PHILLAURI Review

PHILLAURI-- Unspirited and tame!
Anushka Sharma's ghostly self-indulgence churns out a ghastly two hours plus insipid fare which is neither entertaining nor frightening!

Oscillating between the love stories of a contemporary urban couple (with the ubiquitous indecisive NRI groom, incessant marriage ceremonies, a scotch sipping grandma), and a star-crossed couple of pre-independence era (rustic Punjab, numerous folklores, sepia hues, patriotic backdrop), the movie does justice to none.

Little to laugh at, less to empathise with; the strain of not identifying with either set-up leads to a complete disconnect with the drama unfolding laboriously.

Ironic that a movie starring a bona-fide ghost lacks soul!

WONDERFUL WOMANIA!

Come 8th of March and the better half of the world goes into a frenzy. The non-stop barrage of feel-good messages, inspirational quotes and motivational memes permeate the environment. Women are made to feel special and privileged by everyone. Men are on backfoot and wary of this new insurgent women-power which threatens to dislocate their firmly established supremacy in all things that matter.

Feminists brigade go on a rampage, dismantling the age old, rigid shackles and moribund traditions which hold women enslaved morally and socially. How appealing that sounds and how liberating too!! It's as if all the hot talkshows and cool social media memes have actually made a difference to the status of women in India!!

Most of us revel in this extra attention given to us around Women's day and some 'gullible us' actually start believing it.

Unfortunately, we happen to live in a bubble, for nothing actually changes for us. There are some cosmetic changes (few upbeat articles and sundry cheers) but the ground reality remains the same.

The majority of women continue playing second fiddle to the men (sometimes women too) in their lives and a substantial number put a facade of happy faces while tending to their broken spirits and shattered dreams. The homemakers are shortchanged for they never get their dues or enough credit from their families or society while the working women are invariably forced to compromise on their professional and/or personal front despite slogging it out. Both remain frustrated, envious and wistful about not having had a better shot at life!

Ladies, those of you who sail in the same boat as above, its time to swim out of deep waters, come to the surface, catch a deep breath and take stock of your life. Only one question needs to be asked of your inner self, 'Are you content with your life the way it is?' The answer to it will pave the way for your future course of action.

To those ladies who are actually happy doing/being who they are, the self-appointed moral guardians of society needn't judge them.

For eg. -

If mrs.Khanna is happy doing nothing else but being a socialite or painting the town red with her kitty party gang then so be it. We can't look down upon her for her perceived frivolity.

If mrs Gupta is happy being a stern school teacher and giving tutions while hating cooking, we can't condemn her for lacking 'homely' skills.

If Mrs.Khan likes to keep 40 days roza yet wear jeans and dresses outside her home, then we can't label her a hypocrite.

If Ms. Tina/ Rina etc.is a successful professional at 30 plus with a steady boyfriend and in no mood to get hitched, we can't criticise her supposedly 'loose character' or whatever!

As long as these females are happy in their state of life, whether out of choice or circumstances, the world and his wife have no mean business casting aspersions upon them.

One significant social observation I've made is that a sizeable chunk of women have had their choices made for them by their parents and later their husbands but they are happy nonetheless, because things have worked out just fine for them and they have no complaints whatsoever with their lives.

Hence any debate of women empowerment or 'making your own choices in life' etc etc has no relevance for them. They need no dictates or homilies. They would rather laugh at people trying to prick pins in their contented life by insane talks of womens lib. According to them their happy state of mind gives them wings to fly and feel liberated.

In contrast to this enviable breed of happy-go-lucky women, there are the 'silently suffering souls' who go through the gamut of daily life with discontentment and disillusionment. They are the ones who ought to reassess and rethink about their lives and how to better it. Gaining confidence and becoming assertive are 2 good ways to have a say in your own life and changing the status quo if it makes you uncomfortable. Stop putting yourselves last. If you have the courage to say," I don't feel it is right" or "I don't feel like doing it right now", you are a living breathing example of women's liberation.

