On Taare Zameen Par

It would be wrong to say that Taare Zameen Par failed to touch me in any way. I was very apprehensive about watching the movie because there were widespread reports of people weeping while watching the movie, some uncontrollably. That was one of the main reasons that despite there having time in office, due to the year end holidays, I refrained from watching it. So, I watched it yesterday. The movie started well. I would like to commend the Director or whoever chose the cast, for choosing this little fellow (Darsheel Safary) for Ishaan. He has that vulnerability on his face, that naughty look that immediately appeals to you. I had no inkling whatsoever about the theme of the movie before watching it. In a way it was good. I could have a very objective view of the whole movie, reel by reel. In the beginning I was wondering if its about an orphan and that the hero was an adopted child, because there were marked difference in the physical appearance of the two brothers. Then it became clear that the case was not so. That the younger child is inclined towards the art and any visual art was clear from the first few shots. Director, through a song, beautifully, and successfully conveyed it to the audience that the child was different from his father and brother, in the way they are focussed on their day to day lives and goals. Then gradually it became clear that the character had dyslexia, when his mother said why is he making the same mistakes repeatedly, his apathy towards discipline, his acute sense of finding beauty and art in mundane things and actions. Then this character of Ishaan says the letters in his book seems to dance. And suddenly I had this strange nice feeling inside, so, the assholes in bollywood has finally tried to make a movie on dyslexia. For reasons I will not say now, I had tried to find as much information on dyslexia few years back and I have developed a respect for dyslexic people. So, from then onwards it was like watching the trials and tribulations of a child whom no one seemed to understand. Not even his parents, which, anyway, is the case most often. When Ishaan's character was going through the most turbulent of times, and through the most inconsiderate of human beings, someone in his class said, a temporary teacher is coming. I was not sure if the movie was only a Aamir Khan Production, or he was acting in it as well. Somehow I felt he will be in the movie. Then the sound of the flute came, a prelude to the entry of a special character of a movie. So typical of bollywood or any god damned wood. Can a hero simply walk into the frame? Almost unthinkable. Anyway, so Aamir Khan enters as the temporary art teacher and sings a song. And I thought, o fucking christ, so, there is someone who is going to understand and help this child. Though it was a movie, I think the character of Ishaan, and the actor's near perfect acting will not fail to move many. I liked the movie after that. Because I realised, that it is one of the beautiful movies ever made on this subject, be it European film industry, or Japanese or hollywood. I commend bollywood for that.
People are saying that the frame in which Ishaan's character sees the painting made by Nikumbh's character moved them to tears. I must say that I loved that scene. Aamir Khan was smiling as if he actually painted it, though he was doing his job, namely acting. But I appreciate the person who painted it for this movie. It captured many things. Hope is just one of them. The moment I saw Lalitha Lajmi, I thought where have I seen her? Then today morning when I googled I saw that she is Guru Dutt's sister. And then it came as a flash. I saw Lalitha Lajmi in Hyderabad. I along with my friend Pradeep had gone to attend the Guru Dutt Film Festival in Harihara Kala Bhavan, near Patny, in Hyderabad. She came there on the first day and addressed the audience. She has not changed much, considering this was only 2 years back. It was a beautiful evening listening about Guru Dutt from his own sister, letting us see glimpses of his life. After the movie when everyone was coming out I approached her and asked for her autograph. She smiled and gave her autograph. I had that paper for many days and then lost it somewhere. It was good to see her again.

Well, Aamir, Good Job. And Thank you.

Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.

~ William Wordsworth (Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood)

William Blake, for me, is one of the most profoundest of poets. I said, "for me", because, literature, like food, has its own taste and one man's food can be another man's poison. I, however doubt, if Blake's work will prove to be poisonous for anyone. Far from it, they are drops of dew, so tender and beautiful. The poem below is considered one of his finest and there were time when I used to meditate on the first 4 lines and yet couldn't marvel enough at its beauty.

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

Quote by Anonymous

Read it somewhere recently...

"Sometimes I wish I were a little boy again, skinned knees are easier to fix than broken hearts."

True, isn't it?

