Once in a while, a film like 'Fireflies' manages to find a space for itself in the no-brainer masala entertainer dominated Bollywood humdrum. Sadly, the audience for such films is limited, however if you're one of them(like us) do catch this lovely film that released today, October 31.

Check available shows

SYNOPSIS :

Fireflies is the story of two estranged brothers - Shiv and Rana. Shiv, a successful banker, lives in the superficial glitter of corporate Bombay. The younger brother, Rana, is a law school dropout who lives by the day. Though worldly experiences and illusions briefly illuminate the brothers journeys, a tragedy that befell them fifteen years earlier seems destined to repeat itself, just in new incarnations. Flames suddenly extinguish again, in an eerie heartbeat. The journey ahead echoing with voices and visions from the past, and the magic realism of the years gone by, beckons the brothers to find each other again. And the picture in the puzzle that was scattered so long ago. Fireflies come out in the night, just to light up the darkness. They live as long as the glow lasts.

TRAILER :

by Muf 04:31 0 comments

We just felt like mentioning this promising film on our blog. Do watch the trailer. 

We're excited for it. Are you?

(this is not a promoted post)

by Muf 15:35 0 comments

You're just like the sand under the scorching red sun..

The more I try to grab you,

You slip away through my fingers leaving them half burnt...

but if I don't try at all,

I wouldn't feel you even for that little time till you slip away!

not that I would die without you,

not that I intend to burn myself into ashes..

but the 'something' that you did to my soul,

left me helpless in a fake bliss.......

~ Plabita Borthakur (manu)

by Muf 06:01 0 comments

The world around me often falls apart,
it simply fails to impart -

Any sense of glory and aplomb,
At best, it remains a ticking bomb.
One which I fear will blow me to bits,
Fragmented to frame a truth without benefits.

The world around me often falls apart,
Always at the tip of a dart.

It is in ruins that I find myself,
Depraved of a singular notion of the "self"
In the ruins of the past,
I see the foundation bicker, at last.
I learn a humble lesson or two,
On errors defined falsely as "too few"

The world around me often falls apart,
Devastatingly aiming for a brand new start.

I yearn for the experience of a world yet to be born,
While living along the frayed edges of a paper - torn.
I have seen myself through many faces,
My mind has traversed to a thousand places.
I bare yet, the same set of eyes,
My visions change, reality seldom complies.
Interrupted by chattering, from a dream like trance,
Cretins yammering on of a priestly stance.

The world around me often falls apart,
Imploring me to finally depart.

by Muf 15:10 0 comments

Today he loves me,

Tomorrow he fights, but still it takes me, to decide the right.

Today he argues, the next hour he laughs,

And I wonder how he changes so fast.

Like a module his temper is small,

But he would make sure, he remembers them all.

And sometimes, someday when I explode,

I don’t know how he has it all under control.

At eight he hugs me, at ten he stares,

At twelve he loves me, at three he glares.

And all I see when I look at him,

Is the time that changes along with him.

Dear lord.. Did you create him while eating a lime?

Why does his mind change with time?

He tickles me at five, he is angry at seven,

Do I know exactly what’s he angry for then?

I try real hard to change with him,

It’s not so easy; it’s like bending a pin.

Now this was the evening show, the night is left,

God get the time slow!

At eight in the night he’s calm alright,

At ten he’s alarmed and sometimes he cries.

I look at him and think to myself,

Should I talk to him? Or leave a note on the shelf?

And when I decide what could be right,

He wipes his tears and suddenly smiles.

Dear lord.. Did you create him while eating a lime?

Why does his mind change with time?

But even though his mind changes with time,

When I need him he is always my partner in crime.

by Muf 05:17 0 comments

She spent hours trying to look effortlessly well put together with the right kind of a carelessly messy bun,
He spent hours trying to get the perfect tan, toiling away under the harsh summer sun.

Time slowly watched and smiled, at a leisurely pace it went by,
Letting them gaze into each others eyes, and plainly let out a sigh.
Typical as it may seem,
But that's the content of many a dream.

They wasted time trying to impress each other,
They had no idea what it meant to the significant other -
They arrived together, gazed into each others eyes,
Across tables, their lives intersected over words from the "wise"
They could never focus on anything outside of their fuzzy feeling,
Even when the people they came with, admired the proposal rings.

That day, they were proclaimed man and wife.
Wedded to other people for life.

by Muf 02:43 0 comments

You have always given me love..

All I've always caused is pain..

You don't have to act any tough..

Your pretense would just go in vain!

