Day 6 - TV Series that I've watched - 2

TV Series That I've Watched - 1

The Bletchley Circle - Four women who worked at Bletchley Park get together post-war, and solve murders by using their code-breaking and pattern-finding skills. What's not to like, really?

Fauda - An intense, well-made series based on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I liked it for the gripping action, the wonderful performances by the entire cast, and for the fact that they've shown both sides of the conflict so well that you feel connected and invested in both sides! And I like watching non-western series, one of the reasons being that I love to look at different faces and features. These faces - they were Indian, but not quite. I quite enjoy that.

The Fall - A handsome, athletic man, a great, loving father, but also a serial killer. A cop, cold, confident and focused, out to find him before he finds his next victim. Great performances, very gripping. The second series was extremely slow compared to the first, but it picked up towards the end, and was satisfying.

Dicte -  A Danish series about a journalist, Dicte, who single-mindedly follows up crimes to report on them, and of course, ends up helping solve many of them. Good one. There are a lot of personal elements in this, about Dicte and the people around her.

The West Wing - Probably the first series we watched after getting here. Enjoyed it so much that I sometimes mixed up West Wing events with real events. Also got a good picture of how the American political system works.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - An Australian period drama of a highly emancipated-for-her-time feminist detective. I enjoyed the first few episodes, but then they got a little repetitive. I should go try the rest now, it has been a while.

Poirot - Agatha Christie's Poirot, of course, with David Suchet's famed performance. I admit Poirot started annoying me after a while, but the series is well-made (not the last couple of them, though - liked the initial episodes much more.)

Annedroids - Okay, this is something (the only thing, actually) that Puttachi watches. It is a fun, award-winning Canadian show for children, with STEM concepts explained in a simple way. Anne is a brilliant girl who has built her own androids, and she and her friends have several adventures. Puttachi started watching this at school (her teacher showed this to class during rainy-day-recess.

I also watched a few comedy series as a background - sometimes to exercise, some while I cook or do other monotonous work. Some of these are Friends, Frasier and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - I don't have to tell you about the first two, I guess, but about the third - Kimmy has been in a bunker for 15 years, kidnapped by some weirdo, and she is now outside and trying to make a life for herself in NY. It was kind of fun, but I think one would enjoy it better if they get all the pop culture references that are a dime a dozen in the series.

I'll add to this list if I remember any more.

Edited to add on March 16th:

Happy Valley - Got to be one of my favourite series, really. The complex main character of Catherine Cawood, a cop, is one of the best I've seen on TV/movies. Stunning performances, gripping storylines. And what characterization, really!

Now it is time for you to suggest some good series! :)

Day 5 - TV Series that I've watched - 1

With all my talk of books, I've not spoken at all about the TV series that I've watched over the last couple of years. On Netflix. Some on Amazon Prime. I feel I must talk about these, because they've been an integral part of my daily life. After all, I love stories, and what difference does it make how it is told?  I'm always on the look out for good series that I can watch, and am very thankful to people who put up reviews. So I'm returning the favour (to whomsoever it may concern) and doing a few posts on the series I've watched.

Breaking Bad - A dying high-school Chemistry teacher decides to cook a batch of crystal meth to make some money for his family before he dies, and before he knows it, he gets sucked into it in a way that you cannot begin to imagine. I don't think I need to talk about this much, seeing as to how everybody seems to have already watched it. I enjoyed it in a weird, obsessed way. S and I started watching it together, but S dropped out after a few episodes. I continued, and finished it. Honestly, watching this series made me realize that all that advice of surrounding yourself with pleasant things because it will make you calm and serene - that advice makes sense. Because watching this was disturbing, even physically. I was glad to finish it and be done with it. A shout out to the character Gus Fring - the most interesting character I've seen in a series, and to the actor who played it - Giancarlo Esposito. What a fascinating face he has.

Downton Abbey - The life and times of a grand family on an old English estate. I have written about it before, about how the characters really held my interest. I had watched most of the seasons back in India on TV. Watched the last season here on Amazon Prime. I admit I have an affinity for these old English dramas, even in books, and this series fulfilled all my requirements. Loved it.

