Money sanitises everything?

Raees (Hindi, 2017)
When a man is desperate, when his next meal is an impossible dream, any form of work that comes his way is God-sent. He will be grateful that the Divine forces are responsive to his pleas to meet his biological need. When his position is a bit stable, he introspects. He wonders whether his line of duty may irk the Creator. He feels guilty. He knows that his line of work is not sanctioned by the religious leaders who delved into this type of theological matters. He knows he has himself knee deep to retreat. His dependents, who by now are quite used to the good life start demanding. He would set his own modified rules, cherry picking rules and regulations to justify his illicit trade. He draws his boundaries, area which are a no-no and would defend his modified predilections to the core. Deep inside, he knows of his ill actions. To sanitise his 'sins', which actually do not appear in his psyche anymore, he immerses himself in philanthropic deeds and in the quest to uplift society in a Robin Hood manner.

This are some of the thoughts that went through my mind as I viewed Shah Rukh Khan's latest offering, Raees. The formula of the storyline is nothing new, just the time test money churning flick of rags to riches ala-Godfather style, only the settings are different. This time the Prime Minister's state of Gujarat which had outlawed alcohol sales since 1949, after the demise of Gandhi, under the Bombay Prohibition Act.

Legally Gujarat is a 'dry' state, as no one wants to stir the sentiments of the public as the abhorrence to alcohol is started as a mark of respect to his assassination. In reality, moonshine is still available, sometimes cheaper from other states as the merchandise is adulterated and no taxes need to be paid.

Even though, the filmmakers deny any resemblance to any living or dead characters, the film is said to to be loosely based on a criminal named Abdul Latif, a Mumbai gangster linked to many criminal activities including supplying RDX explosives in the 1993 Mumbai blast. The movie follows a predictable pattern with all the winning formulas of tear, gore, revenge, blood, love and emotions to drive home the point that a life of crime does not pay. And that even ruthless gangster have a soft spot and code of conduct.

N.B. Time and time again, it is evidently clear that Prohibition of alcohol does not give the desired effect. Conversely, it gives a paradoxically opposite response. When this strategy was implemented in the 1920s in the US in response to ill effects of  alcohol, what was achieved was not abstinence but bootlegging, complications of adulteration, gangsterism, senseless killing and a corrupt police force! The correct approach may be the way the British thumbed communist activities in Malaya in a propaganda that "wins the heart and mind". Sadly, we are still in want of such a strategy!

Papa can't be there all the time!

Dangal (Wrestle, Hindi; 2016)

That title of the post kind of sums up the message behind the movie. All the seemingly cruel and unconventional things that parents do and try to impart to their downlines may actually be for their own good. Parents push their offspring to the brim not for their own self glory but so that the younger will be able weather any challenges that come their way in their future when the elders are no longer around to bail them out. What does not kill them only makes them stronger!

Imagine a world without Thriller and Moon Walk if Joe Jackson had not drilled his kids too such an extent that they reached superstardom. If not for his father, Michael would have been just an average Joe!

Unfortunately, the juniors are not going to easily to accept their seniors' point of view lying down. This must be the curse that every generation goes through before they realise the people before them were right after all. But then, sometimes this awareness may just come out a little too little too late.

Real vs. Reel life

This flick is the real narration of the story of a disappointed Indian wrestler from Haryana, Mahvir Singh Phogat, who did not manage to win a medal for his country. Hoping to train his unborn son to continue his failed mission, he lived a sad man's life as his newborns turned out to girls, one after another, four times. Twist of fate, he discovers his own wrestling spirit in his first two girls. Fighting a patriarchal conservative society which looks at the female gender as a burden, only good for cleaning the household and cooking, he trains his girls against all reservations. He even gets them compete against an all-male wrestling match which they won.

With liberal dose of artistic licence to spice up the real true life events, certain sequelae of events were altered to heighten suspense and stimulate the ever sensitive lacrimal glands of the Indian diaspora, the film managed to excite the masses. The film was given tax exemption in a few states as it disseminates a positive signal to the fight against gender discrimination and female infanticide. 

The bending of the truth and the objections by the parties involved in his daughter, Geetha Phogat's eventual gold medal win in 2010 Commonwealth Under 55kg category just adds more spark to already sizzling hot reception this movie receives at the box office.

Viewers of 'Dangal' would soon discover after watching this Youtube snippet below that the actual event which is suppose to mark the climax of the movie is a far cry than what is hyped on the silver screen. Hey, that's tinseltown for you!

'No' means no!

Pink (Hindi, 2016)


That is the reality. On one side, we have the fairer sex fairing better by leaps and bounds in all areas; equality, education, knowledge, even in games that require endurance, as leaders in society and assertiveness. We concede that we are modern and do not impose the chains of control over them. On the other hand, we are still feudalistic in our mindset. We still look at them as lesser beings. We expect them to behave in a particular manner and wait for them to curl up to meet our primal, animalistic needs. We make our own impressions about their needs. We assume their seeming ordinary acts of culture, intelligent behaviour as an invitation to casual sex. We say they asked for it. Their way of dressing, friendly demure and friendly gestures are misconstrued. The society has the view that when she says 'no', she means 'yes'. We have different rules for different genders. Men are not ready to lose their patriarchal role to give the female gender equal footing in society.

