Via Darjeeling threatens to tease your psyche!

The ensemble star-cast consisting of Kay Kay, Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Sonali Kulkarni, Sandhya Mridul, Simone Singh, Prashant Narayanan etc., drew me to a nearby multiplex to watch Via Darjeeling. I went in with a lot of expectations to watch a different movie with great performances. Right from the word go, the film went tragically awry as first-time director Arindam Nandy ends up pigeonholing a potentially strong ensemble cast into looking like rank amateurs!

The film follows the format of one story, with multiple versions / endings, a strong inspiration of story-telling technique of the very recently released Vantage Point which again is inspired from Akira Kurosawa’s Oscar nominated Rashomon. Unlike Roshomon, the problem with Via Darjeeling is that the main story is incomplete, so all assumptions and interpretations don’t look convincing at all. In fact the multiple versions of the story tend to lack imagination and what you get are the most obvious stories you'd expect given the circumstances, and hence, the whole excitement of multiple narrations is lost in the film and also Via Darjeeling lacks a convincing climax, which was the highlight of Roshomon. The director’s option for an open and rather abrupt end leaves the film with several questions unanswered. Which version of the story is true is left to your individual imagination and assumption!

Via Darjeeling is set in modern day Calcutta & Darjeeling and is supposedly based on a Bengali tradition called 'adda' (haven’t heard of it though) where friends get together in the rains, & exchange stories & gossip, over drinks & dinner! I also wonder, why the title Via Darjeeling? The film barely captures any scenic beauty of the place; instead the film is full of closed-room-conversations!

Literature and cinema have played with the idea of the variable narration for ages, fooling us and then making us applaud how well we've been fooled. And here, in Via Darjeeling, the idea is used at its quirkiest that threatens to tease your psyche!

Going Solo.

I often have trouble getting friends to commit to a destination, price, or time off for a trip! If I waited to find friends for trips, I'd be staying home way too much! I decided years ago not to stay home if I had no one to travel with, and have gone on numerous trips alone ever since.

Actually, my two week trip to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong & Macau started with four friends. Three days into the trip, three friends had to get back to India for some urgent work (which never really was that alarmingly urgent, as they found later) and I decided to go solo! All my friends thought I was crazy to continue alone, that too abroad!

In the words of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart --- “They can take our cheap double rooms, but they can never take our freedom!” –-- Well, it went something like that, anyway. The liberty that one ultimately achieves from solo travel cannot be underestimated. Unfettered and free to go where you want, when you want. You don’t have to deal with someone else's mood swings, nor they with yours! No debates, no compromises. Amen to that!

By its very nature, traveling solo will also play a key role in your own personal development. Not only does the solo traveler have greater time to reflect and learn more about themselves, but this obligatory self reliance will engender a great personal confidence as you learn just how much you are capable of achieving. The element of risk and exploration on your own leaves you with a sense of achievement and tests your street-smart quotient or the lack of it. The best part is that the experience is all yours.

To some, the thought of setting off into the unknown with little more than the pack on your back and a good book for company may sound like purgatory, but not for me. Traveling alone can get addictive. It takes guts and open-mindedness to explore the world in a way that is uniquely you!

No other place in the world like Macau.

Actually when I made my itinerary I didn't include Macau. I was supposed to go to Hong Kong from Bangkok. The flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong was costing me $375+ and I found a ridiculously low fare of $200+ from Bangkok to Macau, with that kind of price differential I enthusiastically added this interesting destination to my itinerary as I can always catch a high-speed ferry across to Hong Kong by paying $15+ only.

Under Portuguese administration Macau flourished as a trading port until the British establishment of Hong Kong in 1841 forced Macau into a long decline as the English began dominating regional trade. Mirroring the recent history of Hong Kong, in 1999 Macau was given back to China and they made it a SAR (Special Administrative Region) allowing the Macanese to retain a great deal of autonomy over their affairs (except defense and foreign policy). So like Hong Kong, Macau also has its own government, currency, passports, postal system, etc., The entire territory of Macau is just about covering 17 sq km only.

