Whether it is Rama or Ravana...

Bramayugam (Era of Madness, Malayalam; 2024)
Story, Direction: Rahul Sadasivan

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is the takeaway. No matter who holds the helm of control or the intoxicating concoction of power, life can never be a level playing field. Invariably, one tries to supersede another regarding idea, physical prowess, endowments, or wealth. For every robust individual, there is always another who is slightly better, faster, or stronger. And the eternal duel to be the supreme leader of the tribe goes on. 

Set in 16th-century India, when the  Portuguese were out hunting for Indian slaves to spur their intercontinental slave trade, two men escaped from their captive ship and hid themselves in the jungle. One of them falls to the lure of the jungle temptress spirit, Yakshi, and is killed by her. The other, Thevan, makes it to an abandoned mansion in the middle of the jungle. Hungry, he helps himself to some coconut, but he is admonished by the house's cook, who brings him to meet the boss of the manor. The boss appears like a reasonable chap and treats him as a house guest, much to the chagrin of the cook. Upon discovering that Thevan is a palace singer, the Lord of the Manor requests him to sing. 

Thevan, a person of the lowest castes, Pannar, is grateful to be given due recognition for his talent. Soon, things change. Increasingly, the homeowner goes into mood swings. When Thevan says he wants to leave, he gets a 'NO!'

Things turn eerie with strange sounds, and the cook starts acting weird. The story explores the various superstitions and beliefs in the supernatural, spirits, and demons in Kerala. This film is shot in black and white but does not fall short of suspense. The filmmakers do not depend on gore or visual extravaganzas to drive home their point but via judicious use of sounds, visuals, and good acting. 

The Lord of the Manor is not who he is supposed to be. Demon (shattan) has taken his appearance. As the cook and Thevan defeat the Demon, the Demon tries to jump ship. The body that it goes into turns evil. That, in essence, is the message behind the movie. The Demon is equated to power. Power is evil and destroys indiscriminately. 

First, the primordial people of the land tried to make sense of the world they were in. Trying to give meaning to tremendous forces of nature, they named Gods. Work was distributed based on people's skills and aptitudes to ensure the continuity of life on the planet. Somewhere along the way, people started thinking that their own jobs were more important. They tried to impose restrictions to keep the knowledge of the job to their own kind. A divisional hierarchy soon followed.

People were always suspicious of other communities; they allayed their cognitive dissonance by convincing themselves that the other party was wrong or deviant. It made sense afterwards. To spread their beliefs, they had to conquer over the other.

The conquerors started making divisions amongst their subjects to make 'divide-and-rule' the way to go. They came up with half-baked studies, supported by supposed scholars, to drive home the point of who the real boss is. Obscure occidental studies supported the theory that the Orientals were culturally backwards when, in reality, the reverse was true. Aryan Migration Theory was coined to justify the occupation of Europeans over India.

It did not matter who held the ruling position. The people at the lowest rung of the food chain will always be pushed. As the Tamil proverb goes, 'Whether Rama rules or Ravana does, our life remains in the doldrums.'

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The suppressed memories?

Censor (2021)
Written and directed: Prano Bailey-Bond

Memory can be as much a boon or a curse to humankind. The race has progressed thus far because we can learn and put into memory what we have learnt. With that ability, we can reproduce it as and when needed. 

But then, therein lies the problem. Keeping other memories, especially the unpleasant ones and those affecting the matters of the heart, can be unsettling and counterproductive. Just for how long one wants to hold a grudge for hurt caused? Does anger have an expiry date, upon which scores are cleared dry on the slate?

That is why our mind has an in-built pruning mechanism to cut off unpleasant memories that can stunt our progress. Sadly, a small group of people do not forget or forgive. They must be the most unhappiest of the people on the planet. Perhaps, the next serial killer too!

Even at best, Man uses less than 10% of his brain connexions. Scientists are perplexed by the many dormant areas of the brain and wonder if they form part of the remnants of our reptilian brain. Will they recoil to provoke primal reactions in the wake of provocation? Like domesticated animals, are we trained to behave? Or are we inherently evil, waiting for the ripe moment to pounce and assume the goriest forms of our inner selves? Testimonials of these are apparent in court documents of our crimes. Is evil inherent, or is it a learnt experience? Can we blame literature and films for this? Is there a need for a nanny to supervise what we see and read? Do we need censorship? Is it not that Nature cruel enough? History has picturised humans as animals who would do anything for food, wealth, mate and power.

