Can Manchester City win the Premiership title?

Can Manchester City really challenge the top four, or even, win the title? Okay, well, we tried to entertain this question at the beginning of last season and turned out to be quite a downer for all the hype. This summer, Manchester City have gone on a spending spree (again!) and many people are refusing to be drawn to entertaining that question again- but times do change, and its about time they are given a serious consideration (if not deliberation) about their capacities to reach the higher echeleons of the Premier League this season. Of course, we could only analyze all this by viewing the squad that they have right now.

Goalkeeping

Let's not kid ourselves. Goalkeeping is an important function and area for any team, this is where the essential leadership of the team comes in, the final backbone that the entire team knows they could rely on. City headed into last season with Joe Hart, an untried, untested England hopeful as their first choice but things have definitely changed now. Not that he did any badly, but City needed experience and an established figure to stick between the posts and in came Shay Given. He's 32, and for plenty of years, he has been THE goalkeeper in the Premier League who time and again had bailed Newcastle United out of misery. Many rate him as one the Premier League's best, and if the 'big four' never gave him chance to have a crack at the spotlight many people thinks he deserves, then City might well be the place for him.He has made a sterling start to the season and you'd naturally expect him to continue on that. And for all those who'd think it might dent Hart's promising development, he was immediately loaned out to newly promoted Birmingham City, so that he would get the regular playing time that he desires. And to back Given up, the team brought in Stuart Taylor, another experienced face, a second choice keeper at Aston Villa previously. So no harm done eh? Smart move. Full marks for the goalkeeping department. (Come on, they can't get Buffon or Casillas YET can't they? Given is good to start with).


Defence

Hmm...Well. If I had written this few weeks ago, I'd say on the basis on the defence that there's no chance City could be champions or frontrunners in any possible way this season. But hey, again, times change. Look at the depth in defence now, and its delightfully good. Instead of going for highly rated defenders from overseas, Mark Hughes has concentrated in bringing in experience Premier League campaigners with proven standards to shuffle up his defence. The final 'Invincible' from the Arsenal team that won the league title in 2004, Kolo Toure has arrived to shore up at centre back- and he will be partnered by another new arrival, England centre back Joleon Lescott- who has arrived after a much-maligned transfer saga from Everton. Current captain Richard Dunne might depart the club though after his error-prone performances last season, and knowing that he will no more be a first choice defender for the club. Nedum Onouha is a reliable centre-back who could come in to cover for Lescott or Toure during troubled times. England prodigy Micah Richards meanwhile will take up the mantle at right back, but he is also able to shift to the centre should his services be required there. Defensive midfielder Vincent Kompany is also able to play in that position. And the competition for Micah's right back slot is another skilled, honed player- Argentinian right back Pablo Zabaleta.At left back meanwhile- if Wayne Bridge, who arrived from Chelsea during the winter, feels that he owns the role for sure, the arrival on free transfer of established Brazillian left back Sylvinho (who won two Champions League titles with Barcelona) would definitely keep Bridge on his toes. See, there's competition everywhere. And well yeah, lets not forget- there are Tal Ben Haim and Javier Garrido as well, not that they are going to see much first team action though.


Midfield

Ah, here we come. They say football is won with midfield battles. City basically play a 4-2-2-2 formation, with two central/holding midfielders and two wingers on either side covering up the midfield. Here, they have wealth. Gareth Barry, the established England midfielder purchased from Aston Villa, will be a regular feature in that central role, with his first choice partner being Stephen Ireland, City's best player last season. And then, the wealth of back up. Michael Johnson, a true England hopeful; and Nigel De Jong and Vincent Kompany, both considerably talented defensive midfielders are both available for services. Then, off to the wings. Shaun Wright Phillips will be a fix in the right wing, and Brazillian samba wizard Robinho will be a fixture on the left wing, drifting in as the game goes on. So what if they need a winger to cover up? Ireland could move into one of these roles, given that City have many other options in the centre, and of course, seasoned Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov, who is back after an injury ravaged season and is raring to get going.

Attack

City are simply spoilt for choices here. Emmanuel Adebayor has arrived from Arsenal, and the towering Togo-ese will definitely be the central target man for City this season. Partnering him in attack would be Carlos Tevez, who has established himself firmly after two successful seasons with City's fierce derby rivals, reigning champions United. And Roque Santa Cruz, the Paraguayan who has arrived from Blackburn, will play as a back up to Adebayor's role. Craig Bellamy will play as Carlitos' cover up, while Benjani will, almost certainly- rot in the reserves, unless he leaves sooner rather than later.

