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Guide to Sending Flowers to Japan: Culture & Etiquette

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Ever sat staring at your phone, desperately trying to figure out how to send flowers to Japan for your friend's birthday tomorrow, only to realize you have absolutely no idea where to begin? Been there, done that.

Sending flowers to Japan isn't like dropping a bouquet at your neighbor's doorstep. There's language barriers, cultural expectations, and that pesky international shipping situation to figure out.

In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to send flowers to Japan without accidentally sending funeral arrangements to a birthday party (yes, flower meanings matter tremendously there).

But first, let's talk about why most people mess this up completely - and how one tiny detail can make the difference between your gesture being treasured or tossed.

Understanding Japanese Flower Culture and Etiquette

Popular Flowers in Japan and Their Symbolic Meanings

Ever noticed how the Japanese have a special connection with flowers? It's not just about pretty blooms-each flower carries deep cultural significance and tells its own story.

Cherry blossoms (Sakura) reign supreme in Japan. These delicate pink flowers symbolize the fleeting nature of life and beauty. When Japanese people see sakura, they're reminded that life is beautiful but brief-pretty profound for a little flower, right?

Chrysanthemums (Kiku) are so important they appear on the Imperial Seal of Japan. These flowers represent longevity and rejuvenation. But here's a tip: avoid them for happy occasions as they're commonly used at funerals.

The iris (Shobu) symbolizes courage and warrior spirit in Japanese culture. These striking purple flowers bloom during rainy season and are associated with Boys' Day celebrations.

Camellias (Tsubaki) are winter favorites representing longevity and faithfulness. But watch out—red camellias can symbolize death in some contexts because when they fall, the entire flower head drops rather than petal by petal.

Other significant Japanese flowers include:

Flower	Japanese Name	Symbolic Meaning
Lotus	Hasu	Purity and enlightenment
Peony	Botan	Wealth, good fortune, honor
Wisteria	Fuji	Longevity, poetic beauty
Morning Glory	Asagao	Brief love, summer affection
Hydrangea	Ajisai	Gratitude, understanding

Cultural Considerations When Sending Flowers in Japan

Sending flowers in Japan? You'd better know your numbers. Never send four or nine of anything-these numbers sound like "death" and "suffering" in Japanese. Instead, go for lucky numbers like three, five, or eight.

Colors matter tremendously. White flowers traditionally represent death and are appropriate for funerals. Red can symbolize romantic love (like roses) but can be inappropriate in formal settings. Purple suggests nobility and wealth, while pink represents youth and happiness.

The packaging and presentation are just as important as the flowers themselves. Japanese florists take wrapping to an art form, with careful consideration of paper colors and ribbon choices. A sloppily wrapped bouquet? Major faux pas.

Appropriate Occasions for Flower Gifts

Flowers make perfect gifts for many Japanese occasions, but timing is everything.

Hospital visits? Absolutely bring flowers-but never potted plants. They suggest the patient will be there long enough for roots to grow. Yikes.

Business relationships benefit from flower gifts during grand openings or significant achievements. Just keep arrangements modest and elegant-over-the-top displays might cause embarrassment.

Personal celebrations like birthdays, graduations, and housewarmings call for bright, seasonal blooms. For romantic occasions, red roses work just like they do everywhere else-though expect to pay premium prices around Valentine's Day.

Types of Arrangements Preferred in Japanese Culture

The Japanese approach to floral design couldn't be more different from Western bouquets. Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, focuses on minimalism and asymmetry.

In ikebana, less is definitely more. These arrangements typically feature just a few carefully selected stems in specific positions, representing heaven, earth, and humanity. The space between elements is just as important as the elements themselves.

Modern Japanese also appreciate Western-style bouquets, but they still prefer arrangements that show restraint and seasonal awareness. Seasonal flowers hold special significance—sending summer flowers in winter might seem odd or thoughtless.

Bonsai and kokedama (moss ball plantings) make excellent gifts for business associates or close friends, representing long-lasting relationships. Just remember these require care, so consider the recipient's lifestyle before sending living plants.

Finding Reliable Flower Delivery Services for Japan

How to Send Flowers to Someone in Japan?

Sending flowers to someone in Japan doesn't have to be complicated. With the right service, you can brighten someone's day with a beautiful arrangement, even from thousands of miles away.

First, you'll need to gather some basic information before placing your order:

• Recipient's full name (correctly spelled)
• Complete delivery address in Japan with postal code
• Phone number (ideally a Japanese number)
• Your preferred delivery date (plan 2-3 days ahead minimum)

Most international flower services will need this info to ensure smooth delivery. And here's a pro tip: Japanese addresses can be tricky, so double-check everything before finalizing your order.

International Florists with Japanese Delivery Options

Several global flower delivery networks have solid coverage in Japan. These services make it easy to send flowers from anywhere in the world:

• Bunches Baskets Japan - Partners with local Japanese florists for authentic arrangements

What's great about these services is they handle all the customs and language barriers for you. They typically offer English websites and customer service, making the ordering process painless.

Japanese-Based Online Flower Shops

Many Japanese sites now offer English versions of their websites, though you might need to navigate with a translation tool for some. The benefit? More authentic arrangements at better prices.

Comparison of Delivery Fees and Service Quality

Price matters, but so does reliability. Here's how the options stack up:

Service Type	Avg. Delivery Fee	Delivery Time	Language Support	Arrangement Quality
International Networks	$15-25	2-4 days	Excellent English	Good
Japanese Local Shops	$8-15	Same day to 2 days	Limited English	Excellent
Specialty Services	$20-30	1-3 days	Varies	Premium

The premium you pay for international services buys you convenience and language support. Japanese local shops offer better prices but might present language barriers.

Reading Reviews and Verifying Credibility

Don't get scammed by fake flower delivery services. Before ordering:

• Check Google reviews and look for consistent positive feedback
• Verify the company has a physical address in Japan
• Look for secure payment options and clear delivery policies
• Search for the company name + "review" or "scam" to catch red flags
• Check their social media presence for recent activity

Trust your gut. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Specialty Services Offering Authentic Japanese Arrangements

These services often cost more but deliver genuinely Japanese experiences that standard florists can't match. Perfect when you want to impress someone with cultural awareness and attention to detail.

"Naam Shabana" is Nothing But an Ordinary Spy Thriller

There is a history of ruining a good film franchise if it gets a new director for its sequel or prequel. "Naam Shabana" is an addition to that history. If a good director like Neeraj Pandey who has made box office hits like "A Wednesday!", "Special 26", and "Baby", comes in a news headline for his next project, hype is naturally generated but it is the quality of that ultimate product which decides whether it will live up to the expectations. Neeraj Pandey has agreed not to give direction but produce and write the screenplay for "Naam Shabana" but I think this movie, having the theme of national security similar to "Baby", fails to touch the nerve of the audience. Even if any of the three Khans gives a mediocre performance in a lead role, any ordinary movie crosses or goes close to the 100 Crore mark these days just because of their complete screen presence. Akshay Kumar is the only superstar presently working in Bollywood who can give good competition to these three Khans. "Baby" was one of the big hits in his entire filmy career. Taapsee Pannu has earned a label of a class actress after delivering a stunning performance in "Pink" but if somebody thinks that she can now take the burden of carrying the legacy of Akshay Kumar starrer "Baby" on her shoulder, I am afraid he lives in a fool's paradise. Anupam Kher and Akshay Kumar have made good chemistry with their comedy and charm of acting together in "Special 26" and "Baby" but that is hardly seen in "Naam Shabana". Instead of making a prequel, Neeraj Pandey should have made a sequel to "Baby" with a new follow-up story with Akshay Kumar in that same lead role. The early life of field agent Shabana Khan (played by Taapsee Pannu) and how she became a spy, could have been shown in a short flashback in that movie. After "Piku", Shoojit Sircar also decided not to direct but produce "Pink" but I guess “Pink” was a far better production than “Naam Shabana” due to better screenplay writing and direction. I am sure Shivam Nair will come back with his best in the coming years.