There was a time in the 80s with the sea of VHS tapes and nasty mind-numbing meaningless gory horror films. There was a call in the UK for stricter censorship of these films. The problem arose when a man mimicked a scene from one of these horror movies when he killed his wife. Enid, a diligent worker in the British Film Board of Censors, is singularly blamed for approving the film to be screened. In reality, Enid takes it upon herself as a moral guardian and is strict in controlling the element of gore in movies. In reality, the husband had never seen the movie to mimic the killing technique. He did it out of his frustration.

Enid has a dark past in her childhood. Her sister went missing when Enid and her sister, Nina, were playing at the edge of a forest. Nina was never found as information about Nina's disappearance was fuzzy as Enid could not accurately explain what happened.

While reviewing one particular film, the florid memories of her suppressed past come alive. It was about two sisters and getting lost in a jungle. Enid's interest is piqued. She suspects the movie's director had something to do with her sister's disappearance. Enid soon goes into a frenzy, assuming many things and going berserk as she puts two and two together.

This movie is said to be as exciting as 'The Blair Witch Project' when it came out, i.e. before we found out the whole footing was staged. Initially, 'The Blair Witch Project' kicked up a storm when it was marketed as lost footage of some college students searching for some spirit in a jungle. The students were missing, but their camcorder was found, and the raw footage was made into a movie. It took the living daylights off me and remained one of my best horror films.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

!--Go to www.addthis.com/dashbo

Unplugged!

1950s P Ramlee

The teachers thought he was mental. Living in his own world, humming to the tunes that emanate from his mind, they were sure he would end up as a nobody. Some even toyed with the idea of sending him off for a psychological assessment, and perhaps to a lesser taxing environment, unlike the grammar school that he is placed in. Collectively they thought he belonged to the loony bin. Surprise, surprise, 20 years on, he was composing music, making movies and winning international awards for his acting skills. The boy grew up to be the one and only, the legendary P Ramlee, a national treasure. 

An elderly auntie once told me that she and her husband had decided to leave their first home in Lorong Seratus Tahun in Penang. They were particularly disturbed by the loitering of boys along the roadside, strumming away their guitars and crooning into the deep of the night, crooning in their high pitched squeaky voices. They were not thrilled by their unkempt beehive hair, beatings of drums, either. They thought that the neighbourhood was not conducive to bringing up their children. 

Little did they know that their kids were listening to the same guys who their parents wrote off ten years down the road. By then, three of those roadside boys had become the Alleycats. Their beehive hairdo was then fashionably called ‘Afros’!

Of course, the Alleycats are the most successful of Malaysian bands with international recognition.

The world is a cruel place. People forever want to exert their dominance over the other as much as and whenever they can. They will not rest until and unless their position on top of the perch is secure. They would be wary of any behaviours by the other that is not mainstream. What if the others’ actions put them in the limelight, and their puissance is bowled out?

Alleycats

Every time I held my guitar, people would exit the room. They would say I should not act weird and stick to my daytime job. They assert that wearing too many hats would make me a Jack of all trades but master of None. They asked me what I was trying to achieve and was it my narcissistic tendencies that pushed me to venture into new frontiers considered self-indulgence?

Covid was God-sent. They left the room, citing my contact with the public that puts me a potential transmission source. That arrangement was just dandy. Nobody was there to be bothered by my disjointed and out-of-tune strumming. They did not disturb me, and my practising did not annoy them.

Fast forward. I could say I did not do too badly with my self tutoring. As is seen in the short snippet below, everyone is having a good time.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Two sides of the same coin?

Devil All the Time (2020)

At one look, it seems that the story is going all over the place. At one time, you think that one particular character is the protagonist, but wham! she is killed off. Then another also killed off, and another yet again. There are plenty of killings and dying on the whole, but then, it all builds up to make sense at the end. There are many cryptic messages embedded within the storyline that questions the perception of what evil really is. Our divinity and evil part and parcel of the same continuum, not in contradiction but a mere extension of a spectrum? 

