There are few actors, whose voice I have admired for some time. Some of them are Robin williams, Josh hartnet, Matt damon, Heath ledger, Alan rickman and George clooney. Besides his appearance Clooney's voice is certainly a strong aspect of his personality and he puts it to maximum effect in this movie "Up in the air". This movie starts with a sound track that sounds almost similar to Sade's "Smooth operator" and proceeds at a leisure pace.
It gives you the feel that you have peeked into the protagonist's life for about two hours. His initial state; his lifestyle his views about love,marriage and life etc all are presented in a nutshell right at the beginning of the movie with excellent blend of visuals and his voice over. He is a guy who is disinclined towards any sort of commitment and vehemently vouches for it. In this scenario in comes two characters (of course they are ladies) who are like poles apart in their approach to life. One is a young girl who joins the same firm as that of George clooney and the second one is a middle aged woman who develops a casual relationship with him. All three's expectations, aspirations and emotions travel through a maze in which their careers their social equations all go for a toss. The beauty is all the above are set against the backdrop of the recession hit economy.
No where this movie is judgmental nor patronising. It beautifully depicts the inertia inside one's mind towards change and in subsequent frames the pain and agony associated with that change. The dialogues are top notch and if I were an important member of the academy I would certainly handover the golden statuette for best adapted screenplay to whoever the screen writer is. Though the situations are neither extraordinary nor unexpected, the dialogues and acting take all the scenes onto to a different plane. In the end though it doesn't have a conventional ending, one would have got a fair idea of what the movie was all about "Change". It leaves us where we come to realise the changes in the lives of the characters till then and then accepting that their lives will again change subsequently even after the end credits roll. In a nutshell no adrenaline pumping action, no over the top reactions but excellent concoction of emotion and present society's aberrations.(TR's touch. How is it?)
Verdict: Wanna bitter, sweet feeling? Watch this!!!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The run machine!
Sports history was made yesterday when our Sachin tendulkar made an unbeaten 200* in a ODI. Since then everywhere it has been a festive atmosphere. It appeared that everybody won a million rupees in jackpot. It's one of those occasions where more than the person who achieves a feat, the persons surrounding him, or the persons who know him feel happier hovering on the verge of ecstasy. Well one more case where the pursuit of excellence resulted in what was thought to be an unattainable success. What is it that makes everybody from the President of India to a coffee boy in my office to take pride in an achievement which is not of their own? What makes an entire nation as diverse as ours, forget all their troubles ranging from an irritating boss to Indo-Pak border dispute to revel in a sense of achievement in unison? I tend to believe that we are happy more when someone achieves something extraordinary than something really good happening to us. Now this is an enigma which needs to be unraveled.
It seems that achievements like the one which Sachin accomplished, shows what sincerity, hard work, determination and endurance can achieve whatever is humanly achievable, thus by pushing further the horizons of human potential. This instills strength and a sense of hope that one can do greater things if one sticks to ones passion and sincerely try to attain it. Sachin's achievement is not 200 runs but showcasing the fruits of qualities such as sincerity, hard work, determination and endurance and giving us hope that something can be achieved and instilling strength within us to achieve the same. These qualities are neither limited to any particular field nor by any age bar. This is the secret why the president of India and the office boy from my office could both relate to. This is how this enigma has been unraveled. :-)
It seems that achievements like the one which Sachin accomplished, shows what sincerity, hard work, determination and endurance can achieve whatever is humanly achievable, thus by pushing further the horizons of human potential. This instills strength and a sense of hope that one can do greater things if one sticks to ones passion and sincerely try to attain it. Sachin's achievement is not 200 runs but showcasing the fruits of qualities such as sincerity, hard work, determination and endurance and giving us hope that something can be achieved and instilling strength within us to achieve the same. These qualities are neither limited to any particular field nor by any age bar. This is the secret why the president of India and the office boy from my office could both relate to. This is how this enigma has been unraveled. :-)
Friday, February 19, 2010
What a life!!!!
Ever contemplated how our lives are shaping up? Ever given a thought about the path we are treading? Ever wondered where all those years after we graduated have gone? Recently I indulged in this endeavour of trying to answer these questions. Don't ask me if I have that much free time. That's another topic altogether. Coming back to those questions, I got lost in thought while I was thinking (ofcourse it's an uncharted territory. What else do you expect? :-). Some time later lot of random thoughts flooded my mind. It seemed they are all random at first glance, but after carefully revisiting them made me realise one essential but always neglected and ignored fact which is our uncanny inclination to stress, strain and sorrow or in other words our reluctance to be content, happy and peaceful. I guess our approach to life is fundamentally wrong. I will tell you why.
