Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 277

What is your mother’s name?

What is your mother’s name?
You roll your father’s name off your tongue like it is your own name
You proudly say you are the daughter of a Mr
But you are not
The woman who gave birth to you is reduced to a nick name
Maa, mom, mummy
You sometimes call out to her in a language older than you
Aai, amma
But what is her name?
You pick up phone every night and type M, select mom and dial
You buy her a cake for her birthday and when the shop lady asks you what should be the wish
You proudly say, “Happy birthday mummy”
But she was a shashikala first named after the moon
Or may be an Usha for the morning sun
Or may be she was called Nancy because her mother loved the detective series
Or she was a beautiful Neelima or a Mamta, Seema, Nagma, Sandhya, Iram or Faiza
May be she had a nickname as mundane as Pinku
And was teased by her classmates and called, Regal, for walking like a Queen
Or may be she was a Queen
With an invisible crown
But for nine months after she carried you in her belly and nine years and thirty decades later
She turned into Maa, mummy, aai, amma.
Her name, her nickname, the smile when someone called out her name buried under your birth.

Here lies a tombstone,
Made of love, kindness and secret recipes
Of Maa
Her name cut and thrown
With the umbilical cord
Of her child.

Nivedita

Harry Potter referencer | Law Grad | Journalist | Fact Checker

instagram.com/bombaybombil/

Feel The Beat Review – Bitch Gets Feels in the End

“After failing to find success on Broadway, April returns to her hometown and is recruited to train a misfit group of young dancers.” – This is the Netflix description for the 2020 dance film ‘Feel the Beat’. That’s pretty much it.

Directed by Elissa Down, this film uses every done to the death cliche in the story-making book to show your typical “loser to winner” kind of tale. Sofia Carson who plays the lead April is actually very good as the protagonist, the only problem is – April is not likable AT ALL. She is a total fake smiling bitch who is trying to make it big as a dancer in New York. She spectacularly fails at it in the beginning by unwittingly pissing off a big name in the dancing field. Broke and rejected, April heads back to her small town & then behaves like a total dick to people around her. For no damn reason. When her old dance teacher asks her if she would like to train kids for a competition, April arrogantly turns down the offer. Only after her father points out that it might get her a chance to dance in front of some big names does she agree to take up the challenge.

You can guess the rest of the story for yourself. Mean arrogant teacher + bunch of clueless kids + a big competition that can turn all their lives around = teacher & kids bond, become best friends and cross expectations in the competition. Lol. Or should I sigh? I sighed a lot during the course of the film. “Should I stop the film?” my movie partner asked me at least three times and I said “hey, can I not express irritation if I find something annoying, doesn’t mean I don’t want to watch it”.

Why did I even watch it to the end? Only because of the very cute kids in the film. Two the the kids are so damn adorable, that you might want to adopt at least one of them. If not for the talented little children in the cast, this movie would’ve been absolutely unbearable. Unfortunately my favourite ones haven’t been billed in the cast anywhere, so I am just going to drop a picture with them marked in it. These two were the youngest and provided the most laughs and smiles with their endearing performances.

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For a dance film, the choreography wasn’t all great. Even the numbers with April (Sofia Carson) weren’t impressive. The last group dance number she performs with the kids onstage was heartwarming, not because of the choreography, but because of their backstories. The romance sub-plot about April & her ex-boyfriend (Wolfgang Novotgratz) was absolutely unnecessary & only adds sentimental crap value to the plot; although Wolfgang is a handsome devil, so he might make the ladies happy for adding aesthetic value to the screen.

Like I indicated earlier, it’s a stale tale. April’s back-story is just not convincing enough – the kid growing up without a mom. I mean, is that reason enough to be an heartless asshole who hurts people close to her & leaves them with abandonment issues?

Honestly, there is not much else to say about “Feel the Beat”. The kids can’t feel it at first. But April trains them hard and the viewers get to see them grow from bad to decent. The climax has a super delightful dance with the under-9 kids and I absolutely loved it. If you are having a hard day and just want to watch a simple, predictable film with cute kids, you can pick this one. Or skip it. I would give it a 5/10, an extra one point for the charming children.

Travel Anxiety

I am going to be travelling for the first time since March this year and for the probably the first time in many years, I am experiencing very slight anxiety over it, especially due to the pandemic and all the new measures. Thankfully, the excitement of meeting my parents and brother makes it all the worries take a backseat. I haven’t seen them at all this year! At least that’s going to change soon.

My folks live in a state where the liquor business is regulated by the government, so you get only mediocre/shitty brands. So I went to a liquor store after a long time, to get some nice alcohol for dad and saw a Jhonny Walker statue that made me smile. It was masked up.

