Strangers on a train

Yet another thriller movie by Alfred Hitchcock. No need to say, it is a well made movie. A common problem with old movies is that they are very slow and quiet outdated for the present day movie lovers. But Hitchcock movies somehow don’t have this drawback. They are generally out of world for old time frame and only a bit slow/exaggerated for the present mind set.

First, the Movie. Two completely strangers, a public figure and a rich spoiled brat meet in a train journey. The public figure is an upcoming Tennis star, having problem with his wife as he is looking a Senator's daughter and is eager to get rid of his 'outgoing type' wife. The rich guy is fed up of his Dad, who wants him to know the pain involved in making riches. They have a small talk in the train and it is leaded to speak about murder, by the rich guy. The rich guy makes a stunning and plain offer to murder the tennis star's wife in exchange of which he has to kill the rich guy's Dad. These chris-cross murders will leave both with no motive to murder, and so they can escape the law. Tennis star refuses the offer. Being fancied by his own plan, the rich guy murders the wife and demands the tennis star to return the favor as per the plan. What happens then is told in typical Hitchcock style.

Review. U r stunned in the first scene, unable to digest such a plain offer to a stranger, because that character is not portrayed according to the present day definitions, but in same old Hitchcock style, the character itself narrates about his interest and activities, eventually making u to understand his mental offsetness. The murder and the following scenes are 'fashionable'. The tennis match and the Villain retrieving a lighter are shown parallel, increasing ur heart beat. Some may feel it a mockery, but please consider the movie's time. It would have been a mind blowing innovation then. Seeing the movie, one doesn’t feel that the cast has acted, they have lived in the movie. The Heroine is very charming.

Overall, if you have passion for movies, pl watch it, you will be elated.

DOSAR : The Companion

After a strong suggestion from a friend and even more strong recommendation from a Bengali friend, I settled down to watch the movie. First of all let me clear it, I am not a Bengali and I can understand only a little of it, if at all people speak in front of me (obviously the environment and assumed connection method). Nevertheless, I saw the movie. As soon as the movie started, I was tampering my system and the player, thought some problem with them as they were showing Black & White pictures. Only to find later that the movie itself was shot in B&W (I realized it by seeing the CD maker’s title in color). One more problem, no sub titles..!! Gosh….still I managed the movie and here is my, kind of view/review (This is out of what ever I understood/interpreted)

As soon as the movie starts with a kind of sonnet, a well doing man holding the hand of a lady, followed by a car accident, one kind of realizes the track of the movie (may be due to the expertness achieved after watching movies for so many years). Cast selectors need a huge appreciation. As the language was not the conducting the medium, I was able to feel the thoughts and the expressions of most of the characters. Considering that the movie has very less to express for me (like language, body language (remember Pesum Padam??)), the complete Cast was fantastic. Konkana Sen is excellent once again. Especially at these scenes: 1. MD of the hero visiting the Hospital; 2. She restraining/refraining from a breakdown in the bathroom; 3. The initial buildup of the climax. Wow, She is wonderful. The hero (as I don’t know his name) was also good.

Now, as a movie, the Dosar tries to play a middleman, which is not giving any personal opinion to the Extra marital Affair, its basic story line. According to me, this is brilliant. Seeing things and presenting the things in the same way without adulteration is good. Calling a Cat, a cat, nothing more nothing less, takes a lot of courage. I feel, except for the flow (which obviously should not be expected), rest everything was in their place. I don’t know what is the idea behind B&W concept, but it is a change. It is actually more than that. Sometimes the color shows the irony and no-future-but-only-doom of the centre concept; sometimes it helps to depict the characters. I am not good in colors, but I felt, I saw a lot gray shades, adding a documentary tinge to the movie. The two physically emotional scenes, shown could have been avoided. The BGM, I saw the movie in laptop without external speakers, so wont comment on it. I felt that the lady lead character is caught in between her life’s EMA and in supporting/being-silent-witness of her friend’s EMA. Bit a confusion.

