"The eye cannot choose but see,
We cannot bid the ear be still,
Our bodies feel where'er they be
Against or with our will."

-William Wordsworth

15 Park Avenue

Last friday was not a very pleasant one. An untimely demise of someone I knew was lingering in my head from the previous day. I picked up this movie that evening and a little over half an hour into the movie, I was ready to quit. I was definitely in no mood to watch a depressing movie. Somehow I continued to watch, and I am glad I did. There are no spoilers ahead, so read along if you havent watched it.

15 Park Avenue is Aparna Sen's second movie I was watching after Mr.and Mrs.Iyer. In Mr.and Mrs.Iyer, a well directed low budget movie, Konkana had portrayed the role of a tamil iyer to perfection. 15 Park Avenue is also directed by Aparna and has both Konkana and Rahul Bose in the lead as well.

Konkana plays Mithi,a schizophrenic, and Shabana Azmi, at her usual best, plays the role of her elder sister. The director has excelled in bringing out the delicate relations between various characters in the movie. The ending of the movie though might seem surprising, brings out the central theme to perfection.

Incidentally, this is the third movie about schizophrenics, I can't stop adoring. The first one was Puttanna Kanagal's masterpiece in Kannada, Sharapanjara and the second was Russell Crowe playing John Nash in A Beautiful Mind.

If you haven't watched this one and you do have a decent connection to internet, watch it here! Courtesy Youtube.

Dum le le ghadi bhar, yeh chaiyyan paayega kahaan...

A new year, a new hope and a new dream. If I were to rewrite Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech, it would be an endless one. I am sure it is the same with each one of us. What is beautiful about a dream is not just the creative aspect of it but the relentless pursuit of human will from its conception to realization. Not many of us dare to dream. But nothing great has ever been achieved without dreaming. Dream big, Do not worry whether you have the ability to achieve it or not, and pursue it with a bigger heart.

Shailendra is one of my favorite lyricists. Most of his songs which I like have been sung by Mukesh, but this one has been sung and composed by my all time favorite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Whether be it moments of dejection, loneliness or of reflection, this song has always been there for me. No doubt the lines are very powerful but the way Burmanda has sung this song is simply brilliant. He has added so many dimensions to it. Each time I listen to this song, I am amazed how much I enjoy it in a different way and in a different context.

Check the song here

I wish I could have given an audio link to this, as the video will simply be a distraction (its a brilliant movie though).

Have a great 2007!