20 Names in Cinema

I often lie that I can never run out of ideas as I’m too lazy to run. But this stupid joke doesn’t help me much, especially when it comes to blogging. My mind is mostly blank and I dread clicking on the “New Post” option. But today I’ve come up with something related to my first love. Cinema.

I’ve compiled a list of 20 of my favouritest movies, in no particular order. It’s impossible to pluck just 20 names when there are thousands out there, equally befitting and deserving. Anyway, when it comes to movies, writing/typing is always a pain; true to my very own adage “Watching is the easiest thing to do after sleeping!”

I’ve tried to pick up movies from across the world cinema. For the record, these movies (and many more) shaped me into the deformity that I am today. I won’t be revealing too much of the movie plot and spoil the joy for you.

By the way, this post is dedicated to my dearest Moni who inspired me into writing this post and somehow helped in updating my usually dormant blog.

Okay, here we go!

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1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

There is a reason why this movie has been at the top of IMDb list for such a long period of time and is in no imminent danger of getting replaced by something else. This movie has everything one can hope for. Good script, great casting, strong storyline…everything. The story is set in a prison and shows us how human fortitude can overcome time and defeat hopelessness. Hats off to everyone associated with this gem. And if you haven’t watched this movie, you don’t qualify as human.

2. Stalker (1979)

Whenever I mention Andrey Tarkovskiy, people usually go ‘huh?’ and that’s a gigantic shame. On us. Here is the movie and the director himself who literally segued direction with cinematography. He, like many masters of cinema, changed the way we look at our screens. Stalker is like an expansive canvas of dreams converting into reality. It covers almost everything out there to behold and lets us close our eyes and go back to dreams, for a change.

3. Fight Club (1999)

This champ is a poetry in commotion. The intensity with which it seeps into your psyche and troubles you is beyond words. Its rich philosophy and in-your-face dialogues shake the very fundamentals of whatever you hitherto believed in. A super book converted into a superb movie doesn’t happen very often but FC is a happy exception. There are many who became insomniac after watching this movie. Anyway, it isn’t a mere movie. It’s a cult, for all the obvious reasons.

4. The Woman in the Dunes (1964)

We all want to escape and we all want to get trapped. What if you escape into a trap? And what if the trap becomes an escape again? Not sure? Then watch this one. That’s exactly what happens in this Japanese masterpiece. The emotions conveyed will stay with you till amnesia takes over or kingdom come.

5. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

This Argentine thriller is epic from the word go. Though the movie revolves around a crime, every character is so interlinked to all the human aspects be it expression, deception, sacrifice or redemption. This is one of the finest Spanish movies I’ve ever seen. It’s impossible to remember the entire movie no matter how many times you watch it. We are only capable of remembering few beloved scenes. For me, the final moments of this beauty is simply unforgettable.

6. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Martin Scorsese smuggled mafia into Hollywood and made some of the finest mafiosi movies but this Italian comical drama has nothing to do with that. On the contrary, this one reeks of nostalgia. It’s about a small kid who is madly in love with cinema and eventually becomes an acclaimed director. You’ll fall in love with cinema, if nothing else. Well, personally, I relate to the kid and I’m sure most of you will. You better watch it.

7. Anand (1971)

Bollywood and I don’t get along very well but then I can’t deny the existence of some marvelous work of art in golden olden days and Anand is definitely one of them. It’s about a guy detected with terminal disease but is too bubbly to fade away with despair. This movie is a salute to undying human spirit. Almost every single dialogue is meticulously intertwined with the flow of the movie. In other words, Anand was way ahead of its time. And still is.

8. Hunger (1966)

To be honest, Danish movies are not always appealing, if you cut out Dogme. But this classic is way above par and one of the most poignant yet engaging experiences of all time. Sad movies often leave you depressed but this one won’t. It will raise your appetite for respectful cinema like never before. You will relate to the character and his struggles even though he is not you.

9. A Clockwork Orange (1962)

I better not say anything about this cinematic rebel. No, seriously.

10. Amélie (2001)

French with their rich names and substance know how to make a movie and Amélie is one such glaring example of it. A story about a good-hearted girl who helps in sorting out other people’s life but has very little idea on how to sort out her own. Beautiful is the word.

