Blotting paper..

Two posts in a day!!!

Here's my poem on a blotting paper.. I wrote it during my college days.. When I was less cynical!! I titled it blotting paper as I couldnt find a suitable tamil word for the same..

The RDB-ian effects!!

Contrived?? maybe.. Cliched?? In some places.. Jingoistic??.. Definitely not!! Inspiring?? In parts.. So what word sums up Rang De Basanti.. Different!!

Different enough to make me write a post!! Believe me people.. Though I have an opinion on every issue.. Though I am fond of writing.. Though I am concerned about getting heard (one reason I speak aloud!! :) ).. Writing or Rather keeping on writing a post has been a big task!! I mean.... my blog is not the most happening.. Its not like the next Rajini movie that everybody has pinned their expectations on.. It does have a decent brain and mind behind it. Now I am straying away from the whole point.. This is the problem.. Streamlining my train of thoughts, which often derails, into a readable form has always been difficult for me... So when I am awake at 11.30 (PM!!!), putting my circadian rhythm off track, it must be for a good cause.. I don't mean the blog.. But the cause for the post!!!

When was the last time a movie had an effect!! any kind of effect?? I am a self confessed movie fanatic and with all this netflix dvds available, my daily routine has included watching a movie every single day if I could help it. I thought I had gotten to a point where I could watch a movie without crying when the lovers unite after their evil father creates all obstacles and when the good character artiste gets killed.. Where I can enjoy the effect without getting involved.. Well, This movie just proved to me that I still had some way to go.. I was hunting for the kerchief in the second half.. It just stirred me!!

This post isn't a review of this movie.. And why would I write a review!! Each person interprets a movie according to his whims.. or hers.. Some believe that movies are for entertainment.. others believe in purpose.. some stick to formula.. others want to do it the arty way.. for some its a passion.. for some its business.. for a normal movie goer like me.. Its a hobby.. I happen to like it.. I want to see the best and the worst of it.. Not exactly judge it but try to figure out whether I have gotten my money's worth..

This movie was worth every penny I spent in it.. I loved the way the characters were built.. how they stayed true to their way till the very end.. The flashbacks intertwined with the story made it very interesting.. especially in the Khalbali song ... (Its not exaclty a song where I expected scenes of revolutionaries fighting for ur country on hearing it) I certainly did not watch the Bagath Singh movies or The Rising.. and if anyone had asked me whether I was interested in a movie with all freedom fighters.. I would have said no.. When was the last time one saw a good movie about freedom fighters.. Lagaan wasn't about them.. but what about the slew of movies which came out on Bagath Singh.. where they any close to inspiring people..?? Believe me, the closest I got to watch patriotism was in Arjun and Vijayakanth movies.. and now Ajith's.. (forget Sunny Deol.. I don't watch those) But did it make me feel any closer to anyone playing the martyr..?? In those movies.. you had to be a superman to bash the baddies and fight for ur country.. which I am definitely not.. apart from watching it for timepass I never felt connected with the movie at any leved (If I had to write about those movies then it would have to be a separate blog.. Patriotism in movies.. perhaps!!!)

You would have read the story by now.. so I am not going to write about that.. Though the movie was Aamir's, Siddharth was gr8 from the word go!! After nvnv in telugu.. you dont need an astrologer to foretell that he has a bright future playing lover boy.. He has a good role in this movie and he has carried it off brilliantly.. In fact I was surprised!! (Pleasantly, as he was one of the main reasons I wanted to see this movie.. Had this movie been bad, I would have anyway watched it :) ) considering that this is his first venture in Hindi. The cast did a good job and the screenplay backed it up.. The movie did have a 'okay' sort of ending.. but how else could they end it!!! Lettting them live a happy life ever after would spoil the effect.. It would have been like the Kaakah Kaakha ending with Jo alive!!!

Well.. why did I write this blog.. hmmm... its not often that I get a feeling that I should be doing something!!! So here I am.. If I still don't feel like I done something, I would probably do some arranging and cleaning!! Till this feeling goes away..

Patriotic?? maybe.. Stirred?? In some places.. ??Depressed.. Definitely not!! Emotional?? In parts.. So what word sums up my mood tonight.. Different!!

