A Gutsy Glimpse Behind the Curtain: Reviewing "The Bads of Bollywood"*

* In a world where Bollywood is often presented as a pristine dream factory, a new voice has arrived to pull back the curtain with a wickedly sharp, satirical gaze. Aryan Khan's directorial debut, "The Ba****ds of Bollywood," is less a conventional story and more a gleefully chaotic, self-aware send-up of the industry he was born into. And for the most part, it's a wild, entertaining ride. From the first frame, the series announces its intent to subvert expectations. It follows Aasmaan Singh (Lakshya), an ambitious outsider from Delhi who achieves overnight stardom. But as he navigates the cutthroat world of glamour, fame, and backroom deals, the show is less interested in a traditional hero's journey and more in skewering the very system that creates its stars. The Good, the Gutsy, and the Goofy What "The Ba****ds of Bollywood" does best is its no-holds-barred satire. It takes on everything from nepotism and PR games to "sold-out" critics and the general absurdity of a business where image is everything. This is a show that isn't afraid to poke fun at itself and its own heritage. Aryan Khan’s ability to take subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, digs at the industry’s inner workings is a testament to his unique perspective. The writing is sharp, witty, and full of meta-references that will delight anyone who follows Bollywood gossip. The series is also peppered with a dazzling array of cameos from some of Bollywood's biggest names, including his own father, Shah Rukh Khan. These appearances are not just for star power; they are used to great comedic and satirical effect. The show's ability to get these stars to participate in the joke is perhaps its greatest achievement. A Mixed Bag of Tricks While the humor and satire are a major highlight, the series is not without its flaws. The tonal shifts from irreverent comedy to high melodrama can feel a bit jarring, with the emotional beats sometimes falling flat. The central love story, for instance, between Aasmaan and Karishma (Sahher Bambba), often gets lost amidst the more engaging friendships and rivalries. Some viewers may also find the plot to be a bit messy and over-the-top, with subplots that don't always fully land. The big plot twist at the climax, while unexpected, has been criticized by some as feeling a bit like lazy writing. The Performances Despite any writing hiccups, the cast largely shines. Lakshya as the "outsider" Aasmaan has a powerful screen presence, while Sahher Bambba holds her own as the "starkid." However, it's often the supporting cast that steals the show. Raghav Juyal as Aasmaan's best friend is a scene-stealer, and performances from veteran actors like Mona Singh and Manoj Pahwa are, as always, pitch-perfect. Final Verdict "The Ba****ds of Bollywood" is not a perfect show. It's messy, loud, and sometimes self-indulgent. But it's also a refreshingly honest and entertaining peek into the wild world of Bollywood. It's a show that knows exactly what it is and what it wants to do: to laugh at the industry, at itself, and to invite the audience to laugh along. If you go into it with the intention of having a fun, satirical, and over-the-top ride, you're likely to enjoy every minute of it. It marks the arrival of a confident new voice in filmmaking and is a must-watch for anyone who loves—and loves to mock—Bollywood.

Rudy Giuliani Hair Affair

Seems like troubles are not leaving Trum's trusted Aide. Awhile ago he was caught with his hand in his pants with Sasha Baron Cohen's 'daughter. Now he is leaking dye from his hair. 

Racial Ignorance in Benedict cumberbatch's Sherlock

Or casual racism? Once upon a time, British racist thugs used the derogatory term Paki for every brown person, whether Pakistani, Indian or Srilankan. Has the situation changed now in 2020? It doesn't seem so as far as British entertainment industry is concerned. 

 

There is a character in Sherlock ( TV series currently being streamed on Netflix) named Chatterji. Sherlock tells his sidekick Watson that Chatterji is hiding a wife in Manchester and possible another in Pakistan. Now anyone knowing a bit about India will know that Chatterji is a Hindu Brahmin surname of Indian Bengalis. 

In Sherlock, this Chatterji guy is depicted as a Muslim from Pakistan and he has been generalised as if all muslims are adulterers and polygamous ( Sherlock doesn't provide any evidence to support his claim that Chatterji has indeed a second or third wife in Pakistan). In another episode, Sherlock and Maggie are in Agra. The whole scene is set as if they are in a Middle Eastern Muslim town. Infact Agra is a city in India. According to Wikipedia, the regious demographics of Agra is : Hindus : 88.8% , Muslims :9.3%. I fail to understand how these cultural aspects are missed or ignored while researching for a TV series? Will they be doing the same thing to White names and cities as well?

