This and That aka Daily Musings

11th November 2022 Kantara (mysterious forest) A week has elapsed since Vidula and I saw the Kannada movie Kantara. Ignorance, lack of curiosity or even a linguistic bias had prevented me from watching south Indian movies. I had never heard of Rishab Shetty, the film’s writer, director, and lead actor.  OTT provided me with easy access to Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam movies. Being oblivious to South Indian cinema was my loss. I am now slowly getting acquainted with the works of Vijay Sethupathi, Fasil Fahad, Vijay, and many others. Hindi movies now appear distasteful and unrelatable. Kantara left me speechless. Rishab Shetty has given Kantara a very ‘raw’ look. All the characters seem relatable. There aren’t any glossy, well-groomed heroes and heroines. We find ordinary, everyday people creating extraordinary work. Both, the hero (Shiva) and his love interest (Leela) appear genuine and have played their parts with elan. Leela, played by Saptami Gowda, hasn’t got much to do but still sh

1st November 2022 Aai would have turned 79 today. Seventeen years have elapsed since she made her exit, and her demise was too early and unexpected. I tried to be all grown up and philosophical when my father and mother passed away within a span of 15 months. I failed miserably. Trying to think rationally does not help. Inevitable and laborious comparisons with others muddles up our mind. It is human tendency to rationalise important events but as a consequence we slip and tumble while trying to grapple with our emotions. Men suffer this folly as it is considered ‘unmanly’ to open up or even cry. In most cases, bonds with biological parents are deep rooted because of proximity, love, and constant interactions. The quality of bonds thus created depends on a myriad of factors.  My parents, Yashwant and Kunda, have three offspring. Alkatai, Harshad and me. As I perceive things, the three of us had varying affinities towards each of our parents. But by and large, despite the heated argumen