Missing Pieces

After weeks of googling my brain for a suitable topic to blog about, this poem just popped into my mind..

I dont know whether its been worth the effort I put in overcoming the blogger's block!!!! Do leave ur comments though... :)

MISSING PIECES

She collected the pieces, Arranged them in her mind..

All a part of the bigger picture...

Picture of someone long gone...

Reduced to a potrait decked with a garland..

To be revered... and sometimes to be remembered...

The cloud over her father's eyes when she wore red

The frown over dadi's face when she puts out her left hand

Dark oval eyes she inherited.. as that of her nani..

An offhand remark, that a mere memory brings.

The tangling curls on her jet black hair,

Long fingers and short toes,

The splitting migraine she was born with,

The talent with paintbrush she grew without..

The answer is in genetics.. isn't it??

Knowing herself should get her closer to the truth...

The similarities made sense...

But then... There are the quirks...

Recipes for spicy dishes, which would never see the light...

Not if she could help it.

Amidst her wardrobe, full of plaid colours

The silk sarees carefully preserved in the box.

Bigger borders.. Brighter hues..

The faded ancestral stone in her golden ring she wore.

Geoid bangles in the locker, she never meant to wear.

She didn't feel any closer...

All she could collect was more clues.

The loose leaves of the stamp book on top of the cupboard.

The veena, discarded but preserved...

Out of place, in the long hallway. In her life.

The yellowing newspaper clips tracking Kapil's career

Carefully mounted on unbound diaries..

Pointers to the same path... yet

Pointing at different directions...

She had seen the frames from the past...

The crying toddler in her nani's arms

The smiling girl in sari, too heavy for her, in the schools's play

The proud Math grad on her convocation

The shy bride near her father, nervous but happy.. sad but...

But what...???

She tried to read more into the eyes that were staring back at her

The oval eyes seemed frozen in time.

The black and white photos were mute.

Silent spectators to what was felt... what was thought...

The more she knew, more hazy it became...

Completing the puzzle was not the goal

Understanding her mother was not a choice...

She had to pick up the pieces and move on...

But, there was always something missing...

Great Indian Rope Trick!!!

This is not about snake charmers and the thick rope, which supposedly dance to their tunes.

This is about a rather small rope.. or thread literally but Hey.. 'Great Indian Thread Trick' would not have been such a good title...!!!

This is my take on how that thread found its way into nearly 2 out of every 5 movies made in Indian cinema... (not just Bollywood, Kollywood or Tollywood)

It is infact difficult to think of our top ten hit movies, in any language, without feautring the scene involving a Thaali or a Mangalsutra as its known in the North...

Nopes.. Any language does not include English.

The following conversation and its contents are purely fictitious. Any resemblance to any hit or flop movie, already made, running or under production is purely coincidental.. :o)

Now that the disclaimer is over.. Lets get to the point...

D -> Would be director..

P -> Would be bankrupt/wealthy - Producer.. Isnt the Indian audience supposedly unpredictable?

D - Opening shot sir...

Hero running sir... Overtaking bus.. car.. lorry sir..

Reaches home sir...

P - um... go on..

D - Hero got to go city college sir.

Hero poor. 2 sisters, one father, one mother sir.

Mother ask father to tie yellow thread. Mother give thaali to hero sir.

Hero see thaali... No dialogue.. No music

Whole family cry sir..

I guarantee, sir, half the women cry along this scene... Family audience, our side sir.

Hero pawns and gets money. Sing family song. Shows tata and goes college sir.

P - good good.. go on...

D - Hero goes college sir.

Heroine entry sir.. White car.. Speeding.. 2 Bodyguards sir.

P - Why bodyguards??

D - Then audience understand sir. Heroine rich.

P - Ok..

D - Heroine car put mud on hero shirt. Hero angry sir.

P - Ok ok. We can build that up from there.

D - Hero Heroine fight sir, for few scenes.

P - What about heroine's family?

D - Heroine family sir. One father, one mother & 4 brothers. All heroine pet sir.

P - Why 4 brothers?? Wont 2 be enough?

D - Sir... Fight scene... If hero fight all 4 sir in kung fu then action fans our side sir.. Lotsa scope...

