason for making money his priority in life, but that just seemed like an easy way to make his character "deep" for me. It felt like the typical oh no he's like this because this happened with him now pity him. His entire character development also felt forced and fake, something we're supposed to believe just because that's what's shown.

Same can be said about Imran and his father. We are again shown an extreme character, this time as a jokester. And to make this jokester venerable and deep, we get another sob backstory. While the problem is not with the characters and them having sad backstories, it's with their past and present not feeling related. The two phases of both the characters life don't seem to match up with each other and so seem like two different parts forced to connect to make them three dimensional characters.

Another thing I'd like to address is how Imran and Arjun's phobias were dealt with. Phobias are a serious problem, and cannot be overcome in just a few days of training. Both with Arjun's aquaphobia and Imran's acrophobia, we are made to believe that they got over their fears in a few days, when that is not possible. You're telling me a guy who never learnt to swim due to fear can suddenly scubadive in a week.

The entire film somehow did not feel realistic or even relatable. It always seemed a bit glamorous and gave a vibe of eliteness. This was very contradictory to what the storyline was supposed to be, childhood friends going on a trip.

Like I said earlier, i love the film. It's still hilarious and yet through provoking. It is definitely a film I would watch a hundred times and not get bored. It's understandable why it is such a popular film and has millions of fans. The characters of Imran, Kabir and Laila are one of my favorites. I love Laila's take on living life fully and spontaneously. The film has some seriously well written moments and Zoya Akhtar's direction was fantastic. Also can't forget those beautiful poems written by Javed Akhtar.

" Seize the day my friend. Pehle is din ko poori tarah jiyo, phir chaalis ke bare mein sochna."

- Laila

The Intern, a lesson on age!!

One day while being bored from the lockdown, I stumbled upon "The Intern", and I've got to say, my quarantine mood lifted tremendously while watching it.

The Intern is a 2015 American comedy film directed, written and produced by Nancy Meyers. The film stars Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, and Rene Russo. Set in Brooklyn, the story follows Ben, a 70 year old widowed man who applies for an internship at an online fashion website. He is assigned to work with Jules, the founder and owner of the company. The story revolves around Ben and Jules and the rest of the employees of the company working together and shows us a good bond between old and new.

It is a light-hearted story and will leave you feeling contented and warm. 

Through this we see the changes that have taken place and the differences that have been created in the transition from one generation to another.

It shows us both the perks and faults of the young and the old. Many a times, instances were shown where we realise we should listen to those who are elder than us or even at times those of the current generation. Simultaneously, many situations were given where the seniors were at fault or the juniors.

It gave us view into how being fast paced and energetic (young people) and being calm and patient (old people), both are equally needed.

The whole movie shows us how not one generation is superior to other and instead how they both have their differences but are equally important.

This is definitely a movie that you should watch!

"You should feel nothing but great about what you've done, and I'd hate to see you let anyone take that away from you."

                                             – Ben Whittaker

How i met your mother, a one of a kind sitcom!!

I watched How I Met Your Mother a long time ago and while I may not be a die hard fan of its, I do certainly love the show.

How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS and was directed by Pamela Fryman . The series ran from 2005 to 2014 for 9 seasons. The show tells us the story of five friends living in New York and is narrated by the main character Ted Mosby, who is telling his children the story of how he met their mother.

The show has been written amazingly and has done a great job of combining comedy and seriousness. While it is certainly a sitcom, the setting done for it does have a deeper tone.

It has also often been compared with the sitcom "Friends", as both have a similar plot basis, but that is where the similarities end. While Friends is more laid back and simple, How I Met Your Mother has a more detailed storyline with clues and references hidden throughout.

While all the main characters do have their own "personality type", they have many more characteristics and don't just act according to their role in the group, something which many sitcoms lack.

The only unsatisfactory thing about the show would be it's ending, something so disappointing that the creators had to make an alternate version. 

While the ending make have destroyed the plot of the show or the characters' development, overall it is a "legendary" show that should certainly not be brushed off for it's so called similarity to Friends.

“Because sometimes even if you know how something’s gonna end, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the ride.” — Ted Mosby

Gossip Girl, the blueprint for teen dramas!!

I completed watching Gossip Girl a while back and I have to say it is a show filled with entertainment.

Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six seasons from September 19, 2007, to December 17, 2012. Set on the upper east side, it tells us the story of Manhattan's elite and is narrated by an unknown person going with the pseudonym "Gossip Girl". "Gossip Girl" is someone who runs the Gossip Girl website which gives updates on the scandals of these rich UES teenagers.

Like I said before, it is definitely a fun series with no boring moments. But that is where it falls, the entire show, with each plot or storyline is so happening that at times you'll feel like too much is going on. So many things happen in each episode that after two or three of them you will forget what happened in the previous ones.

While the characters are certainly not short of plain and dull, they too will overwhelm you. Each character is so full of personality that they all over power each other.