Shabana Khan's father was an alcoholic and like most of the hard drinkers, he also was a wife and child beater. One day, teen Shabana (the teenage role of Shabana Khan is also played by Taapsee Pannu herself) couldn't tolerate any more home violence and hit his father on his head. That fatal blow got her father killed. Police arrested Shabana and she spent two years in a juvenile home after getting sentenced by the juvenile court. But Shabana came under surveillance as a potential candidate for becoming the spy of a secret service agency responsible for our national security. She is an angry young woman who gets agitated very easily on crowded streets. She is still studying commerce in a college and practices a special kind of martial art called Kudo. She has also won the tournament of the Kudo championship. Shabana's classmate and friend Jai (played by Taher Shabbir Mithaiwala) is in love with her and one night when they are on their way home riding on a motorcycle (both Jai and Shabana are wearing no helmets), they meet with four spoiled brats who started to tease Shabana. Ignoring Jai's advice 'It's not about guts but you need to know when to step in and when to back off', Shabana decided to encounter them. Jai also had to intervene for saving her but got murdered by the leader of those four scumbags. Shabana swore that she would not rest until she brought the killer to justice. But she was getting frustrated due to the slow progress of the criminal investigation by police, and one day, she received a call from an unknown person who asked her what if he told her the present whereabouts of those fugitives, how she would bring them to justice. Shabana’s reply was straight and full of confidence that if she is provided with the information and other help, she will likely kill the murderer of Jai because she no longer has faith in the legal justice system. The unknown caller offers every possible help in pursuing her vengeance but with one condition. Once it is done, in return, she would have to join the Secret Service agency and work as a field agent defending the national security of our nation. Shabana says yes.

The official theatrical trailer shows a tag that says 'witness the making of a spy'. So, how does a common man become a spy? Does the Secret Service agency recruit civilians for spy jobs directly from the society? What are the criteria based on which they choose their possible candidates? What kind of training curriculum do they follow? Shabana Khan has an angry young mind which sometimes attracts unnecessary attention. She also has a criminal background. Her study is yet to be completed. She has lost her faith in our legal justice system and is mentally prepared to kill a guy for a personal vendetta. If these kinds of qualities make her qualify to get selected for the spy job, do you think it shows the reality as closely as possible? I don't think so. The instructor, who was giving her shooting practices, happened to be a white Caucasian foreigner. Our national secret agency couldn't just find an Indian shooting instructor to train our secret agents. How weird is that? Only martial arts and shooting practices seem to be quite enough for completing her training to be an operational field agent. No movie can keep you on the edge of your seat right up to the end, than a spy thriller. When somebody is making a spy thriller, it should be looked like one. Recently, Priyanka Chopra came under the spotlight due to her acting in an American TV series drama thriller "Quantico". There are popular spy franchises like "James Bond" and "Jason Bourne" which were made in Hollywood. Perhaps, the director and the screenplay writer of "Naam Shabana" should have taken some inspiration and ideas from these spy franchises before making this film. All the field agent characters including Ajay Singh Rajput (played by Akshay Kumar) and Shabana Khan (played by Taapsee Pannu) seem to be physically unfit and unathletic to be looked like a professional spy. They even do not have the proper training or do not know the standard procedure for approaching an armed suspect. The lack of research before writing this weak screenplay is also one of the factors that lead this movie to failure. If people like to call Aamir Khan a perfectionist, then there must be a reason behind it. Just take "Dangal" for an example and consider how much research, money, time, and effort the producer cum actor Aamir Khan and the director Nitesh Tiwari put into their project even before taking the first shot.

Even though Taapsee Pannu has the lead role in "Naam Shabana", it doesn't seem to be a woman-centric movie. During operations, Shabana Khan is unable to tackle some unforeseen tough situations and needs the help of Ajay Singh Rajput to get herself out of trouble. Ajay Singh Rajput even holds her arm (not her hand) and drags her to a safe place. In one scene, Ranvir Singh (played by Manoj Bajpayee) makes two interesting comments explaining to Shabana Khan why the agency thinks that she is suitable for the job, 'Females are born with an extra strain in their DNA. Mardon ko gadgets ki jaroorat padti hai, auratein pre-configured aati hai' and 'Aaj kal ke jo haalat hai, us mein tumhare religion ki vajah se hamara access badhta hai aur raastei khulte hai'. He also says that 1500 possible candidates are observed by the agency at any given time. It sounds like wasting money and manpower and when it comes to doing some real action in overseas locations, instead of sending experienced agents, the agency sends a fresh recruit Shabana Khan with a license to kill.

I think unlike "Baby", despite putting its best efforts into going soft against Pakistan and radical Islamic terrorists, the Censor Board of Pakistan has banned the screening of "Naam Shabana" in Pakistan. So, this movie has won the hearts of neither India nor Pakistan. If Hollywood wants to make a spy thriller, it has always made it from the point of view of Western powers like the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, or North Korea as their adversaries. It is common sense that if Bollywood wants to make a spy thriller, it needs to project Pakistan and anti-Indian jihadi elements as the adversaries as it will give better results at the Indian box office. If handled properly by efficient hands, nationalism always works well in India.

"Pink" Movie Review: Say 'NO' to the stereotype Indian conception that 'aisi ladkiyon ke saath aisa hi hota hai'

Pink is the colour of sweetness, sensitivity, and romance. It shows empathy, love, and compassion. Pink is a combination of White and Red colours. White is the colour of purity & peace and Red is the colour of passion & power. Pink truly represents the femininity of women and that perhaps inspired team "Pink" to pick such a title. On the backdrop of recent unfortunate incidents of molesting and raping women across India and especially in Delhi after the notorious 2012 Delhi gang rape case in which the perpetrators raped and brutally killed Nirbhaya (Jyoti Singh), "Pink" seems to be the most relevant movie everyone should watch and take lesson from.