After completing the immigration and withdrawing some Patacas (local currency) for the day, I headed out to discover Macau (You can get a map of Macau at the Tourist Information Counter at the airport). At the airport, most of the hotels offer a free shuttle bus service every 30 min; I took the shuttle service of Grand Emperor Hotel. On the way to the destination it was as if I was traveling 6000 miles back west and into Europe. The architecture is very Portuguese and fantastic. Macau is, I think, a bit of an anomaly within China. Due to the Portuguese influence of the city, it has a very Mediterranean feel. Some areas of the city feel more Portuguese than Lisbon! Large plazas, Portuguese influenced architecture and lots of catholic churches with a cool laid-back atmosphere. Then, in the other half of the city, there are exact replicas of massive Vegas casinos like the Wynn Macau, The Sands, Venetian and the MGM Grand. It's a weird and crazy dichotomy.

Most of the people here cannot speak English and they aren’t helpful if you have a question! If you take taxis in Macau and don't speak the language, a map with pictures helps. Showing the driver pictures of the location is much better than trying to give street names!

One will find a huge water fountain near the casino district that gives a performance four or five times a day set to music and lights. And, even odder, near the harbour, where most people arrive from Hong Kong, is a volcano and roman-themed amusement park / amphitheater / convention centre / monstrosity. Because of the Portuguese establishment, there are old fortresses, churches, temples and gardens to tour. Macau Tower, Moorish Barracks, A-Ma Temple, Lotus Square, Dom Pedro V Theatre, Guia Fortress, Cheoc Van Beach, Hác-Sá Beach, Leal Senado Square are must see places. The ruins of St Paul’s, which is the main photo opportunity in Macau is a building which was totally destroyed apart from the façade, but it still looks very very impressive. There are stairs up to the windows and I decided to climb them to see what the view was like, it was just breathtaking. There are over a dozen museums to see, including the Museum of Macau, the Maritime Museum, the Wine Museum, the Grand Prix Museum, and the Handover Gifts Museum. The Macau Tower, at 338m tall, is definitely worth a visit. This is currently the 10th tallest tower in the world and they have certainly catered for the thrill seeking market. There were banners all around boasting of the "worlds highest skydive"! I did however go up to the observation deck. Good views all round and an incredibly scary, at least for me, glass floor that lets you see the drop straight down. I'm not the best with heights, I found it pretty terrifying standing on a thin layer of glass that high above the ground. The bridges linking the five islands of Macau are to be admired. Every year, around November, the Macau Grand Prix car and motorcycle races happen.

Everything is mostly within walking distance (if you like walking!). You will be told by most people in Macau when you ask for directions to places, "ooh, that's a long way to walk...you should take a taxi!" when it will be around 10-15 minutes walk away!

There is much development underway in Macau, and I am sure this development will soon bring even more visitors. Many hotels, casinos, resorts and convention centers are currently being built. These developments are being planned by combinations of world class hotel chains and major Las Vegas casinos, so they are bound to be impressive. The goal of the developers is to turn Macau into an international destination for resorts and casinos, and you’ll often hear the term ‘Asia’s Las Vegas’.

I ended up going to a couple of different casinos in Macau, everyone here is pretty serious into gambling. Just a lot of people with some serious money to gamble. I think this helps to explain why last year Macau actually surpassed Las Vegas in terms of the amount of money earned from gambling despite less people coming to Macau to gamble vs Vegas. Even more impressive is that there are only about forty casinos in Macau currently. For non-gamblers there is nothing much in the casinos.

Macau may not be as well known as Las Vegas or other world cities but I can guarantee there is no place in the world like Macau!

A lot of useful information is available on Macau’s official tourism website http://www.macautourism.gov.mo

Sex and Bollywood.

Bollywood has never had a background in realism. It consisted of escapist musicals with common storylines of ‘good vs evil’ and ‘boy meets girl’. The films were generally family orientated and the plot was kept simple so that even the rural audience would find it easy to relate to. Of late, there has been a dramatic shift in the style of filmaking due to the globalisation of films. The Indian film industry, which churns out around 800 films per year, has some cause for concern because the transplantation of western ideas has led to extreme vulgarity with high sexual innuendo and unnecessary violence in films today.

