Udaan

kahani khatm hai
ya shuruat hone ko hai
subah nayi hai ye
ya phir raat hone ko hai
aanewala waqt
denge panahein
ya phir se milenge dorahein
khabar kya
kya pata....

Yet another coming of age story? That's what I asked myself when I learnt about this movie called Udaan making waves at the Cannes. As Anurag Kashyap was backing it - he even said that he wished that he had himself come up with this project on his own in the first place - I had to watch it in the very first weekend of its much awaited release here.

I came out of the screening completely overwhelmed. I was absolutely moved by the storytelling, the performances, the visuals, the music simply mesmerised me.

As the film opens we are gripped by Rohan's character and his discomfort. He is the trapped teenager. Battling odds. Of all kinds. He gets chucked out of the high profile boarding school where his disciplinarian dad with an 'I care a damn' air had conveniently had him relegated. Rohan has to come home now, but the saddest part is that neither his home is what it is meant to be, nor his dad make it easy for him to grapple with his self-discovery. Rohan finds a release in the brilliant poems that he composes, and in carving himself out stealthily from the predetermined choking routine of a life. Rohan soon learns that not only has he to actualise his creative aspirations that are obviously threatened opposition and obstacles, but a rebellion against his emotionally blunt, bully of a father is also the toughest to put up undauntedly. The small town milieu of Jamshedpur, the steel town is breathed to life as brilliantly as the flesh and blood characters. Rohan warms up to his much younger step brother, Arjun, and he finally grows up when he feels responsible for Arjun who is in an even more vulnerable state than him.

Debutant director Vikramaditya Motwane, who has penned the screenplay of the film with help from Anurag Kashyap himself, has done a marvellous job.
The edgy feel is bound to get the viewer thoroughly hooked.
Anurag Kashyap deserves a special pat for having produced this little cinematic gem.
The depiction is magical thanks to a wonderful cast and crew. The editing is crisp, the music has a freshness and a sublime feel to it. The camerawork by Mahendra Shetty is exceptionally fluid.

The film, I am sure, will be talked about for many, many years.... by viewers - young and old.

Credits:
The cast includes:
Rajat Barmecha (Rohan), Ronit Roy (Rohan's dad), Ram Kapoor (Rohan's uncle), Aayan Boradia (Arjun), along with Manjot Singh, Anand Tiwari, Raja Hudda, Varun Khettry, Sumant Mastkar, Akshay Sachdev, and Shaunak Sengupta.

Written by: Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap
Cinematography: Mahendra Shetty
Music: Amit Trivedi
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
Editing: Dipika Kalra
Production design: Aditya Kanwar
Associate producer: Vikas Bahl
Co-producers: Aarti Bajaj,
Siddharth Roy Kapur,
Deven Khote ,
Zarina Mehta ,
Ronnie Screwvala ,
and Sanjay Singh
Executive producer: Dipa Motwane

Let Udaan (means Flight in Hindi) help us all fly without wings.... let us all take flights of creativity,
let our films be realistic,
let them speak of our real fantasies.... and of brave fights in support of our braver pursuits.
And that applies as much to the protagonists, as the makers.

Goal-Goal-Goal-Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!!

A goal is the only method of scoring in the game of football and the just concluded 2010 FIFA World Cup did leave us Kolkatans, who are known to be crazy about football, yelling "goal-goal-goal" seated in front of our television sets, way past midnight for all this while! And we did get our thrills and chills witnessing the brilliant goals all through the World Cup matches that saw 32 nations fighting for the ultimate honour of emerging the world champions. As much as the exultations, and the ecstatic screams, there were the heavy sighs, the tears and the chuckles too, whenever we witnessed the near misses at scoring the all-important goals.

Like every other World Cup, this time too there were the surprises and the upsets, the controversies and the challenging hurdles, be it for the teams or for individual players, or for the tournament itself. This time the tournament was held in South Africa, the Rainbow Nation - which meant the carnival-like atmosphere at the matches, with the vuvuzela drone making us extra-jubilant or working as an irritant, depending on one's preference. The Jabulani ball that was used in the matches also made headlines as there was much fuss over its unpredictable spin and many blamed it for the deficit of goals.

