Sundari Venkatraman's Blog, page 70

Food Review: RAJDHANI @ PHOENIX MARKET CITY, KURLA

Vinny & Viggy outside Rajdhani @ Phoenix Market City




On the Saturday that we went to see Besharam at PVR Cinemas, Vinny, Viggy and I decided to have lunch at Rajdhani , where they serve Gujarati Thali. Rajdhani is right there at the Food Court at Phoenix Market City in Kurla. They served us a Festival Thali as it was during Navratri .



THUMBS UP 1: The ambience was excellent with well-spaced seating arrangement.



THUMBS UP 2: The service was very good with a number of waiters at one’s beck and call. The best part was that they did not intrude either. They only came up to the table when it was clear we needed something.



THUMBS UP 3: The food was superb. There were 4-5 sabzis. Let me recall them. There was Gatte ki Sabzi; one made with Thuriya (Ribbed Gourd); another with paneer; a dry potato sabzi and Dal Bati Churma. Each one was superb.







The Thalis were oval in shape and looked nice



THUMBS UP 4: They served two types of Dal – one regular and one sweet. Then there was Gujarati Kadhi. Simply yum!



THUMBS UP 5: Two types of rotis were served – one regular and one bajra. They also served bite-sized puran polis with this. Of course, ghee accompanied everything. While the rotis were quite small, everything was unlimited.







I managed to capture some of the items on camera



THUMBS UP 6: White Dhoklas and Stuffed Karanjis were served, unlimited. While the Karanjis were good, the Dhoklas were out of this world. I am not a fan of white dhoklas but these were exceptional.



THUMBS UP 7: They served green chutney, sweet imli chutney and garlic chutney with the farsan. Each one was delicious. There was a kind of pickle-cum-chutney made of green chillies. I just loved it.



THUMBS UP 8: They served plain rice as well as Dal Khichdi. The Khichdi was simply awesome.



THUMBS UP 9: They serve three types of sweets. On that day, it was Jalebi with Rabdi and two others. I don’t know as we all refused them. We just had no place in our tummies.








Yes, the food and service were good



THUMBS UP 10: The chaas they served was the perfect finale to that huge meal.





THUMBS DOWN 1: I felt thoroughly upset on one score. While I had a lot of vegetables, I just managed to have 2 small rotis and 2 tsp of Khichdi. Of course, I had 3 dhoklas (they were not very big) and one karanji. I refused the sweets altogether. Despite this, I felt tremendous discomfort and heaviness in my stomach for the next 5-6 hours. I finally concluded that they must be using cooking soda in the food. This is one major put-off and I don’t think I want to venture into a Thali restaurant ever again.

Book Review: IF GOD WAS A BANKER By Ravi Subramanian

Suddenly, over the past couple of weeks, I am able to sleep only every alternative night. One night I sleep for 7-8 hours and the next for about 3-4 hours. I realised there was a pattern to it and two days back, I was better prepared with IF GOD WAS A BANKER by Ravi Subramanian for company. I read about the author on some website recently during the launch of his latest offering – Bankster . I decided to begin by reading his first book. I am glad that the book was totally readable and I went on reading till about 4 am. I managed to complete it the next evening.



The Story from the author’s website



Two young management graduates, with nothing similar in family backgrounds and temperament, join the New York International Bank on the same day and take two entirely different routes to success. Both rise up the ranks at breakneck speed: the fast and aggressive Sundeep, who would stoop to anything to get ahead, and the mature and sensible Swami, with a high regard for good old ethics. The racy narrative set in the high-pressure milieu of competitive banking carries the undercurrent of a clash of values, in the intermeshed realms of the personal and the professional.



It’s a story peppered with ambition and frustration, deceit and malevolence, love and lust, and the desperate struggle for status and power. And, above all, there is a top-notch banker who plays the benevolent God whenever crisis looms over the young guns…



An insider’s fictionalised account of how Indian professionals experience the world of foreign banks, the story spans three continents.



My take on it….



I must say I was impressed. The book has been well researched and I enjoyed getting an insider’s view of the foreign banking system. The characters are very well etched – especially Sundeep, Swami and Aditya. Of course, the rest of them were also excellently fleshed out. I so enjoyed reading about Swami's honesty. It gives hope in one's life.



