DASVIDANIYA

Dasvidaniya means Goodbye in Russian. I am referring to the Bollywood movie by the same name which was released in 2008. I just happened to see it today. It's spooky that I happened to see this film on my 36th birthday. This is one of the best movies I have seen this year. Its about a 37 year old guy who comes to know that he only has a few months to live. It alters his complete perspective on life and he lives the last few months of his life doing all the things that he ever wanted to do in life but was too afraid to do.

I think as we live our daily lives, every now and then we should pause and reflect to make sure we are spending time on the right things. We should keep asking ourselves, if we were to die soon would we still be spending time doing what we are doing right now?

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who reflects on life. Even if you do not understand Hindi, the DVD comes with English subtitles.  Do check it out.

Slumdog Millonaire

Having spent the first 25 years of my life in Mumbai, this was one movie that I was not going to miss. I wanted to see for myself why this movie was getting so much attention worldwide.

First thing that struck me is that it really takes an outsider to give you a brutally honest perspective of life in your own city. We are all so busy living our daily lives, that most of us never pause and have a real hard look at whats going on around us. Most of us who have lived in Mumbai for many years, have become numb to the poverty and depravation that we see all around us.

The first half of the movie had so much of the reality of Mumbai in terms of the dirt and squalor, I could not believe my eyes. It was absolutely shocking. It was like I was watching it for the first time, even though I had seen it so many times while travelling all over the city. The first thing that came to my mind is that this movie is really going to ruin India's image as an emerging economic superpower. I felt a sense of shame that we had some of the most brilliant minds in the country doing cutting edge technology work and solving complex problems all over the globe, while one of India's major metros is filled with so much crime, corruption, poverty and grief.

The movie is filled with optimism and hope admist a lot of pain and sadness. Jamal Malik (played by Dev Patel) the leading character in the movie goes on to win a large sum of money by answering questions on the Indian version of "Who wants to be a millionaire?" based on experiences he has had in his life. The movie covers a lot of different emotions. Each question on the game show is intricately linked to the leading characters horrific life experiences, which help him to answer all the questions correctly. The movie has all the elements of classic Bollywood style film making while at the same time giving it a very strong outsiders perspective.

I loved the movie. I thought it was great direction by Danny Boyle, fantastic cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle. The entire cast has done a very good job of acting their part.

I hope that just like Danny Boyle had made this movie showcasing how the poor live in Mumbai, I hope he makes a movie that showcases the dreams and aspirations of the middle class and how they live in this same city which is known as the "Maximum city".

Courage under Fire

This is one of the best movies depicting the meaning of true leadership. Absolutely mind blowing performance by Denzel Washington. When you watch him on screen, you can feel the emotions that he is going through. Must watch movie for all would be leaders in any field. Its been quite a while since "Braveheart" that I saw a movie that depicted Leadership in such a powerful way.

P.S. I Love You

This is one of the most romantic movies I have seen in recent times. It touched me very deeply. This is the kind of movie that puts your life into perspective and pulls at your heart strings. For most of us we do not realize the importance of something till we loose it. We take many things in life for granted. And its more so when it comes to relationships. And it takes a very strong life altering experience to really make us understand what are the most important things in life.

I think along with Health and Wealth, it is very important to have people in your life with whom you can be yourself. With whom you can be totally honest and share anything and everything. For most people this person will be your spouse. For some it might be a best friend or relative. When you have such a person whom you can trust and who brings happiness to your life, make sure that you don't take it for granted. Do your bit to nurture and nourish that relationship and not waste too much time in fighting and arguing over petty things.

Life is too short and it goes by in the blink of an eye. We should make the most of it by investing our time wisely in realtionships which contribute to a happy life. And when we are ready to die, we should be able to confidently say that we have no regrets.

All the above thoughts were trigerred by the movie "P.S. I Love You" which I just saw. I would recommend this movie to all of you. Watch it once and let me know how it made you feel.

The Godfather

This is one movie which I can say is as good as or better than the original book written by Mario Puzo. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino immortalized The Godfather. There would be hardly any guy who will watch this movie and not like it.

When Harry Met Sally

An excellent romantic comedy about the battle of the sexes. It potrays in the best possible manner how men and women are so fundamentally different, yet how they can't live without each other. Excellent acting by Billy Crystal (Harry) and Meg Ryan (Sally)

Scent of a Woman

Al Pacino plays a blind major who looses his eye sight in an accident. This movie potrays the power of an individual personality at its best. The acting and dialogues by Pacino are abolute fireworks. Other must see Al Pacino movies are Godfather Part 1, Part 2 and Scarface.

Lage Raho Munnabhai

Saw Lage Raho Munnabhai yesterday. After watching this movie I really felt proud that we have the talent to make such a fantastic movie. It is one of the best bollywood movies that I have seen till date. In this age when most people may think that the message and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi is not that relevant, this film makes some very convincing arguments in a language and style that most Indians can relate to, as to why Gandhi is still relevant and why he will be relevant for a long time to come. It is becuase his philosophy and principles are based on eternal truths. If I were to put Ghandhis philosopy is 2 words they would be:

1) Non-Volience - Not hurting any living soul in thought, word or deed
2) Satyagraha (Truthfullness) - Always speaking the truth no matter what the consequence

Adhering to these 2 principles will do much more to take us towards peace and happiness than anything else that we do.

The film teaches us these 2 things without any sermonising, but by using humour and comedy. I for one loved the movie and I hope all of you who read this make it a point to watch this movie at least once.

And if this movie gets you interested in the Life and Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, then you can check out his autobiography titled "My Experiments with Truth". Your admiration for the man will increase 10 fold. Or as Lageraho Munnabhai says "Bandhe mei tha Dum, Vande Mataram".

PSN