My first Coffee Date

This post has won ‘WOW’ Badge from BlogAdda. Thanks a ton BlogAdda.

Filter Coffee

A beautiful evening. It is raining outside. I am sitting in a famous coffee shop ‘Indian Coffee House’ in God’s own country. Purposefully I chose a seat which was near a window. It was such a pleasant green view outside. Coffee has been my favourite drink since many years. I love filter coffee a lot. I ordered for a glass of coffee and took my diary and a pencil in my hand. A perfect ambiance to write my first ‘WOW’ post. What am I thinking at the moment, wouldn’t it be a great thing to win my ‘WOW’ badge as a blogger. Let me think, what creativity I can bring to weave these three words: Writer, Coffee Shop and Broken Pencil.

Me - a Writer???

All of a sudden I found myself nostalgic. This was the same Indian Coffee House where I had come for my first Coffee Date. That evening was also very beautiful, same as today. I am still wondering, whether the happenings of that day were equally beautiful. Years have gone by but I hold vivid memories even today.

I remember, I was very excited since I had received a call from you that you were coming down to Kerala from Mumbai. We had always been great friends. We had not met after you moved from Kerala to Mumbai for your job a year back. Initially, we were in touch, but slowly the response from you had slowed down. I always missed you around. When you called and said that you have a surprise for me, and asked me to come to Indian Coffee House, I really got thrilled. I kept wondering whether you also feel for me the way I feel for you. I opened the cupboard of my hostel room to check the best dress which I could have worn for my first Coffee date. Out of the four salwar suits, I did not find any of them good enough to be worn for my coffee date with you. Then I checked my wallet. I had Rs. 250/- in it. I thought to explore the ‘Thursday Market’ which was quite famous, since on Thursdays, they used to have garments, bangles, make up items etc. along with vegetables at a very reasonable price. I decided to check my luck there, and luckily I got one beautiful pink suit for Rs. 125/-. You always gave me compliments whenever I wore pink. I could not sleep the whole night, since the next evening, I was supposed to meet you.

The day was pretty long, and finally I got ready, wore my new suit and reached the coffee shop “Indian Coffee House” much before the time. My heart beats were fast. I was going to meet you after a year. I had also decided to speak my heart out today. I was waiting eagerly for you.

Oh God, finally you came. My eyes were completely focused on you while you were entering the coffee house. You were looking handsome. You had a broad smile on your face. Was I blushing? Yes, of course.

Who was she? I saw that you were accompanied by a beautiful girl. My intuition told me that I have lost you to her, but I was not ready to believe it so soon. Both of you came and sat on my table. I had so many questions on my mind, but I put a brave front waiting for you to introduce the girl to me. Then I heard you saying: “Hey, this is my surprise to you. She is Suhaani, my fiancée. We are getting married next month”. You continued speaking but I hardly listened to you. But I didn’t forget to keep smiling although my heart was crying. I looked at Suhaani. She was extremely beautiful, perfect fit to her name. You were continuing your talk about how you met Suhaani through one of your relatives and then the families arranged for the wedding. And today, you wanted her to meet me, your ‘best’ friend. Suhaani also seemed excited to meet me. Meanwhile you even ordered for Coffee. Both of you kept speaking to me, asking me something or the other. I nodded for some, answered some… While I was sipping coffee along with you both, I also felt that my eyes were getting moist. I understood that I can’t hold back my tears for long. After finishing the coffee and just chit-chatting for a few more minutes, I took your leave giving the excuse of some urgent commitment.

Both of you came out to see me off. I took an auto-rickshaw. I shook hands with both of you wishing you the very best in life. Waived off good bye to you both. My auto-rickshaw moved. With moist eyes, I saw you both going back to Indian Coffee House holding hands of each other, cracking jokes. You both were so happy together. I was feeling lot of pain inside. I felt the anguish of not expressing to you earlier in regard to my feelings for you. I assumed that you understood my feelings. Alas! I was only your ‘best friend’, never more than that. And here I was dreaming a life with you. A great lump in my throat. Tears were rolling down my cheeks.