North and South - The story of a young woman whose family moves to the north of England, and how they struggle to adjust to life there. It is based on a novel of the same name. Very small series - just four episodes. But it really impressed me. Okay, to be very honest, it was Richard Armitage, who played the character John Thornton, who is the one of the main reasons for my love for this series. No, but really, the story is good, and the series is well-made.

River - A 6-part British series about a cop fighting psychological battles while looking for the killer of his partner. Very well-made, and great performances by Stellan Skarsgard and Nicola Walker. And the song "I love to love" which plays a part in the series, stayed with me for weeks after.

Wallander (Swedish TV Series): Adapted from Henning Mankell's novels, this is an excellent cop series with Krister Henriksson as Wallander, which we enjoyed. The cinematography is spectacular too.

Wallander (UK TV Series): Yeah, the same character, but different stories, and in English, this time played by Kenneth Branagh. We enjoyed the Swedish one better, but this one is good too.

Orange is the New Black: I am the only person I know who liked OITNB, a women's prison drama series. I admit I got annoyed sometimes, and yet, it did get gross sometimes, but then when it became too much to handle, I simply stopped watching, and continued later, and then I was not annoyed or grossed out any longer. I came to like and feel for the characters (except the main character - her I increasingly detested)

Blacklist: S and I started watching this in India, a set-a-thief-to-catch-a-thief kind of series, and we liked the first season, esp the flamboyance of the character Reddington played by James Spader. The second season, which we watched here in the US, was ok-ok, but the third season was terrible. We finished it out of loyalty.

How to Get Away with Murder: Started off well, this story of a tough lawyer and her students, and liked the first series in spite of the back and forth screenplay. But couldn't get through the second series.

TV Series that I've Watched - 2

How to explain to children about people being gay

In the wake of the Orlando shooting incident, I'm reading a lot about people being worried about how to "explain" to their children about people being gay. Just wanted to tell you how it came about in our house.

Puttachi had been asking to know who the voice of Dory was (this was about 2-3 years ago) and so I pulled up Ellen DeGeneres on Wikipedia. There was a picture of her with Portia De Rossi.

Puttachi: Who is this?

Me: She is Ellen's wife.

Puttachi: What do you mean, wife? Ellen is also a girl.

Me: Yes, usually, women get married to men, but there are some women who like women, and get married to them. 

She: And are there men who like other men and marry them?

Me: Yes.

She: Oh, okay.

That was IT. "Oh Okay."

I think children can understand and accept anything. Later on, of course, she raised other questions, about what they'll do if they want babies, etc., but I dealt with her questions one by one, as I do other "non-problematic" questions. And she is totally fine with the whole concept.

So I do think that you shouldn't worry about what children will think.

While on this subject, I must tell you about this fabulous, uplifting movie, called Pride, based on true events. It has outstanding performances. I recommend it highly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_(2014_film)

Day 11 - Movie adaptations of fantasy books

The thing about movie adaptations of fantasy books is that they tend to be darker.  A book is only as scary as your imagination is.  But in a movie, someone else's imagination is foisted upon you, and I think it tends to be darker and scarier than you've imagined. 

I noticed this first when I watched the Lord of the Rings movies.  I'd imagined the orcs as nasty creatures while reading the book, but the movie made them downright terrifying as well as nauseating, making me want to close my eyes whenever they appear on screen. 

Similarly, Harry Potter.  It's been a while since I read the books, but I keep watching glimpses of the movie now and then when I run into them on TV.  They are distinctly darker than I'd imagined while reading it.

So, while reading Septimus Heap, I naturally thought of Harry Potter, and I decided against reading it out to Puttachi, thinking that it will be too intense for her.  But there are some situations in Septimus Heap which are pretty scary, but Puttachi takes them in with equanimity.  That's because her imagination probably doesn't allow it to get that scary in her mind. 

That makes me think that I can probably let her read/read out to her the first book of Harry Potter pretty soon, perhaps immediately after we finish Septimus Heap. 

What has your experience been?

Day 2 - The Sound of Music - through the years

The Sound of Music is probably one of the first movies I ever watched.  And it is a movie that I have watched again and again throughout my life.  I'm sure that holds good for many of you.

- My earliest memories of the movie are just of those parts with the children.  At each watching, I understood more and more of the movie. Like layers of paint being applied to a canvas, each time with more detailing.

