Tanu Weds Manu + Returns

I binge watched 'Tanu Weds Manu' and 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'.

It was my initiation into Netflix, something I've had on my list for a long while now. Considering how much movie watching I do, I'm now surprised I've let it be for so long. Was it inertia, economics, usage, alternatives, ignorance....I'm almost curious on what drove that (in) decision. That later, let me stay with 'Tanu and Manu' for now.

Tanu weds Manu

And it is just that..it's the intense and wild Tanu (Kangana Renaut) and subdued and mild Manu ( R Madhavan) that really make this movie. And yes, also the gallis and haveli's of Kanpur and Lucknow.

Manu, a sober and serious, NRI doctor returns from London looking for a bride. His first pelli choopulu and he falls for this small town seemingly docile, (and sedated) girl. She's anything but. She's  in love with a small town goonda. She'll like this wild cat, full of nerve and gumption, and though we don't get the direction, there's an underlying endearing quality to it.

They both lived their roles and created a movie where there was none.

Tanu weds Manu Returns

The second movie starts four years after the marriage. 

It starts in a divorce court, and goes through more drama. The  movie does raise some relevant questions, but doesn't make a serious effort at answering them.  Is being bored reason enough for a divorce? What is? Through a best friend....is it okay to use artificial insemination through another guy and not tell your husband because he doesn't understand?

We also have Kangana as Kusum, a Tanu look alike.  What was refreshing is that this other girl is also similar, a small town girl (kapurthala), also brash and bold (unlike the stereotype opposites). Full credit to Kangana's acting here.

One other mention I have to make is the cinematography, Chitaranjan Das ( I searched out the name) who makes the small towns of deep north come alive. It actually reminded me of a Woody Allen in that he typically makes the cities almost become a character in his films.

It's a full on drama film(s)......yet a good one time watch . 

Musings - How Judgmental Are We

This was awareness from an experience at Puri. The evening we got back from Konark we were so washed out we decided to dine in at the hotel we were staying at (other days we were more adventurous).

We soon discovered that there was an event, likely a corporate event, with cabaret dancing on. We even got to peep in, and it was definitely high energy space. The girls had to walk across the restaurant from their changing rooms to the banquet hall, and sure they were dressed for cabaret, and needed escort. 

All eyes were on them, and there was a lot of hushed and not so hushed ooh aah 'ing on. 

We soon found ourselves talking about it too. Talking was fine, but was there a slight tone of condescension that had unknowingly sneaked in? I'm afraid so.

We were by default being judgmental...it was our conditioning.

And then the thought.....weren't we doing the exact same thing at Konark. All that we'd appreciated as art  was extremely graphic erotic sculptures, with expected impact. So how is it that as sculpture it is art and passes the test of decency, but live it doesn't. If the audience enjoys it and the girls are happy to dance, why are we so generous with opinion...with judgement. How hypocritical and judgmental are we really.

Was an interesting wake up call. Conditioning creeps in so quietly, it takes effort and conscious thought on a continuing basis to rise above it. How 'being aware' is a constant piece of work.

Nil Battey Sannata

A heart warming film, the kind that tugs at your heart, and leaves you with a smile.

A beautiful relationship between a mother and daughter. Chanda, (Swara bhaskar) a hard working and illiterate maid, whose only aspiration is to see her daughter Apeksha educated. And Apeksha (Ria Shukla) , a fun loving, math hating girl who seems happy being last bencher and enjoying her love for films. She's like rebel without a cause, settled with the idea of 'doctor ka beta doctor banega, engineer ka beta engineer banega, aur bhaayi ki beti aur kya banegi'

Ratna Pathak Shah, the lady in whose house Chanda cooks, plays a pivotal role of enabling change , a sensitive and tough support system to Chanda. She suggests and pushes Chanda to attend school. The hope is that it motivates the daughter by providing the challenge and the competition, and there's interesting dynamics that get played out there. She's was simply lovely...not preachy, not high handed....sensitive to her maid's moods, firm in her approach, genuine in feel.

Pankaj Tripathi as the school principal was simply par brilliant. His connect with the students while still being a conventional teacher was a treat to watch.

The dialogues with some relevant kahaawat's are at times so meaningful and touching that they just stay with you. "जब जागो तभी सवेरा"  "कंगाली में आटा  गीला ". Powerful stuff.

The love, the banter, teenage confrontations, simple joys (loved the moment of eating chowmein and watching a horror film together in their little shack) subtle connects....the film builds it's characters so beautifully, and with excellent acting by the entire ensemble, they deliver what I thought was a beautifully done realistic and non pretentious movie.

