Not without my Daughter

This is one of those fantastic films which I got to watch.It was a thrilling and thought provoking in turns and had a solid story base,which kept the ball rolling throughout.Don't go by the reviews which do not do full justice to the storyline and just focuses on the acting of the actress Sally Field.
This film is based on the real life story of American Betty Mahmoody,who went to Iran with her Sayed Bozorg Mahmoody husband and daughter Mahtob.What was to be a short vacation during which she would get the chance to meet with her husband's family and understand the customs and traditions of his land,soon turned into a nightmare for her.He husband has already decided that they would stay in Iran as it would be good for the family and forces Betty to stay against her will,by going to extremes like confiscating her passport and threatening her that as per the Iranian law,the child will remain in Iran,even if Betty wants out of the marriage.How Betty plans her escape all the while under the watchful eyes of her husband and his family and the plight of many other American women in similar circumstances in Iran,is portrayed in a sensitive manner in this film.The films was shot in the US and Israel.
Alfred Molina,who plays the character of Sayed Mahmoody,has acted wonderfully throughout the film and the child actress Sheila Rosenthal,who plays Mahtob,beautifully portrays the culture shock,which a child experiences,when forced to embrace another culture.

While the first half of the film is slow paced and takes time to introduce us to the psyche of the characters,it is only in the second half of the film that the story proceeds in a lively pace and makes us sit through with our hands sweaty waiting for the next scene to play out.
While it can be argued that the culture of Iran and Islam has been portrayed to the extreme as being violent and unforgiving,it does reflect the radical difference of culture between the west and East.It is definitely a different film and one worth watching,just to have a glimpse of the other side of the globe,portrayed as in Iran.

Film name:Not without my Daughter
Language:English
Written  by:Betty Mahmoody
Directed by :Brian Gilbert
Cast:Sally Field,Alfred Molina,Sheila Rosenthal, Roshan Seth,

Outsourced - A different take on all things outsourced

I just watched "Outsourced" and was pleasantly charmed and disarmingly surprised,with the right blend of reality and fiction.If you read the various reviews,you will hear the phrase "a lot of heart" being there in the film.I would just like to add that I am from India and I had a chance to work as a customer service Rep in the USA,in Florida.I surely had to deal with the downside of having an accent.Hence the situations portrayed in the film made it dear to me.Okay,the story was tweaked a bit to the far end.But most of India portrayed here was the real India,which you do not see in films.It may make you decide that India is not worth visiting after all.Despite there being dirt and dust all around,the simple acceptance and friendliness that people bestow upon you is indeed warm.
Ok, back to the story,"Outsourced" deals with an American Todd Anderson,whose job is outsourced to India.How he goes to India to train people there and his take on India...the people,culture etc is told in a lighthearted way.There is Puro,his replacement,Asha,one of the charming women,he gets to meet and get acquainted with.It is no thrill to disclose the full story and spoil the surprise.
Lets just say that there are all sorts of unlikely situations,hardly ever encountered in the West.This film will be a definite eyeopener to the curry that makes India and the people in it.

Oru Cheru Punchiri

“Relish love in your old age! Aged love is like aged wine; it becomes more satisfying, more refreshing, more valuable, more appreciated and more intoxicating!"  ~ Leo Buscaglia

