Layman’s View: Features of Tata Bolt

January 13, 2015 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

(Note: The following article is not a car review. It lists down the author’s opinions on the features of the car.)

This post is a part of the Get. Set. Bolt. activity at BlogAdda.

By: Keyur Seta

The mention of Tata Motors instantly brings to my mind the Tata Zest experience, which was an interesting and memorable bloggers’ activity in Goa in association with Blog Adda. The same memories were revived when I came to know of another Blog Adda activity with Tata Motors, this time about their upcoming car Tata Bolt.

As per the exercise, we, the bloggers, had to visit a mall, where the Bolt is displayed for the public, and inspect the car and write down its features. To be honest, I hardly possess any knowledge about cars. So my description about the features is more like that of a layman.

Picture provided by Ankit Jain

Space: The comfort of the passengers holds high importance as it is the first thing that a passenger notices. It holds more importance if one goes on a long drive. I found Tata Zest to be well spacious. But I found Bolt even better on that aspect as I was able to stretch my legs well forward, both in front and back seats. Talking about wideness, the back seat is also as wide as in the Zest.

Dickey: You realize that the makers have cut down the space of the dickey in order to make it spacious. But when you do check the dickey, you realize they have compromised its space on a lesser degree only. Plus, its design is such that it doesn’t make much of a difference in terms of the space.

Body: The body of Bolt is smooth, shining and attractive. It feels good to caress it. What’s more important is that apart from the looks, it also appears strong.

Engine: Without going into the technicalities of the engine, let me tell you that the look of the engine was a pleasant surprise for me. Its super stylish looks made it very attractive, which isn’t the adjective we use to describe engines of normal cars. It looks somewhat similar to the one we see in sports cars.

Steering: Bolt has a modern electronic steering, which is comfortable to operate.

Modes: You can switch on any of the three modes. 1) Sport: As per the name, it is useful when you just wish to zoom ahead fast. 2) Eco: Helps in fuel efficiency. 3) City: This one is a balance of the first two.

Entertainment: It has eight speakers that produce impressive surround sound. And as expected from a new age car, its music system has gadget connectivity features with touchscreen facility.

Technical Aspects:

Petrol Version: Revotron 1.2T with Max Power of 90 PS @ 5000 RPM
Diesel Version: Quadrajet 1.3L with Max Power 75 PS @ 4000 RPM

(The mileage and price are not revealed yet. They shall be revealed later this month at the launch [January].)

Picture Source: carkhabri.com

Vivekananda gave me another birth: Kangana Ranaut

January 12, 2015 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Actress Kangana Ranaut has spoken about herself during her innumerable interviews. However, very few of us know that she considers Swami Vivekananda as her biggest inspiration and motivation. She spoke about this little known aspect about her life during the 153^rd Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda at Ramakrishna Mission, Mumbai.

Kangana Ranaut. Picture Source: Sonam Budha @sonambudha1

“There was a time in my life when I couldn’t face tough situations. I was a lot confused about a lot of things. One day, my Yoga Guru gave me few books on the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. That changed everything. His book on Karma Yoga provided me with a lot of inspiration. Only I can understand how his teachings gave me another birth. I am Vivekananda’s product,” said Kangana with a broad smile.

She added, “I always wanted to connect with R K Mission. I am happy that I finally got a chance to be here and speak.”

As always, the address by Swami Sarvalokananda, secretary of RKM Mumbai, contained messages for the youth. “When Swamiji went to the west, he used to proudly say that he is from India. But today’s youth show a lot of hesitation to reveal that.” While speaking on leadership, he said, “We need servant leadership.”

Arunagiri Mudaaliar, Chairman and Chief Mentor of E Cube India, pointed out how Vivekananda’s teachings also help management students. “His most important teaching which the management students adhere to is – Before managing external environment, manage yourself internally.”

Dr R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor at BARC and Dr Srikumar Banerjee, from the Atomic Energy Commission, Mumbai also spoke about the relevance of Vivekananda’s message in today’s times.

A large number of school and college students were invited for the event since Vivekananda’s birthday is also celebrated as National Youth Day in India. This time, his birth tithi coincided with his birthday.

Review: Big Eyes

January 10, 2015 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Rating: * * * *

By: Keyur Seta

A real story that deals with treachery, plagiarism and some amount of tragedy is obviously expected to have its share of serious or sad moments. But despite Tim Burton’s Big Eyes dealing with the aforementioned elements, it manages to be a delightful and peaceful saga and that too while doing complete justice to the subject at hand.

