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16 A-List Actors Who Played Dreaded Killers OnScreen

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 A little birdie informed me that Magneto and Professor X are going to be replaced. Is it true? Hmm, whatever it is, Marvel knows. But Fassbender and McAvoy -no longer in those roles. Look at them... No, I mean just look. I am sure my uncle would have had the same thought 15 years ago, when they both replaced (rather, played younger versions of) Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, respectively. But whatever that is, today my blog post is neither about X-Men nor about the new replacements.  Today I thought of digging up the work histories of a few actors, generally tagged as heartthrobs for the roles they play and the image they have created among audiences. And there is a large number of popular actors who have played dreadful, negative characters, of killers. We all know, but just a dive down memory lane. 1. Al Pacino: Yes, he is still considered a heart-throb at 85. And the movie that comes to my mind where he played a serial killer was Righteous Kill, directed by Jon Avnet, a...

Humanity, Afresh

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As soon as he reached the 20th floor, the elevator opened to the quietest arena of the entire building. There were people, well-dressed, perfect-bodied, mechanically functioning on some superior power’s instructions. It was in desperate need of a restart. He walked forward to the reception desk.  A woman, draped in white overalls, smiled at him. “Welcome to Curestus. How may I help you?” Her almost-automated voice and perfectly set teeth made it clear that she was one of them. Within exactly 5 minutes, he was instructed to enter one of the rooms with a glass door.  Glendale Bjorkich was seated on his ivory chair- a balding, obese man in his 50s, suffering from acute asthma. This was the biggest sign that he was not one of them. How could he be! He ran the whole Curestus. At one corner of the hall was his secretary, Miss Molly. Her quick side glances didn’t escape his eyes, and that’s what made her so real. Glendale almost brushed him off. That was an assurance that even such a...

Freedom, Voice of Youth, 5 Bengali Books & 6 Songs

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I can't be serious for long, so when we think about Freedom,  I am not going to lecture on what we have yet to achieve, what can be improved, and what we can do to improve the state of our nation. I am not in any position to share my opinion, but as a common citizen of a democracy, I can highlight how a nation's entire system gets questioned when one of the strongest forces, the future of our tomorrow, the youth, stands united. We saw that recently and now and again. Every revolution starts with the youth. This 79th Independence Day, this is my humble tribute to the power of youth and their voice.  The first event that comes to our mind when we think about Freedom is our Freedom Movement, that of independence, which we enjoy today, after years spent under foreign rule. A major chunk of the freedom movement was made up of the youth of those times. Students, common citizens, even farmers- all constituted a majority of young fighters. They were bold, courageous, and passionate, w...

Book Review: Reason to Fight by Chandrayan Gupta

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Well, well, what a rainy Tuesday. Isn't it time for an edgy thriller? Though not a thriller, per se, I finished watching Spider Noir, and my, my, did I not love it? I was a bit upset watching Nicholas Cage in Longlegs. I mean that same guy who used to make a wheel look sexy ( Ghost Rider, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds ), turning to an almost faceless serial killer, hmmm. So Spider Noir brought back that old Cage back, and I loved watching him once again. Coming back to thrillers, I picked up quite a different sort of thriller this time: Reason to Fight by Chandrayan Gupta.  About the Book A troubled teenager's death is passed off as suicide by the police, while his father, a noted actor, suspects foul play. Private detective Radha Bose takes up the case and digs into the strange world of the dead teenager, along with the help of her newly appointed assistant, Aditya Gokhale. What they find about the people involved shocks them and the readers equally. About the Author Chandrayan ...

Rest, Replenish and Rejuvenate with Watermelon

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There is something called a Watermelon Day! Well, that's new to me, but watermelon has been a daily affair for me and my household for the last 6-7years. However, there was a time when it was treated as a seasonal fruit, especially available during summers, and was drunk on those scorching summer afternoons. Those were the days when a watermelon appeared as a symbol of rest, replenishment, and rejuvenation before going out or after coming home from the blows of the extreme heat.  Now picture this. Summer holidays, a calming day at the pool, and a glass of watermelon juice in hand- that's what I am talking about. A watermelon brings that "Sukoon wali" feeling. A whole idea of rest, may be not in the literal sense, but perhaps the rest and cooling of our inner self, our mind. There is a lot of pressure these days- workload, Ghar ka load and then Social media and news channel load. Those true"Chayn ke" moments have sort of disappeared. So, here's a quick ha...

5 Types of Friendship in Bengali Literature

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Friendship can cross boundaries, age and every other barrier, if it is true. In today's world of fake smiles and fake lives, we still come across a few rare instances of such friendship, somewhere in the world. As I was thinking about what to write about friendship today, it occurred to me that it has been an integral part of Bengali literature through the ages. Friendships can come in many types; they may arise in unexpected ways. untimely situations and through unimaginable circumstances. Without much delay, let's dive into the types of friendship. 1. Age-Gap Friendship: As I said, friendship can break the age barrier, " Na Umrr ki Seema ho, Na Janmo ka ho Bandhan." We have often seen such heartfelt stories of friendship in Rabindranath Tagore's "Kabuliwalah" and "Postmaster" . A man who left his daughter to pursue better prospects in another country forms an unusual friendship with a five-year-old girl. Their friendship evolves despite diffe...

Top 10 Popular Bengali Movies on Friendship

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Before I begin, a Happy Friendship Day to all my readers. Hope you have plans with your friends and other friendly people in your life. Today, I wanted to write about a few Bengali films that have won the hearts of millions over the ages by portraying the importance of friendship through thick and thin, differences and goof-ups. Here are my picks: 1. Basanta Bilap: One of the funniest movies ever made in Bengal, this movie is about a group of bachelor men, living opposite a working women's hostel. Both groups cannot stand each other, and mostly pit against each other, either to ridicule or to demean the other. However, through a series of mishappenings, situations change for the better.  Directed by Dinen Gupta, the movie stars Soumitra Chatterji and Aparna Sen in lead roles, alongside an incredible supporting cast of Rabi Ghosh, Anup Kumar, Chinmay Roy and Sumitra Mukherji. This movie is a laugh riot. The music by Sudhin Dasgupta is amazing. 2. Aranyer Din Ratri: 4 friends leave ...