Every once in a while,you come across those hidden gems of rare beauty.The beauty ,of which lies,not in its intricate design,but in the underlying simplicity of the whole thing.This is one of those rare films,which portrays the beauty,enjoyed in simple everyday things.For that matter,it ceases to exist as a film and turns more into a celebration of life.When I first watched "Oru cheru Ponchiri",I was taken unaware,because I did not expect any film to portray the depth of actual relationships as this film does.By the end,I was in tears and the hardest thing was,I did not know if I cried tears of joy or sorrow.
It portrays the life of a couple Krishna Kuruppu and his wife Ammalukutty,well into their old age and who are enjoying a peaceful life after finishing off all their responsibilities and seeing their children well settled.They keep themselves engaged and touch the lives of those who come in contact with them.There is the little boy Kannan,who is the helper at their house and whose education Krishna Kuruppu sponsors.There is the neighbor who is a window,with her daughter.Krishna Kuruppu helps her find a job and later on helps in fixing the marriage of her daughter to a boy who he helped find a job,in real estate company where he was employed.The film is filled with moments of fun and those shared glances and unsaid emotions which can only exist between a couple who have been together for so long and know everything,there is to know about one another.Then there are the family scenes,where the couple is clear that they are comfortable living on their own,in their house rather than selling their property and moving to the city with their children.
Just when you have gotten used to the very real life-like moments portrayed in the film,there is an unexpected turn.One fine day,after the couple have helped in the marriage of the neighbor,they played a part in arranging,Krishna Kuruppu lies down saying that he had a good meal.There is a conversation about the time,when they were newly married.The next scene is of him having passed away in his sleep.
How his wife accepts it and is clear on her decision to live in their house,on her own,with the memories of her husband Krishna Kuruppu,brings tears to your eyes.Also,there is a dialogue,which touched me.I will try to translate it for you.
Ammalukutty is seen simply stating "It is lucky that he passed away before me.Many would consider it lucky,if the wife passed away before the husband...But,had I gone before him,who would have taken care of him,as I have.He had his preferences in everything...He would have suffered."This is not the exact translation,but it is the gist of what  she says.
I recall having watched this film 2-3 times,and I can say that,each time,I was crying at the end.

If you are into what they call masala films,I do not know if this is one of those.The story itself is contemporary,in its being down to earth and simple.
It is a must see,if you enjoy good Malayalam movies.If are looking to see a film,because you just love cinema,it is a one of those "stays in your mind for a while" kind.Also,you will get the chance to grasp the culture of Kerala,so enticingly portrayed here.

Film name:Oru Cheru Punchiri Aka "A Slender Smile"
Language:Malayalam
Written and Directed by:M.T.Vasudevan Nair
Cast:Oduvil Unnikrishnan,Nirmala Sreenivasan,Vijayan Peringode,Sreedevi Unni,Lena,Manka Mahesh,Aliyar,Jayakrishnan

The Third day - Padmarajan Classics

Most of us, I suppose, are a little nervous of the sea.  No matter what its smiles may be, we doubt its friendship.  ~H.M. Tomlinson

There are instances,when even cinema leaves us feeling a nostgalia,which lasts more than a day.If it is truly a moving story,it makes you reflect deeply on what might have been.It is only a skillful director,who manages to evoke such primitive emotions in his audience through his fantastic story telling.There are quite a few  such films,which are known to me.I will try to capture the magic of one such film called "Moonram Pakkam".Directed by Padmarajan,this is a beautiful Malayalam film,which evokes such deep connection with the psych of the viewer,that somewhere around the middle of the film,you cease to see it as a film and actually relate to it as if it is hapening to someone dear to you.

Thambi is an 80 year old man,living alone in a beach town.he receives news that his grandson is coing to visit him.He has not seen him in 5 years,since his son's death.His grandson Bhaskar visits with three of his friends and they all have a wonderful time in his grandfather's house.One day,they go to swim in the beach.The waves wash away Bhaskar and this is when the true story unfolds.
There is sadness.But rather than lengthy dialogues or tearful scenes,the scenes consist of haunting music portraying the sea.There goes a saying that if the sea has taken a person,it will leave the body on the shores within three days.As Bhaskar's body is not immediately found,everyone clings to the hope that maybe he is still alive.The friends feel guilty that they are alive and the grandfather has hope that somehow his grandson is still out there somewhere.They all wait  those three days to hear the sea's decision.strange as it may sound,the sea plays the pivotal role in this flm.

Its one of those films,which makes your hair stand up,even while narrating it to someone or putting it in paper.After seeing it,you are left with restless emotions mingled with sadness and acceptance that "this was fate".Director padmarajan manages to bring the best in all the actors.Thilakan excels in his performance as the grandfather and Jayaram suits the role of the grandson to a "T".

Anyone,who sees good cinema,this is a jewel for you to treasure.

