Kaithi

Kaithi is not your usual mass-action movie that requires a packed theatre and a cheering crowd. This movie can be savored, even on a solo watch in the comfort of your home. An engaging script that keeps the viewer hooked to the plot is accompanied by hard-hitting dialogues that leave a sour after-taste.

Are all lives equal? Why do we value the lives of some more than others? Dilli, an ex-con in the movie, is robbed of his ability to make informed choices leaving him in a precarious situation. The same can be said for the boy who accompanies him. Of course, Dilli here is protected by plot armor and comes out unscathed. But that is beside the point. There are many Dilli’s among us, people whom we consider expendable, as a means to achieve our end. “No” is often a luxury they cannot afford.

When you come out of a mass movie with such thoughts, its safe to conclude the creators have done well.

Rating: 4/5

Malayankunju

In the post-COVID world, where theatre going experience became synonymous with watching action-packed blockbusters that demand you to shout, scream and applaud; it takes immense courage and a lot of passion for artists like Fahad to come out with movies like Malayamkunju. Calling the movie a survival thriller would be misleading as this movie has so many layers that it can fit into whatever genre you want.

This is not a movie made for the fast-moving, reel-watching audience of 2022. To enjoy this movie, you have to slow down, you have to stop and listen to what the creator has to say. The messages are conveyed subtly and are intended only for the keen-hearted.

Watching the rebirth of this flawed hero (Ani Kuttan) as he fights his past and present simultaneously is indeed a pleasant viewing experience. However, this is not a movie for everyone. There is a short phase after the intermission that will test the patience of even the most dedicated viewer. In hindsight, even this phase seemed essential for the narration style the creators were looking for. It is one of those movies about which your opinion will keep changing as time passes. And there is something about such movies that demands respect.

Dear Friend

A quick decision to glance through the early minutes of this movie ended up in me spending two hours on a stretch and finishing it. The movie was really good in capturing the bachelor life in Bangalore which I was strongly able to relate to. The startup journey, the forbidden romance, the birthday bash, the house parties. In many ways, it was a better portrayal of Bangalore days than the “Bangalore Days” movie. There were times when I wished the movie just continued with that. Anyways, the creators had bigger ideas and so the mystery starts.

Coming to the mystery, the suspense was real. I was very much involved and eager to know what transpired. One can feel a bit let down by the reveal or the lack of it. But then again it’s not a case of the writer subverting expectations. The buildup was very much consistent with the climax. It’s not an ending I liked, but certainly one I can agree to.

It’s their win!

India’s loss to New Zealand in the finals of the World Test Championship has created some unwarranted media buzz. While it is reasonable in any sport to criticise the team leadership after a major loss, calling for the removal of captain and coach is certainly an over reaction. It seems like people have forgotten the fact that this is probably the best Test team that India has ever put out. While maintaining their dominance at home, this team also went on to win two consecutive Test Series’ in Australia making them a formidable force anywhere in the world.

Yes, certain things could have been done better, but let’s not take anything away from the victors. New Zealand has won this in absolute style. As good as we were, they were better in the given conditions.

Morning Strolls

It was during an early morning visit to Cubbon park that I first experienced the joy of morning strolls. Walking around the park without any clear objective in mind; camera in hand, in case a frame presents itself. However, today I wasn’t strolling through the Garden city, but rather in one known for its pearls and biryanis, among other things. As it turns out, the city has its share of picturesque gardens.

Location: Indra Park, Hyderabad

May we Meet Again!

CW’s popular TV show, ‘The 100’ has finally come to an end. The show is about a dystopian future where the earth is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust and the survivors are forced to make tough decisions in a hostile new world.

This was a show that showed promise to develop into something remarkable, however the inconsistent quality of writing always held the show back. While the show brought about some stellar episodes like ‘Murphy’s Law’, ‘We are Grounders’, ‘Spacewalker’, and ‘Anaconda’; they were balanced out by some poorly written episodes, where well developed character arcs were compromised for plot progression.

Despite the inconsistencies, the show always came up with brilliant season finales that made up for the poor episodes and kept us eager for the next season. With the way season 7 was progressing, I was genuinely scared if the writers will break the tradition and do a ‘GoT’ on the finale. Thankfully I was proven wrong! While the finale was certainly not their best work, it was still satisfying.

