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    Movie – Kung fu Yoga Written and directed by Stanley Tong Star Cast - Jackie Chan, Aarif Rahman, Yixing Zhang, Sonu Sood, Disha Patani, Amyra Dastur, Mia Muqi 'Kung Fu Yoga' is a Sino-Indian project that is a part of the three-film agreement signed between the two countries during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India.   Premiere show at Novo Cinemas, Ibn Batuta Mall, Dubai on 30th Jan 2017   I am conflicted about my review of the movie. It’s mixed. It was an entertainer for sure but there are just about too many things about the movie that pinched me. There was an attempt to make the movie into a roller coaster ride … a not so successful attempt. There are too many things wrong about the movie so let me first talk about a few of the good points before I start my rant about a missed opportunity and waste of talent. The movie, like most Jackie Chan movies, was an action comedy entertainer. There was plenty of action and there w...

  Book: The Calling: Unleash Your True Self Author: Priya Kumar No. of Pages: 166 Genre: Self Development, Self-help books Publisher: Books That Inspire   The book blurb says … The Calling   is a spiritual adventure. It is an encounter with the truth, the wisdom and the force that is innate to us all. At the brink of a divorce and personal breakdown, Arjun took a trip into the heart of the Himalayas, on the insistence of a sadhu, who predicted that the journey up to Hemkund Sahib would align him to his purpose and change his life forever. At every turn the mountains holds secrets and tests that urge Arjun to evolve into the person he had denied to be - himself. Pretenses, falsities, confusions and untruths fall apart as Arjun is forced to confront the mess he had created in his life. What started off as an opportunity to escape reality, turned out to be an opportunity to escape from the dwindling spiral of self-created misery. Filled with...

Book Review: Metro Diaries Part 2 by Namrata     I liked it. A collection of 20 touching everyday-life stories. Stories that caress your heart and pull some strings. Make you stop reading and make you feel nostalgic and thoughtful at times. You begin to imagine yourself in the stories ... especially since quite a few (or is it all?) are written in first person narrative Want some heart-touching eye moistening read ... pick this up.   It is easy to connect with the stories and you are drawn to the inner demons of the characters in the story. The first person narration makes it personal and very real you … the reader. I read these mushy and emotional stories after a series of high octane action thrillers (Jack West Jr. series of 3 novels by Matthew Reilly) so the impact was drastic. From Hollywood style action to highly emotional and touchy stories. I enjoyed reading them.   Here are some quotes from Metro Diaries Part 2 ... take ...

About the Book: Give life another chance. Laugh a little longer. let go of your past. Hold onto what you love. In short LIVE rather than just exist! Some told, some untold, some heard and some unheard - this collection of stories will make you look at life in a different light and make you ponder over its definition of it till now. Goodreads I Amazon Reviews for Metro Diaries 1: After touching your hearts with 'Metro Diaries - Love Classics' she is back now with stories that will redefine life for you! The stories in Metro Diaries - Love Classics are free from any trappings of youthful slang and fashionable language stunts. These young adults are speaking to the readers with Namrata’s maturity shining through, and Namrata’s ideas of love. - Sakshi Nanda   The language is fairly pleasant to read and the elaborate discussions between characters in each story must have taken a lot of work – because the most difficult job of all authors is to bring ou...

The Story of a Suicide is a complex story Complex because it tries to represent Life … and Life is Complex. Complex because it tries to bring together the challenges that the youth face today … and those challenges are complex. Not because they are really complex … but because the youth is subjected to peer pressure as well as certain delusions of perceptions that make things complicated for themselves. Complex because there are so many real as well as perceived challenges out there for the youth … and there are more perceived challenges against the small number of ‘real’ challenges. The youth gets confused between the real and perceived (as well as imaginary) challenges and get their priorities wrong; messing up their lives. I am sure you think I am being overly harsh in my judgment and you might be saying “as if you were never young Hemant?” … But seriously … do you remember hearing of the ‘numerous’ suicide cases or have you heard of references of p...

The Conspiracy at Meru (Vikramaditya Veergatha # 2) VICTORY IS TEMPORARY. THE BATTLE IS ETERNAL. Vikramaditya and his Council of Nine have fought valiantly to repel the rampaging hordes from Devaloka and Patala – but Avanti has been brought to its knees. Ujjayini lies battered its citizens are scared and morale is badly shaken. Meanwhile, the barbaric Hunas and Sakas are gathering on the horizon and cracks are emerging between the allied kingdoms of Sindhuvarta. The only silver lining is that the deadly Halahala is safe. For now. Bent on vengeance, Indra is already scheming to destroy Vikramaditya, while Shukracharya has a plan that can spell the doom for the Guardians of the Halahala. How long can the human army hold out against the ferocity and cunning of the devas and asuras? And will Vikramaditya’s love for his queen come in the way of his promise to Shiva? Goodreads  *  Amazon The deadly Halahala, the all-devouring poison churned from ...

  Book: The Last Love Story Author: Falguni Kothari No. of Pages: 300 Genre: Fiction Publisher: Falguni Kothari   The book blurb … I, Simeen Desai, am tired of making lemonade with the lemons life has handed me. Love is meant to heal wounds. Love was meant to make my world sparkle and spin. Love has ripped my life apart and shattered my soul. I love my husband, and he loves me. But Nirvaan is dying. I love my husband. I want to make him happy. But he is asking for the impossible. I don’t want a baby. I don’t want to make nice with Zayaan. I don’t want another chance at another love story. ***WARNING*** Weepers, keep tissues handy.   Review … I am speechless. In a way, I am all praise about the book, its writing, the author and all. I couldn't say enough to justify the 5 star rating and my personal bias towards giving it 6 or more stars out of 5. I am numb. The book is an emotionally charged roller coaster with a very...