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Posts Tagged 'A R Rahman'
ICYMI : Shefali Bhushan's 'Jugni' In Theatres This Friday
Posted: January 21, 2016 by moifightclub in Indie, Music Recco, Trailer
Tags: A R Rahman, Clinton Cerejo, Jugni, Shefali Bhushan, Vishal Bharadwaj
Debutante director Shefali Bhushan's film Jugni is all set to hit the theatres this friday. Shefali has been blogging about her journey of making the first film, and her stories can be read here.
Check out the trailer here:
The film stars Sugandha Garg, Siddhant Behl, Sadhana Singh, Anuritta K Jha, Samir Sharma and, Chandan S Gill.
Vibhavari (Vibs), a young free-spirited woman music director from Mumbai, is working on her first big break inthe Hindi film industry. When work and home affairs with her live-in boyfriend, Sid, hit a high tide, she hits the road with a glint of hope; to find music. The journey takes her to a village in Punjab in search of a local singer, Bibi Saroop, whose voice holds the promise that Vibs is searching for. But as the twist of fate would have it, Mastana, Bibi's son and a proficient singer himself, is the voice and man who winds his way into Vibs' heart. From here on, Jugni is about striking balances, making tough decisions while trying to soften the blows and dealing with the studied dramatic turns and unpredictabilities of life and finding the place which one can call home; home of the heart, where the firefly is at her brightest. Will Vibs find the 'Jugni' she longs for?
The music is by Clinton Cerejo and the makers have managed to bring A R Rahman and Vishal Bharadwaj together in this album. Listen to the songs here:
REWIND 2014 – Songs We Played In Loop This Year
Posted: December 31, 2014 by moifightclub in cinema, rewind, Year end special
Tags: A R Rahman, Baba Vayu, Bipul Chettri, Dedh Ishqiya, Fandry, Finding Fanny, Haider, Highway, Indian Ocean, Mikey Mccleary, Revolver Rani, Sketches of Darjeeling, Tandanu, Tanishk, Vishal Bhardwaj, Youngistaan
Continuing with our Year-End series, Rewind 2014, in this post our music blogger Rohwit picks up the best sounds of the year – the songs that he loved and we played in loop. In no particular order, this post includes both films and non-films music/talent/songs/album.
(More from our Rewind 2014 series : Musical Gems We Discovered This Year is here, Kaali Zubaan's bollywood wrap is here, 18 Film Fanatics on 18 Films That Stayed With Them is here, Best of 2014 – Script of Queen is here, Script of Ankhon Dekhi is here)
Jagave saari raina (Dedh Ishqiya) – Much has been written about this underwhelming album from Gulzar-Vishal collaboration. However, Hamri ataria and Jagave saari raina were beautiful exceptions. No, the antraa of 'Na bolu main to' weren't as good as the mukhda, so I won't include that song here. Even before the videos were released, we knew this would be the song that would capitalize on Mrs. Nene's grace and her dancing prowess. To hear Pt. Birju Maharaj just sweetened everything that much more. Did I miss mentioning about how charming was Rekha Bhardwaj in the song? Well, you knew that already didn't you?
Fandry bird theme (Fandry) – No words should endeavor to convey what this cute little piece did to us. Give it a try here. In fact the love theme here is equally good. The use of Oudh and Cello lent a solid, raw feel to the sound and two thumbs up for that! Aloknanda Dasgupta ji, take a bow!
Indian Ocean – If you have been living under a rock, then perhaps you might not have noticed the release of 'Tandanu' by Indian Ocean which will go down as one of the best albums by the group ever! From what could be easily termed as one of the most important films of the year, Katiyabaaz, we got the track 'Kanpoora', a must hear if you haven't heard it already! (and what a delightful video!)
Sooha saha (Highway) – Bollywood is running from darkness towards even more darkness when it comes to giving us songs which mothers can sing to their little ones. ARRahman took cognizance of this problem and gave us this tender piece from Highway. While Alia was rightfully showered a lot of credit for this song, we mustn't forget AR Rahman's 'mixing and tuning' and a solid Zeb who made this song what it is. Heera from this album comes a close second because it's a delicacy of sorts when Kabir and Rahman are credited in the same song. Here is Sooha Saha…much of the song's impact was experienced thanks to a superlative Randeep Hooda. The World would be unfair if it doesn't acknowledge Randeep this year for Highway.
Suno na sang e marmar (Youngistaan) – Now that the well deserved nomination to Oscar has been sent, it would be criminal not to mention the blockbuster Youngistaan to the list. When Jackkkkie decided to diss Mayawati's hardwork involving sang-e-mar-mar with a song, it gave us this hummable track. Frankly, I thought it took a lot of guts to film the song right where a lot of public money was wasted on sang-e-mar-mar (wink wink). The song was perhaps too good for the film and when Jeet Ganguly and Arijit recreated the magic for the Hindi version, they added some grandeur to the sound. Here is the Bengali version and here is the Hindi version. My favorite is the Bengali version of course!
Title song (Revolver Rani) – the film might have fallen flat on its face but the title track of the film was a riot thanks to the word 'bhasad' and Usha Uthup! Do give it a try. Had the film done well, it would have played in a the loop on 'popular' charts, just the way they played vomit inducing Kicks and what not! And trust me, it is much more fun than all the garbage music of 100 crore commodities. Watch this video.
Sketches of Darjeeling (Bipul Chettri) – I came across this album when it was released in the month of July, 2014 but didn't hear it because I was quite occupied with my day job. Then one of the many 'anonymous' people who share music with me sent me one track from this album, and I punched myself for about 40 minutes continuously for having sat on the album for so long! Do hear my favorite track from the album titled – Ode to my father here, and then buy the album. The track is free flowing and you will hear the free flowing water as well. Is the track in Hindi? No. Does it matter? No!! So do pick it up!
Ding dong (Finding Fanny) – I couldn't make sense of fusing this Goa film with a Punjabi title song and a messy song at that, still this one oozed out a lot of love, and we love it for that! Cliched as it might sound to some of us, but the song painted a picture of an adorable Uncle 'Pedro', who is liked by everyone, singing this song near a beach, on just another day in Goa. Loved Mathias for this one!
Haider (Album) – It won't be right to pinpoint a song that was good because this album was the best from 2014. The only underwhelming part was the song by Arijit. I still feel that song was composed FVBV (For Vishal, By Vishal), and Arijit came in as an afterthought. This album is the reason we wait for Vishal and Gulzar to get together more often. All songs are here. Imagine the 'Aao na' opening bit and now count your goose pimples. Also, while we are on the subject…here is the Roohdaar theme from Haider.
Oopar oopar renn de – Tanishk and Baba Vayu gave us a laid back anthem this year and I can openly declare with no hesitation that this was the best non-filmi song by a new band I came across in 2014. Hear the song once and tell me if you aren't of the same opinion. I do hope they put the song on sale soon and that they don't fizzle out after setting the bar this *high*!
Mikey Mccleary – We all love everything Mikey does. Why else can you explain people sticking to networks which don't work? May be because their ads are oh-so-musical and cute! It was no surprise that the album Mikey came out with was instantly likeable. If you haven't heard the album yet, do hear it once! Our favorite – The world is our playground (Sung by Mikey) and Just a little crush (Sung by Shalmali). That said, Mikey's song in Sonali cable wasn't bad either. The entire album is available here.
Let me know if you agree with my picks of the year. And yours?
– @Rohwit
Highway Music – Nashe mein ud jaaye re haaye re
Posted: January 27, 2014 by moifightclub in cinema
Tags: A R Rahman, Alia Bhatt, Highway, Irshad Kamil, Jonita Gandhi, Jyoti Nooran, Kash, Krissy, music, review, Rohwit, Shweta Pandit, Sultana, Sunidhi Chauhan, Suvi Suresh, Zeb
what's the best thing about 2014 so far? Well, a new A R Rahman album is already out. Hallelujah! And over to our music man Rohwit for some musing on maestro's music.
So the periodical excite-fest for music lovers (Also known as AR Rahman's new album release time) blessed us early this year. Lyrics are penned by Irshad 'dependable' kamil and Kash-Krissy
Patakha guddi – A lot of techno and synth sound accompanies the electric duo of Sultana and Jyoti Nooran who are fierce to say the least. The arrangement is not complex. As has been his habit off late, AR Rahman keeps the 'hook' of the song almost non existent. The song just flows and sways you in the process. The words of Irshad Kamil are no less Patakha, mind you. If you see people forming a 'train' on the dance floor to a 2014 film song, this would be it.
Maahi ve* – AR Rahman on the microphone again. The song gives you a feel as if it was to be (tune wise) a part of the album 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na'. No doubt this is a long drive song with a simple and 'sticky on lips' tune. It also gives out that feeling when (no matter how fucked up things are), you want to believe, everything is fine just because the special someone is with you.
Kahaan ho main* – is sung by Jonita Gandhi. The arrangement and the overall presentation of the song (at least when you hear it) doesn't sound like it will fit into a film that has a truck driver and a kidnapped village girl in the lead. The extensive use of keyboard lends a very hoity-toity character to the song in context of the film. Would be interesting to see how this pans out on the screen. The song is hummable in a very '1990s sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy' way. Also, the overall feel has a very 'Meena Kumari complex' feel to it.
Wanna mash up* – In the days when anything 'hep' has to include 'kaan-faad' dubstep, ARR avoids the overuse of the same and gives us this vrooming piece of beauty! Kash, Krissy and Suvi Suresh have jointly penned this bombshell of a song that is guaranteed to take you back to 'You either HATE it or LOVE it' times of AR Rahman's music. It teases and tempts in ways we thought were never possible with A R Rahman at the helm (Lemme dominate your body! Ahem!) . Oh the calls of 'BOY!' Hell with the context of the film, give me this any day! All Thumbs up on the way the song ends/climaxes! No pun intended.
Sooha Saha – Zeb and Alia Bhatt jointly present this delicate song with superlative arrangement by Rahman. Don't worry if at times you feel someone will go 'Kya bataaaon maa kahan hu main' from Luka chupi. Thank God that Zeb hasn't allowed herself to be 'Rahat-Fateh-Ali-Khan-ised', so you can expect something new from every song she chooses for our films. At times sounding like a doting mother, Zeb lends so much depth to the song! Alia Bhatt does a good job in adding the innocence to the song. The violins towards the end is a touch of genius. A song जो सीधा कलेजे को छूता है.
Patakha Guddi (AR Rahman) – Many a times, I have felt that AR Rahman and Sachin Tendulkar have been put under so much pressure that they stopped having fun at work. This song is where we hear AR Rahman going bezerk! Excellent Prasanna gets mad on electric guitar towards the end in a song that is layered unlike it's female version. Don't get fooled by the subdued start that the song has. It is explosive by the time ends! Kudos to Rahman for attempting Punjabi and double kudos for his 'naam rab da naam sai da' chanting. You don't get Goosebumps, You get Goosemountains!
Implosive Silence* – is sung by Jonita Gandhi. Kash and Krissy have penned whatever there was to 'pen' in the song. The arrangement remains hauntingly simple. The song appears to be sung in reverse (or treated like that). Let's accept it, we do look forward to an 'instrumental' piece in A R Rahman's album. We have been treated like royalty since 'Bombay theme' days and this piece here does the same and goes a step forward. Top class composition and top class atmosphere. Too much feel without words, trademark Rahman!
Tu Kuja – a traditional song sung by Sunidhi Chauhan gives out a trance like feel from the beginning that stays throughout. An old composition in which Irshad Kamil has added Hindi words to make it relatable. Arrangement wise, the song sounds cluttered, and you are left with the feeling that it should have been sung by Rahman himself. It's not a bad song, just that in comparison to the level of the album, it pales a bit.
Heera* – is an old writing by Saint Kabir that has been presented by Rahman in his trademark 'grand' style with enough Violins to make you cry with pleasure. Shweta Pandit has sung this in an almost whisper like fashion which compliments the overall feel of the song (For a second, we thought it's Tulsi Kumar who is singing…o the horror!)
Irshad Kamil is 'Vishal-Gulzar'-ing with A R Rahman very fast and that's such a delight to witness.
We have always believed that an album has to compliment the overall feel of the film. While we don't know how the 'hoity-toity' numbers would compliment the feel of the film, we give a thumbs up to this album!
You see the *mark ahead of songs? Those are the songs we feel are a bit hoity-toity under the context that has been set by the teaser/trailer of the film so far.
AR Rahman saar, you remind us of the worldspace tagline…There is so much to listen (when you are at the helm!)
What we couldn't understand – What's with the sound quality of the album? ARR is known to be very careful around the same but this album sounds just like the old fake Jai-Mata-Di-cassettes which were a cheaper alternative to HMV cassettes. We understand T-Series owner said that he doesn't need good musicians to sell music, but, sir, are you sure of what you are selling?
2013 Rewind : 14 Bollywood songs we played in non-stop loop
Posted: December 27, 2013 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, music, rewind, songs & videos, Year end special
Tags: A R Rahman, Aatma, Ajnabi, Amit Trivedi, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Arijit Singh, Badal Uthiya, Badtameez Dil, Benny Dayal, Ek Thi Daayan, Ghanchakkar, Jaideep Sahni, Javed Bashir, Kumaar, Lootera, Madras Cafe, Manjha, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, Monta Re, Nautanki Saala, Nindiya, Padmanabh Gaikwad, Prem Dehati, Saba Azad, Sachin Jigar, Swanand Kirkire
If you missed our earlier post in this 2013 flashback series, here's the list – 20 Things We Learnt At The Movies and 13 Unanswered Questions is here, Top 10 Musical Gems We Discovered This Year is here, and 15 Film Fanatics on 17 Terrific Films That Have Stayed With Them is here.
In this post, Rohwit looks back at some of the best bollywood tracks that we looped this year.
Amidst the 100 crore musical disasters, few albums and some songs tried to stand tall, and that wasn't tough even for a slightly above average song because thanks to the automatic tunes that come pre-fed in some expensive keyboards owned by some music composers, the 'average' bar is pretty low in Hindi films these days.
Here is our pick of 14 songs (ok 16! ok 17!) that made us sit up and sway! The order below is not in a ranking form. Some of the points contain 2 songs. So what? We cannot make up our mind. Yes, we get confused. Music does that to us.
1. Yes, it is based on a Beethoven symphony. Yes, it has a very 'अरे ये पहले सुना है' feel. Still, I haven't heard a spookier lullaby in 2013. So take a bow Kumaar for penning this superb song and take a bow Sangeet Haldipur for singing it beautifully! Yes, it is one of the best songs I have heard this year. We are indeed referring to Aaja nindiya raina beeti jaaye rey from Aatma.
2. Khamakha hee-Badal Uthiya (Prem Dehati version) – from Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola. It took a local Harvanyvi singer (who hasn't appeared on the again after this album by the way) Prem Dehati to mesmerize us with raw talent and touching melody. Not many songs have the longevity to survive in playlists these days but this song will be there for a long time.
In fact it was Prem Dehati's splendid participation in Khamakha that lifted the already superb song to a level very few could match this year.
3. Manjha (Kai Po Che!) – Every Time A.R. Rahman's music is about to hit the scene, there is so much anticipation and Amit Trivedi enjoys the same effect on music lovers at large. So it wasn't a surprise when this splashed all across and we were treated to this song.
Swanand Kirkire has penned one of the best songs this year in Manjha. Simple lyrics, exquisite arrangement and we cannot get tired of Amit Trivedi's studio singing. The other two songs were no less but somehow Manjha shall always be played before the other two.
4. Tum hi ho (Arijit Singh) – So it turns out that Arijit singh is turning everything into gold just by singing it! Easily a much better film to look at than it's first part, Aashiqui 2 had this mother of a song that was overplayed to the extent of irritation. But can you dismiss it as being one of the stickiest song of 2013? No! Why is it featured on the list? Ask yourself if you don't like humming it. We know some of you are humming it right now.
5. Khoon choos ley (Go Goa Gone) – There is a lot of Monday hatred (or so it seems on all social media platforms), so a Monday song was long overdue. The song in my view was wasted in the film Go Goa Gone and even the half-hearted music video wasn't promoted well. Still, this has to be one of the best 'I hate to wake up and go to work' song we have heard in Hindi films. The nasal start, the 'rrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrr' part and splendid lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya makes this one a treat!
6. Badtameez Dil (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) – More than anything, we cannot get over the fact that Amitabh Bhattacharya used 'dhimka falana', 'paan mein pudina' and 'moorhi bhaat' so effortlessly! While the song belonged to RK on the screen (deservingly so), Benny Dayal is no less a rockstar to sing this with so much zest that even people with two left feet were seeing dancing at the mere mention of this song. Kudos to the brass band and Pritam for this one!
