Kongfu Panda Post

Me and my group will be passing out this May. So yesterday our friends from Gandinagar were here to bid us farewell. I told them it wasn't necessary but they wouldn't listen. They took lot of trouble coming here in the unforgiving heat and dust of Ahmadabad.

I would like to thank them all for coming here and for making us happy. I had one of the most sumptuous lunch in a long long time. Chicken curry was the best. More than the lunch, I thank them for their sense of brotherhood towards us. Perhaps this is something that is holding Bhutanese together anywhere in the world. 

And today morning I got up and repaired our old and worn out rice cooker. While fixing it up, I told our  rice cooker to hang on for another month. -- just one more month and we will be gone--.

The other thing I had in my mind was to write something about Kongfu Panda. Its one of my all-time best movies. I  think I am the biggest fan of Panda so far. But few days ago, one ardent reader on my blog claims she is a lot bigger fan of Kongfu Panda than me. She even named herself as Panda in Facebook to show how much bigger fan she is than me. But I insisted I am the bigger fan than her. Now to settle the claim, she wanted me to write something about Panda movie.

I suppose there ain't many people who do not know about this famous movie. Even my three years old daughter knows about it. She have her own favorite character!. She likes the way Po says "I love Kongfu" on the chair rigged with firecrackers. She even knows to replicate Panda's mouth in that scene. My other daughter likes a scene when Po's adopted duck-father says " Po, get up".

As for me. I like all the scenes in the movie.  Let me be very brief. In part one of the movie, the scene I like most is where Master Oogway tells Panda these lines: "yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present".

This movie, in fact taught me the greatest lesson of my life. It taught me to believe in myself. Through this movie, I became more determined to discover my inner strength. I became more aware of how senseless it is for us to worry about things which are history and mystery.  At one point of time, 'live your present to the fullest' was the message I took from it. It made me believe that its only me who have the potential  and will bring inner peace to my own self. 

I simply feel its too big a movie for my small vocabulary to describe it. So let me stop here for now.

My Family as Movie Stars

Courtesy: Googles.

Muti Thrishing is a Bhutanese movie.  As you can see on the cover, it has its English equivalent title, "Perfect Girl". Its relatively an old movie. I don't remember when it got released, but I liked the movie for many reasons. In the movie, the lead female actress, Sonam Choki, I think out did, lead male actor, Tshering Gyeltshen by miles. Her acting was superb. Somehow the role suited her looks and the accent.

 I will not write more about the movie here. But if you want to find out more then read this link

Coming back to the reasons for liking the movies, Firstly it was shot in my native place. Shingkhar. Honestly there are not many sights that pleases me more than the sight of my own beautiful birth place. The sereneness and the radiance of my village are always breathtakingly beautiful. I have already seen good number of movies being made in my village. No doubt, many more Bhutanese film makers now fancy making movies in my village. Perhaps this explains how beautiful my village is.

Secondly, it conveys a very important social message. Although little exaggerated, it shows how unfavorable situation and circumstances forces an ordinary village girl into prostitution. More than that it shows how men have created this social disease called prostitution. The Movie shows how weak men are at controlling their desire for coital pleasures!

Under the shadow of some affluent and upper strata people, the movie also shows the difficulties faced by those innocent and weaker section of society. The way they are abused by people with money and power are startlingly shocking and way too disgusting. Many people, while watching the movie must have cursed "Bumthap Gaari SIngye" for his infamous role in the movie as a rich man of the village.

Third and the most important reason for liking the movie is that my family, back home played a very big role in  the making of this super hit movie. I don't know how TG media wooed all my family members into acting. But I was thoroughly touched to see all my beloved people in tears.

To me, I found  their acting way above Hollywood standard. At first I went wordless. Later it brought some sense. I came to know that they were not acting! As far as the a facts go, I heard that film crew got my family when they were observing one of the rituals honoring my dead uncle. I don't know which one but some people say it was on my late uncle's 21st day ritual. My uncle died a sad death away from his loved ones. When I Think of him. it still aches my heart. I feel bitter. 

But knowing that people have used those sad moments of my family for their economic gains is still more painful and aching. As a family member, the only solace I get by watching these scenes is that, people have at least used my late uncle's special moments to convey a very important social message. All I can say is that, my family played their social roles so well and so I hope they have also availed economic benefit consumerate to their contributions. 

My family with heroine

My father playing a role of a grieving relative

My Aunt (Nene), playing a role of Heroine's grandmother

My family

My sister, playing the same role as my father

My sister playing as Heroine's sick sister

Few more actors from Shingkhar getting briefed by
Bhutanese Movie Director.

Movie That Made 100 Crores in Just One Week!

After having watched Talaash, I got the feeling that I watched many movies simultaneously that day. To an ordinary people, It would just appear that a hero in the movie is a Police officer (Surjan as played by Amir Khan) who, after losing his son becomes insomniac and lifeless. He is deeply affected. Overshadowed by the untimely demise of his son, he loses sense and become unmindful about the presence of his equally grieving wife(Roshni as played by Rani Mukherjee). His home completely lacks the light and luminosity of love and intimacy. House for them is just house, not home!

Then somewhere a car plunges into the ocean for apparently no reason. In the mishap, a movie star was pronounced dead . Some calls it a a mysterious death while some knew such cases weren't anything new. Since the deceased belong to the upper strata and affluent class of people, his death pulls the frantic media houses for endless coverage. It brings Police department to pursue the case. The hero gets engrossed, physically and mentally in the case which makes her wife and house more desolate and dismal.  

Roshni finds her ultimate solace in her neighbors ability to talk to the dead. She even claimed to have spoken once with the spirit of her dead son, Kamran. Roshni visits her neighbor regularly to speak with Kamran, but this infuriates Surjan. He seriously doubts about their  neighbor's ability.

