Excruciation and Exaltation –My Good Old Cycle Days!!!

The very word ‘BICYCLE’ reminds me of my good old school days. I still remember how desperate I was for owning a cycle. Thanks to my uncle who gifted me a wonderful bicycle. Well, I guess, I was at the incipient stage of my 6^th class, when I had been gifted this. It was the very first kind of cycles having a shock absorber (A mechanical damper; which absorbs energy of sudden impulses). So you know, it was like neighbor’s envy and owner’s pride. I used to take Unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem (personified as one of the deadly sins) every moment I was on it. It was more then a girlfriend to me at least perhaps at that point of time.

 

Long years ago, when my grandfather used to cycle, cycling for workout would have been a ludicrous idea. And it was broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce. It is no more as people zip around in nippy cars and vehicles and worry about ways to puncture their waist tiers.

Today for some reason I felt like taking my twelve year old gift, pump up the tires. And very few puncture shops exists now a days. And hit the pedal of exhilaration. Without the claustrophobic helmet, the chill winter air is a breath of exhilaration that cannot be imagined.

As I hit the pedals after ages, the biker habits come into play. No matter how hard I resist, the right hand tries to rev up the non existing accelerator. Then I forgot cyclists don’t have accelerator. It’s funny!

A workout has to be fun, going to office is no fun, and midway I decide to pedal to charminar, (whose name is synonymous with Hyderabad). But then due to sealed reasons I changed plan, but the U-turn is yards away. Big deal, lift up the bicycle and put it down on the other side of the divider. It looks like weight lifting but it works your biceps. Text books would suggest that cycling is exercise for calves and thighs, but in Hyderabad it is good for wrists, arms and shoulders. I couldn’t believe till the road became pathetically bad as I neared charminar. The potholes and the dug up patches on the road, sent shockwaves of energy down my hand (my shock absorbers started behaving as shock receptors) and just to keep the bicycle going straight is an exercise that will melt all the fat in the arms.

Yes, cycling made me aware that Hyderabad is in Deccan plateau as I had to keep changing the gears in the undulating landscape.

Cycling is not just exercise for the body, it is soul food as the pedaling gives u ample time to think, to look around the beautiful city, and beautiful bus stops…yaa indeed beautiful stops …lol… and size up the monuments you never knew existed. I see the lanes and by lanes near charminar which I thought never existed. But cycling or for that matter any other workout is fun as long as it is being done, the impact is fell the next day when the body recoups and all other aches, pains and the creaking bones in untraceable  places start calling for attention

OH MY GOD-- Skip this film and you would be a happier human

The other day, Myself, Srinath and Rishabh thought of watching a good movie. And our skipper (Srinath) proposed a movie ‘OH MY GOD’. Little did we all know what our condition was going to be in the next 3 hours. Well I never, ever in my wildest dreams thought, that one day I will be writing about a recapitulation for a movie. Finally I was forced to. For the first time ever in my life I sensed that I/We wasted two and half hours after watching a movie. I sincerely bespeak everyone not to watch this movie even if some one provides free ticket :P. This movie wasted not only the precious time of all its viewers but also it wasted all professional actors. Well, having a BEST bus or a rickshaw picture pasted on the movie poster (despite having no relevance to the plot) shouldn't really give it the guise of a good offbeat film on a common man's life. disappointed miserably. This movie is clear example of "Too many cooks spoil the broth". The idea of god trying to help and humans oblivious of his presence is interesting but the execution is egregious, boring and bland. The pace is slow, the screenplay is stretched and the proceedings never gain momentum at any point.

Vinay Pathak attempts to repeat his common man act in the role of Dubey .A middle-class man who aspires to be Ambani through his multi-level foolish marketing schemes which nobody is interested in. He still remains foolishly optimistic that his scheme of things would make him a millionaire soon and keeps distributing his proposal pamphlets across the city, pathetically. So this is mere Pollyanna personified.

Dubey keeps praying to God to be there for him, though he never asks for monetary help since he is confident of making it big on his own. Nevertheless God (Saurabh Shukla) comes down to earth and insists on offering him financial aid through his different avatars. Did you ask why? God only knows! So, Script Sucks!!

God stumbles upon Dubey in the getup of a lottery-ticket vendor,gambler,policeman, investor,and bestows him with big money each time, but Dubey fails to recognize the opportunities. It's a case of god proposes man disposes. Finally a frustrated God imposes crores of cash on Dubey which he is unable to evade. And this wealth makes him paranoid to the extent of and mental instability.

The message that this parable intends to give is the age-old movie-moral that money is not everything and there's more to life blah blah blah! But the question to be asked is - did Dubey ever ask for money at the first place? No! So why is God hell-bent on helping him? And secondly movie condn't even convince its viewers that its message is "Money is not everything" It confused viewers rather then convincing.

Monotony sets in the second half with Dubey's repetitive attempts to get rid of the money. The climax is as delusional as the outrageous optical illusion that it opts for.

Watch the film and you will know that the title Oh My God symbolizes more of a sigh of Intense aversion than an exclamation remark. Skip this film and you would be a happier human.

Anyway, as Rishabh said its always good to get reminded sometimes on how precious time can be. Nevertheless, this movie taught us not "Money is not everything", but "Time is treasured, use it with kid gloves".

Nonetheless, we three completely and absolutely enjoyed that evening later.