Movie Review

After having almost finished my 2nd year, I should have amassed enough knowledge to critically comment on the world in general. As is constantly reiterated, we are not just being taught one novel but Eng (Hons) is an attempt to open up our minds to different perspectives and layers that are buried beneath each sentence or word. Assuming this to be the case I should be qualified enough to comment sensibly on a movie. Having placed my dubious credentials before you, I begin. Tareen Zameen Par. This was the movies name. Literally, it can be translated as stars on the ground. The title itself is open to various interpretations but the most common understanding of this would perhaps be ornaments of great value in an environment common for all of us mortals.

The story required sensitive handling and the attempt is visible. Aamir Khan tried desperately to make us understand Dyslexia. A disease that we were, possibly, only vaguely familiar with when we entered the Theater. The first half of the movie is almost solely devoted to the symptoms of the disease and how the child in the story is grossly misunderstood. Helpful if your friendly neighborhood delinquent has been showing some of the same symptoms. However, a majority of the audience voiced the words ‘it’s dragging’ with annoying consistency. Tears dutifully made their appearance when the child is shipped off to a boarding school in order to cure him of his ‘laziness’.

The school, predictably, is unable to help him but a guardian angel in the ‘roop’ of Aamir Khan makes his entry and finally diagnoses the dreaded mental illness. We are then subjected to various examples of people who were ‘special’ and subsequently misunderstood. Albert Einstein, Da Vinci and the like are cited as examples of people whose brains functioned on a different plane from the average mans. It makes us feel most ashamed and rightfully proud of the little boy who is shown to ferociously battle the harsh world. A little bit of envy is possibly also provoked when we realize that us normal mortals can never truly think like the ‘extraordinary’. The human brain is truly a remarkable instrument.

After much boo-hooing on the audience’s part and intense hard work on the little boys, we finally glide towards the climax where the triumphant boy is recognized for his supernatural skill. Ah, we sigh happily and sink back into reality with our tummy full of undigested popcorn and harmful soda. A movie that pushes you into an unpleasant world but finishes with a feel-good aka Bollywood style ending. The only possible glaring flaw in the conception of the movie would be to elevate the protagonist into someone with almost a superhuman mind which was capable of unique and original thought. We may like to believe that each patient of Dyslexia has been blessed and perhaps been compensated by a power that is beyond the reach of most individuals. But I think in reality we may find that to be a huge exaggeration of facts. In other words, are we saying that if this little boy had NOT been blessed with extra facilities then the world and his parents would have continued to reject him? Are we saying that it is okay to be ‘special’ as long as you are special enough to be construed as positive by society?
I am sure this is not the message that was supposed to have been supported and I don’t know how many people will view it this way but it was something that should have been ironed out in the conception of the film.

All in all, I would still pronounce the movie as a success as it was able to start discussions on an issue that has perhaps been ignored for far too long. It was also able to provoke reactions from an audience and touch people on an emotional level. This is what cinema is about, reaching out and perhaps giving someone out there some food for thought after the direct experience is over. By that standard, the movie was a roaring success in my book! Kudos!

:)

A recent 'scrap'

"the mocks begin to mock me and i feel the familiar gloom wash over me with renewed intensity......jeeeezzz.....random words sound like poetry when gloomy clouds pass me by!!!! "

very recently i posted this 'scrap' on my friends 'scrapbook'.....it seems to sum up what is happening this very second....strange how one sentence can begin to define your entire day....n how sometimes 7 large A4 sized sheets cant completely catch the jist of the colours of emotions experienced....

life, as has been rightly pointed out by various esteemed people, is strange......

still, its ours to live and learn from.....

so i now move on and live yet another day!!.........

