DIEZ MINUTOS, Alberto Ruiz Rojo

"The golden rule is that there are no golden rules"-- George Bernard Shaw

Though most of us try to be law abiding citizen, we all break rules everyday intentionally or unintentionally. When we are on a smooth ride of our journey of life, rules play perfect symphony with our law abiding nature until we experience new path of life. It can be rough or more smooth than before.

What makes us different among the other species of our planet is the ability to think. Rules are invented as well as broken by us. But WHY?

DIEZ MINUTOS (10 mins)

Here in the Spanish short film "DIEZ MINUTOS", a man (played by Gustavo Salmerón) calls a customer service operator (played by Eva Marcel) in search of an information to connect him with his girlfriend. The conversation starts with a mechanical exchange of words where the organized stiffness of the operator refuses to help him with the information which is against the Company's rule. The man keeps on requesting the operator, to give him the information available to them which can save him getting detached from his girlfriend forever. The conversation goes on &  on, to pull the hidden emotion out of the operator, so that she can understand his state of mind as an human perspective instead of acting as a machine. But she sticks to her Company's rule of not leaking out the information, which is of vital importance to him at this moment. 

Is she mean? She has feeling? Is she afraid of overcoming the rules? ...

                                                        WHAT DO YOU THINK?

It's a long debate to come across any particular conclusion but before that, one must see this short-film to experience a whack on the head, so that we can use our COMMON SENSE instead of thinking too much about logic.

Outsourced, John Jeffcoat

Do you like spicy food? –

Well it depends upon every individual but for me of course I do.

Anyway, that is the introduction of my country India in this American movie “Outsourced”. It is quite popular outside India as it gives a complete idea about the Indian culture in brief. Those who haven’t been to India and would like to visit in future, it is one of the best films to watch before landing here rather than watching films like “Slumdog millionaire” that gives a vague perception of India.

Here in the film, an entire department of a call center in Seattle was outsourced, where Todd (Josh Hamilton), an American novelty products salesman, heads to India to train his replacement Puru (Asif Basra). Right from the Mumbai airport, the film shows how it feels to be in a place that is so different from one’s own motherland.

For us Indians, it is funny to watch our own way of doing things which is strange for foreigners to understand, especially for the people on their first visit in the land of Kali (goddess of destruction).

This film provides a lot of information about both the countries (India & USA) of how they are different from each other culturally and in many other aspects through funny conversations & very impressive way of story-telling. Though both the countries were ruled by the British, there is a huge difference of English pronunciation of Indian & American accent. Todd got frustrated of not being able to train the Indian employees to change their accent, so that the MPI(Minutes per Incident) level improves and they don’t get caught as Indians over the telephonic conversation with US citizen. Then Asha (Ayesha Dharker), a woman employee over there, suggested Todd to learn more about India.

Slowly things start rolling for positive results when Todd begins to learn more about the Indian culture, keeping in mind that a fellow American call center trainer told him “Once he stopped resisting India, it got better”. Impressed by the suggestion of Asha, he promoted her for the position of future assistant of Puru.

When MPI level improved to Todd’s target 6, his supervisor flew down to India, only to announce that the company has been outsourced to China & everyone is fired. Todd was given the same job to train his replacement in China. But at last he refused to go to China and instead came back to US leaving behind a complicated relationship with Asha. He discovered before leaving India that Asha was already engaged with another man by her family since she was only 4 years old. According to her, the intimate moment they spent together can be given a name “Holiday in Goa”.

Apart from Indian culture, we can also learn few American terms from this movie. I was not aware of some terms before watching it. So I am ending like an American way –

BREAK A LEG... ;)

Interview (1971)

Are we ashamed of wearing dhotis?

I think there is no answer to this question but rather another question can be asked, i.e. What?

Now the present scenario is, the more we neglect our own culture, the more important we feel. In fact this attitude always existed even when we were under the Communist government.

India got independence in the year 1947 from the British rule. By the way, what independence we are talking about?

Interview

Mrinal Sen’s “Interview” is about an entire day of a man (Ranjit Mallick) in 1970, where he struggles to appear for an interview of an Indo-British firm in the city of Calcutta. Here in the film, he fulfills all the criteria to get the job except one important thing. One formal black suit is required to appear for the interview. It is the most vital requirement for this job.

The film is made in a documentary style, where camera follows the protagonist character Ranjit Mallick. It brings the audience into a communication medium, where they can start asking questions to the protagonist character who intends to search for a suit throughout the film to borrow from his friends but at last fails to manage it.

Just because of a suit you didn’t get the job? Are you feeling sad?

