Truth is stranger than fiction

The wake of the news of many models comitting suicides, provoked the thought of this blog post.
I know a lot of people who would die for the money and fame that these ladies were enjoying. Then why, a person who supposedly has everything in life would be drawn to an edge where they want to end their life. Agreed, showbiz comes with its set of challenges and pressures, but every profession has its set of challenges, each life its own set of problems.
I read somewhere where a fellow model has comented that, the fashion industry takes a lot of compromises, casting couches to reach at the top, and when you are not able to sustain it at the top that results to depression and eventually such drastic steps. My question is if something is so important for you to achieve that you are willing to tread the path full of nasty compromises, then you have no right to complain whatsoever...and aren't you a fool to believe that the fame and sucess will last a lifetime for you. So, you got to have a Plan B...right!!!
And why trouble his boyfriend for this. She chose to end her life after a fight, or breakup or whatever, why should he be blamed for that...makes no sense.

As I was given to believe, it seems films influence peope and the societe, everything starting from fashion, smoking, extra marital affairs...everything influences people. But reading more about the film and fashion industry, I feel their lifes is way more filmy than the movies they are a part of.

Did you know:

Hema Malini chose to marry the very married Dharmendra, but Dharmendra's wife was not willing to divoce her husband. hence they managed to escape through a small gap in the Indian Legal system, by converting into Islam.

Sanjeev Kumar never married because he was in love with Hema Malini who in turn chose to marry the married and father of two kids, Dharmendra. The then Actress Sulakshana Pandit wanted to marry Sanjeev Kumar but he kept refusing her proposal since he could never get over Hema Malini. Sulaksha Pandit in turn never married too.

MadhuBala died of a hole in her heart, the most common disease shown in movies during those times. She hid her ailment for a long time from people until she succumbed to her illness. She had an affair with Dilip Kumar and both wanted to settle down, but they had a rift over a court case where Dilip kumar chose to testify against MadhuBala's father, hence standing by what he thought was right. But this caused a drift between the two and she chose to become the second wife of Kishore Kumar instead.

Meena Kumari was abandoned by her parents when she was born but later brought back by her father. She died due to liver failure because of excessive drinking, post her divorce with Kamal Amrohi. It is said that she was as pennyless on her death as during her birth, there was no money to pay for her hospital bills.

Parveen Babi is supposed to be schizophenic, before she met her tragic end, another common subject choosen by many masala movies till date. read more...

Nargis was born to a courtesean but was kept away from music and dance to prevent her from landing into the same profession. She fell for Sunil Dutt when he saved her life in an accident (a common practice in Bollywood movies to woo a girl) during the making of Mother India and soon they married.

Guru Dutt chose to end his life after a failed relationship with his wife Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. The had also made two failed attempts earlier.

His wife Geeta Dutt died soon after suffering a serious nervous breakdown, she ran into financial problems and started performing at lower platforms like Durga pujas and other stage performances. She died of liver failure due to excessive drinking.

Asha Parekh never married because of a failed relationship, and because she believed her unapproachable personna repelled people to ask her for marraige.

I was unknown to most of them before I dug into it...and certainly I realize that all that glitters is not gold. The glittering glamorous world of fashion is cinema is probably dark and hollow within...and certainly what we see recreated on celluloid, happy pretty faces...dancing and cheering might be going back to a dark lonely life as soon as the lights are turned off.

Truth is certainly stranger than fiction.

Hopeless !!!

