“While, like last year, I seek the blessings of Lord Indra to bestow on us timely and bountiful monsoons, I would pray to Goddess Lakshmi as well. I think it is a good strategy to diversify one's risks.” – Pranab Mukherjee in Budget speech 2012-13.

US and Australian lead forecasters believe they are able to see beyond the 'spring barrier' to conclude that the equatorial Pacific will stay 'neutral'during the Northern Hemisphere summer 2013.

The Arctic cold wave has made a late-winter dip towards far south of the normal to trigger the latest snowstorm across Northwest Europe, which is on a roll even as one is about to post this blog . This is akin to early-February freaky weather brought about by southward-dipping western disturbances (which are eastward-perturbations of the cold waves striking Northwest and South Europe)over Central and adjoining Peninsular India.

So when they swing up, these waves suck warm air from the tropics to Europe, Russia, or the US, and when they swing down, they do the same thing with cold air from the Arctic.

Expectations of a normal southwest monsoon for India are gaining ground

Most forecasting agencies indicate the possibility of a storm building in the Southwest Bay of Bengal, just ahead of the onset of Southwest monsoon in these parts. What it holds for onset dynamics over mainland India has crucial signifcance for onward progress of seasonal rains.

Vast stretches of 'Wagah' play out like a dubbed movie.

The very straight, simple and oft-repeated tale of foster parents, mistaken identity, good vs evil is just another fantasy, a mishmash of many such larger than life epics.

The film tries to subvert the classic evil-twin template.

Even the cinematic feat of evoking pathos cannot make up for Ben-Hur’s failure to resonate with its viewer.

A petulant lead character aside, the film is a fun comedy with genuine laugh out aloud moments

A clichéd story that relies heavily on a film family’s lineage

Dharmadurai leaves us dry-eyed, despite much potential for drama.

A masala overdose limits Chuttalabbayi’s ability to entertain

Jonah Hill, who reportedly has put on more weight for this part, is a riot each time he’s raging, which is almost through the whole film.

A modern-day adaptation of Savitri and Satyavan pitted against Yamraj is a snoozefest

A desi superhero adventure with a few endearing moments best suited for under 10-year-olds

A murder mystery with zero thrills

The narrative takes many breaks along the way to accommodate cringe-worthy comedy sequences that comprise characters trying to grope women and sleep with them forcibly.

NTR and Mohanlal’s performances save an otherwise tepid film

Three stories compellingly underline the theme of freedom from oppression in Island City.

It’s not a good sign when the story seems less interested in suspense than in sickles whooshing down every few minutes.

'Akira' is yet another film in which being a strong woman essentially means having to suffer and sacrifice

Forget memorable, the passengers are so irritating that one would rather hop off the film and abort the trip

A film about a motley crew on a road trip is actually an overt promotion for an EDM fest

There’s a lot to ‘Love’ but eventually, the film falls flat

Vikram, a cold-hearted secret agent, a widower, is the only one who can save the universe.

A Youtube video before suicide changes a man’s life

Establishing Srinivasa Avasarala’s repertoire as a director

Passionless performances and cardboard characters mark this much awaited directorial debut by Nitya Mehra

Nawazuddin Siddiqui holds it together as a golfing hero for this over the top entertainer

'Devi' is A.L. Vijay’s way of saying he can do pei-sa vasool entertainers too.

‘Remo’ is less about convincing us that a man can become a woman than reminding us Sivakarthikeyan has become a star.