The Special Ship

Their meeting was a coincidence.

Or perhaps destiny had special plans to bring them together.

Otherwise, why would they have met in the theater, seated side by side, to watch "The Special Ship" movie?

 

He asked her for a date at the promenade.

She agreed.

They saw the same special ship there!

Photo Prompt- Roger Bultot

It seemed like the ship had been shipped from Heaven for them!

It stopped in front of them.

Time To Blow The Odisha Conch Shell

Consider this case-

There is a school excursion. The headmaster had invited most of the students for the outing. 

All the invited students had a great time together and were a part of the group video. That was shared via social media by the star student and generated great excitement. 

However, the few students, who had not been invited for the excursion, saw the video and felt hurt as they had been left out. Why did the headmaster or the teachers not include them? 

They were not sure whether this had been done intentionally or unintentionally by the headmaster. Why did the headmaster or staff treat them differently than the rest of the class? 

The ignored students and their supporters publicly confronted and complained to the headmaster, the staff and the star student involved. The aggrieved students threatened that they would adopt non-cooperation and boycott classes.

Seeing the quick condemnation, social media outrage, and the deluge of posts regarding this issue, the school-staff including the headmaster feared the loss of face and revenue i.e. school-fees. What if the ignored students really decided to quit school? 

Babuna And Rasagola Film

"Babuna" is the name of a young Odia boy, who is the protagonist in the stories written by Shri Swaraj Mishra. The name of his book is Babuna. It was published by "Ama Odisha Publication" five years ago.

The stories feature the pranks and adventures of the young lad set in a village in Odisha, India, in the early seventies. Babuna has a field day with his cycle and the village is his field of action!

Shri Swaraj Mishra has based the interesting tales on his own childhood and his village. For him, it was like wearing the shoes of Babuna and taking a trip down the memory lane, reliving and weaving those memories of camaraderie, love, and also pain.

In January 2016, Shri Mishra had uploaded a video of the book trailer of Babuna.

On March 1st, 2018, Dola Purnima, a Palanquin carried Special Cover for Rasagola in Shree Jagannath ji's Cuisine was released by the Department of Posts at Puri, Odisha.

Shri Swaraj Mishra and yours truly were also part of the team that had worked to make this possible.

After our Rasagola postal-cover release at Puri, while we were returning to Bhubaneswar by car, I got to learn that Swaraj Babu is the author of several books including quiz-books and story-books. I asked Swaraj Babu if he had written any stories on Rasagola. I was excited when he answered in the affirmative. He had indeed penned a real-life story! He shared the brief story-line that featured Rasagola and friendship. I enthusiastically requested him to get his interesting story filmed at the earliest.

Thereafter, I called and messaged him a number of times in this regard.

I met him many times while working for the GI Tag application of Odisha Rasagola.

He said that he had been devoting time for the Rasagola film project. He had invested his own funds and the movie was slowly taking shape. Then, work had stopped for some time owing to other constraints.

Then, next year, in January 2019, I came across a poster about the 4th Golden Triangle International Film Festival  (GTIFF) to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. 
A certain "Rasogolla" film was also in the list of films to be screened. 

Till then, I was aware of only two people, who were working on Rasagola films, both on my request. Shri Swaraj Mishra was one of them.

But, I was not not sure if his movie was complete.

Had it been over and ready for release, he would have informed/invited us for this, I reasoned.

Plus, the spelling would have been our spelling- "Rasagola" as I had been requesting everyone to use a uniform spelling to refer to the Rasagola of Odisha as- The Spelling is Rasagola.

I shared the Film Festival schedule in our WhatsApp group in which Shri Swaraj Mishra is also a member.

Shri Mishra replied that it was indeed his movie that was to be screened. However, it was a work-in-progress.

Everything had happened so fast and his film's entry in the GTIFF had been hurried, which is why he couldn't inform us in advance. The spelling changes, updates in English translation, and other technical requirements would still need more time and will be addressed later. Though the movie was a draft version and much work was left, yet the incomplete work was being screened for the select audience.

On 12th February, 2019, I attended the screening at the GTIFF and cheered for Rasagola short-film.

