Time To Blow The Odisha Conch Shell

Consider this case-

There is a school excursion. The headmaster had invited most of the students for the outing. 

All the invited students had a great time together and were a part of the group video. That was shared via social media by the star student and generated great excitement. 

However, the few students, who had not been invited for the excursion, saw the video and felt hurt as they had been left out. Why did the headmaster or the teachers not include them? 

They were not sure whether this had been done intentionally or unintentionally by the headmaster. Why did the headmaster or staff treat them differently than the rest of the class? 

The ignored students and their supporters publicly confronted and complained to the headmaster, the staff and the star student involved. The aggrieved students threatened that they would adopt non-cooperation and boycott classes.

Seeing the quick condemnation, social media outrage, and the deluge of posts regarding this issue, the school-staff including the headmaster feared the loss of face and revenue i.e. school-fees. What if the ignored students really decided to quit school? 

Dil Bechara : Missing Sushant Singh Rajput

Exactly a month ago, we lost a young and talented star, Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR).

The nation is still mourning and many are looking for justice for him.

We really do not know what happened and why we have to face such a situation.

Sushant Singh Rajput - Talented Star Shines On

We watched the movie trailer of Dil Bechara and the super song that Sushant has pulled off in one shot.

SSR has such a happy personality in the movie and in the real-life videos with his disarming smile and cool and smart style.

In Dil Bechara, these inspiring positive words sound so nice in his voice-:

"Janam kab lena hai aur marna kab hai- Hum decide nahi karsakte hain;

Par kaise jeena hai- woh Hum decide karsakte hain."

"We cannot decide when to take birth or when to die;

But, we can decide how to live life."

Sushant Singh Rajput - Talented Star Shines On

A rank-holder with a brilliant and analytical mind, 

Chose acting & decided for the Bollywood grind.

He left his engineering course, without nitty gritty;

He rejected scholarship from a foreign University.

His good looks, hard-work, passion, screen presence, 

His raw energy, talent, boyish charms & smartness... 

He trained hard; his extra effort shines in all he did. 

He supported students & sponsored the less-privileged.

He inspired his fans, replied to messages & gave hope.

And then he had to face abuse, battle demons & cope...

He had a cool bucket-list; was already fulfilling dreams. 

Few saw his delicate frame & heard his inner screams.

His disarming smile hid deep secrets & gave no clue.

Many were unaware of what he was going through. 

Some caused/knew about this; couldn't stop him-

Circumstances are responsible for this step extreme. 

A very shocking & sad news for his fans lay in store-

That this dynamic complete entertainer is no more...

We mourn his loss; feel a family-member has gone far;

He'll continue to shine in our sky like a bright star.

Source: Amul on Twitter

Babuna And Rasagola Film

"Babuna" is the name of a young Odia boy, who is the protagonist in the stories written by Shri Swaraj Mishra. The name of his book is Babuna. It was published by "Ama Odisha Publication" five years ago.

The stories feature the pranks and adventures of the young lad set in a village in Odisha, India, in the early seventies. Babuna has a field day with his cycle and the village is his field of action!

Shri Swaraj Mishra has based the interesting tales on his own childhood and his village. For him, it was like wearing the shoes of Babuna and taking a trip down the memory lane, reliving and weaving those memories of camaraderie, love, and also pain.

In January 2016, Shri Mishra had uploaded a video of the book trailer of Babuna.

On March 1st, 2018, Dola Purnima, a Palanquin carried Special Cover for Rasagola in Shree Jagannath ji's Cuisine was released by the Department of Posts at Puri, Odisha.

Shri Swaraj Mishra and yours truly were also part of the team that had worked to make this possible.

After our Rasagola postal-cover release at Puri, while we were returning to Bhubaneswar by car, I got to learn that Swaraj Babu is the author of several books including quiz-books and story-books. I asked Swaraj Babu if he had written any stories on Rasagola. I was excited when he answered in the affirmative. He had indeed penned a real-life story! He shared the brief story-line that featured Rasagola and friendship. I enthusiastically requested him to get his interesting story filmed at the earliest.

Thereafter, I called and messaged him a number of times in this regard.

I met him many times while working for the GI Tag application of Odisha Rasagola.

He said that he had been devoting time for the Rasagola film project. He had invested his own funds and the movie was slowly taking shape. Then, work had stopped for some time owing to other constraints.

