Kellogs's New Ad- "Khayega toh karega" is distinctively suggestive and, gross too?

July 31, 2016 0 Comments

Long time no ad? Well, this new Kellogs Ragi ad is turning us mad and you know why. The "Khayega Toh karega" is eccentric, weird and totally out of context.

Do not believe me? Well, watch here to find out more-



What the ad wanted to convey; Kids need good food/nutrition to fuel their physical activities

Either the ad will go unnoticed or become play field for some comedy shows and their gigs. I believe, the tagline could have been better and more enticing than this lazy creativity and stereotype execution.

Our Verdict: Baah! Ignorable.



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Tips for Buying a Home When You are Expecting a Child

July 28, 2016 , , 0 Comments


Vartika and Gaurav were expecting their first baby. It meant the world to them. They both hailed from broken homes and wanted nothing but the best for their children. They have planned their baby well in advance so that baby comes happily to their world and they need not have to be worried about anything. From delivery to education to probable names, they have planned everything except for their house.

It was the first month of Vartika’s pregnancy when the landlord asked them to vacate their property in anticipation of one of his family member shifting there. Vartika and Gaurav were not prepared for this as they have signed 2 years lease with the landlord but this sudden change made them think. It was a time to make a quick decision and they decided to buy a “ready to move” house in their vicinity. They wanted to bring their child into their own home but the only challenge they posed was time as we all know buying a house is “no child’s play”.

They were relatively new in the city and did not much about estate agents. Looking for good projects was time-consuming and as a couple, they wanted to save their leaves for a later date. Finding a suitable home is a tedious task and the couple went berserk and clueless with all the different marketing collaterals and property information.

This is not just about Vartika and Gaurav, but many other couples who face the same situation. Last week I met Ahujas, a newlywed couple who were planning to buy a house before they could do family planning but were unsure of what to expect and what to take.

Original Picture from Newsok.com

Tips for buying house when you are planning your child

So if you are an expecting parent or new parents or parents in general, and planning to buy a house, then you would like to follow these tips-
  1. Locality: Given the increasing crime rates, you need to do thorough research of the locality wherein you want to live with your child. The area where you plan to shift should be not just neat and clean but safe enough for your children to live in. This also includes- safety at the premise, outside premises etc 
  2.  Accessibility: Human is a social animal and we just cannot live on mountains like hermits. We need to have accessibility to different things like markets, school, hospital, public transport [basis your preferred mode] 
  3.  Open Spaces: No matter how big or small your home is, your child would need some space to go out and play. City living has taken away the physical activities and flexibilities from a child’s life and unless you want your child to be an introvert, gadget freak whose mode of entertainment is all about playing games on mobile and computer, you may need to look for open safe where your child can meet other children, make friends, play outdoor games, ride bicycle and more. 
  4. Budget: Rearing a child is no easy job. As the child grows, needs grow, the expenses associated with a child largely in terms of education, living etc also grows. The inflation will always be there and you need to factor in your child’s education cost vis a vie your spending capability. Hence, having a realistic budget while buying a house is important. 
  5.  Ergonomics: This is a critical construction factor that you need to evaluate keeping the women's pregnancy and child in mind. This includes placement of stairs or artificial platforms in-house. You need to find or build a "babyproof" house.

Well, those were the top 5 tips that you must consider. If you noticed, all these factors lead to one common sentiment/ need i.e. convenience.

We human look convenience in everything including while buying a house. So when convenience is so vital, why not bring it to our process of house hunt?

I have lived in different cities of India and hunting for a house is a tedious task even though when you have sufficient budgets. The “problem of plenty” and the pain of “identifying the best from all possible options” especially in the context of housing, has found some relief. The relief has come in the form of HDFC Red, a premium app developed by banking major HDFC that helps to identify, check and select a right property to buy.

Not just that, HDFC Red also has all this at the convenience of your fingertips with their all-new mobile app that enables you to surf, enquire and check properties “on the go”.

This app is not limited to just metros but has listings from over 23 cities in India. You can download the Android and iOs version the from The App Store.

Source: digit

Gaurav and Vartika downloaded this app and with its help, they were able to find a suitable house within a week’s time. It is "ready to move" property and guess what? The house is close to Gaurav’s office and Vartika has already started designing the room for their baby.

So, if you are looking to buy a property for your family, do check out HDFC Red


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Four Iconic Characters That You Loved From Star Trek Series

July 24, 2016 4 Comments

Star trek is one most iconic in the history of the TV and films. It has hooked different generation alike and almost became a part of our lives through our TV screens. The TV series first hit the airwaves in 1966 and impacted popular culture and sciences like no other. It is 50+ years, this franchise is still going strong.

Whether it is the sci-fi setting, the iconic Utilitarian theme/debate “The need of the many, outweighs the needs of the few” or the iconic characters- Captain Kirk/ Spock, Star Trek has a league of its own.

