Sports updates - of Mumbai Indians, French open, test series in England and west Indies and the memorial tournament in golf

Quite a few sports to follow last week and this week. We had a very close finish to Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals match and poor Mumbai can't help but sympathize with me. They have come tantalizingly close to clinching the semifinals spot in the last three matches against Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan. Well, that is what makes cricket such a great spectacle. Anyways, now the fortunes of Sachin's sena depends on the outcome of Chennai Vs Deccan chargers matches. Hopefully Deccan chargers will come out strong today and give Mumbai one more richly deserved chance. Mumbai has to take care of Bangalore though. Go Deccan chargers, Go Sachin!!

In the test between West Indies and Australia, WI surrendered meekly!! Very disappointing as they had a real good chance to go 1 up in the series. Stuart Clarke continue to take wickets and Australia juggernaut never seems to stop except for a brief period whenever they play India :) . Chasing 292, barring some courageous resistance from Ramdin and Sammy WI never seemed to be in the match. Giving Australia the lead is as good as losing the test series.

There is another test match going in England between NZ and the home country. Leaving the result aside the two left arm spinners seemed to have gained the most. They shared 13 wickets (Vettori and Panesar) among themselves out of 34 that fell. Panesar is the man of the match for his brilliant 6/37 which has helped England go 1 up in the 3 match series.

In golf, the memorial tournament is going to start this Thursday. Tiger Woods is not playing it and we have to see who will win it. K.J.Choi is the defending champion.

French open has also started and hasn't gained much momentum as it is only into the second round. I am sure you are all going to see a lot more posts and updates on this as the week progresses.

Jannath and Chronicles of Narnia (prince Caspian) are strongly recommended

Watched both these movies this weekend and throughly enjoyed them. Especially Jannath, one of the very few Hindi movies I liked (released in the last 3 to 4 years). It is a typical Mahesh Bhatt movie but with match fixing background. It is a beautiful love story and would have been a hit with any background. It is about how a man in search of giving all the happiness in this world to his girl friend employs illegal means of making money and finally is caught in a web which he never intended to and can't coming out of it. The climax also is well shot which is the most difficult part of any movie.

Chronicles of Narnia delivers big time inspite of its pre release hype. It is about how prince Caspian regains his thrown from his evil uncle with the help of Narnians and gifts it back to them. He continues to be the king though. The war episodes are executed impeccably though it seems pale and childish in comparison to the Lord of the rings trilogy. I enjoyed the movie thoroughly with not even a single boring moment. Strongly recommended for all the english movie buffs. And, it is not necessary to watch the first part to understand the second. Go and watch it

Go Deccan Chargers!!

Well, the passion will not die till the team has absolutely zero chance to make it to the semifinals. I am still hoping that the chargers will fire and win all the 5 matches so that they will be in the semifinals. Ok, let us take it one by one. We are playing Delhi today and it is one of the weakest batting line ups in IPL. Hopefully our bowlers will encash on the bad form of Sehwag and poor batting line up of Delhi Daredevils to register their third win in the competetion. Go chargers, Go gilly!!!

Shame shame Aamir!!!

It is well know to everyone by now that Aamir's pet dog's name is Shahrukh. What a loser you are Aamir, if you can't take the competetion get lost. This is absolutely demeaning to name a dog Shahrukh and above all mention it in the blog. May be the dog is his caretaker's, may be it was named Shahrukh even before he bought his Panchgani house, may be it could be anything. But mentioning the same and referring Shahrukh licking feet and all is such a shame on Aamir. Get lost man, you have seriously degraded yourself in everyone's eyes. Shame Shame Aamir!!!

IPL updates

As expected it was a low scoring affair and congratulations to Kolkata who scored a much needed win to consolidate their position at No.4.

Amit Misra surprisingly looks like a very competent batsman. He was very good yesterday and he bowled well too. 3 to 4 years ago he was considered as Kumble's replacement but he lost the plot somewhere down the line. Thanks to IPL, he is back in the reckoning competing with Piyush Chawla (who has been outstanding through out the tournament) for a place in the Indian squad.

It is Mumbai Vs Chennai today and the whole world will be looking on how Sachin responds to 20-20 challenege. Go Sachin!!! It will be a treat to watch Sachin and Jayasuriya open togather. A nice article on his return

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1164273

ICC wants to save Tests from Twenty20 lure!!!!

It is so infuriating to read something like this!!! What is ICC thinking? Do they just want to preserve the tradition or also make the game popular? Isn't it pathetic that an extremely interesting game like cricket is not even played in 10% of the world nations? The major reason is the lack of innovation in the game over the years. T20 has done something to attract world's attention and these bunch of losers (ICC) want to spoil that. ICC needs to be clear on their agenda, whether to preserve cricket or make it popular. They can't play double games with the paying public. Come on ICC, wake up!!!! What are you upto?

