Aquaman: Film Review

#Aquaman

A for Aquaman gets an A for effort. 

Visually spectacular with enough action and special effects to keep us glued to our seats, Aquaman is a half-decent year-end superhero movie that is perfectly enjoyable with the family. There is only one problem. We have Marvel.

It seems no matter how much they try, Warner Brothers and DC are just not able to crack what Disney and Marvel have. When we’ve seen amazing special effects, a wide spectrum of superpowers, multiple different characters each with an engaging backstory, addictive plot lines, experienced a whole lifecycle of emotions from #thefirstavenger to #infinitywar, and now waiting for life after death in the #endgame, what is really left for another franchise to give us that can make us jump from our seats.

We feel your frustration DC, but imagination is the only way out. That is once more where this next DC film fails. (see https://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2017/11/justice-league-short-film-review.html) 

The story revolves around Arthur, the half human-half Atlantean, who lives among the surface people, refusing to take his place as the rightful heir to the Atlantis throne under the sea. But, when his half-brother stakes claim to be king by waging war against the people of the sea and land, he reluctantly embarks on a journey to find the all-powerful trident to finally reclaim his place as king of Atlantis, bringing peace to both sea and land. 

Aquaman has potential. In creating a superhero where the world is under the ocean, DC has the making of something unique. We see glimpses of that in the film when the people of the sea detest the people of the land for having polluted and destroyed the natural life that the ocean symbolises. In a planet where three-quarters of the area is water, DC has the power to take its fair share against Marvel stories, that live on the remaining one-fourth. Even the liminal spaces between land and water (where the entire story is told) create possibilities that don’t belong in the world of Avengers, who live in the realm of earth and space. 

In true DC style, while Marvel heroes look outside and beyond, the DC heroes look inside and deep within. 

This is the truth of DC. Not a Marvel Cinematic Universe, but “DC Graphic Introverse”

DC is at its best when it does that. We cheered for Wonder Woman, not only because she was the first proper woman superhero, but because of the inner strength of her character which gives her the real power (see my review https://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-mans-world-has-not-delivered.html) . We loved Man of Steel, not only because it was Superman, but because of the journey Kal-El has, growing up in a stranger’s planet that he learns to care for as his own.

Alas, Aquaman does not leverage this. The fantastical under-water world is beautifully created and stands out as visually something we have not seen before, but if only they had spent half as much on the storyline as on the CGI. Aquaman’s character is unique - raw and human, but if only his character had half as many layers as his abs. The human vs nature narrative was promising, but if only they had given half as much depth to it as they did to the ocean floor of Atlantis.

Nicole Kidman (as the mother queen Atlanna) still looks hot, and is a delight to see, with a throwback to her long-ago DC appearance as the oh-so-sexy Dr Chase Meridien in Batman Forever 1995. I can still hear Seal crooning Kiss from a Rose in the background! (Down boy!) Willem Dafoe as Vulko gives his usual poker face performance. Amber Heard as Mera, the princess is promising. Patrik Wilson as the bad guy King Orm is not bad either.

However, the more DC movies we watch, the more we want to tell them. Stop trying to play catch up to Marvel and find your own self. Even though it was Nolan, need we remind you that till date one of the most iconic superhero movies of our times was a DC franchise! We can only hope and pray for your sake - may you find the Dark Knight within!

Badhaai Ho - Film Review

#BadhaaiHo

The life and times of a typical Delhi-based middle-class family forms the back-drop of this enjoyable (mostly-)comedy. A comedy that arises from an event that is such an antithesis of a supposed lifestyle of a middle-class family, that it becomes the base for the entire plot.

The strength of this film comes from this one idea. That a conventional 50-something housewife conceives unexpectedly, amidst a mundane life that revolves around her daily duties of running the home and taking care of all members of the family (a husband, 2 young sons, and a crabby mother-in-law). And the emotional chaos and the multiple dramas that happen as a result.

In fact, that's pretty much the entire story. How everybody reacts to the news (mostly negatively) - the sons, the mother-in-law, the neighbours, the extended family, the son’s girlfriend, the son’s girl friend’s mother, the son’s friends. And then after some time, how everybody comes around to the fact that it’s completely normal and then reacts mostly positively.

Ayushmann Khurrana as Nakul Kaushik, again delivers a really good performance, being the central character, through which the entire story is told. Gajraj Rao (of Tech Conversations with my Dad fame), as the father Jeetu Kaushik gives a brilliant performance as an un-patriarchal head of the family, being both gentle with his family and still-in-love with his wife. Neena Gupta, as the mother Priyamvada Kaushik, also does a great job portraying a strong and silent woman, who’s self-effacing personality becomes a powerful contrast for the impact that her pregnancy has on everyone around her. Who thought she could be the one to shake up the entire system, that is held together by such fragile and meaningless rules and norms. And finally, Surekha Sikri as the dadi, does a brilliant role of a crabby traditional mother-in-law, whose primary job is to criticise the bahu and generally complain about everything and everyone.

Apart from the hilariousness of the different conversations that happen between different characters because of the situation, the movie is also impactful because it challenges stereotypes. It encourages us to be open-minded and tolerant of the different people that live around us, respecting the choices they make, whether we agree with them or not. Who’s to say what’s the right way to live one’s life? And who are we to judge others? The film reminds us to not put people in boxes. In a country with one of the largest youth populations in the world, it challenges perhaps one of the biggest biases we live with, in our country - the young vs. old bias. Old does not mean a road to ‘sanyaas ashram’. As long as we are alive, we are all human beings, with emotions, needs, desires and failings. What defines us is not our age, but the choices we make at our age. And the people that love us are the people that accept these choices and accept the life that comes as a result of these choices.

Where the film is weak, however, is the lack of a more defined storyline. It felt like the writers had this central idea and then they weaved everything around it. The narrative doesn’t move forward in a sense of what happens next. It just stays at this big event and things happening around it. The entire plot becomes about first showing the social conflict that is created by the late pregnancy and then the resolution of this conflict among the different characters. And while that’s perfectly enjoyable, it leaves you a little wanting for more.

The other area where the film had more potential was in building the different characters both inside the middle class society (like the younger teenage brother, Gullar and Nakul’s boisterous friends) as well as outside the middle class society (like Nakul’s girlfriend Renee, played by Sanya Malhotra of Dangal and her mother played by Sheeba Chaddha ). The film does try in building these characters through several scenes actually (like Gullar’s school fight with the bully, or Renee’s talk with Nakul or her talk with her mother), but because every scene becomes about the shocking unexpected pregnancy, there is no further aspect of the character that is built. And it’s not helped by a completely lacklustre presence (a non-performance) of Sanya Malhotra as the girlfriend, who actually has a pretty central role. Opportunity loss here.