Criticisms aside, on the whole, I felt this was a great show, with a thrilling plot line, imaginative world building and some brilliant acting. Being a fast paced show, many of these criticisms wouldn’t stand out while binge watching, which is how I imagine future viewers would watch it.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ was a wonderful read that made me feel like I was living out in Sweden for the last one week.

Though the genre is defined as crime fiction, the book doesn’t limit itself to that. While the main plot revolves around a murder mystery, Larsson manages to talk about various social, political and economic issues that has plagued the Swedish society throughout history. The book also raises various ethical and moral questions that people face in their professional and personal lives. What is amazing is that the book manages to do all this and much more without deviating from the main plot line.

My only criticizm would be the way the author handled the subplot regarding the ‘Wennerstrom Affair’. There were times when I felt that the entire subplot was unnecessary. Anyways I was more invested in the murder mystery and all the other wonderful aspects of society that Larsson was trying to bring about along with it, so no complaints.

Rating: 4/5

A Journey Across States

Why do we reflect back into the past? Why do we write about journeys completed long back? Is it to share our experience or is it a homegrown remedy for ourselves for this unnamed, unexplainable ailment that revolves around boredom? I would say it is a bit of both! 

I had always been a travel-sleeper. You might find it tough to relate, but that’s how I enjoy my travels the most. Among all forms of travel, there’s something about aeroplanes that instantly puts me to sleep. I always envy the people who are eager for the window seats, the ones with unlimited energy to shoot photos and videos throughout the journey. As for me, I preferred the aisle seat and a quiet nap. Starting our journey at 2 in the morning from Bangalore, I was sure I would sleep all my way, however to my surprise, I fell asleep even before the plane took off. I again had a nap at the Hyderabad airport while we were waiting for our connection flight. One of the biggest advantages when you are travelling with Bhavish is that you never have to worry about missing flight announcements or boarding calls, Bhavish was always ‘a man with a plan’. For the ten of us this was our first long journey after getting sucked into the corporate world. Though we had the usual weekend getaways in and around Bangalore they were all followed by a ‘Monday’, with more work and newer deadlines. However not this Monday, this Monday we would be away from the reach of our mangers, thousands of kilometres away from hustle of the city hiding behind the mighty Himalayas in the beautiful city of Tawang. While I enjoyed my nap, dreaming about this promised day, Yohann had joined us (Yohann was working at Hyderabad during that time and was to join us from there) and immediately started hunting for places to have food. Mathew, meanwhile was busy in the washroom. No journey is complete without someone falling sick. Mathew Shaji did the honours this time with a classic case of “Thootu” (‘thootu’ is colloquial for diarrhoea in Malayalam).

From Hyderabad, we soon took off to Guwahati, and no I didn’t sleep this time, I had deep conversations with Geogy and read a little of ‘Shantaram’ by Gregory David Roberts (the book deserves a post of its own). Upon reaching Guwahati, the final member of our trip, Krishnan joined us (Krishnan was working in Noida during that time) and the pack was complete. Our tour coordinator also met us at the airport, showed us our traveller and introduced us to our driver, Dileep. And so the journey through the Northeast began. We travelled through the rural side of Assam that day, the scenery was picturesque, small houses overlooking smaller ponds on both sides of the road and a lush green landscape with distant mountains in the background. My sleep during the ride was minimal, though my friends would disagree. We were surprised when the sky got dark by 4 o clock. It took us some time to relate the fact that we were so far east of the IST longitude. We crossed an army check post around 7:00 PM and got our permits stamped to enter the territories of Arunachal Pradesh. We soon came to a halt at our allotted hotel in a small town called Bakulpong not far from the Assam-Arunachal border. By now we started feeling the cold creeping in through our light clothes. We were happy to find warm chapatis and two bowls full of chicken curry waiting for us in the dining hall. The taste of chappathis drastically increases with fall in temperature. At 18 degrees, the stage was set for a delicious treat.

Dinner was followed by hot lime tea served in tiny glasses. As we sat in the hall, slowly sipping our tea, Nived made a clever reflection of how we had bed coffee at Bangalore, breakfast in Hyderabad, lunch in Guwahati and dinner in Arunachal. While Bhavish was quickly noting down Nived’s wise words for his upcoming status, my thoughts were lost on how I might have taken naps in four different states on the same day, I wondered if I was that pathetic and then relived myself when I realised that Mathew probably took a shit in four different states.