Sasikanth | - Page 21

Fusion Flavorz | Restaurant Review

Place: Fusion Flavorz
Location: Almond House Building, Road No. 12, Banjara Hills
Cuisine: Chaat, Indian & Chinese
Meal: Lunch

After reading some raving reviews about the Nawabi Dosa you get at this place, here I was on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. It was quite difficult to find the place, for the address mentioned it to be behind Jagannath Temple on Road No. 12, but it was almost a kilometer away from the temple, tucked inside the Almond House Building. The entrance I walked in from seemed like the back door, and was quite shabby. For an open-air restaurant, the ambiance was alright. There were a couple of huts with cane furnished tables with wall mounted fans. I sat at a table for two right in the front, and observed that the other tables and sofas were quite dusty. Me apart, there was just one other table occupied on a Saturday afternoon.

The menu handed out to be was shabby and in a disastrous state, with pages ripped, cellophane tape hanging out in the corners. Having gone through the menu on Zomato, I ordered for the Special Fusion Combo which served a Soup, Crispy Pops, Aloo Tikki, BBQ Sticks and choice of Nawabi Dosa, Noodles or Fried Rice. I asked for Sweet Corn Soup and Nawabi Dosa.

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The soup was served in less than 10 minutes. It looked quite colourful and was tasty. It felt nice to have a good Sweet Corn Soup after a long time.

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Before I finished my soup, the rest of the meal was served. From first look, I was quite appalled by the quantity served and thought it was too less. There was one Aloo Tikki, five pops, and one piece each of six vegetables (Onion, Tomato, Mushroom, Zucchini, Paneer and Capsicum) on the BBQ stick (though they mentioned plural in the menu), and of course the Dosa. There were no chutneys and sauces served until I asked for them. And neither was water served till I asked for it at the end of the meal.

Taste wise, the Tikki and the Pops were decent, and went well along with the spicy Imli chutney/sauce. The BBQ vegetables were below par. I was hoping for the Dosa to negate the BBQ experience, but I was in for disappointment. The Dosa coated with Kaju and Suji Rawa paste on the inside seemed undercooked and lacked salt. The chutneys and the yum sambar served along helped me gulp it down, but otherwise, it was quite a disaster. It was probably because of my high expectations that I felt more disappointed with it.

Overall, a not so great meal. I told the guy about the lack of salt, and he confirmed the same with the kitchen. Service wise, I would have liked them to be more proactive. Though the place is well made, it needs better maintenance, and on price front, I thought quantity of food served could be improved.

Hoping for a yummy meal, I was actually quite disappointed.

Food: 7/10
Service: 5/10
Ambience: 6/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 231/-

Verdict: 6/10

Crystal Restaurant | Restaurant Review

Place: Crystal Restaurant and Bar
Location: RTC Cross Roads
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Takeaway

I’ve tasted Veg. Biryani at quite a few places in Hyderabad but there are very few joints I’d return to just for the Biryani. Crystal happens to be one of them. While I’ve visited the vegetarian restaurant on the first floor a couple of times, it was not until we ordered a takeaway one day that we realized that the kitchens for the vegetarian restaurant and the takeaway counter are different, and the food at the takeaway counter is much better than the restaurant. Unsurprisingly, the takeaway counter is always packed in the evenings.

On this particular evening, here I was to pick up some Biryani, Kaju Paneer Masala and a Masala Kulcha. In about 10 minutes, my order was ready and I was on my way home.

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The Kaju Masala curry turned out to be rich and tasty, with lots of cashew nuts and fresh paneer. I would have preferred the gravy to be more spicy, but no qualms. The Masala Kulcha looked dry, but was actually pretty tasty.

The Veg. Biryani was a no frill affair – simple yet flavourful. It had chunks of well cooked vegetables, was light and aromatic. It’s tough to pick a favorite between this and the Handi Biryani you get at Dwaraka. I guess both are yum in their own way.

The quantity of both the items was sumptuous, and for the price I paid, it was quite a meal (They actually served as two meals). If you’re a vegetarian, I’d suggest you try their Biryani for sure.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: NA
Ambience: NA
Meal for 1: Rs. 350/-

Verdict: 8.5/10

Legend | Movie Review

Legend

Before it is taken off theaters due to elections, I ventured out to watch the “Lion Roar”. And roar he did. I’ve never been a far of Balakrishna, and mostly find it disgusting when he romances girls younger than his daughters. But if I choose to ignore that, Legend is actually a decent film.

