Its been 27 long years… When Kapil’s Devils gate crashed on the Caribbean party, inflicting a catastrophic defeat to avert a hat-trick of titles for the calypso brigade, and henceforth achieving the miraculous feat: THE WORLD CUP trophy!!

Six tournaments later & history is yet to repeat itself! From hitting the final lap in 2003 to the disgraceful first round exit in 2007, the Indian cricket lovers have seen it all besides the Cup itself. So when the Cricket Mahakumbh opens for the 10th time in the ‘Country of GOD’ with the sport as the Religion, prayers & tempers will reach their ultimate zenith during 19th Feb – 2nd April.

Predicting ‘who will’ & ‘who will not’ do well in such a pressure cooker event is way beyond even Nostradamus genius; but then what’s the fun if this is not done? So here we go:

The Party-crashers: Bangladesh; led by the inspirational Shakib Al Hasan with the very talented Tamim Iqbal as his deputy, are no longer pushovers especially when it comes to competing on the big stage. Add to that home advantage & the mercurial Ashraful and this confident bunch is more than capable of making it to the knockout round. Will they deliver remains to be seen?

Zimbabwe, Ireland & Kenya can also boast from their historical record in WC, but expecting them to go past the first stage will require some serious hara-kiri. I doubt it this time. Gut feeling maybe?

8. Caribbean Anti-Calypso: Despite Double Bravo’s and dangerous Pollard in their ranks, Windies will need the experience of Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Gayle to assure entry into second stage. After that, May God Bless Them?

7. Its All 'Black Caps': The fact that Newzealand is still to name their final 15 for the Cup really sums up the downfall of the once very dangerous outfit! The side plunged into its lowest ebb after suffering humiliation by the hands of Bangladesh recently. Can Vettori-men turnaround their sagging fortunes and make a distinctive mark this time? Maybe Not.

6. The Phoneix Englishmen: They rose from the Ashes to devastate the Aussies in tests, but were beaten fairly and squarely in ODIs. However, with in-form players such as Trott, Bell & Anderson under Strauss fine captaincy, can they finally finally deliver at the biggest stage of them all? Watch out, they just might this time!

5. The Unpredictable Neighbours: Their build up to the mega event has been typically Pakistani style! Surrounded by all possible controversies over match-fixing, player bans, captaincy issues etc. on one-hand and playing some brilliant cricket to outlast the Kiwis on another! The unpredictability of ‘which Pak will show up’ makes them the most dangerous team, yet again. Will Afridi, Misbah and company do a 1992 encore? Conditions will favour them: Remember Remember!

THE BIG FOUR!

4. Agent Smith’s Proteas: The Quintessential Chokers and Perennial Under-achievers! Recent performances suggest that South Africa is fast shedding this woeful image, however, WC is going to be their ultimate acid test. With Kallis & Amla; in their best forms of their lives, Smith does have a balanced side capable of beating anyone on their day and going all the way too. But, hasn’t this been their curious case last time & before & before…….? Kallis is the Key!

3. The Enigmatic Islanders: Sri Lankans have reasons to believe that they ought to be second-time lucky. Its Murali’s last world cup, Sangakkara is in top gear both as batsman and captain, in batting they have the perfect mix of dashers and technique; in bowling of spinners and pacers; the home advantage too! However, Will Inconsistency and lack of match-practice taboo their shot at glory this time? They don’t have the likes of Aravinda De Silva, Ranatunga & Jayasuriya from their 1996 crown, nobody even closer!

2. The Unstoppable Kangaroo-force: Aussies might be a little messed up right now: Ashes humiliation, Captaincy woes, Injury problems etc. But its near impossible to separate the world cup crown from them, even the mere thought seems utopia. 4 times champions and last 3 in a row: do we need to look any further! So will the champion team crusade to another ‘path of WC glory’ in typical juggernaut style or have times indeed changed a lot recently to trigger chaos? Experience & Confidence: both are scarce for the Aussies this time!

1. Numero Uno ‘Men In Blue’: We have the GOD playing for arguably the very last time at WC stage, We have the Home Advantage & We have billions of hearts praying day/night for the dearest & most precious jewel: “The Pursuit of World Cup Happyness”..!! And then we have MSD at the helm, unarguably the best top order batsmen at present, Zaheer & Bhajji hitting top form off late and a highly improved fielding unit. But most important of all, what this team possesses in abundance is the unflinching belief in its capabilities to go all the way this time, come what may! The GOD a.k.a “Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar”: Its Time for you to take centre-stage and add the ‘only thing’ and the most ‘important thing’ in your CV. For next-time may well be too late! So will the Men In Blue keep their date with immortality on 2nd April, 2011? Hope is a good thing and no good thing ever dies. Ever.

MIB – JUST DO IT!

Let the Games Begin :)

Munna: a typical dhobi in the morning & a secretive rat-killer in the night.. his intriguing liking to Sai.. slowly but steadily developing into love & the overwhelming confusion subsequently.. and in the background – his family & Arun!

Sai: an investment banking consultant from the States on a sabbatical in Mumbai.. her one-night-stand with Arun & the longing/desire for a lifetime relationship.. her interest in Munna triggered initially due to her passion for photography in ‘the maximum city’ and in the end due to his pure heart!

Arun: a painter, a loner, a widower.. his tryst with Yasmin through those precious video-tapes & the ensuing emotions ranging from astonishment to happiness to extreme sadness.. his unwanted escapade with Sai followed by attempts to set things straight.. and the majestic painting!

Yasmin: a beautiful & haunting portrait of a small town girl from U.P., married to a cheating husband in Mumbai.. her attempt to stay in touch with her brother Imran through stories told via video tapes.. and the devastating end!

Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) is the story of these four people living in Mumbai and their intersecting stories which are a part and parcel of life in the maximum city. The inaugural directorial venture by Kiran Rao grows on you minute by minute and then leaves you introspective as well as retrospective of the city called Mumbai and the diaries of its inhabitants.

Few of the scenes are bound to take your breath away:

The extreme shock on the face of Munna, when spotted by Sai during his rat-killing chronicles in the night..

The tear(s) in Sai’s eyes, when Munna gives him the address of Arun’s new place..

The utter despair & horror that engulfs Arun while coming to reality with Yasmin’s end..

Yasmin’s happiness while shooting the first tape for her beloved brother & the unimaginable distress with which she says “Mujhe maaf kar dena” in the end..

Aamir Khan Productions has scored another perfect 10, with its fifth movie, just like it did with the other four: Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Peepli Live! There has always been a group of critics which have not found alignment with these four movies in the past and that is quite understandable. However, the widespread flak and the degree of criticism faced by Dhobi Ghat has left me atleast, absolutely shocked and bewildered! And to think that it has come from the most unexpected quarters saddens me even more! Yes, it’s a pity that on one hand, we tend to condemn the Indian cinema of producing only commercially viable movies and its inability to match the high standards so often set by Hollywood, while on the other hand, when presented by a real piece of art and cinematic brilliance: we hate it with all our angst!

Being a Mumbaikar (for almost 18 months) and having experienced the highs and lows presented by the maximum city myself, I could perfectly relate with the Mumbai Diaries and which is why I admired this 95 minute spectacle so much! Why most of other Mumbaikars could not do so, is really besides my wildest dreams! And for all those who think that the movie’s entry as the official selection for the Toronto International Film Festival and the London Film Festival’10 was due to Aamir Khan’s presence and nothing else, need to do some serious introspection!

For this movie is not about a Aamir Khan, but all about raising a toast to the maximum city “Mumbai”!