So women of the world & especially of my country, I urge you to live life as confident, content human beings without apologising for your gender or treating it as a handicap. It shouldn't be used as a tool either to gain leverage in sticky situations.

Women, irrespective of their nationality, religion, economic & social status, are a wonderful marvel of God and so let's respect our creator by respecting ourselves first. Others will follow suit!

# happywomen'sday

RAEES Review--

Get your filmy 'battery' recharged because SRK has arrived in a swashbuckling avatar. His kohl-lined glinting eyes, stubbled face, and oodles of style and swagger offer the most likeable anti- hero of recent times. He is 'heroic' in his misdeeds, a rebel with a cause, a devil cum messiah, an outlaw who makes his own rules, only to break them at will. 

Here is a guy who does the bad so well that the good guy (Nawazuddin as an honest cop) is mentally berated by the audience for hounding Raees and not letting him live in peace (ironical because SRK's activities are the antithesis of peace in its lowest common denominator).

Raees gives an ideal platform to SRK to showcase his histrionics in a larger than life role, deeply reminiscent of the 1980's action movies of Amitabh. A not so subtle homage to the superstar is there in a clip from his movie playing in the background. It recreates that milieu and tempo, where an underprivileged young boy seethes at anyone who calls him 'Battery' for wearing spectacles, and at one time uses it as a weapon in one of his encounters with a rival to drive the point home. It reminds you of AB when he epitomised the angry-young-man in all his gory and glory. There is the ubiquitous Mother with her gospel one-liner ("koi dhanda chota nahin hota" etc) which is the game changer. Then there is the mandatory best friend-confidante-lackey Sadiq and of course the pretty dame with shy smiles and 'tears with fears' filled eyes. Mahira Khan seems skittish and underprepared in her role and disappoints. A pity that she floundered at probably the first and last opportunity opposite the king of romance.

"Baniye ka dimaag and Miyan bhai ki daring" - the tagline is used famously throughout and justifiably so. The 'catch-me-if-you-can' games that Raees plays with his rivals, ranging from the initial benefactor turned hostile adversary Jairaj (Atul Kulkarni) to the backstabbing partner-in-crime Musa bhai( Narendra Jha), and finally his bete-noire, SP Majumdar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) in a unidirectional role of a man determined to bring Raees to justice, are riveting to watch. Their scenes together are electrifying and the one-upmanship confrontations are engaging till the end. 

SRK owns the character in a flourishing, no-holds-barred manner. Whether it is flying kites or bashing goons, doing the 'garba' or butchering the enemies in a meat shop, the guys does it all with aplomb! The affectations are worn like a second skin and there are no pretensions whatsoever of presenting a realistic cinema even though it's supposedly based on the life of a real-life bootlegger in Gujarat. Cinematic liberties are taken aplenty, none of them are jarring.

'Main aa raha hoon', SRK kept saying and the man does truly arrive, as the showstopper in this catwalk of filmdom lions. 
All dirty and delicious!

 

Random Ruminations

As the year comes to an end, most of us go into a rewind mode, thinking over, analysing and compartmentalising the pluses/minuses, the highs, and the lows, of the year that was.

Well, introspection never did anyone any harm, and as I sit contemplating over the year gone by, I see a few hits, stray misses, but most importantly, I see a sense of wellbeing at this stage of life where contentment isn't a lone ranger; it has anxiety, expectations and disappointments for dubious company. I see people around me in a flurry; older generation bewildered by the spiralling times and trying hard to catch up, the middle-aged lot maturing like ripe wine yet fizzing and bursting at the seams, and the younger generation gung-ho, upbeat and sparkling. Life being viewed diametrically by each generation, eying the other suspiciously and sticking rigidly to its own perspective and ethos. The culture was never so seamless and inclusive yet paradoxically the thought processes border on inflexibility and closedown. 