Of course the answer is “YES”. Now the main question for the reader of this blog:

Who is responsible for this misfortune?

Currently, we are more concerned about wearing branded clothes than our own handmade products.

Gandhi (wearing dhoti) with Charkha /spinning wheel

The Khadi movement was started by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in the year 1918 with an ideology that Indians should be self reliant on Hemp and free themselves from the high priced goods & clothes that the British were selling to them. Gandhi promoted the spinning of Khadi (hand-woven cloth) for rural self employment & later started only wearing Dhoti. Thus it symbolizes his ideology of independence.

Nowadays the trend is going towards the exchange of culture & the modernization of technology where the term independence is again looking for a new meaning.

পরশুরাম (The man with the Axe)

We all are running to make our own identity. Sometimes we are already born with it or we chase towards making it later in our life. But how many people on this earth are living without it?

I haven't thought about this before I saw the film "Parashuram". This is about a rural migrant (played by Arun Mukherjee) who comes to Kolkata in search of work. He always carries an axe on his shoulder & preserves the strange memory of his encounter with a tiger. He believes the axe to be lucky for him and can eliminate any fear of his life.

Every character in general is identified by a name. But the man has no identity in this film. He mixes up with the other rural migrants on street & starts living with an old beggar at an abandoned graveyard. He was given a name "Parashuram" by the fellow rural migrants. Why the name "Parashuram"?

Arun Mukherjee as "Parashuram"

"Parashuram" was the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and he was born during the Treta Yuga. According to Hinduism, there are four ages/yugas titled as : Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, Kali Yuga. These four ages are part of a greater cycle of existence, known as a Manvantara & is a significant feature of many other cosmic cycles, notably the four seasons of the year, the four weeks of the lunar month, the four ages of human life & the four points of the compass. At present we are passing through Kali Yuga, one of the darkest of all other ages.

Parashuram- the sixth avatar of lord Vishnu

Parashuram was a devotee of Lord Shiva and he received a Parshu (weapon-Axe) from him as a boon. Thus the name "Parashurama" was given to him. It is believed that he is immortal and still lives on this earth. He will even teach war skills to Kalaki, the tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu, who is to come on earth at the end of Kali Yuga.

So in this film, why they call him "Parashuram"?. Just because he carries an axe like Parashuram or something else?

Well, there is a belief among the people that, Parashuram is still alive in our Kali Yuga who will save the world from destructions like he did during the Treta Yuga by exterminating all of the ruling class, namely the Kshatriyas, from the face of the earth 21 times with his gifted Axe from Lord Shiva.

Parashuram in a battle against Kshatriyas 

Like Treta Yuga, many people are made to suffer now in a different form. Many people are starving daily on earth and spend their entire life without an identity or value to leave here after their last breath. 

নীল আকাশের নীচে (১৯৫৯)

The film is based on a short story “চিনী ফেরিয়ালা (Chinese Vendor)” by Mahadevi Verma. Set in the background of the last days of British era in Calcutta(1930s), the film explores the lives of a number of characters including a Chinese immigrant Wang Lu (played by Kali Bandopadhay).

He is from a small village in China & was living there with his sister. But destiny brought him here in India in search of livelihood. While selling clothes he comes across a traditional Bengali house where he meets Basanti (played by Manju Dey). She is a supporter of non-violent mass movement against the British Government. She doesn’t use foreign made clothes but couldn’t refuse Wang Lu of buying the Chinese made table cloth.

Basanti & Wang Lu

Who would have imagined that in future (2013 currently), world market along with India would be flourished with Chinese made products?

Wang Lu expresses his gratitude by getting a warm welcome from Basanti where other houses were not so receptive. After that he keeps on coming to her house not to sell clothes but to get the warm appreciation that he doesn’t usually get from other people. Slowly he develops a feeling for her.

   

This lovely song (lyrics-Gauri Prasanna Mazumdar) sung by Hemanta Mukhopadhay is a question to the river about its origin & where is it flowing to. River has got a universal language of feelings. We try to understand each other’s sentiment but our language is not as simple as river. The song tells a lot about the inner emotion of Wang Lu, who wants to share something in a simple way of river. It is indeed true for every immigrant who wants to share their feelings with the people of different origin but we don’t always go with the flow.

With the declaration of Indian National Congress Party illegal by the British Government in 1932, Basanti was jailed for some years leaving behind a platonic relationship between her & Wang Lu. During that period, the Chinese Civil War was going on & due to the political turmoil in China, Wang Lu realized that he is needed there. But he is not ready to leave for his hometown without having a glimpse of her.