I could watch it again.

Musings - Our Best and Our Worst are the same

Quirky but True.

Think about it...think of what we 'most like' and what we 'least like' about ourselves. If you're game actually make your list, maybe three points each. Likely you'll find that what was labeled as the best and the worst, turns out to be the very same thing. Or more accurately, different versions of the same theme.

And this becomes really significant when we're looking at awareness and change...identifying what's not serving well and needs change. 

To watch..as it is also likely on the list of your best qualities too.

For instance, if least liked was one persons tendency to take center stage often, what was most liked was her dynamic and energetic and entertaining personality. If least liked was failure to be transparent, direct and spontaneous, what was most liked was her kindness, tact and respect for the others feelings. If another's sense of entitlement and 'me first' attitude was difficult, it was also her ability to identify and articulate her own goals, and 'go for it ' attitude that was most admired.

This is the inseparable nature of our strengths and weaknesses....... as they are woven from the same fabric.

What this really brings to the fore is why it becomes so difficult to overcome our weaker areas or change specific traits...they are too closely connected to our core strengths.

What seems to then work is awareness of its manifestations. More self acceptance and awareness. Focus not on getting rid of the difficult facets, but to identify and reinforce the positive facets...... they would then likely show up more :)

The Ship of Theseus

I can't help but write the circumstance that led me to watching this movie.

A casual discussion with Dhruva, taking off from a scene in a movie where the protagonist is attending his own funeral, (in a parallel dimension) and now needs to continue to exist as his other being.  

Soon we both see that we're differing on something very fundamental -  what we identify as 'I'. Is it the 'consciousness or soul' that lives through many lives, or is it the 'sum total of my experiences in the present' that give me my identity. And it's in that context that he mentioned 'Ship of Theseus

The film starts with stating the paradox of 'the ship of theseus' - 

"Will the ship remain the same if all its parts were replaced, piece by piece. What would happen if their original parts were gathered up after they were replaced, and used to build a second ship. Which ship, if either, is the Ship of Theseus."

The film is like a thought experiment through three different stories, no context, no personality building, just these situations that take us through questions on Identity, Conviction and Karma. Each with it's paradoxical moments so to say.... each throwing up more questions than answers. 

The acting of each of the protagonists, and the symbolism brought out through the cinematography was brilliant.

The first story is about Aaliya (aida el-kashif) a girl who takes to photography after she goes blind. The camera in place of an eye, and how when she gets back her sight she seems to loose perspective. Was the camera better than her own sight? Are our so called 'limitations' an integral part of our being?

The second story is about Maitreya, a (jain) monk with strong convictions against cruelty to animals and who in fighting a case against pharma companies on their research on animals, refuses treatment when he is critically ill. Questions that get raised in the process. 'If it's about fighting cruelty to animals, is it okay to be violent on oneself"  Neeraj Kabi was powerful.

The final story, a stockbroker who has a kidney replacement, and in the process happens across organ trafficking and his effort at providing justice to the poor laborer from who a kidney is stolen, and in process raises some questions on integrity and the role of money in life.

The common thread is that each of them needs an organ transplant, and through that the film touches 'identity', the quintessence of the Theseus paradox.

Interestingly, the movie ends with a video of a cave exploration, and we see only a shadow with a camera....bringing to mind Plato's 'Allegory of the cave', and how it's all about perspective.

I'd understand if even this review sounds confusing and abstract. Guess it's part of the deal. Questions, conflicts, perspectives......... 

It's a 'Choice'

Yet another Brene Brown video. She's brilliant at not just talking of what an 'aspirational' space is, but also so clear in her elucidation of the 'Why' and 'How' of it. I'm quickly becoming a big fan. Here's a nicely encapsulated 10 rules.

Resilience and the high end

From Seth

Resilience and the high end

The high end is brittle, unstable and thus, expensive.

The car that wins a race, the wine that costs $300, the stereo that sounds like the real thing... The restaurant that serves perfect fruit, the artisan who uses rare tools and years of training...

If there was a reliable, easy, repeatable way to produce these outputs, we'd all do it and the high end would be normal.

What makes something pure enough, optimized enough and fast enough to defeat the other 99.9% is that it doesn't always work. It is far more sensitive to inputs. It's dangerous...

Maybe you don't need carbon fiber wheels. Maybe you merely need a reliable way to get from here to there at a reasonable price. 

The high end is magic, but magic isn't reliable. On purpose. That's what makes it magic.