Om Shanti Om

I would make a very honest statement: I really liked Om Shanti Om. And I mean it. Reasons are numerous: please get rid of your self-notion imagination that it is because the King Khan is there. Of course I am a big fan of him; but I believe there are reasons beyond this liking that makes this movie a nice watch (without any sort of cursing) to me.

If you would hunt for logic behind the happening of the movie, I am sorry: you make a bad pick. Probably a movie like "The Pursuit of Happyness" would suit you more. Well, let me clarify: I am not comparing the two movies at all. Just pointing out a contrast in movie taste: the former a true fiction, the latter bringing you face to face to the hard reality.

It is the story of an aspiring actor who falls for a big star. And how his failure in that birth leads to his reincarnation to fulfil his dreams, one and all. I personally don't believe in rebirth and the genre. But I really liked the movie. Reasons:

1. The movie is a complete fiction: a drive away from reality. It is not just reincarnation, but also things like a commonplace guy coming into the notice of a superstar, and the girl coming out to spend an evening with the guy. These things are far away from reality. But what makes this movie beautiful is the intricacy with which these fictional events have been rendered.

2. The actors do their jobs. SRK gives 'life' to the character so much so that you yourself feel that something should happen even if out of the blue to fulfil his dreams! And that's what happens: when it comes, it is no surprise to you!

3. Deepika is not just another new comer with a great deal of item numbers and skin show. Her acting skills, if not the great ones, are appreciable with her experience in the acting arena. Shreyas and Kiron Kher are good as ever.

I strongly feel why this fiction succeeds and why others (like No Smoking) fails. Om Shanti Om does not attempt to make a connection with the reality. For those three and a half hours you are transported to a surreal world. And the credit probably goes to the director Farah and of course the producer SRK.

Bollywood really needs to understand that a movie success doesn't necessary happen because of:
1. focusing on just classy and expensive sets (e.g. Saawariya).
2. characters have a great role to play. They need to be true to themselves in rendering their job. Kudos, OSO does it very nicely!

Consider any fiction movie in Hollywood: from "being John Malcovich" to "Matrix" to "Jurassic Park", all were fictions. But they came out a great movies. The reason being: they did their best jobs 'inside' their realm of the fiction!

Relativity= Compromised Perfection?

I was reading a research paper the other day when I ran into this really strong statement and eventually provoked me to think: Is relativity a compromised perfection? The author was trying to press upon the implicit relative success of several methods in a certain research topic (Human Computer Interaction) and was trying to brain storm on newer ideas. But his approach was interesting. He was telling that the reason these methods have been successful so far is because we have not been able to devise better ones. Ironical, but agreed: this is true. Certain things around us seem to be pseudo-successful or nicer simply because there are no similar better things around!

There is a very famous quote made by Churchill when he lost the elections in 1946-47 after the war. He says, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." (from a House of Commons speech on Nov. 11, 1947)

It is not just about democracy. We often seem to be happy with what we have. We live and die to 'maintain' this so-called implicit perfect world. But is it really perfect? Isn't this sense of relativity: the fact that we don't have nicer things just dwindling into a hollow sense of compromised perfection?

Although there is of course a thin line between being ever-greedy for better things and being a little non-complacent with the current state of things. While the former is definitely not advisable nor is meant in this blog, yet I believe the latter is the key to a race's ever-lasting journey towards a more prosperous civilization.

Are you growing old?

Since quite sometime, I have been feeling a soothing placidness inside me: as if I can see the implicit signs of aging in me! Some of the signs I could decipher: may be you want to check them out for yourself!
1. I am enjoying tragic movies more these days compared to my ever-favorite: Sci-Fi. I somehow get this intuition I will like watching Saawariya although the movie is a commercial disaster. Hope I do that soon. Probably the bluish-greenish surreal ambience will match my state of mind (age?).
2. I am more into softer romantic songs now: for example, Hindi: Jab We Met's Tum Se Hi. Days are gone for the Hip Hop numbers of Dus or Bluffmaster's Talk To Me.
3. No more Rap or Hip Hop in English genre. I feel suffocated in the sweaty congested environment of dance floors in clubs playing loud Hip Hop. Jazz takes me away; especially of The Kenny G. kind. I only log on to 95.5 FM smooth Jazz or 107.9 FM KMLE Country radio in my car stereo as well while driving.
4. I kind of have shrugged the desire for alcohol. No hard stuff other than beer sometimes, very very rarely.
5. I have also grown increasing fondness for cats.
6. My finickiness for cleanliness is ever on an exponential increasing note.
7. Art always captivated me: but I find tremendous match with my sometimes' pensive mood in appreciating art pieces anywhere around Tempe. The USPS building puts up the current exhibits of fine artwork in the city.
8. I want to attend Jazz concerts, pretty often on Sundays in Phoenix.
9. And yeah, I am not going to miss the next Broadway Musical that is going to be played in the Gammage at ASU next time!
10. And last but not the least, I am developing a much mature insight into my research. After all, I have started to believe, that is how I can contribute to the progress of the human civilization!

I am only (?) 25 though: what do you think? Is it too late? Is it too early?