The Playlist Nostalgia

Playlist Nostalgia: A Musical Trip down the Memory Lane

Hey, you want a trip? A fucking free trip? Guess what, I don't have one. It's just a free advice , but that's enough. You just follow this and you 'll have your own trip down the memory lane, Oops! Such a Cliched phrase! That's not creativity-block, it's just that I am not Hemingway, you see.

So Here's one! Have Fun.

So the magic of playlists is that if these stay, these stay. Like whenever you listen to an old playlist the vivid or haunted images, depending upon your personal experiences, from past start dancing miraculously in front of your eyes, nobody gives a fuck shut or open.
And when this happens, now wait there and take a good deep note of these images, like the Taxman, Oh no! I am not a magician and this is not an insinuation, it's just nostalgia, Your own fucking Ex-World trying to communicate to you. Its like an escapade, to see your past whirling rhythmically to the beats of some old songs you can play as and when you want when the whole world is just ready to pay anything to get a slight glimpse of their future and you, my "Sad guy" as Richard Flanagan would say to those who have nothing but past, are dancing with your past with some old songs nobody gives a shit about but wait neither do you, right, do you? Oh I got you! You're a typical People-conscious-son-of-a-bitch who would cry like a little girl on your mother's chest if at all the world stopped giving fucks about you, yes YOU, because YOU are fucking important, YOU are fucking important!
And I am not Bullshitting and this Playlist Experiment is tried and tested and for a fact is true, no matter how high you are! So Now, you have got to hear my story, not because I am important, but because it may interest YOU and as I said - YOU are important.

I had this playlist when I was about to appear for my board exams:

1.Radio : The Corrs

2.Girlfriend in Coma : The Smiths

3.Bailamos : Enrique Iglesias

4.Norwegian Wood : The Beatles

5.Hey Jude : The Beatles

6.Some Girls are Bigger than the others : The Smiths

So yeah, I used to play these six songs over and over again along with being involved with a couple of more newly-adopted activities like smoking cigarettes, playing card games but with the ultimate aim of staying up and studying the whole night which I eventually kept down to staying up the whole night. And time used to pass just like that, with these songs being played on repeat over and over again & the Decent guy in the next dorm requesting me a couple of times at night to turn down the volume to which I would reply immediately: “Fuck Off”, even though I would turn the volume down before saying that. You can only do such things to a Decent person. The world is filthy and you have to contribute your filth, I did it this way. And if you don't, you may face very soon somebody dumping a load of this filth all over you. If you see now, that too was like a playlist, our conversation, being played on repeat over and over again, every night, without any fail. Yeah, that's the song number Seven. Congratulations, You got a Rainbow Now. 

To Each His Own Cinema- Fight Club

"Three Minutes.This is it- Ground zero"

David Fincher's Fight Club recently completed its 15 years. For me, It is undoubtedly the best movie I have ever watched. It's a satire on the structure of modern society and the growing Lonerism in Our Branded Lives. It's inspirational. It introduces you to the strength of your subconscious.

It's your best companion when you're low and it is philosophical in its own way. And there are so many hidden elements to look for in the movie that I find it fresh every time I watch it. 

We did shoot a 3-minute film !

3 Minutes(To Each His Own Cinema-FightClub)
Below is the screenplay I have written as a tribute to this great cinema.

To Each His Own Cinema- Fight Club

A guy is kneeling with a gun barrel in his throat.

GUY

(Voice-over)

People always ask me if i know them.

ASSAILANT

Three minutes. This is it. Ground zero.Do you have to say few words to mark the occasion?

GUY wakes up.He uses a towel placed next to him to clean himself up.He looks at the clock. It shows 3 PM.He gets up and starts walking towards the mirror.

GUY

(Voice-over)

For six months, i could not sleep. I could not sleep, could not sleep. With insomnia, nothing is real.

The projector starts on its own.

GUY

(Voice-over)

Everything is far away.

GUY looks at his laptop placed 3 feet away from him.Walks slowly and sits in front of it.

Someone knocks the door. GUY opens the door. He gets a punch right over his eyes. GUY comes back and sits in front of his laptop.

Someone knocks the door. GUY opens the door. He gets a punch right over his eyes. GUY comes back and sits in front of his laptop.

Someone knocks the door. GUY opens the door. He gets a punch right over his eyes. GUY comes back and sits in front of his laptop.

Someone knocks the door. GUY gets a punch right over his eyes.

Someone knocks the door. GUY punches himself right over his eyes.

Someone knocks the door. GUY punches himself right over his eyes.

The movie begins.

ASSAILANT

3 minutes. This is it. Ground zero.

