2d-life;

The good place is a great entertainer - especially the first season. The climax of the first season was the highest point for me. Things did start going downhill (in my personal opinion) but the show managed to keep me hooked till the end. I certainly wanted to know how the show ends. However, I have some beef with the basic premise of the show - it is either flawed or they took the easy route. To discuss these issues, I will, unfortunately, have to divulge the intricate details of the show. So, needless to say, this post is full of spoilers . So, if you plan to watch the show, it would be better if you read this article after you finish watching the show. Else, the article might give a neat summary of the interesting ideas in the show. The basic premise of the show is that the criteria for deciding who goes to the good place are flawed. The main justification for the claim comes from two observations: For the last 500 years, no one has been to the good place (think heaven...

Bigil is the story of a rowdy neighbourhood that is reformed through sports. This transformation is shown through a gangster father (Rayappan) and his footballer son (Michael) both played by Vijay. Kids from this neighbourhood used to roam around with knives fighting each other. However, inspired by Michael (who uses the stage name Bigil) they have started playing football and are too busy to fight. Given this theme, it is unfortunate that the movie stressed the importance of winning - a recurrent dialogue by Rayappan to Michael being "Bigil, the cup is most important". I enjoyed watching the film and would recommend it to others. That said, most of my friends did not like the movie - especially those who watch and enjoy football. One of my friends was especially pissed by the fact that almost every other shot is a scissor cut.  As I dislike sports, the fact that the football portrayed in the film was unrealistic did not even strike me. If you are looking for a "mas...

Nakshatratharattu is a film having a very special place in my life, certainly a movie that deserves a place in my reflections on movies. I was an 11-year-old kid when the movie released and had watched it in the theatre with my family. The movie touched me so much that I was sobbing through a big chunk of the movie. When the movie was over, people around me were all pointing at me and murmuring "that is the sobber". To make matters worse, people in my circles had disliked the movie and thought the movie was anything but touching. Though I shared the feeling that the movie could have been better, I strongly felt there were some beautiful ideas in the movie. Nonetheless, I could not convince anyone. As an effect, I became very self-conscious whenever I watched a movie with others. In my own privacy, I still pour out my heart in tears. To the young me, the movie was about a couple adopting "parents". The pain of the couple as they did not have a family, an...

I recently read this wonderful book "Don't sleep, there are snakes" by Daniel Everett.  It describes the author's life in the Amazon with the Pirahas, their language, and their culture.  Apparently, he once missed the greens and asked for a shipment from his friend.  He was caught in the act of having Salad by one of his Piraha friends.  The Piraha was bewildered that Daniel Everett was eating leaves and enquired if he didn't have any meat.  When Everett said he had, but he loves these leaves the Piraha responded: "Piraha's don't eat leaves.  this is why you don't speak our language well.  We Pirahas speak our language well and we don't eat leaves". Notice the striking similarity with what I had talked about in an earlier post . Everett, being a scientist, was clearly aware that correlation and causation are not the same.  But apparently, the words continued to nag him as if they had something useful in it.  I believe, the respect he h...

I was not impressed by Kumbalangi nights.  I don't mean to say it is a bad film.  It is certainly worth watching.  The cinematography is extraordinary.  Also, it has its moments - nice little dialogues.  But with all that, it is just an average film, or so I feel.  As I had explained in a post before , people expect explanations when you express dislike.  Actually, I wouldn't say I dislike, but I did not like it as much as others - the people I talked to.  And, in this case, I think I understand some of the reasons.  And I will be sharing those reasons with you. What do you feel when you hear someone saying "These impoverished people are so lucky.  Wish I had a skinny body like them"?  Movies like Kumbalangi nights elicit the same emotion in me.  The major problem poor people face is lack of money.  If you make a movie on the poor and completely take money out of the equation, that makes no sense.  Kumbalangi night...