Got to learn from the organizers that the Rasagola film was very popular & viewers showed interest to watch it everyday of the screening. Though it was scheduled for one day, it had already been screened for the jury & audience on popular demand!

The very word Rasagola evokes sweetness. And this 'Rasagola' movie was the labour of love that depicted a sweet story of friendship and love for Rasagola.

Though it is an emotional story, the film sparked joy for me as I had sincerely pressurized the story-writer to make this film! I appreciate his commitment as the actual making of a film takes a lot of effort. 

Rasagola film received a Certificate of Appreciation by the Jury at the 4th Golden Triangle International Film Festival, and Shri Swaraj Mishra received it that evening i.e. on 12th February, 2019.

On 17th December, 2019, we got the great news from Shri Mishra that Rasagola film had earned the Film certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)! 

Last evening, on 13th January 2020, Rasagola film was shown to a select intellectual gathering at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhubaneswar. We thank the organisers of 'Mukta Chintana Mancha' for their interest to screen this film. The touching movie earned a wonderful audience reaction and feedback.

We acknowledge that getting a movie made is tough. 

Am so glad that Shri Swaraj Mishra has successfully completed this work of art.

I congratulate and thank Swaraj Babu & all those associated with this film.

I really feel so happy & proud. 

May this film make it to international festivals. 
May Lord Jagannath bless for many more such movies & books.

Looking forward to the upcoming movie premiere of Rasagola film. The world can watch it soon. 

Odisha Rasagola has earned the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag on July 29, 2019.

The proof of the Rasagola is in the eating! 
In the future screenings, Odisha Rasagola packs can accompany the Rasagola film too. 

Not only should viewers watch the film, and experience the emotions of Odias with this delectable syrupy dessert, they should get to taste Odisha Rasagola.

It is amazing what an inspiring conversation with creative & enthusiastic people can do! 
I love movies. Also, it's great to see ideas in action. 

What sparks joy in you? Do share in the comments below.

Linking with IndiSpire #307 and ABC Wednesday- B for Babuna

Box Office Hit

She felt elated to walk into a movie hall after ages. A huge movies fan, she had to watch the latest release.

The last two years had kept her very busy in completing her autobiography.

A book publishing-house had accepted it.

She was excited that she'd soon get to see it in print. 

She hoped that her story would be accepted by a movie production-house as well. 

PHOTO PROMPT - Ted Strutz

Happy New Year – Movie Review & Lessons

The multi-starrer Hindi movie ‘Happy New Year’ (HNY) directed by Farah Khan and produced by Gauri Khan, is a typical Bollywood masala movie with a mix of emotions, drama, comedy, at-the-edge-of-seat moments, thrills, action, song & dance sequences.

HNY is about a team of five ‘losers’ attempting to be ‘winners’. They try a heist of diamonds worth Rs 300 crores while managing to secure a place amongst the WDC- World Dance Competition in Dubai. Does their ‘Duniya ka sabse badi chori ka rehearsal’ (the rehearsal of the world’s biggest theft) succeed?  If yes, how do Charlie & his team pull off the plan?

Mary Kom - 25 Lessons And Movie Review

Mary Kom movie has released on Teacher's Day teaching us many lessons. 

I was really waiting to watch Mary Kom and had earlier shared my 10 Reasons Why I Wanna Watch The Movie- Mary Kom.

Wonderful to watch the first day first show!

Mary Kom, the Hindi movie, is based on the true-story of difficulties, struggles & success of India's pride, five-time World Amateur Boxing Champion, MC Mary Kom (Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom).

Source: Wikipedia

Priyanka Chopra as  Magnificent Mary has totally done justice to Mary's character. Here are some of her certificates:

- She has trained very sincerely for this role as per this article.

- She now knows many boxing moves & one of her thumbs is damaged.

- Seeing her performance on-screen, even the real-life Mary Kom's kids identified her as their "Mamma".

- This movie with the reel-life Mary Kom made the real-life Mary Kom cry. 

