Best of 2016

'Carol'

Here is the list of top ten films seen in 2016: 

1. Carol (2015; Dir. Todd Haynes) 
2. Aligarh (2016; Dir. Hansal Mehta) 
3. Cinemawala (2016; Dir. Kaushik Ganguly) 

4. Anomalisa (2015; Dir. Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson) 
5. Inherent Vice (2014; Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) 
6. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016; Dir. Ang Lee) 
7. Thithi [The Funeral] (2016; Dir. Raam Reddy)
8. The Danish Girl (2015; Dir. Tom Hooper) 
9. La La Land (2016; Dir. Damien Chazelle) 
10. Maman Est Chez Le Coiffrur [Mommy is at the Hairdresser's] (2008; Dir. Léa Pool)

An amazing year

I have had an amazing year.
But, no, this hasn't been it.
I must have had it years ago.
Can't exactly recall when though.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

These days, the much desired leading man in Bollywood doesn't just have to compete with other heroes.... but he's also to compete with his own film's leading lady....
hope you got the hint, yes, I'm talking about 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', Karan Johar's latest big-screen offering.

More than anything, it's a handsome tribute to good old Bollywood (or all that we love it for).
Karan Johar has come up with a fine piece of screenwriting (the dialogues do a best fit too), developing an actually flaky kind of story (but obviously, since the mainstream romance of the yore is as good as dead).

The music plays on

In the rhythm of life, sometimes, we find ourselves out of tune... but, as long as there's someone with the promise of becoming our melody, the music plays on.

Here's sharing a special message forwarded by a special someone....

"If you're lying in bed
wrapped up in sheets
of miserable thought,
go to sleep

if thumbing through old messages
only causes your heart to ache
and long for something unattainable,
erase them

if it hurts to keep
everything you're feeling
bottled up inside,
let it out

if you're clinging onto someone
that doesn't treat you like
you're worth the world,
let them go

because sometimes
we choose to believe
that things are only
indistinguishable shades of gray
when in reality
life is more black and white
than it seems

if you're unhappy
with the way
you are living your life,
change it."

Ever more...

Some people become ever present in our lives with every passing day....

Ritu_da shall remain in our hearts.

On his birthday, his absence from the mortal world pains me as much as it comforts me to see him manifest in my soul, ever more.

Peaky Blinders

My weekend binge:
I disregarded health issues once again, and fell for the lure of weekend binge yet again. My apologies to my body. But my heart just went wild with ecstasy, couldn't help it.
Had heard so much about it, had heard that the likes of Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt are fans of the series.
Was finally able to catch it....
yes, I'm talking about 'Peaky Blinders',
it would be an understatement to say that the series is brilliant;
well, it can't get better than this!

Where Does It Hurt?

Yesterday, I came across an apparently harmless lunatic at the bus-stop who asked me, from behind, in a dull and heavy tone, "Kothaay kawshto?" (Where does it hurt?)
I was stunned.
It took me a few seconds to figure out that he lacked mental balance.
I observed that in a playful loop, he would approach a random stranger, ask the question, immediately step away and then repeat it with someone else within minutes.
Strange are our cages, stranger are our flights!

Are we willing?

We all want happiness, love, and acceptance for who we were, who we've become and who we'll be.
Indeed.
But the pertinent question is: Are we willing to do what it takes to get that acceptance?
Are we?

Just for laughs

Here's another post that has been curated and sent as a message by a friend of mine. It is likely to make you smile, chuckle, laugh.
Here it is -
Some politically incorrect morals of classic children's tales (courtesy: Esquire magazine)... 
'The Cat in the Hat':
Let strangers into your house but don't tell your parents.
'The Polar Express':
If a strange man invites you on a train, follow him, but don't tell your parents.
'Frosty the Snowman':
It's okay to befriend strange men with minimal clothing, but don't tell your parents.
'Jack and the Beanstalk':
Theft pays, so long as the victim looks different from you. And then you kill him.
'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory':
The solution to poverty is corporate-sponsored gambling.

The Coffee Post

Posting a fun message shared by a dear friend of mine. It's dedicated to all the coffee-lovers.
The kind of coffee we love to drink actually says a lot about us.
Here, take a look: 
The Espresso-lovers are friendly and adaptive.
Those who like Double Espresso are practical & hardworking.
Those who like Triple Espresso are enthusiastic but obsessive.
The Latte-lovers are reflective but often indecisive. In a world of unknowns, they like the safe pick.
The Macchiato fans are, essentially, traditional and reserved.
Those who love the Americano coffee are calm and conscientious.
The Mocha-lovers are basically fun loving and creative people.
Cappuccino is the flavor favored by the warm-hearted but obvious folks.
Iced-coffee is the fond favorite of those who are assertive and outspoken.
The Frappuccino-lovers are the happy and energetic kind.
Coffee-to-go is definitely the one for the serious and focused.

She said... she said...

Be the music in the streets, she said...
walk a poem, sing out-of-tune, make strangers turn, shake the norm, rattle the mundane....
I couldn't follow all her words;
being the 'feet on the ground, mind in the sky' guy that I am...
no, we couldn't roll together even...
so what! I salute her spirit and her spunk.
.... Remembering a special someone on this day.
End-note:
Some of the best conversations I have are with the ghosts (not in the literal sense though) of people that have slipped for good from my life.

Alert

User discretion alert:
The anonymity of social networking might be psychologically disturbing for some people,
viz. those suffering from bipolar syndrome.

Bengaluru days, Bengaluru nights

Crazy is as crazy does...
Listening. Singing. Humming.
"kuchh hai junoon sa kuchh paagalpan hai sau baatein karta yeh buddhu sa mann hai"
[dollops of passion
and some madness too
my silly stupid heart
voices umpteen things for you]

Art

There is no right or wrong
when it comes to making art.
Making sure that you have fun
is the most important part.
Splash a little paint,
draw a little line.
Just make sure that you have fun
each and every time.
- Mickey Mouse
(courtesy: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

Fools' Day

For some, it is April Fools' Day...
for others, it's just life - unfortunately, their entire life has been a joke.

To Get Real

In the corporate world, it is essential to surround ourselves with the best possible people for maximizing goal realization. So should it be in our personal lives.
If history is any guide, we should give this idea a serious consideration.
Life puts us face-to-face with rigorous review processes... we're compelled to look back and question if we've invested in faulty relationships all through. The answers aren't supposed to provide us with relief or comfort, but give us a much needed jolt to get real.

Modern Times

On February 5, 1936, "Modern Times', one of the finest films by Charlie Chaplin, was released.
The satire of the Machine Age is about a worker driven insane by his job.

Feasting on Films

Aaj khaane mein kya hai?
Me: Cinema, and cinema, and...
cinema...
with cinema! :>
Do not disturb. I'm feasting on films.

Happy Birthday, Justin Timberlake

"What goes around
goes around
goes around...
comes all the way back around"
Happy Birthday, Justin Timberlake!

Happy birthday, Sherlock!

January is the month when British author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, in 1854. 'His Last Bow', the final Holmes story described him as a man of 60.

Scream fantasy

My Scream Fantasy:
It's the morning of 1st Jan...
I come out into the streets screaming, "It's NEW YEAR! It's a NEW ME!" and then
I unzip my skin face mask and reveal...
I'm an alien!