The Day the World descended Into Anarchy.

                       I woke up suddenly one morning only to discover dead bodies beside me. I wish it was a bad dream, I tried to make it a dream. It wasn’t a dream. Truth is red. I got it that day. I checked my watch. I had to clean the blood off it. It told me that anarchy prevails from today. Bewildered, I walked on to the highway. I found happy people and angry people. Happy because they thought anarchy meant liberty, angry because they can make use of that liberty against their enemies.

I'm free. I got my freedom.

'Wait a second, is it a plot against the world?'

Is this really how anarchy feels like?

I looked at my shadow behind me following me since always. One day my shadow will start speaking to me. It was silent all these days. It observed everything. The day anarchy prevails, my shadow will start speaking. Until then it’ll be the darkest soldier that I’ll come across all my life. Well, I don’t see the shadow speaking yet. May be it needs some time to digest the truth. How do I know if I can trust my own shadow in this irrational world? May be I should excuse myself into a no man’s land. That might help.

‘Hunger for what made these people like this?’

All these centuries we’ve been caged. One day came and freed us from it. As a human I understood how people behave when they’re freed. They look for something new, something big. They found peace in blood, I’ll say.  

‘This system is wrong,’ told half my conscience. ‘Well, it was worse before,’ told my other half.

Was it really that bad? Or was it better when that corrupted leader ruled the nation?

The world has always been hostile to people who wanted to make the best out of it. They lost their temper. They saw the future. It was black. Nothing ever would be better in this world. They understood that it is time to be a rebel. To go not against the world but the filth that filled it.

'Well, I'm ready. Hit me.'

Liberty wasn’t a choice back then. But now, we have enough that we can pass on to the next off springs. Savor it. Liberty din’t meet people in a single day effort. Millions of years have gone into gaining reputation, safety and liberty. ‘Savor it’ said my mind who has been watching the deliberate angst of people who’re taking in anarchy into their blood.

‘Today’s the day.’

‘What day?’

‘Liberty day.’

‘Really?’

‘Well, do you see the walls anymore?’

‘No.’

‘Then today is what I said it is. There ain’t gonna be any walls anymore. We are free with a capital F.’

‘How long do you think it’s gonna last?’

‘That doesn’t matter. Today matters. I’ve got wine in my hand and weed in my head. That’s all matters.’

The transformation from black to white. From democracy to anarchy. This phase, I've been waiting for this all my restricted life. Redemption is all I needed. No one is now there to count on my sins.

After millions of years of fighting against the nature and its contents man came up with a revolutionary idea that changed the world like never before, exploitation. Many people doubted why earth is the only space to live. Many were content that it is the only space to live. I wasn't even there when all the big bang happened. Science was always there. It is inevitable. We just have to find the reason. No intuition is appreciated in science, well, not at first at least.

A group of intellects sat around.

'Told you this day was gonna come!'

No one replied. Smoke filled the entire space. It was of marijuana. Their celebration product was always default, marijuana for anything and everything.

'Look at me, I'm flying.'

Everyone’s tones have gone belligerent that day. They never ceased from being hostile to themselves and to the neighbors. It gave them their own piece of mind. They saw blood like never before. The thirst seemed perpetual in the red-eyed monsters. They thought the game has begun. They never realized the bloody consequences, well, it’s bloody already.

The sand I touched was moist. I could smell the violence. I felt like that police dog where it shouts when it smells blood or any anything suspicious. I shouted too, but in confusion. I wondered for a second that if I liked democracy either. ‘I din’t’ my mind answered. Well, that leaves me no option. ‘ve got to lay path for a new system.

‘They said weed is noxious. But today, it shows heaven’ says a mind that passed across me on the bus. Bus? There ain’t any buses. Yet I met him. I guess I was high too. But not high enough to not realize the truth. Wine was flowing on the roads, so was blood. Marijuana has already been the most common element on that day. It’ll last forever. I took some into my hand, crushed it and took it in. ‘Give me some, I use marijuana but I ain’t a junkie’ said a junkie behind me. I gave the rest of my drag to him and walked with red eyes forward.