Picture: teaser-trailer.com

Big Eyes tells the real life story of artist Margaret Keane. In 1958 in North California, Margaret (Amy Adams) flees from her abusive husband along with her daughter and settles in San Francisco. As she loves painting, she becomes a street painter that draws people’s sketches. Frankly, she has no other career skill. She specializes in drawing big eyes of their subjects as she feels eyes always reveal everything.

As sheer co-incidence, Margaret meets Walter (Christoph Waltz), a fellow street painter. He encourages her to be a bit cunning and dream big. Their friendship soon blossoms into love and they get married. But can Margaret trust Walter?

The basic story is developed hurriedly at the start. But you don’t mind that since it doesn’t stop you from getting completely involved and feel for the characters of Margaret and her daughter. The proceedings become streamlined after the character of Walter is introduced and the goodness in terms of the writing and presentation is carried on till the climax that is both moving and hilarious.

But a massive twist in the second half and its presentation becomes the biggest reason for the film being such a well-made product. The amusing thing is that the twist was always in your face from the start but you never noticed or thought about it.

The writers have purposely stayed away from keeping melodrama at bay. This surely works well, but in doing that, they haven’t added conflict elements even when it was required. This probably is the only major negative point one can think of.

Picture: indiewire.com

Bruno Delbonnel’s camerawork is also largely responsible for the film being so pleasing. It is sheer joy to see the colorful visuals and streets from his lenses. The art designer also deserves similar praise for creating the old era of the 1950s and 1960s with perfection. Some soulful background tunes add to the pleasure.

Coming to the performances, Amy Adams is excellent! She displays absolute perfection while playing Margaret Keane. There is not even a moment when you can stop feeling for her. She is rightly being nominated for the Oscars for this act.

Christoph Waltz too brings alive the cunning and funny character of Walter through his abilities. Having said this, you also can’t ignore that he is becoming repetitive. As the younger daughter of Margaret, Delaney Raye displays mature acting skills. Madeleine Arthur, as the older one, is decent and so are the rest of the actors.

Overall: Big Eyes is a peaceful saga that fills you with joy. The film has the ability to impress even those who don’t or hardly watch Hollywood.

Director: Tim Burton

Producers: Silverwood Films, Electric City Entertainment and Tim Burton Productions

Writers: Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski

Cast: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Delaney Raye

Genre: Biopic/ Drama

Lokmanya (Marathi Movie) Review

January 6, 2015 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Rating: * * * *

The basic motto of a biopic is to do complete justice to the person on whom it is based. The next challenge for such genre of films is to leave behind a solid impact on the heart and mind of the viewer through his message or teachings. Om Raut’s Lokmanya – Ek Yug Purush succeeds in both areas while also making sure it is not just any other freedom fighter biopic.

Lokmanya – Ek Yug Purush focuses on the life of India’s freedom fighter, journalist, teacher and social reformer, Bal Gangadhar Tilak aka Lokmanya Tilak from the time he was a college student till the end of his life. The film highlights his fight against the British rule through various means and its consequences.

The story of a newspaper journalist (Chinmay Mandlekar), based in today’s times, is also narrated simultaneously. Hailing from Mumbai’s middle-class, he is about to marry his rich fiancée (Priya Bapat). But a chance incident ignites some serious inner conflict within him.

Biopics face a danger of becoming a bit boring or a drag, making it unacceptable for the youth. But Lokmanya steers clear from it. Through a riveting screenplay, powerful dialogues and appealing presentation, you are kept engrossed. It also makes sure that the protagonist’s inspiring lines don’t turn out to be fake or corny. Although the film is filled with soul-stirring events, the sequence about the explanation of the Bhagvad Gita and the sad truth during opening credits deserve mention.

But as mentioned before, the film stands apart from the usual biopics. This is due to the story of the journalist, based in today’s era, which is connected to the life story of Tilak. This aspect will break your heart about the kind of lives people are living today. It will force you to question not only others but also yourself.

Lokmanya has few issues though. The commercial element in some sequences should have been toned down. But the biggest question mark is the change of heart of a supporting character, which is unconvincing.

Ajit-Sameer’s music enhances the proceedings to a greater level, especially the theme song. The same can be said for the technicalities (camerawork, background score and editing), production values and costume designing.