Quotations by Saki

Name: Saki. Original name: H. H. Munro. Full name: Hector Hugo Munro.

Have you read him? If yes, you must be a fan of him, like me. If not, I would strongly suggest you do it. I blackmailed one of my close friends to buy me the collection of his short stories.

His quotes? Found a couple of them from Internet. Rest, will upload as I recollect, or come across when I read.

- I love Americans, but not when they try to talk French. What a blessing it is that they never try to talk English.

- The cook was a good cook, as cooks go; and as good cooks go, she went.

- The clock struck eleven with the respectful unobtrusiveness of one whose mission in life is to be ignored.

- The people of Crete unfortunately make more history than they can consume locally.

- The young man turned to him with a disarming candour, which instantly put him on his guard.

- In baiting a mousetrap with cheese, always leave room for the mouse.

- Oysters are more beautiful than any religion . . . there's nothing in Christianity or Buddhism that quite matches the sympathetic unselfishness of an oyster.

- He's simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed.

:)

A Few of Shaw's Quotations

Hmmmm... Don't know why I don't get tired of it... Okay, so here it goes...

"Christianity as a specific doctrine was slain with Jesus, suddenly and utterly. He was hardly cold in his grave, or high in his heaven (as you please), before the apostles dragged the tradition of him down to the level of the thing it has remained ever since."

- in the preface to Androcles and the Lion

"There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it."

- in Man and Superman

"When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty."
- in Caesar and Cleopatra

“The secret to success is to offend the greatest number of people”

“A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.”

“The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.”

“The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.”

"When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth."

"We don't bother much about dress and manners in England, because as a nation we don't dress well and we've no manners."

"My way of joking is to tell the truth. It is the funniest joke in the world."

“The things most people want to know about are usually none of their business.”

"He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career."

"The power of accurate observation is called cynicism by those who have not got it."

"Forget about likes and dislikes. They are of no consequence. Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness."

"He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches."

"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."

"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."

"Lack of money is the root of all evil."

"Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability."

and...

"Virtue is insufficient temptation."

:-)

Jokes by Khuswant Singh

Enough of cracking sardar jokes. Here are a few jokes by a sardar, about whom I had heard someone say, is one of the very few sardar's worth their balls. Khuswant Singh.


Yahya Khan, trying to persuade a yokel to volunteer for the Pakistani Air Force, took him inside the aircraft and explained: "You press this yellow button to turn on the engine. Then you press the red one and the plane flies off. It's very simple." "But how do I bring it down?'' asked the yokel. "You don't have to bother with that,'' replied Yahya, "Leave that to the Indian Air Force.''


PIA does not stand for Pakistan International Airlines. It means "Please inform Allah.'' Then again, AI doesn't denote Air India --- rather it means "Already informed.''


What do the postal envelopes issued by the Indian post office have in common with the Indo-Pak border? Neither can be sealed.


A goalkeeper was walking down a street when he saw a house on fire. Rushing there, he saw a woman with a baby in her arms trapped on the third floor. He told her that, his job being what it was, he would catch the baby. After a little hesitation, she dropped the infant. The goalie caught it expertly, and in true reflexive fashion, moved a few steps with it before kicking the little brat into the distance.


Two IRA men were driving to a spot with a bomb in their car. "Don't travel so rashly! You may set off the bomb!'' cautioned one. To which the other Paddy replied "Don't worry, we have a spare bomb in the boot."

Quotes by George Bernard Shaw

Well, I was going through this website and came across this quote "A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul" (George Bernard Shaw). No idea what it means, apart from the obvious meaning of course.

I didn't know that he has also said something as mundane as "Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life". I mean we all know that, right? And then we have a few more --

- I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.

- Clever and attractive women do not want to vote; they are willing to let men govern as long as they govern men.

- Do not try to live forever. You will not succeed.

- Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh. (my favourite)

- First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity.

- Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated.

- I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.

- It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid.

- Reading made Don Quixote a gentleman, but believing what he read made him mad.


Then, there was this conversation between a reporter and Mahatma Gandhi --

Reporter: “Mr. Gandhi, what do you think of Western civilization?”
Gandhi: “I think it would be a good idea!”