Magic Moments

This movie has attempted to delve into topics that perhaps not many bollywood movies had done before. Death of a family member and how the family deals with it. There is grief, guilt, people advising different things, a business going on for funeral rites and rituals, the hullabaloo and elaborate customs that make little sense to someone who has not seen or known it before. There is this underlying strife between religious customs and scientific logic. And the uninitiated youth of the family goes through a lot of emotional upheaval trying to make sense of it all. Coming to terms with the traditions, accepting that performing the rituals is someone’s form of solace, there might be an explanation that we do not know of yet, was shown deftly, and with kindness and compassion in the movie. They have handled emotions, as raw as grief, and confusion that comes with it so well. I have cried buckets during this movie, but I also loved it in its entirety, it is truly made with so much love. We ...

Thanks to Instagram, I discovered this book. Or how else a book first published in 1971, can come to my hands. These days I make it a point to read a book end to end - appreciations for the book by newspaper columns, acknowledgements, contents, introduction, epilogue, end notes, indexes, appendix etc. whatever be it. This one is the most apt statement: "A 19th century book in a 20th century world. It will beguile an hour of your time and put you in tune with mankind." "As we get to know Helene, and through her, Frank and Nora Doel, and Cecily Farr and Megan Wells and the rest at 84 Charing Cross, we recognize that the books desired, located, sent and received are the happy vehicles for much else : conversation, friendship, affection, generosity, wit -- in other words, for all the best things life can share with us."  - from the Introduction by Anne Bancroft who played Helene's character in the movie. We book-lovers just love to indulge in books that talk about o...

The creepy trailer and the tag of it being a horror movie without actual ghosts lured me into watching it.  And there was Dani - the female protagonist around whose breakup journey the story revolves, who starred in Little Women. I like to watch movies by the actors that I had loved in one past movie. She is phenomenal in expressing the sheer grief and trauma that is an integral part of this movie.  But there should have been a disclaimer somewhere - watch at your own discretion and risk. It's not an easy movie. In one word - it's Macabre . Not exactly horror. It just affects you mentally. I won't really recommend it - but truth is curiosity got better of me and I watched it completely, and then watched 'ending explained' videos and real midsummer rituals in Nordic lands which are nothing like what is in this movie.  Dark thriller with brutal violence disguised as Scandinavian pagan culture traditions in the land of the midnight sun . The script has taken old folk...

It doesn't seem engaging at first. Seems to have a rather slow start. Not moving fast enough. Not thrilling enough. But you sit through the first hour, registering the numerous characters in your head. Each of them seems to have had the reason to commit the murder. Most belong to the same family, that makes it certain that it is indeed an insider's job. You think it through yourself, as the police and detective does in the movie. You are being taken on a ride. But just as you try to decide to quit watching, something is revealed, piquing your interest. Then something else comes up, making you question your own deductions so far. Then you are hooked. Glued to the screen. It is thrilling, the second half. And the end seems satisfactory, explaining all the open ended questions you have had through the watch. That is an awesome amazing thriller for me. Since a few days, I have been hung up on thriller movies. Can't get enough of those. Starting from 'who-dunnit' flicks ...

Taapsee’s acting is wonderful. So believable, so realistic and it prods us so much to think. I admired how she could act to be so vulnerable and yet so strong. The slap scene when she just goes numb and confused to as what has happened around her, is deep. And the days passing by, as she tries to deal with the memory of the humiliation, the blow to her worth in the household, her near and dear ones, especially women and younger brother telling her to just move on. Forgive and forget. Let it go. And all this while, Vikram, the once sweet husband, refuses to see that he needs to apologize and acknowledge that it was his fault. And that its not cool to slap your wife, whatsoever be the reason. He stoops down to reasoning his state of mind, and his excuses for it, instead of just saying sorry and meaning it.  Along with Taapsee, there are some amazing ensemble of characters in the movie, whose lives are entwined with her. Lovely characters. I loved Diya Mirza’s characters,...

