PK Review: Why Bollywood should take the ‘Road less traveled by’ more often

As we near the end of a drought-stricken year with only a handful of impressive Box Office releases- the much-awaited ‘Rangeelo Mehmaan’ a.k.a PK arrives and provides an interim halt to our whining. After almost half a decade later, the Aamir-Hirani duo consistently succeeds to repeat their ‘outwordly’ magic on screen with their latest release. Somewhat halfway between “The Gods Must be Crazy” and “OMG”, P.K is a fresh, engaging and dauntless satire that is indisputably one of the better releases of this year.

There are films that come with an unofficial disclaimer that you must leave your brains at home to truly enjoy them and unfortunately Bollywood was flooded with such instances throughout this year so much so that I almost considered withdrawing my faith from this industry. Amidst this deplorable situation, P.K takes ‘the road less traveled by’ and emerges as the Dark Knight saving an ailing Gotham. With it its core in an effective screenplay, unorthodox execution, striking performances and a riveting narrative- this Aamir-Anushka starrer is a sheer winner and the rightful successor of earlier Hirani directorials namely Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots.

The film revolves around the uncanny and hilarious journey of P.K (essayed by Aamir Khan), whose name traces its origin from numerous people retorting him as ‘drunk’ in effect to his eccentric and irrational manners. With goblin ears, arched eyebrows, protruding eyes and robotic pace- P.K is an unlikely extraterrestrial who makes you burst out in cackle and also ponder on the existing societal dictums deeper than usual. As he loses his way back to his own planet, he discovers a whole new world in our planet that is amusing and confusing at the same time.

 In an outright contradiction to the bulk of stereotypical fictional heroes who embark on the journey of finding either love, adventure or freedom; P.K explores an extraordinary pursuit of a non-human for the “Supreme Being” who is hailed and worshipped as the Creator and Savior of the people on earth. On this curious quest, he befriends the buoyant, feisty TV reporter Jaggu (played by Anushka Sharma) who buys his story and tries to help him out to revive an object of great significance.  

The greatest strength of P.K. is its well-outlined and pretenseless screenplay. At every turns and moves, the film takes a dig on the established and distinct traditions of different religions and prudently questions the hoaxes and fallacies promoted by the religious gurus and godmen in this country. The film’s approach is unapologetically bold and evidently effectual. Though it cannot be termed as an ideal black comedy, yet it leaves its mark as a promising and highly-entertaining dark mockery that is a rarity in Indian Cinema these days. It is emblematic of Raju Hirani to direct a film where he juggles with logic and yet strikes the psyche of the audience with a deeply-rooted emotive appeal. It is amusing to see how through crunchy dialogues and dash of slapstick comedy the film touches upon controversial subject matters with such admirable ease and laudable sarcasm. It really takes some balls to pull such an audacious directorial like P.K in a society that is extensively defensive about its religious beliefs and habitually takes offence in any blow against their faith.

Aamir in the titular role is expectedly brilliant. His commendable ability to get into the skin and soul of every character that he plays stands established yet again. He is an actor who knows how to engage his gargantuan clientele of fans even with an avant-garde and experimental role that is quite unlike the pick of the regular, formula film lovers. Anushka duly compliments Aamir with a convincing and endearing performance. The supporting cast comprising Sanjay Dutt , Saurav Shukla and Boman Irani also proves its horsepower and can be undoubtedly called the best ensemble of this year.

However, P.K does hit some lows that kinda blight the otherwise immaculate and savoring production. The film tends to get a little too stretched out and overtly dramatic post-interval and even the ending seems a bit rushed and overdone. There are some plot points and imageries that leave you wondering if their inclusion in the film were at all required.

Barring that, P.K is the perfect festive delicacy you must treat yourself this Christmas Holidays with. This ‘out-of-the world’ cinematic experience is worth every penny you bet on it. 

INTERSTELLAR Review: We've just forgotten that we are still pioneers. And we've barely begun.

“Man’s grasp exceeds his imagination…..”