As mentioned earlier, too muchs goes on, but at the same time the plots are often repetitive and the characters cliche. What would you expect from a show about rich snobby teenagers, that's exactly what you get. It seems that the writers wanted more drama in each episode but didn't know how and so they did it wrong.

The plot basis of the show is very interesting and intriguing, but the writers seemed to have failed to give it the story it deserves.

While I may have criticized the show too much, I will also say that it is definitely fun to watch. You do root for the characters and get indulged in the storyline. You also have to realise that Gossip Girl did pave the way for future teen dramas to come, and many use the formula it once created. In that way it could certainly be called an iconic show.

It is certainly not the best show there is, but watching it would certainly be no harm!

"XOXO Gossip Girl!"

Tom Riddle, the excellence of a villian's backstory!!

Ever since I read the backstory for Lord Voldemort, it has remained my favourite. I got chills reading it, and for that, The Half Blood Prince remains my favourite Harry Potter book.

Lord Voldemort or Tom Riddle is a character created by JK Rowling and serves as the main antagonist for her Harry Potter books. He is considered the greatest dark wizard of all time, and has often been described as cruel, intelligent and vain.

While the character of Voldemort may in itself be one of complexity, the backstory of his as Tom Riddle is even more thrilling.

We see from the beginning how Tom Riddle was no ordinary child. His first meeting with Dumbledore makes you fearful already, even without knowing what he'll grow up to be, you can tell that this 11 year old can do things, that will make even adults shiver.

His birth was also a mess, as if he was destined to be the most evil wizard of all time. Not only did his grandfather and uncle abuse his mother, he was convinced too out of a love potion. His father, a muggle, was tricked into a relationship with his mother. Learning this, you realise his birth was truly something that should have never happened even from the beginning.

While he may certainly be messed up, the teachers of his school never realised this, being fooled by his charm and intelligence. Imagine being so convincing that you are able to trick your whole school into believing that another student was responsible for murders committed by you.

As you can tell, Voldemort was certainly no ordinary villian, and his plunge into the dark side was no mere coincidence.

"I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to."

                                               Tom Riddle

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the journey of a protagonist becoming the antagonist!!

Recently I finished reading the much awaited Hunger Games prequel. And for me, it matched all my expectations if not more.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian action-adventure novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is a spinoff and a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy, released on 19th May 2020. The story is set in the Capitol, during the 10th Hunger Games. Coriolanus Snow, an 18 year old student of the academy, has been selected as one of the mentors for the tributes of the Hunger Games.

The story shows us the descent of Snow becoming the narcissistic, selfish and cruel dictator that we know from the Hunger Games trilogy. Here a mere teenager, we see how he slowly transforms into a psychopath with the story of his earlier years.

The character of Lucy Gray is refreshing and bright, in contrast to the dark and grim atmosphere of the Capitol. A singer from district 12, she gets selected as one of the tributes with Snow as her mentor. One with a headstrong personality who craves freedom she will be hard not be become a fan favourite. While she may be fun, she also has her serious moments when you realise that she is also very smart and quick.

The book gives us large insight into how the Hunger Games used to earlier work. How the tributes were treated, what the arena used to look like. It also tells us how they were created and gave us a perspective of how the people of the Capitol viewed them. 

The story was more character driven than plot, but still is enjoyable to read, albeit a bit slow. The main focus was on the characters and even the philosophical thoughts of Snow. The action was toned down as compared to the trilogy. 

Overall it is an amazing book and fans of The Hunger Games should definitely read it.

"Well, as they said, it's not over until the mockingjay sings."

Never Have I Ever, a tale of an Indian American girl!!

Today I watched "Never Have I Ever" and it was very enjoyable. I mean I watched the whole thing in a day, so that might give you a hint on how entertaining it is.

Never Have I Ever is an American coming of age comedy-drama television series starring Maitri Ramakrishnan and created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher. It shows us the story of Devi, an Indian American teenager living in southern california and how she deals with her father's death, her recovery from paralysis and tries to become "cool".

The series has been made stunningly, the characters quirky and unique, yet relatable. The plots taken for each episode are also refreshing but familiar. The whole show gives off a bright and cool look.

The character of Devi has been written amazingly. Throughout the series we see her making many mistakes and taking the wrong decisions, but her regret on doing such things and the consequences are also portrayed in a wonderful way. Stubborn, self-centered and insecure, we see how she deals with her faults and in the end improving tremendously.

My only problem with the show is how they have portrayed Indian culture or even Indian people. The way Indians were shown to be racist or judgemental was not right. Sure there are Indians like that, but that is not all of them and showing them like that in a show meant to represent Indian Americans just felt wrong. To me, it felt as if many stereotypes on Indian culture were also encouraged or shown as true, when that is not the reality. We could have had atleast one moment where the beauty of Indian culture was shown, but instead we only saw it as something backward and sometimes even cruel.

