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.

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?”.

        I felt 2020 was an answer to all the above questions and much more. Imagine having a sound, healthy body and mind. From the first breath till the last, one utilizes this body and mind for the benefit of oneself and for others. Yet, when bidding final goodbyes, one might wonder if they have lived their life at all, if their soul is filled with a sense of contentment.

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

Class of 2020, Please watch Sunset : Blog # 350

         Class of 2020, Please watch Sunset.

        This one goes out to a community I hold very close to my heart – the graduating class / university students. Maybe it is because I began my career in the University hiring space. Maybe it is because it continues to be a part of my work which I am so passionate about.

My colleagues in HR would agree to this - When you go to a university and interact with a class full of bright, young students, it gets you charged up. That positive energy gets you going for quite a while. I have seen many senior leaders experiencing this.  

Add to this, having the good fortune of being able to handover the very first offer letter of many a student’s long, fulfilling career. These are reasons too, for me to be close to this group of people.

The class of 2020 is in a difficult situation. Covid19 is wreaking havoc around the world. There isn’t even one business sector which is not adversely impacted due to the health concerns around corona virus. This in turn impacts the job prospect of students who are graduating from universities by the summer of 2020. They are worried if the organizations will honor the offer that have been rolled out as part of campus placement process. Those who are yet to be placed are wondering if they will ever find a job.

Now, I am not saying that everything is fine. No, it is not. However, not everything is lost too. From your perspective, it will seem like there is nothing to be hopeful of. It is perfectly normal to feel so. But very many people have been in your shoes many times earlier. There was the dot com bubble, subprime crisis, September 11, multiple corporate scandals, civil and global wars and so on. In all those situations, those you underwent those very difficult situations felt exactly like how you are feeling now. Also, many large organizations have already announced that they will honor all the offers they have made in the campuses. This will make other smaller organizations also to try and follow suit. 

Those who emerged successful from those quagmires did a couple of things right.

They accepted the situation they were in and wrapped their mind and thoughts around that difficulty. They allowed themselves to grieve and thus get over it.

They kept looking for opportunities. Many a time, they did not find the opportunities they wanted. But they took up the ones that came their way and put in the best of their efforts and they kept looking.

They told themselves that if they could handle something like this at the very beginning of their career, nothing could break them in future, and they were right.

Hang in there, make good use of your time. Educate yourself, hone your skills and keep looking.

I urge you to do this. One evening, find out when the sun set is. Be at a place where you can get a good look of the sun. Keep your phone and all other distractions away. Be with the sun as it dissolves into the horizon. See how the mighty star is going down shedding all its glory. Watch carefully how darkness spreads all around.

The next day, when you wake up, look out and see the bright light outside. The mighty star is back. Look up and watch how the sky is lit up in blue serenity. The darkness has disappeared.

Such is Life too. It is a bit muddled now. But it will all clear up, just fine.  

Arun Babu

A Love Letter to Office: Blog # 349

A Love Letter to Office

…in the times of Corona

Dear Office,

It is said that in some relationships, fondness settles in with time. In our case, looks like immense fondness is settling in with distance. I have come to know the abundance of love I have in my heart for you. 

You know that I liked you from the first instance I set my eyes on you, don’t you? I remember the first day of meeting you and hoping desperately that you like me too.

There were times when it was just the two of us. At times, it was early mornings. You used to light up seeing me. At times, it was late evenings. You used to ensure that the air conditioning was just the right amount that I liked. You always offered tea. Even better, you ensured the cafeteria always had just the right amount of light and it had a view.

There is one thing which used to upset me a bit. Inspite of knowing each other so well, you always asked for an ID. But on second thoughts, that is one of the many quirks I like about you. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Whoever came by, you always reserved a place for me. You guarded all my little Knick knacks and photo frames with your life. I still remember when one of my trophies fell and you guarded it with your carpet. That was so you – always watching out for others.  

It is true that there were times when I chose to stay away from you. Mostly, it was due to travel. Yes, I agree that there were times when I chose to hide behind the cliché of ‘Work From Home’. But you will also agree that every time I came back, I was delighted to be with you.  