7. Raanjhnaa hua main Tum Tak (Raanjhanaa) – Yes. While many of us (including yours truly) started out disliking the million 'tum taks' in the song, the second half of the song, the shehnai (and the excellent use of manjeera) redeems this song and how!
Be it the faint guitar riffs or excellent Jasvinder Singh (who made a guest appearance in the song), the title song of raanjhanaa had all going for it. More so, the emperor ARR was at his yearly best in this album as a whole.
8. Ghanchakkar babu (Ghanchakkar) – Amit Trivedi was heard having a ball in this one. While the album was not bad at all, this song stood out (and was on the loop for a long time) thanks to excellent arrangement and superb back up vocals. Trust Amitabh Bhattacharya to give an insightful touch to 'Nala Sopara'! Top class song! Muuuuuuuuuuwaaaaaaah!
9. Monta Re (Lootera) – The 'chik chiki chik' whispers by Swanand Kirkire, the quiet atmosphere, exquisite lyrics and a delicate presentation. This is easily the best song of the album that sounded more like Udaan part 2 than anything. We mean it in a good way. No. Really.
10. Mera Yaar – From the fantastic album Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Javed Bashir was given a song that was right up to his comfort zone and he hit it out of the park. We loved the entire album (without the 'andar kaala bahar kaala PAR sachcha hai sala' part) and were relieved that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are back to making good music, just like the good old days.
11. D-Day – A fantastic album overall. Be it the definitive Qawwali 'Murshid khele holi' or the heart breaking 'Alvida', the album even made Mika tolerable when he attempted Dama dam mast kalandar. (Rekha Ji, सुन रही हैं ना आप?)
12. Shudh Desi Romance – Be it those tiny musical bits with Rajasthani sound or those lovely songs, Jaideep Sahni and Sachin Jigar served us a musical treat with an adorable marriage of contemporary words and folksy-dinchik arrangement. Our pick from the album will remain 'Tere mere beech mein kya hai'
13. Ram Leela – Though the album was filled with grand arrangement and excessive noise throughout, we really liked the adaptation of 'Mor bani thangat karey' and Lal Ishq (without the excessive noise towards the end).
14. Dil ki toh lag gayee (Nautanki Sala) – As an album, it had a distinct 'townie' sound to it (much like Bluffmaster). However, what blew the socks off the senses is Saba Azad's super hot singing in 'Dil ki toh lag gayee'. Ignore the horrible presentation of the song on screen though. A fantastic effort, insanely melodious at all times and very very saxxxay! Sing more Saba, we are listening!
We also enjoyed :
– Early morning (Chashme Baddoor) A lot of us debate where is Sonu Nigam and why isn't he singing more. While we do not have anything to add to that, but we loved the way Mr. Nigam was having fun singing this wonderful song from a not so wonderful remake of a classic.
– 'SPB ho ho!' part from the title song of Chennai Express. There are very few occasions that compare to SP Balasubrahmanyam having fun in a song.
– Ajnabi (Madras Cafe) The songs were wasted in an otherwise brilliant film but the whispering voice of Zeb left it's mark. It's a pity that this song went unnoticed.
Very Very Special Mention :
Padmanabh Gaikwad for singing Sapne rey sapna (from Ek Thi Daayan) . A fantastic voice that resonates innocence. We are way too tired of Gulzar saab doing splendid job every time he sits down to pen a song, so we won't even stress the fact that we are in love with the 'Bhoore bhoore baadalon ke bhaalu, Loriyaan sunaaye la ra ra ru' part of the song. Hope to hear more from Padmanabh.
So which songs you looped this year? Let us know in the comments.
Raanjhanaa – politics of love and lovers in politics
Posted: June 23, 2013 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film, film review, Movie Recco, movie reviews, reviews
Tags: A R Rahman, Abhay Deol, Anand L Rai, Dhanush, Himanshu Sharma, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Raanjhanaa, Recco, review, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar
(Has SPOILERS)
Like most Bollywood films these days, Raanjhanaa is completely two different films packed in one – pre and post-interval. One is the "politics of love" and the other is "lovers in politics", and there's a big difference between the two. As the initial reactions and reviews started pouring in, the verdict seems to be unanimous – first half is fun, the curse of 2nd half strikes yet again. As i stepped into the theatre, i was ready for it. But as i came out of the theatre, i realised that i belong to that minority group which liked the second half more.
First half is easy, you know the tricks, you have seen it many times, love stories in small towns and galli mohalls is not new. It's charming and easy to like. There's no way one cannot not like it. Some might argue that it's stalking and glorification of it, then let me say that you have never been part of any small town love story. It's stark reality. That's the way it happens. If you don't know a friend who has cut his wrist or drank kerosene (sleeping tablets is for metroes), the film might seem a bit stranger to you. But what stood out for me was how ruthlessly selfish the lovers are. Sonam (Zoya) knows Dhanush (Kundan) loves her. And so she uses him in every possible way. It's the same with Kundan, who knows that Swara (Bindiya) can do anything for him. And he uses her blatantly. It all seems fun and jovial on the surface but scratch it and you realise how cunning their acts are. It's the politics of love. Their love might be pure but the tricks aren't.
Some even might point out the physical equation between Kundan, Bindiya and Murari. How can you hit her? i would say this is what "camaraderie" between friends is all about, without being aware of one's gender. And in the scene when Bindiya says kewal mere baap ke hi kapde phadega, and Kundan backs out, you know that she isn't the shy kind. If she had protested, these guys would have backed out long back. It's part of the game, of growing up together.
Now, the second half seems like a completely different film. A death, and the childhood romance of Benaras moves to ambitious student politics of Delhi. Kundan doesn't know why he is there. He is lost. He is not sure what to do with his life. He has tried every possible option. Is he still chasing Zoya? Yes. Kind of. Does he know why? No. Has he any more hopes from her? No. The simple chasing the girl routine turns into a heavy cocktail of ambitions and emotions. Let's see how. So Zoya aspires to fulfill the ambitions of her dead lover (Abhay/Akram). But slowly it looks like all these dreams will come true only through Kundan whom she hates now, whom she holds responsible for Akram's death. It's a difficult choice to make. Can she accept Kundan now? And even if she does, the world will curse her for being selfish and opportunist who forgot her lover after his death. Between love, life and dreams, she is confused with no easy way out. And then comes an opportunity to turn it all over and conquer it all. She opts for it too but the guilt is too heavy to bear.
Kundan is caught in a similar situation. He is aimless, he is just tagging along and is getting lucky wherever he puts his foot, except in love. And when it all comes to the conclusion, he realises that even if he wins everything, he has lost the only thing he ever wanted from life – love. So what's the point of living? Someone who can slash his wrist so easily, he has no fear of death. The monologue in the climax wraps it up beautifully. Lovers always claim to be ready to die in love. But only few dare to do it. And very few directors and writers dare to opt for such uncompromised end for a love story. Nothing else was possible. All credit to writer Himanshu Sharma and director Anand L Rai for going the whole hog. And this is exactly why i liked the second half more. It's complicated, and the makers went for the unusual choices. I think first half is easy to write, and easy to like. Second half is damn difficult to write from the point when Dhanush lands up in Delhi not knowing what to do. I could hear the writer's voice there – what to do with this mujhe-bus-Zoya-chahiye character? He (character and writer) really doesn't know what to do now.
Now, the running joke. In a scriptlab where Sriram Raghavan was our mentor, we used to joke that whenever you are stuck at any page, just put a gun in that page. Sriram will like it for sure. Here the formula is slightly different – stuck on the page, opt for the blade. Not once or twice, but three times. Woah!
Interestingly, the entire film is one long montage cut on back to back songs. You can exactly count the numbers of the scenes where the characters talk. But the flavour of the real locations and the terrific acting by Dhanush, Swara Bhaskar and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub makes it look perfectly smooth. Also, it might be a smart decision keeping Dhanush's dialogue delivery in mind. They have justified his character, and his hindi diction is weird but it's not jarring to ears. So a big credit must go to its music director A R Rahman. His music is the thread that holds this complicated tale of unrequited love together. Sonam seems to have improved a lot from her previous films but her dialogue delivery is still irritating. And Kumud Mishra is always quite pleasant to watch onscreen.
I never bothered to watch Rai's earlier films. But going by Tanu Weds Manu (i like it and TERRIFIC album) and Raanjhanaa, i think Imtiaz Ali has some competition finally. Especially if it's matters of hearts in small towns. And Dhanush, welcome to bollywood.
Watch it. And if uncomfortable, take off your "metro" shoes.
– @CilemaSnob
ARRaanjhanaa hua main tera…
Posted: June 3, 2013 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, music, Music review, News
Tags: A R Rahman, Aanchal, Amweesha, Anwesha, Chinmayi, Irshad Kamil, Jaswinder Singh, Javed Ali, Kirthi Sagathia, Madhushree, Meenal Jain, music, Music review, Neeti Mohan, Pooja AV, Raanjhanaa, Rabbi, Rahman, Rashid Ali, review, Shiraz Uppal, Shreya Ghoshal, Sukhwinder, Vaishali
After a long wait, it's finally out – the music of Raanjhanaa. But seems the wait was worth it. Do check out the music of Raanjhanaa. Rahman is back and how. Over to @Rohwit for its music review.
Raanjhanaa hua – The ever so melodious (yet not as popular as I would like him to be) Jaswinder Singh starts the song and vanishes too quickly. Anyway, the song belongs to 'at times out of sync Shiraz Uppal' and that's what you will love the song for. It just doesn't try to 'fit in with calculated singing'. The percussion arrangement – top class, the use of Sitar – exemplary. In fact, when the song ends, the sitar doesn't leave your mind. Go ahead, try it! A racy tune marked with excellent violins (which literally take the song to it's peak every time they appear), the song is top class! Watch out for the faint guitar riffs throughout!
Banarasiya – Like the name indicates, a song that ought to remind us of Benaras. Starts quite rightly with Sarangi and flute (aided with the mandatory manjiras). Tune wise crisp, singing wise excellent, Shreya Ghoshal's vocals! Sitar, Tabla and flute do their bit to raise the level of the song. The playful backup vocals by the hugely talented Meenal Jain and Anwesha add the right amount of playfulness and mischief to the song and you can picture the dancers in a group, exchanging glances and moving the neck and eyes in sync.The atmosphere is very 'evening' and the setting reminds us of the 'Kotha' culture.
Piya Milengey – The song that begins with KMMC sufi ensemble going at it along with Sukhwinder is endowed with definitive bass and faint piano notes towards the beginning part of the song. The ensemble does an excellent job without getting loud at all. A song that is likely to appear in the background as the film paces up. Thankfully a bollywood – sufi offering that leaves an impact and not screaming singers in the mind as it ends.
Aye Sakhi – A song that has the most delightful and talented singers around. Madhushree, Chinmayi, Vaishali and Aanchal sethi come up with a song that's treated with sheer brilliance and arranged classically (and gives out a feel that the singers are practising kathak). In fact, the music and the feel around the 'aye sakhi uljhan' reminded us of 'Jao rey jogi tum jao rey' (from Amrapali). The 'Tyun tyun tyun' bit in between reminded us of the Tain tain tain song from Gangs Of Wasseypur. Still so enjoyable! The song has an element of 'Kya dekh rahey ho tum' from Taal in terms of feel but is vastly different tune wise. Thumbs up!
Nazar Laaye – With lazy guitars, simple beats and Rashid Ali who is almost sleep-singing along with Neeti Mohan, the first impression of the song is 'JTYJN-hangover!' A typical song that gets skipped most of the times but stays in the playlist nevertheless.
Tu Mun Shudi – A lot has been written and propagated about Hazrat Amir Khusro's Persian words around which the song is created, so we won't go there. (By the way, Tu = you, mun = mine, shudi = became, Muntu = me yours, shudam = have become). The techno start to the song with superlative A R Rahman setting the tone of the song welcomes Rabbi (No no, not the Rabbi who sang Challa, this one sings better!). The use of shehnai in the song is top class. The way it flirts with the beats, we never thought it can, and all this with a constant hip-hop like beat. There is always that song in an ARR album that evokes extreme reaction (apart from other songs which are tagged in 'Give it time and they will grow' category). This one belongs to the 'extreme reaction' category. People will either like it or completely dislike it. We? LOVED it! ARR at his innovative best (with his characteristic giggle!)
Aise na Dekho – A bonfire song. Starts with a frolicky mouth organ up and about with guitars. Yet another 'JTYJN-hangover' infected song, one might argue. Sung by ARR himself, the song scores low on words and the way they are pronounced (May be intentional?). Still the music arrangement is soothing. The whistling in between is simple and adds charm to the tune. Will I hear it again? Not now.
The land of shiva – Heavy chants with heavier music setting and bells marks this piece and before you realise what is happening, it gets over. With a little over 1 minute running time, the tune is clearly added to compliment the overall feel of the album and is surely going to appear in the film.
Tum Tak – May be it is Javed Ali who melts with the musical arrangement (The other way of looking it could be – his voice doesn't stand out), the song is likeable only because of it's music arrangement. The construct is too confusing, singing wise. Too many 'Tum taks' are irritating to say the least. The sudden change in the song on the other side of 3 minutes is bearable vocally. Kirthi and Pooja are efficient in the song. What lessens the impact of average singing is the excellent use of Manjeera and shehnai.
AR Rahman somewhere mentioned that the use of shehnai in this album is a tribute to Ustad Bismillah khan.
What we liked the most about the album is that it gives out sense of the film without being vague. The lyrics by Irshad Kamil are largely effective.
The variation that we hear in terms of tune selection and treatment is vast, the music arrangement as usual top drawer! The album exudes a lot of confidence and the feeling of 'durability' oozes in good measure.
Just when the promos were looking an ordinary, it is unbelievable what a brilliant music album can change it all. Now only if the film is good enough to hold it all together.
Correction for Tu man shudi explanation – Tu man shodi" means You became me and "Man tu shodam" means "I became you" not "yours". "Man" means "I" not "mine". "I became yours" is "Man maal-e-to shodam". Thank you for correcting it everyone
2011 Rewind : 20 Things we learnt at the movies and 10 unanswered questions
Posted: December 30, 2011 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, Special, Year end special
Tags: A R Rahman, Aarakshan, Always Kabhi Kabhi, BHTB, Bodyguard, Damadamm, Dhobi Ghat, Don 2, Faltu, game, KBC, Love Breakups Zindagi, Luv Ka The End, Mausam, Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, Murder 2, Nagesh Kukunoor, Not A Love Story, Patiala House, Ra One, Ragini MMS, Ready, Rockstar, Sahid Biwi Aur Gangster, Shagird, Shor In The City, Soundtrack, Tell Me O Kkhuda, Tere Mere Phere, TGIYB, The Dirty Picture, Vinay Pathak, Yamla Pagla Deewana, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Zokkomon
And the "2011 Rewind" series continues. You can read our previous posts here (honest movie posters), here (Bollywood songs we looped), here (Non-bollywood hits of the year), here (exciting moments at the movies), and here (films which dared to bend the rules). Also, we are scooping some of the best year-end lists here.
Like last year, in this post we have tried to dissect what we learnt at the movies this year – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the questions that baffled us through out the year.
20 Things We Learnt At The Movies
1. Zoya Akhtar is a better filmmaker than Farhan Akhtar. 2/2 > 1.5/4. LBC + ZNMD > DCH + 1/2Lakshya
2. Nikhil Advani scored a dud hattrick and proved again that KHNH was indeed directed by Karan Johar. Patiala House.
3. Big B can't sell tickets anymore. He is hit on the small screen but is a flop on the big screen. KBC. BHTB. Even when he was in his best commercial avatar, the excuses given were many – low budget, recovery before release, satellite rights.
4. Creative collaboration with spouses and family is not a bright idea. Dhobi Ghat. TGIYB. Mausam. Tere Mere Phere. Love Breakups Zindagi.
5. B for Bachchan. B for Bhagnani. B for Box Office. But you never know which way the last B will swing. Even Jackie B's film can score better than Abhishek B's film. Faltu. Game.
6. Tusshar Kapoor still can't act. He was the odd man out even when the films scored – either critically acclaimed Shor In The City or commercial hit The Dirty Picture. His pillow dance in TDP can give nightmare to anyone.
Dear Ekta Kapoor, let him go. Even Aditya Chopra has given up on Uday Chopra.
7. You can't calculate the target audience and then make films according to it. Otherwise Y Films' Luv Ka The End and Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge would have been blockbusters. Pre-release claim – 60% (?) of theatre going audience is youth. Post-release – we recovered our costs.