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Murder Mystery Review

Unlike most film enthusiasts, I tend to research on movies after I watch them. So after I was done streaming “Murder Mystery” starring Adam Sandler & Jennifer Aniston, here’s what I found out – it was the most popular film on Netflix in 2019, according to the company.

Is the comedy really that good? Directed by Kyle Newacheck, it’s definitely very entertaining. And manages to get enough laughs out of the viewer, even if most of it is “what the fuck, this is so silly” kinds. Sandler has this brand of man-child comedy that can either be risible or repellent. This one falls in the former category. Jennifer Aniston has a typical Rachel like role, so no challenges there. The two lead actors play an American couple Nick & Audrey Spitz, who are on their European honeymoon 15 years after their marriage. Audrey bumps into a charming handsome man called Charles Cavendish (Luke Evans) on their flight and he kindly invites the couple to the family yacht owned by his billionaire uncle Malcom Quince (Terence Stamp). What could have been an idyllic getaway takes a strange turn when the old rich man is murdered on French waters. The needle of suspicion immediately falls on the Spitz pair and they try to crack the case to prove their innocence.

The movie has a zany Agatha Christie novel vibe, where there are multiple murder suspects and the one with the least obvious motive turns out to be the killer. Unlike most mystery films, this one is not very easy to predict. There is so much happening in the film, that instead of trying to guess who the murderer is, the viewer is engrossed in the madness unfolding on the screen. Each character is almost caricature like, you have a beautiful gold-digging Asian (Shioli Kutsuna) who entraps a wealthy white man; then there is a “Maharajah” from Mumbai who loves living it large; also onboard is a Colonel with an eye-patch who seems like a mean dick… so on and so forth.

Sandler & Aniston have an easy camaraderie that helps steer the movie smoothly. Writer James Vanderbilt has done a pretty cool job, despite using some tried and tested tropes. Since it’s set in Europe, the film is visually very aesthetic and makes the viewer want to dash off to take their own European vacation.

“Murder Mystery” may not be nail-biting thriller territory, or even “laugh your heart out” sorts of comedy, it’s definitely a good pick for the weekend to while away time, especially for a movie-night with friends.

Paani Puri

It was September 4. I was experiencing the Bombay rains after two years of having lived away from my beloved city.

For reasons unbeknownst, I had decided to go to work. A journey of 40 minutes from my house had taken three hours. “Mumbai Darshan hogaya yeh toh”, my cabbie had joked. The return was more adventurous. Finding streets not waterlogged and flyovers not packed with stationary cars, my taxi finally reached a junction four kilometers away from my house. And then we were stuck. Bonnet touching bonnet, vehicles stood still. Nobody honking, nobody cursing, just waiting.

After half an hour of staring at the vehicles around me, I decided to walk home. Half an hour into walking, my lazy self who doesn’t walk even to the local grocery, gave up. It let out a huge growl, which if not for the rains, could shake the pillars of the monorail above me.

And right there, I saw you.

Chopping onions, arranging sev and mixing the ragda. Like a multitasking God.

You smiled at me. I smiled at you.

I walked over to you. No words were exchanged.

A plate was handed over. I said, “medium. Teekha thoda zyada”

You nodded like you knew.

You adjusted the huge rainbow umbrella to protect me from the rains. I smiled.

And I had two plates of piping hot Panipuri.

I paid you and adjusted my bag to brace the rains again. When you said the magic words, “Madam Sukha puri lelo”

Nivedita

Harry Potter referencer | Law Grad | Journalist | Fact Checker

instagram.com/bombaybombil/

Vampires vs The Bronx Review

It’s Halloween season in the U.S and popular streaming sites are now filled with all sorts of spooky films, be it serious slasher types or horror comedy kind. Directed by Osmany Rodriguez, “Vampires vs The Bronx” falls in the latter category, it’s is a very campy and would appeal more to kids than adults.

The film is about a small group of teenagers who are trying to save their neighbourhood from being taken over by vampires. Dressed in suits, and loaded with blood money, the fanged-suckers in this film are behind a string of disappearances in their locality. Miguel (played by a spunky Jaden Michael) is an enterprising young boy, who finds out the sinister truth behind the missing people and leads his friend into what seems like a losing battle.

Some might miss how this film is not just about “good vs the evil” but is a deeper tale about class divides, with the fanged pale vampires representative of not just wealth but also “white privilege”, trying to take over small businesses of hard-working black people.