As the new series in the rebooted universe of Kelvin timeline- Star Trek Beyond hits the cinemas, fans and viewers are drawn like magnets to this all new “alternate reality” series of JJ Abrams that is directed by of “Justin lin” of fast and furious fame.

Aha! I am not going to spoil the movie for those who are yet to see it, rather I am writing about the top5 characters from the movie series that touched many chords and are quite popular. Want to know who are they?

1)     Captain Kirk: James T Kirk is the Human captain of the Starship USS Enterprise, who leads his team to explore “where no man has gone before”. He is a mix of geek and space cowboy who cheats the death and never puts his ship or crew to harm. The role is essayed by William Shatner and Chris Pines.

2)     Spock: He is a breed of Vulcan and human. One of the logical and emotional sounding boards of captain Kirk. His character of an alien outsider making observations about the human race is one of the best inventions of the sci-fi. His quirky demeanour, pointy hair, and that famous Vulcan Salute made him a sci-fi legend. This immensely popular role was earlier essayed by Leonard Nimoy and now by Zachary Quinto. Do you know that it was Nimoy who invented the Spock Salute based on priestly blessings?



3)     Data: He is a self-aware, a charming android who is considered as next generation Spock equivalent. He is the funniest and most thought-provoking supporting crew member. He serves as the second officer and has impressive computational skills. Data is immune to all biological disease but vulnerable to all technological hazards like computer viruses, remote control shutdown, energy discharges, chip malfunctioning and more. This role is essayed by Brent Spiner.

4)     Jean-Luc Picard: This human scholar and diplomat, is an embodiment of the intellect-over-brutality ideal that star Trek legacy is built on. He is another popular captain of the Starfleet, apart from Kirk. A lot of debate ongoing as in who is better Captain he or Kirk, take your pick. Picard is considered to be an ultimate delegator of authority who works superbly with Data. Patrick Stewart has immortalized this role and is an absolute delight to watch.

There are other interesting characters Leonard McCoy, Worf, Benjamin Sisko, William Rikers and more. You will be surprised to know even Dr. Stephen Hawking has made an appearance in this TV series.

Right now am waiting to watch the newly released Star Trek Beyond that has received rave reviews abroad. This new enhanced version seems to be well lapped by the audiences. The movie is turning new dimensions with marketing too. Do check out their spaceship activation in Mumbai.

Leaving you with this brilliant trailer for the Star Trek Beyond-






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How I Keep My Blogging Positive I

July 11, 2016 , 6 Comments

I started blogging way back in 2008 but I was writing ever since I was in school. It all started with my casual conversations with my mama, with whom I would discuss innuendo things on human behavior, our family happenings, life as I used to see, travels and more. He would patiently listen to all my thoughts and lead me through very mature and meaningful conversations. I found a great friend in him who would give precedence to my thoughts and discuss in details, explaining without being judgemental. He took me through my mom's writing and motivated me to start writing. 

I started penning my thoughts in forms of poems. Earlier I will write them randomly on wasteful stationary papers, sooner I started rewriting them in a diary [if they were not lost] and keep it confined in a closet. Very rarely did I allow anyone to read my poems. Not that I feared being judged but because I would not like people to misuse it or copy it or I felt they may not understand. My poems were the bruises and ointment scribbled in words, not necessarily my own, not necessarily for me only. 

I was addicted to my diary and it became my unwanted best friend. I stopped writing the poems for long, and one day I started blogging. 

I have written and spoken at the various occasion as how I started blogging and what it meant to me. Today, inspired by writetribe prompt, I want to share some insights on "how I keep my blogging positive".

1) Writing for Passion and not for commercials: Blogging for me is putting my thoughts in words. Numerounity.com was always close to my heart and in spite of having a great stats and reputation here, I deliberately built another blog [www.hautekutir.com] for lifestyle purposes.  Either it is thus blog or my other blog, I always intend to write with my heart, even though I write fewer posts. I write on social causes too, as I feel for them and want them to reach a larger audience. 

2) Original Content: I write what comes to me- good, bad or ugly. I write on my own- no ghost writers, no inspired content, no word spinner, no greed to be proved best. I write to unleash my thoughts. 90% of the blogs is written in my head, barely 10% makes to posts.  I do not write to bring stats to my blog or be counted in top lists. I am glad and thankful to the people who awarded me top ranks, trophies, prizes and listed me top blogs genuinely. They motivated and encouraged me.

3) Simple communication and no dictionary reference: I loved learning new words but I believe in simple writing that everyone can read. I do not consider my blog as a tool to show my thesaurus or vocabulary prowess but goes with words that will come naturally, replace a lot with simple words so everyone can understand.