Normally we think with our brains and act with our hearts not realising that it should be the other way round. Let me give an example. We can consider our own careers. In school days we would have had some idea of what we want to become in our lives, which career to pursue etc. This is what our hearts want. We should have directed all our efforts towards achieving it. But in no time that gets suppressed. We start to think with our brains like which job would give me a good salary? how much salary is enough to manage my family, to repay my EMI? and compel our hearts to set into that mould. From that point onwards it's a downward spiral in our lives with all the uncontrollable emotions taking control of the rest of our lives. We start working because we have to and not because we want to. There's a name for the one who has to work irrespective of his or her willingness or under compulsion, and that name is 'slave'. We drag our lives working, because we have to and not because we want to.
The moment we stop working like slaves and begin working like masters, that's the moment worth spending our lives for. For that too we have to work. But as Swami Vivekananda says "Work is seldom sweet. It's only when love greases its wheels that it runs smoothly. It's a constant friction otherwise". So it's better to work like a master, relax a moment, replenish our vital resources with love that doesn't cost a thing and get back to work, because there's nothing else for us to do in here. If we get this right, it could well make us shout "What a life!" at the end of our physical lives.
Normally we think with our brains and act with our hearts not realising that it should be the other way round. Let me give an example. We can consider our own careers. In school days we would have had some idea of what we want to become in our lives, which career to pursue etc. This is what our hearts want. We should have directed all our efforts towards achieving it. But in no time that gets suppressed. We start to think with our brains like which job would give me a good salary? how much salary is enough to manage my family, to repay my EMI? and compel our hearts to set into that mould. From that point onwards it's a downward spiral in our lives with all the uncontrollable emotions taking control of the rest of our lives. We start working because we have to and not because we want to. There's a name for the one who has to work irrespective of his or her willingness or under compulsion, and that name is 'slave'. We drag our lives working, because we have to and not because we want to.
The moment we stop working like slaves and begin working like masters, that's the moment worth spending our lives for. For that too we have to work. But as Swami Vivekananda says "Work is seldom sweet. It's only when love greases its wheels that it runs smoothly. It's a constant friction otherwise". So it's better to work like a master, relax a moment, replenish our vital resources with love that doesn't cost a thing and get back to work, because there's nothing else for us to do in here. If we get this right, it could well make us shout "What a life!" at the end of our physical lives.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Love is in the air!
This may seem a bit late to talk about love; 3 days after the Valentine's day, but as I believe any time is a good time to talk about love if not to show it. Moreover there's this saying that everything is fair in love and war, in which I would like to consider only the former one, letting myself to be deliberately ignorant of the later part.
When one hears the word "Love" one usually associates it with the relationship between a man and a woman who are romantically inclined. All other forms of love either don't make it to the top of our charts or worse, we simply ignore. So more in line with the current context of Valentine's day, let's delve deep into this form of love.
In my opinion this form of love is primarily due to the result of biological programming in all living things of this world. It's like a timer which gets enabled the time one is born with an "if" condition that gets activated at the age of either 15 or 16 or in some cases of early bloomers at 12 or 13 itself. The "code" that follows this "If" condition is what this love is all about. One may assert that this is not love but either infatuation or physical attraction. I beg to differ because when a construction is built it's called a building or a house or whatever including the foundation. Similarly the foundations of physical attraction on which this love is built is love nevertheless. For a healthy relationship, if we convert this into a love to attraction ratio, wise people, lucky people succeed in increasing the numerator continuously. With such a scenario it doesn't matter even if the denominator shrinks let alone stagnate. Hence even a complex and abstract emotion such as love can be converted into a logical mathematical equation. Now it becomes easier to understand it. :-). Whatever variables that are involved in it have to be worked out on a case to case basis.
In the end one may argue, why one should love at all? why one should bear the brunt of possible love failure and the throes of pain and anguish associated with it. For all those skeptics I would like to quote Alfred Tennyson. "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all".
When one hears the word "Love" one usually associates it with the relationship between a man and a woman who are romantically inclined. All other forms of love either don't make it to the top of our charts or worse, we simply ignore. So more in line with the current context of Valentine's day, let's delve deep into this form of love.