But all in all, an enjoyable film with lots of laughter, in a surprising situation, with some great performances. Another feather in the cap for Bollywood in a year that is fast becoming one to remember for the most diverse set of movies, with completely unique plots and storylines. Once again a loud cheer for Bollywood 2018. 

Venom- Movie Review

#Venom. The byline of the poster says “the world has enough super heroes”. And that probably sums up the confusion that this next in the Marvel comics-brought-to-big-screen film is. 

So, he is not a hero? Then is he a villain? Uh! Ya. It is evil from another planet that wants to destroy planet earth. But wait.. not quite, because he changes his mind, and instead decides to save the earth. So may be he is a hero, after all. 

So maybe he is not a “super” hero? and he doesn’t have powers? Ya. He is an everyday loser who doesn’t care about saving the world or anything. But, wait.. not quite, because he likes the alien inside him (as weird as that sounds) that gives him all the powers to save the world. 

So maybe he is not “just another” super hero? He is bad ass, different, unique, R-rated like Deadpool? Ya, he is arrogant, cocky, bold, has sex too, but wait.. his girlfriend dumps him, he loses his job and he completely loses his confidence, will to live, and his general overall personality till the alien gets hold of him.

That’s when you realise you’re watching a weak movie. The plot is predictable and lame. And brings nothing new. 

Alien species lands on earth due to the misplaced ambition of a scientist (Carlton Drake, played by Riz Ahmed) to save the world through unscrupulous experiments. This species needs to inhabit human beings to survive and exhibit their power. One evil alien that inhabits noted journalist Eddie Brock (Thomas Hardy) turns good and the other that doesn’t inhabits the evil scientist. And the fight  between good and evil, till happily ever after. 

The plot had potential, no doubt. The one thing that IS remotely interesting (or should I say symbiotely interesting) is the the aspect of the symbiotic alien. They are two beings living in the same biological entity. One body, two souls. This opens up an interesting dimension of (no, not schizophrenia) a genuine double existence of 2 very different people in one form. Now, this is something that’s not explored before in a super hero, most of whom are very unidimensional. How the two-in-one co-exist, building on each other and completing each other in a way that makes them better together, both in a funny and a profound way and very often in a dark way. This aspect has a lot of possibilities. But in the way it’s done in the film, it feels like too much of a throwback to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 3, (remember, when the black gooey alien takes over Spidey to make him dark!) and loses the opportunity of creating something new. 

The only other thing that had potential was ofcourse, Thomas Hardy. And it seems like he was the entire bet for the film to work. But even he is not able to save the film. How can one can look at Hardy as a loser. It’s just not convincing. And the overall story lets him down. 

Again Riz Ahmed (a good actor) becomes another cliche of an evil scientist. Michelle Williams  (again, great actor), as the woman lead also had the potential to play a different, more equal partner to Venom, but again becomes another damsel not-even-a-sidekick. 

All and all, a disappointing, full-marks-for-trying-something-different-but-ending-up-in-a-seen-there-done-that not-quite-Marvel film. 

As you walk out of the theatre, you can’t help but agree vehemently with the byline. The world, indeed, has enough super heroes. We can live without this one.

Andhadhun - Movie Review

#Andhadhun
From director Sriram Raghavan, of Ek Hasina Thi (2004) Johnny Gaddar (2007) and Badlapur (2014), comes another engrossing page turner, centred around a single character’s story and how it intertwines with multiple characters along the way, in a crazy, dark, funny, twisted plot that reveals, as much as it unravels, with every passing scene.

This time the central character is a budding gifted pianist, living a blind life, working on his talent towards building a life of music. A chance incident makes him a witness to a murder, that triggers off a series of mis-happenings that push him deeper and deeper into related and totally unrelated mess. What follows is non-stop Newton’s third law of motion, where every action of his has an equal and opposite reaction, every doing leads to an undoing, till you’re left wondering will this poor guy ever get a break. And does he?

This movie is not about the moments and emotions and dialogues and relationships and such artistic endeavours. The art of this movie is squarely and single mindedly about the plot. And how it unfolds before your eyes. Sriram Raghavan knows he has you wrapped around his story telling because there is no space to think, or wonder, or feel. You are part of a journey that is being driven by him, right from the very first scene. And you have no choice but to fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride. It is a refreshing and unique storyline that is told in an engaging and a relentless way. In this we see shades of inspiration from Guy Ritchie films, where even seemingly random events connect to each other and to the main plot in a ridiculously meaningful way, like the animated rabbit being shot by the farmer!

Ayushman Khurana does a great job playing the central is-blind-is-not-is-blind-is-not character. He is effortless and natural in his role, that admittedly isn’t as demanding anyway.

Tabu, as always, puts up a great show of a
complex character of a middle aged housewife caught in a situation that she is clever enough to do what it takes to get out. But, again Tabu is completely under leveraged in what she is capable of. Her character could have been more twisted, more layered.

And Radhika Apte, who is everywhere these days, does a decent job too, though honestly, I’m still waiting to be impressed by her supposed ‘talent’, that seems to be well hidden behind her looks.

But what you love most about the characters, in true Raghavan style, is the 50 shades of grey that each character is. Simi (Tabu), Inspector Manohar, Doctor Swami, Maushi, the auto rickshaw driver.. even Akash (Ayushman). None of them are golden hearted or pure evil, none of them have a larger than life agenda or have questions of conscience or morality or a life lesson to teach. What each of them is, is simply, biologically human, and like every species ever to have lived on this planet, are driven by just one simple, fundamental drive- survival.

But, Andhadun is not Sriram Raghavan’s finest film. At many points we can actually predict a supposed twist and some of the apparent surprises aren’t really that surprising. We wish he had pushed it even more - a little more stinging of the senses like when Varun Dhawan kills and wraps a dead body in plastic in Badlapur, a little more ruthless emotion like when Urmila Matondkar’s extreme hate for Saif makes her leave him to be eaten alive by rats in Ek Hasina Thi, a little more extreme scenes like the blood and kills in Johnny Gaddar. Just a little bit more..

But if we don’t compare him with what he is himself capable of, Sriram Raghavan does once again show he is a master story teller of slightly ‘hatke ’ plots that don’t necessarily follow a linear feel-good narrative, but are there to entertain like no other movie.

