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*What do you do for a living? Do you enjoy it? If not, what would you be doing in a perfect world?

- I am a Financial and Insurance consultant with my own office, with a staff of 5. I help people with their investments in insurance schemes, stocks and shares and generally deal with insurance companies, financial institutions, banks, stock markets, The Wall Street journos etc. It’s a very demanding job but pays like a king. I am not complaining as long as I get enough time to pursue the smaller pleasures of life like spending quality time with my family, watching movies and partying in the weekends with friends.

If I was in a perfect world, I would be surrounded with the people I love and cherish the most and become a movie director. I have great admiration for Hitchcock, Kurosawa, Bergman, Cronenberg, Lynch, Scott, Stone…and have been awe-struck about their vision while taking charge of things behind a camera. I would watch Sanjuro or Rashomon or Vertigo or Platoon, and wondered about the time spent in shooting them, and how meticulous each visionary is about their visions, discussions with script-writers and actors, weighing each frame in the mind, proceeding forward with the most impactful choice…oh yes, it would have been great to be a movie director.


*What is your ultimate guilty pleasure movie? Why?

- MacKenna's Gold. I know it doesnt rate very high on anybody's lists, but I love it. I might have seen it around 70-75 times and everytime it has entertained me to the full. With a solid star-cast of my favorite actors - Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas...and some awesome cinematography and camera sequences (especially the ones mounted on the horses)...I just love it!


*If they're aware it exists, what do family members think of HDC?

- My mother and wife both know about HDC. Dani knows a bit about Rayne, Alky, Newb, Urge too (from what I told her...and no worries it was all positive!:D ).

She isnt an ardent fan of horror, but she watches em with me. Can you believe she took Evil Dead and The Exorcist bravely in her strides but was absolutely terrified of The Grudge? I asked her to watch the Jap original, Ju-On, and she would have none of it. She caught a glimpse of Saw too and declared she would never, ever see it. She's more into action/adventure type stuff. (Psst...last night she watched the jap The Eye with me and was scared stiff most of the time!)


*What movie are you looking forward to the most in 2008? Why?

- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Harrison Ford may have aged but he still packs a punch. And Indy's whip will flash across the screens once again!

Also looking forward to Nolan's The Dark Knight, On the horror front, the sequels to Feast and Midnight Meat Train, which looks very promising.


*What is the best thing you've ever done for someone? Why?

- A close friend of mine went bankrupt last year. He was an investor in shares and took some really wrong decisions against the tide, and lost everything. He had a big family to support and became very depressed. I took his family in and kept em, found em a new house and gifted it to him, and gave him enough credit to get his ball rolling again. Today he's back in the flow, and is financially secure again, following my advice and tips about savings and investments. Thinking back...I am totally satisfied for what I did for them.:)


*What will you do in the next year that you've never done before?

- Wellllllll...I honestly have no idea. Life is so busy for me that I never make a schedule for the whole year. I take each day as it comes in the Urban Jungle, but if I get the chance I might visit Switzerland and Venice during the summer holidays. I have heard so much about the beauty of Switzerland (and Swiss chocolates!), and Venice with its canals and thought-provoking beauty...those would be on top of my priority list of vacations.




For Newb -

1 - What do you do for a living and how is your daily routine? Are you satisfied by what you are today?

2 - If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?

3 - Whats your take on the genre as it stands today? Is there scope for improvement, or have we lost it?

4 - Who is the best online friend you have ever met? And why?

5 - Do you get nostalgic? Are you a brooding and deep-thinking person?

6 - What does your wife have to say about HDC? Does she approve it, and us?;)