- At every age, different songs appealed to me.  Initially it was "Doe a deer."  In my teens, it was "You are sixteen" (I could sing it well too, and my friends kept asking me to sing it for them.)  Later, it changed very frequently, and has settled down to "Edelweiss" since the last few years.

- When we were young, all characters appeared black or white.  I would treat the Baroness like a wicked witch.  It was such a revelation when I watched the movie after a long gap and discovered that she was just, well, human!

- On my latest viewing (last month) I discovered that some of the songs and dialogues in the movie are totally at odds with the feminist ideas in me.  Over the last couple of years, I've become increasingly aware about social norms and patriarchy and misogyny, and I've repeatedly  discovered that many of my favourite songs and movies are so terribly chauvinistic.  It's not a good feeling - to find that something you loved before makes you uncomfortable now - but I'm not sorry. This new awareness has done me good.

- Every time I watch the movie, I view it differently. But one thing that has remained constant over the years, is my swooning over the elegance of Christopher Plummer.

- I watched the movie with Puttachi for the first time last month, and of course I had to keep up a constant explanation for her.  I had considered stopping the movie after the first half, but she would have none of it.  She even protested hotly when I insisted that we watch the second half the next day, for it is too long a movie.  I prevailed, of course, and she was restless until she got to watch the second half.

The highlight of the movie-watching with her, is this conversation:
(The song "My favourite things" is playing.)

Me: Puttachi, good idea, isn't it?  When you are scared, just like you think of your "happy place," you can also think of your favourite things and that will make you feel better.
She: Yes!
Me:  So, what are your favourite things?
She:  (thinks for a second)  You, Amma.

Didn't you see me floating with the clouds?

A part of Pottermania

We caught the last Harry Potter movie last evening.

This was the first time ever that I watched a movie on the day it was released.
This was the first time I've been in a theatre which was completely full. All seats taken.
It was one of those old, large theaters, a non-multiplex one, with Balcony class and Rear class and all that. So you can imagine the number of Potter fans in there.
It was largely a young, energetic, highly-charged young adult crowd.
It was an electrifying, very well made movie, and dare i say more engrossing, terrifying and arresting than the book itself.

As a result, it was probably one of the best cinematic experiences I've had. The crowd screamed at the first appearance of every character, hooted with laughter at the humor, screamed with delight at every instance of daring, and brought the roof down with the destruction of every horcrux.

I came back with a great sense of satisfaction.

Not that the movie is perfect. But it certainly comes close to it.

I only wish it wasn't in 3D. The enhanced experience wasn't worth the heavy glasses.

So here's to:
S who surprised me with the tickets.
My parents with whom we left Puttachi.
The film makers.
JK Rowling and her stupendous imagination.

Papeeha Once Again

There are a few old posts on which I keep getting comments and mails even now, mostly from people who land there via search engines. But no post generates as many mails as the one I wrote ages ago, about Sai Paranjpye's Papeeha.

Almost all the mails are similar - It was telecast on DD, I watched it and loved it, I haven't heard anything about it ever since - Do you have any idea if the CD/DVD is available?

When I wrote that piece, I had a completely different set of readers, and so I thought I'd link to it and see if any of you have something to say!

The Moon's a Balloon

The Moon's a Balloon is the hilarious, honest and tremendously entertaining autobiography of that impressive actor, David Niven.

Ok, since I've used so many adjectives in the first sentence, I don't have to tell you how much I loved the book.

Sometimes, I wonder how it is that so many things can happen to one person. If Niven had written his autobiography at ten years of age, it would have been many times longer than my autobiography if I wrote one now, at 30. My autobiography would finish in one page. But I am digressing.

Niven writes with panache and ease, and has the most wonderful way of describing funny incidents. He also has the knack of laughing at himself, which makes him very endearing.

He writes about his rebellious childhood, how he was expelled from school, how he joined the army, how he left (After a General finished a long lecture and asked, "Any questions?", Niven said, "May I know the time, I have a train to catch.").

After he left the army, he floated here and there for a while, after which he drifted to Hollywood to try his luck. The going was difficult at first, but only until he signed a contract with Samuel Goldwyn. He then did some good work, and he was just tasting success when World War II broke out. He dropped a promising career in Hollywood against the advice of all his friends, and sailed back home to join the British Army. Six months away from the industry, he says, is suicidal for an actor, but Niven came back after six years (the duration of the war), was accepted, and he went on to star in some memorable roles and picked up an Oscar on the way. And oh, the Oscar story is wonderful!

