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Jai Ho… Salman Khan’s Sunny Deol Act

Jai Ho has been the most anticipated movie of 2013 and 2014 as it was announced to be released initially at the end of 2013 by Sohail Khan under the name of “Sher Khan” and later as “Mental”, but the name was finalized as “Jai Ho”. The movie is a remake of Stalin (a Telugu film inspired by “Pay It Forward”). The movie has a lot to offer to the common man “the aam janta”. It has drama, action, romance, comedy, weird songs, Salman’s very own dancing style and bollywood masala.

Jai Ho revolves around Jai Agnihotri (Salman Khan), an ex-army officer who was court-martialed because of his bravery and not following the orders of his superior in command Major Arjun (Suniel Shetty). Jai runs a motor garage and with his friends Babu (Yash tonk) and Sumit (Ashmit Patel) helps the aam janta (the common people) by saving them from the attiyachaar of bad people. Accidently, Jai comes across the malicious politician Dashrat Singh (Danny Denzongpa) and his family of pitiless power-driven scoundrels (Mukul Dev, Sana Khan and Haroon Qazi). Rest is the usual story of good winning over the evil.

The best thing about Jai Ho is that it has a cast which viewers would see after a hiatus. Even for brief roles some big names of their times have been casted. Like Sharad Kapoor, Mukul Dev, Aditya Panscholi, Nauheed Cyrusi, Vikas Bhalla, Tulip Joshi, Genelia Deshmukh, and Sameer Khakar along with Tabu have blessed with roles after a long gap in this film.

After watching Jai Ho, one can easily understand that it’s no one else but Salman Khan who can effortlessly step into the shoes of Sunny Deol. The action sequences shown in Jai Ho are larger than life, the way Salman bhai flies, fights and twists and turns goons in the air can only be matched with the class which Sunny Deol or South Indian movies have.

Jai Ho offers a lesson as well and that is “do good to 3 people in life and ask them to continue this chain”. The concept is theoretically right but practically is as close to as having “ideal gas” in reality.

As far as the performances are concerned, it’s like all Salman Khan movies; a Salman Khan enterprise. He fights likes a tiger and he roars like a lion (which at times sounded quite funny as well). But if you are a die-hard fan of Salman bhai it is digestible, something of similar idiocy would have caused a lot of giggles in the cinema halls – if it would be someone else. Tabu is like always, composed, effective and effortless. She sparks wherever the high voltage scenes demanded the flash. Denny is perfect in his character and leaves an impact. Daisy Shah dances really well and looks gorgeously sexy in all the songs. Nadira Babbar (Salman’s mom) overacts and is very loud. There isn’t much for Aditya Panscholi but he has strong screen presence and his expressions are worth noticing. Mukul Dev is remarkable, so is Haroon Qazi (debut).

Sameer Khakar (the drunkard) has returned to the celluloid after a very long time. He gives a noteworthy performance. This actor should be given more roles (Parinda was one of his finest movies). The kid portraying Salman’s nephew Naman Jain is a natural talent, this is his forth movie (after Chillar Party, Raanjhana and Bombay Talkies) and he is simply a sweetheart. Santosh Shukla (Manik) leaves a mark. Sudesh Lahiri manages to bring smile on audiences’ faces. Pulkit Samrat adds freshness and delivers a very calculated performance.

If you are planning to watch this movie then leave your brain at rest and imagine you are going to watch a movie with a lot of dhishoom-dhamakas / fight sequences, flying bikes, one man beating up the entire nation.

Jai Ho is literally a new-age version of “One Man Army” and a tribute to Sunny Deol’s “Dhhai Kilo ka haath”.

I rate it 3 out of 5 on the basis of performances, Salman-power and some emotional scenes.

This post was initially posted at Express Tribune's Blog, under my name.

CLUB 60 – Movie Review: Life is meant to be LIVED and not PASSED!

It takes a great team to showcase a film that is fully equipped with great script, screenplay, amazing idea, and loaded with some extra-ordinary performances. Club 60 is among those films for sure. It’s embarrassing for Bollywood to promote senseless cinema on everyday basis and don’t breath a word about a masterpiece that was released 3 to 4 weeks ago. The other movies which released over the last 3 weeks include R.. Rajkumar, Bullet Raja and Dhoom 3. These movies do have star power, huge banners backing them and some out of the world promotional strategies with crores and crores of box office business but unfortunately they all lack in substance.

