tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369897152024-03-09T18:46:02.225-08:00sakagazehttp://www.sakagaze.blogspot.com is the blog address for some of the cool and not so cool observations by Anindo Sen, a passionate Kolkatan. Kolkata is likely to feature prominently on this blog, just as it is likely to feature the personal preferences - as far as films, books or music or other finer aspects of life are concerned.Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.comBlogger375125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-77744661788490770282024-02-14T02:00:00.000-08:002024-02-14T02:00:32.648-08:00Of atheists, scientists and social-scientists Atheist: I don't believe in the supernatural. But I believe in equality and justice.<div>Scientist: Neither equality nor justice are natural. They are human fantasies. Like God and miracles. </div><div>[Devdutt Pattanaik] </div><div>What about social-scientists? I ask.</div><div>There is a far greater amount of denial and disbelief that a social scientist faces or counters these days, compared to an atheist or a scientist. </div><div>Some hard-core critics club the social-scientists with theorists, and mumbo jumbo jingoists, in fact, with anyone who is not based on the 'hard sciences', or even the 'common sense' reality. Now that maybe extreme, but the fact remains that social scientists are no longer trusted or looked up to as before. </div><div>One must remember, social scientists help quash myths. The call for advancement of social justice isn't a scamming scheme. </div><div>Social scientists are required to study social movements and changes brought about in society. </div><div>Even the literature written by the social scientists are often looked down upon by the so-called free world. Whereas, in reality, the social scientists use scientific methods to obtain evidence. They are meant to play a crucial role in evidence-based policymaking. </div><div>Part of what makes social scientists unique is their convergence research approach. </div><div>Research on human behaviour, cultures, markets, law, and politics are essential to understand the prevailing challenges in society. It's not just about the 'what' and 'how' of new technologies, but also the 'who' and 'why'.<br></div><div>Understanding the legal and regulatory landscapes is vital for the responsible development and adoption of technologies. <br></div><div>It is absolutely necessary to study the social and ethical dimensions of key problems. Societies are always about diverse values and beliefs. </div><div>Economic analysis and modelling help us evaluate the broader impacts of our policies and technologies, ensuring it's not just about innovation but about sustainable and equitable growth, that technologies contribute positively to society.<br></div><div>Social-scientific perspectives are indeed important and diverse disciplines are thus to be integrated to solve problems of sustainability in multiple fields. </div><div>Essential read: courtesy - Quantitative Social Science Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-2620531987929478052023-09-30T09:54:00.001-07:002023-09-30T09:54:44.403-07:00Places and memory associations What comes to your mind when you think of a place? A place you've visited, or a place you've lived for months, days or years...? <div><br></div><div>For most people, there are strong ties with any place, be it a city or a town or a state, that one has lived in, or stayed on account of work or pleasure. Usually the memory associations are different in case of places that have been part of one's life out of compulsion as opposed to choice. </div><div><br></div><div>While visiting places for the first time, it's the food or the special attractions that one gets attached to, quite naturally. However, sometimes, whatever we do, wherever, are always special because of the ones we share them with, when it's the people - or the relations we forge with them - attain a larger significance, and thereby provide us with a meaningful context to a place.</div><div><br></div><div>Delhi, more lovingly called Dilli, is a place that has been in my memory recall for a number of reasons, and none so poignant that a phantom association with certain people and the recurrent associations with the city, which otherwise brings a 'been there' and 'could've been' vibe for me, silly me.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>1. Endless Love (1981)</div><div>2. Class (1983)</div><div>3. Class of 1984 (1982)</div><div>4. Risky Business (1983)</div><div>5. Youngblood (1986)</div><div>6. Road House (1989)</div><div>7. El Perro aka Vengeance: The Dog (1977)</div><div>8. Straw Dogs (1971)</div><div>9. Barb Wire (1996)</div><div>10. White Palace (1990)</div><div>11. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)</div><div>12. Exchange Lifeguards (1992)</div><div>13. Basic Instinct (1992)</div><div>14. Mannequin (1987)</div><div>15. Sliver (1993)</div><div>16. Cocktail (1988)</div><div>17. Wild Orchid (1989)</div><div>18. The Blue Lagoon (1980)</div><div>19. Captain Ron (1992)</div><div>20. Bachelor Party (1984)</div><div>21. Chasers (1994)</div><div>22. Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)</div><div>23. The Emerald Forest (1985)</div><div>24. American Pie (1999) </div><div>25. 10 to Midnight (1983)</div><div>26. Lassiter (1984)</div><div>27. Indecent Proposal (1993)</div><div>28. Fatal Attraction (1987)</div><div>29. Neighbors (2014) </div><div>30. Holy Smoke! (1999) </div><div>31. All the Right Moves (1983) </div><div>32. Unfaithful (2002) </div><div>33. Never Talk to Strangers (1995) </div><div>34. The Indian Runner (1991)</div><div>35. Siddhartha (1972) </div><div>36. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)</div><div>37. Swimming Pool (2003) </div><div>38. The Dreamers (2003) </div><div>39. Cat People (1982) </div><div>40. The Fly (1986)</div><div>41. Pyar Ka Taraana (1993) </div><div>42. 8mm (1999) </div><div>43. Bully (2001) </div><div>44. Crash (1996)</div><div>45. Cruel Intentions (1999)</div><div>46. Damage (1992) </div><div>47. Dogtooth (2009) </div><div>48. Eyes Wide Shut (1999) </div><div>49. Wild Things (1998) </div><div>50. In the Cut (2003) </div><div>51. Species (1995) </div><div>52. Quills (2000) </div><div>53. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) </div><div>54. Lost Highway (1997) </div><div>55. Irreversible (2002) </div><div>56. Idle Hands (1999) </div><div>57. Angel Heart (1997) </div><div>58. Apocalypto (2006) </div><div>59. Knock Knock (2015) </div><div>60. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) </div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-62476881065561953432023-09-17T08:32:00.000-07:002023-09-17T08:33:02.466-07:00TIFF lookbackAs the curtains came down on this year's Toronto International Film Festival, here's giving a shoutout to some of our favorite films from the past that were screened in Toronto (some had their premiere, some came from other film festivals) <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div><div>The Whale (2022) </div><div>The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) </div><div>Decision to Leave (2022) </div><div>Broker (2022) </div><div>The Woman King (2022) </div><div>Women Talking (2022) </div><div>American Beauty (1999) </div><div>Ray (2004) </div><div>The King's Speech (2010) </div><div>127 Hours (2010) </div><div>Black Swan (2010) </div><div>Aftersun (2022) </div><div>Parasite (2019) </div><div>Belfast (2021) </div><div>Nomadland (2020) </div><div>Jojo Rabbit (2019) </div><div>The Fabelmans (2022) </div></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-83496947904868363272023-09-15T07:14:00.002-07:002023-09-15T07:40:09.563-07:00The things we do for loveThe things we do for love are often inexcusable, they cross the limits of sensibility and reason. <div><br></div><div>The things we do in the name of love are best termed excesses, and, ironically, they are romanticized in fiction, in films, in poetry, in songs. </div><div><br></div><div>The song "In the name of love..." (Bebe Rexha and Martin Garrix) goes: "If I warned you that the fire's gonna burn/ Would you walk in?/ Would you let me do it first?" </div><div><br></div><div>Well, it doesn't matter whether there was a caveat in the first place or not. No one enjoys getting burnt. Even if one escapes death or being maimed, one often has to suffer from the Once Burnt, Twice Shy syndrome for life. </div><div><br></div><div>PostScript: Have you seen a tall tree struck by lightning? I have. In my childhood, I was traumatized witnessing the top of a coconut tree catch fire when lightning struck. A common myth is to take shelter under a tree, to feel safe when it's raining and one's out on a field or by the roadside. Warning: it is NOT at all advisable to seek shelter under tall trees that attract lightning. </div><div>The worst memory of mine was witnessing the tree die a slow death thereafter. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-24372165324820832672023-03-03T23:40:00.001-08:002023-07-01T23:17:56.610-07:00time time ki baat hai... Time heals, they say. <div>Time, like tide, waits for none, they say. </div><div>Well, time does a lot of things. Possibly none so alarming as the fact that time distorts. </div><div>In time, things evolve, things change. </div><div>Time makes things morph. Time remains a silent witness to things mutating. Our feelings mutate as well. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div>To remain in life is to go around death.</div><div><br></div><div>To die is to exhaust all potential.