Punjab's Breaking Bad?

CAT (Punjabi, 2022)

Miniseries, Netflix.

Starting off as a martial race, the Sikhs stood up against Aurangzeb and his brutal imposition of jizya. There was a dire need to replenish the national coffers after his father, the megalomaniac Shah Jahan, had depleted them, completing the magnificent Taj Mahal. Their prowess continued during the reign of Maharajah Ranjit Singh. The emperor remains the lone leader who managed to unite Punjab and conquer the region now referred to as Afghanistan. After Ranjit Singh's demise, it had been downhill all the way.

Maharajah Ranjit's heir Dalip Singh was placed under the care of the Crown after the second Anglo-Sikh War. He soon became a lost white man who signed off the Kohinoor to Queen Victoria, whom he looked up to as his mother. 

From then on, the land of five rivers had only seen nothing but misery. First, it witnessed its land carved up to appease certain quarters. A heart-wrenching swapping of citizens illustrated by brutal slayings ensued. The nation had hardly recovered from that blow just 30 years later, and a major religious riot occurred between Hindus and Sikhs. Radical Sikh leaders had stockpiled weapons and explosives in the Golden Temple. When the authorities marched in to defuse increasing security concerns in the state, it was deemed as disrespecting the sanctity of the august place of worship. The only remedial solution, at that time, the terrorists felt, was to assassinate the Prime Minister who gave the marching orders.

The late 20th century spilling into the 21st saw Punjab fighting enemies from within and without. If the earlier stock of Punjabis had a roaring nationalistic (or the glory of the Sikh teachings) spirit, the newer generation had lost it. They had to deal with declining agricultural produce, traditionally their selling point. It is no longer the state that generates the most taxes for India. Alcoholism is a big problem; no matter how hard drugs are curtailed, they keep popping up. Young Punjabis all have one life ambition: to migrate and settle in Canada. Therein comes the trouble from outside. The radical Khalistani movement rooted in Canada is hell-bent on demanding separatism. The other external annoyance is, of course, Pakistan, whose raison d'etre is to derail India. Most, if not all, of Punjab's drugs are parachuted across the Pak-Punjab northern border. 

How does one solve a problem like Punjab? This web series seems to suggest that it is impossible. Even if one is resolved to do it, the grit is often met with a corrupt web of politicians, police personnel, civil servants and a lethargic system that is quite content with the status quo. The lure to get some quick bucks and get the hell out of the badland is so compelling that people are willing, not batting an eyelid, to cheat their loved ones blind.

Gary, a teenager in the mid-1980s, became an orphan after his parents were killed by Sikh terrorists. He worked as an informant to the police to nab terrorists. He goes into a witness protection program, caring for his younger pre-teen siblings and working incognito as a car mechanic. He got his sister married, settled in Canada, and hoped his brother would do the same after passing his entrance exams.

His brother, however, has other plans. Hooked on the good life and recreational drugs, he gets into the wrong company. He is arrested. The devasted Gary, now Gurnam Singh is devastated. He meets the policeman who got him into the witness program by chance. That snowballs into Gary doing what he did before, as a police mole, to infiltrate a web of drugs nicely controlled by the police, local hoodlum and politicians. Gary realises that things are complicated now.

If one were to understand the psyche of the generation of Punjab, just listen to their latest trend in music videos. The videos of the 80s typically show greenery, tractors and village bungalows. Now, the theme is masculinity, booze, drugs, guns and about girls falling flat for gangster-like characters with flashy cars. Women are often portrayed as brainless sex toys waiting to be picked up.

There used to be a time when the general public felt secure in the presence of someone in a turban. A girl cat-whistled by a gang of boys will seek solace in the company of a Sadarji. The Standard Chartered Bank, a few years ago, used the image of a Sikh guard as an example of their impenetrable security. I wonder if people will still feel the same after watching this series.

Sidhu Moose Wala (1993-2022)

Controversial Punjabi Rapper infamous for promoting

gun culture and challenging religious establishment.

He was shot dead by Canadian gangsters in a gang-related rivalry.

