Bharat Ane Nenu - [Movie Review] #SuperBloggerChallenge2018

This will be my last post for #SuperBloggerChallenge2018. It has been a wonderful journey with a lot of learning by participating and reading many good blogs in these 10 weeks. Thanks to Dr. Amrita, Dr.Bushra, and Utpal for organizing this. 

In this post, I am going to share my opinion on the latest Telugu Movie #BharatAneNenu. I am not a movie critic and also not someone who watches all movies. I am not a fan of Mahesh Babu but I consider him one of the handsome actors in Tollywood.

Bharat Ane Nenu movie is a political drama. You, of course, remember Rana's "Leader" and Arjun's "Oke Okkadu" movies while watching this, but the way this is filmed and the issues it raised are different than those 2 movies. 

Pros:

1. Mahesh Babu
He is the hero of the movie and you see him in almost every frame. His charisma is visible throughout the movie and it is a treat for Mahesh Babu's fans. He is getting younger day by day and has good style quotient in him. If you are a Mahesh Babu fan, don't even read this review, go to the theater and enjoy. You will be satisfied 100%.

2. Concept and Issues raised
The hero becomes the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh unexpectedly but uses his common sense and intelligence to solve the basic problems of the state. The movie raises good points about the development of villages, traffic problems, and self Governance. 


Cons:

1. More heroism dominating the story
Sometimes, it doesn't seem natural for hero fighting numerous villains and taking decisions on his own without fear. Of course, when we see other Telugu films, it doesn't look odd though. But, less heroism might have been good to connect to the character. Even though they show hero as a Super Man, he is a human too with follies. So, it won't connect with me much when a movie is far from the real world.

2. Music
The Background music and the title song are very good and enjoyable. 'Vanchindayya Sami' is good too. But all other songs fall flat. We might forget the other songs immediately after stepping out of the theater. 

3. Love sequences
When the concept is good, we don't need a romance angle much. If it is there, it shouldn't be incomplete and incomprehensible and it should blend with the story. But, this is not the case here. The love scenes look more like infatuation and there are no scenes to show their understanding or closeness in their relationship. There is not much shown about the heroine and it feels like a gap.

In my opinion, if taken well without more focus on commercial elements, the concept of the movie and acting are great. The characterization of Prakash Raj is superb as always. 

My Rating: 3.5/5

Did you watch the movie? Do you like it?
Do let me know in comments.

Until next time,

This article is written as part of SuperBloggingChallenge2018 conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com,Fashionablefoodz.com, and Allaboutthewoman.com and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. SuperBloggerChallenge2018 is not responsible for any kind of infringement caused.

Gandhi - A graphic novel by Jason Quinn - [Book Review]

Book Details: 

Book Title: Gandhi : My Life is my Message 

Author: Jason Quinn

Illustrator: Sachin Nagar

Genre: Graphic Novel, Biography

Publisher: Campfire Graphic Novels (June 19, 2016)

Length of the book: 212 pages

Source: Picked from local library 

Blurb:

How did this shy, unassuming lawyer transform himself into the leader of India’s freedom movement? Renouncing wealth, ambition, and comfort, Gandhi led by example, becoming one with the people he sought to free, facing imprisonment, hardship, and humiliation while never raising his voice in anger.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as the Mahatma or Great Soul, took on the might of the British Empire armed only with a message of love and non-violence. In Gandhi: My Life is My Message we discover the man behind the legend, following him from his birth in the Indian coastal town of Porbandar in 1869, to the moment of his tragic death at the hands of an assassin in January 1948, just months after the independence of India.

My Review:

This is my first graphic novel and I came to know about this book through a women's group. I have already read Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography 'The Story of my experiments with truth' in my childhood. So, I have some expectations set on this book before reading it.

This book is in the first person, as said by Gandhi himself. Even though the book covers all his important life events, it highlights more on his morals and why he believed in them. This book also portrays clearly the dilemma faced by Gandhi in different situations and how he has overcome a lot of problems undeterred. It is definitely an inspiring read. The autobiography of Gandhi is more detailed than this graphic novel. This novel seems like a quick recap or summary of the autobiography. One thing I liked most about the book is, it also portrays the dilemma in Gandhiji's mind when someone suggests him to go against his conscience. The clarity of his thought, ability to take the right decision, his patience and reasoning behind each decision are very well depicted in the book. I personally liked the details about his role during India and Pakistan partition and his feelings. 

The concepts of Satyagraha, self-reliance by using spinning/charkha, Enabling villages, leading a simple life, his opinion on Untouchability and finally, the Quit India movement is very inspiring to learn about. 

Reading a graphic novel is a better experience than reading only text. Illustrations by Sachin are good.

I would recommend this book to people of all ages and especially young, as there is a lot to learn from Mahatma Gandhi, our Father of the Nation. 

