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celebrity-worship

We Need To Stop With Celebrity Worship

It’s everywhere.

News, social media, tv, advertisements, radio, your clothes, the food you eat, the shampoo you use, the pants you wear…

Everywhere.

Celebrity worship isn’t something new. It’s been kicking for a long time. It began when some idiot thought it was a good idea to eat, breathe and live like their favourite celebrity and follow what they do for no good reason.

celebrity_worship_syndrome

Image Source: India Today

And it spread because someone figured out that they can use this person’s obsession to sell crap to him and make a profit.

Today, this phenomenon has become suffocating. And for the sake of everyone’s sanity, we need to stop with celebrity worship.

Why does it happen?

Well, my delusional idiot remark may come across as rude, and it is. It’s also a massive oversimplification of why people get so obsessed with celebrities and their lives.

Although there is no one reason why it happens, there are plenty of psychological aspects to it.

One of the primary factors is escapism.

People see celebrities as out of this world. And why wouldn’t they? These celebs and their agencies spend a lot of time, money and effort to create a larger than life image for these celebrities.

While most of us live a boring, exhausting and monotonous life.

It’s the same reason we watch movies or read books or do anything to help those little bastards in our skull escape from reality. And while there’s nothing wrong it doing watching movies or reading a book or playing video games, celebrity worship takes it to a whole other level.

celebrity-breakfast

Image Source: Shape

Most people indulge in celebrity obsession because they want to live their lives, or rather, live as these celebrities do.

These celebs seem to have all figured out. They are successful. People love them. Admire them, want to be them. They look good (most of them anyway). They have lots of money. And they hold a higher position in this social construct.

Many people look up to them. Many go beyond that.

They start to envy them, lust over them, worship them, obsess over them.

Some even claim to love them and want to marry them.

celeb-soulmate

Image Source: Buzzfeed

These are all red flags on a HUGE spectrum of red flags. You may think looking up to a celebrity isn’t that big of a deal, and it isn’t, but what exactly are these people looking up to? A fake persona?

The problem isn’t just that people think that celebrities live a better life; the problem is that they think their own lives are somehow lesser.

Why we need to stop with celebrity worship

Because it’s unhealthy. And I am not even talking about the extreme cases.

aneglina-jolie-lookalike

Image Source:  Newshub

I am talking about people living their lives following someone blindly. Wearing what they are wearing, eating what they are eating, going where they are going. Being involved in their lives and pettiest of there issues.

Their breakups and hookups, what they said and to whom, their fights and friendships – all this meaningless gossip – and people obsess over it. Some even experience genuine feelings like fear, disgust or anger when their favourite celebrity does something that they don’t like and breaks their ‘trust’.

This becomes even unhealthier when people allow their obsession to affect critical parts of their lives.

Celebrity worship influences people’s buying behaviour, voting patterns and even their choices in finding a long-term partner – All this based on a carefully engineered and manipulated persona.

How can we stop with celebrity worship?

I am not going to lie to you, it’s going to be difficult, very difficult.

From selling products to selling a lifestyle, the celebrity culture has transformed a lot.

Buzzfeed-Taylor-Swift

Image Source: Buzzfeed

The constant bombardment of unnecessary gossip about them on social media doesn’t exactly help either.

To actually stop, you need to realize that this is a far bigger industry than you realize. There are so many companies that are profiting from this industry that it’s not going to be an easy task to quit it.

First, what you need to realize that these celebrities are just people. Regular people. Their lives sure look interesting and they are (depending on your definition of the word), but they’re still regular people who feel an average set of emotions like you and me, and they act based on these average emotions.

Second, you have to disconnect a bit. Unfollow any pages that exclusively publish celebrity gossip. Unsubscribe from channels that push this sort of content. Stop following, liking, reading, watching, subscribing to anything that you feel is unnecessary noise.

Finally, and this is the most important part, you need to stop thinking of your life as something lesser.

relationship_goals

Image Source: Hollywood.com

Sure, working long shift almost the whole week isn’t as interesting as going on a promotion tour in Italy or a concert in Vegas…but finding an escape through their lives isn’t healthy. Dating someone average and living an average but a happy life together is far more precious than these tabloids will make you believe.

There is nothing wrong in admiring someone, but when this admiration turns into obsession and starts affecting your life, then it becomes a problem.

If you feel bad about your life then change it. I know, I know, easier said than done and all that. But living uncontented with your own life isn’t a very good feeling either.

If you feel your life is lesser then make it interesting.

Find people you like spending time with, find a hobby, a new job or something exciting to do, even if it once a week or a month.

