Office Move

We just moved offices. The new location is your typical IT park set up at the outskirts of the city with every builders worth their salt have built towers of either offices or apartments. When you enter the area from the highway, its like entering a jungle albeit a concrete one.

The old office was located  between a Jail and a Mental hospital - which was very well cause in the industry I work for you have every chance of ending up in one of those two places.

There was greenery every where - thanks to a defense establishment and airport nearby which has dissuaded the builders from encroaching the land for their ugly erections. There was a great view of both sun rise and sun set from the office floor.

The surroundings were buzzing. A ground where kids played cricket, shanties which started illegally - later legitimized by local politicians for vote banks, food and cigarette stalls which were thronged by techies. Periodic ' raid' by the municipal authorities, demolishing these stalls , only for them to crop up the next day after suitable greasing of the government machinery with lubricant called bribe. Water logging during rains. In short, it was a perfect microcosm of life.

There was a wide and long stretch of road in front, which I used to take every day to reach office on foot. That road had  more character and life than the entire locality where the new offices are situated.

Kids taking a dump on sidewalk oblivious to a snake slithering away nearby. People from the shanties performing their morning ablutions by the road side. Street dogs establishing their dominions and going crazy when dog parents getting their child pets for their walks. Cows and Pigs sauntering in the middle of the road. Health buffs running, walking , performing calisthenics. People sitting and consuming desi liquor in mineral water/soft drinks  irrespective of the time of the day or those with expensive cars , drinking beer or imported whiskies. The addicts who rolled up joints and lighting them up. Couples talking sweet nothings, arguing, giving vent to their hormonal urges. And not to mention the quintessential Pune traffic, whic ia akin to playing Russian roulette.

At night it was a place for people to perform black magic (given it was a junction where three roads met and all that mumbo jumbo). You could see the remnants of  this in the morning, strewn on your path with the hope that someone would step on them and take all the bad luck with them.

All these will be missed.

Why Kalki should win?

 For long , Indian (especially Hindi) film industry has been trying to recreate the Hollywood movies in India and failing for most of the times They have often ended up being all glitz with no soul. Even though the budgets, the technology have increased over time, the movies have always been cheap copies of the west.

But down South , a director named Rajamouli seemed to have discovered the DNA of a summer tentpole blockbuster. Through his initial movies he ensured that he honed his desi masala creds and slowly amped up his ambitions, culminating in the Bahubali and RRR juggernauts, which straddled the desi masala  and western technical wizardry and epicness admirably. 

He also has inspired a generation of young film makers who have now dared venture out to tell stories which wouldnt have been possible few years ago. While KGF, Salaar told stories which were at their root typical Indian masala tropes, movies like Karthikeya, Hanu-man had a wider vision, blending mythology in to the story. 

That brings us to the latest offering from the Telugu - Kalki 2898AD. For someone who has been exposed to all the sci-fi, Fantasy, super hero movies of the west, one can see bits of every such movie in Kalki.

A dystopian future world, a despot ruling with iron fist, oppressed people, a rebel faction, a prophecy, the coming of a saviour, a happy go lucky hero with a golden heart becoming The Chosen One. You name it, Kalki has it. 

But before you dismiss it as another clone of the west, its vision and scale takes you by surprise. The way the threads from our mythology, ancient epics dovetails in to a sci-fi world really takes some imagination. There is also a big leap in technology (though at some places it could have been better - or may be the 3D conversion messed up some of the CG effects). The detailing of the dystopian world, the gizmos, costumes fit in beautifully.

Its not without its flaws. Forced humour, a sparkless romantic track which doesn't go anywhere, a song and dance sequence out of nowhere bogs the movie down. 

Understandably the first half is slow with all the world building and character establishment. The second half picks up with  action set pieces and the revelations. The climax inevitably leads to a cliffhanger, setting up for the sequel in this Kalki cinematic universe.

Performances, Amitabh makes you feel the weight of the guilt he is carrying and the redemption he is seeking. The technology makes him kick ass and sending people flying all over. Prabhas, disappointingly is one note. Deepika has one expression through out. All the celebrity cameos are fun as standalone, but in the overall scheme of things they are a distraction.

Despite it succumbing to the various pitfalls of the Indian commercial film making, Kalki is an achievement. It has a vision,  blends in mythology with sci-fi efficiently and has epic written all over it. It should succeed, not just for the production of the sequel (the story is incomplete), but for it shows that the Indian directors are now not only  ready mine our own mythology, epics, history (which has thousands of such stories) but also mix them up with sci-fi to come up with modern epics.

Clarkson's Farm - Modern day James Herriot ?

