Grief

Grief

By Amritbir Kaur

I miss her in more ways than is imaginable. Most of the time I can't even tell but there's always a sad strain running in the background. At times I have actually felt guilty about being happy without her. She should have been here. I had a lot to share with her. She was the only one with whom I used to discuss the classic English literature including Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Francis Bacon, G.K. Chesterton, G.B. Shaw, O Henry, Guy de Maupassant et al. 

I am even more saddened when I find the sad strains in how my daughter exhibits a change of behaviour. Kids are not just kids, let's stop underestimating them. They are far more mature than a parent can ever imagine. 

This sad strain plays heavy upon my mind even more when we are joyous. I have been very fortunate with Shubham being the strong pillar of support. But we can't change time or what has happened. We both often feel her laugh ringing in her ears when she used to thoroughly enjoy the jokes that Shubham used to crack especially for her. Our evening cup of coffee was always with her for the past more than 5 years now. 

She used to always call our team a 'formidable team' and we cherish that word for ourselves. Grief doesn't pass just like that! 

I wish I could playback time, I wish ...

On Watching Movies

 On Watching Movies

(By AMRITBIR KAUR)

Even a simple story line movie like 'Now You See Me' ends on such an exalted note that it seems unparalleled to any Bollywood movie. 

I don't know when this transition happened but now whenever I watch any Hindi web series or a movie I can't help but critically and technically analyse it and always find the lasting flavour lacking, or I discover a bad aftertaste. 

A few names that stand out in my mind among a large number are 'Devil Wears Prada' , 'Shawshank Redemption', 'Finding Forrester', 'Inception', 'Shutter Island', 'Pursuit of Happyness', ' Fault in our Stars', 'Goodwill Hunting ' ... The list could be endless. 

I'm not being cynical in my approach when I say that I had stopped investing money on Punjabi cinema with just a few exceptions like 'Angrez', 'Lahoriye' ( all Kudos to Amberdeep Singh). I find Hindi web series unpalatable. Even if I start watching one I cannot go beyond one or two episodes or cannot make it to the end. I can't help it but that's just me. 

This approach should not be misconstrued as a disgrace for Punjabi or Hindi content. I am a great admirer of meaningful content. 'A Wednesday ' has been unforgettable for me. 'New York' stands out for me even now, after so many years. 'Haider', 'Citylights', ‘Ghazi Attack’, ‘Maachis’, ‘Masaan’, '3 Idiots’ and many many more. 

I have experimented often with Punjabi and Hindi content just to make sure that preferences are not misplaced. Hence my opinion is not biased based on the absence of my exposure to such content. 

I have often been tempted to discuss my critique of the screenplay or the script with the director but that's of course a far fetched idea, hence, I have a brilliant listener in Shubham, who has always been my pillar and our relationship has gone from strength to strength. 

I have recently watched 'Kali Jota' too. Based on the review and the theme, I wanted to give it a try. Even if I praise the director for a different theme, still that doesn’t last long for me given the technical shortcomings that far outnumber the accolades. 

Wamiqa Gabbi and Sahib Singh were the two actors who have been underutilized in the movie. A serious theme was given such a shabby treatment that it fails to touch the chord as a successful movie. 

A film is not a stand alone entity of independent scenes. The scenes in the asylum where Neeru Bajwa is "unrecognisable" as per the fans, is a part of the movie and the not the film as a whole. The screenplay of the movie is full of lots of discrepancies

. 

The movie with a different and serious plot needed a serious treatment of the theme and not just playing with the emotions of the audience by inserting tidbits here and there for striking that emotional chord with the audience. 

But sadly, it's the audience where movies like 'Lal Singh Chadha' fall flat. The film was produced on a hefty budget and filmed over a period of three years. Although the movie flopped in the domestic market, it has become the highest Hindi grosser in the international market. I felt it to be a tragedy that such movies fail to make their space in the domestic market. 

There's a movie entitled 'Coach Carter'. Unlike a majority of other sports movies, this one ends on a note of losing the match. But you can't even imagine what lasting effect and after flavour it leaves behind. That's what defines a movie. The exalted emotions and not just the surface level emotions that some movies trigger in you.

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