So do City have the neccessary quality? A big YES.

What will it depend on? Of course the manager, the onus is on him now to make this team of stars deliver, and also to a lesser extent, whom he chooses to be his captain, now that Dunne certainly would not feature. Shay Given looks like a very likely choice, but Kolo Toure, who had captained Arsenal before, is an experienced lad as well and could be given the mantle.

Fasting, Feasting- Book Review

The subject of cultural clashes and a stern Indian cultural examination has been discussed time aplenty through many books and unspectacular, simple movies over the years, yet few have come to the heights of Anita Desai's Fasting, Feasting. Without letting the deep-layered weight of her own story to sink the book into the opaque, removing the reader from relativity and going too far in metaphorism (as some authors have tendency to do), Anita's book is kept simple, neat, written with a clear outline that doesn't stretch much pages beyond necessity.

One can interpret many meanings from Fasting, Feasting, which tells the story about an average middle-class Indian family who live near the vicinities of the Ganges river. Mama and Papa are the parents; bestowed with three children, the eldest is Uma, who is not as pretty nor as educationally smart as her younger sister Aruna. Uma is almost in her late teens when the youngest of the lot, Arun is born. The 'fasting' section of the story focuses on Uma's travails- how her parents stopped her from continuing her convent education so that she would take care of the newborn Arun, and how she had two marriages attempts (one where the family were cheated their dowry money, and another that didn't last more than a day as the family found out that the groom has another wife) failing miserably, stamping her unlucky for marriage. This part of the book is a stunning exploration of the Indian mentality about women within the marriage system that sets alight in the culture; and being a fierce critic of business-like, systematic treatment of marriage within a considerable part of traditional Indian culture myself, I found the this part fierecely accurate and wonderful in bringing out the layers of emotions that woman ought to feel- and how the character of Uma, who is treated throughout like a virtual slave in her own house, an outcast in the society due to her marital status, copes through her mistreatment quietly and with resignation. The ending of the fasting part of the book is brilliant nevertheless, a great story worthy enough of a screen adapatation in the future. Parts of this section of the book is a bit stretched and long, but the overall impact is much more attaining than the shorter Feasting.

Feasting shifts focus upon Arun, who is sent to USA to further his education (not by his own choice). Through Arun, Anita represents another major problem with the Indian conservatives mentality- the sometimes obsessive pursuit of education glory and overseas education perceived with prestige by such families- Arun is virtually spoon fed on what he has to study, where he has to study, and what he should become, all within a set system. This results in Arun becoming a disconnected human being all in all, which is later explored in Feasting, which documents basically the summer he spends in a typical American family- the Pattons' household. Arun is fed to believe that US is a better place than India, but later he ends up questioning himself as he witnesses the family's unconnected way of mingling around each other, something which he is not used to. Arun settles into loneliness but it was a summer that he is forced to reflect on his own views, as he sees similar pictures to that he saw at home- only in a different way (the Pattons' daughter Melanie representing an westernized painting of Uma).

While the Indian setting shows the women 'fasting' and finding solace in matters such as religion, family responsibilities, the American women are depicted 'feasting' in a frantic search of one matter that will finally satisfy their purposes- such as Melanie's candy bar eating habits in search for a slim figure which ultimately results in a disaster of health, and Uma's sudden solace in the extrememity of religion and small souvernirs in amidst her desolated loneliness.

All in all, Anita Desai does a fantastic job in protraying a void that women in both cultures seem to be having, and this is definitely a fantastic book to read for any literature lovers out there.

Fasting, Feasting- Feast on this fasting.

Wake Up Sid- Music Review- News: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are back in form!

Yes, they are back in form. After a couple of mediocre albums by their standards in recent times, Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, and Loy Mendosa are back in the usual form for Dharma Porductions' Wake Up Sid, which features Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma in the lead roles. The music will definitely create a positive buzz around the film for one, as the expectations and the promos starts to kick in. When you put the SeL combo together with legendary lyricist Gulzar, you definitely have a formula for success and in this case, both the lyrics and the music complement each other so brilliantly in this case.

Wake Up Sid (Shankar Mahadevan)

You will wake up with energy if you listen to this. A great flagship opening number, totally resonating the theme of the film. 'Wake Up Sid, Saare Pal Kaahe' (Wake Up Sid, every moment tells you)- the lyrics by Gulzar ebbs a sober-ness into the half-meandering mind and I did listen to this album very early in the morning and it did a world of good by completely waking me up and getting me going. Shankar Mahadevan's singing needs no commentary, he is a proven veteran and does a fantastic job in low and high pitch modulations throughout the song. Lets Wake Up to the album!


