Cheers to Friendship!

Film Review: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

 

What an awesome weekend this has been!! This is the second time in two consecutive years that a Hrithik movie and a Harry Potter flick released on the same day! Last year it was Guzaarish and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I’ and this year it’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II’.

I can go on and on with the incredible HP movie, but for now, let me just stick to Hrithik and his fabulous team.


Live every moment of your life… that is the motto of this fun-filled, hilarious, and thoroughly enjoyable movie on friendship, love, and life.

Three buddies—Kabir (Abhay), Arjun (Hrithik), and Imran (Farhan) travel to Spain, to explore the picturesque locales and celebrate their love for adventure sports. Through their story, we relive our moments of joy and laughter spent with friends who matter.

The characterization could not have been better. Full marks to Zoya Akhtar for making each reel-life character real and narrating our stories through theirs. The best part of the movie is that it tells us no matter how hard we work, or how successful we become, there is a child in us that wants to play. And life happens during this playtime. So, the next time you think of postponing a holiday because of ‘work’ or ‘boss’, think again!

The individual traits of the three main characters have been portrayed with a subtle flamboyance. Arjun the trader is a perfectionist; Kabir the millionaire entrepreneur is the typical desirable ‘husband material’; Imran is the quick-witted copywriter who sets the screen on fire with his wisecracks! There’s a scene where all 3 friends (in their respective cities) are packing their bags to fly to Spain to celebrate Kabir’s last bachelor holiday! Arjun, packs his bags meticulously—carefully checking that clothes are neatly ironed, Kabir, is least bothered about the packing, while Imran simply bundles up anything and everything in his suitcase! Kabir travels first class, Arjun business class and Imran ‘cattle class’ or economy, like most of us. The detailing by the Director is absolutely brilliant!

There are so many moments in the movie that will make you laugh and laugh and well, laugh! And it is not slapstick! The humor is quick-witted and sharp. Playing pranks like schoolboys, or relating the ‘Doordarshan’ theme song with depression, or the ‘ring n proposal’ episode between Kabir and his fiancé Natasha (Kalki) will make you laugh your heart out! Not to forget the most popular ‘ladies handbag in Bollywood yet—‘BAGwati’.

While Hrithik Roshan will definitely make your heart skip multiple beats with his Greek-God looks and natural acting, you cannot help love Farhan Akhtar for his wit, charm, and sensitivity. Abhay Deol on the other hand scores on acting, screen-presence and a no-nonsense attitude.

About the female leads: Katrina (Laila) is like a breath of fresh air—she looks stunning and does justice to her character. Kalki is awesome and with her powerful acting and I am convinced that she is definitely a heroine to watch out for in the coming years.

Deepti Naval and Nasiruddin Shah add flavor to the movie with their cameos.

The music of the movie is feel-good. I loved the picturisation of the song ‘Senorita’. The rendition of the song by the 3 male leads makes it special and unique!

The exotic locations, the long-drives, the lush meadows, the freshness of deep blue sea—the movie is a must watch for nature lovers! I have always been apprehensive about water sports, but after watching ZNMD, I have decided to go deep-sea diving at least once in my life, whenever that is!

The romantic close-ups between Katrina-Hrithik, arguably the most beautiful screen pair in Bollywood today is portrayed with finesse and depth. Their on-screen chemistry is awesome and I wonder why they have waited so long to do a movie together!

Moments create magic. The movie has many magical moments. So, even though there is no real ‘climax’ in this movie, you will love it! While I would still rate ‘Dil Chahta Hain’ higher than ZNMD, watch this movie if you are a believer in the institution of friendship. Even the worst of fights or altercations do not destroy true friendships. A true friend will never threaten to harm you or humiliate you--no matter how bad a misunderstanding you may have had! This movie is a wonderful example of that.

I loved the movie so much that I was compelled to write a review J. This is a must-watch film and highly recommended. Cheers to Friendship!

In conclusion, I would just say—So the peoples…get the readies to the watch the fun that the buouys have in the ZNMD J.

Hatred

The human mind is more complicated than we can imagine. And human emotions, often convoluted and on tenderhooks.

I realized recently that just as love is important in your life, you also need to experience hatred in some form or the other. It makes you stronger.

