Dhurandhar, and Why It Felt Personal

I had stopped going to Hindi movies in theaters. Not suddenly — just gradually. A trailer would come out, I’d watch it, feel mildly interested… and then do nothing. Maybe I’d tell myself I’ll catch it on OTT. Most of the time, I never did. Somewhere along the way, watching a movie stopped feeling like something to look forward to. It started feeling like a gamble — and more often than not, not worth taking. Even the shortcuts didn’t help. I’d skim through reviews, scroll past reactions, try to get a sense of whether it was “worth it.” But none of it really made the decision easier. If anything, it just reinforced the hesitation. The hesitation followed me even after Dhurandhar Part 1 released. I didn’t rush to watch it. In fact, I waited almost a month. But then something interesting started happening. The reactions didn’t line up. Most of what I was seeing was positive — people seemed genuinely excited about it. But there was also a noticeable pushback from some co...

To Rolla

Across seas and oceans I set;
An appetite for studies to get;
Amidst family and friends,
A flight to catch the new trends

Bangalore to Bombay; an early call,
A delay of an hour; what a pall!
With sleepy eyes and tired faces,
We caught our places!!

A wait in Bombay; four hours;
All the time in the world; it was ours,
New friends joined the fray,
We were then well on our way!!

Bombay to Chicago through London,
A long journey, we weren't undone,
An Andhra couple were company,
We talked too many!!

A flight journey too long,
The air hostess' all along,
Fed us with food and beverages,
I thought I slept for ages!!

Chicago it was; O Hare airport,
Too huge compared to our port,
Through with immigration and customs,
Carrying our bags which weighed tons!!

American Airlines to St. Louis,
One more security check through,
At last the final flight of the leg,
People were comfortable with a peg

A cab from the airport,
Rolla it was, the final port.
No more flights to catch,
I was one of the first in the batch!!

The night at the seniors' place,
The streets; not a soul to trace,
A quiet town to while your time,
Without having to spend much dime!!

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