So Much So Far

I am, there, not gone yet..

2011-09-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Beach (2000)

2011-03-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

The Beach (2000)
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Leonardo Di Caprio, Tilda Swinton, Virginie Ledoyen

Tilda Swinton, I have seen her movies earlier, but not able to associate her with those movies now.

Travel. Explore. Lots do.

But when you travel and explore, with “what do I have to lose” attitude. Then it’s different. When three such guys get together, you reach/find ‘The Beach’. That’s just for starters.

It’s interesting to think how would you want to live your lives, if you could get to lay down the rules. Right from scratch. Only you need to keep the place, secret from everyone else. Scary a little, and idyllic and ideal to a larger extent. Welcome aboard, take a swim with the crew…

Blue Valentine (2010)

2011-03-14T05:22:00.000-07:00

Blue Valentine (2010)
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Cast: Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling

Blue Valentine. Ryan Gosling – Cool. Parenting, romancing, proposing, hitting on Michelle, he was absolutely cool…
Michelle – mysterious, can’t really get to know what’s going on in her head. In fact even till the end of it, not very clear idea of what went wrong…

Good script, good plot, you can pulse the tension, and forget all that there is in the media about its certification (it’s all hype). Ryan deserved better, any day. This is the second film (Kids are all right) where the cool dude was just spit out of the family. Felt bad both for Ryan and Mark Ruffalo. Are cool dudes out of luck these days. Well, these dudes def had a heart of gold as well.. No way were they a mess, a crack-pot. They had their addictions and weakness, who doesn’t….

Winter’s Bone (2010)

2011-03-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

Depression, cold, pain, loss, meth, drug, poverty, illiterate, different sort of dialect of English, survival, gangs….

After certain point of time, all I wanted was to see was some sunlight, hear laughter and have a hearty meal!!

The Kids are all right (2010)

2011-03-08T04:44:00.000-08:00

The Kids are all right (2010)
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Cast : Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson

Well, this is definitely when you would say, ‘wow what a family’. I am not going to discuss the plot, which is pretty much all known. So, let me tell you something about the characters I liked.

Mark Ruffalo as Paul the sperm donor. Absolutely carefree and so cool still…Not bound by conventions, and very very spontaneous. Awesome outfits and an awesome bike. I can use his bike, it won’t hurt one wee bit..,

Julianne Moore. Indecisive, sensitive, humorous, easy going…Julianne was so fun to watch. Esp. when she is during the escapades during the landscaping 

Mia and Josh – adorable kids, have their own ways of handling stuff, still there is a connect. And they need it.

I didn’t quite like how things turned out for Mark. He loved his kids. And he was no stranger in the family. Why couldn’t the family take him in. They were anyways an odd family, and this would have not turned the odds against them. On a more serious note, it would have been a quite a jumbled up state of affair. Who would be who in the family?

Chuck all that, and I say enjoy the movie. You’ll love it.

The King’s Speech (2010)

2011-02-25T03:15:00.001-08:00

Director: Tom Hooper
Cast : Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush

This is first feature film from John Hooper I am watching.

Colin Firth, I have seen a couple of his films. Probably this would be the one I feel he did his best. The other role which I would stand by is for Pride and Prejudice.

Helena Bonham Carter – I saw her first in Fight Club. I was floored. Howard’s End. Well, her role here is quite a non-whacky one…but then she captures what is needed to get the King going.

Guy Pearce – See him in Memento. See him in Rules of Engagement. LA Confidential. Factory Girl. The King’s Speech, is a milder of his performance.

Geoffrey Rush – I have seen him. I do not really remember a role which I recollect clearly.

Now coming to the movie – the definite high is the unconventional and unorthodox ways of the speech therapist. An inside peek into the ways of the blue blood and the manner of conduct. A must watch.

The Fighter (2010)

2011-02-25T03:12:00.001-08:00

Director: David O Russell
Cast: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo.

Based on a true story.

When you see Christian Bale, in such a de-glamorized state, you wonder is he the same guy you saw in the Batman series. Well, the casting guys have always amazed me in spotting people. It’s difficult to conceive a role for a person, who has done some typecast roles earlier.

For instance in Fighter, look at Amy Adams. When I first noticed her in Enchanted, well I was she was the best for a princess in distress. Look at what she did in Doubt. I was simply awed at the transformation, and more so like I said about the casting guy to spot her. Now look at her in The Fighter. Same holds so true for Christian Bale. Batman series -> Prestige -> The Fighter!!!

I like boxing movies, and I liked a lot more when I saw it again quite later. The underdog winning is an instant thrill. And it works for me always.

The story has several sub plots, and equally involved side-kicks. The transformations happen all around, and the victory is not just for Mark Wahlberg, it’s for all. Watch it for the grit and determination, and fighting the odds. Actually there are a lot of odds in here. I liked the soundtrack as well.

Melissa Leo – I have seen her 21 grams, Frozen River and some more, but actually did not quite recollect her when I saw her in The Fighter. In fact I did not register her as an actress, her name and other details before. Though I knew the critical acclaim for Frozen River, little did I take notice of her.

This is first David O Russell for me, looking forward to watch I Love Huckabees.

Rabbit Hole (2010)

2011-02-21T03:02:00.000-08:00

Directed by – John Cameron Mitchell
Cast – Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart
Nominations – Academy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award – Actor in a leading role

Rabbit Hole deals beautifully with the lives of Becca and Howie who have lost their son in an accident. The subject is quite tragic but the plot and the narrative does not delve only on the tragedy part and grief. But there are sub plots as well, the lives of others which get intertwined as well, mostly family and friends.

Nicole gives a superb performance, undoubtedly. I liked the thought process and the concept behind the comic series created, and the detailed and intricate activities that goes into the making of it.

We went for the 10 AM show at PVR on a Saturday, and was expecting it to be not crowded. I was right, we had a free seating as there were hardly 10-12 people in the hall. I had a slightly more number somewhere around 30-35 people when I went for ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’, the previous week.

I am planning to go for ‘The Fighter’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ this week, for the special Oscar screening at PVR. I hope these dismal turnout does not result in cancellation. The other way around is also equally dangerous, if there is a sudden downpour of viewers.

Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011)

2011-02-15T04:49:00.000-08:00

Director – Sudhir Mishra
Cast – Irrfan Khan, Chitrangada Singh, Aditi Rao Haydari, Arunoday Singh

Excellent review - http://filmreviewsjohnsonthomas.blogspot.com/2011/02/yeh-saali-zindagi-utt-pataang-united.html
There is not much to add/write after reading the review. Read the part before the plot, well that in fact is somewhat the same thing I would have wanted to write. One thing to add, was Arunoday Singh’s voice dubbed and also for Chitrangada Singh?

More reading material on Sudhir Mishra - http://passionforcinema.com/film-making-influences-life-and-people/

Biutiful (2010)

2011-02-11T01:22:00.000-08:00

Biutiful (2010)

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Javier Bardem, Maricel Alvarez

21 grams, Amores Perros, Babel, well this the fourth film from Alejandro González Iñárritu, stable. Be prepared to be a witness to a heart wrenching tale with in depth view of the troubled lives of the concerned. Some morbid tendencies, some psychological disturbances, human trafficking and exploitation, infidelity, corruption, guilt, greed…Well, the idea is not list them all….But you get a picture of what to expect. When you deal with such issues, you are bound to be touched, or you could simply find the whole stuff as one of the members of the audience said “bhaara” or “heavy” stuff. It’s intended to be and does a good job at that.

Well this movie had really interesting names of characters, which I have never ever heard of before – Uxbal (what a name), Ige, Marambara,Mateo (can understand it’s Mathew otherwise)

Now, that goes as far as the critical review is concerned. Let me come to some, well you can decide what to call it….When you look at Javier, he has huge fingers, a huge face, a not so sharp nose, but a long one, a big forehead. A head too big for his body. Did you feel so? Maricel does have a very peculiar nose. Together on screen, they are nose-wise poles apart!! And add to that the little ‘how papa proposed me’ story by Maricel, makes you think it about it all the more…

I too had a love story – Ravinder Singh

2011-02-09T01:25:00.001-08:00

I too had a love story – Ravinder Singh

I wanted to read the book, I wanted to know what was it made of to make it what it is. I knew it would be breezy read. I was travelling from Bangalore to Thrissur, I had approximately 10 hours of an overnight travel, and roughly about 2-3 hours of transit time. Personally, I had set an agenda I should be through the book by the time I reach my destination. I kept my milestone.

It’s a very plain narrative, a narrative which otherwise was not so popular in the Fiction genre and that too as novels till “Five Point Someone’ changed the paradigm. ‘Five Point Someone’ reached out to people who dreaded books, and they have lapped up the book more voraciously than the already initiated. And the reasons are obvious I guess. But I feel if ‘Five Point Someone’ can create so much hysteria, what effect the conventional novels would be able to do. But then, I may be a bit crude here, the audience is different for the two – one with near zero attention span and then the others.

There are some high moments, some predictable moves, and some poignant ones too. Overall, what I wished for, I got more than that. Hence hugely impressed. I had been through a similar phase recently, so all the more reason to relate to the characters. (Did Shaadi.com and IMS endorse the author?).

127 hours (2010)

2011-02-09T00:56:00.000-08:00

127 hours

Cast – James Franco

I somewhat knew what to expect. Hence was delaying it for quite some time. I always have experienced that movies, I have been biased against, and have won nominations, have turned out to be the most memorable movies I have seen.

127 hours has been an exception to that.

I till date maintain of all the films of Danny I have seen – Trainspotting is my personal favorite. Hands down.

127 hours did not capture my imagination and move me as much as I thought it would. The grotesque act of survival is what remains very clear in my mind. The location and the limitation of the screenplay in such a scenario, limitation of what can be the background score, limitations as an only actor, well the limitations are innumerable. Yet it still does not appeal to me. It’s an National Geography/Discovery channel format, maybe crude, but that’s at its best I can say.

American Beauty (1999)

2011-02-08T01:47:00.000-08:00

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Meena Suvari,
Director: Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes’s claim to fame. American and Beauty – both intricately woven into the movie, it blends the two words.

It was my second time I was viewing this movie. However, I had forgotten most of the exact words which were spoken by whom and when. I remembered the sequence of events roughly, but it was an absolute delight to watch a re-run on ZStudio w/o a commercial break, after a long day.

The narrative and the way how the characters interplay, it’s so beautiful, and it’s so very an American story. It can only happen in America.

So many things actually happen on the screen and a lot more in our minds. That’s what I loved about such movies. They way they play with your minds. Deserves all the wins it got that year. American Beauty, hands down, you were awesome.

Godfather III

2011-02-07T23:02:00.000-08:00

Cast: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Sophia Coppola, Andy Garcia

Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola have left behind, what should I say, nothing less than what was needed for a cult. I need not write anything about what Godfather means to cinema.

The duo were almost near perfection to what they wanted to build, an empire. And that empire stands still even now, after so many decades. Why? My best bet would be it’s a guy thing. Power, women and danger. Control.

One of my roommates for a brief six month stint, wrote a screenplay in Hindi for the Bollywood version of Godfather. Hugely successful, even after it was after decades it was adapted for Bollywood, how it appeals to the minds. Mafia is not unheard of in these parts, with various active so called families, ruled the city of Mumbai. So, I guess the Indian audience lapped it up. Prashant if you happen to read this, definitely you I must say, you know what tickles the Indian minds. You knew it too well. And that’s your claim to fame.

It’s great to see the full circle of time, the way how things were in Godfather I, appears to place itself mysteriously again. Life’s like that, everywhere.

Indecent Proposal(1987)

2011-02-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

Cast: Demi Moore, Robert Redford, Woody Harrelson

The title is quite misleading, in the sense it may too much of a give-away as to what to expect. Never the less, even before knew what was Demi Moore’s claim to fame, I had heard about Indecent Proposal. However, I got around to see it only much later, 17-18 years later. Well, that’s not the interesting part about the movie, which I want o share with you.

Some of the events may look to have been placed to make the story happen, give credibility to the plot. However at the same time, I would have fallen for a much simpler premise, a much simpler state of mind to make the choice. The choice which the couple made.

Robert’s fierce conviction, is sometimes so ruthless, it fails to appeal to me. May be that’s what most women would fall for!! I liked the emotional dilemma that Woody goes through, and the need for him to know what transpired. I guess, it’s a guy thing. The thought of the partner with someone else can cause a misery that’s equal to none. For those of you who have seen, ‘Closer’ you can relate to similar portrayal of the mental agony.

The hitman cum driver is funny, I must and the least scary. The advocate was neat. Does justice. Watch it for, well, for knowing why it made the rounds.

