Prabha Manda’s Blog

About Kamal Hassan’s 50th Anniversary in movies

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

I don’t have much to say about the whole program, might add something later but wanted to say what I thought about his movie “Dashavataram”. Though everyone spoke well about that movie, saying he did such a good job in all the ten roles , acted like an American, old lady, etc., I must say that was his worst movie in all the ones I have seen. Just because you want to speak well about someone doesn’t mean you go ahead and praise something that wasn’t done well. He might have gone to lengths to get the movie done, but as a viewer what is seen is what matters and I am sure Kamal Hassan must himself know that all those different roles except for the telugu guy and the first one, were no good. It just is a joke, how could he think that people would buy in to that? Must be some crazy fans of his that like that movie. The first few scenes until he drowns are very good and then the movie drowns too in my opinion. Those who think that the movie was good can come back and argue with me in their spare time, even though its been a while since that movie released. In his whole 50 years in the movie industry I am sure that is the one movie that will stand out as a very silly one. His american accent was a joke, his playing Bush was a joke.

In general, the movie can be rated silly, bad and not put together well at all, the plot didn’t seem too solid as well.

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Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Forgot to write a blog about what I thought, after I had seen the movie. I liked the general idea of the movie, even though it is so unrealistic. Makes you think in other ways about life. The scene where Benjamin dies is touching and the one where the clock maker makes a clock that goes backward in time was good. It is a a sad scene too, that perhaps only those who have someone dear can understand better, even though those more fortunate feel they do too. I wondered how they showed Brad Pitt, in the scenes where he is old and gradually gets younger. Wonder what kinds of special effects were used.

In short I can say it was g ood movie, the plot keeps you engrossed in the movie, throughout.

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Belief in who?

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Why is it that people turn to ‘God’ for things not under their control? Is it a psychological thing that people have for centuries done to overcome their lack of control over some or every thing in their lives? If so why hasn’t that changed for many? I find references to ‘God’ for such little , stupid or silly things like, o god save my child he is doing so and so- when that so and so is something that can be controlled by the mom itself! Is is a lazy approach to solve any problem? I always wonder, why it is that in this modern world why people haven’t adapted to the concept of the absence of a superpower. It is perhaps to avoid facing reality it is always comfortable to be in your own world, making up your own rules, disregarding the reality.If everyone, took a moment to look out for and look at their loved ones and lived for them, felt for them there wouldn’t be some priest somewhere, some holy man somewhere doing that job for them in the name of God. Goodness in yourself need not be sparked by a belief in a non existent force, it is within yourself that you have the power, it in your mind that everything is. All you have to do is take control and make some one person in your life happy . Just a look up at the clear sky sprouts so many thoughts in the mind- of how little we know, how big a job scientists are trying to do, of how we get bogged down by a seemingly meaningless reason, of how our worries are silly. Will we ever know some answers fully? I hope experiments to re enact the Big Bang and such go on and are successful.

Having said that, Good Morning!

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This morning’s dentist visit

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Warning: This blog has too many references to the words ‘temporary’ and ‘permanent’

Nothing new, but I’ve been dreading going to the dentist since last year because I had a root canal done and the temporary cap fit well, but when the permanent one was put, there was a gap between the gum and the cap and the temporary dentist who had done the permanent cap, said  I’d have to get “crown lengthening” done, and it didn’t sound a very pleasant process and meant I’d have to spend another $800 for something I’d already spent about $500. I felt that the whole “crown lengthening” idea wasn’t too good. So I even went to the periodontist to confirm and he too recommended it. But it wasn’t needed to be done immediately so I conveniently avoided it, also , my tooth wasn’t bothering me anyway, its just that I could see the gap, they said food could get into the gap and cause decay. So I let it go and it was only today that I went – more than a year after that to get a regular cleaning done, and also to see how the new dentist who had replaced my original dentist [who had passed away ] was. I hadn’t like the temporary replacement dentist. So after the cleaning and all was done, the dental hygienist said that the dentist might have other ideas about the crown lengthening and I hoped so. He came in and said that my root canal tooth, gum etc looked fine and the gum seemed to be covering the gap well, so it was self healing and I needed have anything done. No decay. Yahoooooooooo. So I came back told my husband that I had approved the new dentist. The only thing is he asked to have all the wisdom teeth removed, because filling those is hard. But I can keep them till I have problems[with my teeth ]. So lets hope that its never. Also I must say this, I really don’t believe in flossing, except when there is food stuck of course. Will be a while before the dental community agrees [might never too] with me!;-)

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About being in your own world!

