Life Etc Etc

Independence Day 2: Redundance. No, I didn't get the name wrong, the title exactly describes my opinion of this movie. I didn't want to follow my review of Te3n  with another movie review but I had to pen this entry after watching this ' 20 years in the making '  sequel of ' Independence Day '. 'Independence Day' was one of the favorite movies of my childhood. It was a throwback to the disaster movies of the 70s and was punctuated by fast paced action, colorful characters and a slick screenplay. The icing on the cake was an unbeatable antagonist who always seemed to be one step ahead of the heroes. Independence Day: Resurgence lacks the punch <Courtesy: 20th Century Studios > Twenty years on the machismo doesn't look as cool, the tempo doesn't rally and the bravado doesn't impress. A major reason for this is, you have already seen everything showcased in this movie a zillion times before and the movie reeks of cinematic redundance . ...

I always felt the movies which I watched with the least expectations were the ones I liked the most. Te3n once again confirmed my theory. The story of an old man hunting for the individual who cost his granddaughter's life could have been woefully depressing boring us (the audience) with its unending melancholy (Read Talaash ).  But fortunately Te3n's deft screenplay ensures the movie rumbles along at a brisk pace. So here are three things which make Te3n an engaging watch apart from the screenplay (read on there are no spoilers ahead): Te3n The Performances: Amitabh Bachchan , Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vidya Balan breathe life into their characters. Amitabh plays a feeble old man run down by the scars of time and punctuates his role with a steely resolve. Nawazuddin Siddiqui turns in a restrained performance as a cop turned priest while Vidya oozes toughness as a no non-sense police woman. They say great actors convey emotions through their eyes. Amitabh, Nawazu...

Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 started off like any other day. I was getting ready for the office when my phone rang. I picked up the phone to hear my good friend Raghu's voice. Raghu immediately announced " Buddy we have a meeting with Dr. Abdul Kalam today at 10 PM, in Raj Bhavan . You have to be there. " It took me more than a minute to assimilate everything that Raghu had just said. Somewhere something didn't seem right, how can two ordinary people meet up with The   Former   President of India just like that. I was instantly worried that this was a practical joke that somebody decided to play on both of us. Raghu for his part reassured me that this was a real invite  and urged me to not miss out on this date with destiny .  A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the legend <Courtesy: Dhristiias > The rest of the day passed away in a blur. I didn't let any one except my family members know about this chance meeting because I myself hadn't come to terms with what ...

Last Friday I finally got to watch the much hyped  Batman v Superman . As a long time follower of both Batman and Superman series of films, I was looking forward to a pulse pounding action adventure which would culminate with a once in a life time battle between two of the most (arguably) endearing protagonists of all time.  Instead I was treated to an insipid tale reeking of melancholy which dragged on for the better part of 3 hours. Now this is not a typical movie review, I wanted to write this piece up from a fan's perspective to address some of the maladies which seem to plague not only this movie but also practically every superhero movie that's coming out these days. So watch out spoilers ahead.   Batman vs Superman: A battle without the fizz <Courtesy: Yulia Matvienko > The first problem with this movie is its title. Yes you heard it right, the title which conjures up images of gigantic confrontations between its two lead players just doesn't live...

On March 20th 2016, I attended my last contest (at least for the foreseeable future) in Toastmasters. It was somewhat poetic justice that my four year journey in Toastmasters which started with a contest ended with another one. My journey in Toastmasters had come a full circle and I was proud that I was walking out with my head held high. More importantly this guy who had stumbled into Toastmasters all alone was walking out with a group of friends. Nostalgia has no place in life if it doesn't lead to wisdom and today I look back at my Toastmaster's career to recount some of the most important lessons I learnt while establishing myself as one of the premier competitors on the Toastmasters circuit. " Start Afresh ": I was a successful orator at both the state and national levels during my college days before I joined Toastmasters after a lengthy break. My results in Toastmasters initially were way below par. Nothing seemed to work. That's when I realized I st...

Of all the Competent Communication manual projects nothing troubled me more than the CC 6 project. Incidentally CC 6 is also the final speech project that needs to be finished if one has any ambitions of competing in the International Speech Contest  (ISC). So what makes this project complex when it has some simple objectives such as: Use voice volume, pitch, rate and quality to reflect and add meaning and interest to your message. Use pauses to enhance your message. Use vocal variety smoothly and naturally. Should be pretty easy right considering the fact all of us use our voice everyday to converse with friends and family? Wrong , there's more to this project than just plain voice modulation. Although the project is all about vocal variety, its objectives are only met when audience easily connects to what you are presenting through your voice. In other words if everyone in the audience closes their eyes they should still be able to feel what you are attempting to put...

A year ago my commentary on International Speeches talked about the myths that should be avoided while preparing a speech for an International Speech Contest (ISC). Today with the Toastmasters contest season once again in full swing I am going to point out certain pitfalls which if avoided will improve the overall value of your speech and also solidify the audience connect. The speaker and the audience <Photo Courtesy: Wan San Yip  on  Unsplash > I llogical Premise : A Premise is the base upon which your entire argument/speech is built and in many cases forms the opening statement of the speech. The conclusion that you attempt to derive through your speech is only as good as the assumption (the premise) you make.  Its therefore necessary that this premise is credible and is generally acceptable. Premises such as "You can't be successful until you hook someone who is successful", "Sleaze and not substance sells films", "There's no such thing c...