As the story starts unfolding, it becomes apparent that the whole story had its origin in the death of a prostitute (Simran as played by Kareena Kapoor) But the problem is, Surjan doesn't know about it yet. Meanwhile, in the process of the investigation, Surjan  meets the dead Simran as Rosy.  Although its a spirit of Simran, in his eyes, she looks real. She even helps him fight his psychological problems, and also helps him with his enquiry! She takes Surjan to a place called 'her place, away from the reach of others' The rest of the plot unfolds the mystery behind the death and soon Surjan realizes that Simran died an unnoticed and unheard death. yea, that is how a poor and insignificant people die in many places.

Later Surjan discovers the remains of Simran from 'her place, away from the reach of others'. He gave her a proper funeral. He overcomes his personal problems and unites with his wife after reading his dead son's words as recorded by their neighbor. 

You see, that's how Amir and team made Rs. 100 crores in just one week and I have contributed Rs.190 in making those crores.

Vicky, (The Sperm) Donor

Image Courtesy: Google

"Vicky Donor" is a movie whose main theme revolves around human infertility and sperm donation. Its a movie about how cash rich people are miserably poor without the bliss of their own offspring. The movie also reveals about how most couples in India are plagued with "first-decide-the-career-and-then-have-baby' problem. As rightly put by Dr. Chadda, (the fertility expert and the principle character in the movie) the infertility problem is a cancer of a modern lives. According to him, it is only through the generous donation of healthy sperm from a happy and worry-free people like Vicky that can save those people from the misery.

Its also a movie about how money can change peoples mind.  At first, Vicky or the agent Vicky as called by Dr. Chadda, finds the concept of "sperm donation" not only disgusting but also finds it amusing and stupid. He, therefore scraped Dr. Chadda's incessant plea to become his useful donor on countless occasions.  But however, in the end Dr. Chadda's persistence pays off. Vicky finally agrees to donate sperm for the first time, and that too for a pocket money! Subsequently, Vicky ends up becoming the Indian Alexander of Dr. Chadda fertility clinic. 

The movie also says a lot about love and romance. Its about a how many Indians stands separated by the walls of different culture and traditions. Its about how people like Vicky and Ashima stands separated by cultures of their regions. But to their relief, there is always one thing, one common thing that can overcome any barriers, however mighty they may be. It is the magic of love and intimacy that brings the fish eating Bengali and money minded Punjabi to tie their knots and do the monkey dance together!

All in all, its a movie that has so many other meanings too. It has been declared as the box office super hit. Producers have made millions already! But I don't know why am I blogging about this old movie here? I am neither infertile nor a sperm donor myself. I am a neither a fish eating Bengali nor a money minded Punjabi too. I don't know why but I found the movie worth watching many times.

By the way friends, I was just day dreaming this afternoon. And strangely this thought came across my mind. The way I became father of three in such a lightening phase, I thought to myself that, I would have also made another Vicky. I don't know which one, the useless sperm, The greedy sperm, or confused sperm. LOL....

Good night folks

The Dictator

"Dictator" is one strong word that is enough to bring anxieties and fears the minds of many people. Of course they are known for being brute and cruel. They are goons of the millennium! Killing for them is like a play. Dictators are known to for their fondness in torturing, murdering, imprisoning and abusing other fellow beings for the senseless pleasures. Destructive weapons like guns, tanks and missiles for them are like cool toys. Their total disregard for freedom and justice has often brought them in conflict with the democracies. 

But here is one Dictator, who will make us laugh all through. Its a movie, about an imaginary Supreme leader of Wadiya, the General Aladeen. He is portrayed as one dictator who possesses the attributes of all the Dictators around the world. known for his iconic bear, he is fiercely guarded by thirty female guards whom he believes to be are virgins. 

Genegal Aladeen has successfully managed to keep his country away from the influences of democracy. He had his own reasons to shun the West. He expresses his deep disgust for Democracy. But it was not until he traveled to America (to deliver his 14 hour address to United Nations and sign the the new constitution of his country) that he gets betrayed by his most loyal and trusted friend, -Tamir. Tamir not only manages to temporarily dispose off Aladeen as the supreme leader but he also successfully get the Supreme leader's iconic bear removed permanently! Supreme leader escapes his torture to death but he finds himself soon reduced to an "average American shopper". Perhaps, the supreme leader should have thought about Tamir than about his mid level sudoko! 

Back in the street, Aladeen meets a young Jewish girl who looks more like a boy. She offers to help him by offering a job in her store but he rejects. But later, some deep sense of intimacy develops between them.  They do not indulge into sexual relationship, but she however teaches him about "self juicing" stuffs. Although disgusted with her hairy arm pits, Aladeen cannot stop talking and thinking about her.

 Later, he also finds his former nuclear scientist, whom he condemned to death few years ago for disagreeing to build a missile with pointed tip. His name is Nadal. Its a long story, but all Nadal and Aladeen wanted is to keep Wadiya as the Dictatorship country. Somehow they succeeds in overcoming Tamirs plan of making Wadyia, a democracy and thus opening Wadyia to foreign investment. He refuses to sign the new constitution. He rather gives a long speech about why Wadyia should always remain Dictatorship.

From his speech, all we come to know is that Dictatorship in it self is created and supported by democracies. Democracies are indeed the ones who are more power hungry and resource hungry. For Aladeen, democracy symbolizes greed, hatred, inefficiency, confusion and corruption. For a mere want of precious resources from Wadyia, (after it becomes democracy), It shows how even China fancies it self considering nothing less then democracy. 

The Movie ends beautifully. An Arab leader marries a Jewish girl in the end, something which is only possible in movies perhaps. Well, I may have missed many important parts of the Movie. Its all for you to find it out for your self.