one time wanderer

What do I even say right now, that could encapsulate my grief? Maybe this- I was listening to the latest Raveesh Kumar episode while washing the dishes this morning, and at one point, Mihir Pandya (Raveesh's guest, and film critic) quoted Irrfan Khan's dialogue from Life of Pi (2012), and I broke down. I don't mean that I was just crying, my knees actually buckled and I had to hang on to the countertop to maintain my balance. Not that there seems to be much balance left anymore.  I watched this movie last night, and if you haven't figured out already, I am yet to stop crying. I had somehow forgotten how perfect this movie was- every scene is a masterclass in the art of film-making. It's hard to believe that both Tabu and Irrfan are not ethnically Bengali- they don't just embody the accents, but also the expressions, the reactions, the movements. Kal Penn is funny, but also heart-ache inducing in his depiction of one of the best ABCD characters to ever hit th...

As I write this, something devastating has happened for the Indian film landscape- the death of Irrfan Khan, who was one of the best actors to come out of the country. Personally, it has left me both numb and shaken, and I fully expect that when it hits me, I will not stop crying for days. But as for now, I will restrict my words to what I thought of Manichithrathazhu , the source of other legendary films like Chandramukhi (2005), and of course, Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), the latter of which I'd watched in the theater back when it had first released. Now, I think it would be disingenuous for me to compare the two movies- I haven't seen Bhool Bhulaiyaa in years, so it would not be fair. That being said, had I seen Manichithrathazhu first, I don't think I would have been interested in Bhool Bhulaiyaa . A Malayali friend recently told me that Priyadarshan basically lifted Manichithrathazhu  and transplanted it to Rajasthan, with no changes in the context whatsoever, which has ...

This was a very special movie to watch- clever, engaging, funny, and of course, heart-warmingly romantic (cue tears of joy). Controversial opinion, but I think that it elevated Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1811). And a lot of it has to do with how brilliant all the actors were, and of course, A.R. Rahman's genius.  Kandukondain Kandukondain is probably one of the the best romantic comedies I have seen, and definitely the best Indian romantic comedy. It doesn't shy away from owning the traditional "masala" movie elements, but is so damn witty about it- especially the meta-narratives about the making of a film. Extremely entertaining. However, the film is also a profound look at certain things, including the Indian dependence on astrology- Tabu's character Sowmya is branded as "unlucky" by her horoscope, and that leads to debilitating self-esteem, which will probably take years of therapy to recover from. The very nature of heterosexual...

At one point, while watching this movie, I forgot I was watching one, and felt instead that I was talking to a friend who was telling me the story of what happened to these 5 sisters that she knew. It felt that warm, intimate and familiar- probably because I could easily identify with a lot of the familial patriarchal oppression that the girls go through, having been through similar experiences myself. Mustang was the perfect blend of intense and light-hearted. By calling it light-hearted, I don't mean to trivialise the characters' experiences- what I mean is that they remind one to never let anything break one's spirit. I suppose I am not explaining myself very well. I guess you'll have to watch the movie to find out hehe. Also, the fact it was directed by a woman (Deniz Gamze Ergüven in her debut venture), and written by two women (Ergüven and Alice Winocour), makes it so much more loveable. And proves, yet again, how important it is for women to be able to tell ...

I guess this movie was just too white male for me? I don't know, it peaked for me at the 12 minutes mark, the first scene of sexual tension between Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) and Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). Otherwise, it just lost me. In a big way. The thing that made me most uncomfortable was the treatment of women- they were borderline caricatured. The men too, just had a typical "misunderstood" vibe to them, and I'm sorry, but I'm having none of it in this new decade. Blah, white men, blah. Daniel Radcliffe though, always a winner in my book. That's all. 

This might possibly be the worst movie ever made, and yes, I have seen Tommy Wiseau's The Room  (2003). There was no point, no logic, absolutely NOTHING in this movie that could be considered redeemable. The songs, which I found decent prior to witnessing this absolute travesty, have been forever tainted by such in-depth knowledge of their source. I am finding it hard to best express my rage and disgust in, but honestly, Salman Khan getting Aishwarya Rai's lookalike Sneha Ullal to play a SCHOOLGIRL is one of the most creepy things to come out of Bollywood. Especially after you realise that Salman was at least 2 decades older than Sneha when this movie was shot. The ending makes it all worse, and leaves one questioning why people appreciated this movie, and more importantly, why does Salman Khan still have a career? Why is he allowed to get away with stuff of this magnitude? Now, I know that, objectively, Bollywood is a great big fuckfest of all things creepy and disgusting. ...

Where do I even begin with this movie? The fact that neither of the three lead actors can act?- Zayed Khan was by far the worst, mostly because Arjun Rampal's character had a redeeming arc, and mercifully, Ameesha Patel's character didn't have enough screen time to impart lasting damage. The music?- The songs were deranged. I don't have any other way to put it. I mean, one of the songs was literally called "Teri Kurti Sexy", and one of them, "Main Ishq Uska" is a scary attempt to normalise stalking and other obsessive behaviours towards women in the name of love. And the background score was a completely over-the-top, headache-inducing early '00s Bollywood mix. The person responsible for this mess? The one and only Himesh Reshammiya. The loopholes in the story?- So much could have been solved by simple communication. Why were Rahul and Karan friends? Why was Pooja so... never mind, this will go in the spoilers territory. But seriously, why...