Can Deccan Chargers do it?

It is almost a do or die match for Deccan Chargers today. Royal Challengers is one of the easiest teams to beat and I hope Chargers do record their second win today. I don't call it a do or die match, but a loss here means our chance to get into semifinals would seriously take a dent. Nothing can be predicted in IPL till each team play atleast 7 matches. A win here for Deccan chargers means they will be tied with Knight Riders with 4 points each and just a win or two away from the fourth spot. Go DC. Make us proud.

Parugu is no good!!

Well, I haven't watched the movie but for sure going by the reviews it looks like the movie has bombed. I have posted an article on Sheila's fate lying in the hands of this film a week ago and looks like with this result she has to head towards Kollywood forever.

There are quite a few rumours going on at the moment about this film. A section of crowd feels that Chiranjeevi has asked to direct this movie deliberately so that the crowd can empathize with him for all that he has undergone during his daughters fiasco. And then there is another section who feel that the movie was directed for doom so that Ram Charan Teja can be higlighted in the course. As of me I think they are just rumours and nothing to be seriously taken about.

Can Sheila win with Parugu

Sheila is a beautiful and talented tamil actress. In my opinion not many actresses today can match her in terms of acting. For some reason she never got a start in telugu industry justifying her talent though she acted in movies like Raju bhai, hello premincu, sitakokachiluka etc. Dil Raju who co produced hello preminchu along with Puri Jagaanath was so impressed with Sheila that he signed her as his hero in in the movie parugu. Hope the good luck of Allu Arjun will rub off to Sheila. An actress with substance is the need of the hour in telugu industry. All the best Sheila

Will the uppal stadium ever be completed?

I have been to Deccan chargers Vs Dare devils match the other day and to my surprise the Uppal stadium is still not completed!! Mr.Shivlal Yadav, nothing to be proud about the 6 flood lights you were talking about the other day in the media. First complete the stadium!! Pathetic administration. I think the stadium has run into problems over the name when Mr.Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy has proposed Rajiv gandhi's name to it. Actually the stadium was supposed to name after its promoters, but the givernment intervened and promised to refund the money to the promoters to change the name which I guess never happened and the stadium is stalled. Whatever it might be, it just highlights the pathetic state of affairs with HCA.

Is China on the down?

The topics most discussed about these days among business circles are, American recession, shift in economic power to China and India. Many have predicted that China would be 1.3 times of American economy by 2050 (though this alone shouldn't make it economically stronger than USA!) but the country truly seems to be on the down in terms of economic progress. Chinese government has stopped supporting their industries and left them on their own as many of the capilistic countries do, and the worst policy that is going to effect Chinese industries are that government has decided to allow their currency to apreciate and are not controling it. This is making their products more expensive and already industries started moving out of China. China's real challenge lies in sustaining their economy after the olympics when the demand for all the goods would come down drastically.

Cracker of a start to IPL

What a great start it was to IPL? Brendon Mccullum probably played the best he could ever!! What an innings. I feel sorry for Royal Challengers who had to take this pasting on the opening day of IPL on their home ground! Anyways, it has provided a royal start to what could be the greatest carnival in the world over the next decade. Go cricket, go IPL!!!

Earlier Vijay Mallya along with BCCI has ensured that the opening ceremony would be one spectacular affair that will be remembered for a long time. The tournament can only improve from here.

Chiranjeevi ki bhajana cheyyala?

Aa prasna adigindi evaro kaadu, okappudu telugu tera pai eduruleni nati ga nilichina vijayasanthi!! NTV ki ichina oka interview lo, Chiru party pai abhipraayam adiginappudu Vijayasanthi ichina pogaru samaadhaanam adhi. Amma Santhi, Chiranjeevi gurinchi ane mundu, janaalu neeku enduku bhajan cheyyalo cheppuntey baagundedi. Asalu Andhra raasthranikey chendani neeku janaalu enduku paggalu pattalo alochistey sababu ga untundemo! Why should people vote for you? Nee sontha prayojanaalakosam Andhra raashtranni vidadeeyalanukovadam siggu chetu. Adi mundu thelusuko. Telangana biddalu Chiru ki enduku vote vestaaru ani adigaavu choodu, asalu telugu daanive kaani neeku Andhra prajalu enduku neerajalu palakaali? Neeku unna gowravanni, BJP cheti lo cheppu debbalu thini pogottukunnavu, aa koncham migilinadaanni unchukuni telugu prajalu ninnu tarimi kottakamundey nee raashtraniki velthey baavuntundemo.