P - Makes sense.. Good.. Go on..

D - So hero take revenge before interval. Ties thaali on heroine's neck sir.

P - His mother's..???

D - No sir, thats pawned. Heroine go temple on friday. Hero tie there. Take from roadside shop sir..

After tie sir, we leave interval. Story twists.

P - What about the 2 other songs before interval?

D - College hero heroine fight one song sir. Heroine solo one song sir. We can also make that a dream song.

P - Ok. What happens after interval?

D - After interval, sir. Story move fast. Heroine brothers fight hero sir.

Hero fight kungfu. We can have fire jump, bike or car chase here sir.

P - Around the temple??

D - Temple on hilltop sir, helicopter chase also possible.

P - Thats for high budget movies. We can have a car chase itself.

But isnt that for climax?

D - That separate sir. This make our movie different.

Hero fight sir. But 4 brothers hold hero. Heroine father come with knife sir.

Heroine show thaali sir.

P - Umm.

D - Sir. Very important scene sir. No dialogue... No music...

Heroine show thaali. Father drop knife. Brothers leave hero. They go sir.

We keep duet song here.

So far sir, Story in city - 'A' center we cover.

Now story move to village. 'B' and 'C' center cover sir..

P - Umm.. ok... What happens further?

D - Hero go village with heroine sir.

Go see family .. they happy.. same family song sir.. heroine also join.. everybody happy..

P - Movie ends..??

D - No sir... We cut there.. song end.. villain entry sir..

Village landlord sir.. beat farmers and take hero land sir.

P - Isnt that too abrupt for a villain to come towards the end?? Umm.. I think he needs more footage.

D - No Problem.. Change script sir..

Hero and villain childhood enemy... one school fight scene in the movie starting sir...

Then villain college senior.. villain also behind heroine. But hero marry so villain angry ..

What sir..??

P - Umm.. This sounds better..

D - Now villain taking revenge. Comes to hero house and tries to kidnap heroine sir.

Father try stop. So kill father sir.

P - Heroine's father??

D - No no sir.. Hero father sir...

P - Ok.. Go on..

D - Now sir.. Sad version of family song.

We show mother in white sari. Her thaali in ground sir.

Half the women audience again cry.

P - But didnt they pawn it???

D - That was reclaimed in the heroine version family song sir.

P -O..ok..

D - We show mother.. thaali.. hero's face sir..

3 times.. no dialogue.. no music

3rd time.. hero roar sir.. Goes running to villain's house sir..

Hero hit all henchmen sir.. 20 minutes.. fight scene sir..

then all hurt.. villain and hero .. stick or sword fight another 10 minutes sir..

then hero grab axe and runs toward villain sir..

again roars sir..

we show hero face... villain face... axe...

Villain close eyes sir..

P - Then...?

D - Nothing sir..

P - Nothing..???

D - Yes sir..

villain open eyes... axe inches away from villain neck sir..

We turn the camera slowly.. show his wife sir..

P - Heroine..??

D - No sir.. villain's wife.

P - How did she come there..??

D - sir.. fight happen villain house... so villain wife there..

P - Ok go on

D - She showing thaali to hero sir..

we show her face.. thaali.. hero.. and villain sir.. 3 times.. no music no dialogue sir...

hero feel sympathy sir...

P - Ummm... i dont think the audience will feel sympathy.. how did she come there all of a sudden..??

D - Ok sir.. Change in script... Before fight scene sir..

villain and wife fight. villain hit wife.. wife faint sir..

now wife wake up.. saves husband sir..

P - I still dont feel right abt it..

D - We can put the popular TV Serial actress for this role. The one who cries all the time. Sympathy factor will work sir.

P - That might work out.. ok go on...

D - Hero slowly drop axe sir.. turns ..

and goes sir..

Family song again sir. 4 lines here.. Villain and wife join with hero family sir..

Movie end sir...

P - Wonderful!! Family subject.. Romance and Action.. and a moral ending too.

D - Yes sir. Moral sir.. Ending sir...



If you think that this story in parts or in Sum reminds of you of many other stories... Well, you can call it copied, I will call it inspired!!!

Heres to many more creative thinkers destined to take our Indian cinema forward!!!

May the force be with you!!!