10 Life Lessons from Movie Sultan

The Instant Takeaways

1) In the affairs of Men, respect is the highest esteem that any Man most passionately craves for and tries the hardest to achieve but very few succeed. So in a nutshell the respect of other Men singularly counts towards the self image of many Men which forms the core of one's Ego.
Management Mantra : Don't challenge a person's Ego head-on unless it is in one's capacity to crush or disregard it.

2) Success takes persistence and perseverance and 'anyone' who desires or dreams of fame/success should be mentally prepared to sweat it out, although not mentioned/shown in the film, one's God endowed intelligence and foresight can help in alleviating the pain and make the journey less tedious.

3) The best of talent don't come cheap/easily , one must be prepared to match or exceed their expectations . So in a nutshell it is better to gauge and fathom the values of the target that one is aiming for as it saves a lot of heartburn and regret, whether in candidate selection/love/exams or elections.....ha-ha!!.

4) Choosing Happiness over one's Dreams or vice versa is tricky , be very sure and take some time to make up your mind , pause and ponder,  for happiness and dreams often appear in disguise.

5) When faced with a choice in any relationship between 'pain of a loss' and culmination of one's desire , it is perhaps sane to choose the former as 'Loss' is permanent but 'success' is transient and it changes with the passage of time. Relationships matter , pay heed if it is important, for it is the bedrock upon which Success stands exalted.

6) Develop coping strategies to deal with Trauma. Often in life Trauma freezes one's sense of time and it often takes years to notice that one needs to let-go of past things/issues to move ahead with one's life. The faster you loosen the grip of negative repressive feelings over you , the sooner you make the transition in living your own life that is meant to be lived for "You may Live to Forget but never Forget to Live".

7) Throughout in the film one central idea is repeatedly endorsed that success or defeat is a state of mind, so you get what you choose.

8) Finish what you have started, adapting to situations and changing the strategies as when situation demands, as success doesn't rest only on one factor , success is managing many factors well enough until the end.

9) A closely held desire , cherished passionately and watered with sustained effort cuts out all the distractions and makes you stay focussed.

10) Lastly, Life often presents you with a choice to be reborn again, reborn to find love , relationships and respect. So just hang in there as Time changes, one just needs to hold on a little longer and then you become the ' Sultan ' of your life.

In-depth analysis of "SULTAN" ( being written...updating soon )

Manali : A private Paradise of Gods

Manali and the river Beas...

A guide to un-earth quintessence Himalayan experience

Honeymoon  Destination:

For long , Manali has held the aura of being the ultimate destination for honeymooners and nature lovers alike. For newlywed couples , Manali often finds a place on one's wish list of potential gateways. An Image search on Google reveals a country of languorous greens bespeckled with an assortment of hues which paint the Manali landscape in vibrant romantic colours. Many sojourners have often remarked to have found peace in it's caressing womb while many a soul have glimpsed heaven and have been profoundly been affected for the rest of their lives.

The sprout of love, felt deeply after the solemnization of marriage, often cascades forth, like a torrent, from the sun kissed slopes of Manali mountains to the depths of madness.Manali is not a place or a destination but an  abode of the Gods where the soul of mortals often gaze into it's labyrinthine corridors wishing for once to step inside. A place like no other , manali is surely an enchantress who shall compel you to pay her a visit time and again..


Essential Tips :

Safety: For a first time traveller , Manali is safe and hospitable and locals are more than willing to extend the courtesy of a hot tea should one has time to entertain them with stories and tales of one's adventurers.
This little hamlet, at the foot of towering mountains, is well protected and well monitored as the local population and the entire tourist circuit's economy is solely dependent on tourism.

Shopping: It's a bargainer's delight. The mall road of Manali is awash with souvenirs , trinkets , collectibles, memorabilias etc that can be had for a song if you happen to have a sense of worth of things. As most of the shoppers purchase or do shopping at the final leg of one's travelogue , it logical to be in an emotional state of mind, as one would be leaving and bidding good bye to an amazing place, but being in control of one's emotions might save you a few bucks and occasional regret of have being taken for a ride.