Therefore it can be speculated that there is a westernised audience that is catered for but what about the traditionalists with opposing values. India’s rural population cannot possibly understand the values and issues expressed in a Hollywood style. The opposition to the change in film style also comes from the religious groups and separatist groups who feel that Bollywood films do not promote traditional values.

I don't think the Indian film market is ready for explicit sex scenes just as yet. A sizable sector is made up of family audiences, many of whom are uncomfortable watching sexual intimacy on screen. We can neither ignore this sector, nor pressurise them into dropping their inhibitions. Extended families and friends go for movies together and eat, drink and have a good time. If explicit sex scenes are shown to them, most end up squirming in their seats.

In today's scenario, if a film has explicit sex scenes, the buzz will most probably attract audiences who will see it for all the wrong reasons. Explicit sex scenes can only work for very small budget films, targeted at a niche audience. The Indian cultural ethos and its people are not as flexible as the west and therefore films deemed too westernised will always be rejected, regardless of the extent of the globalisation of cultures.

Indian culture has an inherent shyness, where intimate sexual contact between a man and a woman is considered private and personal. And our society hasn't yet opened up to the extent where sexual issues are discussed in the drawing room. Only after that happens, will our cinema be able to show explicit sex on screen!

Off late, it seems the pendulum had swung too far in the other direction, as now the skin shows and brazen sex comedies are giving way to mass entertainers that are much more of a true reflection of today's society. The films being made today are a mix of modern truths and a dash of old fashioned values and escapism. After all, that's what a film is supposed to be about - escapism.

It'll take at least another 10 years before India is ready for explicit sex scenes on screen. Personally, I'm okay with the idea. But there are at least two generations ahead who aren't. Once these generations pass out and today's youth become the heads of families, the films will change.

But, certainly, not yet.

It takes guts to make films like 'Cavite' and 'Aamir'.

In 2005-06, Neill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon produced and directed a political thriller / travelogue ‘Cavite’ on a miniscule budget, a two-man crew comprised of themselves, a guerilla-style shoot through the slums and streets of the film’s title city, and the selling of their equipment on eBay to complete postproduction. The result was a realistic crime drama that transcends its generic origins to engage in some astute political commentary.

Adam (Ian Gamazon) is an American citizen who works as a security guard in San Diego, California. His spirits are dampened when he receives a call from his girlfriend who wants to have an abortion. Adam, a Muslim, is quite offended and hurt. He breaks down on an airplane flight to the Philippines where he is going to attend his father's funeral. Upon his arrival, he finds that no one is there to meet him. Instead, he discovers a cell phone in his backpack along with some pictures of his mother and sister. A Muslim terrorist has kidnapped them and says they will be killed unless Adam follows his instructions. Adam is led down the streets of Cavite and introduced to the underside of this society where poverty is rampant, children sell their bodies for prostitution – the darker side of Philippines— which is popular for the beaches, the palm trees, the coconuts. At one point in the film, Adam witnesses a person being brutally murdered in an alley. The man behind all these sinister moves is associated with the infamous Abu Sayyaf group that is fighting the government. He has a reputation for violence and shows it - Adam is sent his sister's finger in a cigarette package!

‘Cavite’ is a riveting drama about the viciousness of terrorism and the extremes to which individuals will go to advance their cause. The pressure on the protagonist is incredible since the terrorist knows his every move and toys with him, happy to make an American squirm and quake in his boots. The ethical choice that Adam is given in the end is one that no human should ever have to make.

I think the filmmakers did hell of a lot research to be able to make sure that the film was as accurate as possible because there are a lot of statistics in the movie and they are all researched and factual like the Muslim conflict in the Philippines and the southern island in the Philippines named Mindanao which is trying to separate from the Philippines, and the Philippines are saying, no. Kidnappings, beheadings, bus bombings, mall bombings, that’s all pretty normal out there for the Muslim resistance group called Abu Sayyaf, which is the equivalent of Al Qaeda in the Middle East.

