Author Archives: maansi
Okay, Bollywood Is Redeemed. Somewhat.
After being burnt and deliberately avoiding Bollywood, I happened on two movies recently that gave me some hope. Neither was brand new so this may seem like old news for some. Not for me though and given the power of the pen and all that, write I will…
Since I have been so Bollywood-critical lately (well-deserved criticism, may I add), I want to take a moment to counter balance that with a bit of appreciation.
One of these movies was Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a story based on the life of the Flying Sikh. Biographical, long (not as good as Paan Singh Tomar) but still worth it. Made by the same people who gave us Rang De Basanti, it is watchable especially because of Farhan Akhtar’s screen presence and performance.
The second movie was a sweet jewel by Vishal Bharadwaj, that highly and I mean highly, gifted film maker. After Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey and yes, even Saat Khoon Maaf how could he not be considered one?
This was his latest movie from early this year and therefore considered an older film but it’s one that I had not got my hands on until recently. [You do realize that a few weeks is considered old in Bollywood, these days?]
What fun I had watching “Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola” (yes I had to look up the name of the movie to make sure I got my”ka” and “ki” right)!
And Pankaj Kapur, you absolute darling of an actor! Credit goes to Mr. Bhardwaj for delivering such a smart, satirical comedy and for his smart casting choices as well.
So, yes. For all the gibberish that a Rohit Shetty throws at the populace with a “record-breaking” Chennai Express, there are some gems out there, just waiting to be discovered.
The best part is that gems such as these actually allow you take your brain to the movies with you.
There is hope for Bollywood. What can I say? I’m (still) an optimist.
:
:
Violated
With all the travel that is an integral and necessary part of my life these days, I am always saying hello and goodbye.
I am also constantly either leaving home or returning to it.
I know I’ve said it before, but there’s really nothing quite the same as coming home!
And the more I travel – whether for business or pleasure – the better it feels to come home. Of course, even home is coming to mean multiple locations now. But the “real one”, my long time base in small town USA, that’s where I feel best, where I feel safest and mentally at peace. Always have, always will.
Or at least that’s what I thought.
The last homecoming however threw me for a loop. It was not a pleasant one!
The time was just after 8 pm and even on a summer night, it was dark.
I came home from the airport, parked my car in the garage and took whatever bags I had with me, getting ready to unlock the door to my house from within the garage. As I was unlocking the door, I happened to look down.
What I saw was a solid wooden door that had cracked. It looked like someone had taken a lead foot and tried to kick it in.
I thought quickly, should I go in? But the door was still locked and bolted. I thought that whoever tried to break-in did not succeed. [That was a stupid conclusion to draw even if it did turn out to be the correct one. At that particular moment, that’s what I thought, probably because my brain was partially disengaged…].
I went in slowly and carefully, turning on lights wherever I stepped. Looking around, I did not see anything that had been disturbed in the laundry room. From there to the kitchen and then on into the dining area and living room. Everything was undisturbed. Upstairs, same thing.
I took a deep breath and talked myself out of feeling afraid. I was alone and only had myself to talk to.
After I had assured myself that no one had gotten in and that nothing had been disturbed I some how, eventually, went to sleep. After leaving on a whole bunch of lights in the house first, that is.
The next day as I was filing the police report, they told me in not so many words how reckless I had been by walking into the house like that. I should have called 911 and had them walk through to ensure that no one was in there.
“Ma’am”, the young cop said, “that’s why we’re here and that’s what we do”.
Yes, I deserved every bit of that lecture!
I was too busy telling myself not to be afraid, that I missed what could have been a real danger to me. Fair warning!
Since this happened – just a few days ago – every time there’s a noise, even a small one, I get startled. I look outside often to see if anyone is around. I watch. I wait.
This is all new to me; I’m finding that I’ve never done any of it before. 😦
The feeling that my home was a safe haven has been breached. I need to take my time and build it back up, there is no other alternative, is there?
I just feel so violated. And for such a little thing! I mean, it’s not like I was attacked. I didn’t lose a limb, I wasn’t subjected to chemical weapons for heaven’s sake, nor was anything valuable taken from my home.
Yet, I can’t forgive the person who did this. They may not have been able to take anything from my home, but whoever they are, they stole a very precious belonging from me. They stole my peace of mind.
Temporarily.
Now, I’m working on getting it back. One way or the other, I will.
:
:
The Yin and Yang of Life Anywhere 