Sundari Venkatraman's Blog, page 49

Film Review: DUM LAGA KE HAISHA

Ayushmann Khurrana is excellent in his role as Prem

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, 
Director: Sharat Katariya

THE STORY

The film is set in 1995 Haridwar. Prem (Ayushmann Khurrana) runs a music tape shop along with his father. He’s barely managed to scrape through school till Standard VIII. He lives with his parents and a paternal aunt who’s separated from her husband. Prem’s father arranges his wedding with Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar) from an educated family. She’s a B.Ed and likes Prem when they meet for the first time. He doesn’t like her at all as he finds her too fat for his taste. Of course, they don’t get the opportunity to find out anything more about each other. 

His father leaves Prem with no choice but to marry Sandhya. Ashamed of his new wife, Prem refuses to live with her and hates the idea of even introducing her to his friends. Sandhya is confused. It’s when she hears him talk badly about her to his friends that she gets to know the depth of his hatred. She leaves him to go back to her parents, filing for a divorce. The court orders Prem and Sandhya to try living with each other for six months before taking a decision. What happens in those six months? Will Prem and Sandhya decide to continue as man and wife or will they separate forever? 

MY PERCEPTION

The story is not so bad. And I am glad that the film ran for 111 minutes, a bit less than two hours. Better yet, we watched it during the week and spent only Rs. 130 per ticket. Considering all the above points, I didn’t regret the experience. 

As for the film, Ayushmann Khurrana is excellent in his role as Prem, hemmed in by his parents and his environment; confused by his own mind and lack of education; finally feeling compassion for the woman who’s married him. Congratulations!

This is Bhumi Pednekar’s first film as an actress. She’s really good; casual, smart, educated and very comfortable in her plumpness. 

The rest of the characters come together to form a good film. The last sequence when Prem carries Sandhya piggyback for a race, giving the film its name, is too tough to swallow. Even if Prem was a practised marathon runner, it would be an impossible thing to do. Unless, he’s been carrying heavy sacks over many years. Some thought could have gone into creating this.

VERDICT: You can watch the film if you have a lot of time in your hands, like soft, slow romances, and don’t mind spending the money. Otherwise, watch out for Dum Laga Ke Haisha on TV. It’s not long in coming!  



*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy 
*****Super 

Sharing: GIVE US A BREAK!

Google ImagesI am a vegetarian. So I don’t have a problem if the government bans beef or chicken or mutton. But I am a human being. I believe in my personal freedom. I think this ban is one step to taking away the freedom of a section of people. And I don’t agree with it. 

Click here for the nitti-gritties of the #BeefBan and what the law has to say about it. 

Till 1947, we were slaves to Englishmen and after that till date, we continue to remain slaves to our own countrymen. And we call ourselves the biggest democracy! 

What is democracy?  Click Here  to read full article. 

Democracy may be a word familiar to most, but it is a concept still misunderstood and misused. In the dictionary definition, democracy "is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system". In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Freedom and democracy are often used interchangeably, but the two are not synonymous. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of a set of practices and procedures that have been moulded through a long, often tortuous history. In short, democracy is the institutionalisation of freedom. 

This week, the Maharashtra government has banned beef. Why? To save cows and buffaloes. Will stopping people from eating beef save these poor animals? What about the leather industry that has a huge level of export? Dharavi is a hotbed of this industry where purses, bags, belts, jackets and more are made and sold in the open market and shipped to many parts of the world. Will the government be putting a stop to this too?

Then what about the silk industry? Is killing millions of silk worms perfectly alright only because we don’t worship them? At the end of it all, we are only killing living beings. 

Does exploiting cows for milk, curd, butter and ghee allowed? We Hindus use these products not just as food but also for conducting poojas and havans. Are we right in doing so? By what yardstick?

The government has a lot of pending work to do, that should definitely take way more priority than #BeefBan .

1. There are millions are children going without food and education. Can we do something about that? Pass a law to ensure that they get one square meal per day and basic schooling along with some vocational training? Shouldn’t that be more important than banning beef?
2. Most of the population cannot afford grains and vegetables sold in the market. While most of the profits from these hiked prices are lining the pockets of middlemen and rogues. Why can’t a law be passed regarding this?
3. Every time we drive out of Mumbai, in whichever direction, we pay a toll fee every few km –for years at a stretch. That particular flyover/bridge/expressway could have been built 200 times over, but still we continue to pay toll. Can’t there be a bill passed for this one?
4. There are millions of people who don’t have clean drinking water. Why can’t we do something for them?
5. There are millions out there, living in slums, without a proper roof on their heads. Let’s not even talk about sanitation. Except for a few NGOs who are working towards this, what have we done for them? 