"Pink" is a riveting story of three normal working women Minal Arora (played by Taapsee Pannu), Falak Ali (played by Kirti Kulhari), and Andrea (played by Andrea Tariang) who are staying in Delhi as PG. They stay together, hang out, or attend parties together in the evening and on one such evening, they go to a rock concert. They were introduced to Rajveer Singh (played by Angad Bedi) and his friends by a common friend. Rajveer invited them for a dinner. Rajveer and his friends seemed friendly, polite, and gentle. There was nothing suspicious and therefore Minal and her friends accepted the offer. They went to a resort in Surajkund. But things turned ugly. They were a little drunk and Rajveer and Dumpy (played by Raashul Tandon) forcefully tried to make physical contact with the girls. But Minal and Andrea were in no such mood and refused to engage in sex. Despite saying 'No' to Rajveer, he didn't stop molesting her. Then Minal hit him with a glass bottle on his face in self-defense and that injured him pretty badly. The girls also escaped quickly from that resort. Pursuing a vendetta against Minal, Rajveer and his friends started to threaten her on the phone. They even tried to convince the landlord to throw the girls out of their flat. The girls had no option but to seek help from the police. But the officer-in-charge of the local police station proved to be unhelpful and gave a sluggish and cold reply 'If we take action against him, then you will face charges as well. After all, you assaulted him, madam'. Police were reluctant to take action against Rajveer because he is the relative of a powerful political leader. Rajveer and his friends then intensified giving threatening calls to Minal and eventually molested and assaulted her in a car. But instead of taking action against Rajveer and his friends, police arrested Minal under section 307, 'Attempt to Murder' charge. Mr. Deepak Sehgal (played by Amitabh Bachchan) who is their neighbour and also a reputed retired lawyer, decides to defend the girls in court.

In one scene of the courtroom proceedings, the lawyer Mr. Sehgal asks Minal 'Are you a virgin, Miss Arora? Please answer yes or no. Don't shake your head. Minal at first hesitated and mumbled. It is not that easy for an unmarried young woman to declare in public whether she is a virgin or not but she boldly said 'No'. She then answered the subsequent questions of Mr. Sehgal and said that she lost her virginity to her friend at age 19 but that physical intercourse happened with the consent of two adult persons. There was no other interest like the exchange of money or any business purpose. Mr. Sehgal further questioned Minal 'what happened between you and Rajveer that night? What clear indication did you give at that time that right now I am not interested in sex?' Minal answered him that she refused Rajveer for sex and she clearly said 'NO' to Rajveer. She said 'I was being held against my will.' She even said 'Who likes to be touched in this manner, sir? Forcibly!' and explained under what circumstances and how she was compelled to hit Rajveer in self-defense. In another courtroom scene, the opponent lawyer Mr. Prashant Mehra (played by Piyush Mishra) asked Andrea 'how long have you been soliciting?' and she replied 'I do nothing of this sort'. Mr. Sehgal presented his arguments before the court quite clearly that if a man and a woman want to make physical contact, that has to be done with each other's consent no matter if it happens between a boyfriend and his girlfriend, a husband and his wife or even a sex worker and her client. If a woman says 'No', that means 'NO' and that is the red line nobody should cross.

Indians are very obsessed with Bollywood movies, especially romantic movies. Those so-called romantic movies have been showing us a false formula that if the hero likes a girl, expresses his emotions to her, and proposes to her but even if the girl says 'No', the hero doesn't take that 'No' seriously and thinks that she also likes him and if he continues to tease her, she will eventually have feelings for him and ultimately he will get the girl (ladki pat jayegi). A cinema not only tells a story and gives you entertainment, but it also acts like a mirror of our society. If the cinema itself gives you the wrong impression about the seriousness of 'No' said by a woman, you can understand how Indians have been raised by our society in independent India. Even after 69 years of our independence, we still couldn't get out of our cocoon made of social barriers and prejudices. We have made rules only for women, how they should behave, what they should wear, and what they should and shouldn't do. If a boy molests a girl, so-called guardians of our society try to malign the character of that girl, stick a character certificate on her back, and come to the simple conclusion that the girl must have done something wrong which led the boy to get provoked for committing such a crime. Rajveer is just a movie character but I am afraid he is not the only man many people in our real society think that 'aisi ladkiyon ke saath aisa hi hota hai'. Not just in Delhi, we have seen how Suzette Jordan was treated and victimised by our society in Kolkata after she was gang raped in 2013 (Park Street Rape Incident). This movie "Pink" hits a tight slap on the face of these Indians and so-called self-proclaimed guardians of our Indian society. This movie tells us to get rid of those outdated prejudices and give proper respect to women for what they deserve.

I must talk about two scenes in "Pink" which seemed a little awkward to me. Mr. Deepak Sehgal is a retired lawyer and lives in the same neighbourhood where these girls are staying as a PG. Mr. Sehgal goes to a nearby park for a morning walk. Minal also goes to that same park for jogging. On the next morning of that Sirajkund episode, Minal goes to that park for her usual jogging but this time she discovers that a pair of open eyes is constantly staring at her. Those eyes belong to Mr. Sehgal. When I saw this scene, I wondered why Mr. Sehgal was staring at her with that cold and blunt look. At first, I thought he must have witnessed or knew something about that Surajkund episode. But that was not the case in this story. Since both Mr. Sehgal and Minal are neighbours, he might have heard something that these girls are involved in some unsocial activities, and that could have made him curious. Mr. Sehgal is also going through a crisis of his life as his wife is living her last days in a hospital bed. Mr. Sehgal has no children and is suffering from bipolar disorder. But everything couldn't completely explain the reason and the relevance of his constant staring at Minal. She was wearing a jogging suit, seemed tired after long jogging and then if she saw that an old unknown man was constantly staring at her, what do you think she might have thought about him, an old pervert man stalking her! I wonder what the Director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury was thinking and trying to prove when he decided to show this scene in this movie. Mr. Bachchan has said so many times in his interviews that he is the Director's man. I was also watching a televised interview of team "Pink" last Thursday before the release of this movie in India. But when the Producer Shoojit Sircar who has also worked with Mr. Bachchan as a Director in "Piku", told the reporter that the actor should always trust the Director, Mr. Bachchan coughed a little and seemed to be slightly disagreed with him. Maybe Mr. Bachchan also couldn't accept this staring scene in this movie. The second scene which I was talking about, is when Falak couldn't deal with the bombardment of uneasy questions thrown at her by the opponent lawyer Mr. Mehra, and accepted that the girls took money. This confession could have become the turning point in the case and might led to a victory for Rajveer but that didn't happen thanks to the court arguments of Mr. Sehgal and the fair judgment of the judge (played by Dhritiman Chatterjee). I can understand why the Director has shown this confession and I appreciate that but that confession is also degrading the dignity of these three girls in the society. I believe, like me, many people also think that the intended social message could have been conveyed even without showing Falak's confession scene.

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is a well-known and prominent Director in the Bengali cinema industry and he has shown his class once again. He even addressed and touched on the burning issue of the students and the people of North-East in Delhi and how they are facing discrimination and racial abuse day by day by the people of the rest of India. Taking care of detailing, keeping the suspense till the end, and following a tight script, all deserve to be acknowledged by the audience. Mr. Bachchan is awesome but I must give special credit to the acting of all three women, especially Taapsee Pannu. Their acting was so realistic. I think the mainstream Bollywood Directors should use the acting of Dhritiman Chatterjee even more. He deserves that recognition.

