How the missing plane MH370 found its way in movies…just not in a good sense!

I don’t watch movies very often. And that’s only due to lack of time. Whatever time I get that my toddler spares me, goes into reading and writing. So, last week, I decided to watch a movie after I heard my husband crackling loudly as he sat alone in front of the computer. I was curious. And I wanted to watch a movie. So, I said, why not?

After meeting my husband, I got acquainted to Tamil movies. I don’t really understand all of it but I think I can do with the majority of it. Initially, I struggled with comedy. But with passing days, I have become better at making sense of timing jokes. I am a fan of ‘Vijay Sethupathi’ for his innate sense of humor and choice of movies.

Anyway, I was just halfway through this movie which is filled with illogical jokes and humor that doesn’t really make you laugh. Still, I decided to finish what I had started. At one point, a joke came up pointing to the missing plane MH370. One character says that the protagonist, Sethupathi is responsible for the mystery behind the missing plane. This was clearly meant as a joke which of course didn’t bring out any laughter at all.

The scene swiftly moved to the other and all about the joke was forgotten.  For some reason, I couldn’t get past it. Perhaps, this is because I read a non-fiction book titled ‘MH370 – journeying the void’ just a few weeks ago. It contained the first-hand account of how the plane went missing and how the author was dealing with the loss of his wife. If anything, the book deserves to be respected for what it portrays. The families of the missing (who are presumed dead) are still dealing with unexplainable loss with hopes that one day they will get answers as to what went wrong.

I think film-makers should pay attention to what they add into their movies. Such jokes are distasteful which can be fully avoided. I agree with the fact that comedy is art and involves hard work. But isn’t it more important to be human to care and respect first?

Should every historical tragedy always find its way into jokes?

Thank you, my ex

Penned by: Saranya Ramakrishnan

Hello Hardy,

Wondering if you should trash this e-mail straight away or read it before you trash it anyway? Please read it for the sake of our old times, just once more. I assure there will be nothing flinch-worthy in my mail, but you can expect lot of gratitude in it. Yes, GRATITUDE!

Today happens to be Valentine's Day. As I walked down the road to work this morning, I could not help but think about the countless beautiful walks we have had on this very road. How very melodramatic, you must think...But, if you remember our beginning, then you must also remember that you chose a vibrant Valentine's day morning to tell me you loved me, a good 4 years ago. You always remembered dates, occasions, special moments and made me bask in fragrant sunlight on all those days. Thank you for being thoughtful all the while...

You were always expressive. I was called the 'Ice-Queen' back then, but you came into my life and I watched the snow around me melt and fall like pearl drops. I learnt to laugh, I learnt the very essence of 'two to tango', I learnt to let my hair down when I was with you, I learnt that sitting on the beach sands and talking could be the closest thing you could do with your loved one, I learnt to unburden my  mind, I learnt a countless other things...What a solidarity champion you were! Thank you Hardy...

It seems like yesterday when you pushed me into writing. Always the 'hawk' , and never the one to miss a prospective opportunity, you saw the few but strong lines I wrote on our first couple-anniversary and ensured they did not rot with that paper. I always admired your self-confidence, but your motivation was at another level. We sacrificed one too many weekends so I could write for different magazines and contribute to technical papers. At that time, I did think it was strange that a man could be so on-point, careful with his moves and words, accurate most of the time, sacrificial when it needed to be. But, shouldn't I thank you for having been like that because you made 'writing' my life and my world. Thank you...

On those rare occasions that we took time off and went on long rides, I think you were at your creative best. I know I had pestered you one too many times about why you chose me when you had half the good-looking girls chasing you at work. And, I remember clearly that curvy smile and a taut silence followed by your words that were my life-strings all that time - "There's no one like you, Laurie. I want to walk with you all the way to the stars and back to the Earth again". Thank you for wanting to walk with me at that point in life...

