Concerns....

A: So what is your number one concern?

B: About what?

A: About anything, everything....

B: You want to know what I am most concerned about?

A: Yes - that is why I asked you the same question like a mere second ago..

B: And you want to know this right now - while we are drinking?

A: Yep - hence the question.

B: OK OK - no need to be so cheeky about it. Hhhmm... well... if you put it like that... you know - I absolutely hate the fact that you have to have a smiling profile picture on Facebook! Look at everyone's profile picture these days - they are all smiling, looking completely jolly and whatnot! Then if you go ahead and put a profile picture where you look like you are pissed off at something then those friends and relatives of yours - they harass you - "whats wrong dude" and all that that crap!

A: And this is your number one concern?

B: Yes!

A: Really?

B: I mean - this is my number one concern .... - when I am drunk!

C: Well save man! Kudos!

D: Teeheeehheeeehheeee

B: Don't laugh! I say something like "Federer Lost" followed by a crying smiley - but hell - there is my face - right next to it - grinning broadly like an idiot! What am I? Some dude with a bipolar disorder? Utterly disgusting I tell you!

D: Teehheeehheeeee

C: So you basically want a feature where you can upload custom profile pics for every status update?

E: Aaand there's our wannabe project manager at heart - desperately fishing for any ideas!

C: O really - what are you then? A wannabe developer?

A: Guys guys! Control!

B: Well - you wanted to know - this is my answer.

D: Teeeheeeheeee

B: What is there to laugh man! I am serious!

C: Anybody wants to know what I am most concerned about?

A: Umm... not really - I'll get to you maybe later -

C: I pity the fact that we have so many channels to vent our frustration - because that prevents us from taking any real action! 

A: Ok - see, lets not get too serious...

C: No no! - Listen to me!

A: Well what I meant was - 

C: No no - its a real problem man - that nobody seems to acknowledge!

A: Ok - go on then ....

C: I read some sad and disturbing news somewhere and then what do I do? I tweet about it, I share it with my 10 whatsapp friends who still reply to me, I write a 20 sentence long comment with 4-5 bigass words on Facebook - same comment in Marathi and with a bunch of foul words on eSakal and timesofindia - then vote up the relevant post on reddit and quora and talk all aggressively about it while having coffee with colleagues at office! And then that is it - done! I actually feel like I have done something! And this is wrong! All these channels - all these ways - they give me a false sense of accomplishment - like I have done my part about this disturbing thing! But I really haven't done shit, have I!? Whats worse, I am now more concerned about how many likes and comments and retweets I get - I mean, really? What am I? Some sad information distribution medium? And its not like there are no ways to actually do something tangible - there are many - but by this time I am already content - and I have moved on - to some other "in-vogue" thing - and its all my fault - for falling in to this trap! Pathetic!

D: Hhhhmmmm......

B: Hhhmmmm.......

E: Well you could cut back a little on those 100 social network channels and all that and maybe -,

C: That doesn't really solve the problem - does it!? There are many sources to read up about such things - so you go and read around and then what - none of these sources tell what you can do next - right? Their job is done - they have "told" you about it - they have "reported" it! And their answer to "doing something" is - "Hey there, look at the top right corner of this page - Click on the share button!" Damn it man! When I do that - the news stops lingering in my mind - it washes away. And if it doesn't stick in my head - if it doesn't bother me again and again - then how can I bring myself to do something about it!?

E: Hhhmmm.....

A: Well - you have already identified the problem - it is you yourself. Take some action, don't just "spread the word" - although I do feel that, that is one step better than being totally unconcerned about it. These things bother you - that is good - and you already know what the second step is - you'll get there .. soon...

C: Don't patronize me! I have to do something! Tonight! Right now!

B: Aren't you still on your first drink - you need a refill man - preferably more than one.....

D: Teehhheeeheeee

C: Shut up!

E: Well for me - what concerns me most is that no matter what I do, I just can't seem to stop thinking about -,

A: Lets put a pin on that thought for now! And if possible - never take it off - ever.

D: Haha - take that, sucker!