Make time for yourself. Invest the same amount of effort you put in following these celebrities in yourself. Realize that constantly indulging yourself in news about these celebrities personal lives is unhealthy and really doesn’t change your life in any way. If you’re looking for entertainment, watch a movie which at least has an end, unlike this fixation with someone else.

celebrity_poop_pants

Image Source: The Richest

Stop envying, stop obsessing, stop thinking yourself as inferior. Stop with celebrity worship.

Instead, make it about you. Worship yourself. Love yourself. Put effort in making your life better, Make yourself better.

Sanju_Cover

Yes, another article about Sanju – The only one you need to read

“Noooooooo, not another article about Sanju. I don’t care if he’s innocent or not, I watch movies for entertainment not inspiration. Besides, Ranbir ne kya mast acting ki na?”

 

I know you guys have been bombarded with articles about Sanju from everywhere. But I believe it’s important to know that the person the filmmakers want to portray as a hero is real or not. I have an opinion about the movie based on the facts that I have included in this article. Feel free to add your opinions and have a discussion (in a civilized way) in the comments.

Ok, let’s do this:

sanjay_dutt_and_ranbir_kapoor

 

Marketing has evolved quite a lot. There was a time when advertisers had to pay to show you ads. Now, YOU are paying to watch ads masked as movies. 20 years ago, who would’ve thought that people would pay to watch a 2 hour 41 minutes-long ad? You blew 250 bucks on a massive image-cleansing stunt (popcorn ka paisa alag se)

The Movie

The Movie

 

Let’s talk about the movie first. This is just my opinion, but the movie, even if we keep aside the glaring propaganda, was mediocre at best. Ranbir Kapoor, whose performance is being praised left and right, did an okay job. That’s it. That’s the only good thing I could think about the movie.

Everybody else was just average. Some were pretty bad. Paresh Rawal and Vicky Kaushal were wasted in this movie. Especially Kaushal, who’ve acted in Masaan and Raman Raghav, was bland and uninteresting. He played a stereotypical gujju, who’s sometimes the comic relief and says things like ‘ghapa ghap’, snakes and hole – the typical gujju stuff. Kaushal tried to act though, which is evident in some scenes. But his acting was neither appreciated or needed.

Paresh Rawal could’ve done this role in his sleep. He was an essential part of the movie but still didn’t have any major moments that required his acting skills. So much talent, wasted.

Now to the bad parts. Anushka Sharma was horrible. She played some British-Indian girl who can’t stay with one accent even if her life depended on it. One second she is ‘Winnieh’, while on the other she’s back to the typical Delhi accent she has in every movie. The comedy was just awful. The jokes were written by an 8-year old. Really, they were bad. Music was worse. It had songs that were from the early-2000 era. You remember, those songs with boring lyrics and forgettable music? Listen to any one of them online and you’ll know what I am talking about.

That’s about it. Now let’s talk about –

The Ad

the ad

 

I don’t care about Sanjay Dutt that much, but the propaganda in this movie made me not like him (putting it mildly). So, Sanju is an impressionable young kid who is also sort of a bad boy, one who is overshadowed by his father’s greatness. Understandable.

Someone introduce him to drugs and he gets addicted. Morally unethical but still a personal choice. Understandable.

He does a lot of drugs, even in the room where his mother is in a coma. Very wrong but still a personal choice.

Then he goes to a rehab and gets clean. That’s it. That’s the entire wrongdoings of Sanju in the movie. After that, whatever happens, is someone else’s fault – mainly media, terrorists, common folks, etc. The rehab part of the movie did a pretty good job of making him a victim of circumstances. Don’t get me wrong, I have respect for the guy for fighting a very tough battle against addiction. But the entire rehab sequence, wrapped with a motivational song was pushed down our throats to show him as a person who is trying to do the right thing. Sanju is a guy who has learned from his mistakes and did not a single thing wrong after that.

A smart move. Show the guy in a bad light early, show him fighting it, and then conveniently ignore everything else that is wrong with him.

The movie conveniently ignores anything that can show him in a negative light. Few instances that come to mind are –

It ignores how he was married twice, before marrying Manyata.

It ignores how he didn’t even come to pick his wife at the airport when she returned from the US after battling cancer.

The movie doesn’t even mention about the hand grenades, it just says that he took the AK-56 to protect his family.

Even though he has had guns before and even shot them in front of his house. Clearly, he didn’t have to go to the underworld for guns now.

The movie also conveniently ignores how his father approached Bal Thackrey who further called the then Prime Minister P.V. Narsimha Rao about Sanju’s case and TADA.