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Samar on Men Matters Online Journal

Samar 

Farouk Gulsara 

"Is it just me, or are the days getting hotter by the day?" I ask myself as I get into the shower for the third time today. The temperature outside must be ball-parking at 40 degrees Celsius, surely. I am living up to the title my ex-wife used to call me: a cold-blooded sadist. Cold-blooded, yes, as my core body temperature is less than the outside temperature. Sadist, just say I do not turn the other cheek. I live by the mandate that everyone is given one chance in life. 

All these people who condemn others who splurge on themselves with niceties in life can go to hell. They talk about lowering greenhouse gases and lowering carbon footprints. All these are to prevent an uncertain catastrophe that may not happen to a future generation that gives rat's ass to their ancestors, i.e., besides remembering them on Cheng Beng or offering prayers on Deepavali morning. I have one life. I want air conditioning. I cannot live without the room temperature set way down low. ....

https://menmattersonlinejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Issue-5-16F-Farouk-Gulsara.pdf

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Can you handle the digital truth?

Love Today (Tamil; 2022)
Writer, Director, Actor: Pradeep Ranganathan

It is said that the amount of data carried by a mobile phone is equivalent to the amount needed to launch the spaceship Apollo 11. Having that much data, like an appendage attached to our body, cannot be without liabilities. People store way too much muck in there that, at any time, anyone can use it to paint an individual how they want him to be painted. With the same brush, they can be either portrayed as a saint or a devil re-incarnated from the raw data.

People, like salivating dogs to a bone, will volunteer their personal information to be used and misused at the sight of dangling freebies. All the promise of privacy is a fallacy. With a few tweaks here and there, the digital trail is at your disposal.

This innovative movie highlights this exact problem. Two lovebirds fall helplessly in love with each other. When the boy approaches her father for her hand, the father, a strict disciplinarian, puts the couple to the test. He thinks the couple should know each other before plunging head-on into tying the matrimonial knot.

The couple was told to swap phones for 24 hours before committing to each other. That is when the fun starts. Even though each initially resists the temptations to pry into the other's private lives, curiosity sets in. Compounded with suggestions by people around them and wanting to delete particular unsavoury messages that may be construed as offensive or suspicious, the boy scrambles to delete them cryptically. Paradoxically, it just increases each other's suspicion. The couple ends up hating each other.

On the other hand, the lover boy's sister is getting married soon. She is curious why her soon-to-be-groom is so secretive about anyone else accessing his mobile phone. She wonders if he is hiding something. That starts another tussle to lay a hand on the coveted husband-to-be.

The final take-home message is that sometimes it is worthwhile not knowing everything. Some things are left unknown. Some stones are better left unturned. 

Do we want to know the truth, the whole truth and everything about the truth, really?

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An externally-introduced or intrinsic problem?

CASTE IS NOT HINDU

'Caste is a Construct of the Colonial Invaders'

Authors: Guruji Sundara Raj Anatha, Aykshya Simrhen Raj, Pardip Kumar Kukreja.

If anything life has taught us, it is this. People are narcissistic and egoistic. People try to understand everything but are unwilling to accept that things are way more complicated than an average man can comprehend. We are all guilty of cognitive dissonance and suffer from the Duning-Kruger effect, overestimating our competence.

People always try to dominate each other and clamour for the joy and privileges of being in power and a leader. Those in the higher rung of the hierarchy are pretty comfortably perched high up, looking down at the mere mortals. Those stranded at the lower perch of the food chain are gaslighted to be convinced that they are there because of their own doing. Their leaders want to maintain the status quo to ensure their position and conserve their high status.

A house cat, quite comfortable not needing to hunt for its daily meal, will want to maintain its amount of pampering. No one in the correct state of mind, enjoying the fruits of affirmative action, will want to, surrender his privileges willingly.

With this background knowledge, one has to critically look at this book, 'Caste is Not Hindu'.

Before the 16th century, India/Bharat was a self-sustaining subcontinent. Its social architecture created a steady state where science prospered, societal order was maintained, and its cultural influences went beyond its shores. Monetary support for mega-projects was handled by trade guilds within the public domain.

Unbeknownst to India, the rest of the world, from the land of barbarians, was awakening from their deep slumbers. Their idea of civilisation was not mutual respect but mercantilism and exploitative colonisation. India mesmerised them with its mysticism, immense wealth and welcoming nature. India soon fell prey to their maverick Machiavellian tactics. The colonisers masterminded a devious plan to justify their takeover of the nation.