Lokmanya wouldn’t have been reached this level without Subodh Bhave’s brilliant enactment of the protagonist. With a powerful and heartwarming act, he shows why he is one of the finest artists around. Sameer Sanjay Vidwans too shines in the role of Gopal Ganesh Agarkar.

Chinmay Mandlekar succeeds in displaying frustration and helplessness, mostly through his expressions. Priya Bapat too plays her part perfectly. Angad Mhaskar, as Daiji Khare, Prashant Uthale, as Chapekar, and the rest of the actors play their parts well. However, the actor in the role of Swami Vivekananda is a miscast.

Overall: Lokmanya – Ek Yug Purush is an ideal film for today’s youth to know this important personality from India’s freedom struggle. It is expected to do well at the box office.

Director: Om Raut

Writers: Om Raut and Kaustubh Savarkar

Producers: Neena Raut Films and Emmay Entertainment

Cast: Subodh Bhave, Chinmay Mandlekar, Sameer Sanjay Vidwans, Priya Bapat

Music: Ajit-Sameer

Genre: Period Drama

Lessons from Mahabharata – Episode 3: Can money alone bring peace?

December 24, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

(This is the 2nd episode of the series ‘Lessons from Mahabharata’. The sole aim of this series is to highlight that the many messages given in the greatest epic are completely relevant even today and will be forever… Click HERE for the previous episode.)

By: Keyur Seta

The basic necessities of any human being are food, clothing and shelter. To fulfill these basic needs, it is essential for him or her to earn money. Hence, each one of us is into some profession or the other to make sure we keep earning to survive. But how much money is enough even after being able to live life comfortably? Or rather, is money ever enough?

We regularly come across people who are so rich that even their next few generations can live a decent lifestyle without having to work. But despite that, they aren’t satisfied. They continue to devise newer methods to earn even more. If you ask them the reason for their obsession to make more lakhs or crores, their standard answer is – To be happier! But happiness comes from a state of peace or absence of conflict. So can money surely being peace of mind?

Yudhishthir crowned the king. (Picture: Wikipedia)

Now let me present you with some interesting facts. There have been thousands of studies and surveys suggesting that the rich and the super-rich are more depressed than anyone else or are more prone to be depressed. But there is more to it. Many of these studies also suggest that suicidal tendencies are found the most among the wealthy lot. So naturally, psychiatrists come across a lot of people from this class suffering from depression.

I personally know quite a few super rich individuals who are depressed. I also know one such person who committed suicide few years back after being trapped into depression. Similarly, I have also witnessed some very well to do individuals getting treated for depression.

This, obviously, throws light on few important points – If money is enough to bring peace and happiness, why such large numbers of wealthy individuals are falling into depression? Worse, why some of them are ending their lives despite such a fat bank balance? If money is enough to bring happiness and peace, these people, leave alone committing suicide or even being depressed, should not be even close to depression.

This aspect is also seen in the great Indian epic Mahabharata after the war of Kurukshetra. As the Pandavas defeated the Kauravas, Yudhishthir, being the eldest of the Pandava brothers, was crowned as the King of Hastinapur. But was he or the other four Pandava brothers – Arjun, Bheem, Nakul and Sahadev – able to enjoy the fruits of the kingdom?

Despite being the rulers of the richest kingdom in the country, the Pandavas, especially Yudhishthir, weren’t happy or at peace simply because it was achieved after the annihilation of their own cousins, grandfather (Bheeshma), teacher (Drona), brother (Karna) and friends. Plus, thousands of warriors who fought for the Pandavas too had lost their lives on the battlefield.

When a kingdom is achieved after such terrible carnage, it becomes meaningless. So the Pandavas were just unable to enjoy its fruits as they were feeling remorseful. Hence, they retired to heavenly abode. I am not at all trying to say that the war shouldn’t have been fought. It was absolutely necessary to preserve Dharma by not allowing the Kauravas to succeed in their evil ways. I am just pointing out that wealth doesn’t mean much in the presence of inner conflict and remorse.

Now let us look at a fictional example. Mr X is the CEO of a big business empire. But his personal life is in disarray. His health is deteriorating while his family members are constantly into conflict. On the other hand, Mr Y is an executive earning a moderate income. With a healthy lifestyle, loving wife and obedient children, he is happy in his own little world.

So who of the two is richer? You decide.

