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Book Review: The Evil Eye and The Charm by Neil D'Silva

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I am being a bit spooky this week, with my ghosts, spirits, demons and monsters-filled content. And going with this flow, here is a book that I read long ago, but I thought this would be a perfect time to review it. Neil D'Silva is a well-known name in the horror genre. I had a chance to read a few of his works, and the book The Evil and the Charm is one of them.  About The Book:  The Evil Eye and The Charm is a horror anthology consisting of 6 stories by author Neil D'Silva. The stories mainly revolve around horror involving superstitious beliefs of warding off evil and supernatural presence with lime and chillies- a charm almost every part of India practices. These usual superstitious beliefs have been followed for ages; we all know them. And the author has woven some really scary stories around those.  About The Author: Neil D'Silva is a prominent name in contemporary supernatural and horror literature. His work includes best-selling books like Yakshini, Maya's New H...

Hollywood Bad Girls Imagined as Bollywood Female Actors

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In yesterday's post, I let my wild imagination replace some Bollywood actors in bad-boy characters from popular Hollywood films. Today, I am doing the same with the Bad Girls of Hollywood. I had to think a bit to narrow it down to 6 lead female actors who would fit those roles yxstaudip, with grey shades.  But here they are: 1. Catwoman: Catwoman, for me, would always be Michelle Pfeiffer. Her performance truly deserved its own movie. Unpopular opinion: although I enjoyed Halle Berry's performance in Catwoman, despite it being panned by critics and audiences, Pfeiffer still stands as the favourite. She brought out the extreme, polarising personalities of her pre- and post-turnings with finesse, making it iconic.  Back to Bollywood, the only name that came to mind for the role of Catwoman is Deepika Padukone. I think she has the agility and athleticism to take on that role with confidence. She has proved time and again that she is a powerful action star. On top of that, her St...

Hollywood Bad Boys Imagined as Bollywood Actors

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I had been thinking about this for a while. I know many videos might show the same thing. But today, I thought of coming up with a few characters from Hollywood who have managed to scare us and reimagined them as being cast by Bollywood actors. It is just a fragment of my imagination; please feel free to add your own recommendations in the comment section. 1. Count Dracula: For me, whenever I think of Dracula, I can only imagine Gary Oldman. I have watched other actors play the role, but no one has managed to capture the complexities of the character like he has. At times, he might have appeared too loud and theatrical. But I thought it was necessary to bring out the character's eccentricity; at least that was the way Francis Ford Coppola had presented the Count.  For me, it was the ultimate till date. In Bollywood, I could only imagine Ranveer Singh playing that character, with his balanced acting prowess. He can portray eccentricity at its best (Padmaavat), and he can romance as...

Top 8 Underrated Psychological Horror Movies to Watch on Halloween

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The horror genre is one of the most-watched genres worldwide. This is thanks to world-famous directors investing their craft and to movie franchises that have drawn audiences to theatres for years. Acclaimed moviemakers like Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola all ventured into this genre and gave some mind-blowing masterpieces. Not to forget the Father of the genre, Alfred Hitchcock. Each of his films calls for a detailed study. While the horror genre has many subdivisions, I tend to align more towards Psychological Horrors. The first name that comes to my mind whenever talking of psychological horror is Kubrick’s The Shining. The other movies that have made a mark in the audience’s mind are The Others, The Sixth Sense, Us, Hereditary, Get Out, etc. Today, I have listed a few psychological horrors that I considered quite intriguing, despite not being that widely acclaimed. They could be a great inclusion in the Halloween Weekend watchlist: 1.    ...

Food, Festival and Diabetes

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Living with diabetes is like sharing space with your worst enemy. You know he is evil and wants your downfall, but you still have no other option. All you can do is deal with it mindfully. As a diabetic, I constantly go through this ordeal. I am a Type 2 Diabetic who has carried it through a generational legacy. My mother had diabetes. That warning sign was enough to prompt me to choose a healthy lifestyle when I was younger. But as a foodie, I could not manage my lifestyle in the way I was supposed to. So, by the time I turned 40, I fell prey to diabetes. The initial days were painful as a foodie, as it came with a lot of restrictions. However, checking up with my doctor frequently and consulting a nutritionist gradually normalised the process. It was difficult, but not impossible. And by the time I was 45, I learned to live with Diabetes, without feeling sad. Every relationship is based on mutual respect. And so is my relationship with Diabetes. As a person with diabetes, it becomes ...

Book Review: Scream Stories- A Horror Anthology

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Navratri is celebrated more as Durga Puja in West Bengal. I was fortunate to spend those 10 days in the state, specifically in my city, the City of Joy, Kolkata, that too after 15 long years. Catching up with old friends after so many years and travelling to every corner of the city in search of the magnificent creativity each pandal, big or small, showcases made for a fortnight to remember. But every beginning has an end. And yesterday, as my stay ended and I was on my flight back to Mumbai, I had to do something exciting to compensate for my sadness. On a flight, what can be more interesting than reading a book filled with spooky stories! And I picked up the brand-new Horror release, Scream Stories: A Horror Anthology. About The Book Scream Stories- A Horror Anthology is a compilation of 9 spooky stories from 9 Indian authors: Rathin Bhattacharjee, Madhu Mehrotra, Parthib Chatterjee, Monisha Manindra, Vishnu Mohan, Suman Ghosh Dastidar, Archita Kumar, Reubenna Dutta and Raveena Menon...

5 Bengali Books with the Best Hindi Movie Plots

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There are some books that, when you read them, feel like watching a movie. Most of these books are either filled with adventurous expeditions or thrilling detections. In Bengal, there are many such books that make a perfect plot for a movie. Some of these have already been turned into films, but there are a few that are still waiting to try their luck on the Silver screen, especially in Bollywood. So, today I am making a list of books that could make excellent Hindi Films.   1.      1.  Durgeshnandini by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay : One of the most exciting stories ever written in Bengali literature, Durgeshnandini is set in a historical backdrop of the Pathan-Mughal conflict. It is a love triangle between Jagat Singha- a Mughal general, Tilottama- the daughter of a feudal lord of Bengal and Ayesha- the daughter of a rival Pathan king. Laden with ample action, romance, tragedy, and betrayal, this story is surely going to be a tremendously exciting Hindi ...