To end on a positive note, the show is amazing with especially the trauma Devi feels due to her father's death shown very beautifully and realistic. 

It is definitely one of Netflix's best shows and you should certainly go and watch it.

"Hey gods, it's Devi Vishwakumar, your favorite Hindu girl in the San Fernando Valley. What's a-poppin'?"

Adulting, glimpse of a millennial life in Mumbai!!

Recently I came to know about Adulting, and as soon as I started watching the 10 episode series, I loved it.

"Adulting" is an Indian web series created by dice media, starring Aisha Ahmed and Yashaswini Dayama, as Nikhat and Ray, two twenty something roommates from Delhi, who are trying to manage a life in the hustle bustle of India's economic capital.

The series beautifully suceeds in showing us how difficult the beginning of your life as an adult can be and how we should still be able to have fun.

The highlight of the show is definitely it's simplicity and how it's characters are made to be so realistic and relatable. Every plot of the series hits home and you remember how the same has happened to you too.

If you're not an adult, it not only shows you how adult life will be like, but also create a spark of excitement for the future.

Not only are the plots and dialogues hilarious, they also teach you many lessons.

Showcasing problems from being broke to feeling helpless and useless, the series reaches your heart and makes you feel heard.

It is seriously an amazing series and I would recommend everyone to definitely watch it.

"I love listening to songs about selling drugs and killing people on my way to a regular 9-5 job."

Good Thing, an anthem for independent single people!!

Since the day I heard it, I have fallen in love with "Good Thing", and each time I hear it again, I want to listen to it more.

"Good Thing" is a song by Russian-German music producer Zedd and American singer and songwriter Kehlani, released on 27 September 2019 through Interscope Records. The track was written by Zedd and Kehlani with Cleo Tighe, Starsmith and Lost Boy.

A fun and energetic pop song, it talks about enjoying being single and relishing in doing things alone.

Kehlani sings about how she doesn't need anything else as she already has whatever she wants and has a good thing going on with herself.

An amazing dance track it shows us how being alone can also be nice and you don't always need the company of others to have fun.

It's a wonderful song and grabs you in from the second you hear it. You should certainly give it a listen.

"Cause I already got a good thing with me
Yeah, I already got everything I need"

Murder on the Orient Express, the art of subtlety!!

Murder on the Orient Express remains one of my absolute favourite mysteries of all time!!! The book is not only a classic but it's end was certainly not expected.

Murder on the Orient Express is a detective novel by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The story is set on a train "The Orient Express" going from Turkey to London. A murder happens in the compartment Poirot is staying, and he then takes the job of solving it.

Simple yet very complicated, the entire plot keeps you hanging on the edge, with the final reveal being greatly satisfying.

The whole story goes on so smoothly while still making you pause inbetween with shocking revelations. The characters feel so real and each make you so suspicious that figuring out who did the crime becomes impossible. It feels as if everyone was involved somehow.

The true beauty of the book comes at the very end when we finally find out the truth about Mr. Ratchett's murder. The reveal is jaw dropping yet makes you wonder how you didn't realise it before.

Overall this Hercule Poirot adventure is certainly a jem that I think none of you should miss out reading on.

"The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances."

The Lost Symbol, a view into Masonry and religion!!

So I just completed reading "The Lost Symbol", and while it did make me ponder about the existence of god and has improved my way of thinking about life, the story seemed biased to a certain agenda.

The Lost Symbol is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. Set in the US capital of Washington DC, it follows Robert Langdon down another mysterious adventure, this one filled with him uncovering many Masonry secrets.

A book with the central theme being Masonry, it dives deep into telling us not only Masons work and operate, but also showing us how they think. As shown in the book, Masons are people who believe that man can be elevated to the realms of god, but still it is mentioned that different Masons follow different religions. 

The book showed us how all the religions in the world, one way or another, follow the same thoughts and beliefs. Several references are also made showing us how most religious books also preach about the same things.

It also shows us that god is not someone who lives above us, but instead is within us. How every human in this world has the ability to gain godlike power.

We may not think so, but if thought deeply, we'll realise that the things people right now have achieved or created, these things were thought impossible by our ancestors. If they knew that we have done things they thought impossible, they would consider us gods. The same way, we right now think that a lot of things are impossible and so we are nothing ordinary, but we all have the skill in us to do all of it. The human mind is seriously a wonderful thing and if it thought that something is achievable, it can lead us there.

While I did love the book tremendously, I found the ending to be disappointing and contradictory. (Spoiler ahead) As mentioned earlier, the Masons were not of a particular religion, yet the ancient word of the Masons was a copy of the Bible. The clues on the pyramid and to find the ancient word, contained all the religions, yet the mystery ends with the Bible. This shows clear bias to Christianity and debunks the idea that Masonary is secular.

Other than the ending I found the book to be very thrilling and I had a lot of fun reading it. I would say that if you have time you should definitely read it.

"The only difference between you and God is that you have forgotten you are divine."