Our favorite star players like Messi (Argentina), Kaka (Brazil), Rooney (England), Vella (Mexico), Ronaldo (Portugal), and Torres (Spain) couldn't shine to their fullest. They left us fans disappointed. Many of the players seemed jaded, especially after their earlier stints in the various league matches prior to the World Cup.

However, Vincente del Bosque's Spain are deservedly the new world champs.
In the final match, the Euro champions, Spain, beat the Netherlands in the extra-time, with the sole goal being scored by Andrés Iniesta. Iker Casillas, the goalkeeper-captain, and his brilliant teammates David Villa, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Puyol, Ramos, Carlos and all others became the Spaniards-in-our-discussions, as football-mania gripped us completely.

Our hearts bled for the ouster of Brazil, Argentina, France, Italy and England.
Kolkata demonstrated its bias for Brazil and Argentina, as Kolkatans largely seem to be polarized between these to nations that boasted of some of the best skilled footballers.

However, Germany's not making it to the finals was perhaps the biggest setback for us in the later stage.
Thomas Mueller (Germany)being crowned the Best Young Player, and also the winner of the Golden Boot, has made us very happy though.

We were also privileged to witness the rise of several stars who became household names overnight; they include Wesley Sneijder (The Netherlands), Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina), Miloslav Klose (Germany), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Arjen Robben (The Netherlands), and Lucio (Brazil) to name just a few.

Other than the players, two names that made it big as headline-hoggers were definitely Howard Webb the English referee, at yesterday's final match for his stern stance as the boys in orange went ugly in their tackle tactics,
and, last, but not the least (one of the BIGGEST, in fact!), Paul - the Oracle octopus, its 100 per cent correct predictions with respect to each game and team made it the biggest international celebrity during the World Cup.

Endnote: It pains me to note, just as many of my fellow citizens, that despite our enthusiasm for football we are still rungs below the international standards of football-playing nations; isn't it high time to re-evaluate our goals as we attempt to develop and groom local talents?

Happy Birthday, Dhoni!

Mahendra Singh Dhoni
(popularly called Mahi) has always been my favorite
amongst the contemporary Indian cricketers.
Here's wishing him a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
and also a happy married life... as he has tied the knot
with his childhood friend and girlfriend of two years, Sakshi Singh Rawat
just three days back!

And now,
for the readers of my blog, here's
looking at some of the Dhoni facts:

As a youngster, Dhoni excelled in badminton and football
and was selected at district and club level in these sports!
In his student days, he used to be the goalkeeper for his football team
and, as luck would have it, was sent to play cricket for
a local cricket club by his football coach.

Based on his performance at club cricket, Dhoni was picked
for Vinoo Mankad Under-16 Championship Trophy and he performed well.

He debuted for Bihar in 1998-99 season.

Subsequently, was selected to represent India-A in 2004,
as right-handed batsman-cum-wicketkeeper.

Made his India debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka in December 2004,
and, in 2005, against Sri Lanka, he set a world record for the highest score ever by a wicketkeeper.

He became No.1 ODI batsman on 20 April, 2006, replacing Ricky Ponting.

Was named ODI vice-captain of Team India, on tour of England in June 2007
and on September 2, 2007, he equalled Adam Gilchrist’s record
of most dismissals in an ODI (5 catches, 1 stumping).

He became the captain for Team India for the World T20 in Sept 2007,
and with his spirited leadership, boosted India to the ICC World T20 trophy, in South Africa, winning over Pakistan in an intensely fought final.

Mahi made his Test captaincy debut against South Africa in April 2008.

His latest cricketing triumph as the skipper has been
laying hands on the coveted Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, last month.

May he win many more laurels in the days to come.

And here comes more Dhoni trivia:
Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand), and his paternal village is Lvali in the Lamgarha block of the Almora district of Uttarakhand.

He has a sister, Jayanti, and a brother, Narendra.

Dhoni happens to be one of the most popular sports icon in the country whose popularity can only be rivalled by that of Sachin Tendulkar - the 'master-blaster', and Sourav Ganguly, in cricket, Leander Paes in tennis, and Vijender Singh, in boxing.

He has been hailed as a youth icon of the nation, and his flamboyant hairstyle gets special coverage in the tabloids!
Initially, he used to sport long hair, that received a special mention by the then Pak President Pervez Musharraf!