*kisses*

Lost

'Lost'-thats my current nickname on one random website......it seems very apt and seems to almost sum up my entire frame of mind.....a lot of transformation has been taking place internally....i found myself walking with one of my friends today......(the word 'friend' is perhaps too light to fit our relationship)....we fell into discussion about the change in me as easily as a fish slips into water....no hesitation or awkwardness did we feel as we delved into my personality.....my current "tailored" nature was held into the metaphorical light and dissected....why and how i had changed dominated the conversation........

there was no need for justifications.....but i did attempt to clarify things....you see, i find this friend very dear to me in an inexplicable way....i dont need approval but i felt that if anyone could understand...it would be this friend......each person has the potential to see a different thing in the same object....and when that object is a person who also moulds him/herself with time, people and circumstances....our understanding of one individual can take a lifetime.....

today, ironically, my face was read and my personality classfied into one box.....deftly (and accurately) i was packaged and labelled.......almost relieved i let her divide my essence and life into neat rows and columns....i dont know about the world...but the words i use while writing are ones that i feel suit the emotion that was experienced in reality.....writing is a release of sorts....a maze of mumbo jumbo jargon that can be piled up for the world to read and perhaps, now, critically comment on....

coming back to the beginning like most things....i started with feeling 'Lost'....it conjures images of desolation and perhaps one lone tree in the midst of sand......a lonely fate which is not by choice.....do you, as a reader, know what the worst possible thing is??....hope....or more accurately....a milisecond of hope.....just enough to give your heart a shock before you sink into the misery of realisation....and the misery which is accentuated as that milisecond was long enough to give you a nano milisecond of joy....which only serves to make you more aware of how painful misery is.....

sometimes so intent on denial we are that we refuse to accept that we are miserable....thats a terrible fate for if you dont know your sad....how will you ever search for happiness?....this misery might even become a permanent fixture of your life....so heres a cure....which should possibly be written down in book form....heavily marketed and.....then bought by you to make me a millionare..but i'l tell you for free....

1st step-accept that your sad.....face your biggest fears and admit that your NOT HAPPY!
2nd step-give it some thought....find out exactly WHY....regardless of how ugly it sounds....(even in your own head)
3rd and final step-search for happiness.....moments, if possible.....make happy things happen....surround yourself by activities that will possibly give you joy.....embrace life in all forms.....(hehe)......live love ....get hurt!!....feel alive....make mistakes....have FUN!....indulge in romance no matter how short-lived......never cheapen yourself or you'll only feel dirty later......enjoy...

make your own list of 'i want and i need'.....set your own boundaries and targets......know what you want from your life...

then get off your freakin LAZY ass and go out and GET IT!!!...

muaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhsssssss!!!

(howz that for a motivational speech??....)...:P

Music!

I swear to you - I will always be there for you -
Theres nothin I wont do
I promise you -
all my life I will live for you -
we Will make it through
Forever - we will beTogether -
you and me
Oh n when I hold ya -
nothin can compare
With all of my heart -
ya know Ill always be -
right There
I believe in us -
nothin else could ever mean so much
Youre the one I trust
our time has come -
were not two
PeopleNow -
we are one -
ya youre second to none
Forever - we will beTogether -
a family
The more I get to know ya -
nothin can compare
With all of my heart -
ya know Ill always be -
rightThereForever -
we will beTogether -
just you and me
The more I get to know ya -
the more I really care
With all of my heart - ya know Ill always be...
Ya know I really love ya -
ya nothin can compare
For all of my life -
ya know Ill always be - rightThere

Brian Adams

Sometimes the same old lyrics touch something new inside of you!.....
no *aweeeeeees* please......:)

just stopped by to say that i managed to really connect with music after a long break !!!
hopefully this 'patch-up' of sorts will replicate itself in my writing career!!.........:P:P

The 'Facebook' phenomenon!!!

So exactly WHAT is it that attracts us all to these 'networking' websites. I too am a shameful victim and have never completely understood why!!! why i insist on staying on and randomly exchanging 'wall' posts with other semi acquaintainces every once in a while.....surely i am not so deeply interested in their wellfare that i am unable to tear myself away from their admittedly boring and infinitely predictable conversation......

just opened my account to be greeted by this...

"Find a guy, who calls you beautiful instead of hot. Who calls you back when you hang up on him. Who will stay awake just to watch you sleep. Wait for the guy who kisss your forehead. Who wants to show you off to the world when you are in your sweats. Who holds your hand in front of his friends. Wait for the one who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares about you and how lucky he is to have you. Wait for the one who turns to his friends and says, " ...that's her." U have to repost it or you will have bad luck for the rest of your life!!!!!!....... Tonight at midnight your true love will realize they like you. Something good will happen to you at approx. 1:42pm tomorrow, it could be anywhere. So get ready for the biggest shock of your life. If you break this chain, you will be cursed with relationship problems for the most important time of you life. Send this to 15 people in fifteen minutes to carry on the chain"

hilarious....n yet this nonsense managed to get me just a wee bit warm......no matter how cheesy these are....there is a reason they are still in circulation.....n perhaps that reason is that they make some small part of us feel good!!!......so unexpectedly i found a reason for staying on facebook!.....coincidences truly mould my existance!!!

love!!!

