Nature is but an expression of the soul…

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On life:

Thunder exploded in the Mumbai night sky, along with a realisation which burst through my very blood, chilling me to the bone, shaking me out of myself imposed reverie, leaving my collective consciousness in the darkness that follows after the brilliance of lightning. This is but a veil, a charade, a fictional reality… let go, let it go…

On love:

As the weather mirrored the storm inside, the universe put me through my greatest test. I am glad to say I passed, but at the price of my very being. The finish line seems like a distant mirage, getting further as I run, my only hope being this dream will end soon…

On the past:

The midnight breeze got with it memories past, the clock ticked away, seconds racing to minutes to hours, all was as it was… you wonder what you have to learn from each other, the lessons are ever changing, never apparent, all you can do is be yourself.

On the present:

In an intense moment of clarity, the abundance of the universe arrived. Life is so beautiful, if you just slow down and listen; to your own intuition, to your own heart beat. Thanking each and everyone for their part in my happiness and otherwise, you are all valuable. As for the weather, we had a tiny drizzle as a blessing, to iterate the fact that we are never alone, someone is always watching over us…

 

Shudh desi romance (2013)

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Catching true ‘desi’ flavours of an ‘it’s complicated’ romance set in Jaipur, the Shudh part refers to the irony of choice and chance.

Brilliant comedy that works for many well-written scenes, it’s stringing all the scenes to make a complete story that seems to be the problem with this recipe.

The makers were smart not to have more than two songs, because that would have slowed the humour down. 

We haven’t seen very many ‘feisty and fiercely’ independent girls on screen, and Sushant had his work cut out for him, to match Parineeti and Vaani. 

The three leads play complex yet straight forward, romantic yet detached, caught in the moment and doubting the moment so well, that you can’t help but relate to them. Rishi Kapoor is hilarious, bringing an Anu Kapoor Vicky Donor quality to the story, and the four of them provide comedic situations galore!

The writing may get some flak, so will the end, but I felt it’s justified. What matters most is that you could laugh and yet empathise with ALL of them.

Watch without a bathroom break!

3/5

A tale of six cities

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This story starts, as many such stories do, at the airport. You are ready to board for your destination, when it dawns on you that you have been in transit your whole life and realise that change is not only imminent, but necessary. This is my short story of a long contemplation, which finally resulted in a move that has been very fruitful.

DUBAI

The city where I lived my entire life, barring four years of university in London. It was a cosy place while I was growing up, with lots of character. The city was developing too, at a rapid pace, far too fast for us to keep up with I guess. Somewhere, I felt I no longer connected with it. A place where my entire family, circle of childhood and high school friends, colleagues, cousins resided, suddenly felt distant to me. It is then I started my search of where in the world I would like to live next.

MELBOURNE

Australia was a popular country to move to at the time. I had but one friend there who would be my head quarters in the city. I started living in Melbourne in my mind, planning how my life would be ‘in a land far far away’. But unfortunately, or as fate would have it for me, the ‘Once upon a time’ never happened. After waiting endlessly I planned a trip to clear my mind and decide where I would like to move. An Eat, Pray, Love of sorts, not in that order and certainly not those countries in the book!

AMSTERDAM

First stop.  The ‘sights and sounds’ of Sin City. On holiday with Mr. Nairobi and lunch with Ms. Antwerp, we enjoyed the beauty and ease of Europe! Some worship, a little clarity, and a 3 day trip ends with the beginning of a decision that seems fast approaching on the horizon.

NEW YORK

Second stop. The Big Apple had just gotten bigger, with so much to do in so little time. My cousins, a dear friend who had moved from Dubai and a tight schedule gave little time to introspect. Funny how you travel to cities far away to make a decision to move to a totally different city, but the distance helps. Your mind re-organises information, compartmentalises thoughts and generally points you in the right direction.

LONDON

Final stop. A few days in my beloved city where I lived for 4 years certainly cleared the last remaining doubts. A short one night trip to Bristol to meet Mr. Luxury MBA, I spent the remaining days with my pal from my masters. I spoke to her about many important things, this being one of them. That talk was the highlight of the trip. When I was alone, my music and feet took me to familiar haunts and corners where I saw my younger self without a worry in the world. I could see where I had to go, everything seemed clear. We go further to get closer to ourselves, travel the world to find a resting place. Now the hard part would be to break the news!

MUMBAI

After I got back I quit my job and started clearing my life. Memories stored for decades saw the light, were sorted and put away again. Nostalgia and the shock of others weakened me, but I stayed firm on my decision. Within 6 weeks of being back, I was on a plane, back ‘home’. Funny word for nomads like us. Dubai, Mumbai and god knows which other city will claim that title. But for now, it has been 3 years and counting!