Dhoni has a great camaraderie with almost all his fellow teammates, especially Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, R. P. Singh and Zaheer Khan.

The tabloids went abuzz with the rumors of Dhoni dating actresses Deepika Padukone and Lakshmi Rai in the past, but it seems, in retrospect, that those matches were hardly meant to be.

He loves bikes, much like his current buddy John Abraham, the actor.
He supposedly has a Hummer alongwith the four cars, and 23 high-speed motorcycles, already parked in his garage in Ranchi.

He endorses about 20 brands - from clothes to soft drinks!
No wonder, he was named as one of the highest income-tax payers last year.

He is a self-proclaimed fan of Amitabh Bachchan and Lata Mangeshkar,
apart from his cricketing idols Adam Gilchrist and Sachin Tendulkar.

A renowned dog-lover, Dhoni is too fond of his pets.

Peepli Live

Whenever Aamir Khan presents a film, it is special.
And, this time, he is here with PEEPLI [Live]
that has been produced by him, under his own banner Aamir Khan Productions.


It is directed by first-time director Anusha Rizvi, who has also penned the screenplay.
Distributed by UTV Motion Pictures, the film is scheduled
to release on August 13, 2010.

It takes a satirical look at the predicament of a poor farmer who creates a media frenzy when, beset with debt, he announces that he will commits suicide so his family can receive government compensation.

It had its first screening at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, a rare honour for an Indian film!
After having been selected for the Competition Section at the Sundance Film Festival, it was picked up by a specialty German distribution company Rapid Eye Movies for a special screening at the last Berlin International Film Festival.

The cast of the film includes Omkar Das Manikpuri, making his film debut, Raghubir Yadav, Nawazuuddin Siddiqui, Shalini Vatsa, Farukh Jaffer and Malaika Shenoy.
The music of the film is composed by Indian Ocean and Mathias Duplessy.
Shankar Raman is the cinematographer for the film, and Hemanti Sarkar the editor.

However, the bad news for the Indian viewers is that, for its Indian release, the film has got an 'A' (adults only) certificate. The makers are unperturbed by the apprehension of limited viewership though; they are supposedly hopeful that the film will find its takers in the niche segment.

Bengaluru buzzzzzzz.......

The first time I had visited Bengaluru (still people refer to the city by its earlier name - Bangalore; though the acceptance of the English expression 'getting Bangalored' does not have a note of affirmation), I wasn't too ecstatic about the city.
I remember having said to a friend that Bengaluru wasn't inviting enough for me.
The weather, the greenery, the branded retail outlets, the eat-out joints and the shopping malls & arcades seemed to be the only attractions.
On the other hand, the traffic snarls, the overpriced goods & services put me off to a great extent.
Well, recently, when I visited Bengaluru for the second time, I found that most of the earlier plus-es were big enticements for me.
Being a die-hard Kolkatan, maybe my perception was too biased the previous time and I might have been closed to the acceptance of the city myself.
Add to it the fact that I didn't get much of a chance to explore the city.
There was also the nagging strain of being in a relationship that kept me on tenterhooks.
This time, I found Bengaluru to be quite embracing.

Being a diverse city, Bengaluru accepts people from across the country,
offering them a busy and fast life, ambient lounges and pubs, hi-fashion stores, luxurious malls, lush greenery and a pleasant weather as huge bonuses.
Culturally, the city is quite booming, in fact.
There are all kinds of happening things capturing the fancy of the city's enthusiastic population.
The temples, the marketplaces, the parks, the libraries - all are so spic & span and so very functional.
The sprawling roads, flyovers, under-passes offer smooth rides.
The new airport (the last time I had landed at the old airport which ceased to become operational from that night itself) is wonderfully maintained.
The entrance to the airport is lined with a vast space for the visitors to refesh and relax.
Bengaluru comes with a host of infrastructural facilities that is surely welcome for the tourists and the Bagaloreans alike.
I visited the Mantri Square Mall which is just humongous! The sheer luxury of shopping there must be a huge draw for the international visitors too.
I couldn't resist catching a screening of 'Shrek 4 - 3D' at the Inox Insignia auditorium there.