Blatant Racism on British TV

Watched Netflix original series SAFE yesterday. The series keep you hooked through out and you are left with a new suspect in each episode. Performance is good. But my problem is the shameless racist portrayal of people of colour in this series. The Marshalls is a family where White man married to a brown woman, having a tantrum throwing, mean and selfish daughter Sia. Sia is a typical teengae bitch, who sells drugs at her party. Then there is the black kid Mike, who makes fun of one of Chris Chahal's mum and calls her MILF who sleeps around with her students. The princhipal of the school is an Asian. He threatens to take action against a suspended teacher who has come to watch her daughter perform in the school choir. We feel bad for the teaher and anger on the insensitivity of the headteacher. Teacher's husband just has to growl and the headteacher quckly backs off. That is how a brown head of the institution behaves! Here the mum is white BUT French (not English). Then another suspect Helen is black and she is shown as a hoarder. The viewers feel disgust at the Marshalls' attempts to dispose of Chris Chahal's body and how they try to cover up their actions. Even afterit becomes clear that Marshalls are not gulity of the murder, we are still disgusted with them and Sia in particular. But when the murderer is revealed, they are shown repenting ( even after causing double murder) and we really feel sympathetic towards them. Why is it that people of colour has to be shown in negative roles to portray the modern diverse British society?

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan: headed for Divorce?

Am I hearing it right that all is not well with Pataudi's? She is the queen of millions, a beauty with brains and he has the quintessential brooding looks, no brain, a court case and flailing inheritance of Patuadi khandaan. They are as odd as chalk and cheese. And still they fit as glove in hands. We are talking about Kareena Kappor khan and Saif Ali Khan. When Kareena  came with then beau Shaid Kapoor on Koffee with Karan and flaunted her shy boyfriend, I really thought that Kreena and Shahid were truely not made for each other. she was brash , bratty and too outspoken whereas Shahid was shy and reserved. The infamous tongue diving smooch was the talk of the town for some times but all was forgotten when Kareena and Shaid Kappor decided to part ways.

Kareena's mother Babita made the most of her affair with Randheer Kappor and got married into the first family of Bollywood. So what that she separated with him after a few years, her daughters got the name, fame and money that is a given to any Kapoor offspring. Karisma Kapoor went the same path as her mother Babita and hooked Abhishek Bachchan. She was at the top of her career and Abhishek was no where near to making any name in the film industry. Mom Babita thought, baby Karisma would have a hold over her beau Abhishek. But Jaya bachchan proved to be too domineering and dominating for Babita's liking. And the tussel between the two would be samdhans resulted in the broken engagement between Karisma and Abhishek Bachchan.

Kareena Kapoor in Sharnila Tagore's Gharara

Same is the case with the saifeena jodi. Saif has still not been able to give us a hit that is solely on his account. Either it is the heroin or the other hero, who take away all the credit of the success of his films. Poor guy! On the otherhand, Kareena Kapoor was as still is at the peak of her career. THough Kareena Kapoor hasn't been able to give many big hits, but she is always in demand with bigwig directors of bolywood. Just like Karisma and Abhishek, this pairing also had the female on the top.
But unlike Karisma, Kareena Kapoor Khan has got a graceful and understanding mother in law in Sharmila Tagore, whom her kids call Amma. If Sharmila allowed Saif to marry a much older Amrita, she was over the moon when he announced his link up with Kareena, who is a much better choice than foul motormouth Amrita Singh.
Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings :)

THe best Serial and Episode Ever IPKKND Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon Arnav and Khushi Declare Their Love

