Ship of Theseus

Three short stories interlinked. This has been done before multiple times in multiple ways and in multiple angles. But has it been done better? That is the question that this movie poses. It’s for you to answer; it’s tough you know to answer nowadays because quantum physics, science, and spirituality leave you with more and more questions without right answers. Maybe, variable answers.

Anand Gandhi, I assume, is a voracious reader and the film just goes on to showcase the books he has read, philosophies he has read, spiritual talks/discourses he has heard, and discussions he may have had with people. I am sure that he and I have read the same books, listened to the same discourses, and had same discussions though with different people. Because the movie’s method of tying up the three short stories and the content of the shorts are pretty similar to a feature film’s screenplay that I had conceptualized about six months ago: The Carpet. Ship of Theseus asks the very same questions that The Carpet would have asked and maybe, even answered. Maybe!

The movie, though brilliant in all respects, stops just short of being an experience for me. It remains a movie though it aimed for more. And yes, I did hold out my hand more than once; I could not relate with any of the three leads. They were characters living on this very earth but they were not convincing enough. They did not feel real.

They espoused a very non-native language (English) and had some gems of wisdom too but the conversations felt staged. But then, it could just be me and my realism.

Ship of Theseus stays a very honest film till the very end; it has genuinely good cinematography, screenplay, and well-etched characters.

One of the best shots of the film for me is where the camera lens cover falls into the rapid river below and the photographer has no choice but to capture a scene internally. Revealing without showing… at its best.

The basis of the title is provided right at the beginning of the film. I loved that.

“Where do I end and the other begin?” Is it like that? I mean, is the question valid? Ramana has asked and answered this umpteen times. Thanks, Anand Gandhi for framing the question in the form of a film.

I will await your next. And, thanks to Kiran Rao for bringing this gem out.

The 4As

Ahmedabad, a city that is just 400-odd kms from Mumbai. A city where you are welcomed by a hill made of landfill with scores of scavengers doing circumambulations over it. That scene, as I knocked on the city walls, kind of reminded me of Arunachala!

And I am in Ahmedabad only after 33 years of wandering and travelling. Finally when I made it to Ahmedabad after a grueling 31-hour bus journey from Bangalore, it really was worth it. 

Aghavizhi’s screening happened on Friday at the Alliance Francaise. We received good response and there was an engaging Q&A session after the film; here is what few members of the audience had to say:

Devam Shah, artist and student: “This was a unque film; I have never watched anything like this before in a short film! The film is written and conceived well. Really well.” 

Martin Phillipe, Director and French Language Teacher at Alliance Francaise: “It is a disturbing film; I need to watch it a second time.”

    

Maïté Courgeon, Senior French Language Teacher at Alliance Francaise: “I loved the film! Even, I feel that I should watch it again to interpret it better.”

On Saturday night, I was one among the many enthralled listeners to be privileged to listen to Tom Alter, one of our most respected actors. This man is a film institution by himself! He is an actor who is a big supporter of Indie and short films. And in supporting short films, he supports Shamiana in a big way. For more than an hour, Tom Alter enthralled all and sundry assembled for Shamiana’s screening of four shorts at Darpana Academy:

• The Echo

• The Tigers Are All Dead. Aren’t They?

• The Colors of Pride

• Bye Bye Bunny

Tom Alter had acted in the short titled The Colors of Pride. He talked at length about the film, film-making, passions, a major shortcoming of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and also demystified alcoholism, drugs, and six pack abs! He shared anecdotes about Sunil Dutt, Vyjayantimala, Amrapali, Dilip Kumar, Satyajit Ray, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Gandhi (the movie), Raj Kapoor et al. 

The one that gave me goose bumps was his take on Sunil Dutt’s march from Mumbai to Amritsar Golden Temple along with Priya Dutt during the Punjab riot days. 

The way he talked about how egos help you make films and how egos help you work together was enlightening.   

P.S.: The city is a great place for foodies: I munched on Jassuben’s Pizzas, sandwiches, Gujarati thalis, and kulfi! Yes, and it rained on Friday evening. It was the rainiest Friday in decades!

A Late Quartet

A Late Quartet is a 2012 American drama film co-written (with Seth Grossman), produced, and directed by Yaron Zilberman. 

The film uses chamber music played by the Brentano String Quartet and especially, Beethoven's Opus 131.

The star cast is to die for: 

• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Robert Gelbart (Second Violinist)

• Christopher Walken as Peter Mitchell (Cellist)

• Catherine Keener as Juliette Gelbart (The Violist)

• Mark Ivanir as Daniel Lerner (First Violinist)

• Imogen Poots as Alexandra Gelbart (daughter of Robert and Juliette)

As the quartet (The Fugue) approaches its 25th anniversary, diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease of its lynchpin member (Peter) unleashes drama in their relationships and lives. He is the wisest of all and the hub around which the quartet was formed and survived.

Long repressed emotions, simmering jealousies, egos, and sacrifices come slowly to the surface. Impartially, we understand that each member feels right from his or her point-of-view. From interview reels of each player, we learn how the quartet was formed, how each member has sacrificed ‘solo’ dreams or other dreams to form and keep the quartet together. 