Though I wasn't missing out on the delicacies of Kolkata on this short stay
in Bengaluru, my sister and brother-in-law treated me to the finest food
at Oh! Calcutta and Lazeez Restaurant and I could see why.
For the Bengalis there, it was the gastronomical connect with their home!
Not all roads and nooks & corners are perfectly planned or visually appealing, of course.
Luckily, where I stayed, not much distant from the new airport, it was close to perfection. I was hugely impressed with the location.
The one road in Bengaluru that deserves special mention, however, is: M.G. Road,
it is the nerve-centre of Bengaluru, with shops on one side and on an embankment adjacent to the army grounds a lovely walkaway, shrouded by trees and bougainvillea.
The other special mention that I must make is that of the cool FM radio station of the city - Radio Indigo. It simply rocks!
As does its cool RJ Rohit Barker.
Before ending this post,
I can't help sharing with my readers a much-popular comparison between
Kolkata and Bengaluru.... it's funny....
and hence no attempt to be politically correct... just read and enjoy:
How to know which city you are in
same scenario, different reflexes -
Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes along,
then a fourth
and they start arguing about who's right.
You know: You are in Kolkata.

Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes...
he writes a software program to stop the fight.
But the fight doesn't stop because of a bug in the program.

That's Bangalore.... oops, Bengaluru!
hahaha..............!!

Zafarnáma

Who hasn't heard of Ali Zafar?!!!

I am sure, everyone in the subcontinent, clued in on popular culture and music has heard of the Pakistani Prince of Pop - Ali Zafar.

He is equally revered for his talent, in singing and acting (he is a closet painter too!) as for his drop-dead-good-looks!

Born May 18, 1980, in Lahore, Pakistan, Ali Zafar groomed himself as a student of excellence, quite obviously, his parents being University Professors.
Before entering the Pakistani musical scene, Zafar worked as a model for several commercial advertisement besides acting in television. His first hit song was 'Jugnuon se bhar le aanchal...' which became popular with television audiences in Pakistan.

For me, Ali Zafar first registered his presence with the release of his music album Huqa Pani. He was already quite popular in Pakistan, but, here, in India, it was the airing of the music videos from the said album on the music channels that got him immense fame and recognition. Almost overnight, everyone woke up to this good looking young lad, who sings with a natural pop-singer-like charm.

His videos have a sure-fire appeal and the camera seems to love him.
There have been comparisons with Gael Garcia Bernal, the Mexican actor,
as Ali Zafar clearly resembles him from certain angles.

With his boyish looks, Ali Zafar has done all sorts of experimentations as a typical youth icon, and has always added an extra zing to his music videos, which often has a distinctive playful element.

Songs from all his albums, be it 'Huqa Pani' or 'Masty' or 'Aag', have all been lapped up by the yuppie listeners, in both India and Pakistan, and even by the diasporic musiclovers in America, Great Britain and Canada.

Ali Zafar is often unfairly pitted by the media against Atif Aslam, the other young Pakistani singer who has captured the imagination of millions with his soulful ballads, first being part of the band called Jal, and then establishing his solo repertoire, especially doing playback for Indian (Hindi) films. But I would say that instead of silly comparisons, we should be happy listening to both.

He has already bagged many an award, including the Best Male Artist at the MTV Awards in 2008.
Despite having his renown in pop and soft-rock numbers, he has been able to widen his popularity with his tonal variations on a number of folk and Sufi ballads.
His range and versatility became evident at the Coke Studio Sessions where he performed live.

After a prolonged courtship, Ali Zafar got married to his girlfriend Ayesha Fazli, and, very recently, he has become a proud father too.

Zafar's ride to stardom might have been smooth but the gossip-mills love to generate controversies about him, proving once again how popular he is! The worst piece of news that came to the fore was the purported abduction of Zafar and his girlfriend, albeit for just a few hours, as the abductor held them at gunpoint and demanded a large ransom. All was soon well for the couple but the harrowing experience is best forgotten.
Right now, all his fans are awaiting the release of the Bollywood flick "Tere Bin Laden" directed by Abhishek Sharma in which Ali Zafar has acted (he has sung two songs for the film too) - here's wishing him ALL THE BEST!

Orkutting continues......

