Review: "Being Cyrus" [3.5 out of 5 stars]

A better review of this film is at: Review of 'Being Cyrus'.

Majority of the movie is spent in understanding where the plot is and to link the scenes together. But towards the end, things unfold and everything becomes clear.

To watch this film, lots of patience is needed. If you have acumen for non-mainstream movies, then this will be a treat in the end.

Review: "Water" (4.5 out of 5 Stars)

Friday evening, I had the pleasure of watching Deepa Mehta's movie "Water".

You can get more information about the movie at: WATER

All I want to say about the movie is that everyone from India should watch this movie. Direction and acting is great. Symbolic events in the movie are great - like the handing of Chuiyaa to Narayan at the end (symbol of freedom from oppression) and the crossing of the river by the widows paddled by the eunuch, as a symbol of exploitation from the rich.

"Vidhwa Ashram" or the "Widows Ashram", a prevalent concept in India over the ages, need to be revisited.

Starting a micro-business

I stumbled upon an email from the author of the following blog entry:
The biggest barrier to starting your own micro-business

His prior blog entry is:
Launching your micro-business - some basics to consider

You can get a PDF of his book from Danger Quicksand - Have A Nice Day(An unconventional guide to surviving corporate employment), published by http://bentcrowpress.com/

Tax Filing Season

Wonder how many know that TaxAct.com will allow you to e-file your taxes for free. I had downloaded their software to prepare my taxes and was going to mail them by paper. But as a final check, I went to their website and was pleasantly surprised to see that the e-file for federal returns is free.

Approach taken to stardom needs to be evaluated

Reading this story on Mallika Sherawat - 'Assets' dont really work always, Mallika!, I should say that Mallika must be feeling the heat about no one in the world, considering her to be a serious actress; but viewing her as siren.

Few months ago, I did hear about Anna Nicole Smith crying out loud, to the audience at some award ceremony, to take her seriously and not view her as a gold digger or a Bimbo.

There have been actresses in the Indian Film World - Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Sharmila Tagore, Waheeda Rehman, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patel etc who may have been forced to flaunt their feminine qualities (in the bad perspective) in a movie or two. But overall, these actresses command respect in the eyes of the public. Even Helen of yesteryears is respected.

The point is that, there will always be directors and the masses that will show you the fastest path to stardom and money. But at the end of the day, your character and talent is what counts. Take notice, Bipasha, Mallika and others. In 20 years time, nobody will care about you. You are waste!. You will ponder over your approach, with gray hair.

Interesting, blog entry in India Times on a related story with Bollywood.
Bollywood in Commonwealth Games <--- READ THIS WITHOUT FAIL