I never told you this. But when I went on long vacations, once a couple of days went by, I used to miss you. My friends and family used to make fun of me that I am too into you. What do they know of our relationship, right? You truly lend me identity, purpose and meaning in life.

Of all the people I expected to come in between us, Corona was the last one I thought would do this treachery. What a Brutus Corona turned out to be! Apparently, Corona refers to itself as Covid! Who cares, right?

You stay well, my dear office. Do know that you are more than just a work place to me. You are a dear part of my every day and will continue to be.

It breaks my heart to tell you that I do not know when we will meet again.  But, we will meet soon, against all odds!

Much Love,

Always Yours, 

              Office Goer.

I dedicate this love letter to all those who miss going to their offices. Please share with fellow office goers. 😊

                                                                                                                                   Arun Babu.  

An Ode to Childhood : Blog # 348

An Ode to Childhood

All of us have very fond memories of childhood. It is one place we would like to walk back to and revisit in our lives.

Of the many beautiful songs from Malayalam Cinema, there is one which weaves a magnificent magic around the innocence of childhood – ‘Vennila Chandana Kinnam’ from the movie, Azhakiya Ravanan. Here, I am attempting to present to you, the essence of the song. I am not attempting a literal translation, but the endeavor is to help the non Malayalees enjoy the unparalleled beauty of this song.

I want you to close your eyes, think of your child hood, your friends from those days, the house where you lived, the food you liked, the scents you remember, how young your parents were, the summer vacations and then read the below lines.

Oh look! the shining, lovely moon has fallen in to the serene lake…

Come, let us pick it up with our little, tender hands.

When the birdie sings the melodious harvest song…

Let us build a cozy nest with its yellow feather.

In the lush green meadows where the cattle grazes…

Let us

Enjoy the tender mangoes…

Ring in the anklets of the wind…

And run up the hill of lucky red seeds…

I shall come and cover your eyes

When we play hide and seek,

Allow me a little lie, that I saw you…

Let us

Be the King and Queen of those unseen stories...

Get on the long slow swings during festivities…

Be the peacock that spreads its long beautiful tail…

Hide in those hillocks where the clouds run by…

Swim around like a golden fish…

Board the rhythms of a boat song…

Let us

Play hide and seek…

Bake mud cookies…

Play with the stones in the shades of the huge mango tree…

Go visit the temple…

One where the leaves of the mighty banyan tree meditate…

Hear my friend,  

Tomorrow is the first meal of the lovely baby sparrow…

And then, the tiny squirrel is being fed his first milk…

In a faraway land, the wind seeds are getting married…

And then, the little elephant will take bath ever so playfully…

What really struck me was the fact that most of what this song speaks holds true for almost all of us, which ever part of India we are from. The magic of Childhood remains unchanged.

Oh what a beautiful time Childhood is, isn’t it? How one wishes to hold on to those days for as long as one lives!

You may watch the song here 😊

Joker Movie, A Review : Blog # 347

Joker Movie, A Review

I started watching ‘ Joker ’, the movie with great expectations. Over the next painfully slow, dreary 120 minutes, all I could see was the mis- deeds of a person who needed help with his mental condition. I wonder why people are going gaga about this movie!

            The movie has nothing extra ordinary about it. The protagonist is an aspiring stand up comedian. He makes a living by being a clown. He is unhappy that no one is bothered about his existence and the fact that the world is rude to him. He had a difficult child hood. He has a medical condition where he laughs uncontrollably in situations which are not meant to evoke a laughter.

            One fine day, he encounters some rich brats in the subway train. Enraged, he kills them. He finds joy in those killings. Further, he goes on killing people recklessly till the end of the movie. That’s it. There is nothing more to the movie!

            Now, you might be thinking I haven’t understood the sub texts. Oh, I did. I understand the movie was trying to show how the ‘Haves’ treat the ‘Have- nots’. How the perceived ‘normal’ humans treat the ones who don’t fit in. How insensitive we as a race are, towards people suffering from mental health. The movie was also talking about how a difficult childhood can govern the rest of the life of a person. It also deals with the lies that adults tell the kids and how when the false hood is revealed, it can bring the world crashing down around them. BUT, nothing mentioned here makes the movie remarkable. These are tried and tested narratives. There is nothing exceptional about these story lines!