 

It doesn’t mention the tapes featuring the conversations of Sanju with Chhota Shakeel, which that were played in the Special Court. (Can’t vouch for the authenticity of the tapes, but still, it could have been shown in the movie considering how big the incident was).

The movie showed that he was labeled a terrorist by the people. But it never mentioned how politicians and most of Bollywood came out in support of him.

Or the fact that he left his prison cell several times when he was in Pune’s Yerwada jail, to spend time with his family instead, thanks to paroles and furloughs.

Many who have watched the movie will dismiss all of these with the ‘alleged’ and ‘question mark’ dialogues. The facts are facts though. One good thing about the internet is you can look up all of this by yourself, without putting too much effort.

My Opinion

Sanju and sanju

 

I can’t care less about Sanju (yeah, right. that’s why I wrote a 1000-word long article about it). I think back then, Sanjay Dutt was just another lad who had to live under his father’s massive shadow, a kid who wanted to be a rebel and show how macho he is. Drug use, making connections with the underworld and the mafia, womanizing. Everything was part of this image that he wanted to have for himself. Bear in mind, I am not at all saying the media reports are 100% true (we’ve seen how much integrity our media has). Not all of it is true. At least the Supreme Court’s judgment says so. But I won’t ever believe that he is as innocent as he is shown in the movie. In the movie, there is nothing that he is accountable for. Someone influenced him to do drugs, he kept the gun for his family’s protection, he was a victim of the circumstances with no fault of his own…..yeah, I don’t buy that.

So what exactly is my problem with Sanju? This movie sets a precedence. The success of this movie encourages other such celebrities to do similar PR stunts to clean their image. And don’t tell me it doesn’t work. Check your Facebook feed and see how the propaganda is spreading. The day is not far when we’ll have movies like Bhai or Fakeeri.

You have to give it to the filmmakers though. This is a smart strategy. Doesn’t matter if people are hating the movie or loving it, it’s getting publicity. Look, I am doing this for free now. Well, what can I do? I too am a victim of the circumstances and have to write about trending things to stay relevant.

Hum khaali bolte reh jayenge, wahan ghapa ghap koi aur kar jayega.

ghapaghap

 

Image Sources: IndiaTvNews, KoiMoi, TheQuint, HindustanTimes, NewsXP

Old-Things

They are ruining old things with remakes and I can’t be happier

Noticed the increasing number of remixes, remakes, and whatnot? Who am I kidding, of course, you have. It’s freaking everywhere. Movies, songs, shows. Most forms of art/media/entertainment today are a rip-off of some old, likable things that people enjoyed. And this trend isn’t just ‘India-specific’ either. It’s happening in the west too.

star-wars

 

Hollywood is milking franchises like Star-Wars to death. Why? Because it’s loved by an entire generation. And this phenomenon isn’t just restricted to Star-Wars. These media and production houses have ruined most of the beloved franchises for profits. Hell, even old Cartoons are not spared.

ed_ed_n_eddy

 

AND THEY

 

tamma_tamma

 

ARE

 

humma

 

NOT

 

ek_do_teen 

 

STOPPING

 

haseeno

 

……………………….

But, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

And before you start preparing the worst of abuses to write in the comment section, hear me out.

I truly believe that this ‘ruining of old things’ is a good thing. To know why we must first understand why it’s happening.

The problem is, the last generation (and maybe ours) isn’t too fond of art. This may offend a lot of people, but I believe it’s true. I don’t have the research to back it up; it’s just my opinion, based on my observations and interactions with the previous generation.

Coming back to the point, I believe that the last generation doesn’t really like art or freedom of expressions that much. This may be because as a generation, their childhood wasn’t that great compared to today’s average kid. That could be because they were born during the Cold War, and had this ‘responsibility’ to build a new, better world as soon as they started working. I am talking people who were born in the 60s or later. Most of them grew up poor and developed an ‘aversion’ to poverty.

slums

 

And then these people started working. And they worked HARD. These people built and shaped the world as we see now. They were engineers, doctors, businessmen. These are the people who created cities and built empires. They made the skyscrapers and awesome cars and massive militaries, unparalleled with anything that the history has ever seen. And almost all of them did all of that because they wanted to be rich or rather, escape poverty.

And this was where it became a problem.

In this ‘race’ of becoming more successful, they lost something –  Art.

this_is_not_art

 

This doesn’t mean that they are not creative, it’s just that they don’t really care about art. This may sound like a massive generalization but it’s true to some extent and it doesn’t take a genius to see that. Our parent’s generation didn’t care about arts. I mean, why would they? They wanted to get rich. Why would anyone who wants to get rich be an artist? Very, VERY few artists are rich. Most of them struggle to make ends meet. And this is exactly what that generation didn’t want. They struggled enough growing up, they weren’t willing to experience more of that.

