my "pretty" lovers

                                                         This blog is not about my ex-girlfriends :) Its about Shaari ,Karthika and a few film actresses who have a special place in my heart . Now what is so unusual about having a crush on film actresses . Afterall it is expected to have a crush on an actress at least when growing up  (I still do , so maybe i am not grown up after all )  .
                                                           What is little unusual is now after seeing so many women i look back to these actresses in particular and find them realistically speaking not that pretty after all .Even if you say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder leaving all else if you ask to rate these two particular actresses purely on beauty they will not be anywhere near the Aishwarya Rai or malayali actresses like Annie or Shobana . Then why i was mad about them and still am ... Its because the characters they enacted in the movies where so beautiful that it is impossible not to fall in love with them . Be it the pretty Syrian Christian girl played by Shaari in Namukku paarkan munthiri thoppukal (Vineyards for us to live ) or the newly moved in neighbour played by Karthika in Gandhi Nagar second street it is impossible not to feel a crush for the characters played by these great actresses . Malayalam cinema is known by the actors Mammootty and Mohanlal but if you seriously watch the malayalam movies in the 1980s (the golden age of malayalam cinema )  you would feel that  wherever these successful men where there in great roles there were successful women not behind them but at their side playing great characters with depth .

Seeing a hollywood movie for example james bond will make you fall in love with the great action , the great cars and yes the great girls .  There is no question that all of the bond girls are very beautiful some of them ex-models . But even after 25 years i dont have a crush for any bond girl . But i have a crush still on my favourite heroines of malayalam cinema and the characters played by them ...

See the music score from Namukku paarkan munthiri thoppukal ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EhOS2v84_Y         and  then see the movie and then comment on my crushes

yesudas--singer crossing regional and religious boundaries

Maana ho thum ....Sunayana  ....these melodious songs which thrilled a generation in the 1970s in films like Toote Khilone and Sunayana was sung by the evergreen singer Yesudas . Recently this singer from kerala had  a grand celebration celebrating his 50 years in the field of music . Whenever any malayali thinks about music the first image that comes into his mind is Yesudas who has given voice to the overwhelming majority of malayalam films songs . And if you think he is confined to films his devotional songs are as numerous as his film songs and there are scores of light music also .
                                                   It doesnt take a philosophical bend to recognise that music doesnt have any boundaries set by region, religion . He being a Christian his hindu devotional songs have to be heard to make the above point clear . The rendition is such that the feeling conveyed is of a devout hindu praising his Lord . Sabarimalayil Thanka sooryodayam(golden sunrise at Sabarimala the holy place of hindus ) is just one among the many where you feel the Lord has come to bless the people through this heavenly song of Yesudas . His Christian songs also are great . Then if you think it stops there listen to the song " Manushyan Mathangale srishtichu " (religion is created by man .... religion created Gods .... Man, religion and Gods divided hearts )  .  Of course this highly meaningful lyrics about religion dividing peoples minds would not have been a hit had it not been vocalised by Yesudas .

Then about his foray into Tamil and Hindi songs . In the 1970s he has sang a whole set of melodious hindi songs . I am a fan of Kishore Kumar and Muhammed Rafi . Here too  yesudas songs were melodious and different . The songs are still popular after 30 years tells a lot about the great singer . Whenever we feel "religious " or "regional " think about the music which shows that there is only one region and religion .. Mankind .