The contemporary world of Hindu scholars suggests that European conquerors extrapolated their society's 'Sistema de Casta' division to India. The Europeans had earlier subdivided their own people to put royalty, clergymen and aristocrats at the top of the pecking order. The rest of the people, the craftsman and labourers, were the low-ranking serfs. The conquerors felt they needed to understand the social structures of the natives. It was too complicated for these simpletons.

The Indians had a complex societal structure system. They had varnas and jatis. Varnas referred to an individual's innate aptitude - whether he was scholarly, one who exhibits and utilises his physical attributes, good with business skills or a doer, i.e. a worker. This is not determined by one's birth, and he does not have to stick to his family's profession. Hindu scriptures are abundant with tales of scholars from tribal groups and learned men from princely families. Vyasa, the author of Ramayana, was born to a fisherwoman, Satyavati. Siddartha Gautama, a prince, became a preacher. King Ravana was a Brahmin, even though he mastered martial arts, as well as art, music and culture. Of course, we all know of Ambedkar, a Dalit who masterminded the Indian Constitution after securing multiple degrees from premier universities in the UK and the USA. How do you classify a man born Brahmin (as per the British set caste system) who gets an MBA (scholar), and works as a CEO (a businessman) in a conglomerate that sells leather shoes, e.g. Bally? Traditionally in the British Raj, a casteless person works with carcasses and leather.

Even within a family, one can notice that children of the same parents have different interests. Some can be studious, athletic or boisterous, while others will do what they are told.

Book launch by
H.E. High Comm of India to Malaysia.

Jatis refer to a professional group. This guild of craftsmen, smiths and merchants identified themselves together for the betterment of their professions. It was a way to explore their little nuances in improving their trade. For example, there was a group called Parrayars, who specialised in playing the war drums. With modern warfare, their work became redundant. They became drum players at funerals.

Looking at such a complex societal admixture that was self-sustaining puzzled the visitors. They tried to make sense of the whole setup. Their first attempt at this was the 1872 Indian National Census. It became a social engineering tool highlighting caste, religion, profession and age. No matter how hard the British system tried to make sense of the arrangement, they became more confused and created more castes and sub-castes.

Many professionals of ancient India were out of work during British Raj. In other words, they became casteless. The British created a new caste called 'the untouchables'.

Another strategy is their plan to 'divide and rule' is the creation of enemies within the society. At the same time, the British had to justify their positions as conquerors. The Aryan Migration Theory just covered the grounds so fittingly.

A highly cultured band of fair-skinned erudite steppes men from Central Asia allegedly infiltrated the land beyond the Sindhu River, bringing Hinduism to send locals south. They also brought in the Sanskrit language and all the rituals associated with Hinduism.

Down south, a schism developed between the priestly caste and the ordinary people. The priests were viewed as invaders trying to control the locals. That, combined with politics, was a sure way to create unrest. It worked just well for the feranghis (foreigners). Feuding brothers are easier to control.

Akin to the fair skin foreigners bringing in culture and wisdom to Bharat, the British portray themselves as God-sent saviours to educate and civilise Indians from 'ignorance' and 'illiteracy' by the European-Christian standards.

The extensive kurukkal system of India that served the nation for ages was dismantled as they were deemed archaic. English was introduced as the medium of instruction, as suggested by MacCaulay's Indian Education Memorandum. The real reason for this move is for the colonised to view their own culture as inferior to that of Europeans. And the European languages were linked to Sanskrit, the foreign language that was brought into India.

Thomas Babington Macaulay

Besides controlling its economy, the other ulterior motive was to proselytise the whole nation to Christianity. They also viewed it as their service to mankind. After all, the Papal Law decreed by the Vatican states that to convert non-believers is a divine duty.

One can argue that this should not be an issue anymore; after all, the colonists left India 75 years ago. As an independent nation, they should be able to decide their own fate. Not quite. 