The kids in this movie completely slay it, despite a weak script and an evidently low budget. Gerald Jones plays Bobby Carter who is almost tempted by the evil side. Gregory Diaz IV plays Miguel’s nerdy friend Luis Acosta, the boy who looks like Harry Potter, but thinks like Hermione. Coco Jones as Rita was cute but almost unnecessary, because she gets very little screen time. Their friendly banter is breezy and fun, reminiscent of the 1985 classic “Goonies”.

This is probably the first Vampire film I’ve seen that does not have any sexual overtones at all. There’s a strong sense of community, friendship that is communicated through the dynamics between the characters and it’s quite endearing in parts. The age-old “garlic, crosses and holy water versus vampires” trope is quite funny.

Since the story takes place in current times, the cinematography seems to be on point. The cast is dressed like regular people on the streets and the background music is very upbeat and hip. The blood-sucking clan is led by a rather friendly/forgettable looking vamp called Vivian (Sarah Gadon), she transforms into quite a sinister looking monster. So the make-up team did an applaud worthy job.

While ‘Vampires vs The Bronx’ might not be very memorable, it’s a fun quick watch for a Friday night with the family.

Mr Heart BL Series Review

Social media might be maligned as the source of a lot of fake news, but it’s also where some of us get our daily dose of trivia and sometimes even general-knowledge, each time we scroll through our feed. For example, I didn’t know that 11th October is celebrated as ‘National Coming Out Day’ across the world and it’s the 31st edition in 2021! It’s simply a co-incidence that I was planning on reviewing a Korean series that’s about two young men falling in love.

According to MyDramaList the 2020 Korean show “Mr Heart” is a follow-up project to the popular drama “Where Your Eyes Linger”, which explored similar themes. However, “Mr Heart” directed by Park Seon Jay is a lot less serious and has a chirpy college charm to it.

(Click here to read my review of “Where Your Eyes Linger”)

When athlete Jin Won (Cheon Seung Ho), a record-breaking track runner begins to have sleep issues, which in turn affects his performance, his coach appoints a junior to become his pacemaker. Enter Lee Se Jin, who plays the adorably optimistic Sangha, ready to help out the star athlete, but Ji Won doesn’t share his enthusiasm at all. The rest of the show is about how the two get close due to their training.

The best bit about this mini-series (it’s only 8 episodes, each one just 10 minutes long) is the fact that there is minimal drama and our protagonist wears his heart on his sleeves. Sangha doesn’t bat an eyelid before declaring his feelings for Jin Won. While the latter is not very comfortable with the confession, he doesn’t say or do anything negative either. From there on, their awkward friendship blooms, after a few hiccups of-course.

Since it’s a south-Korean show, the makers obviously try put in a sentimental sub-plot, which comes in the form of Sangha’s financial woes. Sometimes, the emotions get excessive and exaggerated. For example, in episode 4, Sangha breaks into harrowing tears while explaining why Jin Won makes him smile. The scene was almost cringe-worthy.

Except for a few needless emotional scenes, “Mr Heart” can easily capture the viewer’s love with it cute romance. The lead actors are fantastic and it’s hard to believe that this is Cheon Seung Ho’s debut show. He nails the “serious but soft” hero role perfectly. Lee Se Jin, just like his character Sangha, brightens up the screen with his presence.

The cinematography is done very artfully, especially the bits where the boys go out running. Not sure if this was shot during the pandemic, but the marathon scene had very few onlookers, which struck as odd, but doesn’t matter. The background score is not striking but helps to heighten the comic factor in some sequences.

As far as the support cast is concerned, they don’t have much to do, but they are all believable in their little roles. The coach was caricature-like and seemed straight out of a manga. Like a lot of K-drama, there is no villain and it works just fine for the show. Sure, we do have a bunch of bad guys, but it’s not like they are baying for anyone’s blood or scheming nasty things. The story pans out like a regular romantic tale, with a sweet ending.

Only 8 episodes long, each one lasting about 10 minutes, this show is totally binge-worthy for those looking for some cute light college rom-com. It’s great to see that South-Korean creatives are finally attempting to come out with more mainstream LGBT content. Pun intended.

A Shropshire Lad Review

This cloth-bound poetry book called “A Shropshire Lad” by A E Housman was smaller than expected. But there are enough poems to last you days and charm you with their lyrical allure.

The dominant theme is war in the first few pages. But the poems also dwell into other universal themes like love, loneliness & the perils of youth. It’s the simplicity of language that adds a raw honesty to all that is being said by the poet. The book was published in 1896 and yet, the thoughts of the writers are clear and concise and some of the ideas still very relevant and relatable.