Draughtsman’s Contract (1982)

2011-02-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, Z Studio one of the movie channels, screened 3 movies back to back w/o any commercial breaks. Ultimate.
The third and the last movie I saw during that marathon was ‘Draughtsman’s Contract’. I was impressed with the way the movie opened, I am sure a lot would be put off too. In case elaborate costumes, 16th century settings and language are a put off, assume this movie going to OD to you of that. Else, if you are the kinds who are sucker for such stuff, come join the aboard, and lets ODed together!!

Extensive dose of humor laced subtle and lengthy dialogs. Plot development through the narrative and dialogs. The whole stuff how it develops stuns you, and at the same time, there is so much being said on screen and so much to reflect, that following that on screen was very very intellectually stimulating. I mean to keep up with the delivery and to observe the expressions and the settings, I felt one viewing was not enough. It would be a delight to lay on hands on this movie again, maybe on a lazed Saturday afternoon. It reminded me of the screenings of the Shakespeare plays in college.

Come indulge.

Half Nelson (2006)

2011-01-20T01:02:00.000-08:00

Directed by: Ryan Fleck

Cast: Ryan Gosling,

Nomination: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Academy Awards, Sundance Film Festival

I saw this a while ago. I forgot to write the review. I wanted to write then, but it slipped. Not only the movie but name of the movie as well. Later while searching for Ryan Reynolds, I found Ryan Gosling and the movie!!

See, over a period of time, you see how things/lives are interlinked. This whole networking stuff, sometimes is freaky and sometimes it is comforting as well. When it comes to movies, it’s exciting to see the interlinks. This could be the directors, actors, screenplay writers, anything. You remember a character from a movie. Much later you see another movie and you recollect, how you had seen this actor before. It creates a link. And then these links start growing. It creates huge mash-up. The bigger it grows, the exciting it gets.

Half Nelson. Questions conventional teaching and student-teacher relationship. Deals with personal indulgences, dependency, temptations, addictions, influences, fear, social stigma, failure, prison, hoodlum, bonding…

If you look these movies, which question the conventional education, the regular teachers are shown as quite ridiculous characters. So ridiculous, it’s very easy to take sides. In life it is not so. You have never such blacks and whites. More of greys. Half Nelson, School of Rock, Finding Forrester, Dead Poets Society, To Sir with Love, Taare Zameen Par, all fall into similar sketches.

Another thing, stories which appeal to the critics are stories of dysfunctional families, people. And if the storyline does touch-base on such areas, attention to that is bound to happen. So are the movies based on the Nazi-Jew themes.

Golden Globe Awards 2011

2011-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

Do you feel like watching the Golden Globe Awards? I mean you can know the results the next day, why bother. But still the red carpet is tempting. It is a sensational event, it is grand to see the showbiz fraternity under one roof, w/o any re-takes. Spontaneity though cannot be guaranteed. I mean these guys are actors. They get paid for putting up things on screen, doing stuff which they have no clue about. So, I guess spontaneity is completely out of question. The nervousness, the hurried speeches, the frantic efforts to look as if they have not memorized, the attempts to read out from pieces of paper, attempts to create spontaneous humor, attempts to be completely moved, shocked, taken by surprise…I mean who are they taking for a ride. The audience. Well, we are here for a good show, and you do it well, we all know that. Period.

I mean the Hollywood is phony. Baring a few; the rest are. I guess if they were normal, they would be no charm in the showbiz. I mean is it true for all of us. No. I want my stars from show biz to be real. People who sweat it out, toil, struggle and make their work of art. Work needs human effort, nothing comes out of the blue. I mean I am talking about movies, which change lives, affect lives. Well that can’t be a phony effort. I want real stars. You are good at something does not make the work effortless…

Never the less, I still continue to watch the Academy religiously year after year. Why? Well simply because, there are some strokes of brilliance from these stars, which just makes your day. And moreover its great o catch them sans re-takes and with their spouses/ the teams huddled up together and all…It is really a sight. More than that, it’s a personal pleasure to see your favorite picks getting the critics votes too. I mean Academy has been a yard stick with which I usually measure, the minimum number of movies I need to see in a year. I at least try to see the nominations and the wins. And it is even more great to see the underdogs win. I am sucker for screenplays. More for the Original ones than the Adapted.

This year if you look at the acceptance speeches, personally, I feel some people really looked stupid up there. Robert De Niro to start with, and equally stupid was the Matt Damon trying to mimic him. If that was funny, well I am out of tune. Now let us look at the acceptance speech of, well I guess I have started to forget who said what. I felt the acceptance speech was also a forum to let the world know what their respective spouse/bf/gf are doing. My husband choreographed the dance for the movie. My husband won the Golden Globe in 1962. I mean look how many people are going to hear it. It ‘s mind boggling.

Does it mean I abhor the award nights, well not at all. These are some things which stand out. But the spirit of winning and the celebration supersedes everything.

Amidst all this brouhaha, history is written for posterity.

To Die For (1995)

2011-01-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Matt Dillon

Nicole Kidman steals the show with her performance, undoubtedly. She fits the bill, and the manner in she pursues her dream, is sometimes scary. Young buds – Joaquin and Casey. Nicole bagged a Golden Globe for her performance.

Gus Van Sant: his name is so sexy. His works which I liked : Finding Forrester and Good Will Hunting.

Rules of Engagement (2000)

2011-01-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

Director: William Friedkin

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L Jackson, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley

Let me start with the cast first.

Guy Pearce : Immortal role in Memento, versatility at its best – Andy Warhol: Factory Girl, cop : LA Confidential. All these 3 movies in their own ways have affected me when I saw them first. I didn’t know Guy Pearce so well then, but now after Rules of Engagement and this blog, he is going to be on my mind for long.

Tommy Lee Jones: In the Valley of Elah, No Country for Old Men, Men in Black, Batman Forever, Natural Born Killers, The Fugitive. After seeing fugitive, I used think Pamela was married to this Tommy Lee. It’ s quite later I realized it was musician/drummer Tommy she was married once.

Samuel L Jackson: Iconic Role in Pulp Fiction, Another role I will never forget : Coach Carter.

Ben Kingsley : Iconic Role: MK Gandhi in Gandhi, Elegy and House of Sand and Fog. Such a huge presence on the screen, his face itself speaks so much, acting is optional for him I guess.

William Friedkin : Directed the acclaimed – French Connection and The Exorcist. I think with these two films he went down in the history of cinema.

Now when such big forces come together, you are bound to be moved. Rules of engagement, kept me glued to the box from start to finish. Reluctantly took some calls in between, with half my mind trying to read the subtitles. You will feel extremely moved when you hear Samuel recite the Rules of the Engagement, by heart. And when he is being but on record and accused of violating the same. Equally engaging is the performance from Guy Pearce and Tommy. Ben has a minor role to play.

Where I felt the movie and the script take plunge, is the lack of anything extraordinaire/hidden fact/climax which acquits Samuel. All the facts which were known are the ones which were known from the beginning. So, the climax per se fails to capture the imagination.

Ranarna (At Point Blank: English Title) (Swedish, 2003)

2011-01-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

It revolves around the chase and the investigation undertaken by the cops for a series of bank robberies. The protagonist is Klara, new on the team, and with a dominating fellow partner. The dynamics f the story itself changes when Klara discovers that one of the prime suspect is her live-in mate. I mean it’s scary. Personally and professionally.

It was strange I saw two movies in quick succession, where a couple’s personal and professional lives overlap and that too for a crisis. The ability to manage both, can be one of the most traumatic experiences for a person.

Break ke Baad (2010)

2011-01-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

Cast: Deepika, Imran Khan, Yudi

“Abbe Gulati tera dimaag kharab ho gaya hai”

“Itna sweet hai to mein kya karon? Kheer banaon?”

Letters to Juliet(2010)

2011-01-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

Chick-flick, romantic, funny, light, countryside, tour of Italy, a wasted Gael, dignified Vanessa, beautiful country, lovely people, envious lifestyle…pretty Amanda.

Fair Game (2010)

2011-01-17T04:54:00.000-08:00

Director : Doug Liman (Bourne Identity, Mrs. And Mr. Smith)
Cast : Naomi Watts, Sean Penn

Based on the memoirs published by ex CIA agent, Valerie Plame, this keeps you on the edge. Intricate, detailed, thought provoking it will leave with little time to fall complacent. There are so many different thoughts, opinions, insights, and subtle under currents that following the linear storyline, is just one of the options you have while watching the movie.

Apart from what the powerful people could do, it was for me a also how the couple survived the ordeal. In spite of being exactly opposite to each other in their approaches, opinions, beliefs, they gel well so well to survive the ordeal. Their lives allow, very little time for each other, still the ability to think beyond, and the love, sees them through. It’s is easiest to give up on your loved when things go wrong, that’s the easiest thing to do, But then your partner needs your support the most during such troubled times. Sean understood that.

Age is catching up on Naomi Watts, like any of us. It shows too.

Getting it Right Always

2011-01-10T02:22:00.000-08:00

Things which I wish I could get it right always, but somehow can’t. Well, I will begin with the shower. There are few things about the shower which needs to be just right for it to qualify as a really grand one. First is the optimum temperature, then is the water pressure and the third is the continuity of the first and the second factors till the end of the shower. Getting the temperature right is a skill and also your luck. Water pressure, some days you need it mild, some days you need it more. For me, who cannot afford a Jacuzzi at home, what I need to control this are using two knobs for hot and cold. Well to get the right pressure and the temperature and to let it continue unhampered w/o any interference has been a want. It never so far has been satisfied.

The right pillow height every single night. Some nights I want it low, some medium, and some time high. Then start from high and then gradual through the night become low. Well, then it is quite complex for me, and end using two pillows, no pillow and sleep on my hand and so on.

Chicken Tikka Masala to taste the same always. It has to be the right mix always.

Bhel Puri/Gol Guppa/Pani Puri – Bhel most of the time I get it right outside St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. But the others, you need to pray hard to the ‘chaat gods’ so that you can have a good chaat.

Head Massage/Body Massage – you can very well imagine the complexity and hence the need to get it right…

Here the only thing which I get it right always, till date has been the French fries from Mc Donald’s. Nothing beats it ever.

Saraswati Park

2011-01-09T23:18:00.000-08:00

Author – Anjali Joseph. Lived in India and England, shortlisted by Hindu for best Indian writing in 2010. She has a mixed feeling about herself, that of Indian roots and longing to write about India, but still feels very British when in Paris.

The novel, caught my attention because it was shortlisted by Hindu. My brother had shared his Crossword coupons worth 1500/- and that was good enough to buy me a lot of books which were on my mind. But it was after quite a bit of searching I found the books.

Those of you in Bangalore, who have been to the Crossword store, would find it a better than the Landmark, in Forum. However, the Crossword store at Shoppers Stop on Bannerghetta Road, has been a disappointment most of the times. Lack of choice and disinterested staff and loads of billing errors. I picked up like 5-6 books from the Crossword store at the Bangalore International Airport. The staff was quite helpful, took down the names of the books from me and got all of them from the shelves.

Saraswati Park is the second novel I am reading in succession which has a story based on the lives of people in Bombay. It also the second book which was nominated for the Hindu Literary Awards. There are occasional streaks of genius and creativity in the book. But it lacks the punch somewhere. It does not live up to the mystery and climax it builds up to. Some of the characters are unfinished. So from a character sketch point of view; I was not satisfied with anyone. But the description of events, city, emotions and the details daily activities were quite captivating. The ability to do so much, think so much, feel so much, accomplish so much from the bounds of limited spaces in crowded Mumbai, is simply amazing. But somewhere Bombay is still unexplored, it will continue to be. Else reading of Bombay will not be charming. Each one with his view.

The best chapter, in the book, the second last one. Especially the one where Ashish is taking the flight to California.

Sling Blade (1996)

2011-01-03T05:03:00.001-08:00

Directed: Billy Bob Thornton
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton
Academy Nomination/Win : Nomination : Best Actor, Win : Adapted Screenplay

I remember vaguely a Academy Award ceremony where someone tried to mimic Karl Chiders from Sling Blade. At that time neither did I know the movie, nor did I know what was the context.
Later may be 3 years back I saw Sling Blade, and then saw it again yesterday. The best part since it was post midnight, there were no commercial breaks. Uninterrupted movie on TV, is a luxury, I am sure you too would agree.

Doyle – he is portrayed as a scoundrel, and the way how he behaves, there is hardly anything you can justify what he does. But then see, what I liked was the way how the boy justifies his mom’s feelings for him. He says, she sticks to him for the good times. I believe don’t we too give credibility to lot of people in our lives for the good times.

Vaughan – he looks funny or he is made to look funny, that you can decide. But he is sensible, rational and except being too early in passing judgment early, he does his role well.

Workshop Owner – apart from other things, he displays some traits of good Christian. Like a point where hands over the keys to Karl. The other instance where he informs the customer that strange are the ways of our Lord.