I can go on and on. But you get the trend. There is a saying in Tamil: “When the whole city is on fire, the king asked for a match to light his cigarette.” 

I rest my case! 

Blog Tour: BREACH by Amrita Chowdhury

Breach  by  Amrita Chowdhury


My Review
This is the first cyber thriller that I have read and I must say that it’s been extremely well researched. I respect women authors absolutely. But that didn’t stop me from being surprised that it’s a woman who has written this book. My bad! Amrita Chowdhury has written one fabulous book that kept me biting my nails throughout. More than that, I skipped work one whole day, not going near my computer, as I wanted to finish reading this book. That hasn’t happened in years. 
To begin with, the first fifty pages of the book kind of went above my head with a lot of “technical mumbo jumbo” in the words of protagonist Dr. Udai Vir Dhingra. It did make me wonder how I had committed myself to reviewing this book. But after that, the story began to unravel and I understood way better. From then on, I couldn’t do much else than to finish reading Breach. 
The story swings between Mumbai and the USA with a couple of sequences from China as well. While a part of me rejoiced that youngsters of today, even slum-dwellers, could understand and work on the internet, it’s quite shocking how one could so easily get drawn into the murky world of cyber crime, get in too deeply to be safe. 
Amrita Chowdhury’s language is crisp while the narration flows comfortably. I like brief chapters as the scenes keep changing constantly while the story is on the move. And this one sure does have the perfect ingredients to make it a Bollywood thriller. 
All the characters – Vir, Rads, Peevs, Karthik, Tracey, Diti, Adam, Andy, Dr. Sandler, Raghu, Madhu, Anki, Suv, Sandman, Lee – have been fleshed out strongly. I could see the scenes unfolding in front of me while reading the book. 
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to read thrillers. It’s a very good story, well narrated. 
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Breach by Amrita Chowdhury through The Book Club in return for my honest review. 



The Blurb

How secure are your secrets in the virtual world?  Weeks before pharma-giant Acel is ready to file a global patent application for cancer wonder-drug Colare, its offshore data centre in Mumbai is hacked. The charismatic, young leader of its Indian business, Dr Udai Vir Dhingra, finds himself being blamed for negligence and breach of security. Battling market pressures, media scrutiny, livid American bosses and crumbling relationships, Vir must find the perpetrators, or see his career – and his life – spiral downwards. But the deeper he gets dragged into the shadowy world of masked online identities and muddied digital footprints, the more Vir discovers that nothing is easy or obvious, and everything has a price. Set across Mumbai, Washington and Guangzhou, Breach is a compelling and edgy cyber thriller that explores the dark and dangerous underbelly of our increasingly virtual existence

Buy @
Amazon.com | Amazon.in 

Watch It 



Meet the Author



   Amrita Verma Chowdhury is the author of Faking It, an art crime thriller about fake modern and contemporary Indian art.   She holds engineering degrees from IIT Kanpur and UC Berkeley, where she was a Jane Lewis Fellow, and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon (Tepper Business School). Her work as an engineer in Silicon Valley led to seven US patents for semi-conductor fabrication – something to show for those bad-haired days. She has done Strategy Consulting and Board Effectiveness work in the US and Australia and has spent long nights fitting five-syllable words inside two-by-two squares. She has worked in the rarefied bastions of Ivy League education bringing together ideas and people. She currently works in publishing.   She lives in Mumbai with her husband Sumit, their two children Shoumik and Aishani, and an assortment of pets including a cocker spaniel, a guinea pig and two turtles. She loves travelling, baking cupcakes with her daughter and hearing from her readers.


You can stalk her @

                              
         

Check out The Book Club Tour Schedule

This Tour is Hosted by 

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin

Book Blitz: SAVED IN SRI LANKA by Devika Fernando

Book Blitz 
Saved In Sri Lanka 

by 

Devika Fernando

Some People Are Destined To Meet 





Blurb 


    Some people are destined to meet.

   It sure feels that way when Sri Lankan tour guide Sepalika meets Daniel. The mysterious tourist from Ireland steals his way into her heart and makes her question everything her life is built upon. Instant attraction turns to love – but does he feel the same? And what about the secret she’s hiding from him?
    