A: You are all Mr. Joker today, aren't you? Enlighten us - what bothers you dear sir!?

D: Me? Nothing! I am a happy and content man!

A: Nobody is happy and content! There must be something! Come on!

D: Not really - nothing concerns me - much.... I mean, there are some little things here and there though - but they are nothing - you guys will laugh...

B: Well I am going to laugh no matter what you answer .....

A: Let him speak! - Continue...

D: You remember the second-last scene in Dil Chahta Hai? When Dimple is dead and they are putting all her belongings in a truck. Well, whom are they shipping those things to? Her daughter is a minor - Dimple's husband won't let her have those things - Akshay Khanna himself can't have them - that'll be too weird and creepy. So where does that truck drive off to? They don't tell you that, do they?

E: Who the hell cares where the truck was taking those things? Probably to a local flee market! And this bothers you why, exactly? You wanted dead Dimple's wine glasses, do you?

D: Now look who's being a smartass! Finally managed to stop thinking about what you were thinking about before, eh Mr. Tragedy?

E: Well - your utter stupidity shook me out of -,

D: And then then - what if Karan Johar decides to do a movie about Mrutyunjaya? There's a whole lot of scope for sentimentalism and sacrifice and all! Will he cast Shahrukh as Karna? If he does, then that'll ruin Mrutyunjaya for me! And and, why hasn't Yash Raj made a film about 500 Days of Summer yet? And also,-

A: Please stop! I accept your previous answer - you are not concerned about anything - agreed.

B: Hahahahahaha!

D: Whatever....

C: Well this exercise was a major waste of time - didn't give us anything concrete!

A: What were you expecting?

---------------

TIL (Today I Learnt): When you are just lying around trying to kill time and there are multiple things going through your mind - its really fun to cast those thoughts as intoxicated individuals and make them have a conversation!

Time well spent methinks!

Gatsby - what Gatsby?

There are a few reasons why I decided to read "The Great Gatsby" - one of the biggest classics from 1920s written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

One, I like being that jerk, the one who after watching a movie based on a book, says with a smirk - "You know what - the book was better - they have ruined it completely in the movie." So a decently cool trailer was enough of an incentive.

Two, Leonardo DiCaprio is going to play Jay Gatsby and after The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, Shutter Island and Inception, the poor man definitely deserves something more than angry fans arguing for him on IMDb and such forums. So assuming that he will probably pull off one more stunning performance and once again end up with nothing, I wanted to be better prepared when the time of the debates comes. 

Three, this movie is the first Hollywood movie where Amitabh Bachchan is part of the cast. And yes, I do strongly believe that Hollywood  repeatedly and in a not-so-subtle manner, likes to portray India/Indians in a negative way - either a poor, dirty slum-dog or a rich, idiotic snob (remember Anil Kapoor in MI-4?). And as far as I know, there wouldn't have been many Indians in 1920s in the rich suburban Long Island area where the story takes place and so I wanted to know beforehand what devious fate is in store for Amitabh Bachchan. He plays a Jew businessman of sorts (if you call bootlegging a business).

Four, I am a big fan of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. Incidentally, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda are characters in that movie. They say that F. Scott Fitzgerald loosely based the character of Daisy, the female lead of The Great Gatsby, on his wife Zelda. I absolutely fell in love with her in Midnight in Paris! Besides being stunningly beautiful, she is unpredictable, rude, charming, even borderline crazy and suicidal. She is always all over the place, but you can still see that she has good intentions - somewhere deep.

So anyway, its a small book. Barely 200 or so pages - and still it took me more than 3 weeks to finish it! Thanks to my awesome High-school  St. Vimli's (THE best sarcastic pseudonym for the horrible school that people have come up with), my English vocabulary is as bad as it can be and I could not help but think that I should have read this book one or two weeks before I took the GRE, the small window of time when all the bloody wordlists were actually fresh in my head. Having to check meanings of 10 words in every single page ends up being very annoying after a while!

Here's a disclaimer - I think there can not be any spoilers for a book like The Great Gatsby. Its a textbook tragedy, like Devdas or such. So even if you kind of know the end, it hardly makes any difference to the value of the story as such.