Why then, I wonder, why did we fall apart? Was it the work assignment that took you overseas or my writing commitments that kept me travelling all around? Was it for the lack of trying on either sides for fear of being too 'pressurizing'? Was it because we were having days and nights at different times? Was it because our ego and too much tactfulness got the better of us when human emotions should have? When we decided to part ways, it was way too clean and polite...At that point of time, I marvelled about our sense of decency and efforts to keep things between us very neat. Hang on! Shouldn't I thank you now for not having brought up the word 'break-up' even after I put you through tumultuous pages of Whatsapp messages and then followed up with a fortnight of silence. What amazes me is we never fought or made up boisterously like how couples usually do. You always were very courteous, Hardy. Thank you...

The last two years have been an ocean of changes for me, and in these months, I have been able to link the missing parts of our short but enriching tale. And now, when I have made peace with the past and I know what I want for the future, I thought I should let you know - Our relationship was never meant to be because we truly are adjacent pieces from the same side of the block. When I stumbled, you picked me up, not to hug me but to help me walk forward. When I broke down, you wiped my tears but you attempted not to shred the cause into pieces. You always listened but never spoke much (I did not let you, did I?). Love stories have magic tied to their core and I guess ours had lot of companionship but very little magic. The embers of those memories are going to be gone soon, but before they go away altogether, I thought I should thank you Hardy, for bringing out my facets and help me carve my own destiny. When someone says I am very easy to talk to, I look nice when I smile, I am extremely confident and that I should write more, I tell them it was because there was a period in my life when I was able to walk hand in hand with a man of great perseverance.

Before I wind up, and before you decide not to trash this e-mail anyway (as I know you will not), I want to tell you that when you choose to move on (as I know for sure you will), please let your 'heart' choose her and not your 'mind'. Wishing you glorious sunrises and scenic sunsets all your life.

Oh Heavens! I forgot...

Be gentle on yourself, Hardy! I am learning to be...

Regards

Laurie

Why our recent Olympic feat isn’t just a giant leap for Indian women?

Ever since news reports poured in, covering the achievements of three important women – Sindhu, Sakshi and Dipa made the rounds on Facebook, many have referred to the success as a turning point for Indian women. It’s no doubt that these three women, by their indomitable spirit and courage have created history that will be etched in our hearts forever.

What I truly believe is this – women in our country have been making history since many decades, Indira Gandhi, Kiran Bedi, Mother Teresa, Arundati Roy… the list is endless. There is a story in every woman which makes her influential regardless of whether she creates history or not. In fact, our own mothers are deeply inspiring individuals who have gone to great heights in their lifetime surrounding their families.

I don’t regard the recent success at the Olympics as “women oriented” or paving the way for women to come up front. What this success really offers is this – being passionate is what truly matters at the end of the day. Choosing our dreams over our mundane jobs takes a lot of courage which not every man or woman is capable of.

Not everybody decides to chase their dreams. In fact, most of us lock our dreams far inside our hearts only to be nostalgic about them in our later lives. These young women dared to chase their dreams, they dared to realize them than just visualizing, they dared to show the world what true passion is, they dared to show what it took to become what they were meant to be.

“There is no passion to be found playing small--in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

The recent spike in a range of wider and broader fields of careers is evident that people are choosing their dreams over mundane jobs. Yet, so many of us simply put aside our dreams letting our fear of failure control us. The biggest blow comes when parents ignore their child’s talent, pressing them to take a path only to earn a few bucks to ensure a risk-free future life.

As they say, “Those who wish to sing a song will always find one. Those who don’t, will always find an excuse.”

Our choices make us. Our passions define us. It is true that dreams always, always come with a big price. But so does a dreamless life. It depends on us, what price are we willing to pay?

I am fascinated by Robert Frost whose famous lines still hold true and will always will,

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

These three women just proved it. 

Airlift : loss and regain of hope and life

Stories can stir hearts making the much needed difference. There are stories everywhere. It’s up to us, which ones we do want to hear and which ones we don’t. But then, there are some stories that somehow make their way into our lives. One such story is Airlift, the movie.