In my opinion this form of love is primarily due to the result of biological programming in all living things of this world. It's like a timer which gets enabled the time one is born with an "if" condition that gets activated at the age of either 15 or 16 or in some cases of early bloomers at 12 or 13 itself. The "code" that follows this "If" condition is what this love is all about. One may assert that this is not love but either infatuation or physical attraction. I beg to differ because when a construction is built it's called a building or a house or whatever including the foundation. Similarly the foundations of physical attraction on which this love is built is love nevertheless. For a healthy relationship, if we convert this into a love to attraction ratio, wise people, lucky people succeed in increasing the numerator continuously. With such a scenario it doesn't matter even if the denominator shrinks let alone stagnate. Hence even a complex and abstract emotion such as love can be converted into a logical mathematical equation. Now it becomes easier to understand it. :-). Whatever variables that are involved in it have to be worked out on a case to case basis.
In the end one may argue, why one should love at all? why one should bear the brunt of possible love failure and the throes of pain and anguish associated with it. For all those skeptics I would like to quote Alfred Tennyson. "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all".
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Oscar fever!
Surprise! I have got exclusive access to some information as to who will be the winners in this year's academy awards. And I share this only with the privileged few and that includes you :-). When the academy awards are presented, come this March before the svelte Anne Hathway could initiate the event here is the exclusive preview of that event initiated by a handsome ME :-).
Best picture : Avatar
All technical categories: Avatar
Best director : Jason reitman for Up in the air.
Best supporting actor : Christopher waltz for Ingluorious basterds
Best actor : Jeremy renner for The hurt locker
Best music : Quentin tarantino for Ingluorious basterds
Although for the best director category James cameron (avatar) & Katherine bigelow for "the hurt locker" are in serious contention I would like Jason to win the award.
One interesting fact is that Katherine begelow is the ex wife of James cameron. It seems that they have taken the fight to the academies!! I don't think such a scenario had ever been enacted anywhere in any awards!
I would say that all the above movies are as different as you could ever get. If Avatar is a sci fi imaginary world then Up in the air is a current reflection of the recession hit US with a lot of emotional quotient. If Ingluorious basterds (deliberately misspelt) is a world warII drama with blood and gore then The hurt locker is a current crisis in Iraq faced by the US troops. All punch in some extraordinary performances. For best actor category Jeff bridges and George clooney are also strong contenders but somehow I think Jeremy renner will win this time.
And at last in the best music category Quentin tarantino could win but our own A.R.Rahman has all the chance in the world to weave his magic once again. I say this because his music in couples retreat is worthy of an award, although I can't say the same for the movie! Now the countdown starts for the D day and here begins the waiting game!!!!
Best picture : Avatar
All technical categories: Avatar
Best director : Jason reitman for Up in the air.
Best supporting actor : Christopher waltz for Ingluorious basterds
Best actor : Jeremy renner for The hurt locker
Best music : Quentin tarantino for Ingluorious basterds
Although for the best director category James cameron (avatar) & Katherine bigelow for "the hurt locker" are in serious contention I would like Jason to win the award.
One interesting fact is that Katherine begelow is the ex wife of James cameron. It seems that they have taken the fight to the academies!! I don't think such a scenario had ever been enacted anywhere in any awards!
I would say that all the above movies are as different as you could ever get. If Avatar is a sci fi imaginary world then Up in the air is a current reflection of the recession hit US with a lot of emotional quotient. If Ingluorious basterds (deliberately misspelt) is a world warII drama with blood and gore then The hurt locker is a current crisis in Iraq faced by the US troops. All punch in some extraordinary performances. For best actor category Jeff bridges and George clooney are also strong contenders but somehow I think Jeremy renner will win this time.
And at last in the best music category Quentin tarantino could win but our own A.R.Rahman has all the chance in the world to weave his magic once again. I say this because his music in couples retreat is worthy of an award, although I can't say the same for the movie! Now the countdown starts for the D day and here begins the waiting game!!!!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The secret of self realisation
At last I found out the secret of self realisation. The date was 23rd January 2010 and the day "Saturday". The venue happened to be the Music academy at the TTK road. You may possibly wonder how the ultimate goal of self realisation could be in any way related to that venue. Well, let me elucidate one of the defining moments of my life.
On that day two legends of hindustani music world came together for a musical concert at the above mentioned venue. They were Pandit Shivkumar Sharma - the santoor vidwan and Zakir Hussain - the tabla ustad. What they created on that stage was, as the cliche goes "history", "musical history" to be specific.