Broken Pencil

The warmth of the tears brought me back from the memory lane. 15 years have gone by. Here, I am sitting again in this Indian Coffee House, coincidentally, I have chosen the same seat. I am sitting alone in front of the brewing coffee. AH! Enjoying the smell of filter coffee. As a blogger, people at times call me a writer. But I think, I just pour my heart out in my writings, and that is what I have done today also. Sharing my first Coffee Date with you all, sitting in this coffee shop, with a broken pencil in my hand weaving the story of my life. I took the sharpener to sharpen the pencil- an effort to mend my broken heart.  

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Review of Gour Hari Dastaan: The Freedom File

Image Courtesy: Indiannerve.com

Cast: Vinay Pathak (Gour Hari Das), Konkana Sen (Lakshmi), Ranvir Shorey (Rajiv Singhal), Tannishtha (Anita), Saurabh Shukla (Special Secretary – Freedom Cell), Rajit Kapoor (Mohan Joshi), Vipin Sharma (Ahirkar), Vikram Gokhale (Chief Minister), Rahul Vohra (Editor), Ganesh Yadav (Home Minister), Vinay Apte (MLA Olwe), Asrani, Vidya Malwade, Mohan Kapur (Doctor), Murli Sharma (Godbole), Neha, Achint Kaur, Tapasvi Mehta, Siddarth Jadhav (Tout)

Direction: Anant Narayan Mahadevan

Produced by: Bindiya Khanolkar, Sachin Khanolkar

Screenplay: Anant Narayan Mahadevan, CP Surendran  

Music: Dr. L Subramaniam

Cinematography: Alphonse Roy

Edited by: Sreekar Prasad

Sound Designer: Resul Pookutty

Re-Recording: Anup Dev

Release Date: 14^th August, 2015

Duration: 111 minutes

Language: Hindi

Gour Hari Dastaan: The Freedom File – A film by National Award Winning Filmmaker Anant Narayan Mahadevan. When I watched this film during Jagran Film Festival in July 2015 at Delhi, I did feel that I watched one of the best films of my life. After watching it for the second time in theater on our 69^th Independence Day, I reiterate that, Gour Hari Dastaan is indeed one of the best movies I have watched in my life. Impeccable directing by Anant Mahadevan.

What is so special about Gour Hari Dastaan: One might wonder, what makes this movie special. There are so many factors, I would certainly mention a few of them, although I would also ensure that I don’t steal your right of experiencing the same by watching it on screen.  

One of the factors is that it is a biopic on Gour Hari Das, a freedom fighter, who is now 84 years old and living in Mumbai. It is his story of fighting with lots of patience and persistence for his own rights against the bureaucracy, red-tapism, corruption etc. prevailing in our country. 

The Real Gour Hari Das (Image Courtesy: firstpost.com)

Another factor is the way this story has been treated, conveyed and directed by Anant Mahadevan. Certain details are covered in such a natural manner, which is certainly going to leave you spellbound. Terrific acting by ensemble cast who have put soul into every character: Vinay Pathak as Gour Hari Das, Konkana Sen as Lakshmi, Ranvir Shorey as Rajiv Singhal, Tannishtha as Anita are all just awesome. A few other actors who had very less screen time, but still left a deep impact via their performances viz. Saurabh Shukla, Rajit Kapoor, Vipin Sharma, Vikram Gokhale, Asrani, Vidya Malwade, Mohan Kapur, Murli Sharma, Achint Kaur. Veteran Dr. L. Subramaniam’s music needs no mention and is so good. Even the release date is so well-timed, eve of 69^th Independence Day and it is indeed dedicated to an unsung hero (and many like him) who was part of freedom struggle. It has received so many accolades and awards in International Film Festivals. In short, Gour Hari Dastaan is a perfect combination of ethos, pathos, logos, story, direction, acting etc. This film is going to move you, touch your hearts. Rather, every Indian is going to love this film.

The Review: Gour Hari Dastaan is the story of Gandhian Freedom Fighter Gour Hari Das (Vinay Pathak). The film begins with Andre Gide’s quote: “To know how to free oneself is nothing; the arduous thing is to know what to do with one’s freedom.” This quote actually sets out the whole tone of the movie. Gour Hari Das, an unsung hero of our freedom struggle, who first fought for the country, but later on had to fight against the country.