Otherwise the movie was good, not for the movie-watchers or movie-goers, but certainly good for people having, passion for movies. I could not avoid being remembered of few movies.

TWO STATES. THE STORY OF MY MARRIAGE.

Two States by Chetan Bhagat. Hilarious to read. Happen to read the book after strong recommendations from few friends. You feel that you are one of the tense lovers. You relate so many things from your own life also. Being a Tamilian (not South Indian or a Madarassi), you happen to travel the same auto, walk through the second longest beach, have a coffee in the same only one coffee shop in the Chennai, eat the same tasteless snakes and lot more. But unfortunately, I consider that I know few things about being Punjabi as well as impartial writing/narration/critic.

The very first page, reduces the hope upon the writer to invest more time on quality but on clearing his stand (PS to the Dedication). Even more the writer takes pain in writing that he loves the South Indian much, dragging his wife to a witness. The writer says South Indian is a generalized word so he will avoid using that, unfortunately he ends saying by using that. Being ‘Generalized’ in things is very easy for one can comment anything he wants.

Let me explain this.

“People of Pollachi (My home town) are really good, striving to be developed, adjusting to all sorts of advancements. They have good tolerance and also taste for the good food. They love peace and calmness. They are religious also with rationale view to the society. I simply love them”---- you say this in the first page.

“Pollachi does not have an A/c theatre, may be people don’t like comfort.”

“There is no amusement park. I don’t know what in the name of God, does a person do to pass their time?”

“OMG, there is no Coffee Shop in Pollachi.”

“I asked for spoon from the hotel waiter, and he gave me an out of world look!!”

“People out there eat using their hand, S%*T.”

If I say all the above in the consecutive pages, do you think that I have been impartial? I would not say so. The very thing of expressing that the people of Chennai using lot of bad words (really hurting words have been published in two places), they being unhygienic shows how bad is the taste to express about one’s own country people. Usage of generic statements, about the people of the group to which you don’t belong, shows the writer in poor taste. Being aware of the Punjabis life style (to certain extent), they have understated in the book. A ‘Book’ has to continue in same tense, flow, person and pulse. If not the readers will not be comfortable. Atleast I was not. Taking the chance/voice of others to say bad things about somebody doesn’t express you in a good light.

Leaving aside the community aspect, the writer is not able to convince, this story to be real, as the prologue states. Also You feel, that the characters are not defined well. The lady lover's character was not supposed to do certain things or expected to say few particular words. One cannot avoid the feeling, "Hey, i think i have seen a movie, like this book/based on this book!!"

On the whole, it was not an happy reading.

Yet Another

One more...!!

Whose mistake..?? Whose ever it may be one more irreversible loss has taken place. Body torn into pieces and rest embedded with sharpnels....!!! Who/what is responsible for all these..?? Mmmmm..!!! Unfortunate events ..!!! One may escape with this blame reason....!! But the rest of the life of few peoples/famiy has been offset..!!! Nothing can be done to set it straight again. But question is that, is something done to avoid these or something to compensate it 'suitably' is done ..?? No compensation for a life but recognisation can be soul soothing.

INDIAN MARRIAGES

My friend, had spent quiet sometime in US and had come back recently. He was working there on a project and he used to be hoping between the European and American countries. When we were discussing about life, marriages here, he remarked, in all countries almost every person he had met had asked him, “In India, we heard that marriages are arranged, that too by parents. Is it so?” with the obvious positive reply, they say, “I can’t imagine marrying “a girl” “arranged” by my “parents.” ” Yeah, ok I am making immature comparison, but don’t you feel it is time to bring a change. It is not like changing the desktop background, but has to start from the grass root level. It is time consuming, breath taking efforts. But it has to be started. Let me give an example for this over a period development. Take the names of Indian, of any State, any religion or any languages. All the names in India gives the caste. Expect for names of one State. Any guess? Mmmmmm…?? It is Tamilnadu. At least one can not make out the caste of the person. Yeah some old heads are there, they will wither off. After sometime (like ‘Mudhalvan’ dialogue), the next generation would hide the religion also. I am not saying that we have achieved a miracle, but it is small step taken towards big goal. Similar step towards better marriages are also required. Have an open mind.

