Realm of Thoughts

  Photo by David Rangel on Unsplash As I was walking through the park on my way back home from work, I stumbled upon an odd scene. A few yards away from the walking path, I saw a man crouched below a large tree, staring at a small patch of grass and dirt. I thought that he may have dropped something and was looking for it, so I walked over to see if I can help. “Did you lose something, sir?”, I asked him as I approached. “Oh! No, not really”, he smiled in awkward surprise as he turned his attention to me, “this is where my dog was buried several years ago. I’m just visiting him.” “Must have been a special dog, very close to you I guess”, I said. “No…”, he said brusquely, “we had a weird relationship…it’s a long story.” “I am a dog owner myself…” I spoke curiously as I crouched beside him, “not sure what a weird relationship with a dog looks like.” The man smiled at me and said “I can tell you our story if you like, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about how long it is”. “I promise ...

A lot has been read and said about the latest, most anticipated super-hero movie of the year: "The Dark Knight Rises". And while this post is not a review of the same, I would like to use a few sentences to ponder upon the what made Nolan's take on Batman so endearing to all of us. I believe that Nolan's trilogy is not about the comic book character we know, but it is in fact a dark and gripping drama about a man who took matters in his own hands. It is the humanity and the madness in all of us that these movies glorify and make them different from every other CGI driven super-hero movie we know of. At this note, I want to have the pleasure of sharing with you my top favorite movies of the same kind: movies which are based on similar super-hero like themes, but with a very different aspect to them altogether. My suggestion is, watch them asap:   4. Chronicle: While Chronicle does not deal with super-heroes, it does show you the distance between super-powers and ...

W hen one makes a movie about an important social issue that touches the lives of countless people, it comes with a responsibility to stay grounded and as real as possible, and most of all, be sincere towards the issue more than anything else. If you are looking at “Aarakshan” as one such movie about the crucial issue of reservations in the Indian education system, then you are in for a big practical joke that director Prakash Jha has played with movie-watchers all across. “Aarakshan” may be a mash-up of several hot topics loosely touched with the intention of gaining on their importance in our hearts, but it is definitely not a movie about reservations. In fact, it would be even unfair to call it a movie about us- real people who live in this society. "Aarakshan" is more like a poor fiction movie with un-relatable characters, that swiftly jumps shamelessly from one important issue like reservation to others like commercialization and politicization of pre-college education w...

Almost all movie lovers have watched great wild-west movies and cherished them. Tall men with leather boots facing off in the heat, hands on their holsters- the sand, sweat, tension in the air and eagles calling in the back- cowboy movies like “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”, “A Fistful of Dollars” and several others have created a genre of movies that is undoubtedly one of the greatest in the history of cinema. On the other hand, no one can deny that alien-attack on human cities and mankind’s battle against it is one fantasy science fiction that most of us love to watch at the edge of our seats-be it “War of the Worlds” or “Independence Day”. Director Jon Favreau of “Iron Man” fame, in his latest release “Cowboys and Aliens” tries to bring together these two genres of cinema together and create and interesting piece- something that we have never watched before. It is true that “Cowboys and Aliens” will go down as a landmark in experimental cinema, for an idea, even the sound of whic...

S ome of the most favorite moments in Indian cinema have been when a powerful, corrupt bad guy and his army of intimidating huge goons get ruthlessly beaten at the hands one righteous man. The image of a Rambo-like one-man army with larger than life morals standing against everything that is wrong with the world is how Indian cinema has celebrated heroism right from its origin, and it still continues to do so. Add to that jaw-dropping action sequences and car chases, heavily loaded dialogues, intense drama and characters that audiences love or hate with all their heart; and what you get is an explosive thrill ride on screen that you cannot take your eyes away from. This is what Rohit Shetty’s “Singham” is all about- it is a celebration of heroism that we have loved since always, but it only gets better now. Set in Goa, “Singham” is a movie about Inspector Bajirao Singham played by Ajay Devgan, an honest cop who shamelessly uses his authority to set things right, no matter what it take...

