Mumbaiya Hyderabadi!

Director: Anthony D’Souza Star Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta Genre: Adventure/Thriller Running time:2 hrs 19 mins Release Date: October 16, 2009 Rating - 2/5 A multiplex experience of watching a limited edition of National Geo channel underwater sequences, thats what we felt after watching the movie. Contrast to what the the crew claimed there wasn't much of a shark fighting or scare, though the underwater sequences were shot well by cinematographer Pete Zuccarini, who has ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ to his credit. The story goes like this Aarav (Akshay Kumar) and Sagar (Sanjay Dutt) are good friends who own a fishing business and bond over fishing and boxing. Aarav, the richie rich man, is interested in a sunken ship called ‘Lady in Blue’ ,because it carries a treasure lost in 1949 when the ship sank on its way from England to India. Sagar is the only person who knows bout this and can find his way to the sunken treasure , but he has some emotional strings attached to...

Director: Pete Docter Genre: Comedy Running time:1 hr 30 mins Release Date: October 9, 2009 (India) Rating :****/5 Up is a comedy adventure about Carl Fredericksen who we first meet as a young lad, with a dream of being an adventurer, after he watches a news footage of the explorer Charles Muntz.This love leads him to Ellie, an extrovert adventure spirited little girl as compared to Carl who is quite and shy. They get married and share their lives together. Carl and Ellie often dreamt of taking off on an adventure in the wilds of South America just like their hero, Muntz. Carl and Ellie grow old never having visited the South American jungles. And then sadly Carl becomes a widower with just his lovely little house and his beautiful memories of Ellie to keep him company.As he grows older he is forced to vacate his house and go to a retirement home. But before they can take him, he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America.However he has an eigh...

Chettinadu delicacies that has wowed the taste buds of south find a new name in Hyderabad – Anjappar. Andhra which is known for its spicy choice of foods has another equally spicy choice through the delectable Chettinadu cuisine.Earlier, the only option for Chettinad food freaks in Hyderabad was Malgudi.Established in Chennai in the year 1964 Anjappar has about 25 outlets to date .It serves the best of Chettinadu fare that has been their hallmark across the world , and promises to give customers a homely dining experience. The menu has a wide range to choose from in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian spreads, that includes mouth watering sea foods too.We ordered Meals, butter rotis and Chettinad Chicken which were all really good though spicy.The portions are good enough and not heavily priced.Natukodi Rassam ,Anjappar Fried Chicken ,Muton Sukka Varuval with butter roti ,Natu Kozhi Biryani,Chicken /Mutton Kotthu Paratha are a must try here.The service is good though not exceptional. To...

Director: Ayan Mukherjee Star Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak Genre: Comedy, Romance Running time:2 hrs 19 mins Release Date: October 2, 2009 The best part of the movie is that there is a little bit of Sid (if not total) in everyone one of us and we easily relate with the protagonist . The movie is about a happy go lucky lad Sidharth Mehra (Ranbir Kapoor) who is irresponsible and immature and the transformation of his life after the failure in his final year exams. His life revolves around his two best friends, Rishi (Namit Das) and Laxmi (Shikha Talsania). He has a doting mother Sarita (Supriya Pathak) who he rarely communicates with and lavishes on the hard earned wealth of his father Ram Mehra (Anupam Kher)..The most important elements in his life are his camera , friends, car, and his X-box 360. Ayesha Banerjee (Konkona Sen Sharma), an aspiring writer from Kolkata comes to Mumbai in search of a job and bumps into Sid the day she lands in the ci...

Authentic menu, Excellent ambience, Right location, Courteous staff, Ample parking, - That's the experience dining at the new upscale restaurant ISDA Thai. Named after the "Angel of Nourishment" this place is offers the perfect dining experience with no flaws whatsoever.This restaurant offers a variety of seating arrangements, including semi-private and private dining rooms, created through the use of high pivoting etched glass doors. This restaurant is known for its authentic Thai cuisine which is normally not found in other Thai restaurants (this was also reconfirmed by someone who had just visited Thailand) . As you enter the place ,you would see brightly-dressed Thai women in their traditional attire playing Khin, a Thai instrument , and showcasing their skills on vegetable carvings.The ambience is also done up really well. The ceiling is done up with small light bulbs and especially dining in the evenings would feel like dining under a starry sky. And if you happen t...