So before I state anything about the book - let me clearly state this - Yes - I am an idiot - Yes I do not understand subtle art - and Yes I am too intellectually and artistically challenged to fully appreciate this book.

But the fact of the matter is, I completely failed to "get" what the book was trying to say!

The characters, I feel,  are too simple. The negative character, Tom, Daisy's husband, is so in-your-face-evil and so obviously smarter, physically stronger and richer than Gatsby that you kind of know beforehand what the end result is going to be before Tom and Gatsby start having their obligatory conversation-fight towards the end of the book.

Secondly, I don't like it when there are external, uncontrollable reasons for a character's downward spiral. Because then, the "tragedy" is not "real" in some sense - its just an inevitable thing - something that was meant to happen sooner or later - and that, in my personal opinion, is too much of a cliche. For example, Devdas has a perfect reason to be pissed off - his parents didn't like his girlfriend. But for Dev D,well, his father was actually disappointed that he blew his chances with Paro. And this thing, not having anything or anyone to blame but your own self, is surely the ideal reason to drink yourself to death. In The Great Gatsby, its just meant not to end well. Sure - it makes for a good drama and a handful of sentimental scenarios, but loses some sort deep emotional bond that it might have forged with readers. I think a good tragedy should not make you feel sad about the character, it should just make you feel sad.

Third, the book wants to show how careless, selfish and bitter people get, even towards their loved ones, when they are trying to hide their pain. But here, the characters overdo it so much that instead of feeling sorry for Daisy, I actually found her to be very repulsive. There is a thin line between being overtly bubbly, pretending to be shallow and being downright shallow - and in my book, Daisy is on the wrong side of this line - almost always.

So anyway, I am majorly pissed. Not at The Great Gatsby - but at myself - for failing to understand the book, for failing to have that "oh this book soo changed my life" feeling that so many people seemed to have according to the reviews.

I really hope the movie is good - and since its a musical, if nothing else, I hope to get a good collection of new songs to listen to! 

Madmen

        I am a TV show junkie. A bad one. I like my adrenaline rush. The Science fiction, the drama, the sexy girls, the action, things getting blown up, lameass jokes, some jawdropping twist and a nice heart-warming conclusion. Throw in a nice plot, clever writing, decent acting and at least one good looking girl and you are basically done. I'll watch the crap out of that show.
And then there is Madmen.
Very different. Very obscure. Very subtle.

        No CIA or FBI agent, nobody threatening to destroy or blow anything up, no island, no doctor to save the day, no lawyer to shut everyone up. Its about a bunch of people, working in Advertising in the 60s, in New York. There is nothing sensational about what they do and their lives. And still Madmen, the show, leaves me speechless.

        Four 'Best Drama Series' Emmys. Four bloody Emmys in a row! No other TV show has done this - ever! I obviously don't intend to give out spoilers. I just intend to 'spread the word' per-say :-)

        "Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And do you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's the freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of a road that screams with reassurance that whatever you're doing is OK. You are OK." says Don Draper, the main protagonist. A womanizing, selfish, creative, arrogant, glib ad man. The main strength of Madmen is the combination of its great set of characters and authenticity brought about by music, visuals, sets & props. I usually end up thinking to myself - this is exactly how life in US in the 60s must have been. And this is where Madmen wins - there are many shows which take themselves seriously, but Madmen takes its audience seriously as well.

        Every character in Madmen is human. One could argue that there are no positive characters in the show - and to some extent its true. You will find each and every person trying hard to be polite, to appear in control - but you can almost feel that there is always this looming anxiety, there is always that hidden frustration - those repressed emotions - but - you won't find even a single melodramatic, lengthy, drawn-out scene!
         People suffer in silence, they avoid confrontations, they keep things unresolved and hanging and they die misunderstood.
         And that is why Madmen rules!