trip to Las Vegas....NOT a trip report

I want to go to Las Vegas one day ...just for the sake of it . Not having any false hope that i will return a millionaire by gambling there . But this blog is about a Las Vegas trip many of us unknowingly do near March end and some of us throughout the year . Let me explain ...
                                                              Financial year ending is rush-hour for all . For the people who work hard , its the time to "invest "  in good financial products to save tax . Be it in the name of "money-back " policy , tax saving mutual fund everyone rushes to invest their money before the gates close on march 31st . In addition to this throughout the year people with surplus funds look around to "invest "their money .
It is here that the high achieving professional makes the biggest mistake . He relys on a "financial advisor " for his investment decisions . The word meaning is simple financial advisor advises on financial matters . Though it is told that the cheapest thing in the world is advice here the "advice" often turns out not cheap for you . Just check out your number of lapsed policies and the pension fund which never keeps growing . Many of these were promised 100 percent , 200 percent or 1000 percent returns  in 3 years or maybe 15 years . These things were sold to you by young, energetic financial advisors long ago and many of these investments which promised "Las Vegas "returns ultimately landed up as lapsed insurance policies and mutual funds which gave negative returns.  Long ago i was also like you , good in my field , but absolute zero in financial matters .  But many years ago , out of curiosity , i started reading a financial magazine by Karvy and later over the years monthly magazines like Outlook money . I never became rich by all these books but soon became immune to these advisors . By reading these magazines i learnt that finance --mutual funds, shares , life insurance policies etc --was not rocket science . And since our hard earned money is at stake it is better to spend a little time learning this simple science by a little reading .
                                                          Recently  i  looked at the return of a pension fund i invested around 5 years ago .  (one dynamic youngster sold another youngster this great pension plan ).  I invested rs 10000 and after 5 years the corpus is 11000 rs ... whats wrong with that ? 1000 rs gain . Be happy . Simple maths (i wont go into CAGR and all that stuff ) says the return is 1000 rs per 10000 rs invested . that is 10 percent .  so 1 year return is a whopping 2 percent . Now is the key factor , always include inflation in your calculation . so the effective return (assuming 10 percent inflation every year ) is -8 % per year .. Or a  loss of -40 % . In financial terms your money has shrunk by almost 40 percent . 
My dynamic youngster friend knew about inflation , fund management fees etc but he never lied to me . He simply didnt tell about these information as he wanted to grow . Is it called white lie ?  I dont know .
                                                                     Whenever someone tells you invest in gold , invest in real estate , invest in shares be wise and read financial magazines for 3 months at least . You will become a lot wiser and invest with knowledge .  And for the Las Vegas trip .  After you have made real money with the knowledge you have made maybe we can plan a trip together ...
haroonkerala@gmail.com

pirates in kerala coast ?

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/indian-fishermen-shot-dead-italian-ship-crew-surrender-delayed-177599
                                                                   Imagine Jim Corbett , the famous man-eater tiger hunter , in the Kumaon hills with his rifle hunting for the tiger which killed 100 people . Suddenly an unfortunate random tiger (not the maneater ) coming in front of him . He shoots it and claims it as an accident . We will never blame the hunter for this accident . Now imagine Jim Corbett taking a vacation in mumbai and saw a persian cat on the street . He takes his rifle and shoots . Next day it is in the newspaper "Jim Corbett shoots persian cat and claims a tiger attacked him in mumbai streets "  . What will you think about the incident ?

Hope you have read the article in the newspaper link attached above , where two unarmed fishermen from india near kerala coast was coldbloodedly shot and killed by crew in italian ship . And the claim was they thought they were "pirates " .  When the news came in tv initially i just heard two indian fishermen were shot in the arabian sea , and though sad i thought in the vast arabian sea it is possible that it was a case of mistaken identity . But as the details came into picture sadness gave way to shock as the incident happened extremely close to kerala shore .Somalian pirates in their right mind will never try piracy near any other countrys shoreline .   Rightfully so  this stupidest explanation is not going to take the italian ship crew  any far as they are booked under section 302/304 Indian penal code as they have killed indian citizens a few kilometres from indian shoreline (technical details in article and google) .  The ship  is docked in kochi port .
                                                           
                                                                    500 years ago Vasco da Gama landed in kerala coast at Kappad beach near Calicut . History has shown clearly how the guests who were welcomed with warm hospitality took over the whole country after seeing its riches . Its a paradox that after 500 years shots are ringing again near kerala shores . But this time , it is not the innocent small kings of Kerala who is dealing with this but a mighty nation which will not tolerate the killing of its citizens and that too near its shore .                                                                        

sanctions against iran should india join ?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Americas/India-Pak-Russia-China-should-wean-from-Iranian-crude-US/Article1-813199.aspx

                                                 The worlds largest democracy ,India is known not only for the freedom of its people including a free press but also for its stand for its soveriegnity in international matters .  And generally it takes decisions based on the facts at hand rather than favouritism for any country big or small . Even in matters of nuclear capability india didnt sign any treaties which affect its nuclear programs . For as a country, it believes nuclear capability whether civilian or military should be decided by the corresponding country not external forces . 

This news item is puzzling to say the least . Iran as a country has many allegations against it including human rights violations issues .  But the current sanctions asked by the US is not because of any of those  .  It is because US is suspecting they are developing nuclear weapon program while iran is saying it is for civilian purpose like electricity .

There are many hypocritical elements in this . 