Oh, to be so gloriously in love with your best friend that you change the scene of Tamil, nay, Indian politics, forevermore... (Yes, I very much did just imply homoerotic chemistry between the characters of Tamizhselvan and Anandan. Watch the movie, and see for yourself.) Iruvar is a brilliant take on both Indian cinema and Indian politics (particularly regional politics) and how those two overlap and dominate almost everything else in Indian popular discourse (a major exception being cricket, of course). The actors have all done a wonderful job, but special mention must be made of Aishwarya Rai Bacchan (in her debut roles as Pushpa and Kalpana) and Prakash Raj (as Tamizhselvan, who might possibly be one of my favourite movie characters ever). Aishwarya is stunning- the depth she manages to impart to two separate characters who are strangely intertwined is amazing to watch.  And as for Prakash Raj, I don't think I have the words to describe the impact his dialogue delivery and...

I will not even try to describe this movie, or what it's about. I just want to say that I am amazed by the very fact that it exists, and that it is so rarely discussed. The lights, and the shadows in this movie. They are as important players here as the actors themselves. And also, the background noises, the background noises of our own lives. It's on YouTube with English subtitles, so there's literally no reason to not watch it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okM39LQXA-4 . If I had to, had to , describe the movie, I'd say it's about the loneliness and the confusion of being alive. And that is that. Also, I can't believe I forgot this, but even though this movie is about Ajayan, the character, it definitely belongs to Shobana, the actress playing the roles of Suma and Nalini. I kind of get why Ajayan lost his mind, honestly. Who wouldn't?

Came here for Ben Whishaw, fell in love with Abbie Cornish instead. (Not that I still don't love Ben Whishaw). Firstly, this is one of the most visually gorgeous movies that I have ever seen. I swear, I have looked for so long at the scene where John Keats lies on the cherry blossoms on top of the trees, because it is probably one of the most perfect shots of all time. In my opinion, it encapsulates Keats' life itself- precarious, yet unending beauty. A thing of beauty is a joy forever indeed. The thing I liked the most about this movie was definitely the fact that it was Fanny Brawne's movie, and that it unequivocally said #feminism. Right from the first scene where Fanny asserts herself, claiming that her designs can sell, unlike Keats' and Charles Brown's poems, to the last scene where she... well, no spoilers here but yeah. I probably now love Fanny more than I love Keats, and I'm fine with it. Also, all her outfits in the movie were A1, and I just LOVE...

The thing with biopics is that sometimes, they are too serious for their own good. But this one, with its Drunk History approach, does not for a second become preachy, even as it drives home some hard-hitting truths about the nature of patriarchy and heteronormativity in our societies. Not gonna lie, I was really uncomfortable in that scene where Emily meets Higginson to show him her poetry, and he goes off on a self-congratulatory little speech about what a great feminist he is. Of course the movie mocks him, but it was uncomfortable because in a time and place far, far away from Emily's, so many men that I have met have been Higginsons. Really makes one question the nature of progress of our movements. Oh, and after the movie ended, I hurled the choicest of abusive words at Mrs. Mabel Todd (ugh, I can't even type her name without cringing). And yes, as fun and Drunk History-esque the rest of the movie was, the ending left me with an acute sense of discomfort and forebodi...

This movie is what every romantic comedy has the potential to be, but is too cowardly to actually be it. Definitely one of my favs, and definitely because of how it exposes men to be the vile, disgusting, unredeemable creatures that they are. Thank you Tumblr, for introducing me to Cherie Chung, and thus giving me one of the greatest thirst watches of all time. Also, that last scene? GOALS. Cherie Chung says #feminism (she says it throughout the movie actually), and boy oh boy, am I here to stan the shit out of it. (This is a reference to an actual event in the movie, so go and watch it now).

I'd been meaning to watch this movie for sometime now; and in the middle of the COVID-19 quarantine, I thought, what better to watch than a movie from the year 1984 itself? The way it's been shot, I couldn't take my eyes away. I wanted to drink in everything- the desolation, the fugue, the dissociation, and more than that, the immense humanity of the movie. The perfection of Harry Dean Stanton's acting made me want to scream at times, with emotions that I can't quite describe. I was also deeply moved by all the other performances- Dean Stockwell as Travis' loving yet sometimes understandably frustrated brother Walter; Aurore Clément as Anne, Walter's wife, probably one of the most superbly drawn characters of the movie; Hunter Carson as Hunter, Travis and Jane's child who has been brought up by Walter and Anne; and of course, Nastassja Kinski as Travis' estranged wife Jane. I honestly did not have a lot of expectations from Jane- I suspected that ...

After I finished this movie, half of me was completely amazed that this movie exists at all, and half of me was calm. I think that was because of the ending, but I am getting ahead of myself. This movie is probably the only one of its kind- it takes place in rural Kerala, and is about two teenage lesbian lovers and how they come to terms with themselves and the society they live in. As far as I know, no Indian movie takes place within a village community and centres around homosexuality. And that in itself is enough reason to appreciate this movie endlessly. But even more than that, the reason why I probably am not going to stop gushing about this movie is because this was probably the first gay movie that I watched which I completely, 100% related to. Maybe because it's Indian- even though I've lived in an urban area for 21 out of the 23 years I've been alive, and I come from north India and not South (you might think these are petty differences, and if you do, you know...

One of my favourite parts of this movie was the beginning, when the narrator talks about how important art is, especially in times of general strife. This movie was shot during the Sino-Indian War of 1962, and while it never directly alludes to the war, the message given at the beginning reminds one that art is one of the few things that can give one solace, a feeling of community, and sometimes even make you smile. This message rings true even today, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I have turned to movies, books, music, and one of my favourite TV shows to help me cope with the existential horrors that an enforced lockdown necessarily brings. So, thank you to all the artists everywhere, who create love and comfort out of nothing at all. Moving on, I honestly only watched this movie for Shashi Kapoor. The plot sounded fine, but I highly doubt that I would have watched it if anyone else starred in it (and made my friends watch it with me too). But thankfully, SK does not ...