Film name:Moonram Pakkam aka "The Third Day"
Language:Malayalam
Directed by:Padmarajan
Cast:Jayaram,Jagathi Sreekumar ,Thilakan ,Rahman ,Ashokan

Seducing the Audience

I had long ago started my foray into the Korean-Japanese_Taiwanese drama with a whole long list of tear-jerkers.I will get to that part later.What I really want to rave about is this one of a kind comedy....the Korean comedy film"Seducing Mr Perfect" starring Uhm Jung-hwa and the super hot Daniel Henney. If you see this film,you will definitely get addicted to "the whats going to happen next element",though the whole plot is the something,which every romance fan would have read a million times in a million different books.


There is a certain secret to making a romance a success....some ideals,some misunderstandings,some craziness and somehow making the jigsaw fit to have "the happily ever after ending".And what's different about this film is that it is uniquely an "English-Korean" film with the lady speaking korean and the boss lord speaking English,though he does understand Korean.
You must see this to appreciate it.And I do not for one moment say that it has an excellent plot or a heart warming ending.This is the craziest whacky one I have ever seen in cinema.But truthfully,its one of the many which held my attention from the beginning to the end.Now the plot as I understand it.....Min-joon(heroine) has just broken up with her boyfriend or rather the other way around.Her day at the office,being introduced to the new boss man Robin Heiden,whom she has already met on the way to her office by accident(it really is an accident on the road ,btw),leaves her with her full antenna of defences sticking up her ears.Robin has clear cut ideas on everything...from work to relationships and though you do not see a whole range of emotions on his face.....Who seriously needs them,when you have a body to die for ....ah....
While Min-Joon  asks him for advice on relationships,Robin unwittingly falls under her spell,though he acknowledges it very much near the end of the film.One of the scenes which had me howling with laughter is the fight scene between Min-Joon and her brother,which Robin interrupts and promptly misunderstands as something else.....

This is one film you do want to see if its a cheesy ending you are after...And what better way than to go for a Korean film that's intent on seducing the audience like this one.

Akira's High and Low

One of the best films I ever saw.What has made this one stand in my memory even after 2-3 years of watching it?    I will come to that in a while.As for how we saw it...we actually took this movie to watch with a couple of friends after dinner.And needless to say,the pace of the movie was so riveting that at one point,all of us were reluctant to take a well needed break even to go to the loo.I have fond memories of this film.I have never seen such a movie as this and nor do I hope to find such a complex portrayal of human emotions intermingled with the thin lines of conscience....of right or wrong...

Whatever I write here,it can never do justice to the artful mastery with which the director Akira Kurosawa proceeds to narrate the story.Still I would attempt to record my memories for my later recollection.The story is pretty simple.
Well...would'nt you say that all great masterpieces are the artful telling of simple tales? So here goes....This is the story of a wealthy industrialist,Gondo. Gondo is contacted by a group of kidnappers,who inform him that his son has been kidnapped.They demand that he pay a ransom...an amount so high that it will leave him bankrupt.Gondo prepares to pay the ransom,when he finds out that his son is safely home and it is his driver's son who was kidnapped by mistake.So what does he do...Should he still pay the ransom to save a life or just ignore the kidnappers as it is no longer his son's life on the line.Further,he faces a financial crunch,due to which his decision will have a huge impact on his business and life.
How he struggles with his conscience,each time after talking to the kidnapper,the decision that he makes,the reactions of everyone around him...all these are so beautifully portrayed.The actor Toshiro Mifune,who plays this character is at his best and conveys all the struggles of the complex character,most astutely.
The reason for this name" HIGH AND LOW" though is because,of the vast difference being portrayed between the have's beng Gondo and his family and the have-nots being that of the driver and his family.
I will not spill the beans and give any spoilers here.In fact the full story is there in Wikipedia to check out.So if you ever get your hands on this one...it is a must see....

Further film details:It is a 1962 film by the japanese name "Tengoku to jigoku",directed by Akira kurosawa,written by Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Akira Kurosawa.