PEOPLE - Faces and Facets

Whenever my mind is not busy in generating any productive thoughts (which is very often), my philosophical mind jumps in action fiddling with some random thoughts. I start reasoning about the things happening in my surrounding, people perambulating around and so on. I start studying faces of people and try to guess what is going on in their mind. Not that I am good at face-reading or something, but it is always fun to do such exercises and keep your brain busy in free time.

            The best time to enjoy doing such weird things is when you are in a crowded place, surrounded by people of all sorts and strata. When I am in court, donning the black coat, absorbing the heat and waiting for the lift to help me traverse from one floor to the other, instead of getting irritated for the long wait, I glance at the faces of people-lawyers, judges, police, clients and people accompanying them. Some are sad that they have to go through a robe routine and it is just another day for them. Some are always pumped with energy because they are ultimately doing what they like to do. Others think that this way or that, they have to earn bread for their family so why not by doing this work. Some have plain, insipid faces without any reason. 

When the police are taking away some criminals, those criminals too, are of assorted expressions. There are a few hardened criminals who carry the “to hell with the world, I will not change” attitude on their face. Then there are those who, even in their worst nightmares had never imagined that they would land up in jail some day and hence carry a guilt-laden face. Handful others are as shameless while being whisked away by the police as they were during the commitment of crime for which they are being tried. People accompanying these criminals wear only one expression-of being helpless and hapless. Apart from court there are number of other places where we can study human psychology at its best and vivid angles.

“Scared”-was my instantaneous expression when long ago, as a child, I first saw local trains in Mumbai. I wondered how so many people lived in one city at one time and where does everyone have to go throughout the day since locals would always be occupied to the capacity. This curiosity awakened the ‘face reading genius’ in me. Suddenly the monstrous population started looking like an interesting puzzle to me. People were conveying various messages, quite involuntarily, through their face. There were those accepting life as it came and made full use of whatever little free time they could get and there were those dejected to see their fates oscillating in the local trains and then there were a few others who had mastered the art of contentedness with a statement “That’s life!”, stamped on their face. As I started observing people, travelling in a local had become enjoyable or at least tolerable. Since then it felt more like browsing through a library, each person an encyclopaedia in himself.   

There are many such places like our neighbourhood, social events, family functions where we can find umpteen species of a genre called ‘People’. So next time when you are surrounded by number of people and you don’t have any work you know what to do. But be watchful of your actions as someone else might also be studying your face and facets to your personality.

A Tattered Destiny

It was getting dark. Waiting for her last patient, Dr. Akriti hoped to finish off quickly so that she could wind up the most hectic day in past few months at the Health Centre. The patient, a lady, came in with muffled steps. Her face was laden with embarrassment. Dr. Akriti, as an intern of Community Medicine was used to with such patients who came to diagnose problems ranging from children’s vaccination to their personal physical problems. Clearly gauging the lady’s difficulty, Dr. Akriti made her sit and feel comfortable.

                Frail, fragile and drained out, her looks spoke more for her. ‘A patient of gynaec problem, it seems’, Dr. Akriti made a mental diagnosis of the patient. As she began her actual check-up, her eyes fell on the lady’s ornaments from which a Tabiz flashed. It not only demonstrated her religion but also had something to do with her health problem; a probable victim of disease due to polygamous marriage system prevalent in their sect. Seeing the doctor’s mild mannerisms, the lady spoke up, “I am Fatima. I stay in the adjacent slum area,” her first interaction since she had entered the clinic. “What problem do you have, Fatima?”, Dr. Akriti asked. Before she could say anything, Fatima burst into a bout of tears.

                She commenced her story gradually. “I was hardly 11 when I got married. At the raw age of 12, I had a child. Then again at 13, the next one; and by the time, I was 16, I was a mother of four. My husband was a drunkard. He hardly earned anything and whatever little he earned was spent in his drinking. He used to come home late at night and beat me. One day he left for work and didn’t come back for about 4-5 months. When he came back, he was married for the second time. I was shattered. He had been staying with her for all these days.” She stuttered before speaking further. Dr. Akriti calmed her down, “Take your time and tell me slowly.”

