Views on 'Guzaarish' the 'depressing' movie

This is a writeup by Professor Dr. Ketna L Mehta, the Associate Dean Research of our college:-

The positives of the movie is that the film craft and direction is spectacular and flawless, the actors are more than convincing and this is the first movie on a spinal injured- a quadriplegic in Indian cinema. The images are real and flawless – the accident, topple from the bed, helplessness at the leaking roof, feeling the fresh air outdoors and many other such images.

A film is both a potent tool for transforming mindsets and can sometimes also don the role of weapons of mass destruction. We need the best in the industry to project and showcase more responsible cinema.

As a person with spinal injury and as the founder of our NGO, Nina Foundation I would not recommend this movie to my friends with spinal injury. I will elaborate this rationale:

1. Its a non- Indian take. The biggest motivating factor for a traumatic spinal injured is his ring of FAMILY. The entire family rallies around and forms a ring of support both physical and emotional. The independent living concept shown in the movie with Ethan living with only caretakers and caregivers is remote. More than one member of the family takes charge and enables one to sail through life happily.

2. We have glowing examples of Indian quadriplegics living with this life transforming disability for more than 12 years (the number in the movie). Maj HP S Ahluwalia, Rajendra Johar, Sruti Mohapatra, Subramaniam, Arvind Prabhoo, Nishant Khade, Abdulla and I can go on. They have families, friends and successful careers and goals and are leading successful lives.

3. Disability is a ‘untouchable’ ‘invisible’ taboo concept in India. The movie with its ending propagates this very concept. That a human being and his wishes are above the law? A disabled is better off ending his life? Obstacles and problems should taint our view about life? Spinal injury is too big a problem to live with?

4. Our NGO is attempting to create interest, involvement and inspiration amongst friends with spinal injury. Believe me its an uphill task. It takes hours and years to convince how to overcome our daily problems and yet lead a life of happiness and dignity. Guzaarish’s depressing tone nullifies that in three hours. Despite being financially independent (Ethan has written a book, has a radio show), he wants to end his life.

5. India is the capital of people with spinal injury, over 15 lacs and we add 20,000 every year. Most are ‘invisible’ as they are tucked away at home struggling to manage each day. How many can afford a 10 lac sip and puff wheelchair or tilt table in our country. The reason for being depressed is that there are no rehabilitation centres offering holistic services to face life. The rehabilitation at physical, psychological, social, vocational, recreational and spiritual levels prepare us to conduct our lives and also achieve a lot personally, professionally and in sports. (there is wheelchair tennis, basketball, quad rugby, swimming etc)

6. Alongwith the helplessness of rain falling on ethan’s face- there could have been more instances of enjoying the ‘fly on the nose’ moments. Spinal injury is a ‘real’ tough issue. Its not easy either living with paraplegia or quadriplegia. Yet it is hope which makes us rewrite medical books, push our limits, surprise our doctors and therapists. All the stakeholders work towards giving spunk back to our spines and this is a huge healthcare force. They too are disappointed by the treatment of the subject and ending of the movie.

7. And finally, Mr Bhansali, we don’t need euthanasia or suicides to end our lives in India. Poor management of bed sores, urine infections, bowel complications, osteoporosis, high cost of ventilators and medication, lack of trained attendants and caregivers and lack of world class rehabilitation centres anyway do the job, unfailingly. Even today in Bollywood land, Mumbai, we don’t have a world class spinal injury rehabilitation centre.

Charity is very easy, sponsoring a few spinal injured is simpler but getting involved with interest and inspiring our friends with spinal injury is the need of the hour. Imagine our children and young friends with spinal injury watching the movie with their devoted parents and families. The fact is that the very talented Mr Bhansali makes convincing movies on different aspects of disability; we would like positive role models conveying inspiring messages to face that one more day of our lives!

Dr Ms Ketna Mehta is founder of NGO Nina Foundation (www.ninafoundaiton.org)

Random thoughts

I just finished watching ‘Social Network’. Interesting piece of work, if it’s a true story entirely then even more interesting. It’s not very common that you find people so dedicated or passionate about something that they do some breakthrough interesting piece of work in it.
You can be passionate and still chose to do nothing about. Yes it is a choice.

‎"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."

I love these line from the movie ‘You’ve got mail’. Actually it induces this feeling in me which scares me. Thankfully, I have learnt to ignore it.
If I look back a few years in my life, I know there were things I was passionate about. Things I chose not to do anything about due to various reasons. I told myself I can always come back to those things later and that if I am really into them it will happen on its own. But maybe, I was wrong.
Today I am in a city , away from all the things and all the people that really inspires me and gives me the courage to go on. In a place where I am trying to be passionate about the things in front of me. I just don’t like doing things because I have to. So I am trying to find the right reasons for it. I hope I do.