When people love you, you feel happy and love them back. They make you smile, laugh, and feel good about yourself. You can in turn, love them back and add more meaning to their lives.

On the contrary, when someone hates you, you may not always be able to reciprocate that feeling. They avoid you, make you cry, and treat you miserably. You feel worse if these are people you value or look up to! But you cannot really do much here.

As Paulo Coelho writes, "If you feel like a victim, you will be treated like one". So, accept the fact that yes, there are people in the world who hate you. If they are happy hating you, let them be!

Love is often portayed as a shield of the weak and hatred--the weapon of the strong! People will always tell you to work on your weakness but nobody questions your strength. Love feeds on hope, whereas hatred laughs at vulnerability.

If you can embrace hatred, or at least take it in your stride, life will be far more peaceful.

Man(un)kind and Nature

Earlier this month, when I returned home from office one day, I was surprised to see a big truck at the entrance of my building. They were stocking up remnants of trees--loads of it and I was wondering if there was a storm or heavy downpour in Mumbai that I missed!

Unlikely, as I love the rains.

A tad suprised and  miffed,  I came up to my floor. After making myself a nice cup of tea, I went to the balcony. The balcony is my favorite place at home and I can spend hours there merely gazing at flowers, admiring the greenery, or imitating the twitter of birds. I especially love to see squirrels and their rapid pace up and down the biggest Gulmohar tree outside my balcony. The richness of the two other Gulmohar trees on either sides of this main epitome of pride, make the view even more beautiful. At a time when greenery is slowly disappearing from our urban lives, I feel blessed to enjoy the fresh air and the soothing colours of the leaves and flowers that help me relax after a tiring day at work. They bring a smile to my face, even when I am sad.

So, where was I? Yes, I went to the balcony for my usual visual treat. But I was in for a SHOCK! The branches of the beautiful tree that tease the grills of my balcony with their ever-lively leaves were missing! The Gulmohar trees seemed to have receded a few yard-steps back from my home. And the lovely tamarind tree looked dwarfed! That's when I realized that these trees had been brutally slaughtered to keep them from coming near the surrounding houses. But it is not as if a wandering branch or two had been cut or some method applied in cleaning up the locality. I gathered that people in the locality had hired some daily-wage laborers to finish off a 'quick n dirty job'. Not that forest authorities were intimated or professionals called to trim the trees!! It was a merciless plunder of the beautiful ambience.

I cannot explain in words what I felt after seeing the trees in such condition. It reminded me of what I learned in school on 'felling of trees'. I even had to sketch something on this subject during my 'drawing class' in Class V. And I felt very bad to draw the picture of a tree being cut.

If you love nature and animals, you surely understand how it feels to see such obnoxious treatment meted out to harmless gifts of God.

I asked some of my building authorities later as to why this had been done! They were very clear in response. They said, the trees had been growing and during the monsoons it would be a crazy situation if they were not cut. I asked as to why the area was not cleaned up and branches trimmed, why the rampant onslaught! Few people stared at me in surprise as if I had asked them for directions to reach Timbaktoo!! One aged gentleman politely replied, "Yes, it is sad", and walked away.

Some others said, that a monkey had become a frequent visitor to the neighborhood, due to the greenery and the shelter provided by the trees. So, to get rid of the monkey, they killed 4 trees!!

The main tree is now without its arms.. the gulmohar trees with their vibrant oranges and fiery red are far away from my balcony. I can see them, but cannot touch the leaves, no matter how much I stretch my hand outside the grills

There was a great uproar among the birds with most of them flying aghast after this tree tragedy hit. Why? Because their nests had been destroyed just before the monsoons. A crow had been feeding its red-mouthed little one and I had been hapily savouring the scene for days. I couldnt find them anymore. The squirrels had disappeared too.

The next morning when I went to the balcony, I felt even worse. Each dawn, a koel used to sit on the branches and sing in its melodious voice. And there would be parrots sitting in a row in one of the branches higher up and swinging peacefully. None of them were there anymore.

It is sad that we humans encroach upon the land of the wild, because we cannot control our own population. We drive them out of their homes and don't even feel bad about it! We talk about plantations and a green planet, but when it comes to maintaining it in our own life, we never practice it.

