Saturday, October 22, 2011

International Segment: Humsafar update (Episode 5) - Icebreaker!!



Previously on Humsafar (Episode 4):

After getting married to each other under pressure, the distance between Ashar and Khirad remains the same as before. At his parent’s insistence, Ashar tries to bridge the gap between them but is met with stoic silence on Khirad’s part. Sara is glad to see Ashar getting increasingly agitated with Khirad’s behavior around him and uses this as an opportunity to spend more time with Ashar. She vows never to leave Ashar, which further troubles her mother. The episode ends with Sara inviting Ashar over for a home-cooked dinner.


Humsafar (Episode 5) –  Icebreaker!


Sara cooks dinner for Ashar and is delighted to be having a nice meal with him and her mother. During the meal, Sara’s mother makes it evident that she is not too happy about Ashar spending time with her daughter in spite of being married to Khirad. She leaves the dining table without finishing her dinner, frustrated that she is unable to stop her daughter from spoiling her future by obsessing over a married man. Next morning, Sara confronts her mother about her unpleasant behavior at the dining table the previous night and reiterates that the best thing her mother can do for her is to let her do as she pleases.



Meanwhile, Khirad has a visitor in the form of her best friend Afsheen. When Afsheen chides Khirad about keeping quiet about her marriage, Khirad pours her heart out to her friend. She admits feeling insulted at having to live in a home where no one really needs her. Her pain comes through as she voices her feelings about being unworthy in every way of the man who is her husband. The thing that troubles her the most is the fact that she has been forced into his life.

Before leaving, Afsheen reminds her of how much her mother loved Khirad and that if she had decided to get her married to Ashar, there must have been a valid reason for that. She requests Khirad to set aside her feelings and give her marriage a chance and that she is worthy of Ashar in every way.

Baseerat and Khirad discuss books and he tells her that Ashar inherited the love for books from him. He offers to read it out to her and suggests she read books with Ashar. When she doesn’t reply and tries to change the topic, Baseerat asks if Ashar comes home late every night. He looks troubled when Khirad admits that he does.

Later that night, Baseerat confides in his wife Farida about increasingly feeling guilty for having forced Ashar to marry Khirad. He blames himself for the unhappiness he clearly sees in both. He tells her that he is ashamed to see the anger and accusation in Ashar’s eyes whenever he looks at his father. Farida reassures him that given time, everything will turn out fine for both Ashar and Khirad.


While having dinner with Ashar, Sara asks not to take her mother’s words of the night before, to heart. She explains that her mother mistakenly thinks that Sara needs protection. Ashar admits to agreeing to her mother’s view that probably they shouldn’t meet anymore. Sara pleads with Ashar to keep his marriage with Khirad separate from his friendship with her.

Khirad finally confronts her mamu Baseerat about him forcing his son to get married to a woman he does not want in his life making it unfair for both of them. When Baseerat expresses concern for her, she asks why he couldn’t have taken care of her as his niece instead of getting her married to his son against his wishes. Was it necessary for him to make her his daughter-in-law?

Ashar walks in behind them just in time to hear her say that and stops to listen. Khirad tells Baseerat that she hates the fact that she has been forced onto someone. She says she never wanted a rich husband; all she ever wanted was respect.

Ashar is moved by Khirad’s confession to his father. He recalls her saying how she had never been to anyone’s home uninvited her entire life but now she is in someone’s life by force.

Her pain, her words about her broken self-respect due to this marriage, continues to haunt him the following morning. He decides to make amends by drawing her into a conversation and making her join him for breakfast. (What we see from here on is heartening to our souls)

His entire demeanor towards Khirad goes through a sea change overnight. He makes effort to come home early refusing Sara’s invitation to spend some time together that evening. In Khirad’s presence, he hardly takes his eyes off her as he begins to see her in a new light.



Ashar finds Khirad sitting by the pool, crying in the dead of the night. He quietly sits down beside her and asks for the reason. Khirad tells her about being reminded of her mother and that she couldnt stop herself from crying. Since she did not wish to disturb his sleep she came out of the room. Ashar calmly assures her that she need not leave the room for anything even if it involves crying her heart out. He gets up to go back to his room and quietly offers her his hand for her to join him. She takes his hand, gets up, and walks back to their room. 


One evening he comes back home early and asks Khirad to get ready to go out for dinner to his friend’s place that night.

Later on, as he enters his room to find Khirad looking resplendent in black with her hair done up, he stops short at what he sees. He is absolutely mesmerized by Khirad and compliments her by telling her how beautiful she looks. He then tells her there is just one thing he would like to do. He hesitantly asks, ‘May I?’ to which Khirad gingerly nods her head telling him to go ahead.



What follows is a heart-stopper. Ashar quietly removes the clip from her hair to let the black tresses fall freely to frame her lovely face making her look even more ethereal. Ashar looks on entranced as a hint of a blush creeps onto Khirad’s cheeks.


Precap (episode 6): Sara schemes to plant seeds of doubt in Khirad’s mind about their relationship. She gets hysterical when Ashar tells her to move on and get married. 