 

When I was young, James Herriot took us on a journey in to the world of British farming.

His vivid description of the farming , the animals, the ups and downs in the life of farmers made me feel I am with him experiencing what he was describing. Being a vet, his chronicling of the experiences in treating farm animals more often than not bought tear to your eyes. 

I now posit that Jeremy Clarkson is now doing  the same to the reels generation. His Clarkson's farm (3 seasons) gives me the same experience as Herriot's books.

Though light in tone and hilarious in parts, it provides a window in to the modern British farming.

The show highlights the trials and tribulations of farmers in Britain (Many of it applies to farmers everywhere too). The finicky weather and climate change wreaking havoc on the crops, the rising cost of everything - seeds, fertilizers, farming equipment, rules and regulations. Jeremy shows genuine concern about the state of farming and farmers. The show also tries to highlight new methods of sustainable farming, 

Add to this, Jeremy's mis-adventures with the tractors, his banter with Kaleb, Charlie and Gerald, his run ins with the council to protect his farm shop and restaurant, attempts at rearing animals, creating new avenues to maximize the output from his farm and failing spectacularly makes it such an entertaining watch.

More importantly, every initiative, attempt that Jeremy undertakes is solely with the motive of maximizing the revenue from the farm. There is no pretension that farming is a social service enterprise, feed the nation - which is an important lesson to farmers elsewhere.

Also who knew that the Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear and Grand Tour,  can get emotional and tear up at the sight of his farm animals being sent to the abattoir or dying at birth !. 

The store at the end of the road

 "Can you get Puliyogare mix?. I have put the rice cooker on the stove and realised there is no Puliyogare mix !"

It was my wife. The advantage of having a grocery store a 100 odd feet away from home is , you could get stuff right at the last moment when needed. I stepped out of home and trundled towards the store. As I reached, a familiar sight welcomed me.

My dad was there sitting on a stool. My toddler son sitting on his lap, hiding a candy in his hand - which is grandfather had got him- lest I scold him.  This was a ritual of my dad. To sit at the provision store  with my son, talking to the store owner. His friends Mandanna, Chengappa, Bopaiah Uthappa stood around.

They moved from their ancestral villages in Kodagu looking for livelihood around same time, joined the various Public Sector Units which had opened up in Bangalore, stayed together as bachelors,  bought plots and built homes in same neighbourhood, raised families and retired. Their day now constitutes of going for  their morning walks together, to surreptitiously eat a masala dosa or a vada (which they been forbidden to eat) at a restaurant and congregate near the provision store to reminisce, compare the various ailments they are afflicted with,  discuss politics, talk to the people from the neighbourhood as they pass by.

As I was waiting for the store keeper to serve me, I heard my mobile ringing. Thinking it was my wife looking for her Puliyogare mix, I took it out. It was the alarm, I woke up and the reality hit.

I no longer stay in that locality. The grocery store had shuttered down. My dad, Mandanna, Uthappa, Bopaiah - all have passed away. Only Chengappa is alive, the last of that generation who built that neighbourhood. He still painfully walks down to the road with a crutch, stands where the grocery store once was , his rheumatic eyes searching for those who are no longer there, looking for anyone who can spare a few minutes and words with him, waiting to join his friends.

Thoughts on Jawan

 If you are someone who has not been exposed to Shankar's and scores of other Vijay, Ajith's --saving the Makkal (people) and taking on the government/system movies, but you have to write a quick essay for your class tomorrow, Jawan is the movie for you.

It takes every South mass movie and distills in to one. Multiple social issues, national security, Amma sentiment, Appa sentiment, multiple flashbacks - you name it, this has it. Sorry my bad, no sister sentiment.

Move over Motta boss from Sivaji. Add Bane from Batman for international flavour.

Rajni lighting cigarette is  for boomers. Shahrukh lighting cigar will be the standard henceforth.

Sanjay Dutt playing an IPS officer Madhavan Nair in a mundu talking about Onam and Sadhya is a sight to behold.

Post Jawan, South directors won't have anything to write for their mass heroes. Shankar should just shelve Indian 2.

Hence the rumours that Thalapathi is moving on to save the world now.... from aliens.

Everytime you think that this can't get any more cringey, Atlee says hold my beer.

I.N.D.I.A and Bharat both seems to have financed it. The pendulum swings from government corruption, suit boot ki sarkar to public service message on the importance of voting.

Finally this is the revenge of South India. For all the memes of Rajni, Balayya and Gaputan Vijaykanth that north Indians laughed at, Southies can now reply with memes of Shahrukh. Proponents of Dravidanadu should honour Atlee with their highest award. Take that indi people !. Nandri.