He writes candidly about his personal life, the various women who came in and out of his life, some named, some unnamed. He writes about his love for his first wife, her tragic death, his second wife, all his friends in Hollywood, the army, and elsewhere.

He has apologized right at the beginning for name dropping - and does he do it with panache! I will never look at some of the Hollywood greats in the same way again - having got just that minute insight into their lives, through the eyes of Niven! No, no, he has only good words for most of them - and those few that he doesn't speak so well of, are unnamed.

Some of the passages in the book had me clutching my stomach and rolling about, laughing. The advantage of reading a book by an actor you have seen and liked, is that you kind of imagine him saying it all aloud. And when I imagine that upright bearing, and that stiff upper lip rattling off all that he says, it makes it all the funnier.

I highly recommend this book. Especially if you like David Niven.

The One Movie

Lots of things happening.... and I am scrambling for time to blog.... all those thoughts in my head are not finding an outlet and that is driving me crazy!

Meanwhile, here is something I always wanted to ask you all...

If somebody told you that you are allowed to watch just one more movie in your life. Just one. Which movie would you suggest to that person?

If somebody told you that he/she is allowed to watch just one more movie in his/her life. Just one. Which movie would you recommend to that person?

I have many favourites... but right now, I can confidently say - "The Shawshank Redemption". For the pure thrill, ecstasy, agony, excitement, horror, pity, revulsion, exhilaration, disbelief, joy - and for the superb ending.

Which is your One Favourite Movie? Do let me know. Any language is okay. You can take it up as a tag, or leave your choice in the comments section.

I am waiting!

LOTR - The Book and The Movies

Lord of the Rings - I finished reading the book and watching the three movies. The book was very good, and I was sorry to finish it and say goodbye to all the characters I had come to love. The movies were very well made. It is very difficult to remain true to a book like this, but the movies did a splendid job nevertheless. Watching the movie brought even more life into the characters. I also like the way the second and the third parts start unapologetically without a recap or an explanation, and just go on, expecting you to have watched the previous part/s. What an effort it must have been to make those movies!

LOTR is hardly the best book I have read, but it has been one of the greatest entertainers. It is an epic by itself, in size, detail and characters. I was in a completely different world while I read it. Somebody who discovers the Mahabharatha anew would probably feel this way. And the analogy wouldn't be too far off - I have read and heard that JRR Tolkien based this story on many existing myths and legends. A very clever book indeed.

It is a book about the perennial favourite - victory of good over evil. It is a book about friendship, courage, valour. About faith, determination and grit. It tells you that anybody, however small, can make a difference. It also shows you that the most unlikely person can come out a hero. There are kings, there are brave warriors, there are beings who are forced to be brave by circumstance, but the real hero of the story, in my eyes, is a supposedly slow-witted gardener - because of his devotion and belief and pure determination.

Anyway, like I said, I have been living in a different world until now. Here are a few anecdotes which will tell you how immersed I was in LOTR.

****

Me: Puttachi has a runny nose.
Mom: Oh, what are you giving her?
Me: Fangorn, err.. Aragorn... errr I mean, Phenergan.

[Fangorn - name of a forest, Aragorn - a leading character]

****

We were driving on the road and I spotted a shop which had displayed car tyre frames.
Me, half asleep, wondered "Why have they displayed shields here? Where are the spears?"

****

Road rage is now fun - we call the erring motorists Gollum, Wormtongue and Orc names.

****

We were watching A History of Violence, starring Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in LOTR the movies.

Me: S~, I missed that dialogue.. what did Aragorn Son of Arathorn say?
S~: (Rolls his eyes)

****

S~: So you have finished the book. Shall I return it (to colleague)?
Me: Not yet!
S~: Why?
Me: (Sheepishly) Revision.....

Yes, I am reluctant to say goodbye to my friends Frodo and Sam and Merry and Pippin and Aragorn and Gandalf and most of all, Gimli and Legolas!

But I must. There are far too many books to be read, and life is too short!