</div></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-1379910548518665772023-01-01T19:01:00.000-08:002023-01-01T19:01:24.983-08:00a wish, a prayer I pray that all my friends and acquaintances get through the battles they don't tell me about. <div>I should know, of all people, because I myself don't share all my problems with friends or family, I prefer keeping things locked up inside. That is, in part, my inherent nature, and it's also because of how I've been conditioned as a child, as a young person. <div><br></div><div>However, I sincerely wish to tell all my friends: It's absolutely okay with me when you decide to open your heart to me, even if it is to make me feel that your battles are bigger than mine - no competition there, you see. </div><div><br></div><div>Simply lending a patient ear is also a part of being a friend. Whether or not the other person considers me to be their friend, I must remain non-judgmental of them when they share their woes. It can sometimes be too late for us to realize that we could have done things differently when we had attempted to reach out to our friends in distress. Even when we have an instant urge to reach out, we may stumble upon actual or perceived blocks and our moment's hesitation can cost us much. Clear all such blockages; it's tough, but, good luck to you.</div><div><br></div><div>May you all find a way to bear your burdens. May you find clarity in catastrophe, in the chaos that prevails. </div><div>I wish and I pray for all the happiness of this world for my family and friends - in this new year, and beyond.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-41829436637432169922022-12-31T10:25:00.001-08:002022-12-31T10:25:18.463-08:00Top 10 Movies Watched in 2022 <div>1. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) </div><div>2. First Cow (2019) </div><div>3. Minari (2020) </div><div>4. Decision to Leave (2022) </div><div>5. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) </div><div>6. The Worst Person in the World (2021) </div><div>7. Nope (2022) </div><div>8. Luca (2021) </div><div>9. Babysitter (2022) </div><div>10. Nocturnal Animals (2016) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-81235860924666950742022-08-29T13:22:00.002-07:002022-08-29T13:25:42.571-07:00Roshni, andhere mein<div>Seldom do we celebrate ad films, or commercials. But I'd love to give a shoutout to a really special one, since it celebrates movies, rather the movie watching experience in theaters. </div><div>"Iss andhere mein bahut roshni hai (there's light in this darkness)" - the poem by Vineet Panchhi, featured in the PVR ad is something that connects with me - with all of us cinema lovers, I'm sure - on a subliminal level. It has been filmed to celebrate the completion of 25 years of the PVR Cinema chain in India, and stars Aamir Khan, our favorite.</div><div>The emotions that the audience in a darkened auditorium traverses, as the magic of movies unfolds on the big screen, the bonding with cinema, escaping to a fantasy world, when the lights go down.... all these have been brilliantly conveyed in this short film, in the voiceover by Aamir Khan. </div><div>After having watched it across social media, I had to watch it on the big screen (at PVR, where else) as I was told by my good friend Sayantan that it was showing before the screening of 'Laal Singh Chaddha', starring Aamir Khan (which I rushed to watch for the second time, essentially for that promotional), and it brought such joy! Kudos to the makers! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div>I need to mention here that I was also reminded of the unforgettable Tom Cruise speech at the 2002 Oscars which celebrated the movie watching experience. People's habits have changed, cinema has evolved, watching movies is no longer the same (nor is it expected to remain the same over the years), but the thrill and the joy at the movies can always be cherished, the PVR ad does bring back the memories of all the good times.</div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-59915794489548948662022-07-26T08:36:00.005-07:002022-07-29T10:12:56.731-07:00Black and White fascination <div>The fascination with black and white films is real and ever present even in the recent times, long after they have stopped being the norm with the technological progress ushering films in color, as witnessed in our love and appreciation for the following special favorites - all from the 21st century. These are my very own special favorites (note: just three of them have used minimal scenes or sequences in color as special highlights, blends or contrasts), the ones I consider myself lucky to have feasted my eyes on. Here's the list (all of them are worth watching and absolute delights), not in any order of preference though: </div><div><br /></div><div>Roma (2018)</div><div>The Lighthouse (2019) </div><div>Nebraska (2013)</div><div>Frances Ha (2012)</div><div>The Artist (2011) </div><div>Blue Jay (2016)</div><div>Cold War (2018) </div><div>Polytechnique (2009) </div><div>Mank (2020) </div><div>Passing (2021)</div><div>Control (2007)</div><div>Grass (2018)</div><div>Belfast (2021)</div><div>Malcolm & Marie (2021)</div><div>Elisa & Marcela (2019)</div><div>Mustang Island (2017)</div><div>The Good German (2006)</div><div>Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)</div><div>13 Tzameti (2005)</div><div>Frankenweenie (2012)</div><div>Persepolis (2007)</div><div>The Man from London (2007)</div><div>The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)</div><div>Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) </div><div>The