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Some incidents in life make us think about other people in other respects. We are used to having a person behave in a certain way, but some incidents change that. Then we kind of find everything faulty. I have seen some people who are in their own worlds, in the sense that they are doing their own stuff, not minding about others in the same situation, now is that wrong? Sometimes it is when you don’t treat others the same as family. The vice versa is also true, its wrong to totally ignore family and get involved in the outside world. There should be a balance, but the balance maybe tilting a bit more on the family side. I tend to think more deeply about such things, maybe I have idle time? not really, when something bothers me , I have to talk it out or express it by writing and that is what this blog is for!!! Talking to an unknown entity- mostly maybe no one too, ! this helps! Then I don’t think about it. Sometimes I think I don’t need to weigh out things and then judge an incident. I can be critical but I do let things go too, else I would be having tiffs with everyone. Anyway that is the end of it. People don’t change much, I do try to at times when I think something is wrong- that is what growing older means, admitting mistakes, learning from mistakes and seeing things from a good perspective and maybe making one thing good, making someone or yourself happy. As you can see, I can wander from one topic to another too!
Now back to housework!
Bye bye!

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Of how movies can make sense

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Was watching a movie called, “Traffic Signal”, its funny in some respects , but not really in some. It is the truth, that people like us who are in comfortable positions try to avoid in everyday life. In the movie they show different people struggling in their own way, but thinking of how it would be if you were in that situation is hard. We are in such denial of reality. The only thing I can learn from it is to live life fully, try to do the right thing.  In the movie almost everyone is doing something illegal! The other movie was “SlumDog Millionaire”. It is the reality so many people live through, it is mind boggling.
People like us living through conveniences throughout life, complain about little things that don’t work, little things that don’t matter in the whole picture at all. There are times a teeny problem seems like its taking over life or like there is no life beyond that, but if you step out of that shell and take a look at yourself you see what exactly it is, and that it is nothing compared to harder things in life. If we only could admit mistakes, laugh at our own mistakes, what a different life it would be. Sometimes we try to look for happiness outside of our home, but looking within promises galore reside.
My best advice [for those who can take it!] would be to live life through the eyes of a child. If you have a child at home, do what they want. I have on many occasions, seen and done things through the eyes of my daughter and it is a refreshing look on life. They do things regardless of all the worries that we have in our head, it is the right outlook, that we fail to have as we grow up and clog our brains with. We live in a cushioned life, any bump seems like a huge one. Take life seriously, but happily, make your  family happy, live life one step at a time and enjoyyyyyyyyyyy.

Movies sometimes make sense!

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Train travel

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Ever since a child, almost every summer we used to travel to my grandma’s place. It used to be a close to 24hr journey. We [my brothers and I ]used to look forward to it. Getting a seat near the window used to be a big thing. We used to press our faces against the windows and stare out or in front to take a look at the engine when the train went on a curve. I used to love reading comics on the way too, except that sometimes it used to give me a headache. I remember us trying to start a sometimes acting up fan by inserting a comb into the gap and trying to push the blades to spin, most of the time it used to work. That was the way it was [mostly ]. My parents [back in India] are now traveling on a train right now and while checking the status I was thrown into the thought of how it used to be. Once the train leaves a familiar station its just either mountains or uninhabited land, stones , trees , plants etc, and we are zooming past, sometimes or most of the times it makes you wonder where exactly you are traveling to. The feeling is sort of indescribable, zombie state . It used to be nice, but at the same time a little scary, thinking of what I’d do if left by myself somewhere along the path of the train . Just thoughts you have when you are a kid with imagination running wild. You hear the train making a rhythmic sound, sometimes it used to stop in the middle of nowhere , in the middle of the night, you could hear the noises of nature, see brilliant stars above, it used to be a thrill just to peek out of the window of the train at that hour, admiring the view outside.  Its a while since I wrote the above, but will be  publishing it today! I still yearn for train travel. In the US train travel is impractical unless you have lots and lots of time on hand. I am glad I travelled a lot in trains in the past. Here is a poem that my brother got my attention to today. I used to like it in school. It describes exactly how I used to feel.

Scottish Poetry Selection
– From a Railway Carriage

Here is a short poem by Robert Louis Stevenson about the excitement of a small child as he goes on a railway journey. Some readers may remember learning this poem at school!

From a Railway Carriage

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle,
All through the meadows, the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And there is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart run away on the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone for ever!

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