The washer and dryer effect.

My God! The past few months have been quite a ride. And the last month the most exciting, nerve racking, exhausting, rejuvenating, draining, enriching. Am I ever going to recover? I feel like I’ve been stuffed into a washing machine which doesn’t have an off button. After this I really need to be put out to dry in the sun and left alone. But no such luck. I start shooting for GHAJINI on the 22nd. So…

Let me take baby steps towards recovery.

First things first… I have just smoked my last cigarette before sending this post. YES I HAVE FINALLY KICKED THE BAD HABIT!!! I know I know, I can already hear all of y’all scream and shout. I was supposed to give up on 31st. But I didn’t (which is one of the reasons I was avoiding posting). I tried my best… but I''m sorry I couldn’t then… but I have now… so please don’t give me grief… instead support me now.

Second step: get back to sleeping early.

Third: Work out religiously.

4th: Get back on my healthy diet.

5th: Just stick to the above 4 for a while before taking the 5th step.

To do list:
1. Work on the DVD of TZP.
2. Work on the release plan of JAANE TU… AKP’s next release.
3. Supervise prep on DELHI BELLY which starts shoot in March.
4. Start prep work on the other one that AKP is producing later this year yet untitled.
(all this while I shoot for GHAJINI. And you guys complain I don’t do enough work.)
5. Make innovations and progress on this site.
6. Clean my study, clean my cupboard. So much junk has piled up in my rooms. Everyday I look at the mess and promise myself I’ll get down to it at some point.

I really have to get back some order in my life.

In the meantime let us celebrate India’s win over Australia. What a glorious win! Sweet and well deserved. We would have won the earlier test as well had it not been for remarkably bad luck with the umpiring. All the more satisfying because we beat a team which is unfortunately very arrogant and decidedly badly behaved on the cricket field. My sincere apologies to any fans of Australian Cricket but I fail to understand why arguably the best team in the world has to behave so badly on the field. Or why this team feels the need to use excessively aggressive heckling to try and win a match. Cant they just play better? I mean I don’t see Federer or Roddick misbehaving with each other or anyone. Well each to his own I guess. I just wish the Indian team didn’t get influenced by this childish display and respond in kind. We should just quietly play better and win… or lose, as the case may be. But play with dignity.

While on behavior and dignity, I am deeply disappointed with those of you who have watched TZP on a pirated DVD/VCD, or when illegally shown on cable, or on websites which have illegally uploaded the film. How can you be my fans, or fans of Indian Cinema, or any cinema for that matter if you steal from us? Sad.

To the rest of you, first of all I want to thank you for the respect and regard you have shown by watching the film through honest means. Your heartfelt responses to TZP are absolutely overwhelming and have left me speechless, with a warm glow within me. Cant describe it any better. Have made notes over the past few weeks in response to specific posts, but have abandoned that exercise. Maybe I’ll get into that later. Just want to thank all of you for expressing yourselves with so much generosity and sensitivity.

Having been so supportive of the film y’all will be happy to know that TZP has crossed to business of RDB.

At this point I would like to publicly thank the cast and crew of TZP for being so supportive to me in my debut film. I would not have been able to achieve the film without the hard work and commitment from all who have been involved in the entire process. Right from the research to the release.

Much love.

xxx