Over the period I have read books and watched movies, one thing I have learnt is this. It is not you who choose the books; its the books who choose you. I have had this feeling umpteen number of times and I can, with undoubted surety say that it is true for my movies as well. Often times, I have brought movies home and have returned without watching them. And then, one fine day, you bring the movie back, it is the perfect mood setting for the movie you still dont know about, and you stick it in. A few hours later, the movie ends and you begin! You are swept by the thoughts you never imagined could have been there.
I love to read books and watch movies that are both, optimistic and thought-provoking. I flinch from depressing, pessimistic movies. True, some of those can be thought-provoking as well. But at the end of it, i want my mind running, thoughts gushing and my self, charged up!
That was precisely my bias for my delay in picking up Hotel Rwanda. But it turned out to be thankfully different. The movie is a riveting story of the courage and humanity of a moderate Hutu man married to a Tutsi woman set in the times of Rwandan genocide. The ruling Hutus are avenging the previous Tutsi rule by cleansing the Tutsis and the moderate Hutus. Don Cheadle, the protagonist, gives a stupendous performance showcasing how his character evolves from being self-centered to someone who is ready to sacrifice for the sake of his fellow beings in the midst of adversity. The film is a poignant sketch of an infamous historical occurence; something called Rwanda, that to many of us may have crossed our minds as a mere news headline or a blip on our memory's radar.
Yesterday, I watched Teen Deewarein by Nagesh Kukunoor. It is one of those movies that choose you. I remember renting it a few months back and returning without watching it. The success of Iqbal (what a shame, I have yet to see it) and hence Nagesh Kukunoor shows what this guy is made up of. Teen Deewarein is about brilliant story, direction and performances. To me, it appeared as a movie portraying how our lives intersect with that of others without us knowing it and how those few moments leave an indelible mark on all of us. It is cinema very well done with excellent performances by Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Nagesh Kukunoor himself and Juhi Chawla. No wonder it may not have minted big bucks at the box office for the sheer overuse of English. However, that by no means goes against the movie. Go watch it!
Following Teen Deewarein, the first thought that struck me was how two movies and a book had recently crossed paths with me giving the very same message. One of those movies was ofcourse, Teen Deewarein.
A few months back, I watched Crash! Until Teen Deewarein I could not realize its essence although it was so evident. Maybe it was because of the lack of my attention or the simple fact that I didnt have the English sub-titles on. Yeah, I still need them! But now, its all falling into place. I'll probably watch Crash again.
The book. I am reading Five people you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom - the brilliant author behind Tuesdays with Morrie. I wont be a spoiler for those of you who havent read either of the books. But I will surely come back to share my thought once I am done reading Five people ... As for those who haven't read Tuesdays with Morrie its a lovely read. You cant go wrong picking up this book.
I love to read books and watch movies that are both, optimistic and thought-provoking. I flinch from depressing, pessimistic movies. True, some of those can be thought-provoking as well. But at the end of it, i want my mind running, thoughts gushing and my self, charged up!
That was precisely my bias for my delay in picking up Hotel Rwanda. But it turned out to be thankfully different. The movie is a riveting story of the courage and humanity of a moderate Hutu man married to a Tutsi woman set in the times of Rwandan genocide. The ruling Hutus are avenging the previous Tutsi rule by cleansing the Tutsis and the moderate Hutus. Don Cheadle, the protagonist, gives a stupendous performance showcasing how his character evolves from being self-centered to someone who is ready to sacrifice for the sake of his fellow beings in the midst of adversity. The film is a poignant sketch of an infamous historical occurence; something called Rwanda, that to many of us may have crossed our minds as a mere news headline or a blip on our memory's radar.
Yesterday, I watched Teen Deewarein by Nagesh Kukunoor. It is one of those movies that choose you. I remember renting it a few months back and returning without watching it. The success of Iqbal (what a shame, I have yet to see it) and hence Nagesh Kukunoor shows what this guy is made up of. Teen Deewarein is about brilliant story, direction and performances. To me, it appeared as a movie portraying how our lives intersect with that of others without us knowing it and how those few moments leave an indelible mark on all of us. It is cinema very well done with excellent performances by Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Nagesh Kukunoor himself and Juhi Chawla. No wonder it may not have minted big bucks at the box office for the sheer overuse of English. However, that by no means goes against the movie. Go watch it!
Following Teen Deewarein, the first thought that struck me was how two movies and a book had recently crossed paths with me giving the very same message. One of those movies was ofcourse, Teen Deewarein.
A few months back, I watched Crash! Until Teen Deewarein I could not realize its essence although it was so evident. Maybe it was because of the lack of my attention or the simple fact that I didnt have the English sub-titles on. Yeah, I still need them! But now, its all falling into place. I'll probably watch Crash again.
The book. I am reading Five people you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom - the brilliant author behind Tuesdays with Morrie. I wont be a spoiler for those of you who havent read either of the books. But I will surely come back to share my thought once I am done reading Five people ... As for those who haven't read Tuesdays with Morrie its a lovely read. You cant go wrong picking up this book.
1 comment:
Similar thoughts about Hotel Rwanda. Awesome movie! and simply awesome performance by the protagonist. And yeh Crash you should watch it again.
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