Begging-Boy

 

That is why you see them pressuring you into these fields and careers. For them, these professions have proven to make money. This is where the whole ‘Ye karlo, phir to aish hi aish’ thinking comes from. Because THEY have actually seen that.

But they craved art. That’s why the movie industry grew exponentially. They crave for something that was missing from their lives. That’s why they turned to movies, music, TV shows, etc. But what happens when you put a generation, who has abstained from art all their lives and who want to make money by any means, on a task to create art?

The answer: They turn art into a business.

gang

 

Over the years, only a few hundred movies and music have been truly exceptional, in a sense that they created some value. Otherwise, most of the movies made after the late 70s had one goal – to make money. Only a very few were made because a storyteller wanted it to be made. However, many of them made money. Filmmakers soon realized that people are not looking for value, they wanted distractions. So, art didn’t matter as long as it was distracting enough, they could just rehash or remake old stories. And it has been successful…. so far.

Today, the millennials have taken the center-stage. We have become the consumers. However, we’re a little behind when it comes to production.

The millennials have been more fortunate growing up, compared to the previous generation. They didn’t have to struggle to make ends meet while growing up. Also, they had internet – this whole new world where everything from science to art, was available instantly. The millennials were exposed to more art while growing up and this has created a sort of a problem for our parent’s generation. They don’t know how to sell entertainment to us because for them, the definition of entertainment is very different.

That’s why they try to sell the popular things of their time to us as ‘remakes’. They believe that because it has worked for them, it will work for us. What they don’t realize is that we don’t want it.

stop

 

There has been a significant rise in the number of remakes and remixes. It’s not a coincidence. People who are in the entertainment business don’t know what to make any more. They haven’t put much thought into it before. They certainly aren’t going to do that now. That is why what’s happening is happening.

So, why do I think that it’s a good thing?

Because we’re reaching a tipping point. Maybe we’re not fast enough, but we’re getting there. There has been a rise in low budget movies with good plots, beautiful new songs, awesome shows, even animated ones have strong plots with a subtle social commentary. This shift in the audience is forcing an entire generation of producers and entertainers to take more risks. They know that they can’t get us with their crappy remakes. It’s not all about money anymore, it’s about creating something of value.

Gangs_of_Wasseypur_poster

 

newton__film_

Court_(film)_POSTER

 

Bear in mind, I am not trying to show our parent’s generation in a bad light. The socio-economic condition they grew up in demanded this approach. And they did a tremendous job, as far as building a new world was concerned. But now, the world is in a much better place than it was 40 years ago. Our generation can do something that the previous ones couldn’t – find a balance.

We don’t have to stick to these norms anymore. Now, we can move past than just making money. Sure, money is awesome and the more you have of it, the better. But this paradigm shift has given us the freedom of choice. We can start by giving art and philosophy the same importance as science and commerce. If Einstein was a genius, then Beethoven was one too. If Bill Gates is idealized then Hans Zimmer should be too. The problem is, most people don’t consider them as equals because art and philosophy do not give them something ‘tangible’. For them, it can’t be quantified and hence they refuse to acknowledge its importance.

einstien

 

But now, we can change that. We’re going to form the society in the coming years. And it needs reforming. It doesn’t mean disrespecting the old values, it means creating new ones, which are more in line with today’s world – exactly what the previous generation and the generations before them did.

And I truly believe we’re gonna do a damn good job.

Image Sources – Ladbible, Wikimedia Commons, YouTube, Pixabay, Pxhere,

Sonam Kapoor Wedding

No, I don’t wanna know what happened at Sonam Kapoor’s Wedding

Put the pitchforks down. Before you say that no one’s forcing you to read about it, stop and listen for a moment. I don’t have anything against Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja. I am happy that they’re married and had a wonderful (so I heard) reception. My problem is with how everyone is bombarding me with news about their wedding. From her lehenga to DJs playlists, to Alia Bhatt coming to her wedding or not – My timeline is filled with all this crap. And no, I am not following any celebrity news pages.

News houses like TOI, NDTV, India Today – were giving minute by minute updates of Sonam and Anand’s wedding which, in my opinion, is not newsworthy. It’s like Taimur all over again. No, I don’t want to know what gift did Ranbir give to Sonam or who came to her reception. I just want news from the news pages that I am following. Is that too much to ask?

I get it. These articles people to your website and it maybe news for some. But they are showing this as it is the most important thing happening in our country right now. I mean,we have PLENTY of pages that cover celebrity news and gossip. And I like them, because they are doing what they are supposed to do, unlike these news channels.

