* The Routine of 'College at 8 a.m. - Interning for 4 hours - Home just in time to watch Pamela Anderson on Big Boss - Sleep'
Why even elaborate on this? As if college isn't mind numbing enough with its lazy group discussions and the typical drawling lecturer accents, throw in drawing up content plans for banks, college canteen panipuri and rigged reality shows to the mix that is an average day in my life. It's interesting and exhausting in equal parts. All I wish for these days is for Sunday to come, when I can enjoy a nice mug of coffee and let my caffeine-immune body enjoy some literature and sleep.
*You Are So Beautiful My Angle, But Your Brain Like Potato.
(This is what Chinese taxi-drivers have printed on their t-shirts, because in their world of limited English understanding, this makes perfect sense.:D )
So, the trip to Hong Kong and Macao/Macau (How the hell is it spelled?) was amaaaaaazing! When else would I have gone on a gondola ride, seen laser lights dancing on buildings at the harbour front, watched Cirque du Soleil perform live and most importantly, visit Disneeeeeeeyland! (Enough of the unwarranted stretching of words and exclamation marks, but that's the only way I can positively display my excitement.) Hong Kong is one of those urban beautiful places where you imagine your dream office might be located. With exacting standards of cleanliness and civic sense, it is a city Mumbai should take serious lessons from. HOWEVER, and it is a big however, that sickly stench of seafood, including octopus and hairy crabs, pervades the city. And oh my god, the street shopping is insane, with Jimmy Choo fakes being sold for 3000 bucks! (We didn't buy any, what with our morals and all, but irrespective, it is a booming business.) There is SO much that I have observed there in terms of method of communication and the general culture of the place, but that's a whole other ball game/blog post.
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 P.S. I watched Guzaarish today. That Sanjay Leela Bhansali film every critic in town is calling a cinematic masterpiece that will sweep away all the awards this year. Call me uncultured or intellectually depraved or creatively crippled or whatever the hell you want to, but I disliked it. A lot. Primarily because it all seemed so staged and artificial, from the 17th century mansion right down to Aishwarya Rai's shade of lipstick. It screamed of SLB's pretentiousness and was so self-indulgent in its flow, that it got onto my nerves. Also, I have read so many books that have dealt with euthanasia in such a sophisticated and sensitive manner.Movies like Million Dollar Baby, for example, too put this film to shame. Have you watched it yet? What did you think? |
8 comments:
I havent seen Guzaarish yet, so I dont have an opinion on it. But speaking of Bhansali's films in general, I must say I like them. Its like his films are very individualistic and very aesthetic. Every frame is like a photograph. I remember being overwhelmed by the beauty of Black. And I even liked Saawariya as a love story. It was like performance art.
I admire that he thinks of himself as an auteur rather than an audience pleaser and that he has this old-world, high art style of making films. And altho there's this emotional distance like you're watching a painting and not people which I keep hoping he'll one day overcome, I think I prefer his movies to these soulless rom-coms where characters are interchangeable with Hollywood and mass-produced. Its like he has an internal palette the shades of which change with every film he does.
Hewwww...thnk god bunny u wrote a blog...was waitin...n yaa i truly understand ur pain...sana was tellin me...
u hit the nail on the head... there are stories which deserve a sense of realism.. the pomp and splendour of Saawariya or Devdas maybe justified but a story on euthanasia deserves a realistic touch... not the kind of grandiose which is shown here. Besides, trust me... no quadriplegic will have the kind of grand life that Ethan has.. working in an ICU, I should know !!
It was a story which needed to be told.. but by someone else... this was like asking David Dhawan to make a movie of honour killings starring Karishma and Govinda !!!
I wish I were a better film critic to give a more structured and insightful critique to this film, but in absence of that, may this suffice.
Euthanasia is a pertinent subject, that for all humane and philosophical reasons, deserves to be dealt with sensitively. Calling it Ethanasia cheapens it and makes light of a subject there (rightly) isn't much humor in. Maybe Bhansali's intellect soars at a level much above us lesser mortals, and he sees in Aishwarya's $1 lipstick what we don't. Maybe film critics have understood the movie the way Bhansali wanted it to be understood, which is lost to me. I was left unmoved and mildly irritated by the flow and direction the movie took. There are characters and scenes that could have entirely been done without. And please, for heaven's sake, Goa was so much more beautiful and innocent in Khamoshi. The Goa in this film looked what it was- a badly constructed film set.
Okay, I could go on some more. But I'll just say this.The Bhansali of Khamoshi and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam had that rare element of innocence and magic that lit up the screen. The dim colors he is so fond of have just seeped into his film-making abilities as well.
Your writings are superb!
Thanks, Raman. :)
Have you watched the movie yet?
I haven't watched yet. Being in Ottawa, Canada, I will have to download or get it from an Indian store!
bunny...thankyou for making me watch Million Dollar Baby from 12 to 3am!!
It is such an awesome movie:)
By the way is 3am morning or night?
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