ConneXions

Dor, in Hindi can come to mean differently in myriad contexts. The simplest, as would befit this ode to film making by Kukunoor ,would be a string that binds and connects.

In our worlds today where staying connected virtually has gained predominance over making it to the dinner table together for a quiet relaxed meal I am blown away like a feather in a gentle breeze, touched by every emotion I knew existed in me and those I dint, in all of 147 minutes.

A tale of two woman, polar in all respects.

A tale of love, friendship, betrayal, belief, subjugation, emancipation and finally redemption.

A tale of human bonding in circumstances so extreme, so distressing yet so placid.

A tale of such charm that definitely does not belong to the time we live in or have known it to be.

It may come as a surprise for many of you who have known me to trash and rip apart flicks with an acrid tongue.

And for hardliners like me it's a veritable feast , catering to all of the faculties, not in one wide swoop, but in ebbing and flowing, and seeping down, slowly, gently until ingrained.

Unlike times I do not let in on plots more for the lack of it, I shall hold back

this one, for one would be unable to justifiably word it for easy comprehension and mass consumption. 

this one for its a journey one should make to experience and be able to appreciate individually.

I would strongly recommend that you not look it up on web. I do not know who defines what a classic must be but  this one is for sure by my standards and way up on my list of " 100 best things that happened to me while on Earth".

Now all that talk should be backed up by content one would say and Dor will not disappoint.Far from it. 

To the best of my knowledge this movie garnered appreciation amongst critic, failed to set the cash register ringing, won accolades for the performance and was seen at more number of film festivals than the number of general public who watched it.

Kukunoor's brand of cinema and works are by now known to be for niche audience. Hyderabad Blues, Iqbal, Teen Deewarein and it's likely you would have 9 out of 10 people asking you Kukunoor who?

His works are subtle, simplistic and straightforward that belies the complex inlay of fragile emotions and intricacies of human psyche. Like the calm river surface thats conceals the strong currents beneath. 

A special mention to the cinematography and art director. Rajasthan has forever been type casted as land of colors, richness, , bravado and royalty in our movies. But Dor brings alive the barren, arid, sandy landscapes in ways never seen before in our movies just as the chilled, hilly and dewy feel of Himachal Pradesh leaves you besotted.

Dialogs are simple. Background scores melting away into the plot. The songs moving soulfully through the languid , lethargic pace of the story ( btw it occurs to me that's the only thing that could go against it). It could also be a tad preachy at times. 
Like: Life is about living on your terms and by your choices.And its also about living with the consequences of your choices.

But the single biggest USP of it are the actors. 

All you big banners out there, hope you hang heads in shame, you don't need star power, 12 packs, ensemble cast, foreign locales, designer wardrobe or world's best special FX to make good cinema. You need a  "story", a vivid mind of an artist and a heart burning with passion to tell it like it is.

Gul Panag shows why she is extraordinary in this film when all you can conjure up images at the mention of her name would be some nondescript  dimpled winner of a beauty pageant.

Shreyas Talpade justifies why he was chosen to team up for a second innings.In fact, his role is the only relief (at times comic) in sharp contrast to the profoundity of the story. The scene where he is getting the camel to stand up is the so hilarious I had to pause for respite from the ache that built up in my tummy from all that lol and wipe out tears that it brought to my eyes. An actor par excellence who will leave you asking for more. I hope for sake of Hindi cinema we don't loose him to glitz and glamor.

A note though, the humor like the rest of the story is very subtle and one not watching with a a keen eye and ear is likely to miss most of it. Not that there are many anyways.

All other actors are sufficient and fit their bill to a T. Why even Kukunoor makes a cameo and is the only, somewhat odd one out. But that's excusable in the overall scheme of things.

And the best for the last. Miss Takia ( Now Mrs.) 

Wonder what the heck was she thinking featuring in itsy bitsy in woebegone movies thats exclusive screening for folks resigned to hell.

Like the movie thats come in with a fresh wave of thought, style and dimensions to story tellings, has given a new lease of life to Hindi cinema, its the coming of age of Ayesha Takia as an actor.

Like the character she essays, from awkwardly dancing to .." you are my sonia..", or hastily fixing her veil in elders presence ,or snuggling up to human touch in months of widowhood, to finally the climax scene where realization dawns on her she takes your breath away.

My hopes of her gravitating towards fine cinema, towards wiser choice and taste buds vanished with Wanted.With her blissfully enjoying matrimony one could predict that will be all from her in a long time to come.

Kukunoor's work should be made into a mandatory tutorials for all wannabe film makers before they venture into crass commercialism they call ' zara hatke' works and then wind up in my legendary list of movies that shouldn't have been made. ( Ah yes, call it vanity, call it obsession, I am here to stay with my list).

I hope thats enough dent I have caused to get you into watching Dor or should I say any more? Why I'll even bribe you for it.