I am sure there are so many poignant moments between the boy and Karl, that there is no need to share them here again. Definitely the screenplay has the punch.

Clint Eastwood

2010-11-18T04:21:00.001-08:00

I have met him many a times, and even stayed with him too. But then I noticed the uncanny resemblance and outlook only during my last visit to New Delhi.

I was staying over at Jacob uncle’s place, and over lunch he was sharing his experience. He was recollecting how when he was a bachelor he used ride 150-160 km daily on his Royal Enfield – Bullet. He narrated an incident when, he had just returned from one of his such trips, and suddenly remembered he forgot something. He immediately turned his bike to fetch it. One of the trucks had just dumped a fresh load of sand on the road, which uncle didn’t know. He lost his balance, skidded and fell down, with the Silencer of the bike on his calf muscle. Unable to lift the bike himself, he took help from the passersby. He was on his feet again, met the doc, and returned to his room. Next day morning is only when he realized, he was hardly able to keep his feet on the ground. It required two weeks of bed rest to recover.

While he was narrating the story I looked at his limbs, I looked at his hair, I looked at his facial feature, I tried to imagine a younger him. And then I saw his current self. He looked like Clint Eastwood. His grey round neck T-shirt and khaki trousers reminded me of Clint Eastwood from Gran Torino and his Bullet escapade reminded me of Dirty Harry. Its uncanny, both the resemblance and that I didn’t notice it before.

Devassy

2010-11-18T03:50:00.000-08:00

To know Devassy, you should know where Devassy lives, who are the people around him, why he does what he does, the weather, the language, the religion… You need to know that he lives in a small village of Chittattukara, the village not far from the sea, where the soil is as white as the sand on the beach and that his village, like any other village in Kerala, is covered with thick tropical vegetation. You also need to know that the people in this village share very symbiotic links to each other, their lives are dependent on each other socially and financially. The lives of people are discussed at the local tea shop “chaya-kada” with as much fervor as is Obama’s visit, economic recession and the political tyranny in the state. For someone like Devassy and many others who have lived for generations together in this village, the name Chittattukara becomes not just an address, but it is an identity that all of them carry; the very identity of the person being incomplete without it. And it takes years to be a part of this big family and household of Chittattukara village, it requires living there, participating in the village festivals, getting drenched in the same monsoon which comes every year, getting scorched in the hot summer sun and taking turns to bathe in the ponds, when bathing was more of a social thing than just a private affair.

And no one is a stranger here, everyone knows someone who knows you, and so you are always welcome. The theory of Six Degrees of Separation feels all the more so true here.

Devassy is the local vegetable vendor, who also doubles as the local grocery guy and the one who could tell you if the last bus to Thrissur has left or still expected. He is a small man, not quite tall, fair, with eyes that speak volumes about what he can perceive, hairy, in fact a very hairy chest, which you can mostly see, as he would rarely wear a shirt. And the most unexpected of all his traits is his voice. You would expect a regular man’s voice, but any stranger would be surprised by his deep baritone voice.

What are some of the things you associate with a person who is a shop keeper. If not anything, at least that he/she is interested in you buying more of his/her stuff. Devassy, unlike other shop keepers is not pressing you to buy more. He would just give the exact amount you need, no pressing for fresh bananas, or hot crispy chips just arrived…No gimmicks, no pitches what so ever. You ask him to pick the fresh bananas, he will use his discretion to pick the best, not using his skills to push away the riper ones. So you get what you ask for, from all that he has to offer.

Devassy’ s shop is right across the bus stop, which means invariably all the travelers get down and aboard the buses from there. The more friendly ones, would come over pick day-to-day groceries, share the tales from their visit, ask of what’s happening and the life goes on. Rain no rain, his shop’s open, people no people, he is around.

Devassy’ s daughter got married last year. The social customs force him to send her daughter with generous gifts of gold and money. He just has enough for everyday, whatever he saves is too little for what the marriage requires. He borrows, he mortgages his house, he is happy his daughter is married off to a good family. But then his days of hard work and labor continue.

What do some of his fellow villagers to make him like this. They take undue advantage of his goodness and keep forgetting to pay their bills for months together. Devassy continues to be the gentleman he has always been, for him the people of his village are his family, and what meaning is an account with family members. With growing unpaid bills, his liabilities are getting surmounted, he is under tremendous stress.

He being Devassy, continues to believe what he has always believed…Father Alphonse.

God’s Mischief – Book + Movie

2010-11-08T01:36:00.000-08:00

Author: M Mukundan
Translated by: Prema Jayakumar
Cast: Thilakan, Raghuvaran, Srividhya
Director: Lenin Rajendran

The Malayalam version is called – ‘Daivathinte Vikrithikal’; and the English version – God’s mischief. Well, the title itself declares what is in store. I saw the movie by Lenin Rajendran, first. I was moved by the awesome performance by Raghuvaran. Later when I read the book, whenever I read Father Alphonse, there was only one picture in mind, that of Raghuvaran. Vineet, plays Sasi/Shivan, and the same happened for him too. Srividhya, somehow didn’t fit my description of Maggie and so did Thilakan as Kumaran.

Raghuvaran’ s voice is his trademark; along with his frame. Who else could play Father Alphonse? I thought for a long time, did you think of someone?

The strong allegiance to the people and the land of Mayyazhi stand out. I am not able to express in words, how it felt to read the narrative, and repented of not knowing how to read Malayalam.

The movie treats the story slightly differently, but as M Mukundan himself worked in making the script for the movie, I am sure there are its own reasons. The cinema history has otherwise seen irreconcilable differences between film makers and authors. Stanley Kubrick and Anthony Burgess.

Raghuvaran, M Mukundan and Lenin – hats off to you three.

Serious Men

2010-11-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

Author: Manu Joseph.
Win: The Hindu Best Fiction Award

When I picked ‘The Serious Men’ from Landmark, I read the back cover, saw Manu’s profile, read the first few lines of the novel. I knew, this is the pick for my day. First chapter into the book, and I was 100% sure, it was indeed delightful. Fondness for Mumbai and adequate dosage of humor, were the first things which attracted me. Well, then this is the first time, I am seeing and reading about the lives and thoughts of the scientists in this light. In complete rapture, I savored very page.

Later when I saw Manu was shortlisted for the award, I was like wow. Till then I didn’t know about Manu or about his book received by the critics. So when I picked the book, it was the book that spoke to me, and not the reviews. Anyways, the reports did not mention Manu as the touted winner. I somehow kept the disappointment to myself. I tried reading about the shortlisted books and the other writers, and somewhere I wanted to Manu to win. It was quite biased, as the other authors I read before were Anjum and Upamanyu.

I was traveling when the results were announced, and my joy knew no bounds when I came to Manu won. I feel the sense of having enjoyed the book, which was certified by the critics later, was the reason of this euphoria. The same happened with Johnny Cash too, will tell about it later.

So here’s to the new writer on the block, Manu. Stay the same.

Equus

2010-11-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

Troupe – Jester Productions
Directed by – Daniel D’Souza
Cast - Daniel D’Souza, Eammon Ennis

On Friday, amidst the hopping over at friends place, when we reached at Rangashankara 3:30,I found it almost empty. Only to realize that the 3:30 show was for Saturday, and not Friday. We return on a Saturday evening for almost a packed show.

When you see the psychiatrist rambling about the horse and the boy’s unexplained proximity and obsession, it sounds vague and obscure. Now for the next about an hour, the play takes you back to what all happened before that in a flash back mode. Then it completes the cycle and brings the play to the present to-day status and carries on. Then everything appears cohesive and linked. Excellent performance by the cast, minimal pseudo acting, minimal forced attempts to show style. The play weaves a great and intense narrative into an thought provoking act.

Also the play indulges into quite a lot of issues of conflict on morality, religion, sexual preferences and the parenting. A play which requires the needed sensibility and background to appreciate the subject.

Bhutan in one Blue Levis Denim

2010-10-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

Prologue

Not sure whether it’s going to turn out to be a drab account of what all happened, or I would be left with not enough words to describe what I experienced. Whatever happens, I have decided to start writing, and well that’s what counts.

Chapter 1

Before I begin with it all, I need to tell you how it all started. Sounds cliché but well that’s pretty much about it; how else do I put it. It all began with the lofty ideals, that meant no settling for any destination short of 8-10 days and sticking to the Europe. The word Europe itself is so enchanting, any destination on that continent had enuf meat on it for me dig my teeth.

Bro connected on one end, parents from the other end conferenced with the to be groom, and that is me. Do we need to invite these may people, why can’t we have the venue as the beach side, why does it cost so much there, can we do away with that ceremony, do we really need to buy so much stuff….Increase the level of complication by adding opinions and suggestions given by friends, family and colleagues, on what and what not. By the time it was time to decide - what, when, how – there was not much time left!!

With all this running on my mind, my phone bills shooting up, my personal time taking neat plunge, my count of movies not moving ahead for months, I was just catching just three-six hours of sleep. I am not including the fitness regime and the diet checks which were self enforced. I am barely hitched and to cover my big fat ass after getting hitched I had to already use some neat US dollars wired from Ohio and Chicago. In the midst of all this there is something very important which happens. I guess it must happen to everyone. Reality dawns.

After extensive reading on the net; and re-checking the total expenses for getting hitched and what I had saved so far; I decided, at least ‘Ireland’ or ‘Switzerland’. The castles, the inviting country side, the drives, the restaurants, the people, the music, the architecture, well everything was like a dream come true…Very soon Ireland and Switzerland look impossible with their soaring air fares and to top it all I am warmly welcomed to the new term ‘Double’. Well this is the word which now is going to be the moolah everywhere I go and whatever I do. Everything now on would mean ‘double’. It starts from a table for ‘two’, tickets for ‘two’, ‘double room’, twin sharing, two cups of tea…

I agonizingly work out a neat sum for the destinations with the travel guys. There when I double it up (for reasons obvious), it just looks, what should I say, the best word would be ‘obscene’. Before ‘obscene’ becomes ‘catastrophe’; I realized, I need to better stop dreaming. So then I start thinking more rationally…If not Alps, what next? Himalayas. We (that’s another term which I got used to after the term ‘double’) left the entire range from Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand-Bali-Andaman-Sri Lanka-Maldives – Mauritius for the sea factor. We were not very keen on a ‘beachy-affair’.

Between Nepal and Bhutan – Bhutan definitely stands out as exotic. Tibet was in fact more, but the accessibility was a concern. Nepal definitely was tempting for what all could be done, for that price, yet the political disturbance and the commercial aspect of Nepal dissuaded us.

By now, I am sure you would be thinking, why am I thinking so much, choose something, choose a place and get going, end the ordeal of going through the list of possible destinations for the umpteenth time.

Chose Bhutan. Period. So I thought.

Chapter 2

Once the destination was narrowed to Bhutan; it was time to short list the best deal. The players whom I had short listed – Cox and Kings, SOTC, KUONI and Makemytrip. Absolutely stunning deals on Makemytrip but an equally sad support and response from the team on the destination and details. Decided to drop Makemytrip. Between SOTC and Cox & Kings, I found better value for money with Cox and Kings. Both the persons I talked to from SOTC and Cox & Kings offered good advice on what to do and what can be done with the budget I had…

The month I decided to travel, which was October, was the peak season for tourists to visit Bhutan. Indian travelers got lesser preference versus the ‘firangs’. Which meant, Cox and Kings was not able to get the published hotels for stay, and had to look for the equivalent. Also, the air fares were the highest during that time. For a moment I was thinking can I make it to Bhutan at least?

By this time it was very clear that :

You can enter Bhutan :

 Via Land : Fly till Bagdogra – take the land route to Bhutan’s entry point Phuntsholing. Get your clearance to enter Bhutan and then begin your travel in Bhutan.
 Via Air: You can fly into Bhutan from only the following places – New Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Gaya, Guwahati, Dhaka, Kathmandu and Bangkok. You can fly only Druk Air i.e. Royal Bhutan Airways.

I evaluated the option of using the land route to enter Bhutan. It would require a lot of travel on the land and for the number of days I had in mind, it would have been a killer. I didn’t mind increasing the number of days for my stay in Bhutan, but the price per day I had to cough up was superseding the amount I would spend by flying into Bhutan. So drop land route.

Via Air, whether I choose New Delhi, Kolkata or Bagdogra, as the point of departure, all of it involved an overnight stay, as the flights to Bhutan were early in the morning. Now New Delhi appeared lucrative as it could have been clubbed with a good nostalgia trip round the city, but the air fare from New Delhi to Bhutan simply put was almost like travelling to London. So New Delhi got dropped. Between Kolkata and Bagdogra – Bagdogra to Bhutan was cheapest; yet to reach from Bangalore to Bagdogra was expensive and required a lot transit time.

