నవ్వు కోసం

స్నేహ, వరుణ్ ఇద్దరూ ఏడాది క్రితం Facebook లో కలిసారు, నాలుగు సార్లు కలుసుకున్నారు, భావాలు ప్రకటించుకున్నారు . కలిసి బ్రతకాలి అని నిశ్చయించుకున్నారు.  స్నేహ తన వాళ్ళతో వరుణ్ గురించి చెప్పినా, వాళ్ళు అభ్యంతరాలు వ్యక్తం చేసారు. అందుకని ఈ రోజు తల్లితండ్రులని పరిచయం చేసి, వరుణ్ ఎలాంటివాడో అని ప్రత్యక్షంగా చూపించి, వాళ్ళని ఒప్పిద్దాం అనుకుంది.

పరీక్ష స్నేహకి కాదు, వరుణ్ కి. సమాధానాలు చెప్పవలసిన బాధ్యత వరుణ్ మీద ఉంది కాబట్టి.

తలుపు తట్టి లోపలికి వచ్చి కూర్చున్నాడు. ఎదురుకుండా స్నేహ అమ్మా, నాన్నా ఉన్నారు, కొంచెం దూరంగా ఉంది స్నేహ కూర్చుంది. 

"నువ్వేనా వరుణ్ అంటే" అని నాన్న గట్టిగా అడిగాడు
"అవునండి" అని వరుణ్ సూటిగా చూసుకుంటూ చెప్పాడు
"ఏం చేస్తుంటావు"
"ఒక I.T. Company లో Developer గా చేస్తున్నా"
"ఏ మాత్రం వస్తుంది ఏంటి" అని వెటకారంగా అడిగాడు ఆ పెద్ద మనిషి
"స్నేహకి కష్టం రాకుండా చూసుకునే అంత" అని స్నేహ వైపు చూస్తూ అన్నాడు
"తను డాక్టర్, MDS చేస్తే పెద్ద సంపాదన ఉంటుంది మరి, నీ సంపాదన కంటే చాలా ఎక్కువ"
"నిజమే, కానీ తను చదువు అయిపోయే లోపు, తనకంటే ఎక్కువ సంపాదించలేను , అని మీరు ఖచ్చితంగా చెప్పగలరా?"
"లేదు, అయితే, ఈ రోజున తనకి MDS లో Admission వస్తే నువ్వు చదివిస్తావా?"
"తప్పకుండా"
"ఎలా చెప్తున్నావు"
"ఏడాదికి 5 లక్షలు సమకూరుస్తాను ప్రస్తుతానికి, అవి ఇచ్చి, మిగిలనిది ఏమైనా ఉంటే,ఈ లోపు, ఇంకో వృత్తి చూసుకుంటా, లేకపోతే ప్రవృత్తిని వృత్తిగా మలచుకొని, తనకి చదువుకి చేయగలిగిన ఆర్ధిక సహాయం చేస్తాను, ఒక్క మాటలో చెప్పాలంటే తను అనుకున్నది సాధించడానికి, నేను చేయగలిగిన నీతి బద్ధమైన పనులు చేస్తాను"
"Script బాగా రాసుకున్నావు, కథలు రాస్తుంటావా?"
"మనసులోంచి వచ్చే మాటల వెనుక కథ, కథనం, కూర్పు ఉండాల్సిందేనా?"
"తెలుగు తట్టుకోలెకపోతున్నా, సరే కానీ మీది ఏ కులం?"
"ఎవరూ లేని అనాథకి కులం ఎక్కడుంటుంది"
"ఓ Sorry, మరిచాను, స్నేహ చెప్పింది" 
"ఫర్వాలేదు, మనసుని గ్రహించారు"
"హుమ్….స్నేహ, బావుందమ్మా, ఎవరూ లేకున్నా మనసుంది, మంచి ప్రేమికుడు, బాగా ప్రేమిస్తాడు"
"తను, నేను ప్రేమించాను అని చెప్పిందా?"
"కొంపదీసి ప్రేమించటం లేదా ఏంటి?"
"నిజానికి, నాకు ప్రేమ తెలియదు, అది ఎలా ఉంటుందో అని"
"మరి ఏం తెలుసో?"
"తన నవ్వు నిజం. ఆ నవ్వు నిలపుకోడానికి ఏమైనా చెయ్యడం నాకు ఇష్టం"
"దిగులు లేదు. తండ్రి మనసు అర్థం చేసుకున్నావు. మీ పెళ్ళి కి మా ఆశీర్వాదం ఉంది"
స్నేహ నవ్వింది, అందరూ ఆహ్లాదకరమైన మాటలు మాట్లాడుకున్నరు.

STALAG 17 (1953) - ENGLISH

Billy Wilder has not disappointed me and rather has lifted my spirits. Whenever I feel low, or feel like bored, I get hold of a Wilder film and his films have each time surprised me, from "Major Or Minor" to "One,Two,Three" there is a charisma that I believe, only Wilder could bring to the film. 

