Nobody promised a rose garden!

Raat Akeli Hai (A lonely night, Hindi; 2020)
Netflix

Everyone enjoys a delightful whodunnit every once in a while. The problem with most Indian movies is that the said story eventually becomes too outlandish as the movie drags on for over two hours and the screenwriters rushing to tie all loose end into a jumble. But not this one. It has Agatha Christie's trademark storyline written all over it. It goes on round and round, shifting the suspicion from one character to another. In the midst of all these, some subplots give the story more punch.   

A dead body starts the narration. No one is beyond suspicion, and everyone has something hidden in their proverbial closet. Everyone has a valid reason to be the murderer but an alibi as well. Good old detective work solves the case at the end.

A wealthy tycoon is found dead on his bed on the night of his second wedding to a girl younger than his daughter. The tycoon is a nasty chap who had lost his wife to a highway robbery cum murder five years earlier. His family which includes his adult son, daughter, sister and first wife's brother are all unhappy with the old man's marriage to his young bride, a lady of questionable reputations who came into the house as his mistress. With every member of this patriarchal clan having a perfect reason to commit the murder, in walks an inspector. Of course, the maids know more than they are willing to talk.

After watching the movie, only then you realise that you have seen it all before. Yes, it is a remake of 'Knives Out' starring Daniel Craig as the inspector. If 'Knives Out' was more of a light-hearted comedy, 'Raat Akeli Hai' is a dark drama that deals with the unsavoury truths of society where wealth and power bring with it evil intentions and ability to get away with murder. On the other hand, being stuck in the lower rung of society also pushes one to commit heinous crimes of desperation and helplessness. 

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

Too deeply entrenched...

Article 15 (2019)


Of course, the law is quite precise in all of it; that no citizen should be discriminated based on their religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. The trouble is that people like to flock together based on common practices, interests and vocations. Even though every man accepts that all Man are equal, they also admit that if everyone is equal, no one would be King. Plato's idea of an ideal society is also based on hierarchal order. Every member of the community is tasked with a specific duty so that society can function. Everyone got their place in the sun, and over time, people started putting value and importance of one profession over the other and called it a caste system.

Articles of late are suggesting that the notorious caste system in India is actually a foreign import. The word 'caste' has its origin in Portuguese and was brought by the farangs during their conquest of the East. The division of members of the ancient Hindu society apparently denoted the aptitude of an individual to a particular profession. It came with different names like jathis and varnas. It must have evolved over the generations as it was seen as an economic facilitator. People engaged in the same profession can explore the nitty-gritty and know of every nook and corner of the trade. This is evident from the generational continuity of individual businesses, e.g. Chettys and restaurants, Patels and hotels and of recent Jains and diamond trading. Apprenticeship recruitment amongst clan members ensured continuity of craftsmanship and continuous supply of services in the society. It is said that there was no hierarchical arrangement in the strata of society. It united the community.

Trouble brewed when caste was used to divide. The British have the dubious honour of conducting the first caste census in 1871 to codify society, give spurious recognition of one over the other, create mayhem, divide and rule. The last caste census which was done in 1931 forms the backbone upon which the educationally and economically disadvantaged layer of the population is aided.

To ensure a continued supply of menial labours and to justify one's perch at the top of the ladder, it was given a religious twist; that it is sanctioned in the scriptures and was decreed by the Gods and the First Man on Earth, Manu. No legislation is going to change this way of thinking, especially when it is convenient to be people in power.

The political use of the caste system is divisive at best. It is used by self-serving politicians to divide, ensnare and instigate people against each other. Like the colonial masters before it is a convenient tool to 'divide and rule'.

Prof R Vaidyanathan explains how Caste plays a beneficiary

role in society. Caste played its position at a different time

with a different economic model.

This movie is about a newly appointed Police Chief, of a privileged upbringing, being posted in a remote district which is run by the old school enforcement unit. The chief's subordinates have been keeping things under check by adopting a clear discriminatory rule by decree. Daily the low-caste members of the society are prejudiced. Many reports of missing daughters of the untouchables do not see daylight. The chief can see funny things happening under his nose. The crux of the story is how he, an Indian who had spent a large chunk of his young adulthood overseas with an activist fiancé, try to change the status quo.