“We again had physical relations”, she continued. In our society, what a woman wants hardly matters. It is only about the husband’s will.” The affable doctor at once understood the lady’s problem, motioned further towards her and advised, “You are suffering from an infection that has been transmitted by your husband, which he could have got because of his second wife. We need to do your husband’s check up too, to ensure your own safety.” Fatima agreed and left with a relaxed countenance and a promise to come the next day with her husband.

Fatima didn’t come the next day, nor the day after that. ‘She might be unwell’, thought Dr. Akriti to herself. Whole week passed but there was no news of Fatima. Dr. Akriti could not forego the memory of that flimsy lady and so she decided to find out her whereabouts. She went to the slum near the Health Centre. After a lot of enquiries she located Fatima’s hutment. She entered with some frantic paranoia. As she entered the hut, she found, to her utter dismay that Fatima was lying inertly in a small bed at corner. She was all bruised, swollen and bleeding. The doctor, in her ever concerning tone, asked Fatima as to what happened. Fatima, writhing in pain, shuddered, “Madam, I am fine with this infection. I am ready to suffer. But please do not ask me to bring my husband for the check-up. He felt that I am pointing out a weakness in him and so he bet me badly. Even if I die because of this, it is alright. But please…..”; and she went into a state of unconsciousness.

Film Review-Ek Villain

What if someone told you that a stern looking gangster can be given a heart change by your impish chatter and inane jokes? The movie ‘Ek Villain’ drags you into believing it.

                The story spins mainly around three people-Aisha, Guru and Rakesh. Aisha (Shraddha Kapoor) is this quirky girl who can go on and on with her babble, some funny and some with a content high on philosophy. For every situation she manages to tag along a joke. Sadly, she is gripped by a disease (name of which is not disclosed till the end) due to which she has already started a countdown to her death. This makes her ever bubblier (a la ‘Anand’ and ‘Guddi’ of olden times). She wishes to enjoy happiness in every form and thus, writes a scrapbook to make a note of those ‘happiness’ moments she would love to have before she dies and a camera to click her happiness in action and paste it in the scrapbook.

                Guru (Siddharth Malhotra), the criminal who is forever lugging his deadpan looks, is a man of few words. Aisha needs a favour from him, so is always after him badgering to help her. Irritated by her nonstop talks, he tries to avoid her and even intimidates her on some occasions. But at the end, he falls for her and even helps her fulfil her ‘Project Happiness’.

                Rakesh (Riteish Deshmukh) shown as a psychopath husband is mind blowing. He loves his wife to the core. He is ready to tolerate her everyday nagging and annoying remarks; with an exception that he vents his anger on unknown ladies by killing them in weirdest of manners. One such hapless victim is Aisha, who dies before her disease can conquer her.

                What happens after that is the mystery of the movie. Will Guru take revenge of the death of his lady love? Who exactly is the real villain in the story is to be seen. First half an hour of the movie is immensely captivating as you are curiously connecting the story shown part in flashback and part in the present. But the climax leaves you flabbergasted for you feel that expectations built in the first half are dampened in the second half. It makes you think that the director, Mohit Suri had some abrupt idea at midnight and he told the screenplay writer to make it into a film by hook or by crook.

                The film has been shot mainly in Goa and Mumbai. All picturesque places have been captured for pleasant and romantic shots while dismaying locales have been artistically picked for mysterious scenes. A typical Goanese background of churches and British style buildings leave you mesmerised. The part where Aisha wants to fulfil her wishes like catching a butterfly, seeing a peacock dancing in first rains have been shot in very lush green neighbourhood like a dense forest and a hilly area. You are left with a longing to visit that spot.

                While most of the songs are melodious and you keep humming those hours later, the item number by Prachi Desai, ‘Awari’ is a total misfit even to drag the story further. Ankit Tiwari and Mithoon have done a good job in the music department. Tushar Hiranandani and Milap Zaveri have belted out some really power-packed dialogues, highlighting the underlying theme of the movie-‘a devil can be turned into a good person by bringing him out of darkness into light’.

                At the end, I feel the box office numbers ringed because ever since previous week there has been no good movie to watch and people needed some entertainment to enjoy their weekend.