To add to the team dynamics, Alexandra comes into the picture by falling in love with Daniel. He also falls in love with her; he professes that she is the first woman he loved. In a brilliant but casual scene, Alexandra rightly summarizes the secret of the quartet’s success in one of her conversations with Daniel. 

As the film unfolds, Alexandra matures more and shows her maturity to Daniel in a crucial scene.

This movie is about playing together, learning from that, and about the cause (the music and the quartet) being bigger than each individual member. It’s about beauty, about creation, and about being happy about one’s position in the scheme of things. 

It’s about the bigger picture; really, that scene in which Peter Mitchell tells his music class an anecdote about meeting Pablo Casals says it all.

It’s about having a graceful exit and passing the baton to the next generation. With hope. With passion. It’s about leaving a legacy. 

Bravo. 

Go ahead, close those notes, and play with your heart, with feelings, and with passion. 

Naboer (Next Door)

This is a 2005 Norwegian psychological thriller film written, directed, and produced by Pål Sletaune. In the movie, the protagonist John is apparently drawn into a sexual, violent game by his two beautiful neighbours.

Naboer received an over-18 rating in Norway, which had only happened to four Norwegian movies before.

The movie opens with the main character, John (Kristoffer Joner), being dumped by his girlfriend Ingrid (Bache-Wiig). He then becomes acquainted with his next-door neighbours, the beautiful sisters Anne (Mosli) and Kim (Schacht). We also get introduced to Ake, his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, who is waiting downstairs while she is collecting her things.

The two sisters appear to know a strange amount of details about him and Ingrid. It soon becomes clear that he is being entrapped in a twisted, psychological, sexual, and violent ‘mind game’.

How this mind game unfolds forms the rest of the movie.

Pål Sletaune deserves a bow; he valiantly goes inside that dream machine: the human mind. Along with him, he makes us too delve or rather peep inside the complex, self-serving, narcissistic, self-deceiving, and dark recesses of the mind.

This is one of those rare movies where a character (one of the two sisters) succeeds in seducing not just John but also most members of the audience (men and women alike), I assume. I was seduced.

This is one of those rare movies where the protagonist and the audience move together at the same pace. We know what he knows, what he remembers, what he sees…

This is one of those rare movies that I want to watch once again…

This is one of those rare movies that would have made even Freud and his patients, a few serial killers, and others proud…

Hell, it would surely make Pedro Almodovar proud.

The movie is a wonderful metaphor. It unfolds perhaps the best metaphor that I have seen in a movie: the two sisters live in a maze of an apartment; full of clutter, clatter, narrow and dark passages, packed boxes, locked doors (which need the right keys to be opened), et al.


Got it?

Aghavizhi (The Inside Eye)

This is Lensmangops Pictures fourth short film (20 min.); definitely their best if you go purely by execution.

What starts out as a simple run-of-the-mill love story/triangle soon twists and turns into ‘dark film’ territory. Its only short-coming is that it had the potential to be a ‘darker film’ but it refuses to take that plunge.

The film/concept blends dreaming state, waking state, parallel universes, and quantum physics into a heady mix. After the film is over, it resonates inside till you come to your own conclusion(s).

The concept is spectacular and the film is open-ended. This is the kind of film that I love to watch because it respects its audience. It manipulates them and even taunts its own concept once (when Anjan says to himself: “This has to be a dream! This better be a dream… Wake up! Just wake up!”) Now, that is a rare quality in films, especially, in short films.  

Excellent BGM, cinematography, and editing along with first rate performances by all the main leads make this one of the best short films to come out in 2013.

The direction and screenplay subtly take a backseat and let us be thrilled with all the other aspects of film-making.

Gopakumar is no Nolan because saying so will be an insult to both these wonderful storytellers and filmmakers. But yes, Gopakumar is a guy to watch out for.

Aghavizhi is that kind of film: you either love it or you hate it. But you certainly cannot ignore it; you will surely talk about it to fellow film lovers.

Yes, you will be tempted to watch this film once again; just to make sure that you are not dreaming!

Note: Yes, I have co-written the screenplay along with Gopakumar but this review is an objective and unbiased review written as a film lover.

Silver Linings Playbook

I looked forward to watching this movie. Especially, for its star cast. And because of its subject and theme: bipolar disorder and depression and life.

Let me say at the very outset that there was a Malayalam movie Vaddakunathan that dealt with the subject of bipolar disorder better than this one.

So I finally got down to watching this movie yesterday afternoon… Well, at the end, I feel that it is a Bollywood script filmed by a Hollywood director! It just contains a lot of hamming and unrestrained acting by Bradley Cooper and his parents.

Only Robert De Niro excels and Chris Tucker excel in parts. In fact, Chris Tucker's character could have been given some depth. 

It becomes a ‘trying-too-hard-to-be-a-feel-good’ film. About happy endings and how we all can live with bipolar disorders and sex addictions and manic depressions… But portrays everything in an unscientific and impractical way. Here, the lead character knows what he is suffering from, can’t let go of his wife, his past, frustrates everybody, yells in the middle of the night, etc., but wants everybody to understand him and love him.