Three girls decide to continue their celebrations with three guys, who are friends of their common friend, after attending a rock concert, with alcoholic beverages. Their seemingly cultured act is judged negatively on their morals and is taken as an open invitation to illegal carnal gratifications. Their refusal to sexual liaisons is conversely understood as a 'yes'. That is the aggressors' perception that the telltale sign were all there and their conduct was a testimony of it. Hence, when their 'willing partners' said no, they meant yes! In defence, one of the victims swung an empty liquor bottle to her assailant, almost blinding him.

When the girls turned to the long arms of the arm, the supposed protectors of the oppressed turned the table on them. The girls instead were charged with soliciting clients and attempted murder.

In comes an old-timer, a once reputable lawyer who got disillusioned with the whole legal system to their defence.

What follows is a moving depiction of the mental impression and stereotyping of the public on working girls and girls in general. One of the actors who took the main character actually broke down a few times as the role was quite demanding. Perhaps with the luxury of poetic licence and to spice up the movie, the filmmaker must have decided to show the Indian courts to appear like shouting matches in a fish market.

We are now probably at a crossroad where the ladies are regaining the rightful place in society that they once held when we were all cavemen. Men used to be wanderers who were out hunting and were only an occasional guest at their own caves and community. The women ran the whole show then.

The blurred boundaries of friend and lover zones

Ae Dil Ki Mushkil (Hindi, 2016)

Gone are the days when the sanctity of conjugal union and the adage of one man to one woman is guarded until the end of time till death do them apart. Poetic justice would be the order of the day as if one person was born for the other. Love triangles would invariably end up with either one sacrificing his/her love or his demise. The sanctity of marriage or love was kept 'pure'. Coming together of man and woman (only man and woman) is for ever, and there is no such thing as changing partners. People do not break relationships because it does not fulfil their inner desires or because it is meaningless. They make do with what they have and find happiness even the most hopeless of circumstances. When offspring come into the picture, the purpose seems more clear cut.

That is in the perfect world of Tinseltown. The celluloid industry used to set the standards of how live should be lived and stuck set in its agenda of praising the age old Indian idea of monoamory and loyalty. The World has changed and ancient ideas have become passe. Hence, Bollywood too has to metamorphose.

The gender role too has changed over the years. From a docile, submissive and non-confrontational stance who would exert their influences from the sidelines in the yesteryears, women have evolved to statures of wielding power, self-reliance and self-sustenance. In the matters of the heart too, they now hold the rein of what they feel and what they desire. They are no more the ones who needs mollycoddling but instead take the upper hand of things. Wearing the pants is no more the masculine domain. Conversely, generations of shielding by their mothers of their prized jewel crowns by their mothers have turned into fragile wimps who need emotional lullaby and potty training. 

This film courted meaningless controversy when the casting directors decided to employ an actor from their neighbouring country's not-so-glamorous movie industry. It snowballed to become yet another divide in the country into a dichotomy who claim nationalistic spirits through division and the other via inclusion. In the end, the tiff just helps to give free publicity. The movie makers smile all the way to the bank whilst it means little to the little men on the streets. 

The movie tells the tale of a wealthy kid's supposedly doing MBA in London and goes around in search of love in the wrong people. The person with whom he falls flat for, only look at him from a platonic angle. The melodrama which follows deals tries to convince its audiences that people of different sexes can do everything under the stars including sharing the same bed at night and call the relationship 'just friends yaar!'

Order in chaos?

Hava Aney Dey (Let the Wind Blow; Hindi; 2004)

This Franco-German of a Hindi film co-production had too much on its plate. No doubt, it had won many global independent awards the world over but the fact remains that its storyline is too ambitious to cover in one and half hour of screening. It tries to deal with so many things without going deep into any of the issues it tries to invoke.

The protagonist, Arjun, is an 18year old youth, is at the crossroads of his life. On one hand, he sees his widowed mother working day and night trying to put food on the table after his gambling father died early. The mother is putting all her hopes on her only son to make it to university. In her eyes, that would be the panacea for all the poverty woes. Arjun is disillusioned by all these. He sees his blue collared friends struggling so hard with no hope ever hitting it big in life. He also sees the rich just loafing around enjoying life and spending (wasting) their money without a care. The lingering dilemma is whether education makes one happy and whether it a passport to success.

In the background, there is a constant reminder on the cable TV that a nuclear showdown is brewing over the India-Pakistan border.

Arjun is not a bright student, though. With all his nocturnal intoxicating habits and trysts, studies hardly interest him. What interest him, however, is a fellow student, Salma. He joins the school drama just to be by her side. He discovers his natural talent in acting. The theme of the show is a scene from the Bhagavad Gita where Arjuna has the cold feet before the Kurukshetra War and his qualms about killing his cousins, somewhat mirroring the two brothers' (India and Pakistan) faceoff! As a side issue, we are introduced to Salma's grandmother who was a freedom fighter who fought for Indian independence and decided to stay back in India and not migrate to Pakistan. Then Salma's parents also work tirelessly for the uplifting of society.

Arjun's best friend, Chabia, a mechanic who gets Arjun to do his vices and also has the contacts to get him out trouble has his own his issues his cabaret dancer girlfriend. The girl loves him but not his poverty, Chabia loves her but not her job.