Kudos to Ravi Subramanian on writing such a lovely human interest story! It begins with Sundeep in a state of nail-biting stress in his New York apartment in the present. The author takes us on a journey in flashback as Sundeep recalls the last 15 odd years of his life.



The novel keeps you hooked as you want to know the reason for Sundeep’s anxiety. Each chapter makes you wonder whether you will know what’s happening. The plot has been put together so well.



What I liked best is the ending. God is truly all-forgiving, even in his avatar as a banker.



I am really looking forward to reading the other books by Ravi Subramanian. Only my cynical mind keeps worrying that the rest of them should not sound repetitive. Fingers crossed!



My only peeve about the book: It has been published by Rupa & Co . The book has not been proofread thoroughly. At a glance, while reading, I found at least 70-80 errors. I was extremely disappointed. This might not matter to most readers. But for me who does a lot of proofreading work, this was very distracting. I sincerely hope Rupa will polish the book well before they go for the next edition.

Film Review: WAR… CHHOD NA YAAR

Very credible premise, BUT…… 



Cast: Sharman Joshi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Soha Ali Khan, Dalip Tahil, Sanjay Mishra, Manoj Pahwa

Story Idea, Writer, Director: Faraz Haider



Venkat and I went for the film in Cinemax Sion on the day of its release. We were kind of dubious about it when we saw that there were less than 50 people watching the film with us.



THE STORY



The film begins with Captain Raj (Sharman Joshi) of the Indian Army and Captain Qureshi (Jaaved Jaaferi) of the Pakistan Army getting together with a couple of other colleagues to play a game of cards. They sit on the sides of the wire fence at the border and have a ball.



Suddenly, shooting breaks out and the story goes into flashback. At the Defence Minister’s (Dalip Tahil) insistence, GBC TV sends its correspondent Ruth Dutta (Soha Ali Khan) to the border to get information about an impending war between India and Pakistan. But what she finds there is something else altogether.



The Chinese Premier (also Dalip Tahil) has a video conference with the Indian Defence Minister as well as the Pakistan Minister (Dalip Tahil again), promising the sky. Then there is the Defence Minister of the USA (you guessed right that it is Dalip Tahil) wheeling and dealing with the defence heads of both India and Pakistan.



Watch the film for the hilarious turn of events.



MY PERCEPTION



The film runs for 119 minutes and is set in real time of less than 24 hours. The chemistry between Sharman Joshi and Jaaved Jaaferi (yeah, that’s the spelling in this film while the actor keeps changing it pretty often) is very good.



Soha Ali Khan’s role as a correspondent is quite simple and she could not but do it well. There is no scope for emoting or acting that was required.





Manoj Pahwa

The comedy is not too bad but then again it was not that good either. I have seen way better performances by Sharman Joshi, Jaaved Jaaferi and Sanjay Mishra. Despite having four roles, Dalip Tahil was not used up to his potential.



Manoj Pahwa is excellent at comedy and very expressive. He was totally wasted in the film. In fact, the film reminded me of an ad Manoj Pahwa had featured in where he plays an officer in the Indian Military. He is offered a drink by his equal from Pakistan across the wire fence at the border. He was just fantastic in it.



All I can say is that there is no depth to the dialogues and execution. I would blame the writer-director for this.



Having mentioned all the negative points, I must say that the Story Idea is brilliant – befitting the oncoming Golden Age. I just loved the message that the people of both the countries – India and Pakistan – are not interested in war. That’s so true! And I am sure that includes the military of both countries too. It’s quite possible that we have become puppets in the hands of the stronger countries and they are playing on our insecurities. Very credible!



I only wish that the film had been made more interesting.



VERDICT: Watchable! But not worth the 220 bucks we paid per ticket.



RATING: ** ½ (could have been smarter)



*Silly

**Shaky

***Smart

****Snazzy

*****Super

WB Honours 2013: WASHROOMS AND BEYOND

The venue is set for WB Honours 2013

The third anniversary of the magazine Wb. Washrooms And Beyond was held at Trident, Nariman Point on Saturday, October 5, 2013. Nandita Choudhury from Media Pulse Public Relation had invited me to cover it on my blog.



