Nadaan Parindey.

If love is the sole reprieve from abandoning desires, then pain and agony are the mortal chastity of holding onto them. And music might just become one of the many renderings coming out of such longings.

Rockstar, in all its truth, is that depiction of life that is projected in a million ways in every human, but seldom comes close to a fixed point. A reality that needs to be understood before one gives himself away to all the sham of the world. This movie by Imtiaz Ali, is not a love story between an aspiring singer and a pretty dame, it is a story about desire and the burn to achieve it without comprehending the consequences. Beginning from the simple idea of achieving ones dreams, the film narrates itself through the characters of Jordan and Heer, who despite all social fixations venture into a bonding that gropes them both, in an entangled wave of emotions. From the concept of living life high-wired to dwelling into mysticism, they experiment it all, unless they come to getting back to the real world, that demands compiling to rules and regulations. The life of Jordan is beautifully blended into his thirst for everything. He meanders through all phases of survival to understand music and his inner-self. From the lanes of religious consortium to head-banging concerts, Jordan relives every rockstar's dream, only it isn't his own. With his music, comes convulsion. Passion becomes an outpour of hatred for his helplessness to understand his own life. Heer, on the other hand, despite having the perfect life, renders it useless, because of wanting and not wanting Jordan. If one could summarize this, it ain't love but a desire for it. Imtiaz, with his writing has tried to assimilate the conceptual yearning for success, love and every temporal happiness ending with a simple realization of being with someone in an uncomplicated tedium of peace. 

In addition to emotional variability, the director has beautifully captured the essence of being right or wrong in the light of all the trajectories of life. No statement is diabolic and no feeling is dry, this is what Imtiaz tries to make his audience sense while going through the story of his protagonists. Starting from Rumi's quote- " Out beyond ideas of right and wrong doing, there is a field. I will meet you there", Ali shows in every aspect of Jordan, how very unyielding he is to the common notions of correct and incorrect. And how he is unable to understand what his reality demands against what he wants. The movie, in all its conviction gives Indian cinema a bar to make many such movies in terms of context and philosophy. Driving one to remember that not only does love conquer all, but defeats material abiding as well. Rockstar, might not give Imtiaz a commercial run-of-the-mill success, but will definitely give him immense satisfaction as a creative artist. Perhaps, what he might be wanting till now.

Individual against the collective.

"Completed The Fountainhead."Message sent.

New message received."FINALLY!"

Yes, it took me a really long while to finish this novel, but I'll be honest enough to give all the reasons for having done so. 

The Fountainhead written by Ayn Rand is a 1943 novel that traces the life of an architect Howard Roark and his passion- architecture. But more than that, this book takes the reader on a quest to unfold life and live it, free from any societal bonds and expectations. So, when one picks up that book, questions and doubts about oneself or others around are bound to rise and it's better to answer them or perhaps search them.

What is left of the edition of Fountainhead that I picked up are abundant folded pages and bookmarks for me to go through again, because God knows, I'm still entangled in those abundant questions that Ayn very conveniently asks the reader to think over.

"Before you do things for people, you must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the people." Roark.

"Personal luxury is a limited endeavor. What they want is ostentation: to show, to stun, to entertain, to impress others. They're second-handers." Gail Wyand.

"I even admit that I love them (friends). But I couldn't love them if they were my chief reason for living." Roark.

"A world in which man will not work for so innocent an incentive as money, but for that headless monster- prestige." Ellsworth Toohey.

"The choice is not self-sacrifice or domination. The choice is independence or dependence." Roark.

Fountainhead might not make you fall in love with it, but it will make you fall prey to it and push you to question the idea of living in a world where expectations, success, and being worthwhile are the sole riders of distinction. Here, Rand places a very diabolic statement asking the readers to ponder over the reality of whether by being true to oneself and not caring about the world's view is right or whether getting lost while being given every monotone person's licensing badge is correct.The concept of fame as not an individualistic win, questions the fundamental prospect of being  famous in the first place  Ayn's philosophy of Objectivism might have been a core point of discussion since decades, but with that, her primary placing of characters in the story along with their ideals is worth notice. Despite being a fifty year old publishing, Fountainhead's protagonists hold relevance in today's world as well. We all have seen a person who is an Ellsworth Toohey with all his knowledge and snake-like charisma, or a Peter Keating who despite his ambitions is quite prone to fall because of his submission of guilt and conscience. Rand's book does not glorify the abject philosophy of right versus wrong, in fact it admonishes the very essence of it by laying the foundation of individual against the collective. She proclaims that what a person does, he does it for himself and only by being true to his own-being can he be true to the entire world, if that is what he wants for that matter. Living for oneself is not a crime, and this is what Ayn Rand portrays brilliantly through her work, whether you agree to it or not is upto you, since each one has his own life to live without thinking of what others might perceive it as. And as she quotes Roark saying- "The egotist in the absolute sense is not the man who sacrifices others. He is the man who stands above the need of using others in any manner."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ( July 2011)

