Idle musings

And Lalettan is back with a bang!Literally. Watching 'Pulimurugan,The Wild Hunter' gave me goosebumps.The character Murugan is reminiscent of Lalettan's 'Narasimham' days. True, I had seen the trailer, praising posts and reviews, but this is not what I expected(Sadly, I underestimated the director Vyshak based on his two earlier films, entirely commercial - 'Seniors' and 'Pokkiriraja').Such astounding reflexes, thrilling action sequences! Apparently, even the action choreographer, Peter Hein, applauded the complete actor's formidable flexibility, during training in Vietnam. There are a lot of themes to look forward to - life in the woods, the relationship between man and nature, illegal trade, how the innocent dwellers of the forest are exploited by the well-off and of course, a man's transformation to a hero. The 2 hour 41 minutes journey is worth it  because all that strenuous work spanning two years has obviously paid off. After two week...

How about this headline - 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, a well laid out rattrap' ? I admit, it's not that good, but atleast it tells you at a glance what all that hullabaloo has finally added upto. For almost a year, there has been an increasing build-up surrounding Karan Johar's new production, titled 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', with a very interesting star cast, including Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,Anushka Sharma and Fawad Khan. There were even speculations of a cameo by Shah Rukh Khan. All talented, good-looking actors, who made this project sound promising. I needn't have mentioned their good looks, but this movie apparently banks on that as well.If you haven't already, take a look online and you'll know what I'm talking about.So you can imagine the state of affairs leading up to the Diwali release, on October 28,2016. Straight off, let me tell you that the movie is disheartening. It hardly keeps any of the promises made via the endless promo...

It is ironic how we hold certain 'sacred' beliefs close to our heart. We categorise people in the society based on their complexion, employment, ancestry , et cetera. When those we consider inferior to us enter places of worship or even homes, we make it a point to cleanse what has been 'polluted'.As if another person, constituted of the same flesh and blood, can be any different. All anyone needs is food,water and shelter, with a helping of love, if fate favours it. Only our minds need cleansing, nothing else. Bias, ego, prejudice, sense of superiority, vanity, and all those banes reinforced in the past decade need to go, so that we can see each other for the same corporeal beings in which an eternal spirit seeks abode. And that spiritual flame is being put out by all the soot - the dark, vile side of what is apparently the dominant species on the planet.

"Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man"-Rabindranath Tagore Children bring such joy into the world.Even if you are not a mother yourself,the sight of a baby is assured to put a smile on your face,unless you are that cold-hearted or too busy to notice.Toddlers clinging to their mother,smiling earnestly up at everyone,with such purity of expression;tugging at hairs and necklaces;sucking on their thumbs;those eagerly seeking to know this new world they are only getting accustomed to...

It is really true, what they say about our ability to achieve whatever we want to. Paulo Coelho has been reminding us of the power of dreams for 27 years. It is just a matter of finding your anchor, be it spirituality, charity, literature or whatever it is that gets you through the worst of days. Yes, any good day can topple in a second, but, if you look close enough, there will always be some bright spot. Like many other things in life, it is easier said than done, but make an effort to think positive. Shake off your conceits and ego, take a deep breath and think the day through. And when struggling, hold on to your inner strength. Experience it and you will find it is so much better than reading or hearing about similar experiences. Experience is the greatest teacher.So, stay strong.

August 4, 2016 Nature is a canvas by herself.Or maybe she is a range of infinite canvases on which the Creator has showcased his unparalleled art. The other day, I spent quite some time in the company of a guy in a blue outfit, streaked with red and deep brown...a kingfisher. I decided to take a better look at his lovely plumage and stepped a little closer. Mistake. Probably presuming that I was about to cause harm, the tiny bird disappeared in a flash of feathers, flying away, away from the clutches of humanity.