In short, go watch yet another totally worth-it film. What a fab year for Hindi cinema!

Sui Dhaaga - Movie Review

A heartwarming story of Mauji (Varun Dhawan) and Mamta (Anushka Sharma) and how they together change their collective fate from that of near-poverty to a successful business venture.

#SuiDhaaga. The story is pretty formulaic. Mauji is the classic underdog, constantly taunted by his father for being a good-for-nothing, continuously humiliated by his employers, and largely disrespected by his friends, family and the world around him.  Yet, he has the talent of sewing that is under-leveraged. Mamta is a regular housewife, who is caught up in the daily chores of the home, duty-bound to her father-in-law and mother-in-law and husband. Yet, she has the talent of street-smartness and a knack for business that is also under-leveraged. When certain unhappy events trigger Maui to set up and taste the success of his own sewing venture, the journey begins of Maui and Mamta transforming from being a joint family ‘beta-bahu’ to unknowing entrepreneurs. Braving failures, battling their own circumstances, stumbling through the system, they keep going till they can finally mean when they say ‘sab badhiya hai’. 

But, like some of the other recent Bollywood movies, the strength of this movie also does not come from its storyline. This movie rests on the characters and their emotions, that are really well played by the lead actors Varun and Anushka and the inimitable Raghubir Yadav (who plays Mauji’s father).  These three actors win your hearts through their endearing performances playing characters that are really well sketched. 

The characters are unique in that they are traditional-yet-progressive. Make no mistake. Mauji, Mamta and the father do not belong to modern India, in the way we know it. They are just above poverty, they live in almost rural fringes of the city, in a patriarchal household, the men wear kurtas, the women wear saris, the men earn a living and the women stay at home, and all of this in a no-questions-asked this-is-how-it-is way. Yet, within the household, the traditional roles that they all play sometimes only seem like a pragmatic division of labour, rather than a regressive social structure. In Mauji, we see a man who respects his wife’s intellect and instead of being threatened by her, relies on her to increase his own self-awareness and what he is capable of. In Mamta, we see a woman, who knows her mind and has the wisdom to know when and how to use it for the benefit of her family, finding a win-win solution. Even in the father, we see an apparent patriarch, who values his wife and daughter-in-law for what they bring to their home, and is willing to step into washing clothes, making rotis, and do whatever is needed without any false male ego.

The movie also makes you feel the struggle that people, who don’t belong to the middle class, face on a day-to-day basis, and yet go through it smiling, with hope for a better future. The movie reminds you of the herculean efforts they have to make for just an equal opportunity to participate in the growth that is happening in the country. The movie comments on the intensely capitalist society, where the pursuit of money, that is often mistaken as development, is leaving millions of people behind, even those with skills, crafts and talents. The movie also (not so subtly) plugs in the national agenda of skilling, manufacturing and Made in India, as the title suggests, but not in a very Akshay-Kumar-I-am-a-patriot way.

But, with all that, the biggest fault in the movie that is it’s undoing, is the Yash-Raj-Adi-Chopra effect that keeps popping through the movie, but especially takes over in the build-up to the climax. For a movie that builds so naturally, in the beginning, it starts getting too fairy-tale’ish towards the end. For instance, complex relations and characters that were built (like the strained relationship with the brother and his family or the mercenary fashion designer) are quickly resolved or stereotyped to find a convenient ending. Things like this disappoint and end up leaving you a little cold after all the warmth that is built through the entire film. It’s like a sudden sip of water after you’ve sipped a nice cup of warm tea for several minutes. At that point, you feel like telling the director (and Adi Chopra) that it’s okay... let the pain linger a bit more, let the burn of the tongue stay for a while, we can take the absence of a ‘pixie dust’ sometimes. It’s not the 90s anymore!

All in all, after Dum Lagake Haisha, Sharat Kataria (director) gives another emotional, easy, heart-warming, character-based film about a society, seen through the lens of a man and a woman and what they build together. For that, it’s worth a watch, either on big screen or small. Just be prepared for the cold water towards the end. 

Manmarziyan - Film Review

The rich canvas of conflicts and emotions that is the very fibre of Tier 2 towns in India, becomes once again the backdrop of this next refreshing flick. 

The conflict of global aspirations but very very local realities.

The conflict of a younger generation living double lives - their public life their family like to believe and their private lives, more in line with their own identity

The conflict that comes from the person that we think we’ve grown up to be and fiercely protect and the person we need to become to love someone else 

This then becomes the theatre against which master craftsman Anurag Kashyap tells an engaging love story between Rumi (Taapsee Pannu), Vicky (Kaushal) and Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan). In many ways, this is probably Kashyap’s first proper love story, and we can see his raw, mofussil touch throughout the movie. This is how Anurag Kashyap would tell a love story. It’s in your face, it’s simple, it’s authentic, and it’s just the way it happened, once upon a time in Amritsar. 

The story revolves around Rumi and Vicky and their insatiable, hormonal love for each other (I’m coming to Fyaar in just a minute) till they are caught by Rumi’s family and the wedding ultimatum is given. So, either Vicky gets his act together and asks Rumi’s hand in marriage or she would be wed to an eligible bachelor (read NRI banker, Robbie). Then starts the love triangle of will-she-won’t-she-marry-Robbie-or-Vicky and even after the marriage, the story continues to who-will-she-end-up-with finally, till one of the love wins and its happily ever after.

As is obvious, the plot is nothing new. But, that’s what makes it even more powerful as a movie. 

#Manarziyan happens not in the story, but in the story-telling. You don’t realise it’s an almost 3-hour movie, because somehow you are flowing with a very natural chronology of things happening in the lives of these main characters.

#Manmarziyan happens not in the big actors, but in the nuanced characters of Rumi, a fiercely independent yet un-exposed and emotionally vulnerable young girl; Vicky, an aimless dreamer with big aspirations without a clue of how to get there, yet with a heart of a teenager; Robbie, the mature NRI banker who is patient and traditional, yet progressive-minded about life choices. (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam flashback, anyone?).

And #Manmarziyan happens not in the big sets, but in the humble homes and streets of Amritsar. The many small rooms in different homes, that take on the form of living spaces, sex dens, family conversations, socialising, public drama. The small lanes around the houses that become the most evocative spots for emotions and drama - both loud and subtle. We see an amazing contrast of how inside the homes become spaces for very public emotions (like wedding preparations) and the very public places like the streets become the spaces for some of the most intense private emotions (like when Rumi is waiting for Vicky to run-away).

