Jai Ho!

Isnt it incredible that when we are finally honoroued on an international stage, the rest of us are trying to pull these people down? I mean its ok for Roberto Benini to jump over people's heads but not ok for Anil Kapoor to shake hands with Jolie!! petty petty. IT's such a crab mentality which reminds me of Trishna, and the fact that this dawre means i cant go there for another two months, but I digress.

Slumdog had its moments of disbelief, but for once the popular vote won. And it was an incredible moment when Rahman got on stage and sang Jai Ho - dude, I still have goosebumps. And it has helped further the global career of Freida Pinto who is all over the place. And to all the quibblers and chatter that India's poverty was only appreciated in a movie made by a British director - lets face it we are the labour, not the brians or creativity. When the world needs new innovations, its Apple or Nokia, not Infosys right? So, there is no way an Indian would have been able to show the shit and squalor withpout also plonking in a moralistic tale somewhere thus taking out all the exhiliration and sheer joy of watching the underdog win. I'm just incredibly proud of the film for what it is - a showcase for talent, indian and international.

Love, poverty or the weekend that was

Do you learn about love from the movies? Not the running around the trees, letters in blood and death before parents seperate us garden variety love that has thankfully died a quiet death in the face of the multiplex public.

I'm talking about love for where we are - I saw that in two back to back movies I watched last week. Zoya Akhtar's 'Luck by Chance' and Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Extensive media coverage means that I know by now that Akhtar's movie took seven long years to put out. May I please compare her to the potter who'll pateinetly churn her wheel, molding clay over and over again till she makes the perfect piece. The movie is a charming jewel - all facets perfect. The casting of established stars playing caricatures they themselves are very familiar with - the gentle superstitious producer and the star mother mixed up with modern stars playing themselves - Kareena Kapoor and KJo!! The movie is about a world that Akhtar grew up in, has seen the brutalities and the glamour up close and is finally ready to let us in on. But it's never a sly outsider's opinion like say Madhur Bhandarkar's take on various industries (who strikes me very much as the boy who was picked last for the cricket team everytime in his childhood) It's affectionate realistic look at her world.

The second movie I watched was Slumdog Millionaire. The hype kept me away for two weeks - that is my standard period to test any movie really in the multiplexes. And blown away from the very first scene of police station torture, to the beautiful 'Jai Ho' dance at VT station. It took an outsider to come here and show us something we know happens everyday, just a little down the road from where my comfortable apartment with its broadband connectivity and espresso machine is, and lock away in the part of our mind with all the other gory bits that we don't want to face or talk about. We'll talk about the three olympic medallists who've finally given us a reason to hold our heads somewhat level (not high just yet) but not about the circumstances they worked in. We'll trumpet the number of billionaires India is steadily churning, but not about the million starving people. Danny Boyle has dared to show this, and though it hurts I know he loves us. He loves us like you love your spouse - you know all the little warts and the bits we protect from the outsie world and think are ours to deal with and complain about, but noone else can criticise. It's these bits he clips and polishes and says it's ok - because after all there's a lot of misery but there's still hope, there's still the truth and there'll always be love.

Amelia's first field trip

This is supposed to be about Amelia's experiences on planet earth hehe so lets get back to that shall we? Last week Amelia went on her first field trip - organised by her playschool to the local park. This meant her very first bus ride and learning to queue and not insist to the other toddler's that the swing is baby's. Yes, Amelia refers to herself in the third person like royalty - is it my fault her moniker is Rani Saheb. Then it was off to the sand-pit where Amelia discovered well, sand.
Then she held hands with another toddler and started pointing out to her the sky, trees and crows while toddler Yshmera was insistent on dragging Amelia along designated path to be first in line. I'm so glad I went along - I definelty see the world differently when I'm with her. So different from my father in law trying to get me out of bed at 5am in Gangktok to see the sun-rise over the Kanchenjunga when i borrowed frther into my razai and said yes the sun rises it sets - it doesnt need me. With Amelia, I am forced to see everyday wonders for what they are - little miracles - pigeons bathing, butterflies flitting about!!

Now of course, everytime we pass a bus, I'm told 'mama bus, baby wants to go in bus'. And I have to be all 'no, amelia, the bus doesnt go where we want to'. Which leads to a big philosophical discussion spoken entirely in gibberish.

But Alarmingly, I notice all my anecdotes have been about which kid is settling into school, and who's planning their next baby and what are child-friendly places in the city (very few you'll find). I need a job and fast. Cant belive i'm doing what i used to laugh at other women for. sigh!!!