Then, next year, in January 2019, I came across a poster about the 4th Golden Triangle International Film Festival  (GTIFF) to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. 
A certain "Rasogolla" film was also in the list of films to be screened. 

Till then, I was aware of only two people, who were working on Rasagola films, both on my request. Shri Swaraj Mishra was one of them.

But, I was not not sure if his movie was complete.

Had it been over and ready for release, he would have informed/invited us for this, I reasoned.

Plus, the spelling would have been our spelling- "Rasagola" as I had been requesting everyone to use a uniform spelling to refer to the Rasagola of Odisha as- The Spelling is Rasagola.

I shared the Film Festival schedule in our WhatsApp group in which Shri Swaraj Mishra is also a member.

Shri Mishra replied that it was indeed his movie that was to be screened. However, it was a work-in-progress.

Everything had happened so fast and his film's entry in the GTIFF had been hurried, which is why he couldn't inform us in advance. The spelling changes, updates in English translation, and other technical requirements would still need more time and will be addressed later. Though the movie was a draft version and much work was left, yet the incomplete work was being screened for the select audience.

On 12th February, 2019, I attended the screening at the GTIFF and cheered for Rasagola short-film.

Got to learn from the organizers that the Rasagola film was very popular & viewers showed interest to watch it everyday of the screening. Though it was scheduled for one day, it had already been screened for the jury & audience on popular demand!

The very word Rasagola evokes sweetness. And this 'Rasagola' movie was the labour of love that depicted a sweet story of friendship and love for Rasagola.

Though it is an emotional story, the film sparked joy for me as I had sincerely pressurized the story-writer to make this film! I appreciate his commitment as the actual making of a film takes a lot of effort. 

Rasagola film received a Certificate of Appreciation by the Jury at the 4th Golden Triangle International Film Festival, and Shri Swaraj Mishra received it that evening i.e. on 12th February, 2019.

On 17th December, 2019, we got the great news from Shri Mishra that Rasagola film had earned the Film certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)! 

Last evening, on 13th January 2020, Rasagola film was shown to a select intellectual gathering at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhubaneswar. We thank the organisers of 'Mukta Chintana Mancha' for their interest to screen this film. The touching movie earned a wonderful audience reaction and feedback.

We acknowledge that getting a movie made is tough. 

Am so glad that Shri Swaraj Mishra has successfully completed this work of art.

I congratulate and thank Swaraj Babu & all those associated with this film.

I really feel so happy & proud. 

May this film make it to international festivals. 
May Lord Jagannath bless for many more such movies & books.

Looking forward to the upcoming movie premiere of Rasagola film. The world can watch it soon. 

Odisha Rasagola has earned the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag on July 29, 2019.

The proof of the Rasagola is in the eating! 
In the future screenings, Odisha Rasagola packs can accompany the Rasagola film too. 

Not only should viewers watch the film, and experience the emotions of Odias with this delectable syrupy dessert, they should get to taste Odisha Rasagola.

It is amazing what an inspiring conversation with creative & enthusiastic people can do! 
I love movies. Also, it's great to see ideas in action. 

What sparks joy in you? Do share in the comments below.

Linking with IndiSpire #307 and ABC Wednesday- B for Babuna

Dads Of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. And Chinky

The movie Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. is special and the protagonist is one of my favourite movie characters.

On Father's Day eve, I watched the movie for the umpteenth time and noticed the adorable Dads in the movie:

Dad#1- Munna Bhai/Murli Prasad Sharma's father - Hari Prasad Sharma - played by Sunil Dutt

Dad#2- Chinky/Dr. Suman's father - Dr. JC Asthana - played by Boman Irani

Dad#3- Dr.Rustam's father (who loves playing Carrom-board & is always  after the Queen!)

In the movie, there are heart-warming and touching scenes between father and "child" & Dad#1 & Dad#2 shed silent tears.

Happy New Year – Movie Review & Lessons

The multi-starrer Hindi movie ‘Happy New Year’ (HNY) directed by Farah Khan and produced by Gauri Khan, is a typical Bollywood masala movie with a mix of emotions, drama, comedy, at-the-edge-of-seat moments, thrills, action, song & dance sequences.

HNY is about a team of five ‘losers’ attempting to be ‘winners’. They try a heist of diamonds worth Rs 300 crores while managing to secure a place amongst the WDC- World Dance Competition in Dubai. Does their ‘Duniya ka sabse badi chori ka rehearsal’ (the rehearsal of the world’s biggest theft) succeed?  If yes, how do Charlie & his team pull off the plan?