11. Children of Heaven (1997)

Often called the best children's movie of all time. And it has nothing to do with animation. Iranian cinema is famous for churning out society-centric movies. This one deals with the innocent relationship between a boy and his sister. The boy has made a promise to his sister and wants to keep it at all cost, even at the cost of losing. Cute is the word for this one. Long live Iranian Cinema!

12. Downfall (2004)

This German movie captures Hitler's final days. One thing that strikes after watching this movie is HOW COME GERMANS' MAKING SUCH GREAT MOVIES? EUROPEAN CINEMA WAS ALL ABOUT FRENCH NOIR! HOW COME THEY ARE IMPROVING BY LEAPS AND BOLLYWOOD BOUNDING DOWN BY DEEPS?

13. Into the Wild (2007)

All young hearts dream of breaking off from the society and moving to a jungle or some faraway land and build a hermit of peace. The character in this modern masterpiece tries exactly the same. And dies in the process. Premature. Emile Hirsch is the one-man army in the entire movie and Sean Penn did a commendable job behind the camera.

14. A Bittersweet Life (2005)

Korean movies are famous for their rawness. Bittersweet Life will take you through cinema’s history with lots of scenes paying respect to the old masters of filmmaking. The movie is about a I-don’t-give-a-damn guy who is torn between his unassuming love for a girl and loyalty to his boss. There are many other Korean pearls like “Old Boy” and but I chose this one for selfish reasons.

15. In the Name of God (2007)

This was the first (and till-date, only) Pakistani movie I ever watched and it was just remarkable. With an international casting and story so relevant in today’s Islamophobic world, it cut through many issues that modern as well as not-so-modern Muslim world face on a daily basis, post 9/11.

16. In the Mood for Love (2000)

Magic is the word. Kar Wai Wong is the name to reckon. Love is just an excuse.

17. The Man from Earth (2007)

Independent movies usually don’t witness independence. They mostly get lost in the path due to weak promotion and weaker distribution but TMFE was quite different. It made its present felt thanks to its unprecedented success among torrents users and became a sensation on internet. Thankfully, the movie was worth the hype. In fact, its out-of-the-box storyline was a subtle killer. In a good way.

18. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Jack Nicholson as we know today doesn’t like to share screen. He believes in devouring the entire frame for himself. In this classic about sanity and insanity and chasm separating them, we see young Jack doing exactly the same but with subtlety. The movie is one of the finest movies on the correlation between freedom, humanity and mental problems.

19. In Bruges (2008)

In Bruges is a dark movie which deals with guilt, promise and love. You will watch this one again and again. The dialogues keeps pace with wits. Story is strong. Acting fulfilling. And background music won’t haunt you.

20. Angela's Ashes (1999)

One of the finest Irish-theme movies. An impoverished family trying to survive bad days and how its affects everyone in the house, especially the eldest son who is also the narrator of the movie, is beautifully woven into one simple, heart-warming story.

21. Dil Chahta Hai (2001)

20 is NEVER enough. Though I've already mentioned my dislike for failing Bollywood standards, i'd rather make an exception here. This movie literally kick-started the entire GenNext Bollywood era with its free-spirited urbane middle class colour. Spunky storyline with measured mix of joy and sadness and lessons in life in between. Just like "Andaz Apna Apna" is synonymous with humour in Bolly, this movie is the preface of neo-modern Hindi cinema.

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Needless to say, it's impossible to have do justice to the list. As expected, I missed on a lot of my favourites like The Big Lebowski, Se7en, Godfather Trilogy, LOTR Trilogy, Goodfellas and Martin Sorcesee’s geniuses as well as Woody Allen’s verbosity and of course Tarantino’s eccentricity and THOUSAND more!

I have respect for those who have disrespect for cheap cinema. And this post is just a token of appreciation to some of the finest out there.

On a side note, I had a job to do. I had to update my blog. And I’m running out of ideas, you see?

Weekend Saga!

For all the weekdays' pain, weekend is worth the wait. This is the time of the week when you start believing in the world-is-a-nice-place shit. But once it arrives, you are as clueless as the moon in the sky. You want to make the best of it considering the fact that it is too little, too precious. After all, two days can’t stand against five days, democratically speaking.

