Thursday 13 November 2014

Iyyobinte Pusthakam: Another lifeless Back light Party


Each time after watching his films I pledge myself that I won't repeat this. But his trailers for the next one will tempt me to catch it as soon as possible. Again pani paalum. ! 
But this time I waited for some days and was seeing all those posts in fb praising him for his best work till date. Now I am truly taking a vow to avoid his films in big screens.
Another lifeless -well lit- Amal neerad show with a tagline of period film. At once it runs with a momentum gained from the chain of events backed by good performances of its actors and in the last thirty minutes it becomes a mere showcase of a forgotten action film. While its progress I remembered the films of IV Sasi, who told gripping stories in similar backdrops with a human touch. The struggle for land, betrayal in families and the never ending feudal conflicts are the topics discussed , but nowhere in its narrative it connects with the viewer and towards the end it became the usual exercise of looking the watch.
Fahad as usual was amazing both in his looks and action. Apart from some stunning visuals(almost every scene was shot with a back light source ) and music of Neha, its another bachelor party of amal. I think Big B still remains his best.
I would prefer to watch some good films of 80s born from Iv Sasi - MT team over this boring stuff.

Saturday 11 October 2014

70kph- Confessions of a Rider

The best thing after a long ride happens when I lie in my bed, and the sounds and visuals of the trip subdued in the unconscious starts to pop up. That sound of evening sea in a lone beach and the voice of that beast made like a gun are playing in my mind in loops. The day before the ride I had a discussion with my friends and majority of them was skeptical about a ride through that part of ghats where the roads will be ruled by a scorching sun and a destination that doesn't have anything to offer other than some barren land.


I chose this ride for the sake of this ride. May be I wanted to get detached from my comfort zone or it may be the curiosity of the kid inside me for the new toy. 
Majority of the time we spend on roads, the ones through lush green woods, the ones where pandi Lorrie's wait to get cleared by the excise people, the ones where we had to halt for the people who don't exactly knows the difference between a road and a footpath!. I wished I had one more middle finger to greet those arrogant drivers in bulky SUV's that almost killed me in their rash driving.

I was such immersed in the ride that my stomach even forgot to send hunger signals to the brain. All that was going on my mind was to reach the bridge of pamban before sunset. Riding is an act of meditation, deeply focused on the road ahead, concentrating on the voice of bullet. Thoughts keep knocking, lingering between past and future and its the bump ahead or the dog jumping to the road that calls to the present. 
I was overwhelmed when it started pouring unexpectedly and we were not sad even though we couldn't find a roof in the highway. That rain drops acted as burnol plus for our deeply fried epidermis. I really felt Paulo Coelho was damn sure when he wrote about the conspiracy of nature.

During the snacks time in a remote village,I asked the young shopkeeper and his friend regarding the arrest of their CM and the politics in their land. I was both happy and sad when he replied that all the leaders and their offsprings in both parties should be burnt alive. His concern and helplessness for the people and their land was evident when he said that the two major parties won't do any good for them and wouldn't allow a third party to do anything. 
Even though my co rider insisted me to maintain a speed of 80kph in order to meet our schedule, I enjoyed the ride at its best on 70kph. When I get bored of listening to the playlist in mobile phone I started singing loudly in my own way. 
Our destination was a place that always rose my curiosity. The fishermen families still living in that ghost tip without electricity and access to shops even after long years since the deadly cyclone that took lives of hundreds who lived in that land which once was a town. It was there that Swami Vivekananda landed after his great speech of Chicago.

It is my unfulfilled dream to stay in that ghost tip in a full moon night witnessing the density of stars, and our hemisphere lit by moon , I can imagine that now but i know it will be beyond descriptions to experience that in real. I think I would witness something very strange there at that time. Sometimes intuitions meets reality .

And the best part in this journey happened just before our return ride in a lone beach stuffed with pine trees, located somewhere in the eastern part of the dhanushkodi strip. This was purposefully chosen. I always liked sea shores where I can't spot another human being there and that too during the dusk. My favorite job will be to lie down near the sea, my head pointing towards it and view the sea upside down. It may look weird but I guarantee the fish-eye visual will be amazing, and if you keep your eyes closed for some time then you feel the waves penetrating your head. 