8. Every filmmaker has one great film in him/her. Some people make their debut with that one. Tigmanshu Dhulia is done with it. Stop expecting. Shagird. Sahid Biwi Aur Gangster.
9. When it comes to Ramu, camera and dildo have the same purpose, interest and area of specialisation. NALS.
10. Prakash Jha creates political events but has no clue about political films now. Raajneeti was a joke, and we are not sure how to describe the awful Aarakshan.
11. Imtiaz Ali will keep churning out films based on his single template of romance. He knows it but doesn't know what to do about it. Rockstar.
12. Himesh Reshammiya is not going to give up so soon. Let's all pray. Damadamm! In 2012 he has more.
13. Dad + Sons > Mom + Daughter. Deols. Yamla Pagla Deewana. Tell Me O Kkhuda.
14. Remake is NOT a hit formula. Soundtrack was a mess.
15. We don't need superheroes. Our heroes can do everything. Ra One. Zokkomon.
16. Bhai-porn is here to stay. We are still not bored. Ready. Bodyguard.
17. Indian Mens Are Hot. Courtesy Anil Kapoor. Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol.
18. Sex and Shah Rukh Khan still sells. Ra One. Murder 2. Don 2. The Dirty Picture.
19. When an actress gets into film production, it means her career is officially over. Lara Dutta. Dia Mirza, Ameesha Patel. Shilpa Shetty.
20. We still haven't lost A R Rahman to the west. When he delivers, he is the best. Rockstar.
10 Unanswered Questions
1. Will the real Abhinay Deo please stand up? Which one to trust – Game or Delhi Belly?
2. Who read the script of Game and approved it?
3. Who thought about changing Mimoh's name to Mahakshay?
4. In which camera do you have the option of in-built subtitles? And for ghosts? Ragini MMS.
5. Who added extra 'B' in Bbuddah, extra 'K' In Tell Me O Kkhuda, extra 'A's in Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge and what purpose they served?
6. Is his name Bumpy? Just Bumpy? Really? Luv Ka The End.
7. In how many more films will we see Vinay Pathak in lead role and doing the same bumbling fool act? This year he had five releases. Yes, five!
8. Can G. One fly? If so, why does he need to travel in a plane? Ra One.
9. Always Kabhi Kabhi – Who is the brain behind the weirdest title of the year?
10. Who is Nagesh Kukunoor?
And what's your list? What all you discovered or learnt at the movies this year? And what all remains unanswered? Do let us know in comments.
2011 Rewind – 11 Non-Bollywood Hits that kept us hooked
Posted: December 19, 2011 by moifightclub in music, songs & videos, Special, Year end special
Tags: A R Rahman, Amit Yadav, Aniruddh, Band Called Nine, Bartender Remix, Coke Studio, Depth Of Ocean, Dewarists, Dhanush, Euphoria, Irshad, Kolaveri, Kshitij Tarey, Mikey McClearly, MTV, MTV Unplugged, Neelesh Mishar, Rekha Bhardwaj, Shilpa Rao, Sifar, Sudeep Banerjee, Superheavy, Sushmit Sen
Like everyone else, we have also started our "best of the year" posts. You can click here to read about the songs we looped and click here to read about the movie moments that stayed with us. In this post, Rohit looks back at the non-film music scene – on small screen, remixes, ghazals, virals and more. Read on.
While various music factories continue to churn out mass products (some of them as genuine and 'durable' as chinese products), we try to take a look at 11 instances wherein something good came out of independent factory owners. Of course they faltered as well, but they scored on more occasions and that's what counts. Remember, this is what we feel. Let's hear what you feel should be added/deleted/trashed/modified. Ok Mama ready? In no particular order.
1. Coke Studio@MTV – Finally, the channel went back to what it was known for – music. Expectations were huge. Almost everyone who has seen a coca cola bottle ever in their lives had an opinion on what the music in the 'studio' should sound like. While secretly everyone was waiting to see 'Pakistan wala' coke studio being performed in India, even the die hard fans of Coke studio like me will agree that what was missing was 'stillness'. In presentation, in the execution and of course lights! didn't help either. Some compositions that stood out purely in terms of innovation include
* Theme of Coke studio India – (heard it?)
* Mera Yaar basenda – Tochi raina and Mathangi Rajshekhar
* Piya Ghar aavengey – Kailasa
* Indian Jadoo – Sanjeev Thomas and ChinnaPonnu
* Kaatyaayni – Ustad Rashid Khan and Bombay Jayashree
* Vethalai – Kailash Kher and Chinnaponnu
Not going into the details of what we didn't like or what didn't click. There is a separate post for it which you can read here.
2) MTV Unplugged – The expectations were again high and the reasons were quite same. World over we have seen the artists, good artists holding our hands and leading us to euphoria when it comes to MTV Unplugged. The teasers were inviting. However somewhere in between (and I mean – Indian Ocean, Rekha and Euphoria), they missed the trick. Lights were good! Setting was less intruding, artists were good too. Yet we couldn't help but feel that it was all done in a hurry (leaving Mohit chauhan and Rabbi's episode). The music setting overpowered the vocals (Especially in Rekha ji's performance) and Couldn't help but feel that Ranjit barot was trying too hard and can someone PLEASE tell Euphoria that there is a difference between LIVE 'performance' and MTV Unplugged. Inviting crowd participation killed the episode for us. Still. Some gems linger in our mind…
* Jugni – Rabbi
* Bilqis – Rabbi
* Babaji – Mohit chauhan
* Chambey – Mohit chauhan
3. The Bartender Remix – Mikey McClearly – Khoya Khoya chand! Wo 'shaitan' wala gaana! 🙂 An interesting (I dislike using this word for 'remixes but well!) experiment done to some old gems from our old hindi film rack. Undoubtedly, the strategically smart choice to showcase the song in Shaitan and not featuring it on the OST CD worked well for the 'curiosity' factor but you take this superbly shot song out and you are left with 'the following songs that made some impact
* Ye raat ye chandni – Loved the overall effect of the song.
* Babuji dheerey chalna – Goes well with the theme of the album.
Do NOT listen to waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam. :). Wish the album was stirred a little. Still a good concept and superb marketing.
4. Depth of Ocean – Susmit Sen takes the guitar and tells us why it is the most prominent sound of the legendary group of India. A group we are all very very proud of. All the die hard fans of Indian ocean will hold on to this album forever. The album features Shubha Mudgal as well who has whispered melodiously in the track 'city of lights'. The not-so-die hard fans will also do well to pick it up mainly for the tracks mentioned below
* Tribute – 11 minutes of pure guitar. Tell me if this piece doesn't take you back to the days when you preferred to let the room be dark while you sit and ponder life and beyond.
* City of lights – Whispering melody by Shubha Mudgal along with Susmit da.
* Rejuvenation – Aseem da features in it. Enough said
* Six string tribute – Probably the best version of the National anthem that has hit our ears in a long time.
Click here to hear some of the tracks.
(P.S. – I wanted to put the track intimacy also but am worried that it will all be too lengthy. So there! Just listen to it ok? 🙂
5. A.R. Rahman – Superheavy – Lots of bass, lots of message and a lot of beat embelished Satyamev Jayatey wraps this 4 track album which showed us how easily the emperor (AR Rahman) melts in the setting still makes his presence felt. Don't tell me that anything in this album reminds you of 'Jai Ho' on sterioids. :). Our pick is of course Satyamev Jayatey (The one with radio mix)
6. Sifar, The band – Easily the most ambitious, exciting and important find of 2011. Sifar is an Alternative/Indie rock band from New Delhi. Lead by Amit Yadav on vocals (and at times on drums!), this band has come out with their first album and if you forget the fact that they haven't been featured on 'T.V', you will be bowled over by the 'sound' of their music. Don't go finding if they are trying to sound like some 'Angreji bands of yore'. With no popular names attached to their band, it's incredible how they have managed to create a good vibe about their work in a short span (click www.sifar.in for more and for free downloads as well!). Our picks from their album (titled – 1) are
o Main Jaunga – Powerful
o Roko na – Powerful
o Mita do – Powerful
o TV – Heard anything like this before in Hindi?
7. Dewarists – Someone told me 'Dewarists' is what Coke studio in India should have been. Hmmm. While that's a bit harsh and out of context (because Dewarists is more of a journey in making music and showing the product at the same time, Coke studio is supposed to undertake the journey off camera and get the performers to the studio to perform and make the world watch it), I guess the end result is what matters. This was a great initiative to show the artists, travel with them to a new place and make a new song. Though the format made the show look repetitive after few episodes but this was the best thing that happened on Indian Tv in 2011.
As long as there are more hits than misses, we are fine! Our picks
o Minds without fear – Imogen Heap teamed up with Vishal-Shekhar and gave us a very 'bollywood-ish' offerring but it touched the right tracks thanks to some superb mixing.
o Kya Khayal hai – Zeb, Haniya, Swanand kirkire and Shantanu moitra. I guess we don't need to mention anything else.
o Sacred Science – Hear it. Hear it.
o Khule da rabb – Finally a song where someone looks Rabbi right into his eyes and challenges, melodiously of course. This is the song of the season according to us.
o Durr Kinara – Shubha Mudgal and Swarathma come together to showcase beautifully what Dewarists is all about. The video. The music. Superlative.
Wilfully not mentioning much on Indian ocean, Punditz and the parikrama song, which starts so well and loses it's steam mid-way thanks to too many efforts to tug at your heart strings. Strange as it sounds, Shilpa Rao wasn't required in this song.
Can we please have the 2nd season soon?
8. Band called Nine – Rewind – Who doesn't want to go back to their good old days with a dash of melody and a cup of coffee? Thats just 'Rewind' does. A unique album comprising of a story which is narrated in a conversational mode with some songs thrown in for good measure. Although it has a strong North Indian bent to the entire story, chances are you will like it almost immediately. (Am a small town guy from Lucknow so well I may have extrapolated your liking a little bit) :). The band which is called nine consists of Shilpa Rao (famous bollywood singer), Amartya Rahut and the famous lyricist Neelesh Mishra.
No particular favorite as the entire album is worth a good listen.
9. Ae Dosheeza – Kshitij Tarey – The singer whose voice has given 'soothing' a new definition, has come out with a good album. Mixed with romantic and traditional songs with a dash of jazz, it's quite an exciting album. Let the videos hit the T.V. (We sure hope it does). A detailed review is posted here. And you can can hear some of the songs from the album here.
Our picks would be
o Yaad piya ki aaye – A traditional thumri sung in jazz arrangement and boy does Kshitij does a justice to this one! Must Must Must hear.
o Saanware – Originally done by Roop kumar rathod and was also featured in the album Shor In The City, Kshitij displays consummate ease which is so good on ears.
10. Irshaad – Rekha and Sudeep – A very good and pure ghazal album with such variety! Not many of us have heard of this album isn't it? Just hear it at one go and tell us if you don't feel for such good efforts when they go unnoticed? Anyway, this album gets Rekha Bharadwaj and Sudeep Banerjee (Earlier albums – Phir bhi, Saqiya). Our pick for this album would be
o Wafa karne se – The way we all know ghazals.
o Subhe Roshan se – Spectacular lyrics with a haunting tune. Ghazal at it's best.
o Mere mehboob – Recited by Ameeta Parsuram
o Mere Mehboob – Sudeep.
If you like ghazals, our request to you is to NOT miss this entire album. Click here to read the detailed review of the album.
11. Why this Kolaveri di – Dhanush and Anirudh – Yes, the song that gets us to the end of 2011. Amidst a lot of bashing and some self declared regulators of pure hearted fun, this song has made a splash like no other this year. A tamil song (Yes, Ms. Shoba Narayan, it will be tagged Tamil song forever) creating such a rage in the world is such a pleasant surprise. Heck! Any Indian song causing so many smiles is a matter of pride for us all. So if someone is crying because their tamil milkman and other tamil people who interact with her isn't singing/talking about this song, let me suggest her to write an email to her milkman asking for a litre of milk and perhaps she will get her answer.
Amidst funny lyrics and funnier music arrangement, don't understimate the music director Anirudh for a minute because if you listen to the song intently, you will actually come across smartness of execution. A music director to look forward to. Surely.
The year hasn't been great for non film music but what's promising is so many 'Music projects' blooming (read finding sponsors!), and reaching us just the way they intend to. Coke studio didn't get it right fully but then the same applies to Dewarists, MTV Unplugged and 'The Tehelka Music Project (heard of it?) as well. The best part is to see all of them going live with what they create and improvise as they go along…and sometimes that just adds up to the melody…hai na?
What's your pick?
(PS – To read more posts by Rohit, click here.)
First Look : Gautham Menon's Ek Deewana Tha (Trailer)
Posted: November 18, 2011 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, film, first look, Simbly South, Trailer, video
Tags: A R Rahman, Amy Jackson, Ek Deewana Tha, first look, poster, Prateik, trailer, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa
Zimbly zouth remakes are not going to die anytime soon. First came the action movies, and now we are remaking the romantic films.
So here it is – the first look of Gautham Menon's Ek Deewana Tha. The film stars Prateik, Amy Jackson and is remake of Menon's own film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. Best part – music by A R Rahman. Loved the musical bits in the trailer.
But a perfect love story…a perfect romance? Huh!
Ranbir & Rahman's Rockstar and Imtiaz Ali's cinema template
Posted: November 12, 2011 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film, film review, movie reviews, reviews
Tags: A R Rahman, Imtiaz Ali, Kumud Mishra, Muazzam Beg, Nargis Fakhri, Ranbir kapoor, Rockstar, Rumi
Rockstar is Imtiaz Ali's fourth film after Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal. Thanks to some good friends, I had some idea about the story of the film long before it was announced because Imtiaz has been trying to make the film since last few years. But after SNT, JWM and LAK, what i was more curious to know was that if Imtiaz will follow the same template of his previous three films. And the template is…
Cool and confused lovers will travel a (physical) distance to realise their true love.
Now try SNT, JWM and LAK. Cool boy will meet cool girl. They will be easy to like and good fun to hang out with. They will become friends. They fall in love but are not sure about it. They will be confused and take a wrong step which will lead to some kind of travel and they will finally meet.
Add marriage to it and you are done. With marriage, Ali takes one step at a time. SNT – the marriage talk is on. JWM – She is about to get married. Almost. LAK – She gets married. SPOILER Rockstar – She gets married and makes love with the boyfriend. SPOILER Ends. Next is what? Extra-marital affair? Let's wait and watch.
In Rockstar, Imtiaz Ali follows the same template. But as the name suggests, it's also about music. So what works and what doesn't? Opting for the easy route by writing it in points.
– The film entirely belongs to Ranbir Kapoor. Hand him all the awards for the Best Actor this year. It has been terrible year anyway. And nobody comes close to him. He is such a delight on screen, makes everything look so natural.
– And it would have been a different game without Rahman. After Ranbir, the film belongs to him. It's easily the best album of the year and i wanted to see more of songs in the film.
– When it comes to rom-com, writer Imtiaz knows his stuff really well. The scenes, the dialogues, the moments – he knows how to write and handle them. How about a rom-com masterclass, Mr Ali?
– Nargis Fakhri. Great screen presence, gorgeous to look at but as soon as she opens her mouth, it's all over. Terrible casting. Was it just a silent audition for her? If it was someone else, the film could have gone to another level.
– The film suffers from the same curse which most desi films have : the curse of 2nd half. It seems Imtiaz had no clue what to do in the second half. Is there a way we can edit out "interval" from our films? That seems to be the main culprit.
– Going by conventional mainstream rule book, the film has a sad ending. But looks like we have become so scared of the box office monster that even when the story is going in that direction, we are finding it difficult to endorse it on screen.
SPOILER Ends.
– Kun faaya fun gave me goose flesh. It's not the way it's shot, it's the moment it captures.
– Shammi saab, such a graceful presence. Wish the 'dichotomy of fame' track had only him and Ranbir without jumping over to other scenes. Even when he is playing the shehnai, you can see that he is making the efforts to make it look real. He is just not faking it.
– They really blurred the "Tibet" part in the "Free Tibet" banner. That's disgusting. What is an artist without his/her politics? And this is such a far fetched endorsement. Weird because they shot the song in Dharmshala with Tibetans who are waving their flags and banners and are on stage with Ranbir.
– The narrative style is not linear. Almost every second sequence moves between past, present and future. Am not sure if it helped the narrative in anyway. Need to watch it again. Also, was it done in the edit? Or Imtiaz thought about it while writing the script? Any inputs will be helpful.
– Muazzam Beg has an opening story credit along with Imtiaz Ali.
– Was damn disappointed with Kumud Mishra in That Girl In Yellow Boots. He has compensated for everything in the film. Also, can we see more of Aditi Rao Hydari?
– What else? Aha, Rumi saab gets proper credit in the film.
Go, watch it and do share your thoughts. Am sure this film is going to divide the house completely.