Forty-Year-Old-Version (2020) </div><div>Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009) </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-70936926769514003762022-05-31T19:05:00.001-07:002022-05-31T19:05:48.733-07:00The heart knows what it seeks - in love with Main Ki Karaan <div>First love, especially the stirrings that happen in our childhood, is mostly the purest and the best, since it's blemishless and platonic. The innocence and the sweetness of it is so beautifully captured in the song "Main ki karaan" from 'Laal Singh Chaddha' (2022). </div><div><br></div><div>Kudos to Amitabh Bhattacharya - who had penned it, Pritam - who has set it to tune, Sonu Nigam (and Romy) - for singing it with such passion and honesty, and Aamir Khan - for the magical voiceover at the beginning of the song! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-48569088501060195422022-04-12T00:20:00.001-07:002022-04-12T00:34:56.346-07:00Fulminations, reverberations <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Memories are bullets embedded in our souls, he said. <div>He couldn't have been more right, I reason.</div><div>We must have had a common connect via memories that pain us, scar us, betray our fake projections of wellness. He is a doctor after all, isn't he supposed to know all that one needs to know about the painkillers? I wonder. Nothing can remedy the ill-feeling that's harboured deep within then. </div><div>Denials, suppression - aided by the so-called positivity tools - nothing sticks on. Derailment of our goals of moving on and of overcoming of all toxicity from the past is bound to happen. The tormentors keep appearing in many avatars. They morph like shapeshifters into fresher beings that we may choose to put our trust in. </div><div>We are cursed. Neither of us have been able to break the cycle. I am cursed because of getting stuck in the perpetual loop that stems from inertia of rest, plagued by mammoth vulnerability. He possibly finds the cyclical repetition In his offsprings' haplessness. </div><div>Let's take a moment to feel sorry for each other.</div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-44904142246302732332022-02-28T06:03:00.000-08:002022-02-28T06:03:47.913-08:00Hindi films: More than 50 years of Parallel Cinema; 50 select films<div>50 years, 50 select films </div><div>1. Bhuvan Shome (1969) </div><div>2. Aashād Ka Ek Din (1971) </div><div>3. Achanak (1973) </div><div>4. Aavishkār (1974) </div><div>5. Rajnigandha (1974) </div><div>6. Tumhara Kalloo (1975) </div><div>7. Nishant (1975) </div><div>8. Manthan (1976) </div><div>9. Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) </div><div>10. Bhumika (1977) </div><div>11. Gaman (1978) </div><div>12. Sparsh (1980) </div><div>13. Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai (1980) </div><div>14. Aakrosh (1980) </div><div>15. Umrao Jaan (1981) </div><div>16. Chakra (1981) </div><div>17. Arth (1982) </div><div>18. Ardh Satya (1983) </div><div>19. Mandi (1983) </div><div>20. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) </div><div>21. Saaransh (1984) </div><div>22. Andhi Gali (1984) </div><div>23. Khandhar (1984) </div><div>24. Party (1984) </div><div>25. Paar (1984) </div><div>26. Utsav (1985) </div><div>27. Holi (1984) </div><div>28. Mirch Masala (1985) </div><div>29. Khamosh (1985) </div><div>30. Trikāl (1985) </div><div>31. Ek Din Achanak (1989) </div><div>32. Raakh (1989) </div><div>33. Drishti (1990) </div><div>34. Disha (1990) </div><div>35. Nazar (1991) </div><div>36. Kasba (1991) </div><div>37. Dharavi (1991) </div><div>38. Suraj Ka Sātvān Ghoda (1992) </div><div>39. Rudaali (1993) </div><div>40. Maaya Memsaab (1993) </div><div>41. Bandit Queen (1994) </div><div>42. Mammo (1994) </div><div>43. Daayra (1996) </div><div>44. Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003) </div><div>45. Black Friday (2004) </div><div>46. Dhobi Ghāt (2010) </div><div>47. Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010) </div><div>48. Peepli Live (2010) </div><div>49. Delhi Belly (2011) </div><div>50. Mukti Bhawan (2016) </div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-27833716430905890342021-12-22T18:35:00.002-08:002023-07-01T23:23:53.502-07:00The kids are alright... or, are they?The end of the year calls for a rant, so... brace yourselves for some truth bombs. <div><br></div><div>The kids aren't having in easy during the pandemic. Well, none of us are, but often it's the kids who have to pay a higher price, as they have to bear the brunt for longer periods in future. </div><div>For more than a year, they have had to cope with online classes, instead of being in school, in classrooms. Of course, now, some of them have been able to go to schools, in some places, and some of the online classes have transformed too (to hybrid mode, for instance). But does that mean they are in a better position? How has the pressure been like? Well, the pressure has been overwhelming. Since the kids have better coping mechanisms, we are not often able to see the damage the unavoidable pressure situation does to them on the surface level. The strain on their mental health can be detected upon careful observation and behavioral analysis by experts, I'm sure.