Super Sunday!!!

We are extremely lucky to be living in the era of legends where some of the finest aspects of sports have been exploited. We have seen the peak of Sachin, Schumi and this Sunday was absolutely breathtaking with two gentlemen, the best in their sports achieving what many thought was impossibe before these two started their march towards glory. Yes, I am talking about Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, Federer winning his 4th consecutive US Open, the first person to do so in the open era and Tiger extending his record to 6-0 in the PGA playoffs which are introduced this year. Spectacular achievements!! Federer is just two slams away from equalling Sampras's 14 grand slams record, which many are expecting him to do by Wimbledon 2008. Salute to the two masters.

Munna is just an average flick

By now we all know that the reviews for Munna aren't all that great. I usually look at all the sites before going for a movie and was a bit disappointed to see that Munna hasn't received many favourable reviews. But somewhere down the line I had a feeling that this movie might be a good hit like Bhadra which also didn't get good reviews. The connection between these two is that both the movies are produced by Dil Raju.

Anyways, coming to the movie. It was a disappointment to say the least. The movie doesn't have strong story line and the screen play is hackeneyed and jaded which is the main culprit for the movie to be such a disaster in terms of entertainment. First half is good and I am sure most of them would enjoy it but too much action sequences and same old story in the second half spoiled the movie completely. I am expecting the movie to be an average flick for distributors. It will definitely not go down as a disaster in terms of collection. Prabhas is good but he has to tremendously improve his dialogue delivery to carry the character like Munna with him. And also my suggestion to him is to stick to clothes as in Chatrapati and Eeshwar. Too much style didn't suit him. Ileana is losing popularity by loads every other day. She looks awful in Munna and has to seriouslyt think of putting on some weight. Maaaaaaaaaaaan, she is too thin to be a lead actress!!! Comedy in the first half is good. Second half lacks any entertainment value. Music is average. 'Manasa' song is the best among the lot both in terms of picturization and melody.

We have to wait and see if this would be the first flop for Dil Raju though it is unlikely to be one.

Happy Birthday Sachin!!!!!!!!!

A very very very happy birthday to Sachin. He turns 34 today. I hope this year would be the best for him and his cricketing career. Sachin so far is going to be different from Sachin hereon. Fingers were never raised against him, his place was never in jeopardy and there was a degree of certainity in his inclusion. For the first time he has to fight these demons and prove that he is still good for 2011 world cup. Go Sachin. We are with you. prove to the world that you are still the best bastman.

Films and sports

Well, anyone reading my blogs would tell that I am crazy anout Films and Sports. This weekend has plenty of entertainement in these two aspects and I thoroughly enjoyed it. First if talking about movies I watched 'Dhee' this weekend. Hmm, had lot of expectations on it going by the reviews but the movie was plain ok. It has the same old storyline though the screenplay is good in parts. Surprisingly music was good. Chakri has been churning out good music but for some reason isn't getting the recognition he deserves. Go for the Audio CD, you will enjoy the songs surely though may not drool over it. Actors in Dhee except for Srihari are terrible. Looks like Genelia can never learn how to act. She has to get roles which suit her to impress upon us. Otherwise she can't carry a character/story with her which many top actresses do. Vishnu was never a hero material. He has to seriously consider shedding some weight. Needs some grace and screen presence. He has no style at all and his dressing sense in Dhee was awful to say the least.

Coming to sports Federer Vs Nadal matches always excited me and this weekend both of them showcased there skills in the finals. Nadal blew Federer away again on the red claycourts. Man, Nadal is truly invincible on these courts. What, is this his 67 or 68th consecutive win on clay. That is amazing to say the least. Going by the result looks like Federer stands no chance even this year to win the french open unless the organizers make the courts faster. Anyways all the best Roger, it would be some sight to watch a player of my generation to win all 4 grandslams. I will root for you (ofcourse, Roddick comes first) in the coming French open.

