An Insightful Teacher

An endeavor that invokes faith;
Saga of knowledge You bequeath;
A star that emanates its gleam,
You lead the path to awareness, beam!
Rhapsodic tones, You tune to melody;
Obstinance, You mold to self-mastery;
And defiance, to discipline;
To witness excellence sparkle within;
Oh Guru! You imbue faith!
For all the insight You bequeath!!

(Written as an opening phrase for compering for Teacher's day Celebration at National Hill View Public School)

Special Thanks: Thoughtfully edited by Mrs. Anita Vinodkumar, Principal, NHVPS

Why Did I Like Veere Di Wedding

Below the belt talk O..M..G..! Ladies messing around with their lives? No No No. How can girls be themselves amidst everyone? 

- One can enjoy a movie only if your mind is free from these so called taboos.

This movie stands apart from core brand feminist flicks by keeping a sensible story line hemmed with intimate talk. 

Kalindi has seen her parents quarreling constantly and has no faith in marriage. For a girl who is brought up with an independent mindset, it comes as a crashing challenge on her personality to bear with the relationship pressures of the groom's family during the wedding.

Sakshi is a free spirit that's hard to be contained by her husband. She's having trouble calling the relationship an end.

Meera isn't having a smooth-running marriage either.

Avni is sort of desperate for marriage but is a divorce lawyer and is afraid to get into a relationship. Her mom constantly tries to find her marriage alliance and they somehow never workout for Avni.

Movie reaches its crescendo towards the interval and sadly, second half slows down its tempo.

This thin story line is woven with values passed on by their parents and how their family is put before their ego. 

Gang of girls who have been together since their childhood, meet again as Kalindi's (Kareena) wedding is fixed.

However sensible men are, this movie might still seem a not so appealing movie for them. Take your best buds with you is my advice!!

Alter Ego

Predictability is a boon

Boon to the one who predicts

Or he who is gullible?

A mystery unfolds as the time passes by

With a glimpse into each other’s psyche

That only spreads wider with time

Persona becomes easy to intercept

And guess the next move.

Awake here, Oh soul!

For you might reveal wishful secrets

Unintended though might cast

A negligible crack;

A crack that is a thin line

And grows larger with time;

Behold the next words of mine

Just to not wither away the perception

That my thoughts aren’t bare for you;
Not for you; Nor for anyone.

ರಾಜರಥ : ರಾಜಸ - ಸತ್ವ ಮತ್ತು ತಾಮಸ

★★★

ರಾಜರಥ - ಭಾಷೆಯಿರುವ ಮನಸ್ಸಿರುವ ಬಸ್ಸೊಂದು ನೋಡುವ ಮಂದಿ ಎದ್ದು ಶಿಳ್ಳೆ ಹೊಡೆಯಬೇಕೆನ್ನುವ ಹಾಗಿರುವ ಹೀರೋ ಎಂಟ್ರಿಗಾಗಿ ಕಾಯುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಈ ಬಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಬೇರೆಲ್ಲೋ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡವರೇ. ಒಬ್ಬೊಬ್ಬರು ಒಂದೊಂದು ಥರದವರು. ಗಡುಸೊಬ್ಬರಾದರೆ ಮತ್ಯಾರೋ ತಾಯಂಥಾ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನವರು. ಒಬ್ಬರು ಹೊಗಳುಬಾಕರಾದರೆ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬರು ಸುಳ್ಳುಕೋರರು. ಇವರೆಲ್ಲರ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಅಭಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮೇಘಾಳ ಪ್ರೇಮಕಥೆ. ನಾಲ್ಕು ವರ್ಷ ಒಟ್ಟಿಗೇ ಓದಿದರೂ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲಾಗದ ಅಭಿಯ ಪ್ರೀತಿ. 

ನವಿರು ಹಾಸ್ಯ - ಮುಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ತೂಗಾಡುತ್ತ ಸಾಗುವ ಲೈಟ್ ಕಥೆಯ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಕಥೆಯ ಎಳೆ. ರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ದಾಳಗಳೇ. ಉರುಳಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಉರುಳುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ಅಂದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಲೇ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಚೌಕಾಬಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಯಿಗಳು ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಲೇ ಹೋಗುವಂತೆ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಅಡವು ಇಲ್ಲಿ; ಕಾಲಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ತೊಡರು ಇಲ್ಲಿ. ರಜಸ್ಸು - ತಮಸ್ಸಿನ ರಾಜಕೀಯದ ನಡೆಯ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಜನಜೀವನಕ್ಕಿರುವ ನಂಟು? ಎರಡೂ ಕಥೆಗಳಿಗಿರೋ ಬೆಸುಗೆ? ಅದು ತಿಳಿಯಲು ನೀವು ರಾಜರಥ ಹತ್ತಲೇಬೇಕು. ರಾಜರಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಸಿನಿಕ್ಕು ಅಭಿಯ ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ, ರಾಜಕಾರಣದ ತಿರುವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಈ ಕುರಿತು ಏನೇ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಹೇಳಲು ಹೋದರೂ it will be a spoiler. ನಿರೂಪನ ಕಥೆಗಿಂತಾ, ಆರ್ಯನ ಕಥೆಗಾಗಿಯೇ ರಾಜರಥ ಹತ್ತಬೇಕಿದೆ. 

