The Secret Life of Walter Mitty- Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.

Life needs to be natural, not some tonne of a head full of horns, blowing into its own cave and blasting air to fan itself.

If you've felt this way, out on a walk, when you got out of a train at the station, or wherever…feeling perfectly numb somewhat and yet connected, and if you wondered why they never made movies about shit like that…you've finally got one- someone has been listening.

So, in the beginning, movie-goers wanted something larger than their own lives. They wanted heroes, superheroes, villains, song, dance, stories that could really never happen to them themselves. It was all about escaping into imagination that could let you live your life vicariously, through someone else’s imagination. You know- be that voyeur, who couldn’t really risk stepping out of his own clothes, his role, his lot in life and his daily bread.

But see, that changed. Then we had directors like Wes Anderson, Terry Gilliam, Jane Campion and the like, who brought stories that were weird, that didn't always involve heroes and villains. Rather, just those idiosyncrasies and methods in madnesses. These films were about outlying, being that sqaure peg in a round hole and the discomfort of maladjustment made us all laugh a lot and it created a space through which we saw things differently. To experiment, to step out of the bandwidth of the tried and tested and all perms and combs of the good vs evil theme.

And then again, this was subverted and it is just All that laborious gray jazz and we’ve had the same themes recurring of plain simple normal life in the burbs.

So 2014 opens with a remake of Walter Mitty- what is it? It is this very subdued and yet extraordinarily punchy story. The journey of a guy who wishes he was a hero- coming full circle with a protagonist playing an uncomplicated guy, an ordinary human being. I watched this movie with a friend which was great because this movie is something to watch with friends. Funny, insightful and memorable.






Walter Mitty- According to wikipedia, as I found out, has come into more general use and refers to an ineffectual dreamer, appearing in several dictionaries. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Walter Mitty as “an ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs”.

So Ben Stiller remakes this movie. And I feel he’s really remade it. We already know that he’s a good actor. We know he’s a funny guy. In that smug understated way. We know that he’s also now capable of stringing a theory about life. And this makes viewing his portfolio interesting. Acting a part is one thing. But directing a series of events and finding ways to shoot scenes in a way that lifts what is needing to be expressed into what will be felt by the audience- this transition that he’s made comes through and we know he’s thought long and hard, about the little things- what makes that watercooler-type conversation interesting, how to communicate something profound about life that he’s observed in a way that he can be sure a lot of people will relate to- this type of creativity is challenging stuff.

Many directors have tried and do try even now, to introduce a way of thought, a how-to about life’s many ifs and buts, and many haven't really been taken up and owned by people. That resemblance to reality was missing. Ben Stiller as Mitty does it though, and he does it well.

Here, in this film, coming out of an industry that has been trying too hard for some time now or not at all to get at this kind of stuff— we finally have something to sit back and appreciate- from beginning to middle to the very end. With a smile dancing out the corner of us.

The whole plot is amazing. Time Life magazine’s last issue before they go online, an acclaimed photographer and an ordinary guy as protagonist who happens to find that he’s redundant for his job. What happens to him- and the way this is handled in this film is good.

The casting is great- there are some very unforgettable characters in this film, who stand apart from the story but in a good way. Like the only man in Iceland. And the old steer hand of a ship who promises Mitty that what’s swimming up to him is surely a porpoise. In the middle of the deep blue sea. With a fin. He he he

The use of special effects is totally unfrivolous through the art direction and the screenplay in this film. Someone really knows how to have a laugh at themselves. There are some amazing metaphors in this film, like a stretchable toy- man. A toy that can be pulled in opposite directions but won’t come apart. A reassuring feeling accompanies us from around 10 minutes into this film- we know that it is going to a good place - it feel a lot like planning a holiday and then enjoying every moment that leads up to it.

The soundtrack is really pretty. Major Tom gets a new cover artist. The cinematography is awesome. This film has so many beautiful attributes, it will be something to talk about in 5 years and in 10 years to come.

I’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars.

Madurai- my charming little temple town!

It isn't often that we get to go to our birthplaces, unless you live where you were born!

I recently went back to Madurai after a couple of decades. It was something of an experience- the nostalgia, grappling with history in terms of the place we come from. Situated within peninsular India, this little town is bustling with temples, the most famous of them being the Meenakshi Temple. Madurai is really steeped in the Southern Indian culture and remains hooked to its roots in idli- vada-dosai (rice pancakes and doughnuts) and kaapi (coffee).

This journey for me, was about coming full circle in more ways than one. My friends overseas in Australia and the United States often ask me about places to see in India, apart from the usual ones that Lonely Planet offers. Madurai- this is something to savour. So it was quite charming to see a lot of people from the west   in Madurai, visiting its temples, admiring the gopuram-styled architecture and taking away something that is quite unique to this part of India.

If you don't mind walking barefoot through throngs of people and trying to understand the significance of all the rituals then it can be a very gratifying experience. I had my Eat Pray Love moment with the temple Elephant at one of the temples here!

Madurai also shares a little chunk history with the Medici in Florence, who were patrons of art and architecture. The Pandya king of Madurai during the 17th century was similarly interested to build things of beauty for his people and invited architects from Italy to share their ideas.

The result is the Naicker hall, with its beautiful and ornate carvings supported by pillars. This place is open to visit every evening and hosts a light and sound show.

Madurai is home to many stories including that of the wedding of Meenakshi with Sundareshwar- who are incarnations of Parvati and Shiva.

It is also home to the popular lore of Ponni and Selvan - a story retold by Kalki and many of its temples have been featured as sets in many films based on these stories as well.

My trip to Madurai ended on many high notes, including the sighting of rare birds and driving through leopard territory on the way back to Bangalore. Hope you make time for some of these rare experiences in Madurai.