Mary Kom - 25 Lessons And Movie Review

Mary Kom movie has released on Teacher's Day teaching us many lessons. 

I was really waiting to watch Mary Kom and had earlier shared my 10 Reasons Why I Wanna Watch The Movie- Mary Kom.

Wonderful to watch the first day first show!

Mary Kom, the Hindi movie, is based on the true-story of difficulties, struggles & success of India's pride, five-time World Amateur Boxing Champion, MC Mary Kom (Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom).

Source: Wikipedia

Priyanka Chopra as  Magnificent Mary has totally done justice to Mary's character. Here are some of her certificates:

- She has trained very sincerely for this role as per this article.

- She now knows many boxing moves & one of her thumbs is damaged.

- Seeing her performance on-screen, even the real-life Mary Kom's kids identified her as their "Mamma".

- This movie with the reel-life Mary Kom made the real-life Mary Kom cry. 

- Farhan Akhtar, who played the Flying Sikh- Milkha Singh in the movie- Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, said to Priyanka Chopra- "Mary ko Milkha ka Salaam" (Greetings to Mary from Milkha)

10 Reasons Why I Wanna Watch The Movie- Mary Kom

1) I'm a fan of both the wow achievers- the REAL & the REEL Mary Kom.

2) I wanna see the champion Mary Kom's real story enacted on the big screen by another champion- Priyanka Chopra.

3)  I am a HUGE Movies fan & I have to write a movie-review of Mary Kom for my Blog!

4)  Like me, my daughter wants to watch the first-day-first-show of Mary Kom too & is willing to skip school to watch Mary Kom, the movie that'll teach her on Teacher's Day...

5)  My daughter & I will list out the lessons we can learn from this Sports movie about Mary Kom & sportingly share lessons with all. 

"There is no such thing as failure. there are only results.- ZiddiDil, Mary Kom"

KICK - Movie Review & Lessons

Spoiler Alert: Note- This Review reveals many key scenes, dialogues and the story-line... Don't read if you are planning to watch it!

I treated myself to the Hindi movie Kick on Eid. After watching, I thought- "What an Eid Release! Kick is sure to rake in the crores."

Produced & Directed by Sajid Nadiadwala, Kick is an action love-story. It is a stylish movie like its lead characters- Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandes, Randeep Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mithun Chakraborty...

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania - Movie Review & Lessons

Spoiler Alert: Note- This Review reveals many key scenes, dialogues and the story-line... Don't read if you are planning to watch it!

Directed by debutant Director, Shashank Khaitan & produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (HSKD) is a sweet Romantic Comedy (RomCom). It is a happy-go-lucky kind of a movie like its lead characters. 

HOLIDAY- Movie Review

Director A.R.Murugadoss's movie- "Holiday: A Soldier is never off duty" is 170 minutes long. It has Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Sumeet Raghavan and newcomer Farhad in key roles. Govinda has a cameo appearance. Holiday is the second Bollywood offering by the Director. It has his first Bollywood film- Ghajini's hangover/glimpses in certain scenes - viz. display of maps, pics and info on the walls. I felt Holiday is a bit too long and needed better editing.

Source

30 Lessons From Shaadi Ke Side Effects

30 Lessons we learn from the Bollywood movie – Shaadi Ke Side Effects:

1. Love is the foundation of a marriage.


2. The outcome can be vastly different in similar situations with similar actions & questions depending on different reactions & answers.

2 States - Movie Review

The Hindi movie 2 States is about the North-South Chemistry between 2 intelligent IIM Ahmedabad MBA Students- Punjab-da-Puttar- Krish Malhotra (Arjun Kapoor) of Delhi & Ananya Swaminathan (Alia Bhatt), a lover of non-veg food & Beer though belonging to a strictly-vegetarian Tamilian Brahmin family of Chennai.

Phata Poster Nikla Hero

Note- Safe to Read! (No Spoiler Alert!) This review does not have the entire story! 

The Story, Screenplay, Dialogues & Direction of the Hindi film- Phata Poster Nikla Hero (PPNH) is by Raj Kumar Santoshi.

PPNH’s HERO is Vishwaas Rao (Shahid Kapoor) who dreams to be ‘Filmo Ka Hero’ (Movie-Actor). Vishwaas has set his lofty goal right from his school-days.

