Ma kasam, filmy hoon

First written on 26th May 2013: I haven't written or shared much in the last 2 weeks. The run has been amazing in terms of the people who've been through my life and the experiences life has gifted me to grow tremendously. I still haven't got around to documenting all those amazing experiences I've had so far. Hope to have them done soon. Here's sharing one - Last year on 2nd October I wrote that I was lucky to have been alive to see 'Barfi'. Today I write the same for this amazing film in the annals of Malayalam and Indian cinema - 'Ustad Hotel'. I had possibly one of the most unique experience of watching a cinema in a peculiar environment. I started watching it as my flight took off today afternoon from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on its way to Mumbai on my way to Jaipur. And I write this as I wait to board my flight to Jaipur at the Mumbai airport. I started watching it from 30,000 feet above sea level and completed it on coming back to terra fi...

The coincidence dawned on me about 15-20 minutes into the film and I was very happy that I got my wife and daughter to watch this film on 8th March yesterday - the International Women’s Day. And what a film for me to rewatch in less than a week than this one. There are some films like Gandhi, 1942: A Love Story, Forrest Gump, Invictus, Jana Maitri, Laal Singh Chaddha, Vellimoonga, Sam Bahadur, 12th Fail and some more that I can watch any number of times. And to that list gets added this beautiful gem of a film by Kiran Rao - Laapata Ladies. What a writing, casting, directing, acting, dialogues, editing, music and subtle yet clear messaging with absolutely the perfect tadka of humour!! When I watched it the first time with my two friends last Saturday the 2nd of March, I was left so touched that I wanted to believe that reel life should turn into real life, just like I felt when I watched Forrest Gump for the first time in December 1995. And I have reason to believe that reel life can a...

Hi Dilipji, Just finished watching Kadak Singh on Zee5. From the time I saw the glimpse of you as the doctor trying to resuscitate Abhishek Bachhan in Delhi 6 to the scary Col. Zaidi in Mukhbir to now as Jeetender Tyagi in Kadak Singh, I’m of the view that you are among the most under known, underrated and most talented actors in the world. In fact you were so scary for me in the Mukhbir trailer teasers that I couldn’t dare to watch the series even as I know the most understanding and compassionate human being that you are. There are moments from your acting that are masterpieces in understated and subtle acting with just the intent showing up clearly on your face and eyes with no need for any dialogue or voice modulation to deliver the point. Hats off to you and your craft. Humbled and inspired to have known you a little bit over the last so many years. 😌😌🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

Can spring be far behind? This is a question that the great English poet PB Shelly asked in one of his compositions. Nothing great about the question if one looks at it in isolation. But when it comes up in the movie by the name Pookkaalam (Spring) that follows a frosty winter and that too in the context of a breakdown in a long relationship, then Shelly’s question assumes significance. Needless to say that Malayalam movies are winning rave fans across the globe and yet there is something about their trailers in general. When I saw the trailer of this movie a few months ago I wasn’t that impressed. Malayalam movie trailers have that consistency about them - you’ll never get a clue about what the movie is all about. You need to watch the movie to experience the beauty and depth unfold, even as some of the movies turn out to be trashy. Thanks to some my friends from school I put this movie in my long list of movies to watch and finally got around the day before yesterday and even as the ...