Truth is stranger than fiction

-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=cf6aa3df-1b5a-432c-8e57-46e831ce38e9 When one says ‘family’, words like love, support, care and security comes to their mind. However with the recent occurrences attached with a horrifying element makes one want to rethink with regard to such associations. The ‘incest’ virus seems to be the next dreaded disease after terrorism. What with the hearings of Businessman father raping daughter as per Tantrik’s suggestions for monetary gains. And now the latest story on the Mumbai Mirror edition narrated in first person by a 29 year old lad of being molested by his uncle. It made me wonder where the world was heading to. Or how worse can it get? Life seems to be getting complicated with every passing day and relationships are certainly no exception. True that complexity is what makes it interesting but not to an extent that it elicits disgust, horror and dread. To an extent where it makes one question about the safety f...

-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=a4dc3d3f-14c0-4ec9-b741-4cc0d5d2c2cf It’s not every movie which makes you draw inferences from what was mistaken for a light hearted entertainer at least from the promos. However when it does, it ceases one to indulge in cerebral rumination marvelling at how similar the scenarios depicted in the film are to real life ones. ‘Barah Aana’ may not have gotten rave reviews. Neither does it live up to high expectations. However certain instances with its twists and turns did make me ponder about the ironical stance that was brought out eventually. The story is about 3 men belonging to the under privileged section of the society-a driver, a watchman and a waiter who are thick friends. The film showcases the frustrations exhibited by each character and their cynical view to life. All three lead a simple living until an unexpected turn of events bring about shades of grey, succumbing them into a trap of treacherous crime ...

It’s true that travel is no doubt the best teacher. Indeed it opens your mind to a gateway of experiences making it seeming almost surreal and yet portrays a reality that leaves you awe inspiring. Exploring into various parts of the world, right from remote corners of poverty, to plush locales of silver sand beaches amidst the heights of luxury denotes an exhilarating experience in different ways. Over the past few years I have travelled like never before on a frequent basis all over the country and abroad. Intriguing and enthralling experiences is what I come away with as souvenirs with each location leaving its imprint in a firm manner. It’s astounding to realize that there’s so much to see and so little time. Every time I return from a vacation, my mind traverses back to the list of to see places already planning for a next getaway. Call it impatience, restlessness or morbidity as it makes me want to live life like there’s no tomorrow. But isn’t it true that while one day everything...

Received this via email... This is so true (for many of us growing up in the 90s too).... life does come a full circle. Though I do wonder what this generation is going to say to the next abt what was hard for them??!! Of course for the technophobic...life was probably way easier in the 80s When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning Uphill... barefoot in the snow. BOTH ways Yadda, yadda, yadda And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today don't know ...

-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=67e901e1-4667-4f51-a196-8273c5cafdbf Right. The infamous seven year itch is what one usually hears jokingly in a party consisting of newly married couples or oldies. Its ugly face or rather phase in this case is highlighted on when it tunes into a serious note with words lashing out not necessarily musical to the ears. The frustrations, disappointments, blame games linger on continuously till a threshold point beyond which the relationship collapses. However one can hardly imagine that such differences can lead to cause a tragic moment. Such is the dysfunctional aspect of human nature or should one attribute it to incompatibility, intolerance, irritability or a combination of all? Revolutionary Road starts off on a high pitch note literally as a middle aged couple driving down the highway drive each other crazy. April (Kate Winslet) and Frank (Leonardo Dicaprio) face the mid life crisis trying to cope up with unf...

-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=bdf8db1d-9617-4a69-8a63-2e33718921ec Sentimentality and the significance of memorable gifts given seem to no longer withhold a stance of merely being a token of appreciation, love and honour. Selfish and capital gains are what considered a priority over emotions sadly even if it means demeaning pride of a nation. The Otis drama clearly exhibited the above aspect evidently. It was a shock to the nation to see the Gandhi Memorabilia displayed for auction by some foreign national collector. It proved to be even more of a disgrace to hear of the same items being purchased under an agreement signed between Peter Ruhe the chairman of Gandhiserve Foundation and the great niece in law of the revered Mahatma. Do gifts no longer hold a value sans the monetary gains? One fails to realize that such priceless objects cannot match any mere figure. It is indeed understandable for the whole episode being labelled as Immoral by t...

-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=d8a46ffd-113a-460a-b65d-a13ee15dea99 It doesn’t take much of creative juices to flow especially when one makes a script based on a true story. However it does require skilful depiction of the same in order to win the hearts of the audience with its stirring message. What proves to be a further challenge is to get into the skin of a real life character and portray him with utmost conviction. Such that it makes the viewers perceive the character alone quite forgetting that he is one of the talented actors of Hollywood. The very element which certainly doesn’t make one dispute over the numerous Oscar nominations the film had to its credit. Gus Van Sant’s ‘Milk’ is one such film which is based on the story of activist Harvey milk who was the first gay person to be elected in the public office in California. Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) migrates from New York to San Francisco in pursuit of change accompanied by his lover S...

- By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=3c64dbe3-6b0b-41f1-9356-642ba87576c8 A fabulous line stating it as one of the best films ever made behind the DVD cover arouses enough curiosity in one to pick it up and watch it immediately. It makes one wonder what exactly about the film makes it earn that line along with a flamboyant description as a timeless master piece that even inspired Satyajit Ray. Technological advancement certainly wasn’t like what it is today. Neither does the film carry its special effects that lead to bated breaths amongst the audience creating a new list of ardent followers. And yet the duration of 93 minutes nowhere disappoints as they lean back on the couch ruminating about the thought provoking narration they had just watched. It is set in the era of depression post the World War-II in Italy where unemployment was at its peak. The story is about one such unemployed worker Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani ) who must possess a ...