Welcome On-board!

I have been “The Baby” of my immediate 'Sengupta'-family for years and years… Today, I step down and the family spotlight shines on you.

Dear Baby, we unite to welcome you to our family…
Stay blessed in our love forever.

The End ?

“It is with a heavy heart that I take up my pen to write the last words in which I shall ever record the singular gifts by which my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes was distinguished”… and thus, many a years back, I had been initiated into the gripping intricacies of The Final Problem. Imagine my shock when I rushed to watch the movie-version of Sherlock Holmes… and a seemingly half-witted, cantankerous chap plunged into the scene and blurted out “My name is… Sherlock Holmes”.

I jerked upright on my seat, trying to ascertain the situation. In whose imagination was this character conceived? Certainly not in Mr. Doyle’s… and hopefully not in any of us who have grown up being in awe of the great Mind. So, is this the “coming of age” of Sherlock Holmes? Our gift to a generation who prefers the easy appeal of motion picture over that of the printed words? And is that really Watson razzing with Holmes quite like that?

Now don’t blame me for comparing. If they make movies from our favourite novels, if they insist on putting faces to the characters we have always loved, then I will compare. And what right do they have to spoil my world my thrusting on me a whacko Mycroft, with an out-of-context obesity and a distasteful desire to roam about naked? That had not only ruined Mycroft for me, but also affected my visions of Sidhhu Jetha in Feluda. Somehow everything just seemed so out-of-context.

20 mins through the plot, I preferred to drift off to a blissful state of mental blankness. There's too much of Slow-Mo future fore-telling, too much of fights, for my taste. And I so missed my favourite hero who sits in his dressing gown, smoking his pipe and churning his ideas. This infinitely-more-Hollywood version prefers to smoke the cigar.

But, as it always happened in the world of Mysteries, the plot gripped me irrationally… and as the plot reached its prime, I granted the movie a second chance. Or, as Downey says, I just followed his lead! And slowly I found myself being waltzed into a world where everything looked and felt wrong, yet something quite interesting was controlling the drift. I don’t quite know when I shifted grounds and started enjoying this fanciful version of Holmes… but I found myself laughing out loud in most of the plot junctions. And how did they work out this electrifying rapport between the lead characters? The "very intimate relations" between Sherlock and Watson had somehow blended itself into this questionable-yet-enthralling bromance.

So… in an attempt to sum up, I would give the movie credit for making explicit all those aspects of the story which has always been left implicit by Mr. Doyle. The mind had played with them… on and on… and now you get the glamourized pronouncement of the same. Yet, somehow, I criticize the movie for just the same… for making us lose the subtle pleasure of it all, for damaging the imagination... ’Cause no matter how delicious the platter is to the eye, the imagination can always cook up something far better. But I do give the movie credit for the nurturing the right rhythm between Downey and Law. Oh, and was it Jude Law all the way! How come I did not realize it so far? Or, is that really why I started liking it, after all?

So, I would rather not rate a movie like "A Game of Shadows". There are too many grey areas. But, given a chance, I would like to re-watch it – give it another chance, maybe... if we manage to totally ignore Mycroft... and oh, Irene too (she just can't be Sherlock's "The Woman"). And I just feel like watching the first part of this sequel too… maybe just for Law and Downey. So, maybe... it's not quite 'The End' yet?

Let's Start Believing Again...

... let's hope to try a little harder & put in a little more effort... let's hope to believe, once more... let's hope for a world devoid of sarcasm... let's hope...

movie review

There are some movies which you simply Enjoy... But after a few days, you fail to recollect exactly what you had liked about the movie. All you might remember is a pleasing sensation and a brightening of spirit...

These movies, almost always, would invartiably fail to figure anywhere in your list of favourites. Yet, the time spent on them would somehow seem worthwhile.

That's all I have to say for the latest movie I watched... "Zindegi Na Milegi Dobara". There are films I cherish, there are films I associate myself with. This is NOT one of them. Infact, I am quite aversed to 50% of the main star cast of the movie, and am doubtful about the rest 50%. And I am 100% sure I'll forget everything about it in a week's time.

Probably all that I'll remember is an enthusiastic enjoyment of a certain evening. For a movie of its calibre, that's more than what I sought from the film... and hence, am duly satisfied.

I have a Dream - ABBA

" I have a Dream, a song to sing
To help me through anything
If you see the wonder of a fairytale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I cross the stream - I have a dream... "

Soaring high...

Ever since I can remember, I have been mesmerized by Balloons...
I remember staring at the balloon-man in awe, extremely jealous of his good fortune, as he arranged bunches of balloons together. On days when I went with Ma and Baba to buy balloons, I was a super-happy kid! The entire event was a thrill for me. I simply adored those huge round balloons... floating on the sky, always so high-n'-mighty!
Choosing one for myself was a challenging task. Which one should I settle for? There was the Yellow Balloon - bright as the Sunshine, glowing in its beauty. There was the Blue Balloon - clear like the summer sky. And ofcourse, there was the Red Balloon - flying majestically on top of the bunch. So many colours, so many balloons... such a treat it was!

** ** ** ** **

But hey, what have they done to my Balloons? Have they all gone and gotten modern, too?? The shapes, the texture, the simplicity of solid colours... everything has changed. First, some whacky business man came up with the idea of 'Heart-shaped' Balloons... and killed the whole fun. Balloons suddenly became quite "Adult" and very "Valentine"-ish! And now we have the 'High Quality' balloons in shapes of Barbie or Tiger or Spiderman... I dont even know if you can actually blow them up. They look so ready-made! And the vendor said these balloons won't burst!

Why Would You Want a Balloon that won't Burst? We managed so well all our childhood... with Balloons that did burst! Imagine a Balloon that looks like anything but a Balloon?!?! And costs you 50 bucks!

Oh God, I feel pity for the children these days... Would love to give them back the Simplicity of big round Balloons... ones that even looked and acted like what it actually was... A Balloon!

That's my home...

...Where The Red Rose Is Mine,

And The Vanilla Clouds Too...