                                                             - The Prestige, 2006

How rightfully so, ain’t it? And when it is Christopher Nolan I’m talking about, I couldn’t rope in another more fitting line to begin describing his inconceivable genius which yet again resurfaced in full glory through his latest and most awaited directorial, Interstellar.…So here I begin quoting his film to him.. Not only has he proved to be one of the most imaginative auteurs living, but also a prodigious filmmaker whose unbending determination to achieve the best results exceeds his passionate imagination.  It’s been over a couple of days since I watched Interstellar and those who have embarked on this extravagant intergalactic journey of a lifetime, will nod with me in unison that it is not quite like anything we have experienced before on silver screen. It was indeed a journey- an inexplicable, colossal, celestial yet very humane one… To jot down in words how it must have felt watching it is like asking about the experience on the roller coaster to a person who has never been on one.

[Blogger’s Note: Contains no spoilers.. ]

While the World Wide Web is flooding with mechanical reviews that are solely concerned with the science and technicalities of Interstellar, I won’t deny myself any opportunity of lauding the film that was even beyond the definition of a cinematic masterpiece. This is not exactly a generic review cause I don’t think a film like Interstellar which does not resemble the conventional designation of being called a film, can be even reviewed. Or better to put it that I don’t think I am competent enough to assess it. Instead consider this is as a memo of a person who has been fortunate enough to watch this epic by Nolan and this is merely a modest attempt to vocalize her feels with those souls who have also shared the analogous “Interstellar” experience.

This shouldn't come as a disclaimer that I am a huge Nolanite, i.e. a devout fanatic of Christopher Nolan’s works and as far as my memory serves, I have spent a greater phase of my life as a movie-enthusiast simply being in absolute awe with the films he makes. Even though I am not a sucker for sci-fis, but since Day 1 (some 2 and a half years ago) that production of Interstellar was announced, my excitement knew no bounds. As the countdown came dwindling and the release date came closer, all I could think and do was to make myriad of assumptions and theories of how exactly is Interstellar gonna be? How is it gonna be any further brilliant than “The Dark Knight” “Inception” or “Memento” or how is it gonna blow our minds in ways that no adventure film ever has. But I was wholly contended when all my inquisitiveness met its closure as this space epic progressed. I could feel the adrenaline racing, jaws dropping involuntarily and the mind being blown to distant lands and I continued feeling so after the end credits rolled. Somehow a part of me got chipped into the film that refused to come back even long after the film ended. I was left speechless. I was dumb-struck. LITERALLY. It felt like I was having a revelation which seemed subtle at first and before it can be realized fully, it hit me like a speeding truck. Fast and hard. I have never been zoned out like this before after seeing a movie and I was teared down between two emotions- inestimable wonder and overwhelming praise.

This intergalactic expedition that Interstellar takes us into comprises of black holes, worm holes, alternate galaxies, time dilution but more than all of that it is the subtexts of love, relationships, compassion and bonding that truly makes the film so incomparably remarkable. Below the surface of advanced space science and time loops, there’s a deep bedrock humanity that drives the thematic flow of the film. The film begins as a desperate father’s pursuit to save an apocalyptic world and be reunited with his daughter and ends on a note that rightfully underlines that how individual bonds can bring together an entire species and when pushed to the most catastrophic and extraordinary situations, that we can truly evolve. Interstellar advocates, like almost all other Nolan movies that hope no matter how unlikely it is, can never be futile. It reflects the very core of Nolan’s definitive vision- his undying optimism. With a robust screenplay, visually stunning execution, topnotch narrative and a fitting star cast, Interstellar is a portal to an avant-garde and never-seen-before style of film-making that will be hailed even fifty years from now. Nolan, who strongly detests digital filmmaking and especially 3D format, goes to undreamed of  lengths to makes sure that the real locations resemble anything but worldly. It’s not surprising if you too have exclaimed, “Is this even shot on earth!” quite a few times while watching the film. The director seems to be a man of the next century living in the existing one. His thinking is too legendary and refined for everyone to grasp it. As harsh it might sound, but bottom-line, “A Christopher Nolan film” is just quite not the forte for everyone’ brain.