A scene from the movie

With all the hysteria, and the endless fanfare, the final Harry Potter movie in the franchise did release worldwide gathering that one last applause, leaving behind a decade full of magic. The final journey of Harry, Hermione and Ron, to defeat the dark Lord Voldemort once and for all ended in perhaps the most spectacular way.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is definitely one of the finest among all the previous movies, with its special effects and 3D cinematic experience. The movie opens from where the part 1 ended, with the trio trying to find and destroy the other horcruxes. From breaking into the wizards' bank Gringotts to escaping on a dragon, the movie encapsulates action to its zenith. But this is just the beginning as more action awaits them in the battle of Hogwarts which is the final call of good versus evil. But beyond the extremely brilliant work by the action team, what make this movie stand apart are many other aspects. In terms of acting, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) truly outdoes himself, along with Rupert (Ron) and Emma (Hermione). The emotions that Dan portrays of despair and hope simultaneously interwoven with the fact that he has to go on fighting despite any circumstances, make him outshine in this film. Along with Radcliffe, the actor who holds the story together is Alan Rickman ( Professor Snape). His presence in the picture, tumults the entire scene to a different level altogether, which carries a high emotional quotient. Supporting cast including- Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Matthew Lewis also bring their own share of magic, to add to the film. Ralph Fiennes, who plays Voldemort is as vile and anti-humane, as any Potter fan would have imagined him to be.

But, what makes this film excellent, is its screenplay and background score. Steve Kloves work of building this story into a movie, is executed beautifully. The magnanimous task of fitting in every aspect of the book, so that no person in the theatre gets confused or misses any important part, has been done brilliantly. Any avid series' reader will definitely agree to that, keeping in mind the time frame. Along with that, the music that surrounds every dimension of every character's life in this movie is what makes the film unforgettable. Alexandre Desplat's outstanding background score, ranging from the battle to Snape's memories, brings tears to the eyes of every Potter fan. A cauldron full of these elements, brought together under David Yates direction, makes this movie the best of all. So, as Harry bids his last farewell to the people across the world, he does that in such a way that no one can forget it for a very long time to come.

With all the action and emotion, Harry Potter does leave an enchanted experience, perhaps teaching some of life's hardest lessons in a way, that will be remembered forever.

The Royal Economic Treat.

Prince William with his bride Catherine.

The Great Recession of 2008 that enveloped some of the strongest nations across the globe saw the falling of British economy by a major 5% shrink along with disruption in the routine lives of the people throughout the country.Massive cuts in allowances, wages along with rising oil prices and credit crunches; it was a one of the hardest times witnessed by the citizens of England.The economic crash did come to an end in the spring of 2009 after a 6.2% fall in output in the previous two quarters.Still,the English economy has had a huge debt to repay and has been going through fluctuating inflation rates.

Straddling with a present inflation rate at 4.5%,the Britons got a royal treat in the form of Prince William's wedding to his long term girlfriend Catherine Middleton in April 2011.With the announcement of their engagement in November 2010,it was like a flutter of sparkle had been sprinkled upon Britain.The people were excited and gleaming with joy as such an event had not occurred since 1981,when Prince Charles married Lady Diana.From mugs to balloons,what began was a huge fanfare whirl surrounding the wedding.Details as minute as getting the the glimmer of gold in the uniform of each military officer of the same shade, to the nail-biting suspense as to which designer would create the bride's wedding gown,it was like a fairytale delight.Who all would be invited,what would be the security,how many people would watch it and many more were some of the most contested questions.Finally the day, 29 April arrived and the events unfolded.The groom,Prince William in his Irish Guard uniform; and the bride,Catherine Middleton in her Alexander McQueen laced wedding dress arrived in the Westminster Cathedral,and took the holy vows of matrimony in front of 7000 guests and an estimated two billion viewers worldwide.It was like a dream, with thousands standing outside the Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.Finally,when the newly weds shared not one but two heart warming kisses to delight the audience,it was the culmination of a beautiful dream for commoners.

