Skip to main content

Featured

2018 in Books #1 : Outliers

My membership at the Evanston Public Library is my best-worst decision. Best, because I now have e-books delivered right into my Kindle without having me trudge in snow to borrow or return a book and the worst, because it is going to make me lazy and unfit.  Cut to the chase, Outliers has been a good start to 2018. At a modest 300 odd pages, Malcolm Gladwell writes a deeply researched and critically analysed account of success stories that we know of.  | The biggest takeaway you can get from Outliers  is the "other side" of stories, which are often ignored for the sake of glorification of the achievement. | It was enjoyable to see how tiny, seemingly inconsequential factors can help a person go a long way. A popular example the book talks about is Bill Gates' rise as a billionaire when he was a college dropout.  Treating his story superficially has led to popularizing the opinion, "hey, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg were college drop outs
1 comment
Read more
Labels

The First of Its Kind - Jagga Jasoos

It has been quite a while since I saw a new movie. I decided to break the hiatus with Jagga Jasoos.

Ever since our college fest had a Broadway theme, I have been fascinated by the musical-theatrical concept and have been watching movies that adopt it until I can afford a ticket to watch a show at Broadway. Knowing Jagga Jasoos is going to follow suit, I have been eagerly awaiting its release. Although after watching it, I have very mixed feelings. Jeez.

As the post title suggests, it's the first of its kind in Bollywood. Highly experimental, equally delightful and lengthy. It's quirky as the characters stutter, rhyme and make their way through all the "bad lucky" times. It is FRESH, utterly so thanks to Ranbir and Katrina who have done a tremendous job bringing life into this movie. There is excellent cinematography by Ravi Varman -  it is so vibrant and poetic, it draws you into the movie.

The Jasoosi that happens is Enid Blyton-esque. It took me back to the time where as a child my friends and I would try to emulate the five Find-Outers or the Secret Seven. The movie has scenes that are warm, funny and truly delightful.

Although, and here comes the other side of it. The movie is excruciatingly long. At a little shy of 3 hours, Jagga Jasoos could use some editing. There is abundant silliness and slapstick comedy. But I guess musicals often work that way and it was necessary to have such scenes to provide an appropriate backdrop to Jagga's character.

I get that this is a pet project. I get the art behind it and for that it's a beautiful movie. Just, don't go in with an expectation of a typical Bollywood entertainer. But do go in with a lot of food. You're bound to get hungry.

So, I'm trying this new form of TLDR that gives you what I liked and disliked about the movie

PS: Read this really cool article on what went behind the scenes! : Ravi Varman, The Man Behind The Visual Feast 'Jagga Jasoos,' Decodes The Poetry Behind The Images
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts