More on friends and friendship.......

There's always so much that I have to say on the topic of friendship, it is never enough even when I have already spoken my mind on the same.

I hope my readers do not get bored of my blabber-blabber too.

I have been feeling I need to spend a bit more time on my friendships.

As I make it a point to listen to my intuition, I decided to call a good friend who has been on my mind,

and the first thing he said was that he and his wife had been thinking about me too and were feeling a need to catch up with their friends.

We all had a great laugh at the coincidence, and then we had a lovely chat, catching up on one another's lives.

It was just another reminder to me how valuable my friends are and how important it is to find ways to stay in touch, even when they are far away.

Of course, getting together in person is the best, but isn't always feasible. Nowadays, despite physical distances, there are so many ways to keep in touch that it is actually easy to do so.

In addition to our home phones, we have cell phones to stay in touch from just about anywhere. And there are instant messaging programs that allow us to use the computer to catch up with people we haven't seen in a while. There are even some computer programs that allow us to talk to each other in real time with video!

If one is pressed for time, communicating with one's friends all at once through a social networking site makes it really easy.

Online social networking is a great way to keep up with everyone without having to contact each person separately to find out what they are up to. Many people post pictures, tell stories and relate bits about their family, events, and vacations.

By posting regularly about what we are doing, we can take advantage of this media to let others know what we're up to in our day-to-day life, as well.

And there are always emails or good old-fashioned letters, notes and postcards.

Almost everyone enjoys finding a nice personal note in among the bills and junk mails.

So, I would like to tell all of my friends that, even if you are busy, I encourage you to do whatever you can, suiting your own preferences, to stay in touch with your friends.

I'm sure, by taking advantage of some of the things I just mentioned, you'd be able to enjoy our friendships all the more.

I hope you all will take this opportunity to catch up with someone you haven't heard from in a while.

Why not see who comes to mind?

Rapunzel

Rapunzel is the age-old fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

This classic tale, with all the standard ingredients of a well-told fairy tale has charmed us for generations. But, now, the story is all set to make a re-emergence as a new-age 3D animation film from the Walt Disney Animation Studios as the forthcoming big ticket release, 'Tangled'. It features the voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi along with several others.

The original music for the film has been composed by Alan Menken and the lyrics have been penned by Glenn Slater. Slated for a theatrical release this winter, the film is making all animation feature buffs wait in eager anticipation. Hence, a look at the beautiful visuals.

Pics - courtesy: Walt Disney Animation Studios

Purely illustrative. No copyright infringement intended.

GLEE - Unleashing the Inner Loser!

"Glee" is the brand new show on Star World that has captured

the imagination of the young and old, in India....

and, especially, here, in Kolkata.

"Glee" is in the musical-drama genre, which itself is a new concept for us,

as far as English language television series is concerned.....

yet, it is something that all of us fed the regular dose of Indian films laden with songs and dances are well acquainted with.

We love the drama, we love the excesses, and we love the deeper conflicts resolved in a naturally liberating manner that has an easy charm.

The series is originally aired, in the United States, on Fox, and the first season had started there last September. But, in India, the series is just about to have the first season finale.

We have woken up late, but with a lot of fervor and glee!

A brief intro for the uninitiated:

The plot focuses on a high school show choir (a modern glee club) called New Directions, at the fictional William McKinley High Schoolin Lima, Ohio.

The show, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, features select music with popular appeal and chart hits. The song covers are essentially sung onscreen by the characters themselves. Choreographed by Zach Woodlee, the show features five to eight production numbers per episode.

There are twelve main roles with star billing. Matthew Morrison plays Will Schuester, a Spanish teacher, who becomes director of the glee club, hoping to restore it to its former glory. Jane Lynch plays Sue Sylvester, head coach of the Cheerios cheerleading squad, and the Glee Club's arch-nemesis. Jayma Mays appears as Emma Pillsbury, the school's mysophobic guidance counselor who has feelings for Will, and Jessalyn Gilsig plays Terri Schuester, Will's wife of five years. Lea Michele plays Rachel Berry, talented star of the glee club who is often bullied by the Cheerios and football players. Cory Monteith plays Finn Hudson, star quarterback of the school's football team who risks alienation by his friends to join the glee club. Also in the club are Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones, a fashion-conscious diva who resents having to sing back-up; Colfer as Kurt Hummel—a gay male soprano; Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams, a guitar player and paraplegic; and Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang, an Asian American student with a fake speech impediment.Mark Salling plays Noah Puck Puckerman, a friend of Finn's on the football team who at first disapproves of Finn joining the glee club, but later joins the glee club himself. Dianna Agron plays Quinn Fabray, Finn's cheerleader girlfriend, who too joins the club later.

