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Tips to become a succesful book blogger

No one has become a superstar blogger overnight.Recognition in blogosphere takes time and there are no short cuts for achieving instant success as a blogger.Read like there is no tomorrow and pen down your sincere thoughts in a lucid, organised and unpretentious manner.Your work will definitely get its due.

Blogadda-Quikr Shopping Fiesta: My Experience

It was like a slap on my face.Thankfully Arun was not there with me to witness by embarassement. I was all set to call him when some random piece of paper with a phone number written on it from my pocket caught my attention.

Book Review:Salvation Of a Saint

On the whole,’The Salvation Of Saint’ is a decent thriller.It may not be as racy as ‘The Devotion of Suspect X’,but still it’s a pretty good one.

Interview with Doctor-turned- Writer Deepal Kripal

Earlier this week,we chatted with Doctor-turned-Author,Deepak Kripal.He has authored 'The Devil's Tale:An impossible journey',published by Leadstart Publishers.In this candid interview,he tells us about his debut work,future plans,his journey as a writer and his other interests in life.

Private India: Book Review

On the whole,'Private India' by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi is a strictly average work.

September 24, 2009

Robinhood is time pass

reviewed by nikhimenon@gmail.com

Move over the disastrous 'Lollypop' ,the so called 'youth team' (though except Prithviraaj,the rest of the cast may be in the early thirtees) is back with Robinhood,their maiden outing with the veteran Joshiy.The promos reminded of Yashraaj's Dhoom series with Prithviraj,fresh from the success of Puthya Mukham fitting into the shoes of Hrithik Roshan.(though honestly i dint find Dhoom 2 much intersting as it had only a cock and bull story to say).So does Robinhood and his team manage to entertain the audience?.The answer is that Robinhood is a good one time watch if mindless entertainment is what you are looking for.

The story is about a hi-tech thief  Venki (specialised in robbing ATM'S) who is an I.I.T graduate and a former employee of a new generation bank.Ofcourse there is the mandatory back story justifying the robber's deeds and his transformation from a honest employee to a harcore criminal.(Honestly those sequences reminded me of the umpteen number of Udhay Krishnan-Sibi Thomas-Dileep revenge movies..!)There is ACP jayasurya as well as Private detective Narein(he has some fancy Christian name in the movie,oops i forgot it...)after him.How he manages to go on with his robbery without being caught forms the rest of the story.Biju Menon plays the chairman of the bank which is looted all the time by Robbinhood aka venki.No movie is complete without beautiful chicks playing female leads who pops up every now and then to give company to the hero while he is dancing away to glory in some east asian Beaches or foreign highways.So you have Bhavana playing Rupa and Samvrutha playing Abhi.(For a change,Prithvi Raaj has chosen Cochin's own Ramada resort to dance with his heroines.)M.jayachandran has tuned some mediocre songs as well for them to dance.

Well, the story is routine stuff with a not so great screenplay as well.It's an illogical one with lots of loopholes in the script.But what works in favour of the movie is it's presentation and it's unexpected twist in the climax.You may blame it as all style and less substance,but as long as it manage to entertain you,should you really care?The story drags big time in the early part of the second half .But the latter half is full of twists and culminates in a decent climax.Joshiy seems to be in the Abbas Mustaan mode and it looks as if Joshiy and co had so many hindi movies by the duo as the reference point. There are only two fight sequences in the movie and that too un-wanted and fails to make much of an impact.Salim Kumar and Jaffer idukki pops up in the first half with some double meaning dialogues and disappear all on a sudden.

Coming to the performances ,for prithviraaj ,the role was an extension of what he had done in Puthya Mukham.He looked hot and stylish.Narein went overboard in so many scenes and his character as a womaniser was not well etched out.Jayasurya was adequate and so was Biju Menon as the Villain.Bhavana looked glamorous,exactly what she was asked to do.I still can't figure out where did Samvrutha go all on a sudden after a duet with Prithvi Raaj.May be,Joshiy might have fired her for not performing well in that song sequence.Editing was okay,the cinematography was passable with most of the scenes shot inside a flat and the outdoors are mostly in Ramada resort.