Somehow a woman, who suffers her own tragic situation (accidental death of a husband leaving her high and dry), is plotted into his life and love blossoms between the two. In fact, love (lust?) is almost thrust upon the bipolar-disordered leading man without any idea about its consequences or humane thoughts. This very approach is clichéd and insults the intelligence of the average movie lover.

Jennifer Lawrence’s performance and the well-choreographed dance sequence are the only silver linings in this dark cloud! I shall let this one pass by and await good rain and sunshine from another one.

Promised Land

It’s just a job. Or is it just that?

Skewed development over farming? Environmental risks over cleaner energy resources? Oil and coal or natural gas?

The movie does not answer these questions because like us and them, it does not know the answers too well. At least as of now.

There are reasons to be worried about drilling natural gas and one of them is fracking! Well, there is a good line somewhere about fracking: “That Global has been fracking this nation for over 50 years!” Sounds intentionally funny, right?

But then, it is not an environmental film with solutions… or questions. It is a movie with its heart in its right place.

A complete feel-good film; it makes you feel good that you watched it.

You feel good that there are still such farm lands few and far in between where corporate greed and corruption is knocking. Where they have not yet settled down for good…

You kind of yearn to listen to somebody ask you: “Are you the owner of this land?”

Somewhere there are still folks who rear miniature horses and teach kids how to take care of something.

Germination?

That school textbook word!? Yes, but this time not for a seed but for an idea, a concept. A way of life? Or just a slice?

I am truly inspired by Into the Wild, On the Road, The Grizzly Man, and other road movies, stories, and novels… Can I be a good Samaritan on the road? A monk on a pilgrimage? A travel writer itching for unspoken and unseen places and stories and people?

Be on the road for a full year?

What would be the conditions? The consequences? The goal(s)?

Few conditions:

I shall carry no ‘emergency’ money throughout the journey.

I shall do odd jobs along the way during the short stays and use that money purely for travel, food, and other necessities.

I shall carry a cell phone only for emergency purposes.

I shall visit and meditate on all the sacred/holy places along the way…

I shall walk and hitchhike most of my journeys or travel in public transport only.

I shall be spontaneous along the way.

I shall be ready for anything, anyplace, and anyone.

Consequences:

I shall be travel-weary, lose lot of weight, and be more insightful.

I shall have stories to tell: real stories. More experiences. More introspection. More perspectives. Better understanding of people and places.

The goal(s):

A work of art? A song and a dance? Unending peace? A piece of prose? A script or more? A slice of life or slices, rather? A memory entirely mine where I am the lead?

Meet God within and without? Learn?

When do I start? From where?

TVMalai is a good place to start from and end too. Maybe, this May? June? Travel south, up north to the west, and keep moving…

What shall I pack other than a toothpaste, toothbrush, towel, soap, and pair of books and a pen?

Few clothes, inner wear  few ID Cards, loaded cellphone with currency to last a year. A camera, perhaps? An umbrella, my sunglasses, few books, a bottle to fill water… 

The 10th BYOFF, Puri, Odisha

I participated in the recently concluded BYOFF’s (Bring Your Own Film Fest) 10^th edition held at The Pink House, CT Road, Puri, Odisha from February 21 to February 25, 2013.

Sun, sand, and cinema. It proved to be a perfect setting to watch a lot of films by truly independent filmmakers.

Organized by Gurpal Singh and others, it is a fest not to be missed. Primarily, for the kind of films you get to watch, the people you meet there, the food (especially, seafood), and for the ambience all of this creates.

Every evening, the cool sea breeze wafted through while you were watching films and the moon made its daily sojourn through the shamiana sky.

Loved meeting fellow filmmakers and film lovers like Anamitra, Sriparna, Twish, Sayak Shome, Sounak, Joohi, Sourav, et al. We had amazing conversations and discussions over drinks and dinner.

The best films that were screened were:

• Parallels, Almost
• Paperbag
• Nothing Unusual
• This is not Funny – (and this is not in 3D)
• Jaadui Machchi

Also, loved the following documentaries:

• Char – No Man’s Island
• Quarter No. 4/11

There was an open stage every day and I was impressed by the talent that was on display. Vipin Heero (songwriter, singer, and composer) sang amazingly ‘native’ and original songs along with Kabir’s songs. This guy is a talent to watch out for.

Most of the film enthusiasts, including yours truly, pledged to pay whatever they can to tide over the current and last years’ fest expenses.

So I hope that I shall be there again next year too! Bhadaas dho!

On the Road

This is a movie (based on Jack Kerouac’s novel by the same name) that should be seen and enjoyed within its context and period. The Beat generation was defined by Salinger, Burroughs, Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac.

I admit that except for A Catcher in the Rye, I have not read any other Beat literature but the film On the Road directed by Walter Selles (The Motorcycle Diaries) compels me.

Angst, non-conformity, search for meaning, jazz, music, sex, drug use, communism et al defined the Beat generation of the 50s and so did the cold war. And its politics.

