Reflections of Passions

There's a huge smile on my lips and a twinkle in my eyes that just refuses to fade away. The reason--bumping into long-lost friends!! Just a few days ago, I ended up meeting my college friends and this time, I met my school buddies, my partners-in-crime in all those endless pranks and full on masti moments. All those gossip sessions, heart-to-heart talks and even the bitter arguments--every little bit resurfaced and it was a deeply fulfilling rehashing of memories. Those hours spent in their company gave me such immense happiness and such a crazy burst of excited energy that even my dance crew members were amazed at how totall contagious my joie-de-vivre was! It got me thinking: If one such incident can have such a momentous, such a mammoth effect on my mood and my demeanour, there's got to be so many other moments that I don't necessarily pay attention to and take for granted. So today I am going to list out all those small and little and big and bigger things that make me

If you are craving for something different from the usual Bollywood trash, ensure that you buy tickets for Love Sex aur Dhokha. The film isn't anything like what you have seen on the silver screen before. But be forewarned. Dibakar Banerjee's film is meant to be seen--and savoured--by shedding all your mothballed beliefs about how commercial cinema must or must not be. Like the 3D glasses that gave me a whole new kick out of James Cameron's Avatar, here too, you need a new kind of vision to understand how a breed of young, professionals are hell bent on pushing the envelope of traditional Bollywood and literally pulling out the rabbit from the hat. The rabbit? A completely new idiom that only the bold and venturesome can dare to enunciate. The film works through three short stories which focus on contemporary India's attitude towards love and sex and it's unending appetite for voyeurism. In the first story two film institute students have to complete a diploma film

Sitting at a coffee table for twenty people, I was for the very first time extremely thrilled and intensely nervous in the same breath. Why excited? Well, all those seated at the table were my few college friends and I was meeting them after nearly 18 years. And why nervous? At the risk of sounding repetitive... I was meeting them after 18 LONG YEARS. I was staring at everyone, looking around the table. I tried to superimpose the faces hidden in my memory onto existing ones. Many things have changed over the years and I kept questioning them throughout the afternoon. Hey, how much weight have you put on? Your hairline is receding, Oh! So, you are married? were just some of the general banter that we asked. And then suddenly one of my friends made a statement and literally in thirty seconds I had aged to another generation. She said that she has a five year old son. Which made me realize that I was officially an ''aunty'' to a kid. The dichotomy of the situation is that

I'm not very appreciative of Mahesh Bhatt movies considering he mostly wastes the talent of actors in his movies. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered Arth which made a mark. It is made with utmost honesty and sincerity and the film turned out to be very original and according to me is nothing less than a cult classic. The story is very simple but what makes it special is the treatment. Due to the superb direction, one can easily identify with what is going on the film and can relate to the characters, relationships and how they deal with it. There are no gimmicks, over-the-top glamour or unnecessary melodrama. It doesn't emphasize on paraphernalia like high-end budgets and item songs.. Despite this, it makes you sit throughout and share the highs and lows of its characters. The story revolves around three people Inder Malhotra (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), an ad filmmaker, Pooja Malhotra (Shabana Azmi) as his wife and the ''other'' woman Kavita Sanya

Sunsets have always made me pensive; and the further I am away from home (I'm in the USA at the moment) the more potent and overpowering is their effect on my mood, my thoughts and very recently my words--ever since I've taken up the initiative of writing this column. There are people I know who romanticize sunsets and turn them into lovers, in whose arms they can spend the beginning of darkness; there are yet others, who term sunsets as one of the most beautiful sights nature bestows upon us. Yes! Beautiful, they sure are! But, it cannot be denied that sunsets are Mother Nature's very own double-edged swords. Every sunset, for instance, is a glaring reminder of things that come to an end. One day less to work harder to achieve my dreams, one day less to enjoy the excitement of a new city, one day less to devour good food, one day less to hear a loved one saying, "I love you" to me, one day less in the game of life. On the contrary, sunsets help you forget the day

It was a perfect Sunday I always wanted to spend. Sitting lazily on the couch and watching an old film from the 1970s. I am a big fan of the Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and their style of filmmaking. That's why, I chose to watch Basu Chatterjee's "Chhoti Si Baat" starring Amol Palekar, Vidya Sinha, Ashoke Kumar and Asrani. I was told that Chhoti Si Baat was released in the mid seventies when I wasn't even born :). Chhoti Si Baat is a story of Arun Pradeep (Amol Palekar), a middle-class bachelor who works in a private firm. He is a very shy and low on self confidence. Following the tradition of his company of love marriages by all its employees, he also falls in love with a girl Prabha Narayan (Vidya Sinha). He sees Prabha daily at the bus stop en route to his office. He follows her everyday but is scared of talking to her. Prabha (Vidya Sinha) takes notice of this and also starts liking him. After an incident, he collects all his courage and starts a con

I've been thinking a lot about the only child syndrome (or the 'lonely' child syndrome, depending on my mood) lately. In a classic case of always wanting what you can't have, my childhood was spent pining for a sibling to grow up with, gawking enviously at my friends who would share rooms, clothes, secrets, practically everything, with each other. I imagined every night to be a slumber party for them, every meal to be a riotous affair. I really, desperately, wanted a brother or sister to be my closest confidante, but eventually, I found my siblings in my friends and I realised that while blood maybe thicker than water, it doesn't always make for a stronger bond. Today, I read about countless siblings, once attached at the hips, lashing out at each other in shameful displays of legal know how, humiliating not only themselves, but also the parents who raised them. Property disputes, corporate battles and petty familial politics adorn the front pages of newspapers and

As a child, I loved puzzles. For me, they stood for challenges and mystery--the greater the number of pieces, the more it would egg me on to complete it. I was out to prove to everyone, including myself, that I had what it takes to piece things together. Then came baseball that made me believe in being a team player that again is based on the premise of being part of the glue that binds the team together and is responsible for the final success. I believe that I can still do so, not just with puzzles and football but also with life. However, with the tide of life, the dynamics of my puzzles and games often change. Every time a few pieces would remain for me to complete my jigsaw puzzle, strong currents seem to sway them in various directions. I am often so close to completing it but I am forced to start it all over again. So, I say to myself--OK, here goes... I'll try again. Slowly and steadily I work towards piecing the various facets of my life together, but this time with a diff

Staring at the blank page... An hour later, I'm still staring at the blank page. Okay, I think it is high time I start moving my fingers on the keyboard. What do I write about? Well, I think this is a good topic, no, no wait I think that is better. Hmmm, but the other thing would be interesting. Oh God! Help! It's a strange feeling of too many thoughts running through my head and at the same time, I'm completely blank. It's like sitting for an examination staring at a question, the answer to which you know but can't remember. Ok, hold on... let's do this slowly for I hope to keep you vying for more for just a little longer. So firstly, welcome to my word space and my honest confessions and general musings! Here's where I can share my thoughts and opinions and may even give you reason to think... Well, atleast I hope to. I'm quite excited, pretty obvious, isn't it? (Even though I can hear my conscience saying "Control Divya, Control", you ha