Yet, you want to make it worthwhile with your plans and whatnot. You don’t want to lose it for nothing. Some go holidaying, some visit their friends and relatives, some treat themselves with luxury and some just sleep and watch movies. By the way, I belong to the last category. And my excuse is utter lethargy to try anything that has to do with stepping out of the door. Let’s just say, I’m lazy against my wish on weekends and hardworking against my wish on weekdays. Wishful life, yes.

Well, most of us believe in the liberation weekend stands for. And lot more. But not all of us end up good with the allotted time before a reality called Monday steps in. Moreover, Saturday and Sunday always seems to be in a hurry. Time plots a conspiracy against us poor proles. After all, weekdays are never appears to be in a rush to commit suicide or hebdomadal resurrection.

When I was in school, Sunday meant a lot to me. Today, I can’t figure out when exactly Saturday ends and Sunday begins and Monday sneaks. Most of the blame will squarely fall on my godforsaken graveyard shift job. If you don’t sleep well during working days, you’ll be narcoleptic during weekend and won’t even care about losing free time on dreamland. And when you wake up, there’ll be hardly anything to do other than log onto social networking sites or watch movie after movie after movie. You just don’t care anymore and start pretending there are worse things in life than not knowing what to spend your weekends on.

Yes, you can get productive too. Like visit a salon and get a bad haircut or something. And then wonder whether your haircut is more boring than your weekend.

See, frankly, these are losers’ talk. A brainful person won’t bury oneself under huge expectations. S/he will simply enjoy the weekend in the best possible way.

The bottom-line is they won’t crib on lost time when they go back to work on Monday whereas for the apathetic idiots, the only highlight of their weekend will be spending more time on Twitter or Facebook or other Internet boons. But then again, you can’t judge the social networkers by the time they spent on tweeting or facebooking. To be fair, with every passing weekend, trying to convince yourself life doesn't suck depends entirely on your mind. Nothing else.

Do you feel a sharp ting in your head? If yes, its enlightenment. If not, enjoy your weekend.

Poems.

mute lanes
I’ve seen some places
where dreams are sold
tears are bargained
smiles are stored,
where hopes are built
aims dropped and prayers failed
like a smile shroud in darkness too
like hearts do
nowhere to escape, nowhere to go
with nothing left to prove,
peaceful days are all left behind
once you cross this line
call it a bliss or a curse
never again you'll find yourself sane,
these words are just a drop
of endless stories untold;
I’ve seen some places
where dreams are sold.


wish was there a world
Wish was there a world
with no boundaries to share
no borders to cross
no anthems to sing
no false glorious tales to remember
no cold songs to render
no paper to buy or sell
no coins to make a sound
no tears wasted on time,
where hatred paid no fear
or wrongs had a way of its own
none lost in rage or pride
no lines drawn between genders,
colors to celebrate, not to discriminate
lifeless' life in art
nature to love and be loved,
no wars to run, no leaders shunned
no bullets to eat, no worries to meet
kids will smile on our streets.

Burmese Connections

OK. This is historical. No, I’m not talking about Obama’s India visit. I’m referring to Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest in Myanmar. And with her release comes the freedom to imagine democracy and all the goodness that it supposedly promises. She was awarded Nobel Peace Prize 20 years ago and has been mostly under arrest since for raising her voice against dictatorship that engulfs her nation even today.

When Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in Robben Island prison and then went on to become the first black President of South Africa, there was worldspread jubilation. The reason was pretty simple. Here was a man who with his strong convictions and non-violent methods led a nation against apartheid. And today, looking at the way South Africa is holding a prominent place on geopolitical canvas, one can conclude that it was worth such a long struggle.

Suu Kyi’s devotion to her cause has been timeless but her release doesn’t contain the magnitude Mandela’s did. She has a long way to go now. Military junta is in no mood to concede power and let democracy flourish. That isn’t going to happen too soon but every positive sign is welcome and her cherished democratic voice behooves aspiration, not only in Asia but also across the planet. No wonder, everyone from POTUS to U.K. PM expressed their happiness and are looking forward to concrete political transformation.

It’s pretty obvious by now that Indian government don’t give a damn about democracy in Myanmar. Our foreign minister’s restrained comment on Suu Kyi’s release speaks volume of the catch-22 we are in. Of course, we’ve got our foreign policies too, which keenly demands closer ties with the infamous junta who apparently ensure us security cooperation on North-East front. But we shouldn’t overlook at the sentiments here. After all, its not about some cheap thrill baam-boom photo-op leader. We are talking about a lady who was once handed a choice between her ailing husband abroad and her nation. She chose the latter.

After attaining independence, India was a nation full of issues but had morality at the right place – on top. As of today, we are still in the thick of gigantic problems but our priorities are not the same. In spite of Myanmar being our instant neighbor, we haven’t extended the support Suu Kyi’s fight deserves and needs.

India is the world’s largest functioning democracy and it’s a shame to see ourselves dragging feet on core human rights issues. We can always escape debate by pointing towards domestic shortcomings but for a nation aspiring to be in-the-not-so-distant-future superpower, its time we got our moral math right.

Stop playing dice with paradise!

By all accounts, J&K has become a nerve-wrecking problem for all the stakeholders in that region right from the Kashmiris themselves to the mechanical arrangements that involves India and Pakistan in this long and complex arena of conflicts, apathy, pathos and despair.

It’d be very lucid to say anything about ‘K’ without addressing the evolution of this state. Kashmir has been a lingering issue that should have been resolved way back. I agree India has failed Kashmir. Pakistan too has. They have failed to address people’s concerns. It has rather become fashionable to speak over the ownership rights of this disputed land. Grandiosity from both side of the border steals the limelight while addressing people directly takes a back burner. No wonder, empty rhetoric is what is left on the table.

When the British finally decided to relinquish the Indian subcontinent, they were discussing about how the future state/s would take place. Various ideas right from creation of nations on the basis of language, basic culture, region & religion emerged. Of all the factors, religion became the ultimate criterion.

Though the Indian subcontinent boasted of nearly all-existing world religions right from the Indic beliefs of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism & Sikhism to Abrahamic yet Indianised versions of Islam, Christianity & Judaism as well. Considering social passions, it was decided to include Islam and ‘the rest’ as primary dividing factors and thus, the modern states of multi-religious India and largely Muslim Pakistan got created.

But some regions became a thorn for resolution, primarily, the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir. Kashmir being a Muslim majority area was claimed by Pakistan for obvious reasons whereas India’s claims rested on ‘accession’ agreement signed between the Maharaja of J&K and the Indian government. It also needs to be pointed that though Pakistan was proclaiming itself as the homeland for sub-continental Muslims, even then, the modern partitioned India had more Muslims in entirety than Pakistan.

Also, Pakistan’s convictions further deteriorated when its eastern wing got separated to form the present independent nation of Bangladesh. The struggle for independent B’desh from united ‘Islamic Republic of Pakistan’ was on linguistic basis and not religion as cornerstone. It somehow proved that religion couldn’t always be a cohesive factor.

Now coming back to ‘K’.

More than 60 years have died giving birth to this problem as it is, and still we are running in political circles. People who’ve been following Kashmir can easily vouch for the fact that not all is well in paradise. Sadly, it is burning. And I suppose people with a benevolent heart and mind would feel pained to witness their agony and would like to see an end to their sufferings. Kashmiris themselves are tired and are demanding ‘Azaadi’. ‘Azaadi’ from the daily humiliation they go through and ‘Azaadi’ to live in a functional society with pristine atmosphere. After all, it’s a basic right for every breathing human being.

No one likes Army or, for that matter, any non-civilian body interrupting daily course of life, and that too on a weak hint of suspicion. And it’s a naked secret that defense forces have used coercion and violation at a drop of hat.

Having said that, playing devil’s advocate, what I don’t understand about voices coming from the Valley with statements such as “Kashmiri society and Indian society are different” and that “Kashmiri culture and Indian culture varies”.

My questions are - What is Indian culture? Can anyone define Indian culture? Is India too homogenous to assimilate Kashmir influence within its society and national frame? Can you identify any single aspect (say language/religion/culture) and declare it’s truly Indian and rest as not?

