Mahanati

Watching Mahanati was an experience, a three hours of stepping out of ones own life into that of Savitri's, what only a really good biopic can do.

And what a life....and what a woman.

When end of movie you feel it was so intense and dramatic, you get grounded in your knowing it to be a real story. Of a woman who could inspire a biopic. I watched fascinated as the story unfolded. Savitri, right from when she was a little girl, the spark clearly visible.....turning into a woman with spunk, a mind of her own......one who lived life on her own terms; be it her dance, her love, her money, her alcoholism,  fame, ego, generosity, kindness....all larger than life.

I was wowed.

Keerthy Suresh has a remarkable likeness to Savitri, and breathed life into the role. Dulquar as Gemini Ganeshan was charming, and while playing a crucial role in her life, at some point kind of fades away, fades away from the movie too.....and that catalyzes her spiral.

The several clips of all the old Savitri songs was beautiful..... and nostalgic too as I've grown up hearing those songs on daily basis ( plus my dads a big fan of Savitri's).

I loved the cinematography of old time rural life.....plus the old time tinsel town exposure, that was brought in with all real life characters of yesteryears.

It's a long movie, but then her life has so much, so much of everything that I could have watched a couple hours longer. A story that inspires, of a woman who inspires.

A lot of folks said it was sad and depressing, but I didn't think so......to me what stood out is a woman who chose her own life.

Nag Ashwin, for having delved so deep into the life of Savitri, and given us Mahanati, kudos and thanks !!

As Chimerical as Real

We had this most spectacular of rainbows yesterday.......horizon to horizon... each color distinctly visible. And as we were still admiring it, right before our eyes there appeared a second rainbow....a double rainbow.

All right from our balcony. What a treat.

To me, one of my favoritest sights.......one of the most beautiful things on earth. A rainbow like this, an experience that always comes with goosebumps. So beautiful, so colourful, so large, so across the sky, so fragile, so exciting, so touching..... almost chimerical.

First sighting.....my pictures are sad here....it'll have to be 10 % picture, 90% imagination :)

this one is to show how it seemed to go right down the horizon

And if you look closely, you'll see the double rainbow on top

After a few pictures, I could only stand and gaze.....in awe

The story of a bag

A nice story that unfolded in phases over the day.

Our watchman, Venkaiah, came up early this morning saying he was going to Tirupathi, and could he get an advance. The otherwise usually grouchy man actually sounded excited about his trip, and when I asked further, went on into which train, when, what....lots of details....he looked happy.

Then he says "I also need a bag....can you give me one, I don't have a bag to pack our clothes in". I said I'd check and to come back later.

When Faizan came at 11, I asked her to help me get down a suitcase from the attic and then to empty it (it had a lot of random stuff in it).....and after it's down she says "let's empty it tomorrow, I'm in a rush today".... and I was like, "No, now only, Venkaiah needs the bag today".

She's like "what?!!? ....you're giving this suitcase to him?? what amma....what happened to you....it's such a nice suitcase....plus he's such a horrible man, he doesn't clean your car well, he yells at me for the smallest reason........no, you're not giving the bag to him....if you don't need it, give it to me". 

I'm like "It's not about me not needing it, it's about him needing it".

She's like "no, not this suitcase, and not to him, I won't let you, he's so kadoos, he doesn't deserve it". She sounded so like an offended petulant child, that I gave in, thinking I'll ask Diksha for a backpack.

An hour later.......Diksha searches through her stuff and doesn't find one she can give away.

So we're like "sad, but what can we do, just tell him we don't have one".

A couple hours later .......

Diksha: "ma, I told him about the bag when he came up, and he looked so disappointed......I can't get that look off my mind.....can we do something?"

 "we tried no sweetie, we don't have extra, it's okay, he'll manage".

"no ma, it doesn't seem right that there should be so much grief because of not having a bag for a trip, he looked so sad (even if he's a creep), do something no".

We put our minds together, and finally decided that we'd give him one of our regular bags for this trip, on returnable basis. (He's now gone off with my bag:)

Deech, for having let that expression touch you...... for having pushed for a solution.... for enabling an out of usual resolution......you made the day so special !

Falling Out

From Seth

The hard part isn't coming up with a new idea.

The hard part is falling out of love with the old idea.

That's why editing work is so difficult. In order to make the new thing, to make the old thing better, you need to destroy it first.

Situation switching, acting as if, loving the idea enough to sketch it out and then caring enough to stop loving it......that's where the tension often lies.