Along the way, the audience is given the impression that the country has no future but to venture out of it to prosper. In this case, Dubai seems to be the haven. Even that never materialised for our stars. Just as they make plans to leave for Dubai with the farewell party and all, nuclear warheads of India and Pakistan head towards the heart of each other's major city.

The cinematography is so surreal, with many street scenes and lingo that we are all too familiar. Interestingly, that was the very reason why the film had issues with the national censors. It eventually never got screened in India as the filmmakers would not comply with the censors' demand to bleep almost 20 minutes of its dialogue.

Through this film also you get to understand how the chaos theory comes into effect. With so much random things happening around so many people, there is still a semblance of order, and the sun still shines. People still grew to fulfil their dreams and lead a full life.

Nation over family?

Rustom (2016)

This is essentially a remake of Sunil Dutt-Leela Naidu starred 1963 film Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke which in a retelling of the murder of a debonair businessman Prem Ahuja allegedly by a naval Commander, Kawas Nanavati in 1959.

Using artistic licence, the screenplay had been altered to appeal to the general public. A supposed crime of passion had been changed to be a story of nationalism and sacrificial deed to protect the sovereignty of Mother India against corrupt naval officers and greedy businesspeople. No one wants to hear about a mother of three two-timing her husband. Hence, the wife's character is made to be a newly-wed drop-dead gorgeous bored wife.

Akshay Kumar, after acting a do-gooder patriotic Indian is Airlift, shows his nationalistic side in this film. He tries to endure hardship, humiliation, career and family pride just to protect the country he loves. The script is too predictable. The element of suspense is missing and as an audience, I did not empathise with the actors. Akshay Kumar as Rustom appears too wood-like to garner any reaction as he seems expressionless and somewhat robotic in 'reading' his lines. The comedy department also fell flat with lame oft-repeated punch lines! Only Ilena D'Cruz seem to show some emotions but then the acting is overshadowed more by manifestations in hour-glass party gowns than that of a remorseful victim of fornication.

Whenever I watch a period drama, I always try to look faux pas in the props. Maybe I did not look hard enough, but I did not find any. The cars that were seen in the movie were 1959 model of Mercedes and many Ambassadors which were in production from 1958.

Did not really leave a mark, 3/5. The whole film just whizzed through...

Poetry is in the silences and pauses between words!

Aligarh (2016)

Young men flirt with young girls in the open (and vice versa) but most people in an urban setting would not think much of it. But when two consenting men decide to show their passion for each other in the secluded privacy of their home, the public agrees that it is their God-sanctioned duty to shame the deviant couple! They insist that it is against the norm of Nature and would go to great lengths to correct this, even if to kill, in spite of God's plea for the conservation of all of His creations. They are not interested in scientific and medical explanations for their aberrance.  They say "it is all crystal clear. He decreed, we follow. It is my duty to ensure that His law is carried out here on earth. Period."

This, is the essence, is the story of a Professor in India's third highest ranking University, Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh. Professor Shrinivas R. Siras,  a 62-year-old divorcee, six months from his retirement, heads the Department of Modern Indian Languages. He had been honoured for his works, in particular, a romantic poem on the moon at the national level.

The news of his consensual sex with a male rickshaw puller hit the headlines one day. His ungentlemanly conduct cost him his job, created a public uproar, media frenzy and student demonstration. 

This film tells his story from the angle for an intern journalist, Deepu Sebastian (Rajkummar Rao). He builds a rapport with the professor (an excellent performance by Manoj Bajpayee) who has been suspended and is on the run from hostile homophobes in the university. Deepu discovers the incredibly lonely life that Siras leads, indulging himself in old songs, poetry, writing and teaching. His post comes with many jealous subordinates who are just out to discredit and disgrace him.

Siras sues the University for reinstatement. At that time, homosexuality was decriminalised by the Delhi High Court, and Siras got off the hook. Unfortunately soon after the verdict, he was found dead in mysterious circumstances. His case was closed by the police due to insufficient evidence.

Aligarh University has an ancient history. It was set up in the late 19th century by a set of local visionaries who wanted Indians especially of Muslim descent, to seek knowledge to the edge of the world to meet modern-day demands. The idea came about when the founder visited Oxbridge. 

The tradition of intellectual discourse goes back to the Golden Era of Islamic Civilisation when think-tanks of the day used their argumentative skills to impart their input to unravel the mystery of life and the universe. They were receptive to new knowledge. Unfortunately, over time, complacency had closed the mind to new critical thinking and clergymen are quite content solving modern day problems with medieval formulas. And it has proved disastrous, so far.

With great powers come great misery...

Sultan (Hindi, 2016)

There is really nothing ground shattering to blog about this film. Perhaps the pre-release media shenanigan by Salman Khan would be talked about longer than the memory of the movie disappears from the public mind. I reckon this memory would not be long. 

This is just another predictable flick of a guy who finds joy in loafing around playing pranks and indulging in age-inappropriate activities who steers his life around to win over the love of a girl. As in most Indian movies, the firebrand cracker of a girl just turns jello at the sentimental self-sacrifices of her Romeo. This time, the theme of the film is the good old traditional Indian sport of 'gusti' or wrestling. Together the couple goes on a medal-winning spree all around the world till tragedy strikes. Aarfa (Anushka Sharma) becomes pregnant only to be left behind for the world championships. The haughty Sultan (Salman Khan) whose fame went to his head finds out the hard way that it pays to show humility. Sultan and Aarfa lose their baby to what they think is due to his absence at the time the neonate needed him most, or rather his O-negative blood. 

