Yeh Jo Des Hai Mera.....

Have you ever taken a full blown punch in your gut? Do you know what it feels like? Well I don't know too..but I think it would be somewhat similar to how it felt when Shah Rukh Khan in Swades says " How long are we Indians going to be saying- So what if there is poverty, casteism, communalism, corruption, unemployment here. We have our culture and tradition." And he goes on to explain how every other country has its own culture and tradition and that is in now way inferior to ours. That in my opinion was one of the defining moments of Swades. In pointing out the obvious, in stating in the open a fact which we all know and yet choose to ignore, in making a simple but candid observation, that it is high time we stop brushing all our dirt under the carpet of our Sanskar and Parampara, Ashutosh Gowrikar makes a powerful impact with Swades.

This is not a review of Swades, because, for once, I feel words will not suffice in doing justice to the experience of watching this movie. A realistic screenplay, brilliant portrayals by the cast and magical music make this movie a classic. Some of the things in the movie that affected me:

The reunion: The characterisation and casting of Kaveriamma was most appropriate- affable, instantly lovable, at times fragile, at times the pillar of support you need, and most importantly without a hint of artificiality- making her so easy to relate to. The scene where Shah Rukh meets her in Charanpur was beautifully crafted. There was no melodrama, none of the famed Bollywood senti overdoses, and no dialogues!! You could feel the emotions, the happiness that can make you cry with joy.....

Hunger and Thirst: The scenes where Shah Rukh comes face to face with the stark realities of India- the weaver turned farmer who is ashamed because of his inability to pay his debt, his family who sacrifice their meal and go hungry just to see their weary guests enjoy a decent dinner, the boy who screams his throat hoarse selling water to quench other people's thirst.
What makes Swades so special is the fact that the scenes convey far more than the words spoken- the look of absolute helplessness in the weaver's eyes, the unbridled sorrow when he breaks down. Shah Rukh has given his best performance to date- the quivering fingers when he takes the water, the heartfelt sadness he conveys through his teary eyes. The trademark stammer in his dialogue delivery is missing, but even if it was present it would have seemed so naturally indicative of him being choked by his feelings......

Ye Jo des Hai Tera: A.R Rahman- need I say more.....undoubtedly the best song he has sung so far, the heartfelt emotions, the power of Javed Akthar's words, the haunting Shehnai, you can feel your insides melt, a warmth spread deep inside you, a difficult to describe pleasant uneasiness envelop you, you can feel the soul of India calling out to you.....

Swades is not pathbreaking; It is an honest attempt to tell us Indians to see what is right before our eyes. I also don't subscribe to the common opinion that it is a call to the NRIs all over the world. In my opinion, it is a call to every Indian to make his boondh of contribution towards a saagar of betterment of his country. Swades does not make me drop everything I am doing and go find a village to build a hydroelectric plant( not that I remember enough of my electrical engineering!); But it manages to plant a germ of a feeling within me....a feeling that someday, sometime in the future, I should try and do a little something for my country.......

A rainy afternoon in Calcutta……

I was curious to see a Rituparno Ghosh movie after hearing and reading about the critically acclaimed Choker Bali. I was pretty much bored to death, and in spite of hearing that Raincoat was painfully slow paced and empty, I decided to go ahead and watch it. Well, Ghosh paints a poignant picture of selfless sacrificing lovers, infused with subtleties and symbolisms on a gloomy, wet monsoon canvas. Did that make sense? I thought that’s how a quasi art quasi commercial movie review usually is….. Okay let me cut the crap and get to what I really wanted to write about….

Raincoat (inspired by O.Henry’s ‘Gift of the Magi’) is a movie that is nice in parts and dull and lifeless in most. The storyline is pretty simple, Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai play estranged lovers who meet after a long time. Though mired in problems of their own, they lie to each other about how they couldn’t be doing better in their lives. This act meanders on and finally culminates in them making selfless sacrifices to ensure each other’s happiness.

Ajay Devgan’s characterization is very realistic- foolishly in love, the kind who makes you bang your head in frustration when he wants to give away all he has for his love, when all he has is nothing. It is Aishwarya Rai who comes across as a little cold and artificial. In an effort to portray woman as being more practical in dealing with unfulfilled love affairs and having the ability to move on in life, Ghosh makes Aishwarya appear cranky and indifferent- as though she really doesn’t care much about not marrying Ajay Devgan.

There are some aspects which stand out in the movie- soulful and stirring Hindustani classical music with special credit due to Shubha Mudgal(What a voice!!); The rain which becomes such an integral character in the scenes, so much so that it seems to pervade the atmosphere around the viewer too; the short but beautiful conversations between Ajay Devgan and his friend’s wife; And the subtle but unexpected twist in the climax.

On the whole, Raincoat was like a firecracker with a really long fuse- Initially, the anticipation keeps you interested in the burning fuse, but as it goes on and on, you feel frustrated and the sputter in the end makes you wonder if it was really worth the long wait…

Vakrathunda Mahaakaaya.....

Vakrathunda Mahakaaya Sooryakoti Samaprabha
Avighnam Kuru Me' Deva, Sarva Kaaryesu Sarvadhaa.

My first blog....an invocation to Lord Vinayaka...the destroyer of obstacles, the God to pray to before beginning anything....and before I start sounding more religious than I really am....5 random streams of thought that come into my mind when I think of Him....

A symbol of hope? Elephant faced, pot bellied, broken tusk.....Who would give you a second look(other than a "Look at this freak!" stare) if you were like that?....But He has it all-the adulation,the adoration, the love and faith of millions....Is He trying to tell us..."We all have our faults, we are all different from one other..but We are what we think we can be......."

Did he drink or did he not? Call it blind faith, mass hysteria, scientific phenomenon but it still remains an inexplicable enigma as to whether He did or did not drink milk....

One God,Infinite forms From the abstract to the profound, this God's idol has been created in the most myriad of forms.....with people getting more creative by the day, He has been made to appear from a hibiscus flower, leaves of a plant and just a naturally formed rock....

Hariharan!! I said random streams of thought...Didn't I? Well the debut of the Colonial Cousins....the deep baritone of Hari singing the same prayer, fusing it with different forms and styles of music.....I can still imagine each word resounding clearly in my ear......

Communalism... It is indeed a pity that this supreme God has been forced to bear witness to the ugly face of Indian Communalism....The Immersion processions, where they go through, strategic routing to taunt and to incite... these so called protecters of Hinduism belittle their faith....vilify His name......