On the whole Robinhood is a mindless entertainer.Go to the movie hall leaving behind your brain at your homes and there is every possibility that you come out satisfied.

Verdict: Time pass/ average.

The Stars that fail to shine..!

                                           In this world where you are only as good as your last hit,everybody is a struggler and unless you are the 'great S.R.K'.You are allowed only a limited number of flops if you want to keep yourself afloat in this business.Here is a look at some of the stars who are not shining so brightly in recent times inspite of delivering decent performances in their recent films.

10.Akki

Akshay Kumar was slowly turning to a brand in bollywood.It was when Chandni Chowk to China happened.Though the Nikhil Adhwani movie didnt become a blockbuster,it dint manage to put an end to A.K.'s winning spree.Kukunoor's 8*10 Tasveer  which followed also bit the dust.But the biggest blow came in the form of Kambhakth Ishqq which was not only a flop,but also vulgar and crude and ate into akki bhai's loyal female and kid's audience.Anyways all hopes are on Blue' which looks more or less like a rip off of 'Into The Blue', the Jessica Alba starrer.  .

9.Vijay


He may be the Ilaya Dalapathy and the 'king of opening',but off late his movies have become famous or rather notorious for their lack of quality and stereo typical story lines.Kuruvi,Villu,Azhagiya Thamizh Makan are some of his latest duds.His last hit was Pokkiri which got released 2 years back.The problem with vijai is unwillingness to take risks.While his contemporaries Suriya and Vikram have dared to experiment with varied subjects and innovative ideas ,he s still in the 5 Fights-kuthu-dance mode.C'mmon how long can the audience tolerate the same old stuff? Hope his Vettaikkaran will be different.
 

8.Dileep



Malayalam cinema's 'Janapriya Naayakan' has nt had a good year so far.His first two films Colours and Moss and Cat were duds.Though Passenger ' clicked ,even his die hard fans would nt dare to claim it as his movie.Unless he tries to deliver something new,he may be soon become another Jayaram.His new ones 'Swa.Le ' looks promising though.



7.Meera Jasmine



Nothing has been heard of her post 'Innathe Chintha Vishayam'.What made this talented actress to sign C grade Tamil Vijay Kanth movies like Ma....oops.. i forgot its name.She has become so chubby in recent years.Her acting has also become worse, with memories of that nightmarish 'minnaminnikootam' still haunting me.The once sought after National award winning actress is facing a ban from the malayalam film industry for her lack of professionalism.
 

6.Mammootty.

The National Award winner is no doubt a Super star in malayalam cinema.But his directors and script writers off late have nt been able to give him believable characters and decent scripts.With his Bhootam act ' and his recent Singapore visit he could only annoy his audience.No wonder 'Love in Singapore' and 'Pattanathil Bhootham' bit the dust.Even a debutant like Ashiq Abu could nt give him a hit in Daddy Cool'.But things are not that gloomy for this versatile actor as his latest one 'Loud Speaker' has opened to rave reviews and is sure to become a hit.The Magnum opus Pazhassi Raaja will also get released next week.







5.Suresh Gopi
Kanjeepurathe Kallyaanam,I.G,Black Dahlia.I am sure most of you might not have even heard the names of these duds.All were recent Gopi flicks which could nt get even a decent run in the releasing centres.Gopi himself has to take the blame, for choosing the most idiotic scripts to act!He should stop being the over the top Cop again and again and concentrate more on meaningful,yet entertaining films or retire gracefully.
 
4.Jayaram.

Ofcourse his Bhaagya Devatha was a hit,but it was a 'Sathyan Anthikkaadu' film after all.His Samastha Keralam P.O, Rahasya Police,Winter. and Kaana Kanmani were wash outs which makes him to this list.It's high time that jairam comes out of his comfort zone and try something different.Sathyan movies wont be there all the time Jairam sir...