Horror Movies - Top Ten

I have been a horror movie buff since childhood.

Of course, then it was just the simple fun of being treated to spooks and chills, watching monsters and zombies amidst graphic gore and blood-curdling effects....

As a young adult I came to know what the regular horror films churned out by Hollywood actually symbolized, the morality lessons that were coated in metaphors and made enticing for the average American teen. For the pre-pubescent boys and girls, the films were a release of sorts, sometimes establishing the conventional mores, and sometimes helping them grapple with their raging hormones, with all the accompanying confusions & insecurities.

However, I have been exposed to all sorts of horror movies over the years, and the fascination might have waned by degrees, maybe I am more observant of the nuances and the underlying compulsions, maybe I am appreciative of the execution and narration more, yet, the charm has stayed on. I know, I speak for many when I address this love of mine. Hence, I offer for my readers, a list of the ten very best horror films that I have seen over the years, this is yet another compilation based purely on personal preference. I had promised a couple of my friends this listing, and here it is.

My favorite horror films - Top Ten:

pics appearing from top to bottom under the list -

1) The Sixth Sense (1999);

2) The Exorcist (1973);

3) A Tale of Two Sisters/Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003);

4) The Others (2001);

5) Hostel (2006);

6) Psycho (1960);

7) Jaws (1975);

8) Alien (1979);

9) The Omen (1976);

10) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Paris, je t'aime

Paris, je t'aime [Paris, I love you]
is one of the brilliant collage films that I have ever seen!
I was absolutely thrilled to catch this 2006 film
that has brilliant assemblage of 18 short films
made by eminent directors from across the world.

Paris - as a city - has always intrigued us.
We look up to it principally as a city of love,
passion, art and culture.
The film too explores the city of Paris from
various such perspectives, some known....
some not much explored before.

The directors include Gus van Sant, Christopher Doyle,
Gurinder Chadha, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles,
Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuaron, Sylvain Chomet,
Vincenzo Natali, Wes Craven, Nobuhiro Suwa,
Oliver Schmitz, Richard LaGravenese, the Coen Brothers,
and several others.

Each segment of the feature is located and filmed
at the diverse arrondissements (municipal districts
or boroughs) of the city of Paris.
People of diverse cultures, expressing themselves
through diverse sentiments, dimensions and
narratives, albeit brief, can thus be seen and that is
as much an exploration of the city as of the sensibilities
ensconced therein.
I would recommend the film to all my readers and
to the lovers of pure cinema.

Mister Nobody

Here is a poem, which though not written by me, is something that I would definitely want to share with all my readers:

Mr Nobody
Author: Unknown


I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody's house!
There's no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr Nobody

'Tis he who always tears our books,
Who leaves the door ajar,
He pulls the buttons from our shirts,
And scatters pine afar;
That squeaking door will always squeak,
For, prithee, don't you see,
We leave the oiling to be done
By Mr Nobody

The finger marked upon the door
By none of us are made;
We never leave the blind unclosed,
To let the curtains fade.
The ink we never spill; the boots
That lying round you. See
Are not our boots they all belong
To Mr Nobody.

...........................
Needless to say, I loved this poem.
It is simple yet interesting.
And now, I am going to talk about a film that I have just been lucky to catch.

The film is called "Mr. Nobody"
and it is fantastic !

"Mr Nobody" is not an easy film.
It has many layers.
However, it connected with me wonderfully.
For me, it was a complete cinematic experience.
In all its complexity, in the magnificent exploration
of the possibilities that emanate from choices,
the film breathed life to my own thoughts too.
I wnat more and more people to see it.
It is really unfortunate that this 2009 film, by the acclaimed Belgian director Jaco van Dormael, hasn't been released here and it isn't likely that it ever will.
My fellow film-buffs must surely catch it on video.
I would love to exchange notes on it.
It has several points and counterpoints for us to talk about, and hence I refrain from posting a detailed review of the film.

Watch it, folks!

