Chef- A mouth-watering journey

Chef Carl Casper from Miami is the best at his game. Being the head chef of Gauloise in California, Carl was always looked up to by his team of chefs and was famous for reinventing and rediscovering old classics. The owner of the restaurant, Riva, thought that the customers liked his food, the classical way and not when he reinvented and created new dishes. Carl was always hoping to prove Riva wrong. Soon an opportunity knocks on the pass.

A world-acclaimed critic and food blogger, Ramsey Michel, was coming to town to have a taste of Carl's food. Seeing this as a chance to show Riva what he meant, he decided to scrap the original menu and came up with exotic and new kinds of dishes. Riva was not sold. After a long fight, Carl decided to put the original menu on and they  went into full-fledged service. Later that night, Ramsey posted a scathing review on the dinner. For dessert, Carl had served him choco lava cake and Ramsey wrote that, "it felt like undercooked cake and not a "choco lava cake."

Carl did not take it well. With the help of his son, Percy, Carl goes on Twitter and sees how almost everyone was reading the review by Ramsey. Thinking that he was sending a private message, Carl insults Ramsey and the post goes crazy on Twitter. Soon, a Twitter battle begins and Carl asks for a rematch. He had created a new line of dishes but again had problems with Riva. This time, Carl couldn't take it anymore and decided to quit. In the end, Tony, the sous chef, handled the pass and served the same food that was served before to Ramsey.

Carl went home and cooked the dishes that he wanted to serve originally. After seeing a no show from Carl, Ramsey tweets again only to infuriate Carl further. Disaster strikes when Carl barges into the restaurant and has a meltdown that's being recorded and put online! The video goes viral, Carl loses his job and his reputation was tainted, never to be repaired. He had to go into hiding or just off the grid for a while, till things cooled down.

So, his son Percy and chef/friend, Martin, help him set up a food truck. But, has Carl lost his touch with food? Will this chance of redeeming himself work?

If you're a foodie (or not) this movie is for you. The dishes that are made in this movie are absolutely to die for! The colours, the flavours, the cheese! Trust me, it's going to be a mouth-watering journey. So tickle your tastebuds with Chef and enjoy every bit of the fun and the food! Bon appetite!

Gone girl- Revenge in the form of a psychopath?

Nick Dunne, like every other lazy morning, goes to The Bar for a morning drink with his sister. But he doesn't expect his wife, Amy Dunne, to dissapear under mysterious circumstances on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary. Nick is shocked and gets help from detective Rhonda Boney to find his wife. On the way to the police station, Nick goes in flashback mode and here is where we get to know more about the two of them. Nick and Amy were both writers. They met at a party and soon started dating only to break it off after two years. Soon, Nick proposes and they quickly get married but their marriage didn't go as smooth as they would have liked.

Coming back to reality, Rhonda Boney and her detectives start searching for clues.The crime scene is examined and it is found that it was staged and wasn't a genuine crime scene. It is also revealed that Amy had lost a lot of blood and it had been cleaned up as well. All the evidence so far was unmistakably pointing out to the fact that she was murdered in her house. Side by side, Amy's parents start a search party to find their daughter.

At the house, Rhonda and Nick find an envelope with "clue 1" written across it. Nick explains that Amy was into treasure hunts for anniversaries. The two start searching for clues. Later, as evidence starts piling up, Rhonda is more and more unsure about Nick's involvement in the crime. After a while, the detective shows up with a medical examination result and says that Amy was pregnant. Trying to get away from everything, Nick rushes to his sister, Margo's place and crashes there where his girlfriend, Andie comes along as well. They both decide to stay away from each other until things cool down and Nick promises Andie that he was going to get a divorce soon. That night, Rhonda goes to a small wooden shack, the place where clue 2 led her and finds Amy's diary, the piece of evidence that gives Nick motive to kill her.

The media is all over this disappearance and as everyone is trying to pin it on Nick, the real murderer of Amy Dunne is still out there, or not? Who really killed Amy Dunne?