It is imperative to note that BR Ambedkar, himself from the Dalit community, is the central figure behind the drafting of the Indian Constitution in 1950. He had alleged quipped that if the impoverished and oppressed are not protected by the Constitution, he will burn the Constitution! The polymath is mentioned many times in this film.

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

There is no one truth!

Badla (Revenge, Hindi, 2019)


Dhritarashtra, the blind king of the Kauravas, wanted an up-to-date account of the war. He summoned his charioteer, Sanjaya, who is said to have telepathic powers to describe the events in Kurushetra. 

The narration of the battle is from one person's perspective (i.e. Sanjaya). It is told in a version the listener wants to hear, i.e. how his army is doing. The truth is not something so clear cut. It is akin to a blind man describing an elephant, standing at one end of the animal. The understanding of the whole picture depends on where he is coming from. 

If Bhagavadgita were told by Draupadi, it would be a description of revenge and justification of violence on the grounds of humiliation and protecting one's dignity. As arbitration to avert war between cousins, the Pandavas and Kauravas, was on-going, Draupadi was all out for a clash to settle the score.

Influenced by how one tells his story, his body language, his persuasive skill, and how much he can use his sophist skills, he can manipulate the situation as he wants. It is not about fighting for justice or fear of retribution that seems to be the correct thing to do. In the modern world, it is rhetoric, deviant criminal minds and lawyers in expensive suits who will save the day.

In the cerebral battle of the minds, the truth can bend, and a lie may turn white. Forgiveness may become an act of revenge, and the truth may lie in the details. 

This Hindi crime drama is a gripping tale of a high-flying award-winning businesswoman who is embroiled in the murder of her lover. The successful woman is under house arrest and may be imprisoned in three hours. The whole movie is about her conversation with her new appointment, hot-shot lawyer. Yoyoing between truths and untruths, both try to find a sure way to save her skin. What awaits them at the end is the crux of the movie.

Nice one. 4.5/5.

The adage 'truth will prevail' is a fallacy. It just a lullaby song to pacify losers. The truth is determined by the victors who would cast it in stone as the ultimate truth.

In the end, the truth will prevail. Good and evil keep at war.

Whichever wins, future will believe it as the prevailing truth.”

― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

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

It is the only way they knew to survive!

Ode to My Father (국제시장, Korean, 2014)

You see a grumpy old man seeming to be hitting out at everything around him. You ask yourself, what is wrong with him? Was he always like that? What life event changed him?

If one were to look deep enough, he would discover a reason for the way he behaves. The old man would have his own long life story to share. In his narration, one would find aches, joy, disappointments, achievements, unfulfilled ambitions and unbelievable feats that would make his life worth the while. He must be lethargic fulfiling all his duties in life. Perhaps, his self-sacrifice is not appreciated. He is taken for a fool for still living in the past and being sentimental about trivialities that mean little to the newer generation.

'Ode to My Father' is South Korean's fourth highest grossing film of all time. Even though, filmmakers may look at this production as a 'low-class tearjerker', low brow with the dearth of the finesse of modern filmmaking, viewers appreciate its nostalgia component. Like 'Forrest Gump', it infuses many small snippets that may pluck the string of the hearts of the ordinary Korean. The Hungnam Evacuation of 1950 where US Navy evacuated thousands of North Koreans to the South forms the backdrop of the melancholia as a young family is separated by the stampede of escaping refugees in the cold Korean winters. Father and daughter are left behind. The mother with her three children reaches Busan to live with her sundry shop owner sister-in-law. The eldest of the children, Deok-Soo, a boy, takes charge of the family as ordained by the father. 

Evacuation of 100,000 over refugees at Hungnam

The film is all about his escapade/hardships of life as Deok-Soo, roughs it out in Busan (Gukje Market which was set by wartime refugees) and later during the trying times of the young nation of South Korea. He tugs it out the coal mines of Germany and the landmines of warring Vietnam. All along with the film, viewers' interest is rekindled with the introduction of characters prominent in the history of South Korea, namely, Chung Ju-Yung, as seen as the future founder of Hyundai; Andre Kim, eccentric fashion designer and Nam Jin, a K-pop singer. The main driving force is to protect the family. 

