2008 was a strange year. It was a lot of other things as well but it was a strange year more than anything else. We went from being amazed at the shooting fuel prices to being distraught at the faltering economy; from dancing to 20 year old Chris Brown’s hip hop to 42 year old SRK’s dance pe chance; from a growing economic superpower to a vulnerable nation sick and tired of terrorism ; from Bush to Obama ; from Federer crazy to a little less Federer crazy 
and I went from 20 to 21!
I learned a lot about myself in this past one year but the most important lesson I will take away is that ‘if good things are not happening to you, it only means that better things are in store’. More about that some other time. This post is a review of the year 2008 from my perspective.
Politics in 2008 - Nothing caught my imagination more than the US presidential elections this year. I always wanted Democrats to come back to power and being a feminist at heart I wanted Hillary Clinton to bag the nomination but I am happy with Obama as well. He looks like a sincere guy and lets hope he doesn’t go the bush-way. On a sadder note, I think I am going to miss all the jokes and satires on Bush when he leaves office. He truly was(is) the most entertaining president I have ever seen.
Indian politics were well….. Indian. There was the no-confidence motion which the Congress turned into another sweet victory by means better known to them. There was this whole Raj Thackeray saas-bahu type ka drama in Maharashtra. I pity the guy and his followers because a few years down the line when they look back at all the crap they pulled out, they will melt due to embrassment. The year ended on a bright note with the J&K polls proving that democracy is still a privelege and a right we cherish. I hope Omar Abdullah turns out to be a model CM because our country needs young politicians and leaders with charisma.
Sports in 2008 - India had a very good Olympics this time. There were the usual disappointments but we won a gold in shooting and a bronze in boxing – totally unexpected and totally awesome. We need to build on these athletes and not just give them appearances on reality shows and ads for fairness creams. Cricket was great this year. The men in blue were pretty consistent in their wonderful performances and it gives me so much happiness when I see Australians losing. Go Proteas !!! Tennis was the biggest winner last year. There was so much high quality and so much talent to look forward to. Men’s tennis is in great hands with Nadal, Murray , Novak and several others coming through but it was an okayish year for Fedex who will come back strong though. Lewis Hamilton won the F1 championships and although I do not follow the sport at all, I think he is much better looking than that Ferrari driver (cant even remember his name 
). Saina Nehwal is the new Sania Mirza. She is supertalented and has achieved so much this past year that she needs to given the attention and shown the appreciation that she has earned with her hardwork. All said and done, 2008 was a superb year for sports.
* – Liverpool are going to do the double this year 
Movies in 2008 - Lots of great movies this year. Tollywood first , small budget films with no big names like Vinayukudu and Nachavule etc did good business which is a positive sign. Brahmanandam is a genius. He made two ordinary films like Ready and King super hilarious. He should be elevated to a higher status. Bollywood had an average year. I did not like SIK or Ghajini or Rnbdj which apparently are the three superhits of the year. I was also not too entertained by Jaane tu … and Rock on! . A wednesday, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Mumbai meri jaan and Dasvidaniya were the picks of the year. Salman was a huge disappointment. Hollywood had a fantastic year. TDK, Slumdog, Curious Case, Milk, Burn After Reading, Wall-E, Vicky Christina were all fantastic films. It is going to be a very very interesting awards season. I would also take this opportunity to congratulate certain films on achieving all time lows in filmmaking like Yuvvraj, Tashan (inspite of being a Saifeena fan) , Jimmy (Mimoh needs to find another profession) , Maan gaye mughal-e azam etc. When will an Indian filmmaker make a Slumdog Millionaire.
Here’s hoping for a much entertaining, less political and sportingly spectacular new year.