Club 60 marks the directorial debut of Sanjay Tripathy. He is flawless in his first attempt. With a cast including Farooq Shaikh, Sarika, Tinnu Anand, Raghuveer Yadav, Satish Shah, Sharat Saxena and Zarina Wahab etc. one can only imagine the kind of script this movie has. After all, the mentioned names are considered as institute in themselves.

Club 60 revolves, primarily, around a couple in their early 60’s, Dr. Tariq (Farooq Shaikh) and Dr. Saira (Sarika), who has lost their only son in a terrorist attack executed in USA. The couple decides to move to another city in an apartment. There enters Mannubhai (Raghuveer Yadav), a total fun-loving being. He is one of those individuals who always helps others and keep cracking the jokes irrespective of understanding the nature of time. He insists Dr. Tariq to join “Club 60” a club for senior citizens. In Club 60, Mannu Bhai introduces Dr. Tariq with his gang of friends Sinha (Vineet Kumar), Jaffar Bhai (Tinnu Anand), Dhillon (Sharat Saxena) and Mansukhani ( Satish Shah). The movie is all about the ups and downs that one faces in life right from childhood to old age and understanding the fact that life is meant to be lived than passed.

The narration of the movie is first-rate. The length of the movie could have been shortened to 15 minutes (to the most), including the Sharat Saxena’s pub scene and a song or two. Apart from that this is a perfect movie for those who love genuine cinema with power packed drama, some nice situational comic scenes and above all this movie gives an in-depth depiction of every person’s life in more than many ways. Whether you are in your 20’s or 60’s, this movie will make you glued to your seat with its experience.

As far as performances are concerned, Farooq Sheikh is flawless. After “Listen Amaya”, this is an apt selection of the movie. He portrays multiple emotions with complete ease. Raghuveer Yadav is top-notch. He delivers a marvelous performance and touches ones heart naturally. It was a difficult role but Sarika remarkably slid into it. Her outburst in the post interval and the entire argument is worth a watch. Sharat Saxena and Satish Shah are both lovable. They are the most promising actors right from the days of Kala Pathar and Jaanay Bhi Do Yaro. I seriously hope Tinnu Anand should get back to signing more movies; he impresses a lot in dramatic scenes. Vineet Kumar is good. Warina Wahab, for a scene and a song is nice.

Club 60 is highly recommended for cine-goers who appreciate high quality and high content cinema. I would rate it 4.5 / 5. It’s a must watch!

Managing Clients’ Feedback

For any content writer, social media expert and designer the clients’ feedback is the key to either motivate or de-motivate him. When a client provides his feedback to the professional it can be negative, positive and even constructive. For a writer, designer or social media expert it, at times, becomes difficult to handle a clients’ feedback.

To make a long story short, for everyone receiving a positive feedback is perfectly fine but negative feedbacks need to be managed and constructive feedbacks need to be understood well enough.

Now let’s focus on HOW can a professional manage a negative feedback and, of course, WHY?

Benefits of managing a negative feedback:

Everything happens for a reason, so does negative feedback. Following are the benefits of focusing on negative feedbacks:

1 – It helps you to become effective, efficient and understand the clients’ approach.

2 – It also helps in cutting down the delivery time.

3 – Last but definitely not the least, it will help you keep your client happy and satisfied in terms of hearing him out.

If you master the skill of managing your clients’ negative feedback you will definitely become the most demanded professional in the corporate world.

How to become a super hero for your clients?

Content writing, social media marketing and designing are related to creativity. Creativity needs to be judged and liked by viewers, readers and target market. To improve your creativity, collecting opinions and criticism is a must. And after receiving it, following are the most significant actions:

1 – Document your feedback

2 – Simplify vague & hazy feedbacks

3 – Illustrate how a feedback can impact or change the scope of the project

Make sure that at the end of the delivery there shouldn’t be any surprises or let me add bolt from the blue, for clients.

Avoid followings:

a - Never get emotional after receiving a negative feedback (if your client is in the state of understanding your point then educate him – don’t force).

b - Don’t do the rest of the project half-heartedly, after the negative feedback.

With the above mentioned and discussed points I am sure you will be able to handle and manage the feedbacks received from clients. If you have more to add, do share.