1.  U.S is the world leader in nuclear weapons . Any quick search on the wikipedia shows it has a nuclear weapon stockpile which can destroy the world 10 times over . While asking other countries including india to sign the nuclear non proliferation treaty it  has kept its nuclear arsenal intact .And last but not the least it is the only country which has used nuclear bomb on civilians not once but twice .  In the history books we have read about nuclear bombs dropped at Hiroshima and ....... Nagasaki  .  Dropping nuclear weapons on civilians is a crime and doing it twice is a crime beyond comprehension . Why was the second nuclear bomb dropped ? Anyways the same country is asking sanctions against a country by neutral countries like India , China  ...

2.  Iran is not known nowadays for the best reasons . They have human rights violations issues alleged against them under the current regime .  But US didnt ask for these much sanctions when human rights were abused in that country but now that they are going nuclear US interests are threatened and therefore suddenly sanctions are cried for .  When millions of people were killed under Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia or when genocide occured in Rwanda , this much sanctions against those countries were not there .  Is there self interest here or international interest ?

                                                                Let Iran and US decide their political problems . India , China should not be dragged into these petty problems especially when both sides dont have a clean slate ..

the stoning of soraya M movie review

                                                    What is your view on capital punishment ?  Even if you have positive views on capital punishment you would agree with me that death by stoning is one of the ghastliest way of capital punishment . And that too for a crime like "adultery "  .

The movie starts with a french iranian journalist travelling through iran and getting news about the execution of a lady the previous day for alleged adultery . Her aunt who is grieving her nieces death  told the whole story to him to tell the outside world . Apparently the lady who was killed by stoning was falsely accused by her husband to get rid of her so that he could carry on his immoral activities . The story brings to light the way religion can be used against innocent people in an authoritarian environment . The movie especially the stoning part is graphic , more graphic than any movie i have seen . And the most tragic part was this movie was allegedly based on a real event .(google it for details ) .

If you like serious cinema and dont get shocked by graphic parts this movie is excellent in its portrayal of the highly relevant theme in countries were people are oppressed especially women .

Now a little thought on adultery .  Thinking logically adultery or extramarital relationship is a breach of the marriage contract . Whatever your religious views adultery cannot be viewed in the same light like murder . And of course the punishments cannot be similar even if you favour capital punishment for murder . And in this 20 th century barbaric punishments like stoning are better reserved for people who kill innocents . And in this i am surprised at the kindness of my country which is still preserving people like Ajmal Kasab while many "virtuous"  countries have punishments of stoning for "extreme crimes " like adultery .  

global fusion sushi in mumbai

I miss shanghai ...Mainly because i used to eat sushi everyday while i was there for two weeks . And sushi is not easy to get in india . Yes there are the five stars like Wasabi and Edo but i am talking about you just want to eat a kilogram of sushi and dont want to spend 10000 for it  ..Then the choices are very limited . But  there are  at least in mumbai and delhi .
Today i went to Global fusion restaurant at Bandra , Mumbai . This restaurant by the China gate group of restaurants is at linking road at the top floor of a mall . People say you should be focussed on what you do and thats what i did . My focus was sushi and what better way to eat unlimited sushi than to go for the buffet dinner and eat only sushi .  The ambience is good with a large space with small waterfountains and food counters well lit with an entire section on sushi , an entire section on dimsums , then entire section of friedrice noodles etc and an unlimited counter of baskin robbins icecream and jelly ,cakes and cookies .  Set over a large aquarium the sushi section is spectacular . Chefs prepare it and be it tuna , prawn or octopus sushi or sashimi . Its there and its unlimited . Even in shanghai i had to pay by the plate but here your stomach was the limit . For vegeterians an entire section of sushi which had vegeterian ingredients was there . papaya salad, green mango salad, bamboo shoot salad .. the salads were oriental indeed a nice deviation from my subway salad .  To tell a long story short i ate almost half kilogram of sushi  ... thus the 900 rs buffet charge was fully utilised just by eating sushi (sushi is expensive generally a plate costing around 300 rs minimum for 4 small pieces ). So if you are a sushi lover global fusion is the place (read more about global fusion on the hotel link on right side of the blog)

Just for this blog i sampled some of the other starters ... (starters number approximately 50 different types in this restaurant )  . Beef tenderloin was yummy and dimsums were awesome . Also the prawn tempura was good . Since it is supposed to be "global "fusion they had baked prawns also .