Gnosis Services Private Ltd. is the company that owns and runs the magazine Wb. Washrooms And Beyond. Ms. Sheital Shetty is the Editor-Publisher of the magazine while Mr. Anurag Yadav is the Consulting Editor.





Awards Presentation

The award function had been organised to recognise the work of prominent personalities and organisations for their excellence in the field of washroom design and development. Innovators, designers and achievers from the industry had gathered together to celebrate the event.



We reached there at 7.30 pm and a fairly good crowd had already arrived. Cocktails and snacks were going strong and everyone appeared to be having a gala time.









The show finally began at 9.30 pm and did not drag for too long. The Emcee went up on stage and immediately began to announce the award winners. Short videos were shown of all the awardees and each one went up on stage to receive the award and certificate for their work.



The awards were as follows:



1. Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) for ‘Development of Model Public Washrooms by State Government’



2. Department of Industrial Design, SPA, New Delhi for ‘Innovation in Public Washroom Design’









3. PVR Director’s Cut for ‘Efficient Bathrooms at Building Complexes’



4. Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. for ‘Intelligent Washroom Design at Airports’



5. President of the Indian Plumbing Association & Managing Director of Essenco India for ‘Special Contribution to Plumbing Design Development – Mr. Sudhakaran Nair





Representatives of Trident Hyderabad receiving the award

6. Trident, Hyderabad for ‘Technology Driven Washrooms’



7. Fort Chanwa Luni, Jodhpur for ‘Washroom Restoration in Heritage Buildings’



8. Le Meridien, New Delhi for ‘Unique Interior Design in Hotel Washrooms’





Designer of Sukoon, The Eco Luxury Houseboat receiving her award

9. Sukoon, The Eco Luxury Houseboat for ‘Green Washrooms’



10. WB Lifetime Achievement Honour 2013 – S.G. Deolalikar



All the awardees came together on stage for a photograph. That’s when the 3rd anniversary issue of Wb. Washrooms And Beyond was released by Mr. S.G. Deolalikar.



Also, another magazine, by name Kitchen Ideas, was launched during the event. It’s a quarterly B2B magazine that focuses on kitchen design. Mr. Nadir Cassamo, owner of Leiken was present at the unveiling. He has travelled all the way from Portugal to be a part of the celebration.







Ms. Sheital Shetty spoke on behalf of Gnosis, saying, “It gives us immense pleasure to honour and felicitate individuals and properties that have contributed significantly in the growth and development of the washroom industry. Since the institution of WB Honours, we have observed an increasing realisation of the need to develop efficient, eco friendly and functional washrooms in any facility. WB Honours is recognition for good work done in this field, which is now an important part of any interior design project.”



I had also covered the WB Honours 2011  held at JW Marriott . The food served there was just awesome.





Mr. S.G. Deolalikar gives a speech after receiving The Lifetime Achievement Award





I can’t say the same about the dinner at Trident. While the drinks flowed freely and the starters were not too bad, the dinner was extremely mediocre, while the desserts were worse. They must have spent a huge packet on such a grand function. I felt quite bad that the food was nowhere up to the mark.





The group of award winners along with Ms. Sheital Shetty & Mr. Anurag Yadav as they launched the magazine

I was not too enamoured by the videos either. These were obviously presented by the entrants for the awards. They were in the form of slides with a narration. The sound was pretty unclear while the angles of the pictures in most of the slides were quite bad. The programme would have been way more interesting if they had had good videos of the prize winning entries with a clear narration. I am sure Gnosis will ensure that the issue is taken care of the next time.

Film Review: BESHARAM

Besharam is too mild a gaali for the makers of this film



The film had terrible reviews and Venkat refused to go. Vinny, Viggy and I booked for a morning show on Saturday at PVR Cinemas in Phoenix Market City at Kurla. The highlight of the morning was the nearly empty mall and PVR Cinemas.



Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Pallavi Sharda, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Javed Jaffrey, Amitosh Nagpal

Director: Abhinav Kashyap



THE STORY



The film is set in Delhi. Babli (Ranbir Kapoor) and his sidekick Titu (Amitosh Nagpal) are car thieves. There is a reason for it. They are both orphans who are not educated. They have no knowledge of right and wrong. They steal cars, sell them and give the money to the orphanage where they live with a dozen other kids of various ages.