At a time,when UK is still coming out of its shackles of economic downturn,this wedding was like a much deserved break for the people.Declared as a bank holiday along with Easter weekend,the citizens rejoiced,danced and drank in the frolic of the exquisite royal treat.How much did this mean to the people was evident by the huge turnout of the public.Reportedly,tourism also shot up in that week,as it was generated as a  huge affair and garnered much attention of the world audience.Televised live throughout the day,it became one of the highest watched events in the past few years.How a matrimonial ceremony of a prince to a commoner,brought delight to millions perhaps proved that,finding happiness in some of the most distressed times,is possible and also a major reason to remain hopeful in adversity as well.

Mayer.

"I can't figure out what's wrong with me,so I can say this is what I used to be."

It doesn't happen everyday to be a sheer genius and try to mask it with deliberate attempts of ignorance on one's part.Listening to John Mayer lately, I realized how overtly undertaken he is by his exemplified music.The strings he pulls, the songs he writes and the voice he lends; are all done with a simple exaggeration of his life.The glitterati, the fan frenzy, the addictive success, are all a major part of his life but are not his defining pieces.Despite being in the midst of all the glamour, John has been inside his obelisk that nobody has been able to enter.He's not a recluse, and yet he's been able to remain a class apart from all his counterparts.

The compositions that he writes and sings clearly define how true he is to the real world.The words he renders his vocals to, are perhaps justifications of how he terms his act of self-being.He doesn't seem to dwell on success, rather describes how easy it is to get out of it.Mayer, through his songs tries to tell people how being flawless and imperfect is just a way of life and he stands by it thoroughly.How ever-lasting love is something he cannot relate to and yet, love someone with all conviction that he can hold transitionally, is sincerely captured in his song-'Half Of My Heart'.In his song-'Perfectly Lonely', John talks about how sometimes loneliness befits a person, rather push him into a cavity.How perfect it can be, to seldom not be tied to anything to but one's own mistakes.

Starting from the days of 'Your Body Is A Wonderland' and 'No Such Thing', where he sung about the sweet amusements of love and the young bursts of being invincible, to the hard hitting versions like- 'Belief' and 'Edge of Desire',John Mayer has been a soul reflection of what he is, and yet it's always been a hefty task to figure him out.Considering all this,this Berklee product, may as well come out with his autobiography one day titled-'My Discography'.Nevertheless,John with his genuine sense of life's truths, will definitely remain one of the most meaningful singer-songwriters of our age.

The Revolution without a Leader.

Tired protesters in Tunisia

The unfolding of the events that started from Tunisia and spread across Egypt is not a story of a simple uprising of the people against injustice and impoverished lives, but involves a far more deeper cry of them being fed up of being guided about how to live and get governed in their own homeland.Enough has been said and written about the protests, the rallies, the cries and the curfews happening in those Arab nations.This revolution is rather more a reflection of how the world today is functioning.In times when we have activists crying out loud for animal rights, in another part of that same world there are people who are self-immolating themselves to bring to the attention the gruesome living realities.The places where economic and civil progress has not grown a shred and development remains only in the name.

A revolution that might get written in the pages of history as the one that witnessed people standing up for their rights and their freedom from oppression without being guided by a leader.As opposed to the French,Russian and Iran revolutions that had Napoleon Bonaparte,Vladimir Lenin and Ayatollah Khomeini respectively as the guiding forces, this revolution classifies itself as people's insurgence in the true sense.A revolt that tries to demolish the establishment of self-immersed dictators, a key to attainment of civic independence and thorough improvement in the lives of the citizens.That element of chirality of the jasmine has definitely spread far and wide in a bid to get what one might term as aggressive but an unopposed medium to freedom finally.A breath of privilege awaits these nations,which despite all that is taking from them to get it, will ultimately restore in them at last the courage and confidence to stand for their own and make a new path altogether.

An upheaval of emotions that struck these countries self proclaims what might be termed as an uprising that withheld itself in the hope of igniting a fire to demand liberation from ruthless dictatorships.The revolt that aimed at bringing secured democracies in states that had never really lived the times of modernisation despite being a part of it.A spot of history marked by people's voice and not a leader's name is what will be called the Tunisian Revolution.