Raanjhanaa REVIEW

Watch the film for Dhanush and Sonam's performances and some colourful one-liners and dialogues.

Film: Raanjhanaa

Cast: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Swara Bhaskar
Director: Aanand Rai
Rating: ***

Raanjhanaa joins the rank of recent love stories (Aashiqui 2, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani) that take the unconventional path of approaching the genre by exposing the dark underbelly of romance through shades of loss, regret, remorse, and pain. Despite a colourful and vivacious beginning, the film ends up being weighed down by its heavy melodramatic second half.

We are introduced to Kundan (Dhanush) and Zoya (Sonam) through a voiceover that takes us back to events leading to that very moment.

Set around the banks of Banaras, we learn that Kundan is not your regular Bollywood stalker.

He obsesses and loves Zoya to the extent that every slap and rejection is a thorn disguised as a flower in his mind.

Instances of his courting her through teenage and adulthood make for some of the liveliest frames on screen. There are chunks of humour through witty innuendos and engaging banter between the leads.

Further on this one-sided love story gets a communal twist when a Hindu boy marrying a Muslim girl becomes a topic of controversy.

Adding to this complication is Abhay Deol, who plays a student union leader from JNU. After separating from Kundan and moving to Delhi, Zoya falls in love with Abhay.

But, mind you this isn't your run-of-the-mill love triangle. The script throws up a major surprise which gives the film a serious tone making the proceedings less enjoyable.

Dhanush has neither the conventional good looks, nor the six-packs to cater to mainstream audience. And that strangely is his biggest asset.

Raanjhanaa works because of his ability to make you believe in his love for Zoya. You might not agree with his approach, but deep down you cheer and root for him each time Zoya plants a slap on his face.

His dialogue delivery has a unique ring to it which will be either music or noise to your ears. You can't help but draw comparison with his father-in-law Rajnikanth in a few scenes.

Sonam is at ease playing Zoya. She carries the heavy burden of making a smooth transition from being the effervescent girl next door to someone who is dealing with sudden loss. Also full credit to her for looking the part.

Supporting cast is a major highlight, especially Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub who plays Kundan's sidekick Murari. Swara Bhaskar does a fantastic job of playing the foul mouthed Bindiya who is jealous of Zoya. Abhay Deol impresses even in those few scenes.

Aanand Rai's Banaras comes alive with Rahman's slow yet melodious tunes and some amazing camera work.

We wish he had stuck to the feel and ethos of the first half and let that flow into the climax. Instead the storyline takes a nosedive post interval like a jet running out of fuel.

Zoya's change of mind and her internal struggle to address her feelings for Kundan doesn't seem very convincing. Also the 'retribution scene' leading to the climax feels rushed.

Raanjhanaa has a fantastic first half. Watch it for Dhanush and Sonam's performances and some colourful one-liners and dialogues.

Top 10 Technology Trends for 2013

Predicting which technology trend will be gaining more popularity is difficult because technology is getting more and more advanced as the time is passing. Here is a list of top ten technology trends for 2013.

10. Enterprise App Stores

A large number of mobile applications are downloaded from app stores daily. It is said that the rate of downloading mobile applications from application stores will be more than seventy billion per year. Moreover, there will be private app stores of most of the organizations, through which, applications will be delivered to the workers.

9. Integrated Ecosystems

Integrated systems will be one of the top trends in 2012 because of the need of security, simplification and optimization. There will be an increased number of virtual appliances that will be delivered as hardware. Deployment, management and configuration of appliances are easy but a single appliance cannot perform all these tasks and that is why they are integrated with other solutions for balancing.

8. Mainstream In-Memory Computing

Applications with in-memory are rising day by day. With the blink of an eye, scanning through millions of events can be done. Mainstream in-memory computing will change the entire architecture, designing and expectations. With maximum performance, response time will also become extraordinary. Delivery of application by vendors just like SAP will be accelerated in coming year or two.

7. Actionable Analytics

With the advancement of technology in all the fields including analysis, it is the time when all the actions/ decisions can be analyzed and simulated. In coming years of 2013 and 2014, data centers, clouds and packaged analytics will be increased. Mobile devices will be used to access data and will be able to perform analyzing activity itself.

6. Strategic Big Data

Organizations should focus on external data sources and data types that are non-traditional. Technologies like Hadoop and NoSQL could be the part only, as the concept of sole enterprise data warehouse is no more. Big data will be included into an overall information strategy so it becomes social. Multiple systems, which include data warehouse and marts, content management and specialized file systems will be the top technological trends for 2013.