Pandavas on their way to heaven. (Picture: Goelweb.com)

Meet Me At Starbucks: How professional encounter turned personal

December 22, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

This post is a part of ‘Meet Me At Starbucks’ activity by Starbucks and IndiBlogger with the theme ‘Good Things Happen When We Get Together’. Read more about it here – http://www.meetmeatstarbucks.in/

By: Keyur Seta

As a part of my profession, I have to regularly meet people to take their interviews. In terms of satisfaction, some of these interviews are fun, some are not bad while few completely forgetful. But even the ones that fall in the fun category don’t necessarily turn into friendship; the relation is more professional or work-related. However, unexpectedly and completely out of the blue, I came across one such interviewee, who became one of my closest friends in no time.

It was January 25 this year when I had to interview a filmmaker Ajita Suchitra Veera. (Honestly, I remember the date only because Salman Khan’s Jai Ho had released a day before.) The interview was related to her debut film Ballad Of Rustom, which qualified for Oscar contention this year.

I was looking forward to it as it is always interesting to speak with off-beat filmmakers. I personally appreciate those who are bold enough to show the courage to tread against the tide. Just looking at the subject of her film, I was sure she is a bold individual, who doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind. But my interest was limited to this only, not knowing there was more in store.

She reciprocated my hello with a warm smile as I reached the table she had chosen in the open air area of a coffee shop. There was nothing to feel joyful about it as it is a routine practice to exchange pleasantries in, almost, every profession. As the interview commenced and kept rolling, I realized my prediction about she being bold was spot on! But what was more pleasing was her informal manner of responding, which was more like a friendly chat than an interview.

Image Source: spiceroverindia.wordpress.com

Things became friendlier as we chatted for a good amount of time much after the interview ended. While returning home, I felt a sense of satisfaction as it was one of my most enjoyable interviews. So I was sure we both would be in touch from now onwards. But still, there was quite some distance to cover before becoming close friends.

As per my promise, I mailed her the links of my blogs and, later on, informed her when her interview was published in my magazine. Hence, we started being in touch through the net and realized we have absolutely similar views on politics, religion, social issues and, almost, everything in life. So it wasn’t surprising that we decided to meet up again at a similar place.

Our first informal meet was excellent. We spoke on various issues and didn’t realize when more than three hours passed by. I felt completely at ease, which doesn’t happen always with me so early with someone. Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter too. The same was the case with our next few meets. In this way, a routine interview provided me with a close and respected friend.

A peculiar feature about our chats was that they all happened face-to-face and not online or on phone. Of course, we have interacted through SMS’es and Facebook chats but all our discussions have happened only in person. I also realized that Ajita is the only person with whom I have had long discussions face-to-face in last eight years or so.

Mobiles, computers and other such gadgets were introduced to help us be in touch with all our close ones without meeting them in person. But on the contrary, this has distanced us from our near and dear ones as now all discussions and chats take place only in the virtual world.

Today when I look back over the last eight years or so, I realize that only the talks that have provided me with the maximum satisfaction are the ones that took place face-to-face. I have had long conversations regularly over the years on chats and phone, but the joy of meeting someone and discussion gives a different high.

As I have strictly limited my use of technology by not using internet or Whats App on phone, I feel my chances of getting such high are higher. After all, Good Things Happen When We Get Together.

iGenius Singing Stars: Glimpses of future talent

December 20, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Earthen pots turn out to be the finest only when they are made from wet clay. Pots from semi-wet clay don’t turn out to be that perfect as it is difficult to shape them.

Similarly, the right time to nurture any talent in an individual is during his or her raw childhood. This task was carried out by the singing contest iGenius Maxlife Young Singing Stars. The contest provided training in singing for children passionate in the art and also a platform to showcase their talent in a city like Mumbai. It was wholly organized by Max Life Insurance.

Winners with their trophies

The final phase took place on December 17 in the city with the first phases being round up some time back. The children were divided in two categories – junior and senior – according to their age. Hence, winners were declared from each group. They winners were declared by the jury, which consisted of well-known Hindi film composer and singer Salim Merchant (from the duo Salim-Sulaiman) and singer Shraddha Sharma.

The 10 kids selected for the final round received mentoring from both the judges. The work carried out on them by the jury was visible through their impressive performances. Almost all performances oozed high level of confidence and dedication. It was a pleasant surprise to see few of these kids recite songs from the classic black and white era. Naturally, this made the task of the judges that more difficult, but, naturally, they didn’t mind it.

Finally, after a lot of discussions and debates, two winners were declared from both the groups in the form of Shraddha Shreya, from the senior group, and Shivam Ahuja, from the junior. In this way, the two young singers bagged a lucrative album contract from Universal Music Group much to the delight of their parents and those present at the venue at Taj Lands End.