I really don't wanna put a title for this one ;)

I thought i just arrived and now i am done with my first sem!! Mumbai is a fast city! ;) I am yet to feel connected to this city but then again I know I take time for things, i don't like to rush it.:)
Each city has it's own flavor. I loved Bangalore for its cool laid back feeling. Loved it even more for the wonderful friends i got from there. And even more for the wonderful moments i had there.:) I don't wanna comment on Mumbai now because its too early and i wanna explore more here. But yea it is a fast city and the mad mba run of mine is adding to it. Everyone is always on the move. Always busy or at least trying to look busy.

Whenever i meet someone here and say i am from Kerala, they will be like "oh wow god's own country. I have heard it's very beautiful." And yea of course i feel proud. :) But I often find people very ignorant about the places and states in their own country. Esp the knowledge of some North Indians (Not alone) about South India. I think at times they think all South Indians belong to chennai or tamil nadu. Like the other day in college someone said 'Happy pongal' to me and i was like 'huh?'. Even after repeating then that I am from Kerala, the person gave me a blank look. :D Trust me, i find it very irritating (like any one else) but then they are stupid and frogs in their own well. Everyone loves their city or town or village they come from even if others may think its the worst place to be. Like Mumbaikars have this strong love for the city, which people coming into the city first time may not understand. But doesn't mean you don't respect it.
Recently,one of my friend's had put up a status saying I hate mumbai and she went on to abuse the busy trains and dirty roads here. Hmmm it was pretty clear that she missed home and was feeling lonely and wanted company. I felt it had nothing to do with Mumbai. We feel connected to a city when we connect with the people in the city.

Like I said every place/city has it's own flavor, you have to wait for your turn to taste it.

Udaan!!!

Haven't opened my blog after moving out from bangalore. :) There were so many things to write about after i came to mumbai, but i was never in the mood. Thought will post the poems from the movie 'Udaan' which i found beautiful :)



Chhoti-chhoti chhitrayi yaadein
Bichhi hui hain lamhon ki lawn par.
Nange pair unpar chalte-chalte
Itni door chale aaye
Ki ab bhool gaye hain –
Joote kahan utaare the.

Aedi komal thi, jab aaye the.
Thodi si naazuk hai abhi bhi.
Aur nazuk hi rahegi
In khatti-meethi yaadon ki shararat
Jab tak inhe gudgudati rahe.

Sach, bhool gaye hain
Ki joote kahan utaare the.
Par lagta hai,
Ab unki zaroorat nahin.


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Jo lehron se aage nazar dekh paati toh tum jaan lete main kya sochta hoon,
Wo aawaz tumko bhi jo bhed jaati toh tum jaan lete main kya sochta hoon.
Zid ka tumhare jo parda sarakta toh khidkiyon se aage bhi tum dekh paate,
Aankhon se aadaton ki jo palken hatate toh tum jaan lete main kya sochta hoon.

Meri tarah khud par hota zara bharosa toh kuchh door tum bhi saath-saath aate,
Rang meri aankhon ka baant-te zara sa toh kuchh door tum bhi saath-saath aate,
Nasha aasmaan ka jo choomta tumhe bhi, hasraten tumhari naya janm paatin,
Khud doosre janam mein meri udaan chhoone kuchh door tum bhi saath-saath aate.

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Namma Benguluru

This is the list of places, people and all those memories i have had in Bangalore in the past 2 years which i will never forget:) I will miss you Bangalore !!! :(
1. Balaji pg
2. Mittu (parrot) of balaji pg who cries out ‘Khanna do..Khanna do…’ and calls out names of girls in pg :D
3. Cook bitching about the pg owner with us :D
4. Nous day 2008 – Our ‘Papu can’t dance’ dance ;)
5. Walking in Madiwala market and taking photos for the photography contest
6. Dandiya night at palace grounds
7. Getting mugged :(
8. Weekend @ uncle’s place
9. Baby sitting Appu and Ammu :D – specifically making Appu eat! The first time he asked me to read to him a story in bed, I told him I don’t know how to read :P , but later on I had to learn..sigh!
10. Shopping with Krishna Ammayi :)
11. Ranga shankara theatre play – Moby Dick
12. Weekend with Suraj- Nov 08
13. Shopping and roaming around with Ash and Anju
14. The rickshaw accident with Ash
15. Bunking Time classes :D
16. Sunday mock cats with Sujith & Anju- Finishing the exam and then sitting at ccd for long hrs with coffee and complaining about the exam and realizing that we should start studying soon. But again every Sunday we come back to do the same.
17. Weekend eat outs with my foodie friends – Aloo, Anu and Sree ;D
18. Mishti chats
19. Night @ The Beach with Olee and Divya –first tequila shot ;)
20. Christmas 09 with Srini Sujith and Arjun
21. Making fun of Suith a.k.a Tundu ;)
22. Diwali @ Swanthanam
23. Visit to Mitra Jyothi
24. All office lunches and coffees with Olee :)
25. Easter Weekend 2010 with Srini, Sujith and Anju: Ramnagar trekking, Fuga, Ranga shankara theatre play – Robinson Crusoe, Tarot card reading ;)
26. NPOS team in Nous :)
27. And finally, all Restaurants, Coffee shops, Shopping malls and Pubs in Bangalore;)