Sunday Sentiments-Revealing India's Weakness

Pathetic. Sorrowful. Disillusioned. Thats how i felt after reading 2 articles in the Sunday Edition of Hindustan Times. They had vast amounts of data on how hard Indians tried to link themselves to any famous personality abroad who was recognized by the much exaulted West.

Sheesh. Isn’t it bad enough that, in some remote part of my being, I am aware of this innate hypocrisy? Why aren’t I allowed to bury my head in the sand? Why should I be exposed to the truth when I try so desperately to dig up some miniscule speck of patriotism? One of the many side effects of being brought up in an upper middle class rational and educated family is it strips away the gloss of fanatic emotions from your eyes. I have always been very aware that the Independence Day march is a big charade, Cricket fever is to be avoided at all costs and that most Indians will cheat you if you let them.

Now, at 19, I try desperately to fit in with my idealistic friends who brim with enthusiasm and sprout idealism from their very pores. They believe they can make a difference and I let myself be convinced. Happy in this almost delusional state, my parents did nothing to stop me. I’m sure they looked on indulgently and waited for me to discover the inevitable truth for myself-Being patriotic may be more fun but it’s a lie and one I willingly wanted to be brainwashed into believing.

Now some random article has invaded my mind and unsettled those thoughts that I was keeping buried. Tagore was never recognized till the West handed him the Nobel Prize claimed my teacher in college. This was possibly the beginning of my journey towards enlightenment. Though I hate to be cynical, the truth remains that Indians are a bunch of lovable liars. We accept the merits of Yoga and Spirituality only after the likes of Madonna have advertised them. Sometimes this unpleasant task must be undertaken. So I stand before you ashamed of myself for wanting to believe in the fairytale.

i don't want to believe in India's weakness and i most certainly don't want other people throwing them in my face.
I realize I want to believe in the parade. I want to cheer for the Indian Team. I want to think of people as warm loving creatures who are ‘good’. I want to know that I have some power and that I can save the world if i try really hard.

I want to be a better person and i would love to know that i have the Free-Will to become one. That my changing for the better would somehow help India prove to the world that we don't need the likes of Bobby Jindal, we have our own Idols.

:):)

the unsaid

so much more can be successfully conveyed by not saying anything
this makes a blog obsolete.......
odd how reluctant we are to call the 'new' obsolete....
possibly because each time some new gizmo is dangled in front of our hungry eyes......we make frantic gestures and hope that this new thing would finally give us some feeling of completeness....for now most of us have realized that we are indeed hollow...hollow from following another hollow individual......
even indivduality is in fashion....so we try desperately to run away.....trying to become that rebel that might give us a glimpse of that forbidden freedom....we end up confused.......perhaps i should use a more impressive word instead of 'confused'....but considering how messed up we are its best to leave some things uncomplicated.....we're kind of like those dogs who chase their own tail.....
we are chasing a fantasy....each individual fantasy that is strangely and eerily similar in ambition.....so now each step forward is to fill that void of deep misunderstood longing....

thoughts ramble on directionless and abandoned
poetry seems like more intellectual vomit.....
or contradictorily a desperate attempt at demystifying the everyday but not the 'normal'....
we lead exceptional lives and few of us realize that....
the road ahead is a jumbled mass of tangled vines which curve slyly to trip the fool that hides somwhere in all of us.....

insanity beckons me.....
its long fingers tantalisingly close....
leading me to definite darkness and then blessed clarity.....
release from questions.....where Faustus wanted to know all.......
some of us desire simply curling up in some remote corner of the undiscovered world or in the very least demanding a 'pensieve'.....

when the past and present exist simultaneously
when idealism bumps into cynicism
when ideas arrange themselves into a complicated ball
when hope and mean spirit join hands
when compassion and realism dance together
when individual experiences are translated into lifes lessons
strung together in one delicate thread....
they make the unsaid and the completely understood

PS-another attempt through free verse poetry to define myself....i sigh and join the millions before me who have tried to do just that....