The event took place just a day after the disturbing tragedy that took place in Peshawar, Pakistan. As the world was still to come out of the grief, Salim Merchant said he wasn’t willing to perform at the event, as per the plan. But he carried on and presented a pleasing rendition of ‘Ali Maula’ from Kurbaan, among a couple of other tracks, and dedicated it to the victims and their families. Before the commencement of the contest, a minute’s silence was held to pay tribute to the victims.

PK Movie Review

December 19, 2014 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Rating: * * * * ½

By: Keyur Seta

It is very difficult to commence the review of a film like PK. However, I have no problems with it at all because this writer’s block is an outcome of the greatness of the film. This is exactly how the Rajkumar Hirani film can be described – one of the greatest movies ever by a master filmmaker!

PK tells the story of Jagat Jananai (Anushka Sharma) aka Jaggu, who is studying in Belgium. Her chance encounter with Sarfaraz (Sushant Singh Rajput) blossoms into love but all doesn’t go well for them. Sometime later, she meets a weird man, who calls himself PK (Aamir Khan). Just like his appearance and talks, PK has a weird mission. What is it? And who exactly is PK?

Although the subjects of Hirani’s previous three films were entirely different from one another, they had a common link in the content, which was a work of excellence. The same is repeated here too in a novel concept. The entire film is a pleasurable mixture of delightful, thought-provoking, emotional and hilarious situations. And like his previous films, here too Hirani and co-writer Abhijat Joshi have put forth their message in a brilliantly creative and entertaining manner.

But the biggest overwhelming factor here is the manner in which the film gives complete thumbs down to the so-called Godmen and, more so, to those who constantly divide us on the basis of religion for their own shoddy benefit. In fact, it gives a fantastic slap to the political class and so-called religious organizations spreading venom these days. It is a huge co-incidence that it has released exactly at a time when there are continuous efforts being made to divide us.

Like Hirani’s previous efforts, this one too has glaring errors. The biggest one is the base of the most important plot twist. But, again, like his previous film, it hardly bothers you for the experience it provides in return. The subject makes you recall Umesh Shukla’s Oh My God, but the main story is nowhere similar to it.

When I have already labeled the film as one of the greatest ever, it is needless to say that it scores high in the technical department too. Murlidharan Raja has done a fine work as the cinematographer. The special effects, background score and editing deserve praise too. The music also falls in the impressive category. Songs like ‘Chaar Kadam’, ‘Bhagwan Hai Kahan Re Tu’, ‘Love Is A Waste Of Time’ and ‘Tharki Chokro’ stay with you long after the film.

Like all brilliant films, the performances in PK too are highly praiseworthy. Aamir Khan keeps getting better with every film. He continues it with PK too and how! Only an actor with such high caliber of talent and dedication can pull off a character as novel, difficult and complicated as this one. His Bhojpuri talks are simply a delight!

Anushka Sharma too joins in with a mature performance. Saurabh Shukla is outstanding as a fake Godman. Sushant Singh Rajput has a cameo but he leaves behind a mark. Sanjay Dutt and Boman Irani, in extended cameos, are lovable. Parikshit Sahni provides decent support.

Overall: PK is not only Hirani’s best effort, it is a masterpiece. It provides a spiritual experience worth indulging into more than once. With such content and massive excitement, it is sure to break box office records with its enormous collections.

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Producers: Vinod Chopra Productions, Rajkumar Hirani Films and UTV Motion Pictures

Writers: Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi

Cast: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Saurabh Shukla, Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjay Dutt

Music: Shantanu Moitra and Ajay-Atul

Genre: Drama

Swades: 10 Years of Simplicity (Memorable Scenes Included)

December 17, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta with valuable inputs from Padmanabh Subramanian

Whenever a list of most memorable films from a particular country or film industry is made, it is obvious that it will only contain names of box office successes. However, there are quite a few films, at least in Hindi cinema, which have become cult classics over the years despite the fact that they didn’t succeed at the ticket window when they released.

Films like Jane Bhi Do Yaaro and Andaz Apna Apna are classic examples of such films. But they slowly started gaining huge appreciation in the following years after they were screened on television and cable channels, so much so that now they are labeled as ‘classics’. Over the last decade or so, yet another Hindi film has achieved this status in spite of its box office fate.