Wonderful poem recited by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in "Pink":

"Tu Khud Ki Khoj Mein Nikal
Tu Kis Liye Hatash Hai
Tu Chal, Tere Wajood Ki Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai
Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai

Jo Tuzsay Lipti Bediya Samaz Na Inko Vastr Tu
Jo Tuzsay Lipti Bediya Samaz Na Inko Vastr Tu
Yeh Bediya Beghal Ke Banale Inko Shastr Tu, Banale Inko Shastr Tu

Tu Khud Ki Khoj Mein Nikal
Tu Kis Liye Hatash Hai
Tu Chal, Tere Wajood Ki Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai
Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai

Charitra Jab Pavitra Hai Toh Kyno Hai Dasha Yeh Teri
Charitra Jab Pavitra Hai Toh Kyno Hai Dasha Yeh Teri
Yeh Papiyon Ko Haq Nahi Ke Le Ke Pariksha Teri
Ke Le Ke Pariksha Teri

Tu Khud Ki Khoj Mein Nikal
Tu Kis Liye Hatash Hai
Tu Chal, Tere Wajood Ki Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai
Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai

Jala Ke Bhasm Kar Use Jo Krurtaka Jaal Hai
Jala Ke Bhasm Kar Use Jo Krurtaka Jaal Hai
Tu Aarati Ki Lou Nahi
Tu Krodh Ki Mashal Hai
Tu Krodh Ki Mashal Hai

Tu Khud Ki Khoj Mein Nikal
Tu Kis Liye Hatash Hai
Tu Chal, Tere Wajood Ki Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai
Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai

Chunar Uda Ke Dhwaj Bana
Gagan Bhi Kapkapayega
Chunar Uda Ke Dhwaj Bana
Gagan Bhi Kapkapayega
Agar Teri Chunar Giri Toh Ek Bhookamp Aayega
Ek Bhookamp Aayega

Tu Khud Ki Khoj Mein Nikal
Tu Kis Liye Hatash Hai
Tu Chal, Tere Wajood Ki Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai
Samay Ko Bhi Talash Hai"

Review of Independence Day: Resurgence

1996 - 2016, twenty years have passed since I watched "Independence Day" in Kolkata's prestigious Globe Cinema Hall. That nostalgic memory still fascinates me even today. I was a teenage boy who just got his wings and started exploring the World beyond his den. Unlike the kids of the present generation, we were very silly and naive. Mobile phone service had just started in Kolkata but it was so expensive and a distant dream for middle-class people like us. Boring and tasteless news broadcasting by All India Radio and state-run TV network Doordarshan or the news publishing by the morning Newspapers were all news-feeding sources we had during those days. Being the young teenagers of post-1991 economic liberalization in India, we wanted to know more, do more, and of course, get more. The giant multinational company PepsiCo also realized the aspirations of the Indian youth of the Nineties and used the slogan "Yeh Dil Maange More!" in 1998. We didn't have any clear idea about economic reforms but we started to feel the difference especially because of the introduction of computers in our life. Every new stuff that was alien to us also enthralled us. It was the first time I had visited Globe Cinema Hall and there I found something extraordinary which caught my full attention and took me out of this World. The Dolby Digital Sound System was introduced to me for the first time in my life.

Oh boy! Watching a global disaster movie like "Independence Day" on a big and wider screen with Dolby Digital sound, was quite an experience. "Independence Day" was about a story of an apocalypse in biblical proportions and a fight led by a superpower nation against an alien invasion. Humans won the war and saved their race from annihilation on a global scale. The human race was on the brink of extinction but the valor of a fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller (played by Will Smith), the intelligence of a computer expert cum satellite technician David Levinson (played by Jeff Goldblum), and the leadership of American President Thomas J. Whitmore (played by Bill Pullman) saved the humanity.

"We will not go quietly into the night!

We will not vanish without a fight!

We're going to live on!

We're going to survive!

Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!"

President Thomas J. Whitmore (played by Bill Pullman)

Address to the U.S. Fighter Pilots in "Independence Day" (1996)

Those are the words that thrilled me and I believe, everyone else in the audience. For a moment, I even felt the shivering in my body. I was touched by his words and his way of addressing the pilots who were getting briefed for the battle of their life. Be it the human values, the leadership, the arrogance, the pride, the glory, everything was American, and yet, I experienced an adventure like my own.

Twenty years later, a sequel "Independence Day: Resurgence" has come to the town that made me excited like a kid. I have watched the movie but this time. I have felt nothing at all and when I say that, it means the film didn't meet my expectations. I wish it would surprise me but I am afraid it has failed to do so. This sequel film has most of the previous along with some new characters, a good plot, state-of-the-art visual effects, and everything that one could have asked for but I think it has missed out on some fundamental elements. Even though the character of Captain Steven Hiller (played by Will Smith) is missing in this film that absence of Will Smith has been handled quite intelligently by the Script Writers. However, I think the impact of the heroism and courage of one hero in "Independence Day" (1996) has never been achieved by this group of heroes in "Independence Day: Resurgence" (2016). If the central leadership of the resistance in a war film, is changed so frequently that one gets killed and another takes his or her place and so on, that doesn't leave any serious impact on the minds of the audience. Regardless of gender, the leader should be the prime character in such a global disaster movie like this one. People love to see the saga of a leader who fights from the beginning, falls but rises again, leads his or her followers, takes the fight to the enemy, and emerges victorious in the end. People usually relate themselves to that character. I guess too many cooks have spoilt this broth. The presence of too many heroes and leaders is the reason that this movie has failed to touch the nerves of the audience. The state-of-the-art visual effect might fascinate you but cannot help the movie stay in your heart for long. I also felt the same kind of disappointment after watching "Jurassic World" (2015) directed by Colin Trevorrow. It was the 4th sequel to "Jurassic Park" (1993) directed by Steven Spielberg. Even though "Jurassic Park" was not a ghost story, it still gave me two sleepless nights in 1993. But when I asked myself about my cold reaction after watching the new "Jurassic World" (2015), I realized that it was the element of surprise that was missing in that film. The same goes for "Independence Day: Resurgence" (2016). Making sequel films is nothing new in Hollywood. Bond series, Star Wars series, Star Trek series, and Superhero series were all commercially successful given the fact that all of them had something new and surprising as well as enjoyment for all. The success of any film is generally determined by its box office collections but how good or bad, people feel about a movie, that I think, defines the real success of a film. The makers of "Independence Day: Resurgence" perhaps thought differently that a group of heroes comprising a Caucasian American hero, an African American hero, a Chinese Hero, and an African Warlord hero would help the film reach out to the broader part of the audience around the World. They didn't formulate any character like a Russian hero or an Indian hero in this film because it doesn’t work in that fashion in Hollywood. What matters the most to them is the present equation of the major political powers in the World. They also calculate the feasibility of penetrating and grabbing new overseas markets while making a film. I have seen more and more Chinese presence in the recent global disaster kind of Hollywood movies, such as "2012" directed by Roland Emmerich, "Gravity" directed by Alfonso Cuarón, "The Martian" directed by Ridley Scott, you name it. Against the backdrop of China's rise in the World arena, China's role has been turned positive in Hollywood movies.