ಹೊಸತಾದ ನಿರೂಪಣೆ, ಗಂಡಕ ಮಂಡೂಕ - ಹಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಷ್ಟಾಗಿ ಬಳಸದ ಕನ್ನಡ ಪದಗಳ ಬಳಕೆ ಯಾವ ಭಾಷೆಯ ಹಾಡೆಂದು ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಕನಿಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಡು ಮುಗಿದಿರುತ್ತದೆ ಅನ್ನುವುದೊಂದು ಬಿಟ್ಟರೆ, ಸಿನಿಮಾ ಮನೋರಂಜನೆಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡಿಲ್ಲ. ವಿನೂತನ ನಿರೂಪಣೆಯಿಂದಲೇ ಮನಸೆಳೆಯುವ ಚಿತ್ರ ಇದು. ವಿಶ್ವನಾಗಿ ಆರ್ಯ ನೆಗೆಟಿವ್ ಶೇಡ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಅಭಿನಯ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗಿಂತಲೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಅಚ್ಚೋತ್ತುತ್ತದೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಭೋಜರಾಜ ಪಿಳಿಕುಳ ನ ಹಾಸ್ಯ, ವಿನಯಾ ಪ್ರಸಾದರ ಕೊಬ್ಬರಿ ಮಿಠಾಯಿ, ನೇಂದ್ರ ಬಾಳೆ ಪಚ್ಚಬಾಳೆ ಹಾಡು ನೆನಪಿನಲ್ಲುಳಿಯುತ್ತವೆ. ಅಂಕಲ್ ರವಿಶಂಕರ್ ಹಾಸ್ಯ, ಮಗದೊಂದು ಟ್ವಿಸ್ಟ್ ಗಾಗಿಯೇ ತುರುಕಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಅನ್ನಿಸದೆ ಇರದು. 

ಮೆಸ್ಸೇಜ್ ಇರುವ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳೆಲ್ಲಾ ಸೀರಿಯಸ್ ಸಿನಿಮಾಗಳೆಂದು ಬ್ರಾಂಡ್ ಆಗಬಾರದೆನ್ನುವ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನದಂತಿರುವ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರ ಮನೆಮಂದಿಯೆಲ್ಲಾ ಕೂತು ನೋಡಬಹುದಾದದ್ದು. ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಟ್ ಅನ್ನಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದಕ್ಕಿಂತಾ ತೆಲುಗಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಟ್ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆನ್ನುವ instinct ಇದೆ. ಕಾದು ನೋಡೋಣ. A good watch.

Padmaavat: An Onscreen Epos

★★★1/2

For a movie that received a lot of one and a half stars from big media houses, I had given up the thought of watching the movie. All the commotion that followed the controversy that had to be solved by judiciary intervention might also have been an abetment terming it a publicity stunt.

Watching the video song of Ek dil ek jaan, I finally decided to watch the movie. Even if the movie would bore me, sets and music could come to my rescue, or so I knew. We went to watch morning show and there were hardly 12 people in the theater for it.

Yes it is a slow movie. It does take time and effort to get the feel of Rajputana and Khilji dynasties. And each scene is twined carefully to create the required impact. It is a movie that appeals for only audience who have patience to read a book. Poetic freedom is the essence of any epic that is woven on the historic events. Since history does not tell us word by word of what has actually happened, each interpretation between the lines can be different. Also when the history has been created majorly by the winning side of the story, one can't take history for fact. I wish the Karni Sena could have watched the movie before pulling all the stunts that it did. 

It looks like Bansali has focused most on grooming the character of Sultan Alauddin Khilji than the others in the movie. His costumes, lighting moderation and each frame that Ranveer Singh is in, is solely focused on bringing out his character and Ranveer Singh has scored a full on ten for his performance. Jim Sarbh as Malik Kafur has performed very well as an able sidekick and a blind supporter of each weird move of Sultan. Deepika Padukone as Padmaavati has shone during the introduction and an effective climax. Shahid Kapoor as Chittor's Maharaja leaves his impact in the chemistry with Rani Padmaavati and in the final battle with Sultan. 

Dialogues by Prakash Kapadia is a highlight of the movie too. "सर धर से अलग होजाये तब भी हाथ में तलवार चलताराहे, वो है राजपूत" kind of dialogues are not easy to fade away from the viewer's memory. Music and timely songs that blend with the movie are a plus.

Bottom-line is, it takes a relaxed mood and an open mind to enjoy this movie. There's lots to absorb and the movie is deliberately been made a slow one. Having said that, the movie doesn't bore you if you have the patience to have watched a full fledged dance performance or read good novels. 

P.S: Of course do not expect a cabaret or dramatic turns to an already known history. 

(For all those who could not understand the meaning of seemingly small word epos, I couldn't find a better exact translate of mahakavya (ಮಹಾಕಾವ್ಯ) to express what I wanted to convey. This throws me into one of the hollow of English language in which I occasionally find myself at loss of words to convey thoughts)