Movies

In the past few days, I got to watch a few movies, which was much unexpected though. Thanks to my mother and my in-laws for making it possible by their own ways. (My in-laws are out of town; I’m at my mother’s place. My mother wanted to keep her grandson with him and hence proved!). These movies did leave something in me. So, I wanted to share my views about them. This article is not a full-fledged movie review but somewhere close.

Let me begin with the movie “Martian”.

I had started watching this movie few weeks back but hadn’t finished it. The movie revolves around much of Sci-Fi stuff. Not touching it – I’m not a Science person. But, the hero – “Mark Watney” (MW), who was left back in Mars by his crew mistakenly, would make a statement towards the end of the movie. “Wherever I go, I’m the first. It is a strange feeling”.

I didn’t know why, this dialog pricked me. I wasn’t able to identify why the dialog felt so ‘known’. I’m not on Mars; I’m not alone; but I have had this feeling very frequently. Why so??

In the climax, Melissa (the captain of the crew) will decide to go to bring MW from his launch vehicle. She would showcase her mental picture with one statement – “I will go on and bring MW; can’t afford to lose my crew members”. It showed how much she valued her crew over herself. If every leader values his team’s growth more than his own, we might be having a better environment at work.

In the last scene, when MW trains students, what he explains in the theory of life. When we have problems, we have two choices to make; solve them or let it trouble. If you decide to live with it, it is the end. Else, take one problem; solve it; take the next and solve that too and then you reach home someday! Such a simple way of handling life. I was indeed moved by the exlpaination!

Next in the list is “Uppu karuvadu”. It is a ‘Radha mohan’ movie and it had her touch throughout.

The movie revolves around 3 youngsters who aim to flourish in the cine field. One of the supporting actors is ‘Manja’. He is projected as the ‘right hand’ of a Don + Good Man. Manja would suggest changes in the dialog, which would be a little unacceptable for the hero (the youngster who aims to be the director). At a particular scene, Manja will end up changing the entire scene. In another scene, the youngsters would misjudge his exposure to love and he would revert with a love story of his own. Scene after scene he would nail the fact that appearances are deceptive. In the climax, he would end up dominating stage over the 3 youngsters. He did leave behind his traces in the film.

Another character in the movie is ‘Uma’, who is the want-to-be-director’s friend turned lover. She is projected as a strong actor who is capable of putting her soul to acting. She becomes the heroine replacing the Don + Good Man’s daughter. But after the climax, in the ‘happily ever after’ section of the movie, the narrator would say, “Uma doesn’t act these days as she is Mrs. want-to-be-director”.

In the beginning of the movie, there would be a mention that, in spite of the fact that Uma’s mother is a supporting artist in the cine field, Uma isn’t interested in acting. But still, the narration would have been better if it was something like, “Uma doesn’t act these days, as she doesn’t like it”.
Just because a woman is married, doesn’t mean she has to give up on her dreams!

Having made that statement, next in my discussion is going to be the movie “Ki & ka” – A Balki’s movie and it has his touch all over. Kia is behind her dreams which takes her around the world. Kabir dreams of a good home and wants to follow his mother in being a great home maker. As per our Indian tradition, the roles and responsibilities are swapped between a guy and a girl. Here the girl is the bread winner of the family and the guy rules the home. Kabir also makes Kia understand that home-making is nothing less than an art and it needs great deal of patience and sacrifice to be a home maker; needs guts to become happy with the victory of somebody else. He also explains that, just because he is an IIM graduate doesn't mean that he has to pick his father's business that he doesn't like. Also, that a degree doesn't stop him from being a home-maker.

When there comes a need for more money, when the house-owner ask them to vacate, Kabir goes about calculating and making decisions to pitch in to bring in cash – just like any other home-maker would do. Kabir does stand as the most ideal husband, any career-loving woman would dream of. There is not even a bit of ego in him and he withstands all the embarrassments that are bestowed upon him by the society and even Kia herself. There were scenes which picture-perfectly portrayed the embarrassments and pricks a home-maker would undergo; be it male or a female. And in the climax, when Kia's mother speaks about how such things happen, the bread-winner's mental picture does become very clear.

This film is about reversing roles and breaking the stereo types. What Balki has portrayed in the movie is a situation towards which our society should move in the future – not about switching roles, but about choosing whatever an individual wants to do. Kia and Kabir do what they like and hence they flourish and excel in it.

All the movies that I watched, had a point to make and they were different from the usual action / romantic films. The time I spent on them, did add value to me.