Death of the magic words

Genelia D’souza, Hindustan Times
Email Author
New Delhi, October 28, 2010

First Published: 15:52 IST(28/10/2010)
Last Updated: 17:23 IST(3/11/2010)

Gone are the days of kindergarten rules where our world was splattered with words such as ‘Please’, ‘Thank-you’ and ‘Sorry’. I remember being scolded as a kid for forgetting the use of a ‘magic word’ whilst asking for something or when I was giving something. A ‘Please’ before every request and a 'Thank-you'.

for every wish fulfiled. But aaj kal.... That’s not how it works. As Amitabh Bachchan once said in Namak Halal — ‘English is a very funny language’ and funny it sure is!

I’ve been shooting in Australia for quite some time now and you can’t help but absorb some of the local lingo during such extended trips.

So, the other day, when I was back in the city for a shoot, I was confronted with how drastic and hilarious words can be when you change their geographical coordinates. In Australia, the way of the land is to say ‘Cheers, mate’ instead of a ‘Thank-you’. Everybody is ‘cheering’ away, day in and day out. Its a ‘cheers, mate’ for holding the door open for someone or to pick up a dropped pen... And a ‘cheers, mate’ for being served lunch or given your change back. Now if I were to use ‘Cheers’ here, people would either wonder:

a) where’s my glass? or b) feel that I’m craving for a drink!

Lingo terminology, I believe, can actually be made a science! The usage of  ‘What’s up with you?’ and ‘What’s cracking?’ has never failed to confuse parents, especially mine. They get a very glazed look on their faces and I can actually sense their eyeballs dying to look up to the ceiling everytime I spout a ‘What’s up?’!! Come to think of it, there is a certain way of saying ‘Dude’ that not a lot of people can get right. ‘Dude’ is a word that reeks of attitude and god forbid anyone from pronouncing it as ‘Due-ude’ which has been known to happen. I may have slight difficulty in controlling my laughter in that case.

But, I’ve come to realise that I’m not the authority on cool lingo anymore! My younger cousins have left me far behind in lingo-ism and some of the slang they use makes my eyes pop! For instance, what in blazes is ‘Psycho Sh*t’?? I’ve heard them use this phrase in situations of distress, excitement, anger and happiness. Like - ‘Dude, I’ve just got some new games for the PS3, man! They are such psycho sh*t!’ Ummm.... Does this mean the games suck, are expensive or are plain awesome?

Or ‘Did you see what he did at the party last night? That was some psycho sh*t happening!’ Which means (and I’m clearly grasping at straws here!) that something untoward happened at the party...someone behaved funnily. Clearly, English has crossed some crazy frontiers when it comes to being the ‘funny language’. Clearly, we don’t know the right ‘magic words’ anymore. Whatever happened to plain old ‘sorry’ and ‘please’? Guess they died the proverbial slow death. Now that’s some psycho sh*t, dude! Hahaha!

Get Adventures !

Genelia D'Souza, Hindustan Times
Email Author
New Delhi, November 04, 2010

First Published: 17:18 IST(3/11/2010)
Last Updated: 12:58 IST(4/11/2010)

Constant adventure — that’s what my life has become. I feel like I’ve taken a few pages out of some action-thriller novel and actually living it out. For the past couple of months, I’ve been to locations that have spellbound me, met people along the way that have moved on to occupy special places in my heart 

and succumbed to experiences that have shaken me, excited me and thrilled me to bits. Take the horse-riding for example! Basha is a friend I’ve made for life and horse-riding is now a hobby that has become a part of my personality.

My days in Australia have been absolutely mind-boggling. I’ve had so much fun shooting Orange that not only did the land of the Oz begin to feel like home, I kinda actually miss it now! :-( Oh well, I’m gonna take you guys down memory lane today. Starting with one of the crazier shoots I’ve done right here in Bombay to a thrill-filled Oz run, this column is all about adventure baby! So get ready for the ride of your life!

I’m guessing it all started with Dabboo Ratnani putting me up on a real, live elephant for his calendar shoot. I’ve always loved animals but to be confronted with the mammoth herself left me in total awe. Lakshmi turned out to be a real sweetheart and within moments she had lifted me onto her trunk and we flashed our pearlies and there you have it — the perfect shot! What you don’t know is that tiny moment of fear and uncertainty, when you’re unsure whether she’d fling you on the ground or lift you up in the air! Well, all’s well that ends well!