</div><div><br></div><div>Right after the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, I had to discontinue home tuitions for obvious reasons. For me, the break was a welcome change, and it was something that I would have otherwise chosen as well, as part of personal compulsions, yet it meant saying goodbye to my students for good, or so I thought. With many of these students, and some ex-students, there's the opportunity of staying connected virtually on social media. All through 2020, and more acutely in 2021, I have had interactions with kids (teenagers, actually), and some of the conversations I had were startling for me. </div><div>Many of their words and dialogues were indirectly cries for help. Though I did try to address them responsibly and sensibly, I could see my limitations, as I couldn't actually help them in the real, physical place. Also, I couldn't address their parents, on most occasions, since I was bound by confidentiality. The follow-up on the kids' progress could also be done satisfactorily. I felt helpless at times. </div><div>My earnest request to parents and guardians would be to seek emotional counselling for the kids and young adults compulsorily. Some of the better schools have already understood how imperative mental health is, especially during these trying times, and have rolled out initiatives to bolster essential social and emotional skills. In fact, all educational institutions should. Specifically, to help kids deal with panic attacks and to cope with extremely stressful situations at home (or elsewhere), there are simple yet effective techniques that are needed to be taught. </div><div><br></div><div>Unless we all understand how important it is for kids to be helped with fostering of communication skills, developing self-acceptance, learning coping strategies, for better relationship management and decision-making, we won't be taking care of them responsibly. Our generation did not receive decent mental health education, accept the sad fact. My school was one of the very first schools in Calcutta in the late '70s to have a designated 'psychologist' in the Senior Section, however, the system was hardly functional when I was a student (in the '80s). I did gain my perspective on the dysfunctionality much later. How I wish, as kids, we were taught that putting ourselves first is okay! In all the lessons of kindness (in Moral Science, that we were compulsorily taught) towards others, we should have been taught to be kind to ourselves too. We should have been taught that self-love isn't necessarily selfish, that choosing ourselves over others shouldn't come at a cost.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-5219531422726664772021-12-03T23:41:00.001-08:002021-12-03T23:41:00.927-08:00Forgetting and Remembering <div>"Forgetting it is important. We do it on purpose. It means we get a bit of a rest. Are you listening? We have to forget. Or we’d never sleep ever again." </div><div>[Ali Smith; Autumn.]</div><div><br></div><div>"Remembering is important. We have to let the memories flow. It means we can relive the joys and the sorrows. Don't close your ears! We have to remember. Or we would never really be alive." </div><div>[Namita J.] </div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-11643082343474007762021-08-30T21:35:00.001-07:002021-08-30T21:35:29.388-07:001995 - the year that it was for films!<div>1995 was a watershed year in my life. </div><div>However, recently, as I was going through the list of films released that year (internationally), I was astounded by the number of amazing offerings. Here's a selection of my favorites from the year (the titles aren't in any order), although a major chunk of these 34 films I got the chance to see much later: </div><div><br></div><div>Se7en</div><div>Toy Story</div><div>Heat </div><div>Casino</div><div>Braveheart</div><div>La Haine</div><div>Before Sunrise</div><div>Fallen Angels</div><div>The Usual Suspects </div><div>Clueless</div><div>Leaving Las Vegas</div><div>Apollo 13</div><div>12 Monkeys</div><div>Die Hard with a Vengeance </div><div>Sense and Sensibility </div><div>A Walk in the Clouds</div><div>The Bridges of Madison County </div><div>Mallrats</div><div>Bad Boys</div><div>Welcome to the Dollhouse </div><div>While You Were Sleeping </div><div>Dead Man Walking</div><div>The Quick and the Dead </div><div>Feast of July <br></div><div>Nine Months </div><div>The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain </div><div>Total Eclipse </div><div>Boys on the Side</div><div>Rangeela </div><div>Bombay </div><div>Akele Hum Akele Tum </div><div>Naseem </div><div>Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge </div><div>Yugant </div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-32543240381587422672021-08-29T07:29:00.001-07:002021-08-29T07:32:37.978-07:00Spotify, you're bang on!Spotify couldn't have been more right. <div>Arijit Singh is my go-to singer whenever I feel like immersing myself in music, be it any kind of mood I'm in, romance being the all encompassing emotional feeling for me.