And then there is the language. Another masterstroke from Kashyap. The language is not only in the dialogues through the movie that are blunt, real, direct and liberating to hear. But also in the creation of “Fyaar”. We finally have a Hindi word for lust, and in a way that even the good people of the world can feel. Because ‘havas’ is only for rapists! Just for that Anurag Kashyap, you deserve a medal!

All in all, great performances by Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal (what an actor, Raazi, Sanju, and now Manmarziyan, all in one year and 3 completely different characters, played with conviction to the tee). Abhishek Bachchan is not bad too, thankfully playing a strong and silent role that is well, strong and silent. 

Again, it’s so great to see Bollywood coming of age with movies like this. Go and watch it, and cheer for how mainstream cinema is changing forever, right in front of our eyes!

Stree 2018- Movie Review

Bollywood’s new-found love of small-town India as a back-drop to tell progressive stories (read women power) continues in this latest edition, set this time in the village of Chanderi in MP. While both Badrinath ki Dulhaniya (see review http://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2017/11/badrinath-ki-dulhaniya-short-film-review.html) and Bareilly ki Barfi used the predictable-though-enjoyable genre of a love story; #Stree, uses a totally unexpected genre of horror-comedy. And for that it is a truly unique and bold attempt. 

#Stree is bold because horror movies can go horribly wrong in Indian cinema, either being completely un-scary and pointless (like Ek Thi Dayan 2013, see review http://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2013/04/ek-thi-daayan.html or 1920 Evil returns 2012) or being scary but cliche, fuelling the usual superstitions (like Raaz 2002 or Vaastu Shasta, 2004). Very few real good horror movies have really struck the right chord (may be Bhoot 2003, or Raat 1992), and that’s why even attempting a horror movie and that too with a message, is worthy of applause. 

#Stree is unique because comedy movies can go horribly wrong too, mostly being completely slapstick and jarring (Golmaal series, Housefull, Welcome, Judwaa 2, we can go on!). Very few comedy movies really hit the mark (to name a few in recent times, maybe Delhi Belly 2011, see review http://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2011/08/delhi-belly-2011.html, Hera Pheri 2000, No Entry 2005, Andaz Apna Apna 1994, Khosla ka Ghosla 2006, etc).

Stree is the story of men in a village, who are in danger of disappearing for 4 nights every year during a local festival, when the ghost of a dead woman (called ’Stree’) comes looking. Any men who are out at night or inside the home without a prescribed inscription on the wall are in danger of being abducted and never to be seen again. The only thing left behind is their clothes! The story then revolves around Vicky (Rajkumar Rao) and his friends (Bittu, Aparshakti Khurana and Jaana, Abhishek Bannerjee) and their tryst with Stree and how they go about discovering, getting scared of and eventually rescuing the town from this wicked witch, with some help from out of towner Shraddha Kapoor and town gyaani Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi).

Rajkumar Rao, as always, gives a predictably great performance, who has by now perfected the character of a small-town boy who straddles the duality of a conservative upbringing with a fast-modernising India. Khurana and Tripathi complete the predictable small town star-cast playing their roles really well too. Shraddha Kapoor chugs along too.

The story or the plot, otherwise, is nothing to write home about, but the reason why Stree really wins is because of its dialogues during the different moments in the film. That is what weaves in the comedy in an otherwise horror story. It is the dialogues that keep us hooked from one scene to the next, waiting to hear what the characters are going to say next in this situation. It is the dialogues that make us laugh, while also not letting us forget the metaphor of a world where the power equation between ‘purush’ and ‘stree’ could easily have been the other way round. It is the dialogues that make us wonder, does it really take a supernatural intervention to restore the balance between men and women? 

Stree is yet another movie that reminds us that Bollywood is really coming of age. And it’s great to see the diversity of cinema that we are creating as mainstream. Kudos to Maddock films for continuing to bring unique movies to the audience, just because we must. Thank you for Go Goa Gone (review http://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2013/05/go-goa-gone.html ) Being Cyrus, Cocktail, Love Aaj Kal, Finding Fanny, Badlapur, Hindi Medium and now Stree. Experiencing different story telling makes us all richer. Waiting for your next..  

Searching 2018 - Movie Review

What would you do if your teenage daughter suddenly disappeared and none of the people you would normally reach out to, have a clue where she is? What would you do when you realise that the little girl you have loved and nurtured all your life is someone you don’t know any more? What would you do when you are so overcome with the guilt of not having seen this coming, that it paralyses you into inaction and desperation? What would you do when you feel that you’re all alone in this world and no one can really help you?

Well, simple. Do what every teenager would do. Go online!

#Searching is the story of a father (David Kim, played by John Cho of Harold and Kumar fame) in desperate search of his missing teenage daughter over the course of 5 tense days. Not exactly a new plot, actually. Liam Neeson is probably yawning at this point.

But the impact of the movie is in the way the story is told - almost entirely through the multiple digital screens that are an indispensable part of our everyday lives. Right from the very first scene, we are following the lives of a Korean-American family through Facebook posts, video blogs, and home videos. Just like a social media timeline, in a quick few minutes we know the entire history of this family - from wedding to child growing to mom’s long battle with cancer and upto the present day. The present day story then continues, of the single dad and his search for his daughter, told through iChats, Face times, Facebook posts, Insta stories, private chat and broadcast sites, Twitter, Youtube, and not-to-forget the good old TV. 

What is amazing is how deep human emotions are portrayed simply through the use of screens by the characters. When the dad types a message but then erases it to write something that he thinks will be better accepted by his daughter, you can feel every parent in the audience sighing. When the missing girl story goes viral along with an explosion of superficial and fake sympathy by strangers, you can feel the frustration that the dad is feeling. Even the 3 ominous missed calls displaying on the screen from the night before, put a chill down your spine.

And then of course, is the edge-of-the-seat central plot, of how David slowly but surely puts the different digital pieces of the puzzle together to solve the mystery, along with special detective Rosemary Vick (played by Debra Messing). As David uncovers one clue that leads to another, he gets deeper and deeper into the private life of his teenage daughter that he didn’t know existed. Finally leading to the climax of solving the mystery. Only thing is don't hold your breath for the climax, the only thing that disappoints.  

The completely new-age take to storytelling is not because it is a ‘digital thriller’. In fact that would be the least of the things. Many movies and programmes have dabbled in that. The reason this movie is modern because it doesn’t make a big deal of words like digital, online, internet. Better still, it doesn’t condemn the “online” world as the evil of our times! The film treats the various gadgets as a natural extension of our physical selves. They are our ‘extended senses’ that are an integral part of our modern day lives, without which we wouldn’t be able to see, hear, feel, smell, touch, think. In a world, where the online and offline lives seamlessly merge into each other, forming part of a complete and perfectly natural whole. 