Till today, my favoritest episode of IPKKND was 23rd January, when Arnav comes to Kushi's rescue and dances with her. The dance sequence was so erotic and beautifully performed by both Barun and Sanaya. Their faces are so expressive. I have not seen such a good performance on Indian Television lately. I think Barun isn't a good dancer, that's why we don't see him performing in award shows, or participating in dance competitions on telly.
I had watched an episode of 'Baat Hamari Pakki hai' where he is dancing in front of jail warden and other cops. That was the funniest dance I had seen. But you couldn't guess that Barun can't dance while watching 23rd January's episode. He moves so graciously and lifts Khushi with effortless ease.
But today's episode was just amazing, simply outstanding. There were so many highlights: Khushi holding Arnav's hand and stopping him from going, Arnav wiping tear from his eye after Khushi declares her love for him and faints, Arnav leaning close over Khushi on poolside, Arnav telling Khushi, in a voice husky from emotions, their hearts beat like one.
 I have watched this episode 10 times now, and love love love it. I know what Arnav did and said was under the influence of Bhaang and when he comes to his senses he will be his old grumbling self again. But this episode is worth downloading and watching on each Valentines day :)) Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings :)

Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon ( IPKKND) Spoiler

I am in love with Kushi. I love Arnav too, but Khushi is my Jan. Now that doesn't make me a lesbian. I have been pro girs/ females from teen, but that doesn't make me a feminist. Smart and beautiful girls make me turn my head AND I am happily married with two kids.

Anyways, I was saying that I love Khushi's character in IPKKND. It's bubbly, vivacious and carefree, as well as sensitive. I see a lot of younger me in her. As you grow old, you become cynical. Now, don't go and stop reading my blog, thinking that it's only an old hag babbling. I love to see the stats in my blogger dashboard and love the fact that so many of you come to read whatever I write. My only grudge is that you, my readers, don't respond much.


Anyways, lets come to the matter at hand. Arnav has come to know about his Jija's lecherous nature. Now what will he do? In true Mills and Boon tradition,  Arnav will keep this information to himself. And as I said in my earlier post, he marries Khushi to save his sister's marriage.

There were so many twists and turns after I wrote the earlier post that I started doubting my knowledge of Hindi serials. But now I am 100% sure that Arnav will marry Khushi for his sister's sake and not out of love. Then there will be lots of misunderstandings created by Jija Shyam and also due to Arnav's own jealousy. So let's wait and watch if my prediction comes true! Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings :)

Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 1 Feb 2012

Arnav is frantic when he finds Khushi's slipper and broken bangle on the road. He runs after the ambulance, but to no avail. Arnav ki ankho ke aage woh saare pal ghoom jaate hain jab woh aur khushi ek doosare ke kareeb the. Woh turant police walon se poochta hai ki ambulance kaunse hospital mein gai hai aur gaadi daudata hai. Hospital pahoonch kar woh paglon ki tarah emergency ward dhoondta hai, jahan khushi ko le jaya gaya hai. His eyes are searching for her, praying every second that she be okay.

And when finally when his eyes find her, he is filled with huge relief .........and Love. A love that he never admitted and is still hesitant to admit. Khushi doesn't suffer from major injuries and the doctor has given permission to take her home. Nanhe wheel chair lane jata hai. Arnav Khushi ko godi mein utha kar le jane lagta hai to Khushi protests. But Arnav doesn't listen and continues to walk, as if he is carrying the most precious and delicate flower in his hand.

He looks down at khushi with such tenderness that all the protests die in her throat and she can't tear her gaze away from him. Arnav Kushi ko gaadi mein baitha hai, tabhi uski nazar Khushi ki kalai par lagi chot par padti hai. Woh tenderly chot saaf karta hai aur kalaai choom leta hai. Khushi ke tan-badan main sihran si daud jati hai. ...........................Rest break ke baad :)


Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings :)

Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 31 January 2012

Khushi aur Nanhe ji ghee lene ke liye ghar se nikalte hai aur Arnav unhe kadwi nazaroon se jate dekhta hai. Nani ji kehti hain kiit would be better that Payal and Akash do the havan first, kyonki yeh havan unhi ke liye to karwaya ja raha hai. Anjali agrees, but Shyam ji is furious at his plan being foiled. Woh Anjal se kehta hai, ki hume yeh theek nahi laga ki aapki jagah payal ko de di. Lekin sweet Anjali doen't mind , woh keti hai ki theek hi to hai, payapl aur Akash ko hi pehle baithna chaiye. Udhar Arnav is getting restless ki abhi tak khusi aur NK aaye kyon nahi. He calls khusi a number of times, but she doesn't answers. He gets more frustrated. Anjali sees his calls on khushi's mobile and bholi si ban kar poochti hai ki are Chote tum khushi ji ke mobile par phone kyoon kar rahe ho.................................. Rest after a break.