I am a big fan of Director Roland Emmerich because I admire his previous works but with all due respect to him, I would like to point out a few features of "Independence Day: Resurgence". The diameter of the Moon is a little more than 2000 miles. The last alien mother ship that invaded Earth in 1996, was one-fourth the size of the Moon. This time, it's bigger than the last one. This mother ship is 3000 miles wide which means it is even bigger than the Moon. Both the alien mother ships of 1996 and 2016 have taken a popular route of coming from the backside of the Moon, almost touching its surface, facing the Earth on its horizon, and then heading towards Earth. Hollywood loves this route for designing the path of every extraterrestrial object coming towards Earth. In 1996, the mother ship didn't enter into the atmosphere of Earth rather positioned 36 different spacecraft in different places across the World. All of them were hovering in the sky as the film didn't at least show any landing scene. But the sequel movie shows something else even an old spacecraft that landed in central Africa during the last invasion. This new mother ship has its gravity which caught a Space Tug while passing the Moon. This same Space Tug, before being caught by the alien mother ship, already made a couple of space travels of coming from the Moon to the Earth and then going back to the Moon by escaping from the gravitational pull of the Earth, and couldn't just get away from the mother ship’s gravity. The film also didn't give us any indication that the mother ship got separated into multiple spacecraft. So, the mother ship entered into the atmosphere of the Earth in one piece. Having a strong gravity, it started to pull buildings, cars, humans, etc. from the surface of the Earth. The mother ship first destroyed Singapore (anybody can recognize the iconic Marina Bay Sands building in Singapore), then London, and finally landed in the Atlantic Ocean by deploying its big legs. One leg of that mother ship even touched delicately the backside of the White House in Washington DC before coming to a halt. If you take a look at its course to Earth for landing, from Singapore to London to Washington DC, seems a little peculiar to me especially if I consider the distance between these cities. In another scene of its landing sequence, the father of David Levinson, Julius Levinson (played by Judd Hirsch) who was fishing in a small boat near the coastline, also saw the landing of the mother ship so closely and had to escape from a Tsunami which was created only by the touchdown of the mother ship in the Ocean. But Julius Levinson survived and was picked up by some kids. They abandoned their car and took a bus. They finally reached the surrounding area of Area 51 in the Nevada desert. If you examine the map of the USA, you'll find out that the Nevada desert is located close to the west coast of the USA. Since Washington DC is situated on the east coast of the USA, you might get confused about the actual landing site of the alien mother ship. Is it the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean? In a hypothetical scenario, what if the Moon somehow gets away from its orbit and slowly but surely collides with the Earth, what will happen then? Should the Moon even come too close to the Earth, Earth’s tidal situations would change or gigantic Tsunamis might appear but nothing had happened when the mother ship which is even bigger than the Moon, landed on the surface of the Earth. I am just a common man but curious about how a scientist or an astrophysicist gets into a conclusion after watching this film. I think the makers of "Independence Day: Resurgence" should have done a little more research before writing the script.

Drugs Di Maa Di! Review of Udta Punjab

Thanks to the Supreme Court of India, Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, and Diljit Dosanjh starrer film "Udta Punjab" has been released in theatres on the scheduled date. Interestingly, this film has a catchline "Drugs Di Maa Di!". Using slang words or phrases in any catchline is a rare phenomenon in Hindi movies. I've heard though, excessive slang words in the dialogs of the recent Hindi and even Bengali movies. "LOC Kargil", "Jab We Met" and "Baishe Srabon" are such examples. In "Udta Punjab", almost every character has thrown selected and commonly used Punjabi slang words in most of the scenes. Apparently, "Drugs Di Maa Di" looks innocent but whenever you see or hear "Maa Di" or "Maa Ki", your sixth sense tells you that it's a part of a slang phrase. This phrase also reminds me of a small incident in my life. A few years ago, I was once making a conversation with a girl of my team in our office. She was a sweet Punjabi girl. Now I don't remember the onset but when I spoke the word "London" in my typical Bengali accent, she said "What?". I repeated the word "London!". She responded with little irritation "What?". I was a little embarrassed but reiterated "London, the capital of the UK! You know". Then she replied with a relieved face, "Oh! You mean London, the city". I was baffled but within a few days, I figured out the exact reason behind her excitement. The Script Writer of "Udta Punjab" has also used other selected Punjabi slangs which mean "Mother F***er", "Sister F***er" and many more. I guess, the exceeding usage of slang words, is the reason that the Censor Board (CBFC) of which, the present Chairman is the famous (read notorious) Pahlaj Nihalani, has released the film with an "A" certificate. The SC ordered the Censor Board to release the film with only one cut, a couple of disclaimers, and the certificate. The Censor Board just followed that direction. I've seen the trailer in which there was a urination scene of Shahid Kapoor. But when the production house sent the film to the Censor Board, they suggested 89 cuts including that urination scene and the removal of the word “Punjab” from the title as if it is defaming the image of Punjab. If the Censor Board had objections against the urination scene, then why was it allowed by them in the first place?

The making of "Udta Punjab" is indeed a daring effort when it comes to choosing the subject of that film or any film for that matter. Many film Directors love to work on various socio-economic or socio-political issues in India. Director Abhishek Chaubey was not one of them before making this movie. But I must admit that he has successfully conveyed the message to the audience. The message is clear and it loudly says that drug trafficking and drug addiction among young people are the burning issues in Punjab these days. If the necessary actions against this menace are not taken, it will soon destroy the future of a whole generation in Punjab. The state will go to election in 2017. The political party that is currently in power, obviously won't let anybody or anything uncover or raise this issue that has been making them uncomfortable time and again. Their major concern is that the opposition parties might use this issue effectively against them in the forthcoming assembly election. It’s not unusual that all political parties will deny their failure and try to convince you that raising any such issue will defame the image of the state and in this case, Punjab. I am not sure about the connection but surprisingly it was Pahlaj Nihalani who made such comments on behalf of the ruling party of Punjab. He even said that Arvind Kejriwal, the present CM of Delhi, has produced "Udta Punjab". Bizarre theory!!! Pahlaj Nihalani had to suffer defeat and couldn't succeed in stopping "Udta Punjab" from releasing. His office now has to deal with another new allegation of leaking the uncut version of "Udta Punjab" on the Internet before its official release. Be it the release of the last Bond movie "Spectre" or this "Udta Punjab", Pahlaj Nihalani has found himself in controversies very often since he was appointed as the chairman of the Censor Board. Pahlaj Nihalani cut the kissing scenes in "Spectre" which was ridiculed by the cine fraternity in India by projecting the hero James Bond as Sanskari Bond on social media.

Even though I am not a fan of Anurag Kashyap who is one of the Producers of "Udta Punjab", when he defended "Udta Punjab" and shared his view with media persons, I trusted him because of his clear point of view. On the other hand, Pahlaj Nihalani made himself a laughing stock by making some absurd remarks. I haven't watched too many movies directed by Anurag Kashyap but I have watched the trailer of his upcoming film "Raman Raghav 2.0". Both the title and the trailer seem a little weird to me. I think Anurag Kashyap likes to bring out stories about the dark shades of society and human nature. Perhaps "Udta Punjab" was also his pet project but maybe he couldn't direct it because of his other commitments.

