• I am a huge fan of British cinema. It has a sublime sensibility to it. And then, when over and above that, the director is Roger Michell, the same chap who directed Notting Hill, my biases multiply maniacally. Enduring Love is a film, which is based on a book authored by Ian McEwan who recently shot to unexplainable fame through a rather shoddy novel called Saturday. Be that as it may, the film is about a couple preparing to enjoy what was ordained to be a rather calm picnic complete with some beatific bubbly. Just then a misguided hot air balloon flies above them. The man rushes to save the balloon along with other rescuers. Everyone jumps off the balloon but for a little boy who is ultimately saved. One would expect that the matter would rest there. Enough drama by then. Instead, love takes over. One of rescuers, Rhys Ifans (who played Hugh Grant’s bumbling mate in Notting Hill) begins to stalk the male among the original couple, played by Daniel Craig. He believes that courtesy the accident, there is a connection between the two of them. The stalking becomes intense and disturbing. All of which is accentuated admirably by Michell’s direction. The film is really a taut thriller at one level and every bit watchable.

• Last year, Sir Elton John cemented his personal relationship with David Furnish. This year, he celebrated his long-term association with his musical muse, Bernie Taupin through an album that has some historical significance in his charming career. I confess I have not heard much of Sir Elton’s music of the 60s and 70s. That by itself comes up as a bit of a handicap when you listen to The Captain & the Kid. It is a sequel to an album called Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy. But that inadequacy apart, the album is vintage Sir Elton. It is vast in its repertoire and wide in its style. In a way, it captures the journey that the two talented men have undertaken over the past few decades. I like Postcards from Richard Nixon, Just Like Noah’s Ark and The Blues Never Fade Away. I missed the moment behind The Bridge but loved the song nonetheless. The CD comes with its fair share of goodies. You have, for the first time ever, both Elton John and Taupin on the cover. Once you stick it in your computer, there are free downloads, wallpapers and other goodies. An overwhelming album. “I’m still standing”, Sir Elton.

• Banking is serious business at one level yet it has its fair share of sleaze and fun. Now most banking books are tenuous yet utterly delightful tomes. I mean, The Culture of Success, a book on Goldman Sachs is a tour de force as is The Financier a book on Andre Meyer, the legendary head of Lazard Brothers. Yet, you don’t get gossipy little banking books. The Accidental Investment Banker by Jonathan Knee is one of those juicy jobs that takes a peek into what goes on in the hallowed halls of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. It actually examines the greed that goads investment bankers the world over and the machinations of the mighty. Of course the book is also about Knee’s own career but that’s the uninteresting part. There’s enough goss about Hank Paulson. Little bits on Mary Meeker, who was the dotcom diva. Even pages on Frank Quattrone who recently warded off arrest. If you follow global banking or have a remote interest in it, this is a racy read that brings on an “aha” as you flip the pages. If you’re looking at understanding M&As, or the position you must have on oil, this is not your cup of camomile. This is an insider job. Loosen your tie and read it

Photographs By Jagan Negi