Not since Kubrick’s 2001, A Space Odyssey that a space saga has been so breathtakingly beautiful as Nolan’s Interstellar has. It is an ode to the human mettle which is indestructible even at the face of an extreme crisis.. Not only does it establishes that love transcends time and space but also heralds that it is only when we are compelled to fight the inevitable, that we realize that we are stronger than we ever thought ourselves to be. It beautifully recounts the notion that Science when advances beyond its potential, can be identical to magic and be something so mammoth in extent that it no longer resembles science. And that is when we are taken by surprise, and think beyond the ‘earthly’ definition of all things. The climax shoves a massive blow in the gut but simultaneously we are also filled with a greater sense of belief in our existence and ‘the world as we know it’. We are the miracle, and we can realize it only when we stopped looking for one. It is this strong psychological, philosophical and emotive footing that truly puts Interstellar galaxies ahead of its contemporary science-fiction.

A prodigious directing by Nolan is justly complimented by breathtaking cinematography, outstanding performances by a dazzling cast ensemble, especially Matthew McConaughey who inarguably takes the cookie away. He breathes so much conviction in portraying Cooper that all throughout the runtime, he is inseparable from his character. Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain also execute considerable justice to their respective characters and it is again commendable of Nolan and the casting director for using actors like Wes Bentley, Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in brief but significant roles. And last but not the least; it is the soul-lifting and towering music of Hans Zimmer which serves as a devoted companion to intensifying the feels of the film.

Interstellar is the ultimate out-of-body experience that can only be felt and realized but rarely vocalized. It is not just a must-watch, but worth a dozen rewatches. Nothing we ever knew will ever be the same once you are done watching.. It pumps up your heartbeat, disbands the mind, leaves you speechless and goosebumped, overturns the conservative order of things, ideas and fallacies but at the same time sustains our faith, and gears us up to believe in the good. So to sum it up, I will quote a friend who described her Interstellar experience as, “It’s like we went into a black hole and came back wiser and happier…” Exactly that.

It’s been an honor watching Interstellar, the most surreal cinematic affair of probably this century and to actually live in a world where Nolan makes movies.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night......

‘Gone Girl’ Review: An Enthralling, Unsettling and Unorthodox Thriller

There’s this thing about being happily married and that is, there ain’t a thing as such. You’re either happy or you’re married...

 And the Dark Lord of Thrillers, David Fincher establishes exactly this notion in his latest directorial, though in a much more disconcerting, dreadful and pragmatic way. Gone Girl is nothing close to being a run-of-the-mill thriller where your only obligation attached with the film is to stick with it till the end, find out ‘who dunnit’ and be happy with whatever sense of closure you got. Gone Girl, a cinematic adaptation of American writer Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, takes you on a ride through the insides of a ruthless, dark and demented world of humanity where you question not only your existence but also you’re surroundings which is not much different than that portrayed in the film.

Do not shrink back from going further into the review cause there ain’t any massive spoilers that is gonna ruin your enthusiasm for this movie. And like all of my reviews, I am not commenting on the story. The premise of Gone Girl is one which is not alien to that of Fincher’s earlier ventures. Be it Fight Club, Zodiac, Se7en and now Gone Girl- he always make sure to adjust the audience’s psyche with a dark, claustrophobic setting where societal degradation and obscurity of human minds is undeniably apparent. While most of the contemporary thrillers establish the inception of evil only after the manifestation of it or rather after a “crime” is committed, Gone Girl pursues a “road less taken” and conveys the underlying message that “evil” was there all the way through, with and within people whom you will usually pass off as “innocent”. A seemingly happy couple might be the most distressed one, a seemingly “okay” relationship must be going through its worst phase and the most regular and harmless looking person was letting all hell break loose.

The film begins with Nick (played by Ben Affleck) discovering that his wife Amy (played by Rosamund Pike) has GONE missing on the very day of their fifth marriage anniversary (why is tragedy so pathetically ironic all the friggin time!). No wait.. Specifically, that is not how it begins. The film begins with Nick asking some primal questions of marriages in a narration that is going to leave you goosebumped by the time it ends. Then Fincher applies his signature non-linear narrative style to transport our minds back and forth through the 149 minutes of adrenaline ride of flashbacks and “a day gone”and what unfolds in that time leaves us speechless and incredibly mystified.

