The film that brought me to tears

Oh yeah..there are films which have made me bawl like a child, but that happened within the protected confines on my house. But this my dear friends, is out there in the public, with the public.

Three reasons why I went for Swades:
1. Ashutosh Gowrikar's next after Lagaan
2. Rahman's epic musical score
3. My best friend wanted to see it


As always, I tried making fun of the film here and there. There were a few humorous scenes thrown in for good measure. Things certainly looked hunky dory (in the film too), till Mohan (Sharukh Khan) makes the "dreaded" visit to another village on behalf of his nanny.

Scene #1:
By the time Mohan returns to his village, a deep unrest has sprung up within him. I was extremely disturbed by a scene in this part of the movie:

> When Mohan sees a boy selling water for 25 paise at a nondescript station. This scene shook me and has haunted me ever since. (Video link given @ end of post.. click ) Sharukh's poignant reaction & suppressed tears speak volumes of the scene.

We would have seen similar destitute people in our daily life, but never have I been blown away by such a subtle yet powerful scene. I was literally fighting tears as Mohan drinks the water, the train moves on and the camera pans up... A metaphor for Mohan's change within, and that particular scene was the apex of his transformation.

Scene #2:
Mohan toils hard with his fellow villagers and brings electricity to the village. Power surges and the bulb in a house glows with the hopes an entire village. An old lady with failing vision, whose face was hidden in complete darkness..comes into focus. She smiles and says "Bijli" (electricity). The years of suffering without electricity, the sheer joy at watching the bulb glower and a glimmer of hope - all three delivered with a stunning expression in one word, "Bijli".

Scene#3:
The "worst" is yet to come...Mohan returns to USA and is still haunted by memories from beyond and...
...Rahman's soul-stirring 'Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera' starts. I couldn't hold it anymore., the tears started rolling. I didn't care that people were watching me, I didn't care that some were even laughing at me. My own friend was surprised at my tears...it was too emotional for me to act as if I-didn't-give-a-damn.

That day, in the semi-darkness of the theater, I realized what "a lump in your throat" really means. I still get that lump and an unwavering wave of goosebumps whenever I listen to 'Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera', Rahman's most touching & haunting score till date.

Why did I cry? Me, An odd ratio of 1 in 100? Maybe another soul shed her/his share of tears in a corner of the theatre. Maybe not. When you witness destitute people on a daily basis and you keep ignoring their existence, there will be a point of time when the feeling of shame can't be suppressed any longer.


>Yes, watching the film made me feel ashamed of myself.
>Yes, the film made me feel sad for the sorry state of affairs in my country.
>Yes, the film touched me at a deep personal level like no other film had. It struck a chord with me, which sadly, did not happen for a majority of the audience.

This film was a big commercial failure because of people's tenacious attitude towards meaningless films. People don't want to watch honest film, which portray our country in its naked form and makes us realize how worthless our existence has been. Genuine films get massacred because of such mindless people.


I am pretty miffed Swades didn't win the Best Film award at the filmfares. But I move on, knowing that brilliant films seldom get their due. Swades is a film which permanently scarred me for life. I wipe away that lingering tear and bring closure to this post.


~Swades. We, the people~ ...is a film to be seen, felt and experienced.

A heart-tugging scene with a nuanced performance by Mohan (Yes, not Sharukh. Get the drift?). At 2:12, the defining moment of the scene.

R.I.P Moonwalker

His is the perfect example of a rags-to-riches story....and the need for inspiration stops there. Like the papers quoted, Michael Jacskon lived 39 years of his 50 years in the eyes of the public. And as the ever-changing public, we've taken him on processions when his songs rocked and when his supposedly dirty linen was washed in public,we chastised him!!! But his most loyal fans stood behind him and he was freed of all related charges. All but to no avail..an already diminishing health because of his skin problems and mental trauma, his health(and life included) was on the decline.

His comeback concert "This is it" in London was a complete sell-out and it was a reason to rejoice for his numerous fans. But all the rejoicing stays under the wraps,forever. Exceptionally talented & possessing almost-supernatural dance moves, Michael Jackson is a person who CANNOT be replaced. It is the exact reason why millions are mourning his death. Death supersedes everything and in the event of his passing away, all his scandals have disappeared into the twilight zone. All that our visceral senses visualize is a teen sensation who rose to the pinnacle of stardom, fell to the depths and was taken away before he could rise from the ashes like a phoenix.

An undeniable fact will always remain etched in history is that, MJ created the unprecedentedly famous Moonwalk. His albums transcended the lines of rampant racism present during his teenage days. He was the first afro-american to star in MTV, thus ushering in more such talent. His 'Thriller' was and still remains the best-selling album in history, selling more than a million records. I am sure this record will stay forever!!! And this will be the ultimate dedication by his fans to the self-proclaimed king of Pop.

I may not be his die-hard fan, but an irreplaceable loss always finds many mourners. And am one such mourner. And as one of my friends put it, let his sould R.I.M(Rest In Music).Amen.

The slugfest called politics,ugh!!

