Life hai Gullak si 😊

I didn't watch the previous seasons of Gullak. I somehow belong to the detective, mystery and action genre of films and series. A few friends suggested to watch Gullak but i turned a deaf ear to it. However the other day as i was browsing through the television I came across the third season of Gullak and thought of giving it a try. The only familiar face in it was Geetanjali Kulkarni whom I loved watching in the series Taj Mahal. I said to myself agar yeh hai cast mein toh ekbar try karna toh banta hai. 

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and I was missing my parents a lot. Sundays were all about family time when Babu would be home all day. He would take the typical Kolkata 'bajarer bag' and go mutton shopping from Yakub's shop. He would ensure he got the best rewazi pieces for us and the bone marrow for us siblings. Maa would cook her delectable 'pathar mangshor jhol', the aroma would spread far and wide. Bhai and I would drool and loiter around the kitchen with a bowl until Maa gave one or two pieces in it for us to taste. Later the whole family would have a good meal together and head to the bed for afternoon siesta. Aah woh bhi kya din the!

The trailer of Gullak somehow made me feel that the series is something like going back memory lane to the bygone era of simplicity and being happy together come what may. The nostalgia made me press the remote button to Gullak. Oh boy! Mishraji and parivar was an instant connect and soooooo relatable. Each episode was a treat to watch until the last one... I mean kaun karta hai aisa viewers ke saath? 

Mishraji ne toh Dara hi Diya thaa yaar! Izzati ki chamkar is the name of the episode and I am sure every middle class family will have tears rolling down while watching this brilliant episode. The brilliance with which the episode is shot is commendable. End of the day it's the Izzat that a hard working,honest man has earned over the years and when he sees that shattering in front of his eyes he succumbs. Vaibhav Raj Gupta .. bhai tu genius hai! Kaise kar leta hai aisi acting itne Aram se .. rula diya tune humko. Harsh Mayer bhaisaab woh chote bhai wala kirdar... Aah! You won my heart bro! This episode is actually an epitome of coming of age for middle class kids where they realise the importance of the father and how much that man means to children. Mrs. Shanti Mishra aapko pranam Mataji, no melodrama yet so strong portrayal of the wife in crisis. Aur Jameel Khan aka Mishraji you personified the fathers of most part of India to the tee. I mean how, how did you all create such magic with such simplicity on screen? 

I am so glad that i watched the series and believe me after watching the first thing I did was going back to my family photos stored in my mobile with moist eyes. I felt grateful for my family. Yes, we are weirdos in our own way but end of the day we are a family which is normal,which is perfect with its imperfections. Series like Gullak touches the right chord and makes audience feel and relate to emotions, moments, feelings of the real India. What a great watch it was! Team Gullak apka gullak hamesha bhara rahen with love and blessings. Looking forward to watching more seasons soon. 

#gullak #geetanjalikulkarni #ott #tvseries #jameelkhan #vaibhavrajgupta #harshmayer #films

Satyajit Aparajito, the undefeated

Watched Aporajito yesterday in PVR Juhu, Mumbai. Auditorium 2 was almost housefull and I felt like I am watching the film in some multiplex in Kolkata. Saree clad aunties, quintessential Bangali 'bhodroloks', bunch of youngsters who i guess are born and brought up in Mumbai. It was such a nice feeling to see the children accompany their parents. Were these kids present in the theatre willingly or reluctantly ? Were they really interested in watching a bengali film in Satyajit Ray ? Whatever... I just felt good to see the next generation present to witness a movie on HIM  😊 And my heart pounded in excitement on seeing Etooo bangali eksathe!

#Jeetukamal, the actor was outstanding as Ray in looks and nuances. The hard work showed. There were times on screen when it was difficult to differentiate between the actor and his muse. As a Ray aficionado there were times when Jeetu's presence on screen gave me quivers and wet eyes. That twelve year old  me on 23 April 1992 resonated from within, "Tomake r dekhte pelam na ami". The screen belonged to Jeetu and I would say Thank you for bringing my God alive on screen. You were that close to perfection.

The screenplay however was extremely loose and lacked substance. Coming from #AnikDutta i guess the audience expected something much better. English used by the actors sounded quite newfangled  and irritating at times.