Kya Karoon (Clinton Cerejo)

Remember Lakshya's Main Aisa Kyu Hoon? This song pretty much reminds me of that number. Obviously a number that will look great on the screen provided the right picturization, the song describes the helplesness of a young guy. But SeL make sure they do leave a signtaure that sets the song apart from many other similar songs- the singer. Clinton Cerejo, you simply will find it hard done to go for a more unconventional choice to sing a song like this, Clinton hasn't sung any such solo numbers so far, so this is a new try, and he does a fabulous job with how he renders this song, that itself sets the song apart. A fgood follow up to the flagship number.


Aaj Kaal Zindagi (Shankar Mahadevan)

Stand up and applause. Or just close you eyes, listen, and be tranced. Can't find enough bombastic words to describe this. Just effing brilliant! SeL's best composition in a while. If you are one of those persons who is just lazy to get up in the morning, then listen to this. You'd be pushed into your senses. Again, Gulzar's lyrics are phenomenal. 'Tere Liye Naya Zameen Naya Aasman, Likhde Hawa Ho me Koi Naye Daastan' (A new earth, a new sky is waiting for you, write a new story in your heart). Shankar simply carries the song to another level with his singing, just too good to be true on a Saturday morning. All I can say is thank you SeL for the brilliant number. Best of the album!!

Iktara (Kavita Seth, Amitabh Bhattacharya)

I thought I've listened the best of the album, but 'Iktara' makes it difficult to choose. I still chose Aaj Kaal Zindagi because of the song's lyrics and meaning which is much more deep, nevertheless Iktara is simply a classy blues composition, a romantic number with the best ingredients. You have to listen to know this brilliance. Kavita Seth is a great voice, and Amitabh (of course not Bhachan) gives the song an unique contrast with his soft, melloe voice mingled with the Iktara chorus. Hats off!


Life is Crazy (Uday Benegal, Shankar Mahadevan)

Rock on mode maybe? This were the kind of songs that SeL famously composed Farhan Akhtar's Rock On! last year, a band-like song with a rock-like energy. Yes, Life is Crazy. Its a good ode to end the album, a soothing album with (again) nice lyrics by Gulzar and percussions kept simple, with singing taking centerstage. Uday Benegal is very good in his croooning, well, SeL simply don't get it wrong at all in terms of their singers in this album.

Overall

The only downside is that you wish some of the numbers are longer. Both Aaj Kaal Zindagi and Iktara are just around 4 minutes long :(. With such brilliant numbers hard to come by, I wish they'd be longer (5, 6 minutes anyone?). Wake up Sid is a very good flagship number, while Kya Karoon and Life is Crazy falls into the impressive, good category. So theres actually nothing bad about this album. Simple and delightful morning songs.

And you'd hope this is start for SeL's return to form, this is their first good album of this year, and with many big projects in the lining (especially My Name is Khan), you could expect some great stuff from the trio are turning slowly into Bollywood's most prolific composers.

Rating: 8/10

Pick of the bunch: Aaj Kaal Zindagi, Iktara

Kaminey- a Review

Go Charlie Go!!!

As I sit here typing the first words of my review for Kaminey, the Dhan Te Nan theme music still rings strongly in my ears. And I had a term that I could finally coin this movie with- Royal Masala. Yes, its my own term. If I had used the term masala as it is, it would just remind of all the loads of Bollywood commercial cinema regularity, Kaminey doesn't belong in that association, it defines 'masala' in a brand new way- the Kaminey way. And its royal.

Charlie and Guddu (both played by Shahid Kapoor) are identical twins who have grown up in the slums of Mumbai. Charlie is a small time gangster who works for three Bengali brothers who fix horse races, while Guddu is a small time NGO activist about AIDS awareness. His girlfriend Sweety (Priyanka Chopra) gets pregnant with their child- and she soon pesters him into marrying her, only then does the truth show itself- Sweety is the younger sister of Bhope Bhau, a local wannabe rag-cum-politician, who after discovering about Sweety and Guddu's relationship, is after Guddu's head as the brothers are migrants from the neighboring Uttar Pradesh state, as Bhope runs an agenda for his own state of Maharashtra.Charlie meanwhile accidentally disrupts a 10-crore worth drug transaction, and after discovering what he had accidentally stolen, takes the drug in his own stride to pull of a deal and make his dreams come true, leaving the drug lords are fervently after his head for this. Charlie and Guddu's story soon collide with each other, with the drugs taking the centerstage to everybody's pursuit- resulting is often comical, tragic, yet thrilling consequences.