I t is once in a very long while that there comes a movie which leaves the viewers jaw-dropped and shocked. And when two of such movies come from the same filmmaker, you definitely know that you are looking at the Picasso of film-making, with each of his masterpieces worth collecting, and watching over and over again for their sheer perfection. Darren Aronofsky is the man I am referring to, and I consider myself privileged to have watched his masterpieces. “Requiem For A Dream” was a masterpiece, but Aronofsky further raises the bar with his amazing psychological thriller “Black Swan”. When Heath Ledger died due to drug overdose immediately after his legendary performance as Joker in “The Dark Knight”, there was news that Heath sank psychologically too deep into his role as the psychopath, and this was speculated as a possible reason for his death. There have been many other such instances when actors have sunk completely into their roles, to such an extent that they lose the distinct...

I find it particularly sad when a movie that starts off really well turns into somewhat of a bore later on. You can neither hate that movie completely, nor love it absolutely. “Tanu Weds Manu”, starring Kangna Ranaut and R Madhavan, is a unique movie: in a lot of ways. TWM starts off with very life-like characters, be it from the thin alleys of Kanpur, or posh localities of Delhi. What makes these characters even better is the strong performance that the actors put into them. The movie begins really well, with a series of unpredictable and hilarious situations that these characters fall into. The comedy is really genuine, unique, and rare, and thus establishes TWM as an out-of-the-box, fun-filled romantic comedy. That moment onwards, the expectations are set, and the audience is intrigued by the characters and their amusing interactions. You realize that this isn’t a movie with a unique script, but a unique representation of things. Be it Kangana Ranaut as the abusive, rebellious and ...

  One of my favorite movies of all times is “Requiem for a Dream”, which is an extremely dark and disturbing movie to say the least. But what makes the movie so impressive is that it connects to the viewer emotionally, and you and I can feel the emotions that the characters feel. The problem with Vishal Bharadwaj’s “Saat Khoon Maaf” is that while it focuses too much on its darkness, very little attention is paid to the emotions that the tale was supposed to convey. Vishal Bharadwaj is one of the finest filmmakers in India, and there is no denying that you do get glimpses of his finesse in “Saat Khoon Maaf”. The locations, tone, cinematography, dialogues, and background score do impress, but it is the script that fails to do so. While I personally haven’t read Ruskin Bond’s “Susanna’s Seven Husbands”, but from what I have been told by other readers, the story tells of the emotions of Susanna, how complex those emotions are, and how they lead her into killing all of her husbands, o...

Just like wine, there are some types of movies that are appreciated only by someone who understands them, and most other people either hate such movies or pretend to have liked them. Dhobhi Ghat, the directorial venture by Kiran Rao, is truly speaking, an artist’s expression. The director makes it very clear that the movie is not aimed at making you laugh, or cry, or jump in horror, or stare in mystery. All this movie does is expresses what the director wishes to express through it, and does that very well. Dhobhi Ghat is a love story: a story of four people coming from different worlds, who cross paths in some way or the other, set with the vivid background of Mumbai. It shows the complexity of human emotions and of relationships, and shows that no matter how hard we try, the mind has little control over one’s emotions. The movie portrays a series of subtle day-to-day events in the lives of these characters, and how each event builds a rainbow-full of emotions in them- some of them e...

T here are some movies that are so boring that you leave the auditorium after the intermission and regret having seen even the first half of it. YPD is not one of those movies; it is the kind of movie that you want to leave after the intermission, but would regret if you do. Starring the explosive (with the exception of Bobby) Deols, YPD has been a much awaited movie, especially in the northern half of the country. And as one sits through the first half of the movie hoping for a super-dose of entertainment, all one receives is a super-dose of disappointment and long yawns. The movie starts really slow and focuses too much on the emotional melodrama which seems completely out of place in an over-the-top spoof-like intended-comedy. The first half attempts to build involvement in a story which is almost non-existent, and the one thing that is needed: quality humor and punches, are far and too few to keep one engaged. The real zest of the movie, however, comes up in the second half when th...

