Sorry for the long hiatus,Ladies and Gems,but for the past month or so I've been used to doing absolutely nothing and loving it. The sheer effort to try to type thought into screen was too much to bear for this person who can have a degree,if it existed,for slacking off. At least in one area of my life I can get a gold medal!!
In the meantime I've been trying to read a little of the huge backlog of books that I had amassed while being immersed in Academia(Pretending to be immersed in academia,really). One of my favorite authors whose books I had been wanting to read is John Irving. His works are basically black comedy,but there are times when he can be poignant. In addition to being laugh out loud funny,but for the most part his works balance the two. And he does it really well,man.

"Until I find you" is his latest novel,and one of his darker ones.It tells the story of an emotionally numb actor who turns out that way due to the relationships he has with his hippie mother and a host of women who are older than him,but who play a pivotal role in shaping his future character. It also deals with the topic of child abuse,as seen through the eyes of an eleven year old, and the whole issue of how people conceal secrets from you and reveal what they want you to believe and hide away the truth conveniently for their own twisted purposes. The flaw in this novel,as in many others of his,is a tendency to overdescribe. Especially locations and situations. But his characterizations are superbly executed.

"The Water Method Man" is perhaps his funniest novel,about a shallow,self serving young man who sort of drifts through life...and about his embarrasing urinary condition!! How he realises the errors of his ways and tries to rectify them is what his novel is about. It's non linear sequence was something I liked. But after perhaps "The World according to Garp," this is his funniest novel yet.

One thing that I realized after reading "Until I find you" is of the paramount importance of human relationships,especially the ones betwen parents and children. But how something as seemingly trivial as a simple interaction between two people can lead to our lives being a living nightmare,or a wonderful experience,is something I am fascinated by. How they are the subject of virtually every song ever sung in mainstream media,and how therapists come on talk shows to counsel couples at war(or on the brink of divorce) and milk their tragedy to their maximum advantage,and how countless books have been written on the subject.

And yet,this is something that cannot be truly solved in one fell swoop. It needs time,it needs effort,it needs patience, and more than anything it needs people admitting they're wrong,even when they have a great deal invested in appearing to be right,or claiming to be. And the ability to meet the other person midway,even when it's something you really don't want to do.

This theme has been highlighted in "Magnolia," the Paul Thomas Anderson film that shows how the lives of many people intersect on one particular day,and how the only thing people are looking for is love,acceptance,and forgiveness. And those things not being given to them causing them to hate themselves and their lives. It's beautifully acted and well written,but there is one sequence that makes it become a Hindi movie. But the movie still carries itself pretty well.

"Taare Zameen Par" is one of the top 5 Hindi movies of all time. It's fantastic,man. Darsheel Safary is so convincing as a Dyslexic that for a while I really thought he was Mentally Challenged. It is such a beautiful movie that I couldn't stop crying from beginning to end. The way in which children who are "different" are treated in school is fantastic. It is the brutal truth. Although every school tries to tolerate-not encourage,mind you-children with special needs,they fall short and the teachers end up being totally frustrated and hurl out all their frustrations on that poor child. How will a child know? How will a child know that the teacher had a bad day at home and hence is shouting at him more than what is necessary? And imagine the kind of trauma that the child will have to face. It's scary to think about it.

The traffic in Bangalore is becoming worse. The continuum is expanding at an alarming rate. What was intolerable a few years back is now considered "manageable". More trees are being felled,to make way for more traffic. The city of Bangalore has had more traffic and more malls,and more employment opportunities in recent years. But all the malls have exactly the same shops! A Levi's showroom,a KFC,an expensive bookstore,and a Westside showroom etc etc. The point is the malls are expensive,and many of them are similar. I don't know if there is even a point I'm driving home here. It's just that semi-duplicity is rampant these days.

The character of a city is not determined by the number of expensive places there are for shopping,and not by the number of fast food places that are there. It is determined by..........

The number of pubs it has! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

Ok,sorry. Bangalore rocks!!!!

No,really.

The basic allure of Bangalore might have been in the greenery of the city,in it's climate,in the hospitality of it's people. Not in the malls and in the showrooms and the rest of that jazz.But it is true that this was where pub culture originated. Ok,maybe I'm a bit biased.......Kidding!

Now it's time for a confession: Recently I made a ruthless estimation of my good and bad points. There was one particular trait I could not classify. It was this: An amazing ability to state the obvious.

Now can you,the reader,after having read my blogs,ever say I have stated the obvious? Naaawww......

And among the numerous bad points I listed out,sarcasm was in the top ten. Me??!! Sarcastic?? Those who know me well will be shocked!

OK,just a little bit of humor to lighten the mood a little.

"No Country for Old Men" did not deserve the Best Picture Oscar. I feel it should have been "There will be Blood." What I didn't like about "No Country.." was the fact that there is a lot that is left to the imagination of the viewer,maybe this was what helped it win Best Picture. But I want to watch a movie to be entertained,maybe to be moved,and for me to give me something ponder over. If the moral of the story is that life basically goes on,regardless of what happens,or that nothing will change anyway,then there's no point in my going for a movie is there? I can see that in real life well enough!!

Daniel Day Lewis was brilliant,as usual in "There will..." I think we can only see searing performances from him. Same with Denzel Washington. He can only be excellent. Like in "Philadelphia," where I felt his performance ruled the movie. Although Tom Hanks won the Oscar,I feel Denzel should have at least been nominated. Because it's not only a movie about a lawyer who has AIDS,it's also a movie about a homophobic lawyer who defends a gay man. Same with Edward Norton. It'll be really cool to see him as Bruce Banner,and as the one who transforms to the Incredible Hulk. Heath Ledger,before he passed away was also one who was the role he played.He wasn't an actor who played the part .He was the part. In Indian actors,Aamir Khan is the best of the lot. All these guys give so much of their energy to the role they play that it's a pleasure to see them on screen.

Ok guys,I'm typed out for now. I'll be writing soon. Stay tuned!

Mukund.