Truly Yours Roma’s Verdict on Mission Mangal

I am undoubtedly late in penning this one but that cannot stop me from writing on those selective movies I wish to give a place on my blog. Last couple of months have been very taxing with regards to a lot of significant decisions which needed to be made along with the recovery from surgery and both my blog baby and my baby, my son have been totally neglected. In fact signing up for my ‘My Friend Alexa’ was an attempt to give some focus to the former. For the latter, his exams ended last Saturday and I kept my promise of a movie date with him that very evening. We zeroed on Mission Mangal as it is a science non-fiction and is inspired by ISRO’s commendable Mars Mission. In the past too, I have meticulously picked up movies, which would make the kiddo learn something at this impressionable age as well as have some fun with popcorns in the theatre.

Honestly speaking the first few negative reviews of the movie on social media did damp my spirits for some time but then I decided to watch it to judge it. I am glad I did and here is a common woman’s review of the movie straight from the heart. Please not that I am not a person who will judge something by its shortfalls rather I will weigh it on its merits.

First and foremost, in my opinion, every Indian must watch this flick, to feel proud of our motherland and its phenomenal space missions so far. Especially do take the children of your house to watch this one, they have so much to learn, so much to enjoy, so much to observe and absorb here. We enjoyed every bit of it and were left hugely motivated. 

The movie is about India’s maiden mission to Mars called M.O.M.S. originally, under tight resources conditions and by chosen few scientists with impeccable intellect and the desire to make things work no matter how hard they get. The climax of the movie where they eventually succeed after a number of hurdles, made each one of us overwhelmed and ecstatic. It was so involving each moment that we really wanted the mission to succeed at the end. It was a weekend, the theatre was full and everyone rejoiced in the moment clapping hard.

I particularly loved Vidya Balan’s beautiful portrayal of a worthy scientist juggling beautifully between her dreams and family. Akshay was as good as ever, I like his simple-heartedness in most of his roles. All other support cast was good, not overdoing their stuff, and there was enough dramatisation in the movie to get it in the Bollywood Commercial segment. Apart from one scene, where Tapsee Pannu learn’s car driving which only God knows why it was inserted in a mass movie, I liked the movie every bit.

The movie is also a fine example of socially relevant topics like women are at par with men at work, birthing a baby cannot stop a woman from achieving her goals, all religions are equal, a revolutionary task always faces rigorous opposition and several others, all packed well.

Appearance of P.M. Narendra Modi at the end of the movie further accentuated our emotions and we left with proud, content and elated hearts. Eventually India had embraced to make movies on worthy subjects with entertainment and educational value complementing each other wonderfully in suitable promotions.

Truly Yours Roma rates Mission Mangal:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you like what I write, you can grab the copies of my four published books here: The Fragrance of True Love, Destiny's Favorite Child, Dare to Defy The Destiny and Empowered Women Empower Women

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#Movie #Review: 10 Reasons You Should or Should Not Watch The Latest Shahrukh Khan Release #Zero

 

This earnest review also featured on Momspresso went #Viral and has already garnered 3,08,ooo+ Views and still counting. I am overwhelmed by the love. Stay Connected for more such updates!

This is weird but at the onset let me confess I am not a commercial Bollywood films buff and have a penchant for parallel meaningful cinema yet something unique always intrigues me. This is a reason when I received a special invite to watch the first day first show of Shahrukh Khan’s latest release ‘ZERO’ by Shahrukh Fan Club, I most humbly accepted it.

It was a wonderful event organized by one of the largest fan club of Shahrukh Khan, SRK Universe and the energy and excitement in the multiplex were phenomenal. SRK Universe, Pune's admin by Mr. Anand Kadam made the occasion special by ending the special screening with a cake cutting ceremony by Cerebral Palsy patients from Sancheti hospital-Ravindra Lankal and Prasad Pote and the children of the orphanage-Nirankar Balgram and some awesome celebrations by SRK fans. I and kiddo really enjoyed and appreciated their gesture and found it worth a mention here.

Well, getting to the point straight, let me quickly summarise below my 10 point review of the movie and why you should or should not watch it.

1. You should watch it for the beautiful portrayal of a dwarf by one of the finest actors of the Indian Film Industry. I am glad he is not portrayed as an always goodie goodie charming hero and I so loved the grey shades of his character and the quirk in his eyes.

2. You should watch it for the strong characterization of a physically disabled woman in the movie, played aptly by Anushka Sharma. She plays an eminent scientist who suffers from Cerebral Palsy and personifies the intellect and emotional balance often expected from a person of that stature.

