Movies : Life in a METRO

Life in a METRO - I primarily went for the movie cos of word of mouth. My friends recommended it and said I might enjoy it. I must say I wasn't disappointed.

Life in a METRO is not really about life in a metro. Its about relationships , about the quest of love and life and in this quest how one often forgets to live. The movie is good in bits and pieces and has its moments. It is also real in more ways than one or so I felt. After all life is all about taking chances. But some pieces are disconnected and somehow I couldn't empathize with the characters at some level. There was a disconnect but despite all of it , I think it was the worth the time.

The scene I remember is the one where Shilpa Shetty escapes from Shiney's house and then as he follows her breaks down confessing how all this makes her feel like a slut. I guess the guilt is so real that it hits, after all are a part of a society where there is no difference in being individualistic and being selfish , where to stand up for oneself is looked down upon and where indulgence is scorned at.

It's the humor that is the hero of the story. It's dark and elusive and often slaps you in your face as you are laughing through it. And you suddenly wonder if you should laugh at all.

Catch it if you can !

Book: the best a man can get - John O' farell

....the best a man can get.....
This is the story of an advertising professional - into creative - Michael Adams is a composer of ad jingles. So it doesn't surprise that the name of the book has also been derived from the tag line of a brand. But the similarity ends there.

Watch the ad. It says - "You know that feeling, Every guy has had it. You are unbeatable , Unstoppable....... the best a man can get". On the contrary the protagonist of the book is quite the opposite. He is only getting towards his worst. He leads a double life, has no sense of direction living from one lie to another; then he decides enough is enough! The story is hilarious till that point in time.

But like a bollywood cinema script, after the realisation, he does change and change for better. There are many a twist and turn in the book to keep one glued to it. But somehow the end disappointed me . It was "....they lived happily ever after...." kind of ending. I expected more or may be less. I prefer books that are left open ended. Somehow I feel life is like that - with open ended loose ends - nothing comes to a conclusive end - the end is always gradual or at time there is none.

What I loved were some of the author's insights and instances he created like:

- The casual almost callous life of bachelor's sharing a flat.(Have been through it!)
- The fact that most people spend 8 hrs in office not essentially working but because its mandatory to do so and effectively work for not more than 2-3 hrs/day.
- Life is difficult.Kids are boring. Marriages suck after a while.
- You have to work towards making everything else in your life work.

The one final quote from the book. It isn't one of my favorite quotes.It is one from his moment of realisation and the turning point in the book.
Pg 262
".....Dawn was breaking over the common and I suddenly felt I had got it. I understood how all this worked; the riddle was solved in my head.You have to just spend time with the people you love. You don't try to change them, you don't get annoyed because they don't behave how you want them to behave, you put up with boredom or tantrums or repetition and you just spend time with them......just pass time with them and then everyone is happy, even you in the end."

Read it for the hilarious events, twists and turns and the dark humor over a lazy summer weekend! But if its literary genius you are looking for then avoid it.

Movie : भेजा fry

Bheja Fry is mindless. Its fun. I think it would have been good as a play. Its a laugh riot from beginning to end - at least thats what I felt sitting in the cinema hall. I was amused in bits and pieces and its a good movie to catch up with a bunch of crazy friends.

But that is it?
If I was to think about it, it's just a situational comedy - mindless and crazy. There isn't anything more to it. If there was a deeper message that the director/ story was trying to convey , I didn't

Book : The Color of Love - Priti Nair

This is an interesting piece of fiction. It could be very well be titled as "Practical step by step guide to PR and Media Lies". That's what the story is all about.

Its about a painter at heart turned lawyer trying to break free of cobweb of lies that she builds around herself as the story progresses.It is inspiring to the extent that it does motivate you at some level to believe in yourself and just take the plunge. Somewhere I felt some shades of the alchemist's universal conspiracy theory in action and at others the media ritual theory of participative media.

So here is a woman who fools everyone and lies to the entire universe to be true to herself.

Media plays an important role in the build up. She creates a fictional character to live her life through the surrogate.What does media do?It makes fiction turn real so everyone knows about FORUKI - the fictional character.Media is news hungry , believes all you say ,investigates life and above all has the power to make or break lives.That's the power of media.

So whats with the color of love? Its a fun read. I don't know whether to call it Chic-lit or something else. But if you enjoy comedy of errors - this one is for you. Though it's not a must read.