One complements the other. Just like how light is appreciated in darkness, evil is necessary for us to appreciate goodness. Like how it is a necessity that Tom never catches Jerry for the excitement to continue. Will E Coyote will never have the Road Runner for dinner for Coyote may become mad if, one day, he gets up in the morning to realise that he has nothing to do. Satan can never lose if Goodness were to be appreciated. The fight (if there is one) has to go on as long as life exists. All the events that happen in the name of God and the Devil are the ones that give meaning to the journey of life. We kid ourselves that everything is a mission as willed by God, even though we wonder why He who heals the wounds also send the flies.

After much beating around the bush, the viewers would realise that the movie is basically about a boy and a girl pair (Arvin and Leonora) who end up in the same foster home. Since both grew up together from a young age, they are close. Together they both carry the heavy baggage of sins of their parents. Arvin's mother succumbed to cancer whilst his father, a WW2 veteran, commits suicide after failing to revive her despite offering a sacrifice to God. Leonora's father, an evangelical preacher who was not right in his head, thought he had an audience. He believed God's orders were to kill his wife and resurrect her from death. He attempted, failed, bolted off and only to be killed by a husband-wife pair of serial killers.

Leonora grows very religious like her mother and is taken for a ride by a visiting preacher. She kills herself after finding herself pregnant out of wedlock. Arvin avenges her death and lands up with an encounter with the serial killers.

The complicated plots are set in the heart of the Bible Belt of America, where everyone is Christian by default. Everyone has their vision of how religion should be. Some expect something divine to be one that is kind, loving, tender and all accepting. Others justify violence in the name of the law to ensure the tenets of the religion are enforced. Many endure sacrifices for salvation. We use the name of the original sin as a get-of-jail free card to excuse our follies. We follow the same ill-fated paths that our fathers followed and say it is genes or 'sins of our fathers' in theological terms. 

Simon of  Cyrene to Jesus' aid to carry the Cross

As seen in the film, many seemingly unrelated events happen in our lives, but they do affect us in mysterious ways. Are these mere coincidences or sleight of hand of the Maker himself? Are they of no causal relationships as insisted by Freud or meaningful synchronicity as described by Jung?

Perhaps blind faith does not do anybody any good. True, religion forms a platform upon and above which intellect should complement the scriptures. This is best described by the painting of Jesus' long journey to Golgotha. A battered son of God could not carry the Cross. A random passerby, Simon of Cyrene, was summoned to aid in the task. In the same vein, one should not just depend on the Grace of God; we should make an effort to do it ourselves as well.

A gripping movie with Tim Holland of 'Spider Man' fame as Arvin. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Evil, where does it come?

Delhi Crimes (2019)
Miniseries, Netflix

It is often said that there is goodness in each one of us. Correspondingly, is evil also a permanent resident within us or is there an external force that lures us into creating mayhem and entropy?

Is evil an inborn trait that dwells within us, only to unleash when our guards are down? Is it a learned experience over the generations and is imprinted in our DNA to help us survive? Are we cursed with the original sin committed by our forefathers, and we, as pallbearers of their act, suffer? Are we lured by the charms of prompting by Satan and his helpers?

Others would argue that good and evil are a spectrum of a continuum. One is not mutually exclusive of the other. Everything is a cycle; good and evil are part of an array of an entity. The Universe and its passage in the space of time are not human-centric or animal-centric. We are mere accidental participants in this cosmic accident and collateral damage in the passage of time.

Is there a reason why the Supreme Being, the all-good, the all-knowing, all-powerful force who is capable of repressing evil from our lives failing to do so? Evil and pain make us stronger, hence is it necessary? Maybe at a macro level, it makes sense, but to an individual who is brutally traumatised and in the cusp of death, all these do not make sense. Nature has the capacity to perform miracles but why is it sporadic?

