Love Aaj Kal -2 Long

The movie has lessons- for the film maker and the lead characters.

1. If you make a long movie (defined as anything over 2 hours today), please watch Sholay before you make it. Learn the tricks. Even Amar Akbar Anthony will do, but Sholay is better.

2. If all that the hero and heroine are going to do is vacillate, show them playing "Will she, will she not?" or its equivalent, "Will he, will he not?" More entertaining, any day.

3. Make sure the lead characters enrol for an MBA and learn decision-making skills. If not an MBA, at least a short term training program- an MDP.

4. There is a reason why Randeep Hooda does not get meaty roles. Respect that.

5. Don't copy tunes from Nagin starring Vyjayanthimala. (This is for Preetam)

Verdict? Go watch Life in a Metro. It also had music by Preetam. Much better music, and a better story too.

Customer Service in Hospitality

I admit it's tough getting everything right in customer service. But the idea is to try. These are some instances at a hotel chain (reputed) that offer scope for improvement.

The hotel has a room key card that is used in the lift to access the floor that you stay on. The problem is, the card is not read easily, and several attempts have to be made to get the lift to start. Easily solveable, in my view..get a better reader. Since you have to do this several times a day, it's frustrating.

Another level of service is expected from this kind of a brand. We were corporate clients on a business, and our business was at another floor (not where we stayed). But the card did not give automatic access to that floor, even though the hotel knew what we were there for, and where we would have to go. And when this was pointed out, the staff was not apologetic about it :) So much for reputation!

Service at the dining room was patchy, and erratic. Lots of times waiters were around, but it was difficult to get their attention. Tables were not cleared promptly, in a crowded situation.

There were instances of good service as well, particularly at the frisking at the entrance, but many more things could be better.

Meetups in Delhi Part 1

Well, it is rare to catch up with someone whom both Prof. Jayasimha and I have taught, and around Valentine's Day, it was all the more special. One of our talented and lovely ex-students, Bhuvneet Raheja and we met over a chilled-out evening menu. Luckily for us (me at least), the conversation and the temperature were both warm, and it was fun exchanging stories about our lives and times. Remembered Stuti and Anwesha, who along with her formed an unforgettable girl gang in my class at Indore. The themed cafe is called The Big Chill, and has movie posters from many old Hollywood films. Some glimpses, with the three of us playing major roles..

 Showing off the lovely Mehndi..above

 How the mehndi got there..

Meetups in Delhi Part 2

Dilwalon ki Dilli was a pit-stop for work. But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So we tried catching up on some (not-so) old students, and succeeded. Surbhi Mehta Chadha was a student at IMT Nagpur during 2012-14, and a winner of a few Nice DP Awards to boot, and sportingly came up to meet us this morning with hubby in tow. It was a pleasure chatting, accompanied by something to munch on, as food encourages thinking. Remembered Shruti, Aditya, Anuj and Vrinda Khanna, among others. Some pics-

Malang- Film Review

Anil Kapoor is still a very good actor. Mohit Suri has used him well. He is very credible as the slightly demented cop who is trigger-happy.

The film starts slowly, and the first half could have been a little crisper, but the second makes up for it, with a quicker pace, and dramatic action. The two protagonists do a decent job, and the support actors are also pretty decent.

The initial part about the drug scene in Goa is actually old hat (Dev Anand made a film about drugs in 1970 or thereabouts), but it sets up the story well, as you realise later on. The narration does keep the suspense alive, and the second half ends up redeeming the film.

Along the way, it also opens up about male impotence, a taboo subject rarely talked about in India.

Jawani Janeman- Film Review

This is an average film that mostly relies on cliches in a new setting (London), with one major twist in the tale that comes pretty early. There are a few scenes which seem quite unnecessary or repetitive, but Alaya Furniturewala, the charming debutant actress who springs the surprise, carries the film on her shoulders. Without her, it might have been a tough watch.

There is some situational comedy, but most of it looks contrived. It is not helped by Saif 's act, which also looks forced most of the time. The doctor played by Kiku Sharda was funny.

On the whole, it's watchable, but no great shakes. Tabu comes pretty late in the film, so if you are expecting to see her for any length of time, you will be disappointed. A pity!

I liked Saif's film Chef better than this one.

Prof AK Rao No More

Just heard from friends that Prof. AK Rao who taught us Operations Research is no more. He was famous for a coastal Andhra accent while teaching it, and we still remember some of the Cake mix problems, though the subject itself was nobody's favourite,. but he was, and that's wonderful, I think. He was always smiling, and friendly, in and out of class, even if you had got a D in his course (I didn't say I did). I once taught O.R. in the US, and mainly due to his course that I had taken before. I had met him during and after his stint as the director of SDM, Mysore. His article for our student mag IMBIBE is also fresh in my mind, because he was sporting enough to write for us editors. Here it is, as a small tribute.