I normally wouldn’t be writing a review if the movie hadn’t impressed me. In fact, it had surpassed my expectations. It’s just not the movie, but the flawless depiction of the biggest rescue operation conducted in Indian history that has baffled me beyond words. What men can do if they set their minds on and decide not to give up? How few people can take control and lead the way for the helpless?

The rescue operation story of almost 1,70,000 Indians who were stranded in Kuwait has been re-told trough the movie Airlift with Akshay Kumar playing the lead role. It’s a reality based movie but what is truly gripping is the delivery of the tension and pressure that must have prevailed in the situation years ago when Indian faced the plight in Kuwait when Iraq attacked.  The loss and regain of hope and life, over and over can break a human heart but it can also make it stronger and firm. The human bond that develops when attacked by a tragedy is beyond words. It's amazing what people can do if they decide not to give up. 

To say that it’s a beautiful or amazing movie would be shame, or to simply praise the movie would also not suffice. It simply transports you twenty years ago and shows you what it is to protect someone because at the end of day, we are all answerable to somebody. 

Coming to the cast, Akshay Kumar has delivered a meticulous performance carrying the entire movie on his shoulders. I would rate this as his best movie till date. Purab Kohli and Nimrat Kaur have played their roles beautifully.

Rating for Airlift – 5/5.

Survival stories,part 1 - Turia Pitt, what one woman has to teach the world...

When I first came across an article about Turia Pitt, I read it casually just as if I were reading any other news item on FaceBook. But as I read through her story, I began to wonder about the aspects of human mind which can be amazingly extraordinary. Life sucks big time, you and I  will agree to that, because we have a number of problems to talk about ranging from the tiniest of issues. Yes, that's what makes us human. To crib and complain. But what also makes us human is to be able to look up at life in the face and say 'Bring it on'.

Turia Pitt is of my age, a few months older than I (that's the only common thing between us). What makes her different is the fact that after facing a horrific burn accident which has left her - (see her image in the post of before and after). Instead of curling into a ball and hiding from the world, she is out in the open telling her story to the world.

Before

Below is an excerpt borrowed from a famous site in which Turia talks about her struggle and courage and also what she thinks we can do in our lives:

                 “I find it really bizarre that people think I’m interesting because I was burned when truthfully, I have always been really interesting! I’m not trying to diminish my journey because it has been so incredibly tough. I have learnt that the strength of the human mind — our mind — is extraordinary. I’ve learnt that happiness and success in life are not a result of what we have bu

After

t rather of how we live. Most importantly, I have learnt all of us here have so much more potential and are so much more capable than we could ever know.

“In a matter of seconds, the accident had taken everything away from me: everything I was ever good at, everything I had ever known, everything I ever thought I wanted.“But maybe it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It gave me the freedom to start my life again. It gave me a voice. It gave me an opportunity to be heard. It gave me the resources to put my time and energy into something I am passionate about, such as working for Interplast and setting up my foundation.

“When I was in hospital, I needed a ritual if I was going to get better and I chose the stairs. At first, it was just one, then two ... By the time I was up to doing a whole flight, I told my surgeon. I thought he was going to give me a pat on the back. Instead, he said, ‘So what? Why don’t you do all of them?’ I said, ‘But there are nine flights, 18 landings, 234 steps’. But a part of me thought ‘screw you, mate’. The next day, Michael and I walked every one of those 234 steps. That was when I knew I had the potential to set any goal and achieve it.

“We all have this idea that time is infinite, that there is always tomorrow or next week or next year. In fact, time is our most valuable resource. You can’t buy it, you can’t extract it and it is running out for all of us. We have no idea when our time might be up. We have a choice: do we wait for disaster to happen and then find out how amazing we are, or at this point in time, do you say to yourself, I am extraordinary and there is so much more I can give? Since my accident, I have done the Lake Argyle Swim, walked a section of the Great Wall of China ... am training for my very first iron man and organising a fundraising trek on the Inca Trail. I invite people to join me and you should hear some of their excuses: it’s too far, I’m too fat, I’m too boring, I’m too old.

