Mahalaya....

Today happens to be Mahalaya....
a day that used to be much significant for me, once, largely because of my Dad. It is a landmark day for all traditional Bangalis, and my Dad was one who placed a lot of emphasis on the age-old traditions. I too happily had grown with the emotional attachment that one has for Durga Pujo and Mahalaya.... the joyance is all nostalgia now....

'Prince Avalanche'

A minimalist tale, with layered character analyses, and dollops of odd humour and genuine warmth.....
that's what the doctor ordered, perhaps, and that's why I was absolutely spellbound, thrilled beyond doubt, to have stumbled upon David Gordon Green's gem of a film:
'Prince Avalanche'.
The verdict is plain and simple: It's fabulous.
Recommended for all fellow film-buffs.

Unbelievable? Maybe Not

My instant reaction, after reading that Robert Pattinson has been battling loneliness, that he has been finding it difficult to grapple with a break-up which was a lot more than a special relationship, that he is crying out for help, was: 

Unbelievable! 

How could it be true? 

After all, he is virtually one of the most sought after guys, isn't he? 

His smouldering good looks are too die for, no? 

He should have been the last person on earth to be lamenting for companionship..... 

But, on second thoughts...... maybe that's not so unreal after all, they too are humans, these demigod-looking idols, aren't they? They are entitled to be feel vulnerable, maybe more reasons than others, they too can cry nursing a broken heart, can't they? There's nothing worse than a relationship that rots, the smells reach far and wide, and, professionally, that can well mean going through hell...... it's strange even to attempt a return to so-called normalcy, once the balloon of fame has been blown so large. 

A few simple words that I would like to add, based on my personal experience, words that may be heeded to by those who are recuperating after a break-up, after the end of a relationship does not lead naturally to a closure, and feeling liberated seems so illusory, no matter what a brave front one might put up for the world..... What's over is over! So, just get BETTER, NOT BITTER!

The Post with a Difference

A lot happened this week, a lot of stuff that I usually do not write about but am penning, I mean typing, at the request of a dear friend who complains that I do not write about the goings on in my life. Well, for one, I do not like blabbering about things that are too mundane. Again, I do not even warm up to the idea of writing things which are likely to have a high shock value for my readers, but which truly happen to be the parcel of my life. Anything in between those two extremes hardly happens.
Another friend of mine, after all the years that we have been friends, complains that he does not approve of me sharing what I call 'cool' stuff via messages as they are un-original despite my claims that they reflect my thoughts and moods. I have given up on the explanations, but I fear I'll be desisting from messaging him randomly in the future. He seems to have outgrown frequent messaging. But let him be.
A significant development on the other hand has been by renewing ties with an old friend, who had severed all ties a couple of years back quite unceremoniously and was later presumed dead. It is he who has said something profound: Time moves on and we later regret... for words not said, for love not shown. Life's too short. So, do what makes you happy!
He also adds: Sometimes, I dream of things which are too good to be true. Then, I wake up....and my heart breaks. I realize that it was just a dream. It makes me cry." His words made me emotional, made me wish to reach out to him and help him deal with his insecurities. Yet, I feel so helpless, so incompetent to do the things that I should have done. I can hardly help myself at times, so the idea of helping someone else in that way seems like a luxury.
Yet another friend of mine, someone who is more like a younger brother, had something important to tell, and I share his words with the world, as I feel they make much sense even when one reads them irrespective of the context in which they were uttered, they could well be a borrowed words, but that hardly matters. He says: If some untold truth is the reason behind our unknown pain, then the weird part is, we don't know we'll be happy or sad once we know them.... when we question ourselves in vain, we need to know that some questions better remain unanswered; while sometimes we can't find answers, the truth is that sometimes we even don't want to.
Oh, this week, I also caught the new movie by Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee) - 'Tasher Desh' (House of Cards) - an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's famous musical! Interestingly, post-screening, I befriended a nice young guy who hails not from Kolkata, and was leaving the city the very next day. We chatted about the film and more. I had loved the film (both of us did). My preparedness (was prepared to be shocked, stunned, stimulated) resulted in feeling rewarded, on the whole. What I liked best about the film was its original vision, the international feel, that had a lot to do with the script having eschewed much, just as it has incorporated much more. Q, according to me, has still managed to retain the core essence of the Tagore musical, not a mean feat, eh?