Chulbul (Rishi Kapoor) and Bulbul (Neetu Kapoor) work for the police department and are married to each other. Bheem Singh (Javed Jaffrey) is a ruthless criminal who deals in ‘hawala’ transactions. He kills first and talks later.



Tara Sharma (Pallavi Sharda) lives with her widowed mother. She’s well educated and works for an MNC. She has expensive tastes and owns a Mercedes car.



Watch the film to see what happens when Babli from the wrong side of the tracks falls for Tara AND steals her car unaware that it belongs to the woman he loves.



MY PERCEPTION



 Well, please don’t take my suggestion seriously and go to watch the film. At least, don’t waste good money in going to a theatre to do so. The film is bound to arrive in the small screen in maybe a month or two. You can always shut your TV off the moment you are bored.



Okay, I did not run away from the theatre and that was for one reason – Ranbir Kapoor. The other reason was Javed Jaffrey.



Now let me get all the positive points together. There isn’t much, of course.



Ranbir Kapoor is a superb actor and he has done total justice to the role. Javed Jaffrey’s get-up was nothing short of fabulous and he has done his part extremely well. Newcomer Pallavi Sharda looks cute and she can act. Amitosh Nagpal as Babli’s sidekick is very good.



The film was simply awful! There was a song every few minutes and they were not good at all – neither the music nor the scenes. They were each one of them pure torture.



There was nothing to the story and the film was made quite badly. What’s with the loo scenes, I wonder! Rishi Kapoor has been doing so well in his second series. I don’t want to pay good money to see how he uses the toilet. Ugh!



The fight sequences were too prolonged and the comic timing – if there was one – was quite bad. Himani Shivpuri is such a good actress. She was totally wasted in Besharam.



Besharam is too mild a gaali for the makers of this film. Do I say more?



VERDICT: Watch it at your own risk!



RATING: ** (Shaky)



*Silly

**Shaky

***Smart

****Snazzy

*****Super

TV Show: ANIL KAPOOR’S 24

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Tisca Chopra, Neil Bhoopalam, Mandira Bedi, Shabana Azmi, Sapna Pabbi, Anita Raj

Director: Abinay Deo



THE STORY



Anil Kapoor’s ‘24’ began on Friday, October 4, 2013 on Colors TV . This drama series is based on the Hollywood TV series by the same name.



Jai Singh Rathod (Anil Kapoor) heads the Anti Terrorist Unit (ATU) of the Indian government. His marriage to Trisha (Tisca Chopra) is on shaky ground as Jai is wedded to his job 24/7.



The show begins with Trisha’s birthday where both Jai and their daughter Kiran (Sapna Pabbi) bring a cake for her. But Jai is called to work just when the cake is being cut. An upset Kiran goes away with a friend to party all night. Trisha is left alone to bite her nails in tension as she does not know where her daughter is and Jai appears too busy to be bothered.



In the meanwhile, there’s a threat to the life of Aditya Singhania (Neil Bhoopalam), the to-be-sworn-in Prime Minister. What follows is a nail-biting thriller that happens over the next 24 hours real time.



MY PERCEPTION



I am not a fan of the small screen and prefer watching films on the big screen. I just happened to see the beginning of this show on Friday and was hooked. It’s quite interesting and is woven well with the Indian scenario. My son Vignesh is a fan of the Hollywood series and found this one not quite up to the mark. My argument is that there is no sense in comparing as this local series has been made to suit the Indian environment and it works for me.



It’s amazing to note that Anil Kapoor is all of 57. He has never been recognised as a great actor but he has done a number of commendable roles. I especially appreciated his work in Mr. India. This show must be a great challenge and so far it looks like the actor is up for it. Kudos Anil Kapoor!



I read somewhere that Anil Kapoor’s toughest challenge in this venture was getting the cast together. Well, I think it’s time to congratulate the actor as he has done a fantastic job of that. Each one of the actors is excellent, of what I have seen of the show so far. Neil Bhoopalam, Tisca Chopra, Sapna Pabbi, Anil Kapoor, Anita Raj and a whole lot of others including the ones playing the bad guys – all are very good.