200 years of subjugation and indoctrination by Europeans, many Indians who received the short of the stick from their masters are still reeling from a lack of confidence, an inferiority complex, with a tinge of Stockholm Syndrome and a constant seeking of validation from the West for existence. On top of that, there exists a group of locally bred phenotypically Indians who quickly shoot down anything Indian. Like the local soldiers during the 1857 First Independence War who did all the dirty jobs for the British, these sepoys view India and Hinduism as a lost cause.

The 200 years of 'divide and rule' of India must indeed have had a long-lasting effect on the psyche of all Indians, leaving many frustrated individuals who were at receiving end of the harsh, divisive effects of casteism. Perhaps, they benefitted from English education and foreign countries after being driven out of their own country. The need to defend the culture of their ancestors made no sense at all. On the contrary, they have every reason to shoot down some discriminatory practices they were subjected to. There is no love lost.

The Hindus themselves find it difficult to untangle themselves from this colonial legacy. If casteism is not Hindu, would it not be easy to go back to basics and put it back in order. Not so easy. People who have benefitted from reservations and affirmative action will not surrender what they deem is theirs so quickly. The politicians whose raison d'être is to grasp popularity and ensure that they continue to win elections will be comfortable continuing the Britishers' 'divide and rule' policy via caste separation. Even closet converts also benefit from reservation seats.

Perhaps India should learn from their other Asiatic cousins like China, Japan and South Korea. When Commodore Matthew C Perry arrived at Edo Bay in 1853, the Japanese, who had chosen to be under seclusion, were mesmerised by the appearance of Perry's armada. They thought the mythical ancient dragon had actually descended. They realised that the world had morphed in leaps and bounds while they were napping. The Japanese caught up with the rest of the world by 'copying and pasting' western technology. Their turning point was the 1905 Russo-Japanese war, where they surprised the modern world by defeating the Russians. The rest, as they say, is history - World War 2, the rape of Nanking and Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army.

Commodore Perry arriving in Japan

After being squeezed and torn apart from all sides between China, Japan and Russia for generations, the Koreans found relief after the Korean War. The South Koreans were happy being a vassal state of the USA but prospered because they were apt to adapt.

When Nixon landed in Beijing in 1972, after much water went under the bridge, the Americans thought they could play realpolitik again as they did in the post-WW2 era. The Chinese cleverly used the opportunity to watch, learn and absorb all the knowledge at their disposal and gave, and are still giving the American a good run for their money.

Wonder what happened to the wisdom of Panchatantra and Chanakya's political treatise, Arthashathra, that India introduced to the world way before the Machiavellian tactics that Europe so boasted about. Centuries of civilisation squashed by firepower.

https://notionpress.com/read/caste-is-not-hindu

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Overstretched assumption?

Ancient Apocalypse (2022)

Netflix, Documentary series

Graham Hancock is an old hand at this. A veteran journalist prolific at this topic, he has earned himself the dubious reputation of being a pseudo-historian and pseudo-archaeologist. Many of his previous books have dabbled with the same issue. His premise is this: Even before mainstream history dated humans to be hunter-gatherers around the end of the Ice Age 11,600 years ago, Hancock's research posits that a far more advanced civilisation existed during this wave of hunter-gatherers. 

The ruins he so skilfully shows in this series of documentaries depict the advanced skill of architectural marvel and skill that those people exhibited. 

If Erich von Däniken had earlier suggested an ancient alien race to have assisted human civilisation, here Hancock does not invoke ancient intelligence. He instead suggests that we had already developed all these advanced levels of knowledge in building and astronomy but lost most of it to the rise in sea levels due to the melting of glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. Many land bridges disappeared. Sunda, which engulfed all of Indonesia from Borneo to the Malayan peninsula, was separated by rising seas. He explores ruins in Gunung Padang to reveal a possible civilisation lost to a cataclysm. 

Like that, many ancient mammoth structures around Malta went underwater. So did building around Central America. Then there is Öbekil Tepe, ruins in Turkey dated to be 12,000 years old, before the end of the Ice Age.

Graham Hancock

Exploring the folk tales that have emanated around the foregoing areas reveals one thing that is common: People in that area were visited by somebody in a serpentine-looking boat to teach the locals about farming, building, science, and technology. 