Even amidst all the Twitter and Facebook hype-n-hoopla, Orkut remains the favorite of many an e-friend of mine.
I myself am quite hooked to Orkutting, still.
Orkut has introduced me to e-friendship. And I have been enjoying it to the fullest.
I haven't got bored with the concept (elaborated upon in an earlier post) unlike many of my friends and acquaintances.
I think it all depends on what one seeks from a social networking site....
to find out if a certain social networking site works for them or not.
This post is a tribute to Orkut and the Orkutting phenomenon, which may have morphed into several avatars, but the concept of e-friendship and Orkutting
go hand-in-hand... still.
The site [http://www.orkut.co.in] itself has changed in a major way this month.
Though there were teething problems with all the newness that was intended
by the owners/administrators of the site..... the users were not much in favor of all the privacy controls that were toeing the line of Facebook and other competing social networking sites; within a period of 48 hours Orkut had to switch back to many of the original features instead..... yet, there are the several new features NOW, which have given Orkut a new look (with the user's discretion, of course).
ENDWORD: Orkutting continues; in a major way FOR ME.
In fact, it rocks!

'Malgudi Days' - Revisiting My Favorite Serial

Malgudi Days remains an all-time favorite television series, of not only me, but I am sure it is so for millions of viewers worldwide. Produced under the banner of Padamrag TV International, by T. S. Narasimhan, and directed by Shankar Nag & Kavitha Lankesh, the series was based on the acclaimed works of the eminent Indian author and novelist R. K. Narayan.
It was originally aired on Doordarshan, way back in 1986.
However, the thirty-nine episodes then telecast became so immensely popular, as evident in the several re-runs (even in the dsatellite channels after they came into being), that the project was revived in 2004, and telecast in 2006. Though the original series had been helmed by Shankar Nag, the revived series was made by Kavita Lankesh as the former had passed away. The series was spun from various stories of R. K. Narayan and many of them were just one episode long. That made the series all the more laudable. The stories - though now part of the Malgudi anthology - were actually taken from the books A Horse and Two Goats, Malgudi Days, Swamy and Friends and Vendor Of Sweets.

Malgudi happens to be a fictitious small town in South India. It has the typical characteristics of any small town or village, and is habituated by timeless characters who could be living anywhere in the world, there is something universally appealing in that; an innocence; a simplicity; a humane depiction of life as such.
The lives of the simple folks of Malgudi has been dealt in an uniquely engaging manner, with delightful humor. The highlight of the series was its specific as well as generic appeal. The characters come alive with their idiosyncrasies, their typicalities, their inconsistencies, and their warmth.
R. K. Narayan drew on his observance of human life to create the magic in his Malgudi tales. And in the transcreation for television it was as much an accomplishment.

I am thankful to Big Home Video who have compiled the entire series in an attractive DVD/VCD box-set for the connoisseurs, and I am thankful to my sister for gifting me the grand opportunity to revisit my favorite tele-series. I am sure that it would be lapped up by all the fans of the series, and would also open up a new vista of entertainment who haven't warmed up to the magic of Malgudi on television. I recall that some years back at Nandan, here, in Kolkata, there was a screening of the segment called 'Swamy & Friends' from the series and the show had an overwhelming response.
The entire series has now been given a new lease of life thanks to the video packaging. We can once again hum the amazing title track that had been composed by L. Vaidyanathan; till date it remains one of the best title scores ever! Sharang Dev was the other composer, he had scored the music for the segment 'Swamy and Friends'. Shot entirely near Agumbe in Shimoga district of Karnataka, the visuals were exceptionally rich in terms of their texturing, as far as as television productions are concerned. The sketches that graced the title cards were done by R. K. Laxman (acclaimed cartoonist, and the brother of the novelist R. K. Narayan). The cast includes Girish Karnad, Vaishali Kasaravalli, Ananth Nag and many other established actors, and has young Manju Nath essaying the role of Swamy.
The DVD pack consists of two DVDS whereas the VCD pack has eighteen discs. The tales that are featured are namely: Swamy and Friends, Vendor of Sweets, Sweets for Angels, Salt & Sawdust, The Antidote, Minister without Portfolio, The Snake Song, Dodu, Sidda, Mandir ka Budda, Chowkidar, Naga, Doctor's Word, Lawley Road, Muni, Dhakiya, Maha Kanjus, Hero, Annamalai, Engine ki Kahani, Iswaran, Govind Singh ki Bhent, 45 Rupaiya, Aaya, Rome ka Moorthy, The Performing Child, Career, Trail of the Green Blazer, Four Rupees, Neighbour's Help, Astrologer's Day, The Gold Belt, Nitya, and The Seventh House.