As the girl is gone, the husband’s life is anything but normal. And as the pursuit for his missing wife begins, there also begins a new form of mourning- i.e- media sensationalism. The film provides an extremely commendable dark mockery of the current functioning of the media magnets who doesn’t take much longer before transforming anything or anyone into a sensation. Still Gone Girl is not a film about the perils of media publicity, or the overwhelming woes of a man whose wife went missing but it’s rather a retrospective of how people can give way to their inner demons and fall prey to their own Hamartia, a tragic flaw that does not even differentiate between genders.

The film unfolds not as grippingly as other David Fincher thrillers usually do, but its steadiness is only to prepare you for a head-turning mid-climax which does not lose its brilliance because it is predictable but rather contains it because it is unpredictably executed. And throughout its entire run time, the film gets darker, deeper and long-winded -hardly giving you a space to breathe. The cinematography is topnotch and especially the juxtaposition of scenes with rapidly changing camera angles intensifies the feel.

What Gone Girl lacks in the suspense front, is made up by convincingly stunning performances by the lead and the supporting cast alike. Affleck does a decent job in portraying the oblivious, troubled husband but it is Rosamund Pike who is truly the “Amazing Amy” of this film. (You’ll get the reference when you see the film). She is bold and spontaneous in essaying the razor-sharp wit and impious charm of her character. Amy forces you to admire her guts even when you should be feeling nothing but revulsion for her. She is the Gone Girl who actually saves the film.

From a realistic and rudimentary handling of the true societal horrors, falling economy, diminishing fidelity and increasing differences of marriages- Gone Girl shows it all and not necessarily in ways that are pleasant to the eye. That every human is flawed is not lost on any of us, but when flaws give way to ambition that in turn leads to inescapable darkness- that is when things get messed up beyond repair and that is where Gone Girl leads you. It makes you confront the fact that even the mighty can fall, even the best of the smiles can hide daggers beneath and that nothing ever truly is incorruptible.

The Film did not utterly blow my mind or greatly disheartened me, but it just loses its grasp on the story flow at times and that it is the only eyesore to an otherwise perfect production. Too many censored scenes also spoil the broth to an extent. The director has given us more impressive take on the narrative and dialogues in his earlier films and me as a devout David Flincher fan couldn’t help but compare. However barring that, Gone Girl is a classy, fulfilling meal that does more than justice to the palate.

To conclude, the best part of this classic adaptation of a page-turner is that it makes you fall for its tag line “You don't know what you've got 'til it's...  (gone)”, but it actually goes steps ahead to establish this unpleasant, unorthodox truth that sometimes when something is gone, is it really worth bringing back??

Just go and watch if you haven’t already. I am vouching for this film!

Fun Dishes for a Gastronomical Halloween

It's that official time of the year when the freaky and faulty get to be the "in" things. And while most of us Indians ( I do, okay) sulk over the fact that we never get to celebrate the occasion to its fullest, customary sense like in the other parts of the worlds, I think there's an interesting breakout to not feel that way this year.
So as the title has already clued you in, lets make this Halloween a bit gastronomical. Food is Fun... And its also the other way round. So why not juxtapose your creative streaks, passion for food and the Halloween-loving mind with some fun dishes which are spooky, arresting and yeah the spoilery part- really easy to prepare. To be really honest, there couldn't be a deadlier combo than these spooky preparations and the Halloween night horror movie marathons! So whom are we kidding here! Surprise yourself and the friends you invite in this Halloween with stuffs that are peeking right from your refrigerator..

So here's the first dish from my kitchen.. The recipe is as follows:
Blood-specked Deviled Egg Eyeballs

Ingredients:

• Hard Boiled Eggs: As per servings
• Melted butter
• Grated cheese
• Salt
• fried onion rings ( a little on the burnt side)
• Tomato Ketchup
• Fresh cream

Process:

Boil the eggs and cut each of them into two equal halves. Now carve out the yolk from them.
mix salt, grated cheese, butter with the yolk. (You can add mashed potatoes too). Check if the mixture is smoothed. Now with a spoon fill up the eggs with the yolk. Make onion rings and put it on for garnish so as to resemble a spooky eyeball. Now add a drop of fresh cream to fill the eye hole.  Dip a clean toothpick in ketchup and doodle on the egg white to make them appear as fine lines of bloody tissues on the eye.. And you're done.. Easy huh! Told ya so. :)

