The Deep Jungle and the Boy Wonder

My earliest memories of crying are not from days when I was subjected to parental rebuke as a kid. I was as such a no fuss child (that's what I've often been told). Rather I recall distinct images of me turning inconsolable when I missed my weekly dose of Mowgli and his lovable family of wolves, extending to the protective duo of Bagheera and Baloo. Power cuts or the TV going out of order were just a couple of reasons. If I missed the show the whole day felt wasted leaving within me a feeling of emptiness and loss. When I saw Jon Favreau's Jungle Book, I was once again excited like a twelve year old. Now that a couple of decades have flown by, in between the days of the Hindi dubbed animated show on Doordarshan and its Hollywood reimagination, I happily wonder as to what makes Kipling's masterpiece such an important part in the annals of storytelling and what is going to make the latest version of its cinematic adaptation a milestone among motion pictures. What's going to keep it immune to the rust of time. It's not only the fantastic CGI (in the new edition they have it a combo of CGI and Live Action - Photorealistic Rendering - using Motion Capture techniques) or the perfect animation or the awe inspiring background voices by phenomenal actors. What shall really always stand out about the Jungle Book are its inimitable story line and its relatable characters.

Mowgli is the perfect symbol of innocence and intelligence, always finding his way in the wild, always retaining his heart amidst the wilderness of the jungle, daring the dense forest, far away from any semblance of humanity. What has stayed with me is the kind of undiluted and abiding love depicted between the characters. Watching Mowgli I was invariably assured as a child of the goodness in the world, particularly when his family of animals stood by him against their sinister fellow forest dwellers. There's this scene where Mowgli's adoptive wolf mother tells him, as he sets out on a journey of self discovery, that no matter where he goes he will always remain her son. There is such tremendous depth in that utterance (fair credit must go for that to Lupita Nyongo for her voice). That is the kind of thing that stands out for me in the film. The essence of feelings and attachment that transcends species. The deeper connect we may sometimes find with ones who enjoy no tag of relation with us. And then discover the greatest experience of love, bonding and sacrifice with them. There are big lessons of life to be learnt from Kipling's characters given that we have the heart to see beyond their animated performances.

I have learnt that Neel Sethi won the casting chance for Mowgli after a massive hunt in auditions. He is impressive. The voices of Idris Elba (for Shere Khan) may have been more sinister. If I may take you back to the tone of the majestic Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia rendered by Liam Neeson, the choice was perfect because it conveyed the greatness and nobility of the character, which is not quite the case with Shere Khan. Elba, to me, never possessed that amount of ruthlessness which defined Shere Khan. But there couldn’t have been a better choice than Ben Kingsley  to speak for Bagheera. Kaa is brought to life by the sensuous Scarlet Johansson; who else could have given voice to the seductive moodiness of the python. The action scenes are thrilling. I read somewhere that Fraveau wanted to shoot in real forest settings but he was convinced by the producers to take advantage of the present time technology in transporting the jungle to the screen without actually braving the wild. And it seems to have worked out too well for the makers.

I have a strong feeling that watching the 2016 edition of Jungle Book is going to be an unforgettable experience for everyone. Go watch it if you haven’t yet and return into the dreamy world of childhood we all once lived in.

Kapoor & Sons

Even though it has been a long time that I read them, I have never quite got over Jim Butcher’s words which claim “there’s nothing that makes you more insane than family. Or more happy. Or more exasperated. Or more… secure.” 

And his words have always evoked questions like what makes our families special. Or for that matter what is it that, at times, takes away that specialty from them? Is it the bond of blood, which prompts something to rise deep within us or fall, which in turn decides whether we remain loyal or break away from homes? Is it the sense of belonging that is nurtured right from our birth which beckons us to be with the families we have and when the curtains fall to look for a familiar hand of affection from among its members? These are a few existential questions that the movie ‘Kapoor and Sons’ seeks to answer. And it may not be suddenly visible to the casual member of the audience. You have to partake in the accomplishments, celebrations, lies and mistakes that the characters live in the reel to get a sense of its deeper message. At the same time it must be said that the movie doesn’t make any outrageous attempt to fix what is broken through cliched characters and events. Rather, in a very relatable manner, it asks us to see beyond each other’s imperfections and our failings and hold on to those ties we have build with each other over years and love and struggle, and forgive our blunders and embrace each other for all times, before it is too late. Because in the film, it actually gets too late for the characters.