Movie mania

I have been watching quite a few movies these days on DVD. More than I have ever done all my life. I surprise myself, considering that I have a major interrupting factor in my life right now.

Anyway. I am hardly a fan of movies - especially Bollywood movies. but I must say that some movies of late have much to be said about them.

I don't know why i am trying to review movies, considering that i am a pathetic reviewer, but i am doing it anyway.

The following four are thanks to my dear friend SP, who gave me four cds on my birthday, and asked me to select two, but when she found I hadn't watched even one of them, she left them all with me.

Manorama - Six Feet Under - A taut thriller. Gripping. Not one unnecessary scene. Good acting. A must-watch.

The Blue Umbrella - Surreal, beautiful photography. Pankaj Kapur is brilliant. Though I wish his accent had been more understandable.

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi - I am sure it is a good movie. I mean, I know it is a good movie - but it threw me too far away from my perfect, happy world of the present. Too disturbing. Hated the ending, but liked it too. Great performances by everybody.

Chak De India - Whoa! Loved it. Loved the girls. Liked the restrained Shah Rukh Khan (Last time I liked him was in Fauji). Cheered loudly at the eve-teasers-bashing-up scene, forgetting that Puttachi was sleeping a few feet away.

Thank you, SP! Do take back a couple of your CDs, I am done :)

The rest -

Om Shanti Om - The less said, the better. I am thinking hard of something that I can say I liked.... I pass.

Jab We Met - Oh, what a fun movie! Loved it. Loved the dialogues. See, this is the kind of movie you should make if you want to make a nice, light, mainstream movie. Tolerated even Kareena Kapoor, effusive though she was. And Shahid Kapur? WHY hadn't I noticed him before? How loveable he is! And what a natural, easy actor he is! Ok, Shruthi, stop gushing.

Cheeni Kum - A surprise. Didn't think I would like it, but I really did. Even the side actors were unforgettable. The romance between AB and Tabu was light, restrained, and the dialogues were fun! The little six year old girl in the movie was, as usual was smart beyond her age, but she was not the angelic goody-goody type, but on the contrary, delivered her dialogues in a near monotone with a deadpan expression. And so, I liked her too. The only grouse I have against the movie was that they made too much of the Miracle Iron Pillar of Qutb Minar. Too much melodrama there too. Could easily have been avoided.

Johnny Gaddaar - Another unexpected surprise. Very fast-moving, more twists than I could even guess. Worth a watch.

And the movie I have been most eagerly waiting to watch - Taare Zameen Par - hasn't yet had the honour of being watched by me. Soon, very soon.

I am Jaguar Paw and this is my forest.

Very occasionally, I get bitten by a bug that makes me want to do something quite unlike me. Recently, it was the urge to watch a movie in a theatre. "Some movie, any movie", I whined.

The next question was, "Which movie?" S said that he heard that "300" was good, and so I looked up the reviews, and went back to him, saying, "I read that it is too violent, let's go to a lighter movie".

"Ok, your choice", he said.

I searched high and low and found that "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Pursuit of Happyness" sounded good - and I zeroed in on Little Miss Sunshine.

S very kindly acquiesced, and we landed at PVR cinemas. But I was in for a little surprise. The show that I thought started at 7 40 was indeed there, but it was the Gold class show - with tickets costing Rs.450. Now, even when I am in the crazy mode, some sense does prevail. Paying Rs.150 for the usual ticket itself pains me - but 450? Nothing doing! S was open to the idea, but I just walked off. So what do we do now? In PVR with nothing to do?

None of the other movies seemed interesting, and those that were interesting were sold out.

Then S's eyes caught sight of Apocalypto.

"I've heard it's good", he said.

I hadn't even heard of the movie. "Fine", I said, "If you think so", and we bought the tickets.

We were already ten minutes late, and we rushed to the hall.

As we entered, S whispered, "Its about Mayans."
"Wow", I thought.
As we settled into our seats, he said, "It's directed by Mel Gibson. It could be, err.. a little gory".
"How gory can it be?" I thought, already transfixed by the sight of the larger-than-life images of the people of an ancient Mayan tribe on the screen, with emerald green forests in the background.

The conversation was in some alien language, but there were subtitles, of course. It just needed five minutes to get me totally immersed in the movie. Those characters, with their dress, make up, their language, the picturisation, the sound - it was very good.