To kill eternal suffering was their aim. Well, don’t they see the suffering now? More or less, I thought this would be a good idea back then when I was stuck with the system that does, well, nothing. Now that I face the contrary, I ain’t inclined towards this either.

‘The new system is on the way’ – that’s what I tell to please myself. Hunger grew inside me as I walked down the bloody path and I was afraid that I’ll forget the word ‘haven’ forever. An apple is all I needed. It felt exciting knowing that there is none above us. No one to cage us. Yet, I couldn’t do anything about it.

‘Stop this madness! Stop it, it leads nowhere. You’ll rot and the rats will feed on you if this continues,’ shouted a pregnant. I saw fear like never before. She told me that the past felt better and the future is too sophisticated and stupid and is inevitable. Yet she smiled at every brute that passed her.

 I started planning for the days that are ahead. Nothing seemed like an idea that endures this sight. For a second, I wondered that if money matters in this case, I mean, are people still going mad after money? Money was something that drove the world since its inception. It is pure and irresistible. Greed came along and is now by default. It’s in the blood. The seduction that that smell has chokes everything else. The world wouldn’t be better in any system. It is the people, not the world.

Haider and Kaminey - Two Contradictions.

Vishal Bhardwaj’s take on two of his films – Kaminey and Haider. Haider is a 2014 Indian film based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Kaminey is a 2009 crime drama film both of which starred Shahid Kapoor in the lead role. Amidst Haider and Kaminey he made a couple of other films which din’t see their success at the box office yet were critically acclaimed. Vishal Bhardwaj is considered one of the most brilliant directors in the current times because of his approach to films. His tactics of filmmaking stand as a great deal to the would-be filmmakers. Vishal Bhardwaj’s ideology in filmmaking is clearly seen when he makes intense hardcore dramas which say a lot more than what a conventional filmmaker says.

Kaminey is about two twins who choose different paths in their lives as time goes by. One becomes a thug while the other stands as a stuttering weakling. Both of their lives are jeopardized when they face a problem and the film moves forward as they realize that they only have each other to watch their back. Mumbai underworld mafia has never been an old subject to Indian cinema. Kaminey is one of those prominent films which deals with gangsters and their inner lives alongside other inordinate films such as Satya, Company, Black Friday. The success of the film Kaminey saw Vishal in his role as an excellent storyteller. Today, Kaminey is considered one of the best neo noir films.

The elements that lack in Kaminey are unquestionably seen in Haider especially in terms of the depth of the film’s storyline. Haider is easily one of the best visually gripping films that came out recently. The performances from Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon including and especially Shahid Kapoor make the film what it is. The film seems so silent but speaks very strongly when it has to speak and makes the right point which satisfies us in every way. Both Kaminey and Haider are visually engaging but in Kaminey, the one thing that holds back is the depth in the script. When you watch the film, it seems to be multi-layered with many characters and their specific characteristics but the film is a definite straight narrative with interlaced characters who reveal their attitudes towards their business as the film moves forward.

The comparison between Haider and Kaminey stands as a huge contradiction because the approach of the director towards both the films is unbelievably out of the box. Haider has a very strong point of showing people the consequences of an inner conflict that a character faces and the ultimate result that brings out the realization. The subsequent decision of that realization affects everyone in a way. Haider is comparatively very slow in narrative with limited dialogues where the expressions of the actors speak more. In this case, the director has succeeded in achieving such kind of performances from the actors. The adaptation is very subtly made so that it is relevant to the current world. The film is set in such a space where everything that a person does is questionable by the authorities.

'Haider' learns of a bitter truth which holds the tension for the first half of the film and subsequently goes on a vengeance mission. 

The film is very hard to imagine without the brilliance of the cinematographer, Pankaj Kumar, where the compensation of the narrative comes from the cinematography and as a result, the audiences never get bored. The background score is one central aspect that makes the audiences excited every now and then contributing to the film narrative making it an appealing one.

