Weapons of Mass Destruction

"Picked up at half volley and whacked with brutal force... so brutal that it took off at obscene speed and before you could realize it was out of park for maximum..."

This is a frequently occurring site in IPL season 3. Though the destroyer(s) are more or less the same, choice for "weapons for mass destruction" have doubled since then. As we progress towards the semi-finals of IPL, it has become more evident that "Mongoose" bat will be the choice for WoMD.

Just as specialist players are important for different forms of cricket, Mongoose is a bat specifically designed for T20. Even though it has unusually long handle, about 43% longer and has it's blade shortened by 33%, it still manages an additional 20% more power and 15% more speed off the bat... a clear advantage for the likes of Haydens, Pathans etc.

Now consider this; the top 5 most brutal hitters of IPL3 are... Hayden, Y. Pathan, Gilli, Sehwag and Symonds (in no particular order). However, only Hayden has chosen to use Mongoose where as others are still using the conventional bat. Which makes me wonder; is Mongoose worth all the hype?

"Arrogance for the day is done!!!" is what Harsha Bhogle said when Hayden was beaten and bowled on the very first ball of super over against Kings XII. His dislike for the choice of bat was quite evident. He is not entirely against Mongoose but it's usage during super overs is certainly not done. Yesterday, Symonds had planned to use Mongoose but 58/3 was not a conducive situation for it's usage.

So now the question which comes to my mind is: When should Mongoose be used? Will Mongoose trigger the death of conventional willow?

I will wait and watch. My gut feel is: it's here to stay for long.

Be it Mongoose or Non-Mongoose, as long as Haydens and Pathans continue to play their natural game, I am not worried. I like 6s, 4s and high scoring matches... how they are scored is immaterial to me.

My Name is Khan… And I am not a terrorist!!!

A lot has been said about Rizwan Khan. Some loved him, some adored, some were sympathetic and some simply couldn’t stand him. Some have complained that Karan Johar (KJ) has lost touch ever since he has digressed from Candy love stories or Happy Rich family stories; he hasn’t been able to captivate the audiences enough.

However, I beg to differ a bit. KJ, through MNIK, has vindicated his fans’ belief in him and his work. Though I have never been a great fan of KJ but I have enjoyed his work nevertheless.

MNIK is an honest and sincere attempt. Honest because it touches a very sensitive issue and sincere because it delivers the message with a punch. MNIK is a story of a person who has understood the world through three simple yet very relevant facts:

1. There are only two types of people; Good and Bad. No religion, caste, color or creed defines a human being as good or bad. It’s the thought they have which categories them into good or bad.
2. There is nothing bigger than love. Love will show the way all your life and help you achieve anything. Order of the commitment doesn’t make any difference.
3. World is full of knowledge and you can learn anything and everything; all you need a will to know.

That KJ chose a Muslim protagonist and 9/11 as the tipping point, doesn’t come as surprise to me. I think Islam is the most hated religion and this, to my sensibility, is not justified. I think it is the conception created due to some of the most violent terrorist attacks conducted by a handful of Muslim extremists. But at the end of the day, there are still a major chunk of people, who look forward to acceptance from the world as whole and not just by neighboring countries.

Coming back to the movie, KJ has ventured into a different genre of movies through MNIK; Movies which have universal message and commercial sense too. MNIK has a consistent story-line and captivates the audience all along. It helps in developing a strong bond between audience and characters, primarily with Khan. It, however, flounders towards the end when KJ goes overboard in establishing the credential of Khan, never realizing that it wasn’t required.

Movie is full of beautiful and confident performances and re-establishes the fact that Kajol and SRK are and would be for a long-long time the best on-screen couples. Mandira, played by Kajol, is full of energy and extremely lovable. Through Mandira, Kajol proves again why she is such big star and hugely respected. But the movie truly belongs to SRK. To me, this has been the best performance by SRK ever. I hope he continues to challenge himself and entertains us with brilliant performances like this one. I was so impressed by the performance that I can say that though Aamir Khan is current god of Bollywood (in terms of acting); even he couldn’t have enacted Rizwan more convincingly then SRK.

It’s movie where all the fans of Kajol and SRK would fall in love with their favorite stars all over again.

So go watch it guys… not because it was opposed by some fanatics like shiv sainiks. Watch it since the movie is a decent watch, has wonderful messages; is supported by brilliance of KJ, SRK and Kajol.