They go separate ways. After years of soul searching, Sultan realises that he has to set up the resources of a blood bank in his locality to prevent a recurrence of what happened to his kid. 

In comes, a loser rich man's son with his dismal CV of repeated failed MMA (mixed martial arts) competitions. The rest of the film is predictably about his turmoils to win the matches against all odds and Sultan's reunification with his estranged wife.  

What struck me with the movie is not the storyline, the romantic chemistry, the wisecrack dialogues or the indeed scenic outdoors of Haryana. A person tries to improve himself or pull himself out of a rut for personal development once self-realisation dawns upon him. He would go the world's end to fulfil his dreams. The pot of the gold at the end of the rainbow would eventually come. Together with that would roll in new needs and commitments which he has to oblige. By then, his endeavour is no more to satisfy himself but for the bonds that he had developed along the way. By now, he is duty bound to slog, no more for himself but to fulfil his dependants or his Dharma. People who propelled him forward in the first place are no longer in the equation, just like how he is no more relevant to himself. He is just a piece of footwear that sacrifices itself to its master before the master decides to throw it to the bin. 

The worst of times brings out the best in us?

Neerja (2016)

They always say that we all have that 'selfish gene' in us that helps us and our dependents to survive and continue our progeny. It is our inborn safety mechanism. This 'gene' theory just remains a theory and has never been identified. There are, however, certain chemicals and hormones in our body that are secreted in abundance at certain times to initiate 'proactive' gestures to build that bond that paves the way to the 'protected list'. Progestrogenic hormones during pregnancy, parturient and lactational times ensure the protection of unborn and newborn. Flooding of the blood and brain with feel-good hormone of oxytocin during passionate and intimate moments cements the closeness of two individuals to provide security for one another. To go the whole nine yard, to endanger one's self for someone unrelated for humanity sake is a feat often praised relentlessly. Why do some go beyond the call of duty, risking one's life is anybody's guess? Is it not being alive the most valuable thing in life? Our body is geared with various reflexes to safeguard its internal organs, so the idea of self-sacrifice can be quite unnerving.

Hence, the countable accolades, honours and immortalisation of her name in the airline industry -Purser Neerja Bhanot of Pan Am. In 1986, 5th September, two days short of her 23rd birthday, Bhanot was flying as the head flight attendant on Pan Am flight 73 from Bombay to New York via Karachi and Frankfurt. During their stop-over at Karachi, the plane is boarded by four Palestinian terrorists disguised as Pakistani airport security forces.

The movie builds up showing Neerja as a lovable family girl much loved by her family and friends. She had a failed marriage (dowry is the issue) which is told in instalments as the main story is unveiled. There is also a prospect of a new boyfriend who may be proposing to her soon.

Neerja Bhanot 1963 - 1986.

The flight which she thought would be an another routine before she returns home for her birthday turns out to be anything but ordinary. The terrorists had intended to divert the plane to Cyprus to bargain for the release of their friends imprisoned in Israel and Cyprus. Apparently green and ill-planned they fumbled. Bhanot alerted the pilots when they entered the flight forcefully who escaped via the safety hatchet. Stranded on the tarmac with no pilots and engineer to man the radio as the lethargic Pakistani authorities drag their feet to organise things, the armed-to-the-teeth terrorists get hot under the collar. They start brandishing their guns and shooting the passengers to get things moving.

Bhanot role in saving the day is hiding the passengers passports to protect Americans, comforting distressed passenger, trying to reason out with the hijackers and finally helping passengers to slide down the emergency exit in the last part of the story as the armed forces ambushed the aeroplane. She is fatally wounded.

The trend is slowly changing. Gone are the typical story build-up of boy meets girl, songs, obstacles in love and love finally appearing triumphant. This is a venture of realistic movie making with the element of suspense evenly maintained interspersed with flashbacks to put Bhanot's past history in perspective to explain her courage to stand up in the face of adversity. 

Evil is good?

Main aur Charles (Me and Charles, Hindi; 2015)


Earlier in life, I took a keen interest in the intriguing case of the suave serial killer of Indo-Vietnamese descent who used to grace the tabloids in the 70s. He is alleged to be a master manipulator, a psychopath, a successful impersonator who speak many languages and could make members of the fairer sex weak in the knees!

Hence, it is only logical that I should give a go at this mini-biography of the man himself. Unfortunately, the film seems like a bit haphazard initially, moving to and back between timelines as the story moves between three lifelines in three decades. The second half of the film starts to grasp the essence of the story by impressing upon us the conniving nature of the man. The choice of actor picked to depict Charles Sobhraj is excellent. His external appearance, barrette and large framed square spectacles caught the uncanny likeness of the serial killer himself. In the building of character and gaining empathy for the social outcast, the filmmakers did not manage a good job.

The movie concentrates mainly on Sobhraj’s escape from a Delhi jail, his apprehension and subsequent trial by the ‘Me’ character, i.e. And Kanth, a senior Indian cop.

Memorable quote:
Good always wins but evil never dies!

