Stars on earth

I think its time to confess. My eyes were wet at the end of TZP. The tear didnt drop though. Maybe its because I never wanted it to. But it would have been tears of joy and not of sadness. And if there is a movie that can create such an impression on me then it will of course be a hit.....

Aamir Khan has excelled in his directorial debut. And I dont think its beginner's luck. Any movie that intends to convey a message needs to be preceeded with a lot of research. You need to get the facts right. You cant talk about a topic like dyslexia without knowing what it is. In the internet age, every movie goer will immediately look the word up on net to understand it. There is no room to commit any mistake. Aamir has done his research right......

A movie doesnt need a starcast to be a hit. A friend of mine put it aptly, "The movie didnt need Aamir to be there in it to make it a hit." It is the story and the screenplay that matters. The boy did a good job. The parents were pretty good. The brother played his part well. The teachers were amazing. Even the girl with Aamir was an unknown person but really pretty. None of them are stars. Aamir got his starcast right.....

The same friend of mine also mentioned, "There was nothing negative shown in the movie. Even the elder brother was shown to be supportive instead of a bully." The tone really makes a difference. Even though one of the teachers was shown to be very strict, he didnt stay for long and Aamir soon replaces him. Even among the kids nobody was portrayed with a negative attitude. Aamir got the aura right......

Lets come to the core message. Parenting. One of the toughest jobs in the world and the most challenging. A kid's future depends on her/his childhood. Its where the psychology of the kid is shaped up. A kid's thoughts, emotions, character, principles are all nurtured at this age. A bad childhood can have serious repercussions. Aamir has tried to tell that every kid is special. But in this competitive age, every kid is expected to live up to certain expectations. Otherwise they are looked down upon. A lot is expected at a tender age. This cannot be changed now since competition and benchmarking has become the order of the day. But what is still in our hands is the ways to handle failure. Not every kid will be able to make the cut, but understanding and recognizing the kid's potential is the challenge that parents and teachers need to live up to. Aamir has delivered the message right.......

Any movie has made an impact if it leaves thoughts lingering in the minds of the audiences even after the movie is over. I had both thoughts and tears..............

Is that me???

Man makes lists to find some order beneath all the chaos. And the Mercedes S Class claims to be at the top. I may not have reached the top yet, but I am at least on a list!!!

Some of you might even find two familiar names.......

Teaspoonful of emotions

People think that I have the emotional range of a teaspoon. Somehow emotions are always linked to grief. You dont need to cry to show that you are emotional. For example I discovered the various emotions in me when I went out today. Various things today brought out different emotions in me - the cutlet that I had in the food court, the girl selling the cutlet, the national anthem played before the movie, the movie Taare Zameen Par (TZP), the chocolate cake that I had for dinner in Sweet Chariot Cafe, the little girl I saw just outside the cafe........

So lets start with the cutlet. Now you might ask what emotion can a cutlet generate. Well this was no ordinary cutlet. First of all it was very huge in size and was priced at a reasonable rate of 25 for 2 pieces. Now that is an amazing price for cutlet in a food court at a mall. Usually nothing is priced below 50 in such places. First I was surprised. Then maybe amazed. Actually I would say I was in awe when I saw the size. I was also amused. Delighted would be the right word..........

Now the cutlet has generated some emotions. But let me focus on the girl at the counter selling it. I could use the word beautiful. But even that might undermine her beauty. She had a beautiful face, lovely eyes, a pair of glasses on them, beautiful hair, lips that made me dizzy, neck that ..... ok I am not going any below! And of course a pair of hands that served the amazing cutlet. I was just happy looking at her in the beginning. Lust and limerance took the lead then. And when she spoke to me I was thrilled. Even excited might not be the word to describe my feelings.......

And then came the movie - Taare zameen Par. But lets focus on the national anthem played before the screening of the movie for a bit. Now the national anthem is played with an amazing video showing soldiers at the Siachen glacier braving temperatures of -40 degrees centigrade and trying hard to hold the national flag. I would be lying if I said that didnt generate a sense of pride in me. Patriotism maybe. Or it could mainly be a feeling of reverence towards the soldiers and the country........

Now the movie TZP. I will review the movie in detail in the next blog, but I will just say this. I was left with a great number of thoughts lingering in my mind when I walked out. I had gone through different emotions during the 3 hours ranging from sadness to anticipation to elation. Kudos to Aamir............

Lets not forget the chocolate cake. Now chocolate may be an aphrodisiac, but its a lot more to me than that. It is one of the things that fuels my life. It is something that shields every other emotion and just leaves behind ecstasy. Even the most beautiful girl would fail to grab my attention when I have chocolate in from of me. Though both of them together may lead to a totally different set of emotions..........

The girl in the cafe. She must have been 3 years old. She brought a smile on my face. Something about her was captivating. She was going in and out of the main door with her mother paying a little less attention to her antics. She bumped into the door. But that only brought more smiles on my face. She rubbed her forehead with her tiny palms. Gave the door a stare and moved on. Why cant we face life the way we would have done when we were kids. There is a lot we unlearn as we grow.............

