I've moved!!!

Hello there!
Thanks for landing on my blogspace. If you are left wondering that I have hung up my blogging boots & gone back to a hibernation mode... I'd like to let you know that my blogging adventures continue till date at www.arunrajagopal.com

See you there!

Arun Rajagopal

A date with the H2

Happy Easter, all ye brothers and sisters out there. I had a recent date with a Hummer H2 - here are a few snaps.


That's me - looking mighty pleased posing in front of the irreverent Hummer. My growing paunch may be excused!






I'm joined by Sharad Phalgun, a kingpin of Muscat's advertising fraternity, with a very dapper look about him.







As always, I've to do something zany. It's man versus machine in this saga - and the machine is definitely winning!

Goliath meets match in Guyana

Shock upsets are inevitable, especially in an event such as the Cricket World Cup. But cricket found the least unlikely contenders at the centre stage of one of the greatest upsets in the history of One-Day International Cricket at a Super 8 match at Guyana yesterday. The erstwhile minnows of international cricket, upcoming ‘David’ - Bangladesh, placed ninth in ICC rankings turned the apple cart against South Africa, ranked the world’s best team and a very strong contender for the 2007 ICC World Cup. The Bangladeshi tiger cubs rattled a comprehensive 67-run victory against the Proteas – totally outclassing them in all the departments of the game, and changing the complexion of the remaining Super 8 matches. Now, West Indies and England have been given a chance to fight for a semi-final berth, while South Africa have been chortled and brought back to terra firma – the spectre of the choker tag never seems to desert them. Giant killing Bangladesh seems to be the silver lining in this otherwise lacklustre tournament, dominated by Australia and conspicuous by the early exit of over-rated India and mercurial Pakistan. Underdogs such as Ireland and Bangladesh have shown cricketing excellence is not anyone’s fiefdom.
Coach Dav Whatmore, the Midas man behind Bangladesh’s dream run, is currently in the reckoning to be Team India’s next coach. It will be very interesting to watch out for future developments. If he does get the job, I’m sure that B’desh’s loss would very much be India’s gain.

Here’s a quick look at a few common traits seen in some of the better performing teams playing in this World Cup:
1. The ability to enjoy the game as a team
2. Outstanding fielding standards
3. Not relying on a single individual as a match winner – depending on every player to contribute on the field
4. Ability to put pressure on competition, especially if they are on top
5. Supreme fitness – explains why players like Sanath Jayasuriya are still ruling the roost

Super Eight Standings as of today
Team MP W L PCF Pts NRR
AUS 3 3 0 2 6 +2.01
SRI 4 3 1 2 6 +1.55
NZL 3 3 0 2 6 +1.44
RSA 4 2 2 0 4 -0.63
ENG 3 1 2 0 2 +0.02
WIN 4 1 3 2 2 -1.18
BAN 4 1 3 0 2 -1.78
IRE 3 0 3 0 0 -0.93

Mr. Bean’s Holiday, Alpha Dog & Thiruvilayadal Aarambham

Mr. Bean’s Holiday (English)
Screen: Ruwi Cinema
Starring: Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean, Willem Dafoe, Jean Rochefort
I woke up pretty grouchy and pooped out this morning. And I knew that watching Mr. Bean’s Holiday would probably perk things up a little. Guess I underestimated Mr. Bean’s powers. Mr. Bean’s Holiday is a laugh riot from the moment he wins a holiday to the French Riviera in a church raffle draw. What ensues is a trail of comedy, commotion, madness, slapstick wit, chuckles and merry mirth as the irrepressible Mr. Bean makes his presence felt in the République française. I was wondering what was my best moment in the movie – I think it has to be one where Willem Dafoe sets off the explosion on his commercial video set, or it could even be the one where Mr. Bean is grooving to Shaggy’s Boombastic. And now that I think about it – I can think of a dozen more. Make sure you join Mr. Bean on his trip of a lifetime.

Alpha Dog (English)
Screen: Ruwi Cinema
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Ben Foster
I walked into the theatre dead tired and Alpha Dog did a good job of bringing me right back into the screen. Alpha Dog is ‘Inspired by true events’ and a ‘drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list’. As Bruce Willis’ character Sonny Truelove narrates in the beginning of the movie –
You wanna' know what this is all about? You can say this about drugs or guns or bad decisions, what ever you like. But this whole thing is about parenting. And taking care of your children.
I loved the feel of Alpha Dog – urban-youth degradation, parents who don’t know where their kids are headed to & don’t seem to be in a position to help cuz they are in pits of their own, spoilt-white brats having their own take on black gangsta-ho culture – also felt some performances were good, especially Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin and Emile Hirsch. The movie was censored in Muscat, and I’m longing to get my hands on the uncut DVD. The choice of soundtracks for Alpha Dog is pretty good too – I’m now hooked to DMX’s Lord Give Me A Sign, and Tech N9ne is definitely an act to watch out for.
Tracks by the likes of Lowd, Eva Cassidy, Aaron Zigman, Paul A. Graham and Paul Bushnell complete the ensemble.

Thiruvilayadal Aarambham (Tamil)
Screen: Star Cinema
Starring: Dhanush, Shriya, Prakashraj
Firstly, the movie didn’t look good on the big screen. Wonder about the quality of the film roll used – it seemed to be made with a simple, humble camcorder. TA is a love story with street smart hero Dhanush pitted against the well-oiled business tycoon Prakashraj, the brother of his lady-love. TA suffers because of a pretty weak story – though Dhanush emotes effortlessly in patches… TA is flawed from scene 1. Booboo.

Weekender Movies in Muscat

I’ve been enjoying my extended weekend (Saturday was a holiday being the Prophet’s birthday), spending time catching up on the latest movies in Muscat, as always.

Namastey London (Hindi)
Screen: Ruwi Cinema
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Rishi Kapoor and Upen Patel
Funjabi boy meets british bratgurl and all hell breaks loose. Directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Namastey London explores the lives of NRI families and issues that arise from the way they deal with their values, beliefs, identity and approach to relationships. Though packaged as a comic caper plus touchy romance, Namastey London comes with a very powerful message – true love wins, always. I love Namastey London for its hilarious moments, perfect casting and happening songs.


Dreamgirls (English)
Screen: Ruwi Cinema
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson
If you love either musicals or good movies, you may be in for some luck as Dreamgirls is a well-made movie plus entertaining musical. Written and directed by Bill Condon, Dreamgirls follows the dreams of three R&B singers Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson, respectively played by Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles and Anika Noni Rose who want to make it big in showbiz. They run into Curtis Taylor, Jr., (Jamie Foxx) a slick, ambitious record executive who becomes their manager and helps them become the new face of American R&B in the 1960s and 1970s. The dream in Dreamgirls is American Idol winner Jennifer Hudson who perfectly deserves an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her sterling performance as the immensely gifted but volatile singer Effie White. Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx enthral you by the way they portray their characters. A beautiful movie that tells us dreams can come true, provided you dream and work to get the dream fall in place.

Annavaram (Telugu)
Screen: Star Cinema
Starring: Pawan Kalyan, Asin
Loving brother in village marries off doting sister to chocolate boy in city infested with evil goons. Brother’s best buddy is killed by ruthless goons. Brother sends sister and family back to village and returns to the city around interval with doughty mission – wipe the city off all villains. Neat. Annavaram is happening – if you like Pawan’s flexi-dance moves, never ending swish-slash, lemon-tinged swordfight seqs and Tollywood’s fixation for big-budget masala movies.


The Speed Track (Malayalam, ahem)
Screen: Star Cinema
Starring: Dileep, Gajala and who’s who of contemporary Malayalam comedydom
Debutant director Jayasurya comes up with a sports-based flick with all ingredients required for an average Malayalam hit. Starring wonderboy – now ageing wonderman Dileep, who delivers a decent performance as an athlete with a do or die mission to become a champion. Gajala makes us realise that Mollywood has no actress of its own ilk who can fit into a decent-sized track suit and run 100 feet without collapsing into a heap. Though it is difficult to accept Dileep as an agile athlete given his ‘physique’, The Speed Track is much better than his earlier hash named ‘Inspector Garud’. Any day. Dileep better start working on the way he looks in movies… tips from Mammootty can help. Perhaps.

Fearless (English)
Screen: Al Nasr Cinema
Starring: Jet Li
Wushu guru Jet Li comes up with an outstanding performance as a Wushu exponent in his farewell martial arts epic ‘Fearless’. Apparently, Fearless is going to be his last flick as a martial arts performer, he hopes to concentrate on other character-based roles in his future acting career. Fearless is the journey of the transformation of a fearless warrior to a great hero. Fearless has got some outstanding Wushu sequences, especially a rocker of a climax, a lot of nationalistic fervour, some excellent dialogues, stunning cinematography… and is a must-see for those who love Chinese martial-art flicks.