Overwhelmed

Nothing amazes me now. That is a weird thought to have.I am never perplexed or overwhelmed by anything anymore. Is that the effect of me realizing that everything is possible? 

Am I underplaying my emotions or feelings ? 

Have I seen it all ? 

I think I have started accepting everything. I am no longer skeptical about anything. The clarity brings a sense of calm within myself. I am sure that nothing will go haywire because of eating Non vegetarian food on Monday. I am certain that I won’t drown in the sea if I forget to take prasad after Satyanarayan Pooja. I am self aware. The only person that can do damage to me is my own mindset. It totally depends on how I perceive things and how I react to them.

 

Have I stopped believing in magic ?

Have I stopped looking for miracles ?

 

Does it make my life less complicated ? Yes, most definitely. I am never waiting for a divine intervention to solve my problems. The only divinity I see is in my kids and their innocent charm.

But they do not make me perplexed. Instead I am looking forward to more. I am not overwhelmed by anything at the moment. That means I need to do something about it. 

 

It is important to be overwhelmed by something. It is important to be amazed. If you are not living in that state of curiosity and amazement then you are doing something wrong with your life. You are probably wasting it in a comfortable routine. Break the shackles, find your passions and do something that overwhelms you.

Not having enough

I recently heard Sidhanth Chaturvedi in the Newcomer’s Roundtable with Rajeev Masand. He spoke uninhibitedly about the advantages starkids have. Most starkids speak about their struggle and I find it cringeworthy. Star kids get a launchpad in a high budget venture with the best director in tinsel town.. The real actors have to struggle their way up through mediocre and low budget ventures.

 

There is a thing about not having enough, it teaches you appreciate what you have. Humans are the most unsatisfied species. Every being you meet will have a desire. They always find the grass greener on the other side. They fail to look at the greenery they have on their side.

 

Everyone wants a little bit more.The star kids are fortunate and they already have what most other non star kids are struggling for. Not having enough opportunities I feel makes you appreciate the opportunity you have in hand.

 

I had interviewed a starry eyed teenager who didn’t want to work in that company just because the office looked very ordinary. It had goods kept all over the place. He had dreamed of working in glass building with elevators made of glass where he walks in style and has a glass cabin with a sliding door all for himself and people dress up in exquisite style. He declined a job that many people would die to have just because he did not have a sense of value.

 

It is very easy to know the cost of something. It is more important to access the value. It is even more important to determine if it is cost effective. In Hong kong people sell the same stuff at different prices. The same cola is available for $4 at a wholesale shop. It is sold for $9 in a circle K store. If you order it in a restaurant , it comes for $18. So the margins are decided by the amount of rent those shop owners are paying.

 

In a fast paced life kids sometimes get a lot of convenience. The octopus card hanging around their necks can be really dangerous as a child would want to buy everything that the vending machine has to offer. Giving $20 to child needs to be followed up with a lesson on saving money and valuing money. We need to give this lesson to our kids because they would probably never face a situation of not having enough. 

 

We need to teach our kids to not take things for granted. Not having enough resources teaches you utilise the resources you have.Not having enough teaches you to not crib and complain. We never complained about heat in our childhood because affording an air-con was out of question in those days. These days kids are shielded away from extreme weathers. 

 

We have learnt to battle out heat and sweat it out while playing. Kids these days learn to play in air conditioned clubhouses. We never complained about bruises when we fell. We got up and laughed at ourselves for falling. I think not having enough cushion allowed us to be not scared of falling. But here we are instilling fear in our kids. Telling them they have to be protected at all times against falling and bruises are not normal.

 

Hence when Ananya Pandey speaks about struggle, I understand her perspective. However, if she speaks in the same room that has Sidhanth Chaturvedi,she has to realize that her struggle was in a well cushioned playhouse but his struggle was on a rocky road and in a muddy street. 

 

Her failure would be as disappointing as his. But she would fall on a safety net and she would have a chance to bounce back plenty of times but if he falls then the industry would not look back at him. I echo his feelings because I too have struggled. I also had days where I did not have enough and I wish I could teach my daughter this lesson that not having enough teaches.

 

In a world of convenience, I wish had to face a little bit struggle so that she understands and values all the resources she now has. As a parent that would be the best lesson to give her about the world around and instill a value for everything.

 

Ghost Stories (2020) – Review

Horror is my favorite genre and no other genre gives my brain the kind of stimulation that horror does. Sitting at the edge of my sofa I was overjoyed when the credits rolled. Four of the best filmmakers of today’s generation had churned out four spine-chilling tales.

This is the kind of atmospheric horror that I crave for. None of these stories relies heavily on jumpscares or special effects. The eerie atmosphere and the unnerving soundtrack do the trick to draw you into the story. The acting performances are simply brilliant. The dialouges are bare minimum and the movie focuses on the actor’s expressions and the visually stunning camerawork.
The first story by Zoya Akhtar has Jhanvi Kapoor as the nurse and Surekha Sikhri as the old patient that she tends to. Both the actors put up great performances in their roles. The dialogues are brilliantly written. Surekha Sikri is a veteran and she creeps you out completely.
The story was not over the top. It was a simple story told very beautifully. Zoya Akhtar gets out of her comfort zone for this one.
The second story is directed by Anuraag Kashyap and it is the second best story out of the four. It is visually stunning and it gives you the creeps. It is very dark and this genre is a cake walk for Kashyap. Shobhita Dhulipala puts forward one of her best performances so far. This actress deserves all the accolades that she has been winning.for her acting. She can definitely act well.
The child actor in this offering is brilliant too.
The third story is directed by Dibakar Banerjee and it completely blew my mind. It is simply outstanding . The eerie locations make your skin crawl and the acting performances are top-notch. Gulshan Deviaah transforms into this character and he looks brilliant and his acting performance is mind blowing. The situation and the gory scenes scared the hell out of me. I am an avid watcher of horror films and hence nothing scares me so easily. This one gave me the creeps.
The last installment is a bit underwhelming. Karan Johar has done a great job with the plot and the sets. The dialogues are slightly cringy in this one but the performances by Mrunal Thakur , Bidita Bag and Avinash Tiwary are commendable. The premise is not new but it is presented very well.
But I am sure that the Indian audience is not ready for such atmospheric horror that slowly leaves an impact. They want more of Shaapits, Raaz Reboots and 1920s.
A horror movie needs to make you feel genuinely scared and it needs to make your skin crawl. I felt goosebumps in all four movies.
A special mention for Gulshan Deviaah. This man never fails to surprise me with his choice of roles. I was scared to death seeing his avatar in this film. Right from the first scene where he enters and until the last scene where he says a few dialouges.