Shahid Kapoor simply steals the show in his dual role. There is an obvious distinction between the ragged Charlie who spells every S word as an F, and the more silent, quiet Guddu who stammers heavily in his speech. This is by far the best performance of the year so far and Shahid has definitely taken his career to the next level with this film. He seemed to have grabbed with both hands the golden opportunity of working with an acclaimed film-maker like Vishal Baharadwaj and has given his soul to enacting the twin roles. Priyanka Chopra, after a streak of flops that has seen her market value plummet including her high profile break up, makes this her comeback card with a strong, commanding performance in a role where she seems to have not applied any make up to give a natural look. She is loud throughout, yet eventually lovable for her affection towards Guddu. Amol Gupte (who was the writer of the 2007 blockbuster Taare Zameen Par, which marked the directorial debut of Aamir Khan), shows that he is as good an actor as he is a writer with a great performance as Bhope. The rest of the cast just ebbs on with their roles, each fitting in perfectly.

Tassaduq Hussain gives the film an edgy look with his cinemtography, with plenty of close up shots being scattered all over, and also a few handheld shots to give more thrill to scenes, and definitely suceeds in doing so, giving the film a distinct tone that is mantained throughout. His camerawork for the Dhan Te Nan song is also fantastic, with excellent balance of colors.

Where the film wins however, in in the music department and the writing department. Now, in that two areas, are the champions. Vishal Bharadwaj is an impeccable talent. I'm resisting myself from starting all over again about how brilliant his previous works were (Omkara, an Indian adaptation of Othello, and Maqbool, and Indian adaptation of Macbeth), and not only that, also how brilliant his music was in both of the films. But however thought he would only fit the artsie side of movie-making and music-making are on the wrong, because here this film is a money-raker, and the musics are definite chart-topper. Dhan Te Nan deserves all the applause and hype it gets, the number is sensational and the choreography is even more sensational. Fatak and Raat Ki Dhai Baaje are both highly enjoyable but Vishal's background score is simply a masterclass act, off the top shelf. Check out for Pehli Baar Mohabbat, my favorite number from the album, the only slow meoldious romantic number which appears at the end credits.

The screenplay by Vishal and three other writers is brilliant. There are simply no stop gaps. Every story keeps colliding with the other, there isn't a moment in the film you'd feel is going too fast or too slow, the pace if simply an act of perfection itself, you are hooked to the screen for start to the end. There is enough action (realistic ones, no flying stuff), and above all there is enough comedy and also enough emotions to completely charge the film as the film-watching experience you'd cherish for a long time.

And of course, Vishal's direction. He is a genuine talent and it is evident for everyone to see with this film, and finally, I'm glad that he will get the commercial success that he deserves after his two Shakespearenan adaptations, despite being purred on by critics, were both overlooked at the box office counters. This one, however, won't be. Because it's simply Royal Masala.

Dhan Te Nan!!!

Rating: 10/10

Konchem Ishtamga Konchem Kashtamga- Movie Review

Konchem Ishtamga Konchem Kashtamga (a little fondness, a little hardship).

Siddharth has definitely set a certain formula pattern that could be identified within his movies in Tollywood. A formula which includes making a clean, feel good family entertainer, laden with simplicity and family values, and also including a subtle yet important message. Directors still obsessed with the regular fight-romance-villain-hero-dance formula fanfare might make a world of good by taking this formula to make commercial entertainers instead.

KIKK stays true and simple to this new fresh formula- clean and simple. Siddhardh Varma (Siddharth) is a carefree Hyderabadi youth who flirts with girls at his own accord. His father Prakash Verma (Prakash Raj) is a successful industrialist who has his own group of companies, but has separated from Siddhu's mother (Ramya Krishnan) for the past 18 years. Geetha (Tamanna) meanwhile is a pampered, modest village girl who arrives in Hyderabad for her higher studies and soon befriends Siddhu. Despite taking off on the wrong foot due to Siddhu's Casanova acts, both of them become close friends and eventually fall in love, with Siddhu changing his ways for her. However, Geetha's father Subramaniam (Nassar) rejects Siddhu's proposal to marry his daughter- citing Siddhu's parents' separation and Siddhu's own nonchalant attitude towards his parents' involvement in his love life as the reasons. Siddhu soon tasks it upon himself to unite his separated parents in order to win Geetha from her father.