3. You should watch it for the unusual love story of this metric pass dwarf and the internationally renowned wheelchair ridden scientist.

4. You should watch it to find out what the paranoid Movie Star played by the gorgeous Katrina Kaif does in their love story. Hers is a small role in the movie but worthy every way.

5. I loved Salman Khan’s cameo in the film, he brings in his intrinsic charm as well all the leading Bollywood ladies who appear for a scene especially Sridevi, she looked gorgeous, who knew this would be her last release.

6. You should watch this movie for some lovely surprises which I will not reveal for you here and you know the reason why 😉

7. Music of the film is good and it was adorable to see King Khan’s fan break into an impromptu dance in front of the screen for most of them. Children will absolutely love NASA(renamed in the movie) kind of experience in the movie.

8. The movie is a comic romance and does justice to its genre though I feel the direction and emotional drama could have been more sensitively and sensibly weaved but this is just an opinion of a common man sorry woman. Also, I have this hidden desire to actually see a Raju Hirani's version of this story someday.

9. Most importantly for me, it’s a movie with a lot of meaningful messages. A dwarf can lead a perfect and ambitious life and should be accepted in a society like anyone else. The same goes for a person with a disability physical or mental and it is impeccably portrayed and so is the protagonist’s friendship with a friend. These were small points I loved explaining to my kid as he embraced the willingness to accept everyone with his or her share of follies.

10. Well, I have no reason to actually tell you why you should not watch this movie though I understand it will not go down the sensibilities of the some of Shahrukh fans. You should actually watch it to witness the amalgamation of a commercial Bollywood Masala with meaningful Parallel Cinema.

The verdict of a Common Woman: Truly Yours Roma rates it  ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .

Copyright © 2014-2018 by Roma Gupta Sinha

All rights reserved. This article or any portion thereof

may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

without the express written permission of the author

If you like what i write, you can grab a copy of my 3 published books here The Fragrance of True Love, Destiny's Favorite Child and Dare to Defy The Destiny

5 Top #Bollywood #Movies of 2017-18 That Appeased The Moviegoer In Me

I believe in meaningful entertaining cinema and I am so proud Bollywood is now embracing strong subjects with wide arms and is not showing any aversions to taking all the risk of the universe to make and promote a movie on a subject they strongly believe in. The result is overwhelming love and appreciation from the audience who themselves have evolved over the period.

If you go by the verdict of a common woman, so far late 2017 and early 2018 has been a fantastic time for an ardent movie lover in me, who loves to spend her money for getting entertained by powerful, meaningful and entertaining cinema. I have enjoyed these valuable movies as an audience who emotes with the character of the movies, as a mom, who has long waited for movies like this to come more often so that she can merrily tuck along her child to get strong values of humanity get embedded in him passively as he enjoys his popcorn and as a proud citizen of our mother nation who desires her country to rise and shine beyond all odds.

Below I have curated a list of my chosen best five films of 2017-18, from among a couple more which I have really appreciated but they miss to be here just by a trifle margin.

1. Secret Superstar: What a fabulous visualization of how far a mother can go in making her little precious, her daughter, fulfill her dreams. Can there be a better gift we can give our children then giving them wings to make their dreams come true. This was such a candid and sensitive portrayal by director Advait Chandan of mom-daughter duo played by Zaira Wasim(daughter) and Meher Vij(mom), I absolutely loved it to the core and felt the emotions deep within. Hats Off to Aamir Khan Productions for bringing up the subject.

2. Hichki: Well earnestly, I haven’t heard of Tourette Syndrome until I watched this superb movie which has combined an impending social issue of giving right to education to the children of weaker sections of society and the protagonist’s not getting an acceptance in the profession she wished to join because of her rare syndrome. It was absolute delight how the two complement each other and come out victorious in the end. Rani Mukherjee marveled as the lead star and I had valuable time with my kid watching this movie as well the above, in fact all five that I am enumerating here.

3. Raazi: Another strong subject and kudos to director Meghna Gulzar for choosing to adopt the novel ‘Calling Sehmat’ by Harinder Sikka inspired by real events into a movie. It is a story of patriotism of an Indian Spy who marries her daughter in Pakistan to continue his legacy and pull out vital information for their motherland. Alia Bhatt’s portrayal as this young girl is impeccable. Her dilemma between her love for her motherland and her naive and extremely loving husband is heart-wrenching and very relatable. A nice decently made movie, I recommend it as a must watch for every Indian whether you watch in a theater or a T.V. channel like Zee Cinema, Movies Ok, Zee, Sony Pix etc.