            I feel many of us are expressing our false admiration for this movie out of sheer peer pressure. Your friends or family might have spoken highly about the movie. Not wanting to come across as not having a refined taste in movies, you also went about giving rave reviews! Is that the reason?

            Has Joaquin Phoenix done an exceptional performance in the movie as the lead actor? Hell yea! Despite the movie being so unremarkable; the actor makes you want to sit through the snooze fest that it is. He epitomizes what human will, dedication and talent could achieve even in uninspiring situations.

Arun Babu.

Problem with the world : Blog # 346

Problem with the world

The Problem with the world is…

                   

You allow it a moment of indulgence,

And it expects a lifetime of selflessness.

You let yourself be careless for a moment,

And it labels you inept for a lifetime.

You try to live life the way you want,

And it looks for the step where you falter.

You try and achieve a million little things in life,

And it waits for the big success to give you your due.

You do many a deed of kindness,

And all it can count is a handful of oversights.

You commit one single mistake,

And it turns a blind eye to all the glorious moments you have lived.

And you!

All you do is blame the world,

Whereas it is your inability to look beyond the world,

Which limits your spirit

And let the world thrive!

Arun Babu

Good People : Blog # 345

Good People

There are some people…

Who keeps a handful of rice for the unfed,

Who saves a smile for kids who don’t get to be kids, 

Who speaks a few words to those creatures without voice,

Who leaves a corner in their home for the wanderers,

Who let people believe in their Gods,

Who let the non-believers be,

Who lends an ear to those who don’t have anyone to speak to,

Who holds out a finger to those who have lost all hope,

Who spares a warm hug for those in the winter of their lives,

Who reads out a story to those who haven’t read a letter,
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, 

Who takes a little lamp and step out in to the deep dark night,

Good people.

Be those people.

Arun Babu

Why do we love Indian Film Awards over Oscars ? ~ Blog #344

Why do we love Indian Film Awards over Oscars ?

It is in times of Oscars that we Indians miss our film award shows

~Where they laugh with (not AT) nepotism

~Where the host takes more time to spell out sponsors than the award name itself : This award brought to you by the biscuit powered by the network driven by the car perfumed by the soap and chewed by the Paan!

~Where ex superstar wears the Kanchivaram Saree which can be spotted from the moon.

~Where star dad gives the best actor award to star son.

~Where star mom gives the best actress award to star daughter.

~Where heroines reserve two chairs; one for them and one for their gown.

~Where heroes wear tuxedos in 38 degree Celsius of Mumbai.

~Where Bollywood makes the strongest political statements against the producer's family!

~Where the camera pans on the same actor and actress who were rumored to be dating 175 years ago.

~Where all the families and the star kids sit in the front row and the real performers sit in the 2nd and 3rd rows.

~Where an actor kills himself over a role and still ‘Rahul’ wins best any actor every single time.

~ Where there are more Ad breaks than the number of local trains in Mumbai.

~ Where son of Mr. Sharma makes jokes on poverty and the stars laugh from their Rolls Royce’s.

~ Where awards are given for the most profound categories ~ " Best Real Social Media Star"

~Where the stars who perform on stage receives an award for sure.

~Where the same stars' same expression is edited,cut and shown at the beginning, half time and end of the award show for sad, happy and angry situations.

~Where some provocative half statements are made for the promos.

Long Live Bollywood ( Indian film industry ) and its awards.

Things we can learn in 2019 ~ Happy New year! : Blog # 342

Things we can learn in 2019 ~ Happy New year!

Here is a little list of things all of us could do in the New year. If you are looking for things like ‘Quit Your Job’ and ‘Be reckless’, you may stop reading right here. Below is a more realistic and less glamorous list 😊.

In this new year, with new hope and new vigour, let us decide

To talk less

To listen more

To be on time

To save money

To think more

To exercise

To do charity

To read

To write

To travel

To worry less

To be happy

To love

To meet people

To learn new skills

To set up small goals and achieve them

To make time for family and friends

To honor the promises, we make

And thus 

To make the new year better than the one gone by in more ways than one 😊.