However, making a film on Ray is in itself a brave move and it could only come from Mr. Anik who eats, sleeps and breathes Ray.  Kudos to him for attempting to make something like this. To show the world the journey of the film maker to create history in world cinema was by itself a thought that needs to be reciprocated with respect.

Hope to see more of #Jeetu in the Ray avatar or maybe a Feluda avatar soon.

Cinematography needs a special mention here. To recreate the Ray moments wasn't a piece of cake for sure. Dedication and passion needs to be at tandem to create such moments.

There was applause both at the start and end of the film... Something which is rare in multiplexes. That reflected the emotions of the audience. They did not come to the theatre to judge a film... They were there to see Him, which I am sure they did.

It took a few moments to gather myself and put  on my motherhood cape once again. The father daughter duo were waiting for me downstairs. They didn't accompany me because AD knew that this is the film I wanted to watch alone, without any disturbance.

As i was rushing out I spotted someone whom I respect a lot. Aniket Mitra was there along with his wife Priyam. To see him in person and exchange pleasantries was a  Bhooter Raja Dilo Bor moment for me. 🙂

'Maharaja tomare selam', was what I mumbled as i stepped out of the theatre. Tumi Aporajito! Tumi robe nirobe hridaye momo... Satyajit Ray 🙏

Photo source: Google 

#satyajitray #cinema #cinephile #aporajito #aparajita #patherpanchali #bibhutibushan #sukumarroy #bengali #bengalifilm #worldcinema #writer #film #review #movies

Aranyak on Netflix

I thought I would be one of the first ones to watch Aranyak but it took me a month to witness the show due to some glitch in my Netflix subscription. 

The feeling after binge watching the show was... Der aaye durust aaye types. The first time the credits hit the screen I was frantically looking for the Writer credit to pop up and when it did I had a grin on my face. Believe me I watched the writer part at the beginning of each episode and grinned 😁 Why? Because I have huge respect for this man Charudutt Acharya who is the reason behind my grin. 

This gentleman has gifted us a story so gripping and engaging that I didn't even press the pause button to attend nature's call during my watch at the wee hours of night. I was like bhai yeh khatam karke jayoongi as I didn't want to waste a minute. The way the story is spun in mystery, suspense, thril at the same time focussing on human emotions and relationships is commendable. 

It's the new generation that watch these shows the most and i think it's a responsibility of the writer and makers to focus such issues. The teenage issues of love, sex and  viral sex videos has been portrayed so well in Aranyak is another reason for me liking the show so much. Another grin follows 😁

A lesson on modern parenting and how we parents slip at times in our search of success, indolence is fantastically narrated by the man behind the grin once again 😁

Relationship between the husband and his succesful wife... That was superb! The scene where Hari tells Kasturi that there's no love left in their relationship was so hard! It really hit hard hain na? Yeh wala grin sochne wala grin hai mere liye 😬 Life mein kuch bhi ho jaaye Aisa loveless husband wife relationship nahi hona chahiye Bhai!

Raveena as Kasturi the cop is not perfect, neither is she perfect as a mother or as a wife... Yet she never gives up. She tries to balance and lives by them in spite of feeling lonely and unsuccessful at times. She's no super hero... Just a normal human being trying to play her part well faltering at times, determined otherwise. Isme Mera grin sabse zyada hai 😁

The character of Parambrata is portrayed humanly once again. A tough cop with a grey past which haunts him and weakens his psyche. But he doesn't give up .. He gathers himself and fights till the end. I am grinning again 😁

The nartendua angle in the series is so relatable naa! We have heard such folklores and stories as kids from grandparents and elders. As kids we believed in them but as we grew up we started questioning... The answers though seems  eons away to get. That's the magic of such stories! And that the magic behind my grin 😁

For once this series did not take help of the maa behen ki Galis or the sex scenes that mostly seems  zabardasti inserted to titillate the audience (does it even titillate or it cringes mostly ?) I am so glad that the story was so realistically written and directed. An honest effort that has not only seen the daylight but is shining bright even after a month. That's success you know! And I end my write up once again with a satisfied and happy grin 😁 Thank you once again Sir and congratulations 🎉🥰