Of Thinking, Barfi, McGregor and Moms

Long time no see. Had exams this week. It was fun giving an open-book exam. Everything was allowed, from notes to the book to cheat sheets, except the Internet. It was very challenging. The professor made one comment during the exam. He said to learn to think rather than use the Internet for everything. You get paid for thinking; otherwise, they pay minimum wages to people in India who make beautiful PPTs for picking stuff from the Internet. Ouch! I was the one who used to do that at minimum wage ;-) But I love reading everything and anything on the Internet. That may be why I am not such a great thinker. My viewpoint is formed by what I read on the Internet. But I loved what Barkha Dutt writes in her column today. I know she is scam-tainted and all, but her writing style is beautiful. The way she uses words to bring that emotion (which seems forced on TV, though) is what I wish I could have. She writes:

Surely, irrespective of our ideological proclivities, our minds would be more drawn to a conversation that tells us something we don’t know? Or at the very least exposes us to a contrarian view that fiddles around with our doctrinaire comfort zones? After all, wasn't the job of the journalist to dig up the nuances left buried by an avalanche of polarized politics? If you’re shaped by the Socratic ideal of the unexamined life not being worth living, the absence of self-doubt and the assertion of smug certitude can make for extremely dull television viewing — even when it’s your own ideological compatriot doing the hectoring. As a student of mass communication, one of the first films I watched was Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Rashomon in which the same crime is recounted in completely divergent ways, casting a doubt on the singularity of Truth. Wasn't journalism meant to explore these many shades of truth?

And after the exams were over, I finally watched Barfi. No prizes for guessing, I loved it. The stars of the film are Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. Two of my favorite stars are always trying to do something new, which constantly challenges them. They are rockstars. What acting they have done.. I am so happy that they received appreciation for their role after the boring Anjaana Anjaani (the film was nice, but challenging to watch again), which they had done together. I haven't seen any of the English movies that Barfi is copied from - The Notebook and all. Maybe he made it for people like me who haven't seen these movies. Anurag Basu, who himself suffered from cancer at one point in time, has made such a remarkable film without the pity and sentimentality that is typically associated with such movies. As Rajeev Masand puts it, Bhansali should watch Barfi to realize that people with special abilities can lead happy lives. It is difficult to believe that Basu is the same man who made Murder. I loved Murder and Life in a Metro, but was indifferent to Kites. Even Ileana was terrific in the movie. One of my favorite scenes in the movie was the test that Barfi used to do on his friends. When he tested Shruti, she didn't leave him, but instead slightly stepped back. In contrast, when he tested Jhilmil, she didn't even move an inch. That actually was the story of the film. Shruti was in love with him, but perhaps she didn't dare to make some difficult decisions, and when she did, it was too late, while Jhilmil stood the test of time. What I also liked was the hard-to-believe honesty of the characters. At one point, Shruti says she wasn't that sad that Jhilmil was lost, but was happy as she got Barfi. We all experience some pleasure when we get something at the cost of others, but we do not say such things, no? In fact, in the end, when Jhilmil was calling Barfi, Shruti would pretend not to hear, and both she and Barfi would walk away from the school. Or the terrific scene where Barfi realizes that has no competition in front of the Ranjeet..and my absolute favorite (which could never be possible in real life) was when Shruti's mom takes her to the jungle and shows her the man she used to love once. Was Shruti's mom wrong? She made some pragmatic choices that she thought would give her happiness. She did not get love in life, but at least she got what she wanted - a secure life, perhaps. What I also liked was that they didn't judge Shruti's mom at all. They did not try to portray her as a selfish woman who left a guy just because he didn't have money. In fact, she was one of my favorite characters in the movie. The conversations between Shruti and her mom were profound.

श्रुति: माँ, खामिशी भी तो प्यार की एक जुबान होती है.