Kuch Toh Log Kahenge: A Poor Copy of Dhoop Kinare

When promos for the new serial Kuch Toh Log Kahenge

on Sony TV were being shown, I had a feeling that it would be based on Dhoop Kinare. I was really excited to see our own Indian version of Dhoop Kinare. The intial episodes of Kuch Toh Log Kahenge were xerox copy of Dhoop kinare. Even the heroin's friend's name is same ( Anjie). But I am sadly disappointed. The lead actors Mohnish Behal ( Dr. Ashutosh) and Kritika Kamra(Dr.Nidihi) are no match to Rahat Kazmi and Marina Khan who played Dr. Ahmar Ansari and Dr. Zoya respectively in the original drama.
Mohnish Behal is unable to deliver the understated charm that came naturally to Rahat Kazmi. So is the case with Kritika Kamra. She has played bubbly and chirpy girl in her previous serials on star plus. But the innocence and stubbornness of Dr. Zoya Ali Khan is lacking in her. May be the comparison if unfair. But one can't help it. Dhoop Kinare is a classic and Kuch Toh Log Kahenge is a futile attempt to recreate it.

Will and Grace Star Debra Messing to Divorce Husband

Debra messing of Will and Grace fame is going to divorce producer husband Daniel Zelman. They have been living separately for a few months now. But they have decided to quit amicably from their relationship for the sae of their seven years old son Roman. And yes this Debra Messing's picture, though minus make up.

A New Twist in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon ( IPKKND)

Bua ji's Nand kishore is entering  Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon. It is rumored that Karan Godwan of Jugni Chali Jalandhar fame will be playing a sweet NRI in the serial. His name in  Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon will be Nandkishore.

Apparently Nandkishore is unable to speak proper Hindi ( him being an NRI and all) so it creates funny situations. It seems that Arnav will feel jealous when he would see Khushi and Nandkishore developing an easy relationship. But my earlier hypothesis was that Arnav will marry Khushi when he gets to know that his Jija loves Kushi and wanted to marry her. In order to save his sister's marriage Arnav will marry Khushi and love will develop later. Well my hypothesis hasn't been proved right so far, but lets wait and watch.

Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon: A Must watch Drama

Braun Sobti aka Arnav Singh Raizada and Sanaya Irani aka Khushi Kumari Gupta are two people who have recently entered our lives. Though they are poles apart, they are thrown into collaborating with each other by the circumstances. I love how in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, the characters of Arnav and Khushi are well sketched by the script writers and and very well enacted by Barun Sobti and Sanya Irani.
It is not every day that you see continuous good performance on television. Hindi serials started to deteriorate in performance and content after Balaji telefilms and Ekta Kapoor entered the TV serial production. So it is really refreshing to see some light hearted serious romance on TV ( without any Saas-Bahu drama, though Nani ji and Maami provide a bit of that, but in lighter vein).
I have not been an avid follower of Hindi t.v.serials. But I have to watch them because my sister-in-law is a die hard fan of Saas bahu serials. While she enjoys her dinner watching

Gopi rescue Rashi ( Saath Nibhana Saathiya), I keep wondering what will Rashi plan next. I don't like scheming saas or bhabhi or bahu. Life is so full of tension, and these serials keep the audience on tenterhooks and in tesion all the time. On the other hand Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon is a refreshing entertainment. Watching Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon or IPKKND is like a watching a Mills and Boon novel onscreen. Is Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon has the same story line as the trade mark Mills and Boon. A Tall, Dark and Brooding and Rich hero and Cinderella heroin who always seems to defy whatever the hero has to say. Like the Mills and Boon characters, the hero and heroin of IKKPND are always at loggerheads with each other, can't stand each other and inadvertently fall in love with each other.

Hunt for Gifts Starts

We will be visiting family in India next month. I have started shopping for gifts for family and friends. My father is a surgeon, so this time I was looking for some surgical scrub to gift him. I found this online scrub store which has wide variety of medical scrubs for sale. Look at

the simply adorable scrub hat. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it.
Men's scrub hat collection is no less gorgeous either.