The initial frame of the movie shows a teenager trying to escape on railway tracks with a train running parallelly. Background dialogues mention that the freedom struggle is not only fought by Nehru or Gandhi, but these young people are also fighters. They were making mention of Mahatma Gandhi’s Vanar Sena who was part of freedom struggle. Vanar Sena was basically children’s army, who used to pass on the secret messages to revolutionaries. Gour Hari Das joined freedom struggle at the age of 14 in 1945, was also part of this Vanar Sena, fought for country’s freedom, went to jail.

Frames move to the decade of 70’s where Gour Hari Das is shown in his house with his son Alok. Alok wanted to have his father’s Jailor Certificate, which could have fetched him Engineering college admission in special quota assigned to freedom fighters. But college principal denies to acknowledge Gour Hari Das as a freedom fighter on the basis of this certificate. Disappointed Alok vents out his frustration at his father and asks in doubt – “Were you actually a freedom fighter”. Here begins the story of Gour Hari Das versus India’s systems. Alok decides to go abroad for his studies and further career. But Gour Hari Das consistently continues writing to the Indian Government to grant him Tamarapatra (Certificate of him being a Freedom Fighter). Standing along with him is his wife Lakshmi (Konkana Sen Sharma, what a performance by her!), a strong pillar of support. Lakshmi’s unconditional support reflects so beautifully through her body language. She is neither judgmental for her husband’s 32 years of fight nor for her son’s flying abroad for better prospects.

For Gour Hari Das, it was a matter of restoring his own identity. When asked by others whether it is his fight to get the freedom fighter’s pension, he soulfully conveys, no, it isn’t about pension or any sort of ego. He was part of the freedom struggle, who fought from Balasore (Odisha) and was jailed for almost 90 days. This was so much part of his identity that if the Tamarapatra was not given to him, he felt that his identity itself was at stake.

Journalist Rajiv Singhal (Ranvir Shorey) is trying to cover the story of Gour Hari Das in Mid Day for which he is questioned by his boss, who wants him to focus on gay rights, the stories which could sell more. Rajiv does not pay heed to his boss and wants to further explore the truth associated with Gour Hari Das’ story. Anita (Tannishtha), Rajiv’s colleague, supports him to explore the truth.

Gour Hari Das’ dastaan continues. It is his struggle for 32 years, knocking 321 doors, writing 1043 letters to different officials, climbing 66000 steps, pleading 2300 times in the Post-independence period to prove that he was the freedom fighter who was even blessed by Mahatma Gandhi and jailed for fighting against Britishers. He visited government offices, influential politicians, ministers, media, jail officials etc. During this turbulent journey, he was called ‘fraud’, ‘thief’, ‘crazy’, ‘eccentric’ by others. But he continued his journey with strong determination. But it took away from him 3 decades of lifetime to finally get justice.

One has to watch the movie and experience his journey. It is amazing to see his perseverance. A dialogue which stayed with me was: “I feel The British did lot of good, atleast we knew, who the enemy was?” The tragedy which is depicted in this film is that Gour Hari first fought for the country’s freedom, but in spite of getting freedom, later on he had to fight against the country.  

Gour Hari Das with Wife (Image Courtesy: www.indiatimes.com)

 Beautiful moments, many of them brought tears to my eyes and gave me goosebumps:

·         Real Gour Hari Das on screen at the end of the film

·         Gour Hari Das taking out the laminated copy of Jailor’s Certificate to give it to his son Alok.

·         Gour Hari Das’s filing all the papers systematically and carrying it wherever he goes and knocks doors, be it media, be it government officials, be it home minister etc. He calls it ‘The Freedom File’.

·         Gour Hari Das’ typing letters to various officials.  

·         The manner in which Lakshmi, son Alok and daughter-in-law Neha break the news to Gour Hari Das in regard to government sanctioning his Tamarapatra

·         Gour Hari Das’ expressions when he actually got his Tamarapatra in his hands

·         Gour Hari Das’ denying an offer of having tea with the Minister and telling him, half of his life was spent on fighting for the country, and rest of his life was wasted in fighting against the country.