Jack Kerouac (the man who coined the term ‘Beat Generation’; doesn’t he deserve the Nobel Prize for that?) took multiple road trips with his free-spirited, hedonistic friend, Neal Cassady (played to perfection by Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund, respectively). The movie is autobiographical; he started writing and rewriting from 1948 through 1951/52, I guess. Finally, it was published in 1957.

The film was filmed in 2010 and released in 2012 but retains the period look. And what a period it was: Blissful, upbeat, beatific, and beaten up.

It makes you ponder how much of anything is enough… Everything comes at a price. And free will and choice(s)… Does that make your life richer?

Like the film shows: The best teacher is experience.

Ozhimuri (A Document of Separation)

An Excellent work. One of the best Malayalam movies to come out after the world said Y2K and forgot that more than a decade has passed by since.

Jeyamohan and Madhupal, take a bow. When is your next film releasing?

Ozhimuri is also about separation. Of matriarchal and patriarchal systems. Of transitions and transformations. Of systems, processes, procedures, and people. Of mundane and bitter-sweet lives lived among all these.

It also raises valid observations and questions on the age-old theory of Nature vs. Nurture. How your personality maybe defined by nurture but your behavior patterns maybe defined by nature…

Childhood, upbringing, selective memories all work together to create a child’s world and his memories of parents and parenting. Judgments are based on our biases and inclinations towards either one of our parents…

Why do certain people act cruelly with their loved ones? 

This movie does not give us definite answers but surely provides a lot of food for thought. The movie does not judge any of its characters and therein lies its greatest strength. It shows pretty artistically and realistically how most of us are formed by circumstances and other external factors. How we hardly choose who or what we become and how we behave. But in spite of all that, love can always find a way to our hearts though we may hardly know how to express it.

It poetically shows how empathy is of extreme importance when it comes to any relationship; how you may never be able to forgive and/or forget your parents, spouse, children and their deeds but you can surely empathize with them. And empathy comes only with understanding and openness. Comes with acceptance that your memory, vision, judgment, stereotyping, labeling et al are limited in scope. There is always some knowledge or some information that you may have missed… while you label a person ever so consciously/subconsciously.

It shows us how lifelong-held values and egos do not matter when death stares at us closely. How forgiveness and self-defense mechanisms find their way in our search for self-identity and that elusive treasure: peace of mind.

Watch it for its outstanding performances (Lal and Shweta Menon deserve special mentions) and its brilliant screenplay; also, watch yourself while you are at it.

Yeah, and do not judge the person, sitting at the aisle seat, dozing away to glory. Or, the person who proclaims that Ozhimuri was such a bore… Remember, they may have their reasons. Sometimes, reasons that they themselves are not aware of.

Ozhimuri makes you come out wiser and, more importantly, nicer by the end of the film. At least, it does try. 

It did. For me.

Baran

Baran (Persian for 'rain') is an amazing piece of film-making by the Iranian master, Majid Majidi. 

He takes realism to an altogether different level here: a construction site close to the Afghanistan border in Iran is the primary setting for one of the most silent and short love stories on film.

The 17-year-old male lead discovers love and himself in this poignant tale which is poetry on celluloid. The female lead never utters a single word throughout the movie and speaks volumes through her glances and her eyes. You can hear her humming some times; behind veiled and curtained doors.

This bitter-sweet, coming-of-age movie is also about separation of two lovers who could have led a life together if it weren't for politics, organized religion, and borders.

You must watch this movie, if you have ever loved. And lost. Or, if you are a romantic activist.

There are a couple of scenes that will surely take your breath away: one is a conversation with a shoemaker and another is a silent scene just before Baran leaves Iran for her home back in Afghanistan.

Baran’s fleeting and almost invisible smile says it all. It kind of sums up the whole film in one scene.

Anyways, at the end of it all, a footprint is all that is left behind of people, of dreams, and of loves. 

Such is life... Always.

The Sessions

This is the kind of movie experience that I live for. I die for.

The Sessions is an independent drama film written and directed by Ben Lewin. It is based on an essay by Mark O'Brien, a poet paralyzed from the neck down due to polio who hired a sex surrogate to lose his virginity. John Hawkes and Helen Hunt star as O'Brien and sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen-Greene, respectively.

Sex can heal. It can bond. It can bring two people closer than anybody's imagination. And, sharing sex secrets with a third person (who was a stranger, in the beginning, and also a priest) can make him your best friend.

Ok, agreed that there was ‘a special needs’ person involved in the above situations but still the above statements are true. 

As Mark says in the movie, sex is serious. Mark also says: “I believe in a God with a sense of humor. I would find it absolutely intolerable not to be to able blame someone for all this.”

The humor and wit in the movie may remind you of Inside I’m Dancing. I digress but, in case, you haven’t watched that movie yet, please do!

Helen Hunt just sweeps you off your feet as an actress; her range is incomparable. This movie makes me reconfirm my belief of her being the best actress ever... Over any other actress of any decade across world cinema; yes, that includes everybody’s favorite (including the Oscar’s), Meryl Streep. 

