Smaaash - this one really knocked the ball out of the park

I was invited by Smaaash to get a flavour of what their entertainment Center is all about and boy was I in for a ride of a different kind . The Smaaash entertainment Center has a staff which is dressed in shades of blue and they can lighten up your day and drive your blues away like a snap of a finger . The staff is on point , knowledgable and know the Center inside out.

I am a bigggg cricket addict and given a chance I would love to play cricket day and night against bowlers of all shapes and sizes . The Smaaash cricket game has different levels and you get to play bowlers of the pace of Wasim Akram , Brett Lee , Shoaib Akhtar , keioron pollard and also face the spin and guile of Shane warne , Muralidharan, Anil Kumble and Sachin . It's a virtual game you play against these bowlers with live commentary and score . This is the closest you can get to playing bowlers of this pedigree and the experience is priceless.

The finger coaster is another ride if you like a little bit of a rollercoaster in your day ( bangalore traffic can do that to you ) . What I liked about this ride is the fact that you could customise with your fingertip and you can't blame anyone but yourself when you go through this virtual reality game.

I like the idea of seeing tall buildings but walking a plank on the 15th floor of a building to another building with the environment playing truant .. well it tested me  and I came out tops - this was the star attraction - a virtual reality game called Vertigo - walk the plank
The arcade zone has games for the child within you ..whilst the twilight bowling is quite a sight when you bowl the nine pins down . If you have nimble feet and are blessed with focus you might fancy the game which tests your dancing skills.

A word on the in house restaurant which is aptly titled mighty small .. the servings are mighty and made with minimum of effort.

 If you are looking at having a smaaashing time with your family or friends  or want some alone time .. then Smaaash - India's first Urban Sports Center might just work for you 

Rishabh Pant wins heart and the Royal Challengers Bangalore plays Bold

Rishabh Pant ,the south paw who announced his arrival in IPl 2017 with a six has the kind of presence which Sir Vivian Richards will be proud of . His half century was worth its weight in gold ..coming in the circumstances it came in because of a personal bereavement , it deserved nothing less than a win . The rest of his team mates though seemed happy to be in the dugout playing musical chairs with each other losing wickets in a flurry , trying to become millionaires with their shot selection.

Royal Challengers Bangalore with the kind of support they get across the globe and in a city which was once known as the pensioners paradise came to the party at last. The absence of the charismatic Virat Kohli , the hard working KL Rahul and ABD - the man who defies geometric conventions with his audacious shots were sorely felt. It's also an opportunity for the other lesser known team members to make their presence felt and like that line in the trippy movie - Sholay-"Loha Garam hain mar do hatoda" loosely translated as "strike the iron when it's hot" .. Kedhar Jadhav did just that . He played unconventional shots all across the park racing to 69 off just 37 balls giving the Bold army the impetus to cheer the home side all the way through. RCB ended up with 157 for the loss of 8 wickets and from the looks of it on a batting paradise like the Chinnaswamy Stadium one felt they were 20 -30 runs short .. but then destiny has other plans.

The Delhi innings was all about Pant .He showed a lot of heart and spirit to fight till the end whilst his team members did not show the alacrity to partner with him to weather the Rcbian bowling which was top notch. RCB was in control of the game right throughout making the moments count . The spinners making the ball mumble a bit , the pacers with sheer pace and variations unsettling the Delhi batsmen. 21 runs were needed off the last 2 overs and the  penultimate over bowled by Shane Watson was a template on how to bowl right at the death . He gave nothing away and Amit Mishra swishing his blade like Zorro in thin air managed just two runs . The last over was a master stroke by the captain , he gave the ball to left arm spinner Negi . 19 needed off the last over and Pant tried hitting Negi out of the park ended up losing his leg stump and  the game was in Royal Challengers Bangalore's pocket. This win could just be the shot in the arm for RCB to kick start their winning ways and let their numerous fans across the globes rejoice with cheer and unbridled excitement 

My moment with a Martian ( on screen )

My moment with a Martian

I was invited for the life movie premiere which was presented by Sony Pictures in association with Rubin Raj Productions in a city which prides itself in being second to none  in terms of technology and I might just add in vehicular density. The movie premiere was a star studded affair with people from the creative space converging in an hour before this science fiction thriller was showcased at Fun Cinemas in Bangalore City . The backdrop , the selfie station and needless to say Sony Pictures and Rubin Raj Productions were head and shoulders above the rest . The people selected to come and watch this thriller were a right mix of the enterprising community of bangalore .

