My pen and I
In the loving memory of my grandma who touched the lotus feet of the lord on 4.4.09. We loved you a load for you're always been a inspiration when amongst us and even while you're gone. I miss you. Take care.
I don't belong here,not in this crowd.Hi There,
Wishing you and your Family a Very Happy New Year (2009). God bless this year of the Bull with peace & prosperity to your Kith and Kin and everybody around the globe.
Regards,
Viral Thaker
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Coming out trumps in one of the toughest anti-terror operation ever conducted in the country, the gallant men from the NSG who flew back to New Delhi to a hero's welcome at their headquarters at Mehram Nagar on Sunday were brimming with stories like these. Stories of how camaraderie and humour helped them bond even stronger in adversity, with the enemy just a bullet away.
"The enemy bullet had just missed him by a whisker. I just wanted to convey to him that the difference between life and death in this case was two inches," Yadav told The Indian Express. "I could never imagine that somebody could come up with something like this in such a situation," beamed Black Cat Bharat Singh. Both men were a part of the 50-odd Black Cats from the 51 Special Action Group involved in operations at the Oberoi Hotel.
At little before that briefing at the Taj, when Bharat Singh was getting the wound dressed at the Oberoi Hotel, his team leader commando R K Sharma told Singh that he had got his ear hit purposely so that his wife wouldn't pull it anymore. "I told him that had he given me this idea earlier, I would have got both my ears injured too," Sharma said, tongue firmly in cheek.
But apart from keeping the cheer going, the men leading the charge at Oberoi Hotel were also careful in ensuring that the morale of their teams did not flag at any stage of the long drawn operations. The news of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's death was not allowed to percolate beyond two of the senior team leaders leading the Black Cats at Oberoi. "The Major had trained many of the boys fighting in the Oberoi. We knew the news of his death could affect their morale," said one of the team leaders.
Some of the Black Cats in Oberoi even had a verbal duel with the two terrorists holed up there. Having been shot at by one of the commandos, one of the terrorists limped back to hide himself behind a wall. "Chhup Chhup ke kya marta hai, samney aa na, he shouted," said a commando. "Tujhme dum hai toh tu samney aa ja naa, he was told by one of our men," he added. Expletives, many in Punjabi, flew thick and fast between the commandos and the terrorists.
"I can tell you what all was said but you will not be able to print those words in a newspaper," one of the Black Cats told this correspondent. He, too, had clearly not lost his sense of humour.
I need my wings back
DRONA is a big film in all respects -- big stars, big canvas, big expenditure on SFX, big ad spend, big expectations. Sadly, it's a big, big, big letdown as well. What saddens your heart is the fact that the Lullas of Eros and Shrishti Arya, the producers of DRONA, have spared no efforts in giving DRONA a spectacular look. The vision is perfect, but how about narrating an absorbing and attention-grabbing story? You remember DRONA for its striking visuals, not storyline. It's like embellishing priceless and precious jewels on a mannequin.
What's wrong? Goldie Behl and his writers can't decide if DRONA is a superhero film or fantasy. 
Although the makers have been maintaining all along that it's not about a superhero, the fact is, it is. In DRONA, the protagonist does everything that a superhero does. However, the lead character would only look more powerful if the anti-hero is equally authoritative. Surprisingly, the negative force here [Kay Kay Menon] is more of a buffoon than a villain.
More minusses! Dhruv Ghanekar's music is a big yawn. The tunes are listless and the placement of songs is equally jarring. Also, the length is a problem. You wouldn't mind a 3-hour film even today, provided it has the power to keep you glued to the screen. In this case, the 2 + hours seem never-ending. The film goes on and on and after a point, you actually want to scream, 'Enough!'.
In a nutshell, DRONA disappoints and how!
Little Aditya has never known love. Brought up by a foster family, all he knows is taunts and humiliations. Aditya [Abhishek Bachchan] grows up. Enter an evil sorcerer Riz Raizada [Kay Kay Menon], a descendant of the Asuras. He is desperate for a precious secret -- the amrit. But to lay his hands on the amrit, he will have to defeat Drona. Problem is he doesn't know who Drona is.
One fateful day, Aditya and Riz come face to face. Riz notices the kada that Aditya is wearing and recognizes him as Drona. Riz's men chase him, but he's saved by Sonia [Priyanka Chopra], who makes Aditya realize his true identity.
Sonia takes Aditya to his birthplace, to his mother, Queen Jayati Devi [Jaya Bachchan]. Aditya gets to know his roots, but Riz and his army catch up with him. Thus begins Drona's journey…
Given the fact that DRONA rests on a thin plot, there's not much that director Goldie Behl can do to salvage the show. Yet, Goldie has executed two sequences with style. In fact, these two sequences stand out like an oasis in a desert. The first, when Kay Kay turns Jaya Bachchan into a statue. The second, the train sequence. Awe-inspiring sequences!
DRONA is also high on VFX and a couple of sequences are well implemented. Note the petal storm towards the latter part and also the one when Kay Kay drags Priyanka into his yacht. Sameer Arya's cinematography is, quite surprisingly, inconsistent this time. The lighting is too dark at places. The production design [Tania R. Behl] is innovative.
Jaya Bachchan is grace personified. The only regret is, she gets less footage. Abhishek does very well. He plays his part most convincingly. Priyanka's introduction is fantastic, but her 'Babuji kehte hain' dialogue gets on your nerves after a point. Kay Kay fails to impress. Navneet Nishan hams.
On the whole, DRONA lacks soul. At the box-office, the publicity blitzkrieg might ensure good returns in its opening 4-day weekend, but the cracks should start appearing sooner than expected, since the film fails to keep you hooked. Its fall is imminent!
