Salaam Bombay! (Movie Review #4)

Hello and welcome,to yet another movie review. Our movie under discussion today is Salaam Bombay! There are only a handful of movies which can truly leave a lasting impression on us as the credits start to roll. In my honest opinion there are only two types of movies in the world- the kind that i just said and all the rest. I don't know about you, but once in a blue moon when i see a movie, it stirs me up. Like i said the movies we watch either leaves a lasting impression or becomes just another flick in our list,so that when your friend asks:

"Hey,have you seen that movie ?"

You reply : "Yeah. I have. Its...ok,...watchable."

 As for the ones that catch you by your self-pretentious 'i have seen it all' attitude and pulls you down to the ground, well my dear friend,those are the ones you have to watch and watch out for. The sheer intensity of emotions in them are so powerful and unrelenting  that they'll break through our self made armour of belief that we cant be affected by pictures on a screen. Salaam Bombay! is that kind of a movie. For me the high-point of the film were the last 60 seconds before the screen fades to black. I came to know about this movie through Quora. Salaam Bombay! was directed by Mira Nair and released in 1988. It is a movie which focuses on the lives of people living in a red light district area. The protagonist is boy who is called Chaipau (tea guy). His real name is Krishna. In retaliation to his brother's bullying Krishna burns a scooter that his brother was repairing (Krishna's brother is a mechanic). So his mother takes Krishna to a circus manger and leaves him to work there. She places a condition that Krishna can return home when he has earned 500 rupees( for the burned scooter). But one day while packing up the circus manger asks Krishna to go into town an get him 3 tins of pan masala. Upon returning Krishna finds that the circus had left without waiting for him. So he goes to the railway station and takes a ticket to the nearest city- Bombay. On reaching Bombay he soon finds work as the delivery boy for a tea shop......I think i have revealed enough of the story. One by one all our characters are introduced- Chillum, Baba, Sola Saal, Manju, and so on..... Each of them somehow or the other effects the life of Chaipau. The scene with Irfan Khan was also good. It somehow acts as a hint to the oncoming tragedy. After watching the movie  i checked out Wikipedia and  came to know that the child actors were all children from the streets of Bombay. It seems that they were given dramatic training at a special workshop.Special mention goes to the sound track.The music at the end credits is exceptional and has an optimistic tune to it. It is so good that i had to put it in a loop in VLC player, and i am currently listening to it while writing this. The movie is not abound in violence or gore nor does it appeal for our sympathy, and it doesn't rely on any plot twists or anti-climax. Perhaps the reason why i was able to connect with the movie was due to its simplicity and predictability,and of course that is the beauty of this particular piece of art. Now with absolute clarity and reassurance i can say that Slumdog Millionaire is by all means an overrated movie catering to the masses who expect nothing but a 'feel good' film.

I have one request and only one- Please,just watch the damn movie and you can thank me later!

"Till The Last Breath'- by Durjoy Dattta (Book Review #1)

'Till The Last Breath' is a romantic novel by Durjoy Dutta. Though this was my first book by the author, i wouldn't mind reading some more of his works. The book is gripping enough to be finished in a day or two. I liked the book, to be honest, but i also feel that it is below average on many aspects.

The plot for instance is all too familiar. At about the 30 % mark you can see the climax that's coming. On a personal note i always root for the unexpected to happen. So, when all the puzzle pieces fell together in place (like i knew it would) i was a bit disappointed. So if you are one of those people who like to have an unanticipated twist in the plot, or a shocker in the end that leaves you numb for a couple of days, then you might nor like this book very much. To be honest you don't have to get to the 30% mark to guess how the story will end. All you need is the prerequisite of having seen a handful of your typical Bollywood movies and the synopsis at the back. Yes this is pretty much like the script for your average Hindi movie.

The synopsis runs like this:

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The death sentences of the patients in Room No. 509 have been written.

One of them is a brilliant nineteen-year-old medical student, suffering from an incurable, fatal disease hurtling her towards a slow, painful death. She counts every extra breath as a blessing. The other is a wasteful twenty-five-year-old drug addict whose every organ system is slowly shutting down. He can’t wait to get rid of his body--to him, the sooner the better.

Two reputed doctors, fighting their own demons from the past, try everything to keep these two patients alive, even putting their medical licenses at risk.

These last days in the hospital change the two patients, their doctors and all the other people around them in ways they had never fathomed.

Till the Last Breath is a heart-warming story about love, life and friendship that reminds us what it means to be alive.

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Coming back to the book. Well as for the characters, i find that the author has given thought to character development. To me the main protagonist in the movie is the drunk guy in the room, not the chirpy little girl. This guy's mind is a blend of emotional frustration and addictions. Addiction not only alcohol and drugs but also to love. His strained relationships are portrayed perfectly. I can say with utmost confidence that Dushyant is much much better than the average Chetan Bhagat protagonist. Clearly a step or two ahead. The narration also deserves special mention. It was good to have a view of the story from different perspectives. This is all the good i can say about this book. 

