I am pretty obviously a fan many things and by many, I mean different things that do not actually seem definitive of my personality. In other words, random. And this blog wouldn’t be an epic universe of poetic randomness for nothing, so today I am doing sort-of a film review. Yeah — from posting recipes, poetry, sketches and travel dairies, it is time to get reel.
2009 Oscars Best Picture Slumdog Millionaire was the springboard of my thesis in College, but let’s not talk about my thesis here although I immensely loved that movie, enough that I watched it thrice. Equally, I love India’s culture, the movies and arts — did I mention we had Afro-Asian literature in college and India was a mesmerizing highlight?
Anyway, I rekindled this love for India watching a couple of Bollywood films recently. I have to give my hats off to their film production industry as many of the films seem to have really big budgets. This is evident in very well-choreographed (and ever-present) song-and-dance numbers, visually-pleasing scenery and a relatively longer running time compared to Filipino flicks.
3 idiots. Perhaps you’ve already heard of this Aamir Khan-starrer, which has become pretty much a phenomenon among viewers, particularly the academe. At one point, the phrase “ALL IS WELL” has become so viral and everyone was quoting the movie. The thing is, I got to watch it only two years after. Call me delayed by all means.
Nevertheless, I admired the movie for being able to motivate people to pursue their passions and not let the norms and standards of the society dictate what they should be, all the while finding ways to enjoy life as it happens. The movie is a satire of our definition of Education. It is a heart-warming, fun and critical all at the same time.
And just recently, I watched Like Stars on Earth (Taare Zameen Par). The story revolves around Ishaan, a nine-year boy who suffered serious learning problems that made him loose his self-esteem, being sent to a boarding school and bullied. Later it was revealed that Ishaan had Dyslexia (a difficulty in recognising written symbols) through the help of his art teacher played (again) by Aamir Khan. The teacher helped Ishaan bring back his confidence, his passion for painting and the feeling of being wanted.
In general, both movies leave an experience that really touches the heart. There are underlying moral lessons about life, family, education, faith in oneself and many other good values making them really apt for the general audience. The intermission of musical numbers could have been a distraction but they do not take you away from the story; they just add up to the colourful storyline and at the end, what you will really remember is the lofty story with the soundtrack still playing. That’s a plus! In terms of acting, seldom if not entirely never do we see hysterical scenes as in some local films.
I admire these movies for letting the viewers peek into the characters’ psyche through their eyes. And after going through a couple of complications that seem bigger than they are, the characters find a strength within them they never knew they had. Good deeds end up with good karma; there will be a happy ending when the credits roll and you’ll have a smile on your cheeks.
Demigod in Disguise 