Why do we make mistakes when we know that we are going to regret them? Why is it so that the emotion of anger captures our mind so strongly that we have to say things that we know are going to hit back on us later? Almost all of us know when we are cool-headed, that the things said in anger are the most destructive things for us and our relationships. But then, why is it that when we are in rage, we forget our cool-headed philosophy and go on speaking things that we know might be destructive? Is it that anger makes us fearless? When angry, do we lose all the fear of consequences? After all, it is this fear that keeps a common man doing the right things at the right time. For example, no one would kick a big stone lying on the ground. Why? Because of the fear of pain, which is the consequence that kicking the stone would have. But, if we put some anger in this head, the person wouldn’t even think twice before kicking it, despite knowing that it will hurt later on. So, can we say that hi...

Hi my name is Manuj. The few following paragraphs will sum up a brief history of my life. Do not be surprised if you find striking similarities between your life and mine, because if you are like me, then you will probably make the same mistakes in life as I did. Before reading ahead, remember that people who learn from their own mistakes are smart, but smarter are those who learn from someone else’s mistakes. Love is often taken for granted. A research showed that 98% of those people who received love with less or no efforts tend to value it only at times when they have nothing else to do; the rest of the times, they take it for granted. I never valued love in my life as such because I received excess of it without ever demanding for it. Since I was a kid, my parents have loved me with all their heart and done every possible thing I could have expected from them for my happiness. After I grew up, I got the best girlfriend in this world who later on became my wife. She has always loved...

The following is a page from the diary of Prerna Jindal, India’s leading athlete who had won several Olympic medals for the country by the age of 20. She faced her first loss ever in a 400 meters hurdle event on June 18, 2019 during the Apex International Sports meet. July 22, 2020 Dear Diary, Coach Naidu used to say “You win only when you believe that you can win.” I wish he was alive today to rebuild my belief in myself. I have lost everything I had: my will to win, my belief in myself and my happiness. When I was very young, Mummy used to say “There’s nothing in this world that you can do which can change my love for you. I love you, and I will always love you!” I still remember the time when I won my first athletics gold medal in school; mummy smiled at me and hugged me, but she didn’t say a single word of appreciation. After every medal that I won at the Asian Games, Olympics and the Apex Games, while the world applauded at me, mummy just held my hand and smiled wit...

O ne day- a day of my life, like any other day, but a day that holds in it, the essence of life itself. This pleasant morning, as the birds sang sweetly outside the window, I woke up with a smile on my face, with feelings of hope and visions of light pouring through the simple curve that my lips make together. I was all alone in my home, with the brightness of enthusiasm in my eyes, and the confidence of an angel in my mind. The regular yet ‘as freshening as always’ bath was followed by the socially compulsory and personally preferred dressing-up, in the usual black suit. As I put on the coat, the mesmerizing fragrance and divine beauty of the red rose that stood firmly and confidently in my front pocket, close to my heart, caught my attention and created a spellbinding euphoric aura. I stepped out of the house, with the bright sun shining over my head, the fresh morning- air touching my bare hands and cheeks and thereby creating a sensation of extreme freshness, and the view of an...

The human mind is a very powerful organ. I believe that everything a man thinks about in his life might not be real, correct or practical, but is definitely necessary to think about at that moment. And that is how life keeps going. One man’s reality might be other man’s illusion, but there is one common reality, and which I have just learned about. I am Manuj and this is my story. As a child, I was definitely not one of the brightest ones, but I definitely was different, or rather indifferent, or rather mostly confused. Being brought up in a city has its own advantages and disadvantages, and I had been a victim of both the kinds. But being brought up by a loving family definitely cuts it off from the negative side. My parents always took great care of me, the single child, and tried to instill in me all the qualities a good human being must have, and were definitely successful to a large extent. But the real world is a great teacher, and though, to me the real world only meant my ...