Thursday, September 21, 2017

WHAT'S DONE IS DONE - ENGLISH




Rajat Kapoor's 'What's Done Is Done' is Macbeth without bloodshed and full of laughs

About The Play: This is William Shakespeare's Macbeth set in a world of clowns.

Language: English
Cast: Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Tillotama Shome, Kalki Koechlin, Sheena Khalid, Sujay Saple, Jim Sarbh, Vinay Pathak
Director: Rajat Kapoor
Length: 2 hours
Writer(s): William Shakespeare & Rajat Kapoor

VENUE: SHILPA KALA VEDIKA, HYDERABAD
DATE: 13th FEBRUARY 2017

My Review:

I must say, I had great expectations but this was a bit of a letdown due to technical issues (mainly sound)

Despite having such a great cast, this play had a lot of moments where there are dialogues that are inaudible. It's a technical issue but it took the life of the play itself. This is a black comedy and the comedy mainly came from Julio and

Doesn't do justice to being featured in a 'comedy festival'. Very few comical elements. Poor sound quality in the auditorium. Dialogues were not audible, especially those of the three witches. Ticket counters were badly managed.

Of all the elements, I loved the blasphemy by Vinay Pathak at the end it was hilarious and extremely blasphemous. That's all I can say in this otherwise not so memorable play. It as too dull and dark and basically inaudible for the most part. So, in the 2 hours of play time, 45 minutes was loud and clear and it was mostly for comedy lines and not for the actual play of "Macbeth". 

JULIE AND JULIA (2009) - ENGLISH

A good film on cooking that is superbly written by a good writer and acted well by two terrific actresses.

Amy Adams as Julie Powell and Meryl Streep as Julia Child make this journey worthwhile. By the time she acted in this film, she already had many innumerable awards and nominations for her and that's why she is perhaps the greatest actress ever. Her acting in this film was terrific, to say the least, and was awards-worthy and deservingly she got many awards for her portrayal of Julia Child. Had Julia Child been alive she would have been proud. But the surprise package was Amy Adams. I saw this film for the first time in 2010 mid and I was going gaga for the performance of Amy Adams over Streep's performance. When I watched it yesterday it re-emphasized my point.

The performance of Amy Adams is relatable, straight and almost without any histrionics or aids while the performance of 'Meryl' was aided by accent, the embellishments of Paris and the period in which 'Meryl' that is Julia's life was set in. I must say I loved both the performances and perhaps Meryl's a bit more.

We meet a distressed Julie Powell in the post 9/11 America (New York) and we meet a garrulous, flamboyant Julia Child in the post-World-War 2 France (Paris). From the first frame till the last, there are parallels drawn in lives of the two people and the intercuts are well done. I don't think there is a film is last so many years that is based on food and has two different time periods being entwined in a screenplay that is based on two different books.

The screenplay is adapted from the books of Julia Child and Julie Powell and is wonderful. There are hardly any dull moments in the whole film and I give full credit to the writing and also the editing. The editing is slick and at times I was pleasantly surprised too. This is a film for the food and film lovers. Both have enough to savor from the film and Nora Ephron proves once again why she is such a romantic person. Her another film"When Harry Met Sally" is one of my favorite romantic films too.

Charming witty and full of flavor this film showed two personalities who lived their life to the fullest. Amazing to see and lot to learn from them. A 4/5 for one my favorite films on food.

My Review of "WHEN HARRY MET SALLY" here

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

THE SALESMAN (2016) - PERSIAN


Another powerful and yet a poignant realistic film from Asghar Farhadi.

There was "A Separation" and now this from the same director. Oh, there is another good film "The Past" from him too. But, "A Separation" and this film stand in a different league altogether. I have not seen any of his films prior to "A Separation" but since that film, I have watched the afore mentioned films and all the three are impressive. Here is a director that demands respect not just for his work but for the way he works. The resources (human and technical) are very few in Iran as compared to other countries like France, USA or India and yet Asghar makes the story telling so compelling that the technical aspects almost take a back seat and as a viewer, I am in awe of the power of story telling by this man.

