A Day Immersed in the World of English Barbering: Exploring Trumpers, Taylors, and Truefitt & Hill

London, a city steeped in history and tradition, has been a pilgrimage for wet shaving enthusiasts like me. During my recent visit, I seized the opportunity to immerse myself in the world of wet shaving by experiencing the craftsmanship of three iconic brands: Geo F. Trumper, Taylor of Old Bond Street, and TrueFitt & Hill. Each establishment, a veritable temple of grooming, offered a glimpse into the past while embracing modern shaving techniques.

Wet Shaving: A Personal Quest

My personal journey into wet shaving was borne out of necessity and curiosity. Unsatisfied with the discomfort of shaving and grappling with unruly facial hair, I stumbled upon the concept of wet shaving through my brother Sudhir. He introduced me to the realm of classic shaving, employing safety razors instead of disposable cartridges. This revelation not only tamed my beard but also ignited a newfound passion for grooming. As I dived deeper into this world, I uncovered a plethora of products - razors, brushes, blades, and an array of shaving essentials. My exploration began with Indian products and gradually extended to international brands. A desire to physically experience the birthplaces of these revered items drove me to embark on a journey to the meccas of wet shaving - Geo F. Trumper, Taylor of Old Bond Street, and TrueFitt & Hill.

Geo F. Trumper: Where Heritage Meets Elegance

My day of discovery commenced at Geo F. Trumper, nestled on the historic Duke of York Street. As I stepped inside, I was greeted by Mathews, an amiable gentleman who shared my fervor for wet shaving. I regaled him with stories of my wet shaving escapades and showcased some of my Instagram posts. Mathews, an encyclopedia of shaving wisdom, guided me through an impressive assortment of products. He even generously shared his recommendations and addressed my technical queries. Our conversation delved into best practices and the nuances of the shaving world. Although the slots for wet shaves were fully booked, he left me with a promise to return and experience the artistry firsthand. Before bidding adieu, I acquired a Lime Flavoured Shaving Soap, eager to share my review with fellow wet shaving aficionados.

Taylor of Old Bond Street: A Mixed Encounter

Embarking on a short walk, I arrived at Taylor of Old Bond Street - a quaint yet distinguished establishment on Jermyn Street. The encounter here was a blend of highs and lows. My enthusiasm for wet shaving was met with varying degrees of reception, but my determination led me to a barber's chair for a wet shave experience. The experience was satisfactory, with the highlight being the invigorating hot towel treatment and the luxurious after-shave used. While the shave itself left room for improvement, my interaction with the barber led to engaging conversations, covering topics ranging from Bollywood to global affairs. This interaction and observation unearthed a subtle sense of class distinction in the interaction. Leaving with newfound insights, I secured a bottle of the invigorating Luxury after shave for Sensitive Skin and a soap, each evoking memories of a day well-spent.

TrueFitt & Hill: Elegance in Blue

The final destination on my wet shaving pilgrimage was TrueFitt & Hill, an embodiment of elegance nestled on St. James Street. The establishment exuded sophistication, its traditional blue motif inviting patrons into a world of timeless grooming. Engaging in conversation with a knowledgeable attendant, I delved into my wet shaving journey. His expertise resonated as he introduced me to a premium silver tip brush, a temptation I ultimately resisted due to its premium price tag. Opting for their finest shaving soap instead, I ventured into uncharted territories of olfactory delight. The attendant's mention of a sample pack was intriguing, though I couldn't shake the feeling of commercialization. Nevertheless, I departed with both the soap and the sample pack, cherishing these tangible souvenirs of an unforgettable day.

A Journey Fulfilled

As the day drew to a close, I departed London's wet shaving sanctuaries with a heart brimming with contentment. The three Ts - Trumpers, Taylors, and TrueFitt & Hill - had offered me an intimate glimpse into the art and science of wet shaving. While each encounter brought its own tapestry of experiences, it was the culmination of these moments that truly enriched my journey. With excitement bubbling within, I eagerly anticipate sharing comprehensive product reviews, aiming to contribute to the vibrant tapestry of the wet shaving community. I warmly welcome your thoughts and reflections on my expedition, as we collectively celebrate the artistry that defines these distinguished establishments.

