I haven't posted anything since long.. and that's cos I knew I would soon be going to Chandni Chowk!!
I had obviously heard you get awesome food there so ensured I was starving by the time I got there.
First, the biggest coincidence possible. I caught a metro to chandni chowk, and was listening to my Ipod (which was playing on shuffle). The minute the metro doors opened, my song almost simultaneously changed to Delhi-6. Those who don't know the significance - Chandni Chowk's pincode is 110006 that's why the movie and song, Delhi-6. I couldn't help but carry a big smile onto the station.
Bada kas ke gale lagata hai
Dhadkan ki dhoom sunata hai
Well the first thing is the big difference once you exit the metro station. Its like a second ago you were in a swanky metro and the very next second you find yourself in the narrowest of galis with hawkers screaming out their wares, people standing hogging on chaats, and jostling each other to get to their destinations. That simply shows how the metro has made places so easily accessible.
My friends, half drunk Sanchi (well she forced me to put her name into my blog) and SLR crazy Harris (no he didn't force me) were going to take some time to reach there so I decided to take a walk alone. And mind you I was enjoying every single line of that song playing while walking down the streets.
BASTI HAI MASALON KI... DELHI 6
Well there is one main street which is lit up like a mela, and you have almost every third shop an eating place. Generally, you see that shops write down their address on the name boards outside. Here whoever has written the address has changed the pin code from Delhi 110006 to Delhi-6. Bollywood impact... yet again \m/
But to get the real taste of Chandi Chowk, you need to get into the lanes and thats why I had my friends along.
I hadn't clicked many pictures in Delhi and luckily Harris had carried his SLR. So there we were clicking at almost every arbit place we could much to Sanchi's embarrassment. I have a pic with a pile of kachoris in the background, with a hand pump, and loads more :D
We hogged on Bhalla Chaat, Kachori Chaat, and one huge jalebi which 3 of us shared ( I have a pic with the jalebi too \m/ ) and then we were off exploring the area.
GALI HAI DEEWANO KI... DELHI 6
Chandni chowk's lanes are 1 place where I'm sure one day you'll hear a sansani news of people being run over by cycle rickshaws. The lanes are narrower than most of the IIT rooms!! (i think most iitians let out a squeal of astonishment on hearing that). Yes there are places narrower than our rooms. I never imagined that! There's hardly any place for us to walk and you have these rickshaws plying there. And boy oh boy! You should see their maneuvering, its sure gonna give Schumacher a run for his money :P
And instead of using their bells, they use their vocal chords as horns. "oh red shirt.. side.. aye bhai..bajoo.. oye oye oye.. hato re.."
Still in a mood to hog, we crossed a few more lanes and landed in heaven.. sorry i mean GALI PARANTHE WAALI. You have all places selling paranthas and my god.. the variety..some 30-40 odd genres of paranthas.. never even heard of Kaju parantha or kela or mirchi and so many others!! again we stuffed our tummies and treated ourselves to falooda kulfi after that.
Overall it was an awesome day as I headed back with some memorable moments.
Yeah on my way back, the daroo shop was like flooded wid people.. guess chandni chowk people love to get talli along with chaat. :D
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Bollywood Shollywood Hai Rabba
This one is especially for all my anti-Bollywood friends.
I went to see Prince of Persia some days ago with a few friends here in Delhi. Ok, it was Awesome! A certain thought comes to mind then and again and I forget it soon, but now I have a blog to put it down :P Why do we love Hollywood so much??!! There are people who want to click pictures in poses of Kate and Leonardo from Titanic (yeah I have seen people do that, am not kidding), they want to imitate the Sparta kick then and again, say Why so serious atleast twice a day, or maybe ask for a deal they cannot refuse.. et al
What I feel is Bollywood is highly underrated by quite a large group of people. Critics will call Bollywood "unreal", "over-the-top", "formula-ridden", yet they will give the best of feedbacks to the Hollywood movies. I have rarely seen a critic give a Hollywood movie less than 2.5 stars in the newspapers however creepy crappy the movie may be! Take for example yesterday's movie itself, where Captain Dastan (the protagonist) kills maybe 30 or maybe many more soldiers of the opposite army and saves his life after escaping more than a 200 others who had far more and better weapons while he had none. Fine, agreed they have shot it brilliantly with insane stunts but when the same thing happens on the Indian screen where Sunny deol beats down a 100 with a hand pump or Govinda punches 5 together or even maybe Rajnikanth hits a guy who lands a km away, you abuse, you curse, you mock the maker! I mean apart from the way its shown the thing thats happening is one and the bloody same!
