The Dirty Picture and other stuff

I went the the theatre to watch Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture. It is all it promises. Good acting and a beautiful script makes the characters real. I am told a lot of the movie is fictionalised as details of the life of Silk Smita are few and far in between. Smita was taboo for film historians and generally shunned by everyone. No wonder they had to make stuff up. The characters of Nasserudin Shah is an amalgamation of several 'Heros' of Indian cinema. Balan owns the movie from the start to the credits. She has really come out of her typecast good girl image to essay a role that will be remembered.

Still reading 'The Hunchback of Notredame' which is sometimes tangentially indulgent with the authors thoughts. As much as I respect artistic eccentricities, and as much as I defend my own, I cannot but say that sometimes they are a little irritating. I wonder if Les Miserables is the same. Looking forward to the rest of the book.

Next in line is Machiavelli's 'The Prince'

A tree, as seen from the balcony of the house I lived as a child.

Carvings from Shesharaya Mantapa in Srirangam Temple Complex, Srirangam.

Pictures from the wall carvings in the Venugopala Temple in Srirangam temple complex, Srirangam.

Pictures of the wood carvings on the Brahma-Rath of Tirupati Venkateshwara.

It has been a long while since my last post.

I watched Apocalypse Now Redux. It is long an passionately edited movie. I liked most performances and the direction. It did seem at places that the director has become indulgent but the final product was admirable.

I became curious about several references in the movie. For example the abandoned Playboy Playmate gone crazy in the war zone, or the references the building of the bridge repeatedly. I tried to get info if it was based on fact but found little.


I finished reading Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Initially I found the constant Christian references irksome, but later came to realise that it was never meant to be a "secular" narrative. Stowe mixes critisism and appreciation of Christianity and presents a very compelling case. An excellent read.

I watched The Hitch hiker's Guide to the Galaxy on TV. It is based on the popular Sci-fi novels. The story is mildly existential and a fun movie to watch. I call it mildly as the topics are skimmed upon without much deliberation. Of course it fares well as commercial-off beat movie.

Currently reading The Hunchback of Notredame by Hugo.

Hoping to watch The Dirty Picture the unauthorised biopic of Silk Smita *ing Vidya Balan.

Trial post from my mobile.

This is a small hanuman near my house.

From the Bonsai park at Lalbagh, Bangalore

The first one is a photograph of one of the four Kempe Gowda towers, that ancient Bangalore was built around.

From the Independence day Flower Show at Lalbagh, Bangalore

Pics for Dakshinamukha Nandi Temple, Malleshwaram, Bangalore, India

This temple was literaly discovered a few years back.

Digging to lay foundations for a building in the middle of a metropolis, they found a temple that has been buried under sand for ages. It has been restored.

It stands very much under ground level.

From my trip to Hampi

Vyasathirtha a.k.a Vyasaraja

This is the tomb of Vyasaraja who was the guru teacher/advisor of Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire. It is near Hampi. I have just got Vyasayogicharite a champu kavya by Somanatha Kavi and am planning to read it. I am also looking for travelogues and other catalogs of those times. One that I have found is the pair Paes and Nuniz. I will post further after I have details.

P.S. I took this photograph myself. Anyone is free to use it in their articles on Vyasathirtha.

Pictures

Some pics of the five Night blooming cerus that bloomed in my garden. It is often incorrectly called 'Brahma Kamal.'

I went on a short trip to Hampi. This is the front Gopura of the Hampi Virupaksha Temple.


Some views of the Tunga-Bhadra river. It was very muddy after recent rains.




It was really hot and I got a terrible sunburn on my back.

Life has been going on.

I am currently listening to a commentary by one Ramakrishna Shastry on Artha Sangraha. It a beginner text written by one Laughakshi Bhaskara on the Purva Mimansa System of philosophy. I have to admit it is rather pedantic and uninspired. I went in hoping for a logical or epistemology treatise, instead find long lists of things that are never fully explained or for that matter important.

Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' is next in line.

I watched 'La Ciociara' *ing Sophia Loren and directed by Vitorrio de Sica. It is a WW2 survival story based on a novel by Alberto Moravia. Great acting by Sophia Loren and even more so by her co-star Eleonora Brown.

I went with high hopes to watch Anurag Kashyap's latest presentation 'Shaitan' directed by Bejoy Nambiar. Bejoy Nambiar is one of the rare cases of something good coming out of a reality show. He was a contestant on a reality show to become a movie maker. He did not win but has made a good film here. It is a quick paced thriller and a good watch. The ensemble cast lives up to its promise. I did find the promos slightly misleading and hyped after watching the movie. I am eagerly looking forward for the next movie directed by Anurag. Although he is doing well as a producer I miss his touch as a director, the perfect example for that being Dev-D.

Before that I watched Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist. Again based on a novel, it is a simple story of a man trying to be 'normal' in changing times. Liked it.