·         Gour Hari Das looking at the boys at a traffic light with a deep sigh when the boys were trying to sell Indian Flag for 5-10 Rupees.

·         Gour Hari Das taking his foot back, when he saw the reflection of Indian Flag on water in road.

·         The Climax Scene

National Award-Winning and other prestigious award winning Team of Gour Hari Dastaan: Anant Narayan Mahadevan, Konkana Sen Sharma, Tannishtha, Vikram Gokhale, Rajit Kapur, Saurabh Shukla, Sreekar Prasad (Editor), Anup Dev (Re-Recordist), Resul Pookutty (Oscar-Winning Sound Designer), Alphonse Roy (Emmy Award-winning cinematographer), Dr L Subramaniam (Grammy Nominee), Producers-Bindiya Khanolkar & Sachin Khanolkar.

Made its presence felt in various film festivals

Image Courtesy: Facebook Page of Gour Hari Dastaan

 Gour Hari Dastaan, a must-watch film by every Indian. Perfect blend of ethos, pathos, logos, impeccable direction, acting by ensemble cast, excellent screenplay. This film is going to move you, touch your hearts. One question which pops up in mind –“When will we be free in real sense, and what will we do with this freedom?” This movie is beyond any rating, I want to give it 5+.

Rating: 5/5 (Excellent)

ZenFestival: Zensation on the Rise

Image Courtesy: Facebook Page of ASUS India

Smartphones have already changed the way we live our lives. Although popularized initially as a handy emailing tool for busy executives on the move, now, smartphones have become an integral part of people’s lives, and used for leisure, entertainment, social networking, photography etc. Smartphone has become ubiquitous.

Exclusive Superpass for ZenFestival 2015

It was in the month of April, 2015 that I got to attend ASUS ZenFone 2 launch. I was equally excited when I got my ‘Exclusive Superpass’ invite for the launch event at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for unleashing the superpowers of new variants of ZenFone on 6^th August, 2015. This turned out to be a huge event, rather it actually turned out to be a festival in real sense – the Zen Festival. Media, bloggers, technical experts, young students from various institutes formed the audience. ASUS’ attempt to have more real-time interaction, closer relationship with consumers reflected through this Zen Festival and is incredible.

Me at the event along with friends Pooja, Vivin, Vijay, Raj

My Incredible T-shirt and Zenny

I was overwhelmed to see the huge turnout of audience. Although  I regret not being able to meet many of my blogger friends. The registration area had Digital Graffitti wall and Photo Op Zone as well. People enjoyed clicking themselves in these zones. The auditorium was also jam packed.

Image Courtesy: Facebook Page of ASUS India

Let me try to share with you a glimpse of ZenFestival event.

The event was hosted by very famous VJ Cyrus Sahukar. He interacted with the audience as well. The event kickstarted with an awesome performance by drummers and dancers. 

Host Cyrus Sahukar; Image Courtesy: Facebook Page of ASUS India

Drummers & Dancers;   Image Courtesy: Facebook Page of ASUS India

Drummers & Dancers; Image Courtesy: Vijay Raj - IClickd

It was followed by ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih taking stage to do the announcements and launch formalities. He expressed his delight : “We are very excited to bring our latest ZenFone models and all new ZenPad series to the Indian Market. These brand new innovations are each an empowering luxury that strikes the perfect balance of beauty, functionality and performance, and offers Indian consumers a premium user experience tailored to their individual mobile needs.”

ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih;  Image Courtesy: Facebook Page of ASUS India

Jonney  Shih expressed his gratitude towards India for welcoming ASUS ZenFone 2 with open arms. He mentioned about 25000 units’ sale on a single day in India and also about  15,00,000 shipments made to India during the period of last one year. He also spoke about the ZenFone 2’s performance in other countries globally viz. Taiwan, China, South East Asia, France, Italy, Japan, US etc.

Indian Market appears to be very good for ASUS ZenFone

Announcements were made in regard to the features, pricing and availability of the latest additions to the ZenFone and ZenPad families viz. ZenFone 2 Deluxe, ZenFone 2 Laser, ZenFone Selfie, ZenPad 7.0, ZenPad 8.0 and last but not the least ZenFone Max.

Jonney Shih unleashed the superpowers of ZenFone 2 Deluxe, ZenFone 2 Laser. Actress Sonakshi Sinha joined Jen Chuang (from ASUS Design Team) to launch ZenFone Selfie. Sonakshi even tried some selfie on-the-spot. Jen Chuang later unveiled ZenPad 7.0 and ZenPad 8.0. The event also saw the worldwide debut of incredible new model ZenFone Max, which was done by Jonney Shih.

Jen Chuang; Image Courtesy: Vijay Raj - IClickd 

Actress Sonakshi Sinha; Image Courtesy: Vijay Raj - IClickd

Zenny made a cute appearance on stage giving good moments of entertainment.

Zenny and Jonney; Image Courtesy: Facebook Page of ASUS India

Unleashing Superpowers; Image Courtesy: Facebook Page of ASUS India

The details about different ZenFone mobiles are mentioned below.

ZenFone 2 Deluxe: See the Crystal Miracle

ZenFone2 Deluxe introduces a stunning new multifaceted polygonal design aesthetic to the ZenFone 2, offering beauty and power in abundance. It includes the latest ASUS ZenUI – the world’s first fully-customizable mobile interface – and Trend Micro^TM  security software for safe web browsing.

ZenFone 2 Laser: See at the Speed of Light

It includes laser auto-focus technology in its 13MP PixelMaster camera for clear, near-instant shots. Available in 5 inch, 5.5 inch, and 6.0 inch versions with upto 1920 X 1080 – pixel full HD resolution, ZenFone 2 Laser also incorporates the latest and toughest Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It boasts an upto octa-core 64-bit Qualcomm^® Snapdragon^TM  processor with upto 3 GB of fast memory for unwavering performance.

ZenFone Selfie: See the Perfect You

ZenFone Selfie is the ultimate choice for selfies, with its twin 13MP PixelMaster cameras and a dual-colour, dual-LED Real tone flash at both front and rear. It is a trailblazing fusion of fashion, technology and craftsmanship that lets users see their perfect selves. It also has laser auto-focus for ultra-fast shots with complete clarity. Its ergonomic arc design and intuitive rear key makes capturing selfies easier than ever, with live digital cosmetics to aplly some magical glamour – all enjoyed instantly on the stunning 5.5-inch Full HD display.

ZenFone Max: See for Longer

ZenFone Max is the latest addition to ZenFone family. It features an ultra-high-capacity 5000 mAh battery for incredible battery life, plus a 13MP PixelMaster amera with laser auto-focus for near-instant focusing and exceptional clarity.

ASUS ZenPad 7.0 and 8.0

These are the premium 7-inch and 8-inch tablets that combine refined styling, incredible entertainment capabilities with rich and vivid visual experience, and are the world’s first tablets to offer customizable functionality, as well as being the world’s first tablets to integrate DTS-HD Premium Sound^TM for the ultimate sound experience.

ZenPad is the world’s first tablet to feature an innovative interchangeable cover design that lets users easily customize their tablet with functional back covers. These can provide extra features and additional colour options, while perfectly matching ZenPad’s looks. Zen Clutch is a sophisticated carrying and protection solution for ZenPad; Zen Case lets users outfit ZenPad in their choice of five sleek or vivid colours and features a fine leather tecture; and Audio Cover brings immersive 5.1 – channel surround sound to a tablet for the first time. Power Case extends ZenPad’s battery life, giving users upto 16 hours of usage to easily get them through their day or even the long international flights.

ZenPad is available with LTE/3G connectivity and phone functionality or as a Wi-Fi- only model.

Comparison with IPhone 6 was done in many of the aspects, whether it was in terms of price range, camera, photo quality etc.

Availability

ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe, ZenFone Selfie, ZenFone 2 Laser will be available from August 2015 in India for online purchase through Flipkart, ASUS Exclusive stores and authorized retailers.

Source of Images

Wherever, I have not mentioned any courtesy for images in this post, those photographs are clicked by my mobile. For other images, I have mentioned the courtesy.