As the movie progressed, everything seemed hunky-dory - the seemingly idyllic life of a village in the jungle - but then there was a sense of foreboding. Both in the characters in the screen, and in me.

And then it began.

Carnage. Bloodshed.

I promptly shut my eyes. But I couldn't shut the screams out.

S watched for a couple of minutes, and then he looked at me. "We can always walk out, you know, if you cannot stand it. I don't mind at all", he said.

"I'm fine with staying and watching the movie", I said. I was already too engrossed in the movie, violence and all. "But let me know when I can open my eyes", I clarified.

So that is how the rest of the movie went. The slightest hint of blood and gore and I would avert my eyes. S would watch it and then after the scene finished, he would tell me, "You can watch now".

So I actually spent half of the movie examining my fingernails, admiring the pattern on my handbag, or looking at S and observing his reactions to the movie. Not a wince, not a shudder from him, but an imperceptible stiffening as the screams and noise increased. Then he would visibly relax and say, "You can watch now". And I would watch. And I loved what I watched.

It is a very well-made movie. It must have needed a lot of effort to make. The dress, makeup, the entire movie being in the Mayan language, the forests, the cultures, even the ghastly customs - made for gripping viewing.

Oh, what is the movie about, do you ask? It is about this guy Jaguar Paw, who is captured along with his tribespeople, to serve as human sacrifice to appease the Mayan Gods, and about how he escapes.

The Title of this post? One of the oft-repeated dialogues, which I loved - "I am Jaguar Paw, son of Flint Sky. My Father hunted this forest before me. My name is Jaguar Paw. I am a hunter. This is my forest. And my sons will hunt it with their sons after I am gone. "

If you can stomach loads of blood and gore, then do watch the movie.

As for me, my "I-want-to-watch-a-movie" sickness seems to have been cured once and for all.

Goodbye and thanks for all the bliss.

In a span of a few days - two giants have passed on. One made glorious music, and the other made fantastic movies.

When I heard about Ustad Bismillah Khan's death, I found a tear in my eye. Music does that to you. It touches your inner being, and naturally the musician who gave you that music becomes close to your heart. He stops being a photo on your CD, and becomes "Bismillah". You know - the old man next door. He was a loveable, toothless old man with the toothy grin (Figure that out!), who fondly lifted a Shehnai in his frail-looking hands, put it to his lips, and proceeded to create magic. With that image in mind, at his death, I found that I was feeling very sad. It was naturally made even worse by the plaintive notes of his Shehnai in the background when they were talking about him on television.

Though I cannot recall a particular Raag or piece of his which is my favourite, I can simply say that I loved his music. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes lively - it was always beautiful. Whether you were listening closely or absent-mindedly, it was anyway pleasing. And to think he said something like "Music is an ocean - I have just touched the surface". Humility, wit, and above all - his utter disregard for religion - it is people like him who have the ability to bring people of all religions together!

As for the fabulous Hrishikesh Mukherjee - if I make a top twenty favourite Hindi movie list, I am sure that 6-7 in that list will be his movies. That easily makes him my favourite film-maker. Even though the director is not really visible when you watch a movie, Hrishikesh Mukherjee was the kind whose touch you could feel in his the movies. You could watch a movie and say - that seems like a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie - and you will be right.

And what movies!! Each one of them is a masterpiece. Anuradha, for example, is a favourite of all the elders in my family, and apparently, a certain member of our family was named after the protagonist in the movie. ;) Then Anupama - with Dharmendra looking drop-dead handsome, and Sharmila Tagore exquisite - the music, the settings - the movie.. wow! Anari was one of the first Raj Kapoor movies I watched - and just loved the simplicity and the sweetness of the story. Then there is Guddi - an extremely lovable movie with the young and innocent, starstruck Jaya Bhaduri - a movie that I can watch any number of times.

And then Bawarchi and Chupke Chupke - laugh riots, both of them. Mili and Khubsurat, which I rank a little lower than his other movies, are excellent nonetheless. As for Abhimaan - with the brooding Amitabh Bachchan jealous of his talented wife - a beautifully made movie. And his last one - Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate - I know that not many people liked it - but I wonder why - I thought it was great - with Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Amrish Puri at their funniest!

