A movie a day: The way to live

I've vowed to watch one movie a (working) day till the day I leave Bangalore (That day is fixed BTW, I'm flying out on 4th June. So, now my days are numbered.. har har har). This week, I've watched four movies till now and I'm set to watch another this night. I don't think I can add more to the tally during weekend as we are planning to visit Ooty during the three day weekend. Anyway, I'm putting up my comments about the movies I watched this week. Check out - Water, Grave of the Fireflies, Pyaare Mohan and Memoirs of a Geisha. Warning: Spoilers ahead.

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Water: Water for me is a movie of what-ifs and could-have-beens. As her reputation goes, Mira Nair Deepa Mehta has taken up a strong script and made a thought-provoking film out of it.

Lisa and John: The Weakest Links?

The story, set in late 1930s, is clearly the best part of the film. The film starts with excerpts from Laws of Manu, according to which a widow must lead a life devoid of all worldly pleasures. The film makes a good case against the treatment of widows in the traditional hindu society of 1930s. The hypocritical dysfunctional society, where the dominant males used to interpret the scriptures according to their likes. In one scene, an old decadent Seth says,"Brahmin kisi ke bhi saath so sakta hai. Is mein bhala us aurat ka hi hai." (A Brahmin can sleep with anyone he likes. Its better for that woman too.) The film covers many such iniquities prevalent in the society that time. Of course, many still are, and that makes the film relevent in today's times too.

Now some shortcomings of the movie, had Mira Nair Mehta gave the casting a more serious thought, it could have been a masterpiece. Acting is probably weakest part of otherwise a very good film. Seema Biswas is one seasoned actress and its very difficult to find any fault in her work, but other than her, their are not many strong performances to carry the film. Lisa Ray has shed some weight after "Bollywood-Hollywood" and is looking absolutely ravishing, but she just can't act! John Abraham tries, but even after that he can't create the charm Saif Ali Khan created in Parineeta. John simply could not convince me as a nationalist in the turbulent 30s. Perhaps his image was a hinderence, but I'm not sure if he was the best choice for the role. The hindi dialogs too are banal at times. With such a strong script, equally sharp dialogs could have added much more. Not the mention the poor delivery by Lisa Ray!

The film has many heart-touching scenes. When the old Bua, pining for sweets but not getting any, lets out the final breath after Chuiya gets her a laddu. Or when the Pundit, stuck between the pity for Seema Biswas & the religious diktat, asks her if she feels close to moksha (salvation) and she says if moksha means vairagya (insularism), then not. Another one, when Biswas and John are mourning Ray's death and Biswas asks him why are they (widows) forced to live there (ashram), to which John replies,"Ek bistar bach jata hai, khane wala ek munh kam ho jata hai.. aur koi kaaran nahi hai." (It saves an extra bed, reduces the number of eaters .. there is no other reason.)

The irony with the movie is, it tells a story with which not many among the multiplex crowd would be able to relate. And this movie is not going to be released outside the multiplexes, if at all it arrives in India. I guess, its an insulting movie to our great Indian culture, hah!

Get a DVD. Watch the movie.

Rating: 3/5

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"The best film you would never want to watch again."

Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka): Some user has described this movie at IMDB as "the best war movie you would never want to watch again." I don't think anything more profound can be said about the movie. As the tradition of Hollywood war movies go, they are more concerned with the heroics and the win. What about the price which has to be paid, by both winning and the losing sides? This film captures the plight of two small children, Seita & Setsuko, stuck in the second World War Japan. Their father is already fighting for the navy & they lose their mother to an air-raid. To survive in the war torn Japan, with rationed food and scarcity & fear spread all over, is one challange the children fail to tackle. Despite every possible effort by the brother, he could not save the little sister. For Japanese people, their pride means a lot, but in those miserable times, the brother had to steal food for both of them. It's never enough for them anyway. He even risks his life by running to the city under bombing, to steal whatever food or valuables he can find in the deserted houses.

The story is as simple and as heartbreaking as any real life story can be. This film is based on the novel with the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka. Nosaka lost his younger sister during the war to malnutrition and blamed himself for her death. I had reservations about the movie since it's an anime movie. But that doesn't holds the movie back in any way. The emotions and the predicament of the characters, be it the siblings or their grumpy aunt or the hopeless farmers, come out very well.

Another good thing about the movie is that it doesn't take any side and doesn't point fingers to anyone. It doesn't say that those kids are suffering because of Americans. It doesn't waste time in establishing good & bad sides and heros & villians. I'd keep this along all time best war movies, along with "Life is Beautiful".

Rating: 3.5/5

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Pyaare-Mohan: Avoid.

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Too alien a story for me.

Memoirs of a Geisha: My understanding of the Japanese culture of early last century is very limited. Samurais are perhaps the only funda I know. Hence, Geisha.. was an eye-opener of sorts. The movie is based on a novel which covers the life on a small girl, who grows up to be a hugely popular Giesha, in the pre-war Japan.

The movie is well made and definitely worth watching. But I could not relate well with the Giesha concept. They are escorts, trained in music, dance and the art of conversation. They aren't prostitutes, still they'd auction their virginity. It gets a bit confusing.

The story is good. It starts with a father selling his two daughters, for medication of his ailing wife. The two sisters are seperated at the okiya and follow their destinies to become Gieshas. Chiyo, the younger one fails to join her sister in their plan to run away. Now she is doomed to live as a slave. That is until an celebrated Giesha, Mameha, takes her under her wings to train and make her the most celebrated Giesha. Chiyo turns into Sayuri, a bundle of mystery & charm, and enticing the rich & successful in Japanese society. But in the deepest part of her heart, she desires to be with no one but the Chairman. She has been in love with the chairman since she was 9 and accidently bumped in to him and he bought her an ice-cream.

This angle about a precocious girl in love with a man, thrice her age and the chairman loving her back, is a bit too much to digest for me. The chairman asked Mameha to take Chiyo under her and train her to be a Geisha, so that he can be with her .. uggh!

The presentation and the execution of the movie are brilliant, though. The acting is flawless and utmost care has been taken to get the era presented rightly. Just that I couldn't relate much with the story.

Rating: 3/5

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