Taxi on the Dark Side

Believe me and my ignorance when I say I had never heard of this one. I was watching the 9’o clock news on NDTV 24X7 when the ticker below kept flashing Coming up: Taxi on the Dark Side, I decided to watch this instead of Channel [V] Get Gorgeous! (Yes…guilty). There is no doubt that from the minute it starts it involves you and all your concentration.

Taxi on the Dark Side is a one hour documentary about the violent interrogation techniques used by the US forces/Bush administration on ‘suspected terrorists’ in Afghanistan

Maybe it is the subject itself-of complete disrespect of a fellow being’s dignity, or the gripping yet compassionate way that it is made, or just plain shock value - it works.

The idea that such horrors of interrogation techniques exist and especially that women can be a party to them was maybe the saddest feeling I took away from it. That there is such injustice and that it prevails without the necessary opposite reaction scares me.

It has been over 24 hours that I have seen it and I have spoken to 3 people about it and argued with one for over an hour about the need for the existence of religion. It is what great productions represent, they create such an impact that people discuss it for days after.

You must watch it. It will awaken all your sense of humanity and fairness which is now lost in your very small and selfish life.

Just found out – it is the 2008 Oscar winner for Best Documentary.

These Old Shades.

On a lazy afternoon during the summer holiday when it didn't matter what day it was , at the window of the drawing room, when Ajay was away searching for the safety pin that Prabha hid somewhere, the aunt and niece combo were sitting and discussing what to do with their lives. Then a monkey came and sat in a very Marredpally arrogant way on the other side of the window. Annapurna had as usual so many thoughts running through her mind .," Oh my god!! There is a monkey here, how do I seem brave to Prabha..abba she is never scared. " and " Did i brush this morning, I never know when I am on holiday" and "How can I want to eat Manchurian now!!!!!". Prabha had only one thought " Bah!! this girl thinks I am so brave. Now must do something to seem cooler. How to die."

Prabha very casually says " You are scared aren't you, hehe." Paapam Annapurna replies " Ille. I don't know why you would think that".

"A friend once told me that if you shake a monkey's paw then you will become pretty, smart and good at sports."

Idiot aunt says " I knew that." puts out her hand and lets just say once bitten. Prabha feels bad or what says " You don't even know how to do that right. See", and twice bitten.

And they run out of the house, never once looking back to see if their bitesmonkey has even bothered to follow.They hide behind a bench at the park when Prabha asks" You feel anything :. An always worried semi crying Annaps "No. Should I? Oh my god I am not?"

"Shut up. We are fine then".

Not admitting to each other that they are petrified, spending the rest of the day ensuring they are surrounded by adults.

Early next morning something happened that never happened before. Prabha woke up first.

(To be continued)

Video Maketh the Moojic

About time I wrote about something I watch the most and something I watch the most while watching the thing that I watch the most. I belong to a generation of couch/diwan/floor potato fries (not particular about the furniture I slaughter) and am unashamedly one of those who naturally switches to the music channel, am no fancy-nancy (didn’t draw) angrezi music (atleast video..lets salvage some pride here) aficionado. So most mornings, bridging the gap in between my early morning dhin chak and fast fast readying is MTV, Channel V and Zoom (yes…gimme half mark for honesty).

Now there are some movies that you may never remember but the videos are really interesting in that they have character about them, and eventually you end up liking the song. I have a list of these and chances are my friends will disown me after this.

1.Cash: Bunch of uncharismatic paapam flip-FLOPing actors – Zayed Khan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Esha Deol and Shamita Shetty ( had to pause while typing this because I forgot her name).The song has stuck in mind so now sometimes I think -SOX mere front mein, SOX mere back mein, ……..SOX on my mind doing review all the time!

2.Apna Sapna Money Money – Dil me baji guitar: I love the song and the video is also a lot of fun. There is good boy Shreyas Talpade, Her Royal Hotness Riya Sen, Why-not-to-Botox Koena Mitra and again Secondary Storage device (floppy) Ritesh Deshmukh. My mother seems to be emerging as a key character in my blog …but she is a lot of fun. She looked at the girl Ritesh and said “See how pretty this new girl is, you should stop having a complex about being dark!” He is very pretty as a girl and doesn’t do the typical guy pretending to be girl vulgar moves.

3.Jab We Met: Pretty Kareena and prettier & daintier Shahid in a song in the national language of Hindi movies- Punjabi. I can’t comprehend the lyrics (how could I …I am trained to watch Hindi movies not Punjabi)…but it has a great beat dum-lak-lak (yes Vijh…got it from you only ) only much faster song. The monkey gang and I have no idea why we start running and jumping every time this on TV.

4.Race: It is apparently a action movie…don’t bother. It will only be about the three lambu hotties and the song where the aspirational benchmarks of all Indian women (Bipasha and Katrina ) and the will never be taken seriously ever Reddy (Sameera) full to walk up and down in near doggy-ka-bachcha shame attire.

5.Rafta Rafta: This is a song from Hulchul….I know no one has seen it, but I love the movie and the song. Also I think Kareena Kapoor looks best with Akshaye Khanna.

And then there are the usual Beedi, Kajra Re types which now have become irritating but no music channel will stop playing ever.

Cringe as much as you want…I know you people also watch this stuff.

A Fine Balance

Author: Rohinton Mistry
Genre: Brilliant
My current streak of luck with the books is exceptional. I saw this book on a shelf in the library and I stood for around 10 minutes staring stupidly at the book. I asked it, why? I have had it up to the neck of someone twice my height with India centric books (ICB henceforth)…why am I looking at you? “Ok I am on Prebha Moghen’s list....chance lere baap”, it said, (also the picture of the smart looking author did not harm its cause).

It is like all the other ICBs, but its not. The issues it addresses, the extensive background and stage/story setting of each character is vaguely familiar. But it’s a really good story, with four characters that I will remember for life.

The story is about the four characters with the Emergency and extreme economic insecurity as the backdrop. No- it is not. It is about these four people who come together and make the most of the given situation. The story, the chemistry among these characters, the wit, the basic goodness and kindness in them in spite of the dreadfully mean situation each of them is faced with make the whole experience very intimate and personal.

Amma asked if I liked the book and whether she should read it. I said its one of the best things I have read, but don’t read it; it will make you very happy and extremely sad. She read it, called my sister and told her she loves it and that she should read it. I guess with age comes courage.

Also read: ‘Truly Madly Manhattan’- Nora Roberts. Always follow something as intense ‘A Fine Balance’ with a good time pass romance-mixing tastes as Amz would say.