Best Friend

Who would you call your best friend?
That is a question we often ask ourselves.
And it is a pertinent question.
Recently, most parts of the world celebrated Friendship Day with much fanfare (ranging from exchange of gifts, cards, sweet messages to special celebratory get-together's) and there was no dearth of friends screaming their allegiance, loyalty, trust et cētera.
But do we really value true friendship in these times of confusion and cacophony.
Aren't many of our so called 'deep' bondings actually quite phony?
All of us, at one point or the other, have longed for a best friend, a special someone, irrespective of gender or other broad, or need-based, specifications, with whom we'd share the strongest possible friendship; one who'll go all out to be there for us, in times of crises, big or small; one who will never judge us; one who'll never back-stab or even be critical behind us; one who can be trusted hundred per cent; one who will make us unwind and feel good about ourselves - no matter what.....
ya, it's a tall order.
The cynics will say, 'It's madness!', or at best, 'nothing but a lame romantic notion', or 'a utopian concept that is long past use'!
Maybe they have a point.
But still two friends, of whatever age or sex, can still find so much comfort when they call each other BEST FRIENDS.
I am privileged when a so called e-friend of mine introduced me the other day - when we met for a face to face chat - to a friend of his as "He is Anindo, my best friend!"
It meant a lot to me.
In fact, it meant the world.
As I had been on that day harbouring grudge against a particular back-stabber, and had been thinking that the acceptance of the new word 'unfriending', as opposed to the age old 'befriending' made much sense...... yes, on that very day....... my 'best friend' showed me how a small introduction - comprising just three words - can be so fulfilling.
I am keeping my fingers crossed. May I be able to be worth the tag. May we both live up to it.

The Many KOLKATAs

Kolkata, my city, is often shown in films or in television serials as a city which is unanimous with many known facets but, interestingly, it is a far more complex and heterogeneous in reality. Often, I feel that there are many Kolkatas, many fringes, many ghettos, many marginalised sections, many strange & unique dimensions that do not get explored enough in popular media.

This year, I saw Kolkata in its renowned and resplendent visuals in Birsa Dasgupta's debut feature film called "033", but did know whether to laud it for its music-video-like appeal or pass it off as yet another glossing over in a picture-postcard-like depiction.
Again, there was this film called "Mahanagar @Kolkata", by Suman Mukherjee, and it was quite a novel approach, though tad more ambitious than able. The film - for a large part - had brilliant depictions of the underbelly, of the marginalised, decadent segments, and I must salute the courage shown by the director to do so. However, the director failed in the third segment (the film being a collage of three distinct segments, loosely tied up as a single narrative) as he tried to go somewhat offbeat in the portrayal of the desperation and despair of the urban yuppies; it came off as false and hollow apart from being show-offish.
I am happy to note that Kolkata has also been captured in many of this year's Bangla releases like "Shukno Lanka", "Le Chhakka", "Clerk" and "Ekti Taarar Khonje" - with mixed results. "Clerk" (reviewed earlier in my blog) scores highest in its depiction, according to my evaluation, in terms of content and style/manner.
May my city be the lensmen's delight ever more. And may the films too go a step further to show the many of its hitherto undiscovered and untapped aspects.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Isn't it odd how a counselling session throws back things at us? 
Things that we least expect....
things which we think are not that important....
things we do not consider as blockades....
This is what a psychological counsellor, dismissively called a shrink, may say:
"I want you to take a few moments to imagine something you really want to happen
and then use your imagination to follow it through in your mind's eye. 
What is it you are dreaming about? 
Who is involved? 
How does it play out?
Now let's think about the direction your imagination took.
Did you focus on the positive aspects of your dream or did you end up
thinking about the things that could go wrong?"

If we find that we had a constructive mental process,
our shrink is likely to say: "My hat goes off to you!"

On the other hand,
if our imagination turns our dream into a disaster,
we are asked to focus on the reason for the same....
why that happened.... without being down on ourselves.

I have been told that so many of us are in the habit
of actually imagining the worst as opposed to the best,
unless our thoughts are directed differently.

It is said that energy flows where the attention goes,
and this is the key to getting positive results in any situation.

When we can visualize exactly what it is that we want,
isn't it such an elusive quest, well, we might streamline our thoughts to the basics, for starters,
hence we fuel the energy of our creation by seeing all the wonderful aspects
of it coming into reality.
We can see ourself experiencing our desire in detail,
imagining the events, sights, smells, and feelings around it.
And, if a negative thought does creep in, we can simply erase it,
replacing it with thoughts of what you want to have happen instead.

In addition to visualizing, other things can help reinforce
the positive outcome we desire.
We might be asked to keep a daily journal and write what we desire
to happen in your life, anytime in the near or distant future.
This is a very good way to keep our focus.
Another technique is to make a picture page with images of what we want,
along with good things that are part of our dream.
We can cut out photos from magazines or draw pictures.
When our little poster is completed, put our page in a place where we will see it frequently, given that we have our own private space of display.
Just seeing these visual suggestions regularly is likely to stimulate our imagination.
By making a point to imagine on a regular basis the positive things we want
to bring our way, we'd draw wonderful things into our life with surprising frequency. Not only we shall experience more success in our life, but you we'll also feel more confident & prepared to meet life's diverse challenges.

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?