They say we complement each other..

And that we look cute together..

They hardly with their eyes can see..

The dark and evil side of me!

Too much pain and not a scream

Do you think it's all a dream?

But seems like your heart just bled

And this feeling makes me dread!

Hurt is what I hate to give

But hurt is all I have to give you.....

~ Plabita Borthakur (manu)

by Muf 13:04 0 comments

Hamlet to Haider- A Walk down the Adaptation Road

There was a reason why Shakespeare carved the crown of a tragic hero atop a King- for, contemporary England witnessed a most bloody and conspiring game of thrones. For, the fall of this individual tumbles the town. Precisely as Ghazala (Tabu) presages, “Ghar nahin, aap poora gaav jalaoge”.  Vishal Bhardwaj’s proclivity for adaptation lay in the transference of not content, but context- from the territorial tension between Denmark and Norway to the internal conflict between the militants and the Indian military force, from the Elizabethan Hamlet to the Indian Haider. He will also not hesitate from breaking conventional norms by introducing the protagonist through the dialogue of another character- keeping in line with the Shakespearean signature of creating on-stage presence of the protagonist while keeping the actor off-stage. The setting is further deepened through the development of the visual image of the river Jhelum as a metaphorical tale of loss of and quest for the missing in militant Kashmir. The well-choreographed montages for the song establish the protagonist’s angst as representative of an entire state’s collective woes. No place else is the repercussion of political instability at the top manifested on the ground realities than in Kashmir. An adaptation of this manner carries a special magnitude for, Bharadwaj truly succeeds in making Shakespeare both relevant and timeless.

The Oedipus Complex encompassed in the character and motivation of Hamlet emerges in nuanced and shrewdly directed shots- when young Haider (Anshuman Malhotra) creeps between the blanket in his parents’ bed, when he dabs perfume on his mother’s neck and kisses it, the first dialogue between adult Haider (Shahid Kapur) and his mother as an accusation of her sexual betrayal to his father, the endearing term “Jana” used to call the son. The scene at the center of the flower strewn path showcases a shadow of ambivalence in the intention of the mother figure- whether she awaits the father’s return or the father’s corpse. 

The repeated shots of the burnt down house is symbolic of the underlying intention of the play- to deromanticize the idea and concept of the family, to raise the curtain on the ugly underbelly of desires and ambitions that betray honest vows and pious bonds. It therefore stands ironical that Ghazala is shown teaching her class of young, innocent babes the conventional, textbook definitions of a house- caring, loving, protecting. 

The character of Ophelia essayed by Shraddha Kapoor (as Arshia) was left to be developed at the hands of the script writers completely since the Bard left her role to the bare margins. Here, she offers her lovelorn lip to purge Haider of his grief, becomes his woman to mark his manhood and sexual fantasies, displays fearful naivety in revealing Haider before her father.  

The twin characters of Salman (Sumit Kaul and Rajat Bhagat) work as effective cast members- ghosts of Rosencratz and Guildenstern- they bear the appearances of fools innocuously emulating their Bollywood idol Salman Khan and thereby provide comic relief. Yet, the theme of appearance and reality is well wielded even in these characters since they are also acting as spies for Pervez (Lalit Parimoo), Arshia’s father.

Shakespeare’s King Claudius and Bharadwaj’s Khurram (Kay Kay Menon) and his rise to power juxtaposed with the Bhan performance playing out the hope for a new Kashmir is deeply ironical. Now, the film reaches the point of revelation where the well-guarded veils and illusions begin to disintegrate- the promised political freedom for Kashmir, Ghazala’s warm veneer of trust and virtue, Haider’s controlled and restrained form of revenge/anger. The close-up shot of Ghazala with the unmistakable smile of accomplishment is in sharp contrast to the appearance of the suffering “half widow” of the preceding scenes. Also significant change to note is that the frame has now replaced the vulnerable son with the lusty lover. 

Irrfan Khan’s special appearance- “Main doctor ki ruh hoon” is very significant since it is an Allusion and homage to the significant character of the Ghost in the original play- the message of avenging the man and beckoning mercy for the woman- similar to the sympathetic attitude of The Ghost towards Gertrude who, according to him, has a weak constitution. This Ghost in Shakespeare is constructed in the same vein as the three witches of Macbeth- they are characters that are deliberately of ambiguous origin and identity. This allows the creation of the internal conflict in the protagonist’s mind- the dramatic struggle between good and evil. In the context of Hamlet, it is the suspicious presence of the Ghost (and the passionate persuasion of Roohdar) that creates the doubt in the mind of the audience about the hero’s true motivation- revenge for his father or sexual envy over his mother, external circumstance or internal vice. 

