4 months 3 weeks 2 days

This was again an excellent movie. A very stark look at unpleasant realities. Similar in treatment with the movie 'Jaffa'. It looks like this kind of style is seen a lot in 'Cannes' movies. The ending was striking too - an abrupt ending which gives you the feeling that when you see a simple everyday scene of two girls at a restaurant table , they might be at the end of as horrendous story as this one or whatever else.

It is not an everyday theme. Again based out of real situation. Reality is much much more creative than what an imagination can bring about. This held true here too. Reality happens like that - too spontaneous for perfection. If someone is imagining a story, he needs to think/ tends to think about ifs and buts and loses the spontaneity in the process.

I liked the way the movie presents so many details that are not really relevant to the movie. Till about half an hour of the movie, you don't even know what the movie is about. That is how life is too, while you are struggling with your cancer , the person sitting in the bus next to you is worried sick about how to arrange money for his daughter's wedding and a young couple somewhere else is in trance.

So you see a lot of this and that and suddenly the story grips you. It is a romanian film and you don't know the sensibilities of Romanians. You don't know how a romanian takes this kind of a situation. So you are always playing the guessing game. There is a dinner scene in the movie where ten people or so are having a dinner at her boyfriend's mother's dinner party as she is disconnected with other deeper troubles. It is a long scene and is very impressive. You sense her discomfort to a disturbing extent.

You have no pattern to follow that you can say that earlier since this happened, now this would happen etc. You have seen very very insignificant things happening suddenly and you have also been sprung with huge surprises - so you don't know what comes next and it is not in terms of suspense. You are completely involved in the movie all along and you are concerned about the protagonist.The use of sound is impactful too - so many things have been conveyed through excellent use of sound.

Motor Cycle Diaries

Based on 'Che Guevera's' youth before he became 'Che' , it is a tale of a man's becoming. It is a portrayal of real events. I still have a lump on my throat from the emotion in the movie. I think the indigenous people are the one most affected by the current scheme of things which is hugely based on education-based skills developed for industries.The indigenous with minimal education has little scope in such a context.

I can relate to Alfredo(Che)'s longing to have one united south america - his all encompassing approach towards everyone in the south america as his own people. He is not saying that from his philosophical thinking , he is telling it from his heart. His earnestness is so moving. I also admire his honesty and boldness. He is so soft at heart but at the same time very very bold and very very honest.

There is saathvik advice that says you need to work to find out your life's mission and then live it. We know how Che has lived. Motor cycle diaries shows the homework.I don't really know what to write - I just know that I still have the lump on my throat.May be I should mention the scene where Che swims across the river from the section where the doctors stay to the section where the leprosy patients stay because having finished his birthday celebrations from the doctors' camp , he wanted to do the same from the patients' camp and on the same night as well and he has to swim the width of the river and he is allergic to water.

That is one important piece - the inspiration part of it. This movie is very inspiring. It inspires you to follow your heart. It creates a longing in you. A life based out of passion - not based out of work schedules. Che was from a well-to-do background and he had a loving family with him too. He decides to sacrifice these for the greater good and the things that he wanted to do. He went around , saw things , did not like injustices around, had the balls to act against them and plunged himself completely into this mission. That is what he did, may be, somewhere along the line, he might have made mistakes.

Kahaani(2012) Theatre

I know why this film was named Kahaani. First they wrote a story, then they said given this Kahani, let us write a Kahani around this Kahani and then another Kahani around the Kahani around Kahani. They decided to call the movie also 'Kahaani'.

What struck most was the love of Calcutta that the film maker has. Looks like he has done an independent shoot of the city's charms and has edited and mixed these later into the scenes as fillers. This aspect is very striking and has a lasting impact.

The final story line is interesting too but I know that the excitement that the movie offered is going to soon become pointless. I am much less excited about the movie now than 2 hours back when I walked out of the theatre. Calcutta and the plot was very good. The film fails at integrating the emotions into the movie. Here and there, pieces of emotions like seeds in an orange that you are better off spitting out.For current times mainstream cinema, it is an excellent movie though.

Film also fails in it's characterizations to a big extent where people portrayed as kingpins do the dumbest things.

It is definitely worth a one time theatre watch. You don't lose your money for sure. Yes, some things might not work very well with you but lots of things will. The 'EkLa Chalo Re' rendering by Shri Amitabh Bachchan is a great ending to the movie and reinforces the film maker's passion for Calcutta.That is the strongest thread in the movie and I have been to Calcutta just once and in my schooldays.

Jaffa - 2009

The realism. The complexity of the plot and inspite of the complexity, the movie had good integrity. Amazing acting. Sat through rooted to my seat as if I was watching a thriller and I can't even remember which thriller.

The love. Most of the characters are very mature and portray largeness of heart. Inspite, there are certain differences that you just can't break. These get built into the psyche purely based on your circumstance. The racial hostility between a jew and an arab makes sense to a jew and an arab but not to an indian.

The actors. There were so many actors who have done excellent excellent work. The Arab, the nonchalance with which he performs, he almost looks like he strayed into the camera field without knowing. The way he comes out of jail and his expression changes as he sees his brothers. None of the theatrics, just a smile. The father has done a great job. The mother. The sister. The brother - every one. To me, there is no actor in the movie except may be the Arab's mother and sister.

The direction is excellent too. I think most of the movie is shot in low lighting. The setting is also very dry. The movie felt so real, It could pass off as a documentary.However, there were challenging shots for actors to perform too. It was great story telling - uncomplicated technique. The viewer is given full time to appreciate the situation. It is not like those hollywood movies where one whacky dialogue you miss , you miss the plot and then you go back and admire - oh what a tricky way to convey. Nonsense. This one was direct. Dil Se.

You can feel the warmth of the relationships inspite of the fact that no elaborate situation has been built artificially to convey this.