I chanced upon this movie accidentally. And I have been hopelessly biased since. The journey was made without sky high expectations but one that left me spellbound. 

Hope it shall be the same for you. Simply Connect.

Vogue 2010

The magazine has gotten into some controversies with its cover shots on its latest issue but that's not what this is about.( OK. I get it. You probably don't know what the heck I'm talking about.Google to your rescue)


What it is about is, 'Aisha' the on screen adaption of Jane Austen's Emma  (or so the makers say) by débutante Ojha. Rajshree's got the look and feel just right but she hits the bull's eye with Sonam. The lanky Ms. Kapoor doesn't disappoint and has sunk her teeth deep into the character, a rarity to come by in B'wood, and for most parts she's immensely watchable. I still cant fathom is it because I find her on screen persona as bird brained as her surreal self. 
(Surreal as we, the mass ,never know whats reality when it comes to a celebrity.)


Ojha paints a pretty picture of the elitists of Delhi, their indulgences, their self importance,their whims and fancies.
Aisha with a heart of gold takes her role of making matches on earth quite seriously after her maiden attempt at helping her maasi find the love of her life is a win win for all.New comers Ira Dubey and Amita Puri  are plucky and play her sidekicks with equal elan.


Aisha is the smart and sassy uptown girl who's typical day is spent visiting art galleries, tending to stray dogs that passes off as social work, genteel cheering at polo matches and when doing none of the above she's zipping across Delhi malls in her yellow VW max'ing out credit cards.


Her latest 'project' is to pair off the behenji Ms. Shefali (Puri) to Randhir (an adorable Cyrus) who in fact has his heart set on Aisha and wears it on his sleeves too. We have an affable Mr Sensible (Abhay) who's Aisha moral police but of course the headstrong Aisha of chic designer trousseau and high 'ideals' would not let that deter her.


What the movie has got to do with Vogue the magazine is the international fashion scene it has managed to present so stylishly and packaged for B'wood.In that department alone it sure would be a trend setter. What maybe working for the movie a winner though is the way it could connect with the audience. Sample this.The girls are worried of dying single. An emotion shared by millions across the globe.


I am not giving away anything more. Maybe cause there a'int. Duh-huh.


For those who read the book, stick to it. For those who dint, scoot and grab a copy now, it'll be a better bargain I assure. And while you are at it pick up Austen's other classics Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility. Wonder what bug has gotten into movie makers to revisit Austen's work through the decades.The script writers wells ,or should it be fountain ,have run dry and they wont just admit it.


As for me,this movie too enqueues up to my list of those that should never have been made. Since self styled critics like me don't have much have a say I am happy a lot of people gained employment and made a living out of  bringing alive on screen , B'woods version of Emma.


Loved the melodious ' Lehrein...'  and uppity peppy "Gal mitthi mitthi .." track.


Verdict: Watch this chick flick if nothing is happening in your virtual world , while you wait for all those on your friends list to post something on your wall. At least you will have something to scribble on your own at the end of it. No pun intended.


Yes. the writing was indeed on the wall. Not many cared to read it though. Now this is, pun indeed.


P.S: I know its a tad too late to write about a release thats dint hold up for as many days as the weeks I held this post up.  Sigh!I am so wicked. And loving it!

The great call of liberty!

At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom –
Nehru 14 August 1947

Undoubtedly one is proud to be from the soil of a nation as great as our's with its rich heritage, enviable legacy, a smörgåsbord of culture, ethnicity, religion,clothing ,language, cuisines,color,creed, climate, eco system, geographical disperse, topography,crops .....No wonder everyone wanted a piece of it.

Yet I was wondering if we have enough reasons to celebrate the Freedom handed to us by brave hearts on a silver platter, one stained by their sweat and blood.

One could easily fall prey to denouncing what we as a nation have come to be , be called a pessimist and attract more brickbats but hey! one can exercise the freedom of expression!..nevertheless..at the stroke of midnight when India rose to freedom in 1947 ...in celebrating 63 years as a free land...I have woken to some very depressing and deeply disturbing happenings:

Oil Spill that have endangered maritime life with serious ecological implications, incurring  loss of 85 crore rupees a day,snatched away livelihood of those who have been dependent on the ocean. A week later investigating authorities are still trying to pin blame on MSC Chitra and / or Khalijia - The vessels aren't registered with Indian ports.
Coming in the wake of the court orders on the 25 year old Union Carbide tragedy (worst ever the world has seen) what have we learnt?

The Flash floods in Leh ,damaging property and rendered people homeless, penniless and the death toll climbs by the day. The Army battling nature's fury (yet again!) with all its might and providing succor to the ravaged.The Indian Army- they man our borders,keeping vigil 24/7 and they are called in every time a child falls into pit, every time an overloaded bus knocks itself off the roads on dangerous terrain,every time a boat capsizes...whatever happened to the basic civic structure that should have been in place to deal with such emergencies? Why after 63 years of being free, the shackles of bureaucracy and babudom, dictate our actions and reactions?