“It is astonishing the excuses people use to keep themselves stuck. If you really want something, you will find a way to make it happen. In a way, I am trapped by my body — it doesn’t let me do all the things I used to.

“But a lot of people are paralysed by their mindset. We doubt we would get that job, so we don’t go for it. We doubt we can finish that fun run, so we don’t enter.

“When did we start thinking so little of ourselves? It is natural to want things to stay the same and, sometimes, we are scared to evolve and become something new. But it shouldn’t take a tragedy to remind us who we are and what we are capable of.”

Ivide, a new age thriller, seamlessly delivered.

When I first started watching ‘Ivide’, I found it coming out from a novel or a Hollywood movie. What with the actors trying hard to adapt the American slang with the movie shot entirely in Atlanta, US, I found it to be just like any English movie except that they were replaced with Malayalam actors. Throw in the usual mix, hero separated, has a daughter, shares custody with the heroine, heroine dates another guy, hero jealous… the same usual drama, but more like an English film.

As the movie progress with the protagonist, Prithviraj, playing an investigating officer in a serial crime case, things begin to get interesting where he narrates us in Malayalam. Though the movie has heavily borrowed the American lifestyle, there are traces of the kerala culture which makes the movie stand out.

Places where Prithviraj narrates his story of how he landed in the US, being an Indian orphan, and his interaction with American parents work out brilliantly. As he investigates the case, his scenes are majorly developed with American actors and officers which he has carried flawlessly. Slipping into the role of an American, he has worked hard on the slang which doesn’t look artificial (which is not always easy).

Bhavana and Nivin have played their roles well. Bhavana, being the ex-wife of Prithviraj and Nivin being the new love interest in Bhavana’s life along with his involvement in a major IT company work out well. The murders of IT employees followed by police investigation is what forms the crux of the story.

It’s an entirely Prithviraj movie. And the background score cannot be ignored which has a noticeable place in the film. It’s a different movie which has tried to pick a simple storyline but the hard work is where when they tried to adapt Indian actors living the American lifestyle. A definitely new age cinema delivered to perfection. The climax is filled with bittersweet surprise.

4.5 stars for this one.

My salted tea

Sometimes, being with a baby, can get overwhelming. Now that I am a stay at home mommy, my only company is a baby who demands constant entertainment most of the times. And this gives me little breathing space for my own. Of course, after my husband comes, I can hand over the baby to him. But that’s the only time I can get any cooking done.

Today, when I noticed a cool breeze on my patio, I decided, no matter what happens, I will make myself a cup of tea and enjoy nature for a while. What’s the use of having such a huge patio then? Wouldn’t it be such a waste? After playing with the baby nonstop three hours (phew, so much energy they have), he finally dozed off to sleep. Without wasting a second, I sneaked into the kitchen and set upon making my tea.

As I made the tea, I noticed the dirty dishes in the kitchen, the toys scattered all over the floor, various other things messed up the living room, the kitchen table top screaming to be cleaned….there was so much to do. And the baby was sleeping. It was the perfect time to get things done. Putting up a strong front, I choose to ignore the chores that screamed for attention.

This was ME time, I said myself as I noticed the milk boiling with steam. I will not be one of those women who never make time for themselves and become miserable. Instead, I will ignore household duties for a while and enjoy a cup of tea. If I don’t enjoy, what’s the point in living? I reasoned with myself marveling at the fact that I had managed to squeeze few minutes for myself.

As I seated myself in my patio chair, with a carefree feeling taking over my mind, I set upon enjoying my tea (which was the whole idea). I frowned at the first sip. My tea was salted. How did I manage to put salt instead of sugar was beyond me! So much for a cup of tea!

Today is not my day, I thought as I threw the tea down the drain. Perhaps, another day will come, unplanned, undecided to surprise me with a cup of tea. Until then, you dirty dishes, here I come marching to fix you.