I keep the best for the last - Anand and Golmaal -- one tragic, the other comic - but both of them are right on top of my all-time favourite list, jostling each other for first place. Both of them are priceless, in their own way. No other movie in Bollywood can even come close to these two.

Since I seem to be at a total loss for words, I will just guide you to an excellent write-up on Hrishikesh Mukherjee's movies.

These two stalwarts have given us hours of happiness - and though they are gone, their work is still here. What else can I say to them? Just "Thank You".

Papeeha - The first whiff of romance.

I grew up in a township with dozens of other kids - and not one day was dull. But as we turned into teenagers, I saw to my horror that my friends, with whom I had always been on the same wavelength, were turning into movie-buffs. They spoke incessantly about movies and songs and Anil Kapoor's moustache and Madhuri Dixit's smile. I could speak volumes about Mark Twain and the Mahabharatha, but my friends would have nothing to do with a girl who thought that "Chandni ribbons" looked like mosquito nets.

It got worse. Childish giggles turned into dreamy sighs as I saw my once-sane friends walking around looking moonstruck and claiming that romance had entered their lives. A bunch of them claimed that the love in QSQT was the purest of them all, while two others were in love with the love in Maine Pyar Kiya. Some of them swore by Roja. And on top of all that, they asked me, ME, which movie introduced romance to me. I offered a tentative "Errr... The Sound of Music?"... and it sealed my fate further as the girl who doesn't know anything about Bollywood.

I have never been much of a movie-goer, but there were some movies I loved. Some brought laughter, some brought tears, but "Romance"? What was that?

And then, one night, Doordarshan screened Papeeha. And Romance, with a capital R, tiptoed into my life.

Papeeha is a wonderful, little-known, movie, made by that fabulous film-maker Sai Paranjpye. Winnie Paranjpye plays an anthropologist who goes to the forests to study tribals. There she meets the dashing Milind Gunaji, who plays a forest officer. In the course of the movie, they fall in love, and after a brief misunderstanding, they get together again. A simple, sweet, love story.

But the movie totally swept me off my feet. It was a strong, heady feeling, and it made me feel that I was the heroine and it was I who met the hero and fell in love with him. I saw myself in the dainty shoes of the very charming Winnie Paranjpye, she of the sparkling eyes and impish smile. I went with her to the forest, and was overwhelmed by the presence of the brooding, serious and handsome Milind Gunaji. I was a part of their witty conversations, recognized their love before either of them acknowledged it, agonized over their misunderstandings, and exulted at their reunion.

I don't know what did it. It might have been the unlikely location for the story - a forest, a village. It could have been the absence of complications - no villains, no strict parents, no interfering relatives, no slapstick comedy, no atrocious makeup, no grandiose settings. It could have been the stark contrast between the energetic, loveable and sweet heroine and the arrogant, egoistic, carelessly stylish hero. Oh, it could have even been that both the hero and the heroine were not at all glamourous in the conventional sense, and that made them so real, so attractive. It could have even been the fact that both of them had definite, unambiguous occupations. It could have been the underlying theme - of saving the forests, the life of the tribals.

Or more likely, it could even have been the simple fact that I was at a silly, sentimental, vulnerable age. Or it could just be the magic of Sai Paranjpye at work.

But whatever it was, it became one of my favourite movies. And it still is, even after I have watched hundreds of movies ever since. I haven't watched this movie again, nor have I even heard of it being spoken of, and I haven't even met anybody who has watched the movie. [Even now, in the age of Google and internet, I wasn't able to find any info on the movie - except for a few lines on the subject of the movie]. What a gigantic pity.

And oh, when the movie was screened, Milind Gunaji was an unknown actor. I had missed his name in the titles, and agonized over the name of the actor for a very long time. So, it was a pleasant surprise when I saw him in the trailer of Fareb. I lost no time in finding out who he is, and then finally, I put the name on the face.

So at last, I had something to tell my friends. "Papeeha" brought romance into my life, I said. But it didn't really make any difference. Nobody had heard of the movie, and the actors were nobodies. I was still the boring girl, until we all grew up and knew better ;).

Anyway, Papeeha is a beautiful movie! I would love to watch it again [and find out what effect it will have on me now, after more than ten years!]