The transformation of the central character is effective for, here the madness that Hamlet is allegedly affected with is brought to the fore. Of course, it is the metaphorical madness of betrayal, incestuous relationships, violence, oppression and political conspiracy. Thus, the existential question, “To be or not to be?” is echoed alongside the successive list of constitutional articles and amendments- for in Bharadwaj’s stage, Haider is not the story of individual angst but a political drama of democratic and diplomatic failure. It questions the historical position of Kashmir in time and the collective aspirations of the common man in India and Pakistan.

The Bhan performance led by Haider serves the purpose of the metanarrative strand in the original Elizabethan script. The authentic cultural identification mirrors the strength of art as a powerful commentator on life and reality. Significantly, this role play establishes the lonely, isolated position of Haider versus the personal and political relationships around him. For, he is the sole writer and director of this play within a play. 

The icy, cold setting of the graveyard and the morbid mood of the dug graveyards and the lyrical almost soothing invitation to the other side of life- foreshadows the series of deaths that will ensue in the climax of the film. The playful, humorous tone with which death is being discussed captures the vision of the original playwright- the human folly of assuming life to be grave and worthy. A flickering candle, a fleeting dream, a vision of dust- that is it, in candid, simple words; the truth of life in a nutshell- the meaning and purpose of life. The use of silence during the significant death of Ghazala reduces elements of life to a conundrum of sound and fury!

by Muf 12:47 0 comments

I have invested my capital of love,

In the company of your heart...

I assure you, my love will be the working capital of your company,

And your's will be my Life Insurance Policy...

I will supply in bulk my care to you,

And will fulfill all the promises that are due..

I will lend you the loan of my love,

And won't even charge the interest for above..

In your bank of trust, i'll keep my securities,

And for that, i know, i'll need no guarantees..

I will appreciate all the assets - that are your gifts,

And.. lemme guess.. according to you,

My liabilities would be lots n lots of hugs and kisses ??? ;)

There will be no employee, no boss,

The organisation of our life will never make a loss...

I will purchase all your sadness,

And sell you all the happiness..

Let us never be debtor or a creditor..

Since we both can not stay away from each other..

Let us promise :

"we'll always be at each other's side,
thus forming a merger of our lives... "

by Muf 13:00 0 comments

I don't want you..

Things could be so much better without you,
you know.
But you still won't leave me alone.
Will you?

Let me live
in today
for tomorrow.
Oh yesterday!
Please don't follow!

Haunting me
with every passing second
You're cruel
but all I can do is wait...

For days to become years
For time to cover you in its cloak
For you to fade away from my mind
But I know you

I know you still won't leave me!
Oh yesterday!
Go away!

~ Plabita Borthakur (manu)

by Muf 09:15 1 comments

कभी रोशनी तुम्हारे घर आती होगी,

मेरे घर आती है मगर अँधेरे से डरती है,

कभी खुशियों की बौछार से तुम्हारा घर खिल उठता होगा,

मेरे घर तो ख़ुशी कंबख़्त दुख के साथ आती है। 

खुशनसीब होते है वह लम्हे जब तुम साथ होते हो,

क्या घर,क्या रोशनी,क्या ख़ुशी,

सब कुछ तुम खुदमें समाए बैठे हो,

तुम्हे छूती हुँ तो लगता है ऐसे,

के जैसे तुम्हे कई बार गले लगा चुकी हुँ,

ज़िस्म तो सिर्फ कहने के लिए है,

आत्मसमर्पण तो कब का कर चुकी हुँ। 

----यशश्री (मनस्विनी)

by Muf 04:14 0 comments

Unchaahi raahon par the hum chale

sapno ko karke raakh the hum jale

Bandh pinjre mein ghut 

rahe the jaise

Panchi udne ko hai tarse

Chaaya tha kuch aisa andhera

Intezaar tha ki kab hoga savera

Pukar rahi thi

Manzil ki woh raahein

Samajhne lagi thi un

Ishaaron ko meri nigaahein

Aankhon ko meechkar 

Mehsus karke hai jaana

Hume toh bas

Apni manzil ko hai paana

Kar rahe the woh

Jo kaha tumne

Seh rahe the zulm

Jo diye tumne

Par ab yeh dil hai ro raha...

Kehta hai... Ab Toh Jee Le Zara...

 

by Muf 15:04 1 comments