A chink in the knight's armour...

Think of a knight and the image your mind conjures up for you is that of a brave and strong man clad in armour and mounted atop a horse equipped with sword/lance or some kind of weaponry. Basically an image of strength and fearlessness. But every knight has a chink in his armour of which he is generally aware and takes great care to shield lest others take advantage of it... Now why am I talking of knights and armours in this day and age of sophisticated and scientific warfare you may ask. Here's why...

About a fortnight ago S and me caught up with the animated movie "Hotel Transylvania", a truly funfilled presentation :) The cinema hall was filled with as many kids as adults and entertained one and all in equal measure. How could it not? It's tagline read "Even monsters need a vacation". While I'll not venture into the details of the plot, its essence is one which you'll find in the human world. The central characters in the movie were Dracula  (Ah yes the infamous blood sucking count...), his daughter Mavis (the chink in the armor!!) and a human(the luvv angle in this love triangle :P). While the movie starts off showcasing the Hotel Transylvania as the ultimate getaway for monsters (remember their need for vacation?), you cannot help but notice the paternal instincts of Dracula that materialize in almost every frame of the story.

It was simply adorable to see him teach little Mavis how to transform herself into a bat and fly, I just loved the cute lil pink helmet he put on her before he began the training(Safety first!!). There are many such tender moments including when he plays her favorite song and enjoys all her antics like the proverbial chase around the house or in this case literally around the house for being a monster she can walk on walls and ceilings you see :D that showcase the special bond. Of course towards the end, in true filmi style he goes hunting for the human he had sent away himself after realising his daughter's romantic feelings for the human, manages to find him and bring him back to unite the young hearts nearly dying in the process but then its an animated movie, so it has to end with "and they happily lived ever-after..."

The point I'm trying to make here is that a daughter has a very special place in a father's heart. A daughter wields some kind of a magical power over her father, she can make him melt as if he were ice-cream and not the tough guy that the son or the mother see him to be. Oh yes, a father is quite harsh on his son, but rarely so with the daughter. He cares deeply about his children but a father does not usually express it in words, some fathers do but most of them keep their most treasured feelings to themselves like the proverbial knight. The world never gets to see the softer side of the strongest man in the world that I know(Sorry my dear husband). Remember that line in a an advertisement, Dhara ad if I remember well, "My daddy strongest :D"... Yes, that is how any child will feel about his/her dad. I know that you care a lot about me Appa, it's just that you don't say it out loud... But you have been and will always be there for me whenever I have needed you, Thank you Appa :)

Pictures are from Google images

PS: Amma, this post does not in anyway undermine the special bond we share :)

BARFI!

The moment one hears the word "barfi" in India, images of the humble yet mouthwatering sweet is what comes to mind. There may be variations in color and taste but it is the square/diamond shaped sweet nonetheless. There is a new addition to the long list of "barfis" but this time its not a sweet but a movie(sweet and simple one at that). Last weekend I watched my first Bollywood movie in the theaters of US of A with my hubby S. By then "BARFI!" had already been nominated as India's official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. I had decided to watch the movie without allowing any hype to cloud my opinion.

The movie is in a narrative format and so the timeline moves back and forth. The early part of the movie which has Ranbir (Titular character Barfi ) being chased by cops is reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin's antics. 

 Ranbir's role as the guy condemned to silence (deaf and mute by birth) but one who always manages to perk things up for anyone whom he chances upon is very likable. The best part is the gusto with which he lives each moment, it is infectious and something I liked to bring back home with me. 

 Ileana does justice to her role as the initially confused and finally determined lady who breaks the shackles she bound herself in. She has brought out the emotional dilemma of her character(Shruti Ghosh/Mrs Sengupta) quite well. Priyanka as the autistic girl (Jhilmil )who is only hoping that people understand her and not mock her unfortunately doesn't quite measure up to the character. She does go a little over the top at times to emphasize her medical condition and this takes away some of the sparkle from the movie.

 All the other supporting characters namely the police inspector, Barfi's dad, his childhood friend, the founder-caretaker of  "Muskaan" have been sketched out well. The cameraman captures the scenery of Darjeeling and the chaos of Kolkata well. The songs seem to blend well into the movie and the tunes are non-intrusive and hummable.

The attitude of society towards autism largely due to ignorance of the people is highlighted. It would have been better if the filmmakers had also used this opportunity to create awareness regarding the kind of care and facilities that would make the world a better place for such people. The special care center does provide a glimpse of it. There are quite a few scenes in the movie which remind you of the "origin of their inspiration" but overall it is a sweet movie that does touch the tear-glands a bit but the one that really tickles your funny bone and makes you feel good about life, teaching you to enjoy the simple pleasures that are strewn all along the path of life :-).

For the source of the image here