The story is fresh and the approach is also fresh, though the screenplay could have been better written. The film effectively portrays what a child might go through in the event of parents' separation but also touches on the larger picture- the lives of any bidding couples, and how regular hardships often ruin relationships when people forget to hold to their love.

The film lacks pace and total coherence at certain points, but the cast more than made up for it. Siddharth is in his element again as the charming playboy, who, at the same time, is a young man feeling loneliness, while Tamanna is lovable as Geetha. Siddharth and Tamanna's screen chemistry oozes to great heights, with their cute acts turning the most trivial and ordinary of scenes into highly interesting ones. Prakash Raj and Ramya Krishnan proved themselves for the seasoned veterans that they are with effective performances, while Nassar was passable. Even though appearing in lesser scenes, Venu Madhav slightly overshadows the veteran Brahmanandam in the comedy department, playing Siddhu's good for nothing friend.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy make a stunning Tollywood debut with this film, as the film's music and background score is another fierce highlight of the film, with all the songs falling soothingly on the ears and fitting the situations perfectly.

Debutant director Kishore Kumar has done a above average, if not spectacular, job in his first film. Better polishing in the screenplay department could result in better films in the future.

Rating: 7.5/10

Achamundu Achamundu- Movie Review

Changing the trend of thrillers

It seems the trend of thrillers in Tamil cinema is slowly finding an upheaval. Gone are the days of sub standard thrillers trying to ape Hollywood but falling way short of the marks, now have arrived the times where our thrillers are bring more original and self-written rather than having 'borrowed' material from Hollywood capers as the foundation.

Earlier this year, it was Madhavan's Yaavarum Naalam that set the trend, and impressed so much that even a Hollywood production company came forward to buy the film rights (look at the roles reversing!), and now Arun Vaidyanathan's Achamundu Achamundu follows suit- well made, not cheap, an interesting concept subtly directed.

Provided; the film isn't exactly flawless or top notch, but we could take consolation in the fact that it is a step in the right direction and definitely a movie worth a watch. Several loose ends; such as what exactly happened to other children that Robertson had abducted and later molested is never shown in the end, are one of the loose ends that are never properly tied up. And Arun's decision to give away Robertson's true intentions in the very moment of introducing him makes a film a tad predictable to boot with. Probably the art of perfecting an interesting premise is what Arun should work on in the future; because just having an interesting premise doesn't promise a top notch movie, it has to be perfected to its best potential, and this movie could have really been much better had Arun developed the depth of his script further and furnished several important elements.

But he undeniably has got his casting spot on in this film, with everyone excelling in their parts. Sneha simply appeals herslelf brilliantly as the home maker who tries to hold on to her traditional values in a foreign land, while Prasanna's portrayal and the work-oriented husband makes them look exactly like the regular, typical NRI family in America. For once, the casting of a Hollywood talent in a Tamil film is completely justified, with John Shea (who played Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series of Superman and had also acted in Mutant X) fitting to the T in his role as the child molester under the malice of a painter. He is probably the most high profile Hollywood casting ever done in Tamil films and his wealth of acting experience certainly sees him fit into the film seamlessly instead of looking awkward or out of place.

The dialogues are definitely catchy, especially the interactions within the small family of Prasanna, Sneha, and their daughter, and also the ones in the office show a good commentary of NRI Indians and paints quite an accurate picture of their lifestyles away from home. Prasanna seems to have taken the unconventional path with his films, experimenting in different roles, and this coming at the back of a venomous portrayal as a villain in Mysskin's Anjathey and also as a yearning lover who can never be with his lover due to society's contradictions in Kannum Kannum.

Sneha once again proves that given the right role, she will make the role totally hers no matter what, especially when its a role resembling the homely Indian lady; there simply isn't a better choice that Sneha to do such roles. The NRI talents fit into the film well. Karthick Raja's music is a little detrimental for the film, with the songs being a stumbling block except for the 'Kannil Enna' number which is pleasant to hear, but still sounds very out of place in a movie portraying the lives suburban Indians in America. The songs could have been done without for the film, relying only on BGM.

The film is also the first Red One feature film in India, and though it didn't completely exploit a new technology, few shots here and there certainly shows the precision of this new technology.

Rating: 7/10