While riding back in the star filled night amidst the whitish salt fields I remembered the conversation that I had with Laxmi, the old woman selling sea shells at dhanushkodi. She had 5 kids, all of them married and left her in that ghost town , but she hesitates to leave that land, reasons unknown. During the 1964 cyclone she was at Ceylon,where she was married, later she had to come back to Tamil land due to the militant issues. I asked her why people are fighting at Srilanka? 


laxmi
Laxmi : We are tamilians, they are Sinhalese.
Me : what's the difference, do you speak different language? 
Laxmi : No, our origins are different. 
Me : Means? 
Laxmi : ( Smiles) 
Me : Do you have different gods? 
Laxmi : Yes, we pray Shiva, they pray Buddha.
Me : So are gods responsible for this problems? 

She smiled in a way that she agrees my question.

As we approached the windmills, it was past 2 am, and the cool wind was embracing us telling to reduce the speed. I checked the speedometer and ensured it was 70kph.

Sunday 21 September 2014

Njan K T N - Thoughts on Ranjith's Njan.



Ranjith once again came up with the narrative he tested in Palerimanikyam , this time for his introspection on KTN Kottoor. A film that demands careful depiction of time and space and a much more from its actors.

First thing that comes to my mind while thinking about this film is its over used soundtrack that felt loud and disturbing. The subdued identity of characters in the present was a big letdown in a film that switched between two different eras. I must admit his guts for the close ups but the period characters at least for some scenes towards the end ended up in melodrama that was too dingy for a film like this. Amidst these narrative flaws I saw a filmmaker who once wrote dialogues for supernatural heroes ,struggling to depict a failed man's life that breaks the norms of conventional cinema .

The self destructive nature of the letter 'I' in comparison with the organizational 'we' that he describes before slipping into his anarchic life and the iconoclastic intercut shots where he see his mother and other women he encountered in place of mate while having a sexual intercourse with his blind wife are the manifestations of a liberal soul trapped in between the dark shades of inherited class burden and the modernity he achieved through his interactions with a bigger world. Relevance of kottoor's life in the age of a blogger who writes in that literary double lies in the lessons of a disappeared man's history that teaches the fatalities of dualism in kottoor- both man and space and how that space affects his personal  life.

 A film that could have been a gem despite its cinematic flaws including its cuts.

Saturday 23 August 2014

Munnariyippu- A Multi layered Psycho thrille...oh no..i am confused.


There are some films that communicate indirectly with the viewer.
There are some films that you cant leave at the halls.
There are some films which you cant resist to carve your brains.


Munnariyippu opens with a lengthy shot / title card depicting a group of ants carrying a dead lizard.The protagonist Raghavan also has his own philosophy about life," its just a quandary before it comes to a stand still."
Unni R

One cannot call this film an experiment in malayalam since we had witnessed much more strange/extreme experiments once in this language but considering its time of birth after a decade( or more) of stereotypical, star-centric film culture we should acknowledge it using the term 'audaciously bold'. Dialogues with insight which doesn't feel artificial, and requires a re reading can only be written by a man with genius. Unni R nails it off in its most adorable fashion. A multi layered ,genre defining movie that starts rolling in your mind once you finish watching it.
Movie is centered around C K Raghavan ( Mammootty) who lived twenty years in Jail for murdering two women, and a freelance journalist( Aparna Gopinath) who finds the writings of Raghavan interesting and try to translate and sell it out to fulfill her career dreams. As Mammooty is playing Raghavan everyone will be excited to know his past and impatiently waiting to get answers for "did he killed?" ," If not who else", " if he did, then why?" and at least a glimpse of that sepia toned flashback that gives a vague hint. But what makes it a unique watch is the decision of our film maker to keep the narrative straight and right in the present . You will be leaving the theatre with no information regarding his past and each one will come with a different answer according to their sensibility and Raghavan still remaining a mystery .
Another face of the movie is about the real freedom and new age corporate journalism and a chain of events that connects them..Raghavan is really caged once he is released from jail and the journalist who is supposed to use her medium to find the human in him try to use his genius as a stepping stone for her career and once she finds it impossible ,thinks to start everything afresh.And suddenly comes the culmination point of this drama and even the less engaged viewer will start thinking about the whole plot.
Backed by some excellent actors( both senior and new age,specially mentioning that little boy who supplies him food) and of course Aparna who transferred us all the tensions of that journalist till the climax and the carefully lit up room of C K Raghavan and his speechless shots that felt like a poetic display by a veteran cinematographer.
Venu, an old still with John

