RIFLE RANGE BOY

Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) Writer, Director: Pan Nalin The first thing you wonder about in this nearly all-female cast movie is why everybody is so angry. This is a feminist film, but everybody is popping like sesame seeds on hot oil in a wok. They never seem at peace despite their relatively comfortable living status, high educational levels, self-confidence and jobs. A group of six old school friends get together for a bachelorette party before one of them marries. The host, Freida's, helper is the other person at the party. Frieda is a frustrated fashion photographer who feels her talent is unappreciated by the lay public. Mad, a singer-songwriter, has hit writer's block. Su, a single mum and a fiery businesswoman, is vigorously pushing her team to develop a particular land.   Pammy, who used to be an excellent student, is now a frustrated housewife who regrets a life that could have been. Jo, an Anglo-Indian, is an aspiring actress only hired for her physical attributes,...

Contestants: V artika Singh (India) , Mohana Prabha (Singapore), Mehr Elieser (Panama), Priya Serrao (Australia),  Shweta Sekhon (Malaysia). The female members of the clan were ecstatic to learn that they possibly shared the same forefathers of five of finalists who have been shortlisted at the 2019 Miss Universe contest.  I did not want to be a spoilsport to dampen the spirit of achievement; they had no role at all. If anything, it only shows their hypocrisy. On  one end, they want to be assessed on their mental ability and tenacity. They feel slighted when referred to as the weaker sex or given leeway for under achievements. They would like to believe that their successes in life were purely via merit, not by merely being the fairer sex. They raise their gaze when the female gender is condescended upon or depicted in a negative light. But it is quite puzzling that the parading of scantily clad females like livestock raises no concern at all to them. Sur...

Captain Marvel (2019) The ancient Greeks believed in re-births. They used to think that before birth, the memory of the yet-to-be-born infant is erased clean. All old thoughts of their last birth are wiped out, like a white sheet of cloth. After birth, the young mind observes, learns and re-'minds' itself of 'new' things. In a way, nothing is new but are old tricks, packaged to be re-programmed.  This is what that went through my mind as Carol Danvers struggle to find herself. With so many recurring thoughts, dreams and nightmares tormenting her all the time, the search for self-discovery proved to be a Herculean task. It is made worse with the multitude of contradictory inputs that are channelled through her senses. For Carol Danvers to come to terms that she is indeed Captain Marvel, it must be pretty confusing. For ardent followers of Marvel comics, they must surely be knowing that before this, many other characters have been trying to claim their stakes on bein...

Period. End of a Sentence (Documentary; 2018) Arunachalam Muruganantham was seen in a TedTalk a few years ago with his low-cost locally made sanitary napkins and how he tried to make a change in the life of the average Indian woman. This is some kind of a showcase of what actually happens at the ground level - getting the ladies to express their issues about this social taboo, making them feel comfortable discussing this physiological phenomenon, to remove the stigma associated with its discussion, discussing the health risks related to their current unsanitary menstrual practices and promoting their homegrown self-generating pad making simple machine with local produce.  At the end of this 20-minute documentary, the women are happy. The promoters are satisfied to have infiltrated into the sanitary business, creating a demand for something not there before. The users feel empowered for being able to control their body, to avoid embarrassment associated with menstruation. F...

Christiane Amanpour: Sex and Love Around the World (Netflix Documentary, Season 1; 2018) This provocative six-episodes presentation discusses matter considered taboo in many of the towns the episodes were centred - Tokyo, Delhi, Beirut, Berlin, Accra and Shanghai. If one were to look at olden civilisations, it seems evident that our ancestors used to quite accepting of sexual practices and its deviations. The Japanese, during the Edo period, boasts of Shunga erotic art. They were a liberal and stable society. All that came to zilch when Commodore Perry landed in Edo Bay and Emperor Meiji banned their erotic drawings.  The Indians had Kamasutra long before the Western world learned to count, but in the New World, it was viewed as yellow literature. The Victorian mindset even deemed donning of saree was obscene. In the 19th century and before, the blouse was not part of the female attire. The saree was used to drape the chest and bosom as well. Legends say that the Tagore la...

Lost Loves  (Arshia Sattar; 2011) Exploring Rama's Anguish The question is whether the so-called divine scriptures are indeed infallible sacred decree or just mere guides for humanity to use as a precursor the complete the building block of life. Is it really God's orders or is it the human interpretation of what is best for mankind? I f the holy texts are indeed supreme, can it be deliberated or argued? We, the human race, used to live at a time when avenues were open for debates. Paradoxically, at this time and age when literacy is at its highest peak since the beginning of history, these doors are precariously shut. No place for questioning! Are the powers that be hiding something? I had always been under the impression t hat a King by the name of Rama as a human in flesh and blood, did actually walk on Earth. His subjects were have been awed by the dramas that revolved around the royal family. Their actions and decisions must have been closely watched by his cit...