Hancock explains the purpose of building many of these mammoth structures. Astrological references are of paramount importance in the layout of these buildings. There may even be animal drawings which could refer to constellations. Could our ancients be so advanced as the developers of the fabled Atlantis?

Many of the proposals here are considered too preposterous by mainstream historians. His association with Joe Rogan and other conspiracy theorists only lends little credence to his scholarship. 

Generally, archaeologists and historians admit loopholes in their understanding and explanations of the complex ancient buildings. But to attribute all these to an advanced intelligence before the end of the Ice Age is an overstretch. 

The archaeological fraternity does not see any scientific correlation to support Hancock's theory. 

Whatever is said and done, this documentary is made with brilliant cinematography using drones and a production team spanning continents. Many local historians and archaeologists were interviewed to drive home his point of view. The good thing about this show is that it makes its viewers take a step back and ponder whether we know everything about our history and world. 

Now, the exciting thing is that Hancock is saying that the whole world was civilised to a single advanced civilisation. It seems humans did not have the intelligence to discover things for themselves. The human race seems amnesiac about its past. There needs to be more depth in our knowledge about our world. What happened during Younger Dryas, the later part of the Ice Age, before Earth became warmer?

Knowing that bringing up India's past is like opening a Pandora's Box, he conveniently avoided mentioning India in his discussion. He may be suggesting that the Mesopotamians and the fire-worshipping Zoroastrians were the first civilisation in the world. 

Some in the media call for this series to be axed and view it as dangerous for public viewing. They insist that the show is a freak show that reinforces the rhetorics of conspiracy theorists. They call for research not to be funded by public funding.

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Payback time?

Valley of Flowers (2006)
Director: Pan Nalin

In my books, the way to put someone on the right track when he has gone wayward is to make him realise his errors so that he can rectify them. A person aware of his mistakes will realise the implications of his actions and will not be a repeat offender. 

In theory, this is how it works, I think. One will not touch fire after touching, and burning will be having his fingers burnt before. The brain will be re-wired to be reminded (re-mind) of the pains, the blister, the scorching and the inconveniences of the healing process afterwards. 

Somehow I have issues extrapolating this analogy to karma. If the purpose of birth and re-birth is to create a 2.0 version of the species to improve oneself to reach the level of Eternal Bliss, not everyone is blessed with this realisation, however. 

Whenever we are caught in a dilemma and feel frustrated, we are told, akin to pacifying a crying child, that we are just reaping what we sow. We are paying back due payments to Universe - to bear the pain to realise the pains inflicted in previous lives. But the explanation does not hold water!

If everyone were born with a blank slate, not knowing of our past follies, how can we make amends in our current life? Sadly, we are clueless about what we did and how many demerit points we have.

If the Maker sincerely wants to make an Ubermensch out of us via newer improved prototypes, it must surely be an extremely non-cost-effective way to improve species. It is a non-tangible system, and all intellectual discourses and debates hit a brick wall here. All arguments stop here. It is like the battleship paradox. If the war is pre-destined, the Admiral not sending battleships will start a fight even if it is destined. When the Admiral sends the battleships, is it not pre-determined by God but decided by Man?

This film is supposedly set in the 19th century along the Silk Road. It tells the tale of a band of horseback robbers who make a living by travelling convoys of traders and wedding processions. Jalan, during one of these endeavours, meets Ushna. They fall deeply in love. The union breaks up Jalan's camaraderie with his mates. A showdown ensues. Jalan and Ushna part ways from the rest of the gang. Yeti, a spiritual master, is employed by the gang's victims.

Long story short, Ushna, a mystic person, dies, losing her powers, whilst Jalan consumes an elixir of immortality. Five generations later, in present-day Japan, Jalan is now Dr Jalan Otsal, a doctor who performs euthanasia. Ushna had undergone five rebirths and got connected with Jalan. Yeti is also on their trail. He hunts them down. He is akin to Yama or Grimm Reaper, who just does his job. His parting line is, 'true love lies in sacrifice'!

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After all, it is just food.

The Menu (2022)
Director: Mark Mylod

Back when Master Chef and Gordon Ramsay's 'Hell's Kitchen' were a rage in Malaysia, I used to ask myself what the farce was all about. I could not understand why the chef had had his honours stripped off or what was wrong if the fries were slightly soggy or the meat was overcooked. After all, food is medicine, and we eat to live, not live to eat.