           Characters are sexist, not tolerant of other religions and beliefs, they are prejudiced, they drink while working and smoke even when they are pregant. But the show is not just about how different things were and how our sense of right and wrong "evolves" over time. Its about making us realize that despite of how much we change, we still remain the same. The show goes out of its way to show what a shitty treatment women used to get not so long ago - but makes sure you end up rooting for a girl.

          One of the IMDB reviewers says that "strength and a challenge of Madmen is that it resists having its characters 'grow' dramatically and giving them radical new stories from season to season." And I couldn't agree more with this! In Madmen, people actually don't change much, they try hard but at the end of the day they don't 'really' grow out of their habits and mistakes. They are who they are and who they always were - a sum total of their deeds and their actions. So you hate them - you want to scream at them. But then realize this is exactly how people are, this is exactly how you are!

         "Trust me - it never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened." - Don Draper.

Here is one of Don's classic ad pitches -

          "When deep beauty is encountered, it arouses deep emotions. Because it is, by nature, unattainable. We are taught to think that function is all that matters, but we have a natural longing for this other thing. What price would we pay, what behavior would we forgive, if they weren't pretty, if they weren't temperamental, if they weren't beyond our reach and a little out of our control, would we love them like we do?"

The ad is supposed to be for an expensive sports car to be marketed to general population. And yet here he is, cleverly playing with words, making us associate this expensive car with a beautiful unattainable girl - unknowingly changing the way we would end up perceiving the car.

           All in all, a show that is not afraid to tackle the "weird" aspects of "settled" and "suburban" life.

Madmen's creater, Matthew Weiner aptly says - "Creative works exist to express something that can't be expressed literally - they exist so that people can feel or understand something that can't entirely be conveyed with a rational explanation."

           The show is no doubt cleverly written. But then again its not for everyone and especially not for all moods. You have to let 'Madmen' grow on you. You can't expect and wait for things to happen - if you are looking for that - then Madmen is not your cup of tea. Its not something that you can watch with a bunch of friends - munching over snacks. You can't do a Madmen marathon - finishing off 5 seasons in one week or something - because its not a Tequila shot that you gulp down in seconds and feel the high in 5 minutes. Its a smooth Scotch - on the rocks - to be enjoyed with a cigar - sitting alone in a dark room - looking out of the window - thinking.

Story

चौथा call होता आता हा. आणि हि रिंग तर साली अजून संपतच नव्हती, प्रत्येक सेकंद हा नुसता एका भयाण क्षणासारखा, स्वतःच अस्तित्व अगदी ठामपणे गाजवणारा आणि मगच पुढे जाणारा.... आधीच मनाचा निश्चय डळमळीत ,त्यात हे एकावर एक येणारे नुसते calls. नक्कीच पोचली असेल एव्हाना ती तिकडे. नेहमीसारखी  स्वताच्याच जगात, सराईतासारखी नुसती एक नजर फिरवली असेल - तिच्या भाषेत म्हणायचं तर सगळ्या 'crowd' वरून, आणि मग कुठेच दिसत नाही म्हणून एकदा goggle काढून घड्याळ  पाहिलं असेल, एकदा सुस्कारा टाकून मान हलवली असेल..... आणि मग हा फोन चा शेवटचा पर्याय... 

त्यान ring silent केली. अगदी डोळ्यासमोर घडत असलेल्या गोष्टीकडे सर्रास कानाडोळा करायला सोप जाव

म्हणून बनवलेली सोय आहे हे ring silent करता येण्याच feature म्हणजे. तिचच वाक्य. असच कधीतरी तावातावाने म्हटलेल. "मी ज्या गोष्टी चिडून बोलते त्याच लक्षात राहतात तुझ्या!" हे वाक्य सुद्धा कधीतरी चिडूनच म्हटलेल असल्याने त्याच्या लक्षात राहिलंय! तो स्वतशीच हसला.  कदाचित अशा हसण्यालाच 'कुत्चीत' हास्य म्हणत असावेत.

"25 minutes उशीर!??" उंचावलेल्या भुवया, कपाळावर आठ्या, रोखलेले डोळे आणि ओठांचा चंबू. अजिबात बदललेली नाहीये पोरगी. 

