नज़र February 7, 2010
कब सांझ ढली और कब आयी रात
इसकी हमको नहीं खबर|
हमें तो दिखा सिर्फ उन का उजाला
जब भी जहाँ भी गयी नज़र|
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When the light faded and when arrived the night
Of this I have no recollection
All I saw was her radiant beauty
Whenever Wherever I looked
Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom (Movie Review) January 30, 2010
Spring Summer Fall Winter ... and Spring
Released as Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring, this 2003 South Korean movie effortlessly slides into my list of the best I have seen. If you are looking to see a movie that is calming and profound, one which will leave you in a meditative mood, this is the title to watch.
Shot entirely on a floating house in the middle of a lake and the surrounding mountains, the visuals are stunning and add to the mood. So is the music. The script is so minimal, I think it will fit in 2-3 pages at most. The story moves fluidly, not requiring any dialogues to convey its message. Five minutes into the film and you know this is going to be different. Abundant moments of complete absence of background score and no human sounds, just the natural creaking of a door, the splash of water, and rustle of leaves. Very melodious.
The title represents the many stages in a person’s life. Written and directed by Ki-duk Kim, this is entirely his story. The actors (including the director) do a fine job but the movie is not built on their shoulders; it stands on its own. As one gentle surprise after another is served I was left wondering that the true surprise is one which quickly retreats giving you space and time to ponder on its message. This movie is generously endowed with such moments.
Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom is about Zen, Poetry, Calm, Politeness, Guilt, Remorse, Sensuality, Innocence, Lust, Murder, Repentence, Meditation, Anger, Wisdom, a cat’s whiskers, and its tail, Punishment, Therapy, Learning, and Love.
Go watch now.
The poster is courtesy this website, where you can also find a more elaborate review. The IMDB page is here. The Wikipedia page is here.
दो कदम और सही (two more steps) January 24, 2010
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कुछ थका हुआ कुछ डरा हुआ
पर उमीदों और हौंसलों से भरा हुआ
एक अनजान रस्ते पे थमते और चलते हुए कदम
और कितने कदम का है ये सफ़र
बस दो कदम और सही
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न अंधेरों की खबर न खाई का डर
एक अनदेखी मंजिल पे टिकी नज़र
एक निरंतर कोशिश एक अनंत संघर्ष
और कितने कदम पे है सफलता
बस दो कदम और सही
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न आराम की चाह न भूक की पहचान
जैसे दाव पे लगी हुयी है जान
जैसे दरिया की दौड़ सागर तक
और कितने कदम पर होगा विलय
बस दो कदम और सही
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क्या कभी वोह होंगें हमारे
कब हर सांस पे मेहेकेंगी दो सांसें
ज़िन्दगी की सबसे अनमोल खोज पे चलते हुए
मैं खुद से सिर्फ एक वादा करता गया
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बस दो कदम और सही
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Credits:
Title is inspired by the song Do Kadam from the movie Meenaxi.
I used IIT Mumbai’s English to Hindi dictionary for some words.
Au Revoir Les Enfants (Movie Review) January 23, 2010
Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children) is set in German occupied France during the second world war. Directed by Louis Malle the movie draws on his childhood events of attending a Catholic school that harbours Jewish children.
The lead actors are two young boys played by Gaspard Manesse as the Catholic boy and Raphaël Fejtö as the Jewish boy. Like a slow cooked meal with attention to detail the movie is poignant and heroic without being melancholic or over-dramatic. The bonding between the two young boys is beautifully carved through realistic scenes of everyday school life. As the viewer is made aware that one of them is Jew, so is the Catholic boy. A sense of doom prevails in the background, never engulfing the movie or depriving it of its light heartedness. How real!
While the end will remain with you for a long time, what I take away from the movie is that love can blossom even in the face of death. The movie makes subtle statements about human behaviour. It uses the case of another young lad who works in the kitchen to make a point. A person of weak character is dangerous and one must be wary. Ample use of piano does justice to the theme and my favourite piano scene is when Jean Bonnet (the Jewish boy) plays it while his music teacher watches impressed. There is also the scene where the two boys play a piece together even while sirens of a possible bombing raid sound in the background. My thoughts went to the scene from Titanic where the musicians play on the deck even as the ship sinks. Music is such!
Au Revoir Les Enfants is in French and while the subtitles are sensitive, I am sure some fragrance is lost in translation. Nevertheless, a very worthwhile watch for its statement on innocence, bonding, and dignity.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