The Story of Afghanistan: Blog # 341

The Story of Afghanistan

My heart goes out to the people of Afghanistan. Imagine this – Someone more powerful, wealthier, mightier enters your home and tells you that your home is not how it should be and they will set your home in order. The first person comes, tries and leaves your home in shambles. The second person comes and wreaks havoc on the same promise. And so, does the third person, shattering the peace of your home. Every single time, you are not consulted or involved. Imagine the humiliation, the sense of helplessness, the feeling of being violated. That is what the people of Afghanistan have been enduring for more than two hundred years.  

With my very limited knowledge about the world and its history, I have often wondered as to why Afghanistan is so very attractive to the mighty powers of the world. It is not a place with too many natural resources. Neither does it have Oil nor does it have Gold mines. It is largely arid, mountainous dry land. A bit of reading up and watching up, one gets to know it is about Afghanistan’s place in the world – literally, its place, its location on the map.

It appears, as is seen in many pages of history, the interest in Afghanistan began when Britain was expanding its empire. India was already colonized by Britain. Soviet Union was an equally powerful and expanding empire/state. Unfortunately for Afghanistan, it happened to lie where the British Empire ended, and the Soviet state began. Both the super powers were worried about each other’s ability and intention to step in to Afghanistan and thus, start furthering their own self interests.

The British thought if they could have India bow down to its will, a country so vast and diverse, Afghanistan would be a small effort. Little did they know about the country and its people. As it appears and as it would repeat many times over in future, entering Afghanistan is quite easy. The Afghans although not very welcoming, doesn’t put up a stiff resistance. But as time goes by, the Afghan resistance starts building up. Britain, in all its imperial arrogance wanted to change the course of that country with little knowledge of how the Afghan Psyche worked. What matters the most to Afghans is their pride, their culture, they religion, their way of being, their independence and the sense of respect they expect. The British gravely underestimated these. The British dethroned the then Afghan King and replaced him with someone of their choice whom the people did not respect. Eventually, they were driven out of Afghanistan with disastrous loss of lives, money and resources.

The British came back again and established their military might. They thought this time around, they had taught the Afghans a lesson. The same story repeated, and the British decided to leave after a long thought out process.

For a brief time, it looked as if there was a ray of hope for Afghanistan. A new king, Amanullah Khan wanted to modernize his country. His people, although liked him initially did not quite understand the King’s intentions. In his hasted to modernise his people, they thought he had become an infidel, drank alcohol and wanted to import the sins of the west. He had to go in exile.

Then came, the Soviets. For them, their ideology was supreme and the only one the entire world ought to have embraced – Communism. The Soviets came in with all their military might and tried modernizing the people of Afghanistan like a bull in a crockery shop. Initially, the Afghans gave in. Little did the Soviets know that the Afghans will strike back and how. The United States found an opportunity here. They supplied arms and weapons to the Afghans through Pakistan. With those modern weapons and with the know-how of the Afghan mountains and terrain, they attacked the Soviet army. Finally, after years of violence, death and monetary loss, the Soviets decided to move out of Afghanistan.

One would assume now that the Soviets are out, people of Afghanistan might be able to lead a life of their own choosing. By then, religious extremism and fanaticism had crept in to Afghanistan. Thus arose, Taliban and in came, Osama Bin Laden and the likes.

9/11 happened and the United States got a reason to enter Afghanistan. Not having the humility to go through history, they thought they can enter Afghanistan and leave in a period of 12 months. The fact is that the USA is in Afghanistan for close to a decade now!

What is fascinating is that all these three empires – Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States of America are making the same mistakes. First, they thought they can leave Afghanistan as easily as they entered the country. Second, they wanted to make Afghanistan and its people just like them – “modernize” them. Third, they never made an effort to understand the Afghani culture - the fact that they are a fiercely independent lot. They wouldn’t think twice before demolishing the palaces of indulgence that the invading powers promised them if those palaces were to come in the way of their independence.  Like mere mortals, what prevented these great empires from stepping away from Afghanistan were the fear of loss of face, inability to account for the loss of its soldiers’ lives and unwillingness to let go of the money it had spent there.

In those mistakes of those great empires, lies the unfortunate history of Afghanistan and its people.

Source: Afghanistan, the great game by Rory Stewart on Netflix.