There is no film more honest than UDTA PUNJAB .. And any person or party opposing it is actually GUILTY of promoting drugs

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 6, 2016

Let's discuss about the story of "Udta Punjab". There is no particular story in this film. Four leading characters are living their individual lives on their own and finally, all of them fight the same battle against a common enemy. But their struggles and the war against drugs have been presented so nicely that the audience gets attached to this fusion kind of story. Tommy Singh aka Gabru (played by Shahid Kapoor) is a popular Punjabi Rock Singer who sings for young people. His music glorifies the madness of youth and the fun of taking drugs by them. Tommy himself is a drug addict too. People believe that Tommy's music is encouraging young people to take more drugs. One day Tommy got arrested and that proved to be the turning point that changed his life completely. He understands that he needs to get rid of this addiction of drugs. He refuses to take drugs but faces consequences both mentally and physically. He now finds it hard to sing for his fans. This addiction would have ruined his career one day anyway, had he decided to go on and not save himself from this menace. We have seen a similar story in the movie "Aashiqui 2" directed by Mohit Suri. The hero Rahul Jaykar who was also an alcoholic Singer, fought his battle against his addiction. Like Rahul, our Tommy also felt vulnerable that he was getting torn apart from inside as soon as he decided to throw away drugs. Tommy needed friendly support and love to get over his hurdles. That love came to him as a surprise. When Tommy was running away from some goons, an unknown girl (played by Alia Bhatt) came to his rescue, helped him to hide, and even fought with the goons. Tommy falls in love instantly and finds a purpose to live for. This girl who was once a member of Jharkhand's champion hockey team, moved to Punjab as a farm labourer to get her family out of poverty. Eventually, she also fought the battle against drugs in her way. Sartaj Singh (played by Diljit Dosanjh) is a police sub-inspector who has compromised with his honesty for the corrupt system. But when he found his little brother Bali (played by Master Prabhjyot Singh) hospitalised due to a drug overdose, his conscience woke up and told him to do his duty. Bali was saved and taken care of by Dr. Preet Sahni (played by Kareena Kapoor) who runs a drug rehabilitation clinic and also fights against drugs. Both Sartaj and Preet decided to take down the drug racket. The rest of the story is a little terrible and doesn't give us a happy ending. But the drug racket got busted in the climax.

Alia Bhatt is new in the film industry and yet, has shown a great deal of maturity in her acting which has made me a fan of her acting. Any new actress also being the younger daughter of the renowned film Director Mahesh Bhatt, should have chosen a glamorous path to shine her filmy career but instead, she has taken the challenging path. She has established her presence on solid ground as she is performing her best in these versatile roles. Shahid Kapoor is a senior actor but even he has surprised me with his crazy yet natural acting. Kareena Kapoor and the debutant Diljit Dosanjh's acting is good but not that special. But I like the character Tayaji (played by veteran actor Satish Kaushik). He has delivered an excellent performance in this cameo role.

Two soundtracks "Chitta Ve" and "Ud-Daa Punjab" are already gaining popularity. Actor cum Singer Diljit Dosanjh has also sung a song "Ikk Kudi". I cannot resist myself from mentioning one last thing that when I saw the name of the Editor Meghna Sen in the title sequence, it made me proud.

Te3n: Movie Review by Tanmoy Sarkar

"Te3n" is that well-discussed and well-anticipated film which I had been eagerly waiting for to be released in Kolkata ever since the news broke out that Mr. Amitabh Bachchan started shooting in Kolkata and the first picture of him in which he was riding on a scooter, came out in the public domain. Initially, I thought this was "Kahaani 2" because of Sujoy Ghosh's presence in the team but then I realised that he is not the Director but rather happened to be one of the Producers in this movie of which the title is "Te3n". Well, the film was released in the theatres on the 10th of June and I watched this movie on the 11th night in South Kolkata. I watch a lot of movies but do not post a status for all of them on Facebook. I publish a few only if I think that I should write something about it in my Blog. That's why I generally do that after watching the full movie. But this time when I was about to post my status on Facebook, I just couldn't find the official Facebook page of "Te3n". There was an ordinary page without a profile image and that page got only 249 likes at that time. That page must have been created by a fan or automatically by Facebook. So, it seems that team "Te3n" didn't even try to promote the movie on Social Media. If I remember correctly about the promotion on Television, I've only seen a couple of interviews of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Sujoy Ghosh, and the Director Ribhu Dasgupta. But I think I've hardly seen Vidya Balan or Nawazuddin Siddiqui promoting this movie on any platform or media. So, I must say that team "Te3n" has taken a very poor marketing strategy or practically none at all for promoting this movie.

When I talk about the movie, the first question that comes to mind is about its title. Why Te3n or Three? One thing is clear that the story revolves around 3 main characters played by BigB, Vidya Balan, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. But other than this fact of 3 main character's presence in this film, I've found no relevant reason in its title "Te3n". Despite being one of the 3 main characters, Vidya Balan's name was shown with the tag "Guest Appearance" in the title sequence. I think I've got many reasons to be heartbroken and frustrated after watching this movie. There were good ingredients and a good recipe and yet, the actual dish that the chef has cooked is not the one it was meant to be. All Bengali Film Directors who have made Hindi Bollywood films, are well-known for their realistic ideology and by and large do take care of every minute detail while making a movie.

I've also read some other reviews written by other Cine-Critics. One said about the sloth progress of the storytelling and another Critic talks about too many unnecessary flashbacks in this movie. I also agree with them. The story and the art of storytelling both are essential and without each other's support, no single fact alone can make a film successful. While telling a story, especially a thriller, the storyteller sometimes gets you a flashback or so he thinks is necessary to make the audience glued to the story otherwise they might get lost as the plot gets unraveled. The storyteller sometimes also thinks that flashback helps the audience connect the missing dots. I believe Producer Sujoy Ghosh, Director Ribhu Dasgupta, and their team are very much obsessed with BigB, Vidya Balan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, City of Joy Kolkata, Kolkata Police, Howrah Bridge, River Ganga, Maa Durga and Bisorjon, Kolkata Tram, etc. But these are all good ingredients for a good dish but it's up to the chef and his skills to make a good dish by using these good ingredients and a good recipe.

I'll talk about this thrilling story. I've found so many flaws in the story and storytelling. I think Maa Durga's Bisorjon scene was irrelevant and the Howrah Bridge was shown in the wrong scenes. The story is about Two kidnappings which took place in the heart of Kolkata. The first kidnapping happened in Ripon Street but remained unresolved even after eight long years. John Biswas, the grandfather (played by BigB) of the victim (John's granddaughter Angela Biswas), regularly goes to Kolkata's Police Headquarters in Lalbazar and returns empty-handed back home. Since the kid Angela was abducted in Ripon Street as she was returning from school to home, one can presume that her family used to and still lives in or close to Ripon Street. Just because the team "Te3n" is obsessed with Howrah Bridge, that doesn't mean you can show that bridge in any scene. In one part of the film, the grandfather crosses the river Ganga by Howrah Bridge while returning from Lalbazar to his home in or around Ripon Street. The grandfather listens to a familiar voice in a tape that was recorded by police eight years ago. In this tape, the kidnapper, Manohar Sinha (played by Sabyasachi Chakraborty) allowed the victim to speak on the phone. She shouted, "I am sorry Grandpa. I made a mistake. I should have listened to you". Normally victim says "Save me grandpa" but instead, she says something else. This recording was shown in such a way as if it somehow led to a clue. Ultimately it never got proven as a clue nor did it help Grandpa in any capacity to resolve the mystery.