On the contrary, Indian society is a vast and diverse phenomenon. India’s diversity is capable of holding variety of interests and ideas even when conflicting each other eventually leading to broad based assimilation. Can’t beautiful Kashmir fit into exotic India? Don’t you think of all the existing options for Kashmir its continuance, as part of India would be a crown for its own welfare as well as for an idea called India?

Normality must return to Valley, at the earnest. We all agree. But what after that? A permanent solution must yield taking all the relevant factors into consideration. People who have long reneged on their Kashmiri identity in favor of power should keep their mouth shut and mind open. They are misleading the masses into false utopian beliefs. It will be nothing more than a farce and eventually too late to reconcile with truth. Arrogant Army powers must be severely amended, if not repealed completely. Crime is a crime and that applies to everyone. Shopian rape case showed how fragile the judiciary is in J&K. The culprits were not held accountable for their misdeeds. It was blindfolded Themis that went to trial and acrimoniously disrobed. Events as such shouldn’t be allowed to repeat.

And yes, there is an undeniable gap between mainland Indians and people in the northernmost state. Lack of communication has been a huge deterrent. Tourism in J&K, which helped a lot in fostering economy, goodwill and camaraderie was, no wonder, attacked by the secessionist/terrorist elements. As long as people-to-people connect is absent, all other efforts will only be on paper. If we want to call a country with 28 states, then we better not act like a 27 states nation. Interestingly, Bollywood of the past glorified Kashmir as a tourist destination, but today, even it prefers Swiss Alps.

My post here reeks of parochialism and I can’t do anything about it for a very simple reason: I am an Indian. My nation was built on common aspirations, common dreams and a search for common identity. We weren’t forced to shout “I am an Indian” at any point of time. The sense of Indianness trickles from our heart no matter whichever state we belong to or whatever tongue we speak. Yes, we are facing problems in the form of poverty, Naxalism, corruption and whatnot but talking of secession of Kashmir, I don’t think it helps the case.

India has a timeless history of tolerance. Even today, we tolerate a lot. But frankly, toleration of sedition is one thing and secession, another. We don’t have to look weak. All we have to do is be right and right now, we are far from right. We are in the middle of somewhere.

Prosperous Jammu & Kashmir, Progressive India and South Asian haleness should be the ultimate aim.

Monday blues?

Every once in a while, you ask yourself irritating questions like “Why do my life suck?” and “Where did I go wrong?” and to add injury to insult, you are answerless. The irritation grows on you and you are numb. By the way, all the aforementioned happens mostly on Sunday night, once the weekend is over and the reality called Monday starts to kick in. Don’t know about others but in my case, its cent percent true.

All through the weekdays, we slog. The minuscule few among us will dare to commit blasphemy by admitting lines like “I love my job”. Well, they’ve got good karma to lean their back on. The majority of us with our overburdening baggage of bad thoughts, bad words and bad deeds are meant to do what we do best – sulk.

I often ask myself the second question, “Where did I go wrong?” because there is no pointing asking the first question. Frankly speaking, I have no idea. As a kid, I was lost in the cartoon world and my hero was none other than Mowgli. I wanted to be like him. The funny thing is I still do. I’ve never been a people’s person. I just hate being in a crowd. I guess I think a lot and do lot less. Maybe it has something to do with Mowgli. He grew up with wild animals around him. He did what no one in the history of humankind did, at least not in Indian jungle: he talked to animals. I mean, like he knew animalian language. That was something I wanted to do. Being a human, you can climb Mt. Everest or dribble like Ronaldinho or serve like Federer or goof-up like Kalmadi but you can’t talk to animals, like really “speak” to them. Forget it. I know Mowgli sounds far-stretched but you get the point.

Well, the thing is, we gradually grow up with societal conditioning that comes free of cost but very taxing in the long run. We stop being original. People around us want us to look up to someone for inspiration. No one tells you to look at yourself, to find the real YOU. Apparently, the elders play safe. Having seen the hardship of life, they want their kids to grow up safe and sound (no matter how deafening the reality is!).

Just imagine how the world could have been had no one of us abandoned our childhood dreams behind. People often give up their dreams and then call themselves ‘practical’. Nothing wrong with being practical but practical zombie is what we become. Life becomes mundane. Everything becomes scheduled. Routine takes over.