Whodunit of a real murder

Rahasya (Secret, Hindi; 2015)


After watching the 'Mousetrap' in London, my interest in murders suddenly had a resurgence of sorts. I was pleasantly surprised when this Hindi whodunit came along. In the same vein as Agatha Christie's mystery murders, this film is mind boggling in its storyline. This story is, however, based on the real-life murder that took place in a middle-class household of the Talwars in New Delhi in May 2008.

Aarushi Talwar, a 14year old only child of Dr Rajesh and Dr Nupur, dentists, was found dead in her bedroom. Before long it became a national scandal when their male servant was found murdered too. Pretty soon, the media had a field day conducting trial-by-media and practising yellow journalism. After much sensationalism with shoddy police work, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) moved in. Even though CBI could not conclusively implicate anyone for the double murders, the courts decided to pass life imprisonment for both parents along the line of honour killing.

Rahasya has many elements similar to the Aarushi Talwar's murder. Many of the plots were altered garnishing it with more masala to tickle the fancy of Bollywood moviegoers. Blatant abuse of power and police brutality is accepted as the norm. Everyone in the story has something stacked in their closet. Illicit affairs seem like an accepted practice. After much twisting and stretching of the imagination, the story sadly ends with a somewhat unbelievable ending.

A laudable effort, I should say, as the film-makers were bold enough to come out with a movie that broke the mould of a typical Bollywood film layout - no love scenes, no comedy, no songs and, of course, running around the park. It is all pure whodunit murder mystery!

http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy

Too divergent, too long, too far...

Bajrangi Bhaijaan (My brother Hanuman devotee, Hindi; 2015)

On the victorious day of Eid, after winning over the pains of hunger and determination over evil thoughts, this film tries to impress upon the brothers and sisters on either side of the India-Pakistan that they are both not dissimilar!

Unfortunately, the Partition has happened too long ago. The direction that both countries have diverged too far too long for it to meet again. Maybe there is no harm in spreading the nice words of the season. If you put aside the loopholes in plots, time, space and distance, it is doable as a bridge between this nations of brothers.

Shahida, a mute girl of 6 years old, from the hills of the heartland of Pakistan, gets separated from her mother during a train journey to India for treatment. Unable to state her place of origin, she wanders around just to follow Pawan (Salman Khan), a simpleton and a devout die-hard Hanuman devotee. She gets accepted into Pawan's love interest's family, a strict Brahmin one. Things gets complicated when one by one Shahida (now christened Munni) starts doing things abhorred by the family - consuming meat, entering a mosque and blasphemously supporting the Pakistani cricket team!

Selfie Le Le Re

Realising that they have a Pakistani child in their household, Pawan tries to get her back to her home country. Unfortunately, a mêlée in front of the embassy forces the embassy to stop issuing visas. His attempts to send her back via an agent proved almost disastrous. Pawan managed to rescue Munni from a brothel in the nick of time.

It is then Pawan, in foolhardy, decides to bring the child back himself without any documents. Through unbelievable situations which defied international protocols, with the help of the power of internet, child is united with her family and Pawan, the simpleton who has nothing but his trust on Hanuman, the monkey-god as his saviour, is hailed as a hero.

A feel good movie. Just like Christmas-themed movies which gives hope to humanity and the magical nature of dreams, Bajrangi Bhaijaan spreads the euphoria of peace in a society deeply divided by religion, caste and politics... Eid Mubarak ho!

There are two Gods

PK (Tipsy, Hindi; 2014)
So it looks sightings of UFOs and visitations from alien civilisations corresponds to the affluence of a country. In the 50s, it occurred exclusively in the US. Then it was China and now, India. Put an alien in God's favourite land with the most number of God-men per square feet and a good screenwriter and what do you get? 2 and a half of laughter from a philosophical  comedy of divine proportions.
Followers of this blog would notice that some of the ideas from this movie had come up in our previous posts (here, here and here). But hey, with a ready market worth multi-millions sprawling with talents waiting to hit the jackpot in a world of survival of the fittest, ideas just ooze.
This movie pokes fun at segregation of people according to religious beliefs and the things people do in the name in the name of God.
An alien lands in the deserts of Rajasthan dressed only with a transmitter medallion. His mission is to survey Earth and return to his motherboard space ship. Unfortunately, just a few minutes upon his arrival, his medallion is snatched by a common thief who scoots off at the back of a goods' train.
Left to fend himself in the cruel world on the third rock from the Sun, he learns the cultures and idiosyncrasies as he goes along. He is a fix as he cannot return home as the medallion is the only way to contact his space craft.

Brugge, Belgium.

Along the way, he learns that God can solves all problems. Hence start the parody of man and his subdivisions of belief, all in the name of God, provided you are able to part from your hard earned money.
On the other side of the world in Brugge, Belgium (not Broga in Negri Sembilan), Jaggu's love life is cut short by a misunderstanding of sorts when her boyfriend fails to turn up at the Registrar of Marriages' office. Her love life is met with opposition from her family as the boy is a Pakistani Muslim.
Jaggu's family members are strong follower of a popular Hindu sage who is somehow able to put people under his thumb with his near Truth prediction of events and his flaunting of the alien's medallion to gain credence.
A dejected Jaggu returns to India to work as a TV reporter. Whilst looking around New Delhi for an interesting news to cover, she bumps into a seemingly lunatic character known as PK, the alien. PK, meaning tipsy, is exactly how he behaves, like someone under the influence of alcohol, always acting inappropriately.
What follows is a stomach rolling comedy of the alien trying make sense of religions and cultural beliefs.
A scene that sticks on mind is when PK tries to learn to hold the hand of Hindu widow who seem to be crying (PK has telepathic powers that transmits via the hand). PK is mobbed for doing so and is educated that widows wear white. So the next time he saw a bride in white bridal gown, he expresses his condolences only to be admonished again. She tells him that widows wear black. Next, he approaches 3 women in burqa to pacify them only to have husband walk up to give his discontent.
The climax is when the alien and the sage have a one on one debate on God.
The take home message is - there are two Gods; 1 who created us and the another who was created by us. On the other hand, the concept of God helps man to grasp on something while he continues in the struggle of dealing with bread and butter issues of daily life. Worth the while.