This is a bold and brave role to take on; she has delivered more than another established actress would. I am not saying bold and brave because it includes nudity or sex, but because this is the kind of role that required her to live under the skin of her character and she went more than skin deep.

John Hawkes just makes you believe that he’s Mark O’Brien himself; so flawless is his performance. The importance of sexual intimacy between two people and the importance of being kind in a relationship is highlighted so well that it welled up my eyes. 

Just like Tukaram, The Sessions was a healing experience for me.

Yes, this movie is based on a true story… Please do read:
An article on Cheryl Cohen-Greene

An article on Mark O'Brien


And yes, for a detailed movie review, please visit:
Roger Ebert's review

A Separation

What an experience.

Asghar Farhadi’s Iranian masterpiece, A Separation, is the kind of movie that makes you think long after the end credits roll up. No, not think but rather reflect upon yourselves and people close to you and those incidents and revelations when you see everybody’s true nature.

This film portrays righteousness as a value to fight for. But it begs us to ask whether the fight is worth it? Should compromise be a better solution for incidents where we don’t know the truth or only know partial/half truths?

The film starts with a simple scene that establishes the two main characters much better than other films have established in their entire lengths. They are both arrogant, stubborn, and have reached a place in life where compromise seems like a loss.

The son-father-husband and the mother-wife protagonists have to deal with an incident that happens just after they are separated. Also, there are three children who are immediately affected by the incident.

The film shows that goodness, kindness, honesty, selflessness, family, ego, and self-righteousness are different things and these values change with situations and circumstances. Sometimes these values change in front of a judge (whether human or God… because we are afraid and god-fearing). In face of a life-changing situation, some people compromise and control themselves while some people can’t. How all this further affects the future for all characters involved is captured brilliantly.

Causality... Can we really point out the cause of an effect? Do we really know the truth? Can we? Can we claim that we are right and others are wrong?

The movie really asks us for answers to these questions and more. And, just like the movie ends, I too am waiting for my answers to mull over and regurgitate again and again.

A Teaser

Zara: I love the colour red. One fine night, it was cold; the moon was glowing red. I am alone. Far, far away, a wolf howled. A blood curdling cry. I saw blood oozing out of my belly. 

Was it mine?

Anjan: I love my wife. One fine day, I came home from work early. I opened my house door. A familiar, masculine fragrance emanated from our bedroom. I followed it to its source. I saw her in bed with a stranger. 

Or, was he?

Siddarth: I love my car. One fine moment, I lost my control and swerved off the road to hit a truck... That moment killed my two friends who were in the back seat. My friends were just corpses. I was the lone survivor. 

Why me?

Reflections: An unwilled 'Thought Process' Experiment

• Why do I judge others when I myself am human?
• Have I not been mean before?
• Have I not been rude? Angry at others because they are what they are?
• Why do I put somebody on a pedestal without knowing them fully in the first place? And, when they kind of fall from those heights, why do I feel hurt?
• Is it necessary that all disciples be like their masters just because they have sat at his feet?
• Why did I confuse certain facts with knowledge and truth?
• Why do I get angry when people break into my false sense of belongingness?
• Why do I get angry at others for their bloated egos when I can’t kick out my ego that peeps through my bloated sense of self-righteousness?
• When will I accept people as they are without being angry and irritated? When will I know that the solution includes me and my acceptance and not my indifference?
• When do I fully become a witness?

The thoughts/reflections ended with that final question. There was a 15-minute blankness after this question. A void. I came out of the void and here is the post...

Well, today morning, there was a small discussion over an insignificant event at home. As a consequence, much later in the afternoon, these reflections/thoughts entered my mind. I just penned them down here as they came without giving each thought any tangent or refuge.

I guess, this ‘seamless thought process’ that occurred on it own (without my volition) was an experiment on my long way home to becoming a witness.

When you are truly realized, you realize how much of life was lost in finding faults of others. – SN Goenka

Flight (My title: Flight of the Phoenix)

This is the second film in 2013 that I watched that deals with addiction as its core subject; this time it is alcohol and drugs.

Is alcoholism or drug abuse an issue even if you are a hero? A successful and resourceful hero, at that?

Denzel Washington probably comes up with one of his best performances in this movie that has a lot going for it. As a person who has seen up close what addiction can do to people, I could sympathize with him. He is an exemplary pilot/captain of a commercial airline. One of the best ever… the movie tells us. And also shows us.

The opening flight and landing scene is riveting and is certain to bring you to the edge of your seat. Thereafter, it is complete drama. About a person’s notion and cure for his own addiction, how he is confident that he can lead his life well even if he is drunk or high. How he can discharge his duties and responsibilities at work (even a high profile and high risk job of a pilot) even if he has had more alcohol and cocaine than an average teen…

Denzel Washington plays arrogance and self-defiance very well. Like you really feel like slapping him. But then, you understand that he knows he is addicted but in control! That is the crux. He does not crumble, is not indecisive or slurrish, has presence of mind, etc.

His wife and son had left him long ago. He has no friends. He is alone.

