Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The Bucket List


This movie is about two people (stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) who have cancer and are going to die in 6 months time. They both make a list of things that they want to do before they die.They call it the Bucket List. It is a very well made, light comedy movie.

Every Sunday evening I make a list of things that I want to finish in the coming week. I try my best to finish everything on the list. But still at the end of the week I feel I could have done more. Will I feel the same when I am dying... 'I could have done more'?

After watching this film I felt will I ever feel satisfied with the things I have done in life?
How am I supposed to feel satisfied when there is so much to read, paint, travel? There is never enough of it!

Maximum City - Bombay Lost and Found (by Suketu Mehta)


This book is about everything in Mumbai from slums, dance bars, movie stars, gangsters, locals, riots, muslims in Mumbai, Balasaheb Thakray, Mumbai police...

Suketu has written too lengthy descriptions of people and events. His thoughts do not seem to be cohesive.
He has made too many derogatory remarks on Maharashtrians and Marathi Language, that coming from a Gujju is ridiculous. He himself does not speak a great language like Sanskrit either.

This book is full of complaints about Mumbai.75% things mentioned in the book are not 'Mumbaiyaa'. There are stories about Vidhu Vinod Chopra (film director) which are refuted by Vidhu himself so this takes away the credibility of the other stories mentioned in the book.

Suketu, if you are aware of so many problems about Mumbai and you have so many contacts (as you have mentioned it repeatedly in the book) then why don't you come up with solutions and start acting on it?

Out of 500 pages in the book 50 pages have really some substance.
What is really good about the book:
Suketu's immense research, he has interviewed people from slums, movie stars, gangsters, politicians to bar dancers.

The book is worth a read for those 50 pages.