The Chinese Culture reflects through the background music of this film & tunes into the rhythm of Indian scales. Human emotions are also like the scales of music where a harmonious melody is required to understand each other. 

আশ্চর্য প্রদীপ (২০১৩)

Based on the short story of Shirshendu Mukhopadhay, this film is directed by Anik Dutta(his second feature film & he is already popular with his witty script & dialogues). It is made especially for the Bong audience as it involves every emotion of the Bengali people. Here the protagonist character ANILDA(played by Saswata Chatterjee) is a middle-class Bengali man who works at a company for sales promotion & lives with a typical ambitious Bengali wife(Sreelekha Mitra) who is jealous of her brother in law for their high profile lifestyle.

The title "আশ্চর্য প্রদীপ" meaning "ASTONISHING LAMP" plays an important role by creating a world of fantasy in the audience's mind before watching the film like me.

Frustrated with the normal stagnant life, ANILDA (If you jumble the word, it comes like  A N A D I L /A L A D I N ) by coincidence found a lamp on the side of a street. He then took it to his house unaware of something magical inside the lamp.

Anilda truly believes in numerology & 4 is his lucky number. He always try to relate every incident in his life like buying lottery, finishing a task on a particular date, buying property etc. with his belief of lucky number 4.Director Anik Dutta, also introduced the concept of numerology in his first movie “BHOOTER BHABISHYAT”.

At one point of time we all get frustrated when life seems to be static & we look for a change. In real life change may or may not come but in the film “আশ্চর্য্য প্রদীপ ” a দৈত্য  (genie played by Rajatava Dutta) comes out of the lamp & fulfills the materialistic desires of Anilda.

What are the desires? Here comes the main part of entertainment as well as the transformation we have been through these decades.

Since we are aware of the fantasy, comedy film “GOOPY GYNE BAGHA BYNE”(1969) directed by Satyajit Ray that is based on 3 boons given by the king of Ghosts in a forest to 2 village men who were roaming around to sing for the people without any demand of power, money, status etc.

At that point of time there were few options but less confusion. People knew about their particular desire & they were happy. But now the scenario is different. I am sharing one song of the movie "ASCHORJYO PRODEEP"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24DHATJdQfs

These songs can’t be compared but director Anik dutta with his impressive lyrics & whimsical sense of humor has shown the changes we have undergone for the last few decades & if we get a chance in our real life, we won’t be able to choose our happiness. Even 3 boons are not sufficient nowadays to fulfill our unlimited desires. We are running towards something shallow & are moving away from happiness.

Here the story of this film continues to move on a circle leaving behind one question— What is happiness? 

Los Monstruos no existen

“Los Monstruos no existen” es un cortometraje, dirigido por Paul Urkijo Alijo. Es sobre un niño de Camboya, se llama Nai, que vive en Phonem Penh con su abuela. Él creció escuchando los cuentos de especies del demonio basada en la mitología antigua.

YEAK

“Yeak” es un monstruo de la tradición Khmer que se come a los niños que se portan mal. Estos cuentos hicieron un impacto en Nai y él comienza a sufrir de pesadillas. Él alma de cada niño está pura. Según el poema de William Wordsworth:-

“Our birth is but a sleep & a forgetting”

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

HEAVEN LIES ABOUT US IN OUR INFANCY!”

El alma pura es un regalo precioso que tenemos para el progreso del mundo que residimos hasta que sea comido por los demonios que pueden existir en forma de nuestra propia especie. Este cortometraje revela la realidad dura de Camboya. Estar embrujado por la imaginación de monstruos no es tan horrible como ser una víctima de bestia realmente humana. Aquí el personaje ficticio, Nai , es víctima de su propia imaginación de monstruos y luego un maestro inglés tomando la ventaja de su alma inocente le muestra que los Monstruos no existen en mundo ilusivo pero existen en forma de ser humano normal.

En realidad muchos niños como Nai sufren de abusos sexuales en la industria de turismo de Camboya. Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE) es una Organización No Gubernamental dedicada para bloquear el laboreo sexual de niños en Camboya. En 2003 APLE y ONG española Global Humanitaria colaboró para lanzar un proyecto “THE PROTECT” con autoridades nacionales para rescatar a niños y trae a los culpables a la cuenta legal. Estoy compartiendo un enlace debajo:

http://ring-the-alarm.com/

Todo el mundo debería firmar esta petición para detener a los culpables de destruir el futuro de niños inocentes.

Gracias al productor de “Monstruos no existe” Señor Andrés Torres por su apoyo y David Zabala por su trabajo excelente de la cámara fotográfica.