I did not particularly enjoy Kismat (Malayalam), Pariyerum Perumal (Tamil) or C/o Kancherapalayam (Telugu), even though the reviews for these films were generally positive. My immediate response was, "how many films about inter-caste or inter-religious love (and the resulting conflicts) would they make?". My heart was craving for variety. On the other hand, I like Hunter X Hunter because it is so similar to Naruto. I have seen so many other Naruto-like anime and I have enjoyed many of them. Hunter X Hunter just deserves a really special mention. If someone informs me about a new anime similar to Naruto, I will jump on it. My heart keeps craving for more and more of the same thing. How does one address this cognitive dissonance? My own answer is as follows: I do not really care for variety. If I like something, I generally crave for more of the same. The lesser I like a particular theme, the easier I will get bored with it. It is then that I crave for "var...

Greek mythology contains tales of dangerous semi-human enchantresses called Sirens.  They seduce travelling sailors to their island using music and song to shipwreck on the rocky coasts.  Odysseus wanted to listen to the song of Sirens.  Heeding to the advice of Circe, he asks his crew to fill their ears with beeswax(so that they will not hear the song) and tie him to the mast of the ship.  He instructed the sailors that they are to leave him tied even if he orders to do otherwise.  Thus he could hear the song of the siren while escaping the treacherous end at the hands of Sirens.  This idea is called pre-commitment and is a favourite of many self-help gurus. The Tamil movie Deepavali gives an interesting twist to this story -  the hero is not Odysseus but a crew member.  Let me elaborate.  The heroine in this movie suffers from post-traumatic memory loss.  Troubled by the stressful experience of not recognising people she is supposed...

In India many believe in the principle "Satyam bruyat, priyam bruyat, na bruyat satyam apriyam, priyam ca nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah".  It can be translated as "Speak the truth.  Speak pleasantly.  Do not speak unpleasant truths.  Even though pleasant, don't lie".  However, I do not agree with this principle.  I will explain. In the movie Harikrishnans (a Malayalam movie), Juhi Chawla feeds Mohanlal and Mammootty (heroine feed the two heroes) food with too much chilly powder and salt. Believing this principle they didn't say anything and continued eating that food. But, it had a negative effect on her. She got extremely offended that they didn't take the freedom to tell her the truth. I would have felt the same. I like it when people tell me unpleasant truths (apriya sathyam). I have often wondered why.  I believe the following interaction from the movie Prestige gives us some insight: Alfred Borden: Everything's going to be all righ...

Kalyanaraman is a movie I really like and I have watched it countless times.  It is, of course, famous for its humour, which, however, is not the topic of this article.   In the movie, Jyothirmayi is a mute.  After various attempts, her marriage is fixed.  The groom, however, elopes the day before marriage with someone else.  The girl's father requests some of the relatives present at the wedding if one of their sons could marry her.  But, they were evidently uninterested and giving excuses.  In fact, they were trying to push it on to each other. Finally, they suggest that it is better to find another "disabled" person for her.  This infuriates him.  He says "It is better if she remains unmarried.  I will protect her till I am alive and after that God will". It is understandable that under such situations one might get hurt and angry.  I do not find fault in that.  At the same time, I feel the same is true about ...

I recently realized that the Malayalam movie Santhwanam (Consolation) is a remake of the Telugu film Seetharamaiah gaari manavaralu (Seetharamaiah's granddaughter).  The basic story is as follows.  After a love marriage, the relationship between a father and son goes bad and they never communicate afterward. Years later the granddaughter returns to meet her grandparents.  The movie is about the relationship between the granddaughter and her grandparents.   I confess I generally feel the Malayalam version is superior even when the original is not Malayalam.  This is especially the case with Priyadarshan films.  I feel he is a master at adapting films to Malayalam.  The comparison between these two films is however tricky.  I think they both have their merits, but the Telugu version is a bit better in my eyes.   To begin with, Seetharamaiah gaaru (the protagonist in Telugu) is a much deeper and laudable character than Rajash...