I have gotten very lazy these days. My tighter waistline and my complaining pants are living evidence. Concernced people know how excruciating it is to button that tight pant :( . I realized I must exercise regularly,eat properly and sleep on time. I definitely can have a good looking body,maybe not in the league of Brad Pitt/Surya/Aamir though. But I also realized that the elections were around the corner and I was only looking at the posters in Metro Plus(supplement with The Hindu) rather than read the paper. So I forgot the six-packs momentarily and focussed my attention on the political scenario.

If I could draw a chart of my reactions at the present campaigning, it would be a psychiatrist's dream manual. I was initially horrified that Varun Gandhi could give such a hatred-inciting speech.A few days later it turned to shock when I heard he was being charged under NSA. Now this was a relatively new term to a lazy bum like me. When I came to know that it was THE National Security Act that we are talking about, I was like "What the *&%#?". This guy did make a horrifying speech,but NSA??Ain't that a bit too far?? As days passed, Varun's situation worsened and it occured to me(no self-realisation,it is da papers) that poor Varun is a pawn in the political game between Congress and BJP. Each party used him for their own political gains,what with Varun's cousin Rahul being a strong contender for the Congress. I am utterly disgusted at the dirty politics being played. However,I felt sad for Maneka Gandhi who was suffering and Mayawati made sure she gained some political mileage out of this issue.

My disgust turned to anger when politicians started using Varun for their campaigning. Our honourable Railways minister and ex-Bihar CM Laloo ji said,"I would have run a roller over Varun". When a FIR was later filed on him(quite useless to say the least), he modified the statement shamelessly and said, "I meant the roller of Law" (bullsh*t man!!). Not much drama came from the political center of the country. And so to pep up things, we had this verbal duel(not directly of course) between L K Advani & Manmohan Singh. Things were getting serious and hence we have the best of joked reserved for the last. Modi, the mastermind behind the Gujrat riots and other mindless violence in Gujrat said,"Congress is a 125 year budiya(old woman) who is only a burden". Now, Priyanka decided to take a swab at it and there she was smiling in to the camera,"Do I look old to you?Or does Rahul or my mother Sonia Gandhi". Seems Modi was in wait and pounced with a rehash like Laloo. He now uses the word gudiya(doll). Now is when we have a sensible reply from Priyanka.She said its better to focus on development issues rather than on gudiya-budiya matters. A sensible reply?Or out of words?

I don't care anymore,election campaign is at its peak.When it rains,it pours!! Better not get wet.

The most wasted weekend (ever!!)

Timeline : April 10-13,2009(friday night to monday morning)

Resolution for the weekend:
I solemnly pledge on this day,FRIDAY the 10th of April,that I would clean my study table and sincerely complete a few personal commitments.

Off late, work on weekends and an endless stream of nagging visitors never let me catch up on lost sleep. In my project,the shift changes every week. Constant change has been blooming in my life ever since I joined my current project(sigh,and to think I loved change). Coming back to my most wasted weekend,my team mate was coming to the office this weekend. Implying I could get some ample rest @ home and quench my thirst. Thirst for films i.e . The latter part did work out fine as I was on a movie-spree.

Kaun
Saw 5
The Devil's Advocate
The Big Lebowski
The Long Kiss Goodnight ... and my,was I satisfied!!

As for the sleeping part,I stifle the n'th yawn and continue typing fervently.I strictly live by the unwritten rule which goes, "movies are best when watched in almost/complete darkness :) thou shall reapeth thy benefits if so followed" . That means I usually start watching movies @ 10pm & go late(early) into the next day. On Friday & Saturday I slept only @ 2am. The weekend's escapade left me physically exhausted(yet again),adding to my already freaked out body. I finally succumbed to my mind this time(instead of listening to my heart which was gunning for another late night movie). And thus,I went to bed by 10.30pm(oh my sweet Jesus,that seldom happens) on Sunday.

It was so peaceful that I didn't move an inch the next day,despite my sweet mum testing her broomstick on my lazy body.

Resolution for the weekend: (wait,didn't I utter this earlier?)
I solemnly pledge on this day,MONDAY the 13th of April,that I would clean my study table and sincerely complete a few personal commitments this coming weekend :).

Time does fly.... wheeeeeeeee

Birthday embarassment??

It is a common belief that wishing friends on their birthday's is a great pleasure. Especially waking the poor soul bang @ 12 am >:) But imagine a case when you get through on time,the person is very much awake....but what if it is not his/her birthday :o I faced this situation not once,but twice much to my embarassment.

It is darn easy to say I was just kidding and hang up. But what's the use and so I made a complete jackass of myself. Better admit it right? I did it twice and on the 2nd time, faced obvious ridicule. But as this guy was subject to most of my jokes in class(college), I managed to fight him off. Thankfully, he was completely engrossed in a book ( @ 12am?? ) and I was let off the hook (much to my relief).

I must make sure I don't overdo this wishing part for a girl. God knows what kind of reaction I may get. Yea, both the cases I mentioned were with guys lol... and here I am,publicising the same.

However, I made sure he suffered for almost an hour on his actual birthday. I dished up the worst PJ's that I could come up with. Alongwith two other hooligans(my good friends from my class, it was torture time from 12am-1-10am. After having tortured the poor guy on his birthday for over one hour,we finally wished him & hung up when WE started getting sleepy hee hee. Am sure,the birthday baby would have wished for instant death instead >:)