"Hhhmm... हो. Sorry."

"एवढ जीवावर येतंय तर म्हणू नकोस Sorry."

"ते तिकडच table आहे - बसू तिकडे" 

"आणि इतका अचरटा सारखा उशीर का केलास? मी तुझी वाट  पहात  मुर्खासारखी थांबते का नाही ते बघायच होत का?"

"हो" 

"चौथ्या वाक्यातच सरळ उत्तर आणि मुद्द्याला हात? वा वा, प्रगती आहे! 5 minutes ची प्रस्तावना आणि 10 minutes च रडगाणं याला तू चाट दिलीस हे एक बर केलास बुवा."

तो काहीच बोलला नाही. तिला चिडचिड करण्यासाठी तिची space लागते हे त्याला अनुभवांती ठाऊक होत. त्यान 2 चहा मागवले आणि हात table वर ठेवून तिच्याकडे पाहू लागला. ती अजूनही फुरफुरत होती. "useless" वगैरे तत्सम शब्द त्याच्या कानी पडले. college मध्ये असताना आणि नंतर सुद्धा त्याला अनेकांनी "तुमच्या दोघांच काही लफड वगैरे आहे का" अस अनेकदा विचारल असेल.   अशा प्रश्नाचं उत्तर देण्यानी कधीच काही हशील होत नाही. विचारणाऱ्या माणसाच मत तुमच्या उत्तरांनी बदलणार तर नसतच - उलट ते अजून धृढच होणार असत - तुम्ही काहीही म्हणा. पण खर सांगायच तर त्याला स्वतःलाच माहिती नव्हत. मैत्रीण? शत्रू? rival? confidant? He had always done his best work with her. त्यांची team unbeatable होती. ते वचावचा भांडायचे. तो तिच्यावर चिडायचा, ती त्याला शिव्या घालायची. तो तिला हाड-हूड करायचा. पण शेवटी काम पूर्ण व्हायच. एका basic courtesy च्या पुढे त्यांना एकमेकांबद्दल काहीच personal माहिती नव्हती. दोघांनीही कधी ती जाणून घ्यायचा प्रयत्न हि केला नव्हता. एक-दोन warm moments नक्कीच share केल्या असतील त्यांनी पण ते तेव्हढपुरतच. सगळे जण वेगळ्या वेगळ्या ठिकाणी जाणार तेव्हा farewell party च्या शेवटी त्यांनी एकदा मिठी मारली होती. अगदी क्षण दोन क्षण ती मिठी सोडूच नये असा विचार त्याच्या मनात येऊन गेला असेल, कदाचित तिने ती मिठी सोडायला एक पाव सेकंद जास्त लावला असेल किंवा कदाचित हा सगळा त्याचा भास च असेल...

"ओ राजे आलाय चहा. घ्या. 6 वर्षांनी भेटतोय आपण. काही बोलणार आहात का नुसत थोबाडाकडे  पाहत बसायचं एकमेकांच्या?"

"काय म्हणतय वैवाहिक जीवन?"

"मस्त! 8 वर्ष झालीत लग्नाला. पोराबाळांची झंझंट नाही. दोघ जण पैसे कमवतोय. We enjoy our work and enjoy each others' company."

"So you are happy?"

"I don't see any reason why I should say no."

"Hhmm... True."

"अरे निदान खोट खोट तरी I am happy for you अस म्हण!"

"मी तस म्हणत नाहीये हे एक indication नाही का?"

तिनी चहाचा cup खाली ठेवला. एक दुखावल गेल्याची भावनेची झालर तिच्या डोळ्यांवर आल्यासारख वाटल त्याला. उगाचच एक आसुरी आनंदाची लहर त्याच्या मस्तकात गेली. आणि लगेचच दुसर्याच क्षणी ती  विरून त्याला  किळस आली स्वताची. काय करतोय तो? तिला दुखावतोय? मुद्दामहून? कशासाठी? कारण राग आलाय त्याला तिचा. पण तो राग नक्की कशाचा आहे? असा काय आहे जे त्याच्याकडे नाहीये? पण तरी काहीतरी खुपतंय. ठसठसतय. झोम्बतय. 