The film strikes a chord with the older as well as the younger generations. The older ones who lived through the Korean War may relive their youth and appreciate their bittersweet experiences during the formative years of the country as it struggled through with handouts of the US and goodwill of the first world country. To the youngsters, it would be an eye-opener. They would be made to realise that Korean culture is not just K-Pop, plastic surgery and Winter Sonata dramas. The hard work and sacrifice of the previous generation would be appreciated.

Perhaps, when you see another grumpy old man or one fixed in his peculiar way of doing things, appreciate the fact it was just their way of doing things to survive and to bring home the bacon for their loved ones.

'Ode to My Father' was remade in Hindi in 2019.

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

The hand that rocks the cradle and the world!

Manikarnika (2019)

It is not a documentary, so do not expect factual accuracy. It is quite alright if you see the screen Jhansi Rani letting her hair down, getting into the groove and dancing with the villagers. At least they got the Mahishashura Mardini version of Queen Laxmibai right. Her unabated rage in fighting the tyranny of British can best be compared to the unstoppable fighting machine of Durga overpowering the Buffalo Demon of Mahishashura seen in the Mysore tradition. Living true to the feminine force of Nature which gives life and takes, Jhansi Rani has remained the Indian icon that spread nationalism and empowered women the world over, at least in the Indian diaspora.

The 21st century has seen countries that used to be under the yoke of colonial powers in the previous centuries suddenly open their eyes to realise that their masters never left their shores. They had continued their grip on the newly developed economies through their web of deceit, control and mass hypnotism. Through remote control means with the aid of media, be it print or digital methods, via Hollywood and lately through social media and fake news platform, they are always one step ahead from the rest of the world. Hence, now more than ever, there is a need to rekindle the nationalistic spirit amongst the post-colonial population to combat these seemingly invisible tentacles that control our mind, money and soul.

Died at 29; Immortalised by history.

Laxmibai, Queen of Jhansi, born Manikarnika, was an impressive figure during the First Independence War of India also known the Sepoy Mutiny. She married the King of Jhansi when the East India Company was hot on their heels, expanding their territorial control by instigating feud amongst local princes and inciting political ambitions within the members of the royal courtyard. The Queen's 4 month-old infant mysteriously died and so did the King soon after. A relative's son was adopted for ascension to the throne later. This was deemed illegal by the British who had by then enacted 'Lapse Doctrine' where a territory without a proper heir became British control. Jhansi is given an annual allowance and is expelled from her palace.

She returned with a vengeance after careful planning. Her image of riding on horseback with her toddler tied to her back and brandishing a sword is immortalised on metal statues around India. Trying to defend the city Gwalior from the British Army, she succumbed to her wounds. Not wanting to be captured by an enemy she decided to indulge in self-immolation. Some accounts insist that she was just cremated after her death as per her instructions.

Even before the movie hit the theatres, it, or specifically its heroine, Kangana Ranaut, created a hype in the media. Perhaps it was intentional. As they say in showbiz, any news is good news to stir curiosity amongst its viewers. In an interview, she had apparently threatened to expose the Bollywood mafia on their stance on nepotism. Her directorial direction was also the topic of discussion in the media circle. Excellent at creating a mountain of a molehill, they made an issue when Ranaut apparently took the helm to finish off some loose ends on the final product. Sensationalism or not, Ranaut, a multiple award-winning actor, managed to pull the role of Jhansi Rani very well. This angry 32-year young woman managed to bring to the celluloid screen the story of a gutsy 22-year-old monarch who had the guts to say no to the technically advanced invaders and to give a run for their money.

Interestingly, the first battle against the British was fought jointly to the chant of ‘Bajrangi Bali’, ‘Ya Ali’ and ‘Har Har Mahadeva’. All occupants of the land who had been ever welcoming of sojourners raised in unison against the evil and greedy invaders who had nothing but plundering in their minds. The Indians, on the other hand, had thought of everything - philosophy, the art of living, symbiosis with Mature, arithmetic, space exploration and perhaps even black holes in space. Not the Black Holes of Calcutta that the invaders thought of to subjugate their subjects.