[For the next recipe- log in here]

Graveyard themed Chocolate Pancakes

Ingredients:

• Molten dark chocolate
• cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• Flour
• caster sugar
• Coffee powder
• Oreo biscuits
• onion flowers for garnish
• Butter

Process:

Melt the chocolate on double boiler. Beat eggs with sugar. Ad flour to get the perfect pancake consistency for the batter. Now mix the chocolate, cocoa, coffee and 2-3 cubes of butter.
In a pre-heated pan, make the pancakes..
Now, stack up 4-5 pancakes on a plate. Sprinkle some grated chocolate to give it a mud like impression. Break one of the oreos in two equal halves. Write the word "R.I.P" with chocolate sauce to make it appear as a tombstone. Decorate them as shown in the picture.
Your graveyard themed chocolate pancakes are ready :)

Jack-o-lantern Parantha

Ingredients:

• Flour
• Salt
• Water
• Ghee
• Tomato ketchup

Process:

Duh.. Its' just how you make a basic parantha yo. There's no recipe as such. Just make sure to carve it to give a jack-o-lantern impression. Fry it. Now fill up the holes with ketchup.. :") It's gonna be a sure hit among kids and specimens like me who refuse to grow up!

Stuffed Chicken Bone-shaped Rolls

Ingredients:

• Flour
• boneless chicken pieces or keema
• one mashed potato 
• Chopped onion
• Chopped garlic
• Ginger-garlic paste
• Coriander powder
• Kashmiri red chili powder
• Pepper
• Salt
• Oil

Process: 

(Chicken stuffing)- Boil the chicken and finely chop it. On a pan, heat oil and add the onion, garlic and ginger-garlic paste one by one. Now add the chicken. Saute it. Add the mashed potato. Add salt, pepper, chili and coriander powder. Take it off the heat once the stuffing gets the perfect binding.

(For the rolls)- Make a regular dough and let it rest for a while. Now make small balls out of it like it is done while making puris. Roll it to the size of an average puri. Next add the chicken stuffing. Make sure the stuffing is limited within the center and avoid spreading it to the corners. Now fold it like a pipe. Softly press with hands. Cut an inch at the middle of both the ends of the rolls. Now fold each end to give it a bone like shape. Deep fry and serve it with a lip-smacking garlic-tomato dip.
Try it. It is super fun, innovative and unbelievably simple..

20th Anniversary of Pulp Fiction: A Retrospective

“I wanna dance, I wanna win. I want that trophy, so dance good……”

And saying that aforesaid line, she took the floor. Ah, what a vision this woman was. That dove-white crisp shirt was complimenting her posture without her being aware of that. Like a breeze in its full degree of freedom, she moved her legs to the beats of ‘You Never Can Tell’ by Chuck Berry. She was oozing glamour and panache that pierced right through the viewers’ hearts and babbling a thousand words that broke the ‘awkward silence’ all over. Yeah, I am talking of Marsellus Wallace’s wife, Mia and the famous “Dancing Scene”. Do you realize how much time has passed since you watched her tap her feet for the very first time? Well, that will be exact TWENTY YEARS! That long eh? Well, you know how the saying goes, “Art is timeless”. And a Pulp Fiction-y one definitely is.

20 years seem quite a mark. It’s been 20 years since the silver screens of USA witnessed a never-seen-before Tarantinolized phenomenon that vehemently transformed independent cinema for generations to come and the impact of which hasn't tend to wane an ounce after all these years.

 On October 14, 1994, a crime comedy masterpiece titled “Pulp Fiction” was released in American theaters and subsequently worldwide and the rest is history yet in making. The magnitude of Pulp Fiction can not be constrained within a narrow profit-loss Box-office report. With its release, the movie-goers’ world saw something that does not occasionally make itself known. The avant-garde storytelling and ground-breaking themes and narrative made this film a cult fiction that has instituted its own genre of exceptional filmmaking. After 20 years, I won’t shrink back to state that this epic film will always be one of my most cherished films of all time and I won’t mind a bazillion rewatches to affirm that .