In the beginning, pandit Shivkumar sharma made a brief monologue about their musical journey and let the audience know what they were going to play for the evening. He uttered words such as ragas, aalaps and few others which frankly speaking I didn't understand a bit. It got worse as he announced which raagas they would play and also the style in which they would play them. I felt like listening to a Greek orator. It was precisely at that time when I started to wonder where the heaven I have ended up!, the magic commenced.
Till then I knew nothing about music. It made me feel like i know everything about it
Till then I was of the opinion that the purpose of music is enjoyment. It made me realise that the purpose of music is to feel it.
Till then I thought of it as just another musical concert. But it was a sort of personal revolution within me.
Till then I was just a man. It made me feel like a self realised man.
For the entire duration of that experience which approximately lasted for two hours fifteen minutes I was in suspended disbelief, I felt like I was in a state of tranquility, a state of thoughtlessness, a state of oneness. Then it struck me that the way to self realisation is through music.
The sad part is I actually didn't realise myself, but the good part is I felt like I had self realisation. That itself was an emancipating feeling.
Someone asked a great violinist whose name I couldn't recollect now, "I would give my life to play the way you play" for which the violinist replied "I did". Well, anybody who had listened to the musicians on that eventful evening would know that they had given their lives to their music. It was the evening that shattered my belief that there is no such thing as perfection, only excellence. The music was nothing but perfection which made me believe that perfection is a state that we ordinary mortal beings can just fancy.
Finally as Charles lamb wrote "You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will, but the scent of roses will hang around still", eventhough later that evening I returned to my home and indulged in the mundane routine of my life, that feeling of immense whatever one can name it, joy, bliss, happiness, ecstasy; it will be there with me forever.
Epilogue: One good news is that they promised to return to Chennai very soon. Whenever that happens you know where to find me on that day! :-)
On that day two legends of hindustani music world came together for a musical concert at the above mentioned venue. They were Pandit Shivkumar Sharma - the santoor vidwan and Zakir Hussain - the tabla ustad. What they created on that stage was, as the cliche goes "history", "musical history" to be specific.
In the beginning, pandit Shivkumar sharma made a brief monologue about their musical journey and let the audience know what they were going to play for the evening. He uttered words such as ragas, aalaps and few others which frankly speaking I didn't understand a bit. It got worse as he announced which raagas they would play and also the style in which they would play them. I felt like listening to a Greek orator. It was precisely at that time when I started to wonder where the heaven I have ended up!, the magic commenced.
Till then I knew nothing about music. It made me feel like i know everything about it
Till then I was of the opinion that the purpose of music is enjoyment. It made me realise that the purpose of music is to feel it.
Till then I thought of it as just another musical concert. But it was a sort of personal revolution within me.
Till then I was just a man. It made me feel like a self realised man.
For the entire duration of that experience which approximately lasted for two hours fifteen minutes I was in suspended disbelief, I felt like I was in a state of tranquility, a state of thoughtlessness, a state of oneness. Then it struck me that the way to self realisation is through music.
The sad part is I actually didn't realise myself, but the good part is I felt like I had self realisation. That itself was an emancipating feeling.
Someone asked a great violinist whose name I couldn't recollect now, "I would give my life to play the way you play" for which the violinist replied "I did". Well, anybody who had listened to the musicians on that eventful evening would know that they had given their lives to their music. It was the evening that shattered my belief that there is no such thing as perfection, only excellence. The music was nothing but perfection which made me believe that perfection is a state that we ordinary mortal beings can just fancy.
Finally as Charles lamb wrote "You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will, but the scent of roses will hang around still", eventhough later that evening I returned to my home and indulged in the mundane routine of my life, that feeling of immense whatever one can name it, joy, bliss, happiness, ecstasy; it will be there with me forever.
Epilogue: One good news is that they promised to return to Chennai very soon. Whenever that happens you know where to find me on that day! :-)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
SHERLOCK HOLMES
221 Baker street, in my opinion is the most famous residential address in human history. It's ironical that such a well known place ended up being the abode of the most famous detective of all times, "SHERLOCK HOLMES". Or may be because of his unparalleled reputation the address could have become so famous. Either way it's not good for a consulting detective to be so conspicuous. But we can forgive his helplessness because it's we who have raised him and his abode to such meteoric heights of our consciousness. Otherwise he is always a cool headed, unemotional, logical and deductive genius who long ago ceased to exist just in books and began living among us.
Everything is elementary to him, no such a thing as unexplainable. Inexplainable? perhaps! I can go on and on about him, but I suggest you better read his memoirs penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For now I'll talk about the movie which has recently hit the theatres.