Obviously, none of the people at the receiving end of my lament saw any merit in what I was blabbering. To them, culinary skill is an art form. In fact, they thought it was science, a branch of science more delicate than neurosurgery or detonating a time bomb. On top of knowledge of alchemy, art was the essence of luring potential gluttons.

An episode of 'Hell's Kitchen', or sometimes 'Master Chef', carried so much toxicity and backstabbing as wannabe cooks scrambled to stir up cuisine in record time. They had to do that with the provided ingredients in the most creative way as deemed by the judges. In my school of life, these were all exercises of futility, as productive as counting the grains of rice before cooking! After being brought up by a mother who impressed her children that gluttony is a trait best left behind in our pursuit to achieve greater heights in life, I fail to appreciate the anger of the Head honchos. 

'The Menu' must be a revenge movie for all those cynics like me who like to ridicule the histrionics exhibited by braggers obsessed with culinary skills. It also takes a swipe at the so-called self-professed know-it-alls who think they possess the know-how the best about cooking, where to source the best foods and how to bring out the best flavours. And combine with it an exotic location, a mad chef and murder to complement, you get this movie - 'The Menu'. 

It is a dark comedy that tells the story of a group of food connoisseurs attending a food-tasting session worth dying for. It sniggers at the obnoxious waste of resources and the extreme ridiculousness of high-end restaurants and their equally eccentric chefs.

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A Malaysian gem

Spilt Gravy, Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah(2022)
Director: Zahim Albakri

There is a Malay saying, 'ke mana tumpah kuah, kalau tidak ke nasi', which implies that the traits of children do not differ much from their parents. Its direct translation would be, 'where does the gravy spill, if not to the rice?' Its English equivalent is 'the apple does not fall far from the tree'.

Even though this movie was due for screening in 2013, it never saw living daylight. Thanks to the local censorship board, it was put in cold storage till 2022. Apparently, the board felt that the story could hurt the sentiments of the Malay Muslims in Malaysia. Hence, it had to undergo multiple edits, some dialogues were muted, a significant plot change, a hand gesture blurred, etcetera to qualify for a PG-13 certificate. The version that appeared on Netflix seemed close to the original copy, with the dialogue, gestures and all.

After a long time, we see an intelligent Malaysian movie minus the typical racial stereotyping and silly slapstick comedies that Malaysian movies are often guilty of. Underneath the main story about an elderly father summoning his five children from his five previous marriages for a last dinner as he senses that his end is near is the narration of our country's history. 

Two characters in all-white airline pilot outfits pull their roller luggage. They are actually angels (or maybe a sort of Grimm Reaper) out to pick up 'Bapak', a widower, an ex-journo, living all alone in the heart of KL city. 

Like peeling an onion, the story of his life and his children is revealed to us. Their childhood, time growing up as a family and the different directions life took them is shown. 

Slotted within this is the discriminatory nature of our history against women, LGBT issues, being Malay and even the different 'types of Malay' within the community. 

The last part of what it is about being Malay is relevant even today. It is apparent from the analysis of the latest election results, GE15. The Malays in this country are not the single-minded same-thinking entity that the country's leaders want them to be. Increasingly they, the leaders, misuse religion towards this end to produce a single-tracked unquestioning brand of Malay. Even at the infancy of its inception as a nation, Malaya had to grapple with this conundrum. 

Roughly, there were two major divisions. The first was the so-called elites who benefitted from education and opportunities the ruling colonisers or government offered. These mainly comprised civil servants and professionals confident enough to voice their opinions and mingled in civil society. The second comprised the bulk of the heartland occupants who were suddenly jolted to the forefront. The latter felt lost, unable to understand independence when everything in front of them was foreign. They were told it was their land, but nothing made sense - the lopsided economic distribution and the sense of being snatched of what was rightfully theirs. The ill feelings continue till today, with the non-Malays being the bogeymen.

It makes you think. Kudos to the excellent screenplay, direction and acting. Essential viewing for Malaysians to appreciate how the potpourri of cultures within Malaysia is given due respect and to know how a Malaysian movie should be made. 4/5.

