The Women

Watched a movie recently called The Women. Awesome stuff!! Please click the link for the propah review/synopsis. I loved it because of how easily I could relate to the movie!! The movie is so - -  'women'!!! There is one conversation in the movie which I felt has caught the essence of the roller coaster, love hate emotions all of us experience and it aptly showcases what friendships are to women! (you can stop reading now 'cos this maybe a really boring read if you have not understood what I have just written!!!)

The situation is such that one of the women - Mary (Meg Ryan) is confronting Sylvie (Annette Bening) for 'counselling' her daughter(Molly - pre-teen, super confused, suffering parent's possible divorce etc). This is on the background of the fact that Sylvie has 'betrayed' Mary. It goes something like this:

M: (Very angry) Hey, I wanna know what you've been talking to my daughter about

S: I promised her I wouldn't discuss it

M: She is having emotional problems and now you decide to be discreet?

S: I just thought she needed a safe place to be... 

M: (cuts her mid-sentence) I am the safe place, okay? That is my job. Not yours. I am the mother. Not you.

S: She said she loves me.

M: Ya? You never have to say No. You show me the stretch marks baby, and you can do all the mothering you want! And what is this? (pointing at the casual attire of Sylvie who is very particular about formal dressing..) A casual Friday? Its Wednesday.

S: Ya. I know. (sounding clearly upset)

M: What's wrong?

S: Nothing.

M: Something.

S: Look, let's just drop it okay? I didn't mean to cause problem. I was just tying to help. 

M: Don't you  ever get tired of saying that?

S: (Angrily) How dare you reprimand me for stepping in where you should have been all along?? You've not been there for your daughter, Mary. You've not been there for anybody. How could you be when you are not willing to face the hard stuff?

M: Don't you criticise me? Let me ask you something. Now that Molly (Mary's daughter) trusts you are you going to betray her like you did me??

S: Do you have any idea how hard it is to be your friend? I have done everything to make it up to you. What more do you want??

M: I want to know how can you sell out your best friend? I hope that job is worth it Sylvie 'cos that's all you've got.

S: I QUIT MY JOB.

M: What? (incredulous)

S: What else could I do? I was making terrible compromises.

M: I can't believe you quit.

S: I mean how could I be so outta whack that I sold out my best friend.

M: Well, you were in an impossible situation. Of course you wanted to keep your job. That's what you do and you are great at it. 

S: Its nothing compared to being responsible for a child. I mean I don't know how you do it!

M: C'mon! I am a terrible mother. I can't even talk to my daughter about sex. 

(Both are still shouting on the road)

S: Well, its easy for me. I wasn't there changing her diapers

M: (Earnestly) I know. thank you for helping me out. You are doing a real big favour. Thank you very much, god damn it, thank you!

S: Anything I can do. you have a huge job. Huge. So glad I never had children..... 

(after calming down a little)

God I am  exhausted

(They flop of some steps)

M: Oh! what a mess

S: I like you hair though!

(And they get into a giggle frenzy!!!!!!)

M: I got my divorce papers today. I have to do this but I can't seem to find a pen to sign (on the brink of tears)

S: Mary its okay

M: (now crying) you know what this feels like? It feels like the phantom limb syndrome where you remove a part o your body but you still have sensation that it is there.... 

S: I am sure Steven (cheating husband of Mary) feels the same

M: I am not talking about me and Steven! I am talking about you and me... (sob sob)

S: awwwwwwww (sob sob)

Hug hug!!! 

:) 

Is it really true?

Movine: No Reservations
Casting: Catherine Zeta-Jones as a perfectionist chef Kate and Aaron Eckhart as Nick - an opera loving fun sous-chef. Add to it Zoe (Abigail Breslin), young niece of Kate who's just lost her mother..
Its a lovely movie, hilarious and touching... Along the way I came across a quote that got me thinking... Its Kate talking to Nick when Nick is offered a job by Kate's boss without consulting her and she is feeling seriously threatened:

Kate motions at the kitchen that she has worked so hard (and where she loves to be) and says to Nick,
"This place is my Life! This is who I am.."
And Nick says,
"No. It is just a small part of who you are.."

