Some good movies....

Parzania
It is Naseeruddin Shah all the way, and to a certain extent Sarika & the American Nemec, who is actually telling the story…How nice it was to see Sarika after ages. A perfectly happy family, even though Shah is just a theatre camera operator…. Life chugs along, two active kids and a truly enjoyable family, when disaster strikes with the Hindu Muslim riots. Together Naseer & Sarika struggle through the aftermath of the Godhra riots in search of their lost son. Many of the scenes are heart wrenching, but the film cavorts through those days, displaying vivid images of the tragedies of mankind … The raw taste of the horror your own brethren can wreak, will remain with you for days..

Based on a true story, the boy Azhar is still missing…


Kathavasheshan – For the shame of being alive
I was quite hesitant about watching this movie, had it for a while. Finally we played the vcd’s last Saturday and the movie left me amazed, not for the fate of the hero, but the technical quality of the movie, the way the story is told and the unraveling of the character played by Dilip. It is really brilliant, the way the chap reached out across India, working in many a place, forming endearing friendships…and how the friends eventually viewed him. Each understanding one or a couple of aspects that make this hero’s complex character.

Dileep is a decently employed civil engineer who in the opening frame commits suicide. He was engaged to be married, and life seemed quite perfect, but he hangs himself. The distraught fiancée played by Jyothirmayi goes about trying to figure out why he did what he did…The story comes out in a gripping fashion, through flashbacks, during interviews with 14 people from all over India, talking about the protagonist in their own styles. Some may say it is a way of paying homage to suicides, but I could come to terms with the movie…

Incidentally this movie focuses on the same theme as Parzania, the Godhra riots!!

Karutha Pakshikal
Well, that was a classic from Kamal. I still wonder if Mamooty deserved the award over Pritviraj in Vaasthavam. I think Mamooty deserved it. A very grey movie, it covers the sad story of an ‘Isthri’ man, a refugee from some drought hit part of Tamilnadu, working in Kerala. His simple & widowed life is shared by three children, one of whom is blind, in tow. As he goes around with his Charcoal iron, he comes across the terminally ill rich girl Meena. No sparks of love follow as many would expect, but a philanthropic offer to donate her eyes to the small girl is made…Life however, is life…and what happens thence provides the movie a Malayali ending.


Vaasthavam
I longed to go back to the place where I did high school, Trivandrum after I saw the movie. The typical Trivandrum accent from Jagathy took me back to the days when people there used to make fun of our Palakkad Malayalam. Brilliantly showcasing the bureaucracy in the Secretariat at Anathaputam, the movie is a marvel. How a youngster Balachandran (Prithviraj) who lands a job there, manipulates people and the system, brilliantly aided by Unnithan (Jagathy) is something that cannot be missed. The best scene in the movie is when Unnithan and Balachandran sit with a bunch of envelopes and stuff notes into each for disbursement to every level of the section concerned. Unnithan wryly explains how the envelope vendor across the road, went on to become a very rich man…depicting the state of our ruling clan today…


Pursuit of Happyness
No it is not a spelling mistake with ‘Happyness’, this is how it is spelt in the movie.
While ‘Karutha Pakshika’l shows a guy who never strives to go beyond his limits, this movie portrays a person who wants to achieve the American dream and make millions. Again, based on a true story, the penniless Chris Gardener (Will Smith) juggles with his attempts at trying to sell bone density scanners, balance his family life and earn some money…none of which he manages. His wife leaves him and he struggles to look after his small son (real son in real life). He then gets an internship with Dean Witter, and eventually a full paying job there… goes on to make millions, write a book and have this movie made about him… All in all, pretty good.

Namesake
This is one great movie, starring Irfan, Kal Penn and Tabu, the travails of a Bengali immigrant family in USA. How they blend in, their children’s life, how tragedy strikes and so on…Many an NRI will find parallels with their own lives where there is always a distinct lack of identity, even if you are willing to embrace the mainstream…Written by Jumpa Lahri, the movie is directed by Mira Nair. I am now tempted to read Gogol’s writings, especially the short story ‘Overcoat’ after seeing the movie!