The commonwealth shame, Greed raised its ugly head yet again and this time for the world to see. Each day newer juicier details of the scandals hit the headline and repeatedly aired on the channels.A colossal waste of tax payers money apart, we cut such a sorry figure in what should have been a proud moment for India. And the drama is yet to unfold. 49 more days to go ..lets wait and watch.

More sordidness from the valley of death, a purported heaven on earth.Our generation has known Kashmir to be anything but that.The never ending bloodshed.The innocent caught in crossfires.What rights have the people there known, seen or exercised when the basic right to a leading a humane life has been denied in all of these 63 years of independence?

The Taj group of hotels opened its door to public 2 years post the terror attacks.Renovated and Refurbished by the Tata's at 1.8 billion rupees crores in restoring its glory and heritage, the resurrections symbolises a lot more than hope. I am surprised no enthusiastic journo or no channel has yet made it to the doors of the Unnikrishnan household. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan valor is lost in the imbroglio of justice, diplomacy and worst still politicking.

One can go on endlessly- crib, write blogs,shake my head in despair and get into angry tirades... but that will not change anything....

...Govt of India will continue to remain deaf when the Swiss bank has publicly stated that Indians are their biggest customer ever. A collective figure of 70 Lakh crores. And that it is willing to handover the list of its account holders should the Govt ask for it. How many of atleast, the educated mass know that's enough money to pay our national debt 13 times over, provide food , cloth and shelter to our billion plus strong populace?

...Maoists and extremist will continue to blow up buildings, irreversibly damage the socio-economic infrastructure and deny any chance to our hopes of peace in those strife torn lands.

...Inflation shall continue to be a double digit figure even as food grains rot in granaries and middlemen are squeezing the life blood out of farmers.Driven to suicide by the system , even the Almighty has not spared them the troubles. In what used to be a primarily agrarian country, our ill devised plans of development ,currently the 11th 5 year plan has managed a skewed economic divide at best.

..Channels will continue to air patriotic movies for the nth time, damned reality shows will have celebs croon and shake a leg and tingle our sentiments and feed out insatiable appetite for glitz and glamor around the dates of national importance.

I am justifiably annoyed, when a reporter asks school children what freedom means to them, the children shout in union- We will be the superpower!!!! Who wants to be one as long as no child is forced into bonded labour and slavery, no woman shall want to be trafficked, no stomach shall go empty, no lives are endangered due to adulterated edibles, no infant shall die of lack of basic medical care, no child falls into half dug ,uncovered wells. no queues and fights break on streets for a potful of water.


I am enraged ,when a popular youth channel, has a PYT in her tricolor inspired itsy bitsy, thrusts the mike onto nonchalant youngsters asking them to define freedom and what does 15th August mean to them...As for the responses the lesser said the better as they made light of the struggles of those who fought to death to free us.

I am disappointed ,at recalling how at the beginning of the year, looking at the list of holidays from the HR, a very many of us at work had groaned at the loss of one more holiday.2nd October, 14th November too fall on weekend.

I am exasperated at the ethnic day celebrations at school, colleges and offices when I am being pestered by children at traffic signals to buy the plastic version of our national flag.

I am saddened to read of young lives being gruesomely snuffed out by an orthodox society and khap panchayats for choosing their life partners.

Finally, I am surprised,

I can still manage goosebumps while listening to Vande matarm in the quiet environs of my home. Aye mere watan ke logo.... can still mist your eyes.

I am still happy over the Jessica Lal murder case which saw justice after a long drawn battle primarily spurred by public outcry. Its a hard hitting proof of what we can achieve if we unite our voices, awaken our sense of responsibility and channelize our actions.

I am still glad my nieces and nephews believe that one day they will make India proud by becoming a scientist or a cricketing sensation.That's some hope for a Nobel, a Bharat Ratna, a Grand slam in the times to come.

For now, I am still looking for reasons to celebrate.

As an afterthought:


Too much has been written said and debated on what plagues us and too little on executing what needs to be done. Thats the need of the hour and the call of the liberty.
For all those who made it this far on the post my following post would be your say on this. This 15th August ,after all the introspection and soul searching , I feel the need to be reassured that we still pack the might that has propelled us onto the 21st century as a force to reckon with. I know you are doing your bit.Share with us Just how.Bring it on!


I respect.I admire. And doff a hat to all those who are doing small, meaningful things in their everyday lives and living out their dreams in a free India as a responsible citizen and not merely being a passive one given to existential mundaneness with only rights to embolden them.


Kudos to them and Cheers to the hope that it brings to us. JAI HIND.