I disagree, Nick.

Jab They Met,

we had fun!! Me and S went for 'jab we met' yesterday!! Its not every week that both of us find time and will to watch a movie on a weekday evening! S returned early from Mumbai and moi sneaked outta office.We were at a movie hall by the time I normally realise that the work day might end now in a few hrs!! Evening show with S!! I cant remember when we did that last!!!

The movie is also kinda good, you know!! It steers away from the usual drama of hindi movie and it is kept refreshingly light. I actually liked Shahid Kapoor. And Kereena was bearable! Do watch it but dont forget to leave your common sense at home!!

Vivah

Some movies leave me with conflicted thoughts and Vivah by Suraj Barjatya has been one.

What appealed and at the same time appalled me was what Mr. Barjatya was trying to say… so either my thoughts are convoluted or these times that we live in are… I was trying to brand this movie bourgeois and write it off as yet another one on my ‘why the hell did I watch it???’ list, but some very nice, respectable thoughts and messages kept coming back to me – The thoughts and messages that were no doubt highly relatable to the 90% of Indian population but a lot of it also relatable and learnable by the balance 10%... who think they are ‘modern’ but are hypocrites at the core…!

In the movie a number of explicit references are made about the inappropriateness in the reluctance of people in small towns to have a female child. This message might actually reach and be internalized by the audience who needs to….
But this whole thing about parents ‘finding’ the ‘right’ match gives me creeps. The families claiming ownerships of individuals bruises my sense of identity. The overtly ‘traditional’ ‘conservative’ Indian wedding/families’ thing, though can be attributed to the way of living and thinking of more than 90% of the populace, is not palatable for me. (yup I know! I am the crazy one here!)

The groom’s father mentioning that he does not want a dowry or the entire family accepting the bride even after an unfortunate accident – recognizing it as just that – an accident. These are ideas – or ideals that the society needs to understand today and showing it through films is perhaps the single most effective manner to bring it about…
But then throughout the movie the guy keeps looking for a mother/wife. Never a friend – Unacceptable.

However I think what psyched me the most was the most popular song in the movie. It means “I have the right” It might not have the same connotation as conveyed by the stark manner of my translation but the Hindi word ‘Haq’ in this respect meant only that to me…. “I have the right” And expectedly the guy keeps repeating this ad-infinitum and the girl keeps repeating her submission. Not once did the girl say that she might also have a right to something….
But maybe Mr.B is just trying to take one step at a time…… There are zillions out there who do not even believe in human rights being bestowed upon a female and I am thinking of equal rights. Quite the other end of the spectrum, isn’t it? Will telling these people to respect women help or tiny hints in entertainers like Vivah will?? Whichever does, Amen!


On a side note however, Mr. Barjatya has taken the caution to recover his money (inclusive of that lost in Main Prem Ki diwani hoon!) by extreme branding done all over the movie by (not so clever) product placement!

Don

I think I am writing this only because I wrote in my previous blog that I would....otherwise this movie is nothing but a colossal waste of time and money. (And words and bytes!)

For me it was a parady of the original with an effort to add some lame 'originality' (Pun intended)

On the positive side though, when SRK delivers the Bachhan's classic lines its quite hilarious! I died laugjing!!!!!

Lage Raho..

Well, what do I say about this movie? Wonderful!!

The raw simplicity of thought and story telling refreshed my mind as I watched this movie. Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Dilip Prabhavalkar and Boman Irani give outstanding performances. And the screenplay, dialogues, music and cinematography compliments them perfectly well. The movie does not derail or lose its grip even once. It does not preach or advise either. It just tells you to trust inherent goodness in yourself and other!

Its been some time that a movie has left me in splits but with tears in my eyes! Must watch all of you, MUST WATCH!