Does it all boil down to us? That we should utilise our intellect, which is said to be part of the higher intelligence which controls 'the theory and functionality' of everything. The same metallic device called knife slices bread to satiate our hunger is the same one that carves an aesthetically pleasing figurine or pierces through the vital organs fatally wounding someone in that fit of rage. It is all how we use it. It is like fire and water too.

This Netflix miniseries is all-Indian production of retelling of the infamous 2012 Delhi rape-murder case of Nibarya, a physiotherapist student. It was told from the viewpoint of the police team that investigated and caught the six perpetrators in record time. This police procedural drama is so compelling that no episode of 'Law and Order SVU' can ever do. The setting, lighting (lack of), the close camera shots, the weaving of lens through of the Indian streets and countrysides really highlight the near-impossible situation that the Indian Police (Delhi Police in this case) seems to be working under. It is difficult to stay dedicated. 

Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police, Vartika, is tasked or rather takes it upon herself to investigate a gruesome gang rape aboard a moving bus. The police, with the reputation that they have, get brickbats from all quarters for apathy, lethargy and incompetence. There had an earlier complain by a member of the public about robbery aboard the same bus but was ignored. The concerned general public, NGOs, media, politicians and leaders are all breathing down on the police for blood. Some also have self-interest on their agenda for their outbursts. Using mobile phone call tracking methods and informants trace their suspects all the way to Rajasthan, Delhi slumps and to the fringe of the country ruled by Naxalites where even police officers need protection.

With 245 million people watching online video monthly, India is shaking up the global entertainment business. And if filmmakers can make such gripping no frills dramas like this, with no flashy props, big actors' names or pyrotechnics and unnecessary exposure of flesh to captivate the audience, the sky is the limit where the Indian dream merchants are going.

[N.B. This offering is a gem of sorts for students of psychology, philosophy and drama. Some may be drawn to the field of existentialism as well, as every frame peels more and more the chaos in which the people in the story lead their lives, albeit, as a matter-of-factly. One particular scene that moved me was how the accused was boasting and detailing to the investigating officer his heinous crime. One could see the glee in his eyes as he recounted the events when he exerted his toxic masculinity. In another scene, as he is placed in custody, he was cursed by the wardens for his deeds and was told that his mother had committed suicide at the shame of giving birth to such a son. The accused was so taken aback by this that he attempted suicide himself. Surprising to see how the charged viewed the victim, a woman, with disdain for 'talking back' and being 'promiscuous' in his definition. He, however, placed his mother (another woman) so high up on a pedestal that he cannot imagine hurting her! It goes on to say that rules and regulations only apply to others. When it comes to our own flesh and blood, the bar is changed.]

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Life's a beach

Sacred Games (Season 1; 2018)

Life is like being at the beach. Sometimes the water is cloudy or appears unsightly with floating particles. The waves may be high and dangerous to be around. It may be too windy. The beach may be too crowded for comfort. At other times, it may just be perfect. We are only supposed to enjoy the moment whatever the circumstance. Forget the flare of the sun, the heat, the sunburn, the sticky bodies, the sand and the mess the wind and sea-water do to your hair. That is life for you and me. You are supposed to get the best out of it - the ups, downs, warts and all.  

This Netflix flick has an entirely Indian plot, setting, cast with a story written by an Indian author. With a background of gangsterism and communal violence, it traces through the story of a Brahmin boy who went through a tumultuous childhood to end up as a Don in Mumbai. It unravels the saga of crooked politicians, corrupted policemen, a web of dishonest businessmen, a trail of counterfeit, transborder deflection and a world of sex and vice.

One may say that this is the typical plot in most blockbuster Hollywood movie anyway, but the storyteller managed to keep his audience at the edge of their seat second-guessing what the event that would happen in 25 days was all about. And the first season ended with a cliffhanger. The mystery still remains to be discovered.

Another thing captivating about the series is the title of each episode. It each carries with it an Indian tale, folklore and myth waiting to be told.

Aswatthama, son of Drona, the great teacher of both sides, fighting on the side of the Kauravas, killed the last remaining heir of the Pandavas. For that, he was cursed by Krishna with immortality and festering physical appearance. In the series, the protagonist, after his death, narrates his life story and hopes that his sins would be washed by preventing further catastrophes. In modern India, there are many reported sightings of an unsightly appearance of an apparition in the death of the night in temples, trying to clean its compound. Village folks insist it is Aswatthama himself.