You may call this a rant or call me a troll or whatever but this is true. Soon, we’ll start getting articles like ‘OMG, Sonam and Anand are giving us serious relationship goals’ or 10 pictures from their honeymoon or something like that. This is not news people. Stop sharing it from your news channels. Leave to the pages who’re actually supposed to share these stories.

Virushka

 

We have a lot going on in the world and in our country, things more important than this, things that people need to know. Share those.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

All-India-Bakchod-AIB

The Dying AIB

Back in 2010, came a group of men who made videos that were offensive, crude, pretentious but funny. They called themselves All India Bakchod or AIB for short and they made hilarious, brutally honest videos without a care in the world. Their videos reminded us of our conversations that we have with our college or school friends. Their humor was relatable and crass – exactly the type which we used. They were great and people liked them instantly. Soon they became the ‘cool kids’, and that’s exactly when everything went south.

No offense, AIB still makes a few funny videos and posts. But look me in the eye and tell me this is funny –

They’ve made it meme page. No humor, no original content, just a few brand tie-ups and brand promotion. And sometimes, in a desperate attempt to create a campaign, they do shit like #PyaarEkDhokhaHai and #BetiBachaoFuckboiHatao which is something the old AIB never did. I remember they were especially against labels like slut and whore. But I guess that’s just for women?

Oh and don’t even get me started on #PyaarEkDhokhaHai. They took a joke from Zakir Khan’s performance (the sakth launda one) and made it into an entire campaign. It was so cringey and painful to watch. I can’t believe the main guys at AIB let it go online.

What the hell happened guys? You were the guys who made Rahul vs Modi, It’s your fault, Demo and so many others…how did it come to this? Is it the FIRs? Or are a bunch of teenage girls running your page? You were the guys who brought us Roast and On Air with AIB. People are unsubscribing guys, you’ll still have followers, just not the ones who were there when it started. Don’t let yourself be just another meme page or another Buzzfeed. You’re better than this.

#OriginalLaundeLaoAIBBachao

Salman-Khan

The Stupid Indian 03: Salman Khan and Bollywood

Bhai got bail yeeaaahhh! Now he can go back running people over, killing innocent animals, abusing his girlfriends….you know just the usual Bhai stuff. The media went crazy when Salman Khan had to spend a night extra in jail and he couldn’t get bail for 24 freaking hours. Everyone was trying with their asses to appease Bhai because apparently, appeasing bullies helps. Some of them went a little overboard though –

Salman_khan_Breakfast

 

Ok too much about Bhai, let’s see what Bollywood was up to –

 

Fuck.

What in the God’s name is wrong with Bollywood? How can they support a criminal, even if it’s Salman Khan? Oh and please, before you point fingers and say “Bhai ko criminal kaise bola? Main nahi bola bhai, Jodhpur court bola. But the question is – Is Bollywood doing saste nashe?

 

Stars came out in the support of Salman Khan – A man who is known for beating his girlfriends, running over poor people and killing them, killing endangered animals for fun, having connections with underworld dons, and is an all-round bully. And these stars, these heroes, heroines and hell even members of Rajya Sabha are supporting a guy like him.

 

The woman above is not just an actress or an MP, but is the mother-in-law of Aishwarya Rai – Salman’s ex-girlfriend, whom he allegedly harassed. Oh but she’s only one woman, there are a lot more.

 

And then there is this woman, who is essentially saying just make him pay money and let him go. Because law doesn’t exist for the rich.

 

What kind of a superiority complex these people have that makes them think that being a celebrity makes you above the law? He’s being singled out? He’s paying the price of being a star? Just make him pay 5 crores and let him go? Don’t they realize how insensitive they sound? Their heart goes out to a criminal is what they are saying. Man, these people are hypocrites. Self-proclaimed, modern, progressive thinkers, who are supporting a criminal. The funny part is young people of our country actually look up to them. These stars can support anyone for all I care but when you reach a position where your words have influence and people actually follow what you say, you have to take a little more responsibility. That’s just the price of being a star and I believe that it’s a fair one, given the hundreds of crores they earn.

“Bhai ne heeran maara to kya charity bhi to kiya” is not a strong argument. It doesn’t make sense and it makes you sound like a douche. Salman Khan is not a nice guy, even if his PR team is trying very hard to convince you otherwise. Please, stop feeling sorry for Salman Khan.

Anyways, you can rejoice all you want because Bhai is now out on bail, and is back doing ‘charity’, playing with children and all which is totally not a PR stunt btw. 