One cannot help but compare the characters to the Gandhi family at the helm. Aditya Singhania’s character appears too much like Rahul Gandhi. Anita Raj plays his mother. His father used to be the Prime Minister who had been murdered. There is a sister and a drunkard for a brother-in-law too.



I missed the second episode on Saturday and searched the net for a repeat show on Sunday morning. There was not one. But luckily, Colors TV had uploaded the episode and I could watch it minus the advertisements, which was even better.



I eagerly look forward to the rest of the thriller.



‘24’ airs from 10-11 pm on Fridays & Saturdays on Colors TV.  There are 24 episodes in all set in real time.



Click Here to watch the episodes that you have missed.

Film Review: THE LUNCHBOX

The film calls out to your heart!



Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Director: Ritesh Batra



I had seen and heard a number of rave reviews for this film. Venkat and I went to catch it on Tuesday night at Cinemax Sion.



To be truthful, I love the glitz and glamour in Bollywood films and very rarely see realistic ones. I am not very fond of Irrfan Khan either while I agree that he is a great actor. I have not seen many of his movies.



THE STORY



Ila (Nimrat Kaur) makes her husband’s dabba with a lot of love and effort and is very eager to please. Unfortunately, the dabba with her newest recipes lands up in the hands of Saajan Fernandez (Irrfan Khan) who works in the claims department of a government office. Fernandez is widowed and is about to retire. He usually gets his dabba from a local restaurant and is surprised to taste the delicious meal.



After a couple of days, Ila realises that the dabba is being delivered into wrong hands. She sends a note along with it. That’s how the connection begins. She is lonely and so is he.



MY PERCEPTION



The heartrending scene of life in a metropolis like Mumbai hits one while watching the film. It is so sad that a person can feel so lonely in such a crowded city. But that is the story of the widowed Fernandez. He is also ‘khadoos’ by nature, works hard and has no friends.



Only Irrfan Khan can play the role to such perfection.



Nimrat Kaur as Ila has also done an excellent job as the lonely housewife. The letters the two of them write to one another via The Lunchbox is what keeps the film going. It would have been difficult to talk to one another in person. But putting things in a letter seems that much easier.



The relationship between the two is beautifully built through these letters. And one can so relate to the way the film ends, while not necessarily be happy about it.



Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a superb actor and he adds some humour to the serious film.



It gladdens one heart as one sees the letters bringing about a change in the protagonists’ lives. Fernandez is shaken out of his indifference to the people around him while Ila decides to leave her cheating husband.



The neighbour’s voice from the above floor adds value to the film. Ila’s little daughter speaks barely a few words, but her eyes say it all.



The film ran for an hour and 49 minutes, was just the ideal length and well edited by John F. Lyons.



VERDICT: A must watch!



RATING: **** ½ (A little short of super)



*Silly

**Shaky

***Smart

****Snazzy

*****Super  

Food Review: CREAM CENTRE @ R-City Mall

Cream Centre @ R-City Mall

On one of our visits to R-City Mall, Vinny and I wanted to eat at one of the restaurants there. First, we went to Quattro, the Italian joint. Unfortunately, they did not have either the soup or the starters that we wanted. We left the restaurant to go to Cream Centre on the same floor. Cream Centre serves vegetarian fare – Mexican, Italian and Indian.





Menu

I was kind of wary of the place as my experience at the Cream Centre outlet near Shoppers’ Stop at Amar Mahal, Chembur, was not the best. But I am glad that we went to Cream Centre @ R-City Mall .





American Corn Cheese Balls with potato wafers, green chutney & ketchup

THUMBS UP 1: We ordered American Corn Cheese Balls for starters. They served it in ten minutes – hot corn cheese balls with potato wafers. They gave us ketchup with them. We requested for green chutney and got it immediately at no extra cost. The starters were perfectly cooked, just the right temperature and tasted oh-so-delicious! The chutney was also yummy.





Delicious Chole!