PS – I am happy to share the sample with enthusiasts from my Telegram / FB groups, please DM to check availability – Thank you.

Dangal Dangal

"A typical Aamir Khan movie". This sentence should capture the central idea of my review.

Most of what is shown in the trailer is been covered in the first 20 mins of the film. It won't be incorrect to say that the movie begins where the trailer ends. Based on true story of a wrestler Mahavir Singh Pogat who could not fulfill his dream of getting a Gold medal for India. He envisions the same dream through his daughters Geeta and Babita. The movie is about the journey - the ups and downs seen by Geeta Pohgat before being the first Indian to win Gold in Commonwealth Games. 

Was comparing the movie with Sultan and other sports person movies bases on true story.

Good mixture of humor and drama differentiates this movie from others. 

Indian cinema is always about the means than the ends. Everyone can pretty much guess that Geeta would win the Gold medal eventually but her journey is what keeps the audience on the toes.

Comparing with other Aamir movies, this could draw a lot of similarities. The script was good, Mr Perfectionist looks great in his overweight role. Songs are well placed and they capture the theme of the movie. As said earlier, the humor and drama keeps the audience involved. The acting skills of none of the actors can't be questioned. In fact, the junior actors too have done justice to their roles.

A short and simple review for a simple yet good movie. I personally feel that the movie should cross 300 Cr club and would rate as 4.5 on a scale of 5. Please do watch it over the long weekend.

Till the time I am back with a new blog, signing off with loads of love and regards,

Rahul Rao AKA Govu

Dilwale Bajirao ki Dilwali Mastani

Greetings,

I am really passionate about watching movies and writing its reviews. This time I present reviews for two movies released on the same date. Though I usually watch movies in theatre, this time around I have not seen it in theatre but against my conscience have downloaded and watch it on a pirated print.

Let me first share why I did so before I jump to quick comparison of these two movies. The reason why I decided not to watch Dilwale is to teach SRK a lesson so that he is more careful in future with regards to what he speaks about India. Regarding Bajirao Mastani, I really think the movie should be banned soon and choosing not to watch it in theater was a correct decision. It is really agonizing to see a great leader like Peshwa Bajirao being plunged in fictional story by compromising all his noble deeds just to show one aspect of his life.

Also, I try not to bring my personal prejudice and intend to review the movie on its own merits.

Dilwale –

Dilwale is a feel good movie with some great actors and amazing characters. Rohit Shetty makes his presence felt by those car stunts which he accomplishes in all of his movies. We could also see the same actors with whom he had worked in his earlier movies like GOLMAL, this gesture of his is also commendable. Awesome locations, Long camera shots, peppy songs are few reason you might choose to watch the movie.

Having said so, there are few things which could have been better in this movies. If this ought to be a romantic movie then some time should have been spent on building chemistry between Hero and Heroine. I personally thought he was pushing through each scenes trying to accommodate Romance, Comedy, and Action etc. making it more confusing for the audience. The screenplay could have been much simpler and focus should have been on one thing rather than accomplishing multiple things in the time frame of 2 and half hours.

Rating = 2.5/5

Bajirao Mastani –

This movie open up well. Introduction of Bajirao and his appointment as Peshwa is nicely presented. There are few war sequences which are also nicely projected. Nice sets, Larger than life characters. Of the 3 main protagonist of the movie, Priyanka Chopra has done justice to her role.

Apart from this, there is nothing much in the movie. After 2^nd half movie losses its grip completely. It seems like Sanjay Bhansali is trying to re-create Devdas out of this movie, which was not needed. Songs and Dialogues are so much relevant in today’s world that probably Mr. Bhansali has forgotten that this Hero was born few centuries ago. Also note that he is not some Roadside Romeo to use words like “Aiyaashi”, “Vaat Laav li”. These would come in wrong light and some may even find it derogatory.

A piece of advice, if I may, is that, If Mr. Bhansali had created a movie on Peshwa Bajirao and not on Bajirao Mastani, the odds of former being a hit was much higher than the later one.