Boyapati Srinu likes his movies being grand, and he made sure this film is no less. He knows the pulse of the masses and Balayya’s strengths, and therefore was able to pull off a loud yet watchable movie. Direction is neat, and I thought the screenplay was very good. However, the second half could have been short and crisp. Dialogues by M. Ratnam are a definite plus point to the film.

On acting front, Balakrishna is perfect as Jai Dev. Except for the fact that he wears his watch over his shirt sleeve, there’s no false note in his acting. However, he either needs to stop romancing young girls, or lose tons of weight to make sure that he doesn’t look like their dad. Both Radhika Apte and Sonal Chauhan are decent, while the rest are alright. The ‘Nanamma’ character could have been cast better though. Though its Balayya’s movie, the undoubted star turns out to be Jagapathi Babu. His antics and body language as the antagonist are just brilliant. Big thanks to Srinu for showcasing this side of Jagapathi Babu.

On technical front, while music by Devi Sri Prasad is mediocre, editing is neat and cinematography is pretty good. Production values are excellent, for the richness of the sets and locations could be seen on-screen.

Is it worth your time and money??: If you can sit through loud movies, and can stand Balayya, then yes. The first half is entertaining and short, while the second half is full of violence and at times, a drag. Plus points are brilliant acting by Jagapathi Babu and strong dialogues. Overall, a decent film.

Worth mention: Balayya’s dialogue targeting Chiranjeevi in the climax.

Acting: 7.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 7/10

Race Gurram | Movie Review

Race Gurram

Right from the word go, I was cursing myself for coming to watch this movie. The family sentiment seemed contrived, acting too loud, romance illogical, and the list goes on. But surprisingly, after almost 3 hours, I left the theater satisfied (how is that even possible?).

Scripted and directed by Surender Reddy, Race Gurram starts off just like any other commercial Telugu movie, with phony sequences and loud acting. Entire first half continues on the same path, where it is established that our hero, Lucky has irreparable issues with his cop brother, Ram. The reasons for this hatred between them seemed so stupid that even their parents can’t help. While these guys are fighting, in comes our (can’t even lip sync) villain, who wishes to kill Ram. And the rest of the story, or second half, is about how Lucky gets involved in between. Luckily for us, this is when the movie gets interesting. While the first half seemed dull with mediocre screenplay, Surender manages to pull half the later half exceedingly well. The overall direction though could have been much better.

On acting front, it’s more or less a cake walk for Arjun. His body language is superb, and he performs with ease. In my opinion, he is talented to take up further challenging roles than the ones he’s essaying at the moment. Shruthi looks gorgeous in her “heroine” appearance (a couple of scenes and all songs). Shaam seemed alright while Ravi Kishan was over the moon loud, and irritating to an extent. The fact that there is no lip sync for both these characters even in close up shots was sad. The rest of the casting is alright, but acting wise, everyone was below par. Nevertheless, one man, in his brief appearance towards the climax, makes you forget the mediocre acting and every loophole thus far in the film. Brahmi a.k.a Kill Bill Pandey, take a bow! After a long long time, it was great to watch Brahmanandam in a strong role. He is absolutely entertaining.

Though almost every songs barges in for no reason, music by Thaman is pretty neat. I liked ‘Cinema Choopista’ and ‘Down Down Duppa’, the latter especially for the choreography and picturization. Background score was decent. Editing by Gowtham Raju is alright, while cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa is of top-notch quality. Production values are excellent.

Is it worth your time and money??: If it weren’t for Kill Bill Pandey, I probably would have said NO. Except for Arjun, I thought everyone else including the senior actors acted miserably. Add to that the pretentious characterizations. Nevertheless, the screenplay in the second half, Bunny’s strong screen presence and Bramhi come to the rescue, and you walk out of the theater satisfied (like I did). So just for that, you can give it a watch.

Worth mention: Every frame with Kill Bill Pandey!