The acting by each and every actor is amazing but amongst all the superb performances, the performance of "Shahab Hosseini" stands out. His intensity and passion are worth a standing ovation. I suppose, Iranians have a lot of passion within them and it transpires with their work. Be it the camera or the direction or the acting and for their passion, I salute them.

Strangely, no one in the film is actually a Salesman, but the title is derived from the Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman". There are a lot of symbolic relationships shown through the play. There are humiliation and dejection in protagonists life as they are in the Salesman's life in the play. The relationship between wife and husband has some references and while what shatters and falls in the play, is symbolic of the faltering relationship between the main leads.  I do not want to say more and reveal the plot but I must say the last half hour is riveting and the film takes a completely new direction and ends in a surprise and this is the best part of the film.

A 5/5 for another riveting drama from Asghar Farhadi which is superbly written acted and captured.

Friday, September 8, 2017

BAHUBALI (2017) - TELUGU


An arduous effort worth acknowledging, appreciating and adoring too. An experience that I really liked.

Firstly, I should thank my friend Praneeth Jandhyala to recommend this movie. I am happy to see the second part in the Imax screen (4 times). The experience was rewarding. I missed out on the first part in theatre, so thus resolved to make Sunday 16th July, a Bahubali day.

I watched the first part, "The Beginning" on YouTube in the afternoon and watched the second part "The Conclusion" in Imax.

Few films are made with such grandeur these days like Bahubali. It is an experience that was to be seen on the big screen. From 16th July till now, I have watched "The Conclusion" 4 times in the theatre and once my mobile.

Characters were written with a lot of detail and also each of the important characters has a lot of screen time. These characters will be etched in the minds of the viewers for a very long time.

Part 1

VIEW TIMES: 1
WHERE: AT HOME ON 46" Screen through Youtube 4K

Now that I watched the second part, I must confess I did not like the first part as much as I liked the second part. The first 30 minutes of first part were about putting up an idol under the waterfall and climbing up a mountain to solve a mystery by "Shivudu". This I believe was done merely to showcase the strength of the hero and his power. The reasoning was acceptable but the imagination of "Avantika" those blue butterflies was something I felt not necessary. Also, the "item" song at the end which I perceived as filler was totally out of place for me.

Part 2

VIEW TIMES: 4
WHERE: PRASADS IMAX (Large Screen) - HYDERABAD

This is a true magnum opus. Each scene, each battle, and each dialogue seemed to have a relevance and takes the narrative forward. The connection established between both the parts was amazing. The introduction to Amarendra Bahubali was much more powerful in this part than the prior one. "Devasena" who was mostly chained and was looking old in the first part is shown as a princess. I must say I am in awe of the beauty the costumes, the makeup of "Devasena". I dare say no contemporary actress suits Devasena better than "Anushka". Also, same applies to almost all the important characters like Shivagami, Bhallaladeva, Bijjaladeva, Kattappa and of course Bahubali (Amarendra and Mahendra).

Love it or hate it but you cannot ignore a Bahubali. A 3/5 for the first part and a 4/5 for the second part. I am keeping this concise as too much has been said and written about Bahubali franchise.

Thanks to Rajamouli, you have encompassed all market boundaries and have made every Telugu person proud. 

Thursday, September 7, 2017

PHILOSOPHY WHO NEEDS IT


AUTHOR: AYN RAND
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

This is a powerful book and there are few books that question our own faith and also give us an alternative way of thinking, this is one such book. A collection of essays by Ayn Rand edited by Leonard Peikoff, this books has all it takes for a must read book.

I was introduced to Ayn Rand with her novel "The Fountainhead" and in my exploration of Ayn Rand and her thought process, I supposed that this book "Philosophy: Who Needs It" would help me know more about Ayn Rand and her philosophy and also try and see if I can drive few principles that I can implement in my own life. That was 2006 when I first read this book. Even today, that is 11 years later it stands tall and has almost got a divine place in my mind. There is too much to say and how much ever I review I cannot complete the substance enough.

Ayn Rand seems to be a mix of many contemporary and also the oldest philosophers. For me, she is a mix of Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and one of the one earliest philosophers, Aristotle. Also, she rants against altruism. Rand made altruism the root of all evil in the existing world and that was a radical approach and the thoughts are put so very objectively that I could not help but heed to her words in the book.