</div><div>By the way, ever since I've been hooked to Spotify, there's no looking up other apps for my music binges. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-83828330725407063432021-06-21T10:25:00.002-07:002021-06-21T10:28:16.612-07:00Happy World Music Day!Music is the most inexpensive time machine that can ever be. Merely listening to a song, sometimes rather accidentally, as a tune or a melody wafts in the air and reaches our ears, we can be instantly transported to a time that exists in our memories, deeply embedded in a corner somewhere within. Sometimes we can exactly land at the place or the situation that has an intimate and personal memory association with the song, sometimes our brain fills in the missing spaces in the continuum and colors them having almost no regard for the origin of association. <div><br /></div><div>Like most Indians, my associations have been with the songs, not just music, and that too with songs from films. Interestingly, the songs that we have an instant connect with are always pure, simple and magical. Songs and nostalgia are natural partners. Some songs are too sublime, we don't want them spoilt through cover versions (remakes being the commercial and widely acceptable term in Bollywood), nor do the triggering of responses change for the same (we don't want to). Such songs are our ticket, our passport to a lost time, as if all was well back then, even the tears we may have shed were pure and, hence, cleansed our soul, our very being was made pure - the actual scars left behind can't hurt us now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Postscript: The song I'm listening to right now, that opened the floodgates of memories for me, is the song "Jeene de yeh duniya...." from the soundtrack of the 1985 film called 'Lava'. The song (it has multiple versions, as was common in those days) was sung by Asha Bhosle and Manmohan Singh, penned by Anand Bakshi, and set to tune by Rahul Dev Burman. The film (which I must have watched on television some years after the release) starred Dimple Kapadia and Rajeev Kapoor, along with Raj Babbar, Asha Parekh and Madan Puri. </div><div>(film stills below: courtesy old magazines) <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-64858220944404647162021-05-17T06:38:00.000-07:002021-05-17T06:38:14.879-07:00Favorite Pisces celebsJust for fun: a names-dropping post, for a change. Here's naming some of the famous celeb personalities - alive - who happen to be my favorites. I may or may not follow them on social media, but I do follow their work and achievements, for which I admire them (not necessarily worship them as a fanboi.... hahaha). <div><br></div><div>Aamir Khan </div><div>Rihanna </div><div>Daniel Craig </div><div>Glenn Close </div><div>Javier Bardem </div><div>Drew Barrymore </div><div>Bruce Willis </div><div>Shreya Ghoshal </div><div>Sharon Stone </div><div>Queen Latifah </div><div>Rob Lowe </div><div>Ansel Elgort </div><div>Jensen Ackles </div><div>Adam Levine </div><div>Miles Teller </div><div>David Thewlis </div><div>Oscar Isaac </div><div>William H. Macy </div><div>Josh Gad </div><div>Kesha </div><div>Jon Bon Jovi </div><div>Lily Collins </div><div>Lupita Nyong'o </div><div>Dakota Fanning </div><div>Alia Bhatt </div><div>Eva Mendes </div><div>Elliot Page </div><div>Kumail Nanjiani </div><div>Shahid Kapoor </div><div>Tiger Shroff</div><div>Justin Bieber </div><div>Laura Prepon </div><div>Emily Blunt </div><div>Alexander Koch </div><div>David Mazouz <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br></div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-91597479080059374262021-05-07T18:35:00.001-07:002021-05-07T18:35:31.669-07:00Why write? Why not?Why write?<div><br></div><div>Well, I had stopped writing for a while. For a long while. Here. I had been going through a lot of conflicts. Internally. Not that I've stopped having them. But I thought it might not be wise to let them be known. To the world. After all, who cares? To whom would it matter? Whether I write or don't. Facebook and Twitter had become close substitutes to Blogs. Microblogging seemed to be the need of the hour. Maybe I had been flogging a dead horse for quite sometime. Vlogs had replaced Blogs. The surviving and thriving Blogs were a different ballgame altogether. From what I had grown used to, since I had become a blogger. </div><div><br></div><div>Well, changes are natural. Evolution is necessary. Whether it suits me or not. Then why stay in the game? Why not quit?</div><div><br></div><div>Why; why not?</div><div><br></div><div>Here lies the answer. Maybe I can carry on. Doing what I did. Because I'm still alive and kicking. More importantly, because my quest for ego-boost is minimal. After all, isn't self-expression rewarding in itself? Why think about competition? Why look at it as a race? I've never really bothered about validation or adulation or acceptance. Call me 'too old-fashioned' if you want. I cannot afford to be driven by appreciation or understanding, and that too here (of all places). So there. I'm hanging on to my solitary beat. </div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-87529241910602198842021-05-06T00:51:00.001-07:002021-05-06T00:51:47.008-07:00Battling the deadly surge When did grief become a luxury? <div>When did sorrow become an awkward inconvenience? </div><div>When did rage become an interruption? <div>When did lament become a dismissible indulgence? </div></div><div><br></div><div>When we decided that we cannot afford to pause and emote. </div><div><br></div><div>The world is trying to grapple with a pandemic of mammoth proportions. Coronavirus - Covid-19 - reared its ugly head in the latter half of 2019..... almost all through 2020 it wreaked havoc; but, as the world had been hoping for a respite, finally, in 2021, our country is witnessing the worst ramifications of recklessness combined with ill-planned attempts to tackle the crisis. As the every-day situation becomes more and more horrifying, the projections for the near future aren't any less alarming. It's the worst kind of cautionary tale for the world that can ever be, say the experts. Prayers and real-time support are sought for my country, for my fellow citizens. We await a miracle maybe, to bend the curve of India's catastrophic second wave of the disease.</div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-3998648994980148192021-05-02T07:21:00.001-07:002021-05-02T07:21:50.263-07:00The Lonely Wife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div>'Charulata' (1964), the film by Satyajit Ray, based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore, was called in 'The Lonely Wife' in English. I noted this when I was too young to understand the complex and mature facets of the tale, the ten year old boy that I was, and possibly the loneliness of Charu, the 19th Century Bengali middle-class housewife in the film (played by Madhabi Mukherjee) was something I could understand. I even told an adult family member, sometime after watching the film on television, that it was my favorite film and got rebuked, maybe the person dismissed it as something entirely precocious. How could a young boy understand a woman's experiencing of an emotional and psychological void? And what about the simmering sexual tension? I didn't, of course. But I did find the projection of my own loneliness, my longing, that I could not put a finger upon, that I could never articulate. I even tried reading the original short story by Tagore, stealthily, soon after, and this time it seemed hard to fathom, the literary expressions. Now, after so many years, looking back, it's crystal clear why. Ray's sublime visual storytelling had worked its magic upon the impressionable kid. 'Charulata' is thus hailed by many as Ray's best film, as the moving images - along with the brilliant musical score composed by Ray - conveys the entire gamut of emotions. Cinema is, after all, the art of visual storytelling, and it reaches even the most innocent and immature viewer in ways that are not much explored. It resonates deep, and makes strange inroads to our psyche. Today marks the 100th anniversary of the maestro; the cinema of Satyajit Ray shall be celebrated for as long as cinema survives.</div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989715.post-81888552892798869062021-05-01T08:35:00.002-07:002021-05-01T09:13:09.882-07:00We Can Be Heroes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Films are usually supposed to tell stories. But, then, there are films where the narrative isn't just a narrative, the intricacies of plotting take a backseat and the characters and the setting assume a life of their own. 'Futuro Bay' (2014) is one such film. In it, the visuals are too powerful, they - along with the minimal dialogues and the music - convey a lot. The song, with the powerful vocal of David Bowie, 'We Can Be Heroes', itself packs a solid punch. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">'Futuro Beach' (Praia do Futuro) is a Brazilian film, essentially in Portuguese (with a bit of German dialogues too), directed by Karim Aïnouz, who seems to be one of the most powerful filmmakers right now. It stars Wagner Moura, Clemens Schick, and Jesuíta Barbosa. It's not an easy film, no matter how easy on the eyes its gorgeous visuals are, it's an elliptical gay romance. The metaphors, the nuances, the references are profound. It's a triptych of a film, neatly divided into three chapters. Being a bold film, it's not meant for all. However, for the empathetic viewer, it can be really rewarding, since it's a film about displacement and identity, love and its costs. Needless to emphasize, I loved the film. </div>Anindo Senhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797937746390651769noreply@blogger.com0