This is what makes for an effortless-yet-engaging movie. Where technology becomes the tool to tell the story of people and their lives, story of parents and their relationship with teenage children, story of the bitter-sweet journey of raising children, story of the constant guilt and heartache that comes with being a parent, story of the mortal fear of losing your child, and the story of forever searching…

In short, a must watch!

Sanju: Film Review

It’s the story of one of the most scrutinised Bollywood actors, at a time, when the only possible alternative to a celebrity being idealistically good, was him being supremely bad. A time of only black or white. A time when there was no room for greys. A time when celebrities were either demigods and larger than life, or villains who could not do anything right. Either Ram or Ravan. And once declared a Khalnayak, there was no road back to redemption.

It’s the story of a boy, born in a golden family of Indian cinema, who never grows up, no matter how hard he tries. He looks for a mentor in his father, the too-perfect model citizen. He looks for love and strength in his mother, who dies too early. He looks for companionship in his friend Kamlesh, who lives too far away. He looks for the courage to counter his under-confident and faint-hearted personality. He keeps seeking a human connection that is authentic, but the life of a celebrity keeps him away from anything real. 

It’s the story of a popular actor and his less-than-perfect life story that almost starts feeling like Lemony Snickets - a youth that’s lost to drugs, an inadvertent juvenile decision that gives him the tag of a terrorist for life, a series of imprisonments that break your heart, a misunderstood celebrity that becomes a victim of sensational media,  and a life spent in trying to clear his name and live a normal life.

It’s the story of us, the public, and how quick we are to judge, and with all our self-delusion of being rational and informed and well-read, how easily we are manipulated to form perceptions that are merely based on what the media is feeding us. And this, at a time when social media didn’t exist! Can we really trust our beliefs about people and the world around us? Can we be sure our opinions are truly our own, and not biased by fake news and propaganda? 

Well, if there are two things from this movie to teach our children, it’s this. Say no to drugs. And beware fake news and propaganda.   

But, most of all, it’s the story of a father and son. A father, who lived righteously, struggled with his wife’s suffering and his son’s troubled life, but still somehow was a pillar of strength through it all, supporting, championing, nurturing and protecting his Sanju. And a son, who could never live up to his father’s expectations, always feeling inadequate, meandering through his life without a plan, struggling to control his life, resisting yet dependent on his father.  

A father. A son. Both at odds with each other, yet part of the same whole. Both responsible for each other’s miseries, yet dependent on each other for their happiness. Both completely different people, yet somehow complete each other.  

It’s an emotional film with powerful performances, directed by Raju Hirani, in his quintessential meaningful-yet-light touch. Ranbir Kapoor is absolutely brilliant. It’s like the ghost of Sanjay Dutt is in him. He IS Sanju, every second of the film. Paresh Rawal, as Sunil Dutt is convincing. And Vicky Kaushal, as his best friend, does a fabulously endearing role. 

Just don’t expect a complete biography of Sanjay Dutt, because the movie stays clear of two important aspects of his life - his love life and his filmography. I must admit, I would have loved to have seen how his movies over the years intertwined with what was going on in his life. Movies like Naam, Thanedaar, Saajan, Sadak, Khalnayak… 

But all said and done, whether you were a Sanju fan or not, whether you’re a Ranbir fan or not, the movie must be watched simply because it touches a chord in your heart, that will forever change the way you thought of Sanjay Dutt, the original bad boy of Bollywood.

Ocean's 8: Film Review

The Ocean’s series pretty much owned the heist genre in the first decade of the millennial. It was the perfect recipe - a compelling plot, a complicated-but-brilliant con job, a star-studded cast, clever lines and even cleverer situations, and perhaps more importantly the easy, spontaneous, natural chemistry between the characters. The movies had a flow that was totally irresistible. It took us along for a smooth, oomph-filled ride, that was as slick and stylish as it was funny and entertaining. For a heist plot, who’s ending we always knew, it was amazing how these films grabbed our attention completely, just for the way the story was told. It was almost like the end didn’t matter. It was what happened up until the climax that we were hooked on to. The power of story-telling. The magic of Steven Soderbergh.

#Oceans8 is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike the Ocean’s series. 

’Not quite entirely unlike the Ocean series’. 

It’s a totally enjoyable slick non-chick-flick, with a compelling heist plot, a cleverly planned con job, a star studded cast with some of our favourites like Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and even Helena Bonham Carter and Rihanna. 

The story revolves around Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), Danny Ocean’s sister who returns from a 5 year prison sentence, ready to plot her biggest heist, getting a group of 7 women together to steal one of the most expensive diamond necklaces in the world. The plot follows the seen-before-yet-we-can’t-get-enough-of planning the big night with meticulous precision, and then leading upto the final climax when it all goes according to plan… almost. The twists and turns are there, the clever lines are there, the slick-ness is there. And in that sense, it’s what you would expect from an Ocean’s franchise.

Sandra Bullock is a delight to see, as Danny Ocean’s sister, and the leader of the pack, defining and detailing the mission. Cate Blanchett, as usual, plays her role to the tee, as an able partner-in-crime, helping put the crew together, co-directing the whole plot.  Helena Bonham Carter is true to type, a not-all-there fashion designer who is the central part of the plan. Anne Hathaway, as the self-obsessed celebrity being unknowingly used in the heist, brings good cheer to the film. Sarah Paulson, as a suburban middle class mom who can’t resist making an extra buck, breaks the format. Rihanna as the computer genius, hacker millennial plays the part well too. And the other girls in the gang give their predictable-but-cute Asian girl (speed smart) and Indian girl (nerdy jeweller) performances.

‘Almost unlike the Ocean series’

The movie, however, does not have the X factor that the original Ocean’s series had. While we enjoy watching the movie, we also feel that it’s not the same. Gary Ross (director) is no Steven Soderbergh. And Bullock and Blanchett don’t share the same chemistry that Clooney and Pitt gave us. There is no goofy Damon, that provided that oh-so-vital foil to the Clooney-Pitt duel. Carter provides the cuckoo-contrast to the well-dressed-and-groomed duo, but it doesn’t stick. And all the other characters end up becoming just insignificant side-kicks unlike the other characters in the Ocean’s series, who each had a distinct presence and personality (remember Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia). 