One thing that I've been wanting to do for long is to thank all my friends, family, kin and everyone else who takes the time to read my sporadic posts and blog links. Your words of encouragement and effusive praise is highly motivating and acts as a catalyst to continue treading on this path. Quite a few aren't vocal publicly but appreciative in person and respecting it as a personal choice, I'll consider the number of views on my blog links as a correct representation of readership. I don't write to seek accolades but a pat on the back or a thumbs-up definitely causes an upsurge in the feel-good department. So, there!

Wishing everyone a happy, hearty and sanguine stride into the next year. May it offer the chance one needs to 'own it' and make it a watershed year.

Life has always been a great leveller; every joy and every pain is ephemeral. It is time to cut our losses, count the blessings and march into 2017 with hope, positivity and universal bonhomie.
Cheerio!

Zindagi decoded

Dear Zindagi,

It was nice meeting you on celluloid. You were undoubtedly a fine piece of art presenting a slice of life with its accompanying zits and zests. Your protagonist, a young professional girl Kaira -- Alia Bhatt in a stellar performance -- who has umpteen number of issues in her life was winsome and real. Behind her facade of a confident, modern and talented cinematographer laid a scared little girl with abandonment issues. It was her movie and she owned it beautifully, her fragile frame belying the tenacity and resoluteness in her personality.

SRK had lesser screen space but left a thumping impact with minimal words, the kind of role where his energy levels were contained and he hypnotised with his eyes. The doc-patient relationship was apparently easy-going and effortless although there were stray moments of underlying tension and vague anxiety.

The 5 major lessons we could glean from watching you are:

1. Visiting a psychiatrist doesn't make you a "psycho."
It's perfectly alright to have a plethora of issues in personal & professional life. Seeking an expert's help no longer has a stigma attached to it. (On a lighter note, maybe handsome shrinks help drive the blues away. Deep intense stares and pearls of wisdom spouted by them make life's complications seem as easy as solving nursery grade puzzles.)

2. Make peace with your past.
There is a line by SRK in the movie: 'Don't let your past blackmail your present to ruin a beautiful present.' Now don't we all know that, understand and agree with it. But, we rarely ever practice it. Some of us remain consumed by past grievances, letting it overpower our present. Acceptance of one's past, slaying the demons therein, and burying the emotional hatchets is what nudges us towards equanimity. And rightly so!

3. It's ok to have a failed relationship or two.
It's no big deal if things don't work out between you and your partner. The 'kursi' example given by SRK to prove his point isn't really to sanction promiscuity but to stop a girl from labelling herself according to society's double standards. Everyone deserves a second chance (or a third or fourth), to scour for that one person who walks the same path as him/her.

4.Our parents are earthly beings and not Santa Claus
They are real people with tangible fears and failures and are doing the best they can. Let's not judge them or crucify them for their failings. Holding grudges against parents is a recipe guaranteed for a lifetime of despair and misery.

5. Carpe-diem
Seize the moments! Live life as it comes, quirky and unexpected; put your best foot forward, falling isn't a big deal, it's not recouping after the fall to get up again and be ready for another bout which is our undoing. Our fears are our Achilles heel.

That's a lot of food for thought in 150 minutes to mull over. It was great meeting you Zindagi from another person's perspective.

Yours truly,
Mr. Imperfect & Ms. High Hopes.

CHISELED MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD

Chiseled memories. ...

Of laughter and merry making,

Of family bonding and discussions,

Of eating together and gorging,

Of devouring delicacies and burping,

Of playing cards, ludo and carom, 

Of reading comics and amar chitra katha,

Of being glued to radio and singing loud,

Of festival gaiety n elaborate ceremonies,

Of fun with friends and neighbourhood shenanigans.

Chiseled memories of childhood; 

Of enjoying the simplicity of life,

Of being shielded from the hardships,

Of sibling affection and bonding,

Of parental love and cocoon,

Of pampering without being spoilt,

Of indulgence without arrogance, 

Of loving life and dreaming big,

Of self confidence and starry eyes,

Of academic high and accompanying accolades,

Of optimism and reverie.