Neeraja Unni


Rangmunch.tv

POPCORN (Salt, Cheese, & Caramel) - “The Three Musketeers” (3D) – All for One, One for all!

(Pop! goes the corn – Salt Cheese and Caramel
We pick the movies apart, kernel by kernel

You rate it ‘Salt’ when the movie is bad and don’t care
‘Cheese’ is when you like it and call it just fair

Sweet ‘Caramel’ it is when you want to see it once more
Is the movie good bad or ugly? Do let us know for sure!)


As I settled into the snug seats at the theatre to watch the latest action-adventure movie, The Three Musketeers, my concentration was more on which flavored popcorn to snack on – salted, cheese, or caramel, and which drink to guzzle up than the movie itself. I never gave it a thought really. Come on! Haven’t we seen it all before? After all, Alexander Dumas’ Three Musketeers has been done to death in every mode possible – cartoon, art, drama, adventure and here I was settling in to watch it on the 3D mode.


I was staring at the tub full of cheese popcorn in my hand through my 3D glasses when my attention was drawn to the screen by the three musketeers – Athos (Mathew Macfadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson), and Aramis (Luke Evans) - and it stayed there for the rest of the movie. They were in quest of a map with a devilishly beautiful partner, Milady De Winter played by lovely Milla Jovovich, in tow. She steals the heart of Athos and ours in the initial scenes, only to betray the musketeers and us by turning out to be a double agent.


The now out of work and down on luck musketeers are joined by an aspiring musketeer, D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) and together they set out to steer France away from falling prey to the devious plans of a cardinal closest to the King who is helped by none other than the deadly assassin, Milady. And the foursome accomplishes this on the steampunk-influenced airship, which has been used effectively for optimum 3D effect. Throw in an enemy in the form of Duke of Buckingham played to perfection by heartthrob Orlando Bloom, and we have a visual delight.

The Heroes

Born to be heroes, trained to be warriors, destined to fight for France, these musketeers not only protect the king and the crown but also the future of Europe.





Athos:  A fierce swordsman and immensely loyal to France, he is in constant search of a great cause. He is scarred in the matters of heart. Mathew Macfadyen plays the wounded in love, yet stronger due to it part to perfection. 




Porthos: A musketeer whose heart lies in fine clothing and fair ladies, he uses his brute strength to his advantage in the battles to protect France. Ray Stevenson fits the bill of a strong man with a dry wit.




Aramis: A man who was once a priest, now fights alongside the musketeers, in the name of God to protect the honor and justice of the country.  Luke Evans plays the musketeer, who is swift with his sword and calmer than his counterparts.






D’Artagnon: A wannabe musketeer who is hotheaded and impulsive, he deeply falls in love with Constance, the lady in waiting to the Queen. The new boy on the block, Logan Lerman, is more than just a lover boy in the movie. He proves his mettle by matching step for step with the legendary musketeers.


The Villains





Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz): The cardinal at the Royal Court, he plots to overthrow the King with a devious plan, as he has his eyes set on the throne of France.





Milady De Winter (Milla Jovovich): The deadly assassin, a double agent, betrayer of hearts, she dons several roles under the garb of a bewitching beauty. She aids the Cardinal in his treachery.



Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom): The charming, wiser counterpart of the King, Duke of Buckingham along with Milady, plot the downfall of France. Orlando Bloom once again plays a character that is sure to set hearts on fire, though he is wasted in such a miniscule role.



Royal Court: King Louis & Queen Anne

While King Louis (Freddie Fox) is unaware of the unrest in his own court, the Queen Anne (Juno Temple) on the other hand is wise and very much aware of the existence of evil amidst them.
The King is so adorable. I know that ‘adorable’ is hardly a term used for Kings but he sure was. He is the King who refused to grow up, which is established right at the start with the chess scene.

The Queen of France is an absolute delight to watch. She is the Queen who unwittingly commands an allegiance from anyone who sets eyes upon her.

There is no beating around the fact that the plot of the movie is as thin as ice. It was a visual treat, but frankly, I don’t think there is any movie that is made in the recent times that isn’t visually appealing. There was nothing about the movie that stood out but surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.



My Verdict: Cheese!

It is a one-time watch. Just forget about literature, underdeveloped characters, the blips in storyline, and other small insignificant details and go along with the musketeers for a joyride on the airship!

Just so you know, they have left the story open for a sequel. Maybe the characters will evolve in the next one. So until then, All for one, and one for all!

Adios Amigos! Catch you at the next review!


Disclaimer: I am no expert on movies or anything for that matter! The above review is just a viewer’s perspective.


Neeraja Unni
Amateur Reviewer

Rangmunch.TV

“WHAT THE F*$#%?” : I LIKE FISH!!


Anand Sivakumaran
Pop Quiz. A super baddie and three menacing minions charge into your home and start shooting at you and your wife. Since you’re quite satisfied with your current model of spouse and are currently not looking at any exchange scheme saving her is a priority. And since suicide is not on your to do list this week, saving yourself would also be a good idea.