This Filipino film ‘Cavite’ is written and directed by Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana has generated a deserved buzz after screenings at various film festivals across the world and winning several awards at various film festivals world over.

UTV’s ‘Aamir’, which released last week in India, is a wonderful adaptation of this brilliant film ‘Cavite’. Aamir, means leader, but the protagonist Aamir Ali (played by television star Rajeev Khandelwal) becomes a follower out of fear. The film begins off with Aamir Ali, a London based Muslim doctor with secular views flying to Mumbai to meet his family. He is questioned a lot by the custom authorities because of his religion; his family is not there to receive him. He calls home only to find the phone unattended. Suddenly out of nowhere a bike appears and a mobile is thrown into his hands. What follows later is a host of instructions, informing of his family being kidnapped and the task he has to carry out for the terrorists. Aamir finds himself in a state of strife. Does he succumb to the pressure of terrorists? Do the fundamentalist values entice him in the name of God? Does he end up doing what the terrorist ask of him or risk losing his family? The climax of the film is very much unlike most bollywood films.

One element that works for the film is its length which is less than two hours and the absence of unwanted monotonous songs. Another element that keeps the film going is the locations used – very similar to the locations used in ‘Cavite’, the film has been extensively shot in the bylanes of Muslim pocket areas of Dongri, Bhendi Bazaar covering all the impoverishment, bustling markets, the shoddy lodges, pimps and whores giving it more realistic feel.

This is one film that comes as a complete exception of all bollywood rules - no heroine, no supporting cast, no item numbers etc.., It’s purely a director’s vision carried forward by the protagonist’s splendid acting and excellent cinematography by Alphonse Roy. Rajeev Khandelwal does a terrific job by carrying the trauma and frustration the character Aamir undergoes with ease. Khandelwal comes as a revelation to Bollywood.

Aamir is definitely a must watch and once again proves that a good film in Bollywood (though adapted from another brilliant foreign film) can indeed be made without songs and without any big names.

Dasavataram - A big let down!

There was a lot of expectation on Dasavataram for very good reasons; the hype and every thing about it. Dasavataram, in which Kamal Hasan plays 10 roles, has nothing to do with Vishnu's Dasavataram or generations. Kamal plays 10 different roles in the film and most of them are enacted well and distinctive. In a way this is a definition of what an actor Kamal Hasan is!

The movie starts out centuries ago when Vaishnavites are overruled by Shaivaites. One of the areas in which both Nataraja (Lord Siva form) and Ranganatha Swamy (Lord Vishnu form) are receiving poojas regularly. The king of Shiva Clan wants to throw the Ranganatha idol into the sea and he is opposed and fought by Kamal Hasan who is a member of Vishnu clan. This part is filmed brilliantly, if you miss this part in the film, you’ve missed the best part.

Narration then moves to 2004. This is the stage where Kamal Hasan appears in 9 other different roles as – President of United states, Govind (main lead in the film, a scientist), old woman, Tall muslim guy, famous pop singer Avatar Singh, RAW investigating officer Nadar, Punya Koti (a Christian who fights against sand dwelling near the seas and rivers), Yugi (A Japanese Martial arts guy) and Bob Flecher (A CIA trained agent). The make-up is excellent for some characters and for some others it looks as though someone is wearing a mask!

As expected Kamal Hasan does justice to most of his roles. But, he doesnt have to prove what an amazing actor he is to anybody at this stage of his career. Mallika Sherawat is hardly there in the movie and Asin is just about there. The much hyped cgi - special effects work is quiet disappointing, no where near international standards. Not just acting, but Kamal has also provided the story, dialogues and screenplay for this film. The movie fails because of the script; actually there is no script in the first place! The first half of the film is good and raises a lot of expectations. Curiosity on how all these characters will be linked in the narration take the front seat by the interval. After the interval, the film revolves mostly on the chases paving way to the climax. But the curiosity factor is disappointed and one would feel like the soul is missing.

Saying that, if you go in with an open mind and don’t expect a lot, you may just like it for Kamal Hasan. For me it was a big let down…