This meant fly from Bangalore – Kolkata, stay overnight, take the early morning flight to Bhutan, on your way return, fly into India at Kolkata and then take return flight to Bangalore. Now I was getting the feel of what it meant to be travelling out of the country looked like. The word transit time, hop over, stop-over all these words had the real meaning now…

Now Cox and Kings was entrusted to get the best deal and the tickets from Kolkata – Paro return.

Chapter 3

Cox and Kings blocks the tickets, blocks the hotel reservations, payments are wired, acknowledgement is sent, passports scanned are shared, phone calls are made, mails are exchanged, finally the vouchers are sent and everything is in place for the travel.

Now I begin to spend more time reading about experiences of people who have travelled to Bhutan before me. Their experience, their observations, recommendations and their first hand reports. I feel the need the need for Lonely Planet Guide for Bhutan. Can you believe it, not a single store in Bangalore, has it in stock. I happened to go to Landmark sale, in Forum. In their Travel section, you could find so much to read on Tibet, Nepal and the entire South East Asia. Not a single book on Bhutan. The only book I got was Buttertea at Sunrise by Britta Das. It was not what I had in mind, I was looking for a guide to navigate through Bhutan. I knew that not many people travel to Bhutan, but was not aware it would be so sparse…

The next predicament was expenses to be borne en route and during the stay at Bhutan. What was included in the package from Cox & Kings was – air fare, stay, bfast, all local transfers, entry fees, passes, tolls everything other than lunch, dinner and personal shopping. So how do you spend when you are overseas:

1. Credit Card – Credit Card and ATMs are rare to spot in Bhutan and only the nationalized banks of Bhutan are in operation there. There are few Banks which allow, CC transactions in Bhutan and it takes more than 24 hrs for clearance.
2. Travelers Check – That is one of the safest and widely used form in Bhutan. Here comes the complication. Ngultrum the official currency in Bhutan is pegged at Indian Rupee. Since I am an Indian National, they cannot issue travelers check to me in USD/GBP for use in Bhutan as INR is in use in Bhutan. Citibank, American Express denied.
3. Cash – Fine with 1000 INR in circulation, it’s not that difficult to carry cash. Here comes another complication –500 and 1000 rupees not in use in Bhutan. Then I am left with bills of 100 and 50s. Imagine the number of bundles of money to carry!!

Checked with some friends who had been Bhutan before, got a confirmation that 500 and 1000 were in use in Bhutan. However a query of LP post Thorn Tree replied negative. Anyways since got a mixed response, I decided to travel with both and see how things turn out there in person.

The other travel formality is the Visa – which is exempted for Indian Nationals. However there are entry and exit documentation, for which I did not receive very good information either from the travels or on the Net. It was a slightly grey area, which I decided to tackle as it when I would face it…

Stay in Kolkata – Cox n Kings gave some leads; friends office and old flat mates gave some leads, directly got in touch with Hotel O2 for the reservations. With that almost all the ground work was done for the take off…

Chapter 4

Fast forward, the date September 30. It is the historic date when the Ayodhya verdict. The whole nation is under a threat of incidents of violence and disruption of communal harmony, considering the sensitivity of the situation. The nation has already seen what happened in 1992; and hence the whole nation is praying that the history does not repeat itself. Schools, colleges, closed in advance. Some states put on high alert, with security beefed up.

Oct 1 is when I need to fly from Bangalore to Kolkata.

Sept 30, Wipro declares a half day; I reach home early, shops around my residence are closing down, streets are barren, the verdict is expected to be out by 3:30. The verdict is out, all the three parties involved Hindus, Muslims and ‘Nirmohi Akhada’. The country receives the verdict with grace and no incidents of violence are reported across the nation.

Amidst this turmoil, I pack.

Reach Bangalore International Airport; for the Spic jet flight to Kolkata. Had a simple breakfast from the Times Out.

Arrive at Kolkata Domestic Airport, and I would rate the airport in terms of cleanliness and facilities, below average.

Call Hotel O2 for the Airport transfer; get picked in a new Mahindra Xylo; welcome to rash driving on the streets. Young boys came to pick us up, not sure if they had valid license to drive. Anyways the airport is just 5 minutes away, so before you could get to know what happened, you are at the airport.

The reception guys are actually courteous and organized. The rooms are okay, for the sake of transit, that price is fine. Because of the heat; decide to stick to the restaurant at the hotel for lunch. Surprise. Look at the menu and you will see that; no Bengali delicacies, all Chinese and North Indian. Quite disappointed we settled for Biryani, chicken Tikka Masala and rotis. Food – average.

Evening we take a cab to Park Street – 300 rupees, a partial rip off. The driver figuring out we are new, tries his luck for taking us for a ride. We hop, somewhere mid of Park Street. Walk around for some time, reach Flurys. Link - http://www.flurysindia.com/Menu_new.html. Quite surprised at our luck to spot, Koshy’s like place, ambience and menu. My bias for Koshy’s continues though. We see two other tourists, who have landed at Flurys and are referring their Lonely Planet Guides, on what’s the best to order there. We pick some chocolates for a friend back home, have their Flurys special tea, and walk out.

It’ s getting dark, the streets are getting crowded, and we have a long way to go, we hop into a cab, get down at Haldiram’ s next to our Hotel on O2 Road. Neatly smack away ‘roshogulla’, ‘ras malai’ and ‘mishti doi’. Early simple light dinner; sleep early, get up and get going for the big take off the next day.

Chapter 5

We reach at the International Airport at Kolkata, which I would again rate as below average for cleanliness and facilities. We walk in with the tickets and passports to be told by the security that the boarding has not yet been started for Druk Air. Soon we find the board where the status of each flight is displayed and also we find that Druk Air is still not on the display board. There are other equally anxious co passengers for Druk Air who are also in similar state as us. We spot loud, noisy, pompous bunch 10-12 aunties in their late 40’s all ready to take off on a vacation. Later we figured out, they too were for Bhutan.

About an hour and a half before takeoff; they start the security check-in. We walk in, get our check-in baggage scanned and labeled. We reach the Druk Air counter, these noisy aunties have hijacked the counter and almost created a ruckus there. We fill in the forms handed over, request for seats on the left hand side, and proceed for Immigration check. I am praying to let me clear the Immigration w/o any hassles; I usually have the knack to get into trouble where not required. We clear the Immigration check with some basic questions ‘pehli baar’ and ‘ghooomne jaa rahe ho’…

We reach the security check and hand baggage scanning counter. The security personnel frisks and sensing the wads of notes in my packet ( I was carrying 100 and 50) asks ‘Cash’; I nodded and said ‘Yes’.

Equally sad was the waiting lounge. We can make our calls to our parents, inform that all formalities for takeoff from India is cleared, and that we are waiting in the lounge. Final call for the passengers travelling by Druk Air to Paro. We head for our first International flight.

The crew at Druk Air is very warm and pleasant, a small aircraft and within no time of boarding we are in the air…

The pilot, informs the passengers that we were flying past the snow capped Himalayan mountains. The snow capped mountains looked like an iceberg in an frozen ocean. However the view was spectacular, and for the first time, I see how snow covered mountains look like, for real.

In no time, it’s time for landing, and as I read before, it was definitely one of the most complicated and an unique landing I had never seen before. There are cliffs, there are houses, there is a river and there is a runway. How the pilot manages, well that’s for him to figure out; we had a breath-taking view. Smooth landing at Paro.

Chapter 6

Step out of the aircraft and you can see the cozy airport of Paro; and also you get the first feel how the architecture of this country is going to be. As per government regulations, all new construction anywhere across the country needs to be conform to the prescribed guidelines. Hence anywhere you look around you will see a uniformity in the architecture.

There are separate queues for Diplomats, Bhutan Nationals, SAARC nationals and Tourists. Only question asked, duration of stay. Got the Passport stamped; reached the lounge to claim the baggage and filled the customs form. The custom personnel asked if carrying cigarettes, electronic items, and then stamped and let us in.

Finally after all the paper work, we step out of the airport, and there we see a placard – Vinod and Ajomy – Norbu Bhutan Travels. Tensing Norbu informs us that he will be our guide, and quickly takes us to our carrier for our entire trip – a Hyundai Tucson.

After a 15 minutes drive, we are at the Paro market…It looks quite deserted, not many people, not many tourists. Since its our first break, too early to make any judgment yet, but are quite taken aback by the calmness, clean crisp mountain air and the non interfering attitude of the people. Being accustomed to hailed by vendors, children, beggars on any traffic signal, we were quite surprised to be let by ourselves. No one calling out to us, no one asking us to get into the store for a peek and buy stuff, nothing pleading no hustle. You are left to be by yourself.

After 20 minutes walking around, clicking snaps, we arrive at Hotel Jigmeling for our first lunch at Bhutan. We settle down for a cup of tea, and then get ready for buffet lunch. I pick the Kuesling the local newspaper, to get a feel of what’s happening around. A very mild newspaper, very simple and small accounts of some basic stuff happening. No provocations, no forced opinions, no barges into the private space.

We settle for peaceful lunch, when a group of elderly couples some 8-10 of them come over for lunch too. They bring about the needed animation to the hotel. We walk out after lunch to see the handicrafts store nearby; and hop into our carrier for our journey to Thimphu. It’s about a hour long drive; very very scenic. Though we are up that day since 4 am, and we want to doze off, we don’t want to miss a thing outside…

Our first halt was an iron bridge built by the Lama Iron Bridge, and supposedly in a day’s time. We get back on to our carrier and the see the confluence of Paro Chhu (means river) and Thimphu Chuu (it’ s also called Wang Chuu). Besides the confluence are three stupas, one Nepali, one Tibetan and one from Bhutan.

As we ascend up the hills, it gets chilly, we pass by vendors sitting on the road side selling farm produce, we pass by people walking on the streets, with no signs of habitation for long distances…and finally we reach Thimphu. A relatively busier city, with lots of big SUV and MUV zipping past the roads. Just opposite the Archery stadium is our hotel, Hotel Kisa.

We crash as soon as we see the inviting plush white beds.

Get up in the evening, we are ready to explore the city. We walk around, we reach the clock square. We spend some time there, we get a feel of the city from the clock tower. The streets are narrow, no traffic signal, no honking, no hoardings, no ads, rows of shops with just the names of the shops written above them. We check with a cop, and there we are the at the Swiss Bakery. We had noticed a other Indian mother and daughter asking for directions. While we settle down to have our coffee along with Swiss and cream rolls, we are pleasantly surprised to see the duo. It’s a small, world and an even smaller town…Lonely Planet mentions about the Swiss Bakery and so do lot of other travel accounts, so lot of tourists have it on their itinerary.

We get back to Hotel Kisa, and are treated to a lazed, elaborate sit down dinner. Thoroughly floored, we reach our rooms for our first night stay at Bhutan.

Chapter 7

Post breakfast, we head for the Takin Preserve; Takin is the national animal. Legend says that the Divine Madman, after consuming a cow and a goat, took the head of the goat and the body of a cow and made a Takin. We meet some Chinese tourists over there, who then had almost a similar itinerary as ours. We kept bumping into them quite often again.

As it was a Sunday, lots of other places on our itinerary were closed, so we head straight for the Thimphu Dzong. The first Dzong we ever saw, which also houses the administrative block, a monastery and place of worship. The king’s residence was nearby, and after security check we get into the Dzong. We remove our shoes and get into the place of worship and astonished by the architecture, paintings and the attention to detail there. A meaning and reason for everything and customs and rituals to accompany it too. We see the butter lamp and the paintings depicting the Buddhist legends and scriptures. Interesting Bhutanese way of building style, does not involve making blue prints before hand, they just keep building!!! And almost all the Dzong we visited were destroyed by the fire caused by butter lamp or by earthquake/floods. And all were created back in to its old glory.

After that we head to the city and a restaurant which gives a good view of the city. We order our first butter tea and beef paa; the butter tea is very special to the region and almost tastes like a soup instead of tea. Post that we head to the Chorten which was built memory of a king. We do some “Parikrama” ourselves. People from various walks of life, come to Chorten to pray, and that too very devoutly. We see our first beggar in Bhutan, an old man sitting by the gate. There were old men and women who were sitting beneath huge prayer wheels and rotating them, each turn, bringing them closer to salvation/nirvana.

We get a drop back to Hotel Kisa, we quickly get out for our last day of exploration of the city. We go to the Swiss Bakery again, walk around the city which is getting dark. Only some migrant Indian workers gives us some suspicious looks, the locals leave us to our privacy. We settle down dinner at Chopsticks, near the Main City, at the City Center complex. Well, I was under the impression that “momos” are in abundance in Bhutan. You just have to ask for it and there it would be. I was wrong, after many attempts we finally decided, we are not looking any more for “momos”.