- Farhan Akhtar, who played the Flying Sikh- Milkha Singh in the movie- Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, said to Priyanka Chopra- "Mary ko Milkha ka Salaam" (Greetings to Mary from Milkha)

KICK - Movie Review & Lessons

Spoiler Alert: Note- This Review reveals many key scenes, dialogues and the story-line... Don't read if you are planning to watch it!

I treated myself to the Hindi movie Kick on Eid. After watching, I thought- "What an Eid Release! Kick is sure to rake in the crores."

Produced & Directed by Sajid Nadiadwala, Kick is an action love-story. It is a stylish movie like its lead characters- Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandes, Randeep Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mithun Chakraborty...

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania - Movie Review & Lessons

Spoiler Alert: Note- This Review reveals many key scenes, dialogues and the story-line... Don't read if you are planning to watch it!

Directed by debutant Director, Shashank Khaitan & produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (HSKD) is a sweet Romantic Comedy (RomCom). It is a happy-go-lucky kind of a movie like its lead characters. 

HUMSHAKALS - Movie Review

"Men have called me mad; but the question is not settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence – whether much that is glorious – whether all that is profound – does not spring from disease of thought – from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect.”

– Edgar Allan Poe

Yesterday, we watched Director Sajid Khan’s latest offering, Humshakals, despite the negative reviews and comments. 

HOLIDAY- Movie Review

Director A.R.Murugadoss's movie- "Holiday: A Soldier is never off duty" is 170 minutes long. It has Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Sumeet Raghavan and newcomer Farhad in key roles. Govinda has a cameo appearance. Holiday is the second Bollywood offering by the Director. It has his first Bollywood film- Ghajini's hangover/glimpses in certain scenes - viz. display of maps, pics and info on the walls. I felt Holiday is a bit too long and needed better editing.

Source

Sweet 16 Lessons From 2 States

Here are Sweet 16 lessons I learnt from the Bollywood Film - 2 States:

1. Love / Locha-E-Ulfat (Problem called Love) happens quite quietly… couple gets Mast Magan (Crazily involved) as Ishq Bhoot Hai (Love is Ghost).

2 States - Movie Review

The Hindi movie 2 States is about the North-South Chemistry between 2 intelligent IIM Ahmedabad MBA Students- Punjab-da-Puttar- Krish Malhotra (Arjun Kapoor) of Delhi & Ananya Swaminathan (Alia Bhatt), a lover of non-veg food & Beer though belonging to a strictly-vegetarian Tamilian Brahmin family of Chennai.

Lessons from Chennai Express

1. “Never under-estimate the power of a common man”!

   “Meri Dictionary mein, impossible ka shabd hi nahi hai!” (There is no word ‘impossible’ in my Dictionary!) Even the common man must not feel he is any less powerful! Every person has the energy and potential to achieve anything. It helps to adopt the right values like SatyamevaJayate (Truth always Wins). In the end, the common man, Rahul, triumphs against all odds!

    

2. One can reach the right destination even after boarding a wrong train! 

   Our Journey is more important – the people we meet and greet and what we learn on the way… Life is a great teacher and adopts different means to teach us lessons. Rahul had boarded the train- Chennai Express, just to befool his grandma. He was supposed to be travelling to Goa with his friends. However, the same train proved to be a learning experience and put his life on the right track!

    

3. Sincerely adhere to traditional customs & fulfill wish honestly without cheating. 

   There is a right way of performing duties – religious or personal or related to any sphere. It’s best that we give it our best rather than neglecting or falsifying expectations. Doing the wrong things or things in the wrong way can only prick our conscience and make us feel guilty. 

    

4. “The best way to escape your problems is to face them”. 

   We cannot run away from problems; we must have the guts to face issues and seek solutions. “Bhaag ke nahin jayenge; Kab tak bhaagenge?” ( We won’t run and go; Till when will we run?) “Bhaagte rehte hain Marathon; Phir ek din sabko chhod ke chale jaate hain.” (We keep running Marathons; But, one day we leave everyone behind and go.) That is why Rahul takes Meena back to Kumban Village.

    

5.  “It is good to be important, but more important to be good”. 

   Goodness of mind, heart and actions has more value than the importance in the Society.

