Originally published: 12 Apr 2023
Keeping two blogs running at the same time is not working out for me. To be honest if I could just keep the one up and running, I would be immensely satisfied with myself! Till I figure out how to combine the contents of the two blogs, here is an update of the latest posts on Masala Punch.
Teri baaton mein aisa uljha jiya (2024): AI in a patriarchal world
In the last decades technological advancements have revolutionized the way we experience this world. Soon, we are told, artificial intelligence (AI) will take over the world and “intelligent” robots can even become a part of our family and friend circle! But ultimately the use of all technology is in human hands, guided by the prevalent social norms. And the recent Bollywood comedy Teri Baton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (TBMAUJ), has unwittingly, but forcefully, reminded me how tragic such a technological advancement might look like in the Indian society, which remains shrouded in regressive patriarchal norms.
Read full post on Masala Punch
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Artistic challenges: tasveer nahin banti
These
last few months I have been distracted with a new hobby – drawing and painting.
Since childhood I have been fascinated with art. To be able to reproduce on a canvas what your eyes have observed or your mind has imagined,
is a skill I have always wished for. And this interest has reawakened in the
last years. I have spent hours following instructions on YouTube and have bought
books trying to teach myself the rudiments of mixing colours, understanding proportions,
creating depths, painting lights and shadows… all not very successfully. My
situation till very recently has
been much like the lament of this painter:
Tasveer banatai hun, tasveer nahin banti
Tasveer nahin banti
Ik khwab sa dekha hai,taabeer nahin banti,
Tasveer nahin banti…
[I paint
but the painting eludes me,
The painting eludes,
This wisp of a dream I have dreamt, the translation of it eludes me,
The painting eludes…]
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"Hum Tum" on a tour of Amsterdam
The song “Ladki Kyon…” from the film Hum Tum (2004) is a 5-minute action packed, extended tour through Amsterdam’s attractions (with even a slight detour to The Hague). And if, while watching the song you have ever wondered what the vague buildings in the background were or where exactly did Saif chuck his chewing gum (oh yes, yes, he did!) then the time to answer all your burning questions has arrived! Complete with recent street views and precise map coordinates of the locations (courtesy Google maps), I present to you a step-by-step guide that will help you to choose the sights you might want to visit or even trace the entire trajectory of Saif and Rani yourself, if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam.
Pride and Prejudice: The Musical
Bollyviewer was of the opinion that if Pride and Prejudice was to be made in Hindi, then Hindi cinema has already written the dialogues – in multiple songs. In case you wouldn’t believe her, she had collected ample proof. Her intention was to display the proof to her readers using the scenes of one of her favorite adaptations – the 1995 BBC series. I hope I have done justice to her vision.
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Kucch aur zamana kehta hai: the freedom to not conform
Read full post on Masala Punch
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Knives Out (2019)
Movie review
A whodunnit, a social satire, a comedy or simply a feel good movie? It is perhaps all of that and more. On the recommendation of my sisters, I had watched this movie when it came out a couple of years ago. I recently re-watched it with my family (including two teenagers) and together we enjoyed this layered drama just as much, or maybe even more, than when I had watched it first.
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The crying catharsis
Hindi film songs have beautifully expressed the tears and weeping of all hues of the broken heart. But only recently, while researching for this post in fact, did I realize that these songs are also rich in the description of the reflex tears that are formed in response to irritants, and even on the working of the eyes! Come join my tear fest as I tell you more.
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Connected by ink and paper
Moving away from the theme of the blogs, this is a personal story.
I still remember the moment I first saw Gerty and Fritz, in Bombay, in 1996. My younger sister and I were waiting for their arrival, with barely suppressed excitement. They were coming to stay with us for a week and Mama and Papa were to pick them up from the airport. When the doorbell announced their arrival, I ran to open the door. On our doorstep were our German guests. They greeted me with broad smiles and bowed, with their hands pressed together, in the traditional Indian greeting of namaste. All I could think of in the first instance was, “How white they are!” A bit shy in the presence of these strangers, I invited them to come in. Little did I know then, that I had also invited them into our lives!
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