Manesar and the MGF Metropolitan Mall, Gurgaon

MGF -The Metropolitan Mall, Gurgaon and Manesar

I have lived all my life in Delhi, and have visited Gurgaon just once - for a go cart race inaugurated by Sachin Tendulkar. All job offers in Gurgaon, were discarded as I had no intention of traveling so far to work. However, recently, with very few job prospects available in Delhi, I have been thinking along different lines. My current job sucks real bad, as I have been posted on the client end in a really lousy company. With no growth prospects, a boring profile, a crappy environment and mismanagement all around, I thought I'd attend some interviews to get myself out of this quagmire. When I got an interview call from a multinational based in Gurgaon, I decided to finally travel out there to try my luck.

Getting to Gurgaon

Autorickshaws don't go to Gurgaon, as it is located in a different State. Those that agree ask for hefty fares to drop you up to the border in Mahipalpur.

I found out from a friend that the service of the Karol Bagh - Gurgaon DTC buses is quite good. There is one around every 10 - 15 minutes. I landed up at the Karol Bagh Gurgaon bus stop located near the Hanuman Murti roundabout to begin my adventure. The conductor charged me Rs. 15 for the ride to IFFCO Chowk, Gurgaon. The bus was initially empty, but soon got quite crowded. I reached my destination in around 50 minutes. A direct bus, it travels along the empty Ridge Road and has very few stops.

After attending the interview, I met an old friend as I was looking for transport to make my way back home. She had a car and so we decided to go for a drive at the malls and nearby places around Gurgaon, before turning home for Delhi.

Manesar - An Out Of The Way Experience

Manesar is a town located 25 kilometers from Gurgaon on the Delhi - Jaipur Highway in the State of Haryana.

Though originally an industrial town, in recent years, it has become popular as a weekend getaway for workaholics from Delhi. Rock climbing in the Aravalis, paragliding and hot air ballooning are some sports available through hotels and resorts that have sprung up in and around Manesar.

There are hot water springs and spas in some areas of Manesar. The area is also famed for leopards and other wildlife that roam about freely. Well, we did not spot any leopard or try out any adventure sports, we just drove to the McDonald's located off the Highway (NH 8) and had chicken burgers and iced tea. The toll road on the way to Manesar charges Rs.21 each way for a car.

MGF - The Metropolitan Mall

On our way back to Delhi from Manesar, we decided to take a right from IFFCO Chowk and visit a mall on the Mehrauli Gurgaon Road.

Driving around, we chose the MGF Metropolitan Mall for no specific reason. We parked in the large underground parking and took the lift up to Shopper's Stop.

This medium sized mall is one of the oldest in Delhi. It is spread over an area of 2,50,000 square feet and has three floors with around 150 retail stores. On the second floor of MGF - Metropolitan Mall is Amoeba, the bowling alley while on the third floor is a PVR Cinema.

We visited Amoeba, for a game of bowling. The rates here are Rs. 125 per game on weekdays and Rs.150 on weekends. The bowling alley was small with only 4 lanes. We changed into bowling shoes available there and set out to have some fun. Though most of the balls I rolled went into the gutter - I did manage to knock all the pins over in one go during a lucky fluke try. I don't remember exactly how much I scored, but I ended up losing to my friend.

After doing a bit of shopping at the MGF Metropolitan Mall, we headed back to Delhi. The line and traffic jam at the Delhi - Gurgaon toll road was real long. We paid the boy at the toll gate the fee of Rs.16 for a car, before he hurriedly waved us off.

I don't know if I'll get the job for the interview which I attended, but I sure had a fun time cutting work and roaming about in the Gurgaon - Manesar area.

Singh is Kinng - Movie Review

Singh is Kinng - 1/10 - Comedy - starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. The main reason this movie is getting such a low rating and bad review is because a majority of dialogues were in Punjabi. Living in Delhi, I have picked up a bit of Punjabi over the years, but not enough to sit through this movie. I got bored after around half an hour and switched off the television.

My mom was very eager to see Singh is Kinng because of the publicity surrounding it, film reviews and the fact that the movie was a hit in Delhi, but even she gave up watching after the language barrier proved too strong. A word of advice to the producers of this movie - add subtitles. From what little I could understand, the script was not realistic, filled with stereotypes and made no sense.

Did you see Singh is Kinng? What did you think of it?

God Tussi Great Ho - Movie Review

God Tussi Great Ho - Movie Review

Being a hardcore Sallu fan, I had been planning for a long time to watch God Tussi Great Ho. My boyfriend had a hard time getting tickets, but we finally managed to get seats at Satyam, Patel Nagar for the day the movie released - 15th August. Here is my movie review -

God Tussi Great Ho - 8/10 - Romantic Comedy - starring Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Sohail Khan, Rajpal Yadav and Amitabh Bachchan. Salman Khan is Arun Prajapati, an unsuccessful television anchor while Priyanka Chopra plays his smart confident colleague Alia. Arun blames God for his string of bad luck and constant failures. One day, God (Amitabh Bachchan) challenges him to do a better a job and makes him God for around a week. What results is total mayhem.....