In the hospital after the crash, where he has saved 100 lives or killed six people (whichever way you want to look at it), he makes his first real friend: a woman who’s a drug abuser. They share similar pains. They share a painful past.

The woman rehabilitates but he can’t. He is so much into it that it is like making love, breathing or drinking water. How many days can you abstain from these?

Finally, he gets redemption at a FAA hearing where he confesses (even though it has already been proved that faulty maintenance of an elevator is to be blamed for the flight crash) to have been drunk and high for three consecutive days and nights leading up to the eventful flight.

For the first time, he confesses to himself that his habit is a problem for himself and for others around him even though he has never harmed anybody even when drunk or high. For the first time, he admitted that he had a behavioral problem. Accepting one’s own weaknesses makes you stronger.

A hero who saved 100 lives does not fall. That is the day, he rises.

This is a much, much better film than Spirit, starring Mohanlal, dealing with the same subject.

Shame, 360, and Safety Not Guaranteed

Shame is a modern-day classic. One of the bravest films I have ever seen because of the subject it shows: sex addiction. Richard Fassbender (Brandon) is really brave to take on this role of a lifetime.

The film just shows us the life of a sex addict, who has an independent apartment and a good job because he is able to pay for regular sex. He knows that he is an addict and how he uses sex to abuse himself. He knows that there is no way out than indulge. He does not seek pleasure for having sex has become a necessity like eating bread daily. Just plain bread.

We see a change in his attitude when his only sister Carrey Mulligan (Sissy) visits him and stays over for a few days. She is a vagabond singer who takes up gigs. We learn that she recently had a breakup from her boyfriend. In the first scene of their interaction, we come to know that there are past bridges between the two siblings that were not healthy. Probably, they had incestuous parents and/or they themselves had an incestuous relationship.

We see how they are still redeeming themselves from their past in opposite ways: Sissy clings to him for love, attachment, proximity while he detests all emotions. He can’t emote love, he can’t make love, he can only have sex. In fact, we see how Brandon guards his secret sex life even from his boss, who has casual sex or is looking for it every time he goes out with Brandon.

The independent and individual close-up shots of the Brandon (towards the end when he is having a threesome) and Sissy (when she is singing) show their caliber. Brandon is incapable of an orgasm; he just ejaculates. We see one of the best master shots/close-ups when we see him ejaculating with fear, pain, loathe…

The movie does not preach, does not deliver hope, cure, or a solution… but we do.

To read a better review of this movie, please visit: Roger Ebert's website.

360 is the kind of slice-of-life film that seamlessly showcases lives of different characters across the globe. All the characters are either in love, falling in love, or falling out of love. They are all dealing with loss, separation, and identity crises in one way or another.

The screenplay and cinematography come out winners in this one; Anthony Hopkins shines in an amazing monologue he delivers at a group therapy session. 

Yes, I loved 360.

Safety Not Guaranteed is an unpretentious film; it knows that it is a small-budget, realistic movie about an event that may or may not happen/have happened!

Just like all the characters in the film, we too are clinging to the past in more ways than one. Somebody is clinging to nostalgia, somebody to youth, and somebody to the loss of a dear one.

Among all this, we see an eccentric, departmental store clerk releasing a classified ad seeking a partner to accompany him in time travel to the past.

The classified ad:

“WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED.”

This is where the movie starts having fun with us. I loved the film and will watch it again. J

Dance

Today evening, while lazing in the cold waters of the swimming pool at my bro’s place after few consecutive laps, I saw what I thought was art: a jet trail high above in azure skies, an eagle gliding and circling right below the trail, a small cirrus cloud hovering near the jet trail, seven coconut trees swaying in the breeze, and to complete this picture, a praying mantis awaiting its next meal by the pool side.

A still-life painting… of Life presented itself to my feasting eyes in a glance. A moment across time and space. I thought it would have been great, if Gopu was here to photograph this scene…

Meanwhile, before the previous thought could make its way out of my mind, another one played itself on the screen:

• I am not a painter or sculptor.
• You are my dance; I am the dancer.
• What you see is me in creative motion; I do not exist separately from my creation.

Contented, I dipped into the cold water once again for my dance to continue.

Arunachala, a most silent muse

The mystic mountain is at works as always. 

Five months since i started dwelling near its visible shadow, unknowingly it has been silently seeing me in motion from afar... It peeps into my humble abode. On both full moon and new moon nights alike, it pours love into my overflowing heart. 

It is by far my most silent muse; the others chat or chatter. Over facebook, over email, in personal conversations, or in my imagination. 

It knows that my memories still rise and heave with deep sighs between mammaries where I had snuggled, nestled, laughed, and cried in the past. 

It knows all my intricacies, my 'what ifs', my unasked questions, and its unanswered answers. 

Sometimes, when the power goes off and the world is silent and sleepy, i hear His whispered words along with the soothing breeze and a mosquito's hum: Om shanti... shanti... shanti hii.

Raining muses

It's raining this winter; and it is not raining cats and dogs. It is not just another drizzle. 

This season, it's raining muses! 

Is this yet another seasonal shower?