It is almost a fortnight now since the trees were cut. The rains have brought a new freshness in Mumbai and the view outside my balcony has started getting better again! I can see gulmohar trees, mussaenda, banyan, tamarind, some rubber plants and many more trees and plants whose name I do not know. The rain makes the view even more picturesque. The leaves have started growing on the injured trees. Though the branches will not grow back again due to the haphazard way in which they have been cut, the trees have started looking fuller again. The koel and other birds are back too.. though the distance between my balcony and them is far more than before.

I pray to God that it stays like this now. And I hope going forward, I am able to protest more vehemently about a cause that is close to my heart.

Simple Joys of Life

Simple joys of life are to be cherished, enjoyed, and treasured. Often in simple joys, we find a deeper meaning--a purpose in life. Some of us pick up the pen and start writing impromptu, some like to use a paintbrush... still others may resort to a few clicks to fulfill their passion. Then there are others who like singing or shaking a leg. Again, there are others who find solace in social service. The list is endless.

At any point in life, when we find ourselves at crossroads, the best way to start afresh is to get closer to your inner self and take a step towards the dream you always wanted to realize.

Writing, for example, is such a stress-buster. And I know people who write so well that they can give any professional writer a run for their money. But in the hustle-bustle and other complexities of life, these passions get subdued, suppressed, and sometimes even die.

Don't let that happen to yourself, I remind myself and others who are dear to me. Just go, write, publish that book you have been wanting to. There cannot be greater satisfaction than that. Don't procrastinate and don't let the mundane hullabaloo get in between you and your dreams.

You deserve the best. So, go, get it :)

Twinge

Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down!

Whoever said that, said that well.

Life would be simpler if pain pretended to be happiness for a change and subsided as fast as it grew. It is always happiness that ends abruptly, never pain. It lingers, it grows, it feeds on whatever sanity is left in the mind, and never has any plans to leave. Pain is almost like money plant-- you just need to get one branch of it, plant it in a flower pot, and leave it by the window. It will get creepy and multiply in no time filling the entire free space on your window sil. Just the way pain grips your heart, your mind, and then your entire being.

Simple joys of life. Similarly simple pains of life. Life would be much more livable that way.

Abstract thoughts + convoluted feelings = Rubik's Cube. Keep at it till you figure out a way to solve it.

But, whatever the pain, it can never outwit happiness. May god bless and keep showering happiness on all those we care for. That's all that matters.

Solitude of Protected Wilderness

Who treads there?

Who ventures down the forbidden bridle-path

winding thro' thickets in the dense backwoods?

Time and again, memories traverse--

(Mind) reminisces Oak-Cedar-Rhododendron

At times, the fiery red flames of Sal-Simul-Palash

flashing in the lush woodland yellow and green.

And peeps through mangrove forests Kend and Garan

standing high on briny water and mud,

Or, ambles down the beach dunes, gazing at Jhau-Cashew-Casuarina

and Prospis Juliflora in desert sand

thorny bushes, fallen leaves here and there

wild grass-flower dandelion.

The dabbling mind meanders again--

Recalls the ivory spring-water rustling

on the pebbles-gravels-rockbed now and then.

Who thou explore?

Proceed no more; ruffle not the memoirs

Let the mahua-sozzled mindset remain ever

In tranquil solitude of protected wilderness. 

(My translated poem published in the book titled: World Poetry Festival 2011.

Translated from the original in Bangla written by Rathin Ghosh.)



Silent Confessions

 

I hold on to you, eyes closed, as we fly high,

You don't tilt towards me, nor pull me closer to you

But that is not important

As long as I know, you want me to hold on to you.

I face a stumble; I fall, I cry,

You don't console me or try to make things better

But that is not important

As long as I know, you want to me to come out stronger.

I send you notes and messages,

You read them alright, but do not respond

But that is not important

As long as I know, somewhere...we share a bond.

I look into your eyes

But I do not see myself in them anymore

It hurts a wee bit, but that is not important

As long as I know, by your side, you have some other strong oar.

I have my own bindings

And you may have yours going strong,

But that is not important

As long as I know, my commitment to this emotion is lifelong.