india

‘Powder’ Deserved A Renewed Series

March 6, 2018 Happenings

Netflix is streaming Powder right now, a must-watch cult show, which prompted me to talk about this engrossing series. It was during 2010 that Yash Raj Films — that eponymous name in the world of movie entertainment in India, decided to experiment with producing Hindi television shows with YRF Television and partnered with Sony Entertainment Television. They brought some soaps such as Mahi Way, Seven, Lift Kara De, Rishta.com, to name a few spanning different genres, but personally, none of them appealed to my sensibilities. Though for whatever reason, they should be thanked for making a brilliant TV show during the time, which I believe perhaps to be the best in crime drama in the history of Indian television which is Powder, and so fabulously directed by Atul Sabharwal.

It’s a story exploring the life of an honest officer Usman Ali Malik (played by Manish Chaudhury) heading the Mumbai branch of the Narcotics Control Bureau who is in relentless pursuit of a drug smuggler called Naved Ansari, magnificently portrayed by Pankaj Tripathi and his henchmen. The plot is engaging and original on several fronts; notwithstanding the awesome performances by its supporting cast including Geetika Tyagi, Rahul Bagga, et al, the scrupulous focus on the inner workings of various drug enforcement agencies in India suggests that the crew may have undertaken tremendous research in writing the story, the authentic cinematography, sound, and the action sequences (directed by the veteran action director Sham Kaushal) on the streets of Bombay makes this series deserving of our attention more often than once. No doubt, there was an enormous potential to improve & advance the storyline, which also makes me wonder if an intelligent and truthful narrative such as Powder didn’t deserve a fresh reboot or inspired similar plots on the small screen then what hope do we have for our talented Hindi TV writers?

India Is No.1 In ODI Rankings

February 14, 2018 Happenings

Close on the heels of a remarkable world cup campaign by the U-19s, India has now toppled South Africa to take the no.1 spot in the latest ICC ODI Championship rankings which happened after they beat the Proteas by 73 runs in the 5th ODI at Port Elizabeth on Feb-13. India is also the top-ranked team in test cricket today.

The Indians have outclassed the opposition in 9 consecutive ODI bilateral series and are on a roll in the shorter format of the game at this point. Under Kohli’s captaincy, this team has won their first ever bilateral ODI series against South Africa which they’re leading 4-1 with one more match to be played. In their current form, I would have to admit they’re my favourite team to win the 2019 World Cup to be held in England & Wales provided they’d have sorted out their middle-order batting woes by then. Ironically, their next ODI series is in July versus England and it’d be interesting to watch the spinners perform in English conditions.

Here’s a list of India’s successive ODI bilateral series Wins from June 2016 to present Feb 2018:

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  • Vs Zimbabwe – 3-0 in Zimbabwe
  • Vs New Zealand – 3-2 in India
  • Vs England – 2-1 in India
  • Vs West Indies – 3-1 in West Indies
  • Vs Sri Lanka – 5-0 in Sri Lanka
  • Vs Australia – 4-1 in India
  • Vs New Zealand – 2-1 in India
  • Vs Sri Lanka – 2-1 in India
  • Vs South Africa – 5-1 in South Africa (1 match to go)

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West Indies had the most consecutive bilateral series wins of 14 between May 1980 – March 1988 so I am hoping we continue to win more matches!

India U-19s Lift The Cricket World Cup

February 3, 2018 Happenings

Woke up to the news that the India U-19s cricket team – which had done extremely well in the tournament overall, had won the U-19 Cricket World Cup defeating Australia in the finals by 8 wickets. Opener Manjot Kalra remained unbeaten on 101 (102) and was declared the Player of The Match. India has most U-19 World Cup wins now with 4, second only to the Aussies with 3 wins. More than anything, this ought to be a proud moment for one of Indian’s greatest batsmen and now the U-19 head coach Rahul Dravid. Unfortunately, I was not able to catch on any of the live matches but I did see some clips of the captain Prithvi Shaw, who along with his teammates (I’m looking at you Porel and Nagarkoti) have become favourites to be picked for the India seniors’ team. It’s special to win a world cup alone, but what’s magnificent is to win it convincingly without losing a match in the tournament. Bravo Team India!

Source: Scorecard on ESPNCricInfo

India’s Republic Day Extravaganza

January 26, 2018 Happenings

Always intrigued by India and its Republic Day Parade and more than ever before since Doordarshan began live streaming it on YouTube. This was the 69th Republic Day and it was a grand show. The timezone difference notwithstanding I watched the entire programme until the wee hours of the morning with a great sense of pride. The 10 premiers of the ASEAN nations were the chief guests for the celebrations which had its moments of grandeur, but as always, my interest was ignited by the military equipment which wasn’t limited to the Bhishma T-90 tanks, the Akash SAM battery, and the BRAHMOS cruise missiles, although I would have appreciated seeing the most talked about Agni-V ICBM with a range of >5000 km, and then the military regiments in their vibrant colours putting their best foot forward in tandem. But it was the skilful acrobatic display of the BSF women cadets on bikes which were the most extraordinary. Altogether, it was a magnificent demonstration of India’s military might and cultural diversity on this special day. Jai Hind!