Rating = 1.5/5

Though I would not advise you to watch either of these movies in theater but if you still want to waste your time and money, I would suggest Dilwale over Bajirao Mastani.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan – Movie review 17th July

Hello Readers,

It has been almost a year, I recollect, I have written a movie review. Here I present Bajrangi Bhaijaan Movie review. This time around trying a new approach of writing the review, broadly classifying them as good and not so good points.

Although these are my personal views, I strongly feel I capture the pulse of the audience.

What is good about this movie?

• Acting – Probably one of the best performance by Bhaijaan in recent times, should not be an understatement. Complimented well by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, does justice to his role. Kareena does not share much screen time but has done well too.
• Improved Direction – Kabir Khan, the director of the movie has shown significant improvement in his performance since Ek Tha Tiger.
• Camera Work – Draws good attention to crane shots and slow motion shots. Thumbs up on this one.
• Emotions – The movie succeeds in capturing emotions and portraying it very well on screen.
• Detailing – Lot of attention is paid on detailing of the movie. Locations and other minute details are very well taken care.
• Songs – Songs are well placed in the movie. Also, song timings have been reduced, making it quick yet demonstrating its presence.

What possibly went wrong?

• Romance/Action– There could have been more focus on Romance added along with more and better Action sequences, after all they are the key ingredient of an Entertaining movie.
• Unsymmetrical/Skewed – The movie picks up quite well and builds the thrust till Intermission but during the second half it goes haywire. I also feel that the entire drama around sending the lost girl back home could have been completed in lesser time leaving room to add some other comedy/action/romance scenes.
• All is well that ends well – The message which the movie was trying to send out in last 20 minutes, reminded me Albert Einstein and his theory of relativity ;)

Overall a good movie to watch. No prize for guessing that it is going to join 200 Cr club J

Do share your comments/feedback with me!

Cheers,

Rahul

Singham Returns - Movie review and Rating

Singham Returns – Movie review and rating

A lot of expectation and enthusiasm was there, ever since Rohit Shetty had announced this movie. All fans had some expectation from Rohit Shetty and I would say he has been successful in making it true. Every time a Rohit Shetty movie is out, audience expects it to have Action, Comedy, and Romance summing it up to be a perfect entertainer. Also, a huge fan of this movie series “Singham”, I have watched it not only in Tamil from where true source of inspiration lies, but also in languages like Telugu and Kannada which has their regional heroes playing the titular role. Singham Returns was hoping would have some inspiration from Tamil – Singam 2 and I was right. 

Lot of similarities can be drawn between Tamil Singam 2 and Bollywood Singham Returns. A good start to the movie with high impact drama to underline the importance of Baji Rao Singham. Initial few minutes has good comedy, by good means as per Rohit Shetty standards!! Plot begins with accident of a police constable, who meets with an accident with millions of rupees in an ambulance. Singham takes over to investigates and lands up at Baba’s (Amol Gupte) Ashram who is apparently a corrupt Spiritual Leader and in association with his partner in crime Prakash Rao (Zakir Hussain) who is his political counterpart are involved in lot of money laundering activities. Also there is a clean politician Guruji (Anupam Kher) who wishes to bring about a change by giving tickets to clean image young people. I thought this analogy drawn from Anna Hazare movement but my thought was sort lived. Soon Baba and Prakash Rao too plot to kill Guruji since they think his move his not good for them. So a proper plan is put in place, field is set and Guruji is killed. Baji Rao is been given charge of this task but unfortunately he fails in protecting him. He feels guilty and decides to return back to Shivgad where his old family in “new set” is shown.

Rohit SHETTY tries to give this movie some romance and Avni (Kareena Kapoor) does her part very well. Kareena, does justice to her part and somehow reminds me of her fantastic acting in Jab we met. There is only one song in the first half of the movie. Also drawing similarity from Tamil Singam 2 here too Singham is an undercover cop operating out of Shivgad to grab concrete evidence against Baba and Prakash Rao, where he meet the henchman Altaf and takes him under custody just before intermission.