Your Self

Whatever is done should be done not for yourself, but for your Self.

Whatever you want

i can be whatever you want me to be... for all relationships are nothing, but labels put by minds unable to understand them.

Diamond Necklace

His wicked smile. His guilt-ridden look. His infectious energy maybe fueled from years of subdued life with his mother in Kerala. These stay with me as a reflection of a part of me that was once me.

Theft, betrayal, guilt, fear, embarrassment, friendship, love, longing, acceptance, and confession are portrayed pretty well. And temptation… well, don’t we know that very well?!

Fahaad Fazil has given good montages and reactions in this film: Diamond Necklace. A movie that grows with repeated viewing; my interpretations adding up to make it better than intended, perhaps.

And in to this ‘happening’ life of Dr. Arun in Dubai, three women enter one by one. Pretty uninvited but without resistance too…

First, he falls in love with a charming, innocent village girl (working as a nurse) and takes her to bed. She is falling in love for the first time; he does not give it much thought.

He goes through life with all its motions. He is in debt: bad debt. He marries one of the girls thinking that that will end his financial worries and hoping that at least his mother will be happy. But life is not about solutions and borrowed happiness alone, as he discovers.

His heart falls for another woman, an interior designer. I think she is what he was looking for but by then he is married. But he loves her and so does she. They make love.

Even when loved truly by three women, he has no choice. Or so it seems.

After this what happens is… Few twists and turns but life takes care of everything.

Venu ettan, the quintessential Malayalee in the Gulf, helps him out. For Dr. Arun, life comes full circle.

He is just a pawn and dances according to strings being pulled by circumstances. Maybe, there is free will; maybe, not.

But do we control our 'free' will? Can we?

Anyways, in the end, we see:

• A simple village girl can make a big difference.
• A sinner can inspire a saint.
• A married woman can choose love over diamond.

Yes, these things happen.

Usthad Hotel and Adaminte Makan Abu

Ever watched a Zen movie? Apart from The Last Samurai or Seven Days in Tibet, etc.?

Usthad Hotel is a very contemporary Zen movie. The movie is a coming-of-age film wherein the lead actor finds his true calling and pursues it practically. He finds help and support from unexpected quarters. He receives his training, initiation, and instructions from his own grandfather, who is a chef and runs a small but popular seaside restaurant.

Thilakan, who plays the grandfather’s role, like only he can, has given one of his finest performances in years in a highly restrained role. His voice modulation is apt and so is his dialogue delivery. The way he mouths a dialogue while sipping sulaimani is worth watching the movie for.  

He trains his grandson, hands over the restaurant to him (his only legacy), and leaves on a final pilgrimage to Moinuddin Chisti’s dargah in Ajmer. Much earlier in the movie, he had talked about watching rainfall in a desert…

The cinematography and photography are top-notch. It reminds me of another recent classic: Adaminte Makan Abu. A simple story of a Muslim couple and their lifelong wish of going to Hajj. The film shows the struggles and travails they go through to fulfill their wish. How honesty and principles come in the way of fulfilling their dream makes your heart weep. Well, do they manage to fulfill their wish at the end of the movie?

“Do they need to go to Hajj?”… For me, that was the question answered by the end of the movie. 

Thanks, AMMA

The last half of this year has been a jolly good ride.

Chandrabadni is where your silence is loud and your soul will find a sound. It was here that it echoed: "Gar Firdaus rōy-e zamin ast, hamin ast-o hamin ast-o hamin ast."

After a pilgrimage to Haridwar, Hrishikesh, Chandrabadni, Triyuginarayan, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Hemkunt Sahib, Joshimatt, and Vaishno Devi, it was time for a pilgrimage from Devbhoomi to God’s Own Country.

Visiting the ever crowded Guruvayur temple to the serene Triprayar to the magnificent Koodalmanickam to the imposing Padmanabha temple was a blessing. Near the Padmanabha temple, we also visited an ancient temple home to the trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. 

This temple reminded me of Kailashnatha temple, Kancheepuram. Yes, for a moment, I did miss her. But then, I smiled at His leela.

Well, the highlight of this pilgrimage was meeting my 50-year-old cousin from Singapore who had joined us for this pilgrimage along with her mother. Before I forget, her mother has an amazing sense of humour!

We were meeting each other for the first time. So after the usual pleasantries, we started opening our flood gates. We talked, debated, discussed, and read… Osho, Matruvani, Ramana… et al. Day in and day out, we were exchanging notes, observations, and animatedly pointing to statues and carvings on some temple walls.

Finally, we decided to be ‘inmates’ at AMMA’s Ashram, Vallikavu, Kollam. Also, known as Amritapuri. This ashram is an experience by itself. For me, it’s just different from any other ashram I had ever been to or stayed at. You must visit this ashram at least once before you die. Better to visit the place when AMMA is not around because it is quieter and more peaceful. Plus, from what I observed, people are more open to talk to you. They are less busy.