In addition to these 50 starters and the varieties of sushi they had the usual buffet fare of fried rice, noodles ,chilli chicken etc etc . And a nice dessert section with lot of different jellies , different varieties of freshly made cakes and cookies . There was kiwi jelly and blueberry cake which was good . Also an almond biscuit . Baskin robbins (yes you heard it right ) is also part of the buffet . 

Now my suggestions are go there eat sushi stomachfull and come out . Otherwise like i did go there eat sushi , eat starters and come out. Dont eat mainfood ...Why ? because that you can have another day at another place .  Another suggestion is ...the strongest wasabi is available at the sushi counter . If they deliver the wasabi on the table they mix it too much with soy sauce and make it weak .

So next time u r in mumbai visit global fusion and tell me your comments ..

Saving all my love for you ...Whitney Houston

                                                                 Long time ago i used to be ecstatic ... but i never needed drugs for feeling that . It was when i used to hear the high octave song of  Whitney Houston "Saving all my love for you " . And its a paradox that the singer who made me and a million others with her enchanting music ecstatic  is no more and the cause of her death is most likely drug addiction .
                                                             Drug addiction is a disease.. only thing is unlike a physical illness people generally have no sympathy for the drug abuser . Its thought that they brought it on themselves . But current research shows that drug abuse and alcohol abuse are diseases which occur in certain vulnerable people . And it is much more easier to prevent than to treat these illnesses .  Also when it happens it should be treated to prevent catastrophes like Whitneys happening .
Another thing which is equally important is being supportive for people with addiction problems . Still its not known whether addiction causes social isolation or social isolation causes addiction . And having millions of fans doesnt make anyone immune from social isolation in the true sense .  The lack of a confiding relationship causes some people to fall into the trap of addiction .  Whitney had a daughter , a mother and a boyfriend and millions of fans . But did she have a close confiding relationship with anybody ?  Adding to that the pressures of being the music diva and her addiction probably made a dangerous cocktail for her .
                                                Take home little thought is not that you should not be famous but stay away from drugs and if you get into addiction problem get treated .And for the vast majority who are not into drugs be supportive to your near and dear ones so that they dont fall into the addiction trap . 
                                                                        And yes i miss Whitney and may her soul rest in peace . 
haroonkerala@gmail.com
                                                               
                                                                                            

27 club

                                                                 

                                               Rock music singers rather some of them belonged to this 27 club. It was not a great club to belong to for they all died at around that age (27 years ) mostly due to precipitious lifestyles that made them candidates for early self destruction according to wikipedia. Jimi Hendrix, Curt Cobain , Jim Morrison ...the list goes on  .They had a great fan following during their life and though had an early death had funerals befitting a rock star My blog is not about them

. Its about  a pretty lady , an iconic actress who was once the heartthrob of bollywood  .Competed only by Zeenath Aman in glamour people were ready to die for her.She was part of blockbuster movies like Deewar , Amar Akbar Anthony and namak Halaal  . She was the leading lady paired opposite the then superstar Amitabh Bhachan .And she along with Zeenath changed the concept of the ever succumbing Bharateeya nari who always played second fiddle to the hero in bollywood films
She was one of the first Indians to be featured on Time  magazine's cover . If anyone can still not recollect her name it shows that fame is really shortlived . Her name is Parveen Babi . Please read up about her in wikipedia about her before reading further .  Though i had seen only her musical scores in hit films  in tv where she is seen dancing around with Amitabh Bhachan , looking him eye to eye and in stylish westernized clothes .  This style icon of her time after attaining great success in bollywood later had personal issues due to which she had to leave the bollywood scene . The last part was really shocking . She died alone in her mumbai apartment  and her body was found after 72 hours and ..... her body lay unclaimed in the hospital for quite sometime .

The last part  i could not digest and still cannot digest .....as a human being and as importantly a movie buff .  She who had entertained a generation onscreen had a pathetic death alone in her apartment and lay unclaimed in a city of 20 million many of whom were her fans .  In that way she was a thousand times unluckier than Jimi Hendrix, Curt Cobain or Jim Morrison .  