Another blast from the past, again?

Parineeta (2005)
May be the Indians are very sentimental people. They like to reenact events of the past and reminisce it again and again. This, is quite evident in this film. More of these later.
This love story was penned by a contemporary of Ravindranath Tagore, Bengal's another favourite son, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1914. It made its entry into the Indian silver screen in 1953 through its namesake acted out by Ashok Kumar and Meena Kumari. It boasts of being a classic with memorable dialogues.
Like in most romantic dramas, especially an Indian one, it revolves around what appears like a love triangle but within the confines of Indians' one man one woman tradition! A woman or a man who have accepted the other as life partner stays like that till death do them apart, may be in not so dramatic way.
It is a story of a the main characters Sekhar (Saif Ali Khan) and Lalita (Vidya Balan, debutant) growing together as neighbours and close friends. Lalita's name here is made to sound Anglicised, Lolita, to keep it fresh and mysterious to keep with times, perhaps to lure the sex crazed Indian public to the theatres as the name Lolita gained notoriety through Stanley Kubrik's 1962 film! Lolita also sounds Bengali, as Calcutta is the location of the movie.
Sekhar is the son to a ruthless industrialist. Lalita is an orphan who grew up with her uncle in the house next door. The uncle, in dire straits, mortgaged the house cheap to Sekhar's house. Sekhar's father tries all his tricks to take over the neighbour's property to build a hotel there. That is the root of the crisis in the movie. Sekhar and Lalita's love life came to an abrupt halt when a deep pocketed relative from UK, Giresh, (Sanjay Dutt) bails them out.
In frustration, Sekhar's father bad mouths Lalita and cajoles Sekhar to marry a fellow industrialist friend's daughter. Sekhar thinks Giresh is doing all that to woo Lalita.
In the end, all turns out well.
The thing about living in the past, reminiscing the glorious past...
Even though the present generation have left the pre-Independence and have embraced head long into the future, I cannot help but imagine that this film is romanticising the past. The music score is reminiscent of 1942 Love Story. There are a few scenes that remind me of Satyjit Ray's 'Charulatha'. If I am not wrong, a song from that movie is also in the song list. Rekha makes a cameo appearance as a cabaret singer in a sing that sounds strangely familiar!
Of course, no movie shot in Calcutta is complete without Howrah Bridge and the submerging of the diety during Durga Pooja!

The way to a man's heart...

The Lunch Box (Hindi, English; 2013)

Every now and then, you have a short and sweet gem from the Indian subcontinent, and this is it. They introduced the dabbawalla system to the world and infused love into it when delivery is wrongly sent.
Just to get the basics right, the dabbawallah system was started in 1890 to feed lunch the office workers in Mumbai. Over the years, it has gained its popularity and is responsible for feeding 200,000 mouths daily using about 5,000 workers. Its business model is envied even by the biggest of the business minds and is said to have an error of 1 in 6 million! Since its inception, the workers had not missed even a day of supply despite the roughest of the monsoon weather, barring the day when the workers decided to march in support Anna Hazare's fast against corruption.

The layout is simple. A near retirement Government office worker, Saajan Fernandez, a widower, get his usual lunch in a tiffin. By mistake, the lunch box from Ila goes to his table. His gustatory receptors are left spellbound, and he decides to thank via a short note.

Mumbai Dabbawallas!

Realising that it is not her husband, who is cold towards her, who is not tasting her sumptuous preparations, the bored housewife Ila reciprocates. Hence starts an exciting affair...

The love blossoms in a dignified manner. Ila, whose effort of winning her husband's heart seems to hit a brick wall. She does her dutiful chores like cooking, cleaning and manning her schooling child but the husband is cold. She later finds out that he has an affair.

Saanjan leads a mundane life checking accounts in his office and goes back to an empty house loaded with memories of his wife. The correspondence reignites Saajan's ordinary life and leaves him feeling good.
This note sharing invokes a kind of feeling akin to teenagers experiencing their first love, frequently looking out for tiffin man to come with the container and its letter. It reminded me of Fred Savage in the 80s sitcom 'The Wonder Years'.

It also takes the viewers through the busy streets of Mumbai to come close and personal with Mumbaites and Dabbawallas.

There is an interesting character in Saajan's assistant. The relationship stimulates each other's routine.


The best scene in the film, in my opinion, is when they decide to meet up. Saajan felt that he needed to shave his beard. At the washroom, his olfactory senses started playing tricks on him. He smelt his dead grandfather's scent.

