What’s your favorite movie based on true events?

 

1. Raazi

Sehmat Khan, an undercover RAW agent, is married into a Pakistani family by her father so that she can get some valuable piece of information about the enemy.

2. Manjhi - The Mountain 🏔️ Man

After his wife passes away trying to cross a mountain, Manjhi, out of sheer rage, sets out on a quest to carve a road through the mammoth peak.

4. MS Dhoni The Untold Story

M S Dhoni, a boy from Ranchi, aspires to play cricket for India. Though he initially tries to please his father by working for the Indian Railways, he ultimately decides to chase his dreams

Images Source : Google

What is your favourite Yuvraj Singh inning?

 It was first year of 21st century and the day was 7th October. The day which witnessed the fire and courage within a 18 year old kid who went on to win the World Cup for his Country while fighting through Cancer.

India was up against The World Cup Holder Australia, the team who looked almost invincible back then, in Quarter Final of ICC Knock Out trophy, 2000. A tournament which is now known as Champions Trophy.

Back then this tournament’s structure was very interesting. One bad game and one was out. You caught the next flight back from Nairobi. Like a Tennis tournament. How cool!

It was a special tournament for Team India. Not because they made into the final but because of the fact that team looked completely new, young and fresh on the paper with inclusion of players like Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh after the dark and horrible match fixing scandal. And most importantly, it was the first multinational tournament for the newly appointed captain “Sourav Ganguly”.

It was a special tournament for me too. I was 10 then and this was the first tournament my memories are still very clear about. I did watch a few matches in 1999 world cup but memories of those moments became too fade to recall clearly.

We, my friends from my village and I, used to sit in front of a black and white TV and dance together if a boundary or wicket happened. The moment power was cut, we used to switch on the Radio to listen to the live commentary. Ah! Those were the days!

At the age of mere 18, Yuvraj Singh was selected for the national duty after exhilarating performance in under 19 world cup.

In his debut match, against Kenya, Yuvraj wasn't required to bat as India chased down the total with the help of top order batsmen. Though he did bowl in the match for 4 overs. He looked like this.

India v Australia, 7 October, 2000.

In the Quarter Final, Australia were the plain favorite, coming into the match as the World Cup champion. Indian team looked a team with not so much experience, while Australia team was filled with some extraordinary players.

Dada lost the toss and was asked to bat first by the Elite captain, Steve Waugh.

Tendulkar walked out in the middle with his regular partner Sourav Ganguly. Things weren't looking right for India as McGrath and Brett Lee kept them quiet for four overs.

And then, the onslaught of Master Blaster began.

Sachin came dancing down the wicket and smashed McGrath for a huge six back over his head. He executed a few same shots in the next couple of overs.

The best shot of the innings came in the 2nd delivery of the 7th over as Tendulkar shuffled across his stumps and hooked McCgrath straight over the long leg boundary.

Harsha Bhogle said on the air, 'ball would have gone outside Nairobi'.

The next boundary was his trademark straight drive against the fiery speedster Brett Lee.

Everything was going like a fairy tale as the Indian openers came out all guns blazing. Especially in the context of those days. Score was 66 for no loss in 11th over.

Then happened the worst nightmare for Indian fans during 90’s. Tendulkar's wicket.

A few elder relatives of mine, watching the match with me, got up and left the room. It was a pretty usual scenario in late 90’s.

As expected, things began falling apart after Sachin's wicket and India looked in a big trouble when Dravid fell in 19th over after having struggled to maintain the run rate. Score was 90 for 3 with run rate down to less than 5.

In walked a tall, lean 18 year old Yuvraj Singh. It was his second match but first foray to the crease.

Since the moment he took the guard, he hardly looked like a rookie. He was out there for the first time in his life, yet there was hardly a sign of nerve.

From the word go he stood tall in the middle.

McGrath ran like a monster but Yuvi dispatched him every single time he delievered it overpitched.

Yuvi pulled Brett Lee mercilessly who tried to aim his body with a few near-100-miles deliveries.

Gillespie was wristed away to the square leg fence, the stroke stamped with style and gifted with timing.

His elegant cover drives against seamers were a pleasure to eyes.

One such signature stroke, straight and sparkling, brought up his half-century as he galloped to his 50 off 46. His stroke-play was like an unexpected shock for Aussies. They seemed totally unprepared for him. Steve Waugh looked clueless while changing his bowlers to stop him.

The kid was the driver of the most of the part of Indian inning as the senior players like Kambli, Robin Singh, Vijay Dahiya and Agarkar couldn't make it big after a good start. Yuvi was unruffled by it all. His majestic drives continued even during the fall of wickets at the other end.

Australia finally managed to get rid off him in the 47th over when he top-edged an attempted pull off Shane Lee.

An inning of 84 runs off 80 balls included 12 fours of absolute mixture of arrogance and elegance.

McGrath finished wicketless and conceded 61 in 9 overs.

India finished with 265 for 9, remarkable in that the steady fall of wickets had not been able to check the flow of runs.

During the other half of the match, young India displayed a remarkable performance in the field. Wickets kept tumbling as Yuvraj showcased another talent of him. Firstly he took a blinder to dismiss Ian Harvey and then he pulled off this.

