Rockstar unleashed!

Can't believe I just watched Rockstar! Reason? Well, it was not what I had expected it to be. But what I went through in those two and a half hours was stupendous. It was nothing like an Imtiaz Ali movie, rather it was way beyond that. With this, he has entered into a new arena and has added a new genre to the world of movies.

Socha na tha, Jab we met, Love aaj kal are some of his greatest works. The audience applauded the work and he became the generation next filmmaker. But what I fail to understand is whether he himself was satisfied with his creations. I don't think so. Because Rockstar has completely transcended new heights. I cannot say if it will be a box office super hit, but it has definitely scored a home run in thinker's game.

The movie opens with an intriguing story between a "seedha sadha" hinduite, Janardan Jakhar (Ranbir) and a sophisticated stephenian, Heer (Nargis) who go on a maddening stroll to discover each other's wild side. From watching films like "Junglee Jawani" to drinking "desi thara", from crazy bike rides to dirty dancing, they do it all to celebrate Heer's bachelorhood of few months before she gets married to a hot shot in Prague.  And as always, they fall for each other and even contemplate to run away on the wedding day. And this part, this decision of what is right/wrong was the highlight of the movie. Running away is wrong, but marrying a person  you don't love is right. These are the so called regulations of this society.. Heer goes on to marry this prague guy and JJ continues to struggle to find his way to become an artist. Roaming through the streets of Delhi, from Hazrat Nizamuddin to old Delhi and then through CP. Eventually, he discovers his inner voice which was required to become an artist. A music company's contract, fame, money, he has them all. And yet, there was no feeling of fulfillment. And on the other end, Heer is diagnosed with some fatal disease. Both of them missed that spark, that wild factor. But they could not be together as they are inhabitants of an organized society.

My view : It is all about de-conditioning. Rules and regulations are made to keep things in order. As kids, we are taught about various rights and wrongs. But what we are not taught is that once you have a steady head, unlearning is the way to learn. From this point, decisions should no longer be weighed as right/wrong, provided you have a steady mind!

Life always "appears" to be faster in the other lane!

Today, on my way back home, I practically swapped sides and implemented "grass always looks greener on the other side". I always understood the meaning of this saying but never got a chance to see it happen.

While driving through South extension, I usually keep to the right lane to avoid the market rush. For the past one week, I was beginning to realize that the middle lane was smoother than the right one. Just like a normal human being, today I thought of shifting to the middle lane from the right one. And woohoo! My car was sailing on the road. It was a smooth, delightful ride which is a luxury in rush hours. No braking, no shifting to second gear from the third and then moving to first. My feet were dancing on the accelerator and my palms were resting on the wheel. But my happiness was short lived. At a distance of few meters, I saw that an SUV had broken down. And this "apparently" good looking lane had turned into an awful sight. You guessed it right! The right one was as smooth as ever.

And came the learning. There is much more to things than what we see. One has to be in that situation in order to be its judge. We have a zillion possibilities in front of us, but whatever culminates into real situations is perfectly balanced. If not today, then maybe tomorrow. So if you are looking forward to enjoy a bowl full of cherries in an "apparently" better lane of life, be prepared to taste the sour ones too. 

a second chance

Quite often used statement "life always gives you a second chance", it does, indeed. And before you start recalling all kinds of life saving incidents that might have happened with you and changed your life for good, let me tell you nothing of that sort happened with me. Its a plain and simple incident, but the learning is remarkable.

Everyday I spend good four hours in travel. Using various modes of transport, ranging from private to public, my travel is a potpourri of almost everything, be it the people, the areas, the infrastructure and yes, my own thoughts. Call it the height of my optimism or the adaptive human nature, these four hours are the best hours of my day.

One of the most important part of my journey is the Delhi Metro. Today, while rushing to catch the train when I reached the platform, the train was just about to leave. Just like any other sane person, I did not step in as the doors were in the process of closing. So I just stood there waiting for the digital meter to display the time left for the next train to arrive. At the same time, I started thinking of ways to utilize this waiting time. First thought was reading "I have a dream" and the other thought was that of a calf muscle workout (weird it may sound, but yes i do it :P). Before I could weigh the two options, something made me turn around. And guess what! The train was right there with doors open as if calling me to embrace. Happy as ever, I got in :)

So whatever we do, we might not taste success in the first go. But we get a number of opportunities to do it, we just have to turn around at the right moment. If you are not able to make it at first, do not call it a failure. Rather, add one more step to the whole process :) 

"Aakarshan" of Aarakshan

There is this dialog from the movie Music n lyrics, "inspiration is for amateur writers". Well if that is the case then I would love to be an amateur writer, forever. Writing to me is not a hobby and neither a pass time. Its just penning down (read typing) my aura.

Today's inspiration is the movie Aarakshan coupled with the soothing weather. Prakash Jha is an unsaid favorite so whenever his movies are on the floor they become a part of my to-do list. I really admire his style of portraying the social issues and then attacking them with solutions in his movies. Not that no one else knows the solution, its just that he shows it is possible, if only you have the will and courage to do it.  The burning issue of reservations is close knit with our lives be it education or employment. I, myself could not clear any of the medical entrances. And it would be unfair for me to say that reservation was the soul reason for that but yes, it was one of the reasons. All I could say back then was, "somebody made these laws at a point of time when this must have been the need of the hour. After these many years, why do we still need them?" But today i know that if this is a disadvantage for us it must be a brownie for someone else. And that is the way things work. But since we are resilient, we move on and do not do anything about it. I did the same.
But this was a movie. Everything was rosy and ended happily.

Movies, to me, have always been a mode of communication. A medium for exchange of ideas. The idea that i got from the movie is that we are still untapped. There is a lot that needs to be done and we can do it. All we need to do is free ourselves from the shackles of this "chalta hai yar, mera kya jata hai" attitude. We are born for a reason.

I didnt plan to write this on the eve of independence day but its just come out. Maybe this also has a reason.

just like that

Phew!! After so much pestering by a "one of my best friends" i'm trying my hand at blogging. I'v been into writing ever since I was a kid but never posted it online. And, probably because I thought my writings are "not that good" I kept it to myself. But "The Secret" has completely changed my perception of my writings and I am here.

Just like any other 23 year old I'm ambitious, want to win the world, a movie freak, a music lover, a little impatient, a believer. And I want to do just everything. My to-do list is like a sun's ray, it has a start but no end. I want to be a guitarist, a dance queen, a writer, a biker, a photographer, a philosopher, an advertiser and ....

But what I do is nowhere close to this. None of it. There was a time when I loved travelling but the choked roads, the snarls, the race to reach work or home makes me go crazy. I travel for about 3-4 hours everyday to work thinking of "what am i doing to myself". When I come back home I say "wasted another day of my life". I sit back and ponder when will that day come when I'l be free from doing what i do not want to do. I was suffering from this "i do not want to do this" syndrome until i read "The Secret".

Everything that comes your way, comes because you choose it. Everything that happens is first created in your mind and then in your life. I might not have achieved all my goals but I have the courage, the strength, the zeal to follow them. Its not always the destination that matters, at times there are moments to be savored and lessons to be learnt from the journey.
I am no councellor or a motivational speaker but I'm surely a "believer". I believe in myself. I believe I can win the world, only if I wish to.

It is time to make careful choices and start following them. Helped me a lot, hope it does the same for you.