Local Sightseeing:

1) The River Beas :

The river Beas crisscrosses the manali landscape, wantonly frockling like a little child captivated with enthuaism. I happen to have visited many a time to its gurglingling waters whispering stories untold. It is very beautiful all the way and every turn and every twist is breathtaking. When the snow capped mountains catch the last rays of the setting sun , the entire valley is ablaze with auburn and gilted hues and you feel as if peeping into the courtyards of Gods.

Hate Story 2 Review

Hate Story -2 Indepth Review

Hate Story 2 in a nutshell is a revenge drama which showcases a heart wrenching portraiture of a damsel in distress against a conspiring world,masterfully told from the perspective of an able director.

From the very first opening shot, you get inkling that unwittingly and without much resistance on one's part, one would be sucked into the melodramatic maelstrom of the movie and, sure enough, a few minutes into it ,you witness the epic struggle of the heroine,to stay afloat in a gripping saga that slowly gets into your breathing thanks to haunting and epic background score rendered skilfully and weaved into the narrative. 
The premise isn't new but the the rendition of it is good enough to keep one entertained till the last scene and delivers something more.

What's Good:

CINEMATOGRAPHY :  Almost flawless and some very good camera angles gets the story unfold in a pace that keeps one's hooked, lapping everything dished out in such exotic and very well contrived shots. Each scene gets the perfect blend of treatment that might be said top notch!..Yes you heard that right! 

The songs are wrapped in scandalously soothing takes, that teleports the audience to a whole new level of experience. The mesmerizing chemistry between the two leads is pitch perfect and the locales are wisely chosen with very good cinematic work. For the photography enthusiasts , many scenes have been narrated with still frozen frames that adds a touch of rare beauty rendering it almost poetic and the one that will linger in one's mind would definitely be the shot wherein the children each with a rose, dancing ecstatically like a ballerina pirouetting in the air. Pure delight!

CHARACTERIZATION:  The flow and pace of the narration mayn't be perfect but Yes! it does hold itself very well in a cinematic complex storytelling. The characters are well threshed out with the leading lady , her passionate lover and the villain are meaty and are multi-layered and multi-dimensional that just about adds an extra punch to a very satisfying conclusion. Fans of Surven Chawla and Jay Bhanushali would be mighty pleased of  their respective performances but it is the brutal , sadistic , masochistic , tyrannical and overpowering characterization of Mandar excellently portrayed by Sushant Singh that steals the show. He is raw passion personified sans compare , his mercurial disposition and irrepressible   impatience shoulders the substantial weight of the movie and the lion share of its charm.

 VERDICT :  It is an out of out heroine dominated movie and the lead actress renders enough justice to her character akin to Uma Thruman of Kill Bill series . Jay is lovable but doesn't have much screen time to leave a mark, Sunny leone sizzles with dazzling effect that lightens the grim mood of the storyline. Overall, its a beautifully sketched film with very good pace, excellent performance by Sushant Singh and tight editing with over the top back ground score that will have you seated the edge of your seat till the gory saga ends in catharsis for the audience. 

Highly Recommended.

NASHIK - TRIMBAKESHWAR

TRAVELOGUE TO NASHIK

After having a lip smacking south Indian fare of Dosa and Idlis we embarked on the Nashik leg of our travelogue. Nashik situated on either side on the banks of Godavari is a spiritual Dham for most Hindu devotees. It is on must vist list for everyone who visits Shirdi for the first time. Nashik lies about 80 Kms from Shirdi on very well paved metalled black top roads and one can travel faster than 100Kmph without any kind of worry.

MUKTI DHAM

Our first padaav was Mukti Dham, a marbled superstructure of a temple. It houses the divity of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha. Interior is spacious and well ventilated. The stationed traffic police was a bribe hungry man and tried to intimidate our driver to pay him a bribe.So travellers beware,avoid falling into the trap as the car parking is free.