Sainikudu : A Big Disappointment

What a disappointment Sainikudu is! Maheshbabu is a gift to have as a hero especially after the mega success of Pokiri but director/producer combo failed to encash his mega brand image. Gunasekhar now for a while has been concentrating on unnecessary things leaving vital aspects of film making in the soup. Technically he is brilliant, but high techincal aspects alone will never help a movie. There are other imnportant things like story, characterizations, screenplay, editing etc. Sainikudu is high on technical aspects while completely lacks and is boring to the core in other departments. As individual scenes it scores higher than any mother movie released in recent times and hence the scenes if viewed individually are excellent, but when are gelled togather to form a movie it falters big time. Villian is a joke and is a major drawback. A hero should always have an opposite with equal might for viewers to have any interest in the dual. This is lacking in Sainikudu. Anyways, coming to the trade report, the movie opened with breathtaking collections which was expected but how well the movie holds up after the first week has to be seen. As of now according to pundits and my own observation the downfall is inevitable but to what range has to be seen. Check out this website again for the trade report in the second week. A flop for Mahesh only ensures that Chiru will continue as the undisputed king of telugu cinema.

Maharadi Audio Review (6.4/10)

After the disaster of Veerabhadra, NBK is coming again as Maharadi. Let us discuss a brief preview of this movie before getting into music review. Maharadi has NBK who should be the main crowd puller and Sneha in the leading roles. Jayaprada after a long gap is coming back into tollywood with an important role in this movie. Meera Jasmine plays the other hero in. The film is being directed by P.Vasu and has music by Gurukiran.

As a common movie goer I would be least bothered about the director, producer, music director etc. All I would be concerned about is the Lead actor and actress. I would be happy to see Sneha pairing with Balakrishna here. On that front the movie sports a decent look. The problem comes when I am a movie buff or an ardent NBK fan. I want everything to be perfect atleast upto my expectations to have any excitement about this project. P. Vasu is fresh from delivering a block buster in the form of Chandramukhi, but can he deliver another one with NBK in the lead. Only time will tell!! P.Vasu is weak at elevating hero's image which is very important while dealing with someone with huge on screen charisma. And also the guy is known for freemakes. God knows what Maharadi is! The terrible disappointment comes in the form of music director Gurukiran. Why do we have to ignore telugu music directors? Is it for something fresh? For starters Gurukiran is a popular Kannada music director. Let us get into muscic review considering the above given background.

Ottu petti chepputhanu (7/10)
This one sounds like a hero introduction song. The music is more like the opening song in the movie 'Upendra' with the background of "Tha Thakita" . The song has a catchy tune and should be an instant hit with the first listening itself. This song gives some hope about the album after a disappointing background of having Gurukiran as a music director. A satisfactory one. Let us get into the next song

Ningi Nela Kalisina E Vela (6.5/10)
The best part about this song is the "suprabatham" background with rapping effect that comes inbetween the song. But the song has some strage lyrics like "Teenage is one when we want to have some fun!!!" . Hope they are not referring to NBK as teenager. That would be a disaster. The music is dominated with heavy western beats and even the accent with which the singer sings is very americanish.

Mangamma Mangamma Mandara Mogga Laga (7.5/10)
Easily the best song of the album. It will strike a chord with the very first listening. A racy melody sure to become a hit with both mass and family audiences. Mass lyrics add some more glamor. Whoever sang the song did a good job. A nice song with good beats.

Uppu Chepa Pappu Chaaru (6.5/10)
Another mass song. If I am allowed to guess, this song should be with Navneet Kaur. The song doesn't really start well but the stanza part picks up a bit. This one is just a mass number with plenty of Drums without much melody. Manisharma is sorely missed in the songs like this.

Emo Emo Emma....Maja Maja (5/10)
Another racy number without any melody with some rapping in between. Bad song and needs no review. Looks like Udit Narayan got to sing this song. Nothing to rave about him wither. All in all a bad song

Veechey Gaalulalo (6/10)
Finally a slow number! Again, nothing much to talk about this song. This is how most of the album is. The song is neither bad nor good. It lies in between which is very tough to explain or write a review of. You can always criticize somthing which you don't like or praise endlessly when you like something, but what can you do for an average thing?

Overall a big disappointment for Balakrishna fans and music lovers as a whole. If you are an NBK fan go for it, you will atleast appreciate few songs. Otherwise just skip it and listen to whatever you can on FM radios. The trend of average music in tollywood continues

A post for Harsh Mankad

Not many would have heard this name. Ofcourse it is not your fault as long as the media focusses on Prakash Amritraj and Bopanna ignoring the former Indian No.1 for the reasons known to them only. Harsh has been our No.1 and is easily the best among the trio of Prakash Amritraj, Bopanna and himself. But often his achievements go unnnoticed. Inspite of being India's No.1 he hasn't recieved a single wildcard for the Chennai ATP tournament. He has been all by himself and the great person he is he never complained about it. He was in slump for past 6 to 7 months but is back with a bang registering upsets over upsets. Only recently he won the graa challenger in England, the only person since Ramesh krishnan to do that. And he is the only person besides Leander Paes since 1992 to win a challenger