RIFLE RANGE BOY

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) Written: Coen Brothers; Direction:Joel Coen Another quirky movie from the Coen brothers, only, this time, it in black and white. The trademark is their story is written all over. It is a story set in the late 1940s of a small town barber who is a loser, who does not say much but does all his talking in soliloquy. He is so withdrawn and is living in his world, still trying to make out the meaning of life right till the end of the movie. (Spoiler Alert!) At the end of the film, as he sits in the electric chair, he hopes that his uncertainties would all be answered in the afterlife, he hopes, if there is one! Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton), the chain-smoking barber, like he says, “is just a barber” who works as an assistant to his brother-in-law. His wife, Doris, is a book-keeper who has an illicit affair with her boss. A mysterious customer hoodwinks the gullible Ed into investing $10,000 in a dry cleaning business venture. To procure the cash, he bla...

A recurring scene in 'Labu-Labi' They say a doctor and a barber knows more secrets about their clients than any other professionals. Sometimes, politicians and policeman hang around the tonsorial artists' outlets to gauge their popularity or hear about the latest gossip around town! By just starting a conversation with their customers and keeping their eyes and ears open, the barbers will pick up so many cues. Just like a scene from the sitcom 'Cheers', their customers keep on coming to continue their banter and small chats. Three wives meet in 'Madu Tiga ' On my last visit to my barber, who is very Indian in his outlook after being educated in Tamil medium school and only has Tamil magazines in his shop, our conversation which is usually in as much as possible in pristine, unadulterated Tamil (avoiding English words) went on to the topic of P. Ramlee movies! His assistant, an Indian immigrant on a work contract, join in the fun. I was pleasantly ...

No, this is not a blog of a near-death experience, seeing the white light and bearded old man at the end of the tunnel or about how evaded a catastrophic situation. It is about my experiences with the barber, particularly Indian barbers. From time in memory, Malaysian Indian barbers have been hairstyling our mane even before Merdeka. They have been a part and parcel of Malaysian culture. Even Lat, the famous Malaysian cartoonist, has depicted them in many of his comic strips, mostly in a comical way (duh!). They initially started as mobile vendors, with their tools of the trade nicely tucked in a debilitated probably second hand or hand-me-downs leather suitcase and everywhere they lay their hat was their workplace. Now, they offer the luxury of air-conditioned shops and clean utensils (at least they use disposable blades). They are however, less innovative compared to the ultra new modern unisex saloons in terms of styling, perming, dyeing and washing. Just like in  La...