Hard Rock Café is a chain of Restobar inspired by Rock Music.The name comes from the album of "The Doors" named "Morrison Hotel". The opening of Hard Rock Cafe Hyderabad marks India’s fifth Hard Rock Cafe location after the Mumbai cafe (September 2006) ,Bengaluru (December 2007), Pune (January 2009) and New Delhi (June 2009). The place is spread over a sprawling 8,000-square foot cafe with three distinct sections a 200-seat restaurant, live concert venue and signature retail Rock Shop complete with Hard Rock’s limited-edition merchandise.The rock memorabilia collected over years are displayed for rock lovers viewing.There are more than 70 pieces aesthetically displayed at different heights in designed cases on the wall (nicely illuminated as well). The entrance here is only from the basement of the GVK Complex.The place is very spacious with a lot of space between tables as well. The ambiance is good with high ceiling, a wooden floor and multi level seating. The men...

Genres: Comedy Director : Shashanka ghosh Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min. Release Date (Hyderabad): Sep 25th, 2009 The movie is based on a character created for T.V promos at the launch of the music network Channel [V] in 1994. The character had a cult following, and made catchprases like 'Mind it' and 'We are like this only' popular.Its basically an extended version of Shahrukh Khan’s Rajnikant like act in Om Shanti Om or Dhoni’s Pepsi Ad.It's the director’s tribute to the over-the-top era of the 70s and 80s.The movie revolves around adventures of Quick Gun Murugun along with his love to be Mango Dolly (played by Rambha) and Locket Lover (played by Anu Menon) . Quick Gun Murugun (played by Telugu star Rajendra Prasad) is a Tamil cowboy , whose duty is to protect the world against Rice Plate Reddy (Nasser) - a restaurant owner, who wants to create the ultimate non-veg dosa.QGM believes that vegetarianism is the need of the hour and has to do something good for the wor...

Sahib Sindh Sultan was the first locomotive train that made its run from Bori Bunder to Thane (Mumbai) in 1853 and the restaurant is a tribute to that bygone era. The ambience, interiors and the culinary experience is a traditional mix of the Indian royalty and the British Raj. Make sure you book a table well in advance because the place tends to get real crowded and there is a huge waiting period. The ambience here is just excellent. The eating area is designed like a 17th Century railway compartment .There are full length mirror on one side of the platform which gave it a much longer look. The interiors are all with plush silk upholstery, overhead racks with vintage British hats and old suitcases with glass partitions between the carriages. You could also see stars if you peek above the train outside the train, as in a real station. The platform has an old telephone and an old railway map. The waiters are dressed as Ticket checkers, and there is a bell ringing in the platform after...

GVK One mall at Banjara Hills was opened to the public from May 1, 2009. This is one plush mall which matches international standards along with pleasure multi fold, makes this place sure shot one-stop destination for all. Some of the key Features are: Located in the posh and prime high end area Banjara Hills Road No 1 This is spread over a sprawling 6,25,000 sq ft with a capacity of parking 750 cars and 500 two wheelers (largest multilevel parking area in the city).There is a five level parking area and you need to literally go through the spiral area to get to the parking lot. It seemed more like going though hair pin bends, while you can see the other cars moving on the other levels.Each parking level has a different colour coding and every pillar has an identifying letter on it ,making it organized for the shoppers to easily locate their vehicles.The parking charges are Rs.20 for the first two hours for 4 wheelers and Rs.15 for two wheelers and ten bucks for every hour after that....

‘Kerala Sadhya’, a food festival from Kerala, is being hosted by Aditya Park, Ameerpet. If authentic Kerala delicacies tickle your taste buds you shouldn't give this food festival a miss. Hyderabadis can now enjoy a culinary experience so rare that it brings the taste and flavour of the entire state.Sadhya in Malayalam refers to “big feast”. Though a traditional sadya is a vegetarian meal served on a plantain or banana leaf, having upto 24 dishes served in it, the sumptuous buffet spread here (54 dishes) is a fusion of Trichur, Travancore, Nasrani (Christian) and Maplah(Muslim) dishes with the right balance of veg and non veg dishes. Appetizers included Kurumulagu rasam (Pepper rasam) and Kozhi soup (chicken soup). There were about six varities of pickles including chicken and fish pickle, five varities of salads and six vareities of chutneys.The main course features a number of mouth-watering delicacies like Avial (mixed vegetable curry with curd and coconut paste), Ullitheeyal (...

