Happy birthday dear Bhaiyya

An Ode to the Possibilities, Potentialities & Eventualities

 

Today, we mourn the passing of our brother who was taken from us way too soon. It is his birthday, a stark reminder that he is no more. 

Om Shanti, Bhaiyya! 

You live in memories, in our heartbeat, in our thoughts and reflections. And in your beautiful write-ups, a fraction of which are available with us. Keep smiling up from heaven...and keep singing your favourite Kishore Kumar songs (Ruk jaana nahin tu kahin haar ke, nadiya se dariya, musafir hoon yaaron among others) and your perennial favourites, Elton John's Sacrifice and Nikita...  

You were the maverick, the unconventional, the genius, and much more...  

That flair, that luminous, literary command, that finger on the pulse of the country, its people and its history! 

That knack of coming up with the witty, the pithy, and the laconic. 

Sharing snippets of your vast reservoir of writings that are even more poignant today. 

 

"Please Don't Fret, Fuss Or Fume Over Anything,

Profound Or Trivial.

One Day We'll All Rest In Peace!"

By: Anupam Srivastava

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"ENIGMA--
Mind generates thoughts.

Thoughts generate energy.

Energy is life.

Life is transcendence.

Transcendence is moksha."

By: Anupam Srivastava

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"When Tears Want To Roll.

And Your Cheeks 

Refuse Accommodation.

Awakening to a life that lies beyond.

A deep-seated desire.

Oh! 

What then happens.

When tears want to roll down your cheeks.

And.

 You. 

Refuse 

Camaflouged.

In the regime of the normal.

Taken to the bed.

In the night.

With the protocol.

So that.

We all can sleep.

Disturbed by our dreams.

Nightmares come.

To wake us up.

As our next-door neighbors.

There is another morning.

We wish.

We could dress up better.

Then.

Again.

So. Then. Again.

What do you do?"

By: Anupam Srivastava

Gulabo Sitabo- movie review

Gulabo Sitabo, the latest movie choosing a web debut due to the pandemic, is humorous, zany, and poignant - a feat possible only when you have an absorbing script brought to life by compelling acting and deft direction.

Amitabh (playing Mirza) in a decidedly caricaturish get up, aces his quirky septuagenarian act obsessed with his dilapidated Haveli. The man continues to be a revelation, a bottomless reservoir of talent, with many tricks still left up his sleeves!

Authentically picturised in Lucknow with a talented ensemble cast, GS, makes you go through a gamut of identifiable emotions ranging from fixation with lost glory, the tussle between greed and need, and the fight for survival by the have-nots.

Movies like Gulabo Sitabo lack the larger-than-life big-screen visual sheen but are humungous in content and performance. Ayushmann Khurrana has become the safest bet to represent the struggling middle-class and he stands up ably against the aura and histrionics of THE Amitabh Bachchan. 

The movie is harsh, wicked, and treacherous with every individual playing a game of one-upmanship. That's what makes the movie relatable and giant in an understated manner.

#nospoilers

IRFAN KHAN- Gone too soon!

IRFAN KHAN- Gone too soon!

An actor par excellence, a prolific multifaceted actor, Irfan khan lost the battle to the emperor of all maladies after a valiant fight.

Quite unlike the quintessential hindi movie hero, the unconventional looking Irfan khan carved a niche for himself over the past 2 decades with diverse roles that displayed his formidable acting prowess.

He enthralled the discerning cinema lovers with finely nuanced performances in Paan singh tomar, Haider, Maqbool, Lunchbox etc.

He swayed the masses with a deadpan poker face, mouthing comic one liners in Hindi medium, Billu, Jazba, Talvar etc.

He was one of the rare breed of Indian actors who forayed successfully into the much coveted Hollywood arena with impressive roles in blockbusters like the Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic park, Inferno , Life of Pi etc.

With his commmanding screen presence Irfan held his own amongst the A listed Hollywood actors.

He possesses an enviable repertoire of cinematic and theatre outings, and had a whole lot more to give to the world of cinema. His death leaves a deep vacuum and spells the infallibility and ephemerality of man infront of higher forces.

But real artists never go to grave. They live and breath through their work.  And as I start to rewatch Piku for the nth time, the tall, dark guy with the wittiest repartees for the sour-faced Deepika and the constipated Mr bachchan, fills the room with his booming voice.

#RIP

#Irfankhan