Ocean’s 8 misses a youthful and mischievous, instinctive and a quirky sense of identity that is so important to the Ocean’s series.There is a missing randomness in the story-telling that made the Ocean’s series so light and effortless, never taking itself too seriously. (Remember the sequence about Clooney’s age in Ocean’s 12). Ocean’s 8, by contrast comes across as being older and more controlled, a bit more deliberate and a bit less free-spirited. Is it because women take their jobs more seriously than men?

Despite all that though, the film is very much part of the Ocean series, and considering the franchise it has to live up to, it does a fairly decent job of being a thoroughly entertaining film. And even though it is a ‘me-too’ (;), it needs to be watched for the love of the Ocean.

Book Review: Sputnik Sweetheart, Haruki Murakami

How does one even write about a Murakami novel. You could use words like beautiful, poetic, surreal, mystical, out of this world, deep, soulful, and yet it wouldn’t really capture the experience. Because, it IS an experience. This is my first Murakami (and I’ve been told not the best choice for a first Murakami), but ‘reading’ is not the word I would use to what is really, turning the pages and experiencing the world of Murakami. 

The ‘world of Murakami’ is probably the closest I can get to describing the book. It’s a world that is full of metaphors, where every emotion in one situation is felt through another and often unrelated situation. It’s a world of parallel dimensions that we experience all at the same time, just by being connected and disconnected from who we are. It’s a world of fierce individuality at odds with an Asian culture, that is born out of decades of developed urban living. It’s a world of sensorial experiences of everyday things around you that you didn’t know could have that impact. It’s a world of hopeless desire that struggles to stay alive like a flickering candle just before it dies out. And it’s a world that you enter, every time you pick up the book, leaving the reality of your own world far behind. 

And just like the protagonist wonders when his friend disappears into the ‘other side’, we also wonder while reading the book, which is the real side of our lives and which is the other side. What if our real lives everyday is actually the ’other side’ of our lives.

The story of the book revolves around a naive young girl, Sumire, a dreamer, wanna-be-writer, who is trying to find herself, through conversations with her best friend, college mate, K. Sumire falls in love with a much older woman, Miu. And after starting to work with her, during a professional-cum-holiday trip through Europe with her, suddenly disappears. As Miu struggles to reciprocate Sumire’s desire, just like Sumire is unable to see K’s love for her, the story takes us through a futile journey of trying to find Sumire and more importantly the reason she disappeared. 

Through the eyes and emotions of Sumire, K and Miu, the novel tells the story of how our identity forms through our love for others and the love for ourselves. 

It’s a story of our life-long attempt at making sense of what our life-plan really is. It is a story of endlessly chasing the mirage of purpose, that in fact does not exist. 

It is a story of who we were and who we are today. Over the years of living our lives day-after-day, what have we gained, what have we learnt, how have we grown… but perhaps more importantly, what  have we lost, what have we had to unlearn and what part of ourselves have we left behind. Are we still the same person that we once were? Or has that person gone to the ‘other side’?

But, most of all, it’s a story of loneliness. A loneliness that creeps in on you over the years, and seeps into your bloodstream and without you knowing, becomes your primary life-force.

In one of the last chapters, K wonders to himself “Why do people have to be this lonely? What’s the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the Earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?”

…

And to think what I read is the English translated version from Japanese. I can only imagine the richness of the experience of the World of Murakami, if I could read his language.

Norwegian Wood, next! 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Film Review

May be there IS such a thing as getting over dinosaurs. 

Jurassic World (the last one) was entirely enjoyable, because it came 14 years after the last Jurassic Park and a whole 21 years after the first mind blowing Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. Can you believe that was 1993! A whole millennial generation was born and grown up in that time. And for a new generation, the formula worked by keeping the same story of a good intent of playing with genetics going horribly wrong, with dollops of special effects, kids in danger, and lots and lots of dinosaurs. Plus it had the new cool guy Chris Patt, who was actually training raptors. And then if you thought T-Rex was the scariest thing extinct, there was the newest scary-Dino-on-the-block, the Indominous Rex. It was a perfect come back of an iconic franchise. It made us ooh and aah, mixing the nostalgia of the old movies with the newness of some fresh dino action, that we hadn’t had a taste of in a long long time. 

Jurassic World 2 (Fallen Kingdom), however, comes only 2 years later, and brings nothing new. 

The plot is something we have seen before. It starts with a reason to go back to the abandoned island. There are again unscrupulous characters who want to profit from these creatures. There are the good guys who want to save the dinosaurs while also saving themselves. There are dinosaurs running, looking huge, killing, grazing, groaning, smashing, and generally on the loose, having a good time. There are those hiding-from-the-dinosaurs-in-closed-spaces and many narrow escapes. And once again, there is a new genetically modified creature that is more dangerous than any other creature before (but don’t hold your breath for it). 

In short, it’s more-of-the-same-of-the-more. Watch the movie for the kids who don’t really remember the last 4 Jurassic movies, but don’t expect to be thrilled. 

May be there is something about getting the dinosaurs back to human land, that just doesn’t work. Remember, Jurassic Park 2 (the lost world) was again a let down, and again there they get the TRex back to main land to create havoc. I feel may be, in our imagination, the dino world is a place so far in the past, and so far in the unreal world, that it loses its magic the minute it touches the real world. May be the real world is so scary by itself, that the dinosaurs don’t really make the cut for giving a chill down your spine. I mean, honestly, what’s scarier “13 Reasons Why” or “Jurassic Park”? 

But, then may be there is still a chance for the 3rd in the Jurassic World Series to bounce back, if the Jurassic Park pattern is to repeat. Remember, how Jurassic Park 3 totally redeemed itself by going back to the island! May be the makers will realise that dinosaurs work only in a world where they can rule, where man and his twisted rules don’t apply, where man is as much at the mercy of natural forces as the dinosaurs are.

Well, we can only keep our fingers crossed for the third one. Because it’s a bit depressing to feel that we may be over dinosaurs! I seriously hope that is not the case...

Veere Di Wedding - Film Review

#VeereDiWedding

So, let’s make a “realistic” movie about modern Indian single women and their “real” issues and their “real” lives.

Let’s take the most realistic issue they face - obsessing about men and about getting married or not getting married. 

Enough movies made on fictional stuff like harassment, careers, ageing parents, identity seeking, living in a big city, coming of age, ambition against all odds, etc etc.

Then let’s cast the most realistic actors as the main protagonists - Kareena Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, with more layers of make up than a trifle pudding. 

But, that’s not enough. We also need some non-glamorous actors to make it more real - what’s that girl from Anarkali from Aara and Tanu weds Manu (oh ya, Swara Bhaskar). And one more unknown face (because it has to be 4 friends like sex and the city), but preferably a little chubby (Shikha Talsania). Check!

Now to build the ‘realistic’ characters of these 4 ‘veere’. Here we go, let’s make one getting married, one who is desperate to get married, one who is happily married, one who is divorced. That covers the spectrum.

What else do we need? These women must come from dysfunctional families. Check.

Oh, also let’s get them to swear a lot and not just the English f-word, but also classic Hindi gaali’s. That’s what real women do. Check.

They must also talk about their sex lives. Check.

An alcoholic and a smoker. Check.

We also need gay uncles in the family. Check.

So, the women characters are done. We now have the stereotype of the modern Indian single women complete.  

Now, let’s get to the single men. Let’s make their families the opposite of the modern Indian women’s families, so we can show the contrast. Here’s a new idea. Let’s make them the traditional West Delhi Punjabi stereotype - loud, in your face, forcing their points of view on the bride-to-be, full of shoo-shaa, swearing and praying at the same time, thousands of relatives, big sangeet, bigger wedding. 

Next, a modern man, who can’t help follow everything his mom and dad say to do for the wedding. Check.

A letch of a cousin who can’t stop harassing the girls. Check.

And by the way, this cousin, let’s make him get lucky with the girl he is harassing, and then make him eventually get together with her.

We are making such a progressive film, dude.

We also need some kind of a story. Let’s see. How about the ups and downs that the protagonist friend (Kareena Kapoor) goes through trying to cope with the traditional in-laws demands, that are against her modern liberal up-bringing. All this while simultaneously, also fighting the demons of her past dysfunctional family - her dead mom, her absentee-dad, her presentee-gay-uncle, and her pillars of strength - her soulmates, her veere, who are also going through their own shit.

Ofcourse, eventually it all ends with a happily-ever-after - all issues sorted, dysfunctional families become functional, the protagonist gets married, her single friend finds her mate (the stalker cousin), the divorced friend gives back to the gossiping neighbourhood aunties, the happily married with kid..er, well stays happy. And oh, there’s also a Phuket holiday with beach and pool and cocktails, thrown in the middle. A modern Indian woman’s tale is not complete without a girlie holiday, is it!

The last scene is a never-seen-before grand big wedding dance that leaves you with a bright glow inside (or may be that’s just the gaudy sets, the make up and the shiny clothes and jewellery). Please wear your kala chashma's for this movie!

And after all this, against this final gloriously shiny ahuja scene, we hear a philosophical voice over giving us the message of the story, saying something like “these girls will continue to live their imperfect lives in their own way, and not like some fairytale”!!!!!

Admittedly, this is not Angry Indian Goddesses or Lipstick Under My Burkha, but after movies like Queen, Piku, Highway, Dangal, Secret Superstar, Tumhari Sulu, Pink, Mary Kom, Raazi, even Neerja (ahem, Sonam Kapoor) and many more, to see a movie that is basically an ‘Aisha’s’ attempt at reality is not just disappointing, but depressing.

Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania try to give authentic performances, but it’s not enough to save the film. 

The only thing worse than a ‘plastic bubble gum’ movie is a plastic bubble-gum movie that pretends to blow an authentic organic bubble so big that it bursts on our faces, leaving a stale slimy sticky after-taste.  

I say, just hold on to Baadshah’s catchy number Tareefan, and move on. 

The Devotion of Suspect X, Keigo Higashino- Book Review

Well crafted story telling of a murder and the complex dynamics that follow between the suspects and the investigators. The plot is unusual, because it’s not about the whodunnit but more about how-dunn-it and the curiosity the reader faces on seeing what will happen to the suspects, how will the investigation unfold. 

It’s a story where the reader is in on the secret from the very beginning, and like the suspects, is waiting to see if they get caught and how. The reader, in fact, almost feels like (s)he IS one of the suspects and goes through the anticipation and anxiety of getting caught, through the book. And perhaps, that is the biggest un-put-downable aspect of this novel.

But, apart from this, as a crime novel or a murder story, the book has not much to offer. It does not have too many surprises or mysteries to unravel. It’s a relatively flat telling of a series of events that happen quite logically one after the other. There aren’t any heart-stopping moments or many emotional highs or lows. The characters are built quite plainly. Perhaps the only exception is the characters of the two genius professors (one of physics and one of maths) and how they are pitted against each other during the course of the investigation.

Definitely worth a read for its unique story line, but keep your expectations low. Don’t expect an Agatha Christie or even a Stieg Larsson.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2334927855

Deadpool2 - Movie Review

#shocknawe
that’s what a Deadpool movie is all about, isn’t it.

Deadpool 1 was an absolute riot when it came out in 2016. Back then, it was a refreshing break from the predictable staid fare that Marvel was doling out (Ultron, Fantastic Four, X-men Apocalypse).

Deadpool shocked us, stunned us, disgusted us, but most importantly he made us LMAO - not only at him, but at ourselves for taking our super heroes so seriously.

We love Deadpool because he is such a bad-ass. (Unlike every other super hero we know). He smokes, he swears, he fucks, he says fuck and some more. And like the mosquito bite on your skin that you dig your nails into for pleasurable pain, Deadpool never goes away. 

So DP2? Well, it has everything you expect to see in Deadpool. The blood and the multiple mutilations are there. The one liners are there. The 80s music is there. The many insider jokes are there. He takes off on DC, X-men, Thanos, all the Avengers, and on himself as Ryan Reynolds in the older movies. And the jokes ARE really funny that have you chuckling throughout the movie.

But unlike DP1, in DP2 you see them all coming. His clever remarks to the camera. His getting destroyed and then coming back again and again. His adolescent-rebel conversations with Colossus. His extended brat pack with Blind Al (the old lady), Weasel (bar man) and Dopinder (the desi taxi guy). Even the hilarious re-growing of body parts (this time it’s his lower half.. I know! But one of the funniest scenes in the film)

The other missing piece is an engaging storyline. While in DP1 we didn’t really care about the story because we were just so taken in by the ride that it was, DP2 needed a story, especially after the novelty has faded. The new characters in Domino, Cable (Josh Brolin BTW, aka Thanos), Juggernaut and the central character New Zealand boy Firefist don’t really make an impression or add to the experience.