Grandpa was rightly on his course to find the kidnapper for taking his revenge by bringing him to justice. He set the rest of his life's goals and never lost hope. One day, he got a small clue which led him to go to Imambara in Hooghly. But even after ignoring Father Martin's request to ride on his motorcycle, traveling the distance of 54 km twice and then multiple times by a junk scooter is a reliable idea or not, my friend, I leave it to the audience and their common sense. Later the plot as it was unraveled, showed that the kidnapper buried all the evidence inside a trunk in a burying place at Imambara in Hooghly. The kidnapper committed his crime in Kolkata and buried the evidence in Hooghly. Come on man!! Who wrote this story? I've got more. The kidnapper got his 20 Lacs as he demanded and the ransom money was arranged none other than by our Kolkata police. Police!!! Does police ever arrange ransom money for kidnappers? If yes as a part of their plan to catch the criminal, then why use real money instead of blank currency notes? After a successful pick up of the ransom money, the kidnapper called the grandfather once again and threatened that he had to give him another 20 Lacs rupees as a punishment for his act of calling the police. The kidnapper directed him to get out of the city and follow a dirt road. Man! This is Kolkata, not Ramgarh you are talking about.

In a twist of the plot when the kidnapper was caught and brought to justice, the kidnapper confessed his crime and told the reason behind it. He said that eight years ago, his daughter needed heart surgery and therefore he needed money at any cost. Now consider some points. The kidnapper Manohar Sinha's daughter has a son Ronnie who is now around 8 years old. A woman who got a severe heart surgery of which the effect is still visible, couldn't be allowed by doctors for pregnancy. That means she was already married eight years ago and had a son during the time of her heart surgery. Remember her husband who serves in the Indian Army. I think the Indian Army takes all the liabilities on the medical issues of the family including the wife of an army jawan or an officer. So, the kidnapper's worry about arranging money for her daughter's heart surgery doesn't have solid ground as it was written by the story writer.

The police officer Martin Das who investigated the kidnapping case eight years ago, is now a priest. Please don't take it otherwise if I say that an ex-police officer later becoming a Christian priest, not a Hindu priest or a Muslim imam, looks more suitable in a modern thriller story. Doesn't it? The grandfather John Biswas made a list of a few suspects and handed over the list to Father Martin on Christmas evening and then at the same time, coincidentally, Manohar Sinha's son and grandson (Ronnie) also paid a visit to that Church. Ronnie made a beautiful greeting card and presented it to Father Martin. He loved that card and promised Ronnie that he would always keep it in his home. Father Martin also kept that list of suspects in that greeting card and went inside the Church. Incidentally, Father Martin becomes part of the investigation team that is investigating the present kidnapping of Master Ronnie. The present investigation is being led by a special police inspector Sarita Sarkar (played by Vidya Balan). Eventually, Father Martin gets solid proof that John Biswas has something to do with the present kidnapping of Master Ronnie. Father Martin rushed to John's house and searched his bed. There, he found that greetings card which proves that the storyteller also tries to establish that Ronnie was with John for sure. But I think the voice marching proof was good enough and finding the greetings card was unnecessary besides the fact that the storyteller never showed us how that greetings card reached John's house.

Let's take a pause and consider yourself as the grandfather. You now know who the kidnapper was. Since he has destroyed most of the evidence, what would you do to bring him to justice? Just because you cannot do it legally and you see that the kidnapper has also got a grandson, Ronnie, you make a plot to kidnapping that grandson. That grandson has remained very happy even after being abducted by a kidnapper as it has been shown in this film to prove that the 2nd kidnapping should not be considered as a crime by the audience. You are justifying a new kidnapping for bringing an old kidnapper to justice. I think the Script Writer always has the upper hand. This story especially the climax with a twist could have been told differently.

Acting was superb and every actor has done justice with his or her acting reputation in this film. But the music was mediocre. The music doesn't stay in mind for long.

Bat(Man) v Super(God)man: Dawn of Justice (League or Fantasy)

A few months ago, when I came to know about this movie and also saw the trailer, my first reaction was made of just two words, why and how? Batman and Superman both are superheroes fighting for justice like good against evil, right? Then why on Earth would they turn against each other? What made them or in what circumstances, they became adversary? But more than that to be answered, I have got to know how Batman matched his strength with that of Superman. The Man of Steel is not a human, but rather an alien, a Kryptonian by birth. Since the Kryptonian Star was much older and bigger than our Sun and the higher gravity that Krypton had compared to our Earth, the strong molecular structure in his body cells, gave him this unbelievable strength like a God. We have seen in all previous Superman movies that his strength has no credible limit. What kind of heavy things Superman can move or lift just by using his bare hands? A Car, a Bus, a Ship, a Mountain, a Continent, or even a Planet! Practically all of them. Zack Snyder (Director) has already shown us in his previous movie "Man of Steel" that Superman should have credible limited strength without compromising the laws of Physics. Superman's biological father Jor-El once advised his son Kal-El (Superman) to keep testing his limits and that is exactly what Superman has been doing so far. He is the savior, the new God of Earth.

Batman is 100% pure human. He may be the strongest amongst all humans but in comparison with the strength of Superman, his strength might seem naive. So, why would a human even dare to challenge a God? What compels him to do so? Only anger, hatred, or the quest for vengeance can drive a human to choose such a path of challenging a God in a battle. If I want to spend some words to describe Batman (played by Ben Affleck), he seems to be a little older compared to his predecessors in all previous Batman movies. The actor himself is quite old but it is in the script that this Batman has been acting like a vigilante in Gotham City for the last 20 years and the script never tried to make this Batman look younger. Maybe that is why Ben Affleck was the perfect choice for this role. But surprisingly, this Batman is using Body Armor on top of his usual Batman Suit. He also looks stronger and bulkier than ever as the director perhaps wanted to make him look well-prepared against Superman. But I have noticed one more feature in Batman’s characteristics. Christian Bale who played the role of Batman in the last Dark Knight Trilogy, used to deepen his natural voice while talking with people. Why does Batman do that? Is it the part of disguise or is it because of the reason that no one should recognize his original voice? Take any normal human being or for that matter, take yourself. Somebody will only do that if he needs to make himself look more mature. Come on! Batman doesn’t need to do that. If covering up the real identity is the sole purpose of deepening one’s voice, one should take technical help and that is exactly what Batman has done in this movie.