3.Narein

Don't make faces at me for calling him a star.But he definitely showed some promise with movies like 4 the people,Annorikkal,Achunte Amma and Anjathey.But being 'over choosy' has made him land up in insignificant roles in Bhagya Devatha and a couple of other films.He s playing second fiddle to Prithviraaj in Robinhood'.But it has to be seen whether the movie itself clicks ,at the end of the day.


2.Salman Khan

No superstar has given so much flops in a row.Yuvraaj, Hello, Heroes, God Tussi Great Ho  and Saawaryia are some of his recent flops.The last hit being Partner .But there s good news as his latest Wanted has taken a mamooth opening..This talented actor has bounced back with Wanted,the remake of the masaala tamil film 'pokkiri'.Salman was the ideal choice to play the  under cover cop with Prakaash  Raaj as Gunni Bhai giving ample support.The promos of his next,Mr and  Mrs khanna as well as London Dreams are already out and it seems he  has a wonderful time ahead.                                                              

1.Raani Mukherjee
 

I still believe that manipulative sentimentalism dampened her career with all movies in which she played the damsel in distress 'Baabul, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Saawariya, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic' sinking without a trace. She tried to re invent herself with Dil Bole Hadippa but the poor script played the spoil sport here.Let's hope she will come with something better next time.          





September 23, 2009

First look: My Name Is Khan


   
                                                    posted by nikhimenon@gmail.com


          They are back.!  The unbeatable team of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Kjo,SRK and Mrs.Devgan are coming back to set the screens on fire after 8 years. Honestly,i dint like their last film together,K3G which  was a test on my patience.Neither did i find kjo-SRK 's last one KANK interesting.Hoping their come back movie MNK to be a pleasant watch.


All the best Karan Johar...

September 22, 2009

Movie Review: UP (2009)

                                                                                                      reviewed by nikhimenon@gmail.com

                                                  The latest animation movie to come out of Pixaar animation studios (their first 3D venture too)is nothing short of a brilliant piece of work which manages not only to entertain viewers of all ages but also makes a few statements about life in a meaningful yet non-preachy manner..


Fredricksen, a quiet young boy, meets Ellie in her clubhouse, discovering together they share the same interest in exploration as their hero, famed explorer Charles Muntz. Ellie expresses her desire to move her clubhouse to Paradise Falls in South America,  Carl and Ellie fall in love, wed and grow old together in the old house where they first met. Ellie dies of old age before they can take their trip, leaving Carl living alone in their home. Meanwhile Karl is forced to move to a retirement home as per court's orders. Carl comes up with a scheme to keep his promise to Ellie, and creates a makeshift airship using thousands of helium balloons which lift his house off its foundation. Russell, a Wilderness Explorer trying to earn his "Assisting the Elderly" badge, also in advertently joins the old man in his trip to the paradise falls.  After a storm throws them around for a while, they find themselves across a large ravine facing Paradise Falls. The two begin to walk around the ravine. As they walk towards Paradise Falls, Russell finds a colorful tropical bird which he names Kevin, not realizing that the bird is actually female. Little did they realise that the deadly explorer  Charles Muntz, who is desperate to get  Kevin in order to restore his lost reputation back home. How they protect kevin from the deadly Muntz and his troup of wild dogs is what Up is all about.Mid way through the story, freddy also understands what his wife had really meant by 'adventure' in her life.



Ofcourse there is the mandatory villain in the form of Muntz that you would expect in every  movie of this genre,top- class animation with some witty one-liners deliverd in between,but what strikes you most is pixar studios' and it's makers' attention to detail.The makers have succesfully deliverd yet another brilliant movie which is definitely in the league of classics like 'The Incredibles' and Wall -E ,but what makes UP different is its simplicity and the great message which it conveys in a subtle, yet effective manner.Director peter docter has done a brilliant job.Pixaar has definitely set new standards for animation movies through UP which has a great heart and at the same time guarantees paisaa vassool entertainment.



ps: I still cant figure out why pixaar decided to make it in 3D,coz that doesnt make much difference to the movie.May be they wanted to make their first 3D movie ,or mite hav gt too much carried away by Ice Age 3 and other 3D movies...!


verdict: Go For This visual extravaganza! Must Watch.