text:
Innovation Greater Manchester
Innovation Greater Manchester Board
Multi-million-pound Greater Manchester Institute Of Technology will open in September 2023
Jan 12, 2023 | GMLEP News
A new multi-million-pound technical education institute in Greater Manchester will open to students in September 2023, after being granted a licence by the Department for Education.
The Greater Manchester Institute of Technology (GMIoT) will specialise in construction, engineering, health and digital skills. Led by the University of Salford with Wigan & Leigh College as the lead FE partner, the GMIoT will bring together a number of colleges and employers from all parts of Greater Manchester in hopes to fix skills gaps across the city-region and make future jobs accessible for all.
The GMIoT will offer a variety of courses, including new Higher Technical Qualifications, Higher National Diplomas and apprenticeships, as well as digital and technical skills boot camps and short courses designed to fast-track learners into jobs in growth sectors for Greater Manchester.
Courses at the GMIoT will be aimed at both school and college leavers who might be considering a career in STEM and older learners looking to upskill or retrain.
The partners – The University of Salford; Ada, the National College for Digital Skills; Bury College; Tameside College; Wigan & Leigh College; GCHQ; Laing O'Rourke; Siemens; and Talk-Talk – have been working together on the proposal for the last two years.
Institutes of Technology (IoTs) are the government's flagship programme designed to spearhead the delivery of level 4 / 5 higher technical education in STEM subjects. The first wave of 12 IoTs has already opened across the country. The Greater Manchester bid was submitted as part of wave two of the funding competition.
The GMIoT will operate on a hub and spoke model, with capital funding being invested in a new centre at the University of Salford with hubs across Greater Manchester, with investment committed to the upgrade of existing facilities across partner colleges.
Justin Kelly, Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP) lead for skills, said: "It's fantastic news that Greater Manchester's Institute of Technology will welcome its first cohort of students in September. Since receiving initial Government approval just over a year ago, the Institute of Technology's industrial and academic partners have worked extremely hard to get the initiative to this stage.
"The Institute of Technology will play an important role in helping people upskill and reskill in areas where employer demand is high, which in turn helps businesses grow and innovate. We know there is huge demand for technical skills in STEM sectors – offering learners relevant, accessible courses is the first step in addressing that skills gap."
Jo Purves, Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic Development at the University of Salford, said: "We are delighted that we've been successful in our efforts to bring an Institute of Technology to Greater Manchester. The GMIoT will make a valuable contribution to the education and skills system in our city region and offer residents of all ages new routes into high skilled, high paid jobs.
"Collaboration is in our DNA as a university, so we have been pleased to be able to lead this bid on behalf of our city region and bring together partners of such quality and ambition. We look forward to welcoming the first cohort of IoT students in September 2023."
Anna Dawe, Principal at Wigan & Leigh College, said: "This is excellent news and a huge boost to the promotion and delivery of higher level technical skills across Greater Manchester. For our borough it will deliver training and employment opportunities that are for the careers of the future as well as responding to current skills and workforce needs. We are very much looking forward to working with our partners and putting our plans into action."
Councillor Eamonn O'Brien, GMCA lead for Education, Skills, Work, Apprenticeships and Digital said: "It's fantastic to hear the news that the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology will open to students in September 2023. Employers continue to highlight a lack of technical skills within Greater Manchester's workforce required to build their businesses, the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology gives Greater Manchester residents access to new employment focused education and skills opportunities, it also plays an important role in addressing the skills shortage and building Greater Manchester's economy."
Paul Birt, Head of People & Organisation at Siemens Smart Infrastructure said: "Innovating technology with purpose is at the core of our global strategy. As one of the UK's largest technology companies, we are committed to supporting the development of the skills of the future we will need, not just for ourselves but for our customers and the markets we serve. Greater Manchester Institute of Technology will bring new opportunities for both large and small enterprise, to tap into all the region has to offer by way of the new talent and expertise supported by the programmes on offer. Siemens looks forward to a productive relationship and is proud to be supporting the new Institute."
Ian Turner, Talent Director at Talk-Talk said: "As the fastest growing digital hub in Europe, the North West is a victim of its own success with unprecedented demand on the local technology talent pools. It's vital we broaden our reach to find and train the best people in our
The Growth Company launches first-of-its-kind online tool to measure growth potential
MAG announces £440m investment in final phase of £1.3bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme
Northern Leaders unite in Manchester to discuss devolution at Convention of the North 2023
Insurance Company Canopius to Launch Tech and Data 'Hub' in Manchester creating 65 jobs
Green Skills Academy launches playing a critical role in Greater Manchester's net zero ambitions
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text:
A JOURNEY INTO SIN
by Sylvia Hensel
SYLVIA HENSEL
The devil made me do it! This is a clich�s we jokingly use when we talk about our sin; and we�ve all taken that journey into sin. We may take different roads to get there, but unless we deviate from the path taken, we all end up in the same place, at the feet of Disaster. This particular journey begins as so many do, with an unwary soul.
He sits at a small table in a bistro sipping a cup of coffee. Because his guard is down, she walks right in through his eye-gate and Lust slithers into his heart. It takes but a moment to make that fatal decision and then the deed is done. Consent allows pleasure to run free throughout the entire body, and Desire is inflamed. It becomes a beast that cannot be contained. It must find its way out and run its course till it brings destruction. No one told him it would be a haunting experience, like ghosts that never die.
He finds himself leading a double life. One life lived for all to see and one lived in the nether world, where lies prevail and truth cannot be found. The biggest lie he tells is to himself, �No one else will know.� Sin hides from the sinner only. It seeps out from its hidden world and pours forth from the eyes, mouth, posture and every other area of communication of its host.
Destruction lurks about, waiting for the right moment to do its greatest work. The more souls involved in its web, the stronger it becomes. It weaves its way into the dark corners of the sinner�s mind, lulling him into a stupor where shame and embarrassment are forgotten, and integrity and one�s good name disappear like the morning mist.
Gossip steps into the picture, and with great glee, goes to work. The phones and internets are kept busy. With tongues loosened, the work place becomes a breeding ground to do its damage. Gossip�s greatest success comes if it can move into the church where a prayer request is made for the situation and as the request is passed on, it crosses over the line to Gossip.
Lies tumble out of the mouth and are caught in the hands of Confusion, who tosses them about in disarray causing the sinner to scramble about trying to make a semblance of order to what was said, desperately trying to sort truth from lies. The sinner need not bother, for truth spoken from the mouth of a liar is spurned by all. Truth, the solid rock, is crumbling beneath his feet, leaving the sinner with no stabilizing factor to stand on. Chaos reigns. That demon spirit of Lying has won a great victory.
Destruction gorges itself to the point of exploding, ready to spew forth death upon the beaten and bloody sinner. In their rush to devour their prey, the attacking demons whip themselves into frenzy, deciding they would do away with Subtlety. This is all out war and they are going in for the kill. However, without Subtlety, their cover is gone and they are exposed for who they are, for it was their subtle approach that keeps the sinner lulled into a state of un-awareness. Suddenly, the sinner comes to himself and realizes he is being brutally attacked by all the demons of hell. He flees for his life with the demons in hot pursuit. Realizing he is losing the battle, the sinner falls to his knees and his cries can be heard throughout the halls of heaven, �Jesus, forgive me, I am so sorry. Help me!� At that moment, Hell let go of its prey.
With that, a great implosion takes place as Destruction collapses in upon itself, bringing down with it, Lust, Gossip, Lying, Confusion, Chaos and all the other tormenting demons assigned to this sinner.
Screaming and cursing, the demons slink back to the bowels of hell. Their leader filled with rage shrieks �Fools, you lost your victim. Don�t just sit there sulking, go find another unwary soul.�
All the demons of hell fly from their fiery abode, beady eyes watching for anyone whose guard may be down, waiting for that right moment to enter through their gates.