Chiseled memories of childhood ;

Of crazy antics and wierd dress sense....

Of occasional tempers and frequent tantrums,

Of bantering, arguing and sulking,

Of making up, forgiving, and moving on,

Chiseled memories of childhood;.

Stick to the mind and warm the heart,

Glow the vacant corners and illuminate the soul,

Create harmony and tune your senses,

Chiseled memories of childhood;

Remain forever etched and eternally craved,

When you were little but your dreams were big,

When hope was your best buddy and skepticism still a stranger.

Chiseled memories of childhood;

Are locked inside and ingrained deeply, 

Completing you and blooming you, 

And keeping you forever young !

ADHM- Ae relationship hai complicated!

Ae relationship hai complicated! 

Not your regular love triangle as anticipated by eager fans, ADHM is a roller coaster ride of emotions: deep, profound, complicated and intense. 

The flimsy, slick gloss we see on screen in the overtly breezy, bindaas friendship cum budding romance between the lead pair Ranbir and Anushka, is pixie and cuteness overloaded. You start watching the movie with a goofy grin relishing the foot tapping numbers, funny one-liners, liberal sprinkling of hit dialogues and songs from cult romantic movies. There's a reference to throwback 80's kind kitschy music- peppy, popular but pedestrian. Nostalgia and novelty shake hands. The audience is hooked with the tender, classic familiarity, and the neoteric, badass brazenness which has typically become the alter ego of youngsters.

An hour into the movie, the easy-cheesy banters vanish and the 'mushkil' part unfolds elaborately. One starts feeling sorry for people who love the ones who aren't on the same wavelength as them. The second half is precariously handled with the director eager to stretch beyond his cushion zone and venture into the unchartered territory of knotty, tangled web of emotional turbulence. The conflict between love and friendship and whether they are mutually exclusive or prone to overlapping is depicted well enough but quite laboriously. The sense of déjà vu strikes one throughout the 150 odd minutes of the movie. So what's so different about it, what's the twist, you keep asking and the latter when it does arrive, fizzles out with a whimper. The ending lacks spontaneity and conviction and appears conveniently contrived, a negative for a melodrama. The high notes should be struck right at the end.

Ranbir and Anushka outshine each other performance wise. They rise spectacularly above the script and impart a pathos desperately needed for a movie which is otherwise an expression of celebration of love in its multifaceted forms.

Ranbir is the finest actor of this generation and has a barrage of emoting techniques in his repertoire. For those drawing parallels with his other flicks on unrequited love, I see this one on a totally different tangent. He isn't his regular confused guy unsure about his feelings for his lady love. In ADHM, his character is pretty certain about his 'dil' and where it goes, ie. to Anushka. The ensuing 'mushkilein' ( Fawad as Anushka's chosen one and Aish as Ranbir's consolation prize) which arise due to this are what lead the story forward.

Anushka has to be the bravest female actor to let go of her crowning glory and shoot uninhibited in scenes which made the audience gasp out loud due to shock, sympathy, and an embarrassed applause later on.

Aishwarya Rai's gorgeous appearance lends no value addition to the movie. She with her pancaked beauty, and fabricated, studied expressions, falls flat in front of natural born lead actors. Oozing glamour and good looks, Aish does break the cougar taboo (younger man and older woman) in India without batting an eyelid (heavily eyelined as it may be).

The 'fassad ki jad', Fawad khan is eye candy in a grizzly kind of way. Apart from him, there is a spate of guest appearances by the director's good friends and wannabee good friends.

An assorted Diwali hamper, ADHM has some exotic sweets, some desi savouries, a few firecrackers and a customised greeting card bellowing "It's complicated!"
But hey, where's my coffee, Karan?

Verdict- Watch it for Ranbir and the songs! Both outstanding.