4. 102 Not Out: A beautiful tale of two fathers played by Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor where the former plays latter‘s dad. How the dad brings back his son’s zeal to live life king size without letting him know his intentions is wit fully shown in this movie. Rishi Kapoor has stolen my heart for the sensitive and vulnerable portrayal of a dad who longs for his son who is settled abroad. Truly the legends made the movie all the more worthwhile.

5. Soorma: I went to watch this one on the behest of the two sports lover boys, mister husband and my little son and I am glad I did otherwise I would have never known the true tale of the legend Sandeep Singh.I guess Diljit Dosanjh was the most ideal choice for the lead role as an innocent and impulsive village lad who initially embraces hockey for his lady love. I was equally bowled over in sheer admiration by Angad Bedi who played his elder brother. A sweet and inspiring movie, an absolute must match( you can read my full review on this movie here). 

Please note that these films were my heart’s favorites and I have not judged and evaluated them on the technicalities and critical parameters but as a common man sorry woman who is a die-hard movie buff but of good cinema and who loves to express her opinion on anything and everything under the sun. I trust you would have loved these movies equally and if you haven’t watched them yet, you absolutely need to watch them soon😊.

Copyright © 2014-2018 by Roma Gupta Sinha

All rights reserved. This article or any portion thereof

may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

without the express written permission of the author

#Review of #Movie #Soorma : Testimony of a Brother's Love to make his Sibling a Legend

Over the years we have gradually graduated from the newly weds who every Friday flocked the theater to watch the first day first show of most movies, to considerate parents who wisely scrutinize what would be best for their nine year old's impressionable young mind and accordingly decide which movie to watch though on a broader spectrum we wish him to be exposed to everything. Nevertheless, movies based on sports or sports personalities are always the first choices of both the sports buff boys ~ daddy and sonny.

Thus, no points for guessing, as we packed our bags to a weekend getaway to have some monsoon nature fun, we decided to watch the movie, #Soorma on the way and it really turned out to be a very nice, clean and worth a watch movie. Pure unadulterated Bollywood flick with multiple emotions and every character, every relation beautifully and mostly positively weaved.

The film is based on the real life comeback story of hockey legend Sandeep Singh who gets paralyzed waist down when a bullet hits him accidentally in a train. Actor, singer Diljit Dosanjh I felt is the most befitting fit for the innocent Sardar that Sandeep Singh is from his childhood. That innocence was vital to be kept alive to justify the cuteness of the character and to keep the audience enthralled and enticed as he played class hockey for India and got the nickname 'Soorma'. Diljit no doubt was good as a vulnerable lover as well as an impulsive yet profound player.

But if you ask me what I loved most about the movie, it was a pure testimony of an elder brother's love who himself has trained for years to be in Indian Hockey Team when his younger brother opts out in childhood itself. Though he himself doesn't get picked up for the national squad, he goes out of the way in discovering and getting honed his brother's unique talent. Also, he stands like a wall for his brother in every single need of his and was a treat to watch. Angad Bedi you sure nailed this buddy and you remained my favorite for most of the film.

Tapsee Pannu played Sandeep Sharma's love interest and did a fair job as was envisioned for a character which narrates the tale in the movie. Vijay Raaz as Sandeep's Coach definitely deserves a mention for impeccably essaying any role that he is ever given to him...I really love them all. Every other character of the movie was wonderful and relatable.

What I also loved about the movie was that Shaad Ali has kept the biopic simple and straight from the heart and has steered clear of unnecessary bollywood drama and masala to it. Of course the hockey fans were left wanting to know more about the ace player's thought process and strategies when on field but for a commoner like me, the movie did the job and made my weekend pleasant.

Truly Yours Roma's verdict on this movie is no matter what is your favorite genre, this movie is a must one time watch for every Indian because it is not always about cricket. Hockey is our national sport and I wish and pray it reclaims its lost glory soon. 

A huge round of applause for the Soorma Team ! I also wish more such movies are made are we inspire more and more children pick up sports and make themselves and their country proud :)

For more straight from the heart #reviews follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook here :)

Copyright © 2014-2018 by Roma Gupta Sinha

All rights reserved. This article or any portion thereof

may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

without the express written permission of the author

Bringing to you the Jug of my Dear Zindagi

I am not a movie buff but meaningful cinema close to real life is very me and I really look forward to such soft touching films with a heart-warming and thoughts tinkling message.