    

   

6. “Power is Bullshit” if we can’t win the respect of our own family.  

   Social power and prestige and hierarchy means nothing if we are unable to command the trust, support and respect from our own family and near and dear. Meena’s father has great power, but scores zero when it came to his own daughter’s respect towards him.

    

7. To stop the Train, pulling Chain is ‘common’.

   “Hum log jahan pe khadi hoti; Station wahi se shuru hoti!” (Where we stand, the Station starts from there!) It is illegal to pull chain in the Indian Railways and the people who indulge in the same can attract heavy fines/penalty. However, taking this in the context of life, sometimes we need to decide where to stop our vehicle in the journey of life. 

    

8. Body doesn’t have to be big (like Thangabali); one needs a big heart (like Rahul)! 

   External Body-proportions look small in front of inner beauty and a large, benevolent and gracious heart. It’s better to cultivate and possess a kind and generous heart as in the end the ‘Dil-wala’ (one with the heart) wins! After all, Dilwaale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge! (Those with hearts will win the brides.) Ultimately, Rahul wins over his ladylove, Meena.

    

9. No subtitles are needed when the conversation is direct Dil-Se! (from the heart!) 

   No matter which part of India or the World we belong, we can communicate with anyone direct from our heart. No sub-titles are needed for that…

    

10. “There are 1635 languages spoken all over India. But, love has no language”!

    The Universal language of Love conquers all hearts- irrespective of age, gender, region, religion, caste, creed… Let’s spread the language and message of love!

     

Similarly, a train like Chennai Express doesn’t differentiate us on the basis of our background! We all have a right to board it and enjoy the journey while waiting for our destination. Let’s make the most out of life’s journey!

 

Watch Chennai Express and enjoy the fun-adventurous ride! Ready, Steady, Po!

            This has some of my lessons from the Chennai Express, 2013 Film.

I have also shared my Chennai Express Movie Review -  

http://anitaexplorer.blogspot.in/2013/08/chennai-express-review.html

 

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Chennai Express - Review

Chennai Express is the very first preview show movie for which I ventured on Thursday. Reaching the Multiplex on time, I discovered that the show was almost Houseful! There were fans like me who have waited too long for the movie to release, wanting to watch it and form their own reactions before the rest of the world does!

Chennai Express is the story of a 40 year old Punjabi man named Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan), who needs to fulfill the last wish of his grandfather and  immerse the former’s ashes in Rameshwaram as per a request of his grandmother (Kamini Kaushal). He sets out from Mumbai on the Chennai Express to befool her, but later realizes that the joke is on him. His Goa-trip plan with his friends goes awry as he literally helps Meena Lochni Azhagasundaram (Deepika Padukone) to hop on the train a la DDLJ style. But, he also helps four hefty men (her cousins) who are following her! Meena is the “bada twist” who changes his life. 

 

Meena is the daughter of a local Don (Sathyaraj) of Kumban village with wide Southern influence. Turns out that Meena is on the run as she doesn’t wish to marry her 'Appa-ke-Friend-ka-Beta', Thangabali (Niketan Dheer), a groom her father has fixed to better his power quotient. 

Meena claims- “Bhaagne mein mera bahut experience hai!” She concocts a tale with 3 untruths that she’s in love with Rahul. Needless to say, what began as lies, becomes the truth later! 

But, Rahul is even ready to change his nationality to avoid the Kumban village!

 

What happens next? 

How is Rahul’s journey? 

Is he successful in completing the task at Rameshwaram? 

Does Meena get what she wants? 

Does her father oblige? 

What are the twists and turns of this story?

 

All is well that ends well with the ultimate aim- ‘Kalyanam!’ (Marriage) as the Don acknowledges that Rahul is the “REAL Man”. 

“You Win- Meena Tera”, he says. 

That’s when I felt that Meena is an ‘item’ that can be won!  In an earlier scene, to save his life, Rahul is ready to hand over the ‘item’ to Thangabali. But, now he cutely asks her consent for Kalyanam!