Funny how every time history is invoked, it is often construed as a nidus to start communal violence. It used to be a unifying factor.

An equestrian statue of Lakshmibai in Solapur, Maharashtra.

N.B. During World War 2, many young Malayan Indian women volunteered during Netaji Chandra Bose's recruitment drive to join Rani of Jhansi Women's Regiment of the Indian Army. It aimed to overthrow the British Raj with Japanese assistance. It was one of the very few all-female combat regiments of the Second World War on any side.

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

If only...

Dear Zindagi (Dear Life, Hindi; 2016)

We think we got it all sorted out. It is only we that matter. We make a mistake, we say sorry and move on, expecting others to forgive and forget. We tell ourselves that to err is human. But when others do the same, they wrong us, all hell breaks loose.

Is it that only ourselves matter but not others? We coil into a cocoon live a bitter life, blaming others for our misery. Others too have their self-interest their need to satisfy. Dialogue to trash out these issues is not going to be smooth. The fear of losing out is the hurdle. Anyway, nobody has the crystal ball to guide us the right path. What we have is speech. Words and persuasion which may make sense at that time and space. In the end, the personal ego is the one that needs to be fed, not social equilibrium; not others' desires. 

So, we are left with individuals working within their walls, fulfiling their own needs without a care of the other. For a while, peace can be restored until the next crisis erupts.

In this movie, a talented cinematographer falls in and out of love and leads an unfulfilling life. She ends up in a psychologist's couch for some lessons in the handling of life. With his cheesy one-liners which would make anyone of the profession to cringe, he manages to make sense of the reason for her uncertainties in life. Any viewer can see that he, as a therapist, reveals much more than is needed and he is no role model in making relationships last a lifetime, but we choose to see what we want to look at. At the end of the movie, everything seems to have been solved, and everyone is okay - as a person and in their lives.

If only life can be so easy; problems can be solved by some limited timed therapeutic sessions. 

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/

The phoenix has arisen!

Lust Stories (Hindi, 2018)

There used to a time in history, it still exists in many fringes societies, where people just take their respective places lying down. The people who benefit from such an arrangement would provide justification of this set-up to a decree so old predating human civilisation. God's name would be dropped for good measure. Fear would be instilled to shirkers. Not wanting to upset the order of Nature and fear of retribution in the afterlife, many just toe the line. Others, on the wrong end of the bargain, accept it as a probable punishment for their past actions in a previous birth!

Snap out of it. In this new world, it is all about the individual. One lives and does things for himself, not for the world, not for the community, not for familial expectations. It is about self-fulfilment, living a full life for oneself. Is it self-indulgence? Is it hedonism? One is given one life, only one, cherish it. It is now or never. Or is it?

The members of the Indian diaspora are undergoing changes by leaps and bound. With increasing opportunities in education, access to information and media, the bearers of the extra X chromosomes want more. They are no more merely contented staying behind the scenes, seen but unheard, becoming child-bearing vessels and playing second fiddle. They want to be heard. They feel they have been shortchanged all this while. They can perform at par if not better than their other half.  

This collection of stories brags of prominent directors and bold tales about subjects which were considered taboo and often swept under the carpet, female sexuality and the sacrosanct status given to sex.

Four stories are told from the female perspective. A young married lecturer becomes ballistic when she discovers that her student (at university with whom she is having an affair) is two-timing her with someone of his age. Even though the lecturer insists that her relationship is based on lust and the journey to explore one's self. Finally, the viewers realise that it all about control. Love has nothing to do with it.

The second offering shows a middle class 'good son' who has no qualms about having regular trysts with his female domestic helper but obediently agrees to marry a girl arranged by his parents; no questions asked. The helper, although hurt, continues life as if nothing happens. She knows her place in society. 

