Cinema, Karam, Kapi

I simply happened to see the Trailer and was fascinated with the mere thought of listening to a Bengali family’s tales for over 2 hours and decided to watch the film. Having worked in the sweet city, having mishit doi and a kathi roll for dinner with my mere savings for a year, I felt at ease living in the city of join 20 years back. I have made some friends for life and still in touch with many but have never seen a full-fledged movie ever. This was the chance. And in less than 1 year, my colleagues at work ensured I learnt conversational Bangla. So the movie’s trailer was intriguing enough for me to catch up last Sunday.  Switzerland – yes, that’s the movie name is about a family of four, a couple and their two little daughters who dream of travelling to the European country. Rumi (Rukmini Maitra) is a school teacher in downtown Kolkata and teaches Geography. Shibu (Abir Chatterjee)  is a salesman at a Mahindra dealership and has a love marriage, the bride being from a very rich fami

The end does not justify the means, goes an old adage. That Lord Rama killed Vaali, the King of Monkeys while hiding behind a tree, an episode in the epic Ramayana is a topic of great debate in local circles even today. Whether the Demon King Ravana was a hero or a villain is still a point of discussion and Director Mani Ratnam went on to make a movie in his name (in 2010) eulogising the great King’s antics through a subtle characterisation of a kidnapper which was incidentally played by Abhishek himself. The makers of “The Big Bull” have merely attempted the same through this film which premiered on Disney+Hotstar OTT platform in April 2021.   I was watching a hindi film after ages. And one feat. Abhishek Bachhan – I don’t really remember what was his previous film I saw – may be it was "Dum Maaro Dum" (2011). But boy, this guy has matured so much in his acting (no, really I mean it) over the years. Atleast in this film, I saw the same expressive eyes of his Bengali Mom and

I have always believed in my own coinage ‘Artificial Intelligence, Natural stupidity”. Netflix’ own production “Outside the Wire” is just that. When humans start depending more and more on machines and lesser on human values, we’re only headed for a major apocalypse. And this film once again reveals why is it so.   Harp (Damson Idris) is a drone pilot operating from a US Marine base and has a successful career as a drone pilot (the films is set in 2036). During a mission where Marines are fighting against an ambush, Harp decides by himself to strike a missile from the drone instead of listening to his superior’s order to hold back; the guys on ground want to save 2 wounded soldiers and are trying their best but Harp chooses to push the missile to save the 38 soldiers instead as there is a fully loaded van which is about to blow up. Subsequently, Harp is reprimanded; escapes a Court Martial and a jail term thanks to a benevolent boss, though he is sent to Camp Nathaniel in Ukraine to un

It has always been a point of discussion if it is ethical to double-cross a partner, whether in social life or in business or when in the Forces / Call of Duty. Well, there is not right or wrong here in my humble opinion. I guess the situation, the circumstances and the job/role that one plays decides whether he/she should deceive the other. An old adage goes thus – “The end doesn’t justify the means” cannot be more appropriate for this kind of behaviour. But then, life is not so simple and beautiful that we all don’t witness such situations. 2 Guns is just that.  A DEA cop and a Navy marine are both in disguise. While one chooses to befriend the other, the other one picks the former randomly. Bobby (Denzel Washington) and Stig (Mark Wahlber) visit a local diner to have a coffee and conversation. Bobby is waiting for his pal to arrive so he can offer some grub while Stig is giving a deep look inside the Bank which is opposite the diner. In split seconds, the Diner is set on fire for re

We cannot erase our past, but we can ensure we erase our future so it doesn’t erase our past. Yeah. Read again. And again. If you can get what I’m saying, well, then that’s Tent for you. Tenet was the first big budget outing that will be remembered for being released worldwide in theatres even as the Covid-19 pandemic shook the world all through 2020. Be glad that there is no direct or indirect connect to China. For Christopher Nolan is known to intertwine not just screenplay but also multiple geographies in his films.  In Tenet, he has stuck to just 7 countries (or geographies) including Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Norway, the UK and the US as well as amchi- Mumbai displaying a brave bungee jumping act among others in Mumbai in an Antillia-like structure. Later, they gatecrash a part of Oslo Airport with a Cargo Airliner with minimum destruction to the structure (ser, perhaps!).  Tenet is fantastically (and fanatically written and conceptualised) by Nolan, someone who has always belted m

Over the last week, I was on a road trip on work. But I chose not to drive rather be driven, so I can take calls, do some work while seated in the rear seat or probably catch up some sleep or even watch a movie. Actually, I did all of these this trip. Most of the time while I drive, I am engrossed in thoughts, sometimes deep and heavy and this distracts my speed, concentration and blurs my vision – literally and emotionally. When I was watching Kodachrome in my hotel room, I couldn’t agree more what this solo-driving means to me, most of the time. This time is mostly “Me Time” – without much distractions even as I look back the rear and side view mirrors of my car as well as my own past life. No regrets, yes. I have lived a complete life, just like Ben – Benjamin Asher Ryder (Ed Harris), a famous photographer of his times who goes on one last road trip with his estranged son Matt Ryder (Jason Sudeikis) with whom he reunites after a decade though Matt grows up with Ben’s brother and his

A young muslim boy aged 7 was distributing newspapers in a quaint town of South India many decades back. His school teacher who was a Hindu, identified him as a bright young man in the making and encouraged him to study well, though the boy had to still make ends meet for his poverty stuck family. Today, the entrance of Rameswaram, the town that he lived and grew up has an edifice of his lifetime work in the name and style of “Kalam Memorial” where a rocket that he commissioned in his early years stands proudly showcasing his years of work and dedication, before he eventually became the First Citizen of India and made his homeland proud. Other than this, there are many many such examples of people who have come up, literally from the rags and have risen to higher echelons of the society, in the professional, entrepreneurial and even political space. The White Tiger, now streaming on Netflix is about this phenomenon – Poverty Porn – as the name that has been coined for this as a referen