There are some films that need a repeated watch to contain it in whole.
Brilliantly written, outstandingly narrated and leaves you shocked with a mind full of questions/answers.
NEVER MISS

Monday 18 August 2014

Steve Lopez : Re inventing John



Recently in an article I read that John was not fully satisfied with the making of Amma Ariyan. After watching Steve Lopez I felt that if he was alive today in this age of WhatsApp he would have definitely made his film in this manner. 
john abraham

A political film in all sense. A bold mirror towards a selfish society. New age parents in this neo liberalized economy who teaches their offspring to keep their eyes closed towards the problems of others , a generation of youngsters who cannot respond towards a ruthless system. Steve Lopez is a journey through them seeking for answers. It is allegorical that the dad who warns his son to keep his mouth shut himself is the person supposed to secure law and order . This film needs appreciation starting from its innovative posters. The title song / dialogues which was a rap cum conversation between two cops was really funny and bears a tinge of oppression. It also delves into the geographical arena of this city and their way of speech. Transformation of Steve from a lover boy into a social being who asks unending questions to the system is shown with truthful incidents and atmost reality. Reality here I mean that the one you cannot find in 'films' . farhaan is really convincing as Steve . One cannot blame people who couldn't connect with Steve or this narrative , as their sense of viewing a film or broadly the film culture here is altered by the films which are responsible for this. 

rajeev ravi
There are lot of links that one can find between Amma ariyan and Steve lopez, starting from its makers use of film as a tool to the similarities in the characters( even their names) .Steve Lopez is one of those rare political films ever made and that should not be missed in big screens. No wonder if you felt regret for the lost innocence. 

Tuesday 5 August 2014

മിസ്റ്റർ രവി

                     


ravi

രവി ചേട്ടനറിയാതെ പട്ടണത്ത് ഒരു ഇല പോലും അനങ്ങില്ല.
അതിനൊക്കെ പുള്ളിക്കൊരു കണക്കൊണ്ട് , കാര്യങ്ങൾ ഒക്കെ അങ്ങനങ്ങു നടക്കും .രവി ചേട്ടന്റെ ചരിത്രത്തിനു ഒരു പക്ഷെ ഭാരത സംസ്കാരത്തിന്റെ ഗതി വിഗതികൾ നിർണ്ണയിക്കാനുള്ള പ്രാധാന്യം ഇല്ലായിരിക്കാം .പക്ഷെ ഒരു മനുഷ്യായുസ്സിനെ എത്രത്തോളം ലളിതമായി കാണാം എന്നു പഠിപ്പിച്ചു കൊടുക്കാനുള്ള സൂത്രമുണ്ട്. അതിന്റെ ഒരു സർവവിജ്ഞാനകോശം തന്നെയാണ്‌ ഈ മനുഷ്യൻ . 
പണ്ട് എഴുപതുകളിൽ നാട്ടുകാരനായ സുഹൃത്തിനൊപ്പം ഉണക്കമീനിന്റെ പങ്കു കച്ചവടുമായി ബോംബയ്ക്ക് വണ്ടി കേറിയതു മുതൽ , ഒടുവിൽ ആ കൂട്ടുകാരാൻ സ്വന്തം കാശുമായി മുങ്ങിയത് അറിഞ്ഞിട്ടും പകരം വീട്ടാനോ കരഞ്ഞ് നിലവിളിച്ചു നാട്ടിലേക്കുള്ള അടുത്ത വണ്ടി പിടിക്കാനോ നില്ക്കാതെ വന്നു പിറന്നു പോയ ഈ ഉലകത്തിൽ എങ്ങനെ പിഴച്ച് പോകാം എന്ന സാർവ്വലോക പ്രശ്നത്തെ നേരത്തെ പറഞ്ഞ ലളിതവല്ക്കരണ പ്രക്രിയയിലൂടെ തരണം ചെയ്തു , ചുവന്ന തെരുവിലെ രാത്രികൾ ആഘോഷമാക്കി മാറ്റിയ ആ മനുഷ്യനെ ഞാൻ പരിചയപ്പെടുന്നത് പട്ടണത്തെ ചരിത്രമുറങ്ങുന്ന മണ്ണിന്റെ അടരുകൾ കൊത്തിയിളക്കുന്നതിനിടയിൽ സന്ദർശകരായി വരുന്ന ചരിത്ര ഗവേഷണ വിദേശികൾക്കും ,അടുത്ത ബിനാലെയ്ക്ക് എന്ത് പടച്ചു വിടാം എന്നന്വേഷിച്ചു വരുന്ന നാടൻ ബുദ്ധിജീവികൾക്കും ഒരുപോലെ രസിക്കുന്ന 'കേരള ചരിത്രം - രവി എഡിഷൻ ' ഒരു ദിനേശ് ബീഡി കത്തിതീരുന്ന നേരം കൊണ്ട് വിളമ്പുന്നതിനിടയിലാണ് . പിന്നീട് പ്രായ വ്യത്യാസം മറന്നു പോയ നാളുകളിൽ ഉടലെടുത്ത സൗഹൃദം, കഥകൾ ഒരുപാടുണ്ട്‌ പറയാൻ..

Sunday 3 August 2014

ചായ , കള്ള് , സദാചാരം ..



സമതലത്തിൽ നല്ല വെയിലായിരുന്നുവെങ്കിലും വയലടക്കുന്നിലേക്ക് ഫോർ വീൽ ഡ്രൈവിൽ കേറുമ്പോൾ മഴ പെയ്യുന്നുണ്ടായിരുന്നു . കൂടെയുണ്ടായിരുന്നത് ഒരു ആണ്‍ ഫോട്ടോഗ്രാഫറും പിന്നെ സഹപ്രവർത്തകയും വിദേശിയും ഗവേഷകയുമായ പെണ്‍കുട്ടിയും. തവിട്ടിന്റെ ഉൽഘനന പറമ്പിൽ നിന്ന് അൽപം ശാന്തത തേടിയാണ് പച്ചപ്പിന്റെ വയലടക്കുന്നിലെയ്ക്കു വച്ച് പിടിച്ചത്. ശാന്തിയുടെ ഗിരിശ്രിന്ഗങ്ങൾ കേറുന്നതിനു മുൻപ് അല്പം തെങ്ങിൻ കള്ള് കുടിക്കാനുണ്ടായ പൂതിയാണ് ഗ്രാമത്തിലെ കലർപ്പില്ലാത്ത കള്ള് വിതരണം ചെയുന്ന ഷാപ്പിൽ എത്തിച്ചത് .പുരോഗമനവാദം പറയാറുണ്ടെങ്കിലും കൂടെയുണ്ടായിരുന്നത് ഒരു വിദേശിയും അതിലുപരി ഒരു പെണ്‍കുട്ടിയുമായതിനാൽ ഷാപ്പിലെ സ്വീകരണമുറിയിൽ വലതുകാലെടുത്തുവെച്ചപ്പോൾ ഒരു ആശങ്ക ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു . പക്ഷെ കള്ള് സേവിക്കുന്നവരും സേവിച്ചവരും നമ്മളോട് കാണിച്ച ആധിത്യ മര്യാദ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ എൻറെ കണ്ണ് നിറഞ്ഞു പോയി. കേരളത്തിൽ ഇങ്ങെനെയും ഒരു ഗ്രാമമോ ?? നമ്മുടെ നാടിന്റെയും നാട്ടുകാരുടെയും സദാചാരബോധത്തെ മുൻവിധിയോടെ വിലകുറച്ച് കണ്ട എൻറെ മനസ്സിനെ കുറ്റബോധത്താൽ സ്വയം വിമർശിച്ചു കൊണ്ട് നമ്മൾ യാത്ര തുടർന്നു . മഞ്ഞും , മലകളും ,മഴയും കണ്ടു നേരം ഇരുണ്ടു തുടങ്ങിയപ്പോൾ പതിയെ മലയിറങ്ങി തുടങ്ങി . തുറന്ന ജീപ്പിലെ യാത്രയും തണുത്ത കാലാവസ്ഥയും നമ്മളെ അടിവാരത്തുള്ള ഒരു ചായക്കടയിൽ എത്തിച്ചു . കട്ടനും ,ബണ്ണും , ഗോൾഡ്‌ ഫ്ലയ്ക്കും , രണ്ടാഴ്ച പഴക്കമുള്ള കേക്കും മാത്രം കിട്ടുന്ന ഒരു ' ടിപ്പിക്കൽ ' ഹൈറേഞ്ച് ചായക്കട.
മഴ നനഞ്ഞു വന്നു കേറിയ പെണ്ണിനേയും കുടെയുള്ള 2 ആണുങ്ങളെയും കണ്ടപ്പോൾ ഷാപ്പിലെ കുടിയന്മാരുടെ നോട്ടത്തിൽ ഇല്ലാതിരുന്ന ഒരു ചോദ്യചിഹ്നം ചായക്കടയിലെ ചേട്ടന്റെയും ആ കടത്തിണ്ണയിൽ ഒരു പണിയുമില്ലാതെ ദിവസം മുഴുവൻ ബീഡിയും വലിച്ച് മോദിയെം പുകഴ്ത്തി കുത്തി ഇരിക്കുന്ന കസ്റ്റമർസിന്റെ മുഖത്ത് ഞാൻ കണ്ടു. ചായചേട്ടന്റെയും കസ്റ്റമെർസിൽ ചിലരുടെയും അടക്കം പറച്ചിലിന്റെ സാരാംശം പിടികിട്ടിയ ഞാൻ എന്റെ സഹ- ഫോട്ടൊഗ്രഫെരോട് രണ്ടും കല്പ്പിച്ചു നില്ക്കാൻ ചെവിയിൽ മന്ത്രിച്ചു . ചായകുടിച്ചു തീരുന്ന നേരം കൊണ്ട് കസ്റ്റമർസിന്റെ എണ്ണത്തിന് കനം വെച്ചു . ചിലര് മൊബൈൽ ഫോണിൽ വിളിച്ച് rocket വിട്ട മാധവൻ നായരുടെ മുഖഭാവത്തോടെ എന്തൊക്കെയോ പുലമ്പുന്നുണ്ടായിരുന്നു . ഒന്ന് രണ്ടു പേർ ജീപ്പിന്റെ ഉള്ളിൽ നിന്ന് ' തെളിവുകൾ ' വല്ലതും കിട്ടുമോയെന്ന് തപ്പുന്നുണ്ടായിരുന്നു .

ഞങ്ങൾ യാത്ര തുടർന്നു . അവന്മാരുടെ കൂട്ടത്തിൽ തടിമിടുക്ക് ഉള്ളവന്മാർ ഇല്ലാത്തതിനാൽ വിഘ്നങ്ങൾ ഒന്നും സംഭവിച്ചില്ല. ചായക്കടയിലെ ആൾക്കൂട്ടത്തിന്റെ പെരുമാറ്റത്തിനെ പറ്റി ആരാഞ്ഞ പെണ്‍ സുഹൃത്തിനോട് അറിയാവുന്ന ഇംഗ്ലീഷിൽ പറ്റാവുന്നത്ര മോശമായി നമ്മുടെ നാടിന്റെ സദാചാരബോധത്തിന്റെ ഒരു ചിത്രം നല്കി.നേരത്തെ കള്ളുഷാപ്പിൽ വച്ചുണ്ടായ കുറ്റബൊധം അപ്പോഴാണ് ഒന്ന് മാറി കിട്ടിയത് .

ബാക്കിപത്രം : കള്ള് കുടിച്ചു ബോധാമില്ലാതാകുമ്പോൾ ഇല്ലാതാകുന്നതാണോ അതോ ചായ കുടിച്ച് ഉന്മേഷം വരുമ്പോൾ ഉണ്ടായിവരുന്നതാണോ സദാചാരബോധം ?

Monday 23 June 2014

The wolf & the Lamb

Thoughts on Onayum Aattukuttiyum ( Wolf & the Lamb ) Tamil , released 27 September 2013.
A dark thriller & an emotional drama. The story unveils through the unexpected turns that happens at a night in the life of a medical student.Set amidst the backdrop of night the movie follows a serial killer's struggle for his life once he takes a u turn from that dreadful life.
  The narrative is made such a way that it keeps you thrilled and emotional at the same time. the dark humor at parts is entertaining and thoughtful. The metaphorical title and shots elevate this from a mere thriller and place it among world class films. It is sad to know that such a film went unnoticed in the cine halls.
 Undoubtedly one of the best films made in Tamil cinema, it will be viewed by more people in the days to come.
 Ilayaraja's background score is just mesmerizing and magical.  One cant imagine the scenes without those notes as it remain so close to it.At times touching and tensing at other occasions, the musical score just goes parallel to the movie with its highs and lows.
 Mysskin should be lauded for his role both as the creator and the Wolf. The character addressed as the 'Wolf 'by the law keepers and  as 'Edward' by the blind family itself is allegoric and can be read in many ways. His acting prowess is revealed in the story telling scene where he himself tells the story both to the child and the audience and that is what is called the brilliance in narration and this man just enacted it as an expert, that too the shot lasts for some minutes.
 Everything happens in the dark, the hunters, the betrayers, the cops, the blind family, everyone looking for the wolf and as the events unfolds the lamb discovers the man within the wolf. Some may call it violent but i would like to call it as the freshness of story telling, breathtaking and stylish.
  This film teaches a great lesson to film makers and the viewers, that its not the story sometimes but the passion with which its told, the truthful following of protagonist without any justifications , absence of a heroine/comedian/ song/sex.
Its hard not to fall in love with the people in this drama and one could not erase it from their thoughts so easily. So beware! only if you are prepared to take them with you, sit and watch.

Thursday 24 April 2014

Pattanam story #3 :A Seperation

“There was nowhere I could go that wouldn't be you

Even though im a bit drunk and had a heavy dinner i cant sleep right now, and im confused that whether it is due to the over dehydration of this climate or just the burden of thoughts that i cant occupy in a dream.. All that im thinking right now is about her. Its all because she is leaving back to her continent tonight. When i first met her at the airport among the research team,i felt she is an academic kind of person and wont indulge in fun talks with others. And the first days with her, i used to observe her without her knowledge. She was the silent one among them, she had less words but a rare and beautiful smile, i still don't have more words to describe her smile,oh god.. its divine. I always wanted to tell her not to smile like that, because i cannot take my eyes off her while she is smiling. I always try to be near her, all i need was just her presence. Some times i just takes a seat near her while having the lunch or dinner and simply eats there without even speaking a word. From the beginning itself i knew that she is the person whom i will miss the most. I just knew that some kind of chemistry is going to work between us, and her eyes speaks a lot. The day she talked to me about the her not so good past, i was feeling happier that i am someone whom she thought to share her troubles, that too she wont open to others easily. My camera cant resist to click her if she is somewhere around it, i don't care whether it is amid-st the excavation or even a serious meeting time. I have taken more photos of her than the trench photographs which i am supposed to take here and the photograph i got as a coincidence on the day we went to Ernakulam for an official lecture was the best. I got framed with her in a mirror which is just opposite to the road where we were standing and i still believe she came there just to be in that photograph, as she just disappeared from the lecture. I treasure each moment spend with her, from the pointless conversations during the evenings to the dance with her on farewell night. Sometimes i feel that human mind is such a ridiculous thing that it wont obey us sometimes. Many times i tried to say to my mind not to follow her as she is leaving soon from this land, but the more i try to go away from her the more i end up thinking about her. I dont know what kind of relationship is this, and i don't what to name it and categorize it , just let there be a relation , an emotion. I was happy with her, and i will try hard to be happy without her. I wish there was no one around us when she hugged me with wet eyes before leaving back to her place, as i couldn't tell her any good words or even shed a drop of tear. If u choose for the warmth of a closer bond, u will have to taste the pain of separation. And i don't understand the rule applied by this nature to show justice . Its roaring and lightning here, is it showing its anger or getting emotional by shedding tears? cruel rules..

                                                                - Sandeep
                                                               

Saturday 8 March 2014

HIGHWAY _ A Praise

HIGHWAY
Hindi|2014| Dir:Imtiaz Ali 


This is not a review but an appraisal by a fan after watching it twice. There is a scene in Highway where'Mahabir', the tough guy played by Randeep Hooda, just couldnt control his painful thoughts about his mother and tears just flows out of control&also there is this moment where Veera (Alia) laughs out alone watching the eccentric stream splashing through an ardent rock and her laugh turns out into tears. These moments can only be filmed by an Independent mind and this can be surely called as an Independent film. A classic example of stockholm syndrome and a really refreshing road experience which stands superior to a lot of so called Road movies.

ALIA BHATT

One cannot imagine another girl portraying Veera after watching this film , as Alia easliy fits into an array of emotions, she is terribly strong at what she is doing. I havent recently watched such a brave female portrayal and Veera will remain for a long time.

A R Rahman

The tracks were already playing in mind before entering the hall, but other than a film album, this film is musical in every bit. Each song is opening a fresh window to a new story.'Tu Kuja'played at an unexpected situation is clearly the continuation of expression of Sufism , the presence of divine and something beyond that. The audio experience created together by the musician and sound designer is just mind blowing. 


As many scenes were freshly shot amidst the journey it may not be following a concrete script but it offers a different experience, much more realism and some thing yet to be filled as it is in the case of a real journey. The visuals are breath taking, whether it be the highways of punjab or the hilly terrains of Himachal.
From its lengthy silent shots in its starting to the quickly moving scenes towards its end, film carries us from the mindset of the captivated to a horizon of freedom and bondage. The missing feel of companionship was strongly felt in the climax and it was equally painful and peaceful to watch it. Highway may not be a perfect film in its evaluation, but it is a must must watch for many reasons.

Monday 3 March 2014

Pattanam Stories #1

Pattanam is teaching me life in some more naive manner. Here i went for a post wedding dinner gathering of one of our labour, at his home nearby our site. Lit up by the harsh video light, decorated by red colored shamiyana clothes and some red plastic chairs , i was feeling home and relaxed. My mind started comparing the same with those dinners i used to have in city with more educated and cultured people .Here i was not bothered about those table manners, not a bit hesitant to ask for more food, the warmth that i felt is not explainable through words. One major thing i observed there was that grandma,the oldest member of the family whose ear seems to be retired, was coming close to everyone to see their faces clearly. She introduced herself by saying her name 'Janaki', and she was little embarrassed to tell that name as it was put some decades ago. She was like "oh my name was put long back, too old for these days ", and we consoled her by saying how beautiful that name is. I was wondering whether i could find such an old woman in a similar occasion talking with the guests in an urbanized setup as the next generation would be hesitant to present her before the Society. 
                                            And above all after a long time my taste buds got activated, as i could taste some really delicious home made fish delicacies. As we all posed for a group photograph , the fuse wire broke and we all fell into the dark and everyone was busy fixing it, that too in a harmony that is not easily visible in cities. I was thinking about the fragile people and the unending happiness they share within this small livelihood. No matter how small our world is, the happiness that we
are looking for is already within us.

Saturday 1 March 2014

Counting Happiness

Pattanam is teaching me life in some more naive manner. Here i went for a post wedding dinner gathering of one of our labour, at his home nearby our site. Lit up by the harsh video light, decorated by red coloured shamiyana clothes and some red plastic chairs , i was feeling home and relaxed. My mind started comparing the same with those dinners i used to have in city with more educated and cultured people .Here i was not bothered about those table manners, not a bit hesitant to ask for more food, the warmth that i felt is not explainable through words. One major thing i observed there was that grandma,the oldest member of thefamily whose ear seems to be retired, was coming close to everyone to see their faces clearly. She introduced herself by saying her name 'Janaki', and she was little embarrassed to tell that name as it was put some decades ago. She was like "oh my name was put long back, too old for these days ", and we consoled her by saying how beautiful that name is. I was wondering whether i could find such an old woman in a similar occasion talking with the guests in an urbanized setup as the next generation would be hesitant to present her before the Society. And above all after a long time my taste buds got activated, as i could taste some really delicious home made fish delicacies. As we all posed for a group photograph , the fuse wire broke and we all fell into the dark and everyone was busy fixing it, that too in a harmony that is not easily visible in cities. I was thinking about the fragile people and the unending happiness they share within this small livinghood. No matter how small your world is, the happiness that we are looking for is already within us.

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Observing Rythm


A Candid shot that i got in between my documentation of Pattanam Archaeological Excavations.

Friday 21 February 2014

Friends and Memories

Before an year i was surrounded by a healthy crowd of Friends, quite big circle. And a few are close to my heart and never thought of losing them.The 2 idiots with whom i walked the whole nook and corners of this royal city. It was hard to find a topic under the sky which we haven’t discussed. The basics of sharing was learned from them. The last resort to every problem. Even though we were not so foolish enough to dream that we will live together for ever as the embodiment of divine friendship , we had a legitimate forecast of a couple of years together as things needed to be settled down.

crossing skies


One year was enough for everything. But still we humans haven’t discovered the mechanism played by time, the reason behind the phenomenon called 'CHANGE'. 'Seasons change, Do we..? ' a famous tagline from the most discussed movie during my college days RITHU. The answer found by us was a big NO then, and the outrageous fortune has changed that too. Now i experience the hollow space created by those big circles, especially that 2 idiots. One even not bothered to attend the calls, another one glued at his sweet home. I was listening to that soulful melody PULARUMO from rithu, Seasons change and we too..!
I remember one lazy afternoon in my classroom, one guy saying " aliya ee btechinu padikanavanmarde friendship oke course teerana vare kanu, pennungala karyamaneki parayanda..kalla parishakalu"

Thursday 20 February 2014

What makes a place 'Holy'?

             
The smell of human excreta, a stagnated sea without any waves, street vendors & rickshaw drivers competing to fraud the tourists. I couldn't find anything HOLY in Rameshwaram. It was 10 years back i visited this place with zest. I still have a clear cut visual of that architectural brilliance and the great bridge of Pamban. Things have changed a lot. 'Bhakti' is marketed at its best. It can't even be termed as a Market, though there will be atleast some unwritten laws in a Market. Everything is special here. Special Darsan, Special Pooja, Special Bath, Special Transportation and what not. If you are willing to pay an additional fifty bugs, you can have a close up special darshan of God at 5 am, the common wake up time for an average Indian God.One day in distant future, they will fix a prize tag to have a bed coffee with God. The richer you are, the more you will be blessed.
         
Holy bath at Rameshwaram


A temple in my mind is a place of tranquility, which relaxes our mind. But here, I could only see people rushing & fighting each other to have a drop of polluted water in the name of Holy Bath. I couldn't find an authorized cloak room & saw the temple security guard himself directing the pilgrims to some Lodges who pays him more than the temple trust. Each and every step must be placed in caution otherwise you will be slipped by human excreta. How can ours be called as a developing nation, where the majority still doesn't have faith in themselves? While heading to Dhanuskodi i felt proud of Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, who became the first citizen of our country from this 'holy' pilgrimage town of Tamilnadu.



"I am a holy man minus the holiness"- E.M. FORSTER.