Australia was another adventure escape altogether. From spending a night in a haunted hotel that actually advertised itself as the perfect place to bump into spooks, ghouls and spirits to sky-diving in Sydney, I have made memories that will never fade. The haunted hotel, nestled in its sinister beauty in the Blue Mountains, was fantastic but awfully scary. We actually heard noises of all sorts — clinks and clangs, footsteps and the loud thuds and it was impossible for us to even spend a night there. Gimmick or not, the hotel is riddled in history and its whole aura is especially spooky. It’s unbelievable that people actually spend a fortune to stay in this hotel. Worth a visit! As for sky-diving, well what can I say? It is by far the best kick I have ever had in my whole life. This simple 3 minute dive has made me an adrenalin junkie for life! The one minute that I spent in absolute free-fall, that cascade towards the earth before the parachute opened, is excitement delivered directly from God. But it wasn’t just once. Within half an hour, I was up in the air again and this time. I even attempted a somersault!

Trust me guys, buckle up and dive! Attack adventure with a vengeance! It’s one life after all, worth taking a few risks that catapult you into a thrilling frenzy right?

Back To School

Genelia D’souza, Hindustan Times
Email Author
New Delhi, November 11, 2010

First Published: 17:53 IST(10/11/2010)
Last Updated: 13:20 IST(11/11/2010)

Wooden benches, blackboards, broken chalk pieces and an air thick with memories overcomes me as I walk through the brown corridors of Carmel Convent, my school and my haven for my entire childhood. Here is a place that has been my foundation, my anchor, my Rock of Gibraltar. The one place that has

remained steadfast in its values and made me realise time and again that a person’s character is shaped in school, moulded by teachers and put on display for the world the second you depart the homely hallways.

I went back to school last week as the chief guest for (please tell me what) and returned as a 10 year old with the kind of affection, love and remembrance that my school showered on me. For your school, you can never be an ‘ex-student’. You will always remain simply a student, someone who is still bound to the morals and traditions of what the institution stands for. For me, my school stands for respect, achievement and equality. It’s funny how, as kids, we always looked past the superficial differences and hung out together.

At age five, nobody was a geek, a jock or the popular girl. Everybody was just the same as you and everybody received the same treatment as you. My school prided itself on this very sentiment of equality that I have learnt to pursue and embrace as an adult in my day to day life. When you grow older, the paychecks, the mansions and the swanky cars get in the way of true relationships and we lose respect for each other in the face of seemingly important achievements.

Every time I’m at crossroads, I find myself thinking of my school days and the simplicity with which we were made to distinguish between right and wrong. Any action that belittles people and hurts feelings is wrong and any action that enriches a person is good. In school, we wore the same uniform, sat on the same benches and ate the same food. Our squabbles were even simpler — over erasers, pencils and who gets the window seat in the bus.

Seriously, school is the greatest leveller. It elevates us to the same level, no one is bigger or smaller. We are all the same. Which is why, if you never let go of the values that your school instilled in you, you will always be the person that you were then. And that’s the best that you can ever be. No cynicism, mistrust, envy will ever catch up to you and taint you.

As sports captain, I was always looked up to and I had to make sure that I behaved responsibly and did nothing to dishonour my title. This same quality of restraint is what shapes me as an actor now. I’m in the public eye and I know I’m a role model to thousands of young people across the country. I need to, at every second, display the same heart and spirit that I showed as the sports captain years ago. True — it is responsibility and a lot of pressure.

But, then again, my school has taught me to survive in the eye of the storm and to come through shining. Think of what your school has done for you, people! I’m hoping most of you are still friends with your school buddies, your bench pals and your lunch-box chums! Trust me — those are the best friends you will get simply because they know you at your best and have accepted you at your worst. Head back to school and let those memories overpower you!

Fairytale time!

Genelia D’souza, Hindustan Times
Email Author
New Delhi, November 25, 2010

First Published: 17:17 IST(24/11/2010)
Last Updated: 14:59 IST(25/11/2010)

Remember those days of a now-forgotten yesterday when we were engrossed in the love lives ofCinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White. Their fairy tale romances had us entranced and not one day went by when as kids, we read every page of their ‘happily ever after’. And it wasn’t just about romance and love, it was also about power, the classic battle of good over evil and the law of the kingdom.I’m prone to taking off into Fairytale-land myself, sometimes. They not just leave you with a happy feeling, they also reinforce your hope in the thought that ‘in the end, everything will be alright!’. And it’s not like there are no fairytales in the 21st century. If we look hard enough, I believe there are fairytales in every nook and cranny. The locations are no more lush, green forests or stone-laden castles and the scenarios are no more filled with good-natured dwarves and evil witches. Instead romances are brimming up at the local cafe, the hip suburban nightclub or the most awe-inspiring location — Facebook!

The pace at which our romances function is not as slow as the classic fairytale — but yes, love at first sight still exists! That first look, the fire in the gaze and the instant attraction is as crazy and as potent as the ones exchanged between princesses and princes in the days of yore. Like them, our 21st century lovers explore the cement jungle instead of the forests, go for salsa classes instead of the annual ball and dedicate songs on MTV instead of singing with the birds and animals. The coffee shop becomes the ubiquitous symbol of love, the same way the village fair was hundreds of years ago in Fairytale-Land.