But for all of us who loved DP1, Deadpool 2 needs to be watched. It’s got the jokes, the spoofs, and it has Ryan Reynolds. Just don’t expect any #shocknawe 

Blackmail

Exactly 7 years ago, a director disrupted Bollywood cinema, by giving us perhaps one of the coolest Hindi movies of the 2000s. Abhinay Deo created a master piece with Delhi Belly (see my review http://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.in/2011/08/delhi-belly-2011.html) and we have waited 7 years for him to come back with the magic. 

In many ways, Blackmail has all the makings of what we wanted to see from Abhinay after Delhi Belly - a crazy story line, many unique characters that all get intertwined into the one story, cool editing between scenes, fast paced sequences, pain and blood, with a dark sense of humour, all set against the under-belly of the urban middle class lives, that are not always as happy and clappy as Karan Johar would have us believe.

The movie, actually, starts perfectly and maintains this ‘true to the spirit’ tempo for the first forty-five to sixty minutes of the film - a simple, middle class, devoted husband that catches his wife cheating and decides to blackmail the lover; his ridiculous job as a salesman of a toilet tissue paper company run by a very America-returned NRI; a whole black-mail chain getting created with one blackmail funding the other blackmail (much like the American housing bubble); the random incidents of the boss’s wife’s photo being stolen for not-so-noble uses, and the whole plan getting out of control, as more people taste blood and want a pound of flesh from the action (again, like the American housing bubble!)

But, after that first hour high, the film falls flat. It’s like the story doesn’t move forward, with different scenes just following repetition without any meaning or humour. The jokes and the dialogues feel like a stuck record. You are waiting for the next joke, the next twist, the next surprise, but it doesn’t come till the end. And then, the one word that could be the worst thing to happen to an Abhinay Deo movie, happens - ’predictability’. The movie stops being funny, despite the fact that new funny characters are introduced (like the know-it-all-unscrupulous detective and his blind-bandit-queen wife), and the old not-so-funny characters show new sides to themselves (like the office friend-turned-foe-turned-friend-turned-foe). And finally, the movie ends with a predictable, bland happy ending. 

One word for the movie? Disappointing. Not just because of the expectations we had from Abhinay Deo’s next after Delhi Belly (Force 2 doesn’t really count, does it), but because the movie’s central idea had a lot of potential. In fact, Blackmail even has something that DB didn’t - good actors (Irrfaan Khan, Divya Dutta, Kirti Kalahari (from movie, Pink)!

I suppose that’s when you realise that above all, a good movie is about the story. The main weakness of Blackmail (which was the strength of Delhi Belly) is the story line and the screen play. May be Akshat Verma (DB writer) is the critical missing component of Blackmail (which is written by Parveez Sheikh and Pradhuman Singh Mall). 

The other weakness of the movie is Arunoday Singh, who plays the tormented blackmailed lover. In many ways, the movie rests on the husband vs. lover comic dynamic through the film. And while Irrfan Khan, as always, does a stellar job of an angry-yet-deadpan-faced plotter, Arunoday just stumbles across the story like an over-sized buffoon with poor comic timing, no real expressions, and no authentic character bone in his body. Even Imran Khan and Vir Das did a better job in Delhi Belly.

May be the other missing ingredient is the production house. Delhi Belly had Aamir Khan and UTV as producers, whereas Blackmail has T-Series. And the two production houses are as different as they come! 

Sigh! Sabar ka phal was not meetha this time, Abhinay. But, we still believe in what you can create. Please don’t wait another 7 years for the next one. The world and the audience are changing fast. Promise to come back with your next soon!

#Blackमेल 

Nocturnes Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, Kazuo Ishiguro - Book Review

When love is not enough to last a lifetime..

… because sometimes, it just runs out. After all, isn’t a lifetime just too long to expect anything to last?

… or because, you just forget what it felt like. There’s so much else to feel all the time.

… or because, even if you grow old together, you could grow in very different ways. Are we the same people that started out together?

… or because, sometimes loving yourself is a journey you just have to go on alone. With a little help from strangers

… or because, only so much love is available at a given time in your life. Is there more you were looking for?

Five stories for each of the five themes above.

The first story ‘Crooner’ tells the tale of famous yesteryear singer Tony Gardener and how he serenades his long time wife in Venice with the help of a local band player. The second, ‘Come Rain Come Shine’ is the story about a London couple married for years, who invite one of their long time best friends (who shares a passion for music with the wife), to stay with them, leading to unintended consequences. The third, ‘Malvern Hills’ is the story of an aspiring musician, who takes time off into the country side to live with his sister and her husband, and encounters a friendly-not-so-friendly mature couple. The fourth, ‘Nocturne’ tells the story of a night encounter of a jazz player and celebrity Lily Gardener (Tony Gardener’s ex-wife) who find themselves as neighbours in a cosmetic surgery recovery hotel. And the fifth story, ‘Cellist’ is about a gifted young cellist in Rome, who is discovered and mentored by a virtuoso during a summer, that changes his life forever.

Five short stories that tell tales in a way that captures you inside the moment, that is happening in front of you. As I read the book, from one story to the next, I felt like I am moving from one “snow-globe” world to another, simultaneously feeling trapped inside, watching the world outside, as well as being outside watching the still world, inside the glass. Each snow-globe, a frozen moment from an entire life of the protagonists.

It is as if the entire past that the characters have had, and the entire future that is yet to come has somehow got trapped in that one moment. The moment where each of the stories happen. A moment in time, yet a moment of eternity.

A moment that is not exciting or funny or romantic or scary or tragic or dramatic or adventurous or even philosophical. It’s the story of the moment that just is.

Stories that have neither happy nor sad endings. In fact, stories that have no endings at all. These are stories that don’t end. They just stop telling.

Stories linked by a connection to music in one form or another. Stories that have a third person to view a couple’s relationship from an outside, though not always disconnected, perspective. And where the third person always finds a way of connecting with the couple. Stories that play with nostalgia, memory and the fading away of romance and connections, like one of your old favourite faded jeans, that you never throw away, but don’t wear too often either.

Kazuo Ishiguro must be a master because the stories are sometimes so strangely uneventful that you wonder how it’s keeping you hooked. You are amazed at the boldness of the nothingness that forms the plot of each of the stories, and yet you can’t keep the book down. Perhaps, the extraordinariness of the book is in the ordinariness of the characters and their stories. And the author just laying it out there the way it is. The people, the characters, the moments, their feelings, all of it. Just laying it out there for all of us to get a glimpse of and move on.

There’s something about Kazuo Ishiguro and like my first experience of the Japanese single malt a few years ago, I am eager to experience more. 'Never Let Me Go' or 'Buried Giant', will be next.