Life - the movie in a nutshell tells the story of six brave scientists aboard an international space station who have just discovered extra terrestrial life on Mars . All six of them have a destiny of their own which is unravelled as the movie orbits on a course of its own . Let's just say The extra terrestrial from Mars who is named Calvin for all sorts of friendly reasons doesn't turn out to be as friendly as the name would sound . There are lot of defining moments in this thriller and the first encounter the lead doc has with the extra terrestrial in a controlled environment is a scene  to watch out for. This movie keeps you on the edge of the seat and tells how life really is in outer space through the eyes of these passionate and emotional scientists dealing with an enemy from "within ". The movie ends on an open note and whilst you leave the theatre .. you are thinking what if this really happens and thank your stars that at times being too emotional might just not be a good thing whilst dealing with extra terrestrials from Mars.This thriller  was more of a emotional ride than a scientific one for me and on that note I would rate it as 3.5 / 5 with 0 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

See you at the movies

Trappedthemovie - the review

Rajkummar Rao has bled literally , figuratively and metaphorically in this movie . Trapped the movie works on the premise which has happened with all of us .The lead actor quite interestingly goes by the name of Shaurya and from the looks of it the only brave deed he would have done is asking the girl in his office out for for a butter soaked pav bhaji which becomes an inspiration in the end .Rajkumar through a sleigh of misfortune  gets stuck with a tricky situation which is a test of character for him on all levels . The movie shows how the protagonist navigates his way through this ordeal dealing with a power struggle , deaf people around him and under him and a rat  . One particular scene where Rajkummar Rao goes through the entire gamut of emotions whilst dealing with the aggression of fire and the calming influence of water stays with you .  This movie is not for the faint hearted ... catapults , cardboard boxes , cockroaches and pigeons have more than a passing shot in this thriller. As a viewer you see the film through the tiring but brave eyes of Shaurya .. and let's face it .. if you are stuck in a similar situation what would you do ?This movie is similar and dissimilar with films like castaway and 127 hours as they dealt with nature .. here he is right in the middle of a concrete jungle
and trapped . That's the irony of it . The movie is edited in a crisp manner with the background score adding it's own flavour .It goes without saying Rajkumarr Rao brings blood , sweat and toil in this role .

Trapped - the movie and the media interaction

From the time the trailer of this movie released .. it has intrigued me and as luck would have it .. I was invited for an interaction with the versatile lead actor Rajkummar Rao and the interprid Vikramaditya Motwane at Inox leisure Ltd ( Garuda Mall) by Rubin Raj . The movie in question is Trapped and quite unlike the name the actor and the director answered all the questions with consummate ease and tact ensuring they did not reveal the storyline at any given point. In a nutshell the movie #trapped is all about a man's endeavour to get out of his newly furnished apartment which is set in a high rise somewhere in the far flungs of maximum city aka Mumbai. This movie has tones of castaway meets 127 hours and to know more watch this thriller on 17th march at a theatre near you and on a side note if you hate tea /coffee / popcorn .. go for green tea . Stay fit .. stay healthy whilst watching this edge of the apartment survival thriller !!!!

Rangoon - the movie review

rangoon the movie - bloody hell and kiddo that's a catch phrase used irritatingly throughout this flick. The movie is a tad too long , first half has good moments  .. the second half never ends ..it has unnecessary songs, a Brit actor high on Hindi and it's pronunciation ( I so missed bob Christo here ) and there is a tip off to inglorious bastards for the story and Sholay for the fight sequence.. Saif throughout this movie calls Kangana "kiddo "for some strange reason .. guess he must be doing the same thing at home .. the movie ends with Saif doing a tight rope walk with a sword in his hand .. yeah that kind of movie and there are a lot of things you could do with that sword .. you might just walk out of the theatre muttering bloody hell .

Ghazi Attack - the review

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting so says Sun Tzu in the Art of War. T

Ghazi Attack is a different movie not just for the approach it takes but for the first time in Hindi films a movie on military warfare is shot under water. The movie has a stellar and a very able star cast in Om Puri , Naseer ( albeit in a short but a " politically " motivated role ) Atul Kulkarni who literally speaks from the gut, the tall presence of Rana Duggapati and the smouldering intensity of Kay Kay Menon. This movie keeps you on the edge right from the start . You know you are in for a submarine ride through the choppy waters of the Bay of Bengal with very able Naval officers doing whatever they can to keep their nation's flag flying high at all costs. Drills have a new meaning in this flick and one particular scene about the egg and the water drives home the point that the deeper you go , the heavier you feel. I was never a fan of geometry but the way the scenes were shot around geometric  lines and angles .. I would have fallen in love with it if given a chance again . Water here seems to add not just flavour but also becomes another character in this movie when it sees so much of action happening down under. The radio operators played by both the Indian and the pakistani counterparts don't just have an ear for detail but also have insightful eyes.This is a movie which deserves more eye balls as its a grim reminder of the heroes we have who lay down their lives  without expecting anything in  return . The film has been shot well , the jerky camera movements  adding more than just a visual appeal in every scene . This movie talks about honour , ambition , valour in equal terms and the national anthem has never sounded so sweet even at 300 metres below sea level .
General Patton might just love this movie for the values it expounds