Movie resume after intermission on same Rohit Shetty style of action packed fight sequence. Thought out the movie dialogues have been perfectly placed. Marathi also is used extensively used in the movie to denote the Baji Rao Singham’s roots. Back to the movie, Altaf is ready to confess his crime and trap the villain duo but before that he is killed. This upsets Singham lot and he decides to take them on the way he did it in first Singham. He decides to unite the ranks and files of Maharashtra Police wherein the all decide to resign from the job in the fight against Baba and Prakash Rao. They finally find the duo and they confess the crime which is captured by media as proof. Election takes place and Guruji’s party comes to power and it ends on a positive note and hope. Rohit Shetty has delivered well on numerous fronts and have bought out the fact that how the cops deal with difficult life style in protecting the citizens. Increases lot of respect for Police at large. Perfect acting by all the characters doing justice to their roles.

Overall a worth watch and perfect entertainer for the weekend. There are movies which are inspired from true story and there are true story inspired from movies and I believe that Singham Returns can fall in both the categories. A humble 4/5 star for fabulous Rohit Shetty directed and Ajay Devgun staring SINGHAM RETURNS and 100% thumbs up !!

KICK Movie Review and Rating

Attempting my maiden movie review.

The movie begins with introduction of Dr. Shaina (Jacquline Fernandes), who is a Physiatrist staying in Warsaw, Poland with her family. She, on her father’s (Saurabh Shukla) diligence, sets off to meet her prospective husband Himanshu Tyagi, I.P.S. (Randeep Hoda). Her meeting is pictured in a tube, when she revels her past, how she fell in love with crazy Devi Lal (Salman Khan). Devi Lal whose actions to get his “KICK” initially used to give Shaina a headache, but eventually fell for him. A well-qualified person Devi Lal is unable to sustain his jobs and is a frequent hopper but while working, he does wonders.

Screenplay falls apart here, probably because there were too many of them involved in it, including Chetan Bhagat. The focus was on the fact the Devi Lal is one who should have “KICK” in any action he does.  KICK is defined as adrenaline rush, which makes him do crazy things. Poor screenplay make it look like Stupid and not crazy

This is how Shaina revels her past to Himanshu, who in turn tells his reason for coming to Poland. He is on an international deputation to catch a criminal – DEVIL, who uses a Krish like mask to loot millions from rich. This case is with a dabang cop Himanshu Tyagi who takes an oath to catch DEVIL and get him back to India. The movie is dry till this point of time and strucks intermission when DEVIL aka DEVI LAL meets Himanshu and Shaina over a pretext of asking an address. Dr. Shaina recognizes him as her lost love Devil Lal and is dumb struck.

Second half picks up pretty well, with sealing in different open ends of the movie. Bhaijaan totally dominates this half of the movie and provides the necessary twists and turns to make this a perfect Bollywood movie. The movie in fact goes on beyond what the audiences could imagine. The need for KICK makes DEVI LAL do wonders and few things good that are good for Human Beings or was he just Being Human is a question which I would ask to my fellow audiences. Songs are perfectly placed and the KICK stunt is something worth watch. There is a feel good factor in the movie that makes audience feel the movie was worth their money. Dialogues and punches used in the movie “super cool” and “fundu” J Makes me recollect one of them which says “Rishtey Majboot hone chahiye, Majboor nahi”! and how could I miss the last one from Bhaijaan – “Mere bare me jyaada mat socho,  dil me aata hu samaj me nahi !!” . Awsome indeed. Two more things worth mentioning was Nawazuddin Siddiqui acting was awesome and Mrs. Sharma from Comedy Nights with Kapil fame too had opportunity to share screen with Bhaijaan. I think the movie was worth time, money and the effort and a good dose of entertainment. I would give a liberal 4 out of 5 stars and good directional debutant and the producer Sajid Nadiawala. A worth watch and highly recommended by me and taking a bet the it would be a 200 Cr club member !!

Raj 'Saheb' Thackeray

Raj Thackeray is in the headlines again. Saheb’s recent rally at Azad maidan and aftermath has made me to present my views. I have been getting calls, texts about what Raj saheb was up to. Apart from that there have been jokes/ disturbing comments circulating in social media on him. I decided not to react and better adopt this way of putting my views, so that I can reach out to larger audience.

