Afsos (Regret, Hindi/English; 2020)
Amazon Prime Video
The human race is the way it is because we are mortal beings. We know we have a shelf life and we want to finish all our humanly possible achievements within our lifetimes. Since our existence is finite, we yearn to immortalise it via discoveries and inventions. Our zest to explore the world we are born into pushes us to yonder to foreign shores and new frontiers.
Without the fear of death, we would probably be fat blobs, uninitiated to pursue any endeavours. Everything would seem purposeless. Relationships are meaningless as there is nothing to expect anymore. We know what happens and how it will end. The diseases that we will get will give us the pain of illnesses but not relief from the distress. We will regress to our primal state; engaging in purposeless activities with impunity, knowing that nothing awaits us at the end. The seven deadly sins of Man will have a field day.
With the fear of death and hope of a comfortable after-life or re-births, we tend to empathise and care for the less fortunate. By creating stories about a possible after-life which seems forever or another lifeform which may be worse than the current one, we are cowed into submission of an unseen power. That sets law and order. Only death can save our lives on Earth.
A refreshing dark comedy about a loser who is even hopeless at suicide: he has had 11 failed attempts. He tries to lie down in front of a moving train; a vagabond distracts him. He tries to drown; fishermen save him. He tries placing himself amid busy midday Mumbai traffic; motorists avoid him skillfully. He finally hires a hired killer but even the assassin fumbles as she is given the wrong address.
The protagonist suddenly finds a purpose in life. His story that he had written and had been repeatedly rejected receives attention from a possible publisher. Life suddenly has meaning. The problem is that the killer that he hired has a one-track mind. No job should be left unfinished. She goes after him repeatedly in a twist of errors and comedy.
Meanwhile, on the other side of India, in Uttarakhand, 11 monks are killed. The remaining 12th monk is the suspect and is at large. He is purportedly holding the elixir of immortality (Amrut). The investigating police officer goes over to summon assistance from the Mumbai Police. Also in search for the Amrut is a British scientist. Hot on the trail of all these is an investigative journalist who is looking into the activities of the agency that sends hired assassins. To complete the imbroglio is the protagonist's therapist who wants to stop him from killing himself.
An impressive feat with a touch of philosophy and a peek into thanatology, the study of death and dying. An exciting addition to the story is the character of Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of Punjab and the Black Prince of Perthshire. He, at 180 years of age, is seen loitering around the railway station dying to have Death embrace him! He had apparently tricked the British by convincing them that the Kohinoor was indeed the Elixir of Immortality. The British realised the dupe when Queen Victoria died! Meanwhile, the elixir was nicely tucked unceremoniously in a vessel in a small temple in the cold, snowy mountains of Uttarakhand.
Amazon Prime Video
The human race is the way it is because we are mortal beings. We know we have a shelf life and we want to finish all our humanly possible achievements within our lifetimes. Since our existence is finite, we yearn to immortalise it via discoveries and inventions. Our zest to explore the world we are born into pushes us to yonder to foreign shores and new frontiers. Without the fear of death, we would probably be fat blobs, uninitiated to pursue any endeavours. Everything would seem purposeless. Relationships are meaningless as there is nothing to expect anymore. We know what happens and how it will end. The diseases that we will get will give us the pain of illnesses but not relief from the distress. We will regress to our primal state; engaging in purposeless activities with impunity, knowing that nothing awaits us at the end. The seven deadly sins of Man will have a field day.
With the fear of death and hope of a comfortable after-life or re-births, we tend to empathise and care for the less fortunate. By creating stories about a possible after-life which seems forever or another lifeform which may be worse than the current one, we are cowed into submission of an unseen power. That sets law and order. Only death can save our lives on Earth.
A refreshing dark comedy about a loser who is even hopeless at suicide: he has had 11 failed attempts. He tries to lie down in front of a moving train; a vagabond distracts him. He tries to drown; fishermen save him. He tries placing himself amid busy midday Mumbai traffic; motorists avoid him skillfully. He finally hires a hired killer but even the assassin fumbles as she is given the wrong address.
The protagonist suddenly finds a purpose in life. His story that he had written and had been repeatedly rejected receives attention from a possible publisher. Life suddenly has meaning. The problem is that the killer that he hired has a one-track mind. No job should be left unfinished. She goes after him repeatedly in a twist of errors and comedy.
 |
| Duleep Singh |
An impressive feat with a touch of philosophy and a peek into thanatology, the study of death and dying. An exciting addition to the story is the character of Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of Punjab and the Black Prince of Perthshire. He, at 180 years of age, is seen loitering around the railway station dying to have Death embrace him! He had apparently tricked the British by convincing them that the Kohinoor was indeed the Elixir of Immortality. The British realised the dupe when Queen Victoria died! Meanwhile, the elixir was nicely tucked unceremoniously in a vessel in a small temple in the cold, snowy mountains of Uttarakhand.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This seems interesting
ReplyDeleteWorth the while!
Delete