So what’s the first thing you’d do –

  1. Get the missus to a spot of comparative safety?
  2. Pull out your own gun and start firing back?
  3. Wave a white flag and plead for mercy?

Phooey. The first thing any true blue hero would do is pick up his glares lying on the table and wear them. How can he possibly do any daredevil, death defying, world saving action stunts WITHOUT HIS GLARES?

Am I kidding or what? Just telling you exactly what happens in a major action scene in a super huge budget action spectacular film made in Bollywood a couple of years ago!!!

“WHAT THE F*$#%?”

My reaction exactly!


Ok forget the movies. There’s a lot of nonsense in them anyway. Try this.

Autorickshaw drivers go on strike to protest against the fact that traffic cops are catching and fining them for having faulty meters – after all it’s their janam siddha adhikar to luto the public!!!

“WHAT THE F*$#%?”

Well ain’t that what happened in Mumbai city a coupla weeks ago?

Point being, be it in the movies or in real life, so many things make us go WHAT THE F*$#%?”

This column is a kind of journal of my WTF experiences in the course of working in the TV and film industry over the last decade. All of what follows is true, and if any of those mentioned in these anecdotes are reading, well you know who you are and since I haven’t mentioned names, you can’t sue me, so GOTCHA SUCKERS!!!

  






I LIKE FISH!

Since way too many words have been expended in just explaining the idea of this column to you, my first story is going to be a tad short. But what the hell it’s a doozy and should set the bar for what’s to come.

So let’s flashback to a time when I was still a newbie in the industry, had been around for about a couple of years and had just come on to writing a thriller show for leading channel. This was my first meeting with the channel person on that show, a sweet young gal with a generous heart full of compassion and sensitivity, which was exactly what would lead to my WTF moment…

But let’s not jump the gun. Before the WTF moment there was a good 30 minute narration of my tense and taut screenplay about a psycho terrorist who kidnaps a scientist so as to get him to make a deadly toxin with which to decimate the population of… YAWN, let’s just fast forward to the moment in question.

So anyway the deadly toxin has been created and the terrorist being a dude with severe trust issues thanks to a traumatic childhood (ok, that’s another story) wants to test the toxin. And I’d written a cheap and cheerful scene where the baddie puts the toxin into an aquarium, the fish die and the audience (hopefully) would be horrorstruck at the prospect of what would happen if the toxin were released amongst humanity.

This is the moment where the meeting went to the dogs. Or actually didn’t cause the channel lady liked dogs. Wait, I’m again jumping. So I narrated my aquarium moment and suddenly the channel lady stopped me and said “There’s a problem.”

Any of you who’ve attended meetings with TV channels or movie producers (essentially anyone who gets to decide if you eat Shahi Kofta the next day or scrabble for scraps with stray dogs) know that these three words spell doom and damnation. There was tension in the room, the production house folks were suddenly looking at me as if I was the guy who’d murdered their parents and fornicated with their goats and my writing future was looking bleaker than Manmohan Singh’s chances of another term as PM.

There was no easy way out. So I opened my trap and asked, “What’s the problem.” That’s when the immortal words that shall always be burned in my consciousness were uttered by Channel Lady with sensitivity and compassion

“I LIKE FISH!”

Pin drop silence. Maybe no one spoke cause they were wondering if she was suddenly talking about what the main course at lunch should be. Or maybe they were just following Rule Number 1 when dealing with the Deciders of tomorrow’s Dinner – Don’t talk, Just listen.

But then I’ve never been good with rules. So again I spoke out of turn, “Sorry, I didn’t quite get you.” Then came the illumination which pretty much put all my lights out.

“I like fish. I don’t want fish to be killed.”

More silence. My mind was still grappling with myriad thoughts and possibilities. Maybe the poor girl thought that the Production House, bunch of heartless bastards would slaughter real fish to make the shot look good. So I quickly spoke again, making a total and through ass of myself and said, “Don’t worry, we won’t actually hurt any fish.”

“That’s not the point. I like fish, I don’t want to even show them being hurt.”

Fait accompli. From the looks I was getting, it seemed pretty clear that forget pomfret I wouldn’t be getting to even eat pau wada if I didn’t save my script soon. Aunty was all set to junk the entire episode and if that happened production house would junk me.

I tried another gambit. “So if you like fish, you probably like dogs so we can’t have them being killed right?” The lady with the soft hearted glared at me as if I was dog doo. “I love dogs.”

Two strikes. Last chance else bye bye career. I grabbed at straws. “Do you like people?”.

She glared. “What?”

I quickly clarified, “I mean, what if the terrorist makes one of his guys breathe the toxin, and that guy dies.”

What follows is a Mother Teresa moment. “That’s lovely. We can show him choking and suffering and dying horribly. Superb.”

The production house people beamed. Channel lady was happy. I wasn’t going to be thrown out of the fourth floor. But all I could think was

WHAT THE F*$#%?”


Anand Sivakumaran
Rangmunch.TV