There are mix of people on the streets; most of the old people are wearing the traditional kho and kira. The younger lot; some of them are in the traditional wear, but some are in the western outfits. Smoking is an offence, but still you see some girls and boys smoking near the clock square. There are a lot of expensive cars on the roads, and there a lot of pedestrians too. Old people too are on the streets and are carrying on with their usual chores. You see lot of young couples with toddlers neatly wrapped onto their back on the streets. Looks like there has been a baby boom there!!

Just two days old in Bhutan, we have started making our judgments, and have our favorites. Ajomy is quite interested in photography and manages whatever she can with a digital camera. She is almost there, she needs to upgrade to a Digital SLR soon.

We head back to our Hotel, surf the free Wi-Fi at hotel, watch local Bhutanese channels and doze off.

Chapter 8

Drive to Punakha after checking out from Hotel Kisa. It ‘s an uphill climb, and the weather gets chillier. The vegetation around us is changing and so is the landscape, the roads gets less crowded and we cross by hamlets on our way. We see a lot prayer wheels being rotated by water flowing down the cliffs and the whole of the hills covered with the religious prayer flags. Each color denoting one particular element like, earth, purity, victory and so on. Their belief says these prayer flags carry these prayers through the air into the skies; and thus a constant connect is formed between the earth and the sky.

We climb quite and we reach the highest point called the Dochula Pass. It’s definitely chilly here, I feel, yes finally we have arrived to a cold country. I like the misty feel of the mountains, the drifting fog, the chilly wind blowing, a limited visibility. There we see the one of the most beautiful spots in Bhutan, Druk Wangal Chorten, a collection of 108 stupas. We walk around, we click photographs, we view the valley from there, we don’t feel like leaving.

A few meters ahead is the Dochula Cafeteria, where we settle down for our modest lunch, and a cup of hot tea.

Then from there on it’s a steady descend, and quite a zig zag way down. We both doze off and when we wake up, we are almost there at Punakha. At Punakha you can see the male (Pho) and the female (Mo) Chhu coming together. You can actually see the difference in the colors of the water; and the Punakha Dzong is situated at the confluence of the two. Punakha is also famous for the temple of fertility, in honor of the Divine Madman. The male phallus is seen painted on most of the entrances to houses, as it is a sign of fertility. In fact in the temple of fertility, for which we need to hike along through the village and the fields, the bow and arrow, the phallus and the holy water is used for blessing the devotees.

Our resort Damchen resort, is besides the river, the place is warmer than Paro and Thimphu. While we were staying at Thimphu we had seen an elderly couple, probably in their late 40’s who also shared the same hotel like us. We used to bump into them for dinner and breakfasts. We were quite happy to see them again at Punakha. They were Brazilian, and were on a month long circuit of Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal and India. Unfortunately when we bid good bye to them at Punakha, that was the last time we saw them.

There was another group of American biker couples on Enfield bikes who had driven from Thimphu to Punakha and now were on their way to Bhumtang valley. That would mean, a nine hour drive to the place. The throttle of the Enfield bikes was definitely very tempting. We see the mother and daughter duo again here at the resort.

We have our room on the topmost floor, and the only room on that floor. We enjoy the view from the room.

Chapter 9

By the time we drive from Punakha to Paro after lunch at Thimphu, it’ s almost evening. On our way back we stop over at Dochula Pass; the weather is much clearer with a lot more visibility. However, the Himalayas still remain elusive as before. We can’t still get over the place, but need to carry on. The museum at Paro, is a treasure trove, but then since we are late, we get to see only some sections, as it was pith dark in some parts. The museum right now, was actually a watch tower earlier. From the museum, you get a breathtaking view of the city. For that matter anywhere where we met, we did get some breathtaking views. The country is so scenic, that you can sit and see the time go by…

We get back to our resort, Tashi Phuntshok, where we get the best of the service so far. We have Masala tea with pakoras on their patio; we see the sunset, and we hear the faint sound of music from the Dzong. Almost sunset, the hills are lit up with the lights from the houses and settlements on the slopes, the weather is getting a little chilly, you can hear the river gushing, and from a distance a faint hum of the oriental chant from the Dzong. While you sip the tea, and stand on the patio, this what you get to experience. Priceless.

We have an early start next day, as we have the hike up to the Tiger’s nest. Even before we reached Bhutan, I had read a lot of reviews on how breathtaking is the view and the ultimate experience. At the same time, there was an equal debate as to how difficult is the climb. If all can really make it to the top. The climb, the terrain, the altitude, the physical and mental grit, and other factors decide whether you can make it to the top. So, while we were driving to the base from were need to trek all the way up, the Tiger’s nest perched on top of the hill, looked daunting. I had read an account on Lonely planet which said ‘I am forty, truck driver and a chain smoker, I did it, so can you’.

We started hiking, the trek caught more and more stepper as we progressed. But it was great to see how far we had reached from the base camp so far. But when we used to look at the Tiger’s nest, it still looked tiny and very far away. We were taking breaks, on route and though we found very few others till hiking up till about a stage. There were old men and women who were coming down after the hike, and an even more encouraging number going up. We definitely qualified as one of the youngest climbing up; so we were sure, if they can we too will. Ajomy took a horse-back ride from 400-700 meters, then continued by herself. Once you reach the cafeteria, it then is a 50 mins trek from there. But the feel when you get there, it is euphoric. Having trekked all the way up, you reach a point where you are at the same level as the Tiger’s Nest. You can see the it eye to eye, what looked tiny from the bottom appears do-able. Plus the view, the weather and feeling of conquest, it cannot be equaled.

From that point, there were a lot of fellow travelers, with us and all experiencing the physical exertion and at the same time the euphoria. We met a Italian group, in which one lady was on her 3 rd visit to Bhutan, and all three times she came up to the Tiger’s nest. She was definitely in her 50’s at least. And she had come to India many times, and had been to Bangalore many a times. They were thrilled and clapped to know that we were honeymooners; and clapped and cheered us. They could not believe that we had an 100% pucca arranged marriage; well the lady who was chatting with me said, ‘’Love marriage no good either”; and both of us thought ‘c’est la vie’…

We hike down, and on our way back, I am amazed the amount of distance we hiked up. It looks really a task.

We reach the city pick a bottle of wine and vodka for our guide and our driver. We are leaving the next day.

Chapter 10

Early morning we are transferred to the Paro airport; and Tensing wishes us both a ‘happy and safe life’. Tashi Delek. The exit is more smoother, we get our passports stamped. We wait in the lounge and see a lot of our co travelers are those whom we met at during our stay in Bhutan. And some who traveled with us from Kolkata to Paro. It was a warm feeling of camaraderie, of having shared a similar experience while in Bhutan. You feel, just step out of your country and you see much of diversity, and that ‘s just a small slice of the world. Imagine how much more the world has to offer. Unlimited.

Calcutta, airport is as crowded, as the railway station, I presume because of Durga Pooja. We have a 5 hour transit time, and it is definitely quite a below average airport in terms of cleanliness and facilities. I stick to my book, ‘God’s mischief’ by M Mukundan. Oh what a book, it was a delight to read it. And imagine it’s an translation from Malayalam to English. Imagine how much more you can relish it in the original language.

Just minutes before I land at the Bangalore airport I finish the book.

The Town (2010)

2010-10-18T01:53:00.000-07:00

Ben Affleck, re-creates, what many have attempted before, a formula which never fails – heist. Edgy, racy, thrilling, it has what I was looking for in a movie on a Friday night…It did not fail me, one bit.

Ben Affleck – the most recent movie which I saw again was Armageddon which had Ben star in it…I was quite impressed by his Gone, Baby Gone. It was quite an affair, and it was a movie I recommended to a lot…There were some shots from the movie which stand out – he working out, his phone call to Rebecca Hall from across the street and the final shot.

Rebecca Hall – well I can’t forget her from Vicky Christina Barcelona…Well though she does not pay a very different character, she brings the needed feel and affect. Well that’s what’s needed and it was there. She appears in Prestige, I remember her character but not her so much.

Blake Lively – I have been re-checking IMDB and Wiki repeatedly to see where have I seen her before..But then there is not a strong recall from where…I have seen New, York, I Love You, but can’t remember her so much. Yet she looks so much familiar, I can’t believe why I am not able to recollect. Or is that she resembles someone? Koel Purie ? Can someone get me out of this tangle>

Pete (Peter) William – I remembered him from so many movies, then I recollect it is primarily from Inception and In the Name of the Father.

Jeremy Renner – You can’t for forget him, if you have seen Hurt Locker. Similar style somewhat, lesser limelight and different set-up. Cocky and spirited, he gives the needed edge to the role.

Eat, Pray, Love

2010-10-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

"The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving."

"We search for happiness everywhere, but we are like Tolstoy's fabled beggar who spent his life sitting on a pot of gold, under him the whole time. Your treasure--your perfection--is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the buy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart."

"Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit."

"To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life."

"Tis' better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly."

"This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something. "

"The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving."

“la dolce far niente- the sweetness of doing nothing”

“Attraversiamo, meaning "Let's cross over".

With all and more as punch-lines being bombarded on you, it’s rare that you can walk out of the movie and not like it…

I am not a great fan of Julia Roberts, so am I have personal bias against how much she can emote on screen….I feel it would have been more impactful if it were for Kate to pay this role, she has done such stuff before too (Holy Smoke)

Javier Bardem – I first saw him in “The Sea Inside”; then, No Country for Old Men, his Academy Award winning speech, then Jam on, Jam on, then I saw Vicky Christina Barcelona… Initially I found him as an actor with a lot of tardiness…But then, I think it slightly improved with Vicky and completely changed with Eat, Pray, Love…He symbolizes the free spirit in his linen shirts and stubble and his husky voice and unpredictable moves….

Triumph Rocket III - Everyone knows about it

2010-09-20T05:45:00.001-07:00

We (notice, the use of the new word, ‘we’, instead of ‘I’) reach Madiwala, well ahead of time to board my Multi-Axle Volvo (link below) on a rainy Friday evening. Finally, we are comfortably seated, bags neatly tucked under or placed overhead. The bus is packed with ‘Mallus’ of all sizes and shapes, some brimming already with the excitement of reaching ‘God’s own Country’.

I see a call, I figure out its an international number, I pick the call to realize, oh its ‘Tiwari’ online. Well, I start talking, catching up what all could happen and could not in this new phase of life. Knowing Tiwari being Tiwari, I go on to take one of the biggest risks of my life and ask him ‘would you like to talk to Ajomy’. Well then, two of them had nice, animated conversation and then I get the phone back. We talk about bikes, the engines, the license, the sates where he would like to ride, whether ‘kissing the bride’ is allowed in India, whether it happened, if not why, swooping the bride and carrying her into the car vs. kissing the bride…the topics went on. Finally, we decided to resume the talks once we were back in Bangalore after the weekend trip.

As a direct consequence of this conversation, almost all the people in the bus realized three things:

1. The two persons huddled next to each other have just got married recently in a church, where ‘something’ unfortunately could not happen
2. These two persons have a friend in US, who has got a license to wed/as well as to ride a bike
3. The bike which he intends to buy is 2300 cc monster from the Triumph stable

I am not sure, which of the above, but we did get a lot of attention from the co-travelers till we hopped out of it.

For the weak at heart and the un-initiated : Triumph Rocket III

“America, there's big, and there's really big. A 20-ounce Coke is big; the 72-ounce "Bladder Buster" from the local Stop 'n' Rob is really big. The Ford Excursion is big; the Hummer H1 is really big. In the world of motorcycles, cruiser motorcycles in particular, the new Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 is big--but the Triumph Rocket III is really big. Twenty-two hundred and ninety-four cubic centimeters big, to be exact. And with 147 foot-pounds of torque, it's also likely to be damn near the hardest accelerating production street bike in the world (in a straight line, at least), if Triumph's press babble can be trusted. God save the queen, and don't forget the brave motorcycle road testers, too”

Our first guest for dinner @ 226, Golden Corner

2010-09-17T04:29:00.000-07:00

Our first guest to have dinner at 226, Golden Corner, was Tarun, who was on a 3 day official visit Bangalore. Thursday morning I get a call from Tarun, explaining his futile attempts to tell me earlier about his visits. I take refuge under the fact that it’s just the first week into marriage and that you are in a state where you are not sure what all is happening and even lesser time to figure it out…But then Tarun, says he needs a favor, he needs an ironed shirt for his client visit. I am fondly reminded of our earlier days @ Hutch Tower, where this was a common routine, to peep into others wardrobes for ironed shirts esp on bad days when all that you have washed and stacked in your wardrobe is your pajamas and sweatshirt.