Read more articles by Sylvia Hensel or search for other articles by topic below.


I've never had anyone specifically come out and say "your life is so much easier than mine because you don't have a husband or kids", but I can't count the number of times it's been insinuated. By friends, by my sister, and even by complete strangers.
I don't claim to have an overly complicated life and there are many times I'm "over the moon" that I don't have a husband and kids to consider when making choices. I certainly have the ability to quickly make life choices without anyone having the opportunity to talk me out of them. I also live alone in those choices. If I make a bad choice there is no one but me to blame, torture, or fix it.
The point is…none of our lives are harder; they are just different.
Maybe I'm over simplifying a bit. This post isn't about life threatening diseases. It's about the difference between having a husband and/or kids and not. I realize that some people are dealt a horrible hand of cards and I won't minimize the hardships in their lives.
My own sister has said to me at times "I wish I had time to myself", but what she doesn't realize (since she had her first child at the age of 20) is that the very time she wishes for is fleeting. Sometimes "time to myself" can turn into nearly debilitating loneliness. There is a cost to everything in life, including "time to myself".
My best friend says she envies me because I have time to eat right and exercise (not that I do most of the time). She says she doesn't have time. We spent nearly an hour on the phone the other day discussing it. I countered each of her excuses with what I considered a viable option. She dismissed most of what I was saying due to her preconceived notion that I couldn't possibly understand since I don't have a child. I don't claim to have answers for my friends with kids, but being dismissed is frustrating as hell.
Even my dad said to me once that I needed to cut my sister some slack because she had kids and that I had no idea what it costs to raise kids. This coming from a man who has always hammered into us that "you made your bed and now you have to lay in it". I get it, raising kids can be expensive, but my sister has always had an excellent paying job and is constantly flaunting her material things.
And then, there's my grandmother. She's often made me feel like the black sheep of the family because I never got married and never had kids. To understand how insulting being the black sheep of the family is, I only need to point to a couple of my cousins. The first had a child as a teenager, out of wedlock. Her three children ended up being raised by her ex-husband who wasn't the father of any of them. Her younger sister's Facebook banter includes R to X rated material while at the same time advertising her in-home daycare. I wouldn't allow her to watch my children (if I had any) and we are "family".
And yet, I continue to get dismissed or treated as if I live a life of luxury. I chalk it up to different life choices. I went to college, I moved away from my hometown, I found a different life than some of my family and friends. How does that make their lives harder than mine? And, not just different?
While my sister was paying for diapers and formula I was paying for my college education.
While my friend struggles to eat right and exercise, so do I.
I will admit I live a pretty amazing life, but it isn't because I don't have a husband and/or kids. It's because I made DIFFERENT choices. Those choices certainly were not easier to make.
What do you think? Do you have a husband and/or kids? If so, do you think that your single friends live a life of luxury? If you are single, do you get dismissed by your married friends?