Fawad Khan and Sidharth Malhotra are brothers living diagonally different lives in London and New Jersey. While Fawad is established as a successful author, Sidharth is still struggling with his career. Somehow he already knows that his calling lies in written words but lacks the courage to pursue his aspirations, all the while under a mistaken belief that he isn’t good enough, not atleast as his elder brother, blame it on an unforgivable act of deception committed by his most ardent well wisher.

Back home, their family has three more members: Daddu (Rishi Kapoor), father Harsh (Rajat Kapoor) and mother Sunita (Ratna Pathak Shah). A call about 90-year-old Daddu brings both brothers home. The family has its moments of fun, joy, suspicion and insecurities. The members congratulate, join hands and even smile. At the same time, they also throw stuff at one another right under the view of a hundred invitees during a family party. They plan, hope, and struggle to live upto those hopes and fight aggressively with nothing held back. Now that’s one dysfunctional family. But the beauty of their bond lies in how they stick around despite the most distasteful of situations prevailing under their roof.

The lead actors, particularly Fawad Khan, won my heart by his memorable acting.This movie has indeed brought to the fore his potential as an artist. There is such restraint and humility in his performance that one cannot help but surrender to the bitter sweet memories he weaves by it. I am a big fan of Rajat Kapoor’s work right from Dil Chahta Hai. There is so much honesty in the fiction that he depicts that he always invariably brings me to believe him. Ratna Pathak is a legend and we all know that. The failure of their characters’ marriage consequent to the loss of happiness and love, consequent to mistakes committed is too well portrayed by the two. You can’t really decide if the movie stands on the shoulders of the younger leads or of these two. Someone has rightly pointed out after watching the film that Rajat Kappor and Ratna Pathak need a separate movie to themselves. Rishi Kapoor is great as the unabashed grandpa. But the movie is really not about any specific member, rather it’s about the image of wholesomeness they together represent and how that image fades in the absence of even one of them.

In the end, it’s all over for some hopes and the tragedies stay with us. But then, isn’t that how life works?

The soundtrack is hummable. And I’m sure this would come as no surprise that I still can’t stop listening to Saathi Re. There’s a line in the song which says ‘केहना था और क्या क्या तुझे, नींद क्यों आ गयी फिर तुझे’. And the only feeling it brought was that we should never let go of our loved ones regardless of their weakness, follies, imperfections and wrongs. Nothing can salvage a broken bond if the right dose of love does not replace the hurt we sometimes leave behind for the ones we love.

The movie manages to break heart and mend it just like life. It is by far the best made movie in 2016. My best wishes to the director Shakun Batra. Congratulations to him for making a predictable story line so memorable on screen.

This post wouldn’t be complete if I don’t thank my friend Lopamudra Mohapatra for literally shoving me into the theaters to watch this. Perhaps I underestimated your knowledge of my inclination during the argument about whether I would or won’t like this kind of movie. Perhaps, even after all these years and distractions you still remember everything.

I owe this one to you.

To everyone else who hasn’t seen the movie, watch it. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry and at times you’ll end up doing both. In short, you’d get a lasting taste of life.

Adele At Her Scintillating Best.....Again

Skyfall - 007 James Bond 

Lose Yourself ....

This is the end
Hold your breath and count to ten
Feel the earth move and then
Hear my heart burst again

For this is the end
I've drowned and dreamed this moment
So overdue, I owe them
Swept away, I'm stolen

Let the sky fall, when it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together

Let the sky fall, when it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together
At skyfall

Skyfall is where we start
A thousand miles and poles apart
When worlds collide, and days are dark
You may have my number, you can take my name
But you'll never have my heart

Let the sky fall, when it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together

Let the sky fall, when it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together
At skyfall

Where you go I go,
What you see I see
I know I'll never be me, without the security
Are your loving arms
Keeping me from harm
Put your hand in my hand
And we'll stand

Let the sky fall, when it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together

Let the sky fall, when it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together
At skyfall

Let the sky fall
We will stand tall
At skyfall

You Know My Name....

When Chris Cornell's chart topper 'You Know My Name' (the theme song for Daniel Craig starrer 007 James Bond - Casino Royale ) released, I instantly lost myself to it's swagger.

'Skyfall' (sung by Adele from 007's latest installment 'Skyfall' may be the current chant, but "You Know My Name" will always be something else...magically relevant to 007 fiction...ever.




My favourite lines



"......................
I've seen angels fall from blinding heights
But you yourself are nothing so divine
Just next in line

Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die? .....

And of course 

"..The coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name.."

Here's the official video of the song for those who haven't heard it and for all Chris Donnell fans

Guys, Go Watch Barfi

For a heart warming, memorable, bitter sweet, comical, inspiring and tear drawing experience, my friends, go watch "Barfi".