Remember all this when you see Bhai ripping off his shirt in Race 3.

Image Sources – Wikimedia Commons, Facebook

Cartoon

20 opening songs of old cartoons…in Hindi!

The old Cartoon Network was lit af (yeah, I am cool) and it was even awesomer if you watched it in Hindi.

Yep, Hindi cartoons were the shit! And for you miserable 90s kids who still can’t accept what the world has come to, those cartoons hold a special place in the heart. Guess what? (you don’t have to actually guess, I have written it in the title itself) I’ve prepared a list of all those awesome shows that used to come on Cartoon Network and other channels and yes, I’ve found the Hindi opening songs as well! Ho jaaye shuru!

 

  1. The Mask

 

 

 

  1. Pingu

 

Pipipi Pipipi, Pingu Pingu! ‘Nuff said.

 

  1. The Powerpuff Girls

 

Mithaas, masala aur achha sab kuchh daala! The Powerpuff Girls had the best villains in my opinion, hands down. From Mojo Jojo to Him to Gang Green Gang, their villains had this depth to them that no other cartoon had.

 

Oh, and here’s a bonus scene for you, Pyaar Pyaar Pyaar Pyaar Pyaar

 

 

  1. Aladdin – Arabian Nights

 

 

OMG, the fact the I still remember this song after all these years is enough proof how much I loved it. Aladdin was good, Genie was freakin awesome. And Jasmine is perhaps the first woman (I know she’s fictional, shut up) that I had a crush on. Arrrabiaaann Niiighhhttts, Arab ka ye desh!

 

  1. Dexter’s Laboratory

 

 

Dexter Ki Laboratory…..The smartest kid on the planet had a pretty cool theme song. It has aged better too! Dexter the real MVP.

 

  1. Pokemon

 

 

The cartoon whose fans made a mediocre game app one of the most downloaded in the world. Yep, Pokemon was a revolution. It was every little kid’s fantasy to be in a pokemon world. It was one of the few good cartoons. After this, it all went downhill. But, Pikachu main tumhe chunta hoon!

 

  1. Johnny Bravo

 

 

The stud of the 90s, Johnny Bravo gave was the DUDE! His intro song had only a few Hindi parts but boy are they memorable. Perfect.

 

  1.  Scooby Doo

 

 

Scooby-Dooby Doo kahan chhupa tu? I still believe that Shaggy was a stoner, maybe the entire gang was, who thought their Great Dane talked.

 

  1. The Jungle Book

 

 

Are chaddi pehen ke phool khila, phool khila hai! Nana freaking Patekar gave the voice for Sher Khan, that’s how big this was.

 

  1. Timon and Pumba

 

 

Koi chinta nahi! Timon and Pumba was too chilled out dudes who didn’t give a crap about the world. I even have a friend who looks like Pumba. He’s a software developer.

 

  1. Ducktales wooo ooo oo

 

 

Zindagi Toofani hai! Uncle Scrooge and Huey, Dewey, and Louie used to take us on adventure every evening, during the Disney hour. Uncle Scrooge’s vault of coins seriously gave me life goals. Man, I want to swim in money too.

 

  1. Talespin

 

 

Talespin opening song starts like it’s a song from Mohra. The Oyee aye Tailspin, Oyee oo Tailspin!

 

  1.  Samurai Jack

 

 

Samurai Jack was a cartoon with a soul. It’s really an underrated cartoon. As I am writing this, I’m having the realisation that kids today would never know how great old Cartoon Network was.

 

  1. Tenali Raman

 

 

Kaun hai wo sabse chatur, vushak? Tenali! Tenali Raman’s theme song was a work of art. The lyrics, the beats, the music all had an amazingly authentic feel to them.

 

  1.  Bob The Builder

 

 

Kar ke dikhayenge, Bob the Builder Haan Bhai HAAN! The best builder in town had an opening song so catchy that even today if someone said kar ke dikhayenge to haan bhai haan nikalta hai. Bob the Builder FTW!

 

  1. Noddy

 

 

Aa gaya Noddy! Noddy was more successful then than I am now. He had a girlfriend, a car, a house, even a freakin plane, was loved by the entire town (my own mother doesn’t like me) and also had a job. Man, what a life.

 

  1. Kipper

 

 

Kipper’s theme song had jazz. I don’t even know what’s the correlation between a dog and jazz but still it was groovy.

 

  1. Courage The Cowardly Dog

 

 

Well, it’s not exactly a song but it’s a great memory nonetheless. Na samajh doggy tune mujhe cartoon bana diya!