This is the listing for movies that are playing in Marbella and on the Costa del Sol in English from Friday June 29th until Thursday July 5th.
The British School of Marbella summer school runs from July 9 to August 24 for children aged 18 months to 8 years old. The program runs from 9:00am until 1:00pm and is divided into two groups.
TIP: This is one of the few summer programs that accept children as young as 18 months.
Check out the Great Nutrition Company to discover the key to good health. Offering scientifically formulated products aimed to assist, control and manage many lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, candidiasis, metabolic syndrome X (obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, pre-diabetes), ADD/ ADHD, these "nutraceuticals" are also great tasting and filling.
TIP: The Great Nutrition Company is based in Marbella, but can deliver their products all over the world.
Impact Gym (formerly Kudo Academy) is holding kickboxing classes in the mornings for both kids and parents at 9:30 in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. What a great way to stay fit over the holidays and have your kids learn a thing or two at the same time.
TIP: Impact Gym is planning an open day to welcome everyone new and old to the gym with a charity sponsored spar (50 rounds each and you get to have a go!) with British Champion Shaun James and 5x World Champion Trevor Ambrose - all proceeds going to the orphans.
TIP: This year they are offering a fun kids cookery class and yoga.
A few days ago, I picked up some amazing artisan chocolate from Bellaria. Milk chocolate with almonds, pistachios & pecans with a touch of bourbon vanilla, another milk chocolate with coconut, freeze dried banana and almonds. Dark chocolate with cinnamon, crystalized rose petals and sour cherries. And white chocolate with jasmin, almonds, and peaches. The teachers are going to love their gifts this year!
TIP: Bellaria is centrally loocated right near the Casino and always has easy parking.
This weekend we are heading to our favorite sushi bar Japanese restaurant Osaka in Cancelada. Seriously good sushi (on par with what we tried in Japan) amazing tempura with giant shrimp (a meal in itself for kids) and the tastiest seaweed salad that I just can't find anywhere else (yes, my kids love it too).
Team Xtreme is hosting another fun weekend out canyoning at Rio Verde this SUNDAY July 1st. This time it is for a full day CANYONING trip. If you have any doubt, just take a look at our own family reviews and the video. If you are interested, contact Team Xtreme now at info@teamxtreme.es.
TIP: Visit their website for more photos, videos and other trips they offer for younger children.
We received a very useful tip on how to renew your Spanish driver's license from one of our readers. Take a look if you need to renew yours or if you can share your own experience.
TIP: A friend of mine went last week and said it was excellent.
TIP: If you miss this concert, why not see Gloria Gaynor on July 7th?
TIP: The Estepona Youth Theatre is moving to Marbella and will now be called the Marbella Youth Theatre. Classes recommence in September.
Watch the Euro2012 final on the Paseo de la Alameda in Marbella center and at La Salida (statue of the runners) on San Pedro Alcántara beach. Large screens and bars will be placed in these venues for the event, so the atmosphere should be electric! The fun starts at 7:00pm.
* San Pedro tunnel finally opens!
TIP: Did you know that the San Pedro tunnel has a Twitter account? It's quite funny.
Due to Facebook's new policy, only about 10% of people that 'like' a fan page will see the status updates. In order to see all posts just click/hover over the 'Liked' button (beneath the cover photo) & activate the 'show in news feed' option.
FYI, the toll road from the airport to Marbella (and vice versa) is 6.50 euro. I discovered this last week on a trip on the toll road. Keep it in mind if you're just flying in and not sure which road to take.
Last week my sister-in-law had her wallet stolen from H&M in La Cañada. I posted a word of caution on our Facebook wall and we have been receiving a stream of comments (that are still continuing!) from our followers about their experiences. It seems like everyone I talk to has had something stolen from La Cañada shops, parking lots, El Corte Inglés and just about anywhere there is high traffic.
Please stay vigilant and keep your bags and money secured tightly and be wary of any suspicious looking people or behavior.