An unhappy mother of two has an affair with her old university mate. The mate also happens to be her husband's confidante, who is in a betwixt and between situation. The husband sounds suicidal on the phone, and his wife wants the affair to be known to him. And all three of them an embarrassing meltdown at the mate's beach house.


The final offering questions the role of a wife in the dynamics of the family. Is she there just to ensure continuity of the clan or is she entitled to her own pleasures and should be left to her own devices (pun understandable only after the film)? The modern Indian woman, with her independence, wants out. She cannot be playing dance-monkey to the whims and fancies to her in-laws who act like outlaws, setting rules as they felt fit.

A bold presentation to showcase the modern Indian women who had enough being treated as a second-class citizen in a predominantly misogynistic society. They have risen to correct the status quo.

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

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

You don't know what you have got until it's gone!

Mom (Hindi; 2017)

Legend has it that a swan gives a melodious song before its demise. Even though this fact has been disproved scientifically, somehow the romantic imagery of a female swan, a pen, rendering her last vocalisation before her final breath sounds poetic enough.

Sridevi, in her swansong, gives a sterling performance here in the role of a scorned mother. She yearns for the approval of her late teenage stepdaughter to accept her as 'Mom' whilst struggling to find justice to punish her daughter's rapists.

Even though the storyline is riddled with holes and is relatively predictable, it is compensated by the excellent acting shown by Sridevi. There are many non-verbal cues that are pivotal in any good filmmaking; here it is in abundance. The director manages to keep the audience glued to the edge of their seats with suspense.

DK, the interesting private investigator who 
provides some light comic relief.

Another character, DK (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who assumes the role of a private eye, is an interesting one. Appearing weird in his 'soda glass' oversized spectacles, prominent frontal balding and a thick occipital lock of scalp hair, he gave the persona of a shady character. It turns out that he himself carries a heavy burden and genuinely wanted to help.

Is it not funny? Over the years, I have viewed many of Sridevi's movies. In most of them, save some of the Tamil ones, I thought of her as a glamour actor who cashed in on her youth,  external attraction and dancing prowess to bowl audience over. Only after her demise, in this film, do I see her in an entirely different light. Her depiction of a grieving mother is so surreal. I have seen enough in my lifetime to appreciate one.

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

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

Everything has a price; body, soul and land.

Begum Jaan (2017)

It seems that fire has a purifying quality. Rather than facing the wrath of the society and being their burden, death by immolation seems dignified. The flame has the innate essence of martyring someone. We saw in the tale of Padmavati, and we see it in the fictitious character named Begum Jaan.  

Radcliffe's line did not only cause misery to the little people of both nations. It apparently went right through the palace owned by a self-made brothel madam, Begum Jaan. She thought she had everything under control when she rescued a few women out of misery, train them into the flesh trade to give them a footing in life. The local powers were kept happy by servicing their officials, and she got the protection of a soon to defunct royalty. 

All that changed with the Partition. Overzealous in carrying out their civic duty, two of officials from both sides of the divide, Pakistan and India go to great lengths beyond their call of duty to evict the Madam from her little palace.

Widowed young at the banks from the Ganges and ostracised by society for her widowhood, Begum found her way to the courtesan courts. With the blessing and wealth from her vocation, she built her own trade. She believes that she owes nothing to society. Likewise, to her, people are all the same. They say one thing when there are in the company of their own kind, but the lights go off, race, religion and caste goes out of the window. Lust takes over, and nothing really matters after that.

The film is filled with much crude dialogue and disturbing scenes. One wrong message that the film seems to convey is that as if the rapist would be turned off if a young girl or a postmenopausal lady disrobes herself. Rape is about control and power. Lust is secondary. All the occupants of the brothel in the film seem to be loggerheads at each other and an axe to grind amongst themselves. With this background, I wonder what actually keep them together. Whatever happened to the code 'honour among thieves'?

The movie tries to tackle too many issues. Partition, feminism, the cruelty of the society to members of the female species, the blind obedience to orders from above and attachment to their home is all too much to cover in two hours.

Quote: Everything has a price; body, soul and land.

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

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

Justice must appear to be done!

