From shadows to the stars

I generally avoid writing about films because I realise not everyone is interested in them (and even few are probably interested in the type of films that I like), but I just could not resist the urge to do so this time. 1) The Theory of Everything A very enjoyable film, but what I want to discuss is the treatment of the lead character (Stephen Hawking) by the makers. If this movie had been made in India, I am quite sure that the people in charge would have had a field a day exploiting the hurdles that the character faced. Instead of humanising Hawking, they would have victimised him. Among the many things I dislike about Indian cinema, one of them is that the makers always seem to be hell-bent on (and derive some sort of sadistic pleasure from) evoking tears from the audience with melodrama and over-sentimentality. Another difference I noticed between Indian and foreign cinema is the way they treat intensely dramatic scenes. For example, in The Theory of Everything, the piv

Here we go, with a quickfire Random Observations post. RO #1 In this country, why are people driving in cars exempt from the social duty of providing 'lifts' to pedestrians? If someone were foolish enough to even signal the 'thumbs up' sign towards a car to request a lift, he/ she (well you rarely see female hitchhikers, to be honest) would receive a look that says "are you fucking crazy bro?" from the driver. Sure, two-wheelers and those other mortals might be obligated to help some pedestrians now and then, but not the car owners! Who knows what kind of filth and shit they might be bringing into the car, right? I mean, come on! RO #2 Have you ever noticed that the people who make and serve pani puri/ gapshup are always in a hurry? Do they have somewhere important to go every single day? I mean, if there is a mad rush or a huge queue (hah! Indians and queues, as if!) waiting for the pani puris, then I can understand. But even when

Though Monty Python are regarded as one of the best comedy troupes now, their struggles at the height of their popularity are also well documented. Python were constantly up in arms against the then conservative societies and also Christians, who despised movies like 'Life of Brian'. Python kept going from strength to strength. Their brilliant with saw them even parodying audience reactions to their skits and also movies. (The reaction of the General/ military personnel in 'And Now For Something Completely Different' stands out) It is not an overstatement that through their comedy routines and skits, Monty Python played a major role in 'desensitising' the conservative societies of West. Words or thoughts that were previously un-utterable were now freely used and people did not get 'offended' or 'grossed out' easily in real life as a consequence of Python grossing them out on reel. I have long been saying that India needs its Monty Python.