These two superheroes come from two different cities. Superman represents Metropolis and Batman comes from Gotham City as I used to know from their stories. Some critics say that these two cities are the two sides of the same coin. These two fictional cities were created keeping the city of New York in mind. No wonder someone finds similarities between the skylines of these two cities. Some even say that New York is Metropolis in daylight and Gotham at night. But the stories of these two superheroes were different and so were their cities. Even in this movie, the script has kept these two cities as different ones. When Superman was engaged in that great battle with General Zod in Metropolis, Bruce Wayne arrived at the scene and much to our surprise, was trying to save the employees in the Wayne Tower. Now I am baffled. Wayne Tower is in Metropolis? This Wayne Tower, which belongs to the Wayne Enterprise of which the owner is Bruce Wayne himself, should be in Gotham City instead of Metropolis, isn't it? I guess, the scriptwriters desperately wanted to make these two superheroes fight with each other which would raise the level of interest among the people towards this movie but to do so, they also had to give or construct a very good reason for preparing the ground for this epic battle between Batman and Superman. So, they created one such reason. Bruce Wayne saw his Wayne Tower along with the employees, toppling down to the ground at Metropolis as a result of the fight between Superman and General Zod. Bruce Wayne holds Superman responsible for the death of not only those employees of Wayne Enterprise but also thousands of people in Metropolis. So, driven by the pursuit of justice or the vendetta for those dead people, Bruce Wayne AKA Batman then set his new goal of bringing Superman to justice. Come on! This is superhero vs. superhero you are talking about. One can understand that this is not the ultimate battle because both are fighting for good. Maybe their ways of dealing with evil, are different but any one of them cannot be projected as a villain. Batman just used the excuse of controlling the God like Superman who might be the savior of good at least for now but if not controlled by someone in this world, he might turn into evil anytime in the future, who knows! Keeping this vendetta part aside, if I may say that Batman was simply jealous and couldn't accept the fact that there was a new superhero in town and he had to neutralize this new threat which can snatch away his glory of being the savior of the city. But that was not in the script, just my version of describing the motive behind his intentions for challenging Superman on the ground. Suppose you are Batman and if you know that you are no match with Superman, then how would you prepare yourself even before going to face to face with Superman? You have two options, either you have to raise your level of strength to his level or you have to somehow make his strength down to match with yours. It was no longer a secret to the people of Earth that Kryptonite is such an element that acts like venom to a Kryptonian like Superman and can drain all his powers out for at least a few moments and that might give Batman the window of opportunity to defeat Superman. Then comes the enemy or arch-human nemesis of Superman, if you may see him in that way, Lex Luthor. His highly efficient human criminal mind always tries to find new ways to vanquish Superman. Once Kryptonite was found in the Indian Ocean region, both Lex Luthor and Batman went after that Kryptonite because they knew that Kryptonite was the weapon they needed if they wanted to defeat Superman. Eventually, Batman got that Kryptonite.

When Lex Luthor kidnapped Superman's foster mother Martha Kent and blackmailed him to face Batman's challenge, he said to Superman that even God gets down to his knees before the will of a man. Then came the moment of truth, the superlative battle which we have been waiting for. Batman made good use of Kryptonite and built some special weapons like Kryptonite Gas Shells and even a Kryptonite Spear. Equipped with these special weapons, well-prepared Batman managed to defeat Superman. While fighting with Superman, Batman makes him suffer a lot and delivers some special dialogue like “Smell the fear” during the moment when the Kryptonite Gas Shell bursts and makes Superman vulnerable. Batman even said, “Men are brave but you are not even a man”. Very well, Batman is brave and strong, agreed. But when Superman gets his powers back as the effect of Kryptonite Gas doesn’t last longer, Batman suddenly stops fighting and raises his right hand towards Superman in an almost surrendering posture. That doesn’t match with his dialogues, does it? But I have found an interesting reaction from the audience. If God appears and likes to fulfill your wish that he will give you the power of either Superman or Batman, then what wish would you like to make for, Superman or Batman? Of course, Superman, right? Because most of the people will agree with you that Superman's powers are superior than those of Batman. Now there is a dilemma. Batman's glory, glamour, and style are not at all inferior to Superman's power. But if the audience is asked and left no option but to take a side, then what would you expect from the audience? If you have thought that most of them would pick Superman, then I am afraid that you were wrong. When Batman was kicking Superman's ass, most of the people in the audience were applauding. I wondered, why? People are emotional and when they realize that even a human can defeat a God with his strong willpower, intelligence, and skill, they easily get attached to that human, and in this movie, Batman. But when Batman was just about to kill Superman with that Kryptonite Spear, Superman pleaded to him to save his mother "Martha Kent", Batman hesitated and got over that desire of accomplishing his revenge. Batman was also stunned for a moment because "Martha" was also a familiar name to him. Batman's mother was also known with the same name "Martha". Coincidence, huh?

Then both Batman and Superman set their immediate goals like Batman to rescue "Martha" and Superman to deal with Lex Luthor. This scoundrel Lex Luthor, with his great criminal mind, had a backup plan for dealing with Superman. Remember that Kryptonian Scout Ship crashed at Metropolis in the movie “Man of Steel”. That Scout Ship was still 37% operational and got the Genesis chamber inside it. Lex Luthor earned access inside that ship by managing a US Senator in exchange for a promise of building a destructive game-changer weapon based on alien technology and delivering it to the government of the USA. As far as I can remember the story of "Man of Steel" was directed by Zack Snyder, I think there were two Master Keys for these Scout Ships. One came to Earth along with the spacecraft which carried infant Superman to Earth. That Master Key which used to contain the conscience of Jor-El, the biological father of Superman, went to the Phantom Zone during the great battle of Metropolis. The other Master Key which was owned by General Zod, was still attached to the Mainframe Computer of that crashed Scout Ship. I was under the impression that the programming of these Master Keys is unchangeable like ROM in our Computers or Mobile Phones. So, that second Master Key could only be activated by General Zod himself. Since General Zod was dead, Lex Luthor used the fingerprint of Zod and activated that Master Key. Well well well, up to this point, the story was acceptable but isn't it obvious that the Mainframe Computer of that alien Scout Ship should have identified the fake General Zod immediately after using that Master Key by Lex Luthor? But much to our surprise, that alien Computer not only accepted the fact that General Zod was dead but also accepted the authority of Lex Luthor. This is proof that even ROM can be reprogrammed in alien technology which is supposed to be much superior to ours. But logically is it acceptable or is it a small error in the script?

The appearances of Wonder Woman and monster Doomsday were expected and so were the very few appearances of Aquaman, Cyborg, and Flash because it was evident that all the characters of DC Comics were gradually coming together to form an alliance called “Justice League”. This alliance is more like “Avengers” which is also based on the characters of Marvel comics. All the events in this movie are heading in the direction of forming that alliance. Frankly speaking, I didn’t like the looks of this monster Doomsday. Even though he is a monster and should look like one if you consider the fact that this monster was the creation of alien technology, you expect little more when it comes to the looks or get-ups of such a monster. Anyway, Doomsday was killed by Superman with that same Kryptonite Spear but before his death, Doomsday also killed Superman. But Superman cannot be killed or he doesn’t die at least in stories. We got the hint just before the end of the movie that Superman is certainly going to come back soon in the next movie.