'Loins of Punjab Presents' directed by Manish Acharya was on TV. A beautiful movie and a great storyteller. It is a pity the director died in an accident shortly afterwards.

I have been reading Roots: The Saga of an American Family in volumes. I just completed the fourth. Kunta Kinte has entered into manhood and returns to his village a man. I am reading it mostly for studying the narrative techniques and building of chronology.

Vilgot Sjöman's 'I am Curious - Yellow' is a pioneering Swedish movie. The classic plot of a movie in a movie is put to excellent use by intertwining the characters and actors, plot and life and the duality is brought out in visionary cinematic light. Yeah! I admit it is rather flattering and frankly a little nonsensical, but it is a truly good movie but unappreciated.

I finished reading 'In Cold Blood.' I can see how involved Capote became and why he was broken, if I may say so, by it.

I am currently reading 'Shalimar The Clown' by Salman Rushdie. I am in the early stages of the book. Rushdie, of course, is a master character builder. I am yet to form any opinions about the book. I have been planning to read Midnight's Children for several years but have never got down to it. I will.

Between these I read F. Scott Fitzgerald's Berenice Bobs Her Hair. An enrapturing quick read. I can see why Scott Fitzgerald is universally admired in the States. I read his masterpiece 'The Great Gatsby' a long time ago. I must admit I was perhaps too young and uninformed to appreciate it fully. I clearly remember falling in love with 'This Side of Paradise.' I constantly had to check myself from falling into a reverie.

I watched the last of the Emmanuelle trilogy. A simple and I must say non-controversial film. It was not phenomenal or pioneering as the first, the latter two films of the 'trilogy' being conceived after the success of the first.

Today I watched 'Bollywood Hero' which stars Chris Kattan. I felt that he was in deeper waters than he should be. Neha Dhupia the Indian actress was quite good.

I bought a bike. I am yet to ride it as I only have a learner permit and a little bit scared.

Post

I finished reading 'Lord of the Flies' and loved it. Certainly my kind of literature. I am now reading 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote. I figured I should read his earlier works before I read this but that did not happen. I simply am in awe of his style of developing characters and making them relateable. I am looking forward to how he takes them forward.

I watched the movie 'The Telephone Book' directed by Nelson Lyon. Certainly not everyone's cup to tea, but very simple and likeable. I story about a girl's falling in love / obssession with an obscene caller. She sets out to find him and does in the end.

Immediately afterwards I watched Lilliana Cavani's 'The Night Porter.' I have been meaning to watch it for a long time. Charolette Rampling is wonderful as ever and Dirk Bogarde does not let us down. A very controversial story, perhaps undecided between Stockholm syndrome and true love. The iconic song of the lead actress singing in a topless SS uniform was hyped in my opinion. The undertone of sado-masochism complements the narrative rather than hijacking it as I had suspected. My verdict: A love story.

'The Passion of the Christ' was on TV on Good Friday. Mel Gibson goes overboard in everything he does. Good acting, cannot say that about the casting. Monica Bellucci... seriously??? A few years back there was talk of a Sonia Gandhi biopic starring Monica Bellucci. Some moron looked up the most popular Italian actress and decided to cast her. I got into trouble, but I stand by what I said then. Monica Bellucci it too beautiful to play Sonia Gandhi. Is she too beautiful to play Mary Magdlene?? One will never know.

Usual Stuff

It has been a while since I finished 'Rememberance of the Things Past.' It certainly is a great read.

I watched Catherine Breillat's 36 Fillette. A very feminist work in fun and watchable all along. A young girl/woman finding her footing in world.

I read Gogol's Dead Souls immedieately afterwards. Gogol certainly is the master in creating characters that universal as well as realateable. It is a pity he never finished it.

Recently I finished reading Robin Sharma's 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari.' That is two weeks of my life I will not get back. Nothing more than pseudo-psyco-spiritual nonsense packaged as life changing advice. Not to mention the repeated references to the Yogis in the Himalayas. Please don't insult my intelegence and try to pass of common-sense as philosophy.

Salman Rushdie's 'Shalimar The Clown' and William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' are in the to do list.

It has been too long since my last post. I find this both theraputic and helpful in my writing. I should be more regular in my blogging.

Currently listening to entire audio book of 'Rememberance of the Things Past' by Marcel Proust. He employs few simple but very effective techniques in his narration. He believes in full disclosure. Little is left unsaid but nevertheless drives to think of the undercurrent of thoughts. I am about half-way through.

I recently watched the movie Miditerraneo directed by Gabriele Salvatores. It is a genuinely good movie and makes simple yet poignant observation about life and war.

I watched Sarah Silverman's 'Jesus is Magic' online. It was not bad, I liked some jokes. She can be accused of many things but certainly not of being unoriginal.