-FIN-

Movie Review: Haider (2014)

"हम हैं कि हम नहीं । "

Haider is an adaptation of Shakespeare's play Hamlet. The plot is based in the beautiful valley of Kashmir which is also the land of dispute between India & Pakistan and has been used to accentuate the philosophy of "to be or not to be". Set against its backdrop is the story of Haider, a young Kashmiri who seeks vengeance against his uncle who is romantically involved with his mother after his father's death and is also Haider's prime suspect in the event of disappearance of his father.

Key Ingredients:

1.  Language and subtle use of Urdu poetry in the dialogues have been used as substantial tools in the movie. The dialogues are written by Vishal Bhardwaj. The writer has made a splendid use of literature in the screenplay. The use of symbolism and metaphors is equally loudable. Some of the dialogues which are very catchy metaphors are:
आँच कम कर लें थोड़ा ।
घर नहीं , पूरा गांव जलवाएंगे आप ।
मैं डॉक्टर की रुह हूँ ।
"हम हैं कि हम नहीं । "
The collation of AFSPA in Kashmir with CHUTZPAH, a word which sounds like Chutyapa (a Hindi cuss word).
The film is full of scenes depicting dark humor. Three old men gleefully digging their own graves and inviting Haider to dig one for himself which is to exemplify that joining militancy in Kashmir is equivalent to death. 

2.The film makes cerebral use of satirical comedy. The signature scene to highlight this is the one in which Rooh tricks a Kashmiri to get into his own house who was refusing to do so.It is a satire on AFSPA and militarization of Kashmir. Also there are two characters who are big fans of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan (Bhai). Their names are also Salman. They behave/act like Salman Khan even in the most intense situations which is Vishal Bhardwaj's dark humor at its best. 

3. Unlike most Bollywood movies in which the characters unrealistically start singing songs in appealing voices with background music from "god-knows-where", in Haider three of the songs have been actually sung by the characters without the background music ( Aao na Haider, Gulon Mein Rang & Do Jahan). Only two songs "Khul Kabhi toh" & "Bismil" have been added to commercial value to the movie. But then the choreography of "Bismil" is another high-point of the movie which needs a special mention. It portrays the aggression in Haider to take his revenge and also is an essential scene of the movie through which everyone comes to know of his real intentions. 
The music is somewhat influenced by the regional folk-music of Kashmir. I felt that background scores were missing in many of the scenes. Adding more scores could have made the movie more interesting and intense.  

4. Another incentive for watching Haider is its cinematography. It is one of the best photographed Bollywood movies. Moreover the beautiful Kashmir Valley gives wonderful opportunities to make it a exhilarating visual experience for the audience.

5. The actors have done a tremendous job. Kay Kay Menon as Khurram, Haider's uncle, is so existent that you are not sure if he is really the one who is involved in his brother's killing till he himself says so. Tabu has "lived" Ghazala in the film. She fancies of Khurram as her body and Haider as her soul and is helpless in their conflict. This is a very rare mainstream bollywood movie in which the actors have actually tried to incorporate the regional accent. Even though the continuity is missing in the same. 

Haider is a scintillating cinema. Though the editing part is very average. However, we must not overlook the fact that the movie was given 42 cuts to get it ratified by the censor Board of  India which has evidently infected its flow.I rate this movie 8.5/10.

     

  

  

Movie Review: Magnolia (1999)

"Things fall down. People look up. And when it rains, it pours".

Magnolia is an epic story of many characters whose lives intersect on a particular day. All the characters are in the life long search of either love or forgiveness. The film basically highlights the atrocities on children by their parents and its severe consequences.

This movie totally stands out as a true masterpiece and is certainly one of the best movies produced in "drama" category of all time. This is one of those very  rare movies which totally binds its audience even after having a length of over three hours.

Key Ingredients:

1.We have seen movies with two or three parallel stories running at the same time but in Magnolia, we have nine different plots running at the same time which keep on intersecting. Not only that, throughout the movie the screenwriter has ensured that the mood of each and every plot is the same which has helped the editor to easily switch from one plot to the other plot without using a blackout transition or breaking the movie into parts. I think it is an outstanding job to do so because even though your anxiety level is at peak while watching one of the plots you don't criticize the editor for making a cut to a scene from a different plot because the other plots also at that moment have the same anxiety level. So, in this way none of the plots are weaker or stronger as compared to the other plots. 

2. The soundtracks were created by Aimee Mann . The background scores were created by John Bryant which helped a lot in connecting the scenes. The central theme being- "Regret & Disappointments due to futile attempts in search of love and forgiveness". The soundtracks have really helped to add to the tension created for the viewers. The soundtracks work well for all the plots as the emotional peaks and troughs occur simultaneously for all the plots.  

