An exodus - Blogs, Stories, Pictures & More
A popular blog about Life, its short yet significant pit stops and the thoughts they bring along.
Sunday, 14 January 2024
A message to people of India : Blog# 355
Thursday, 2 November 2023
We love you, Jews : Blog # 354
Dear Jews, We Love You.
Tuesday, 13 December 2022
Kantara , the brilliance of Cinema : Blog # 353
Kantara
What struck me the most about Kantara was its pace. For a movie which talks about the life of people in a village, their beliefs and rituals, it was a very fast paced movie. Not even one scene or frame was unwanted in the movie.
Let us look at the characters first.
Guruva's earnestness touched my heart. His belief was so pure, so unadulterated. His nature
was child like. When he realizes that the land lord was trying to bribe him, you could see the pain in his eyes.
I absolutely loved how Leela stood her ground when she had a conflict with her husband and her community. It showed the strength of her character, grit and her need to carve out her own identity.
Murali, the forest officer was an interesting character. He is one of those people who is easy to dislike. However, towards the end, we realize his heart was at the right place. Could he have done things better? Absolutely yes. However, that was who he was - a flawed person, much like many of us are.
Devendra, the landlord fooled me for the first half of the movie. I thought he is a genuinely generous land lord. But then, he lived up to the stereotype of the rich baddie. He got the gullible villagers on his side and then he went around with his devious schemes.
The lawyer cracked me up every time he came on the screen. All of us have encountered one such character in our lives - either an uncle/aunt, or a friend or an officer. They get angry and they cool down as quickly. No one gets upset with them.
Shiva starts off as a good hearted rowdy. Then, destiny leads him to the glorious path that awaits him. His character is grey too. He is not a perfect person. He does things which are not always right. But, the way Shiva becomes the demi God is stunning. The sincerity with which he transforms is mind numbingly beautiful.
About scenes that stole the show, Guruva tells the Land lord that he needs to set things right. Later on, he recounts the same to the landlord as the God. That was subtle, yet brilliant.
The scene where Land lord mistakenly feels Shiva understood who Guruva's murderer is.
One where Leela tells Shiva how disappointed she was that she did not try to see things from her perspective - the hurt in her voice is haunting.
The scene where Shiva becomes the God and brings everyone together- the villagers, forest officer and tells them how they need to together protect the land and forest.
About other elements of brilliance in movie, there is a certain divinity to the music. I am not referring only to the lyrics, but the musical notes and the ragas themselves evoke an unearthly sense of being.
The colours - the screen explodes with them. Their richness is second only to the strength of the story of the movie.
I felt there were multiple themes being addressed in the movie - beliefs, culture, ancient wisdom, humanity, devotion, and the never ending conflict between man and Nature. That, I feel is the success of the movie. Different people are able to look at it in different ways and make the movie their own as how they like it.
Like a painting that speaks a thousand words to 10 different people and yet, make those 10 people believe that their version is as credible as the 9 others, Kantara does justice to every audience member's wish and hope.
P.s. I must thank my friend Manie (Manikandan) for pushing me to watch the movie. It is your relentless appeal which made me watch the movie and I am forever grateful, dear Manie.
Here is a glimpse of the music which will make you feel like you are almost in a trance :)
Arun.
Monday, 11 January 2021
Thank you Artists, for 2020 : Blog # 351
Thank you Artists, for 2020.
I
have heard many wise people asking “What is the use or purpose of artists in
this world? Do they add any value? Aren’t they just having fun at work? Can’t
they take up something more ‘productive?”.
For that sense of fulfilment, I feel one needs moments of wonder, admiration and happiness in one’s life making the soul feel that it had a worthwhile journey and that is exactly what an artist does – enrich our souls while we go through the tempestuous voyage of our lives.
When
the pandemic struck and all of us were forced into a lockdown, there was an
initial euphoria of being able to spend time with oneself and family. Many of
us found time to bring back to life, our forgotten hobbies and passions. Some
of us took to fitness like never before and some others, took to food like
never again.
However,
once a couple of months passed, the reality of having to face one’s life
without having any other distraction whatsoever kicked in. We gradually
realized the work, office commute, tea breaks, work meetings, office politics
were all helping in their own little ways to take out minds off our own
magnifying glare down at our lives.
In
those moments of despair, came in artists – to calm our nerves and soothe our
souls. I know I speak for much of humanity when I pen down the below words to
thank artists for being the saviors of humanity.
If
we did not have music to listen, to help us uplift ourselves from the abyss of worries
and to celebrate the short spikes of exuberance throughout the lockdown, we
would have become imprisoned in our own deafening silence.
If
we did not have movies to watch and get absorbed into the magical stories and
the worlds the brilliant directors and talented actors created, our own world
might have crushed our spirits. Although momentarily, we were invested in the
worries and lives of those characters we watched which helped us forget our own
tribulations.
If
the dancers weren’t kind enough to share with the world, the grace and poise
that the human body is capable of, we wouldn’t have lost our thoughts to wonder
and admiration. Those moments helped us understand the talent and beauty that humanity
is capable of creating, once they apply their minds. I must admit, when no one
was watching, I might have broken into a step or two with as much grace of that
of a Polar bear.
If
the stand-up comedians did not observe the world for its fallacies and translated
their thoughts into a smile on our face, we would have forgotten how to cheer
amidst all the gloom and doom of 2020, the annus horibilis.
If
the painters were not kind enough to move their brushes at will and showed us
how beautiful this world of colors is, we might have got lost in the grey of
gloom.
If
the chefs did not cook up the most imaginative of dishes, we might have
forgotten to develop a taste to the new normal of the world.
If the writers did not spin a tale using the abundance of their words, we will not have had the comfort of escaping in to the worlds of their protagonists. We would not have been able to learn from the greatness and more importantly, the fallacies of their characters.
Thank
you, Artists, for being who you are and for helping us becoming who we can, in
a time of misery and melancholy.
Arun
Babu
Friday, 17 April 2020
Class of 2020, Please watch Sunset : Blog # 350
Class of 2020, Please watch Sunset.
Wednesday, 15 April 2020
A Love Letter to Office: Blog # 349
Tuesday, 28 January 2020
An Ode to Childhood : Blog # 348
Sunday, 27 October 2019
Joker Movie, A Review : Blog # 347
Joker Movie, A Review
Monday, 7 October 2019
Problem with the world : Blog # 346
Problem with the world
Tuesday, 30 July 2019
Good People : Blog # 345
Good People
Who sheds a tear for those who have none to call their own,
Who walks a mile for those who can't take a step,
Who be the wings for those who have not known the joy of flying,
Who sings a song to those who have never heard a lullaby,
Who writes a letter to those who have never received one,
Thursday, 21 March 2019
Why do we love Indian Film Awards over Oscars ? ~ Blog #344
Why do we love Indian Film Awards over Oscars ?
Monday, 31 December 2018
Things we can learn in 2019 ~ Happy New year! : Blog # 342
Things we can learn in 2019 ~ Happy New year!
To make the new year better than the one gone by in more ways than one 😊.