(RIP Playwright and actor: Jit Murad)

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Pay for the sins of their fathers?

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia 

(Turkish, Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da; 2011)

Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Imagine standing out on a hill in the wild on a dark moonless night. You notice a row of moving lights. From its movement, you can guess that it is a moving train. You cannot imagine where it came from and where it is going. Soon you get a complete cacophony of sounds, the chugging of its engine, the bellowing of its high-pitched whistle that pierces the silence of the night and its belching of smoke. When it is nearer, you watch it intently, swerving and crawling. All your pleasant memories of your train travel flash right before you. As the train rapidly manifests, the stream of trains disappears behind the mountains equally swiftly right under your watch. You are left wondering what happened to the passengers, staff and the train itself. What baggage does each of them carry? What bitter-sweet experiences did each of them live to tell?

This one exciting movie defines what cinematography is all about. The creative use of light and darkness, long shorts and tight shorts and whatever it takes to give a memorable, long-lasting impression of the movie. Even a blurred view from a frosted glass appears so poetic.

The story is phenomenal. It is a simple story with no heroes. Everybody is a nobody with only one mission in their mind. Everybody is in a hurry to finish their work and return to their respective lives, which may not be hunky-dory. It is their responsibility to do what they have to do as how their fathers did in their jobs and family lives. Sometimes in their careers, they ask themselves what they are actually doing in their day to day, their actions and inactions in a rather philosophical way. 

Three cars are seen moving in the cloak of darkness at the edge of a district in Anatolia. It is the wild country where might speaks louder than compassion and logic. Animals and even people fight to survive. Violence is expressed to prove a point. The cars carry some police personnel, a doctor, a prosecutor, a couple of general workers, an army man and a pair of brothers who confessed to a murder. The team is out there to retrieve the dead body.

The elder of the two brothers cannot pinpoint exactly where he dumped his victim as he was inebriated during the crime. They go on a wild goose chase, to which the overworked policemen put their frustrations on the convicts by giving them a good beating.

Slowly, the background of the characters comes to the fore. 

The investigating police officer must juggle between his never-ending job and managing his chronically ill son.

The doctor is a divorcee after 2 years of marriage. Obviously, he still misses her. The reason for their break-up is not revealed. Though he is a pacifist, he is caught with the band of the rough company at work. 

The only person who can keep all the men under control is the prosecutor. He uses his charm and experience dealing with criminals to rein them in. His intellect makes him able to converse with the doctor.

The prosecutor tells of a peculiar case where a lady predicted her exact date of death; five months after her delivery. It turns out to be his wife, we are told later. She was assumed to have had a heart attack, and that was it - an unprecedented unexplainable power to predict her own's death. When the doctor prodded further to suggest whether suicide was ever considered a possibility, the prosecutor laughed it off. Then it dawned upon him. The prosecutor was engaged in a short fling when his wife was pregnant. It was discovered by his wife, and the doctor proposed that she could have taken her own life after delivering at the same time punishing her husband. It all made sense to the prosecutor as digoxin was available in their household. Her father took digoxin for a heart ailment. 

The entourage stops for a rest at a local mayor's bungalow. Here, we are told that the mayor's biggest problem is not having a morgue to store dead bodies so that the deceased's family from overseas can visit before the burial. Talk about priority when frequent blackouts are not a big problem. How can maintain a mortuary without electricity?

In one scene, the mayor's angelic-looking daughter brings in tea. She mesmerises everyone with her beauty. The agitated men with only one thing on their minds suddenly swayed away. Are the storytellers suggesting that the presence of females is distracting men from their purposes in their lives?

The doctor faces a dilemma when the body is eventually found, and the postmortem is completed. The body was probably buried alive - earth was found in the trachea, not killed before concealing the body. If the cause of death was written as asphyxia, not a fractured skull, as was also found, it would just prolong the anger. The victim's son would avenge his father's death. The doctor thought we should bury the truth. Was he doing the right thing or doing a disservice? We are left to wonder?

The final take-home message must surely be this. We are the by-products of our father's actions. Subsequently, our progenies prosper or suffer because of our actions or inactions. Now, the question is, who is out there keeping count of our merits and demerit points and executing what is due to us?

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