Show-Shall-I-zed

So finally I am show-shall-I-zed (Socialized) in Mayanagri. It was a media event followed as usual by cocktails and mock trails. I loved it. I am not good in building rapport but here I seem to have done decent if not great. ‘K’ that’s what I call him; he made sure my entry was without a fuss. K is my SPOC for anything and everything in this city. And he’s been amazing so far. Through out the party he kept telling me time and again “Don’t you worry dear, I will push you along. Just keep doing your stuff and you never know when your day comes.”

It was full of media-maniacs for it was a media quiz. After K had formally introduced me to a couple of chicks and an actor, I hit straight to the bar. Men, 45 days in the city and only 10 of them wet and that too with Old Monk, I was desperate. ‘Bacaradi with Sprite’ I asked. And after I had two mouthfuls I realized I was there for socializing after all. Talking about the people K introduced me to, one chick was real hot, the other one was decent, and the actor looked like a struggler. And if something dramatic doesn’t happen he’ll end up a struggler. I am assuming he’s as good an actor as I am a writer and so will meet the same fate until Divine Interventions.

That Bacardi boosted my belief. But I was still in my senses; confidence was there but not enough to approach the cynosure-the hot one so I caught the lesser hot of the two.

“What’s you name? I didn’t get?”

“Su-V.” (Mind you it su+vi and not SUV)

“Ajay. What do you do, Su-V?”

“I am an AD with a newly launched production house.”

“That’s great. Even I wanna assist some one. Though I think I am here as a writer.”

“Ohh you are writer! So what exactly are you writing?”

“That I can’t tell you as even I don’t know what it is. But will tell you when it’s done.”

This AD girl she was decent but not much glamorous. Agree, she is not there to sizzle the 70 mm but then she didn’t seem Mira Nair either. (Yup friends I am a dog and can’t help it.) Appreciation is not my forte nor is assessing people rightly but I wish her luck though.

And that bombshell was finally around too. Suddenly I got kicked to ask her

“What’s your name I didn’t get it?” (It’s cliché but worked here as well)

“I am Anna. So what are you writing?” (She has a good memory)

Ahh! I smiled. “I’ll tell you when it’s done. What about you?”

“I do anything and everything. I am a VJ with Me-too-Tv (Mtv). I have done theatre, was an RJ and looking for my big break, I am also doing a travel show.”

I smiled as I couldn’t continue further. In fact this all is my limit. Though she was cordial and smiling rest of the evening but this after all was my limit.

This gal was quite unusual for a hot one. She ate much more than her petite figure indicated. She was normal no-air girl. However, her dress created quite a storm. Despite my above average fashion quotient I still don’t know what that outfit is called. Ok let’s call it a two and half feet gown-sexy but not cheap-neither in price nor in appearance.

Both the girls were decent, down to earth. May they get to their dreams and may they read this post after they are successful.

Suddenly Mr. AB- the big daddy of advertising and media and the man behind this ‘do’ arrives. Men, did I have a blast meeting him? He’s very cordial, good man manager and energetic and one hell of a garrulous man. I introduced myself as his friend’s protégé and informed I am in his LinkedIn network as well. He seemed appreciative especially of the latter one. Ok in short why did I like him?

a) He is big-time movie buff. Yes, most people claim so but he really is. And these days all I want is people who I can talk, walk and stalk cinema with.

b) He was spending his time with young ambitious people instead of fornicating within his own fraternity. Hallmark of a man with a difference.

c) He loves to write his own rules and he writes them when he is flying. Interesting.

In fact he was the brain behind the quiz. The media encyclopedia he is, he hand-picked and created the quiz all by himself. And you know what the funniest answer was to a normal question:

Q: Who is ‘Bunty and Bubli’ of Indian Media?

A: Its Peter and Indarni Mukherjee (9x) for running away with promoters money.

He spent about a good one hour with us and 20 minutes he spent talking about ‘Charlie Wilson War.’ Great flick, must watch, it’s sensational. It's the story of how Taliban was created. Ten minutes he spent talking about Eastwood and when he couldn’t recollect the name of his latest movie he was desperate. ‘It’s the name of vintage FIAT car, come on men, don’t you know?’ Gran Torino it was but none could recollect it then. The disappointment the man had when he couldn’t get the name, killed almost all his enthusiasm. But even with his dying exuberance he was able to annoy most of us with his tongue skill. He kept talking and talking but I, for one, really loved it as he was talking cinema. He talked about how he wishes to bring Spielberg in India. To this I asked why not Tarantino, Coen Brothers? This was the only instance when he showed generation gap with the usual retort “Too much blood, too much violence.”

But all through he kept asking that actor “But man tell me how do you deliver the dialogue?” And you know what the actor even replied once ‘I don’t do it with out script.” Before he realized he was being taken for a ride it was too late for the artist.

Thanks K for this free ki Bacardi, good sumptuous food and more importantly for providing me with the chance to meet some very interesting and enterprising people.