On the other hand, Kaminey has a firm riveting narrative with haunting background score and never-seen-before performance from Shahid Kapoor. A simple fact is that films like Haider and Kaminey are not everyday pictures that we get to see in the Indian cinema industry and same thing goes to the director, he makes films with tough protagonists who are always in the middle of a conflict. Vishal Bhardwaj's touch to the mafia genre and the deep intense dramas made them the finest films with definite meaning. Both these films are a must watch in understanding the director’s flexibility and his dynamic quality job of directing.

Enlightenment. Contentment.

College is done. No more fake lectures.

A month ago my frustration on this college was way too much, as is everybody’s. But now that I think of it, the last day came inevitably. Deep down, this day doesn’t feel so good. All these days, this day felt that it was worth a great laugh about the college and its system, but now, it’s all a bizarre feeling with mixed emotions. Leaving these lovely people behind and proceeding forward to achieve something greater, something that we dreamt of since forever.

The heart aches when I think of it. The experiences I've had in this college have definitely shaped some part of my life. The films that I’ve seen here and the things that I learnt here have a significant effect on my life and career. Though we think it has always been a waste of a great deal of money joining this college, that’s not what we actually paid for. I paid whatever I paid for the experiences that I've had with the people. The learning process from friends and the talks that we've had are the key elements that cover up my money.

Experience - In our lives, whatever we do, wherever we go, everything we do it for experience. The greatest inevitable thing in all of our lives is death, and between that phase where you realize this truth and when you actually face the truth, we have solid millions of seconds that'll help us make this effing life a memorable one. The one that'll make us contented regarding the greatest decisions that gave us all this enlightening vision regarding the choices that we face. Putting death aside, we have time and the urge to learn. Putting both of them together, we'll be something that we dreamt always. This college hasn't given a single percent of what we anticipated but it gave a lesson and that lesson is not just a happenstance but it is by choice, the choice of our unalloyed minds that are craving for something boundless to learn every day. We did learn. The canteen and the comforting shade under the trees taught us something optimistic every time we met. It has left a mental watermark which is eternal.

Enlightenment – That day will come where you’ll realize the true meaning of your inner self and start doing something that no one has ever done. All the philosophy and the culture that we learn during this haunting journey will turn out to be the ultimate lessons. Still I do believe that it is one of my greatest decisions to have joined this college for the very basic fact that it taught me what I am and I can be and whenever I mean college, I mean people. Every one of us are told at every point of their lifetime – study well, get a job, be happy. But all these years with my people, I was content at every moment and never thought of being a consistent everyday man that we see every day on roads – the man with spectacles without any surreal dreams except for the fact that he has to earn more and more money to keep his people happy and healthy. We dreamt out of the box always, we know that we’ll reach each and every one of them. During this progression, some of us become rebels going against the system of all sorts and getting things done the way they intend. To be precise, we all hate the system, we despise it to such an extent that we think that it’s not even worth a dime after a while. We all have that one dream – to be the guy who says ’Once upon a time’ in a rousing tone that’ll make people think that they’re gonna learn something new today, that they’re gonna get enlightened by that very vision of yours. Until then, dream. Also make them true. Also mark a path. Also see the future. Also save the past in your heart, for, it’s part of the vision that’ll pass on to your people. This is the new propaganda, not to influence people and lure them towards you, but to show them something that they've never experienced.

Directors' out-of-the-box films.

Paul Thomas Anderson – There will be Blood.

People who’ve seen PT Anderson’s works often think him as an ultimately experienced director we have today of his generation. For his age, Anderson directs films as if he’s been making films for more than a century, such is his grasp on making films into something that the audiences have never experienced. ‘There will be Blood’ is such a film. Every now and then you’re in for a surprise when you’re watching this film. The lengthy tracking shots, the huge production design that makes the frame and the scale of the film seem infinite are the major part of this epic journey of a man, Daniel Plainview, who starts from scratch to being a successful oil businessman. This epic saga tells us how success affects an individual extensively and descends him into being a paranoid ruthless murderer. Daniel Day Lewis – This film is impossible without this man who earned the ‘Best Actor’ at the Oscars for his performance making this film a must watch.
P.S. - Don’t miss his expression ‘I drink your milkshake! Slurrp!!’