5. Hybrid IT and Cloud Computing

For the coordination between IT related activities, IT departments will play more than one role. That is why cloud computing is now emerging with the concept of ‘Hybrid IT’. With the concept of Hybrid IT, clouds will be manageable, hybrid and brokered. Organizations will be working more on cloud services for both internal users as well as external business partners and that is why the role of internal cloud services brokerage (CSB) is up-and-coming.

4. Internet of Things

Internet of things is not a new thing or item to come; it is a trend already in action. More than 50% internet connections are things including sensors, cameras, cell and smart phones and image recognition technologies (few from a huge list). Along with more than 50 billion irregular internet connections, about 15 billion internet connections on web were permanent in the year 2011 only. Keeping in mind the massive use and growth of internet, it is foreseen that the executive of an enterprise alone will see all the things connected with internet.

3. Personal Cloud

2013 and the coming years will mark the replacement of personal computers with personal clouds. Personal clouds will become the center of digital lives by providing different services like cloud storage whereby you can store data online and can access from anywhere.

2. Mobile applications & HTML 5

The increased capability of HTML 5 will mark the shift of mobile applications from native applications to web applications. Within a year or two, one of the most widely used environments for the development of mobile application will be HTML 5.

10. Mobile device battles

With the passage of time, mobile devices are becoming more and more advanced. They are accessible to everyone within their budget constraints. With windows mobiles and smart phones easily available in the market, it is predicted that by year 2013, mobiles will become the most commonly used devices for connecting and communicating with rest of the world. It is foreseen that within next two to three years, only 20% handheld phones will be windows phones while rest of the 80% will be smart phones.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Jor-El (Russell Crowe) in "Man of Steel"

The tentpole opens to $71.6 million internationally country of star Henry Cavill. The film's early foreign performance is a notable success for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures as they go about resurrecting the marquee franchise.

Snyder directed the $225 million tentpole, with Nolan producing. Box office observers will track the film's international run closely, since Superman has historically been a distinctly American hero (then again, Captain America: The First Avenger did more business overseas than domestically, or $192 million versus $176 million).

BOX OFFICE REPORT: 'Man of Steel' Nabs $125.1 Million for No. 1 June Opening of All Time

Man of Steel's weekend take in North America was $113.1 million, the top opening for June. Combined with $12 million from special Walmart screenings Thursday night, the film's domestic total through Sunday was $125.1 million.

As a way of comparison internationally, Man of Steel is pacing nearly 40 percent ahead of Nolan's sequel The Dark Knight, which ultimately earned $470 million overseas. It opened to a $17.1 million in the U.K., one of the best showings for a superhero film and almost on par with Iron Man 3 earlier this summer.

Man of Steel debuted to $9.9 million in South Korea and $9.8 million in Mexico. The film makes a major push next weekend when opening in another 26 markets, including a raft of major European markets.

Universal's Fast & Furious 6 came in No. 2 worldwide over Father's Day weekend with international and domestic ticket sales of $29.4 and pushing the action's pic cume to $636.8 million. The sixth installment is now the top grossing film in the series, besting the $628 million earned by Fast Five.

Will Smith sci-fi epic After Earth placed No. 3 worldwide, although it continues to underperform both domestically and overseas. Weekend earnings were $27.8 million, including $24 million internationally from 72 markets for a tepid foreign total of $91.1 million. The event pic's worldwide cume through Sunday is $145.3 million.

Summit's magician heist pic Now You See Me jumped the $100 million mark worldwide, grossing $25.9 million for a cume of $107.7 million. Domestically, the film grossed $10.3 million for a cume of $80 million. Overseas, it earned $15.6 million for a cume of $27.72 million.

STORY: Warner Bros.' 'Man of Steel' Nabs $170 Million in Promotional Dollars

Star Trek Into Darkness, enjoying strong legs, placed No. 5 globally with $22.7 million in ticket sales for a total $412.2 million. The Paramount and Skydance pic took in $17 million overseas from 58 markets to jump the $200 million market with a cume of $201.7 million.

Warner Bros. and Legendary's The Hangover Part III also crossed $200 million at the foreign box office, pushing its global total to $309.8 million.

Shawn Levy's Google comedy The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, grossed $5.1 million as opened in its first 19 foreign markets after underwhelming in the U.S.

The Future of Online Shopping: 10 Trends to Watch

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Shopping online is about to explode. Retailers of all types are expanding product offerings, adding in-store pickup, free shipping and experimenting with social media. It’s getting harder to tell pure play Internet retailers from the bricks and mortar shops with online portals, and all of them are reinventing how we’ll shop online in the future.

