Of Vicky Donor, Learning To Live With It and Apne Aap Ko Samjha Lena...

So long time no see..No posts..no Facebook..no Twitter for two weeks..didn't feel like..mood off and depression these days..aise hi...will write later about it...

Anyways, saw Vicky Donor. Found it okay. I loved the first half but was so bored during the second half, was constantly checking the time during the second half..a preposterous ending..the movie has a wafer thin plot..nothing great but what works are the one liners, some fine performances and the absolutely hilarious Punjabi-Bengali cross cultural clash. The most terrific performance that I loved was Dolly Aunty. What a stunning performance it is..effortless..natural..heartwarming! Perhaps the best scene of the movie was the one where Vicky comes home late in the night and Dolly is speaking in her sleep about her dead husband. What a scene that is. The character of Dadi was brilliant but somehow the performance came across as too artificial, contrived and forced. The way Shoojit Sircar has named some of the characters on drinks - such as the pet dog is named Whiskey (which the mother and dadi duo love to drink like anything!!) and the neighborhood aunty is named Pepsi (symbolic of the fizz and gas in her character??) is very interesting. Dr. Chadha's car has a model of a hanging sperm and even the paper weights in his office are sperm models! At one point in the movie, there is a book shown in his cabin - Berek and Novak's. I thought it would give a good insight about his character..but after googling, I found out that it is actually a book on gynaecology..so no surprises there. Also, it was so annoying when the Censor Board completely destroyed that scene by silencing the word bhen**** when Dr.Chadha explains to Vicky about his Aryan lineage "tu aryaputra hai bhen****" Continuing the research on the topic of Aryans, Dr. Chadha had shown Vicky the map below.

He says the Alexander and his soldiers fathered many kids while marching on their conquests from Macedonia to Pakistan. If one goes back in history (I know I research every little thing), Aryans attacked India around 1500 BC!! And Alexander reached India only around 325 BC. So Aryans had been coming to India even before Alexander.

After the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization a new wave of people entered India. The Aryans came from central Asia and entered India through Afghanistan after 1500 BC. Their entry into the Indian sub-continent was probably through a series of invasions from the North over a period of time. The Aryans were a semi-nomadic race of pastoralists. By 1,000 BC they had learned to use iron. However in time the Aryans settled down and became farmers.

Slowly a more ordered and settled society evolved. Tribes went on to become kingdoms. The Aryans became the priests, rulers and warriors, free peasants and merchants. The subdued people became the slaves, laborers and artisans. In time this stratified society crystallized into the present day caste system.

And there is a place shown in the map - Persepolis in Persia. It immediately reminded me of that gem of a movie by the same name - Persepolis by Majrane Satrapi. It is a fantastic animated film based on the auto graphical "graphic novel" by Satrapi on the same name about life in modern day Iran. Iranians make such wonderful cinema! I haven't seen many of their films but in terms on emotional content, they are just brilliant. I have heard such terrific things about Majid Majidi's Children of Heaven! 

Anyway too much of a digression..back to Vicky Donor..A few years back, Poonam Saxena had written an article on the curse of the second half.. She had said that most of the films had a fabulous first half but their second half was too much of a disappointment. There should be films that you go and watch their first half and come back! I won't call Vicky Donor a bad film..it is a far far superior film than any recent trash we have been witnessing.. It is a nice movie with some great performances. Watch it!

P.S. - On the desk where Ashima sits, it is written Term Deposit, then how can she open a bank account if she dies work on Term Deposit :P I know stupid thinking it is all possible but likhna tha to likh diya ;)

The concept of sperm donation is not new either. Maybe because we have watched so much of English sitcoms (the first episode of Big bang Theory, Friends and so many more) that it is so normal. But Vicky Donor is not the first film on sperm donation. Last year's movie by Onir, I Am, also had a story on Sperm Donation. And films on surrogacy have come before - the beautiful Filhaal and the melodramatic Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. But as far as I remember, it was Ekta Kapoor who had brought this concept long long before. In that show, Ghar Ek Mandir, one of her first and much better TV soaps (came on Sony), it was Archana who had gone in for artificial insemination as she did not like her husband's looks and personality. But as long as people are enjoying the movie, who cares :)

I think the female version of Pani Da Rang is so so much better than male one..once you hear it, the tune starts playing in you head, even if you don't know the lyrics...very nice!

Anyways, I had written in the last post about S, that I had sent her a mail. Yesterday, she replied me back 

Please don't feel so bad about my mom's news. I am learning to live with it - I have become more stronger in life. Just that, at times, I feel pathetic and feels that everything is a waste. Nevertheless, my dad is my source of strength and would not let him down. It was so nice catching up with you that day.  Thanks for those kind words, Pankaj. You're always supporting and such a genuine person - AND that is why you are one of my very good friends :-)

I felt so nice after reading this. Learning to live with it....because there is no other option no..we have to.. 

I met H yesterday and spoke for like hours. And as we were discussing, there are so so few people who are actually happy from inside..everyone just has a smile on their face but we don't know what is actually going on in people's lives...Learning to live with it..

And you know, yesterday, I also had beer..two Kingfishers ;-) 

I also bumped into A, my once best friend from school..things got somewhat weird due to some reasons..I have not spoken to him for the last 7 years! And I actually had nothing to say to him..just behaved so formally :\

Anyways, I also met you recently after ages :) I felt so happy. I loved it when you said that you should call me more often :) :) And when I asked, that will I find someone for myself and you said "you will find someone" I felt happy and sad at the same time :\ You are so awesome and I love it when you said you miss speaking to me a lot, isliye you should call me more often and don't think too much before calling. I know I am so stupid no?..main itna khush ho jata hun..as they say, chahat ke do pal bhi mil paye duniya me yeh bhi kam hai kya..but it's not the end of world no...main apne aap ko samjha leta hun...jaise har cheez ke liye apne aap ko samjhata hun.. I never fight for things..bas apne aap ko tasalli de deta hun...at home, at office ;-) Theek hai :) :) 

This week Rajeev Masand interviewed Zoya on the fantastic opening credit sequences in Luck By Chance..And I am back in my I -love-Luck-By-Chance phase again. I still haven't written that post on it..will write it soon..I love the part when she talks about the Angel going to the toilet! Awesome it is...I wish I could make a film like this one day :)

Anyways, more later..

Dialogue of the Day:

"अनोखी: प्यार तो बहुत मुश्किल काम है"

"दिया: काम समझ कर करोगी तो हाँ, और प्यार समझ कर करोगी तो नहीं"

  - Aaja Nachle