Tasher Desh

'Selected Memories'

It was Baishey Srabon, yet again the occasion Rabindranath Tagore's death anniversary, a day that is considered special for all Bangalis, and for all Tagore-lovers. This year was the 72nd death anniversary of the bard, and it was made all the more special for me, and many who share my passion and are possibly my readers, by Doordarshan which honored the bard's memory by telecasting Rituparno Ghosh's 78-minute-long impressionistic documentary titled 'Jeevan Smriti' ('Selected Memories'; with English sub-titles). The documentary, more of Ghosh's take on the bard, was much awaited for many reasons. First, it was the last of the filmmaker's completed projects. It was shot in phases for over a year, and had waited to see the light of day (only seen by a select few in an invitational screening or more) for long. Rituparno Ghosh, known to be a consummate researcher, had worked on the theme for several years before embarking on the actual filming. documentary. It had taken more time and energy than he was known to devote to his feature films. It was dear to his heart because of his passionate association with the bard and his works. He was known to have quite a vast knowledge on the subject that had even made him quite a treasure-house, especially of the nuggets, of information recently. Watching the film, made me emotional. It made me heavy-hearted. Nostalgia gripped me, I felt enthused, was ecstatic at times...... my eyes welled with tears for many reasons. It would be difficult for me to dissect the film for its merits and demerits, I apologize to my readers for my inability to review the film as many would have wanted me to. Consider it my personal incapacity. However, I would want all of you to watch the film, if ever you get the opportunity to do so. It was Rituda's pet project, he had wanted to steer clear of the baggage that we carry with the respect that we have for the fine documentary on Tagore made by Satyajit Ray. He had wanted to traverse interesting facets from the bard's life, his extensive travels, and his many platonic relationships as well. Samadarshi Datta played a young Rabindranath, in his twenties - quite the romantic and formative period in the poet's life, while Sanjoy Nag played the aged bard, there were Raima Sen and Arunima Ghosh in the cast too. Rituda himself had a memorable presence in the film, almost giving one the feeling of a consummation with the bard, as he is found baring his soul, his spirit to us viewers, as his life unfolds. The background commentary has paralleled the dramatized documentation and that too has been enriched by many an actor, including Deepti Naval and Anasuya Majumdar. Rituparno intentionally chose to attach multiple layers, to showcase Tagore's multiplicity. However, he has also banked on the scenes from some Ray films based on Tagore's works, reinstating the obvious association that we, people of his generation and thereafter, have particularly had with Tagore -the creator and Tagore - the individual.

'Issaq': 'Romeo and Juliet' revisited

With 'Issaq', William Shakespeare's famous tragedy has been revisited but has the outcome been laudable...... or laughable? Will it make Shakespeare turn in his grave?
Read on, for I've just poured my take on this new film.

It is a daunting task to transcreate a Shakespearean text for the Indian screen. And, I am saying this despite most of our mainstream films having had a lot to borrow from Shakespeare, consciously or unconsciously. We have done to death the Romeo and Juliet love story without really making a proper cinematic adaptation of the bard's text. Hence, when the promos of 'Issaq' first started airing with the name William Shakespeare highlighted, I was super-excited. I liked the casting too. Prateik Babbar, Ravi Kissen, Prashant Narayanan, Makarand Deshpande, Sudhir Pande, Neena Gupta, Vineet Kumar Singh, Evelyn Sharma were in the cast - known names who raised expectations, and the newcomer Amyra Dasur was cast as Juliet. Prateik and Amyra looked good together as the eponymous lovers in the songs that whetted my appetite. The songs were quite good too, especially the title track sung by Mohit Chauhan (other songs were situational numbers, all with the rustic flavor of Banaras which formed the backdrop in this transcreation).

Finally, as soon as the film arrived in the theater, I rushed to the nearest multiplex to catch the drama unfold. Again, the classic tale of doomed romance, of star-crossed lovers. Mind you, I wasn't a fan of it when I had read a retelling of the drama, in my school book, but warmed up to it only after reading the original play, as an outcome of my new-found fondness for Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film 'Romeo + Juliet'. 
As I entered the auditorium, I mentally lauded the makers for daring to boast that theirs was an authentic adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, set in the Indian context, with guns and bullets, and the politician-goonda nexus, and the sand mafia, and the colors of Banaras. But then the film began...... and, as it progressed, came the disappointment, disgust and despair, in varying degrees.

Alas! The filmmaker (Manish Tiwary) seems to have been catapulted by an imagination fermented by the bard alright but he has definitely failed to exploit the potential that the concept offered. The idea was to Indianize the text with contemporary realistic touches, and that yielded itself to portions which do manage to generate interest. However, the worst part was that that the film suffers from faulty scripting, sloppy editing, and a complete lack of credibility and coherence. Maybe the pressure to deliver was too much to handle. An improper weightage given to complex characters, and half-baked associations to eke out the rich dramatic intensity and texture of the Shakespearean play have tragically rendered chastisement by critics and masses inescapable. I am feeling particularly sorry for Prateik Babbar whose Romeo act has been lampooned and some viewers (which even includes the person I went to see the film with) have even christened him desi Spiderman for having attempted to scale the walls so bravely....... hahaha.