The best thriller I've seen so far, Gone Girl was truly an amazing experience! Actors Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike have played their roles so well, you absolutely cannot foresee what happens halfway down the movie. A movie that truly deserved all its nominations for the oscars, this thriller is going to stay in the limelight for a long time. After reading this, you have to find out who Amy Dunne's murderer was! So go and watch the movie!

Does Britain owe India- A review

A brilliant speech made by Shashi Tharoor, a Congress Minister of Parliament on the 28th of May 2015 in Oxford has bombarded social media websites for the past week. He talks about how British owes India after a long, tiresome and gruel colonisation of 200 years. The motion for the debate was "this house believes that British owes reparations to her former colonies". Speaking for the motion, his arguments were based on three main points.

As British saw an expansion in trade, India succumbed to loss of trade. Hand looms that spun cloth as fine as clouds were shut down. Raw materials and finished products were shipped to Britain where the country prospered in the effort of Indians. This left handloom workers jobless and on the streets. By the 19th century, India was the British's biggest colony for extracting money and we extensively bought British goods and gave handsome salaries to the British bureaucrats.

The two world wars saw Britain sucking all the power we Indians had and utilising it in every way possible. He added that 1/6th of the British forces were Indians and 54,000 Indians lost their lives in the first war alone. Coming to World War II, the estimate gets higher. British owes India 1.25 billion pounds, a debt that has still not been paid off.

Lastly, he spoke of Britishers blatant disregard to Indians and their sufferings. India went through many terrible famines during colonialism, but the worst one was the Bengal famine. As it took place during World War II, Winston Churchill gave orders that the stock of grains and other rations for India was to be diverted and transported to the soldiers out at war. This led to large-scale deaths. As Churchill was told about the situation in India, the only comment he had was "Why hasn't Gandhi died yet?"

In the end Shashi Tharoor said that estimates can be given in rupees and pounds but we do not need reparations in the form of aid. A simple sorry, accepting that what India went through during the British era was something no country should ever go through. One sorry would pay off all the debts Britain ever owed India. After viewing his speech, I realised that there is only one place on earth where people would laugh at themselves rather than try and cause violence because of different point of views and that is Britain. Britishers have the remarkable ability to laugh at themselves, something that lacks in every other country in the world. That is something, I personally feel, we should learn from them.

So, if you haven't had a look at this video, I suggest grab a pair of earphones, sit back and take a look at colonisation through the eyes of a politician of this century.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani- The simple joys of friendship

Another shove down the road of reviewing another Hindi movie, this time I settled for one of my favourite Rom-Coms, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. As far as I remember, this was the last movie I liked of Ranbir Kapoor (yes I was a pretty big fan of his). Released on May 31st 2013, the movie has a star-studded cast with Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur.

The movie starts with a lady reminiscing about her former life, her life with her friends and starts talking about her one trip that changed her life for the better. The narrator is Naina Talwar who was then a medical student, the one who was found hidden behind thick textbooks and microscopes. She was bored of her life that day when she encountered an old friend, Aditi Mehra her classmate from school. The two get talking and Aditi tells her about her plans to visit Manali on a hiking trip with her friends. Naina, completely not being herself, takes the plunge and leaves a letter for her mother as she heads to the railway station to get on the train and finally have some fun! There she meets two of her other classmates, Kabir Thapar and Avi, who instantly recognise her from her glasses. As the journey proceeds, Naina feels out of her depth, sitting between a group of strangers and has no idea how to start a conversation with them.

They reach their destination and Kabir and Naina become more acquainted with each other. The two realise that Aditi has a secret crush on Avi but don't dwell on the matter too much. Naina shows her true colours and breaks all her boundaries when they celebrate the festival of Holi in a small town with all the fun and, as we Indians say, the "josh" of the festival. Naina realises that she's fallen for Kabir but doesn't disclose it because she knows he isn't going to get into a relationship. They part as friends and for a while nothing happens.