My dad left his village and escaped to Bombay in ’60 (the very year modern B’bay took birth) at the age of 13 but he wasn’t chasing dreams. He was just tired of being punished in school for he knew he wasn’t up for education. Compared to me with my so-called education, his life has been something. Something to cherish for in days to come, with tales of endurance and endeavor in almost every step he took since. If only we are courageous, as we once used to be. Or maybe not.

I’ve got nothing against education. People high on adrenaline may say education makes us feeble and coward but I don’t think so. On the contrary, I believe education makes us accountable for our actions, or the lack of it. But somewhere down the line, our education is falling short, way too short of its potential.

People around us are fading away and we see it happening every single day but we don’t stop and stare lest someone does the same to us. We are in a hurry to make money and whatnot. It’s like being a race where no one is a winner but someone or the other is a foolproof loser.

Novelty entails boredom and the cycle carries on till it crashes. I’m waiting for this materialistic bubble to burst and make such a loud noise that it can shudder us out of our slumber. I'll be in Ladakh or maybe Tamang by then. Hopefully.

As of now, I’ll be slogging too. Hello Monday, nice to meet you again.

Leadershit

Why do you need leader(s)? Can't we function on an individual basis? How does leadership differ at political level? Where does the solution lie for political apathy?

These are questions. And I don't have the answers. At least, I thought so.

Firstly, whenever the question of assuming a leader and then following him/her comes up, we sense a sigh of relief, for various reasons. The biggest reason could be the anointment of a person who could be charged responsible; if at all something goes wrong. I know that sounds a bit cynical but let's take a chance with cynicism for a change. See, we humans are just like any another animal in groups. In other words, we are a herd and we require steering. And that's exactly where a leader comes in. S/He makes sure the herd is given direction and we are not talking about right or wrong or lame direction here. We are just getting into the mindset of how one accepts another human being as a leader. It could be plain stupidity on the hoi polloi's side or superior intellect on the leader's side, sometimes parlayed by the leader's cronies.

Secondly, individuality is much stronger than leadership. The leaders themselves are individuals at grass root level. The concept of leadership peculiarly pertains to urban life. In rural areas, the idea of leadership is gradually catching up; the reason being family orientation and self-sustenance, be it in life or produce. Villagers are known for working together. They help out each other on agrarian and related issues without conforming to the norm of leadership. Here, a person is designated a job and s/he does it with will. The standard of execution may not be ratified but everyone involved are accountable to each other. The success can be at an individual level, not necessarily at leadership level only. Art can make a good case study for individual progress.

Thirdly, in politics, the concept of leadership changes a bit. Here, the role of a leader gets mysteriously curtailed to the interest of the party s/he belongs to. It's easy to dismiss politics as a corruptible institution but there are some inherent home truths to face too. There is a difference between a politician and a leader. Not every politician can successfully transcend into a leader. The days of Gandhis are gone. 

Today we have less of leaders and more of dealers. The alphabet remains put but a little anagram and the meaning changes. We are in for a bitter reality and the funny thing is we don't find it bitter anymore. We are sort of immune to the political idiocy. If a leader in a corporate company isn't performing well, it exhibits his lack of authority over his team-members. The blame could either solely rest on the leader or the members or both. The bottom-line is, all are accountable. In politics, we never get to peek through the veneer of the structure and hence the only person we get to pinpoint is the one at the top – the pseudo-leaders.

Fourthly, participation in political process is the key. We can keep playing the blame game but that won't work, in the long run. Our country is presently what it is today just because our leaders are not what they should be and neither are the citizens. We need to know our enemies before we go to battle. In this case, though, the enemy could be our strongest friend. Yes, I'm talking about our scam-laced politicians. If only we monitor the white-clothed people who flock to our doors before election time, things can improve a lot. If only the politicians realize that we'll not only be looking at their report card but also their progress (or prognosis). We cannot fool ourselves by believing the politicians won't run for office just because he can't run the office. They are worse. It's like a disease and needs cure. And the best part is, it's not that tough. All we have to do is be conscious and use the power endowed on us by the Constitution and use RTI. Yeah, it's easier said than done but someday we'll get tired of saying.

Leaders who can't run the country ruin the country. As simple as that.