The Big Fat Indian Wedding

The Indian wedding season is under way and lots of people are getting martyred..oops,sorry married.Naturally,I was invited to a few weddings.And obviously,I did have my share of woes.

First of all,I hate getting dressed into formal clothes and shoes.I am the least interested in getting up-to-date in style.My friends will vouch for that.I am more the reclusive guy wearing a battered jeans and T-shirt.Add to that relatives commenting how tall I had become(that was obvious-it is a law of science,I can only grow taller not shorter) and studying for preliminary exams and you get a really annoyed Anay.

But,once I reached the wedding,I faced a much bigger problem.I was awestruck at the money that was being splurged on the 10-odd ceremonies.Right from the clothes that the couple have to wear to the decorations to the food that is being served,lots of money is being spent in the weddings.I have read somewhere that the clothes of the couple constitute nearly 20% of the total wedding budget.So that is a lot of money being spent on something that someone is going to wear once,or at the most twice.

Another such pickpocket(if I may use that word) is the decoration and stage lighting.I have know idea how much it costs for decoration but I do have a shrewd suspicion that it must be 30-40% of the budget.I mean,is this really necessary?Couldn't a simple stage with less frills be put up?And the food end of a wedding is so expensive that it is negatively mind-boggling.What is the use of including 6-7 cuisines when you know one or maximum two cuisines in a wedding are more than enough.I mean,isn't it more practical?The caterers are laughing all the way to the bank.I honestly feel that they are running a racket(not the noise one).Talking(well actually writing) about noise I feel that the band and firecrackers not only burn a hole in your pocket but also causes noise pollution.Just think of those poor souls who live in flats near party plots,they have to hear this racket,day in and day out.They can't open the doors and windows of their house and sit outside in such a pleasant weather,something that has been unfamiliar to Ahemdabad.

Don't get me wrong it is not that I am opposed to people having marriages,it is their choice but I think somewhere down the line,we need to draw the line between happiness and madness.After all this is the era of dieting,I think the Big Fat Indian Wedding needs to turn a bit slimmer....What say??

Review of 'Golmaal 3'

Directed by Rohit Shetty,the director of the previous two 'Golmaal' films and 'All the Best', Golmaal 3 is the third film of the immensely successful 'Golmaal' franchise. Though the first two films were no Einsteins,the third film has an exceptionally low IQ. You seriously have to leave your brains home if you want to enjoy this one.

The film starts very promisingly,with good one-liners and funny gags.Though there are few laugh-out-loud moments,most one-liners bring about a smirk on your face.Till the interval,there is no problem as long as you don't think much.It is the after-interval part that slips up.The fragile story shows.The director,in his bid to lengthen the film, introduces many slo-mo fight scenes and car-blowing scenes.The film would have been greatly benefited if there would not have been such long-winded scenes.

I won't discuss much about the plot since there isn't one. But,the actors have comfortably fitted into their moulds.Ajay Devgn as a man who gets mad on seeing a finger plays his part very well,especially with his crew-cut hair and goofy expressions.Kareena Kapoor plays her role of a tomboy well and cracks some good jokes.Arshad Warsi plays his role to perfection and some of the expressions that he gives are hilarious.Tushshar Kapoor's dumb act sometimes gets on your nerves but he has performed an emotional scene decently.Kunal Khemu as a person who always speaks metaphorically is good.Shreyas Talpade as the stuttering brother is very good,too.Mithun Chakrobarty as the father of Warsi,Kapor and Khemu is excellent.Watch out for him in the scene involving Prem Chopra.Ratna Pathak Shah is very good and continues to do well in the dry and sarcastic humour that is now her trademark.However,it is Johnny Lever who steals the show as a don who has the habit of forgetting.Vrajesh Hirjee and Sanjay Mishra as the sidekicks of Johnny Lever are very good and the latter's spelling mistakes are funny.But,it seems that no 'Golmaal' movie is complete without Vrajesh Hirjee showing off his snake tattoo.The side actors are decent in their roles,too.The film has the trademark Rohit Shetty colours and action sequences.

This is a warning:Don't watch the film if you think too much.This film is for those people who like hare-brained comedies.The film would not have been good enough if it had been done by other actors.For all those who love Johnny Lever,you are going to love this film.Don't watch this movie expecting too much and you may like it.Though the movie doesn't deliver what it promises,you never end up being bored.I will go with 3 out of five for Golmaal 3.Watch it for Johnny Lever,he is fantastic.