Nondescript filmmaker

Saw Beasts of the Southern Wild twice-back to back-yesterday. It is a film I was reluctant to watch. I am not sure why... but shaky camera work had something to do with it. If you watch closely, the close shots are shot with a telephoto lens from far rather than a wide or normal lens from close. That's what makes close shots shaky. I wonder why they decided to shoot like that. Perhaps with telephoto lenses you can create better separation of the subject from the background. You can shoot better with a Steadicam but then you need the budget for it. I loved the film. The story is about a tug of values surrounding need, materialism and survival, quite relevant in today's times. I loved the performances, direction, art direction and make up, which is fairly obvious. But the superb casting, editing and sound design is not so obvious. I was very happy with the sound design and music. It's quite a relief compared to Hans Zimmer's scores. I changed my opinion about the ...

When my young, NEW friend said to me that the earth was flat, I was startled. I asked, "Are you sure? Let's ask some more people. Maybe people furthest away from us. He said, "I don't believe in that." Don't be swayed by me. I cleverly framed my sentence to imply that he was wrong and I was right. I said that He said that the earth was flat. Now you'd easily believe that he was wrong and I was right. But he could've been right too. It is my story and I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt. But that's not important. I said, "Let's look at the present conflict between India and Pakistan for example. How do we know what happened? Who shot the first bullet and why?" His eyes narrowed. He was not going to be convinced easily. He wasn't the first person I met who jumped into his patriotic suit while discussing morality. I was getting at why we (people of both countries) are so lazy about knowing the truth. When does tr...

"It's bad enough my mouth ain't ready to talk yet and... I've got this shit to deal with." Fiffuu, fiffuu, fiffuu, fiffuu. "I wish I could just smack pops for humiliating me with this bloody pair of squeaking shoes."

I don't say this as a problem... I don't remember much beyond yesterday or hope for something that lies ahead. I know I went for a film last evening. Yet I couldn't remember, pat, which one. I had to jog my memory. So in addition to my opening lines, I decided to write 'I don't remember which movie I saw last evening.' Just between that moment and me actually starting to write it down, the face of the actress from last night's film started fading in. I remembered a shot of her in a jungle... a bluish frame... and I immediately remembered the film 'Commando'. Remembering has become a conscious process. Life wasn't like that a couple of years ago. I know because I read (studied) films through a lens of passion. I understood who did what before even seeing the credits. I would know the fulfillment potential of a movie by the mix of artistes and technicians working on it. But now I don't really remember enough to care about it. I would hav...

India's win against the Aussies in the first match of the Border Gavaskar Test series (2013) didn't impress me: Dhoni batted well, Ashwin bowled well, Sachin and Virat Kohli were good. The Sachin-Virat partnership stemmed the mess that Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag had made of the opening partnership. Murali failed in his own backyard-Chennai-where Ashwin succeeded. I don't think Murali has the temperament required to be a good opener. Someone else should be tried in his place. That'll will give our team a chance to find a batsman who can stand up to James Pattinson, the most aggressive and effective bowler in the Australian squad. Until then Murali'll have his chances. Even though Pujara failed in this match, he's proven that he has the necessary temperament as a Test player. But I fear India's inconsistent batsmen will lull him into not realising his potential. He's got ability. But the focus and hunger to be consistent is missing. I want to be r...

I was watching on Youtube an interview by Preity Zinta with Bobby Deol on Up Close and Personal and it reminds of how much I have felt for the Deols all my life.I never want to see anything bad happen to them.  No they are not my family members, so my only introduction to them was through their movies. Actually I was a total Dharmendra fan and it went beyond styling the puff of my hair like him. I even wrote a mail on Amitabh's blog not very long ago. Am not sure what exactly I wrote about but I remember going through the angst of dealing with not wanting to lie that he was my favourite actor because Dharmendra was.  That's how it was. I wanted so badly to see Amitabh's films because it was so much fun-people who saw his movies enjoyed it and the little I got to see was so entertaining.But I wanted to make sure nobody misunderstood who I loved more. So I suppressed my enthusiasm when people around me were gushing.I saw his films till it got terrible. Finally I love fi...

When I got married, I had a tough time calling my father-in-law dad. My father had left an iconic impression in my head. He may not have been the perfect man but a hero nevertheless. His demeanor, his simplicity, his calmness, his soft-spoken nature, his reluctance to be heavy-handed with his children, the warmth and comfort in his embrace, his consistent truthfulness were precious for me. At 59, he died too young for me to seek critical advice in my life. It left a deep hole in my being. So when faced with the prospect of calling my father-in-law 'dad', I couldn't do it. I couldn't see him in my dad's space. And, he didn't like the idea of me calling him uncle. A few times he asked me why I wouldn't call him dad. I tried to explain what my dad meant to me and how difficult it was for me to call him with the same name. It didn't cut any ice with him. And, I could sense that it was causing him pain. That was not my intention and I knew I had to work ...

It's going to be a short post... I think. If you're an Indian, who grew up in my time in India, chances are that the word Maya would be part of your primary articulation.  But that does not imply it was discussed, debated or shared seriously at any community forum-family gatherings, school, neighbourhood, religious community or amongst friends. People around me understood Maya in the western and materialistic sense as an illusion. Like others my introduction to Maya were through the Indrajal comics, where you had plenty of mythologies and stories of magic among others. For example, a king cobra's hood appears above the head of a sleeping man and he is declared a king. Now comes the magnificent trick of the Indian mind. It wasn't real but it happened in the story. So did it happen or not? For me, it both existed. I suspect the West doesn't struggle or deal with such paradoxes. Santa Claus either exists or he doesn't.  Maya , I believe, isn't a w...