Epic (2013)

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The ‘epic’ quality in this animated film was the animation itself. Bordering on capturing the natural landscape to 99% perfection, it made nature and all its detail as beautiful it is in real life, but with greater depth and majesty.

The story on the other hand, takes a while to sink in to. Once you are connected, you want to know what will happen, knowing full well how it will turn out. Probably too ‘adult and understated’ in its approach, it may not work fully as a children’s film, as they will take away much lesser than the grown audience.

Celebrities such as Beyonce Knowles, Collin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Sudeikis amongst many others lend voices to characters who are fighting an ‘epic’ battle, and are merely the supporting elements set in top notch animation.

A great home or flight watch.

3/5

We’re the Millers (2013)

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There is something about sophisticated ‘R’ rated humour that has everyone in splits. I use that word to describe this particular genre of adult comedies, because the language has excellent comic timing in the guise of profanity.

Christened ‘America’s Sweetheart’ by USA and many of her fans overseas, Jennifer steps well out of her comfort zone and image to play a convincing stripper. Extremely fit, with fresh ‘Rachel’ style quips, she is a combo of the character we have loved on TV and a bold babe many of us wondered she could pull off.

Jason Sudeikis is a small time drug dealer who lands in a big time soup, courtesy an incident he shouldn’t have gotten involved in. Emma Roberts plays a runaway rebel and Will Poulter the 18 year old virgin (the judgement age having gone down from 40).

What follows next is a crazy road trip, with family dynamics that make ‘dysfunctional seem normal’. Pure Laughter Therapy!

3.5/5

Jobs (2013)

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A lot of people have called this film a documentary on ‘APPLE’. Well, I think Steve Jobs and Apple are synonymous, and Apple’s journey was in fact a result of his own actions, creativity, vision and tenacity.

The film gives us an insight to his humble beginnings, the personal computer we take for granted and can’t live without was an unheard of concept back then. Seeing those ideas come to life, ‘watching your work while you do it’ was the best part of the film.

As it progressed it got disjointed and the actual success of Apple or Jobs was not shown. Yes, the many difficulties and internal politics were played out, but its reward is something we should have seen on screen.

Ashton Kutcher did his best in a role which perhaps demanded more. His walk, body language, seemed appropriate at times and out of place at others. Playing a visionary such as Jobs is a daunting task, and it is an open question as to who could have played him better.

The supporting cast was brilliant, the authenticity of the film was commendable and at the end of it I left feeling informed, a little entertained, and a little cheated. It had everything to be a lot more but apparently chose to stay mediocre, which is SO NOT APPLE!

2/5

Celebrate India!

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Since you are far older than 67, my dear India/Bharat/Hindustan, I am not going to wish you an ‘English’ happy independence day. Your culture, heritage, language date back to the beginning of civilised time itself. We are a land where the only surviving ancient religion, or rather, a way of life, is still practised and celebrated in the visual arts and music. What we should commemorate today is not our independence, but that fact that we have survived thousands of years and continue to enrich the world. Proud to be an Indian today and everyday! Jai Hind!

Chennai Express (2013)

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SRK tries his hand at comedy and does a fair job in a film which has Rohit Shetty in the right doses. Signature scenes with cars blowing up and a fight at the end can be ignored, but the ‘generalisation of the south’ is too much to digest. While Deepika steals the show with an endearing accent (don’t know if it’s Tamil or Hyderabadi), the tone and feel they have thought for the film is maintained throughout. Subtitles would have worked wonders at integrating the states, but maybe it was asking too much from Mr. Shetty. Comedy of errors, woven with a simple story and many funny moments (if you get on the humour train from the start) can get you through this journey. Otherwise pull the chain and jump off, the only flawless thing about the film is SRK’s makeup!

2.5/5

The Conjuring (2013)

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Demonic activity is haunting the Perron family in their new home. Things which one could brush off as odd or unusual turn nasty and terrifying. The specialists in the field for ‘paranormal activity’ are the Warren couple, who can see, feel, test and document such events, to come up with the most suitable solution.

The premise is simple and so is the climax. What I wasn’t looking for, or rather wasn’t prepared for, was the way this film would DISTURB me. Yes it has the regular horror dose, building up slowly, using elements of fear, the unknown, surprise and a little gore. For seasoned horror viewers, this film may seem tame, but for me it gave the complete ‘blocking your ears and peeking through half opened eyes protected by parted fingers edge of your seat hardly breathing’ experience.

Director James Wan makes use of fine camera work, excellent back ground score and very authentic 70s feel, which made the already disturbing experience REAL. There are more forces at work here than a single problem, which make it all the more challenging for the viewer to digest or predict.

Based on true events, me, a non-horror person, suggest that you watch it!

Clap. Clap. Clap. (something you will understand only after watching the film).

3/5