One such movie which is going to hit the theaters soon is 'Dear Zindagi' whose teasers have appeased my soul and persuaded and coaxed me enough to dig out most secrets about it before I watch the first day first show on 25th November.. This is when I discovered my all time favorite The Majestic Shahrukh Khan plays a bestie to the bubbly Alia Bhatt in the much awaited movie. Alia lovingly calls his most trustable friend Jahangir Khan the reel name of Shahrukh in this heartwarming tale as 'JUG' which is quite amusing as well as interesting and the real story behind the nomenclature still remains a tight lipped secret. As I  gear up to watch this magical movie made by my favorite director Gauri Shinde, I thought why not I share about the Jug of my life too, who is the sweetest piece of my heart.

She is none other than my most beloved and hidden from the world friend Kirti. Well it is rare that a writer falls short of words to describe her friendship but the magical relationship that I have with her is one whose divine bonding all the words of the world put  together fail to describe.
She is my 2 a.m. best buddy who is a incomparable magical pot of right advises for you no matter how tricky a situation you are trapped in. We have been together for over 10 years and it's not that we meet everyday but whenever we do the amount of fun, giggling and naughtiness that fills the atmosphere is one of its kind and if not we are united in our words  and deeds forever through our phones.

What keeps the spark of our friendship alive is the way our attributes complement each other. While I am an emotional creative bee she is one sweet girl always bubbling with practical wisdom.She is a bond and a wonderful  homemaker, an example of perfection to so many. I love her impeccable ways of dealing with the most gruesome situations of life where anyone would have given up but she pulled through and not just barely managed but adorably so.

I have innumerable sweet memories with her and I continue weaving infinite more each day.We were married the same year and were immediate neighbors, that's how we met. While I worked from 7 to 7 it was worth the effort for a hot cup of tea she served me with all her prudence and love each day when I returned. That is where a strong foundation of our friendship was laid. Our children were born with a difference of 26 days too. God has united us like two real soul sisters do and I can never be grateful enough to Almighty for conferring her to me.Later she shifted to Mumbai and me to Pune but the strings of our heart are connected in a priceless bond. We talk each day and I love to love her and soak myself in her unconditional life and guidance.

She is and will always continue to be the fragrance of my life, my JUG, this little piece is an ode to our friendship, love.

“I am writing about Jug in my life for the #DearZindagi activity at BlogAdda“.

Dear Zindagi, here's an Earnest Note of Gratitude to you Straight from the Heart ❤❤

Dear Zindagi,

I am so happy writing to you today,  eventually. For long, I owed this note of gratitude to you for making me destiny's chosen child and teaching me how to weave the tit  bits of joy and drop the elongated strands of setbacks, while sailing through this precious journey with you. When the world abandoned me right at my birth for being a girl child, you held my tiny finger firmly and became my first inspiration to live. Probably in those overwhelming moments I had learnt to stay positive no matter how hard the circumstances hit. No on else but you taught me how to spread my first smile which I flaunt till date with equal pride.

Amidst all the turmoil, you gave me my awesome dad who took me away promising himself to always protect his tiny damsel. Can I thank you enough for this blessing? Mom selflessly sacrificed her ambitions to give me the right foundation. Again, Can I thank you enough for conferring her to me...

Life for me thereafter became a bed of equal number of roses and thorns but I am glad you have taught me how to hold on the dimmest ray of hope in a room dark.Thus at the age of 4 when I was sent to live with my maternal grandparents for seeking better education and my parents could not manage time to come and meet me,  I already knew  destiny has decided to test its favorite child again but you know what, you have already given me the confidence to take life in my stride as it comes.

My fondness for you thus kept multiplying with every passing day. I always feel you are my best friend to whom I pour out my heart each day for umpteen years. From you crops my Divine connection to Writing. You are my favorite Teacher who lets me learn it all the hard way by facing and experiencing every situation head on. And did I say, I truly enjoy your company.

You best aspect is you challenge me by entrapping me in tricky situations, you get my social science board exam marks printed at 46 in place of 96 on the mark-sheet and then you make me fight hard to come out victorious with flying colors. You make me miss my counseling call for an All India Rank of 436 in Engineering Entrance Examination and then you get me admission in a college where I meet my eternal soulmate. How much I adore this hide and seek of ours when you chose to grant me two biggest joys of my life, my dream job and the news of my pregnancy on the same day leaving me to fathom the dilemma and clear my mind on my priorities.