 

  1. Beyblade

 

 

Kare Beyblade! Beyblade was THE thing to have! If you didn’t have a beyblade, you weren’t considered cool. Oh and the battles….Ho Jaaye Shuru!

 

  1. Dragon Ball Z

 

 

Dragon Ball Z! What a show man. I truly believe if a cartoon can make you try Kamehameha in your bathroom when you’re almost 30, it deserves an award.

 

Here are some other cartoon theme songs that aren’t in Hindi but still hold a special place (Well, Pingu wasn’t in Hindi either but I have written already written it and really don’t want to edit the article)

 

Swat Kats

 

 

Tom & Jerry

 

 

The Flintstones

 

 

Recess

 

 

Captain Planet

 

 

Those times were simpler…Cartoon Network made them unforgettable.

Avengers Infinity War

5 moments from Avengers Infinity War Trailer that made me smile

Not gonna lie, these past few weeks have been…tough. Too much stress, too much noise. But sometimes, you get to smile because of the little things. For me, it was Avengers Infinity War Trailer.

Why? Because I grew up watching those characters. So much in my life has changed since the first Iron Man movie and now this is here – The grand finale. I was so caught up in work that I didn’t know a new trailer was gonna come out, but when I saw it on my feed… for those 2 minutes and 18 seconds, I was somewhere else. Guess this is what they call ‘movie magic’.

 

Check out the trailer here:

 

I was fanboying the entire time. I got so excited that I almost forgot everything else. Although it won’t be fair to pick just 5 but let’s have a look at the best moments from Avengers Infinity War trailer –

 

  1. Spider-Man swinging it out!

via GIPHY

Yeaaahhhhh, that’s Spider-Man….or Iron-Spider? Well, whatever you wanna call him, you gotta admit he looks kickass here.

 

  1. Wakanda Forever!

via GIPHY

Here we see everyone (well, almost everyone) assemble for the big battle. Why is Thanos attacking Wakanda though? Something’s up…

 

  1. Thanos crushing the Tesseract

via GIPHY

We had the Tesseract since the first Captain America movie and we know how powerful it is and he crushes it like it was nothing. Wow!

 

  1. Star-Lord and Iron Man

via GIPHY

These are two very similar characters (at least in the movies) and already we can see how things are gonna go between them. But hey, I am not complaining.

 

  1. Captain America and Thanos

via GIPHY

Of course, this is gonna be on the list! You knew it, I knew it, my grandma knows it. Thanos and Captain America. We can see the sheer intensity and the effort he’s putting on Steve’s face. For Thanos it’s like, “Hmm, I didn’t think this human is gonna be this strong.” You can see Steve struggling. The question is, how he’s holding him off? Could it be that he took some of the heart-shaped herb? Or does he have an infinity stone? We’ll have to wait.

 

It’s funny how a movie trailer can make you forget every crappy thing that’s happening in your life, even if it’s for a couple of minutes. I’ve been waiting for this for 10 years and even though everything has changed since then, this is the only thing that’s not. Can’t believe that the Avengers Infinity War is finally here!

Padmavati

To see or not to see: Padmavati or Padmaavat or whatever they’re calling it

So what does this look like –

Padmaavat

 

Congratulations to all the over-aggressive people who wanted to chop off an actress’s nose just because she was playing a character named Padmavati.

People who threatened to kill a filmmaker just because they thought that they might get offended and that is BEFORE actually watching the movie.

People who proved that with violence you can have your way because that’s how democracy works.

Padmavati row

 

Congratulations to you all.

Happy now? Got that justice boner?

Good, you needed it. Because after all, you’re society’s keepers. We all elected you lot to decide what’s good for us and what isn’t. What we can watch and what we can’t. To actually threaten to kill a guy just because he made something that differed your opinions. You all can kill a lady that is alive in the freakin present for a possibly fictional character who lived centuries ago? In what moronic world does that make sense?

Sanjay Leela Bhansali

 

See, it doesn’t matter if the character was real or fictional. YOU CAN’T THREATEN TO KILL SOMEONE JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE OFFENDED. If you do that, you suck at being a human. Oh the so called watchful protectors of our culture, why do you keep on doing that? Padmavati, Valentine’s Day, hell even Christmas. Why does anything that’s different threaten you?

Yes, you can choose to not watch it. That’s what democracy is (or at least I think it is). You have a choice. You can voice your opinion. Bhansali can express his, you can express yours. However, your opinion does not give you the right or the authority to threaten someone, beat up someone, thrash up movie theatres. You can’t say that it’s my freedom to say that this other man should not have freedom. That’s not how it works. And if the freaking Supreme Court of our country is saying something, then perhaps you should listen.