Solar Equation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at Federation Square, Melbourne, as part of The Light in Winter festival. This picture was taken on the 3rd of June 2010.
Video I with more footage can be found here.
More information on the Tiger Translate exhibition can be found here, on my previous post.
I think these were done by S-701A.
Sorry for not updating in a while, have been rather busy in other area's, so many photo's to upload and update. This picture was taken with my Iphone 4, using the standard add, edited on my computer.
I'm looking forward to checking out the finish artwork and live art. Watching live art is a great way to see the process of making the finished piece and watch a wall come to life.
Today while walking down Swanston street I saw the setting up of the Christmas tree on city square, across from the Melvourne town hall.
Sighted at Miss Libertines, Melbourne CBD on the 23rd of May.
On the right bottom it's been signed by Monkey, Glyph and Guz.
Taken on the 22nd of May 2010, on Young Street, Fitzroy.
I've also put together a video of Young Street, check it out here youtube.com/watch?v=eBQsDYW5S0s on Youtube.
You can also buy this as a print here on Redbubble.
Also a print of this picture can be found here on Redbubble.


STEP 2 Steam the peas and beans until al dente, then place in a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Meanwhile, thinly slice the lemon and add it the serving bowl.
STEP 3 Combine the beans with the lemon slices and sprinkle with sunflower seeds before serving with slices of the turkey breast roll.


The Dean Cadillac 1980 is a sweet reproduction of the original Cadillac, which has appeared on stages for decades as the trusted axe of many rock legends. With a mahogany body and set-in mahogany neck, it's no surprise players chose the great tone and sustain the original Cadillac offered. Block pearloid inlays grace the rosewood fingerboard, and the gold hardware and multi-ply binding provide the class you'd expect from a guitar labeled Cadillac. Uses Grover Rotomatic tuners for spot-on intonation. Two covered high-output humbuckers provide singing tone that make this guitar just as awesome now as it was in the 80's.


Of all the passages that involve the Great Commission (cf. Mark 16:15–16; Luke 24:44–49; John 15:16; Acts 1:8), Matthew 28:18–20 is more well-known than others. From this passage, we see that the Great Commission involves a mandate to make disciples (28:18–19a) and the means of making disciples (28:19–20). First, consider a couple of points about the mandate to make disciples.
Second, consider four means of how we make disciples. Three of these means are indicated by the verbs in 28:19–20 that are subordinate to the primary command of making disciples. These verbs are go, baptizing, and teaching. However, though they are subordinate, they carry the force of a command by being linked to the command of making disciples.
Baptizing – Those who profess Christ to be Savior are baptized by immersion into water. The going in and coming out of the water symbolizes the burial and resurrection of our Lord, as well as our spiritual union to Him. A Christian has died to sin and is a new man in Christ (Rom 6:3–6).
Teaching – We teach all that Christ has commanded, and we teach disciples to observe all that He has commanded.
The fourth means of making disciples is to make disciples with the help of Jesus Christ. He states, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." And how is He with us? He sent the Spirit to give us boldness to share the gospel with others (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
So how do we make disciples? At the least, we go, give the gospel with the help of Christ, baptize those who believe, and teach them to observe Christ's commandments. May God help us as we honor Him in the Great Commission.


text:
Q: Spring Boot SLF4J Error I have been trying for several days to get the spring boot 15 minute hello world working. I keep encountering the following error:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: org.slf4j.spi.LocationAwareLogger.log(Lorg/slf4j/Marker;Ljava/lang/String;ILjava/lang/String;[Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Throwable;)V
at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.SLF4JLocationAwareLog.warn(SLF4JLocationAwareLog.java:179)
at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplicationRunListeners.callFinishedListener(SpringApplicationRunListeners.java:91)
at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplicationRunListeners.finished(SpringApplicationRunListeners.java:72)
at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication.handleRunFailure(SpringApplication.java:810)
at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication.run(SpringApplication.java:324)
at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication.run(SpringApplication.java:1185)
at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication.run(SpringApplication.java:1174)
at com.symphony.Application.main(Application.java:11)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:497)
at com.intellij.rt.execution.application.AppMain.main(AppMain.java:147)

I know this question appears elsewhere on the site, I have tried countless things and nothing works. I am using IntelliJ 2016.1.3, Java version 1.8.0._60.
My pom.xml is:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

    <groupId>com.spring</groupId>
    <artifactId>com.spring</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <parent>
        <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
        <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-parent</artifactId>
        <version>1.3.7.RELEASE</version>
    </parent>

    <properties>
        <java.version>1.8</java.version>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-boot-starter</artifactId>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-web</artifactId>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>com.fasterxml.jackson.core</groupId>
            <artifactId>jackson-databind</artifactId>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>

    <build>
        <plugins>
            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
                <artifactId>spring-boot-maven-plugin</artifactId>
            </plugin>
        </plugins>
    </build>

</project>

I have tried maven clean from IntelliJ and no luck.
EDIT: Screenshot added to show everything being pulled into project.
Maven Dependencies
UPDATE: Completely uninstalled maven 3.3.9 and only have the built in maven from IntelliJ ultimate. Still not working, extremely frustrating. Over a week into this and can't get the 15 minute demo working.

A: You appear to have an incompatibility with versions of logging frameworks. See if replacing the spring-boot-starter and spring-web artifacts with spring-boot-starter-web helps, as per the current Getting Started guide.
Update
I was able to configure and build the Spring Getting Started guide down to the Add Unit Tests heading without error on Intellij Ultimate 2016.2 using its own embedded Maven 3, and on the command-line using Maven 3.1.1 and Java 8 (1.8.0_31-b13).
I found significant build errors and/or execution errors when I:

*

*changed the Maven configuration in Intellij to use Maven 2

*compiled with the spring-boot-starter and spring-web artifacts rather than spring-boot-starter-web.

I think your problem is a build configuration error. Whenever I get these, I go back to command-line to build and run just to be sure the problem isn't an artifact of some IDE bug.

A: I've run in the same problem, but got it solved by excluding logback-classic
So my pom now Looks like this:
<dependencies>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
        <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-web</artifactId>
        <exclusions>
            <exclusion>
                <groupId>ch.qos.logback</groupId>
                <artifactId>logback-classic</artifactId>
            </exclusion>
        </exclusions>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

If you're in Eclipse (idk, if IntelliJ has this Feature too) and look at the dependency hierarchy tab, you'll see, spring-boot itself implements multiple slf4j-apis.
Visualization of the dependency hierarchy filtered by "slf4j"
I know it may be too late for you, but your post was one of the first result by Google, so maybe it'll help someone else.

A: your pom lists java 8, but you said you are using java 6 for the project.   make sure your project is pointing to a Java 8 ddk.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It's almost time for one of our favourite nights of the year, Oscar night. Deemed one of Hollywood's most important nights as far as awards season goes, the Oscars celebrate the best in cinema. We may be weeks away until we get to enjoy the fabulous red carpet and the show, luckily, the 91st Academy Award nominations have been announced.
The folks in the West Coast got an early start as the nominations for all 24 categories were announced from the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Split over a two-part live news conference, actor Kumail Nanjiani and actress Tracee Ellis Ross announced the best in filmmaking over the past year.
Did the Academy pile the love on for A Star Is Born? Is this the year the comic book genre gets some Oscar love? Will we see more diversity?
Check out the nominees below and see if your favorites made the cut!


text:
package service
import core.DefaultTimeout
import core.SparkConfig._
import util.MultiSet
import util.Word
import akka.actor.{ Actor, ActorLogging, ActorSystem }
import akka.pattern.{ask,pipe}
import akka.event.LoggingReceive
import scala.util.{Try,Success}
import scala.annotation.tailrec
import org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD
import java.io.FileWriter