I reach Tarun’s nest in the guest house, he gets dressed, we go back to our his old (and my only ) bay, and pleasantly knocked down by feelings of nostalgia. We agree to catch up for dinner@ Kanua. When I reach home, I see ‘kaya upperi’ (raw banana cooked w/o any gravy) and ‘Sāmbhar’ (the so called lentil soup garnished with tamarind and green veggies). I decide to change the venue for the dinner to our apartment, and try to entice Tarun with promises of home cooked pure South Indian dinner. Tarun, unknown to what’s in store yields.

Tarun takes a tour of our apartment, amazed by the colors of the walls, settles down on the only chair, the rocking chair. We catch up, mostly telling the stories and adventures of the Silent Seven Gang. These stories I have noticed always tend to sweep a lot of listeners, Ajomy was no exception.

We settled for dinner, this is the snap which was clicked then. I beautifully camouflage with the wall. Tarun realized what he had been tricked into, and kept his reach to the rice, pickle and scrambled eggs :)

We had a post dinner nostalgia laced, philosophical conversation, with dabs of humor, music, art and architecture conversation. I drop Tarun back at the guest house, return to our apartment, to realize, yes indeed this is a new phase of life; and I am in the thick of it!!

3 Day Hop

2010-09-13T03:17:00.000-07:00

Thursday Night – Koshy’s Dinner
Order : One Spanish Omelet, One Minced Mutton on Toast, Two Cups of Coffee. Noisy surrounding, Mallu waiters, two anxious diners, whispers, re-collecting old times, warmth of the coffee and the presence of your partner in front of you…

Friday Evening – Rangashankara
Play – Robinson and Crusoe
Max Mueller Bhawan, Rangashankara, AHA , India Stage and all the enthusiast bought this wonderful play ‘Robinson and Crusoe’ to Bangalore. Directed by Gracias Devaraj, it was definitely a well executed play, with excellent acting, plot development, sound and light and with the required dash of humor. As always it’s more fun to hear to giggles and mouthed laughter of the kids around. This time it was all the more special when I could feel an arm around mine all through the play. Both of us liked the play and also the hurried cup of coffee and tea before the play. Reached the next hop half drenched in Bangalore late evening shower.

Friday Night: Juke Box
Order: One JB Chicken Sizzler, One Bottle Mineral Water, One Chicken Stroganoff
Half drenched, walk into the almost brimful restaurant, grab a seat for two, see people engrossed in their meals and their pitchers with animated conversations, we share the warmth of each other’s company and the food of course. Moderately yummy meal, reach home, a cup of coffee to ward away any chances of a cold…Power of love, Pretty Woman, I just Died in your arms and others play on in the background…

Saturday – Ebony, Barton Center
Table for Two, Outdoor Specified, Time 9:30
City Lights in the backdrop, fireworks dazzling the night on account of Eid and Ganesha festival, UB City shines bright, Kakori Kebab, Sprinkling wine, Murgh Kebabi Masala, light drizzle, shining engagement ring, hands in hand, few snaps clicked with the mobile camera, unable to capture the magic, but of course. A promise fulfilled.

Sunday – Infant Jesus Shrine
Seek blessings for ourselves and our families

Commercial Street
A sneak preview of the things to offer, haggle with an antique store guy to pick an Victorian style railway station clock, later found that we paid almost the double for that…

St Mark’s Church
A lengthy sermon, soulful singing by the priest, flowers for every woman in the church, and a special wish for the lady ‘to bloom like the flower’.

Java City
On the bench, listening to the oldies on the lead guitar, keyboard, percussion and the bass, ‘pretty woman’, ‘don’t worry be happy’, and a few others which I heard for the first time, Java City Filter Coffee, Java City Iced Tea(2 of them), an evening well spent and that too for just 106/-.

Twilight (2008)

2010-09-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

I saw part II, then Part III and then Part I. I see how both Robert and Kristen have improved as actors and also with time how you get to start liking the characters and know their backgrounds. I have not read the series, so there are some questions which I do not have answers for, there are some legends and sub plots which are left unanswered in the movie. Never the less it has everything for feel good, cozy movie on the couch.

Miranda (2002)

2010-09-08T03:44:00.000-07:00

Miranda (2002)

Mysterious, romantic, edgy, this one is a good catch for sure. Ricci and Kyle share a good chemistry on screen.

Punch Line for the Day, Septmeber 8

2010-09-08T03:29:00.000-07:00

Red - Irwin Allan Sealy : Cold, wet, and windy - lives as well as landsape.

Three Films from 2009, rented together by chance.

2010-09-08T03:05:00.000-07:00

A Prophet (Un prophete, 2009)

Nominated in Best Foreign Language Film Category, is the story of the rise of an Arab from a on to a mafia head…Documentary style sometimes, did not meet my expectations.

Fish Tank (2009)

Brit film, won the Jury award at Cannes, missed the Golden Palm. It’s about a troubled family of three women – single mother and two daughters, how they manage their lives, w/o any specific purpose or aim in life, wandering from one day to the other. Mother and daughter bonding explored in a different light. Overall not a great watch. Katie Jarvis was the only discovery.

Adam (2009)

Directed by Max Mayer
Cast : Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne

Based on the life of a young man inflicted with Asperger Syndrome. There are various moments I really liked, out of which stands out was the narration right at the beginning.

“All along I thought I was the princess, and was teaching the astronaut about Earth and mostly about love, till I met Adam:”

Carte Blanche

2010-07-28T03:32:00.000-07:00

(This time around I am sharing I story which I had written, long back. I had forgotten about it.)

He opened his door, did not bother to switch on the light, he preferred it dark. He saw a little boy sitting on his bed, he could not see his face…The boy asked ‘Papa where is Mama?’
In silence he went and sat next to the boy. ‘Is it raining?’ the boy asked. The man just nodded.

He was sipping his coffee, got up to splash some water on his feverish eyes. He looked up at the mirror and he knew that the little boy was lurching in the corner. He didn’t know why the boy called him ‘Papa’. Why he always had questions, why did he feel the need to answer him.

‘Papa were you listening to mama today?’
The man felt, Mama was Mama no more, Papa was Papa no more. He felt Mama stopped listening to what he stopped communicating.

He knew he would meet him at the most unexpected of the places, he didn’t know whether he liked to meet him or not, but he felt he was in his ‘likeness’…Few days he did not see him, he was quite content those days. He knew the little boy was sleeping close him and Mama and was quite restful.

He was waking down the street, waved and hopped into a cab, the boy also got in with him. Today, the man asked, ‘Not with Mama today?’
The little boy was looking outside, he did not hear his question. He felt vey awkward for having asked such a silly question, he felt foolish. The little boy was glum, he said ‘There was no room for me on Mama’s bed, she was with someone, but it was not you Papa; so I got up and came out, looking for you.’ The boy continued – ‘Where are you going?’.

[The wind was different the soil was different, the smell was different. The man was outside his house, languid. He saw the boy, it was not dark, he saw that the boy was handcuffed, and was chained…He had never noticed the boy so intently, he had never seen the boy in light before]

The man tried to sleep, next to his little boy’s Mama. He wanted to sleep there forever, he told her ‘forever’. He felt his words enveloped her.

He got up and was astonished, to find the keys to the handcuff with himself. He removed the handcuff and unchained him. He whispered in the boy’s ear, ‘Mama’s free’.

The man sat on his bed.

Shutter Island (2010)

2010-07-28T03:18:00.000-07:00

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Emily Mortimer

Well, I am not a sucker for the thriller/horror genre. When I saw the poster for Shutter Island, I thought ‘Lost’. I had no intention to watch it, till it dawned that it was being directed by Martin Scorsese himself. But then, it lacks the charm of Martin Scorsese movie, is what I felt. May be the bias against the horror genre works against the film.

Anyways, that’s not the only bias, I still haven’t got around to believe that Leonardo can be a tough guy :)

Knight and Day (2010)

2010-07-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

Director: James Mangold
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz

Comic relief, liked the parts were Diaz gets drugged esp. in Italy.
James Mangold has done Girl, Interrupted which I thought was an awesome film, before Angelina got her sex-bomb image.

Anti Christ (2009)

2010-07-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

Director: Lars Von Trier
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Defoe
Wins at Cannes : Best Actress
Nomination at Cannes: Best Film

When Cannes gives a critical acclaim for a movie, and when its from Lars Von Trier, (considering you have been exposed to his works like Dogville, The Dancer in the Dark, Breaking the Waves) you know what you are going to experience is not going to be something less than extraordinary. I have seen ‘The Mirror’ during a film appreciation workshop, at New Delhi. And definitely you can see the influence of Tarkovsky’ s style, I felt. But then if you call it as a ‘grotesque masterpiece’ I think for me the definition is absolutely hits the nail. There are a multiple interpretations and sub plots and references in the movie; it’s a thesis.
I was not in the frame of mind for such an encounter.

Willem Defoe – I clearly remember him from Boondock Saints. Charlotte Gainsbourg – I remember her face very well, but not as which character.

I then saw, Shutter Island the next day. Why are all the big directors moving to the horror genre? Is it the latest fad?

Gosford Park

2010-07-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Helen Mirren, Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, Kristen Scott Thomas, Emily Watson

A plot with many subtle plots interwoven, (wounds like a typical tutorial or tute from college). Well, created and set in 1932 in England, it has an lots of characters, their inter-linkages and their development. What it initially looks to be a melodramatic tale, turn to be an murder mystery from some time on. Never the less, a lot of the finer aspects of the values, culture, morals and traditions are neatly exposed (in the right sense J)

I felt somewhere the plot got a bit side railed and lost its sting, it could have been a lot more powerful in its impact.

City Island (2009)

2010-07-20T23:53:00.000-07:00

Written and Directed: Raymond De Felitta
Cast: Andy Gracia, Emily Mortimer

When I saw the credits roll, and Vince Rizzo, is ready to reveal his biggest secret, I realized, I am going to like this one. A story of a dysfunctional family who have been hiding the facts from each other. Though in more than one way they know that they are hiding something. An slightly over the top, last minute finale, but definitely a lot of thoroughly enjoyable moments all through.

Emily Mortimer, I have been noticing her in some movies, and always find her doing roles as women who are weak and vulnerable. Is that supposed to be a stereotype, who will break the rut?

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

2010-06-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

Director – John Wayne Stevenson, Mark Osborne

Kung Fu Panda, well when I had heard the name of this animation film, I had my own reservations of what to expect. And as it has happened with me not once but many a times; like before Kung Fu Panda completely changed my perspective of the film after I saw it…

Anyways, the plot is known, what would have happened is also obvious. But what I really liked about the whole film was the mysteries and lessons for life being shared in the most unexpected ways and at the most unexpected places. ‘Illusion of Control’; ‘Today is present’, ‘There are no accidents’, ‘There is no such thing as good or bad news’…and so on…

I really like the shot when Shifu asks Po –‘Do you want to learn Kung Fu’ and when Po says Yes, he says ‘Then I am your Master’…

500 days of Summer (2009)

2010-06-07T05:11:00.001-07:00

Director - Marc Webb
Cast - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Claire Deschanel

My friend from Columbus, Ohio had recommended this movie at least 500 days back, it was after so long that I finally got around to see it. This is something which I call as a clean and neat movie. You know what could happen, you know what could not happen, you start to like the characters, you somehow feel you can predict what they can do, but then you may not be…The narrative weaves the story so well, I can think of Juno and High Fidelity, where the narration really changed the way how the movie came out…

I remember Zooey Claire Deschanel from Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy, and I know she was there in Almost Famous, but do not remember her so well from there. She somewhere does not reveal why she does what she does in (500) Days of Summer…

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, though he was there in Havoc, right now, I can’t recollect him at all…

Marc Webb – this is his directorial debut…

A lovely soundtrack, and interestingly I had heard ‘Sugar Town’ very recently and when Zooey sings the same in the movie, I was like wow!!! The other track which I liked is the one which plays with the end credits – ‘She’s Got you High’.

From 20, 000 thousand feet high

2010-05-17T02:58:00.000-07:00

This though seems the most (ab)used term these days; I never it gave too much thought to it so much as I did recently. After negotiating multiple hair pin bends, I reached a popular hill top on the outskirts of the city. There was a particular spot from where you could get a birds eye view of the vast plains, the hamlets, the winding roads, the green fields, the buses and vehicles on the road….

Sitting there I realized, what looks like vast green fields when you cross them on the road, are just some green patches from above. The towns and hamlets are just settlements which in an organized fashion. The huge buses which can knock down people are actually very small mobbing toys from the top.

Well that’s not what hit me, I mean, I have seen such views before too…What I felt was, what we are obsessed with so much, boundaries, encroachments, land disputes, settlement issues, personal issues, racism, riots…and so on…When you reach a certain altitude it becomes so trivial or insignificant. It appears to be worthless to loose your sleep over. Now imagine, if this the view from a high altitude on Earth, how would it be from the universe. I mean our whole planet Earth itself is a miniscule in the infinite space outside…Imagine then, what are we loosing sleep over…How we are obsessed with so many unwanted trivial issues, we rarely see the beauty around us.

Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)

2010-05-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

Director: Ken Loach
Cast – Cillian Murphy
Wins – Golden Palm, Cannes, 2006

Wind that Shakes the Barley, is a title derived from an popular Irish song. The backdrop of the film is the Irish War of Independence and Civil War in Ireland during 1919-1921. It was an insight for me into the Irish War of Independence and struggle for freedom from the British Empire. Its so remarkable to see that freedom, which now a lot of us take for granted, was something lots of men and women were deprived of. And that they had to fight struggle and lay down their lives, so that their children would live in a free world.

He film follows a near historical/political account of the series of events that happens in Ireland laced with a subtle plot development. I quite liked the discussions and the conflicts which happen between the Irish themselves. There is an instance where is an ideology clash between them, even though both them want the same thing. Its interesting to note how difficult it is sometimes to decide what is right and what is wrong. I usually felt ‘wrong’ would appear as tempting, luring and with a red alert in contrast to the ‘good’ would be tough to choose but obvious that it would be the right . However, this decision can be really difficult, because the circumstances and events would make either of them equally right. The definition and classification then becomes very very individual and relative.

The other episode was whether the treaty was what they fought for or was it a short of it. The discussion, the arguments and the games played, really provide an insight what was going on in the minds of the people then.

“I decided not to enter war, but I did. Now I want to get out of it, I can’t.”

“It is sometimes easy to decide what you are against, but completely different to find what you are for.”

Agora

2010-05-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

Directed by – Alejandro Amenabar
Cast – Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella

I have seen ‘The Others’ and ‘The Sea Inside’ which are also works done by Alejandro.

Hypatia (Rachel) : philosopher- astronomer-teacher-lover-daughter-thinker
Where: Alexandria
Who else (Max) – Slave-thinker-in love-betrays

I liked the beautiful relationship between the Hypatia and her father…Both of them understand each other so well.

On Vacation

2010-05-09T11:31:00.001-07:00

I went to see this award wining play, originally written in Marathi (a language spoken in West India) then later translated to English. On Vacation. That was the name of the play.

Directed by Vinay Verma, a renowned TV artist and popular on the theater circuit. The play has a lot to tell, it has enough Masala to keep you go on. But.

The female protagonist, played by Shunila Kapoor, was more obsessed with her costume and diction and how she looked on stage more than getting into the skin of the character. Well that upsets me to see how, artists feel, that by just costume alone, the characters would just emerge. Characters are beyond costumes, they are people.

The gay couple more than anything else, make sure that all the cliché’s whatsoever the society has about the gays are re-enforced. Can someone break the stereotype and show them as real people. Also, all their expression of love for each other was matter of laughter and fun for a lots of members in the audience. That somewhere reflects the sensitivity and maturity of the audience too…

There was this artist who plays the role of a journalist, one as a typical local, w/o any polished skills and completely rustic, and later as the refined person with impeccable taste. These were moments of comic of relief, had the audience in splits and was received with huge rounds of applause. Well, what do these theater groups feel is the level of maturity and taste of the audience? I mean they treat us like cattle. And people who are new to theater lap up such performances. I mean is there someone who understands the real psyche of the audience? Are all at a level where they cannot see a good performance beyond explicit humor? Can there be theater beyond just pure entertainment?

I feel the attempts to appeal to masses for commercial needs can hamper real expression and when combined pseudo artists, theater can loose its sting.

Winged Creatures (2008)

2010-04-22T00:24:00.000-07:00

Director: Rowan Woods
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Forest Whitaker, Kate Beckinsale, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Yes, I mean an incident can take you away from your comfort zone, and that too if it’s the loss of a beloved one, or like in this case a brutal killing spree…But how it manifests on the different victims, is something which is what the film tries to explore…How much so ever the plot could have been intriguing, somewhere down the lane, the movie looses its focus. A bit vague, maybe sometimes. I felt the same kind of disconnect in Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm too. But the other ones like The Squid and the Whale and American Beauty and Little Children about dysfunctional families, never felt vague or out of context.

A great cast otherwise for a film which could have been taken to a completely different level and experience.

And now Ladies and Gentleman (2001)

2010-04-22T00:17:00.000-07:00

Director: Claude Lelouch
Cast: Jeremy Irons, Patricia Kaas

Follow your dreams and your instincts, and if you are ok if the director and screenplay following the same, the movie will appeal to you at multiple levels….The other movie I remember from the same director is Roman De Gare. Jeremy Irons resembled so much like Daniel Day Lewis in a taller frame…

I was a Swiss Banker

2010-04-22T00:13:00.000-07:00

I would say I have never seen before a magical and tale full of fantasy which happens in a sub urban neighborhood, underwater and in the wilderness and country side. So you can very well imagine the backdrop for the plot development, and the leaps the screenplay would take. I feel if there was so much of the conventions being challenged, it could have been a very fertile ground for more expression and higher impact.

District 9

2010-04-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

Director – Neill Blomkamp

Academy Awards Nominations - Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Editing

It’s a directorial debut from Neill.

The first alien movie, I probably sat through and watched till the end. Usually I am not at all in for gory, slimy Alien creature and movies based on them. Non Human forms, with slime and extensions, antennas, were a big put off for me. Well then, I sat through the some part of Species being telecasted on TV and then District 9. I was more interested to see what did it have for which it deserved an Academy nomination for the Best Adapted Screenplay and also the Best Picture.

Since my background with what expect from an alien movie was limited, it still managed to unfound a lot of perceived notions about alien movies and also that some of the trends still continue when it comes to science fiction from the days of Metropolis…

The movie concludes in a very rather very abruptly leaving enough room for thought and speculation..

Hurt Locker

2010-04-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Director – Kathryn Bigelow

Cast – Jeremy Renner, Ralph Fiennes

When you hear Hurt Locker, War is a Drug, you expect a war movie, you think about Thin Red Line, No Man’s Land, Enemy at the Gates and so on….Some amount of predictability, some biases and some pre conceived notions…

Well then Hurt Locker from the time it rolls, just breaks the conventions, well that’s what it did to me. Enter Jeremy, defy the conventions even more. The documentary like plot development sans melodrama does no longer hinder you from getting involved every bit on what’s happening. You can feel the heat and the palpable tension every minute.

All you could end up would be asking for more, well then, they said in the beginning, war is a drug…what did you expect?

Pour Elle (Anything for her)

2010-04-06T21:23:00.001-07:00

Pour Elle (Anything for her)

Director – Fred Cavaye
Cast – Diane Kruger, Vincent Lindon

A perfectly normal life for a regular couple turns upside down, when Diane Kruger is framed for murder of her supervisor. Though absolutely innocent, her imprisonment scars their lives forever.

Towards the end it gets, gripping. Well for me, since I was watching with subtitles and the timing of the subtitle and the dialog were not in synch, the subtitles appeared before the actual scene. So I would know that this is what the actors are going to say for a scene I have not yet seen. And when you are watching the scene, you have to co-relate, yes, this is what I had heard earlier.

Crazy Heart

2010-04-06T06:01:00.001-07:00

Director – Scott Cooper (remember him from Austin Powers)
Cast – Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell

When Jeff Bridges walks into the frame, you know, well this is going to be an out and out country movie, not that I mind one bit. Definitely you can see he is aging, definitely you can see hi still has his way with women. When he does a performance you realize why is Bad Blake so good. I mean the guitar, the song, the lyrics, all that is needed to transport you from wherever you are.

The movie has a flow, it has a melody, it has a rhythm. If you can pick it up, and go along, you would have a wonderful time together.

Maggie, I kind of despised her when I saw her in Dark Knight. I felt she was a complete misfit to the otherwise brilliant star cast in Dark Knight. But I felt the role she played in Crazy Heart came to her naturally, she did an awesome job and brought so much of depth to her character. She got an Academy nomination for her role.

Jeff undoubtedly steals the show, hands down….He deserved the Academy.

Young Victoria

2010-03-26T03:03:00.000-07:00

Directed Jean Marc Vallee
Cast – Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Mark Strong, Harriet Walter

If someone says it is a costume drama, well I would not disagree completely, I would add that it’s also an Academy Award winning movie in that category. No doubt the movie will leave you spell bound by the vast sets, castles and the opulence. Beyond that I found the small sparks of brilliance in the screenplay and plot development…Well talking about the Academy Award for best costume design to Sandy Powell, I found her acceptance speech quite snobbish…

We were watching the last show in PVR, and as expected there were hardly any viewers. The real dampener was that the background music was completely screwed up, though the audio quality for the dialogs were intact.

Emily Blunt for me was able to emote the princess in distress poignantly.
Rupert Friend, lacked the finesse and charm of a prince, not sure if Prince Albert was actually like him 
Harriet Walter : enjoyed listening to her impeccable (my idea of a typical Brit) accent. I remember her from Sense and Sensibility, she was the conniving Fanny Dashwood, coming to think of it, she plays the role to perfection.…

In The Loop

2010-03-22T03:01:00.000-07:00

Director: Armando Giovanni Iannucci
Cast: Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, Anna Chlumsky

One of the selections for the Film Festival ‘From Blighty with Love’; I missed the first screening in Bangalore, and later the shows were cancelled in Bangalore because of poor viewership. I got a copy of the film from my local vendor, in my locality.

You can never forget Peter Capaldi, at least whatever he tries to say during the whole film. He firmly believes that if you do not use the expletives and that too innovate and improvise every time, you can hardly get things moving, anywhere wherever you are.
Gina McKee hardly feels any heat bcoz of the noise and din created by Peter at all, and carries on her duty w/o intermission.
Tom Hollander, is swarmed by so many and with so much, that he is lost. He has lost his touch with himself, and as he put ‘vacantly staring into space, as he has no thoughts’.
Anna Chlumsky – trying to keep a balance between work, her phone calls, her need to go up in her career, and some dose of fun along the way…

Nine

2010-03-14T10:43:00.001-07:00

Directed by: Rob Marshall

Cast:

Daniel Day-Lewis as Guido Contini
Marion Cotillard as Luisa Contini
Penélope Cruz as Carla Albanese
Judi Dench as Lilli La Fleur
Nicole Kidman as Claudia Jenssen
Kate Hudson as Stephanie
Fergie as Saraghina
Sophia Loren as Mamma Contini

Visually captivating, backed up with an excellent screenplay. Fame Lido in Bangalore cancelled the shows of From Blighty with Love and screened Nine instead. I was quite disappointed of missing the ‘Easy Virtue’ never the less ‘Nine’ made up for it in more than one way…

S^x, Morality and Cens^ship - META Shortlisted Play

2010-03-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Director – Sunil Shanbhag
Cast : Nagesh Bhonsle, Gitanjali Kulkarni , Shubhrojyoti Barat , Ketaki Thatte Gulshan Devaiah
Script: Shanta Gokhale and Irawati Karnik

I walked into Rangashankara only to find a serpentine queue at the bottom of the stairs…I was unsure if I would get the tickets for the show, I did. Picked up a ‘nimboo paani’ and was in no hurry, as I am not very keen to grab a sea right in the center and in the front rows and all…I got a comfortable seat, and waited for the play to start. I had the book ‘The house on the Mall’ to keep me company…
Maybe 2 minutes after the scheduled, time, the representative from IFA introduces the play, and for a change, no bakwaas, no ‘nonsense jokes’, no attempt at being forcefully forgetful and stuff like that…A good intro for a grand play.
There was a ‘dholak’ – a kind of folk drum and a harmonium…Nagesh Bhonsle makes a huge impact with his entry, followed by Ketaki Thatte. Both of them bring so much of charm and intrigue to the whole set up. I would not divulge too much about the plot of the play, but would definitely want to put on record the Champa and Laxmi do an absolutely stunning performance. Nothing but outstanding. If the script has the fire, these two actors kindle the fire. The play is definitely without its sheen w/o them. And likewise the other actors, who shared the stage with them. What a voice, what a delivery and what confidence…
There were expletives used freely, there was violence and the subject was quite sensitive, but very well handled and delivered…It also uses the screen to screen some movie clips, some music compositions and other stuff, a good blend of different forms.
Then there were these pseudo intellectuals who more than asking genuine questions have a point or comment to make more than anything….I mean for once when would people ask questions and not just blabber about something they have read or their opinion…There was this lady who kind was on the verge of a emotional explosion, and felt it was an personal journey for her….Was it staged? Was it an extension of the play?