Michael Bevan wouldn't have dared to go for a run if he had known Yuvi before. Yuvraj sprinted forward, swooped down on the ball and sent in a return on the bounce to knock off the stump. Bevan was stunned and on the way to pavilion.

I think that was the particular moment which made Yuvraj a favorite of Dada.

Yuvraj Singh was out there with the mission of owning the arena and he did it quite brilliantly.

During the final stage of the match, Steve Waugh was on the verge of snatching the game from Indians as equation was 36 required off 32. But this time it was the other young man from India who had the final say. After Yuvi, it was Zak's turn to leave Steve Waugh clueless. He unleashed his yorker and Steve was sent packing.

The exuberance of youth had taken India to the semi-finals. Yuvraj was declared for the Man of the Match award.

A memorable triumph in a classic match, engineered by a champion player who emerged as one of the worst nightmares for bowlers and biggest match winner for Team India in the decade ahead.

Since that day, people stopped switching off their TV after Tendulkar's wicket. It was dawn of a new era.

Which are your favourite 5 characters played by Paresh Rawal?

 Paresh Rawal is one of the most versatile Bollywood actors.

Characters he had played are truly iconic.

Here are top 5 characters played by Paresh Rawal :-

5. Pinky in Daud (1997)

This is one of the best negative roles Paresh Rawal has ever played. The bald look makes him look so evil. He is a little sarcastic and has a dark humour. He is almost a psychopath. Of course we loved Sanjay Dutt and Urmila Martodkar's chemistry in the film but the movie would have been incomplete without Paresh Rawal playing Pinky.

4. Kanjilalji Mehta in OMG:Oh My God(2012)

This is one of the few movies where Paresh Rawal plays the main character. Kanjilalji Mehta is a small business man in Mumbai. He is an atheist but gradually becomes a believer in higher power when God himself come to him to help him with his problems in court when he files a case against God. The character is interesting and controversial at the same time. His chemistry with Akshay Kumar is awesome.

3. Shyam Gopal Verma(Teja) in Andaz Apna Apna(1994)

One of the most hilarious villains ever. As stupid as a villain can be. He and his two assistants ‘Bhalla’ and ‘Robert’ make the stupidest gang there ever can be.He is the twin brother of Ram Gopal Verma- a billionaire. He relentlessly tries to trick and kidnap Ram's daughters but always fails. The funny part is that the gang is always so close to killing them but always fails because of Bhalla and Robert's foolishness and the main characters don't even know they are being tried killing.

2. Dr. Ghunghroo in Welcome (2007)

This character is naturally funny. Might not be as funny as some other roles he has played but the subtle comedy he portrays in this film is really iconic. His frustrated life because of two gangsters Uday Shetty and Majnu bhai (other two most iconic characters) makes us laugh. Him trying to avoid these dangerous people but winding up back in it is really funny. Probably one of the most iconic character of his life.

Honorable mentions

Radheysham Tiwari in Hungama (2003)

Hasmukhlal in Judaai (1997)

Manilal Patel in Awara Paagal Deewana (2002)

1.Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in Hera Pheri series

There is no Indian who doesn't know this character. Many people know Paresh Rawal as ‘Babu bhaiya’. If a book of most legendary characters in Bollywood was made, this character will definitely be in top 10s. The wierd and stupid nature of Babu bhaiya is very funny. In the first film’ Hera Pheri’, he is the landlord of the other two characters and his controlling nature makes it worth watching. The next film ‘Phir Hera Pheri’ made the character reach different height of stupidity. Babu bhaiya in 2nd film is even more enjoyable. I'm very excited for the next installment ‘Hera Pheri 3’ which will probably release next year.

What are your favorite legends and myths about Hindu temples?

 Pancharama Kshetras are so called, after the 5 temples dedicated to Shiva, in Coastal Andhra. All the Shivalingas at the five temples were derived from a single Linga. Apparently this massive Shiva Linga, was owned by the Asura ruler Tarakasura, which made him practically invincible. It was finally Kumara Swamy who attacked Tarakasura and used his Shakti to kill him. However Kumara Swamy discovered that the torn apart pieces of Tarakasura’s body, would rejoin again and again, frustrating his efforts. It was then Vishnu advised him to break the Shiva Lingam, which Taraka was wearing into 5 pieces.He also cautioned Kumara Swamy, that the pieces of the Linga would again reunite, so they should be fixed to the spot.

Soon Kumara Swamy, used the Aagnesthra, the fire weapon, to break the Shiva Linga, and then Surya fixed those pieces, by fastening them with nails and building temples over them. If one notices the five Shivalingas here have scaly markings, believed to be due to the Agneshtra. Now the five different temples are collectively called as Pancharamas( 5 places of rest).

Amararamam, is located at Amaravati, in Guntur district, and the reigning deity is Amaralingeswara Swamy. The name comes from the fact that Amarendra installed the Shiva Linga here. Located on the Southern bank of the Krishna River, Bala Chamundika is the consort of Amaralingeswara Swamy. The temple is noted for it’s massive Shiva Linga, that covers two floors

The temple was developed by Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu, the ruler of Dharanikota, and a devotee of Amaralingeswara. It was also a penace for him, to atone for his act of massacring the Chenchus, in order to put down a revolt. He not only renovated the temple, but also appointed 9 Archakas, provided them with the means of livelihood.