Acting: 6.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 7/10

Prem Di Rasoi | Restaurant Review

Place: Prem Di Rasoi
Location: Chirag Ali lane, Abids
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with mom and dad)

It’s been a week since I got back to Hyderabad, but have been avoiding eating out (cos I’m scared of the inflation in town). Anyways, last night, we dropped in at this dhaba type restaurant at Abids, suggested to dad by one of his Marwari friends. The restaurant is located just behind Jagdish Market, on Chirag Ali lane. Ambiance wise, the place was pretty neat, and reminded me of Santosh Dhaba (in every sense). We sat in a corner, and were attended to immediately.

Their menu was comparatively short compared to other similar restaurants. We started off with Manchurain, and ordered Kaju Paneer, Punjabi Kofta, Stuffed Paratha, Masala Kulcha and Roti for the main course.

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The Manchurain was served right away. They were crispy and pretty good, but I thought they could have been more spicy. The quantity served was decent.

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In about 10 minutes, the main course was served. Both the curry’s looked yum. Of the two, I liked the Kaju Paneer better. The paneer was very fresh, and the gravy was smooth and delectable. But the reason I liked it better was because it reminded me of Malai Kofta at Shanbhag (one of my favorites in the whole wide world :D). The Punjabi Kofta was good too, but again I would have preferred it to be more spicy. The kofta balls were made up of paneer, and were soft and tender, while the gravy was thick and tasty.

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Of the breads, I couldn’t differentiate much between the Stuffed Paratha and Masala Kulcha, for they both has same stuffing. While they were palatable, they were not close enough to the Stuffed Kulcha you get at Santosh Dhaba. The roti was soft and good.

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To end it off, we ordered a Badam Thandai which was pretty good, but had a lot of cardamom essence, and ice.

Overall, a decent meal. The service was pretty decent, and ambiance was neat. Prices wise, I’m guessing they were very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food served. I’d recommend you try this place for some good Punjabi food the next time you are in and around Abids.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 692/-

Verdict: 8/10

Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Movie Review

So Captain America kicks off the season of superhero movies this year, and it ain’t a bad start.

Scripted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, CA: The Winter Soldier relies more or less on the premise set in the CA: The First Avenger, that of Project Hydra (for those who have no idea what that is, I’d suggest you watch the first part). The Russo brothers (Directors) did a commendable job with the given storyline, but for the mediocre screenplay. At two quarter hours, the movie seemed really long because of the slow screenplay, especially during the first half. However, the innumerable number of fight sequences and action episodes keep you glued to your seats.

Chris Rogers is good, while Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) looked odd at times. Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson are decent in their respective roles. On technical front, music/score by Henry Jackman could have been more gripping. The action sequences are very well choreographed, and cinematography by Trent Opaloch is pretty neat. The 3D effects are just alright, nothing spectacular. Editing by Jeffrey Ford could have been sharp. The production values are pretty neat.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a decent film, and I liked it better than CA: The First Avenger. While the first film didn’t really establish Captain America as a superhero (not for me at least; he absolutely did nothing in the movie, even the climax fight with Red Skull was so boring!), this film has a lot of potential for him to make his mark, and he does. But for the slow screenplay, it works on every other front. Give it a watch (not necessarily in 3D or IMAX though).

Worth mention: Nick Fury’s car chase sequence. It’s funny though that the roads are absolutely empty and there’s not a single soul in sight when so much is happening.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7/10

The Grand Budapest Hotel | Movie Review

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The Grand Budapest Hotel is a well scripted, hilarious comedy from Wes Anderson. The story is simple, but the effective screenplay makes the movie work. The narration is brilliant. Acting is spot on, with Ralph Fiennes putting up and exceptional performance. Music by Alexandre Desplat is subtle, and cinematography by Robert Yeoman is brilliant.

Is it worth your time and money??: Overall, it’s a brilliant fun film, and a joy ride. I’d suggest you give this a watch!

Worth mention: The swift screenplay, and some smart acting from Fiennes and his accomplice, Tony Revolori.

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 8.5/10

Queen | Movie Review

QUEEN

After hearing some raving reviews, here I was watching Queen. And boy oh boy, I wasn’t disappointed one bit!