After getting superlative reviews about this hotel, we decided to try this out one Friday evening.Many items on the À la carte menu were not available , though the timings were clearly mentioned .Inspite of the dosa combo and biriyani combo stating that the items are available from 7-11 pm (probably a printing mistake), the waiter told us that they were only breakfast items. Known as a boutique hotel (not knowing the reason why), we tried their dinner buffet.Well after doing a google search we got to know what a boutique hotel actually means: A boutique hotel is generally not chain-affiliated, provides impeccable amenities An intimate , stylish atmosphere is one absolutely essential component without which a hotel cannot be called boutique. The boutique environment also includes anticipating guests’ needs and desires rather than simply responding to a request.The goal of any fine hotel, boutique or otherwise, must be great service. Though it may be unfair to judge them just on the ba...

If you reside at Madhapur, Kondapur or Hitech city area and looking for economical food you can try out this place. "Drumsticks" is located at Kondapur, beside Reliance fresh, They serve Buffet Lunch/dinner roties, dal, gravy, pulav, plain rice, raitha and a dessert @ just 55/-.The refills are unlimited and the food is very "Ghar ka Khaana" types. They do not offer A La Carte`, however, their menu card lists out all the dishes made in this place, of which 13 items are selected for each meal. The place also serves breakfast in addition to lunch and dinner and if you stay anywhere in the vicinity, you can also avail the home delivery facility. This is a very small place and can barely accomodate 25 people.The ambience in many ways is a total mess. Rating (on 5) : Food ** Ambience * Address - Police Lane, Kondapur, Hyderabad Landmark - Beside Reliance Fresh Food Type - Indian - Buffet Meal for two - Rs.110 Timings : Not sure

Website One Alliance group who got us Fusion9,Liquids and Bottles and chimenys has come up with a radically different restaurant known as Siaa.It is an awesome place for great Indian fusion cuisine. They specialize in Pan Indian cuisine and offer the cuisine of 10 different states in India (first of a kind in Hyderabad).It is strategically located at Road No.1, Jubilee Hills and offers one of the most distinctive dining experiences. The restaurant has a four level seating with a curving staircase leading from one level to the next.You can choose to laze around in the lounge (SPOIL) or choose to be at the indoor seating level which has a persian touch.But what we preferred was the open level seating i.e there is a single wall, done up entirely in glass, and gives a breathtaking view of the city.The lighting is dim and the tables looked like they had triangular pieces of marble stuck on them with lighting below. Due to the dim lighting a torch is also provided along with the menu for eas...

Vishal Bharadhwaj had created the music track Dhan Tan Nan for a documentary titled "Gubbare" which eventually became a tele serial. Check out the original serial track featuring Sharman Joshi which went unnoticed , and the recent track which has thrashed all sound tracks. Dhan Tan Nan - The Original Kaminey - Dhan Te Nan Full Video Song

DOUBLE CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE FOR A CLEARER VIEW 108 names of Lord Ganesha The Festival This is one of the most popular festivals celebrated across India.Ganesh Chathurthi also known as 'Vinayak Chaturthi' or 'Vinayaka Chavithi' is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesha on chauth or chaturthi, the 4th day of the month of Bhadrapada (mid Aug - mid Sep) of the Hindu calendar. The celebration continues till Anantha Chaturdasi i.e for 10 days. Lord Ganesha is also described as the Supreme Leader ( Vinayaka ). Ganapathy is said to have had two spouses. Buddhi(intellect) and Siddhi(achievement) . Thus he is the master of knowledge and achievement. Ganesha is the god of wisdom and prosperity and is worshipped at the beginning of any auspicious performance or undertakings .The Hindus believe that Lord Ganesha would fulfill the wishes and dreams and will bring good luck and prosperity for the family. In addition to this Lord Ganesh is known to be a deity who protects people...

Usain Bolt 9.58 100m - Berlin 2009 Usain Bolt 9.69 in 100m & 19.30 in 200m - Bejing Olympics 2008 As Usain Bolt (the Jamaican sprinter) crossed the finish line at the Track and Field World Championships in Berlin on Aug 16 2009, he looked at his record-setting time on the clock and ran slowly and steadily past the cheering fans. Standing tall at 6 feet 5 inches Bolt finished the race in 33 strides, ahead of Tyson Gay (9.71) and Asafa Powell (9.84).The Jamaican broke his own world record on Sunday, running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds which was 0.11 seconds faster than the mark he set last year at the Beijing Olympics (9.69 secs)."I don't run for world records'' "I know I said 9.4,'' Bolt said, grinning, who crossed the line soaring like a bird. Before climbing into the blocks, Bolt gave spectators a quick wave and did his trademark bow-and-arrow pose. Both Bolt and Gay were to meet again in the 200m, which starts this week, unfortunately the defending 20...