Be it via a mobile device, tablet computer, in-store kiosk or computer, the lines are blurring and the result will be both good and bad for consumers.

First the bad. Much of the activity and expansion is the indirect result of new legislation requiring Internet retailers to collect sales tax. There already are 12 states with laws either enacted or awaiting approval, and now Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is hoping to pass such a law at the national level.

There’s no telling when, or even if the legislation will pass, but there’s also no turning back the tide. It will happen and online shoppers will be required to pay sales tax, sooner or later.

But the prospect of an even playing field has emboldened traditional retailers, many of whom are becoming more aggressive in capturing online sales. We’re seeing retailers like L.L Bean launch free shipping on all items, Macy’s on purchases of $99 or more, Walmart buying social media platform Kosmix for $300 million and opening up @Walmartlabs to further build its online business, and Toys R Us announcing a new 300,000 sq. ft. distribution center to support internet sales.

Because if traditional retailers are to compete with sites like Amazon – which flourished in the absence of regulation — they must implement some of the same benefits like free shipping, liberal return policies, varied product selection and customer reviews.

It’s going to be a great year for online retail. Here are 10 trends to watch:

In-store pick up. In the past few months we’ve seen Walmart implement in-store pick up for orders placed online, while Sears and Kmart are going a step further bringing online purchases out to your car. In Chicago, Sears and Kmart are even testing home delivery and bundling items with those from its retail partners at Sears’ Marketplace, further blurring the lines between online only retailers and those that came before. And in Florida, Farm Stores lets shoppers order groceries online and pick up at a drive through.
Pick up depots. Smaller retailers without a vast network of stores like Walmart or Sears may open designated pick up locations for goods ordered online. Retailconsultant Neil Stern of McMillan/Doolittle points to French retailerChronodrive.com as an example.
Mobile Apps. Smartphones are the dominant cell phone and apps for all platforms are growing. The ones that allow for price comparisons or send out coupons are already among the most heavily used with good reviews, but we’re just getting started.
Less flash more function. Forget about flashy apps or features like virtual dressing rooms. Consumers haven’t responded to these and rightly so. Maybe the technology will get there, but until it does, user reviews are better gauges of clothing fit and quality than any technology can offer.
Video. Look for more user-generated video on retail sites. Retailers are letting customers upload video clips modeling new clothes or using a new purchase. Davis believes this is one trend that will definitely pick up speed.
Social networking. Facebook and Twitter aren’t even close to played out yet. Consumers can increasingly “like” or follow a favorite retailer and get discounts or tips on deals. JCPenney is using Facebook to actually sell goods and more than 12 million consumers “like” Victoria’s Secret on Facebook as of last month (March), making it the most popular retailer on the site (its Pink brand ranks No. 2, according to the ChannelAdvisor Facebook Commerce Index). That’s an active population of customers reaching out and requesting information from the retailer. And social shopping is just getting started, says Jim Okamura, managing partner at Okamura Consulting, a group specializing in online retail. “There’s evidence (that Facebook offers) a good return on investment and there are a lot of retailers that haven’t done anything yet,” he says. “This is going to be the year of Facebook testing.
Daily deals and flash sales. This may seem like a very crowded playing field, but sites like Ruelala and OneKingsLane are reproducing at a furious pace. And based on how quickly many items sell out, often within minutes of email notifications going out, more will jump on this popular trend.
Retail based social networks. This is one trend experts don’t expect to happen at any large level. Sears is still trying to build a social network of its own customers and Walmart tried and abandoned a similar effort, neither attempt bodes well for its success. Facebook really owns this space, but look for small, focused sites to create communities of like-minded users, says Okamura.
International. “There’s been an accelerating trend in international or cross border e commerce, of small niche online retailers are now doing 10-20% of their sales outside of their own country,” says Okamura. Look to online shops likeSousVide Supreme that sells specialized cooking equipment and StyleTrek.com, a community built to launch up and coming international designers as models. Other big name retailers like Zara and Top Shop are building out their online business to reach U.S. shoppers, even as the store base grows more slowly.
Deal aggregators. Of course there are always deal sites, like Dealnews, ConsumerSearch, FatWallet and Brad’s Deals that are cutting through the din of so many sites and sales to bring consumers only the information they’re interested in.

And according to Don Davis, editor of trade magazine Internet Retailer, there’s one more positive side effect for shoppers: the in-store experience is likely to become better as online shopping grows. As it becomes easier to compare prices, stores will be forced to create better physical experiences with more knowledgeable sales staff and proprietary items hard to find anywhere else.
On one thing all our experts agreed. There will be more choices for consumers. More things to buy, more ways to compare products and prices, and more methods to evaluate goods.