Also, if you've visited or you are planning to visit your birthplace after a long time, share what you find!

The lion and his tamer

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there was a lion.

He was a very ferocious lion, with not too many friends. He was the king of the jungle. He had many places to go and many fights to fight, many battles to be won, many wars to wage. 

He was a lion. 

He was much misunderstood, by all his subjects. Only the monkey and the elephant really understood his plight. That he growled but he didn't mean to scare the other little ducks and the giraffes that ran skelter when he growled at something, even he couldn't be sure- "what was it?" Often he asked, when he sat by himself, by the river. 

"What was I growling at?" 

Sometimes, the river spirits came up and cheered him up and told him what he may have been growling at. They knew of the dark forces, of drought, for example. 

Then, the lion thought- "Ah, here's someone who tells me things I need to know, here's someplace I find solace, but ah, I am king of the jungle. I have responsibilities, I have animals who depend me, to know where they stand."The king paced and pondered thusly. 

Now,there was a tamer who was walking through this jungle. He was looking for a lion to tame. He was a circus master. He needed a partner, who could wow the audience in the cities and villages where he roamed. He knew the crowds would never brave the jungle and so he wanted to take the lion where he went. 

He reached the river, where he thought he could rest for a while, have a wash and look for a lion, that would eventually be his lion. A lion that he would befriend and have special conversations with, play with and go for long walks and runs with. Someone who would be as much of a friend to him as he was with his other playmates. The tamer didn't always know that his lion was his friend, but to others, he was a fierce lion. And that the lion scared them. The tamer was befuddled, " Why are you afraid of my lion?"- he would ask them, he thought, in his reveries. 

On he went, in search of his lion. 

At the shore of the river, the tamer approached a spot of shade and decided to sit there. While he sat there, thinking of fish in the river, he heard a growl in the forest behind him- Growl..!Roar! Growl!

He turned back, reflexively, taking his spear out, inspite of his heart leaping at the thought that his lion was calling out him, at the time that he was thinking about him. 

While he turned to look for the roar again, up from behind him came the big snapy jaws of a crocodile and grabbed him- his leg and dragged him back into the river. 

Roar! Growl! Roar!....was all he heard as he felt his limbs giving way, to the bite and pain- crocodile had him now. 

The lion came jumping, leaping from the trees and ran as fast he could and skidded as he came to the bank of the river. He saw the tamer in a fight for his life with the crocodile. 

The lion paced a few times around the shore, wondering who'd win, he was piqued by the thought- "What if the tamer wins- he tames me. What if the crocodile wins? Then I won't won't really have a new friend- will I now?"

So,the lion jumped into the water, risking his own life in the bargain and decided to show this crocodile, that his friend the tamer has a friend- and that friend is none other than the king of the jungle. That he better leave him alone, or else! 

Then, the crocodile backed off, remembering how, the last time the crocodile hadn't listened to orders from the king of the jungle, his river had dried up and he had to dry bask in the sun for a whole summer. He even watched as the elephants dug holes for water and he couldn't help himself in anyway. 

And all the monkeys laughed at the crocodile. 

Not wanting to risk any more such punishments, crocodile moved away, deep into his own lair, to ponder his plight with his wise friend, the turtle. 

The tamer got out of the water and the lion swam out too, they reached the shore and dried the water off themselves- then they realised, in a flash of sudden realisation- I've found what I was looking for! 

They ran to each other and embraced each other in a long affectionate moment that seemed to never end. 

They had so much to share, and tell each other and learn from each other's worlds- it seemed to them, their eyes said to each other- that all the time in the world wouldn't be enough - to connect. 

They walked on to a clearing, where all the animals of the jungle had their evening soireees, and their cook ups, and the mood was festive. The king of the jungle was very pleased with his subjects, for not fighting within themselves this evening, when his tamer friend was with him. 

The tamer was very pleased to know that his new friends were glad to meet him. 

He spent the whole evening in their company and he observed how the king was consulted on everything, from how the coconut leaves should be strung together for the decorations to how much fire should be mooted for the spit roast. 

They cheered and laughed at every joke the Lion cracked and his laugh was their mirth...they didn't seem to know, the tamer observed, what anybody was really doing, if their king was also similarly engaged, in doing nothing. 

The tamer laughed, but on a more serious note, he had to re-think now, whether he would really tame this Lion, whom he found was not wild, in the sense that he was a beast who did understand what to do with himself- he was Lord of his lair, King of his jungle, he was the Life of the jungle. It was because of him, that all the other animals and birds and creatures were happy, trees and flowers bloomed, bees buzzed and the river and its spirits, the wind, the seven seas, the clouds, the sky, the earth, the fires and everything else around them was alive, - it was because of him, the Lion, the King of the Jungle. 

The next morning, the lion came to river again to wallow in the waters, play with the fish and was really hoping to see the tamer. 

He found a little note in the bark of a tree, where there was a hollow, for a little wood pecker. 

"Did you do this woodpecker?" 

"I did. Your friend the tamer asked me to give this message." 

" I am an tamer. I came to tame you. I was selfish. But you are King of the jungle. No one's master. No one's slave. You set me free. In return, I give you the gift of my eternal friendship in the world of humans where I come from, and i dearly hope we meet again someday."

As Lion, king of the jungle read this message, he had tears in his eyes. He thought of his tamer friend and decided to give the world the gift of their story.

He walked into a canvas and stood by the tamer, now the sleeping gypsy, which even today runs in print and hangs on walls for those who wish to call upon the wonderful friendship between the lion and tamer, rendered by Henri Rousseau in "The Sleeping Gypsy".