CHANGE IS GOOD

I have been thinking for a long time about my blogging journey. It started out as a blog where I was confused with what I had to write until the time I finally got some proper direction. I named it out of my love for movies but now I have realized that under the movie title of my blog I have written various other things too which include posts on books, short stories, some other gyaan, etc. At the end it was all about a good story.

Whatever things that I have written or gonna write would always focus on a story - posts on movies, short fictions, fictional biographies or rendezvous. So it would always be about entertainment.

So my friends I am going to change the TITLE of my blog but my BLOG ADDRESS would remain the same. I see the coming Eid as a good day for this change, so my I'll flash out my new title from 20th August, 2012.

Pyaasa : A Timeless Classic

Pyaasa is a 1957 film, directed by Guru Dutt who also produced and starred in it. It was written by Abrar Alvi. It is a movie which can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates good cinema. The film was rated as one of the 100 best films of all time by the Times magazine. Hats off to Guru Dutt on this film. One can see the genius in him who made proper use of camera angles and sets to give out the themes and mood settings very well.

The story is about a fallen poet, Vijay or rather a 'never risen poet' who struggles to achieve a life for himself during the early post Independence period. The poet represents the country on the whole through his conditions.  He is shunned by his brothers who think of him as a jobless, wasted guy who will never achieve anything in life.
           
            One day, Vijay comes to know that his brothers have sold his poems as scrap, this enrages him, he tries to find his poems but it’s all in vain.  Finally one night, he hears a woman singing his tunes, following her he reaches the red light area and asks her about the poems. The woman, Gulabo, a prostitute at first thinks of him as a jerk and throws him out. Later she comes to know he is the same poet whose poems she has, she tries to find him but he is gone.

The story continues forward when a series of events puts him together with his past love but she has married someone else by now. Her husband tries to exploit Vijay by employing him as a servant. Thus it is somehow evident that fate has it all set against Vijay and he will never succeed.

It is through all these events that luck finally smiles on Vijay but in its own twisted way. The story takes an unusual turn. The poet once neglected suddenly becomes wanted. The poems which failed to make any mark earlier are now anthems. It is the death of the artist that creates a life for him.

Miraculously Vijay is alive, away from the world he is in a mental institution. The people who grieved for his death and have made profit out of it don’t want him back. They even refuse to recognize him. Luckily with the help of a friend, he manages his way out and tries to prove his existence. People who earlier refused to recognize him now join him back again out of their greed, these people include his own brothers and friends.

After achieving all that he wanted throughout his life, Vijay still lacks something, now this life seems hollow. When the world which shunned him before is ready to fall at his feet he decides to go away. It’s very ironic; that he strived hard for praise and recognition and now when he has it he doesn’t want it.

            The movie has been written very well, the characters were developed in a proper way. The main highlights were the poems which were included in the appropriate scenes. The lyrics of the songs went well with the situations.

            The dialogues are good; one could easily find the dominance of Urdu words in the films of those times, which added beauty to the dialogues.

 
Overall a good movie. A must watch for all the film buffs and cinema lovers. It’s a ride through the early Post-Independence society of India which tells a lot about the country.

The Boondock Saints

I hope no one has forgotten me by now. Its been a long time since I have posted something. I am so sorry for not being able to read your wonderful blogs and for not being able to provide you with something worth reading.

Here in this post I would be talking about The Boondock Saints. This movie is one of my favorite crime/action thrillers. It follows the story of two Irish brothers, Connor McManus(Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy McManus (Norman Reedus).

The story starts with the two brothers attending Mass at the church and then going off to live their normal life. While they are celebrating at their usual pub, they run into trouble with some people from the Russian Mafia. The brothers try to settle out peacefully but things don't go smooth and the brothers end up thrashing and humiliating those people. The next morning when the Mafia people are back for their revenge, the brothers accidentally kill them in self defense.

FBI Special Agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) is assigned to the case. One can clearly see in the film that this man is gifted in detection of crimes. Just by looking at the crime scene he can visualize the crime which must have happened there. By this time, the locals consider the brothers as heroes for killing those bad guys. Just when Smecker is working out on a plan to catch them, the brothers turn themselves in and accept their crime. But Smecker develops a good rapport with the boys and frees them but for their safety and to avoid media he asks them to spend the night in the holding cell.

At that night in the holding cell, the brothers experience an epiphany where they get a calling from God to destroy all wicked persons and prosper the innocents. Thus they manage enough ammunition and other useful things and start out their war against the wicked people. With their unique trademark of putting coins on the eyes of their victims after killing them, as if to pay the toll to cross the River Styx.

In their journey they are joined by a friend who on learning that his boss, a member of a crime family has sold him, vows revenge. And Smecker on the other hand who believes at first that the murders are a result of some mob war, begins to search for the true killers. Also in there is one Il Duce ("The Duke"), a dangerous man, the Mafia brings out to find and kill the brothers.

A good film with a good story and proper execution. The story takes us in completely. Inspite of meeting with poor critical reviews upon release, the film has grossed about $50 million in domestic video and has developed a large cult following over the years.  A sequel named The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day which takes the story forward as well as goes deeper in the mysterious life of their father, whom they meet towards the end of the original movie was released in 2009.