The script was good,. I laughed myself hoarse during most of the entire movie, especially at Sohail Khan's expressions. Acting was good. Sallu looked as cute and cuddly as ever. Songs were great. Having worked for a television channel before, the story bore a strong resemblance to my life and brought back many great memories....plus, I love playing pool.

An adapted version of Bruce Almighty, a first watch told me that this film should do well at the box office. especially with stars like Salman, Amitabh and Priyanka. I was surprised to see the low ratings and poor film reviews God Tussi Great Ho garnered from major sections of the media. Apparently, Salman has not bootlicked the journos again!!!

I wouldn't mind watching God Tussi Great Ho again. A totally paisa vasool film, I'd recommend it to anyone. Have you watched this movie yet??

Kismat Konnection and X-Files I Want To Believe - Movie Review

Kismat Konnection and X-Files Part 2 - Movie Review

I watched two movies over the weekend - Kismat Konnection and X-Files, I Want To Believe. Here are the movie reviews -

Kismat Konnection - 6/10 - Romance - starring Shahid Kapoor, Vidya Balan and Juhi Chawla. Shahid Kapur is Raj Malhotra, a promising all rounder cum topper of his architecture college who even four years after graduation is still a nobody. Even though he has loads of talent, he is unable to garner a job or a building contract because of constant bad luck that spoils his chances. One day, he meets Vidya Balan, a social activist and he finally sees luck coming his way. The only problem is that the shopping mall which he submits plans for is the same one whose construction is being opposed by Vidya Balan, as it is expected to stand in the same place as the local Community Center.

Kismat Konnection is a nice light hearted romance with many feel good moments. The acting of both Shahid and Vidya are good. However, they resemble each other a bit too much, which makes them look like they are related in some way. Juhi Chawla is a local fortune teller who interrupts the flow of the movie and offers nothing constructive. Songs are awesome and script is OK. Good watch.


X-Files, I Want To Believe - 6/10 - Thriller - Starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Being a big former X-Files fan, I wanted to see this movie real bad. Knowing that it would take far too long to release in India, I downloaded it through a torrent and watched it on my system.

Agent Scully is now a doctor in a Catholic hospital where she has to treat terminally ill patients while Agent Mulder is living by himself somewhere in the wilderness. The X Files have been closed for a long time. A group of women including another FBI agent disappear along a snow covered highway in Virginia. Meanwhile, a former Catholic priest, disgraced for child abuse, is the only person, who through his visions, is able to lead rescue workers to recover their severed body parts through the thick snow. This leads the FBI to seek Agent Scully and Agent Mulder's help because of thier experience with the paranormal. What follows are more visions, bleeding and body transplantation...

A mixture of religion and something spooky, 'X-Files - I Want To Believe' was quite like a two part series of a non alien X - Files episode. Acting of Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny were fantastic as usual. The direction and scripting by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, the usuals on the show were OK. However, after so many years, the dialogue should have shown Scully as being more accepting and forgiving of Mulder.

X Files - I Want To Believe puts across the message 'Don't Give Up' - a useful piece of advice for doctors, families and others who have to make decisions about life and death with regard to terminally ill patients.

Have you seen these two movies? What did you think of Kismat Connection and X Files - I Want To Believe?

Select Citywalk Mall - Saket

Select Citywalk Mall - Saket

On the weekend, I thought I'd take a trip to Select City Walk Mall located at the Saket District Centre of South Delhi. Developed as a joint venture by the Select Group and the Aarone Group, this mall opened its doors to customers in October 2007. It is spread over an area of around 6 acres and consists of branded retail stores, restaurants, a multiplex cinema, serviced apartments, offices and an outdoor seating area with a dancing fountain. Parking is available for around 2,000 cars.

This medium sized three floor mall has around 125 retail stores featuring international brands such as Aldo, Pantaloons, Calvin Klein, Esprit, French Connection, Gant, Guess, Kipling, La Senza, Levi's, Mango, Next, Pepe Jeans, Replay, Tommy Hilfiger and United Colors of Benetton. My friend picked up a Converse T-shirt which was on sale at the Pantaloons Store. A pianist sits at a grand piano on the first floor of Select Citywalk Mall entertaining the posh crowd that frequents this place for shopping.

The Food Court called 'Food Talk' is based on the second floor. We had some snacks on the outdoor terrace that overlooks the plaza. Here, lots of people, even ladies, were sitting in cushioned areas, smoking. Feeling a bit odd, we went out as soon as a slight drizzle began. The mall also has other restaurants such as Pizza Hut and KFC's inside. For those looking for entertainment, Select Citiwalk Mall has a 1,235 seater, 6 screen PVR Premiere Multiplex that shows the latest movies. This multiplex includes two Gold Class theatres.

Outside the main entrance of Select Citywalk Mall is an amphitheatre type of sitting area with fountains. Named 'Sanskriti', this open air landscaped plaza can be used for cultural events, fairs, festivals, exhibitions and other events. We hung around here, chatting, watching folks playing about in the fountain till it got dark, before taking an auto back home.

Have you visited Select Citywalk Mall in Saket? How was the experience?