3. The reason I call it one of the best movies in Drama categories I have ever watched is because of the actors. Paul Thomas Anderson  decided to go with the same cast he used in Boogie Nights which could be risky but turned out to be a very good decision because for a movie of this magnitude and having so many characters you have got to ensure that your cast understands you and your script very well.This is probably the reason why one can't rule out one of the plots as a weaker one. You know what would be the toughest question you could ask someone after watching this movie,  It would be which of the plots would you drop/cut down to reduce the movie-length from over three hours. Try it!

4. Even though the movie is full of scenes which have extraordinary dramatization, there are a few scenes that i would like to highlight in particular :

a) Julianne Moore's outburst in the medical store when she goes there to collect the medicines and the store-guy "forgets his decency".

b)The kid's refusal to answer the quiz questions in the T.V show.   

c)Frank's lecture about seducing and destroying women. This is undoubtedly Tom Cruise's best performance in any of his movies that i have watched! 

5. A large number of connecting elements have been added for the intersection of various plots. The T.V show being one of that which allows the editor to jump from the T.V kept in one scene in a particular plot to another T.V in a completely different scene from some other plot or may be to the T.V show itself being shot. There is a particular sequence in which every character is singing Aimee Mann's "Wise up". But the totally unexpected part is the climax when frogs start falling from the sky. The phrase "Its raining cats and dogs" was being repeatedly used in many scenes.All of a sudden,you realize that the phrase actually converts into reality.

Legends :

1. Donnie Smith: Quiz kid Donnie Smith was the winner of a T.V show back when he was a kid. But all his income was spent by his parents and he has been left alone without any support. He had a job which he loses. He is also getting himself braces to impress a guy at Bar whom he likes.(Apparently this guy also has braces) And his desire to love this bar-guy even compels him to do a robbery.

2. Stanley: He is the current Quiz kid who is under a tremendous pressure from his dad to win the game show but unlike Donnie, he refuses to accept the things his dad wants him to do and outbursts on the set of the T.V show.

3. Earl: He is an old guy on his death-bed who had ditched his first wife and his only son for useless things and seeks forgiveness from his son.He is also the producer  of the T.V show.

4. Frank: He is Earl's son who has led a terrible life due to his father's negligence and who now has turned into a chauvinistic womanizer who lectures men on how to conquer and destroy women.

5. Linda: She is Earl's new wife who married him just for his money but ultimately falls in love with him and regrets for betraying him while he was on his deathbed.

6.Jimmy Gator: He is the host of the Quiz kid T.V show. He had molested his own daughter but he is ironically introduced as being very good to kids.

7.Claudia: She is Jimmy's daughter who got separated from her dad because she believed he molested her. She has totally submerged herself into drugs and ruined herself by "whoring around" as put by Jimmy.

8.Phil Parma: He is Earl's nurse and he actually fulfills Earl's last wish by getting Frank to meet him. 

9.Officer Jim: He is an honest officer who is just the perfect man any girl would want but even at the age of 31 he has not been able to find anyone who would love him. This has made him a bit desperate in his attempt as he dates Claudia even without figuring out what is she like.

Even though one could point out that Paul Thomas Anderson hasn't been very experimental in this production apart from his typical long single-takes which he used in Boogie Nights too. But i would still say that the screenplay didn't demand that and rate this movie 9.5 on 10.

Secrets Of Screenwriting

As defined by Wikipedia, Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media. I will start with the most basic thing in screenwriting and that is the "Acts". There are three acts in screenwriting :
1.Set-up : The first act in which you develop the character of your protagonist. Now it is important to discuss here that the protagonist does not simply mean the main male/female lead in your movie.It may be a dog, a cat, a cardboard, a group of people. It can be anything. It depends upon the story you are writing.
2. Confrontation : Once you build the character, the next act is your protagonist's trouble. The protagonist has to face a situation which disturbs the protagonist or any conflict which makes the movie interesting or the viewer binding.
3. Resolution : Finally comes the third act- The third act depicts how the protagonist tries to tackle the situation.Whether or not the problem is solved is not important always. Some writers leave an open ending for their viewers to interpret. Ashghar Farhadi, an Iranian screenwriter & director does it beautifully in many of his movies.

Apart from these Acts, screenwriting can be explained through 4 P's :

1.People : "People" here refers to the characters in your movie. If you are writing a script with "Black & White characters" , that is you want the characters to be judged by the audience just as good or evil, then you have to build the characters accordingly. You will want your audience to root for your protagonists and against your antagonists. A section of writers also use "Colored-characters" characters as they want their audience to change their perceptions at certain points so that everyone doesn't end up picking just one side. R.R.Martin has done the same in "Game of thrones".