Revenge is a common theme in movies, books or any other form of storytelling but, most do not give a justification to the act.  They either take it to be the natural course of action or condemn it.  The fact that some condemn it, means there is scope for a discussion.  I think most people would have an issue with revenge when it is exacted not on the perpetrator, but on someone related to the perpetrator.  In the 2010 Telugu movie "Maryada Ramanna", which was later remade into Hindi as "Son of Sardar" and Malayalam as "Maryadaraman", they pose a question which can be translated as "If a son can get the property earned by one's father why cannot he receive punishments for his father's action?"   The surprising thing is, even after thinking for quite some while, I was unable to find a satisfactory answer. Apparently, this stance is inspired by our scriptures.  In the 35th shlokam of the 64th chapter in the 10th skandham of Srimad B...

Assume a teacher does the following things 1. He misplaces huge amount of money he was entrusted with 2. ‎Puts the blame for the above incident on a student 3. ‎Is married and having an extramarital affairs 4. ‎Is caught red-handed gifting floral undergarments to this other woman.  It is quite natural that the guy loses his job and is abandoned by his wife. And that is precisely what happens in Sherlock Toms to one of his teachers.  What I find very unnatural and weird is that throughout the movie he is ridiculed only for gifting floral undergarments.  I am puzzled as to what is so wrong in buying floral undergarments for your lover.  But, even if it is wrong, it would certainly be much lesser than his other crimes.  But, not so in the movie.  Not even once was he criticised for wrongly accusing his student, even though it is a grave mistake.  The crowning jewel in this irony is that this act of gifting floral undergarments is remembe...

"Hey, Jude" is the story of a man with Asperger's syndrome. I do not know much about the condition to comment on how accurate the portrayal is, but nonetheless, I loved the film. Apparently, I have a thing for movies about mental conditions. That said, I believe it is not just my bias, but the film is indeed a very good attempt. So, I urge you to give it a shot. The story is pretty simple and not unlike other films of this genre. There is a guy with a lot of issues, but by the end of the film, he succeeds to cope up and leads a happier life. Even more, this change is brought by a woman (person of opposite gender). That said, there are many factors which put the film apart from the others. Now that I think about it, Mili is another movie which shared some of these features. To begin with, there is very little focus on romance. In both these films, love and affection though important are not the only cause for the change. The necessary guidance comes fro...

Godha is a good film; good enough to make you wish it was better.  The first half is very entertaining.  The humour is quite refreshing.  And, the various relationships are portrayed really well.  I highly recommend the film. The film is basically about a woman chasing her dreams, the right a woman has to chase her dreams, her freedom etc.  And I feel they have done justice to that theme.  I was slightly disappointed to see such a feminist film holding the idea that a man has to be better than a woman to get accepted.  This I think is a very dangerous stance, especially because this is the reason why many fear their daughters' achievements.  The more they achieve, the tougher it gets to find a groom.   I am not implying that marriage is or should be THE AIM in life.  But, the majority certainly desires marriage or at least a romantic relationship.  If achievements become detrimental to this desire, many woul...

Buddha told us about the existence of suffering, the cause of suffering and the path to liberation from suffering through his four noble truths. I feel that hidden in a famous comedy scene from the film " Vettam " is another noble truth about the nature of suffering. The volley of dialogues is as follows Hero: According to my horoscope, I have bad times till I am 20. Heroine: And, after that...? Hero: He said I will get used to it. This is a truth about the nature of suffering I have realised time and again. Namely, We get used to suffering. When I started having neck pain, I used to find it unbearable. After several years, now I can easily manage. I can even ignore it most of the time. Similarly, I have an artificial aortic valve. The clock-like sound it makes used to disturb me a lot initially. I used to find it difficult to sleep. Now, I cannot hear it unless I concentrate. In the famous book "Oru deshathinte katha ", S.K. Pottekatt portrays t...