Advertisement
Published: April 8th 2008
Edit Blog Post
At the movies!
We could hardly have gone on a tour called From Buddha to Bollywood without going to see a Bollywood movie and Varansi, with its new multiplex cinema, was the place we decided to go. The cinema is in a brand new shopping mall just like the malls we have at home and seeming very out of place in Varansi. The few shops that had opened so far were highly expensive clothes shops with mostly western style men's clothing. Not much for the women - slight role reversal there compared to back home! We headed off to the cinema to see what was on and while Manu went to find out what the two films showing were all about we saw the poster for the film ONE, TWO, THREE and were completely sold. Someone had to break the news to Manu that instead of the action packed thriller RACE we were going to put him through what looked like a really cheesy comedy if the poster was anything to go by.
With an hour to wait before the film started its here that I have to admit that we went to PIZZA HUT!!! I know, I know!
Before the bunks went up
Sammy, Charlotte, Harriet, Joe and Matt on the sleeper train from Varanasi to Delhi. At least it wasn't Macdonalds (which was opposite). Then after another security frisking and confiscation of cigarettes and chewing gum we went into the cinema. It was so COLD! Luckily Manu had warned us to take something warm to wear. Indians like to watch their films in fridges at home if the cinema was anything to go by. So the film starts and it was hilarious. So hard to describe. It was a kind of farce with lots of slap stick and silly sound effects and yes some dancing (with bad eighties style clothes). The 'plot', I use this term loosely:
'Young love birds Chandu and Chandni stumble upon a haul of diamonds, which have been stolen from Don Papa. They hide the gems in a car, unaware that Laila intends to sell the vehicle to prevent her salesroom from closing. Laxmi Narayan arrives at the Hotel Blue Diamond in Pondicherry to buy the car for his boss. He in unaware of two namesakes staying at the same hotel: bumbling hit man Laxmi Narayan who has been hired to kill Don Papa, and lingerie factory owner Laxmi Narayan who must collect samples for designer Jiya. Confusion reigns as
the men receive and act upon messages intended for each other.'
It was all in Hindi but with loads of English phrases dropped in. At the intermission we were able to fill in the gaps re the plot from Manu. One of the characters kept being told to take a left and was very pedantic re which left, his or the person giving him directions, or was it their mirror left or non-mirror left. At least it wasn't just us who found it funny as everyone in the cinema found it amusing too. Film Details:
Needless to say as soon as we left the cinema and Manu started directing us to the exit. We all chorused - your left or my left, mirror left etc!
Sleeper train to Delhi
It was with curiosity and trepidation that we set off to the train station to catch our 7.30pm sleeper train to Delhi. We'd heard stories good and bad so were relieved when we sorted ourselves into a 6 berth together (me, Sammy, Matt, Joe, Charlotte and Harriet) and Janine, Carl and Manu in another and found it was OK!
There were three bunks one above the
other the middle of which stayed folded away until bedtime so we spent the time until then doing an Ozzie crossword and eating weird things we'd bought from the crisps, cakes, biscuits guy that we more or less grabbed as he went by. Then the beds came out and we all squeased and shifted around the small space trying to get sheets and blankets fitted before sliding into our bunks. I actually slept really well and was amazed to be woken by other people stirring to find it was daylight. Unfortunately Janine and Manu hadn't been so lucky as the guy in the bunk inbetween them snored all night then woke up at 5am and proceeded to have loud mobile phone conversations. Oh and they also had a mouse!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.228s; Tpl: 0.025s; cc: 11; qc: 45; dbt: 0.1189s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb