Review -Tim Hortons

Visited Dubai mall including the food court.
This is the first of a series of reviews from TWCI new UAE Chapter.

This is a place with a great view and outdoor seating right near the water fountain.i love the jalapeno bagel with cream cheese and my cup of cappuchino, Come here whenever we visit downtown. A great place to hang out,catch up with friends and see the beautiful view from morning till night. Mostly on a friday or evenings on weekdays.

The hot chocolate is a must try. if you are a donut fan then you will get variety which is not available anywhere. The wraps and sandwiches are what make me a regular customer. The Chicken Garden Salad Sandwich and Chicken Ceaser Wrap are favorites here.

My Experience on a Bollywood film set

As they say, all the world is a stage. However, on a bollywood movie set it is a whole new experience altogether. The stage becomes a new worldly experience. And this is what I want to describe through this article. Having had an opportunity recently to be a part for shooting a scene for a new bollywood movie set to release next year, I thought I should share this experience with my readers.
What we see on the big screen at the theatre or dvd's is just a three hour movie.

The real experience is actual hard work, lots of dedication and coordination. A few glitches can cause the whole movie budget go astray and the release date go off track. The whole process of making a movie can take from 6 months to couple of years.

The movie requires any number of crew members - editors, storywriters, lyricists, cinematographers, set designers, costume designers, sound recorders - actors and hundreds of junior artist's if there are scene's demanding a lot of people. The behind the camera team is the one which has the bulk of the work including the spot boys and each person has to do his role in perfect coordination with others and that is one of the reason, that many people in the direction team have walkie talkies to connect with other members of the team.

As I reached the location on a weekday morning, I was greeted by the production team. There were lots of junior artists getting ready for the shoot. The makeup & costume team was at work, making sure every character in the painting auction scene gets a costume according to their look.
They wanted people of middle age group, so there were quite a few people required for the scene. I had already got a suit for myself as I was told by the casting director to get one. So, I was ready for the makeup part. Thankfully, the makeup was minimal and I was ready to go to the set with the rest of the artists.

The set was in a ballroom of a five star hotel in delhi. It was well lit up and you could make out that the set was ready. There were three cameras at the front. The direction team guided the artistes to their respective seats at the auction set. The direction team gave a brief to each artist about the scene that was to be shot and what role they were required to do. Many of the people in the room were excited to be a part of the film and had voluntered to come through someone in the production team. Few were familiar faces who were regular junior artistes and few of the people were from the drama club in delhi who had come on a daily wage.

It was really interesting to see so much excitement at every shot, even though many people knew they would not come in the camera frame, they did go on and do their part to the best of the ability. After, everything was ready, it was time for the lead actors to come to the set.
The mood in the crowd was of lot of excitement. They were going to see their favorite bollywood stars in front of them. Yes, some of them even hoped to get clicked with them, some wanted an autograph and thankfully there were no kids present. Otherwise, I have heard during shootings, it gets very tough for the crew members to control the crowd's,
One crew member told us, that the maximum rush he has seen has been when Salman Khan was shooting. The guy has a mass appeal. There were instances where few people on my table were discussing about the next movie shooting happening in delhi, I assumed that they must be regulars coming for these kind of shootings. Some of the people were very talkative and were blabbering throughout the scene, it helped that the shot required them to act if they were talking to each other.

Finally, the director then briefed the lead actors of what was expected from them. Soon, the director said action, and the camera was ready to roll.

After quite a few retakes, the director seemed happy with the shot. To my surprise one scene took around a couple of hours to shoot. There were three cameras and shots were taken from separate angles so they could be used by the cinematographer at the editing stage. It was very important for the director and cinematographer to be happy with the shots in order to ensure that they didn't need the scene to be re shot on another day.

This would waste another day and cost a little more to the producer. There were lot of stills that were also taken by the team. There was a lunch break and lots of tea/coffee breaks throughout the day as the direction team prepared or changed the set according to each new scene. It was a great experience to actually see how the whole process takes place. The coordination and control needs to be perfect and since it was a big production house, they were really professional about the whole thing. The set was very well organised and each detail was taken care to the full.