2.Plot : To drive a story/movie you need a conflict. That doesn't mean your story needs a villain. That's not a compulsion. Conflicts can be shown and tensions can be created in many ways. A number of films have been made on the complexity of human nature highlighting the internal conflict of mind.

3.Purpose: There should be a purpose of your story/movie. It may be hidden or shown in a very complicated manner as in many of the surreal movies. If the production team is certain about the purpose of creation, the outcome is always satisfying.

4.Place: A suitable location can add depth & Intrigue to your characters and story. It has the potential of visually communicating a great amount of information in a short period of time.When choosing a  location take care of the following things:
a)Relevance to the character/scene.
b) Comfort-ability for shooting the scene both for actors and the crew.
c) Space, lighting & noise-level conductive to a good shot.

The architect of dreams: Dali

Modern art as we see it, has not come up all of a sudden. Everything around us, the clothes we wear, the books we read, the food we eat, the buildings we live in, the cars we drive, even the way we think is a consequence of the influences from our past. Let us take a stroll to find out who actually was Dali and how he revolutionized the way we think!

Salvador Dali : 

Salvador Dali was an artist in true sense who excelled in almost each and every aspect of modern art, be it paintings, be it fashion, be it sculpture, be it cinemas or television. He had a very different way of seeing things, right from his childhood. As a child, Dali used to go for boat-trips around the coastline of Cadaques. There looking at the extraordinary rock formations he used to make-up surreal images in his mind and paint them. That was the beginning. Years later he came up with this!

This was one of his most iconic paintings. It revolutionized the thinking completely, back then in 1920s when art was either supposed to look good, simple and attractive or very complex such as large canvases with colours spread all over in artistic fashion. But this was completely insane, this was like a dream. Stopwatches melting, who could even think of that!

But the historic moment was when Dali moved to the theatre! When he painted he could just paint a frame, which could just give the essence of what the dream was like but now he could tell you the story, you could actually see what the dream was really like! And that is how he became a renowned architect of dreams. Even famous directors like Alfred Hitchcock and businessmen like Walt Disney were exhilarated by the display of his art. Both of them even hired Dali to design dream sequences in their movies :
1. Walt Disney's & Salvador Dali - Destino 2003
2. Hitchcock - Spellbound dream sequence

 What initially appeared creepy to the world was now a sensation, a fashion, a passion. Dali opened the gates for a completely new generation of artists. Writers were now free to write whatever they wanted to, painters painted whatever they dreamt about, the theatres and films flourished like never before! Experimentations reached an all time high and so did (un)Expectations! Dali was the creator of all the fashion shows which we have today. His work motivated the designers to include surrealistic elements in their creations which has continued to amaze us even today!

Not just paintings, not just jewellery, not just museums, not just theatres or films, Dali was everywhere. His creations were now in use as everyday items- as toys, as clothes, on walls as graffiti, as food-items. He made the world live his dreams and the world continues to do so even after him!

Why not me: The last cry

This letter is part of a short-story, i wrote.

Alisha,

You are a part of my fanciful dreams and my excruciating nightmares.Even the thought of the sensation your touch excites me. The thought that you are still there after all the wrong i have done to you, as you would put it, makes be exuberant!
What hurts me most is how much i used to think about you and how little you think about me.Even just now while you are busy hating me, wondering what i would do next to embarrass you, i am busy here writing this for you to make you immortal, at least as long as this piece of paper lasts!
You are smothering me, making me insane, forcing me to fake friendship, "act normally", hide my love for you! I can't take it any-more. I have gone numb, i have lost interest in everything else now, everything that is not you, everything that is not yours! I hate every taste that is not like your lips, i hate every aroma that is not your savour, i hate every other sight that is not you!
You are the only summer of my life and i wish you don't take too long to get back. I 'll be there for you, always there for you, the very place you left me alone in the darkness of winter.Come back, i  am waiting!
I am quite sure that you are not just another chapter in my life, but the book itself! I knew it the very moment i saw you! I just wish i was equally appealing to you as you are to me!
I am not daring. I can't try hard! Do you expect me to? This is all i can do. Sit back, write this for you. Such a coward i am! I don't see anything from here, i am lost, i can't see you, why don't you try? I know you are here, close to me. My ears crave for your whisper. At least give it a try. Do it!
I tried to get you out of my mind, forget you. All in vain. I love you. There is something very magnetic in you that keeps on pulling me towards you and i promise to always hold you tight. I promise to care, i promise to share, i promise i 'll always be there, i promise to love you like this for years!

Samar


PS:(A letter from Samar, the male-protagonist  to Alisha, female-protagonist. I have excluded the plot.)