Me : Do you believe in mushy love stories?
Db : (makes a dismissive gesture while still looking at his laptop, which means 'No' for an answer)
Me : So do you think I was a fool to believe that I would some day have a magical love story to call my own?
Db : No not really. Hota hai!!! (happens)
Me : You know I always thought I would some day have cindrella kinda love story. I saw in some movie, the guy leaves the girl in the station, and while he is walking out he realizes how much he loves her. He turns back and starts running to stop the girl. But the train has already started moving, so he runs after the train with all his worth...but misses it. Frustrated, as he returns back, he finds the girl waiting on the platform. She didn't board the train because she believed he'd return to get her back.
Db : (Still looking at his laptop) Okay.
Me : You know, I always wished it happened to me.
Db : Hmm
Me : Would you run after the train to stop me?
Db : No, I know you would be waiting in the platform, so I'll walk.
Me : Hmph!!! Okay, say we had a fight and I went to my Mom's place...phir???
Db : I'll send a return ticket to your Dad and ask him to put you on the next train back.
Me : He wont do that.
Db : (Smiling) He will. Trust me
Me : (now irritated) he wont, he wont, he wont!!!
Db : Okay then, in addition to the return ticket, I'd insist that your Mom also comes to the station to recieve you.
Me : And how does that help?
Db : She'll anyway pakaofy you so much on the station that you would snatch the return ticket from your Dad and jump into the next return train.
Me : Whatever !!! **Hopeless guy**
Db : **Evil Grin**

The day I thought Jesus smiled at me.

It was a dull rainy evening when I started from office.

But I love the rain and unlike normal people who'd like to stay back for the rain to ebb, I like to drive in the rain. Also, Db was in Australia then and there was nobody waiting for me back home...I'd never get this chance again once he's back, he wont let me drench in rain. I must take this opportunity, but the only problem was the day being a Thursday and I am supposed to visit the Church. So if it starts raining more heavily on the way, I'll be stuck.

Anyhow, I decided to go for it.

While I had hardly crossed the Old Madras Road, it started raining cats and dogs. People stared parking their bikes at one corner of the road and taking shelter in nearby bus stops. The road was almost empty now, with only a few four wheelers here and there. I got down to wear my raincoat, the one that I lovingly call 'Master Deenanath's Raincoat'. I remember the day I started driving, Db had given me this raincoat and I went 'eeks!!! its so tacky, looks like straight out of some museum. I'll look like an grumpy Aunty wearing this.' . But when has he ever listened to me!!! The very day I was carrying the raincoat in my bike's storage and in a few days wearing the same in the rain. But God bless him, 'Master Deenanath's Raincoat' works like wonder in the rains.

I decided to continue driving, because the sight of the crowd waiting at the road side gave me a huge scare...'imagine the jam when all of them will hit the street when the rain stops'.

It was raining all the time, the rain drops whipping me across my face. My trousers are all wet now, so are my shoes, so is my bag. But I still continued, the empty road was a huge encouragement. I reached the ejipura signal, by then the rain had ebbed. I contemplated for a while...shall I go home, change, freshen up and start afresh, or do I go to church, finish up there and go back home and chill for the rest of the evening.
Since the traffic was pretty less and the rain has slowed down, I decided to take up the second option and took the right turn towards VivekNagar.

As soon as I took the right, it started raining cats and dogs again.
Ouch !!!...
I am already too wet to care for the rain anymore...but at least my bike is getting the much needed wash in the rain. I could see the smile coming on my face.

Damn I was skin wet when I reached the church. I reached the church parking, the security handed me a parking slip, which immediately turned into crumbled powder as soon as I took it my wet hands. Quite a lot of people waiting inside for the rain to come down including one couple who were waiting right where I parked my bike. I remember them because the lady smiled at me when I was making up my mind where to keep the crumpled parking coupon to prevent it from further damage.

I stepped out of the parking to a surprised crowd and proceeded to buy candles. The vendor was herself hiding from the rain when I came to her stall and said '4 candles'. She gave me the candles and a sympathetic smile, I gave her an enthusiastic one.

I proceeded towards the church main door to almost a hundred spectators who were waiting at rain secure places and were visibly amused to see a round shaped woman (no girl) in tacky Raincoat waking lazily in one of the heaviest rain that Bangalore had seen in a while, and at the top of all that smiling too. I reached inside and lit my candles and stood there still smiling at Jesus and eventually took the same path back to the parking to find the same couple still waiting right where I left them. The lady smiled at me as my bike's engine roared to life.
At the parking exit I handed over the crumpled remains of the coupon to the security with a two rupees coin and crossing the rest of the waiting crowd, I drove away to glory in the still heavy rain while I thought Jesus must also be smiling at me.