Draksharama located in East Godavari district, near the town of Ramachandrapuram, is also the most picturesque, surrounded by lush green paddy fields. Shiva here is called as Bhimeswara Swamy, and the Shiva Linga was believed to be installed by Surya himself . It is believed that Draksharama was where the infamous Daksha Yagna took place, and that is the reason no yagna happens at this temple. It is also called as Dakshina Kasi, and Shakti here is Manikyamba Ammavaru. The pond here is believed to contain the waters of the Sapta Godavari.

The Shiva Linga at Draksharama again is quite tall, and one part of it lies in the basement floor, only the top part is seen.Another legend of Draksharama goes that the outer wall could not be completed in time, to date it still remains incomplete.The Draksharama Temple is one of the oldest in Andhra, dating back to 10th century, built by Bhima, the Eastern Chalukya king of Vengi.

Somarama located at Bhimavaram, is the 3rd of the Pancharamas, and the Shiva Linga here is believed to be installed by Chandra. The front of the temple has a pond called Chandrakundam covered with flowers. It’s believed that Chandra, got rid of his sins by worshipping Shiva here, and hence the name Somaramam one of the Pancharamas.The unique aspect about the Shivalinga at Somarama, is that it keeps changing it’s color, based on the phases of the moon.During Pournami, the Shivlinga at Somarama turns full white in color, and during Amavasya, it turns a shade of black.A very unique aspect of this temple is that the temple of Annapurna, is built on top of the Shiva temple, which you do not find anywhere. Shakti is worshiped here as Sri Rajarajeswari Ammavaru.

Ksheerarama Temple at Palakollu in West Godavari,is where Shiva is worshipped as Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy is believed that Upamanyu, son of Kaushika, requested Shiva for desired quantity of milk for ritual, and the Pushkarni overflowed with milk, which also accounts for name of Palakollu(Palu is the Telugu word for Milk).

It is believed that Vishnu installed the Shiva Linga here, and Shakti is worshipped as Parvati Ammavaru. It is noted for it’s tall gopuram, and the temple itself covers around nine floors. The Shiva Linga here itself is milky white, and the mandapa with 72 black pillars is worth a visit. Palakollu is located on the Gosthani, one of the tributaries of Godavari river, surrounded by lush green paddy fields.

The Kumara Rama temple at Samarlakota, in E.Godavari dist, is the last of the Pancharamas, Shiva Linga here was installed by Karthikeya. Shiva is worshipped as Kumara Bhimeswara Swamy here and his consort is Bala Tripura Sundari. The temple was built during the time of the Chalukya ruler Bhima, hence the name too.The Shiva Linga at Kumara Rama is around 16 ft tall, rises to two floors and is made entirely of limestone.Again the temple is famous for it’s 100 pillar mandapa and an Ekasila Nandi at the entrance.

Which is your favourite Indian (sweet) mithai? Why?

 A sweet paglu like me has to answer this😋🩷

1.Rosogolla is my love my everything😭❤️..I can eat 3–4 rosogolla in just 5 minutes (hidden talent lol)😂😋

2.Laddu specially this one👇

3.Jalebi of course 😋🤌

4.I forgot the name but it’s really tasty 😚🩷

5. Burinda(idk what it’s called in Hindi..kisiko pata hai toh bata do😭)

6.Channar payesh mostly the one they give in functions😚

7.Gulab jamun with ice cream✨ (lalalaa)

All the pictures are taken from Pinterest (except one)

What is your favourite weird history fact?

 The Day London Drowned in Beer 𺤳.

London had in 1814 experienced a catastrophe which had not been dreamt of by anyone, its streets were crowded with beer.

This occurred in a poor area of the city called St. Giles where Meux Brewery produced enormous quantities of dark beer. There were monstrous wooden barrels within known as vats. One of the vats was gigantic--22 feet high and containing over 135,000 gallons. What nearly a million bathtubs.

On October 17, 1814 the vat vapor and the iron bands enveloping it broke. It crackled open with a great bang. It was very powerful to an extent that vats that were near burst as well.

A tremendous stream of beer swept the streets. Walls broke. Homes flooded. There were people trapped and even killed. It was messy and oily and fatal.

Now it may sound humorous, but it was not. One stark reality of the flood was that when you put all that water in one place, it is bound to go bad.

St. Giles was a mass of demolished houses by the close of the day and rivers of beer. London never forgot it. It was a weird and the sadest retaliation of the truth that even the craziest of accidents cause death within a moment.

Who is your favourite Indian actress?

 My favourite is SHRADDHA KAPOOR. Here’s the reason why:

1- She is breathtaking beautiful.

2- She is a really good dancer.

3- She is a foodie, like me.

4- She is humble with everyone.

5- She is THE RAIN GIRL and a really good actress.

6- She is a good singer.

7- She spreads positivity everywhere. She is bubbly and goofy.

8- She is always well dressed in public.