  Follow the two on their quest for a happy ending amid the beauty and wonders of the tropical island paradise of Sri Lanka.


Grab Your Copy  Amazon.in | Amazon.com

About 
Devika Fernando

Almost as soon as Devika Fernando could write, she imagined stories and poems. After finishing her education in Germany and returning to her roots in Sri Lanka, she got a chance to turn her passion into her profession. Having lived in Germany and in Sri Lanka with her husband has made her experience the best (and the worst) of two totally different worlds – something that influences her writing. Her trademark are sweet, yet deeply emotional romance stories where the characters actually fall in love instead of merely falling in lust. She draws inspiration from everyone and everything in life. Besides being a romance novel author, she works as a self-employed German web content writer, as a translator, and as a faithful servant to all the cats, dogs, fish and birds in her home. What she loves most about being an author is the chance to create new worlds and send her protagonists on a journey full of ups and downs that will leave them changed. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or thinking about writing.


Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook


Book Launch by:

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin

Book Review: CHRONICLES OF URBAN NOMADS from Readomania

Pic courtesy: www.Goodreads.com ABOUT THE BOOK

Chronicles of Urban Nomads is a collection of 19 short stories by 19 authors, edited by Sutapa Basu and published by Readomania . While the first 9 of them have been classified under “Imagine”, the balance 10, go under the head “Musings”. 

“Imagine” is a batch of stories told from the viewpoint of an object such as a wedding sari; a personal diary; a wedding ring and even from the viewpoint of a nugget of fear. “Musings” are by people from many walks of life – their feelings and expressions.

MY PERCEPTION

The book has been perfectly edited. That goes a long way for me while reading Indian authors. It was a joy flipping page after page, finding all the stories well written in correct English. Congratulations Sutapa Basu! 

While all the stories are very good, I especially liked some of them. I would like to mention those here.

A Vicious Battle by Aravind Sampath touched my heart. It’s a battle between Karthik’s heart and mind told from the viewpoint of the heart. Excellent!

The Blue Slippers by Kirthi Jayakumar is another one that almost breaks the reader’s heart. The feelings of a little girl from the viewpoint of a camera! 

The Masterpiece by Rounak Nayak is a lovely story of Ayan and the love of his life, told from the perspective of a notebook or diary. Superb! 

A Little Nugget of Fear by Deepti Menon is extremely well written and shakes you up. It’s a story so typical of our country and its superstitions. 

I simply loved the concept of EFIL by Bhaswar Mukherjee. WMD is a completely believable character and it’s awesome how he becomes a hero in his son’s eyes. 

The Last Letter by Dipankar Mukherjee is probably the shortest story of the lot. And it’s the most hard hitting. It made me cry. Kudos!

Arranged Marriage by Japneet Boyal – it starts off very simply and you wonder how the story found its way into this collection. Then you get to the last page and whoa! You know why. 

Bachelor and Baby by Jagadish Nadanalli is another cute story that touches your heart. Very well written.

Hide and Seek by Niranjan Navalgund is one more story I enjoyed reading. Very quaint and interesting. 

I like the way Mandira found her calling, a beautiful story of betrayal and forgiveness written by Anupama Jain. 

Finding Mia by Roopa Raveendran Menon is another one that promises to shake the reader up. It did that to me. I have read Roopa’s romance novella called Pyar Aur Poetry and found it lovely. What struck me even then was her command over the Queen’s language. This short story is also superbly penned. 

While these 11 stories are close to my heart, I must say that all of them are well written and make for interesting reading. An excellent collection indeed!

I have to agree with the subtitle that the stories are unputdownable. Though I read the whole book over a period of three weeks, every time I started with one story, I realised that I could not but finish it. Kudos to Readomania for publishing such a collection from some brilliant authors! 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Chronicles of Urban Nomads from the publisher in return for my honest review. 

Click Here to purchase your copy of Chronicles of Urban Nomads by Readomania. 

Book Blitz: METRO DIARIES by Namrata

I am proud to present my friend and author-editor Namrata's (Privy Trifles) Love Classics called METRO DIARIES via Book Blitz, a brand new venture of The Book Club. Congratulations Namrata & wish you all the best. Looking forward to reading your stories soon. 



Book Blitz 
Metro Diaries 
By Namrata
Touching, amusing and deeply moving, Metro Diaries - Love Classics are tales that will hold you from start till end.