I would like to thank my dear friend Vijay Raj who has shared his photographs with me. He is a great photographer as well as a Tech Blogger. Please see more photographs of this event ZenFestival by Vijay at IClickd

I have also picked up a few photographs from the facebook page of ASUS India. Please have a look at this link of ASUS Page.

Further Information

Please visit http://www.asus.com/in for further information.

Pre-Order it here:

http://www.flipkart.com/mobiles/~new-range-of-asus-zenfone/pr?sid=tyy%2C4io

Review of Drishyam (Hindi)

Cast: Ajay Devgn (Vijay Salgaonkar), Shriya Saran (Nandini Vijay Salgaonkar), Tabu (IG Meera Deshmukh), Rajat Kapoor (Mahesh, Meera’s husband), Ishita Dutta (Anju, Vijay’s daughter), Mrinal Jadhav (Anu, Vijay’s daughter), Kamlesh Sawant (Inspector Gaitonde), Prathamesh Parab

Direction: Nishikant Kamat

Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Ajit Andhare, Abhishek Pathak

Production Company: Panorama Studios

Written by: Upendra Sidhaye (Adapted Screenplay and Dialogue)

Story by: Jeethu Joseph

Cinematography: Avinash Arun

Music by: Songs - Vishal Bhardwaj; Background Score – Sameer Phatarpekar

Edited by: Aarif Sheikh

Distributed by: Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

Release Date: 31^st July, 2015

Duration: 2 hour 43 minutes

Language: Hindi

Drishyam is the remake of hugely successful Malayalam film and Mohanlal Starrer (2013) by the same name.  Drishyam in Malayalam had done huge amount of business at box office. It has already been remade in Kannada (Drishya in 2014), Telugu (Drushyam in 2014), and very recently in Tamil (Papanasam in 2015). The remakes were very well appreciated and received by the audience. So, now, it is the turn of Drishyam in Hindi.

Hindi Drishyam team has 10 national award winners coming together: Ajay Devgn (Zakhm, The Legend of Bhagat Singh), Tabu (Chandni Baar, Machis), Gulzar, Vishal Bhardwaj (Haider, Ishqiya, Omkara, The Blue Umbrella, Godmother), Director Nishikant Kamat (Best Feature Film in Marathi – Dombivali Fast), Cinematographer Avinash Arun (Killa – Best Marathi Film 2014), Editor Aarif Shaikh (Best Editor – Samay: When Time Strikes’), Viacom 18 Motion Pictures (Best Popular Film providing wholesome entertainment – Mary Kom and Best Hindi Film and Queen), Producers Kumar Mangat Patahk and Abhishek Pathak (Boond).

This review is very special for me, since, it has come full circle for me as a blogger. I started my movie reviews’ blog with the review of Malayalam Drishyam on 1^st January, 2014 and here I am reviewing its official remake in Hindi on 1^st August, 2015, exactly after 19 months of my blogging journey.

The Review

The film credits begin with the punch line: “Visuals can be deceptive”.  Indeed it turns out to be so. What we see could be absolutely deceiving. This film does not deal with the ‘right / wrong’. It neither promotes the ‘right’ nor condemns the ‘wrong’. No justification is given through the screenplay. The film depicts what one could do in a particular crisis. Especially, when it comes to one’s family, he / she can turn out to be very protective and go to any extent to save his / her family. Drishyam has to be watched not with the lens of wisdom, but with the lens of it being a piece of art, which showcases the journey of a head of a family who protects his family by all means.

Soon after the credits, we get to see a new Police officer taking charge in a Police Station, where Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn) is waiting. Flash back takes us to the events which led Vijay to be sitting in the Police Station. The story is set up in Goa and is about a Marathi family. Vijay is a local businessman, running his cable company. At many occasions, during the movie, his journey as a self-made man is reiterated. He is an orphan and a 4^th class fail.

Vijay is shown to be part of a happy family with Nandini (Shriya Saran) as his wife and two daughters Anju (Ishita Dutta) and Anu (Mrinal Jadhav). Although it does appear to be strange that most of the nights Vijay is hooked on to movies at office. Vijay is also a great movie buff and he keenly watches various movies and also rationalizes the scenes. He emotes watching movies. Some very light moments are shown in his family, where he acts stingy and wife demands shopping, movie, eating at a restaurant etc. I just wished these family moments could have been made more engaging rather than limiting its portrayal through a song. These moments were very slow.