When he saw himself in the mirror, he realised that he was not a spring chicken anymore. He chickened out and decided to let Ila be stood up. Meanwhile, he was peeking from a corner, seeing her fidgety. In the letter the following day, he advised her not to waste her time on him as she was young and had a dream to fulfil. Irrfan Khan gave a good performance with a simple depiction of a small man in a big world with modest ambitions.

The story is intentionally left hanging at the end to give it the arty feel!

(P.S. The story may not be your cup of tea to the beholders of morality. The idea of a mother a preteen engaging in an extramarital affair based on a few notes received in the tiffin carrier and when wronged by the husband may not go well with you. Stay away. May ring a reminder to those with that cheeky intent inside and still live in a dream to find perfect love and still believe in Santa Claus.)

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The honour in sacrifice

Anuradha (Hindi, 1960)

Never knew the existence of this hit till of late. This 1960 national award film was not, however, a big grosser at the box office as it deals with a topic that draws least interest from the audience at large. It is a soft drama with minimal glitz and razzmatazz that most viewers of Hindi movies look for.

Back in 1994, when I was walking aimlessly in the streets of Edinburgh, poof jumped in front, a jubilant varsity mate who had successfully completed his post graduate examinations. As he had an extra ticket for his convocation, he naturally invited me.

Forgot all the regalia of ceremonies that you had seen in your life. His convocation was held a lecture hall of The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The royal tone of the event was set by the band of kilt donning Scotsmen playing their majestic bagpipes. After the initial formalities, the President of the College gave what I thought then was the mother of all convocation speeches. Of course later came Steve Jobs' Stanford speech!
He said something to the effect of that the scroll that he is out to give out was not only going out to the doctors who had given their 100% dedication to their work but to tens or scores of people behind his success. He specifically mentioned the sacrifices that the family/wife/children made to ensure that the candidates had a peace of mind to study; to making all that mugs of coffee and so on. (Maybe in the modern Malaysia, this 'chore' would have been delegated too the live-in maid. The question of what is work and what is dutiful act of love is a full topic altogether!) In essence, behind every candidate's successful completion stood an army of people's sacrifice. This in essence is the take home message of the movie.

Leela Naidu, again appears as a demure wife who stands behind her husband but this time her patience almost boils over!
Anuradha Rai (Leela Naidu) is a renowned singer who falls for a doctor, Dr Nirmal Chaudhry (Balraj Sahni, a Humphrey Bogart look alike all the way to the facial mole, minus the chain smoking), after her fall during a performance. Love blossom despite paternal objection. She even rejects a family friend's (Deepak who is also a great fan) proposal. They get married without her father's blessings. Dr Nirmal, with his life long ambition to serve the poor moves in to a village. He leads a simple live treating his patients within his capacity.
This story is told in flashback.10 years on, they have a daughter, living a simple life in the village. Anuradha music career is just a distant memory. Nirmal is engrossed in his work and the romanticism of that they had during courting is sorely missed by her.
Sometime later, Anuradha's father patches up with them.
One day, Deepak (Anu's fan and friend) gets involved in motor vehicle accident as he and a girlfriend (Seema) drive around in the countryside. Dr Nirmal treats them to health.
Deepak's presence rekindles Anu's old musical ambitions. Ignited by Deepak's persuasions, she considers leaving her ever busy husband with his work to pursue her musical dreams. Meanwhile, Seema's family doctor visits Seema to discover Nirmal excellent work and service albeit his limited resources. The older doctor, over dinner, sings praises of Anu over her sacrifices for Nirmal's successes and should be the sole beneficiary of all accolades.
After realising that her sacrifice is actually an honour where many needy patients benefit, she changes her plan to leave Nirmal! She stays on in the village!

Pandit Ravi Shankar gives a rare rendition of his music in a Hindi film here. 

Sneak peek into a high brow family

Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke (These Are The Path Of Love, Hindi; 1963)

Even though at the outset, the producers claim that the presentation was a figment of the story writer's imagination, and resemblances were purely coincidental, the public did not buy it. It is based on Nanavati's murder trial where a Parsee Naval Commander, Kawas Nanavati, stood accused of killing his English wife Sylvia's lover, Prem Ahuja, a wealthy debonair playboy Sindhi businessman.  

This court case took the Indian public by storm. They had to chance to have an intimate peek into the private lives of the upper echelon of the society. The crux of the trial was whether the Commander's crime was premeditated or was at the spur of the moment. Pretty soon sympathisers from both sides (those who thought the crime was an accident vs those who believed it was planned) began to make it a community issue - Parsee vs Sindhi. The case heard by a jury, the last of its kind in Indian legal system, found him not guilty of murder. The case was reheard in High Courts, and Navanati was found guilty.

Kawas Nanavati

He was later pardoned by Governor after pressure from Parsee community and that Nehru's sister at Governorship of Mahashatra helped. The commander used to move around with the high browed society, including the first family then, Nehru's.

Prem Ahuja

After being the family (Navanati, Sylvia who stayed on with him until his death and three children) emigrated to Canada.

This 1963 film has almost the same setting -an airline pilot Anil (Sunil Dutt) leaves his French-Indian wife Nina (Leela Naidu) and two kids under the care of his childhood friend, a confirmed bachelor, Ashok. Almost the whole film is told through the trial in flashbacks, poetic dialogues between lovers and fornicator, melodious hypnotising songs and the wit of Ashok Kumar, the defence lawyer, Mukherjee.