                                                           Parveen Babi is no more .. But each time i visit mumbai ----the dreamcity of bollywood ---- i spare a thought to this actress Parveen Babi  ---and in my own way pay homage to her ushering in a new era in hindi cinema .  And on a personal front made a note never to make "fame " as lifes ambition .  

haroonkerala@gmail.com 

The sky is the limit... ambition

Do you know Charles Bronson ?  He is the most violent prisoner in England . Originally convicted for armed robbery and sentenced to 7 years in prison this guy now is in prison for more than 20 years and will probably in prison for life .  He has done multiple assaults while in prison also and got extensions of his prison term .  In one case 6  able bodied prison staff was not able to restrain him .  But why i admire him is because while in prison he wrote many books some of them became best sellers . There is one book called "solitary fitness" in which he  has written an entire book on how to build muscle and be fit using  minimal equipment  .  (he was in solitary confinement for many months )  .
There are other examples like Helen Keller who  inspite of being deaf dumb and blind has achieved more than many of us  .  And what about Lance Armstrong the racing cyclist who battled cancer and won the tour de france bike race 7 times .  He has wrote a book "Its not about the bike :my journey back to life "  where he describes how he battled cancer with metastasis and ultimately won races with world records (after cancer treatment ) .
                                      Looking around you , there will be some examples of people who go to the limit possible by them .. and sometimes beyond  .  I had a colleague in medical college who was physically challenged .  Even while he was there he was the most popular guy as except  for running a race he was at the  forefront of everything . Be it  organising an event ,  diagnosing an illness , even dancing at a party he was at the forefront .  I remember when talking with him  we used to totally forget that he was physically challenged .  Talking about physical prowess ,  his upper arms were as muscular as the lower legs of most bodybuilders .  Recently i saw him at a friends marriage and there he was dancing as usual and arrived in a modified large SUV .
                                                                      Though our Charles Bronson and these people i have mentioned are very different there is one thing in common --- they had an extreme ambition  to go to" their "limits  .
Introspectively  let us think how much of our capability we are achieving -- we are neither in prison nor physically challenged or have cancer .  And let us ,without comparing with the guy next door , strive to reach "our " limit .

The lesson my dad taught me

                                                    Many people have commented that i am not a typical doctor . Yes , so many people that i have lost count . No, its not because nowadays its my job is in teaching doctors and ct technologists and my job involves a mixture of radiology and physics and computer software .  Thats a point for another blog . But right from the day i passed MBBS through my radiology postgraduate days and even in my radiology practice days my friends and even new aquaintances told me i am not the typical doctor .  Curious i am , i ask them whats different .  They describe me that there is absolutely no ego feel when i interact with them . Irrespective of their status be it the peon in medical college calicut or my colleague in radiology i interact just as a friend should . Though i dont claim to be unique in this or that any of my doctor friends were unfriendly to peons (they were all nice characters ) , on observation i found that they were correct .  I used to deal with everyone  without any ego .

Recently only i found out why i am like i am . Its not because i had extra lessons in human equality at school or because i read great mens books on human equality or because i was the best human beings on earth ( I am just like anyone else ) . Except for one teacher i had in Calicut i didnt have any external role model for this trait  . And that role model was surprisingly my father .

Recently i saw him playing for hours with our maids kid . There is nothing great in that afterall its a kid . But  he played with it  just like playing with  my sisters twin kids without  even one percentage difference . The same attitude is also shown to anyone he interacts with . Be it the corporate CEO or the peon at the company he interacts with all of them with the same friendly attitude with not even an inkling that he is an engineer , belongs to a big family etc etc .  And in my life i have seen so many people who are the opposite , who change their behaviour faster than the chameleon when dealing with different kind of people ... depending on their status ,wealth ,religion etc . Recently again , i asked him why he is behaving like this .  His answer was simple . It is fate that determined that the maids kid was born as the maids kid and my sisters kid to be born as my sisters kids . So why there should be any difference in dealing with them differently . They are all equal in the eyes of God and me have no right to discriminate between anyone .

Coming back to me , unconsciously imitating my father in this trait , i never had any regrets . On the contrary i had more love and respect from many just because i dealt with them equally . Last but not the least , the best seafood in kerala was  available in Calicut was not had from any doctors or engineers home or from the best hotels of Calicut  , but from the peons who worked at Calicut .And the best meat dishes also from the ct technologists at calicut . Being a foodie i take it as their acceptance of me in inviting me to their home .

Disclaimer  :  They had nothing to gain from me as i was just a provisional tutor there with no adminitsrative powers . 