If you are a lover of American food and not calorie conscious this is the ideal place to be in.T.G.I. Friday's (short for "Thank God It's Friday" or "Thank Goodness It's Friday), is America’s first casual dining chain. Here you can find a collection of sandwiches, steaks, fajitas, sizzlers and burgers. The ambience combines the look of a sports bar and the coziness of a restaurant and can seat about 150 plus people. They serve great and tasty food maintaining a high quality of service. A perfect culinary destination for non veggies although they do have several veg delights as well. The music is good, though not in superlatives. The service on a weekday was real prompt and quick (though we need to monitor it on weekends).The tender has an apron covered with really cool batches. We started off with the beverages (T.G.I Friday’s lemonade) and availed the happy hours treat. Though the drink was lemony, it was quite a treat. The main course ordered were Chicken F...

Genres: Action / Drama Director : Vishal Bhardwaj Star Cast: Shahid Kapoor...... Charlie / Guddu Priyanka Chopra...... Sweety Amol Gupte...... Sunil Shekhar Bhope (Bhope Bhau) Running Time: 2 hr. 33 min. Release Date (Hyderabad): Aug 14th, 2009 Hats off to the entire "Kaminey" team for this brilliant caper thriller. With all the hype much before the movie's release, expectations were sky high. Thankfully, Vishal delivered what he has promised. It is a cocktail of pure entertainment, Bollywood masala, gang wars, violence, like never presented before in Bollywood. Though the movie reminds us of Guy Ritchie ,Quentin Tarantino and Coen Brothers brands of cinema ,Vishal Bharadwaj has perfectly made it to suit the Bollywood milieu. Kaminey is an enthralling story of two estranged twin brothers, Guddu and Charlie (Shahid Kapur), who have nothing in common ,and are different from each other as chalk and cheese. Charlie, who has a lisp (pronounces ‘sa’ as ‘fa’), wants to become ...

Hyderabad now has a new landmark, HyperCITY , much to the delight of all shopping aficionados. Hypercity Retail India, which operates a chain of hypermarket format retail stores under ‘HyperCITY’ brand name across India, opened its fourth store in Hyderabad on 31st July, 2009, following its other 3 outlets at Malad, Vashi (both in Mumbai) and Jaipur. The new HyperCITY outlet spread over 100,000 sq ft of trading space located in InOrbit Mall boasts of wide aisles and 20 checkout counters, providing shoppers with an exhilarating international shopping experience ( my first expression was Wow...beyond Walmartish ) As per the article from indiaretailbiz, HyperCity Hyderabad like its counterparts in Mumbai and Jaipur offers a wide array of over 44,000 products under fresh, food and grocery, home entertainment, technical appliances, furniture, sports, toys, fashion accessories and footwear categories. These products are being sourced from vendors located in India and abroad. HyperCITY is als...

Genres : Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Adaptation and Sequel Running Time : 2 hr. 33 min. Release Date ( Hyderabad ): July 17th, 2009 Director : David Yates Starring : Daniel Radcliffe ( Harry Potter) , Emma Watson ( Hermione Granger) , Rupert Grint ( Ron Weasley) , Tom Felton ( Draco Malfoy) , Michael Gambon ( Professor Albus Dumbledore) , Alan Rickman ( Professor Severus Snape) Teenage hormones blossoming romance across the ramparts of Hogwarts and beyond in the midst of Voldemort's rampant charge gripping both the Muggle (non-magical world) and Wizarding worlds, this sequel of Harry Potter is built on interesting premises, promising interesting insights into the series with its twists and pace. Director David Yates from the previous sequel continues to direct this episode too. Heard he is also directing the last book of this series and also heard is being split into two movies, a brilliant commerical idea. Warner Brothers would definitely not want to kill the go...

Director: J J Abrams Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana Genre: Action/Adventure, Sciuence Fiction/Fantasy, Adaptation and Sequel Running Time: 2 hr. 7 min. A prequel (in this season of prequels/restarts: X-men, Batman Begins) to the all time popular TV series, this intergalactic adventure centers around the meeting of two characteristically opposite Starfleet recruits (Starship Enterprise): half-Vulcan Spock and all-American rebel James T. Kirk. For the fans who have grown with William Shatner/Patrick Stewart as Kirk and Leonard Nimoy/Jonathan Frakes as Spock, it takes some time to warm up to Chris Pine & Zachary Quinto playing the roles of Kirk and Spock respectively. This prequel takes us through the origins on how Kirk and Spock grew to become what they were known, became famous for. Kirk, the flamboyant, risk taking, rebellious, quick to think/act hero (who later became the captain of the starship) and Spock, the thinking man who looks for logic in every action or ...