Finally, I reached home...drenched from head to toe in ice cold rain water and my clothes sticking to me like second skin but somehow still amused.
As I changed I helped myself to a cup of coffee, I thought to myself, if this doesn't please Jesus what will.

A Thought

A bug a day, keeps the build away.

:(

A Lazy Post

I haven't been blogging for a while now.
Its been busy all the while...the new job with new responsibilities.
There are quite a few updates though. Life's been moving, moving at a decent pace.

1. Db is back from Australia. Its been 3 months that we met. He's back with too many gifts...he's got me sooooooo many awesome dresses, but the sad part is they do not fit me well. I need to lose a lot of kgs to get into them gracefully.

2. Bhai has landed himself up in a descent job, in fact the job is good and I am very happy for him. But I would like to believe that I am not to happy, until he gets his first payslip.

3. My parents are quite happy and relieved with what Bhai has got himself...and the fact that they are happy, makes me more happy.

4. We are planning (well yes still planning) for our first holiday in the 2.5 years that we have been married. There has been no time all this while, and if we had the time there were other things that needed our attention. So finally we (rather I, Db is always in for a holiday) decided to live my life, stop thinking about others and give myself a break from everything else. While I have been punishing myself on the pretext of the responsibilities that came on me, others have obviously taken a chill pill. Its time I took one too.

5. We are planning to pay off the last installment for the plot in a few months. Then the plot is all ours to build our dream home.

There are more updates but all in good time.
Right now I am just waiting for the tester, as and when she raises more bugs...I need to push it to others in the team and (**yawn**) chill out myself. Seniority brings in a few good things too, and this is one of them.

Plus one

Its my b'day again.

**Grins**

Rajneeti...the kyuns???

I have a few questions to the Rajneeti makers.

1. What was the significance of having Ajay Devgan to play the illegitimate son. He could as well have been the Master Deenanath who had nothing to do with the politically influencial family, and the story would yet have the same. And the Kunti-meets-Karna scene...' tum mere jyestha putra ho' (still cringing). This could surely have been a modern take on Mahabharata, but the actress must have been possessed by the Kunti atma to speak those saskrit words...so lame.

2. The significance of women in the movie is just to say 'Mein Maa banein waali hoon'. How come all the women get pregnant by just making out just once?...so convinient !!!

3. Why did we need a accented Katrina to play the character Indu who aspires to be a part of politics. She seems to be very much been in India to have an accent, while the America returned Ranbir speaks pure hindi as well as Sanskrit words at times with ease. So much to create the hype of being a Sonia Gandhi inspired character !!!

4. Katrina plays a sports car driving, chewing gum munching girl who needs no license to kiss (license gaadi chalanein ke liye ya tumhe kiss karnein ke liye? cringing again!!!). Yet she agrees to get married to the elder brother of the love of her life and being thrown around like a commodity.

5. If Nana Patekar drops his idea of killing Ajay Devgan after knowing that he is the Kunti's Karna, how come he encourages Ranbir to kill him.

6. I am yet to find a politician who looks remotely half as good looking as Arjun Rampal??? Even while he is doing the Maa-Behen of the poilice commisioner, he looks hardly believable.

7. Can you really get away with killing your Chacha and cousins so easily, not as much as setting up an inquiry commission on it.

8. After the scene on the airport where Katrina tells Ranbir that she would get him back from New York, I was waiting for the twist when it would be revealed that the deaths were actually planned by her. But instead when Ranbir finds out the murderer, he turns out to be the oh-so-predictable Ajay Devgan. A very amazing twist missied to the story.

9. Why exaggerate so much ??? Do political families really go around on a killing spree, targeting their own family???

10. Why make the mokery of a veteran actor like Nasseruddin Shah? All he does is donate his sperm to the script .