The book begins with the chapter "Philosophy: Who Needs It" and in this, she strongly puts the need of Philosophy and also giving examples that everyone indeed has a certain philosophy of living that makes his/her own way of life. In "Philosophical Detection", she conveys that every man ought to have the eye for discrimination to understand the difference between the "fundamentals" and "derivatives". It is the fundamentals that form the core philosophy for a human.

Then, she moves onto differentiating the metaphysics and the artificiality of humans in "Metaphysical Versus The Man-Made". In the "Missing Link" she gives examples to help us understand the method by which mind habitually deals with the content in the mind. Also, I encountered a beautiful term "Psycho epistemology" which I cannot explain in a blog but is worth reading about in the book.

Then, my favorite and perhaps a powerful chapter "Selfishness without a self" arrives and here, she talks about the herd (collective mankind following faith and beliefs with irrationality). This herd has a basis for what they do and they believe what they do is right. "I did this based on an existing and well-accepted principle, so it is right" is what herd (referred to as a pack of wolves) says in the real world. Personally, this stands as my favorite in the book.

In the chapter, "An Open Letter to Boris Spassky", she writes a letter to the Russian chess champion explaining her views on Capitalism and why real world rules in soviet union are unbearable if it had to be chess game

In, "Faith and force: the destroyers of the modern world", she attacks Mysticism, Collectivism, and Altruism brutally and also reasons out how Immanuel Kant wanted to save altruism through mysticism. "From the horse's mouth", gives examples of modern philosophers who disagreed with Kant and also debates with the existing "Kantians". Again, in the next chapter "Kant versus Sullivan", she debates on how many people in the current world need the help of "Annie Sullivan" (Annie Sullivan is the teacher of Helen Keller). This chapter takes reference from the play "The Miracle Worker"

In perhaps, the most talked and rather the most controversial chapter "Causality Versus Duty", Rand kills the conventional concept of duty and says "Duty cannot be for self-interest or virtue; driven by parents, church, and government". She goes on saying that life or death is the fundamental alternative. The only obligation that matters is a personal promise as per Rand.

"An untitled letter" conveys how the ability is the biggest challenge of man. To understand whether one is "able to do" or "not" is the biggest challenge for a human being. She gives a good number of examples to put the point. Although I could not relate to many of the examples, I could understand what she was trying to convey. In "Egalitarianism and Inflation" Rand talks how these two words are tough to understand and are more often than not misconstrued and misinterpreted.

In "The Stimulus and the Response" she talks about how power/muscle without consciousness leads to destruction. In "The Establishing an Establishment" she talks about how funding through government bring an enforcement and how only a few exceptional men can withstand and break through censorship. In the chapter "Censorship: Local and Express", she gives lot more details on these points.

"Fairness Doctrine for Education" conveys that fairness cannot be applied justly. Fair in itself is a perspective and what doctrine means a set of beliefs by an Orthodox organization. This is not justifiable as per Rand. There should be fairness in teaching all ideologies as against set principles and ideologies.

In "What can one do" Rand conveys action items of which I am listing a few which I believe in doing
  • Develop own convictions
  • Speak on any scale you can
  • Express views on issues
In "Don't let it go", Rand tells to have conviction, fight for reason and to have a sense of existence and also be responsible for what we do.

To sum it up, this is a powerful book. Ayn Rand has been of great influence on me. She made me question the existence of GOD. She made me believe that above all "What we do" matters. How selfishness is the root of all good things that we do.

This book helped me shape my character and I owe some part of me to the books by Ayn Rand. A 4/5 for this. A must read for all those who believe in reason, selfishness, and objectivism.

About Me

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I firstly declare here that all the content written in the blog is exclusively written by me and I hold the copyrights of each and everything. Be it a poem or a movie review. Also, the videos or photographs I upload or attach are exclusively owned by me. This declaration is important in a world that seems so worried of piracy. The prime purpose of these blogs is to put my writings and photographs on the net. and well to start with.... I live in my mind, and existence is the attempt to bring my thoughts into physical reality, I celebrate myself, sing myself and I am always happy in my own company.....I am not the best in the world but I strive for excellence and thats what keeps me alive... Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself--Friedrich Nietzsche