Of course there are moments when I curse you for testing me like hell but I guess now I appease myself stating that I am your favorite and this is your way of enriching my journey. Thus it's only pure love that oozes out for you from my heart. I want to hug you tight, the way I used to hug mom before she left for heavenly abode many years back. That time was really tough and thank you for giving me the inner strength to take care of my dad and little brother.

With failing words, I express my gratitude to you for being such a worthy companion through thick and thin and embracing me wholeheartedly like your own baby. Thank you for not abandoning me at any stage and holding on firmly to the tiny finger you had held at my birth. Thank you for the wonderful gifts you have enriched my life with, my precious half and my little bundle of joy.Thank you for making me capable to look into the eyes of worst and live life king size on my own terms.Thank you #DearZindagi, over and over again for everything, I truly owe my heart to you, forever and ever..

Hey, I witness some beautiful moments of you in the upcoming flick which is named after you - 'Dear Zindagi'. It stars the King Khan and Alia Bhatt and is yet another lovely tale of yours. Come let's watch it together.

                                                                                ~Truly Yours Roma 

“I am writing a letter to life for the #DearZindagi activity at BlogAdda“.

                          Copyright ©2016 Roma Gupta Sinha 

This Post is also linked to  NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) which challenges you to a blog post every single day in November. Publish posts daily, meet other bloggers, and try something new.

                      

I Invite You to Watch ABC - An Inspirational Short Film with A Purpose

Money we can amass by heaps but does it bring equal happiness too. NOT necessarily, then how can we get happiness or rather how can we assimilate what true happiness is? For me happiness is a state of mind and our own perception of our well being. When we cease to indulge in unnecessary expectation and focus on our karma, I guess we reach a state of satiation and become happy.
 
Friends, feel proud to present to you a Special Invite for a Strong and With a Purpose Short Film produced by a dear friend Shajan Samuel. The film titled 'ABC' is about a young inspirational boy whose dad has left for the heavenly abode and who was a fourth grade dropout but that never deters his confidence, knowledge seeking ability and ambition..This young lad is charismatic and knows the mantra for real happiness.  The story unfolds beautifully as he meets a young entrepreneur teaching us crisply some worthy lessons of life.

Meaningful cinema has always impacted me deeply and it is great to see Short Films Genre rising to the occasion and doing a stupendous job in reaching minds and hearts. This 15 minute movie directed by Madan Ram Venkatesh and produced by Shajan Samuel Productions is undoubtedly a perfect example of the same and no wonder it is garnering an overwhelming response from the viewers and critic alike.

ABC: Produced By 'Shanjan Samuel Productions"

Here's what Shajan Samuel wrote to us:

Pleasure connecting with the Readers of Straight From The Heart. Friends, I recently produced one of the costliest self funded short films in recent times ABC. I made the film to usher in a new paradigm in new short film making . My bread & butter doesn't come from making films , therefore I make cinema to bring socially relevant messages to the forefront , in other words issues which needs to reach out to a wider audience or needs immediate attention . I find cinema a compelling medium which can transcend geography . I would request that if you can devote 16 minutes of your precious time and watch the film & if you do like please do share it with your friends we can only but spread happiness and the message of optimism around. 

This short films candidly essays how for some people life is about triumph against all odds while for some life is only about complexities. Some walk through this road aimlessly and some; actually become the bridge. ABC is a short film that showcases the dichotomy between two extreme yet simple individuals. It is an empowering film which has the dexterity & optimism to resonate amongst all sections of audience. As humans, we do tend to forget that we are but one world than just mere economy, that it can just take one human, just one moment, just one action to turn around the paths of millions. ABC is just a sweet gentle reminder of this thought.

Kudos to the Producers of this film who are both senior professionals for self funding this short film to get their message known to the world. They lovingly call it a feature film as all the technical aspects of the film are at par with Commercial cinema. The protagonists look adorable and the scenes are profoundly weaved to keep us hooked and simultaneously think.The two characters are impeccably portrayed by Shruthi Hariharan and Master Shahbaaz Saleem who make us fall in love with them almost instantaneously. Story is quite fresh and exhibits great shades of humanity.

I have found ABC hugely impressive for its finesse in its modus operandi and would request all my readers to watch this too and take home sheer happiness. Why wait, you can now watch the screening of this wonderful film right here on your favorite blog by clicking below. Made ‘Straight From The Heart’, this cute flick is definitely worth a watch and if like me you find it really worthy, do share it with your family and friends. After all happiness is meant to be shared.

          This post is also linked to UBC and Daily Chatter