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April 20, 2019 at 2:11PM
Day 2391: Kalank: Movie Review
Kalank; meaning Blemish, an awkwardly named movie is set in the year of 1944 in Husnabad, near Lahore just before the partition of India and Pakistan. This multi-starer, larger-than-life affair from Dharma Production is a complex love story of 4 people somehow connected to each other. The promos, songs and the multi-star cast had raised the expectations of this movie to the maximum height.
After failing to discover the plot of the movie before it was released I had no option but head to the cinema to watch this extravagant movie directed by Abhishek Varman, who had also directed Chetan Bhagat’s 2 States. The songs by Pritam that were released were beautifully melodious and catchy. I had already watched and listened to ‘Ghar More Pardesiya’ umpteenth time and admired the performance of Alia Bhatt. ‘First Class’ being another song that I loved. So, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting for the release of the movie, mainly because of the star casts. The urge to watch Alia Bhatt sharing screen with the likes of Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Dutt and Varun Dhawan was just too prominent to dismiss.
The story of Kalank revolves around Roop (Alia Bhatt) who marries a married man Dev (Aditya Roy Kapur) at the request of his wife Satya (Sonakshi Shinha) who is suffering from a terminal Cancer. Satya wanted to ensure her husband was married to Roop after her death. Roop firstly denies the proposal but finally gives in as she needed to support her family and get two of her younger sisters married. This marriage between Roop and Dev has respect but not love. Roop becomes bored in luxurious household of Dev and requests Satya to let her learn music from Bahaar Begum (Madhuri Dixit). Bahaar Begum lives in the poor sector of the town called Hira Mandi. This is where Roop meets Zafar (Varun Dhawan), the blacksmith and falls in love. This is where the complexities of the story advance and predictable ill-fated romances unfold.
Even though there was a promise of something new the story remained quite predictable. It felt bit stretched and slow at times. It kept on oscillating between love, hate, passion, vengeance and sometimes politics, making the movie unnecessarily complicated and sometimes boring.
The actors and actresses didn’t disappoint, though. Alia Bhatt, once again, delivered undiluted and stellar versatility in her role as an unhappy wife. Varun Dhawan seems to have pushed his limit for this character and Madhuri Dixit remains ethereal. The connection between Alia Bhatt and Madhuri Dixit during the song ‘Ghar More Pardesiya’ when they first meet is very convincing. The chemistry between two actors remain intact till the end. Alia and Varun’s uncomfortable relationship has been beautifully presented by both the actors.
The critically acclaimed production designer Amrita Mahal Nakai has done a brilliant job in recreating the city from 1944. The sets were lavish and intricate. The cinematography and visuals was quite pleasing to eyes because of the use of pastel colors. I felt there was a conscious decision not to use primary colours or to use it minimally.
It is a movie that needs to be watched, once but it doesn’t move any cinematographic mountains. It may not stay in your memory for too long too – but the acting from the actors are not to be missed. If not the storyline; music, visuals, design and performances from the actors will keep you entertained.
My rating for this movie is 3 Stars out of 5.
April 17, 2019 at 2:11PM
Day 2388: Mad Dog - Useless information
Q: What can you do with $9 Billion?
A: You can give all of it to a MAD DOG.
But, what is Mad Dog?
Mad Dog is a floating production platform with the capacity to produce up to 140,000 gross barrels of crude oil per day from up to 14 production wells. Oil production is expected to begin in late 2021.
The Mad Dog Phase 2 project is the second stage of development of the Mad Dog offshore field operated by BP. The Mad Dog field was discovered in 1998 and started production in 2005. The Phase 2 has been planned as an extension to BP’s biggest discovery in Gulf of Mexico. It will be BP’s fifth operated platform in the Gulf of Mexico and it will help extend the life of the super-giant Mad Dog oil field beyond 2050.
Originally estimated to cost over $20 billion, The final investment decision for the $9-billion project was approved in early 2017 by BP and co-owners BHP and Union Oil Company of California- reducing the overall project cost by about 60%.
The name, chosen by the project team and an employee survey, is a reference to Odysseus’ loyal dog from "The Odyssey," and a nod to the Mad Dog spar, an existing production facility operated by BP that is located about six nautical miles away from the Argos site.
Now, if my boss asked me why the project is called ‘Mad Dog’ not ‘Crazy Cat’, I shall point him to the direction of my status on Facebook. Pity, he is not on social media. Phew!