"काय झाल? मला माहितीये कि friends, नवरा-बायको यांना दरवेळी सगळ सांगता येतच नाही. मी नाही म्हणते कि मला तू सांग. पण काही मदत करू शकत असले तर करीन." 

वाक्याच्या शेवटी हळू हळू होत गेलेला तिचा आवाज. ती genuinely बोलत होती. He can always tell. 

"भीती वाटते मला!" 

"भीती वाटते डोळे बंद करायची!" 

"भीती वाटते स्वताच्या विचारांची आणि स्वताच्या मनाबरोबर एकट राहाव लागेल कि काय याची!"

"त्याच्यापेक्षा गर्दीत हरवून झाण सोप! एक नुसता चेहर्याचा ठिपका होण बर! ना आगा ना पिछा!"

"पण अस कोरड होण तर कधी जमतच नाही. कोडगेपणा रक्तातच असायला हवा. नंतर कितीही प्रयत्न केले तरी भिनवता येत नाहीच पुरेसा. आणि मग फक्त ओढताणच होते..."

ती आता सावरून बसली होती. त्याचा असा भांध फुटलेला तिनी कधीच पहिला नव्हता. 

तो आता बोलायचं  थांबला होता. हळू हळू श्वास शांत होत होता. त्याने उगाचच घसा खाकरला. मान झटकल्यासारखी केली.

"Thank You. That helped." त्याचा आवाज वरमल्यासारखा होता. 

"पण मला अजून तू काहीच सांगितला नाहीयेस."

"जे सांगायच होत ते सांगून झाल. घटना, व्यक्ती आणि घडलेल्या घडामोडी मध्ये आणून जे शेवटी  सांगायच होत ते असच काहीतरी असणार होत. उलट ते props आणि details नव्हते हे चांगलच झाल."

तिच्या चेहर्यावर एक all-knowing smile आल. त्याच्या चांगलच ओळखीच आणि राग आणणार. पण आत्ता नाही. 

"You know what - Stop looking for an excuse to blow up your life."

तो एकदम चमकला! जोरात आलेल्या वार्याने पळवून लावलेल्या ढगानंतर निळ्याशार होणार्या आभाळासारख त्याला काहीतरी एकदम वाटल. त्याने डोळे वर केले. ती त्याच्याकडेच बघत होती. शांतपणे. एकटक. जणू ती थांबली होती - तो बोलण्यासाठी.

तिच्या काळ्याभोर डोळ्यात टक लावून मंदपणे हसत तो एकच वाक्य म्हणाला - 

"I am so glad we are not friends."

