My mirror

My mirror...
In a bedroom.

It had no bindi stuck on its corner.
There were no glue marks even.

It's been a long time.
My mirror...

My Bullet

Anand philosophically states: “On quiet days and nights exactly unlike today, when am alone at the fence, I sometimes think–A bullet can feed a mouth. Why waste it?”

Now with typical army fervour: “So, my brother, aim and fire. Pray that your bullet always finds its mark, else that is one hungry kid you just killed. For sure.”

--
--
--

Anand: “And when you do meet my wife, please do tell her that in my dying moments I only remembered her but missed only my Bullet, my Royal Enfield 500! Ah… How I used to ride her?”

Ashwathamma: Ride whom?

Both laugh.

Anand puts on his Ray Ban Aviator one last time with hands that drip of his own blood. He takes a cigarette and holds it in his mouth. One last puff is what he desires. Searches for a matchbox in his pocket(s). He concludes that he has exhausted all his matchsticks one-by-one just like his bullets.

Anand requests Ashwathamma: Chap, ek aakhri sutta? Aapke paas maachis hain?

Ashwathamma: My pleasure, Sir.

Ashwathamma moves. Suddenly, a bullet finds its mark. Anand gapes through Aswathamma’s forehead. For the first time in his army life, Anand weeps. Ashwathamma did not even get a final goodbye.

All is quiet on the western front. If only for a moment.

Finding Fanny

With such a title, what do you expect this gem of a movie to be?! 

Finding Fanny. Finding the Window to Heaven!

What if? 

It is one of the most interesting and poignant questions of our lives. Especially, when looked at in hindsight. Add a tinge of nostalgia and 'what if' can cause heartbreaks too. Again. 

We love to cherish our memories; more than that, we love to cherish our imagined and make-believe memories. 'What ifs' bring such imagined memories alive and give it utmost significance in our mundane lives. I should know because I continue to live with a lot of 'what ifs'. 

This cheeky film is a look at the reality of one such romantic 'what if' and is a quirky journey towards that in the present. 

Life is a journey to be led in the present without waiting to answer 'what ifs'. The characters who inhabit this fictitious village are downright hilarious; they are people whom you want to meet with because they exist as caricatures in cartoons. 

The narcoleptic cat takes the cake! Is the cat dead or asleep? At the same time? You know that only if and when you observe! :-)

The painter, who incidentally dies accidentally after he has painted his 'masterpiece' after having found his 'fanny' is a classic case of 'life owes you only so much'. Of how you lose value of something/someone you hold so dearly only till you 'find' it as a part of your daily life. Which is why unrequited love always feels more dear and poignant than requited loves. 

More often than not, an unrequited love turns out to be the love of our life. More songs are composed on unrequited love every year. More people sing such songs. 

Reality is often different; it's dead. Like shown in the film literally and symbolically, 'What ifs' are always dead. The reality is not what you project on a person with your rose-petaled and pink-tinted sunglasses peppered with romantic illusions and fertile imaginations. 

Love really makes you blind. Till death makes you stare at the horizon till you really see the world as it is.

                                                 xxx

Also, watched Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. This feel-good film is an open tribute to DDLJ and adds a bit of Jab We Met fun along with Band Baaja Baraat spirit to it.

A Tale of Three Roomies

Sridhar, Rohan, and Vineet. This one's for you three guys.

Sridhar came into my life just before a major transition period; in fact, a transition that kind of changed a lot of things for me and about me. He was there when I got divorced. All the way. He gave me a lot of his personal insights and advice. Not that it mattered then; I was mad and madly in love for the second time in life and this time, I was prepared to not listen to anybody. 

The divorce happened and we parted ways soon after: Sridhar and I. My wife and I. And my lover and I too. And right now, none of them is in touch with me. But this post is not about my love, my divorce, or my transitions... which are a dime a dozen.

Sridhar entered my life on a cool breezy Saturday afternoon at Sunshine Park, Balewadi, Pune. The year was 2010, if I am not mistaken. He was about 42 then. And he moved in. It was nice having him at home for those post-dinner walks and talks. He loved Old Monk and used to have a quarter daily before sleeping. In between those three pegs, we used to have conversations on varied subjects: Love, spirituality, family, cars, women, life in Mumbai, his past, and mine. 

Come what may, he used to always travel to Chembur from Pune for every weekend. That used to give me my personal time and space.

He introduced me to the dance bars in Panvel and am forever indebted to him for that. Because of him I was able to see and study a side of life that would not have been possible otherwise. We also used to frequent Raj Hotel and made friends with an 'agent', who used to enthrall us with his crazy stories and anecdotes.

We ended up watching IPL matches and going on late night rides and drives. It was a great companionship and it lasted for a pretty long time till I shifted to another part of Pune, Hadapsar.

                                                xxx

I moved to Hadapsar, Pune when I started working for another organization nearby. After few months of staying alone, Rohan walked into my apartment and life through a common friend/ex-colleague. He moved in. 