PS: Will update if i have missed out something :)

Faces of life...

It was raining heavily, pouring down, a welcome respite from the heat of the past week. Huddled under the small over-crowded bus stand, I was waiting for the rain to let up so I could walk back from work, when suddenly, out of nowhere she came walking towards me, and then, as if to intrude into my thoughts, she came and stood beside me. She turned around, probably to check if there was anyone familiar. That is when our eyes met briefly. She smiled at me, but as usual I found it difficult to return the favor; maybe it was my ego or maybe my guilt. I looked away.
This was the fourth or fifth time that I was seeing her from the same bus stand. She catches the same bus every day I think. But it felt little odd that I should see her again today, as it was my last day in the city. Hmm I will never forget the day I saw her for the first time.
It was on the evening of my birthday and as a treat to my friends, they wanted me to take them to a dance bar. None of us had been to a dance bar before. And when one of my friends said he knows this place where you will find the best ‘hot chicks’, we were all excited and ready to go. We got there by 9. Our first impression about the place was that it was cheap and filthy. The crowd wasn’t too great either. But as more and more alcohol went down our throats, we started liking the atmosphere more. The spirits started to have an effect on our spirits too. At some point we were even head banging to the loud bollywood number. And yea my friend was right, there were many hot girls dancing at the bar. When I say hot, yeah they all had good bodies, some had pretty faces too; all that a man looks for in a woman, but still their faces lacked something. That was the first time I saw her.
Some days later, when I was walking back from office I saw her again for the second time from the bus stand. At first I didn’t recognize her, but she looked strangely familiar. As I passed her, it struck me. She was one of the girls from the bar. One of the pretty ones I must say. I turned back to have a second look and saw her getting onto a bus. She looked at me as she felt my eyes on her. She gave me a suspicious look from inside the bus and I quickly turned away my face and the bus rode away. There after I saw her 2 or 3 times at the same bus stand. When she saw me the next time, she gave me a small smile. I didn’t reciprocate and acted as though I am seeing her for the first time. Maybe she recognized me from the bar and there is a very good chance that everyone present at the bar that night might also recognize me and my group, as one my friends threw up on the table. :)

As I was lost in my thoughts, a bus came and she started getting into the bus. Though I prefer walking, I also got into the bus as the rain was not showing any signs of calming down. I grabbed a seat in the middle of the bus. She stood a little away from my seat, holding and leaning onto a pole. I started watching her closely from where I sat and soon, I was again lost in my thoughts. She looked so different that day at the bar. She was clad in a light blue salwar today. Her hair was tied together at the back and there was a small jute bag hanging on her shoulder. She held her wet umbrella on one hand and with the other she was holding onto the pole. A baby’s wail from the back of the bus was disturbing all in the bus but to me, it seemed like a far away cry. My eyes were glued on her face. She looked so calm and composed. She looked herself.
Before I could ponder more, the bus stopped in the front of a school and she got down. I turned back to have a last look at her. She went up to the front of the school gate and a small girl came running from inside the school towards her. And before I could see more, the bus started moving away. I strained and put my neck out of the window to see her. I saw her smile and put out her arms and hug the girl and before I could see more I had lost sight of her. I sat back properly on my seat. I felt something hard in my throat. Her face was fresh in my mind. I stared outside the window. No way! It can’t be her kid!?…Hmmm... Or maybe it was… Or maybe she was picking up somebody else’s kid.
I will never know. I will never see her; never will I get a chance to smile at her again, but I will never forget her.