/**
 * @author alexandregenon
 */
object MPLSolver {
  case class Input(l: String)
  case class SolStats(challenge:String,nbBuckets:Long,nbCandidates:Long,nbSolutions: Int){
    override def toString = s"$challenge received, had $nbBuckets buckets with a total of $nbCandidates candidates $nbSolutions are solutions"
    def toCSV = s"$challenge;$nbBuckets;$nbCandidates;$nbSolutions\n"
  }
  case object ReIndex
  case object DetailedStats
  case object Stats
  case class NewWord(w:String)

  val KEYSIZE = 5
  val WORDLIMIT = 10
  var dictGrouped: RDD[(List[Char], scala.collection.immutable.Set[String])] = null
  var dict: RDD[String] = null
}

trait MPLSolver{
  import MPLSolver._
  implicit val dictFilename:String

  def reindex = {
    dict = sparkContext.textFile(dictFilename).filter(x => x.length >= KEYSIZE && x.length <= WORDLIMIT)
    val dict5 = dict.flatMap(w => Word.toMultiSet(w).combinations(KEYSIZE).map(t => (t, w)))
    dictGrouped = dict5.aggregateByKey(Set[String]())((s, w) => s + w, (s1, s2) => s1 ++ s2)
    dictGrouped.persist
  }

  def solve(c: String): (List[String],SolStats) = {
    val cSet = MultiSet(Word.normalize(c).toList)
    val cTuples = cSet.combinations(KEYSIZE).toSet
    val candidates = dictGrouped.filter(x => cTuples.contains(x._1))
    val nbBuckets = candidates.count
    val wordCandidates = candidates.flatMap(_._2)
    val nbCandidates = wordCandidates.count
    val solutions = wordCandidates.filter(w => Word.canBeEncoded(w, cSet)).collect
      .toList.sorted(Ordering[Int].on[String](_.length).reverse).distinct
    (solutions,SolStats(c,nbBuckets,nbCandidates,solutions.size))
  }

  def stats: Map[String, String] = {
    def choose(n1: Int, n2: Int): Int = {
      @tailrec
      def mult(n1: Int, n2: Int, acc: Int = 1): Int = {
        if (n1 <= n2) acc * n2
        else mult(n1 - 1, n2, acc * n1)
      }
      val max = scala.math.max(n2, n1 - n2)
      val min = n1 - max
      mult(n1,max+1) / mult(min,1)
    }
    val sizes = dictGrouped.map(t => (t._1, t._2.size))
    val maxB = sizes.max()(Ordering[Int].on[((List[Char]), Int)](_._2))
    val avgB = sizes.aggregate(0)((s, t) => s + t._2, (s1, s2) => s1 + s2).toDouble / sizes.count
    Map("dictionnary_size" -> dict.count.toString,
      "bucket_key_size" -> KEYSIZE.toString,
      "bucket_key_combinations" -> choose(26,KEYSIZE).toString,
      "buckets_count" -> sizes.count.toString,
      "buckets_max" -> maxB.toString,
      "buckets_average" -> avgB.toString)
  }
}

class MotPlusLongActor extends Actor with ActorLogging with DefaultTimeout with MPLSolver {
  import MPLSolver._

  import scala.concurrent.ExecutionContext.Implicits.global
  implicit val dictFilename = "src/main/resources/liste_francais.txt"
  val loggerActor = core.Boot.system.actorSelection("/user/gds/mpllogger")

  override def preStart = {
    reindex
  }
  def receive: Receive = LoggingReceive {
    case ReIndex => {
      log.info("Received request for reindexing")
      reindex
    }
    case Input(c) => {
      log.info(s"""Received $c as input""")
      val (solution,stats) = solve(c)
      loggerActor ! stats
      sender ! solution
    }
    case Stats => {
      log.info("Received stats request")
      import scala.concurrent.Future
      val theirStats = (loggerActor ? Stats).mapTo[Map[String,String]]
      val ourStats = stats
      val loggedStats = theirStats map {
        case s => ourStats ++ s
      }
      loggedStats pipeTo (sender)
    }
    case NewWord(w) => {
      log.info(s"Request to add $w to dictionnary")
      val dictFile = new FileWriter(dictFilename,true)
      dictFile.write("\n"+w)
      dictFile.close
    }
    case _ => {
      log.error("Unknown message received")
    }
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
A look at cyber war in 2018
Posted by dsellers | Jan 26, 2018 | MacTech Blog, Uncategorized |
Last year was a banner year for cyber crime; more data was stolen in the first six months of 2017 than in the entirety of 2016. Gemalto's Breach Level Index found that over 900 data breaches occurred during the first half of 2017, compromising 1.9 billion records.
According to Jing Xie, senior threat intelligence analyst for Venafi (www.venafi.com), a cyber security company, this explosive development in data exfiltration will continue in 2018. In an even more ominous trend, the number of sophisticated state sponsored cyber attacks increased significantly last year.
"In 2017, attackers working for nation-states focused on efficiency and return on investment, and they were very successful," said Xie. "As a result, we should expect to see escalations and variations of similar attack vectors this year."
Xie examined the condition of nation-state sponsored cyber warfare and offered these predictions and insights for 2018:
The ongoing wrestling match between super powers will move from clandestine programs that are largely carried out behind the scenes to more public attacks aimed at critical infrastructure and services, according to Venafi. Because vital security assets control encrypted communication between machines, many cyber attacks will leverage compromised or rogue keys and certificates. A nation-state with this power can bombard critical infrastructure through increasingly sophisticated variations of attacks, sabotaging core services using attacks derived from Stuxnet and Duqu.
Venafi says cyber criminals sponsored by nation-states may find ways to exploit the trust models used to control communication between machines. The easiest way to accomplish this would be to attack or manipulate Certificate Authorities and the keys and certificates they issue. If successful, this exploit vector would allow cyber criminals to eavesdrop on a wide range of confidential communications, intercept and redirect encrypted traffic, and target government watchdogs and human rights activists.
We saw numerous state-sponsored social media campaigns that concentrated on fostering public doubt, and fear, during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. Venafi says that, due to the success of these campaigns, we should expect additional attacks against local and national elections. Some attacks may even utilize fraudulent identities of both humans and machines to steal and leak sensitive nation-state data. Distressingly, these attacks are occurring in elections around the globe.
"With every major nation-state expanding both offensive and defensive cyber war spending, public and private critical infrastructure and communication providers should expect to be caught in the crosshairs of cyber warfare. As a result of the cumulative impact of powerful spending and attack trends, we should expect to see at least one act of nation-state sponsored cyber warfare that directly impacts citizens this year," added Xie.
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NASHUA – Some may know him as Indiana Jones or The Doctor; others may know him as Newt Scamander or perhaps even the shark from Jaws.
But to his friends, comedian, cosplayer and magician Mark Pinksten is simply himself.
Teaching computer and information security during the week, Pinksten uses his weekends to transform into any number of characters, while performing at conventions and events all across the country in his Magic and Pop Culture show.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Pinksten was a big name in Nashua's performance circuit, working as a magician. He started out filling in at a neighborhood kid's birthday party, but before long, his magic career "exploded," he said.
Suddenly, he was surrounded by doves and rabbits, performing at five birthday parties per weekend.
He advanced beyond birthday shows (vowing he was done with them after a 12-year-old raked her nails across his arm, leaving deep scratches) and soon was performing at city events such as the Holiday Stroll, state fairs and even a mall tour.
However, trying to raise a family on a magician's salary, and with a wife who did not like him spending so much time performing, Pinksten announced his retirement from magic in 2002 in front of a crowd of hundreds of spectators.
He went into security to make more money, but as his marriage broke apart and his kids grew up, boredom overcame him.
While this may seem odd or out of the blue to most, Pinksten has a history with the white jackets. Before his retirement, Pinksten had a "Straight Jacket of Death" routine, during which he taped a plastic bag over his head and tried to get out of a straight jacket to remove the bag. During a show at Holman Stadium, however, something went wrong and he sucked the bag into his mouth. He was choking on stage, fearing he might die, until he worked his way out of the restraints and freed himself. The audience was none the wiser, but Pinksten put the routine away after that.
Now, though, he thought, with a stormtrooper mask (and therefore far less risk of suffocation), he could have something different, something he had not seen before – a blend of magic and pop culture.
Committed to this idea of blending comedy, pop culture and magic, he bought back 80 percent of his old tricks, purchased a TARDIS (a fictional time machine), found a benefit in Massachusetts, volunteered, hired a camera crew to film it, and then sent a tape of his performance to various conventions.
The calls started coming and they have not stopped since.
Pinksten has performed at more than 30 conventions in the last couple of years and has no plans of slowing down any time soon. The last two months, he said, have been the busiest of his life.
This weekend, he will perform five shows at Fan Expo Boston, formerly Boston Comic Con. Next month, he will perform six at Granite Con in Manchester.
Pinksten is the only person he knows who is combining magic and pop culture in this way.
He has a Harry Potter-themed show and a Doctor Who-themed show, as well as an "All Fandom" show which combines, as the name suggests, several different "fandoms." He starts his show as The Doctor from Dr. Who and features magic associated with science. Then, he becomes Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (in the Harry Potter Universe) with animal-themed tricks and comedy; Professor Clutterbuck, also from Harry Potter, although a character of his own creation, with more wand and spell oriented magic, such a levitation. Then, he becomes Indiana Jones, finding a bunch of treasures; Doc Brown from Back to the Future with a "real" flux capacitor that fluxes. He even transforms into a shark, although this weekend he plans to change it to a velociraptor to go with a Jurassic Park theme.
A fan of all the characters he plays, admitting to being somewhat of "a nerd," Pinksten most enjoyed cosplaying as Lord High President Rassilon, a relatively obscure villain from Doctor Who, which he said nobody ever recognizes anywhere other than a Who-specific convention.
"Playing evil guys is so much more fun," he said.
In fact, one of his favorite memories from his show was when he stood on top of the seats in the (empty) front row of a theater, wielding a running chainsaw and terrifying his audience, which included a mother with arms outstretched to shield her two children.
"That just about made my life," he recalled, laughing.
Immediately after, the song "Everything is Awesome" from the Lego Movie started playing, diffusing the tension.
Whether he is levitating someone, cutting someone in half or performing a simple coin trick, "The most fun I have is that hour I'm on stage," he said.
This is part of why he loves his job: he not only gets to go to conventions and get paid for it, but he is constantly getting out of his shell and meeting new people with similar interests and, if he is lucky, similar levels of energy.
Magic and comedy have fascinated him since childhood, from the time he made a theater in the basement and charged the neighborhood kids to see his show.
Sometimes, he regrets his decision to retire, now more than 15 years ago, because he feels he could have taken it pretty far.
That only reinforces the reason he started this new adventure.
"I needed to perform," he added.
For more information on Pinksten's shows, visit magicpopculture.com or email mark@magicpopculture.com.


Rifles in the Ardennes recreates the tense action that characterized Ardennes in a unique single-player format. Designer and Artist Gottardo Zancani has replaced the literal map typical of World War II games with a stylized track, allowing for endless customization of the battlefield.
A simple solitaire system allows the recreation of small combat engagements (five to ten units per side) over a bevy of scenarios. Blind chit draws and die rolls, combined with artfully crafted charts create an impressive "artificial intelligence," embuing the game with a true fog of war.
The rules are generic enough to cover many periods and genres (the World Wars, Classical Battles, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and more), but the units (American, German, and Russian) and scenarios are specific to the European theatre of World War II, focusing on the years 1942-1944.
A fast paced and exciting solitaire World War II game, Rifles in the Ardennes offers electrifying combat action in a tiny package.