From Blighty with Love March 5-18 : Glorious 39

2010-03-11T01:15:00.000-08:00

Directed by: Stephen Poliakoff
Cast: Ramola Garai, Bill Nighy, Charlie Cox

The are a series of movies being screened in India in association with the UK Film Council. In Bangalore they are being screened @ Fame, Lido…Now with the Metro work in progress, to reach Fame you have to take detour while coming from MG Road. The first film I saw as part of this, was Glorious 39.

There are two things which strikingly stand out in this film – the screenplay and the performance by Ramola Garai. I am surprised to notice that it is not an screenplay adaptation and instead an original one. While watching the film, I was almost convinced that it would have been an adaptation. Usually I tend a nothing before watching a film, so that I walk in w/o an unbiased mind…This would be the first work of Stephen Poliakoff, which I have seen.

The cinematography was breath taking, and so was the performance by Ramola. I vaguely remember seeing her in As You Like it and Atonement. Bill Nighy I remember from Love Actually and Charlie from Stardust.

I heard people walking out (there were hardly 10-15 people in the whole auditorium) saying it was a not long and the suspense was some blah blah….I mean for once people there are ways to appreciate a movie rather than criticizing and not liking a movie does in no way make you a better authority on films…Everyone has a taste, and everyone has a opinion - period.

Invictus

2010-03-10T02:35:00.001-08:00

Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast : Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon
Academy Nominations: Best Actor in Leading Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role

When Nelson is going for his morning jog, the day after he is elected the President, the newspapers carry the headline – ‘You have won the Election, but can you run a country?’. Nelson tells, ‘Yes it is a valid question’. This sets the pace for what is in store for us. Every moment, Nelson has to live up to the expectations of 43 million South African nationals, a rainbow nation with diversity in color and nationality. And Nelson is a shining example of an upright moral conscience, with the urge to make SA an leading nation on the world map.
When he invites Matt Damon for a discussion, he ask him a direct question, what is your philosophy of leadership?
Matt Damon is portrayed as a ordinary citizen, player and a captain. He does not suddenly become an unconquerable super hero out of the blue. Instead he feels the need to win, at any cost and inspire his team….

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Looking through the Glass

2010-03-10T02:32:00.000-08:00

Pre Independence, Dadi’s ashes, the Freedom Fighter’s guilt, the SLR camera, the journey from Delhi to Banaras, the fall. Ammi, Ashrafi, Masroor, Amnesia, Parwana, East India C_____, Shimla, Banaras, Delhi, Nari Niketan.

Looking through glass meanders through the lives of many and gallops time zones.

Mukul Kesavan is an Old Stephanian.

An Education

2010-03-09T02:34:00.000-08:00

Directed by Lone Sherfig
Screenplay Adaptation by Nick Hornby
Cast: Carrey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan indeed captures the naivety and spark of intelligence in what they call as ‘coming of age’ drama. She received a nominated for the Best Actress at the Academy for her role. The plot is no stunner, its not something being show cased for the first time. However the treatment, the subtlety and the impact are what Lone Sherfig has been able to bring out beautifully. Nick Hornby of High Fidelity fame has done the screenplay for this film and bagged an Academy Award nomination too. The film was also nominated in the Best Film category, which definitely is a huge recognition.

Up in the Air

2010-02-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

Director – Jason Reitman
Cast – George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick

Jason’s previous works – Thank You for Smoking, Juno and Up In the Air. My personal favorite Juno. Up in the Air has multiple Academy Nominations including one for Best Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jason. Thank you for Smoking and Up in the Air both have a contemporary view of an odd-ball job which no one knew could be turned to a subject for a film or a book. Juno is a class apart, and I give more credit to Diablo Cody for the concept and screenplay :)

George Clooney has done a similar ‘I-am-the-janitor-you-can’t-live-without-me’ role before too…His good looks somewhat hide his real acting potential from exploding on the screen. I feel his role as Michael Clayton had more impact.

Vera Farmiga- I have seen earlier in Breaking and Entering and The Boy in Striped Pajamas and remember her roles quite clearly. Though I have seen Departed, I do not recollect her now. Strangely when you look at the roles she has played, there is so much of versatility. It was only when I started reading about her and checked the various roles Vera has played that I learnt a lot about her. When you see a string of movies, then you notice one particular actor, you think have I seen the actor before. It’s an interesting and spiraling form of discovery. I discovered Laura Linney too in the similar fashion.

Anna Kendrick – Frankly did not feel her performance as geek-turned-corporate-honcho-far-away-from reality deserved an Academy nomination, though my opinion hardly counts here :)

Hedda Gabler

2010-02-22T01:50:00.000-08:00

Cast: Sheeba Chadha, Neeraj Kabi, Denzil Smith, Samar Sarila, Tillotama Shome, Shipra Singh and Veera Abadan.

I walked into Rangashankara picked up the ticket and wanted to get some grub before the show. I saw two persons at the café, who apparently had met after really long years and I assumed they would be some veterans of the circuit. It was only later that I realized tha one of them was not only a lead cast in the play but also a popular actor on the play/cinema circle – Denzil Smith.

www.denzilsmith.com/

The play was decently executed, and the actors looked absolutely confident and were showing off their command and control. This hint of exhibitionism I feel somewhere came in between the character they were portraying… Never the less the play being Hedda Gabler had more than enuf matter and substance to look for than all the false pretences of the actors.

The duration of the play was almost 2 hours and during the 10 minutes break; all the civilized gentlemen and ladies became unruly savages when it came to picking tea/coffee from the counter. It was clearly survival of the fittest, with no consideration whatsoever to order and sanity.

Super Cop Super Con

2010-01-30T19:59:00.001-08:00

Well this is the story weaved from different stories and its about Super Cops and Super Cons.

Scene 1.

Super Con on his mobile phone, driving his car to glory. Super Cop spots the prey, chases the prey till his home. Super con realizes there is no escape. He has been caught red-handed. He looks at the Super cop, smiles, gives him a I-am-no-super-con looks. He adds you look like a real Superstar from Kannada films. Super Cop happy, gleams and gloats. Super con walks away free.

Scene 2.

Super con coming wrong way, against the traffic. Super cop, is alert, quickly gets into action. Super con has local advantage, knows the local language. She points out to her friend waiting for her. Luckily she was waiting in front of a hospital. Her story makes her friend completely unwell, and needs to be rushed to hospital. Super cop’s humane part melts, let the super con leave. Super con and her friend get on her way to the next nearest mall.

Scene 3

Super cop stopping all vehicles for routine checks for documents and license. Super con, w/o any proper documents is caught. Super con pleads, begs and asks for mercy. Super cop, agrees to let him off at subsidized fine. Now the bargain begins. Super con convinces that he does not have money to eat food, and all the shopping bags he has are for his friend. He is so poor, he cannot even think of eating three meals a day. Super cop take super subsidized fine. How much - 30 bucks!!!! Because the con does have only 30 buck to spare and 20 buck for three meals.

Scene 4

Super cop waiting behind a tree. Two super cons, good looking and handsome, working as executives in MNCs in their night Chaddis, caught by super cops for riding w/o head light and West Bengal registration vehicle in Karnataka. Now hear the super con story. They are security guards!!! Super cops believe the story ask for subsidized fine of 100 bucks. Super cons not willing to pay more than 30 bucks. Big heavy bargaining, threats to seize the vehicle also of no help to resolve. Finally the deal is struck at 50 bucks. Super cons are dejected after one hour duel that they could not get off for 30 bucks.

Everjoy & Co - Footsteps in Time

2010-01-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

Neatly tucked on the first floor of a building on the busy Commercial Street is Everyjoy and Co which deals in watch repairs for all international watch brands. It has stairs leading to the store just adjacent to a posh jewelry shop in town. When you climb up the narrow stairs you come to a well lit store with leather couches for customers to wait. There is a small counter, behind which I have seen an old lady, probably in her late 70’s dressed in an impeccable manner, and usually draped in a silk sari. Its so happens that is the only store which does this kind of work, and all the other retailers of the international brands would direct you here for any repairs.

Once when I had gone to get a original leather strap for my Swatch, the person who was there at there at the counter was in his late 70’s or early 80’s. The old lady was also there at the counter and their son, who himself was in his late 30’s. Astonishingly not only did the person advanced in age, know which was the black strap for Swatch and where it was kept but also himself in front of me removed my old strap gingerly with his instruments and replaced it with the new one. He is a person with humorous temperament and as you would have guessed, an eye for detail. When my card did not get swiped, he jokingly said its because its not signed on the hind side. I mean someone with such a zest for life and precision at work at that age was indeed a moment of inspiration for me. He also knew that the model which I had taken for a leather strap originally does not come in leather strap version. He shared this information with his son, who was all ears to what he had to say.

Today when I went to get there again, to put a new battery in the watch; the son attended me very politely. Quickly took the watch inside, (you can see what goes on through the glass door) and himself replaced the battery. Father like son, he too knew his job, and did not expect the other people employed at his store to do it. As no one was there, he himself did and with so much panache

New York I Love You

2010-01-27T06:33:00.000-08:00

There are some things I check when I step out of the house. My wallet in my back pocket, check 1. My wrist watch, check 2. My mobile phone, check 3. My handkerchief and bunch of keys check 4. So three taps on my trouser pockets, and I am ready to go. While inside the auditorium, I knew I was lighter, and after three taps and I realized my keys were missing. I decided to look for it during the interval. Well, to my luck, like before I had left it in the parking lot and had to go to the security in the basement to collect it.

I had a pretty amusing bunch of people around me for watching the movie. Some could not figure out the movie got over, some were in awe for the movie to see the directors name roll over…blah blah

One thing I realized was some times it is better not to speak and put into words what you feel after, say, watching a movie. What you liked and the sorts, and to just savor the feeling within yourself. Some times when you speak or write you may not find all that means to express what you feel and you may trivialize the whole thing. Like what I felt after watching New York I love you, I prefer to be silent and savor it.

Confidence

2010-01-23T01:00:00.001-08:00

Cast : Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Giammatti, Edward Burns

Clever Plot, the Hollywood way.

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown

2010-01-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

I watched this movie with friend of mine, whom I met after two years. He had mentioned during lunch, that for the last six months he had not watched TV or any movies; as he always had someone or the other dropping by at his place. When we started watching the movie, I was not sure how would he take the movie. This being the intense kind of movie, not all are cut for it. The other thing was the complication of watching a movie with someone. Inadvertently, when a watching movie of your choice, there is need that the movie should match the requisite standards, meet the expectations of the accompanying viewer. However, when watching the movie alone, there is no need to please/meet the expectations of anyone. It helps me relish the movie more and I am free to my judgment.

Strangely, my friend got hooked to the movie and was quite content in the end. He appreciated the movie.

Watch it for the Academy award winning performance of Daniel Day Lewis.

Sherlock Holmes

2010-01-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

Fast paced, edgy, witty, humorous, action packed, classic, intricate….Robert Downey steals the show, hands down. And the duo of Jude Law and Robert Downey, makes it even more deadly. I had watched a couple BBC series on Sherlock Holmes, and Guy Ritchie’s version supersedes all, for a film, that I must add.

Lunatic in my head

2010-01-06T21:12:00.001-08:00

The novel is very visual. Though I have never been Shillong, I have created a visual imagery of the place and the people. There are many characters, each with their own myriad subtleties and psyches. All this together weave the fabric of the novel. You start developing a liking for the characters, you know sometimes how they would react. There are times when you want sit near them and talk to them, console them, understand what going on in their mind, help them and be a part of their lives.

Breaking and Entering

2010-01-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

Director: Anthony Minghella
Cast: Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin-Wright Penn
Year of Release: 2007

A beautiful name Bea. Fulfilling career. A beautiful wife/girl friend to come home to.. What could go wrong?

I loved the way how Amira and Mirsade bond, and also, Jude confessing that he is an idiot and does not know what to do. And how Robin is scooped by Jude…

JFK

2010-01-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

Director: Oliver Stone
Cast: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon
Year of Release: 1991

I knew JFK was assassinated, I knew it was a sensational case, I never knew this many details into the assassination earlier. I never knew so much about what was going around in the media and in the minds of the people then. An insight, a deep insight into those times.

Dances with Wolves

2010-01-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Director: Kevin Costner
Cast: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell
Year of release: 1990

Cinematic Masterpiece. Don’t miss it!!!

Taming of the Shrew (BBC)

2010-01-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

BBC presents the modern version of Taming of the Shrew. Set in London, Kate is the leader of the opposition and opposite anything that is normal and social. Rest what ensues, is what changes her course of life. Not only hers but others too.

Normal

2010-01-05T06:07:00.000-08:00

Interlinked stories of families, dysfunctional sometimes, people, hurt people, accidents, accidents which mar people for lifetime, needs and wants of people, expectations – met and unmet, people who get along and start afresh, people who still stuck to old times, people who are unable to overcome the grief, unable to forgive themselves.