Eights years pass and they all meet again in Udaipur for Aditi's wedding. Naina is a successful doctor, Kabir is a photographer/journalist and Avi is trying to set up his own bar. Naina and Kabir meet and things go an awful lot towards love again. But Naina doesn't want to deal rejection again and Kabir isn't sure if he really does love her or not. The night before the wedding, he sees Naina with another man and jealousy brews in him making it clear that he does have feelings for her. The two of them confront each other and confess their love, but neither one of them is willing to let go of their careers.

On New Year's Eve, as Naina braces herself to spend the first moments of the new year alone, she hears the doorbell ring and standing in front of her is Kabir! His love for her was more important than his dream job and in the end love conquers all and they live happily ever after. Just your typical Hindi-movie plot, but this one was somehow different. I still cannot fathom why.

I felt the music brought this movie to life. All the songs are perfect for the scenes and have catchy tunes and impeccable lyrics. You give me good music and I will love the film. It may be a complete cliched Hindi movie, but it's worth at least one watch.

Kahaani- The epitome of suspense and thrill (my first Hindi movie review!)

After a few weeks of coaxing and persuading from a friend at school, I agreed to write my first review on a Hindi movie. Kahaani, simply meaning a story, is one like no other. Released in 2012, this mystery thriller was directed by Sujoy Ghosh. The protagonist of the film, a pregnant Bengali lady is played by Vidya Balan, aptly chosen for the role.

The movie starts with a lab test gone horribly wrong that killed a train full of innocent civilians in Kolkata. We shift to Vidya Bagchi, our protagonist coming to Kolkata to find her missing husband, Arnab Bagchi. She travels to the police station to register her husband going missing. The police ask her required questions and as always say that they would get back to her if they find any information. A fellow constable, Satyoki Rana, is asked to drop her to her hotel and the two get talking. Vidya explains that her husband was working on an assignment for National Data Centre, but on further investigation it is found that no such person was employed there. Outraged, Vidya goes out on the streets of Kolkata to find her husband and unmask the truth behind what seemed like a murky scam.

With the help of Satyoki they meet Agnes D'Mello, NDC head of human resources who claims that her husband resembles a former employee, Milan Damji. Satyoki and Vidya race to the NDC headquarters and break in to find his file. Meanwhile, there's an assassin on the loose, Bob, a life insurance worker who shoots Agnes D'Mello and is after the same file that Vidya wants to retrieve. The two of them escape by the skin of their teeth as Bob almost runs into them at the office.

More indentities are revealed and more intricacies come into play as Vidya and Satyoki try to find a man no one seems to know! As evidence piles up and the labyrinth of the case gets trickier, they also need to keep an eye on the assassin who would soon want the two of them dead. Will Vidya find her husband without being killed or while solving the case unturn many more mysteries that no one knew existed?

A lightning speed, nail biting experience right from the word go, this movie has redefined the idea of mystery in Hindi film industry. Vidya Balan's commendable acting and the supporting actors give the movie an edge over other movies of similar genre. Amongst the songs, my personal favourite would be 'Ekla Cholo Re' sung by Amitabh Bachhan himself. It gives a ray of hope in the dark night of uncertainty and keeps your spirits up, hoping for a happy ending. If you haven't watched it, go and rent a DVD or watch it on television as soon as possible!

Fandoms- Extended family or more

*disclaimer- This post contains a few spoilers from a few novels. You have been warned.*

Fandoms are kingdoms created by and for fans of a particular series. Being part of a fandom is like getting to know there are more people out there who think like you, who believe in the things you do and who obsess over characters like you. Fandoms give you a platform to express yourself, to be who you are and not care if you'd fit in the world or not. They give you a chance like no other.

For me, fandoms are more, much more than extended family. You don't know who they are, you don't know where they're from, all you know is that you have one thing in common with them and that is your fandom. Fandoms range from TV series to novels to cooking! Everything and anything can have a fandom. Fanboys and Fangirls from all across the world get to know one another through Fandoms. It ends concepts like being judged, being criticised or just being mocked at because every single person in your fandom stands with you when you fight a word battle for it. Every fandom has its own agendas, it's own debates and theories.