Halahala is the poisonous fumes culminating from the serpent head as the Asuras and Devas were using it to churn the Ocean of Milk. Shiva inhaled the fumed as turned blue in that episode. The protagonist was holding the truth and was feeding the police bit by bit.

Atapi and Vatapi are folklore demonic cannibalistic characters who entice hunger travellers for a meal. Atapi will masquerade as a Brahmin and would call for Vatapi when food is ready who would feast them (the travellers). This is a metaphorical reference to religion. Like opium, it relieves the pain but then turns you into an addict. Religions prepare your soul for the slaughter. The episode tries to expose the devious nature of religions in provoking chaos and bloodshed among brothers.

Brahmahatya is commonly referred of the killing of a Brahmin, which is a big crime in Hinduism. Pandits, however, concur that it is not the life of a Brahmin that is valuable but any life, especially of a wise one. It also goes back to the Kurukshetra wars, when Drona, the great teacher of both Pandavas and Kauravas was beheaded for a just cause, for dharma, for equilibrium. Incidentally, Drona is also the father of Aswatthama, the one with the curse of immortality. Aswatthama has a reason for his anger. An elephant was named Aswatthama just to confuse Drona and send him off-guard before the slaying. The ever-truthful eldest of the Pandava brothers told a white lie to affirm Aswatthama's death (not to the human Aswatthama)! Truth is neither black or white, it is multilayered.

Sarama means dog. All of us are just metaphorical dogs being pulled around on a leash to the whims and fancies of the self-appointed peddlers of truth. We are not interested in doing the right thing but just conforming to the majority. Even the motto of Mumbai Police is 'Protect the law, destroy evil'. It is not to protect justice or dharma; just defend the decree deemed sacrosanct by the majority or the powerful.

Pretakalpa refers to cremation ritual. Every now and then, we need to rebrand ourselves. Kill the negatives and bring out the positivities. Still, you need both to spark. 

Rudra is the personification of the most vicious form of Shiva. He is sometimes necessary to re-calibrate a broken system. 

Yayati is cursed with premature ageing but manages to swap it with his son. After his long life, he returns the boon to his son to say, "indulge in something that does not decline with age. All the sensory pleasures cannot satisfy the lust of a single man,"

The makers of the show are unapologetically pro-BJP as many of the narrations, and historical footages put Congress leaders in a horrible light.

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/riflerangeboy/

Which is your superpower?

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The first thing that I noticed was that there were too many superheroes and I had a difficult time trying to identify them. Some of them even look somewhat similar to my eyes. To me, one who is a slow learner of this genre, Captain America and Star-Lord has the same face-cut. Black Widow and Scarlett Witch look almost alike. Even Bruce Banner without his Hulk outfit and Iron Man seem to share a similar exoskeleton. Anyway, one gets the gist of the story as the story, which could have easily been plucked out of the Indian mythology.

Thanos, the protagonist, who wants to destroy half of the world's population to put things right. To do this, he needs to have in his possession some precious stones which are implanted in some superheroes. Just as seen in Hindu mythologies when an Asura is given a boon and he terrorises, all the Devas have to join forces to set order in the Cosmos, here the Avenger and the Guardian of the Galaxy teams put their resources together. Spoiler alert, Thanos wins in the end with many of the superheroes falling apart like powder. It sets nicely the platform for a sequel and something for the diehard fans to talk about until the next instalment is out. Dr Strange, the mystic and the seer, prophesied that this ending is the best (but for what?) It just gets more interesting.
Why are we so fascinated with superpowers? Perhaps, it is because we, as human beings, feel so vulnerable against the forces of Nature that we yearn for extraordinary abilities.

Thanos at the closing scene, setting the
stage for the possible outcome of his
unlimited powers.

Just the other day, I read of an ad-hoc study on people's preference for a superpower, if ever in their wildest dream were given a boon for invincibility. People gave many options but by far, most chose the ability to fly or the gift of invisibility. Researchers postulated that there was a clear distinction between people who chose either strength. Flyers tend to be extroverts and people who like to flash their ability. Men tend to opt for flying. Invisibility is preferred by the introverts, the social misfits and perhaps conniving individuals.