Vishwaas’s Mom (Padmini Kolhapuri) wants him to be an ‘Imaandar (honest) Police-Officer’. An auto-driver and a single-mother, she wants the very best for her son. When the Pehelwaan (wrestler) promises to train him- ‘Akele Dus Ka Saamna Karega’ (He can face 10 people alone), she asks, “Sirf Dus?” (Only 10?!)

 

The grown-up Vishwaas makes his entry to save a damsel-in-distress by literally tearing the poster of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani!

“Abhi to sirf Hero ne Entry maari hai, aagey aagey dekh hota hai kya!” (The Hero has just made his entry, see what happens next!)

“Ek ek karke mat aana; sab saath mein aana; Mere paas time nahi hai!” (Don’t come one by one; all of you come together; I don’t have time!) 

He bashes up the baddies like a super-hero and protects the izzat (honor) of the girl! And if you thought all this might be a Ghazab (strange) dream from which our Hero will soon wake up, you are terribly mistaken! Vishwaas is a real-life Hero who dreams to be a reel-life Hero! 

Unfortunately, his Maa Ka Sapna (Mom’s Dream) comes in between. Even his finest acting and ‘sad news-stories’ can’t deter his Mom’s iron-will. She keeps sending him for Police-recruitment interviews, while he keeps getting rejected!

When Vishwaas gets a chance to land up at Mumbai, he meets ‘Complaint Kajal’ (Ileana D’Cruz) who mistakes him for a Police-officer due to his ‘costume’! She makes him follow a car that has kidnapped the Chief-Security Officer (CSO), Bhim Singh Thapa’s daughter. Despite a chance encounter with his idol, Film-Star Salman Khan (as himself in a cameo), nevertheless, Vishwaas manages to free the girl as the goons run away. 

What follows is a hilarious set of incidents where the fake cop – ‘Bina Brake Ka Bulldozer’ (A Bulldozer without any brakes) manages 'Heroine ke saath romance' (Romances the Heroine) & 'Villains ke saath fight' (Fights the Villains) & earns respect for the Mumbai police force with Jt. Commissioner Khare (Darshan Jariwala) at helm. Mission WhiteElephant* is aborted much to the relief of the audience as it was serious & would have caused widespread destruction. 

There are fun moments like Commisioner Khare’s scenes with Vishwaas. Imagine his shifting to the same house where Vishwaas is put up! By the way, how could Vishwaas afford such a place on rent?! Another point- Vishwaas being entrusted to pick a CD from a Music-Performance. He gets selected for the job as no one would suspect him as he knows the CSO! When he collects the CD in front of all, including the Police, I thought- CD could have been collected from the Troup from anywhere else- Hotel/Airport…why from Stage?! I guess this was opportunity for the ‘Item-Girl ke saath (Dhating) Dance’ that Vishwaas mentions at the end! 

There’s never a dull moment in PPNH! There are references to Superhit movies like MunnaBhai MBBS, Don, Deewar etc. There’s comedy when one is least expecting it! Like in the Hospital when Vishwaas’s Mom is admitted and Vishwaas asks, “Vinod Khanna Doctor bhi ban gaye?!’ Santoshi gets his timing right! PPNH is a complete package- Emotions, Drama, Action, Comedy, Romance, Dances, Songs… Songs are a bit too many. But, I didn’t complain as I got to see the two very good-looking stars in good locales! The ‘Maa’ song is really touching and filmed well. The Doggy-dance ‘Khaali Peeli’ song is fun!  

What I didn’t like- Two references to ‘Zahar’ (Poison)- made by a person ‘acting as a Blind-Man’ & Vishwaas’s Mom. Such a fun movie could have desisted itself from the word.

I loved- How at the end, his Maa’s wish is fulfilled as Vishwaas becomes a real-life-hero and explains all that he has done that a reel-life hero does! He even turns down a film-offer with -“Mere Paas Maa Hogi!” (I will have my Mother!) Awesome performances by the cast! The actor to watch out for is- the HERO- Shahid Kapoor. He rocks!

N.B:

Mission WhiteElephant*- My child asked, “But Mamma, if Mission White Elephant is successful, then no one will be saved…not even the Mission’s Planners!” Perhaps the Planners planned to leave the city and get saved! Truth is, no one in this world can be saved from the effect, if any such thing really happens! I'm NOT telling you any more than this!!!

Do watch PPNH! Worth the good laughs!