To sum up , though not a communist or a hyperreligious fanatic , my dad unconsciously taught me the true virtue of being human .... treat others equally . Thanks Appa (Dad...in tamil )

fast blood.....NOT a movie review

                                                                         My housesurgeoncy days as well as postgraduate radiology days were enjoyable days in my student days . Not only because we were able to see in action all the theory we learned during MBBS days but also when there was a good mix of people who had returned after a Russian MBBS (many of them became my close friends ) , many juniors (who overlapped our internship after 6 months ) and people who studied outside kerala (from private medical colleges ) . We learnt a lot during those days but also had so many social eatouts (every alternate day ) and because of so many people at least for my batch workload was not too much . 
                                                                          Though all were my friends there was a difference in the way we practised medicine . Russian MBBS was very cautious as they understood and clearly told us their system was different and wanted to learn from us . Juniors naturally looked upto us . While our colleagues from private medical colleges outside the state were nice and friendly but never discussed the clinical issues with us . I still remember the day when a pretty intern from a prominent private medical college who gave fast blood to a patient . She knew the most essential basics . She had watched people check grouping result before giving blood . But that was it . When we left for a coffee break and returned after 10 minutes we were shocked . The entire packet of blood transfusion had finished by the time we came back .Even common sense dictates that blood or any fluid for that matter should be introduced slowly into the body . Human body is not a petrol tank to fill up in 5-10 minutes . And the rsiks of a careless blood transfusion ranges from renal failure to heart failure . Luckily patient was ok ( Human body is remarkably forgiving ) .

I thought that this was a chance error but over the years i have observed this stark contrast in doctors (i wont say that government medical college educated doctors are perfect )  . There  was another friend as well as a distant family member of mine .Both of us worked in a hospital after our MBBS for a short while . While i was careful to give antibiotics only when needed and that too the antibiotics depending on the severity of illness , this friend used to give Ciprofloxacin for almost any patient be it indicated or not . Ciprofloxacin being a powerful antibiotic will cure many big and small infections but in doing so you are causing bacterial resistance to the antibiotic in the community .

Even last year , one of young radiologist friend of mine asked me  a lot about the latest ct scan techniques the physics behind it etc etc . I was happy for in this i am well versed as i focus also on the technical apect of radiology due to my work . At one instance he showed me a ct scan picture and pointed to a thing and sheepishly asked what it was . I was shocked . That structure was a thing we learnt in the 1st month of radiology training . I told him what it was , then asked casually where he studied . The answer was as expected . He had paid a lot of money and got a seat in a private medical college .

I am not against private medical colleges nor saying that government medical colleges are great . But the fact remains that there should be strict standards to be maintained in medical education . And compared to other fields human life is at stake .

P.S :  i dont know where is the pretty girl now but the ciprofloxacin doc is in UK now . And hope the UK system and the experience he gained later has made him better ......

Celebrity endorsements.... little thoughts

                                                                      Have you watched first blood ? The vietnam returned Rambo character played by Sylvester Stallone is exciting to anyone who loves action movies . Now think about Stallone doing an advertisement for guns . Whats wrong in that ? Nothing ... Now think about Rambo doing an advertisement for french fries or bathroom slippers ... Whats your reaction ?

Now coming to the indian scenario . Nowadays we see actors endorsing many products and some of them get more money doing that than from acting . One actor is seen holding a curry masala packet in a hoarding advertising it , another one bathroom slipper --- I am not exaggerating but the exact thing is happening . It is a trend which assumes the public is a fool . How can an actor endorse a curry powder ? Is he a cook ?  Or for the glamorous endorsements like a car  ... does he know how to evaluate a car other than the stylish look ? In this century we have specialists for everything and the internet has zillion information on how to evaluate a product . Do we require the actors and actresses endorsing products which have no relation to their day to day life . When i come out of the kochi airport i see a big hoarding in which so many actors have collectively endorsed a gold loan company . You and me may require a gold loan in an emergency but think about how many actors actually require a gold loan ? Or are they paid as much as you and me ?

Now , not only they are fooling the public , but we are indirectly paying for it . No one does endorsements for free . They are paid heavily for it and that is indirectly reflected in the price of branded products --bathroom slippers included .

Before i end, just imagine Bruce lee endorsing a curry powder ... But compared to many actors of today he was a great actor and during his spare time he endorsed a product which he firmly believed in----Jeet Kun do a form of kungfu . If any of present day actors have strong urge to endorse something let them join the minority of celebrities who endorse social projects like "Saving street children " and other non profit things .
That will make them true celebrities .