Now, as i was browsing through Flipkart looking at the reviews of this book, i found that it has been severely overrated. And can someone enlighten me as to why all the girls(most of them) are swooning after this book. Huh? What's the deal? Did i read something else or was there another version with extra material or something? You know like the post credits scene in every MARVEL movie. Here is a snapshot of some of the comments and what's annoyed me most is that they've given it 5 stars. WHAT THE HELL?

In most cases the reviewer says that she cried when she got to page so and so and that page is still wet with her tears. Bullshit. Yeah that's my answer. If you cry at such a simple story. Then i advise you not to watch 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' the only movie that almost made me cry.

As i have already said the book is good,not great. It's one of those books that you pick up to read only for the sake of passing time not for the reading per se. Yes the book is a great hit. But have you wondered why? This stuff is aimed at a particular age group say 14-27 and the author has succeeded in reaching out to them. Yes as an author Mr. Durjoy Dutta has done a good job. But at the end of the day it doesn't mean that he is a good author (case in point Stephenie Meyer).

My Verdict - 

The end of what was B.Tech (or was it?)

So i've officially reached the end of my B.tech Degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. It took me four years. These four years are quite significant. Why? Well for starters, i grew out of my teen years and into the twenties. Another reason is that there's no more studying. (I mean if you choose to). If you want to go for M.tech well then you get to study for another two years. If not then within the next few months, you have to find yourself a job and start working. 'Working'- i am not too familiar with that concept, but i guess i have no choice but to get used to it.

Coming back to the topic, that is the end of my B.tech, well i have to say that i'm surprised that it ended so fast. I thought i would be happy when it ended, but now i miss college and my back bench in the middle row. I dont know who is destined to take that seat in my classroom. Whoever you are, i just want you to know that it's the best seat in the whole class.Why? You may ask. I have often said this to my friends but still here are the main reasons:
1.) Its the bloody back bench, how's that for a reason?
2.) My seat is exactly in the middle of the back bench so it gives a better field of vision of the entire class.
3.) Its in the middle of two ceiling fans so i get the right amount of breeze.
4.) There is also that sliding window behind me which helps me during power cuts, light and easy access to     dispose off chewing gum and other stuff
5.) Since it is way back i get more reaction time to use phones or write assignments and stuff.
I wanted to draw a picture depicting these advantages, then i thought that i would rather spare  you the torment.
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We wanted to organize a farewell at our college. So we approached our principal with this request. But that old hag  being a person devoid of principles came up with the most impressive answer she could think of- "No!". Ha, she couldn't even consider the fact that we spent some of our best days walking in those classrooms, or in the grounds or in and around the campus. All she could come up with was a bloody "No!".
All this happened when our classes were ending. We celebrated holi in during our last day and had a small skirmish with the police. Which ended as the most unforgettable last day of any batch. If only she had allowed us to have a farewell day. Hmm. So after our exams we approached her once again and made the same request. You know what she said this time? "No..cant do that, you are no longer students of this college, i cant let you celebrate farewell day inside the campus." Thanks a lot ma'am.So we decided to organize it at a hotel at Quilon. Shame on you who calls yourself a principal. Shame on you!! You are not fit to occupy that room where people of great character and caliber once sat. I am not perfect, so i have no right to judge you but still i cant help but say that you are a disappointment.

Another source of sorrow was my discovery of the real faces of some of my friends, dont ask me who they are or what they did. Cause i'm not gonna tell. It is true that appearances can be deceptive. And i found out that only at the end of 4 years.. actually on the very last day..

Guys, i'm not gonna write my whole college life where cause in the very near future i'm gonna write a book. Go and buy it ok?
I am ending this post now..!

Christmas Cribs...

Another Christmas has gone by, and like always it was celebrated with hopes of a better future, a brighter tomorrow. And lets us not forget those new year resolutions, some of which we do take up seriously and some of which are just conveniently forgotten.Nothing excites me as much as making the Christmas crib. And this year i thought why not go around and take some pictures of the various cribs made in the churches around my home and post it here. So without much talk here they are.

  1.)St. Sebastian's Church Tuet, Kollam

2.) St. Mary's Cathedral, Ernakulam

3.) The crib at my house

4.)St. Casmir's Church Kadavoor-I




















5.)St. Casmir's Church Kadavoor-II

6.) Infant Jesus Cathedral Tangasseri,Kollam

 7.) St. Antony's Church Vaddy, Kollam

8.) Holy Cross Church Tangasseri, Kollam