India's Gold

In 1991, India had to pledge all its 60-plus tonne gold reserves with Bank of England to bail out a payment crisis. In 2011, justt Mannepuram Finance has created an outstanding gold loan book equivalent to 61 tonnes of gold. Looks like Indians are pulling gold out of their closets finally. Its also good for the country to monetise its "hidden" gold reserves.

On KBC

Watching KBC is always fun. But quizzers (K-Circle, Mastermind...) are filtered out. You make it if are a sophomore. Thats how the house keeps most money. The trickiest question is the 4-part Q - e.g which comes first- b, d, a, c. That kind. You need nimble fingers like forex traders for that - knowledge doesn't help. Talking about the lifelines, the worst is 'phone a friend'. In 90 seconds, you can google out the answer but by then, only the question gets read out. Has to be a way out of this.

Future of Blogging

Social NW sites like Facebook and G+ are changing the future of blogging. I used to blog & send sms reviews till recently. Now FB is a defacto blog of sorts for me. One day, it seems, FB will own my thoughts, map my mind because much content nowadays is self-published thus. At another level, journos and writers shy away from FB because it doesn't "pay". I am happy to be a FB journalist as unlike Naipaul, I follow "other" careers. Interesting times - Blog is dead. Long live blogging thru FB etc.

On Anna

Those who express solidarity with Anna by lighting candles/taking morcha - wouldn't hesitate to bribe policema/jump signals. There's a difference between "circle of concern" and "circle of influence". As TTR said, lighting a candle/shouting on TV are "circle of concern" acts. Circle of Influence - take a stand not to pay bribes - either Sub-inspector or Sub-Registrar. We need circles of influence - not symbolic acts of circles of concern. Its all about self-integrity - Anna or No Anna.

On Shammi Kapoor

Even to my parents who are only now barely checking emails, original Yahoo voice Shammi Kapoor was a rage. Whichever way you look at, Shammi is a darling character who will inspire many people. When there was no online world, his movies showcased Kashmir to the world. Go, travel and sing and rock and roll! And he did this when he faced an identity crisis - superstar elder brother, and Dev and Dilip. He proved that if you are original and true to your self, the world will notice you. Even going past his prime when angry young men, disco dancers and forlorn lover superstars dominated the silver screen, Shammi stayed current playing unobstrusive character roles - fathering reigning and emerging stars. Then Yahoo! came again - embracing technology to beat loneliness - and giving superstars like Aamir Khan - a lucky reason to release audios. He would have been eighty this October - but still he stayed current till the last. Even the electric chair he used to move around in the last months of his life, he got it online it seems. What message of courage, positivity, inspired living, unique personality and staying alive till you wither away. Off to another planet - Shammi will find his next act soon.

"Kandireega"

"Kandireega" is high-voltage drama of non-stop comedy from debut Director Santosh resembling "Dhee" and "Ready". Despite bizarre twists and often subhuman violence stylised as stunts, its a clean family fare. Hero Ram who apes Prince and Powerstar carries the film on his shoulders well. Sonu Sood can settle as a 6-pack comi-villain in Tollywood. Thaman's hit music, Director's dialogues and deft script makes this entertaining even if unoriginal. Longer by 20 mins.

"Dhada"

"Dhada" means terror/shiver in Telugu. It stars lucky heroine Kajal and effeminate turned he-man Naga Chaitanya. DSP scores music. Brahmanandam,Ali, Venu and all tagheur watch villains. An IIM alumni debuts as director with stylish screenplay, class and grand locations in US. What a waste though - story, dialogues, characterisation disappoint you. All this colossal failure of content will misfire on producer Sivaprasad Reddy whose networth is dedicated to Nag family. Unworthy.