4)  Humor and Inspiration: These are the two keywords that I try to focus while I write my posts. Some of you may accord "sarcasm" as another tool, I accept it with the heart as it drives my society and causes related posts. Men, if I do not respect I thing, I openly admit it rather than being a cat who closes eyes while drinking a milk as if no one is watching.

You may concur/disagree with me. Lets keep it healthy, constructive and human.

Best,
Numerounity

___________________________________


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OF #SULTAN MOVIE REVIEW, WRESTLING, AND THE CONTROVERSIAL BHAIJAAN

July 08, 2016 , , 4 Comments


"Khoon mein tere Dharti,
Dharti Mein tera khoon
Upar Allah, neeche dharti
beech mein tera junoon"

[You have the motherland in your blood and your blood is in the solemn soil. with the sky above and land beneath, your passion lies in between]

If you ask me about one thing that I loved about this movie, it would be these verses from the title song. Every time they popped up, the story got a new life and pumped up the energy. The lyrics, the music, the gusto..everything worked brilliantly making it a blockbuster anthem for the year, giving different businesses and entities in India, an absolute marvel of an anthem to prep up their employees, training videos and annual town halls.

However, if you ask me more of my favorite things from the movie, I will urge you to read this review.



The Story
A story in a Salman Khan movie is an irrelevant proposition or unchartered territory. Salman as a star grabs a bigger attention with his mere screen presence that overpowers everything around. Oh yes, I do like watching Salman Khan movies except for the Dabangg franchise.

Anyways, for the beginners- The movie is a story of a Haryanvi Happy Go Lucky chap who founds his true love via wrestling and wrestling via his true love.

The happy go lucky guy when not fixing "Mehboob and Mehboob"cables, runs for his life chasing the "kati patang" or stalking his wannabe Mehbooba over sugarcane juices. While you may wonder that why did he not chose running or steeplechase as his profession but I guess the other Khan and Akhtar already took first movers advantage in that space. tee hee

Dude if you were not tired of seeing Akshay Kumar's rooftop chases in Punjab, you can try Salman Khan doing obstacle race and high jump on Haryana rooftops. Neigh! if you think he is lambi race ka ghoda, he also sits on a donkey with "kaala mooh", baring an act that his other colleagues in Bollywood could not dare.

So he tells dadi his love story who gives him a dori and asks to tie it at the holy place, giving him another chanced encounter with the girl who cleverly picks the duct fallen laddoos on the floor and keeps them back on serving plate. While he wondered as to why she called him a "shit guy", I wonder how is bass related to bum that played the main dancer in the song?





Salman plays a young DTH connection seller guy from Rewari in Haryana who fell "love at first fight" with a state-level wrestler Arfa [who looks everything but a wrestler]. In spite of having a rare blood group O-, the lady seeks something different in her "wannabe husband" and that brings our guy next door hero to plowing field, train racing, truck pulling to wrestling ring to finally dropping the wedding ring in overall "dhai kilo" weighted Anushka Sharma aka Arfa that sounded like IIFA. 

source: ibtimes



Wondering if that was the "happy ending", well wait as you have a finer second half in a movie that will take you further through the life of the protagonist and his second innings. Off course, you would not love me for spoiling the plot for your favorite Bhai Jaan's movie. 

source:ibtimes
I found the movie over the top cinematic, predictable and cliched. Even that delight of watching Salman on screen was missing as I wanted to see more of Sultan Ali Khan on screen but I ended up seeing a mock-tail of Sultan- Dabangg Hoodie and Salman Bhaijaan struggling with botched up Haryanvi.

Acting and Screenplay: Acting is quite an invisible member of the film except for second half when you could sense pain in Salman's character and demeanor. For a change, there was some good prowess displayed by Salman Khan in a somewhat confused character sketching and improvising. However, you could sense a lot of hard work by the actor, especially in second half. You can sense his grief or his bereavement over his lost child. One fact that I cannot ignore is that the star looked old and weary, which could have been bettered or his physique could have been made look more realistic. Anushka Sharma looked pretty and everything but a wrestler, and did her usual "mouth twisting", attitude stint, looking more like a DU babe than the Haryanvi wrestler or girl in her "better than Salman Khan's Haryanvi dialogue" role. Randeep Hooda did a good cameo without getting loud and smartly whisking through his role without having to shoot any impactful fight scenes. 

Source: NDTV
Parikshit Sahni is among my favorite actors who holds a great screen presence with unquestionable acting talents. He was as usual a delight to watch. Amit Sadh as Akash was convincing but Anant Sharma who played Govind, Salman's Best friend in the movie walked with the cake with his humble stance and role. 

The movie also has Tyron Woodley, the wrestler, Meiyang Chang and Kubra Sait playing themselves effortlessly. 

I was glad to see, rather not see any unwanted cameos by other Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar or anyone from Salman's Camp, as is the trend these days. It would have diluted it further. Overall, the casting was good.