Jolly BA, LLB 2 (2017)

Is it not scary or what? Here I am heading to Lucknow for a literary festival, and on the plane, I randomly chose a film to watch. And the movie I decide to view is set in Lucknow, of all the places in India. Is it mere coincidence? Is it synchronicity, the higher powers over me having a quiet chuckle at my expense? Is it trying to show who the boss is? Or am I having a delusion of grandiose that the world revolves around me and for me? Daunting or am I just creating an issue out of nothing? A mountain out of a molehill or cherry-picking what suits me and cry "Boo!"

 This Akshay Kumar movie, which is the second offering after the excellent run of Jolly LLB. Sadly, the sequel does not live up to the standards of the former. It fails to impress in the humour department, and the story is pathetically predictable.

Jolly is a junior lawyer in an established law firm. He has not shown his mettle and is often looked down upon by his boss, partly because of his humble beginnings. To prove his worth, he sets up his own law firm by deceiving a client of her money. The client, a pregnant mother, tries desperately to clear her deceased husband's name who was accused of terrorism. She screams of police brutality, but nobody seems interested. Upon realising that she has been cheated, she commits suicide. The remorseful Jolly promise to continue the widow's work.

The law remains the last bastion upon which the common man can seek justice. Even though the truth is multifaceted and is dependent on perspectives, the ordinary Joe should have an avenue to air his grievances and hope for sympathy, remuneration and dignity. Increasingly the legal system appears not to seek justice but just mete punishment. The judicial system fails to portray independence and merely act as a rubber stamp of the ruling political master. Altruism and morality remain only in rhetorics, as a smokescreen to convince, not in action. It exudes a corrupt image that is easily bought over by power, money and all the ugly primal, animalistic instincts. Paradoxically this was the very reason why our forefathers tried to establish a system where the average person, deficient in own ways, also gets a place in the sun to carry the duties of his existence. The autonomy of the judiciary appears only on paper. 

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

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

Changing roles is hard to do!

Parched (Hindi; 2016)

India is said to be a land of contradictions. On one hand, they talk about the might of the feminine power, that the Goddess guarding Earth is Booma Devi, Mother Nature, a matriarchal force. Then they say Shiva is nothing without the power of his better half, that Shiva is nothing without Shakthi and there is no force like the union of Male and Female power, the elixir of life, the essence of life, ShivaShakthi!

Then there is Dussehra which is celebrated as the victory of the good feminine powers over the evil masculine power, the celebrates the killing of demon Mahishasur by Goddess Durga. Dussehra celebration spreads the message of the balance of the world put to order by the positive female energy.

They can talk and write volumes and volumes, in their works of literature, about the greatness of the ladies of the yesteryear and their timeless feat. They donned military garbs to lead kingdoms. They fought for social justice. They wrote great poems in the Purana era and even discussed philosophy. But look at them now, or least in the fringe societies of modern India. They are second class citizens, sometimes persona-non-grata.

The movie highlights the struggles of four female characters in different standings in society. First, there is a lady, Rani, who was widowed young with a marriageable son. Physically abused in her short-lived marriage, she lives as an outcast in her Rajasthan desert village society. Her son, Gulab, is a useless good-for-nothing uneducated loafer who loiters around his worthless pals visiting prostitutes, smoking, getting drunk, heckling others and upholding their rights in a patriarchal society. Gulab's new wife is ridiculed and abused for her cropped hair. Then there is Lajjo, Rani's friend, who is married to an alcoholic and abusive husband, who is ostracised for her inability to bring an heir to the family when all the while the husband knows that he is the one who is firing blanks. The fourth character is Bijli, an exotic dancer who part-times as the village prostitute. Even though she is praised to high heavens and ogled by all men in the village in their stuporous states including the seemingly virtous Elders who claim to upholding morality in the village and youngsters alike, she is shunned by the villagers in civil society.

The multiple award-winning film brings through the journey of the frustrations of the four female characters and their empowerment in a society which scorns literacy amongst the fairer sex. Even though the men are held on the pedestal, their contributions have outlived their usefulness. With the changing of the economic order, the ladies prove their mettle to earn, even more than their male counterpart. This, is a bone of contention amongst members of the male-dominated society.