Good luck!

Facing Employees Turnover High? Who's To Blame!

Have you ever thought what makes an employee resign from his / her job? Do you know why hard working employees bog down and leave the job that they love the most? After all, once they were head over heels to get appointed for the same job! What went wrong and resulted in a resignation?

The answer is quite simple yet blunt and might not be liked by many employers if said out straight. To sugar coat the bitter answer let’s just focus on a simple thing, who (according to management gurus) motivates an employee? Who keeps the interest level high on job and who designates the work to the workforce? It’s none other than the super-visor, manager of employer (himself).

If employees find it difficult to stick to your organization resulting in high turnover then it’s high time to go through a self evaluation test. This test needs to be thorough and for the betterment of your own sake as a professional, person and a manager.

According to famous authors, named Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman “Employees leave managers and not organizations, it has already been observed that companies pay lucrative salaries, mouth watering perks and professional trainings but at the end of the day, just because of managers a resourceful employee leaves the job”

It is a commonly taught principle that an employee looks out for a better salary along with better position and perks but on the other hand, it is a commonly preached and understood fact that employees need to be treated with decency, respect and equality. As per Maslow’s hierarchy, if I would explain it, an employee might jump on a job because of his Physiological needs (i.e. Food, Shelter and Money) but to stay on job he needs to be given security, respect and freedom to express (i.e. Safety needs and Esteem needs). I suppose with this example it should be self-explanatory.

I wish you all (employers / managers) a great and talented workforce. I also wish, all the employees to have good managers and employers.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag – A Flying Tale of A Flying Sikh

A great movie experience is a combination of many things. It includes a convincing plot, high voltage drama, light moments that stay with viewers even when they leave the theatre, good music, inspirational elements and a few emotional scenes. “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” is among those movies which offer all the above mentioned ingredients at par. For those who keep a track of innovative, interesting and path breaking Indian Cinema the name of Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra is the symbol of excellence. Whenever he unfolded his sleeves, movies like “Aks”, “Rang de Basanti” and “Delhi-6” were witnessed by cine-goers. All these movies are distinctive in one way or the other. BMB is nothing different than them. It is a master stroke – without a doubt.

Farhan Akhtar secretes immense talent but no one has, up till Rakeysh Om Prakash, utilized that talent. Farhan’s directorial ventures “Dil Chahta Hai” and “Lakshya” made people realize his credibility as one of the finest directors. As an actor, BMB is his landmark. The way he has carried out his role and portrayed his emotions definitely demand standing ovation.

BMB is based on the journey of great Indian athlete Milkha Singh (also known as Flying Sikh). It is a movie about a boy whose entire family excluding his elder sister was murdered in the riots of Indo-Pak partition and he became a national and international rage back in 1960’s. It is also about the bond between a brother and sister – executed with exceptional detailing. Moreover, the movie is about a blooming romance, some promises with loved ones, emotional fits, flying high yet not leaving the ground by any means and a lot more. In short it’s about the life of Milkha Singh and what he went through.

Performance wise, Farhan Akhtar deserves to be nominated for this movie especially by critics. He is a revelation in BMB. He tackles the most difficult parts with complete ease and effortlessness. His transitions can be easily witnessed and felt by the audience from first scene to the last. Divya Dutta as Milkha Singh’s sister is vibrant, emotional, lovable and above all highly expressive. In 2 of the scenes particularly, she involved the audience to a level by her performance that no one could resist moistening their eyes. This is a performance she will always be reminded of. Sonam Kapoor (as Biro), Meesha Shafi (as Perizaad) and Rebecca Breeds (as Stella) had limited roles but they all performed well in their respective characters.

Pavan Malhotra (as Milkha Singh’s senior) is inspirational and at his peak. This actor is unfortunately most underrated, he needs to be casted in more movies to show-case his vast talent. Yograj Singh as (Milkha Singh’s coach) is just perfect. Dalip Tahil is strictly passable and ditto for Dev Gill (Abdul Khaliq). Art Malik (as Milkha Singh’s father) and Jabtej Singh (as young Milkha Singh) are credible and treat to watch.