Isn't it lovely? Of course I can't gift it to my dad, but it certainly suits the personality of a sports loving medical professional. I think the following scrub hat will suit my father who is a senior professor of Surgery at the medical college.

This online store provides a whole new aspect of medical uniforms, that they can be bright and colorful, instead of dull and grubby looking.

Desi Girls: Who is Your Favorite?

Desi Girls started in March 2010. I was in India then and used to watch it. My son wouldn't eat anything if TV was not switched on. So I tried different channels to make him interested in eating and he got hooked on Desi Girls. It is a reality show on NDTV. Eight city girls are chosen to live in a village in Punjab. They have to perform all the duties and live like a villager.My favorite is Ishita. She is the one who is not unnecessarily rude, never abusive and does her share of tasks honestly. Like the one involving the cleaning of the grille guard . Kashmira Shah as usual shirked work, but Ishita went to join the girls' party only after she was done with cleaning duty.
After coming to London, I forgot all about Desi Girls. Only yesterday did I thought of watching some episodes on youtube. The episode where Sambhawana Seth is ousted, is really nice. This lady should have been out from the first nomination. She is really loud, aggressive and intolerable. I don't know how Monica Bedi finds her a pleasant person to become friends with. There was another girl, Anmol. She was also genuine. Anmol was the youngest among all of them. She was paired with Roshni Chopra, and had to perform all the tasks alone as Roshni would successfully ditch her to enjoy herself.

Football Fever Everywhere

Yesterday when I was bringing my daughter home, from the nursery, I saw so many young students ( from the nearby primary school) honking trumpets. Boys and girls had their face painted in red cross. Everybody was in a festive mood. I am no fan of football, but even I have caught this football bug. I am really keen to know the results each day. The cleaner, who comes on Monday for the weekly cleaning service, is from Brazil. Naturally she is rooting for Brazil. She claims Brazil will win.

Watch TV Online

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SeeSaw. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is a review of an online portal for watching TV programs. It's called SeeSaw. I have been sitting on my laptop feeling frustrated for the last few days. My husband isn't letting me watch TV, as he is busy with the World Cup. It is as if he is the sole living soul in the house. He has the control over remote all the time. So I have taken refuge at SeeSaw.

The site offers different programmes to watch online. You can watch some for free, as well as rent certain programmes. The site has good collection of serials from BBC, Fie and 4oD. You can even watch US programmes too. My favorite one is Alias, starring Jenifer Garner. Its 22 episodes are available for only 99p. Isn't that non pricey! You can even win an apple mac book or an apple i pod by filling a survey for SeeSaw.
The site's Comedy Section has over a hundred programmes which are free to watch. My favorite ones are " The IT Crowd" and " The Thick of It". Just now I was watching " That Mitchell and Webb Look" and it had me in splits. I have bookmarked my favourite comedy programmes and I will be watching them at leisure.

Big B still Blogging

Today I went to read Amitabh Bachchan's blog on big adda. He is still blogging even after two years! There have been many stars like Nana Patekar and Bipasha basu, who blogged to promote a particular film and then logged out for good. But Big B is continuously blogging. It seems like he takes blogging very seriously. As if he has a responsibility towards his readers.
Trim it down to size with a light bulb

Director Farah Khan to Become TV Actor

Ace choreographer and director Farah Khan is going to be a TV actor soon. She is playing an ad executive in the upcoming serial "Ghar Ki Baat Hai". She has been a judge on "Nach Baliye", but never showed inclination to act in any other TV show. Now it seems that best buddy ShahRukh Khan has succeeded in getting Farah's consent to work in his comedy serial on NDTV imagine.
Farah Khan

'Poetry Man' Phoebe Snow is Anxious to Know Her Roots

The Seventies musician Phoebe Snow is all set to take a DNA test to establish whether she is of African American descent or not. A local New Jersey paper called her as one of the New Jersey's great black musicians.
Phoebe is amused by the declaration describing her as black,as she knows that no one in her family is or was black. But she wants to make sure of her roots, so she is planning to take the DNA test. Phoebe gained fame with "poetry man", but could pursue her music career, because she had to take care of her daughter Valerie, who was born with a severely damaged brain. She devoted 31 years of her life to her daughter who died in 2007.
Phoebe Snow