Listen, call it my defeat or me being a wuss, but I request people to not go on a killing spree just over a movie. You’re better than this. WE are better than this. Padmavati may hold a really special position for you, but if that sentiment is making you want to murder someone, then stop for moment to think if it’s really worth it or not.

Value a human’s life over your feelings. And I am not talking about Bhansali or Deepika Padukone. They would be the least bothered by it all. The people that will suffer are the theatre owners, security guards, someone who just wanted to watch a movie. When you go burning that theatre, you’ll destroy innocent people’s lives.
I know the people that this article is addressed to won’t even get to read it. But I am asking you as human to share this with someone you know feels this way. Might help them change their mind. Might even save a life.

Enjoy the movie.

Don’t be an asshole.

And don’t burn anything down (However if you’re in agreement with the ‘not being an asshole part’, chances of you burning something down are slim),

Game of Thrones Season 7: The weakest season so far

Okay, now that the hype is dead, we can finally talk about how awful this season was. Full of plotholes, lazy writing, rushing and predictable outcomes – the season was the opposite of what Game of Thrones was back when it was first aired. This season had zero character development and was too freaking fast. Not to mention, the forced character arcs. Oh and those God awful cliffhanger. Did someone actually think that Jamie Lannister will die of drowning?

Jaime-Lannister

 

We know that the writers of the show don’t have a source material to draw from. Don’t care about what others say, but I think that the showmakers don’t have the wit and unpredictability of GRRM …and it clearly shows. If you’re going to give us an ice dragon (or a wight dragon, don’t have clue what that is), then show it in a way that makes sense or at least tries to. Are you going to tell me, that the wights, who had every chance to kill Jon Snow and party, didn’t do it because they couldn’t swim past the water, were able to drag a mofo dragon with chains from it? And what’s up with Jon felling in the frozen water and staying there long enough for Dany and others to fly and for wights to clear out the space? Wights should have been on his throat the moment he reached the surface. But nooooo, they left him there and walked away like nothing happened, only to have Uncle Ben to make his heroic entrance. WTF was that?

Uncle-Benjen-Game-Of-Thrones

 

Everything was rushed this season. Ravens were emails, Gendry was the Flash, Ser Davos and Tyrion went to King’s Landing and back in what feels like half a day, everything. Maybe the showmakers are so desperately trying to wrap things up, the show is actually losing its authenticity, the very thing that made Game of Thrones a phenomenon.

In earlier seasons, people actually had conversations. The conversation between Littlefinger and Baelish is still one of the best conversations that I have ever seen on a TV show. We knew who Tywin Lannister was because of the way he talked. And Tyrion’s ‘I wish to confess’ still remains one of the most favourite moments of the show. I don’t think if they could have such a scene in the final season. Granted they are trying to conclude the story, but we loved or hated the characters because we knew how they were which doesn’t seem to be a priority right now.

Littlefinger-Game-of-Thrones

 

The script is getting weaker which is making the characters looked stupid. Tyrion is supposed to be a clever man with balls of steel and at least cleverer than Cersei and her hand, but he’s now reduced to a gullible dwarf with no understanding of vile his sister is or even how politics work. And then there’s Jon Snow. To be fair, he never was the smartest character on the show but he wasn’t this stupid either. He literally took a bunch of people and marched up north to capture a freaking wight. Why? So that he could show Cersei that the threat is real – a plan by former one of the smartest men in all of Westeros, Tyrion Lannister. Cersei would never give up her power, Tyrion should know that. Yet he made this ridiculous plan of capturing a wight, risking the life of one of Dany’s most important allies and getting a dragon killed in the process.
There are just too many glaring plotholes in this season. And things looked forced. Ed Sheeran’s cameo, Littlefinger’s ‘plan’ to turn Arya and Sansa against each other. A man who was supposedly the most diabolical mastermind in all of Westeros, bested by two headstrong girls and Bran who can’t care less. Yes, Bran can see everything but still, Littlefinger was smarter than all three of them combined and his death was nothing but a loose end being tied up. The romance between Jon and Dany was plain weird. Dany was an unlikable character all along but this season she was simply annoying.

Jon-Snow-Daenerys-Targaryen

 

I know those were a lot of complaints from a TV show but Game of Thrones is (was?) so much more. I don’t want it to have a mediocre ending and people considering it to be the ‘best ending to the best TV show’ just because they don’t want to piss off the fans or accept it. I am a GoT fan myself, but the makers are slipping and I don’t think they could show a war between the dead and the living AND wrap up the entire series in one season.

 

Image Sources – Complex, The Verge, Watchers on the Wall, Polygon, Vox