Blurb 


Love is one of the most amazing feelings on this earth, one that makes you the most powerful person or the most helpless person in a split second. These stories capture those feelings of despair, longing, love, lust, desire, want, dejection and admiration to create deja vu. Hold onto your hearts as you flip through these pages and take a walk down the memory lane as "Metro Diaries" will revive your innermost feelings and imbibe in you the magic of love. Touching, amusing and deeply moving, Metro Diaries - Love Classics are tales that will hold you from start till end.

Grab Your Copy Flipkart | Amazon.in 

About 
Namrata
Namrata is a prolific blogger known by the name Privy Trifles in the blogosphere who romances life through her writings and aspires to make love the universal language. She dons various hats between that of a contributing author to 6 anthologies a reviewer for leading publishing houses an editor to various books and a columnist. Apart from that she is also the editor for an online magazine called Writer's Ezine. Having mastered the nuances of finance till recently she also held the title of an investment banker closely to let it go to embrace her love for writing fully.


Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook 


Book Launch by:

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin

Cover Reveal: SANGITA'S DILEMMA by Sundari Venkatraman

Cover Reveal:
SANGITA'S DILEMMA
by 
Sundari Venkatraman
Sneak Peek


Sangita Sinclair was not always this successful & passionate lady heading the NGO “Penn Urimai” for downtrodden, abused and homeless women….
   
When Sangita catches the eye of Gautam Sinclair she is a simple, homely girl; utterly unaware of her charms & capabilities. She has the devil’s own time in overcoming her inhibitions, hesitation, and her family’s orthodox and outdated rules before recognising her love for Gautam.
   
Will Gautam be able to solve Sangita’s Dilemma or will she be forever trapped in her past?




About the author



Sundari Venkatraman has four novels and a short story collection to her name. Sangita’s Dilemma is her sixth book. Her books are self-published under the banner Flaming Sun and are often found on Amazon’s Top 100 Bestsellers’ Contemporary Romances list. 
A great fan of Mills & Boon romances over the past four decades, Sundari has always believed in ‘Happily Ever Afters’ and all her books promise joyous endings. 
Sangita’s Dilemma tells the story of Sangita, a young widow from a conservative family in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Her parents wouldn’t hear of widow remarriage and all hell breaks loose when a half-American falls in love with her and proposes marriage. Sundari deals with different issues in society in her books without preaching anyone. The characters speak for themselves. 
The author says, “I wrote this book with a lot of love and passion; I hope you enjoy reading it.” 
Sundari Venkatraman would love to hear from you @

Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | LinkedIn | Website | Google+ | Pinterest

Other books by the author

Double Jeopardy
The Malhotra Bride
Meghna
The Runaway Bridegroom
Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set)
Matches Made In Heaven

Are you ready?????????

5


4


3


2


1


0


.


.


.


.


.


.




Book launch by:


Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin

Cover Reveal: TAKE 2: SECOND CHANCE AT HAPPINESS by Ruchi Singh

Cover Reveal
Take 2
Second Chance At Happiness
by Ruchi Singh
"Happily ever after has become a myth for Priya and trying to keep the relationship platonic is becoming more and more difficult for Abhimanyu"

Blurb 


Priya’s idyllic world turns upside down when she realizes her husband considers her dead weight after stripping her off her inheritance for his ambitions and lavish lifestyle.

Abhimanyu is instantly attracted to Priya when life throws them together. He knows getting involved with a married woman is inviting trouble. But despite common sense, cautions and hesitations, he is drawn to help her.

Happily ever after has become a myth for Priya and trying to keep the relationship platonic is becoming more and more difficult for Abhimanyu.

In the tussle between ethics, fears and desires... will Priya embrace a second chance at happiness?


About 
Ruchi Singh 
Ruchi Singh has a degree in Engineering and has been working in IT industry as a Consultant. She began her writing career writing short stories and articles, which have been published on various online forums. Her story ‘Boomerang’ in crime genre, won the Indireads Short Story competition in 2014, and is part of the Anthology ‘Voices Old & New‘. Her, another, short story ‘Debt of Kheer’ is part of Author’s Ink anthology ‘The Turning Point of Life', both available on Amazon. 'Take 2' is her debut novel.
A voracious reader, her favourite genres is 'romantic thriller'. Besides writing and reading, her other interests include dabbling with Indian classical dance forms.

Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook 



Are you ready 5
.
.4
.
.3
.
.2
.
.1
.
.0.....
.
.
.
.






Book Launch by:

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin

Picture Prompt 2: THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER

Pic Courtesy: The Book ClubCinderella stepped into the coach drawn by six white horses, feeling beautiful. She was a princess for the night, all thanks to the Fairy Godmother. She lifted the hand mirror that was on the cushion beside her and checked her face once more. She couldn’t help but be fascinated by how lovely she appeared. There wasn’t a streak of coal on her rosy cheeks. Her lips appeared luscious while her eyes shone in excitement. Prince Charming will definitely notice her, wouldn’t he? 

She looked at her feet encased in dainty slippers made of glass. She was used to running around in threadbare socks. But the transformation was just incredible. Cinderella couldn’t take her eyes off her feet as she stepped out of her grand coach. A footman gave her his arm and escorted her into the palace’s ballroom. She walked in, confident, quite thrilled to be the cynosure of all eyes. Her red ball gown caught everyone’s eye in the light of the chandeliers; her slippers tap-tapping as she walked on the marble floor. 

Prince Charming came forward to greet the beautiful woman who had arrived late for the dance. He had never noticed her before. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as he lifted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and went to greet her. Taking the glass in his left hand, he lifted her small white hand to his lips in greeting, his eyes holding hers steadily. Cinderella’s left hand went to her fluttering heart, drawing his attention to her bare shoulders. Without a word, Charming pulled her into his arms as they began to dance. Champagne glass in hand, Cinderella danced with the Prince, completely unaware of the jealous glances from the other women – young and old. 

As he plied her with more champagne, Cinderella got rather tipsy and forgot all about her promise to get back home by midnight. When the clock began striking twelve, she came to her senses and started running towards the entrance or tried to. Her feet refused to co-operate with her in her drunken state while her glass slippers kept sliding off her feet. In a hurry, she bent down to remove them off her feet, to help her run better. The slipper on her right foot flew out of her hand and landed afar on a cushioned chair while the left slipper stayed with her. Did Cinderella wait to find out what happened? Of course not!

She rushed out of the door and reached the garden, only to be snarled at by a couple of footmen. Where did this ragged urchin spring from? The King would have their hides if he found out. Without making a noise, they lifted Cinderella bodily and dumped her outside the ornate gates. It took her all of four hours to walk back home. 

Mind and body bruised, Cinderella wept over her loss. Why did she have to go to the palace that night? It only made her crave for the life of a princess that could never be hers. She recalled the pretty picture they had made – Prince Charming in his princely attire and herself in the red ball gown, holding a glass of champagne, dancing to live music. Sigh! She looked down at the glass slipper that she had carried back with her. 

Alas, it had turned back into a ragged sock! 

Note: I wrote this story for the Writing Prompt from The Book Club. Click Here to know more and take part in Picture Prompt 2 that's open till March 5, 2015. 

Cover Reveal: UNEXPECTED VALENTINES by Summerita Rhayne

Cover Reveal
Unexpected Valentines
by Summerita Rhayne
"Love can be found at the most unexpected places, with unlikely people. Your heart might be searching for love but when love finally hits, it shies away from committing."

Blurb 


Love can be found at the most unexpected places, with unlikely people. Your heart might be searching for love but when love finally hits, it shies away from committing.
What are the barriers that keep two people away, even when perfect love is just within reach?
Explore the ways love can be discovered. Celebrate romance with this quick read ideal for romance fiction lovers.

Stories in this collectionUnexpected ValentineThe Magic WithinLove at loggerheadsChained to ShadowsRight or WrongCoffee and ClashesHooded Desire
Preorder now at: Amazon

About 
Summerita Rhayne
Summerita Rhayne loves to write sensual and emotional romance. There's no knowing when some quirky - or sometimes even not so quirky - happening in daily life might trigger her right brain and then she's off craving a new story. She loves writing characters who learn and grow and find their way out of their troubles and emotional hang-ups. Hot, sensual heroes and sassy but sweet heroines mostly fit the bill in her stories. She also believes that a touch of humor never goes amiss in a book.

She divides her time between family, job and writing - and loves winding down with music, movies and the internet!

Keep up with her  news @
Website | Twitter |

Her Other Works...Against All RulesHidden Passion
Are you ready 5
.
.4
.
.3
.
.2
.
.1
.
.0.....
.
.
.
.






Book Launch by:

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin