Bloggaversary

So,here I am! Completed a year of blogging successfully(?).

Had tonnes of fun today. That's what it's like when madcaps who've known each other for as long as they know meet up for a whole day :D

Watched Kaminey yesterday. Was the first movie I watched with my family in the theatre after the utterly disastrous Don. I had grown rusty about handling emotions,espcially laughing at the wrong times and stuff. But who cares!

Kaminey is a complicated plot to follow. It involves a plethora of characters,some of whose names you wouldn't remember only because there's a lot happening at once. Then again,this is a movie that was intentionally made confusing. From the beginning,the story starts taking form in bits and peices but when things start falling into place,you can't help but sit up your chair and watch what's happening. It's fast,quirky,chaotic but enjoyable all along. Vishal Bharadwaj's script is replete with his subtle comic moments and there's no dearth of dialogues with different speech impediments,thanks to Shahid and Priyanka Chopra. It is engaging of course,but there are loose moments,like when the title track of the movie plays in the background. This,of course,reflects poor editing.
The movie has been shot brilliantly. There are raw images as well as brlliant camera techniques which make the movie an interesting watch. The music,of course,needs no mention. The "dhan tanaaaaa"ing nation is enough to hammer that into anyone's head.
Last but not the least,Shahis Kapur IS the real substance of the movie. His acting skills have rarely been recognised and the very fact that the audience is able to treat Charlie and Guddu as essentially two different personalities is enough to tell you of his brilliance. Priyanka Chopra tries hard too,and she is very tolerable.
Madness,mayhem,chaos,adrenaline,Ffahid,Ffaaley,g...g....g...guddu,h....h....h...h...home science....
Give this movie a try! A movie trying desperately to be different yet merging with the commercial stream.
****

Kobiguru

Walking on the soil of his house,there's one thought that echoed through my mind:

Did he walk on the same grains of red soil that I'm walking on today?

Or has the soil turned to little pebbles now?

Did he sit here,in this romantic setting with cement benches,with creepers running over his head and write what makes a million hearts love and others admire him?

I never saw him in the light I saw him in that day. He's underrated,in a different sort of way. Much of what his creations are have actually been manipulated and he hasn't been interpreted the way he should have been. But that's just my point of view.

POTRAIT OF A LADY

Sita sings the Blues

After a patient wait of 10 days I got my reward. The movie I was dying to watch finally got downloaded.

I remember reading about Nina Paley and watching a review of her animation movies once on TV too. I was intrigued by the concept.
"Sita sings the Blues'' is a movie that has been funded by Nina's fans. In fact,Annette Hanshaw's music has also been used without obtaining prior permission and copyrights had been violated. Nina Paley made the movie in her own way,to tell her own story interspersed with The Ramayana. It was through her personal battle,says Paley,that she could connect with Sita and her rejection by Rama.

I found the movie beautiful. Paley has used Hanshaw's music perfectly and has used three forms of animation in her narrative. It is a riot of creativity and grips your attention till the very last bit. What also impressed me about the movie was the three shadow puppets which were used to narrate the The Ramayana in a very crisp and appealing way.

Till yesterday, I hadn't watched or read the full-length Ramayana the way it I watched it yesterday. Whether it is the animation movie "Hanuman" or the Amar Chitra Katha novels,I've only read what appeared to be a rosy picture. Perhaps Indians are not very pleased with the epic themselves.Although I had heard the story after the "agnipariksha",it never once irked the way it did last night. Sita showed unconditional love and dedication to her "Swami",submitted herself completely and went through immense pain. All for what? Ram's doubting her? Rejecting her to save his pride,honour and dignity? It surprised me how our epics were so male centric and forgave the man,but never the woman. The woman could face trials but the man is never to be doubted. He is the one with the power,the discretion. It is the woman who suffers.

I might sound like a feminist,but I can never understand why there should be a preference given to either sex. Forget about that...
Why did Sita have to be so submissive? I was pleased when she asked Mother Earth to take her into her womb the second time she was asked to take the Agnipariksha. What after that? a single tear from the eyes of the gallant Rama. Wonderful.
Sita always accepted whatever she was subjected to. That was,however,till centuries ago.
"Sita sings the Blues" ends in a very interesting way and on a positive note. Ram is an incarnation of Shiva. Time comes around and it is Shiva who is serving his wife Parvati. Role reversals... something I'm getting a preview of already in today's world ;)

I was watching the MJ memorial yesterday. After a stormy night at home (metaphorically) I turned the volume of the TV down to the minimum so no one could hear the TV (or me sobbing).

I was touched by the performance of Stevie Wonder. However,the best came from the one I was waiting for...John Mayer. I was deeply moved by his rendition of "Human Nature",a song by Jackson from one of his albums. It was the most emotionally charged,yet supressed and befitting as a tribute. While the others were screaming their torsos off,here was a man,silent and grieving,playing in memory and genuinely wishing his heart rests in peace. Even with the volume low I followed every note he played and absorbed the serenity. Beautiful...that's all I could say.

Watching a crappy movie like "He's just not that into you" helped. It helped me set a few things right in my head. Nobody makes junk!

Love at first sight

This is JUST what I call it...love at first sight...and sound! :D

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=111847188376&h=FS6vL&u=Otahb&ref=mf

http://www.myspace.com/thesupersonicsindia

It's almost like I've never heard anything like this before :)

Farewell to thee,Moonwalk man!

There has not been a single dance competition in which I hadn't seen the "break-dance" being performed. There's not a single Pujo that passed without playing MJ's songs. Such was the impact of the "Jacksonian" globalisation. And for anything to seep into the cultural life of a traditional and orthodox bengali is like a big achievement. So MJ was a bigger achiever than he could ever have fathomed when he was living.
I came to know of his death from a friend who messaged me the morning the whole nation woke up to the news. I was happily catching up on my daily dose of "FRIENDS" when the message shocked the wits out of me. Surely his death was sudden and rather unexpected. I mean...most of the pop stars born way before him are still alive. MJ was all of 50! Yeah rockstars have short lives (ref: Jim Morrison). That's also why they are rockstars!
MJ was the first "ingleees" musician I had ever heard. I was all of three when MJ was really at his peak. "Dangerous" was the radio station's favourite album. Surely,ignoring the criticisms about his music being bad, there was something in the music. The energy. That was just at the highest levels all along.
MJ's videos have also been some of the best and most extravagantly made in the history of music. There is surely no comparison for "Black or White" or "Remmeber the Time"'s videos.

While his music may not be as phenomenal as people are NOW claiming it is (with all due respect to the dead), his music's fun to listen to,and definitely very fresh,whenever you hear it. There's tonnes of nostalgia attached to his music for me,and the performer that MJ was will always be remembered.

The Falling Part of the Curve

Switch on.
"Why don't you like me?"
Switch off.
Switch on.
"What have I done to deserve this?"
Switch off.
Switch on.
"Take a look at me at least!"
Switch off.
Switch on.
"I'm still waiting for you...."
Switch off.
Switch on.
"Get away from my life!!"
Heck...this was easy,wasn't it?

Love (infatuation?) has a negative second derivative!