The Temple complex houses a couple of well maintained shops selling dried grapes and other snacks as well. The whole temple is unremarkable and quite small by standards but very peaceful. Worthy of a visit.

ENROUTE TO TRIMBAKESHWAR

From mukti Dham we proceeded to Trimbakeshawar , another one jyotrling that dots the entire landscape of india. The roads are very good in shape and are dotted on either side by wild Cosmos flowers which render it beautiful. I stopped to click a few of these and was very pleasantly surprised of them to have come on so well.

Trimbakeshwar is surrounded by beautiful valleys, wherein emerges the holy river of Godavari. One can read atlength all about the place from the internet but for a first time traveler a few things if taken a little heed may save a lot of trouble and money. Trimbakeswar can ve visited on shared vehicles,taxis etc but the most preferred way is hiring one’s own taxi.

• COIN MUSEUM

10 kms into our travelogue from Mukti Dham we halted  by the Coin Museum. Entry fees is Rs 5/person. Its quite modern and houses replicas and original coins from various periods of India and abroad.

 It is certainly a worthy visit and can be planned to spend a few moments of solitude enroute to returning from Trimbakeshawar.

• ANJNERI  

Anjneri is the next attraction after coin museum enroute to Trimbakeshwar. They say Lord Hanuman was born at this place but it isn't so. The temple houses a huge idol of Lord Hanuman in meditative cross legged posture.

Photography is allowed with a few representatives of a trust sitting on desks to the left of the main entrance collecting donations for a new enhanced temple in addition to the existing infrastructure. The entire temple complex is situated on a hillock from which the vast area that sprawls below it, can be surveyed to reveal a lovely countryside.

  Do spend a few moments before finally embarking the final of your travelogue to the Jyotrling.

• TRIMBAKESHWAR: After revving up the engines the hungry tyres again kissed the beautifully laid metaled road slowly gaining elevation with each passing mile. The remaining journey was scenic with green verdant hills overlooking the entire landscape. Somewhere close to Trimbakeshawar ,noticed this abandoned temple , cordoned off to the public. 

 

The parking space was crowded and had absolutely no idea where the temple was located. We just followed the crowd and not long we had a glimpse of this ancient temple for which we had embarked on a rather long sojourn.

The way to the temple was awash with cute souvenirs strewn on a piece of cloth on either side of this busy thoroughfare.

The temple compound is littered with shops with the main entrance to the temple guarded by uniformed policemen. The entrance into the temple premises is a frisking affair and one cant take one's mobile or any photographic equipment inside, its prohibited. Similarly, one's shoes are also prohibited. So fellow travellers do take note of this and plan accordingly.
However, before depositing my cam in a cloak room , I fell for these lovely flowers.

Proceeding in a long queqe , entered with a joyous heart to have a darshan of Lord Shiva and little did I knew and wasnt prepared what was yet to come. The queuq to the temple was like no other I have witnessed before. It was a tortous hell. One had to travel in a never ending zigzag serpentine queue that stretched till eternity. It took 95min after I entered into the temple to have a darshan. So travellers beware, do empty your bladders and your bowels before entering for the darshan.
Once inside, it was rush and was pushed away without being able to behold for a second the sight of the Lord. Even before recovering from this bewildering mad mad rush I was standing outside the temple, in the courtyard.

Taking a last click before leaving , I contemplated the meaning of it all, to have come here from so far away.

I'm not a religious person but often find intriguing to visit religious places. Having traveled the length & breath of my amazing country , Trimbakeshwar is unique in many considerations.  The architecture of the temple is a eye-catching with sloping parallelepiped structure and constructed of an unique stone,perhaps endemic to the area.
They say there are 12 jyotrlings in India, well certainly it is the most scenic of them all.

Au Revoir!