Ashutosh Gowariker’s Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Swades found a lot of takers when it released in December 2004, especially the lovers of meaningful cinema, despite its strictly average box office performance. Like the aforementioned two films, its appreciators kept on increasing over the last decade at a rapid pace and the film gained a respectful status of Gowariker and Shah Rukh’s one of the best works.

Today, Swades completes exactly 10 years of its release. The film is known for striking an emotional chord with the viewer without or hardly saying much. It is this simple visual narration that is largely responsible for the film gaining such applause.

So let’s have a look at the film’s most memorable scenes, which say a lot without saying much:

– The first one that comes to our mind is the one where Mohan Bhargav buys a glass of water from a child vendor. In fact, this can even go down as one of the most memorable scenes from Bollywood. By just showing the character purchase and consume the water, the writer and director have portrayed Mohan’s massive change of heart, or hriday parivartan, since, before this scene, he strictly drank only packaged water. Of course, SRK’s brilliant expressions also say it all.

– The climax sees Mohan returning to Charanpur, India forever after quitting his lucrative job at NASA. But such major story development is shown without any rona dhona and by just a sweet Kushti scene. In spite of this, it succeeds in moving you.

– The village of Charanpur strictly followed caste system, wherein the members of the ‘upper caste’ stay away from the ones of a ‘lower caste’. In the song ‘Yeh Tara Woh Tara’, the protagonist gives an overwhelming message against this division by making the kids, sitting at the area reserved for ‘lower castes’, pass over and sit in the area reserved for ‘upper castes’. Once again, a strong message without dramebazi.

– The film also speaks about Indian culture. This was seen the most in the pre-climax as Geeta (Gayatri Joshi) gives a teary farewell to Mohan. But as per the intelligent narration in the rest of the film, there is no gyan giving on Bharatiya Sanskriti. Geeta makes her point about the same by just presenting a box to Mohan with few items that would enable him recall India.

From the Facebook page: 21 Fools

– In this particular scene, Melaram wants to point it out to Mohan that there is no point going away from our near and dear ones in our country and serving some other country. But all he says is, “Apni chaukhat ka diya and giving light to neighbor’s house.” It says all!

– Kaveri Amma hands over Mohan the task of recovering money from Haridas, who stays far away from Charanpur. Mohan is deeply hurt to see the abject poverty Haridas is facing. However, he hardly expresses this and lets his expressions speak. Even while he is returning, he keeps the same expression throughout the journey.

DDLJ 1000 Weeks: When Maratha Mandir became Wankhede

December 15, 2014 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Moviegoers going wild with excitement inside a cinema hall (especially a single screen) is a regular feature in India. Over the years, Rajnikanth and Salman Khan movies have become known for this. However, the excitement during a show of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge during its 1000^th week inside Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir was something never experienced in any movie ever before.

In fact, I have seen this kind of response from the crowd (consisting people of all age groups) only in a cricket stadium and that too only when Sachin Tendulkar enters and, later, scores a century. In short, one has to experience it to believe it.

Here is a tour of the experience:

Ticket Queue: As seen in the second picture, there was literally chaos to get a ticket for this film; a film that is 19-year-old. I can’t remember when was the last time I witnessed such desperation for a newly-released film. Black marketers were selling Rs 20 ticket for Rs 100 but the fans had no problems with it.

Unthinkable Response: I was naturally expecting regular cheers and whistles during the film. But what actually happened during the screening gave a pleasant shock to me and my brother. The cheering commenced even before the Censor Certificate was shown and continued till the rest of the film. In fact, there was a loud reception not only during Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s entry scene but also during each and every important dialogue by all actors and also during their important acts. And mind you, majority of the crowd wasn’t tapori.

Watch it for yourself in this video if it is difficult to believe. Shot and edited by Fenil Seta.

Non-Stop Clicks: We all must have seen pictures being clicked inside a cinema hall during a movie, but not as much as it happened during this screening. There was continuous clicking from all sides throughout the duration, as if it was a press conference.

The Finale: The ending moments made us feel as if Team India won the World Cup. It is difficult to put it any other way. Just watch the last part of the video and you will realize. As soon as Thakur Baldev Singh (Amrish Puri) left Simran’s (Kajol) hand, the audience erupted in the same manner when Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the winning six during the final of 2011 World Cup.

Given the scenes and the kind of box office response DDLJ is still getting, it is needless to say that the film will continue running for few more years for sure. Also needless to say, this is definitely not my last viewing of it at Maratha Mandir.