The Harry Potter fandom debates about whether Snape was a good character or not, whether Harry and Ginny were a good pair, whether Harmony could have ever existed? Did Draco secretly like Hermione, why did Harry name his kid after Snape, why was Peter Pettigrew sorted into Gryffindor? The list is endless. Formulating theories over the elder wand, Dumbledore's death, the Time Turner is just one of the many pass times for us Potterheads. Moaning over why we never received our Hogwarts letter and thinking that we could go directly to third year because of our knowledge of most of the spells is another thing we love doing. Finally when we come face to face with another Potterhead, a good old-fashioned duel is a must.

Being a part of the Hunger Games fandom is a bit different. One may want to visit Narnia or Hogwarts or the Shire, but not us. We're pretty happy not ending up in the arena. You debate over the ships in the series, Haymitch and Effie's duo, Rue and Katniss, whether Katniss should have ended up with Peeta or not. You may not want to be a part of the Hunger Games, but you do wish that the odds will ever be in your favour. *raises first three fingers of the right hand* 

Coming to TV shows, I am in many Fandoms, but the one I love the most is the Big Bang theory fandom. Humour, sarcasm and Sheldon, this makes the entire series what it really is. Sheldon and his compulsiveness, his perfection, his attitude towards relationships and complete unsocial behaviour is what I love about this series. The fandom goes on about Star Trek (if you think Star Wars and Star Trek are the same this is not for you, trust me), Raj and his "so called disorder" of a kind, Shamy and other ships. If you haven't seen this series, may the force be with you. Bazinga!

I can go on about Fandoms and their importance in every Fangirl or Fanboy's life, but that would take me years to complete. Fandoms give life to life.

Times of India Lit Fest launch- A literary spectacle

This evening, at the Taj Palace hotel, New Delhi, Times of India hosted their Delhi Lit Fest launch with much pomp. What was expected to be a gathering of a small group of book lovers ended up being an event with a turn out of over five hundred people.The evening's theme was "from the popular to the elite". At the popular end was the launch of Amish Tripathi's newly arrived novel, The Scion of Ikshvaku, which was followed by the elite of the evening, an interview with Upamanyu Chatterjee, the author of the famous novel, English August and Rahul Bose who played the role of the protagonist in a film later released under the same name.

Amish Tripathi's success with his Shiva trilogy was the main focus of the evening's interview. The story of how a banker turned into a best-selling author with just one idea was an inspiration to all.  Coming to his latest novel, The Scion of Ikshvaku talks of the Ramayan and Amish's take on the age old epic. The secret, according to Amish, to get a bestseller was explained with a simple example. The runway of an aircraft carrier is way too small for an airplane to take off. Yet planes do take off, with the assistance of a propellor. A book is an airplane and marketing strategy is the propellor. If the propellor is not effective, the airplane falls into the sea and if you have the best propellor but an engine of poor quality, the plane won't take off. So, the book and the marketing go hand in hand.

Moving on to the elite of the evening, Upamanyu Chatterjee and Rahul Bose were interviewed on the book and movie, English August. It was a laugh riot. Upamanyu's monosyllabic answers and awkward silences left our interviewer sweating as he thought of more ways to engage the man in a conversation that would last for at least a few minutes. Rahul Bose on the other hand described his role in the movie and how much he felt he was like the character he played. As they started going into the crux of the novel, questions were raised as to whether knowing English and having a good command over it made one look classy and sophisticated. Upamanyu rid this off as absurd and said that anyone can be good at any number of languages and English does not have to be the one to make you look "classy".

The evening of literature came to an end with a small introduction to a new initiative taken up by Times of India called "Write India" about which more information can be found on the Times of India website. The event came to a close with cocktails and with fans present flocking in huge numbers to get autographs and selfies with the celebrities. Delhi's own literary fest being held from 28th to the 30th of November 2015, will witness the presence of many such prominent authors. Make sure that you do attend it and for more information please refer to the Times of India website.