Anurag Kashyap Gets Candid - I

450 Kilometers For A Film

As I write this post, I have on my desk, a couple of pens, scattered pieces of paper, an email printout from www. Book My Show.com and I've just closed the windows of the official website of Indian Railways. Not more than 24 hours ago I sat hopelessly without any means to watch Chris Nolan's most anticipated movie of the year (The Dark Knight Rises). I had been informed that its not releasing anywhere in my state. But probably God heard my yearnings, for they were so loud, courtesy three years of waiting. If all goes well I'll travel about 450 kilometers from my hometown by train, watch the film at Inox, Elgin Road, Kolkata on the day it releases, board the return train on the same evening and reach back home the next morning.

I can't even begin to describe the seemingly insurmountable hurdles that me and my cousin brother overcame to be finally able to book our tickets for the film at Inox, Elgin Rd. What remain are the ongoing and return train tickets. Hopefully they would be booked tomorrow. I've applied for official leave and talked to my professional counterpart at Kolkata for any last minute requirements (who by the way was speechless for a few seconds when I narrated my purpose).



At times I too startle myself with this fact. That I'd be travelling to Kolkata to watch Batman - Dark Knight Rises. But then I guess that's the profound liking I have come to nurture for Chris Nolan's movies. The Batman trilogy would perhaps be the most exceptional cinematic experience that I'd have for years to come. It surpasses everything else. Partly because I'm a movie buff and partly because he represents everything that I ever dreamed of.


I'm praying, that after all this, God lets me watch the film and lets me come back home safely with nothing else on my mind except a dreamy space where I marvel over the film & take bows for Nolan for days to come.


(Read This and This )

Thank You For Smoking

Owing to my legal background people have often decided to vent out their anger and apathy towards the legal system of our country either in my presence or worse, at me. The hackneyed question which I was asked, till quite recently,  was about the trial and punishment of Kasab. I'm usually asked that what kind of a system is this where a man as ostensibly guilty as Kasab is also given the same space and facilities of defending himself in a Court as any other criminal. I reply that in a democracy every one should get a chance at a fair defense. It may not be quite pleasing at times, but trust me, the alternatives to this system are far worse.

It's basically on this premise that the film "Thank You For Smoking" hinges. Every man, organization or company, no matter how apparently bad they might be perceived to be, deserve a chance to put forth their points and arguments, which, they think, is why they do their job. Its war time between tobacco companies and the section of society comprising anti smoking crusaders. With popular sentiments against them the tobacco companies need the services of a genius who would spin words in a way that not only these companies will save themselves from hatred but also increase their customer base. The movie has a few notable actors like Aaron Eckhart, who plays the lead role of Nick Naylor, Robert Duvall who plays his boss and Katie Holmes who plays an opportunist journalist who beds Nick for eliciting secrets of his work. The film, however, entirely rests on the able shoulders of Eckhart. He flawlessly delivers his performance of a lobbyist -cum- spokesperson of the so called Academy for Tobacco Studies, run by tobacco conglomerates in order to establish that there is no relation between smoking and cancer. The interesting part about this movie is that the protagonist of this film is apparently an agent of the devil, but he's so intelligently portrayed that you'll come about to like him.  He has to say these words that are crazy, and yet do it with a smile on his face and have the audience like him. Now obviously in real life somebody doing such a thing would be the dump-yard of hatred but in this film his character is lovable, intelligent and witty.

The opening scene of the film will itself hook you to the movie. This is where Aaron is on a TV talk show accompanied by a mother who fights against a teenage smoking or something like that, an agent of a Senator who is lobbying hard to get deadly pictures of skulls and crossed bones on cigarette packets, a cancer diagnosed teenager who is receiving his chemo and an audience who is booing and hissing at him for the man that he is. It's really enjoyable the way he turns around the sentiments of that audience and gets them to approve of his job and even befriends the cancerous child. All with his smart talk. People get paid to do all kinds of things. Our protagonist is cajoled by a tobacco company with hefty salary and perks for the way he talks. He works to talk. In a democracy where dialogue, discussion and debates about issues are how matters are moved forward, talking well can be a priceless asset. The protagonist of Thank You For Smoking proves this fact.

 All he needs is a chance to talk and he can turn things around. Just like the Senate hearing in the end of the movie. The film is full of witty dialogues and some realistic performances. Our hero says that everyone is free to make their own choices. Its not like he's putting cigarettes into anyone's mouth. The choice is ultimately the person's. I know the responses that are popping up inside your head against this theory. Watch the film for near suitable answers.