Hindi movies, kebabs and beer

Well, it finally happened. It was inevitable I guess. For the first time since my brother came to Denmark, (or so he claims)we went out together to do our own thing. And what did we do? We went to see a Hindi movie... In a theatre in Copenhagen... Ahh, the reason I love globalization.

Which movie? Jodhaa-Akbar, Ashutosh Gowariker's latest offering. The movie is alright, the acting good, the background score uninspiring but some of the songs are truly wonderful. The best part of the movie though is the dialogues. I love Urdu, the way it sounds, the way it rolls off your tongue, the sheer elegance and that is why the dialouges of this movie were so cool. Another awesome part was the sheer eye-candy provided by Hrithik Roshan. I am not really a fan of his. In fact, until recently I used to call him a "chusa-hua aam" (i.e. half sucked mango.. Man, that really doesn't sound good when you translate it) but in Jodhaa Akbar, he really looks regal, he looks like a Jahapanah character. Very majestic and his whole bearing and way of carrying himself is very noble too.Anyways, after that Bhaiya and I went for Kebabs and Beer, a meal that Bhaiya holds very close to his heart obviously because I got a monologue recorded on my phone about its benefits. And it was great fun. Sure, he talked about his girlfriend a lot. But still it was fun. We had kebabs, biryani and beer. Heaven..

This one day adventure made me realize how Indian I am. OK. I know what you are thinking - it really isn't Indian to drink beer and eat kebabs. But after watching a Hindi movie on the big screen I realize how much I miss it. The past few days I have had a Bollywood fetish. I have been watching only Hindi movies, my iTunes is stuck on Hindi playlists and my head is constantly humming Jashn-e-Bahaara. Jashn-e-Bahaara is one of the songs from Jodhaa Akbar, it is in Urdu and it is so poetic that any listener just melts when one hears it. It makes me want to learn the language and become a poet.

S for Shameless

Hari Sadu, a new social phenomenon in India, is the protagonist from the advertisement of an online job portal in India. What does it mean to be called a Sadu? Well, 'sadu' in Hindi means grouch, but Hari Sadu has personified grouchy, uptight and taken it into the 21st century. Also available with uprades. This time in Bangalore, I could see huge billboards showing a desktop with an error message that reads 'Hari Sadu Virus ver. 2.5.' Naukri.com has not only created a good ad but an iconic figure for middle class India.

So why am I bringing up poor Mr. Sadu today? Well because it is the second most used phrase in my house today, "O stop being such a Hari Sadu." I have on occasion been called that myself. Sometimes though you need to cover it up and sugar-coat it and make Hari Sadu seem like an endearing name. But is there really anything adorable about being a Hari Sadu?. I guess there is because all of us have been a Hari Sadu at some point in time or another but never continuously. And part-time sadus are a different story altogether - when you see the contrast of them being nice, it appears very nice indeed, making them adorable.

The Holiday

I had the good fortune to catch a dreadful cold, flu, fever, cough (you name it, I caught it) after an awful two weeks of hard work, hard partying and emotional roller coasters. It is the best holiday ever. I suppose I consider it a holiday because it came at a time when I wanted it the most and so it is appreciated so much more. And this is all I am going to go into the whole sickness-is-the-body's-way-of-telling-you-to-relax routine. After all, I don't want my blog about the holiday to be boring.

I have been lying in bed all day with all my to-do lists surrounding me. Watching all those little post-its trying to be stern and remind me of all the tasks that I have not completed yet, I can't help but chuckle to myself. I have a feeling that in a little while I will no longer be able to control the giggles and it will blow out to full-sized maniacal laughter. Though now, the post-its are trying to talk some sense into me. They tell me that I should concerntrate on the tasks that are less cumbersome, tasks that I could accomplish while lying in bed. I wonder where they picked up the fine art of negotiation. But no matter, I can ignore them for a while longer.

Lying in bed all day, legitimately, without feeling guilty has its joys. For one, you discover and understand the nuances of your pillow and sheets much better. It came as a great surprose to me to find that the left side of my pillow is more comfortable to use as a teddy bear than the right side of my pillow which is the more firm, no-nonsense side. It positively reeks of army like discipline - the right side because if you sleep on it for the whole night you jump up early in the morning with a pain in the neck.

The other joy that I have discovered is cough lozenges. I think I may have a new addiction. I dread to count how many I must have popped in the last hour. A little later on I may indulge in a little arts and crafts and try and see what innovative things I can build with 50 lozenge wrappers.

The most fun though has been watching the sky change out of the window over my head. Glorious fun. I predicted that clouds would be rolling in from the west by mid-afternoon long before the TV weather man even got there. For now though I am listening to a song called Life, more specifically Life (High Quality) by a Eurotrance group called E-Type and enjoying the clouds. Very apt, isn't it?