This and That aka Daily Musings

11/1/24 Unfulfilled love (Shailaja and Omana) 2023 belonged to masala entertainers and one saw people returning to the theatres to watch movies like Gadar 2, Pathaan, Jawaan, Animal, and Tiger 3. There were many regional hits like Jailer, Leo etc., which also did brisk business. Most of the megahits of 2023 would be forgotten in a matter of days. None of these movies have the ‘stickiness’ to stay with us for a long time. 2023 also gave us gems like ‘The Three of Us’ (Hindi) and ‘Kaathal – The Core’ (Malayalam) which somehow failed at the box office. Commercial success and critical acclaim are two different things altogether. It is the latter which elevates any creative person. We now get an opportunity to watch such movies on OTT. Over a period of time, word of mouth publicity, and some honest critics do their bit, and these films get talked about. There would be many movies who don’t get any recognition at the box office but gain a cult following on OTT these days. With an unlimited b...

  23/11/23 Taking the rough with the smooth I am passing through one of those bleak phases when I feel morose and all manner of negative thoughts occupy my mind. Perhaps it is because of the indignity we suffer due to our city’s crumbling infrastructure or maybe it was due to the reactions evoked after India’s loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup. It could also be the quality of political discourse and it’s inherent unaccountability. I just don’t know. This state of mind made me think about the times we live in. We live in strange times where everything is binary. All situations and beliefs are now judged through a nationalistic lens. Adopting a middle of the road approach or holding a contrarian viewpoint is no longer tolerated.  We live in an era where people have turned impatient, argumentative, have short attention spans and are replacing personal growth and achievement with nationalistic fervour. Even close friends and relatives get incensed at the slightest hint of dis...

  The Selfish Gene (6/10/23) Gail Wynand, the powerful publisher in Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead’, was exposed to a variety of literature while growing up. Devoid of any method or guidance, a multitude of authors and subjects influenced the young man. Thus, Gail grew in a highly disorganised manner. I was like Gail Wynand in my younger days as my reading too was haphazard. I used to be engrossed in all kinds of non-academic books.  Growing up, me and my brother were members of a local library. This instilled the habit of reading in us. We had a voracious appetite for comic books (initially) which later progressed to novels from the likes of PG Wodehouse, Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon, Arthur Hailey, Tom Clancy, Frederick Forsyth, Alistair Maclean, and Michael Crichton. Harshad and I also read many Marathi books written by creative geniuses like PL Deshpande, VP Kale etc. Thrillers, sci-fi, war dramas, romance, and British understated humour kept us engaged. Reading widened ou...

Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26-9-1923 to 3-12-2011) Dharamdev was born in Lahore on 26th September 1923. After completing his BA in English Literature from Government College, Lahore, this young lad decided to move to Bombay to earn his living. After doing a few sundry jobs, Dharamdev joined his elder brother, Chetan, as a member of Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). After this he never looked back. His creative journey had begun! Dharamdev was an avid fan of established star of the forties, Ashok Kumar, and was soon inspired to become a performer himself. Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand became Dev Anand. After a few months of struggle, Dev got his break and never looked back. This dashing young man was a force of nature who ruled the Hindi film industry for more than three decades. Debonair, dashing, urbane, charming, handsome, suave, polished and cultured are some adjectives which are used to describe Dev. Such was his hold over his audience. He starred in over a hundred films in...

28th August 2023 Redevelopment and Sherlock Holmes Mumbai is changing. Old buildings and chawls are rapidly making way for glossy high rises. All localities and suburbs of our city are witnessing this change. Today morning while entering Narali Baug I saw the ruins of Oceana. This edifice was a prominent landmark of Shivaji Park as it housed the cream of society. Now the structure has been torn down and a shining tower will be constructed in its place. A thought occured while I was passing by. Our bodies and minds are similar to such old buildings and chawls. They need regular tuneups and maintenance to prolong good health. Minds need constant stimulation (of the right kind) so that we remain alert and ‘young’ in thought and conduct. Structures start showing signs of deterioration after 25-30 years. Humans start falling prey to illnesses around the age of 30-35. Our glory days (youth) are long behind us by then. We enter the vicious cycle of self-doubt, medication, and misery. Any buil...

25th August 2023 तोच चंद्रमा नभात  Of all the celestial bodies, humans have a strong affinity for the moon. Indian folklore and mythology are replete with references to our natural satellite.  A young prabhu Ram would not sleep until his mother showed him the reflection of the moon in a pot of water, placed next to his bed. Hence the melding of the two names gave us ‘Ramchandra’. There are many popular fables involving Lord Shiv, Lord Ganesh, and Hanuman and the moon.  On celluloid many men have serenaded fetching young women with songs which have the moon as their central theme.  Those with a fatalistic outlook towards life give tremendous importance to the position of the moon in their horoscope. Its placement determines character and personality. Or so it is believed! Indians have been following the lunar calendar for many centuries. This calendar depends on the waxing and waning of the moon and is deemed to be very accurate. Moon’s gravitational pull produces tid...

3rd July 2023 Guru Pournima A ChatGPT query about the origin of the word ‘Guru’ has given the following result: _The word "guru" originates from Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, "guru" (गुरु) is derived from two root words: "gu" (गु), which means "darkness" or "ignorance," and "ru" (रु), which means "dispeller" or "remover." *Thus, the literal translation of "guru" is "one who dispels darkness" or "one who removes ignorance."*_ Darkness or ignorance comes in various forms. People need guidance in developing soft skills like improving inter-personal relationships, etiquette, and verbal abilities in addition to understanding the implications of social subjects like finance, history, politics, and economics. These are important in making a well-rounded, balanced, good human being. We further need help in education, sports and in honing any art which we may be endowed with. Our first Gurus a...

How does one classify the Tamil language movie Super Deluxe? The name doesn’t hold any clue to the contents and a viewer chooses to watch the film solely on reviews and the stellar starcast. Super Deluxe has morality at its core and the viewers are forced to think about the situations unravelling on the screen. This movie is a roller coaster journey across multiple genres like sexuality, gender discrimination, gender identity, fidelity, lust, science, religiosity and faith. It is funny in parts (also has dark comedy), violent at times (not physical, very cerebral where we feel the characters mental anguish), and also philosophical at some places (it carries the message that we are all one yet different). With four parallel story tracks which converge near the end, Super Deluxe packs quite a punch.  We have an arc in which a transgender grapples with his emotions when he returns to his family after disappearing for seven years. In these seven years he comes to terms with his sexuali...

Dealing with Mortality (10/5/23) Two recent events illumined a dark corner of my mind. They shed light on the impermanence inherent with human lives.  The first involves Vidula’s septuagenararian uncle who has been unwell for a few years. Cancer has ravaged his body completely and no succour is in sight. Consequently, Suhas Ambardekar has now been shifted to Shanti Avedna at Bandra where palliative care is administered to terminally ill patients. I accompanied Vidula to this hospice a few days ago to meet her ailing Kaka . These are perhaps our last few interactions with him. Vidula feels for her kaka because of many happy childhood memories. Despite our best efforts Vidula drifted away from her kaka after our marriage. Admittedly, Suhas Ambardekar was not the easiest man to get along with, but he always had a soft spot for his niece. Vidula will remember her kaka as a lively and somewhat rambunctious person. Life has been a rollercoaster ride for this gentleman but now at the fag ...