I believe Politics today is leadership driven rather than ideology, because ideology can change with time. Also everyone who has political affinity towards a particular party do not share cent percent ideology of that party but they definitely have cent percent faith in the leadership of the party. Like many of his followers I too am fascinated by Raj Saheb Thackery. By having said so, I do not share all of his ideologies. There are points on which I disagree with him completely. But these are my opinions and they have changed gradually over years. Two years back, I was a strong MNS supporter and was ready to adopt their ‘style’ of dealing with situations but now having spent two years in Uttar Pradesh I have mellowed down.I had lot of discussion, debates with my counterparts in UP and changed my views on certain aspect. I have started thinking rationally and analysing situations rather than being emotionally driven. But these things do not cease my loyalty towards MNS. Let me now take up some of the issues which crop up and people from across the country or globe for that matter, bother me on what is happening in Mumbai.

Migration: I beg to disagree with Saheb on this issue, I believe that any Indian can go anywhere and has the right to earn his livelihood. In most of the cases, it is not of choice that people migrate, circumstances force them to do so. Saheb, if everyone get opportunity of food, education, employment in their own state believe me they won’t migrate. But this ain’t true. The problem lies in the fact that these opportunities are not sufficient in any part of India, be it Bihar or for that matter Maharashtra. Though, the percentage is less still a lot of people from Maharashtra are migrating to UP, Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka. So migration is inevitable.  Saheb, if you think this city can’t take load of so many people then efforts should be put on developing infrastructure. Adopt policies like Kerala did on Inter-state migration act of 1979. Illegal migrations should be dealt with severely be it from UP/Bihar/Gujarat or Tamil Nadu. Only then would this problem be addressed in true sense.

Communal Disharmony: I really feel amused when I hear people calling saheb a traitor or agent of communal disharmony. It is not true. Lot of this attribute goes to irresponsible media who under pretext of having right of freedom and expression really misuses this right. They have from the inception have portrait saheb as villan. People who have been staying in Maharashtra be it from any caste or creed or linguistic background can very well take this question. Media should understand what he speaks along with its context. Sometimes when you take statement and put it without the context it is bound to create misunderstanding. If somebody does not understand what he speaks then please ask someone who know Marathi, if you cannot find someone ask me. I shall be more than happy to translate it.

Game of TRPs: It is indeed very sad to see that for TRPs media are not behaving responsibly. They are NEWS channel and not VIEWS channel. Role of media is to present facts and then leave it to audience for their judgement and conclusions. But some of the media plays it other way round causing saheb’s image to tarnish and try to defame him. If for such things saheb threatens the media then I believe such threat is justified. Also, please note a very important thing, he has just threatened and has not done anything till date to any media.

Pakistani/Bangladeshi artist: Recently, saheb ‘requested’ some producers not to allow Pakistani and Bangladeshi artist to participate in their show. Again this statement created a lot of fuss in media. Initially I did not agree to saheb’s statement but then when I heard his reasoning it sounded logical and rational to me. His reasoning was that if they ban such artist, there is a possibility that they would in turn go to their country and talk to their country heads that because of your action we have to bear the brunt, chances are that they might stop their activities. This may or may not happen but there is nothing wrong in adopting this way.  When Jayalalitha stopped Sri Lankan players from playing in Tamil Nadu, no one took this up neither with central government nor did any media hold talk show on this issue.

Toll Bandh/ Mumbai Police: Saheb has recently addressed some real issues of Mumbai. Issues that bother each and every Mumbai-kar. MNS received a great support from the citizen in various initiatives carried out addressing the issue of un-regularized tolls in Mumbai. State Government is under lot of pressure to deal with this issue as they still haven’t found a solution for this problem. Saheb came out in total support of Mumbai Police recently and extended his support to police in proper functioning of the city. Result of this was that after his speech ended a policeman walked up to saheb and gave him a rose as mark of respect and love. This act shows that he knows the pulse of his audience.

I have presented my point of view in this blog, people may or may not agree to this and it is absolutely fine with me. Please do share your suggestions with me. This is my first attempt in presenting by views this way. Had it been two years back, I would have done it in a true MaNaSainik form J

Jai Hind Jai Maharashtra !!