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नितळ बघितला काल. एक वेगळाच विषय फारसा आव न आणता मांडण्याचा चांगला प्रयत्न वाटला मला तरी.
गडगंज संपत्ती असलेल्या, serial वाल्या घरांनाही लाजवू शकेल अशा typical joint family मध्ये लहानाचा मोठा झालेला घरातला ३५ वर्षांचा अविवाहित डॉक्टर अंगभर कोड असणाऱ्या त्याच्या डॉक्टर मैत्रिणीच्या प्रेमात पडतो. प्रत्येक वयोगटाचे, वेगवेगळ्या पिढ्यांचे लोक कशा पद्धतीनी या बातमीला खळबळजनक बनवून react करतात आणि कशी सामाजिक, सांस्कृतिक आणि वाडवडिलांच्या संस्कारांचा side-effect म्हणून म्हणा किंवा आजूबाजूच्या समवयीन लोकांच्या वागणुकीचा आपल्यावर होणार्या परिणामामुळे म्हणा, खोलवर रुतून बसलेली "apparent" मुल्ये शेवटी चांगल्या-वाईटाच्या व्याख्या ठरवतात हा movie चा मूळ मुद्दा. आता इतका open-ended विषय निवडल्यामुळे आणि debate च्या सगळ्या बाजू मांडता आल्या पाहिजेत म्हणून characters तशी बरीच crudely generalized आणि stereotyped आहेत. प्रेमळ आजोबा, self-involved आणि rude काका, military खाक्याचे आणि कदाचित म्हणूनच कधीच काही बोलून न दाखवणारे वडील,social circle आणि social status च्या विचारांनी नाक मुरडणार्या काक्वा, "काय बिघडला यात" असं blindly म्हणणारे teen cousins आणि आपण कसे नवीन विचारांचे progressive लोक आहोत हे ठसवण्यासाठी ambivalent राहणारे धूर्त लोक....characters चा संपूर्ण गोतावळा आहे आणि काही काही संभाषणं पण खरोखरच विचार करायला लावणारी आहेत. हा रोग नाही तर फक्त lack of a pigment आहे, एखाद्याची identity हि फक्त बाहेरच्या रूपावर अवलंबून नसते, rebel करून आणि भांडून लग्न करता येईल आणि पाहिजे ते मिळवता येईल पण सुख मिळेल का वगैरे प्रश्न मांडून आणि purposefully ते unanswered ठेवून प्रत्येकाला त्याच्या point of view नि ते interpret करता आले पाहिजेत हा movie चा message पण चांगला आहे. पण.....
माशी शिंकायलाच हवी कुठेतरी.....
मला तरी एक गोष्ट जाम खटकली. 'तारे झमीन पर' बघताना पण खटकली होती, पण तेव्हा the drama of the movie overpowered me; कि अशा movies मध्ये आणि by "अशा", i mean कि अशा movies ज्या काहीतरी चाकोरीबाहेरचे विषय मांडतात, त्यांच्यामध्ये almost invariably, the "unlucky" character(who by definition has to be the protagonist) always has something to compensate for his "defect". म्हणजे तारे झमीन पर मधलं पोरगं हे एकदम gifted artist निघतं! काय probability आहे खऱ्या जगात असं होण्याची? दहा लाख मुलांमध्ये २० dyslexic असली तर त्यातली १९ मुलं हि average मुलंच नसणार का? आणि नेहमीपेक्षा खूप जास्त, खूप वेगळे कष्ट घेऊन average perform करत येणं हि पण एक त्यांच्या दृष्टीनी groundbreaking achievement नाही का? पण हे realistic दाखवणं तर सोडाच, अशा प्रकारच्या movies त्या protagonists च्या त्या overcompensating "abilities" ना "glorify" करतात! म्हणजे आधी जर त्यांच्या defect नि त्यांना objectify करण्यात येत असलं तर शेवटी त्यांच्या खतरनाक talent मुळे objectify केलं जातं. आणि सगळं normal चं दाखवलं तर story कुठे राहिली आणि drama कुठे राहिला हा मुद्दा च माझ्या मते void आहे. जर तुम्ही काहीतरी वेगळं करायला घेतलंय तर ते संपूर्णपणे तसच ठेवा, उगाच safe option निवडून तुम्ही स्वताच स्वताच्या विषयाला आणि मांडणीला खिजवताय कि काय असं वाटतं राहत .... नितळ मध्ये सुद्धा "काय talented surgeon आहे ती आणि किती सुंदर गाते बघा!" असं तो मुलगाच म्हणतो. अरे हे काय! म्हणजे चांगलं गाता येत नसतं तर नाही म्हणणार होता का तो? चांगल्या गोष्टींवर focus करावं, वाईट गोष्टी आणि disabilities पेक्षा, या point of view नि जर अशा गोष्टी include करण्यात येत असल्या तर it is even worse because it sends out a message कि हा defect वाईट आहे! पण यामुळे जे 'negative connotation" मिळाल तेही वाईटच! मूळ मुद्दा कि यात काही वाईट नाहीये तर it is a way of life हे सांगणं मागेच पडून जातं कुठेतरी आणि viewer काय शिकून जातो कि defect असलं तरी जोपर्यंत काहीतरी त्याला compensate करणारी ability आहे तोवर काळजीच काही कारण नाही..... And it is exactly this kind of thinking which defeats the purpose of why the movie was made in the first place....
नाही का? असो....