PS: I have picked this book from the library and this is my honest opinion on the book.

My Rating:

4/5 

Purchase Link:

 Amazon

About the Author:

Jason Quinn learned to read with comic books, and while most kids in his school dreamed of becoming astronauts or firemen, he always wanted to work in comics. He has worked in television, radio and publishing and has written for such characters as Spider-Man, Ben 10, and the Incredible Hulk. He co-wrote two books with his writing partner, Jonathan Magnanti, under the name Quinn Magnanti, those books were The Palace of Wonder and Leeds LS80. Before writing Steve Jobs: Genius by Design, he scripted New Baby Productions adaptation of the HG Wells classic, the Chronic Argonauts. He now lives and works in Delhi as Campfire Graphic Novels' Creative Content Head.

Until next time,

The Renegade Queen by Eva Flynn - [Book Review]

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Book Details:

Title: The Renegade Queen
Author: Eva Flynn
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: A free review copy from the author through instafreebie.
Publisher: Omega press
No of pages: 328

Blurb:

Two Renegades So Controversial They Were Erased From History Discarded by society, she led a social revolution. Disgusted by war, he sought a new world.

She was the first women to run for President, campaigning before women could vote.

He was the Hero of Vicksburg, disillusioned with the government after witnessing the devastating carnage of the Civil War.

Their social revolution attracted the unwanted who were left out of the new wealth: the freed slaves, the new immigrants, and women.

Who were they?

This is the true story of Victoria Woodhull and the love of her life, James Blood.

Adored by the poor, hated by the powerful, forced into hiding during their lifetimes and erased from history after death, the legend of their love lives on.

It’s 1869 and Victoria has a choice to make. She can stay in an abusive marriage and continue to work as a psychic, or she can take the offer of support from handsome Civil War general James Blood and set about to turn society upside down. Victoria chooses revolution.

Purchase Link:

Amazon

My Review:

This is my first book on American history. The story is about Mrs.Victoria Woodhull who is raised in a poor family as 6th child and had an abusive childhood. She has a gift of being able to talk to spirits which her father uses to his advantage to earn money. She is tortured and kept in delirium with opium to earn money as per her father's wish. 

Surprisingly, Victoria has optimism and ambition in her life to fight for women equality and right to vote even though she herself is chained. She is a strongly opinionated individual and a rebel. She is kind of a woman who can go to any extremes and bear pain to fight for the rights of women. Those were the days when women were treated as slaves, and woman's only objective of life supposed to be to please her man and take care of home. 

The story, the narration and characters inspired me throughout the novel and it is interesting to know about women in 80's in USA. Victoria's positive spirit, boldness and her stubborn nature to do some good for future generations of women is exemplary. I couldn't accept the climax though. Since it is based on real incidents, I cannot complain about that. I appreciate the author for her research work and wish her the best for next part of the series. I am looking forward to read the next part actually.

I would recommend this to history and politics lovers. 

My Rating:

4/5

Some lines that I loved from the book:

If my unborn is a girl, I will teach her to be strong, I will ensure she marries the right man, and I will see to it that she can work in any position she desires. If my unborn is a boy, I will teach him how to be a kind man, a compassionate man, and to see women as equal, worthy, creations of God

Do you know what Chicago means?” Canning asks. I shake my head. “It’s an old Indian word for foul smell"

I plead for the intellectual emancipation and the redemption of womanhood from sexual slavery—social evils can only be eliminated by making your daughters the peers of your sons advocating “radical” positions including liberal divorce laws, the criminalization of marital rape, woman’s political and economic equality, and the eight-hour workday

Ps: Received the book from the author in exchange of an honest review.

Until next time,

2 videos trending in social media

I see these 2 videos trending in social media recently and all for good reasons.

First one is Our HRD minister Smriti Irani's speech and the second one is the Ariel detergent ad about gender equality.

I used to follow Smriti from the days she started acting in TV serials. I loved her acting. One fine day, I saw an interview and astonished listening to her. She is very knowledgeable on many topics relevant to the contemporary problems. She talked about solutions in a matured manner. I didn't knew at that time that she will join politics. I became a fan of her from that day. I read another article about her last year in facebook about her kind heart , ideals and helping nature.



Most of us who want to see a good change in the country are pissed off by the politicians and her speech came at the right time bringing more hope about future India.

Women in India are studying and working equal to men, but gender inequality is deep rooted in our society. We were told by elders that there are few works which men only have to do and a few which women must do. Even though environment and conditions around us changed, some people are still stuck with those old rules. You know, what I mean. The rule was the same from thousands of years. Men are primary breadwinners and women are primary caretakers of the family. This ad shows the change in the thought process of a father watching her daughter.



I am glad that these videos are trending in social media. I feel, Our society is changing for good. What do you think?

Until next time,

Linking this to #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne from EverydayGyaan.