Talaash …… a serious, sensitively made movie, once again bringing home the fact that Life can, and will, throw up things in your way that can stun your senses, and change the course of your Life, as you had charted it for yourself. That there are so many things in this Universe that we don’t know about, that so often there are no clear cut answers, no obvious logic to how or why things happen.

You are doing your job, leading a fairly happy, ‘normal’ life, and there, one harmless holiday can take your only child away. And whoosh……………..Life as you knew it vanishes with that child, as surely dead as the child, never to be retrieved. It changes everything for you.

Trust Aamir to pick up an issue and handle it so sensitively, so lovingly. The movie is not just about the paranormal, though, certainly, that is a huge part of it. It is also about how two people handle the pain, the grief of losing their only baby completely differently. How each tries to find peace in different ways. And how, suddenly, when Life seems bleak and there seems to be no peace, the Universe throws up something at you, something that once again stops you in your tracks, makes you rethink everything that you have believed in, and suddenly give you all the answers that you ever needed to know.

Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, Talaash is a must see, for it handles this issue with a dispassionate view, taking no stand, and leaves it to the audience to decide what it thinks about such happenings.

And so many other things to recommend the movie:

• Aamir of course, brilliant as usual. He is in his uniform through most of the movie, yet, no fancy fighting scenes at all. No dhishum dhishum, except for one small scene.
• Rani Mukherjee, sensitive as ever, though her role is almost a cameo.
• Kareena Kapoor, the surprise package. Am not much of a fan of hers, but she has done a super awesome job!
• No item song, though the plot had ample opportunity for it. That’s what makes Aamir what he is. It’s a serious topic, a sober movie, and he trusts it with the respect its due!

 A must-watch, for all those who believe in the unpredictability of Life!

Nostalgia!

Am in Hyderabad for a workshop ..... on my way from the airport to the city, suddenly realised that its already been a decade since our brief, one year stint in this city! Time indeed does fly, and at the speed of light! Had some unexpected time yesterday, and went for a jaunt into the city, revisiting lanes and corners that I had long relegated somewhere in the dusky cobwebs of memory. It was a beautiful experience, as it rekindled so many memories of not just our time here, but most especially of Krishna’s first year of Life.

This city is special because this is where Krishna spent the better part of the first year of her Life. All her early milestones have been achieved here – her first social smile, her first teeth, the first time she crawled, stood up, walked. Her first illnesses, her first mischief. Her first birthday. It all just flashed in front of my eyes yesterday, so many little things of her babyhood, and all the experiences me and Nilesh had as new parents, bringing her up in a new and unknown city.

I remembered the countless times I had to take her to the hospital because of her frequent bouts of diarrhea. All by myself, in the burning heat of Hyderabad summer, in late evenings in the rains, hunting for an auto. And those were the days without mobile phones, and I smile now at the memory of how we used to manage our lives without one! To think of that today seems impossible. Indeed, at such times, it makes me wonder whether technology really sets you free or in fact ties you down, making you so dependent! I never gave it a second thought, travelling with a baby, in a new city, without such a thing as a mobile!

Also remember the times I used to take her down in the garden every evening, and how much she enjoyed it. Krishna was lucky in that I was completely with her for the first 10 months of her Life, every minute of the day. In that sense, Aryaveer has missed out on that, and in the fast paced, mad life that I lead today, taking him to the garden is a rarity! For Krishna, back then, out here, it was an everyday occurrence, as it should well be for kids.

I leave this city today, with a sense of fresh gratitude, for being the place where I spent my first year as a mother, and which has given me so many unforgettable memories for Life!

Disha the Teenager

Today is a special day. Disha Counseling Center marks its entry in the teenage years. Giving birth to Disha, nurturing the infant, the toddler, and the child for all these years, has been such an amazing, enriching experience for all of us, Disha's 4 mothers. Parenting Disha has been a challenge, a journey, a joy, an adventure, an education in itself! Many have been the lessons we have learnt along the way, and truly, our identities are so fused with that of Disha that its hard to separate the two!

Disha now is officially a teenager. In spirit too, Disha has all the qualities of a teen - energy, an enthusiasm for new things, dreams and hopes aplenty, and even today, a driving passion to work on its vision. It still has miles to go, and the zest and energy to cover these miles with eagerness.

Kuch Toh Log Kahenge

'Kuch Toh Log Kahenge' ..... a serial that broke my decade long disconnect with the TV. Somehow, the posters, the titles, the title song, had a strong enough appeal to make me sit in front of the Idiot Box and actually give the serial a shot. The fact that Mohnish Behl, a fine and underutilised actor according to me, played the central character was, in itself, a big attraction. So, I started following the serial, and soon enough, got hooked on to me. It had a certain old-world charm to it, a certain slowness and quality that is far missing in serials today. A seemingly strong storyline that was way different from the usual saas-bahu-other woman plots of today's TV world, along with some superb performances had me in front of the TV at 8.00 pm sharp every evening.

But alas, all good things turn out to be illusory, or so it seems to be where TV shows are concerned. This beautiful, sensitively made serial could also not escape the clutches of the TRP rat race I guess, and soon enough, the melodrama started. There suddenly appeared a vampish other woman, who, hitherto, had seemed like a sensible, mature woman, and a lot of other masala that cannibalised the purity and beauty of the serial. Above all, the beautiful relationship between the two central characters, which was the biggest strength of the serial, had to give in to to competition from all these twists and turns, which the serial has now started focusing on. That brought a quick end to my new found love for the TV and had me running to my books again.

Isnt it rather sad that in this big, huge world of satellite televesion, one cant find a serial decent enough to watch over an extended period of time? Even when something starts off with so much promise, the cut throat competition, the need to conform, is so high that it kills talent and creativity? Why is it that Indian television can as of now churn out only imitations of international reality shows or serials with the same old plots? Is that all Indian life is all about? Mothers in law, extra marital affairs, cheating, sacrificing women ......? Dont we Indians have far more character and far more variety? What is it that the same industry that made amazing serials like Nukkad, Buniyad, Yeh Joh Hai Zindagi, Chunauti can no longer think beyond Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi?