Movie Review: Super Ranga (Kannada) Rating: 3/5

Real Star Upendra’s undoubted screen presence, in your face humuor, combined with Sadhu Kokila’s directorial expertise makes Super Ranga a super watch for all Uppi fans. A remake of a Telugu hit ‘Kick’, the plot remains similar to the original.

Sri Ranga (Upendra) is a kick seeking person who will go any extent to get a kick out of situations, sometimes risking his own and others’ lives. Sri Ranga never stays in one job because he doesn’t believe in living a life without the adrenaline rush. He meets Naina (Kriti Kharbandha) who hates him to start off with but slowly begins to fall in love with his thrill-seeking personality. Until one day she finds out that he cheated her. On confronting him, Naina breaks up and leaves India and agrees to meet and marry a man chosen by her father. 

Then starts the cat and mouse game between Ranganath (Raghu Mukherjee) and Sri Ranga, Ranganath is a police officer in search of a robber whose face he doesn’t know. How he catches the robber? Who is the robber? Why did he rob? How did he rob? The answers to all these questions form the 2nd half of the movie. 

Upendra’s acting and comedy timing is apt, he has essayed his role justly. Kriti too has portrayed the glamorous heroine very well, her costumes are noteworthy. Supporting cast which consist of Rangayana Raghu, Sadhu Kokila, Avinash, Dodanna and others complete the plot. The comedy at times feel unnecessary and the story drags a bit, just to bring in the emotions. The dialogues hit the bullseye and convey the point well.

The locations of Slovenia and Malaysia are beautiful, Arjun Janya has scored some foot tapping music and the same has been shot well too.

Movie Review: Power (Kannada) Rating: 3/5

Verdict - A good watch for all Puneeth fans. Punch dialogues, superb comedy and action scenes.

Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar is here with what all his fans would call a powerful performance. This, a remake of Telugu movie Dookudu. As Bharat Kumar IPS, Puneeth has displayed his acting, dancing and action skills altogether in this movie. He doesn't disappoint. Trisha is like a breath of fresh air onscreen, her costumes and makeup are just right.

The plot, though a little confusing keeps you entertained. The story oscialltes between Mumbai and Bangalore where police officer Bharat Kumar is the ONE man gift to the Police Department who has the power to put a full stop the notorious criminals Guru Talwar, Babloo and the king pin Nayak. Kelly Dorjee has shone as Don Nayak. Wish the movie was a little shorter though because I lost a few threads of the story here and there. In a parallel thread Bharat is doing everything in his control to keep together a well hidden family secret and fabricates a make believe world to keep his father alive. This time around it's the father-son bond that is milked. 

Rest of the story revolves around how he takes revenge on the baddies who took on his father, goes on a trip to Spain, manages to fall in love with his superior's daughter and wipes crime and criminals off the city. Phew, that's a lot of work!

Rangayana Raghu and Sadhu Kokila as always tickle the funny bone. Comedy is one thing you should watch the movie for. Action scenes are good and so is Puneeth's dance. He should insure his knees.

Dr. Rajkumar's mentions never die, just reinforcing how important he is to the Sandalwood industry. Prabhu's acting is worth a mention.

Take your family along and enjoy the show!

Sec 377...it hurts

Sec 377 being upheld by the SC created much a furore within the LGBT community. Having close friends and well wishers in the LGBT community made me feel what they were going through. Almost feeling the pain and confusion that they went through. It is not different to anything that I would feel for any other friend or family. With the outburst on FB, I had quite a few people sniggering and asking me if I was also gay. Many of us have an undertone of sarcasm when we use the word "gay". If referring to visually challenged as "blind" is inappropriate, if looking down upon "differently abled" is inhuman...how is this any different? Stop looking at them as people with a disability! They are not! It is a preference, a choice, a way of life, which is as normal as anything else! Many of us heterosexuals fall in love with "the wrong people" from the opposite gender. What is wrong in finding "the right person" from the same gender? What is criminal about it? What is criminal about gay sex? If 2 consenting adults are involved in their own private space?! Homosexuals do not go around raping people from the same sex, they also have preferences, likes and dislikes, choices and good taste. They do not go on rampages having sex with people. There is so much more running through my head, the angst I feel for my friends. They are anyway facing a lot of opposition - family doesn’t accept their choices, friends move away, colleagues oust them. Its only the community they have to fall back on in for some peace and to feel belonging. Then the law comes into place and tells that what they are committing a crime?! Appalling It the heterosexual world, the only equivalent I could think of is, a pregnant, widowed woman asked to remarry and live with an abusive man and this being totally legal!

Mukesh Ambani’s son allegedly kills 2 in a car accident. Media blacks out the news #WTFnews

What a shame that the media doesn't want to talk about this? http://www.kractivist.org/mukesh-ambanis-son-allegedly-kills-2-in-a-car-accident-media-blacks-out-the-news-wtfnews/

Cooking sense

Why don’t most women who cook like the food they make? I have heard this problem quite a few times. Newlyweds complain the most because its their first time at cooking, but somehow they don’t relish what they make. Most often, they are awesome cooks but the taste of food they make doesn’t seem tasty to them. Iam a total foodie but somehow I don’t like the food I make. I gave it some thought and then realised… eating a meal or food comprises of the use of the sense to smell, touch, sight and then ofcourse sense of taste. When you are the cook, you have smelt, touched and seen the food and when 3 out of the 4 senses have been satisfied, not much is left for the taste. When you are served food on a plate which you have not cooked, all your senses are alert and ready to indulge –all at the same time. Hence the event of eating becomes awesome because all your senses are working in unison. But when you are the cook, with 3 senses already satisfied, filling your stomach to avoid ulcers is the only job left  Imagine, mothers who have been cooking day in and day out, they must have forgotten the last time they a meal with all the senses indulging together.

Shapes and Sizes

Aishwarya Rai who looks double of her earlier size is being criticized in the media for not shedding her post-baby bump. And then there were people saying that she should be given privacy and that media should not come down on her so heavily. Well, Aishwarya is a public figure and all through her career she was being appreciated for her looks, her figure and her presence in movies. So when the same figure has gone out of shape, the media is being harsh? It wasn’t an accident; she knew when she would give birth, how much time she has to get back into shape etc. Doesn’t it become her responsibility as a celeb to get back into shape?

Angst after Cocktail

Watching Cocktail left me feeling so down in the dumps, I almost took 2 days to recover. That too…only after I trashed the movie a lot. Pondered over it a little and realised…It was the character Veronica that made me sad. I sympathised so much with her it made me sad that she dint end up with anyone in the movie. People always say, “Boys like modern/hip girls as their girlfriends but when it comes to getting married they will choose homely girls.” I used to hear this a lot when I was younger. Always wondered why guys would do that, but never figured. When I grew up into a “bold” girl, got into a relationship and was asked to tone down, I still dint get the point as to why a guy would want a different kind of a girlfriend and a different personality as a wife. In the movie, Veronica makes an effort to shed her “ Iam kick-ass” image but Gautam still runs after the “homely” Meera with whom he fell deeply in love after just kissing her on a beach in SA. WTF??