Christopher Nolan – Insomnia.

‘We should take the audiences into a trance where they should wonder if whatever they are seeing is the truth or just a hallucination!’ – Nolan says talking about the kind of mind game films he makes. From the very beginning of his career he made films that deal with the minds and the psychological elements of the protagonists. Same thing in case of ‘Insomnia’. The film is about a detective, Will Dormer (Al Pacino) who suffers from insomnia out of guilt for accidentally killing his partner in a shootout. The regret is buried deep inside his subconscious by the sole witness of that incident, Walter Finch (Robin Williams) who stands as the antagonist who arrives at every step of will’s life and reminds him of his act. Unlike other Nolan’s films, this film is linear narrative where visuals and editing stand as the distinctive elements apart from unforgettable performances from Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Al Pacino’s performance makes us feel that he is suffering from Insomnia literally. Such is the beauty and dignity Pacino brought to the character. This film made Nolan one of the most matured and brilliant filmmakers of his generation.

Quentin Tarantino – Jackie Brown.

Another typical noir from the master of non-linear narrative, Jackie Brown is a 1997 crime drama about a woman named Jackie who is on a run for money, well, likewise, everyone in the film is. This film can be called Tarantino’s mind game film because non-linear narrative along with complex plot points occupy most of the film’s content. These plot points are revealed one at a time as the film goes forward putting us into a little more confusion. Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson along with Pam Grier form an excellent cast for this cat and mouse chase. Jackie wins the game at the end at the cost of Ordell (L. Jackson) and Louis (De Niro) making the film an interesting piece of art that every Tarantino fan must watch.

Martin Scorsese – Hugo.

After watching many years of gory violence, blood all over the frame, guns in every scene, money overflowing with power, nudity and explicit language in films like Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Casino etc, one couldn’t possibly imagine Scorsese would make ‘Hugo’. Though he made a variety of genre mix like The king of comedy, Kundun, The last temptation of the Christ, they din’t preferably make his career but made him a better director. Hugo is a 2011 adventure drama film which describes the breath taking journey of Hugo, a kid who’s in search of a key for his father’s machine which further drags him into a mire of the world of films and filmmaking and its master, Georges Melies. Intriguing, ain’t it? Well, hold on to your seats, it’s going to be an epic journey. This film shows how much Scorsese appreciated the works of Melies and the approach to the subject is what made this film Scorsese’s out of the box artwork.

Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire.

Before making Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle hadn’t even had a nomination, let alone winning one. This British filmmaker intrigued by a novel comes to India, makes a film and bang – the film wins 8 Oscars which becomes one of the most critically acclaimed films. In contrast to Nolan, Danny shoots on digital eventually giving hope to all the budding filmmakers out there. The film’s non-linear structure and abrupt editing and yet making complete sense to the audiences made the film what it is, Danny’s finest. Resul Pookutty’s sound, A.R.Rahman’s score and the stunning visual imagery by Anthony Dod Mantle are huge assets to this film. The visual grammar in the film changes and has a fresh vision that pleases our eyes to the core. The journey of Jamal, Saleem, Latika in reaching their respective destinations is told with a raw flexible vision by Danny. 

An Ingenious piece of art.

I’m talking about Slumdog Millionaire – the 2008 film by Danny Boyle which became the best film of the decade and the year at the Oscars. When I popped into this epic journey of ‘the good guy’ in search of his love life for the millionth time, the movie sounded as fresh as it was when I’ve seen it the first time. The reason is the authenticity in the film incorporated by Danny and team. This film undoubtedly had the best crew and cast. The major reason for the film’s stunning look is the cinematography which was brilliantly achieved by Anthony Dod Mantle. The film’s raw look and the disturbing intense images that intrigue us into observing each frame in the film is what made it a gripping piece of art. Visually far better than Danny’s previous works, Slumdog Millionaire is filled with innovative techniques in cinematography like many dutch angles which is more compelling.