(My Rating- 3.5 *s)

The movie even ends with the catchy song- ‘Let’s Go Bananas!’

So, ready to ‘go bananas’?!

SHUDDH DESI

I bet the moment you saw the title of this post, the recently released movie- 'Shuddh Desi Romance' came to your mind!

Previously, 'Shuddh Desi' referred to Ghee! Like Shuddh Desi Ghee ke Laddoo or Paranthey!
But, now it's about the 'Romance' in a Hindi Movie! 

Okay, I have absolutely no qualms about this. But, my views may be considered prudish!
I loved the previous movie- 'Band Baja Baraat' of Maneesh Sharma, the Director of 'Shuddh Desi Romance'. 

His latest movie advertises itself as-
"52% conservative Indians may not be coming for this film.
For the rest, young at heart...
WE ARE AT A CINEMA NEAR YOU TODAY"

I belong to a 'conservative Indian' family.
Most in my family had an arranged marriage.
I am not comfortable with the idea of 'Live-In' Relationship*.

But, I am young at heart!
I am a great Hindi Movies Fan! 

Can do with some extra 'Romance' and 'Entertainment' Hindi Filmy-Style!
I love the acting of- Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra & even the newcomer, Vaani Kapoor (as I have seen from the Trailors)
I love the catchy songs and the youthful energy of the film.
I have a Movie-Ticket Voucher that I have to use before September 15th!

Still, I find myself debating- Should I go for 'Shuddh Desi Romance'?
Know that parents can't/mustn't take kids along for the movie.

*'Live-In' Relationship is prevalent these days in reel-life as well as real-life (in metros & yet to catch on in small-towns)

However, in 'Shuddh Desi Romance', the action is set in Jaipur.
The Hero is a tourist-guide who is in a 'Live-In' Relationship with Heroine#1. 
Hero & Heroine#1 sing, laugh, dance, frolic in every place...even the terrace!
All would have been fine had the Hero not had a roving-eye and zeroed in on Heroine#2.
Hero shares 27 kisses with Heroines 1 & 2!

(The above is my understanding of the Movie's plot from Trailors & Newspaper-Reports!)


Recently, the movies 'Ashiqui 2', 'Nautanki Saala', 'Murder 3'; 'I, Me, Aur Main', 'Bachna Aye Haseeno'... also dealt with 'Live-In' Relationship.

As I like the sanctity of marriage, in one of my early Blog-posts, I had wondered why did the character played by Sonakshi Sinha have a 'Live-In' Relationship with Akshay Kumar's character in the film, 'Joker' - http://www.anitaexplorer.blogspot.in/2012/09/joker-hindi-movie.html 

Do film-makers show this as it is 'cool' to be in such a relationship?
To be 'married' is boring?
Are they trying to show that the characters are independent and have a mind of their own?
That it is fine to rebel against your parents or worse, hide the truth about your 'Live-In' Relationship status...
And assert- 'I DON'T CARE what the Society thinks..'?

Some may argue that a Film i.e. Reel-Life shows what is already happening in Real-Life!
In reality, the Hero, Sushant Singh Rajput, is in a 'Live-In' Relationship with TV-actress, Ankita Lokhande, his long-time girl-friend.

But, Real-Life mirrors the Reel-Life too!
My Mom said that after the Super-hit Hindi Film 'Bobby' released, there were many newspaper-reports of young adults eloping from their homes, just like the protagonists- Dimple Kapadia & Rishi Kapoor had done on screen!
Am sure that 'Shuddh Desi Romance' should 'inspire' many of this generation!

Note- 'Live-In' Relationship is never 'Shuddh Desi'; rather a concept that's 'Videshi'! 
India has always had traditional values that are fast making way for such modern thinking and living.

True that Polygamy, Polyandry, Concubines...all have had their share in Indian History.
In the Ramayana, King Dasarath had four wives.
While his son, 'MaryaadaPurshottam'- Shri Ram Chandra had only one partner- Devi Sita...
For a vast majority of the population, a single-partner has been the norm.

I do not personally know of anyone indulging in 'Live-In' Relationship in my neighborhood or friends-circle!
Even if I did, I'd have been absolutely fine as it is their life and they have every right and freedom to decide how they wish to live! They are free to live as per their whims or wish!
Who am I to judge or be the 'Kebab Mein Haddi'? 
Just that with my traditional values and upbringing, I would never have gone for it nor will I ever!
They say- 'Never Say Never'. 
But, I am clear about what I want and how I wish to live, just like the people who decide to go for 'Live-In' Relationships are sure of what they want!