Ok I may sound a little biased here, but yes I'm a bollywood fan! I love watching bollywood movies, I listen primarily to Hindi songs, I can do only Bollywood dance and to the extent that a friend of mine feels my blog is a Bollywood movie story!But ... BUT the point being, COME ON stop being so snobbish, see what Bollywood is all about! The target audience is so different. A guy who has slogged all day would definitely prefer watching Kajol run around the fields or maybe see Hrithik jump from one building to another without webs - Why do you want to put webs to a person who cant jump directly? Why make it complicated?!
I'm not saying Hollywood is uninteresting, I'm just trying to defend Bollywood. I love Hollywood as well but obviously you dont find that escape to another world feeling, a world where maybe your further from reality, a world which is far happier than the one you're in now, where everything is perfect, where you are into a song at the drop of a hat, you have drama, murder love and comedy at the same time!
Its just like the grass being greener on the other side! Outside India, people love.. actually love would be an understatement.. people ADORE bollywood.
So the next time you watch a Bollywood movie, do remember my words and be a little less analytical and I promise, you are in for a different yet refreshing experience!
I went to see Prince of Persia some days ago with a few friends here in Delhi. Ok, it was Awesome! A certain thought comes to mind then and again and I forget it soon, but now I have a blog to put it down :P Why do we love Hollywood so much??!! There are people who want to click pictures in poses of Kate and Leonardo from Titanic (yeah I have seen people do that, am not kidding), they want to imitate the Sparta kick then and again, say Why so serious atleast twice a day, or maybe ask for a deal they cannot refuse.. et al
What I feel is Bollywood is highly underrated by quite a large group of people. Critics will call Bollywood "unreal", "over-the-top", "formula-ridden", yet they will give the best of feedbacks to the Hollywood movies. I have rarely seen a critic give a Hollywood movie less than 2.5 stars in the newspapers however creepy crappy the movie may be! Take for example yesterday's movie itself, where Captain Dastan (the protagonist) kills maybe 30 or maybe many more soldiers of the opposite army and saves his life after escaping more than a 200 others who had far more and better weapons while he had none. Fine, agreed they have shot it brilliantly with insane stunts but when the same thing happens on the Indian screen where Sunny deol beats down a 100 with a hand pump or Govinda punches 5 together or even maybe Rajnikanth hits a guy who lands a km away, you abuse, you curse, you mock the maker! I mean apart from the way its shown the thing thats happening is one and the bloody same!
Ok I may sound a little biased here, but yes I'm a bollywood fan! I love watching bollywood movies, I listen primarily to Hindi songs, I can do only Bollywood dance and to the extent that a friend of mine feels my blog is a Bollywood movie story!But ... BUT the point being, COME ON stop being so snobbish, see what Bollywood is all about! The target audience is so different. A guy who has slogged all day would definitely prefer watching Kajol run around the fields or maybe see Hrithik jump from one building to another without webs - Why do you want to put webs to a person who cant jump directly? Why make it complicated?!
I'm not saying Hollywood is uninteresting, I'm just trying to defend Bollywood. I love Hollywood as well but obviously you dont find that escape to another world feeling, a world where maybe your further from reality, a world which is far happier than the one you're in now, where everything is perfect, where you are into a song at the drop of a hat, you have drama, murder love and comedy at the same time!
Its just like the grass being greener on the other side! Outside India, people love.. actually love would be an understatement.. people ADORE bollywood.
So the next time you watch a Bollywood movie, do remember my words and be a little less analytical and I promise, you are in for a different yet refreshing experience!
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