Music of this movie is amazing. Arif Lohar’s “Bhaag Milkha”, Sukhwinder Singh’s “Slow Motion Angrezza”, Suhas Sawant’s “Zinda” and Divya Kumar’s “Maston Ka Jhund” are totally different from one another yet are really awesome tracks in all respects. Shankar-Ehsan-Loy’s music is simply amazing for this venture.

Some sequences to lookout for – performance wise:

When Farhan asks from where can he buy the Indian Team’s blazer!

When Divya Dutta meets young Milkha Singh in the camp.

When Farhan insists Divya to wear his blazer – the scene would definitely bring tears to many viewers’ eyes

When Farhan slaps himself repeatedly in the washroom

and a lot more…

On the basis of performance, direction, execution and story-telling I would easily rate this movie 9/10. It’s a must watch for those who celebrates quality and inspirational cinema. A must watch!

Do what you love to do...

It's a common thing that I learned from many teachers, seniors, relatives and friends etc that do whatever you love to do or enjoy the most.
I love to write and this is why after completing my MBA in finance/ supply chain management I chose to become a content writer and social media strategist.
Over the years I learned from my seniors, my mistakes and my observations.
So far, the journey is really good and satisfying.
Never doubt your potential and capabilities. If others could do it why can't you?
Keep this question in your mind always. Nothing is impossible if you have the desire to lead and live your dream.

Seven (07) Habits Of Successful Content Writers / Contractors

Freelancing is not easy. A few days ago a young girl told me that when she told an interviewer that she is a freelance content writer, he said she is into “easy money making”. Well, I don’t think freelance content writing is as easy as it may sound to many individuals. Freelancers are also known as contractors. It is high time to let the world know that these contractors work very hard in order to compete with hundreds and thousands of applicants around the world. They apply at different online platforms from where they earn their living by delivering their clients with top notch work.

Following are seven (07) traits, based on my personal experiences, which should be possessed by professional contractors. After all, it is all about bagging meatier contracts and maintaining healthy yet professional relationships with existing clients.

1. Be Proactive in Communication:

Communication is the life and blood of every business deal. One should be vocal, expressive and communicative when it comes to delivering the content or services to the clients. In fact, it is highly recommended to be proactive in order to communicate when not sure what to do. This always helps and the relationship of a client and a contractor is strengthened because of good communication skills. Rather than letting your client reach you, reach to your client yourself.

2. Never Hesitate in Asking a Question

Remember what our teachers and parents used to say when were kids? “Always ask if you don’t understand”. Similarly, in professional life for freelance contractors and content writers it is of prime importance to ask questions if the idea is not crystal clear. This will make a complete picture and with the help of this one can easily deliver the desired services. Save time by questioning your concerns and clarifying the confusions so that you deliver the best to your client.

3. Be Transparent

There are times when a project or task does not seem to be a sure shot success. Always share your concerns and give valuable suggestions to your client. After all, a client appreciates to work with a contractor who can give better ideas, strategies and plans to him. If you think that the task won’t work as expected by the client always share this concern with him so that the client, in future, does not put any blame on you or your work.

4. Response is the Key

Clients are very jumpy when they hire a contractor for any job and if they don’t hear from their contractors for some time they get even more anxious. And they can easily get on the nerves of contractors too. So, to avoid such a situation always respond to your client on timely basis. Clients appreciate a responsive contractor and easily trust them to carry out their projects.

5. Follow A Proper Timeline

It is all about meeting deadlines. If a client wants you to complete a task or project on a particular date, never miss it. For contractors, the most important element is to meet the deadline by following a timeline. This is very simple yet demanding. If you get in to the habit of delivering tasks on mentioned deadlines, contractors will definitely start not only liking you but chances are that they will soon hire you for other projects as well.

6. Positive Attitude Is All Your Client Needs

There are times when there is a clash of opinions between a client and a contractor. One wants results and other wants to do the work properly keeping different aspects in mind. In such scenario, always share your concerns and keep the communication or clash healthy. At the end of the day, client is always right! So, never go over board and always bear a friendly smile with positive attitude. Show your client that you want to work for him in order to deliver the best end product.

7. Add Value To Your Services

Many contractors these days over commit and are not able to meet the claims which they made at the time of starting the contract. For those, it is important to promise to deliver the usual as mentioned by the client and in order to impress them always deliver something extra. Value addition is the most important thing for a client.