Man Of Steel
U; Action
Director: Zach Snyder
Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon
Ratings: ****

It has finally arrived, the progeny of Christopher Nolan, the god-like father of all superhero movies and Zach Snyder, the mother of them all. Audiences have outgrown the candyfloss casual tomfoolery of ’80s and 90’s blockbuster cinema, and are weary of the overload of the modern, dark and gritty origin story and the humanisation of the superhero.

The only solution to this problem was by pairing Nolan and Snyder, and it works on some insane level, because Nolan is the maestro who excels at constructing superheroes by stripping away their morality, and Snyder is the master of deconstructing the superhero genre. The new Superman story needed to lose its red underwear and its accompanying monkeyshines, without becoming an all too serious and depressing guilt ridden drama. It’s a very tricky tightrope, and Man of Steel becomes the best possible Superman movie you’ll get in this day and age.

Henry Cavill as Superman.

There are three things that make Man of Steel more interesting than you expect it to be.

First, it gives you the reason why Superman came to Earth and why he chose to stay on the planet and save humans. The latter existential issue was never brought up in any previous ‘Superman’ film and Snyder (and Nolan) do a great job of lending the character an air of innate heroism over his surface level integrity.

Secondly, the film offers a villain who has a genuinely tragic, logical and most surprisingly, a relatable motive to hunt Superman, rather than a ludicrous plan to ‘take over the universe’.

Third, the film lays its characters’ motivation cards on the table right from the opening scene, this keeps Snyder from convoluting the story with a false sense of mystery.

Calling the action scenes ‘set pieces’ would be doing injustice to the film, for the scenes are some of the biggest, most expansive, most destructive, most eye-popping CGI mayhem ever splashed on screens. This is an expensive movie and Snyder makes sure you leave the theatre feeling happy about investing your money in his work. The frustrations arrive in the form of 3D, which absolutely hacks the cinematography and the special effects with a scythe and murders the fun out of the film.

Henry Cavill is circumspect and handsome in equal portions who is given the much more challenging task of being simultaneously heroic, troubled, otherworldly and human, a far cry from what Reeves did back then. Michael Shannon is fun as Zod, the villain who is deemed a maniac only because the hero says he is. A major criticism would be the way the film rushes from one dramatic plot point to the next, without really focusing to create any lasting impact. Settling down and fleshing out the relationships between the characters would have added to the already long two and a half hour runtime, but it would definitely have made it a classic, rather than a mere enjoyable blockbuster.

1
Make a list answering these questions:
2
Think: What kind of books do you like?
3
Think: What authors do you like? Research books by authors you've enjoyed in the past. Chances are they'll have another publication that you'll also enjoy.
- Is there a type of book, or a specific book you would like to try?
- Are there any books in a certain series you would like to read?
- What are your interests? Insert your hobbies into your library catalog search and set it to, "Keyword."
4
Search your house. Often times good books will be quietly collecting dust in your own house. Maybe you forgot about one, or someone who is living with you has a couple good books.
5
Ask someone to recommend a good book. You can ask your older sibling, your mom, your dad, your best friend, or even your English teacher. Friends or family with whom you have things in common can often make excellent book recommendations. Local, small bookstores often have wonderful recommendations, and when they get to know you, it's even better!
6
Read book reviews in newspapers and magazines. Read the bestseller lists published in most newspapers or weekly magazines. Find out which new books are making headlines, and why.
7
Join a book club. Being a book club member is often a way to experience new books you might never have had the motivation to read otherwise.
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See if the library or bookstore has computers. If it does, then look on the library's search engine. You can use the search engine to find a certain book, books by a certain author, or anything as broad as just a certain genre.
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Ask the librarian or book seller about the location of the books you're looking for. He/she will be happy to help you.
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Skim through the shelves in the section you're interested in. If you see anything that looks appealing, pick it up and read the back of the book. Skim over the back of the book or the inside flap, wherever the summary is. If that holds your attention, read the first page or so. If it still holds your attention, then it's probably a good book for you. The subject might be interesting to you, but the writing style can be key to enjoying it. If it looks interesting, put it in your pile. Keep doing this until you have a few books.
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Find a place to sit, or stand if you must, and read the first chapter of each book. Of course, if you have many books, this can be time consuming.
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Narrow down your stack. If you would rather have book 1 over book 2, put book 2 back. Keep doing this. If you would rather have book 3 then book 1, put book 1 back, etc.