The Movie as Numerounity finds it:The first half had Salman in a split personality kind of role trying to field with otherwise delectable Haryanvi language, a boy next door demeanor with a buffy body and then breaking into disco music flaunting his signature "star like" steps and irrelevant dream song sequence with designer dressing straight from two year old Lakme Fashion Week ramp walk. Hence, diluting the screenplay  and story building to "charo khane chit" [knockdown]. Having Haryanvi roots, I felt bad at the state of language every time the leading stars tried to break its bones with their confused dialect. Arfa's Haryanvi was neither convincing and what we saw on screen was more of Anushka Sharma than Arfa who loved Bass and Base with equal fervent. Baby ko Bass pasand hai! but manne toh Bulleya and Sultaan title song jyada hi bhayi


The songs and music of the movie are good, chartbuster and cash registers ringing material. 

I am not getting into finer aspects of a storytelling that how an amateur guy builds an impeccable wrestling career, not just body, stance, strength, and candor within a month to take up on state level championship or how after winning his last trophy in 2010, he leaves wrestling for years and lands up in 2016 with 3 weeks of training to combat the best in business in "globally warmed" rings. No, no.. I am more concerned about the "entertainment quotient" of the film as I saw no great reasoning in story telling but that is ah so forgivable in Salman's movie. This is not to say that I do not believe in a human capability to rise above his limitations or the importance of right coaching in life. However, the unavoidable glitches in screenplay did make this movie somewhat drag for me in between, leaving me hoping for a better second half. Salman's physique looked unreal and even though the fact that he was playing a wrestler, his "on film" persona did not go well with me except for the scenes where he played a helpless father.

Favorites: One of my favorite scene from the film was the one where Salman's Sultan faces an emotional turbulence when he opens his shirt to see his flatulent self and battles with his sleeve in an attempt to escape it by covering himself up behind buttons. 

Another one is when he is mocked- "Bada Saahrookh Khan samjhe se" [You think you are Shah Rukh Khan] where he retorts that being Shah Rukh Khan is romance ultimate as the star could make anyone, even a blind fall in love by looking in their eyes. That was sweet and true. Shahrukh has that charm :)

"Dhobi Patak/Pachaad" is my favorite wrestling stunts and they were brilliantly filmed. Watching them on the screen including other rustic wrestling scenes was more delightful than Arfa-Sultan's  indigestible Romance or truce.

This movie is definitely going to make crores on box office. Just hoping that if it could help revive wrestling as the sports in India, more in true sense than branding brouhaha.

What could have added to make it better/ relevant: The movie should have started with One Pro Wrestling match apart from other things. 

Sultanate of Salman Khan, the controversial Bhaijaan

In this whole review, you must have noticed me talking repetitively about Salman all the time. Well, that is what the film was all about. The film was more about Salman than Sultan or anyone else. Irrespective of the fact that how much we love the actor, we would have loved to see the characters more on screen than the actor. This held true for almost all the Indian films except Chakde India where for a change the actor looked more of the character than his usual "Raj-Rahul-SRK" self. The movie would have gone several notches higher if the makers could have given the screenplay and character more focus than encashing on Salman Khan.

Coming to the controversy surrounding "Salman- the Bhai Jaan"

Did someone mention he is controversy's favorite kid? Off course, we all hallucinated how he dragged his ladylove in public, beaten few, killed endangered species to woo his co-stars, ran over pavement dwellers, gave cheeky tweets or made Big Boss worthwhile with his undisputed hosting.

While this post is highly meant for the movie review, I guess my brief perspective on Salman Khan deserves another spot. You may call it Salman bashing or playing Salman advocate [suit yourself up], will need another spot altogether. So hope to get Bhai' blessing [he is better as Bhai than Jaan] that I have not irked him enough with this review, to ban/ block my blog, we shall come up with another post on our, yours and masses' favorite actor Salman Bhaijaan -Khan. Stay Tuned.

Salman will ride away smoothly to box office success with this movie [pic source: Bollywood Mantra]
Verdict: Off course, criticism comes easier than craftsmanship. However, watching a movie on wrestling was refreshing. If like me, you found wrestling scenes more interesting than the mixed martial act format than it is time to revive this rustic Indian sport. Except for the weaker first half which was quintessential in building the storyline and engaging the larger audience [other than mere masses], the movie fared well. There were certain loopholes that weakened the story telling and could have been better to make it an impeccable craft. Let's see what Aamir Khan's forthcoming Dangal has in store. As for now, am happy with the fact that someone is embarking on sports like wrestling and bringing it to a larger audience. Now whether that helps in reviving these lost gems or mere an opportunist attempt to bask in their glories for production economic benefits. Only time will tell. 

Music rating: 4/5
Acting: 2.5/5
Story: 2/5
Action: 3.5/5
Movie Rating: 3.5/5


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