Oh My God (2012) Movie Review

OH MY GOD is a Bollywood movie released in September 2012. As it says in the posters above it is really ‘A Divine Comedy’. It is a very nice movie  taking a dig at religion in the society in a funny manner. It is based on a Gujrati play called Kanji virudh(vs) Kanji.

Kanjibhai (Paresh Rawal) is an atheist and he files a case against God when his shop is destroyed in an earthquake. I am sure that is enough to say that the movie is funny.

Paresh Rawal is too good and has done a really great job. His natural acting, timing and dialogue delivery is superb. Akshay Kumar is also cool as Krishna Vasudev Yadav (Lord Krishna himself). Mithun’s character as so called godman is funny.

The movie isn’t just good because it is funny but it does has a social message against superstitiously believing in God. Mithun says at some point in the film ‘These people are not God loving people but God fearing people’.

Dialogue: Nark ka menucard, aapko kaanto ka bistar pe sulaenge, aag ke dariya mein zonka jayega, grama garam tel mein fry kiya jayega…Aare Aadmi hun ki pakoda hun?

I would give it a 4/5 ratings. So watch it and I am sure you will surely appreciate it.

Buying on Craigslist – Negotiating the Price

This is the 4th post in the series Buying on Craigslist. In this post I will share my experience and tips on negotiating the price. Yes, that’s the beauty; when buying on craigslist you can negotiate.

Shopping on craigslist can indeed save you money but you need to be little careful as there’s some risk involved as well.

Note: My main focus will be from buyer’s perspective and that too “product buying” since that’s what I have done more on craigslist but I will also share my selling experience in a separate post.

How do I negotiate?

I first survey the prices finding the minimum and maximum the item is sold for (new and used) on craigslist, eBay and other sites. Say I am ready to spend $250 for Samsung Galaxy S2. I see that brand new is going for about $350 and lowest one for used is $225(phone and charger only). Now say I like item in on listing that’s going for $250(phone+charger+screen protector+case). The pictures and description (e.g. 2 months old, like new condition) looks good to me.

So I call the seller and confirm the condition and other questions and finally my last question would be ‘Are you willing to sell it for $225’? The chances are the person might be willing to sell it. Note: Suppose the guy says he won’t sell it for less than $235. I know that $235 is still a good deal with the given condition. If he says no, price is firm,  still I would say ok but I will have to check the condition of the item. So you see I have kept the room for negotiation open.

My experience: A guy was selling phone for $120(phone + charger) and while talking to him he mentioned about a case he had on it.  I asked him if he would go for $100 but he said no. I was waiting for a response from another guy and so I said I will call back. After few hours I called him back and told that I am willing to buy and asked him to consider my offer of $100. He agreed to that. I asked him that includes case as well and after some hesitation he agreed to chip in the case too. And above all he agreed to meet me at Starbucks close to my work. I liked the phone and bought it. I did buy him his favorite Starbucks coffee for driving. It’s been like 10 months but still today I haven’t seen that phone going for less than $125. I had almost similar experience in buying one other phone for a friend.

One another time a guy was selling a router for $40 and I had to drive like 25 miles. That was the only router I liked and wanted urgently plus was a good deal. So I asked if he would take $30 since he is too far. He agreed. Even today that model (new) is going for $80.

Do I always negotiate?

No. It all depends on various factors like item, price, need, time, urgency, etc. Once I waited for about a month until I was able to get a phone for $100. Yes, the same phone I mentioned above. One other time I paid the full price $350 for a phone. I didn’t have time and wanted to buy it for someone. If I had time of a week or two I am sure I wouldn’t have paid more than $300.

Also I do not negotiate, when I feel the item is really fair priced and I don’t want to let it go. E.g. I drove 30 miles(one way) and bought a computer for $200 and didn’t negotiate at all. It was a steal deal and I didn’t want to let it go.

Caution

I do get skeptical when someone is selling item really under cost and still agrees to my negotiation. I become extra cautious when dealing with that person. Ask more questions to make sure item isn’t stolen and meet at a busy public place in broad daylight.

Conclusion

Don’t hesitate to ask i.e. negotiate. The seller isn’t going to kill you. At the most he/she will say no. Some people think negotiating makes you sound cheap but I don’t think negotiating on right terms makes your cheap. Everyone negotiates, consciously or unconsciously, be it money or something else.

Again be careful because you are dealing with the stranger(s). Hope this is helpful.

Resources

• Personal Safety Tips

Posts in this series

• Is it the right place to buy?
• Finding the right item
• Contacting the Seller
• Negotiating the Price (Current post)