The Word Route

Tribhanga: Tedhi Medhi Crazy Cast: Tanvi Azmi, Kajol, Mithila Palkar, Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, Kanwaljeet Singh, Maanav Gohil, Shweta Mehendale Writer/Director: Renuka Shahane Rating: ****/5 Read the review at:  https://topleadindia.com/2021/01/16/tribhanga-review-celebration-of-the-flawed-real-beautiful-pieces-of-life/   The word "Tribhaṅga" denotes the standing pose of the body curved in an S shape, found in traditional Indian sculpture and classical dance forms like Odissi. In the Netflix movie, it symbolizes the imperfections reflected in the lives of three generations of women. Director Renuka Shahane has beautifully sculpted each character in the movie while depicting that it’s often the flaws that make us what we are and the same need to be accepted in order to love unconditionally. Each frame of the movie unravels the myriad shades of each of the three characters, right from the writer protagonist Tanvi Azmi to her Bollywood actress daughter Kajol, and ...

                                       Manny forever! Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjana Sanghi, Sahil Vaid Director: Mukesh Chhabra Rating: ****/5 The reel opens to a montage of Sushant Singh Rajput playing the guitar with his own lines: “Perhaps the difference between, what is miserable, and that, which is spectacular, lies in the leap of faith… #selfmusing”. In the montage, lies the hidden message that Sushant probably wanted to give to his fans. The movie is set in the steel city of Jamshedpur where Kizzie Basu (Sanjana Sanghi) is a young teenager who aspires to lead a normal life. But there is a small glitch: she is suffering from cancer. The opening scene is of a funeral where Kizzie stands in a graveyard wearing a tube connected to her nose from her oxygen tank. A sombre scene where she hugs the elderly gentleman who has just lost his wife. She stands listening to the eulogy and ...

Irrfan acted in parallel, mainstream, international cinema and struck a fine balance between the genres so that each of his work appeared fresh and never repetitive. “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts…” An actor par excellence, Irrfan Khan literally lived up to world-famous playwright Shakespeare’s famous lines. The choice of his roles-negative shades to comical–reflected the unique traits and versatility of his personality. He did it all and made sure each of his characters stood apart from each other. Right from his debut in  Salaam Bombay  in 1988 till his last movie  Angrezi Medium , he has been known and recognized for his passion and dedication towards his craft. Whether it was the role of a letter writer in  Salaam Bombay , a goon Ranvijay Singh in  Haasil , Maqbool in  Maqbool , Inspector Uday Rathore in  Ro...

Chaaron taraf band khidkiyaan, sunsaan raaste, Hawayein chal rahi thi, patte bhi gire pedon se, Maidaano mein char rahe kuch jaanwar, Chidiyan chehek rahe the. Jo awaazein kabhi motor ki shor mein ghul gaye the, aaj sabhi zinda huye. Band gharon mein jaan aayi, Bachchon ki shorgul, cooker ki seetiyan, Kahin thahakon ki awaaz goonji. Chai ke pyaale, puraane gupshup aur naashte ki mehek har jagah chhayi. Khidkiyon se jhaankte huye kuchh chehre,  Ankhon mein aas lagaye baithe,  Kab ye virus chala jaaye, kab hum azaad panchhi ho Bebasi ki leher mein ummeed bhi thi shaamil. Bachhon ki khushiyan jaise garmi ki chuttiyan aa gayi, Ghar mein khel kood, FM par gaane, TV par Mahabharat aur Ramayan ka laut aana, Wahi chutkule, wahi kehkahe, wahi masti ki leher  Wah! Bachpan ke din laut aaye! Par iss baar chuttiyan lambi lagti hain, Mann mein khushi bhi, asmanjas bhi, Ghar mein surakshit raho, virus se bachke raho: yahi naara hai desh ka! Khushiyan fir se laut aayengi, ummeed hai y...

Remembered an old blog of mine: I complete seven long years in journalism in August 2011. I wonder what I have gained and what I have lost. Let us begin on a positive note: what have I gained? An identity of my own (of being a scribe), working on my terms (that's a bit ironical, though!), writing (which was my childhood dream and I do intend to be a successful writer someday), and finally I have managed to reach a senior level (that is also ironical...I would ask: at what cost?). What do I do with seniority and a high paying job when I am still not doing what I always wanted to do? (Delhiites would say, toh kya hua! iska achar daalun kya main?...in literal terms, it would mean: Should I 'pickle' (achar) the salary and designation?). So what have I lost: precious relationships, my self-respect and probably much more...I am still proud that I am a journalist! But am not proud of the fraternity that I am part of - day in and day out. For long, I supported journalis...

Mirroring Persia in frames... Veils, iron curtain, underground schools, war, veiled women with guns ('Nuns with guns' was the most famous caption for these women) ... these are the images of Iran that come to mind. Iran is indeed an elusive Islamic republic! But I realised there's more to this tiny country.  The book "Persian Mirrors - The Elusive Face of Iran" is written by an Italian scribe Elaine Sciolino. She exposes the fallacies of Iran's rulers and clergymen who ruled Iran for decades and in the name of Islam's tenets, instilled fear among women, to the extent of confining them within houses/gyms/private parties.  Whether it was Khamanei, Khomenei, or Mohammad Khatami, authority did not succeed in suppressing the Iranian women. They carved their own niche in society, run their own business, are successful doctors, lawyers and even sportswomen. Sciolino has featured women who showed remarkable courage in speaking openly against authority,...

Kabhi kabhi ek ajnabi apne se bhi zyada ban jaata hai, jab apne hi ajnabi ban jaate hain! Aaj laga ki hum bhi kuchh hain, hamara bhi koi wajood hai. Ehsaas hua ki hum adhoore nahi, Aur pehchaan hamari sirf ek muskurahat nahi... Sawaalon ka kaafila aa raha tha door se,  They iss intezaar mein ki woh kab hamein gher le aur kab hum jawaab de, Par jab woh guzar gaya bagal se, bina hamein dekhe ya chuye, dil mein teer sa chubha aur phir se sannata chhaa gaya!