'Ship of Theseus': Cinema at its very best

'Ship of Theseus' has finally arrived in Indian cinemas, in a wide-yet-limited release, nothing short of a mean feat because it is cinema at its very best, in its purest, a celebration of cinema from the land of escapist romances. Its being backed by Kiran Rao, more widely known as the better half of Aamir Khan, has made its sailing somewhat smooth, as it is not just a film without compromises of the basest kind, but is also what can be labelled niche cinema, one that uses multiple languages (and hence, mandatorily, subtitles), represents multiple ethnicities, weaves hard-core issues in a somewhat loosely-structured narrative, is bereft of saleable names in its list of cast-members, and explores a philosophical paradox.

This multi-layered film energizes and challenges the viewer like few other films have done in the recent past. There are so many ideas (in fact, too many to be honest) that have been packed in, that it may baffle and bewilder the complacent viewer. But look deep, or stay patient, and the film starts to converse with its use of cinematic idioms. It stimulates intellectually, and positively, and it does that even to the ones in whom the appreciative spirit for all good things (like good cinema or good music) may have apparently been hibernating for long.

It is difficult for me not to wax eloquent about a film like 'Ship of Theseus', however hard I may try. Suffice to say that if this happens to be cinema, then what we keep going gaga about most of the times are nothing but cinema of a lesser kind. Superlatives have been showered on the film and all its major aspects at many a forum, national and international, so I am not going to go on and on, I just ask all cinema-lovers to embrace it in their own way.
Let the film engage you in a conversation, maybe with just your own self, after you have experienced it. Fractured lives, segmented narratives have rarely seemed so whole, so harmonious. Watch 'Ship of Theseus' and join me in thanking writer-director Anand Gandhi, producer Sohum Shah, and presenter Kiran Rao (these three most of all) for making us truly proud about our cinema.

A catty post

What's it with me and cats?
Now, don't get me wrong. I do not have a cat fetish.
I have a liking for cats, but it does not border on the insane.
All I want to draw attention to is the fact that cats have featured in many significant episodes in my life. I have petted cats in the past, though I never had what can be called a house-cat.
Right now, there is neither the space nor scope to indulge cats.
Sometimes, I do miss their company, but admire cats from a distance, or those that belong to my friends and acquaintances.
However, for a fortnight or so, a cat has been keeping close watch on me, or so it seems.
Every night, rather late at night, even past midnight at times, I find a cat waiting outside my door.
I have never fed it, never showed any affection, yet it is found waiting just outside the door, whenever I open the door, which I do regularly to check if she is there or not!
First, I thought it happened by chance, a random straying on her part.
But she never ceases to be right there at the dead of night.
It has become a routine......... a strange routine.
I open my door, before going to sleep, each night, almost like an obsession.
I live on the second floor. So the cat has to either climb up the stairs, or she climbs down from the terrace (the terraces of apartments being inter-connected).
Stranger still, she never makes a noise; she is never found during the day!
All she does is sit and stare.
I switch on lights on the stairways, which are switched off by midnight anyway, to see if it is all just an illusion........ the other residents on my floor are asleep by then, or maybe oblivious, and I can't check if I am the only one who has been experiencing this catty affair.
Maybe I never will find out, unless the cat in question can communicate in some way, and expresses her heart's desire.
I am sharing here some catty images which have earlier been sent to me by many an e-friend.
Let us be happy-catty-cool. Meowwwwwwwwww!

Rituda ... (1963 - 2013)

'Mathura nagarpati kaahe tum Gokul jaao?"

Just two days back, Rituda had tweeted: Wrapped up the shoot of Satyanewshi, a crime thriller in the molten glow of the pensive falling afternoon. And, now, all we are left with are his memories, his films, his voice on record, and reverberating in our souls. Can't believe that he is no more with us.

Right from the moment I started getting messages and calls on my mobile phone telling me about the sudden and untimely demise of Rituparno Ghosh,
It felt like a personal loss.
The fact remains that, though I had met him on two occasions, there was no personal connection to boast of.

I am sure there are many like me who bonded with him emotionally because of his films, because of his thoughts and philosophies, because of what he stood for and symbolized.