The vision with which Danny directed the film is perhaps a lesson to all the filmmakers. Flexibility in the camera work which makes us look wherever the camera goes or rather wherever our eyes go, the camera goes is an ingenious technique we observe. Though we’ve seen non-linear narratives before, this film’s got a total different perspective where we get an answer every now and then for the question previously asked. Thus the characters’ intentions are revealed step by step which is a ‘thing’ that Danny found intriguing while working on the screenplay with Simon Beaufoy.

Few minutes into the film, we meet Jamal – the good and Saleem – the fox (I’m afraid to put him under the tagline ’the bad’) running on a runway escaping from the police into their locality, a typical slum of Mumbai (Bombay back then). The chase seen in the opening scene of the film is an inspiration from Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday where we see the police chasing a criminal in the slums of Mumbai.

Our intuition is simple on Saleem and Jamal, Jamal being the good, guiltless kid whereas Saleem is a ruthless, smartass, exploiting kid who grew strong as time passed by. Their journey starts together but their destinations are different. They are together all their childhood but grew differently, a great contrast between characters is seen very evidently and one can never forget the life the actors gave to the characters.

Jamal is in search of his love, Latika who they lost amidst the danger that they were about to face. The seriousness of the brothers in finding Latika is implicit when they get to a brothel preceded by the information provided by one of their old friends. Jamal then runs in happiness to find her in the brothel with his brother where his excitement is expressed through an excellent score (ringa ringa). Jamal learns the muscle of his brother when he shoots Maman to save Latika. He is awestruck by his brother’s bravery in saving her, he is more or less happy about it then but moments later he goes against his brother for his ill deeds and selfish needs. The film flows forward with Jamal going ahead alone still in search of Latika and this time too his brother is in his way snatching her away from him.

For his final question, Jamal chooses ‘Aramis’ after calling up Latika for the answer. She says that she doesn’t know the answer and just out of happiness that he spoke to her and making sure that she is safe, he chooses some arbitrary answer and becomes a millionaire. For better or worse, because of Latika and in search of her love, Jamal finds his treasure which is of course Latika herself.

The best thing that happened to the film is the director itself who got to choose Anthony Dod Mantle, Resul Pookutty, A.R.Rahman for his film which elevated the film’s level on a huge scale. The haunting score composed and conducted by Rahman is what attracted the Indian audiences and the fact that it was made in India about Indian people.

With Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle has become one of my favourite directors where his other films – Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, 127 hours are on my all-time favourite list.

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia

                                                                                                                                                                           

Well, stop watching whatever you are watching right now and watch 'Once Upon A Time In Anatolia'. I do mean it. This Brilliant Turkish film from Nuri Bilge will leave you speechless. This movie ain't no 'Pulp Fiction' and certainly ain't no 'The Godfather' but visually and narrative wise the movie is a complete feast for all the people like me. Surprisingly, up until today morning, I never heard of this filmmaker but heard of the film in some 'greatest films' list on some website. 

The film follows a group of cops and two suspects trying to exhume a body while we realize that the suspect doesn't remember the spot where he buried the body. As the film goes forward (or rather stays there) we listen to conversations of people that intrigue us and pull our ears towards their words. You would never even want to conduct the very inevitable mistake of blinking your eyes while watching this visual masterpiece 'cause you'll be afraid to miss a single frame of what will follow. Brilliant cinematography, gripping narrative, realistic performances by the actors made this film an astounding piece of art work. 

The movie is filled with limited dialogues where the director has to covey the meaning and drama through the actors’ performances and heavy dialogues are used to bring the film a natural ‘right-now-happening’ film.

An epic way of storytelling is what I call this 151 minute drama dealing with pain, guilt, gratitude, goodwill and simple ideas which interpret deep philosophy and makes us realize the sense in the situation.