Now Fairytale-Land had some rules that couldn’t be bent, the sort of rules that have drastic consequences if broken. For example,Cinderella had to return home before midnight — before the clock struck 12. Today’s world demands that the girl burns the dance floor all night long. The one-time prince who went from house to house searching for Cinderella is now transformed to the tech-savvy gentleman who simply has to search on the internet for the girl he crossed paths with and strike pay-dirt!

Instead of gifting the princess family jewels and the princess meekly accepting them with a radiant smile on her face, today’s ladies unabashedly demand a Tiffany’s or a Harry Winston! Well, we sure do deserve them, don’t we? The evil witch is a thing of the past, welcome aboard the now legendary Monster-in-Law! So well, here’s wishing everyone a very happy fairytale!

Until next time, love you all!

Rainbow theory

Genelia D’souza, Hindustan Times
Email Author
New Delhi, December 08, 2010

First Published: 16:24 IST(8/12/2010)
Last Updated: 01:12 IST(9/12/2010)

Everyone has their own theory about colours — lucky colours, unlucky colours, favourite colours, colours that bring back memories, colours you want to forget and colours that influence your mood. Everything, from fashion to Bollywood to the national flags, is dominated by this omnipotent singularity - colour.

I’m fascinated by colours and what it can do to you, especially to your moods! It is absolutely true that a single burst of colour can pep you up or take you down. Take white for instance — it is ironical how white is the colour for peace and hence is the funeral colour. On the other hand, for various communities, it is also the colour of the bride’s dress, which signifies the end of all peace! Hahaha! Red is clearly the colour of love, the colour of Valentine’s Day balloons and also the universal sign for ‘Stop!’ Get the message?

Do you guys also believe that certain people remind you of certain colours? Let’s say, for example, the best friend who just cannot stop smiling all the time and makes you smile too, when you’re feeling low! She’s most definitely ‘pink’ – the colour of joy! And the all-too-raging boss who dominates your day at work. What about him? Would you call him a ghastly shade of orange or just to be a little mean – puke green? Don’t worry, I won’t tell. What colours would you use to describe me? I’m guessing most of the time, I’m perfectly yellow — the sunshine girl, as I’m fondly called by most of my fans. Fun to be with, the sense of humour intact and an absolute ‘bring on the world’ attitude.

Sometimes, I’m a little blue and that’s when I like to spend time by myself. There are times when I’m downright golden — doing everything just right, impressing the right people and making myself proud. There are times when I feel like I'm going to turn black — angry at something, and that’s when you dare not rub me the wrong way. But at times like these, I almost always stop at grey and that’s it. Some moments make me totally red — my work for instance. I’ve never been so passionate about anything else before, and this for me is a huge thing in itself. Red is definitely my colour when I’m working! I think this applies to people in general as well. The Rainbow Theory. No one can go through life being one single colour. We are all a very emotional breed and have way more to offer rather than just one colour all our lives. It’s important to let all those colours out. So guys and girls, don’t shy away from being called coloured. Being coloured is beautiful, not a racial slur. Being coloured is not just vital, it is what sets you apart!

Time to say goodbye

Genelia D’Souza, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, December 29, 2010

First Published: 19:04 IST(29/12/2010)
Last Updated: 00:24 IST(30/12/2010)

I’ve never been the one to go for long goodbyes and if you guys remember a column from some time back, I’m not too fond of goodbyes either. So today is going to be an extremely difficult day. Today is my last day on Celeb and the City. And as much as I hate saying Goodbye, I have to do 

It's been almost a year since I started writing for you guys and this connection that I’ve forged is one that is special and unforgettable. Not a lot of us get this unique opportunity to get to connect with people on such a massive platform.

Reaching every city in the country every week is a huge feat. To be able to speak my mind, share with you guys my likes and dislikes and just generally draw all of you into my private life is an amazing high!

It's been a special journey from start to finish. It has been as special as a real live human relationship.

The initial excitement and euphoria in the first columns gave way to a healthy comfort and freedom of speech that has now culminated into sadness at having to bid adieu. But I won’t term this a break-up! We are sure to meet again.

Our bond is too strong to break now. Though I’m going to miss writing to you guys every week, I still hope to be able to share my thoughts as freely as I’ve been able to do here, through this column.

I want to thank the HT team for making this happen. And I want to thank each and every one of you for making every week special with your feedback and thoughts. It has been an amazing experience and I hope to be able to do this again.

May this new year bring you all that you hope for and all that you seek to achieve! See you soon! Peace and love!

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