 

This Rohit Shetty directed-film had to have fight-sequences involving bangles, plastic items, steel goods, glass, cold-drinks, Tea, Burning Shop, Car-Explosions & overturning, Steel Bucket, Sickle, Spade…

It also has great acting by all the characters especially the lead actors- Deepika and SRK. I felt this was Deepika Padukone's one of the finest roles. She is emerging from strength to strength with touching performances. The songs with Vishal-Sekhar’s music are already making waves! 

I noticed that after Rahul's Nokia Lumia 920- phone loss, Chennai Express has no touch with any digital technology. No computer or cellphone anywhere in the picture; just traditions and village-life.

Likes

• Chennai Express is a simple, honest, neat and clean movie in which the power of the common man wins! 
• We can watch it with the whole family. 
• I loved the choice of the locations where the Chennai Express movie has been shot- lush greenery, nice scenery, superb aerial views, authentic look and feel village-setting.
• Loved the dialogues, witty-one-liners, humour, performances & cinematography, picturisation. 
• Rahul says- My name is Rahul & I’m not a Terrorist!
  
  
• Style is conversational & witty– “Shuruat se shuru karte hain!” 
  
  
• Super-energetic, peppy songs with unique comic facial expressions & jhakaas dances with a riot of colours! Special mention to PriyaMani, who has danced so well in the song- '1-2-3-4-Get On The Dance Floor!'! Really urges us to do just that! I loved the bright 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' song picturisation with Indian Cultural display - Kathakali Dancers, Tiger-Stripes-body-painted dancers... (Did anyone wonder- how come Meena’s accent  & pronunciation in all the songs is so good?! Don’t underestimate the power of Hindi films!)

• Rahul upholds values and does not run away with Meena!  Proves himself to be worthy of her and earns her hand!
• Chennai Express echoes current sentiments. Climax Scene has reference about the ‘66^th Year of Independence’ and taking daughters’ ‘Marzi & Khushi’ (consent & happiness) into consideration.
  
  Chennai Express is a typical Masala Film with Action-Comedy-Romance-Emotions-Drama in good proportions! It's a fun roller-coaster ride! 

Notable scenes-

1. Song Messages!
   
2. ‘Meet me at the Store-Room’
   
3. Rahul's head-nodding based on Meena's explanation
   
4. Meena’s night sleep ‘problem’
5. Temple Steps Scene 
   
6. Meena heading inside the home to get Rahul's grandfather's ashes.
   
7. Climax Scenes -Rahuls’ conversation with Meena’s father; Rahuls’ offer for fight for Meena; Rahul’s sweet but comic 4-Question Kalyanam proposal to Meena

Concerns

-          Lots of Tamil without Sub-titles- Though Meenamma & Inspector Samsher do the translating in some scenes, there are many scenes in which I wished there were sub-titles on screen.

-          Lots of power-packed action in the Climax-  Rahul is shown to be mercilessly  beaten up & crashed into so many stalls and vehicles by Thangabali.

-          TTE getting shockingly thrown out of the train- Why throw the TTE out at all? Later, I thanked God that he was safe.

-          Overdose of DDLJ-  Deja-Vu…Wanting to live as per own wish & see the world (Rahul says this to his grandma), Helping-board-the-Train sequence, DDLJ tune/music, taking consent of girl’s father/family, getting beaten up by the girl’s fiancé...

 

-    I was disappointed with Rahul’s initial attitude towards his grandparents. Imagine planning to immerse the Ashes in a river in Goa that would ultimately carry it to Rameshwaram! Luckily, Meena’s responsible nature and sensible talks brings about the change in him to do the right thing, just as per his grandparents wish. I loved it when Meena responsibly collected the Ashes-container.

 Some Gyaan-

1. ‘The best way to escape your problems is to face them.'
   
2. 'It is good to be important, but more important to be good.'
   
3. 'Never underestimate the power of a common man!'
   

Note for you- 

Travel light on Chennai Express without carrying any load or baggage & just sit back, relax and enjoy the journey! You are guaranteed to cover miles with action & smiles! 

Have you boarded the Chennai Express yet? Come on, Ready, Steady, Po!

This has my views of Chennai Express. If you liked this post and my Blog, request you to please post comments below and do follow my Blog! 

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