My mother hasn’t called me up since last Wednesday. It’s just been two days and I don’t want to sound like a baby in the crib seeking attention, but it’s getting me feeling sad. Away from home and always in this feeling of constant transition has drained me a lot. Friends and well wishers are around but there’s this emotional need that has grown with time and has me craving for home. But what is home anyway? I have grown my own safe haven of familiarities and comforts here in these few months. But still, this feeling persists. ~ On gratitude front I have a lot to talk about.   Last Monday when I and my hostel mate were travelling from Delhi to Dehradun by train, life turned happening. Our AC chair car was stopped at Roorkee station for an uncertain time period. Upon inquiring we found a certain luggage train had derailed and the tracks were being repaired. And it could take hours. Slowly and steadily, by and by, the crowd grew thinner in our berth. Everyone start...

Source: Spiritualityandpractice One Friday evening, as I was feeling a bit lonely and homesick with nothing much to do, not even strolling on the terrace viewing the ever so beautiful mountains since it was raining hard- thus it also contributing to my gloomy mood, I decided to watch Before Sunrise. Yes, once again. A first for me. I rarely re-watch a movie. Yearning for a light-hearted yet meaningful conversation this was the best choice I had. My hostel mates were out in the city and all the people I called up were busy. Luck by chance. Thanks to the superb uninterrupted internet connection I had a great 1 hour 40 minutes that evening. "Experiencing the otherworldly. When morning comes, we would all turn into pumpkins." Even though it sounds like a cliche today, unplanned trips, adventures in life, serendipity and providence are romantic. Before Sunrise has all of these, when strangers indulge in light conversations, grow intrigued about each other's live...

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be some kind of library.” — Jorge Luis Borges I came across this book tag on Twitter at  Zezee With Books , Life Of a Female Bibliophile , and PaperFury . I wanted to write on it, but somehow couldn't and my sister was searching for prompts to write on and happily took this one up. So over to my sister- Samikshya Mishra, as she shares her bookish savory delicious indulgences.                                 ************************************************ I love doing recommendations. When I chanced upon a few posts talking about books and relating them to delicious desserts, I wanted to write one too. So here’s a list in which I’ll tag books and movies with a flavor of cake. All the tags I read before writing this made me imagine delicious cakes in a small café in a countryside, a sweet old lady baking bread and cookies, the warm a...

When I watched the trailer of ‘The Handmaiden’, I had a picture of who is innocent, who is being tricked and the suspicious hints in the storyline. But what I found in the first half of the movie, was totally different from the impression that the trailer had had. A Korean girl from a con artists’ household travels to a rich Japanese home to play Miss Hideko’s personal maid, Tamako, with the mission of making her fall for The Count- another acquaintance who wants to get her inheritance for himself by marrying her. Things go out of the plan when Tamako feels for her missus- pity, love and remorse for the innocent being that she was and wants to prevent The Count from taking advantage of her and hurting her in the process of acquiring her treasures. Tamako herself is in dilemma, as she wants riches to fulfill her own dreams, but wants Hideko to be safe from their ploy. Lady Hideko is delicately beautiful. She was raised as a virtual prisoner by her uncle, the book collec...

Weeks and weekends seem to pass by in a jiffy these days. Another Monday has arrived. I read a book this week- Six Degrees by blogadda.com. It is a compilation of three different stories with the same set of characters, but a different plot, narrative, and voice. I liked reading it. It was a new, one of a kind of experience. I felt like watching three different movies with the same characters- at the end, it kind of felt surreal. I watched Kapoor & Sons in my laptop. Finally, yes! I loved it. I watched it in three days, part by part. Occasionally, I replayed scenes, paused a lot to savor the moment, took many breaks to dab the tears, and hummed the tunes to myself in the bathroom. I fell in love with the flawed, not so perfect family. I adored the mischievous GrandPa played by Rishi Kapoor- he indeed was the backbone of the family, the one singular person that connected every emotionally estranged member. I empathized with the brothers who loved each other but we...