The most important part in the film is the 'Sound'. It's so miraculous that a director could pull off something this great without using background music but just the ambient sounds which'll take us to the location every now and then and we can feel the air that blows on the screen. 

For about 100 minutes of the film, the director takes us on an astounding journey where the cops move from place to place in search of the body. The latter part of the film deals with the intense drama as to what happened after they find the body. 

The film ends with the scene where the doctor who observes the woman and the kid of the dead victim while conducting the autopsy and the sounds of the actions in the room along with the ambient sound of the kids playing outside can be heard before the screen goes black but the audio doesn't. It goes along with the rolling titles and that will be your turn to applaud the film.

This day - doesn't it feel like one of those days where you watch a beautiful film and sleep with a smile on your face? Yes, it is. Today I've seen an intensely directed and written film by Nuri Bilge.

If you feel like I'm talking too much about this film, read the first line and do what I said and you'll cry out in wonder on realizing how a true visual masterpiece the movie is!

Someone Got Married Last Night.

I was walking alone on the way to my home. It was 1:30am. I just attended a shoot. It’s already been four kilometres that I walked. ‘Has it really been that long? I don’t think so!’

As thoughts about my future run in my mind, I played some music. ‘Blood is on the dance floor’ is on. I’ve been walking for more than half an hour.

‘It was a good shoot’. People in the wedding loved my work. I’m walking contented. The smile they gave looking at the pictures made me happy than the money I got paid for the freelance job.

The song concluded. I replayed it. Just about in 10 minutes I reached my home, single-handed.
I went straight to bed with music in my ears. I fell asleep soon. Later, a small breeze flew through my window into my face. I smiled unknowingly, for, it felt like a recurring dream.

As I lay asleep, the solitude all over the room and the night was interrupted by a man who just got married. He’s taking his bride home after the wedding with a lot of ‘sound’. ‘Damn! A typical Indian wedding!’
‘Why so publicity just because you got married? Is it something to feel proud about?’

‘Oh! I’m getting screwed tonight, so screw your sleep!’ were his expressions while happily smiling at the people looking over their balconies. 'Well, he is getting screwed literally and metaphorically.'

Not that I’m against marriages, the whole point of my frustration is only because this ‘Happy man’ bothered my sleep. Another breeze flew right through my window and I woke up to get some water. I walked past my room when I heard the sound of the band getting louder and louder.

‘Oh my god! He’s visiting every empty street to fuck everybody else’s sleep’. I unbolted the door, went out and stared at the newly wedded (happy) couple. They were dancing right in the middle of the street not aware of the fact that no one in the street is pleased with their wedding.

My eyes shifted directly to the bride. ‘Man, she’s gorgeous.’ I lost about half my frustration looking at her. ‘It’s true, women can prevent war.’ The slow breeze that touched her touched me, I could smell the fragrance though I was 20 feet away from her. Such a striking woman. She could easily be the beautiful-est woman I’ve ever seen, well, if you exclude Aishwarya Rai and Kate Winslet.

I was on the terrace when it started drizzling. I looked at my phone. It was 2:47am. I put some music on and looked at the street light above the dancing parade. The droplets of water fell deliberately and through the flare it looked as miraculous as an epic view in my dreams. I wish I could click it. Nevertheless, I tried with my phone. I wasn’t contented with the result. ‘Damn!’

The ‘sound’ stopped all of a sudden. It was a break for them to relax and start hopping again in a minute. ‘Go home people, it’s 3:00am for god’s sake!’

I yawned and was totally upset about my sleep. ‘Anyways, I’m screwed. Fuck it.’

I started to think about the following day. ‘Which film should I watch? Ow! Pulp Fiction for the millionth time! Oh no! we’ll go on a road trip tomorrow.’

My train of thoughts was interrupted by the sound of the band again. ‘Well, the hippies are back.’

I went to my room straight and fell on the bed hoping to avoid the loud noise. ‘Well, I can’t, can I?’

I hope it was all a bad dream and wake up and find myself in my peaceful bed. But it is true. Ain’t no bad dream. ‘Shit! The hell with people.’