After all these scenes were shot, the movie would go for editing and most of the shots that would not be required would be deleted. This meant that no one was sure that they would actually come in the scene or not as they were lot of tables and lots of people. We got to know that the crew had shot for a month in Kashmir and after Delhi they were going to fly to Mumbai to complete the rest of the shoot. We were very happy to see a rising star who was now part of the direction team for the film. Yes, the 'kuch kuch hota hai' kid who said the famous dialogue in the blockbuster movie 'tusi jaa reh ho,tusi na jao' to Kajol, and we didn't miss an opportunity to get clicked.

To sum it up, a lot of hard work goes into making a movie. It is a team effort which requires a lot of coordination and patience. The crew has to stay away from home for so long and have outside food. It's such a tough experience for them and it requires a lot of hard work and dedication.

I realized that as an audience, most of us do not have an idea of what all goes into the making of a film. The fate of a film is decided in few weeks. I realized what the whole team would have gone through if the movie doesn't fare well at the box office. But then that is part of life and some movies work and some just don't. What the team can do is that they put in their best and hope that their efforts are appreciated and liked by people.

After this experience, I can say that behind the glamour, it takes a lot of hard work and commitment to be an actor. And Cut!

The truth about Massage Parlours

Prostitution has been legal in the Netherlands even since 1830, though till 1980 the law forbade profiting from prostitution. In 1988, prostitution has been recognized as a legal profession, subjecting it to the municipal regulations about the location, organization and the practice of business. In India, it is still illegal. We wonder why.

Earlier, it was tough for men to indulge in these kind of activities as massage parlours only used to advertise in leading newspapers. Media is considered to be one of the four pillars of democracy. The fourth estate is considered to be the watchdogs of the nation and the society. An example of this duplicity can be seen in the publication of advertisements, which offer massage services by hot Indian or foreign females or males at exotic locations in the most explicit language. This was pretty relevant around five years ago when there was scarcity of massage parlours.

A phone call made to one of these numbers appearing in the newspaper confirms the same.

Massage in gurgaon

Boy: Hi, I wanted to get a massage, I saw your advertisement in the papers.
Man: Yes sir, Actually we have all kinds of massage. Like body to body, happy ending or full satisfaction

Boy: I want complete satisfaction, what type of girls do you have. Dont worry about the price.
Man: Sir, we have students, models, tv actresses and also girls from russia and middle east. Price ranging from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 50,000
Boy: Models, nice. Can you whatsapp me the pictures so that i can choose.

Man: sure sir, let me add you to my list, please accept my request.

Boy: Ok, thanks will do.”

Nowadays, technology is taking the business to the next level. Massage parlours, specially in gurgaon are mushrooming and there is a new one coming up almost every week. Demand is what creates supply and it’s the need of the hour. The millennium city has tons of corporate offices and most of the people live and work in gurgaon. There is the stress of meeting deadlines, in addition to extra late night working hours and if you are a male then high stress if you are running a nuclear family. This High stress levels, whether at home or work are creating this ever expanding demand for a place to relax and soothe the nerves. Men want to be de stressed and what easier way than to go to a spa where your needs are met. Just go to groupon or some leading deal website, steal a deal and you are all set. Make your bookings and land up at the reception counter and ask what you are looking for.

Parlour’s in gurgaon have made it simple. Men just have to call and a receptionist will explain and help them decide how they can be satisfied. If you have been there once, you most probably will end up going there every week or fortnight. The charges are less, if you go there more and more. Just go and choose your masseur, give a nice tip and whisper in her ear what you are looking for. Enjoy all this in the luxury of a room inside the spa. Whether it’s legal or not, they don’t care.

Everything that happens remains there and there is no love lost. Pay the money and get relaxed.

It happens and it happens nearly everywhere in gurgaon. So next time you go to a spa and a women asks you if you want a happy ending, don’t be surprised. It’s all normal, simply business.