Both of us talked to a lot of ashram inmates serving out life sentences completely out of love, utter devotion, and maybe in blind faith! ;-) They had a lot to say about AMMA and her leela. Her mysterious ways and her projects. It was nice meeting Sindhu, Srija, the French-bearded man in the garment store, and the beautiful coffee-makers in the Western cafe. What a way to begin your day… sipping smoking, hot coffee.

We witnessed a sunrise, a sunset, and a quite walk to the beach, and a guided tour through Amritapuri campus. Well, including the ‘Where is the beach and where is the kayal?’ joke, it was a good communion between souls.

AMMA, thanks for the three days spent there; I guess, we needed it and you being in Europe was like icing on the cake. J And frankly, la… the sharjah shake served at your ashram is awesome too.

Om Puurnnam-Adah Puurnnam-Idam Puurnnaat-Purnnam-Udacyate

Puurnnashya Puurnnam-Aadaaya Puurnnam-Eva-Avashissyate ||

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||

(500) Days of Summer

There are two types of movies that stand out from among the many types of movies made and watched: 

1. A movie that is so complete that you should watch it only once; repeated viewing may spoil the experience.
2. A movie that grows on you every time you watch it. Repeated viewing reveals a bit of your own self. (500) Days of Summer belongs to the latter category.  

Yesterday, I watched it for the second time. It’s awesome how you live/relive multiple lifetimes while watching certain movies.

 

The first time I had watched it, I was rooting for Tom.

I could relate to him. It was like random incidents from my love lives being played out in front of me and I was all out supporting Tom. I wanted him to be happy even though the movie hinted otherwise. I was disappointed with Summer not being able to love Tom the way he loved her.
 
I got angrier when Summer finally marries another guy when she adopts Tom’s belief in soul mates, love, and fate. She reveals this to Tom while they are sitting in Tom’s favorite spot in the city. Tom says that he can never understand how she can feel something for another guy which she never felt for him! Even I couldn’t.

 

Yesterday, I felt miserable for Tom.

I could see the other side.

Though most of the movie is shown from Tom’s perspective, a balanced viewer can see Summer’s side too. There is even a scene where the screen is split into to two: one showing Tom’s expectations and the other showing reality!

Summer always looked upon Tom as her best friend with whom she can share anything: secrets, time, sex, window shopping, etc. Acts and activities that Tom misunderstood as intimacy, romance, and love. There are plenty of scenes where Tom’s friends and sister tries to show him the truth and reality and he just refuses to believe that Summer does not love him. He roots for his stupid belief that because he loves her so much and so consummately, there is no way that she does not love him back! Most of us have been there and done that, right?

I saw Summer as a free-thinking, independent, and fun-loving girl who lives life in the present moment and does whatever she feels. Summer was always honest with him and, in the beginning of their relationship, had already revealed to him that she does not believe in love and she was looking for a casual relationship. Her relationships were not bound by generic labels and boundaries put down by the majority. For example, for her being friends with Tom also included having quality and experimental sex with him. But she never lied to him.

The movie also shows that once you set up a premise, a background… you can tell a story in a non-linear sequence because life and memory is a string of events, which may not necessarily move along with passage of time and space. Events in life may not have a cause-and-effect relationship. Memories may not be stored sequentially.

If you were in love, (500) Days of Summer is a must-watch. And then, please watch it again and again.

Tukaram

Tuka manhe! A very simple saying from a very simple man. His life, his village, Dehu, and its villagers.

In the movie, Tukaram, not only do we get a glimpse of the life and times of Tukaram, one of most revered saints of India, but also of Tukaram, the man, the husband, the brother, the child, the son, the trader et al.

Just like Lord Ram had to undergo all that an average human being undergoes in life when he/she dons several roles, Tuka too underwent a lot: education, apprenticeship, marriage, famine, hardships, pilgrimages, separation, death of loved ones and one of his beloved.

The movie does not portray Tukaram as a saint nor do we see a halo behind him. But we love him anyway.

His moment of enlightenment during a drought has been captured very simply and brilliantly. Brought tears to my eyes. Watching Tukaram made me cry many times.

I needed that.

First, the man drowns his materialistic wealth into the Indrayani river; later, the saint drowns his spiritual wealth (all his abhangs and kirtans) into the river. He becomes silent. He did not need words anymore; his words are etched in the hearts of those blessed to be in his presence.

The movie lifted itself from being an art form to being an experience. Very few movies have succeeded at this level.

After a long time, I felt cleansed after watching a movie.

The Dirty Picture

The Dirty Picture is a very, very fine picture. 
Take a bow, Vidya Balan.

Sigh

The sunlight crept in and was trying to peep inside his bedroom. It was just another dawn of just another day.

Suddenly, his cell rang. He answered it. It was her call. She was calling him after what seemed like a long, long time to him.

She said, “I am sorry. Do you still love me?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replied.

He could hear a sigh of relief there and here. Then they started talking…

Now, everything is back to normal. They are together again: across the 1,000 miles that separate them, across the time that divided them. They talked about the temple, about their daughter, about their future ahead… just like old times.

Then he woke up. Felt sad and sat up cold like a stone. Alas, it was an early morning dream… Today morning, he dreamt of her.

Sigh. A thousand and eight sighs.