Sylvia Nanavati

The outcome of the case is different from Nanavati's one. Anil is acquitted, but they had Nina commit suicide to preserve the sanctity of an Indian lady!

I thought the movie was progressing well until it reached the last 20 minutes. In keeping the masala expectation of the audience, they made a big boo-boo. Just when everything was going against Anil's way- the intent, the ballistics, witness and all, Mukherjee reenacts a drama with Ashok's scorned fiancé, Asha, who actually also had shot at Ashok but they also found another gun with Ashok's fingerprint from which the fatal bullet found in Ashok's heart was fired! So Ashok killed himself! Confusing right? Don't ask too many questions, the songs and the witty dialogues will make up for the deficiencies in the storyline...

                    

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KM_Nanavati_v._State_of_Maharashtra http://inconsistentandincomplete.blogspot.com/2011/12/mumbai-april-27-1959-nanavatis-story.html

Leela Naidu's 2010 book with Jerry Pinto indicates that the movie screenplay was written before the Nanavati case. It was a coincidence of the real-life case events with a similar movie storyline that led to similarities while the movie was being made. (Wikipedia)

More than four decades later, a newspaper, Hindustan Times, reached Nanavati for a story. Here is his reply-

When they were kings...

Shakespeare Wallah (1965)
It is an English movie made in India describing the romance between a daughter of travelling theatre performers and a local boy. It is actually about the family of the Kendals whose members act in this film. Geoffery plays the father, Laura the mother, Felicity as the heroine, Jennifer Kendall is in a minor role as a guest house owner and Shashi Kapoor, their son-in-law (who married Jennifer), as the hero.
It is post colonial India. Some Britishers who stayed back in India start feeling nostalgic about their home. They reminisce the good old bygone days where they were treated as kings in India at the same time long to be in their motherland. In the same manner, the Buckinghams feel that they were wasting their daughter Lizzie's future by keeping her back in India. The theatre company that they run, showing Shakespearean plays, do not garner much support. The silver screen had taken over!
In comes a debonair Indian boy, Sanju, who is intelligent, able to keep her entertained and well conversant in English. They fall in love, so she thinks, until a Bollywood actress, Manjula (Madhur Jafferey) appears in the scene to warn Lizzie to keep her distance.
Sanju brushes the threat, saying that she is just a cousin.
Yo-yo here and there, their relationship sours. Sanju pours his feelings to Lizzie but cannot stomach the idea of his beau being awed by other viewers. The strained relationship ends there with Lizzie leaving to England.
Quite an interesting show set in the cool highlands of India. We have the chance to see a young Sashi Kapoor in a different role than the usual masala flick that we are used to. Madhur Jafferey gives a sterling performance that earned her the Best Actress Award in 1965 Berlin Film Festival. Interestingly, the music score was composed by Satyajit Ray.

Swipe at the self-chosen one!

Sadgati (The Deliverance, Hindi; 1981)


This 50 minute made for TV film is an intense depiction of the evil that Man do to each other in the name of pseudo-religious social classification. To ensure sufficient labour force to ensure continuity of duties in a community, society had created the caste system. To give legitimacy to this inhumane treatment of others, people of power had invoked the name of God to instil the fear to others at large.

It is good that this archaic practice is no longer the norm in modern Indian societies or at least is done subtly. Preferential treatment comes in other forms.

Sadgati is a classic Ray presentation with all the trademark of excellent storytelling and superb acting. I almost did recognise the main actor until his puckered face and nose gave it away, Om Puri. The late Smita Patel gave a short but impressionable role as his wife.

Dukhi (Om Puri) is a lowly village tanner who is just recovering from a viral fever. In spite of his incapacitation, he has to meet the village priest (whom he addresses as Maharaj -Supreme King) to get an auspicious time for his barely-of-age (easily just 12!) daughter for marriage.
With offerings of freshly cut grass for the priest's cows, he heads to the Brahmin household. He waits unceremoniously in the backyard while the priest completes his daily prayers. In a humbled manner, Dukhi invites him to his humble abode where his wife had prepared the ceremonial offerings and alms for him to officiate.

Reluctant to reciprocate, the priest orders Dukhi to finish some menial works around his household for him. The tanner, in spite of his hunger and being in convalescence state, obliges. He cleans the compound, packs the husk in sacks to transfer to the cowshed. Just when he thought that his job was over, Dukhi is asked to chop a log with a blunt axe.


While all these are going on, Maharaj prays, reads, conduct classes to teach the good word of the Lord, eats his lunch and even has a siesta.
A fellow man from the low caste watches the whole spectacle.
In fatigue, Dukhi snoozes off just to be lambasted by Maharaj. In agony, Dukhi continues his work with renewed vigour and frustration at his fate that he just drops dead!
As the corpse seemed to be lying on the path of Brahmins and their daily divine duties, there was an urgent need to move the body.

None of the workers, after hearing the inhumane treatment by the priest, wants to handle the remains as they fear that the Police may involve them. Given the Hobson's choice, Maharaj himself ties a rope around a rope around the Dukhi's ankle to drag him all the way back to his house. He was too 'superior' and 'clean' to touch the remains of a low caste man would work with the hide of dead animals.
In the next scene, normalcy is restored as Maharaj sprinkles holy water at the site where Dukhi died. And life goes on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jSwVwv_xwSM

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

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