माँ: वो ख़ामोशी ही धीरे धीरे एक दिन तुम्हारे प्यार को खामोश कर देगी, किसने कहा की प्यार सिर्फ एक बार होता है.

The film discusses the importance of making choices and taking risks, as not taking a risk is another risk in itself. These were my favorite dialogues, all by Shruti:

हम शब्दों को सुनते थे लेकिन उन्हें महसूस नहीं करते थे..हम हर तरह से पूरे थे लेकिन हमारा प्यार अधूरा था..बर्फी अधूरा था लेकिन उसका प्यार हर तरह से पूरा था.

झिलमिल ने सोच समझ कर प्यार नहीं किया और न उसने प्यार हो जाने के बाद कुछ सोचा समझा..उसने सुख और आराम की ज़िन्दगी बिताने के लिए प्यार नहीं किया..उसने बस प्यार किया और ज़िन्दगी अपने आप सुख और आराम से बीतती गयी.

बर्फी ने सिखाया था खुशियाँ छोटी छोटी चीज़ों में होती है..हथेली पर पानी में भी जहाज़ तैरते हैं..कागज़ की चिड़िया के भी पंख होते है.

And as always, my cosmic connection theory comes into play. Yesterday, I watched Barfi and then started Season 9 of Grey's Anatomy. The same thing happened in it as well. Mark and Lexie died together. My favorite people on Grey's. The same thing happens in Barfi as well. And one more Barfi connection. Today I went to this small town called McGregor. I loved it. I was the only one from my class who went. The rest of the people were busy partying. It was sponsored by the University, and I know I am not going to visit any place on my own. I don't want to miss these chances. Phir pata nahi kab milega..if I am thrown out of here after two years :{ It is a small town situated in a mountainous area and near a river. There was an art festival on the streets. At one kiosk, a man was making bubbles exactly like those in Barfi, the types that Jhilmil sees just before that song Aashiyaan. I was amazed by the coincidence. It always happens... these small cosmic connections. I was trying to click some pictures and the man comes and says to me.."You know I have had a bubble show so many times. Of the 35 people who come, 30 are photographers. What is with bubbles and photographers?" Then I told him about Jhilmil and the way she used to see everything upside down. However, these days, if you carry an SLR, people assume you are a skilled photographer. I have had a D-SLR for one year and still know nothing. I struggle so much with manual mode..use it only for macro pictures ..just cannot cannot cannot keep the camera steady at low shutter speeds :{ And you know, there was another young girl who seemed fascinated by the bubble, just like Jhilmil. I tried clicking here as well. It was my 'Barfi' moment, and I have named her the 'Barfi girl.'

This week, Varsha Bhonsle, Asha Bhonsle's daughter, died. Rachel Dwyer posted a moving article that Varsha had written for her mother, Asha. It is such a fantastic article. What is it with people that they write the best about their moms or dads? Many of the best articles I have read are written movingly about their mothers. I wish I could write one such for my mom someday. 

You have to read it here http://www.rediff.com/entertai/may/16varsha.htm

If I were to sum up my mother in one word, it would have to be zidd:'wilfulness' or 'obstinacy' doesn't connote the shades of determination and the readiness to toil that I associate with it and her. The more formidable the task, the harder she applies herself to it.

Haven't people on Twitter lost all their sense of shame? They make jokes about anything and everything, even a person's death.

I also wrote an article for my school blog. Since everything I write is posted here, the link for that one is 

http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/tippiemba/the-ties-that-bind/

Have to write about so many other things. The following two months are going to be more difficult. Something happened yesterday, but I'm not keeping my hopes high. End me, I only get disappointed. More later.

Dialogue of the Day:

"बर्फी ने आज़ाद बादल की तरह जीना सिखाया..उलटे पैर में सीधे पैर की जुराब पेहेनना सिखाया..पर सबसे बड़ी बात यह सिखाई की Life में सबसा बड़ा risk होता हो कभी कोई risk नहीं लेना."

—Shruti, Barfi