Another character which is introduced right from the initial frames is Inspector Gaitonde (Kamlesh Sawant), with whom, Vijay ends up having verbal tiffs most of the time. Inspector Gaitonde becomes an integral part of the whole plot.

There are some good moments of laughter between Vijay and his assistant, who takes care of the day-to-day cable network activities and troubleshooting.

Vijay’s happy family picture gets a blow when an unprecedented event hits them. This event sees the entry of IG Meera Deshmukh (Tabu) and her husband Mahesh Deshmukh (Rajat Kapoor) in the scene. Situations take such a turn where Vijay finds himself opposite to Meera and in the shackles of law. You are definitely going to get completely engaged and absorbed in the twist of events that begin to unfold in the second half. It is all about how Vijay and his family stand together, and despite the vengeful villainy of Inspector Gaitonde and the law taking its own course. Drama follows. Meera, who initially underestimates the uneducated 4^th standard failed Vijay, later understands that Vijay is too smart. The psychological cat-and-mouse game that ensues between Vijay and Meera has several moments which you are going to enjoy.  Mahesh, although in a brief role, brings a lot of balance to the situations with his very objective outlook even during the crisis.  

What is that one event which makes Vijay and his family land in trouble? How they find themselves in the clutches of law? What is the thread which connects Meera and Mahesh to this event? How do the story move further, and the events unfold? Will Vijay and his family’s lives be same ever again? Who is right: Vijay and his family or Meera & Mahesh? The climax is the high point of this movie, which is absolutely unpredictable. Watch it out yourself.

  

A Comparison between the Original and the Hindi Remake

It is natural to draw the parallels between the original and the remake. Mohanlal could bring so much depth and spontaneity to his character of Georgekutty in Malayalam. I remember watching Jeethu Joseph’s Malayalam Drishyam with bated breath, never wanting to miss a moment of the film on screen. This gripping tale had left me spellbound with its skillful craft.

Nishikant Kamat’s Drishyam misses the punch. The first half is very slow as well as shallow. The movie definitely picks up in the second half. Ajay Devgn is such a great actor and generally he is able to bring so much intensity to the character he plays, but somewhere his real intensity hasn’t come out optimally. Ajay Devgn has interpreted Vijay in his manner than the original. He has underplayed himself, was it the need of the script? His intensity does come out in the second half, still, I would like to say that we have seen more intense Ajay in other movies viz. Zakham, Gangajal, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai etc.

Another thing I could not decipher is that characters played by Ajay, Shriya, and their kids – Ishita and Mrinal all have been given a very submissive tone of communication even during happy times. In the original version, the whole family was full of life in the first half, banter between Mohanlal and his leading lady Meena was really interesting. The stingy behaviour of Georgekutty and demanding nature of his wife Rani generated lot of lighter sub plots in the original. Also, lots of hilarious moments were there between Mohanlal and his assistant in office. Mohanlal’s playfulness is missing in this version of Ajay Devgn.  Shriya Saran’s portrayal of Nandini lacked depth. Shriya definitely is looking very pretty on screen, but there is nothing more than this.

Who emerges the strongest in this Hindi version is Tabu and her portrayal of Meera Deshmukh. She is so convincing. Rajat Kapoor has a very small supportive role but he does add lot of value to the film with his sheer presence. Also, Kamlesh Sawant does a wonderful work.

Let me admit that Hindi Drishyam has immense scope of improvement. Having said this, I feel, for all those viewers, who have not watched the original or any other South Indian version, Drishyam must be watched for its interesting gripping storyline and especially for the 2^nd half.

Drishyam though lacks the punch of its original version (Mohanlal starrer Malayalam film Drishyam), will not disappoint you with its extremely gripping storyline unraveling with twists & turns in the 2^nd half, and also the very climax. My rating for this movie goes as 3 mainly because I did comparison with the original version. Am sure, in case, you are first time watchers and have not watched the original, you might be able to rate higher.

Rating: 3/5 (Good)