In that study, none of the people researched said that they chose their powers to save mankind, but to ease it for subversive activities like stealing, cheating and dodging buying tickets. Maybe mankind is innately evil.

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The evil that lurks in you.

Antichrist (2009)
Screenplay, Director: Lars Von Tiers

One is quick to find a punching back, a casual link to all our maladies. They hurl brickbats at others, nature, animals, bad times and bad omen as a reason of their predicaments. If nothing can be definitely pinpointed, genetics and nurturing take the beating. The actual evil of the world, according to this film, is none of the above but is buried deep within all of us. Yes, the animalistic, raw, unbridled desires in us are the culprits! We can blame all the evil that happens to us upon ourselves, not our parents or our siblings.

This somehow graphic and gory presentation takes us through the journey of a psychotherapist and his wife. The wife is grieved by the death of her toddler. The child fell to her death whilst she and her husband were engaged in a passionate act of love making. The guilt of neglect and joy at an emotional moment dragged her into depression. The medications do not seem to be working; it only leaves her drugged and lethargic with no light at the end of the tunnel.

That is when the psychotherapist husband (Willem Dafoe) takes the matter into his own hands. He made the cardinal mistake of treating his own kin, his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg, a regular in many Von Tiers' movies). Their journey leads to dangerous areas of the human psyche, the woods, their summer cabin and a gory rollercoaster of violence and killing using Christian symbolisms in its background. It is the first of Von Tier's 'Depression Trilogy'.

Not quite the movie for weak hearted and those who wish to see no evil!

P/S., Are we all wired up to feel guilty of our actions? We are conditioned to do certain things in life. We are told that that is the right thing to do. It may also be the only way to do. Hence, when we deviate from our self-defined boundaries of goodness and the outcome of the occurrence plays against our liking, we make ourselves feel guilty. This surmounted heap of unfilled 'sin' creeps deep into our psyche and pushes the body to the dark side. Interestingly, the crow which is denigrated in the Christian myths to signify evil of the mind is venerated in many other cultures including the Red Indians, Celtic, Germanic and Hindu folks for its sharp-mindedness, ability to foresee the future and its role as an intermediary to the netherworld! 

The danger that lurks within...

Blue Velvet (1986)
Story and Direction: David Lynch

My impressionable young mind used to wonder when I used to read of random shootings in schools and somewhat bizarre behaviours of certain people in the so-called civilised world. I thought the deviant acts were the price one paid for development. The phenomenon of adolescent psychology was not even an entity in this part of the world till about 20 years ago. Is it a first world problem as we set different priorities as our target and different role models to follow? Perhaps this film, another David Lynch classic, is trying to tell us that the dangers were lurking inside all the while. It is just that avenues are available to express now. It had just been swept under the proverbial carpet all this while.

It starts on an idyllic day in the 60s on a sunny day with everybody smiling and Bobby V's 'Blue Velvet' song in the background. A man is watering his lawn, and his family members are drawn to a TV series. The man is suddenly paralysed with a stroke. The camera shows him falling on the ground, the water from the hose goes all over the place, and it zooms down into the ground. Way down, showing bugs chewing on dead tissues and soil. That, in essence, is the message behind the story. Many unpleasant thoughts go deep in the minds of seeming perfect people.

The college son of the stroke returns home to mind the business. He discovers a piece of a severed human ear while walking through a short-cut to the hospital. He brings it to the police. He decides to be a 'Hardy Boy' kind of private investigator to unveil a web of kidnapping, blackmail, forbidden love, fetishes, masochistic love and a lesson in Freudian psychological development.

There are a lot of unnecessary displays of what would make members of the guardian of morality hot under the collar and symbolisms to prove the storyteller's point of view. Not everything that appears ascetically appealing is what it seems. Look at the dove. The dove, the symbol of peace and harmony, can also be destructive to survive. It swallows a bug whole while it is still alive. To the bug, a dove is a monster that draws the life out of down. It is anything but a sign of bliss!