There's a brand of Jeans named- 'Live-In'.
The closest I can get is to- try a pair of 'Live-In' Jeans for the ease and comfort, just like what the relationship of marriage offers!

Watching 'Shuddh Desi Romance' should be an enlightening experience!
Incredible India, You have come a long way truly!

Note- These are my personal views! I am like this only!
I respect your views and outlook.

Please feel free to share what you feel. Do comment in the 'Post a Comment' section below!
It'll be wonderful to hear from you!

Chennai Express Journey Again!

I took part in a Twitter Contest last week just to win the delectable prize- Chennai Express movie-tickets! 

As we had been waiting pretty eagerly for the film, I thought it made sense to take part in the ongoing Chennai Express quiz and win the tickets and make it to the first day... 

I was delighted to be amongst the 10 winners in the top trending topic for that day! All 10 of us had managed to win the movie-tickets! Yaay! I sent my address details anticipating to receive Movie-Voucher that would help me book tickets as per my convenience. Getting on the train looked easy!

As Chennai Express was to release on August 9th 2013, I was in regular touch with the said team. My wish was to watch Chennai Express the very day of its release. I got no response from them. The days passed...

 

On August 8th, I realized that there would be Preview shows available for the film that evening. Tickets were pricey! So what?! In the morning itself, I booked two tickets for me and my enthu kid for the first Preview Show at 6 PM! It was raining very heavily. Still, we went ahead with our long-planned plan! We watched and liked the movie, like the rest of the public responsible for the nearly House-Full board! 

 

I shared my review of Chennai Express- http://anitaexplorer.blogspot.in/2013/08/chennai-express-review.html

I shared the 10 lessons I learnt from Chennai Express- http://anitaexplorer.blogspot.in/2013/08/lessons-from-chennai-express.html

 

I thought when I would win my Voucher, I would gift it to my father & sister, who could watch it in my hometown.

Yesterday evening, I got a mail from the team about my Chennai Express Ticket Details! 

But, Hello! What was this? I had got no voucher! They had mailed me a ticket with all details!

 

Note1- Just one ticket! Not even couple-tickets!

Note2- My plan to gift it to my family, living in another city, was murdered in the planning stage!

Note3- The movie-hall isn't near my home!

Note4- It was a morning 9 AM show for the next day i.e. for today- August 14th 2013! Not even for August 15th- a holiday!

I requested the team if they could provide for alternate City or Date/Time. They said now that the ticket had been booked, there would be no change. I shared my feedback that had they given Voucher, we could have selected the Movie-Hall closest to our home and also the Show's Time & Date as per our convenience.

 

Disappointed that I could not gift it to my family, I decided to gift it to any of my friends & well-wishers here. I started calling up all my neighbours, friends, ex-colleagues, my kid's friends parents...even my newspaper delivery-boy and neighbourhood shopkeeper...! 

Some had already watched it in the weekend. Some wanted an additional free ticket as they wanted to go with a friend! Others cited problem with the time-factor- that it's not suitable for office-goers on a Week Day! Still others had issues with the distance they had to travel to the Movie-hall! One of the youngsters, who was keen, had his exams! While another never picked up his phone nor bothered to call me back. But, everyone else whom I communicated with, thanked me profusely for the great offer, while expressing regret that they could not avail themselves of it! Some even asked me to contact them the next time I won anything! I blew up quite a major part of my phone's available talk-time/balance! Much more than the cost-price of the Morning Show Movie-ticket!

"If I were you, I would never offer it to anyone else. I'd have gone on my own!", my kid shared her view!

As no one else volunteered to use the free ticket, I did Self-help service and went for the treat yet again though I had watched it barely 6 days ago! I started out from my home & raced to reach the Movie-Hall as if my life depended on it! 

"Get on the train, Baby" beckoned me as I like watching a movie from the very beginning!

This is how I compulsorily used up the free Movie-ticket I had won! 

A prize is a prize! Very special!

My Motto- Prizes better be gifted away  or be used up by self!

 

Yes! I watched Chennai Express for the second time today...

I admired Deepika Padukone's & SRK's acting again & laughed at the same jokes, enjoyed the colourful songs & cool dances and still got scared when SRK was bashed up in the Climax...

It was good to experience the charming Chennai Express Journey again!