Sunday, August 19, 2012

82 and Young

Photo courtesy:  http://every-little-counts.blogspot.in/2012/06/china-machado.html  and   http://tara-tan.com/2012/03/22/china-machado/

When I picked up today's Times Life to read, a usual Sunday morning practice that I relish to do, I was surprised at the variety and insight into some very interesting pieces. Last week there was an interesting article on a practice in the British Raj called 'Fishing Fleets' and this week what got my attention was the article about China (pronounced as Chee-na) Machado, model at the age of 82! Unashamed to show her face wrinkled and old, she poses for the camera just as she would have when she was in her 20s.
One statement that she made caught my eye particularly. She said "In our time, models were proud of the clothes they wore...models these days don't know anything beyond themselves. Maybe that's why they are so insecure and fall prey to vices, surgeries etc. " As soon as I read this I found it true in some sorts. I don't completely agree to the point that women in the previous century were not proud of their beauty(Marilyn Monroe herself an example), however it is true that now whenever I see a fashion show or anything written on it, a lot of importance is given to the model's looks and clothes that accentuate her features rather than a model adding to the beauty of the dress that she is wearing. Now, there has to be a reason why models today have become so narcissistic as compared to previous ones could be attributed to the changing trends of society demanding women to be 'perfect' and selling products by 'looks' rather than using it to promote the product. When I say this, I am reminded of a line from the book 'The Winner Stands Alone' by Paulo Coelho in which Gabriela, an actress, who is almost 25 is horrified because a career in this field would actually start crumbling after 25. What an antithesis would China's life be then to a world that makes a hypocrisy of the proverb 'beauty is not skin deep'.
When you have dozens of creams advertising 'anti-ageing', 'look young', 'anti-wrinkles' for people above the age of 35, one ad even endorsing women in their 20s to start applying to maintain their face, you have China who says that "life is beautiful at any age". I think it all depends on how you view beauty and fashion to be. Whether you dress to impress or dress for yourself, though, when you start getting attention, it's hard to focus on just keeping yourself happy. Oh and don't forget 'beauty pageants' that promote the idea of 'beauty with a cause'. China's won Miss World 2012 and then you have China modeling at 82 in 2012. Oh the irony.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Gangs of Wasseypur I- A Movie Review



With Tulsi welcoming you to her home in the first scene of the movie, you will be thrown into a fit of laughter but within seconds, the actual goons take over and the shooting starts which goes on mercilessly for quite a few minutes giving you the first thrill of the movie. With a narrative by Anurag Kashyap that explains the history of Wasseypur and Dhanbad before and after independence, the movie spans a complete 3 generations of families for 3 hours. Opening with the pre-independence era with the rivalry between the Qureshi and the Pathan clans in which Shahid Khan is ousted from his village Wasseypur by the Qureshi but later on killed by Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia) who had employed him, it turns to a ploy to seek revenge for his father by Sardar Singh (Manoj Bajpai).
Sardar Singh takes a vow as "Marunga nahi saale ko, keh ke lunga" regarding Ramadhir Singh and thereafter you see attempts after attempts where Sardar succeeds in what he says.  On the sidelines, there are the indulgences of Sardar Singh after marrying Nagma (Richa Chadda) in other women, specially a Hindu woman called Durga (Reemma Sen) which add drama and fun to the otherwise serious movie. Nagma comes to know about Durga but she still remains faithful to her husband, being the only staunch woman in the movie which has very few female characters. 
Sardar's children are brought up without their father being there most of the times, but they still grow up in the same environment as their father. With one of his son, Danish marrying a Qureshi, their arch-rival, they hope to put and end to the years of angst, also because even Faizal, his other son seems smitten by a Qureshi girl whom he recognizes from his childhood.
However, though the movie has its positives which are balanced by the sultry scenes of Durga as well as the amazing humor in the script as against the bullets that are shot endlessly by the characters, there are parts where you feel the movie could have had a better edit. A part in the middle where you seen nothing but the life of Sardar and Durga, you wish the movie would just go ahead with its story. The songs however add the lighter tone to the seriousness to it with its Hinglish lyrics and a mix of soundtracks by composer Sneha Khanwalkar.
If you can't stand the sight of blood or violence and serious history along with tons and tons of abusive language, this is certainly not the movie for you. Though the film has its humor, most of them have sexual connotations. All eyes and ears need to be alert in the movie for all 3 hours if you want to get the crux of the movie well.
Out of a 5 star I would give the movie a 3 and a half stars. It would have been a 4 had the editing been crisp. It's a movie that you surely cannot miss.