With a stupendously successful literary work such as Sherlock Holmes, which is like a treasure trove for movie makers, it's literally impossible to make a bad movie out of it. You just have to select right people to play the parts and the entire movie can reach sky high on the foundations of the book. Right people is an understatement to say about the actors who played the characters in this movie. Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as his side kick, Dr.James Watson are amazing. Well as the cliche goes, there chemistry was ultra cool. Right from the word go, the movie kick starts and before you try to get a hold of the unfolding events you will find yourself deep into a mystery.
The movie starts assuming that audience are aware of the main characters, because here no time is spent for the their introduction except for the antagonist "Lord Blackwood". Irene addler to whom SH refers to as "The woman" in the book is played by Rachel Mcadams. Oh boy! what a beauty! Other characters such as the police officer Lestrade the landlady and Watson's fiance Mary are all there! There are a few slight deviations from the book which you will find in this movie. In the book, SH has got only admiration for Irene addler. Here he is a bit romantically inclined towards her. In the book Watson's fiance is one of SH's former clients. Here Watson introduces her to SH. In the book, SH is more cerebral. Here he is physical too with all the fist fights in slow mo. In my opinion when it comes to physical attributes, Rober downeyJr is not a perfect match to portray SH, but wait, as soon as he starts delivering the dialogues that mind block vanishes into thin air. Above are my reservations about the movie.
If you want to have a taste of Victorian England, this one is a treat to your eyes.With its late 19th and early 20th century settings and visual effects, the art direction is worth noticing. All the characters speak in British accent. All the characteristics of SH are highlighted in the movie. His prowess in disguise, chemistry and arriving at a solution through logical deduction are all shown superbly. It's like relishing a big fat feast for your brain. No wonder the lead actor got a golden globe for his performance! Gripping screenplay with no loose ends. All the questions are answered in the end albeit in a hurry. In the end it's a good movie to watch.
Wait, one more moment. What would one do to make a good movie into a terrific movie? One would give a call to Hans zimmer and entrust him with the responsibility of background score. If not for the movie, certainly for the music; you can all shut your eyes and just listen to the muscic.
Everything is elementary to him, no such a thing as unexplainable. Inexplainable? perhaps! I can go on and on about him, but I suggest you better read his memoirs penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For now I'll talk about the movie which has recently hit the theatres.
With a stupendously successful literary work such as Sherlock Holmes, which is like a treasure trove for movie makers, it's literally impossible to make a bad movie out of it. You just have to select right people to play the parts and the entire movie can reach sky high on the foundations of the book. Right people is an understatement to say about the actors who played the characters in this movie. Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as his side kick, Dr.James Watson are amazing. Well as the cliche goes, there chemistry was ultra cool. Right from the word go, the movie kick starts and before you try to get a hold of the unfolding events you will find yourself deep into a mystery.
The movie starts assuming that audience are aware of the main characters, because here no time is spent for the their introduction except for the antagonist "Lord Blackwood". Irene addler to whom SH refers to as "The woman" in the book is played by Rachel Mcadams. Oh boy! what a beauty! Other characters such as the police officer Lestrade the landlady and Watson's fiance Mary are all there! There are a few slight deviations from the book which you will find in this movie. In the book, SH has got only admiration for Irene addler. Here he is a bit romantically inclined towards her. In the book Watson's fiance is one of SH's former clients. Here Watson introduces her to SH. In the book, SH is more cerebral. Here he is physical too with all the fist fights in slow mo. In my opinion when it comes to physical attributes, Rober downeyJr is not a perfect match to portray SH, but wait, as soon as he starts delivering the dialogues that mind block vanishes into thin air. Above are my reservations about the movie.
If you want to have a taste of Victorian England, this one is a treat to your eyes.With its late 19th and early 20th century settings and visual effects, the art direction is worth noticing. All the characters speak in British accent. All the characteristics of SH are highlighted in the movie. His prowess in disguise, chemistry and arriving at a solution through logical deduction are all shown superbly. It's like relishing a big fat feast for your brain. No wonder the lead actor got a golden globe for his performance! Gripping screenplay with no loose ends. All the questions are answered in the end albeit in a hurry. In the end it's a good movie to watch.
Wait, one more moment. What would one do to make a good movie into a terrific movie? One would give a call to Hans zimmer and entrust him with the responsibility of background score. If not for the movie, certainly for the music; you can all shut your eyes and just listen to the muscic.
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