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Hollywood has a way with animation films that strike the right balance between entertainment and life lessons. And Disney coupled with Pixar is a match made in heaven! What gems they have given us - Inside Out being the most amazing one. A brilliant film that personified emotions and took us into a tween girl's headspace, it won the Oscar for best animation film that year. Now the sequel comes with a lot of viewer expectations riding on it. Part 2 doesn't disappoint, but doesn't fascinate either. Diving into Riley's head just as she crosses 13, one would have expected more of a complexed story. Instead, the film focuses on the ice-hockey tournament that Riley is preparing for, and the introduction of new emotions, notably anxiety. Anxiety hogs a lot of space, both in terms of screen space and the way it messes up Riley. True, it does control a large part of a teenager's life, but so do confusion, angst, bewilderment and changing priorities. Wish the film t...

Part 2 of my travel diary to Kashmir starts here.  Day 3 We left Srinagar after our boat ride on Dal Lake, stopped at Pulwama for a quick lunch, then proceeded on national highway towards Pahalgam. Passing some pretty villages and oh-so-picturesque spots on the road, we travelled on till the air became distinctly chillier and the snow thicker on peaks. We reached at 8.30, and the inky blue skies revealed icy peaks all around. The river Lidder was running along, and our guest house was situated a stone's throw away. That meant that it was really COLD! Yes, Pahalgam is situated on a higher plane, and is a good 6-7 degrees lower in temperature than crowded Srinagar. At nights, the temperature drops to 3 even in peak summer! A recent snowfall had caused the chill to increase, and we rushed to our room for warmth of a heater. Unfortunately, power being a problem, there was no room heater. Electric mattresses were fitted on the bed, that took their own sweet time to warm up. The rooms we...