Directed by Vikas Bahl, Queen tell the story of Rani, an innocent young belle from Delhi who decides to go on her honeymoon alone after her fiance calls off the wedding. The story is simple, but Vikas handles it so well, that you connect with Rani easily. The witty dialogues by Anvita Dutt and Kangana herself add to the beautiful journey, while the screenplay (by Parveez Shaikh, Chaitally Parmar and Vikas Bahl) is crisp. I loved the way the flashbacks kept coming in between the storyline. Direction is perfect, and Vikas was able to get right and beautiful emotions from every cast member. He is a director to look out for.

Kangana can take a bow. After some boisterous performances in the past, she portrays Rani with such ease and simplicity that you can’t stop falling in love with her. Her innocence charms you from the word go, and she comes up with an impeccable, probably her best performance till date. The rest of the cast is superb. Be it her foreign friends or her parents and relatives, everyone put up fine performances.

On technical front, music by Amit Trivedi is neither too loud nor weak; it’s just perfect. Editing by Abhijit Kokate and Anurag Kashyap, and cinematography by Siddharth Diwan and Bobby Singh are spot on. It’s nice to see a movie with no big star cast come so good, and proves the fact that script is the king/queen.

Is it worth your time and money??: Absolutely. It’s a brilliant film and should not be missed at any cost. Go enjoy Rani’s beautiful journey and get mesmerized by Kangana’s performance.

Worth mention: The episode when Rani gets drunk in Paris; and the end title credits.

Acting: 9.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 9/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 9/10 + 0.5 for Kangana!

300: Rise of an Empire | Movie Review

300

300: Rise of an Empire tells a story which runs parallel to the 2006 film 300, where Leonidas (Gerard Butler) leads 300 Spartans into battle. This film showcases the Greek fighting Artemisia (Eva Green), the naval commander of the God King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). Just like it’s predecessor, this film, directed by Noam Murro, is a visual treat for any action movie lover. While the script and theatricals falter at times, the amazingly choreographed fight sequences and the spectacularly dark cinematography keep you engrossed in this blood shed warfare.

On the acting front, Eva Green is superb and fits the role to the bill as Artemisia. Forget beautiful, she looked as cunning and powerful as required to do justice to the role. On the other hand, I was disappointed with the lead, Sullivan Stapleton. A role of such magnitude needed someone with a better persona, and maybe better acting skills. He created no impact whatsoever.

The background score and sound effects are excellent. Editing by Wyatt Smith David Brenner is decent, while the screenplay by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad could have been more effective. However, cinematography by Simon Duggan and the action sequences more than make up for other flaws.

Is it worth your time and money??: The film is a visual extravaganza. Barring the gore blood shed and mediocre performance from the lead actor, 300: Rise of an Empire is an entertaining watch.

Worth mention: The amazingly choreographed fight sequences in single shots.

Acting: 6/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7/10

Hasee Toh Phasee | Movie Review

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Directed by Vinil Mathew, Hasee Toh Phasee is a story of a three confused adults. Siddharth Malhotra plays Nikhil, who is about to get married to Karishma played by Adah Sharma. But trouble starts when comes drug addict/mad scientist Meeta played by Parineeti. The triangular love story looks good on paper, but the new director was unable to pull in the right emotions from his cast. Everything looked artificial, right from the love story between the to be married pair, the protagonists, and the father-daughter bonding. To add to this artificiality was the uninspiring and mediocre screenplay by scriptwriter Harshavardhan Kulkarni. The loopholes and lack of proper emotions didn’t help.

On acting front, Parineeti steals the show with her charming performance. She is cute and bubbly, but I thought her characterization was a bit inconsistent (so was her hairstyle). Siddharth Malhotra looked apt for the role, and does a commendable job. However, the rest of the cast is mediocre but for the guy who played wannabe Anu Malik. Adah Sharma looked odd, and Sharat Saxana was terrible as Siddharth’s father.

Music by Vishal-Shekhar is alright, but the background score by Amar Mangrulkar could have been way better. The cinematography and editing work is decent, but what this film needed was a better screenplay and an experienced director.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a fun film, but again it’s nothing so great either. Lack of emotions and the uninspiring screenplay play spoil sport. On the positive side, Parineeti charms you while Siddharth is pretty good. You may watch it at your leisure.

Worth mention: The ACP Pradyuman and Daya episode. Absolutely hilarious!

Acting: 7/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 6.5/10