Well, this was a bromance in the making. We loved and respected each other a lot and shared a lot of back stories, incidents, events, and dinner too! He was truly good at understanding and accepting me as I am. It was always good having him around for spontaneous late night movie shows, pick-ups, doorstep deliveries, etc. :-)

I turned into a mentor for him for many things while he mentored me on business development and other such ideas. Soon four months passed away like a dream... like a cool breeze and I got a calling to take a break from mundane life and work. He dropped me to my bus from Pune to Bangalore because I was moving to Thiruvannamalai. I had a lump in my throat while saying goodbye to him and am sure, he was emotional too. But he never was the kind to show emotions. :-) 

Though coming from a small town of Jalna, Rohan has none of its trappings and is a true cosmopolitan by spirit and nature. I shall never forget our various outings together: to malls, restaurants, movies, Panvel, and to meet Jeevan. Another thing, we both shall never forget is our last night in Pune! :-)

Rohan and I are still in touch pretty frequently and in fact, we went on a short trip to Thailand recently. Our bromance is still on and going strong, I guess. Thanks, Rohan for being a part of my life... And being for me now too. 

                                                xxx

All good things must come to an end. My long break from work ended too. The immediate cause for it ending maybe a subject for another blog post some other time. But I needed a job quick and like now! I got a job quick enough and moved out of my bro's house in Bangalore. 

Now, I needed a roomie badly because I was paying a rent that I clearly could not afford on my own. Vineet came one evening. He liked the house and he said he will come tomorrow morning again to see the place! I was like WTF! He was like every place looks different in the day and in the night; I was like whatever. 

He did come the next morning. And that was the beginning of a new bromance. Similar to Rohan, he too was a good conversationist though he did take his time to open up initially. Then, we became thick friends; now, he considers me like his own elder brother but advises me like one too! :-)

We have had a lot of conversations over relationships, love, women, business ideas, more business ideas, and yet some more! He is a true Sindhi by birth and by nature but has a heart of gold. We miss each other nowadays because I have had to move out of that house in Ulsoor due to reasons beyond the boundary of this blog post. But yes, I know that I still have a place called home at Ulsoor, as per his own words! :-)

                                                xxx

Hats off to you three guys. I have spent considerable amount of time with you folks and it did make a lot of difference to my life. 

Vineet and Rohan, thanks for being there always and all the ways! Maybe, we three should travel together to Thailand together... What say? If and when that happens, that will be a trip of a lifetime! 

This much I know.

Delhi mein Aankhon Dekhi, Queen, and Swapaanam

Delhi has welcomed me with a thunderstorm on my very first evening here. The city is unlike all the other cities I have lived in the past; this city is trying to say something to you every minute. There are a lot of stories in every nook and corner: from the broker to the rickshaw-wallah (electric rickshaw, CNG, and shared) to the sleepy waiters who have opened shops and restaurants well before business time can begin.

One thing is for sure: the city sleeps late and wakes up late.  

Coincidentally, got a chance to get passes to India Habitat Centre’s Film Fest with a Retrospective on Aparna Sen. The fest started with getting free passes for movies last Friday…

The opening movie was Rajat Kapoor’s Aankhon Dekhi; a universal film that charts the journey of a simple family man who unknowingly hurtles in life towards enlightenment. The fun part is that he himself never realizes it. From a high moral ground to a place where he is beyond morality… From a brother to a teacher…

This is one movie that never felt unreal; the actors did really well. Rajat Kapoor and Sanjay Mishra stand out in their performances; loved the brothers despite their love-hate relationship.

Please watch this one; and yes, don’t miss the ending.

Queen is a genre-defying film: it is at once a coming-of-age film, at once a slice-of-life film, and also a chick-lit film at the same time. And there is nothing to be ashamed of. The film hits all the right notes at the right time: it got it right, I guess, when it cast Kangna Ranaut and Rajkumar as then main leads. Vijaylakshmi played the kind of best friend and buddy we all craze for: wild, loving, caring, and independent.

The performance of Kangna as Rani aka Queen is flawless. Just like Lata Mangeshkar in her heydays; kambakht kabhi galati hii nahi karti hain! Her friends/roomies in Amsterdam leave their mark too despite none of them speaking much…

With Queen, Vikas Bahl has beaten Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hain… Kangna has beaten those three mature actors in their own game! Watch out for her!

Shaji Karun’s Swapaanam deals with his and my favourite subject: the relationship of a muse with her artiste. He comes out on top, once again. 

When compared with Vaanaprastham, it falls a little short. Jayaram, easily the most underrated actor in Malayalam cinema, once again shows his versatility. The chenda and he become one just like his muse Kadambari becomes one with dance. It explores all human emotions with art and artiste’s expression of life through art at its centre. Kadambari has played her role well keeping it sensual without being erotic!

After Sesham, Sneham, and Theerthadanam,  Jayaram proves once again that he can easily hold his head high in company of colossal giants, such as Mohanlal, Mamootty, Murali, and Thilakan, etc.

Well, the film fest is not over yet; dim the lights and am ready for my next show!