Charulata- Focusing on the husband

Charulata might be one of the classiest and widely emphatized characters in Bengali literature, but spare some thought her husband (I forget his screen name). A passionate newsman whose life is entirely dedicated to his newspaper, but he is equally aware of the neglect his wife faces from him. He knows that and in the movie, we do see glimpses of him trying to compensate in the best way he can (while he still ran his business) which includes asking his brother to nurture her talent for literature. But after he gets cheated and his business comes to a halt, he realizes that now its destiny that he has to provide more time to his wife. And he does that and takes her to a holiday along the beaches. It turns out to be a boon for him as Charu lends him an idea of setting up the business again. Our man is over the moon and his love knows no bound. All this while, he is entirely unsuspecting of Charu developing a natural affinity towards his brother, played exquisitely by Soumitra, which is 'conventionally' wrong, maybe, but a natural course of action for the hapless and bored housewife. And that is exactly why the husband is crestfallen to discover the truth at the end of the movie. But he has nowhere to go. The tough and principled man on the exterior has a heart which pines for love and has a great amount of care and dependence on Charu. Moreover, his business associates have left him. He must be harbouring a hidden mistrust towards his brother. And he loves Charu too much. And thus, inspite of the tremendous pain, the tears, the agony and the shock he accepts Charu's hand at the end frame of the movie- a step which showcases his vulnerability, his dependence on Charu, his love and his helplessness. It' a classic character sketch.

Note: My observations are based on the movie 'Charulata', not the novel ' Noshthoneer'

Aisha Avoidable

It would not strike at the very beginning but Sonam kapoor fit the bill for the title role of 'Aisha' perfectly. The rich and immatured 'brat' who thinks random matchmaking is something more than a timepass. We do find such people around us who are very honest and serious about a thought which is socially unconventional and may lead them to trouble. In that way Jane Austen's character sketch stood out and at the same time was very common. Not only that it preserved the character till posterity.

Even the current and artificial Delhi life houses such characters, I am sure.

Yes, it's a 'girly' movie, I agree. With all the hankering after branded clothes (most of the girls would be drooling over the attire range, I am sure), and the pedicures and fashionable Hauz Khas village, fancy rafting, a hot bod dude (an abnormally-meaty Dhruv), cool poster beds, pyjama parties, perfect daddies, money you dont get tired of spending and a cool and rich guy proposing to you for marriage by climbing to your balcony using a ladder. It has all the ingredients to pull in females in scores at theatres.

Err...did i say 'scores'? i did. Because, The cinema is largely boring, not only as an experience, but also in terms of plot and pace. there are moments in the first half, which makes you think why the hell did you spend 250 bucks and watch this film? You could have gone for a 'Peepli Live' instead.Sequences like trying to groom the desi girl to a chic urban delite is all style, no substance. The water rafting and the beach sequence is highly non-arresting and a put-down. The Hollywood feel of the movie is marred by poor dialogue, a shoddy screenplay and a loose script and of course...no plot at all. Ir meanders aimlessly till 2 and a half hours and leaves you dry and wanting for something better to make it a fruitful day. Except for Aisha, character development is not present in other actors. Most of them are flat and show no change. Even the artificial and superficial lifestyle of Delhi could have been brought out in a more effective way.

Having said that, credit should be given to certain aspects which make you sit at the theatre and not leave the movie half-seen. Performances. Sonam Kapoor is good. She is slowly proving her mark as a promised actor. And it would not be exaggerating to say that it's her finest performance till date. cyrus Sahukar, Ira Dubey and the actor who played the desi girl are first-rate. Abhay deol's role is half-baked, could have been explored a bit more. Scenes like the wedding faux-pas and the one where Aisha and her father steal a quick chat late at night are studs in the movie. Music. Amit Trivedi's compositions are good. 'Gal mitthi mitthi' and the title track stand out. Sadly, these are the only saving graces of the otherwise poor and a worthless fare.

You should watch the movie for the performances, high class delhi life and of course, the fashion brands which are displayed themselves in the movie, every two minutes or so.

If that's not tempting enough, catch a vintage sweet 'Socha na tha' anyday.

Rating: **

To coffee or not

The office canteen coffee was initially quite an attraction as I had only heard of automatic (and free) vending machines spewing chocolaty liquid which is to be had either as a refuel agent, or as a weak and harmful substitute for food, or a gossip booster, or just to kill time. But soon, I began to lose interest in the mechanical procedure which extended to the flavor, somewhat, too. The acidic taste in my tongue was ruining the taste buds of a Bengali and I soon walked away, without any bitterness in my mind, although a fair amount somewhere else.

But nowadays, I feel drawn towards the familiar quarters of the newsroom pantry again. I am not sure for what reason. Maybe, I began missing the bitterness I was used to. Maybe I was missing a butt of ridicule. Maybe I have become busier and thus enjoy lesser breaks and thus an alternative. Or simply, maybe because I am becoming an addict.

I shall think…over a cup of coffee, maybe.

Confessions of a sinner

I can be quite obnoxious. Well, thanks to my one-track, one-dimensional, obsessed mind, many of my friends and not-quites may have such an impression. I wont accuse them. There are many things that i like in life, but there is a fewer lot that i love. And i am quite possessive about them, to the extent of being an animal. There have been so many times when my near and dear ones have said that I need psychiatric help. Yes, I do. Maybe, I do to fit the bill of the conventional guy. I am quite conventional, you see but a rare deviati0on from it spells trouble and leads to such a conclusion. It brands me. Yeah, I am impractical, unreasonable, quite selfish, jealous, possessive as earlier mentioned, immatured, uncouth, short-tempered. But that's because i love. Weird? Well that's how it is. These are infrequent occurances but as i said they are of such a degree and such is my luck that they brand me. The other aspects of me are most of the times, overlooked. I complain and then when i find there are no listeners, I gulp it in. I fail to explain to the world that I am unreasonable, impractical and the other adjectives mentioned above, only and ONLY because I love. That's a honest reason. Look, I am not justifying it nor trying to gain a consolation. Just stating facts. yes, people would write it off as a lame one. But i just cant seem to explain people. I can teach kids but cant explain people properly. A phenomenon which has been happening to me from my childhood days. A thing which used to drain me completely, initially but nowadays i am quite used to it when i see that i am not able to explain people what i intend to. Or falling short of my intentions. Partho Mukherjee once said that between your passion and performance falls a shadow, between your dreams and destiny falls a shadow. i am used to this spectre now but it still haunts me. But in conclusion, socially and conventionally speaking, I am a sinner who fails to understand and quite a bit of an immatured prick, maybe. But that is because i love. If you feel you are not able to understand this discourse, I have my reasons for it as stated a few lines above. And if you do, well, God bless poor you.