With the help of above mentioned characteristics I am sure that many contractors / content writers will get benefited. These are tried and tested traits so, rest assured for the successful career. If you have any valuable points to share then comment to the post so that others can get benefited.

"Listen Amaya" - A finest Attempt That Shouldn't Be Missed

It is sad that meaningful cinema is only appreciated when there are known faces or better say star power is associated with it. Have you wondered how many great pieces of arts have you missed just because of the fact that those movies either didn’t had super stars or were not backed by heavy advertisements and marketing. “Listen Amaya” is one amongst those movies. This movie by Avinash Kumar Singh was screened at London Asian Film Festival and what else could it receive other than hoards of appreciation. I recently watched the movie over DVD and for 2 hours I only enjoyed each and every scene of the movie.

“Listen Amaya” revolves around two widowed individuals Jayanat (Farooque Sheikh) and Leela (Dipti Naval) along with her daughter Amaya (Swara Bhaskar).Leela runs a library cum coffee shop, named “Book A Coffee” with her daughter and Jayant is her routine customer, friend, admirer and what not. The story revolves around these three individuals and the complications, self-respect and egos associated with their relationships. The plot is based on very thin line where words don’t need to express anything but emotions do. It is remarkably dealt as well, on screen.

I have grown up watching Dipti Naval’s and Farooque Sheikh’s off beat movies, also known as parallel cinema of early 1980’s. Movies like Chashm-e-Buddoor, Saath Saath, Kissi Se Na Kehna, Katha and Faasle etc. were a complete revelation from mainstream cinema. Coming back to “Listen Amaya”, it simply touches the hearts of audience. There are many sequences where Farooque Sheikh and Dipti Naval express their emotions with extreme ease. Swara Bhasker (Amaya) expresses her uneasiness with flaw. The contradictory personalities can only be show-cased by a seasoned actress. She is another actress to look out for after Tabu, Nandita Das and Vidya Balan.

Music of the movie is very light. The beauty is that all the songs are situational (though movie’s length could have been decreased if the songs would be omitted). Direction is first rate and so is cinematography.

If you are looking forward to watch a simple, easy going, full of mature emotions movies then this one is the perfect one. “Listen Amaya” is all about emotions and performances. It is highly recommended for those who value quality cinema or let me say a meaningful cinema.

I would personally rate it 4/5 on the basis of story line, script, performances and close to reality.

Are You Excited About Google Glasses?

Google Glass? What is it? If you are not a tech savvy person, then you must not be aware of it. Google Glass is a latest buzz around. It is actually a pair of funky glasses, which you can use as a virtual assistant. Doesn't it sound amazing? You can use this amazing technology innovation by Google for taking pictures, sending messages, recording videos, searching the web, and much more.

Aim of Google Glasses
According to Google experts, their basic aim is to cater the users' search needs, which is why they want to introduce something that can give the information before anyone could think of. It sounds crazy but in real, it is not and Google has proved it, which is why many of the tech savvy users are excited about using this stylish device.

Even Zuckerberg Is Excited About Google Glass 

The best example can be of Mark Zuckerberg, who is the founder of Facebook. Mark seems very excited about the launch of this amazing technology device despite of the fact that Facebook and Google do not enjoy friendly relationship. In nutshell, it seems like everyone is excited about the launch of this amazing device. Are you also one of them? 

Features Of Google Glass

Google Glass is actually a smart device, which is equipped with lots of unique features. The most amazing feature of Google Glass is its automatic photographing facility with the help of which a user can capture random pictures at different intervals. You can say that it is the upcoming first digital device that is capable of recording the world besides many other magical promises, which is very exciting for many without any doubt. Moreover, it is light in weight and stylish in looks. It will be having a small display frame on it with which you can easily connect to the camera, microphone, etc. Here you must not forget to thank WiFi and Bluetooth, which support such kind of connectivity functions with ease.

Drawback and Development
However, here is a rumor about Google Glass that it might not be good for eye sight, which is a serious concern. According to eye specialists, the excessive use of this device can cause headaches, migraines, eye strain, etc. there must be some developments which Google might be doing for this product. It will definitely find a way to tackle such an issue; after all, it is about changing the lifestyle of the people in future. 

So, just wait and stay excited, as it can just be a rumor, which will be confirmed only after the release of device, which is expected in late 2013.