RIFLE RANGE BOY

Amaran (Immortal; Tamil, 2024) Director: Rajkumar Periasamy A Tamil movie of the same name was made in 1992. It was a full-scale gangster movie that was initially banned from Malaysian theatres but finally screened after the censors went on a snipping spree. It was deemed too violent. The film ended suddenly as the final showdown between the hero (Karthik) and the baddies had too much gore. The Malaysian Censor Board butchered it so much that I watched a movie that was left hanging with an abrupt end, and the hall lights turned on, much to the audience's confusion about whether there was an emergency of sorts. This time around, there was violence, gore and death, but it is a legitimate form of ending one's life; that is the government's sanction war against ideologies which are hellbent on destroying peace. We call this patriotism, not turf war. I think one particular scene in the movie highlights the whole business of war and the use of religion in justifying war. An India...

  From Berita MMA, September 2024. This work is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

It looks like we are still immersed in the euphoria of our recent close to 500km ride from Srinagar to Leh, Ladakh. Friends and well-wishers continue wishing their felicitations and, in not so many words, tell us to thank our lucky stars (or the Almighty) that we were still able to complete the crunching climb of 7,000 metres at this age. One of the fellow cyclists in the group did not take kindly to that phrase. He had put in so much effort throughout his life to keep fit. After leaving school and leading a more sedentary life, he decided to go back to his active ways after seeing his father suffering from various complications of diabetes. From someone who jogged around the housing estate, he graduated to running long distances, hiking, and cycling. By a twist of fate, he found other fellow ‘madmen’ who shared his eccentricity amongst his neighbours. Hence, he started the weekend sorcery of commitments to hiking, running, and cycling. The avalanche in the weekend noradrenaline rush w...

Article 370 (Hindi; 2024) Director, Screenplay:  Aditya Suhas Jambhale In some circles, the mention of abrogating Article 370 is a bad word. In their mind, it denotes a loss of independence, dignity, and rights. As complicated as this issue is, it gets more convoluted as time passes, and politicians with personal agendas get intertwined in the imbroglio. The story of Kashmir goes back to the time of Indian Independence. It is all about religion and whether it should be acceded to India or Pakistan. When Great Britain wanted to give India independence, Kashmir, being a princely state, i.e. run by royalty, was given the option of joining India or Pakistan. The ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharajah Hari Singh, wanted to stay alone. The problem is the ruler was a Hindu in a predominantly Muslim population. The local popular political parties closely associated with Jinnah's Muslim League were adamant about joining Pakistan. What happened afterwards depends on who tells the story, India...

The Kashmir Files (Hindi; 2022) Writer & Director: Vivek Agnihotri This post would probably draw a lot of flak, especially after Singapore's censors recently banned this film. Singapore's justification for its ban is that it is provocative and gives a one-sided portrayal of Muslims in a horrible light that can potentially cause enmity between communities. According to the affected community depicted in this movie, the Kashmiri Pandits, it is precisely the reason why the film 'Kashmir Files' was made. It claims to be the voice of the descendants of what could simply be put as the original inhabitants of the Cradle of Civilisation. Back in the days, aeons ago, Kashmir was the centre of knowledge; of philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, theology, you name it. It was the place thinkers worldwide used to congregate to unravel the Universe's secrets.  From the 14th century onwards, their peaceful existence went into turmoil with the infiltration of Islamic invaders fro...

Haider (2014) It turned out to be not a film depicting the plight of the Kashmiris but rather a retelling of Hamlet with the beautiful Kashmir in the background the internal squabble as the country as its backdrop. Even though the movie makes it appear as though there is just bloodshed, guns and terrorism in this snow-covered paradise on earth, much of its past history remains untold. People tend to assume Kashmir had always been a Muslim majority country where India is trying to exert its influence, but its citizens want out. There are much more than meets the eye. Kashmir was a revered place from time immemorial for seekers of knowledge and epistemology. It was the destination for many sages the world over. Hinduism, Shiva Taitrism,  planted itself firmly here as early as 3rd century BCE. The populace was considered highly literate and skilled. The turning point came in the form of invaders. A particularly Muslim ruler by the name of Sikander Bhutshikan (1394-1417), an ico...