My friend Sid summed it best, saying that he was an inspiration, a mentor, a guide..... a revolutionary, not in the usual firebrand mode, but in an altogether sublime way. I agree with Aryan completely when he said that it feels surreal, absurd, to watch Rituda's lifeless body being taken out of his home...... he was dressed regally yet simply, and it seemed he was sleeping in peace.
For most of his working years, he worked at a hectic pace, his mind was at a creative overdrive most of the time, and I wondered how he managed to read so much and possess such expansive knowledge on a host of things that were close to his heart.
 Saurabh's spontaneous reaction was evocative. He said: Rituparno Ghosh not only meant cinema....... he stood for a lot more - more than can perhaps be comprehensively embodied by a single person! He was a consummate filmmaker and, more than anything, passionate about aesthetics. Bonnie calls him a contemporary legend. In his words: As a filmmaker, he was unlike many of the phonies who inhabit this world, he was a genuine person, warm and magnanimous, and as a creative thinker unparalleled.
Actually, Rituda's absence from this physical world is too hard to sink in for me. I had looked forward to be provoked and challenged by defiant and emotionally-charged offerings so keenly..... anyhow, life goes on, but I would like to end this write-up with a question that has been posed by Mehul (my best friend from the virtual world), and I ponder on the same all day long..... he asks if I noticed 'how Death had a luminous presence in almost all his films'. I did. So did many of the critics. Inadequacies and insecurities of all kinds were traced translucently and lucidly by Rituda, he understood the nuances of relationships and personal vulnerabilities like none else. We will miss you Rituda, all the more with every passing day.... but, at the same time, you will always be in our hearts. There would be millions who would be influenced and inspired by you in the days to come, and I am sure you would even be endeared by many who are yet to discover you. Love you Rituda..... always will.

Horror redefined

'American Horror Story' is twisted, shocking, gross, and yet it connects emotionally, and it is indeed very scary........ it is horror redefined, for television viewers, especially for those who have a craving for the genre and who love being scared crazy.

'Bombay Talkies'

Celebrating cinema; deconstructing and restructuring the Bollywood dreams....
"Har kissa hai cinema ke jaadoo ka......" goes the song accompanying the opening credits, and those words say it all...... it is all about celebrating the magic of cinema, and somewhat magical was this experience of watching this anthology, this collage, of four films, for me. I believe cinema can move us, and that is why they are aptly called movies and the moving images connect with our souls, they let us relive the passion that is ever-present in our hearts. You know, my life has been a journey through films, and Bollywood has been an essential part of it. Watching 'Bombay Talkies' paralleled my personal reflections and my full-bodied association with cinema, in general, and Hindi cinema, in particular.

Four contemporary directors. Four short films, four distinctly different narratives. Connected only by their referencing of Hindi cinema, popularly termed Bollywood, and its obvious appendages and accessories. What better treat could we have asked for as a celebration of cinema, or rather a celebration of Indian cinema's hundred years, hundred years of narrating emotion, after all we are a bunch of emotional fools, and we are not known to eschew emotions..... instead, we love our cinema steeped in emotion, every cinematic frame that has been lauded and will be lauded again is likely to be characterized by the emotions that ooze out, that drench us, and enrich us at the same time. 'Bombay Talkies' doffs its hat in that direction. However, this time, as the format chosen by the acclaimed and/or popular directors being that of short films, the content is definitely non-mainstream, at least not the core kind. Yet, neither are the shorts influenced by the very much thriving and buoyant French shorts, or other European ones. At best, one is reminded of the Iranian films, especially in one or two of the segments.

Now, the question arises - how successful is the entire outcome? Is the bouquet worth celebrating in itself? Does it fulfill its objective? Does it overwhelm? Is it a definitive collaboration of creative contributors? Does the cinematic tribute relevant for the diversity and heterogeneity as much as the monolithic compulsions of Bollywood?
Well, those posers can have one debating, and tearing hair, but the answers are many. For me, the avid movie buff (movie junkie) that I am, the experience as a viewer was refreshing; I smiled, I chuckled, I shed a tear as well, and I marveled...... and I must say that I left the theater thoroughly entertained. I felt that Bollywood isn't facing an extinction threat, our films have evolved - they have come a long way indeed - and will continue to do so, despite the challenges faced by cinema in general, in this age and time.

Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap - the four directors - have proved their worth...... they may have varying degrees of success, they may have faltered at places, and made us sit up and take note of their prowess in the best of moments (and moments there are aplenty that stay with us after the curtains come down)..... the makers, their outpourings, aided by superlative contributions of the cast and crew (which include talents both old and new) are what make 'Bombay Talkies' a special film for me (and I know I am not alone).