THUMBS UP 2: We asked for Chole & Tawa Parathas for the main course. We planned to share as they serve a good quantity of chole. I have never tasted such yummy chole in my life. It was cooked to perfection and the flavour was simply awesome. The accompanying Tawa Parathas were also tasty.





Along with the main course!

THUMBS UP 3: The bill for these two dishes turned out to be quite reasonable. I fail to recall the amount as we had done this trip quite a while back.



Definitely worth a visit!

Recipe: SWEET APPAM

Yummy golden brown appams

I learned to make sweet appam from both my mother and grandmother. It is not too difficult to make, as in you cannot go wrong while making this sweet. Hence, this is a personal favourite and of course, we all love it at home.



INGREDIENTS



Wheat Flour – 1 cup

Jaggery – ½ cup

Banana – 1

Cardamom – 6 (powdered)



For frying



A mix of oil and ghee in the proportion you choose. I use half of each.





Appams cooking in the appa kaarai

METHOD



1. Add all the four ingredients to a mixer along with some water and mix thoroughly into a dough the same consistency as that for dosas.

2. Take an appa kaarai (a special kadai for cooking appams) and heat it on the gas.

3. Add some oil and ghee and keep the flame on medium.

4. Take a small serving spoon and add the dough to about three-fourths of the appa kuzhi (the small round cups in the kadai).

5. Allow the appams to cook for a couple of minutes before turning them around. Use a long handled spoon and turn them gently, or they may break and create a mess. I use a wooden chopstick and a spoon. By now, your kitchen must be smelling divine.

6. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side and remove the golden brown appams, before making the next batch.



Serve hot or cooled with a spoon of white butter. I promise you that your family will love you for the tasty appams. I hear they are also one of Lord Ganpati’s favourites.



NOTE: There is also a non-stick version of Appa Kaarai available in the market.

Film Review: PHATA POSTER NIKHLA HERO

It’s a fun watch if you are fond of masala flicks!



Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, Padmini Kolhapure, Saurabh Shukla, Darshan Jhaveri, Mukesh Tiwari

Director: Rajkumar Santoshi



Vinitha, Venkat and I went to watch this film on Friday night, the same day it released, at Cinemax Sion.



THE STORY



Even as a kid, it has been drummed into Vishwas (Shahid Kapoor in the adult avatar) that he should become an honest police officer. His mother (Padmini Kolhapure) is an auto-rickshaw driver in a small town where the duo lives. In the meanwhile, Vishwas dreams of becoming an actor, a hero.



On the pretext of giving an exam for the post of a police officer, Vishwas goes to Mumbai to try his hand at acting. There he meets Complaint Kajal (Ileana D’Cruz), who believes that he is a Police Inspector.



After taking a number of twists and turns, the film goes on to prove that Vishwas is a hero through and through. You have to see the movie to find out whether he realises his mother’s or his own dreams.



MY PERCEPTION



The film was a total fun watch with a number of hilarious moments. Shahid Kapoor is an excellent actor and even better dancer. There were a couple of songs that made for superb dance moves and Shahid has made perfect use of these opportunities.



It’s just that he disappointed me in the last scene. Just before he goes up on stage to receive an award, Shahid shows a strange expression on his face. There is a lot of emotion, but one is unable to make out whether he is feeling that way because of sorrow or joy. I was thoroughly confused and did not understand whether the film ended on a happy or sad note.



Ileana D’Cruz looks glamorous and has a very good dressing style. But her acting skills need to improve a lot. All the best!



I somehow did not like Padmini Kolhapure’s character of a loving mother. It was absolutely unconvincing. She dotes on her only child, but is absolutely clear that he should become only what she wants of him. She is aware of his childhood dreams that continue into adulthood. I am not able to understand how such an adoring mother does not give a damn about her favourite child’s dreams, not one jot. The actress did well as an emotional blackmailer, of course.



Saurabh Shukla is simply superb in his role as a local don. He brings forth ripples of laughter with his comic timing, again and again. Just loved it!



The rest of the cast including Darshan Jhaveri and Mukesh Tiwari performed quite well.



VERDICT: All in all, it is fun watching the film if you are fond of masala flicks.



RATING: ** ½ (could have been smarter)



*Silly

**Shaky

***Smart

****Snazzy

*****Super