PHEWNK !

Ticket prices vary from cinema to cinema, for those who value their money; you are definitely not getting your moneys worth, for any varied price, if you’re going for Ram Gopal Varma’s Phoonk.
With a star cast that the audience is not very familiar with and a story line that’s stale, the movie robs the audience of its precious 2 and half hours.

A vague concept of atheism, superstition and dark forces all rolled into one, the movie doesn’t have any concrete direction or concept.
For a scary movie, the first half includes one scary dream sequence that makes the audience laugh. As slow as the first half is, the second half has too much packed into it. With a hasty entrance of a new character ‘Baba Tantric’, a quiet and unexplained exit of another character takes place. The little boy, Raksha’s brother disappears entirely from the film in the second half. The scares and spooks are old and the done before kind, there’s no novelty in the film.

On a positive note, the actors fit their roles fairly well. The main lead, the father (Rajiv) played by Sundeep and the daughter (Raksha) played by Ahsaas Channa have given near natural performances. The loving wife Arti played by Amruta Khanvelkar has done a good job of her role. But sadly the Ganesha murti, the crow and the soft toys lying around the house, have hogged more footage than the actors!
Characters like the Maid and the Driver are not very well defined and have one constant expression of their faces throughout. The villainous couple in the movie are simply strange, and the woman Madhu played by Ashwini Kalsekar is entertaining, to say the least. She is scary in a mysterious way. Over all the acting of the cast was good.

The saving grace of the film would be its music; it is what makes the movie slightly spooky. The sound effects are bang on and the visual effects are also well done. Especially the last action scene, where Rajiv is fighting Madhu, the sequence keeps you glued.
Overall the movie could have been much shorter with better defined characters and most importantly it needed a stronger plot, something a little less clichéd.
‘One More Thought’ productions should think hard before producing another movie like Phoonk.

SOLILOQUO

Allan has just left the diner he works at; he is on his way home with his mind on his mother and what she must be doing.
He is the only earning member in his family of two; his mother depends on him for everything.


ALLAN:
(Disgusted) My God! That Mr. Tomas really makes you work, he squeezes every cent worth out of you. (Strained) I’m so tired and hungry. I hope mums made something nice for supper.
(He reaches the corner of the street.)
Damn! This traffic! I can’t even cross the road properly. Stupid rich people think that they can do whatever they want just because they have fancy cars!
(He sees a very cute girl across the road.) My, she’s cute! And very pretty too, what’s that uniform she’s wearing? Oh my God! It’s the same uniform I wear! She must be new at the diner then. Perfect! I’ll ask her out to coffee tomorrow, I’ll do a longer shift so I can catch up with her, but will she agree? I’ll have to be very smooth, not seem too forward.
It’s worth a try. I have to look decent, should I wear that blue shirt or the green one? The green brings out the colour of my eyes. Yeah I think she’ll like the green, and I will finally get a chance to wear my new shoes, I’d been saving them after all, heavy on my pocket those.
(He stops in the middle of the street.)
Whoa hold on Allan, your running away with yourself!
I can’t take her out if I have no money!
I gave mum last months salary and she paid the bills with the salary before that. I hope she has some saved. I’ll just tell her about this girl and ask her to spare me a few bucks. I’m sure she’ll understand, after all, I give her every cent I make and I haven’t spent money on anything in the last two months.
Two months? My, has it been that long since I did anything fun? I have been working so hard. Mother needs me, I have to work for the two of us. I’m so tired though, I really deserve a break. It’d be nice to take that girl out.
I wonder if mum would like the idea of me dating again, she’s been the only lady in my life since dad left. She is so used to all the attention I give her. I have to be very tactful about telling her about the girl and asking for money.
Oh dear, is that my stomach grumbling? I better walk faster before that monster in my stomach gets the better of me.
(He quickens his pace and heads straight home.)

Over the city

"Why does this ALWAYS happen Trisha?", my very frustrated friend was reflecting my feelings over the phone last night. "What is with the timing?! Just when your in a relationship you get a 1000 people hitting on you! And ironically its the kind you would want to date! Shit!"
I was smiling at this end, I knew exactly how he felt. With a stroke of very bad luck, it happened that I began to crush on somebody, not exactly the perfect time to, but you really you can't help these things...
"I blush like a twelve year old ya!", he continued to whine. I so badly wanted to say 'DITTO' but right now I couldn't burden him with my problems...
I figured, outing my emtions in another way would do it, but I couldn't stop smiling while writing this....



As I sat on a ledge over the city

I realised I was way out of time

But time had stopped, the clock had turned and

all I coulld see were eyes of the deepest earth

I couldn't breathe, it flushed my cheeks and I wanted to let out a sigh

I couldn't move, it would kill the mood

It felt like heaven, I'd died

Then it hit home, and I felt guilt

It should not have been just now

I was falling through space

With no freefall and i knew i would hit a wall

I couldn't care less, it felt like bliss

And I'd felt these feelings before

On a window at 3, he sat by me

He talked and I listened with awe

The lights, the honks, the siren cries

All died in the background with ease

I drowned my ears in a voice like silk

And breath that felt like warm breeze

A foreign sound that met here's ground

The blend just blew me away

It was the first and it's back again

This time around the feelings will stay