Queen - Whole India Thumakada !!

I think this is the first time I'm writing a movie review on this space. Not because there were no good movies released in the past, but this particular movie made me do so.

The subjectivity of responses to a film usually runs deeper than "I liked this, you didn't". But, I didn't find any homo-sapien saying this. The only running in my mind is for kangana : how does it feel to turn into a well respected actor?

May be the director Vikas Bahl was inspired by Rahul Gandhi's favorite word "Women Empowerment". The whole plot rounds around a women whose heart breaks right before her wedding and how she fares her life after such a so called "lost everything" situation in India. This is the story of a girl who finds herself through travel.

Queen was so good, I had a smile through out !! She made me fall in love with it more and more as each scene progressed. From a girl who needs his brother to escort her where ever she goes to a girl who not only shares her room with 3 men from different countries but also shares her first kiss with an Italian guy is a marvelous transformation.

The things that one can learn from the plot are

• Learn to Travel : Many things in life click when you travel. In the movie, Queen discovers herself , grows wings and becomes a person everyone falls in love with. Traveling helps to forget the tragedies in life.

• Listen to a Friend in need : Sometimes, the real gift given to a friend is to give them some time of ours. In the moive, the girl in Paris ,VijayaLakshmi does it.  

• Learn to say NO : She said a NO to vijay, who dumped her in the starting of the movie and came back running just to find her happy without him. There is a whole lot of learning in this particular scene. She even said thankyou to vijay for rejecting her. Very nicely done. The guy was found dumbstruck to say the least !! 

• Do Whatever you like : I am so glad she kisses the Italian chef. I was so hoping that she would. I would have been disappointed if she hadn't done that. The moment called for it and she delivered thankfully.

• Friends Matter the Most  : Queen shares her room with 3 men from different countries, Though she finds it difficult at the start, she becomes acquainted with them. She even rejects vijay's invitation for a cup of coffee for her friends who taught her what life is all about. 

The facebook timeline track of the Queen at the end grabs some bonus points. Every moment of life should be captured.

We are still living in a country where a girl gets married against her wish at an age of 20. 

We are still living in a country where a girl is supposed to be in despair if her marriage is called off. 

Movies like English Vinglish, Queen clearly pictures out the current situation of women in India, and yes Empowerment of Women is necessary 

A Day in Pondi - A French Riviera of The East

And here I'm, back with a lot of experiences to share with. Life is all about gathering experiences. !! 

A day in Pondi with Nitin, Ashish, Pandey, Mayank.. (The DITians.. )

Though official name is puduchery, i seem comfortable in calling it Pondicherry. 

This beautiful french town is about 2 hours from The Hot Kettle, Chennai and is a place to go for a perfect week end. I am not yet done enjoying this cute little coastal city and will hopefully be back for more to explore. The French controlled this part of coastal region for more than 300 years and it is of no surprise that they have left an indelible mark of their culture in Pondi and we can see the glimpses of its francophone past. 

In short, Pondi is a place with tree lined avenues, French heritage buldings, Beautiful backwaters, A pulse of spirituality ( The churches here are with more serenity ) and never endings beaches. 

Here is a list of places that could be enjoyed on a day trip to beautiful and almost clean Pondi.. 

Chunnambar Backwaters.. 

Pondi has scenic backwaters and a visit to this place is an amazing experience. I tried to capture most of the beauty with my 2 million pixels camera and that was the day I longed for a smart phone with 8 million pixel camera.

The backwaters of Pondi

A cruise starting from the backwaters will take you into Paradise Beach.. 

The SeaCruise 

See the man with orange life jacket :) :)

Paradise Beach

The Maintenance of the beach is just awesome with restaurants (boozers can booze), tents etc.. and we can find a river on one of the beach and Bay of Bengal on the other.

hey Sun, please be cool

Auroville Beach

In this beach, one can see the nature's furore. The currents appeared to be cool, but were dangerous enough to take us deep inside. A bit carelessness can turn enjoyment to a catastrophe.  

Auroville beach

Promenade Beach

The promenade is one of the finest Rock beaches in India. A walk along the promenade beach road is rejuvenating. This was the first time I felt the atmosphere of rock beach. 

Le'cafe has been my favorite restaurant which lies across the shore. If you are feeling low, go sit in the cafe, order a lemonade and listen to the waves crashing the rocks. 

waves crashing against the rocks

splashes of water striking the rock

waves crashing against the rocks (night view)

There are many heritage French buildings lined on the beach road. Walking along the line made me feel elated. 

This caught my eye and so my nokia lens

The up and down journeys from Bangalore to Pondicherry were in a sleeper bus. The joy of travelling in a sleeper bus with friends is a feeling that should only be experienced .. !!

P.S  : I found you even in pondicherry, just beside me where ever I go. Wish you were really there beside me. :( :(