All that glitters is not cricket

Thanks to IPL, for pushing cricket through bidding to gambling to controversies to, lately, politics. All for the ‘love for cricket’!!
IPL has indeed become one of the fastest growing businesses considering the fact that it is estimated at an enormous $4.13 billion today and that too in less than 3 years. Some people are even predicting it to soon out cross English Premium League (EPL), which, by the way, is totally absurd. EPL, which is currently valued at around $12 billion, is one of the most watched sporting league with it’s viewership spread across over 200 countries and is also known for it’s deep rooted league culture of Europe. IPL, on the other hand, has neither a rich league culture nor a global viewership. In fact, IPL is less about sports and more about glamour. It is merely about owing teams based on economic and politic strength and attracting crowd through various sporting and non sporting gimmicks, including the foreign cheer leaders and the late night parties. But we Indians are so much in love with this sport that we forget that all that glitters is not cricket.
This is evident from the controversies that are filling in the news papers nowadays, that speaks of the lack of authenticity and transparency with which this whole business is being handled. The BCCI who is supposed to be in the governing role; they are themselves the biggest promoters of IPL. This is because those who are associated with IPL or the franchisees are part of BCCI board too. Due to which the sporting spirit has been replaced with the greed and hunger for more money and power.
And today, the whole nation is discussing about Modi, Tharoor and BCCI. Our government and income tax people are wasting their time, energy and resources and running around to get to the root of this conspiracy. Hmm, was IPL worth all this? Isn’t cricket much more than just bidding and cheap politics?


Courtesy: TOI

The Intruder!!

The first time I saw him, it was just for a fraction of a second. He came and peeped into my world and disappeared. It happened so quick that, I was left wondering whether I imagined it all.
Some days later, when I had totally forgotten about the incident, I saw him again! This time I saw him clearly. He was young …with small eyes, which were searching for something. He saw me looking at him, and then again he vanished!

After that, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I was becoming so paranoid that I keep looking around every now and then. He had left me all frightened and fumed up.
Until one day I decided, enough is enough! I have to face my fears and have to find a way out. Hmm!
I discussed my problem with my friend and he gave me a few suggestions. Hmm but I knew whatever it is, it has to be done soon and it has to be done by me alone. So I sat down and made up my mind and decided that I will go for it. Yes! Only this can stop him. The Rodenticide!!

The next step was to lay the trap and it has to look real. So for that I chose places where I have seen him and waited for his arrival, but he didn’t appear. I didn’t lose my heart and waited for the next day too. That night, I was almost dosing off waiting for him, and then from the corner of my eyes I saw his blurry image! But alas! By the time my eyes were wide open, he was gone. The trap I laid for him lie untouched!

It’s been 3 days, and there has been no sight of him. Where did he disappear?? And why?? I don't know..Hmm but hey...Should I care!? Anyways, I hate intruders!

Reel effect!!

One of the many brilliant Malayalam movies made till date is ‘Thirakadha’. Yesterday when I watched it again for the second time, I couldn’t help thinking how a movie manages to create an impact on people?
Two major aspects of a movie are script and performance (by artists). Script, I believe, is the powerful of the two. A strong script with moderate performance has a more impact than a moderate script with a great performance. Like in the movie ‘Thirakadha’, the story itself captures you and you can feel the journey within it. The performances also were more than just moderate, in fact they were good, especially the protagonist role played by Priyamani. Some of the movies that stands out for its script or subject are ‘Water’, ‘Page 3’, ‘Taare zameen pe’, ‘Kaazhcha’ (mal), ‘Walk to remember’, ‘Step mom’, ‘Forest Gump’ etc, to name a few. (The list is really long! :)). But a movie like ‘Jab we met’ where the storyline is not that unique or different, the performances and direction took the front seats and got the attention of the viewers, which eventually made the movie successful.
Thus each movie has its own ingredients, and its own flavours which attracts the audience towards it.
Salute to all the brilliant scripts, performances and the individuals behind it!!

Another chance !?

It’s been long since I wrote anything here. J

All I have been writing all this time has been crap emails and documents to clients and my team at work. Hmm J Work is good if u like it. But you also have to be careful enough to be not too committed. Especially in a team, at times you tend to push yourself to make things right for everyone and everything in your project until a point comes where you think ‘Is it worth all this effort ?!’.

IT industry is interesting, though not interesting enough for me to involve in it passionately. It is true that I don’t follow the technologies or the trends in the market, but it is not that. I find something missing otherwise too. Let’s just say IT doesn’t fascinate me. J

After all these months of work and mindless pursue of things, I have lost track of why I did all these in the first place. I feel lost and tired!! Hmm, I want to start afresh with things !! I am not asking for ‘another chance to grow up once again’ or anything! ;D Just that, this time I want to do things that matters to me and makes more sense and gives a meaning to my life.