People I am sending the link to AB and what you say, would he think?

a) Desperate, imbecile, retard-complete waste of my 5 minutes.(he reads fast, make it 2)

b) You over estimated your writing skill by comparing yourself with the actor.

c) Why should I care, I attend such parties every weekend?

d) Even though you are OK but it’s recession dear.

My New Year

So 2009 has finally arrived and I am surprised I am still alive. Yes, you are right I am gonna write about what I did last evening, how the year 2008 has been for me and what not shall I do in 2009.

First thing first-last evening five of us got out of our houses, sat in Shantanu’s new year’s new car and headed for Guliya Bhai’s office cum farm house (and by Bhai I mean BHAI and in every sense of the word). It’s our ‘The Destination’ in the world and for all of us better than ‘Urban Pinds’ and Hard Rock Cafés of the world. We have a service boy at our disposal there who brings us Cigarettes, Chips, Chickens and in this flow of Cs i wanna say Chicks too-but this thing is strictly prohibited there and a reluctant thank to Guliya Bhai for this last clause. So, we arrived there armed with Old Monk and Smrinoff. And after each of us had done with the ritual I mean after everyone had spoken with their respective girlfriends, (I spend this time with Raju the service boy-‘where from Bihar, who else is in your family so on and so forth’. This is my way to avoid embarrassment and uselessly try to reassure myself about my singlehood.) we raised the toast to 2009. All was going fine but suddenly there was an altercation, between Sandy and Desu ‘u din take my call that day- I was in Gym, cell was at home and it went on and on.’ It was the minutest of the issue but it led to many a Ulhanees(long pending reciprocations).There was a clash in our ‘Company’, it was not normal, we drink every weekend but this was rare….all of us were involved in a while and it seemed a mess. K and Me are the usual suspects of our gang- we shrewdly avoid any discussion on us and fuel the fire by laughing at anything at everything spoken. We both were startled to see how ugly turn our bantering had taken.

It was something uncalled for but it had forced all of us to feel shocked. Enters M.The eldest among us and already he has made all of us chachus. So for this favor of him we reciprocate by paying attention to anything he says. He yelled some sermons and vows of friendship and believe me when you are four pegs down you don’t like to be educated. But situation was such we had to and at hindsight I think it was necessary as it helped in the soon to followed Maandwali. As soon as it was settled all of them yelled at me when I tried to imitate M by saying “come on yaar when ll we grow up” words were ok but not the timing and all of them shouted at me-
“South India jake tu apna culture bhool gaya hai, don’t you know it’s common here to follow a name with Gandu…pyar to isi se dikhta hai….aur haan hamne 2008 ki jitni bhadas nikalni thi naikal li”

“But I thought it was real.”

“It was real but not that serious as you take it.”

That’s how we all are-well organized in our randomness. Finally the mood was back We all played in loop that ragini from Oye Lucky Lucky Oye-Tu Raja Ki Rajdulari and there was unanimous verdict-this is the best folk song from land of Haryana and for me the first complete Haryanvi song I listened. No, I am not into Pink Floyds, Metallicas, Pearl Jams and Coldplays of the world. It’s just that I grew up around Kumar Sanu and I still prefer him over everything. But to every lover of music I recommend this folklore-ruthlessly sung from heart-Yes, heart- throat is just a pretence here.

We drank heavily-Rum,Vodka all rolled into one. Jokes were back.We had seen two faces of our Dosti-in these two hours of two overlapping years.

But Me & Shantanu were still not convinced with the Cocktail-so we spoke in eyes and then we both smirked and rest of company yelled-
“Tanker ho gaye ho tum dono”
“So what-anybody game for Blenders Pride”

Desu joined us rest of them joined the call for a home drop. We dropped them one by one and reached to another Get Together where only Shantanu was invited for. We finished our dose of BP to calm our BP. Then we danced too, don’t know for how long, don’t remember how I reached home, don’t know where did I vomit all the frustrations of 2008, don’t know y I slept only in my newly bought Alcott Undy in minus one degree temperature and don’t know how I entered in 2009.

My dad took me to our farm or to be precise KHET today and we were there to inspect the seeded crop of wheat. He was saying- “This is the problem of outsourcing-yahan se sukha chhod diya- is bar yeh GHINKE hain (the crop is dense this time) , See those they were sowed one month ahead of ours but none can tell the difference now” and I was like what the hell is going on I was still under hangover - I still am.


As for 2008- another year gone by.

And 2009 -another year that would be, terrorists forbid, gone by.

As for things that I shall not do-

• I shall not quit smoking. I prefer to burn myself and fade away than only fade away.
• For my average tenure of six months in a company I shall not resign this time not unless I am assed out.
• Even if chucked I shall not apply elsewhere and thanks Recession for raising my audacity.
• I shall try not to bug people who like to mind their own business.
• No, I shall not write any script or direct that Yashraj Banner flick that Mall I am trying to lease is too close to my heart.
• I shall not force my HR Manager to read my blog after her declared verdict that I am too predictable in my sarcasm and abuses. And I think she is yet to grow up in thinking (wink)