Fanrt Source:

Pulp Fiction was director Quentin Tarantino’s ambitious project which he had developed over a year during his stay in Amsterdam. A modest apartment, a deep-rooted passion, and snippets of ideas- History tells us that this is everything that a writer needs to be unimaginably great or pathetically bust. What became of then 30 year old Tarantino is known to all. So that was how Pulp Fiction was being made, in the form of several pages of notebooks and scraps of handwritten jotted plots. However as things soon fell in place, all the seemingly discrete words and lines were intertwined to present what we today know as Pulp Fiction. When the film was released leading review portals of USA came into an almost unanimous verdict- This film grips you like a power shot of adrenaline and you cannot shrug off the hang that easily.

It seemed the whole American film industry was structurally reinvented by its arrival. Tarantino continued his obsession over distinctive story-telling, disjointed narrative, pop culture references, intense violence, drug cartels, mob gangs and vigorous swearing from his previous directorial “Reservoir Dogs” to “Pulp Fiction”. All the badass Bible quoting, gun blazes, booms, “a Royale with Cheese”, “English Motherfu****” opne-liners have chipped in our minds the countless memories that we easily associate with this classic directorial. This film was outrightly smashing all scales of hitherto accepted medians of filmmaking and we simply loved it that way. Ain’t so!

Pulp Fiction not only made loads of green and also won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival that very year. It kickstarted the career graph for lead actors John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman and Tarantino was nothing short of a visionary among the bandwagon of young directors.

 Fanrt Source: 

Honestly, a single post or a couple of follow-ups will never be sufficient to cover the true genius of this film. At its 20^th glorious Anniversary all I can do is be absolutely shut up in sheer admiration of it. Not every film gets to be a household name throughout the globe and gets quoted every once in a while. After all these years, its relevance has not rusted an inch. If this is too much of a nostalgia alert for you, then just have a rewatch already. I know I am having one.

To begin.. from scratches

 "It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself. Makes you wonder what else you can do that you've forgotten about..." ~~ American Beauty

"Firsts" are largely anomalous things.. The first cry, the first step, the first kiss, the first heartbreak, the first near-death experience- they all are invisible steps waiting to be taken (for the first time).. And the worst part is most of the time you don't remember more than half of these "first" shits.. No that's okay, that is just part of the process of being a human.. However, I don't wanna  live the rest of my life being 'okay' with all the firsts that I am going to forget henceforth.. This blog is me entering a truce with my own self.. An oath that I am not going to forget the day I penned my first blog :")

Introductions are overrated and confusing.. And to be really honest, this intro part holds me in ultimate perturbation.. I mean seriously, how am I supposed to describe myself in just a few words or lines.!!. I am more than every elucidation that I will settle for myself.. I am a lot of things at lot of moments..So just a  "Hey I am a girl stuck in my own little world and I am writing a blog cause most of the girls do that.. Its a real "IN" thing" is not even gonna cut it... No.. Damn, that sounds so superficial..

Why am I writing a blog? How about because its the same reason why I do most of the stuffs everyday. Its a blend of both love and obligation.. Why I do I get up from bed everyday? Why do I pick myself up after each epic fall? I write because I suck at other things.. Well, mostly..

I write because I feel our feels are too precious to be not made eternal.. No I don't really vouch for an afterlife .. But I do believe in this life.. The one that I am in right now.. Its the most beautiful and terrifying thing I have ever been into and I want to embrace in all its moods..  Best and worst..So it demands to be given a sense of permanence. The clock is ticking all the frigging time.. Make sure you bookmarked it :")

So why am I writing this blog? How about because I feel my head is too small a compartment to hold it all in.. I need to vent out.. Both my whispers and screams.. I am both a believer and a skeptic.. I am both a girl and a woman.. I am both twisted and sorted ( every rare though)..
I am not beautiful.. I am just me.. I am Shreya.. I believe that its okay to believe in sunshine, rainbows and happy endings as long as you don't bet your life on it..

Well, I guess that's pretty much it.. My first post.. And I am never gonna get my memory rusted on that. :")
In the coming days and in the coming posts, you will know more of me.. And let's just hope I get to know myself too :")