Look at these lines from one of the poem that brought a smile to my face –

Some lads there are, 'tis shame to say,
That only court to thieve,
And once they bear the bloom away
'Tis little enough they leave.
Then keep your heart for men like me
And safe from trustless chaps.
My love is true and all for you.
"Perhaps, young man, perhaps."

This poem talks of a lad falling for a woman and how he tries to woo her in vain. Housman talks of superficial passion and how some men lure women to just exploit them and disappear when they’ve had their fun. It’s an age old cautionary tale recited in a light, almost letter-like manner.

In Shropshire Lad, you find a vivid voice that echoes familiar sentiments,as if someone is singing you a song. It’s the kind of poetry you can read before going to bed and not feel burdened by the weight of its words.

Inktober Week 1 Wrap Up

I’ve been wanting to participate in Inktober since a while, but it so happens that every year I’m already a couple of days into the month before I remember it.

The last thing I’d expect was to be lucky in 2020, but here we go.

Inktober 2020 Prompt 1 – Fish

I picked a nice koi fish motif from the internet because admittedly I’m partial to koi artwork. Let’s hope I can see this through to the end of the month.

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Inktober 2020 Prompt 2 – Wisp

Ori from Ori And The Blind Forest, which is an extremely beautiful video game if you haven’t played it yet.

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Inktober 2020 Prompt 3 – Bulky

With a beanbag-like physique, you’d expect pandas to avoid hanging precariously off thin branches. But here we are.

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Inktober 2020 Prompt 4 – Radio

A panel from a very creepy horror manga named PTSD Radio. The true horror of this sketch is revealed when you turn the image upside down.

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Inktober 2020 Prompt 5 – Blade

This concept knife sketch measures less than 4 inches on paper, which made inking the details a bit of a task. But a little pencil work helped bring it to life.

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Inktober 2020 Prompt 6 – Rodent

Like all creatures of his kind, he slunk in the dark. Waiting. Watching. Preparing. The world wasn’t ready for him, or his four disciples. Not yet.

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Inktober 2020 Prompt 7 – Fancy

She wished to run barefeet over the wet sand, but was asked to wear stilettos and walk on silk. Her jewels sparkled a lot more than her eyes ever could.

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Find all of my ‘sketchy’ stuff on instagram.com/whomovedmybookmark/

5 Reasons Why ‘Dragon’s Dogma’ Is Draggy Drama

‘Dragon’s Dogma’ is the latest animated series to hit Netflix and has been adapted from a video game. Needless to say, a lot is being said about it. I came to know of it through a very glowing review that called it ‘the video best game to series’ adaptation. After being blown away by the first two seasons of Netflix’s ‘Castlevania’, a lot of us have been dying to watch something that comes close to its awesomeness. ‘Dragon Dogma’ sounded like it. However, just one episode down and it felt like a forgettable mess.

Here are five reasons why episode one just didn’t work for me –

1. In the very first two minutes, a gigantic crimson dragon blazes through the screens and looks like a Godzilla-sized shiny plastic puppet out of a children’s show. The animation on the mythical creature is just second-rate. While the rest of the digital landscape is on point, the dragon is just a ridiculous eyesore. And when it speaks, it’s hilarious! Basically, the biggest villain in the series is not menacing at all.

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2. The movements of all the animated characters are choppy. I don’t know if it was deliberate, but the gestures are game-like and slow. It’s as if you are watching someone play it and the characters take time with their movements because they are waiting for the player to decide which button to hit next on the gaming console. It’s that kind of slow. Which is just annoying and drags down the pace of the show.

3. The dialogues are flat and lack wit. It doesn’t get any chuckles or even a smidgen of a smirk out of the viewer. For a 18+ series, it’s surprisingly bland.

4. Forget the dialogues, even the story-line lacks maturity. The hero Ethan goes hunting in the woods with a boy and the two encounter a pack of menacing murderous wolves. Ethan asks the boy to run and get help from a group of soldiers stationed nearby, while he attempts to stall them as long as he can. When the boy rushes to the soldiers, they all take their sweet time to get ready, making small talk with the boy and lauding him for his bravery, showing no signs of haste whatever. They even hold a small round-table meet with their ‘captain’ before they can head out to fight the beasts.

5. Towards the end of the first episode, the ridiculous looking dragon is back, breathing fire all over Ethan’s village. The violent scenes are very generic and mindless, with not one moment that can strike any sort of terror or awe in the mind of the viewer.

I decided to ditch the show right after the first episode. Maybe it gets better, but I am not interested in finding out. Surviving just 26 minutes of the first one was hard enough.