'Shutter Island': a case of mind-shut

After a long and eager wait, I was finally able to catch the film "Shutter Island" last night.
Needless to say why I had been eager to see the film. Yet for the uninitiated, let me confess for the umpteenth time that Martin Scorsese happens to be one of my all-time favorite filmmakers, and Leonardo DiCaprio is a favorite actor for whom I have had a huge admiration since I first saw him in "What's Eating Gilber Grape".
But this time, I was having a whole lot of apprehension too...
Recently, on a Bangla television channel, Anjan Dutt, the much acclaimed filmmaker from Kolkata who needs no introduction, has publicly rubbished "Shutter Island" saying that he was so appalled that he could not even sit through it!
After having watched the film, I can easily debunk Anjan Dutt's claims, which now expose him all the more more as a disgruntled creative individual with wrongly channelized gumption.
Incidentally, a few years back I was seated next to Anjan Dutt at a Kolkata multiplex (Inox-Forum) where he came with his son to watch the Clint Eastwood film "Mystic River". I remember, shirking from interacting with him after I found him visually frustrated by the film that unfolded on screen. On the other hand, I loved the film "Mystic River", which is based on the novel penned by Dennis Lehane, who also happens to be the writer of the novel "Shutter Island" which Martin Scorsese has filmed, and I must admit that I loved the same nervous energy and the character-based conflicts that pepper "Shutter Island".

The film "Shutter Island" finds Scorsese collaborating with many of his favorites yet again, from lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio (who has previously worked with him in "Gangs of New York", "The Aviator" and "The Departed"), cinematographer Robert Richardson, film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and music supervisor Robbie Robertson.

The cast of "Shutter Island" includes, apart from Leonardo DiCaprio, such stupendous talents as Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Elias Koteas, Patricia Clarkson, and Ted Levine.

The story emerging through layers of dread, deception, enigma and intrigue, is actually quite simple.... or so I thought.... however, the story-telling is quite remarkable, to say the least. It would be a shame to divulge the details about the tale, as the emotional jigsaw puzzle that the tale offers to a viewer, ready to uncover and solve, is better not spoiled.
The manner in which the characters are assembled for us viewers makes it a treat to watch, just like all of Scorsese's films. From the very beginning the visuals just grip us completely and make us ready for all the madness and bewilderment that ensues.

Scorsese is the master of invoking suspense and paranoic atmosphere, and here he succeeds brilliantly. The body of the film is richly textured, and, in parts, it even brings back the magic of Alfred Hitchcock. Our fears, our beliefs, our weaknesses, our secrets are often locked up, and in "Shutter Island", a serious viewer can surely
probe such natural tendencies to keep things all wrapped up. But even for a lay viewer, the film holds much charm and thrills that never fail to mesmerize.

The film's title (the book's too) refers to the remote island where apparently a murderess is believed to be hiding after having escaped from a rather strange institutional facility for the criminally insane.

The film can be best classified as a psychological mystery-thriller; much of what is seen and experienced pose questions; the thin line between reality and delusions often gets blurred. Everything is not as it seems.

Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo and Max von Sydow have added a lot of nuance to their characters. Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson and Emily Mortimer have fantastic screen presence and they've brought out their best even in the short scenes.
Re-creating the atmospheric tone of the Fifties, and even the flashback scenes that depict the horrors of the Second World War wouldn't have been as difficult and exacting as the portrayal of the paranoia, ranging from the fears about communism to that about brain-washing, which is perceived by the characters. The perfect casting makes that job easier.

The asylum having only one point of entry (since the island’s terra firma sits atop a base of sheer cliff walls) provides much scope for the exquisitely created dark interiors and visual effects. The experiencing of trauma, anxiety and grappling with doubts, distrust and 'disappearance' becomes the leitmotif, and the symbols of loss of sanity effectively embellish the scenario.

I would personally recommend the film to all my readers,
and to all cine-lovers.
Just indulge yourself in the magic of cinema.
Savor the brilliance of a maestro, immerse yourself in the topnotch scenes and the noirish twists, and let's rubbish the trashy criticisms of frustrated cynics, let's just tell them to shut up their big mouths!