MARRIAGE

Marriage is an important happening in everybody’s life. Good or Bad. I was having some thoughts about the same. I have been all of myself for quiet some time and suddenly some body enters my life. I earn and spend everything on buying new mobiles and gadgets, suddenly somebody express her idea against it. I go on leave, sometime in a bus, sometime on train or flight; she says train is good for spending time together. I like “So you think you can dance”, while she likes ‘Wild Planet’. I wonder the brilliance of Stephen Hawking; while she say Prathiba Patil is a great personality. I feel like watching the TV overnight, suddenly she gives her opinion about that. Having used to spend the life as I like suddenly an entry in your life, which is going to affect. Good or Bad, it is going to affect. Because, I am, what I am.

I was speaking with a friend of mine. He expressed a general fear about the upcoming society. One may feel that it is rhetoric, old school thought but are we ready for that? Have a thought. In yesteryears we used to work and one fine day we get married and get on somehow. We have a homemaker to have a peaceful married life. Sensible persons make it as beautiful life. Is it the same today? We marry and hear the counterpart to the effect, ‘I have to switch my job, present one is not so prospective!’, ‘For my career, I should change my work place!’, ‘This city is too small for my profile, why don’t YOU switch according to mine?’ Yeah, I may be sounding too conventional or irrational, but think deeply and try replying for the above situations. When You have been working, staying away from the home, You cook, fill water, clean your room, press your clothes, do such pity things. Hoping this will end soon, after your marriage. With the sudden change in the environment and the society, you feel ashamed of your own thought that it will end soon. You are afraid that somebody coming into your life, may give you glance and ask, ‘Why not You?’ Got a reply?

Indian War Movies

I happened to see the movie MacArthur again. You should see the movie to believe the performance of Gregory Peck. One would mistake the performance as real life video. Although there may be questions regarding the factual/political correctness of the movie, the performance is impeccable. The movie has scene worth mentioning. When the lady asks the General, 'How much good President will Gen Eisenhower would make?', the General replies, 'I think he would become a fine President, he was the best clerk, who has served under me!'. In a different scene, The President of America summons him for a situation review, only to receive a reply, that He is too busy to meet the President. Look at the guts. Conviction of the General as well as guts of the movie director to include the actual wordings. One may remember the 'I am God', dialogue by Robert De Niro in 'Men of Honor'. These movies reflect the society. Reflect the attitude of people towards people.

Lot many of us would have relished watching the movies like, Saving Private Ryan, Patton, Guns of Navarone, Eagle has Landed, Midway, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, Bridge on the River Kwai, Dirty Dozen, Where Eagles Dare.... The list goes on...!!! I would request You to list few movies on Indian War heros. Yes there are few movies , but did we ever had the guts to picturise Field Marshal Manekshaw..?? Did we ever had the power of conviction to make a movie on the greatest human being who had the nerve to say to the Prime Minister, not to poke her nose into his affairs. Really pity on the society. We cant even make technically correct War movie. We dont glorify our war heros. We dont even bother to know them. God Save Us.

One more..!!!

One more dies. A very nice soul (I don't remember attributing these to any other person earlier). I had spoken to him a week back and was the same. The poor soul was to marry in two three months. He is the second one, passing away in 14 days. He 'is' such a nice person to know, have friendship. These deaths are for the nation. But, is it recognised in the right way ? I am not sure. I am not a person to be depressed of death...but Deepak, I miss U. Death can impact, depending on who's dead. I am depressed. Deepak.., Rest..!!