Stalag 17 is about a prison escapade and it's not a serious drama nor a suspenseful thriller, it's a plain fun-watch. It has many moments of wit and humour, especially for the good first part. Be it Animal (Robert Strauss) flirting with Russian women, or Shapiro (Harvery Lembeck) collecting letters, they are fun filled scenes and they did not seem to be cynical or mocking at the Nazis. They seemed just plain funny. Wilder, I must say is a master writer, who knows not just only the dialogue but also in which tone if it is said, brings out what emotion in an actor, and what reaction can be derived from a viewer. He deliberates acts in this film and they sync well with the script. 

Not for once, I felt anything was out of place, in this escape drama. Though most of the film focuses on the acts of the prisoners and how they have fun with each other day in and day out,  rather than the plan of escape and all, I felt it was all right there, and it helped me engage and even empathise with their characters. 

Wilder, is one of the few master of the basic principle of writing, that is actions and motives make characters, a set of these characters make a plot and better their actions, better the plot. I am speaking more of the genius of Wilder I think than the film in itself. 

Ok, the film touches all the right notes, in it's 2 hour length and fails to falter as per me. It's not a great Prisoners of War film like "Bridge on the River Kwai" or even "Shawshank Redemption" but this essentially a film where a set of people  have a motive and they get their thing done. William Holden as Sergeant Sefton gives a delightful performance and there is a host of other actors who gave some wonderful performances too, like Robert Strauss as "Animal" 

The sound design seemed perfect, considering that this is a 1953 film and it had to accommodate a landscape of War. The editing was fine too, and other aspects did a great job. Of all, I am impressed with the environment that Wilder brings with each of his films, be it "Lost Weekend" or "Some Like It Hot" or even "The Apartment". There is a sense of belonging such as being in that place, where the characters are, this is effectively done by right lighting and right art direction and even supreme cinematography. 

But Wilder has proved yet again that he was one of the most original and most acceptable voices we had who used his pen to speak more effectively than most men do. I salute his dialogue, his scene writing and even his screenplay. Though the credit is shared by Edwin Blum,  I suppose so that Wilder was behind the writing.

I am going with 4/5 for this. It's not the ideal nail biting stuff if such is the expectation, it's laid back fun-filled watch that mostly you will not regret watching. I am happy to have caught up with this.

यादों से रिहा

जब हम जीते थे, आपकी ख्यालों की पनाह में रहते थे 

अब तो मर के कई साल हुए, पर आपकी यादों से हम  रिहा नहीं होते है 

GRAVITY (2013) - ENGLISH

The most immersing cinematic experience since AVATAR.

Before I begin the review I have a qualm to express. I am appalled by the way Prasads IMAX does it's business. IMAX was built with a specific purpose and now with release of Telugu films which do not deserve an IMAX screen, Prasads expressed that its purpose is to serve Telugu films and the films essentially meant for an IMAX release, like GRAVITY have to take a backseat. I wish there was one show of this film in IMAX.

How many do know that there is an IMAX  in NASA Space Center in Florida. I was lucky to be at NASA in 2010 and more so as I did see a wonderful film called HUBBLE there. Now, GRAVITY is a film that is based on what may have happened to HUBBLE. That is all it has in common and from then on, its a bumpy ride its a kind of cast away it space. Where one person is caught in jeopardy and has to get out of it. 

George Clooney as Matt Kowalsky and Sandra Bullock as Ryan Stone are two NASA people on board the Hubble on an operation. Now, in space fixing a screw too is like an operation coz its daunting task there, considering many things. In GRAVITY, their characters are wonderfully written by Alfonso Cuaron and both have done their jobs wonderfully and indeed Sandra Bullock has won my heart with her performance. 

Why is Gravity so immersive is because this is not a film where merely some story is said. It throws you into the action, makes you empathise with the character and makes you relieved when the character attains the impossible. That's how cinema is supposed to be and GRAVITY succeeds in involving the eyes and the physical body language too of the viewer too. I felt dizzy at times and I am still feeling the jolt hours later. Impact is such heavy and also it's all worthwhile.

Alfonso Cuaron, who took the pain of directing it must be a relieved man now since he has done the job wonderfully in directing this marvel now can sit back and enjoy the results of the  hard work. The pain he took in detailing can be felt in every nuance that is there is on the screen, even the teardrops, the nuts and bolts, wow for all those in space. All my salutations to Alfonso, the writer director who had a vision and he has executed it a way that we seldom see in cinema.

I loved the editing and the soundtrack. But above all else, I loved the cinematography and the visual effects. Placing the camera in the right position and to encapsulate the whole feeling in the lens is remarkably done. The post production work I am sure will sweep all the visual effects awards of this year.

Above all, it's a story of inspiration and of human spirit winning in hard times. When there is hope and some common sense, "fortune favours the brave" and that's what exactly happened in GRAVITY.

A 5/5 for one of the most compelling experiences at cinema. I wish this film was not given a break by our theatre people and I also wish that this will be soon released in IMAX as I am eager to catch it up in IMAX many many times. JUST LOVED THE EXPERIENCE.

I take this opportune moment, to show (indeed show off) a few of my own pics of NASA, FLORIDA. 

CLICK ON THE LINK please for my NASA pics.