Emotional range of a teaspoon!!!

Happies Endings

I love my life. That was the conclusion I drew sitting on the terrace on a chilly night. I had screwed up another exam and this time I had fared so badly that I was beginning to really doubt my capabilities. I was staring at the sky aimlessly and then started thinking about the year that has passed by. I got the feeling that this year has been very different. So here is my review of the year gone by......

I started the year with my 3rd trip to Europe. Now the best part of this trip was that I set foot on the Eternal City. One of the most exciting parts was the planning. It really is amazing to see the amount of information thats actually available on the internet. Wikitravel and google maps are Gods to any traveller. I had just one weekend to visit Italy. After choosing Pisa over Venice apart from Rome, I booked my flight well in advance and ended up getting tickets at decent prices in Ryan Air. Then I went about planning what I would do every hour in the 48 hours that I had. After the research that I did on the internet, I had a plan which even covered which roads I would take while walking to the various piazzas in Rome. I had already seen the way from the train station to the hostel using Google Earth. I had already memorised every path, every train, every bus that I needed to take and also knew how much time I had to spend in each spot. I knew the exact place where I would get authentic Italian pizza at an affordable rate. I re-read 'Angels and Demons' so that I could relate the places I would see in the Vatican to the book. I also had a risk management plan with me. Basically a plan B if things went wrong. I even checked the internet to confirm that there were no strikes planned for that weekend. Every other trip of mine has neve gone according to plan. But amazingly, this one did. I discovered something about myself after the trip - I can plan and execute. To add, I think among Paris, Rome, Brussels and Amsterdam, Rome is best; the next time I set foot on Rome, it will be with my wife...........

The release of the final book in the Harry Potter series is another significant thing that happened this year. It was a book that was much awaited for and it didnt disappoint me either. Voldemort's end might have looked very lame but series on a whole is according to me a collector's pride. It has something in it for everyone, young and old. It has the right blend of fantasy and reality and unlike many other children's novels, portrays the confused mind of an adolescent with flair. Harry Potter has had an impact on millions including me. He has performed magic in many ways, with and without the wand.

What did I do at work this year. I wont say that work this year was uninteresting. But I guess I was entering a comfort zone. Now this is the zone one should always avoid. I realised it somewhere during the end of the year and have plans to crawl out the zone. But I did get some opportunity to realise my potential in requirements analysis, estimations, planning and the likes. And I now have clear goals if I have plans to stay on in the IT industry. And I have a message for all the IT people. Please dont complain. You get paid well. The work can be challenging. The work place has the best possible facilities. You get to travel and see the world. You can grow to senior positions at a fast rate. Performance plays an important role in growth. You get to interact with people from different nationalities. You need to work only for 5 days a week. Now how effectively you spend the time and money is upto you but the opportunites are ample. So the grass may look greener on the other side but remember that the responsibility to keep it green on your side is on you.

Winning and losing may be a part of life. Some even say that it only depends on the way you look at it. One plan that went totally haywire this year was the 'MBA'. The plan was just to clear at least one exam and start off with the course next year. But that is not going to happen now. This means that I have not put in the effort that is actually required. Usually I have a plan B in place for such situations. I will now have to let the plan B take its course. I usually believe in the saying - "Whatever happens, happens for the best". And this has had both positive and negetive impact on my life. Maybe I was not aggressive enough on the - MBA plan. Its time to set the ball rolling.........

Now there is one last venture of mine that blew up on my face. My quest to find love. Let me be frank - There is a girl I love (Yes I am using 'the' word!) . And it is not just some silly infactuation. But I didnt act on it. Now I have lost her. For a lot of my other ventures I will have a plan B. But in this one, I cant have a plan B, can I? She is the only one. The reason I didnt act on it is pretty simple. I didnt see she her reciprocate the same feelings. And I am not the guy who is ready to throw a stone blindly in the air without knowing where it would land. Maybe I should move on........

But as SRK mentions in OSO, life is like the movies. We need to have happy endings. Otherwise the movie has not yet ended. Life will go on................

OSO

I watched Om Shanti Om. Two times in two days. That might sound surprising to a lot of people actually. But I think its a movie that you courage to make.

The story is good. Not different though. But if one can make a movie with re-incarnation and ghosts in this multiplex era then thats a commendable act. Also these supernatural concepts have been captured with flair. You dont see the soul of Shah Rukh being transferred from one body to another. You dont see the ghost gliding in the air or bullets passing through it.

The movie does make fun of a lot of things. Especially of the old actors and their styles. But it has not been overdone. There is just some light sarcasm without going to the extent of hurting anyone's feelings. The movie industry in the 70's has been portrayed very well. The songs are also pretty good.

And then of course it has two people that make all the difference. Shah Rukh Khan who is my favourite next to Rajni. And Deepika Padukone - one I have a HUGE HUGE crush on! How can the movie not be hit!