Rivaayat-E-Rampur at The Oberoi, Gurgaon

As part of the TWCI group, I was invited to the royal cuisine festival, Rivaayat-E-Rampur at threesixtyone, the award winning, all-day dining multi speciality cuisine restaurant at The Oberoi, Gurgaon. Multi cuisine speciality restaurant we are told, meaning that they have expert international masterchefs for each cuisine. This so as to ensure that the quality and consistency is taken care in detail. You can not expect but the best from The Oberoi’s.

Earlier, The Oberoi group, leading chain of hotels in India known for always showing the way to other chains, launched Rivaayat – The Indian Culinary Conclave, which saw experts from across the industry come together for an interactive training sessions held at the Oberoi, Gurgaon.
The Rivaayat-e-Rampur festival takes this unique culinary initiative forward. Celebrated food enthusiasts Osama Jalali and his mother Nazish Jalali unveiled rare recipes of the lost cuisine of Rampur.

As soon as we entered the restaurant with my colleagues at TWCI, we were greeted by the lovely Communications person, Ms. Mallika Gowda, for company, I readied myself for a gastronomic evening —the restaurant has a warm ambiance with both indoor and outdoor seating which looks like an island of blue with two teakwood decks extend from the restaurant over the water body offering a unique dining experience. The place is well done and gives you a spacious feel where you can relax and have a great time. It’s probably one of the largest restaurant’s in the country. While we waited for Executive Chef Ravitej Nath to join us, we were welcomed by a (rose based drink). Soon, we were in the priviliged company of the master himself, Osama Jalali and his mother. Osama is a seasoned food critic and consultant, who contributes to The Hindu along with other publications. His mother Nazish Jalali explained why it was such a tough thing for her to share her recipe with other people. It was Mr. Jalali who convinced her that ‘knowledge increases by sharing’ and now through this initiative, the Rampuri cuisine will reach all over india.

Osama also loves to work in the kitchen. He curates Awadhi, Rampuri, Shahjahani, Nizami menus with his mother for premium hotels and private Daawats. The menu for the evening started with appetisers, Osama made sure that he served us the best, and i can say that because he took utmost care to see for himself if there was anything missing from the selected Rampuri dishes that we were going to taste.
We were blown away by his hospitality. The dishes are mostly made from desi ghee so it was a big task at hand for our palette.
Rampuri cuisine is essentially a courtly cuisine. Known for its complex process and innovative creations, it has been till date one of the most evolved cuisine. Royal kitchens in Rampur were famous for using ingredients like lotus seeds, banana flower, khus ki jhad (Roots) and sandalwood to give the dishes a unique flavour. We were going to taste Rampuri rare recipes such as the Aloo gosht, Saag kofta , Taar Qorma and Hari Mirch ka Keema.

We started with appetisers both veg and non vegetarian. The Kathal ki shaami was something that was something different compared to the regular north Indian shaami. The kachche keeme ki tikiya was well prepared with good flavour and rich in taste. The main course consisted of Aloo Gosht, Khichda, Murg Korma, Urad Daal (safed), Karele ki chidiya. Being a pure non vegetarian, at first I was not trying the vegetarian items but this time I was curious to try everything as the feedback from the colleagues was amazing. I relished the Karele ki chidiya and Khichda which were out of the world. You have to taste it to believe it. I mean it had lot of ingredients and was a delight for foodies. Last but not the least, the Taar Korma, was the highlight of the evening and it very well cooked with lots of desi ghee flowing on top. It is a speciality and can be seen available in most weddings. We did not have any room for desserts. But when we saw the Gulathi, Aloo ka Zarda and Shahi Zarda, we could not say no and relished every bite.

I have really tried my best to describe our experience but somethings need to be experienced and we highly recommend you to visit this food festival that is happening in Gurgaon as soon as you get a chance.

When: Now until March 5th, 2015
Where: Threesixtyone at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, Udyog Vihar, Off NH8, Gurgaon
To book or for more information: Call +91-124-245 1234
Prices: Lunch buffet at INR 2595 + taxes per head. Dinner selection from a la carte menu at approximately INR 5500 + taxes for a meal for two.

Photos courtesy: Vickrham Vicky