A Man Called Ove- Film Review

A Swedish film, nominated to the Oscars for foreign film. Very different from the usual Hollywood fare that we see routinely. Worth watching.

It is about a simple boy from a poor background, who grows up to be a bitter old man. Why, is the subject of the film. And how he redeems himself. Although he contemplates suicide several times, he is saved in the nick of time, unwittingly, by a couple next door- the Iranian wife and her kids, in particular.

He narrates his own story to her one day, after they are drawn into an affectionate relationship over time. His own short love story that culminates in marriage and a lot of fights with the establishment over the rights of the handicapped, is a large part.

There is also a friend who is forcibly being sent to an old home, and that brings out the fighter in our hero once more. His fights with the friend over his choice of a brand of car (Volvo, when he is a fan of Saab) are funny, and there is a lot of tragi-comedy. The Iranian woman (Bahar Pars) and the romantic lead (Ida Engvoll) are both key characters, and well-played. But above all, the cranky old man (Rolf Lassgard) is beautifully portrayed. Very realistic.

Shakespeare Updated 2017

Applying the timeless quotes from Shakespeare's works.

He came, he saw, he conquered- Modi in U.P.

To be, or not to be- RaGa as the face of Congress.

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.- The wal of Kejri.

Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” -- U.P. voters

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. -  Applies to a lot of people strutting around in our lives. (You can have a go at applying it.)

Pankaj Udhas

I always wondered why he had a sad-sounding last name. He seems to have faded from public memory now, but I used to listen to him a lot at one time. He has a silky voice, and sang ghazals very well. We also called him India's answer to Punk Rock. Some of his ghazals that I liked were-

Ae ghame zindagi, kuch to de mashwara, Ek taraf uska ghar ek taraf maikada. (we used to joke about maikada by turning it into mai gadha among friends)

Choom kar madbhari aankhon se gulabi kaaghaz, usne bheja hai mere naam sharaabi kaaghaz

Sabko maloom hai main sharaabi nahin..

Raat ghatayen khushboo, un zulfon ke naam..

Chandi jaisa rang hai tera ..

Yeh alag baat hai saqi ke mujhe hosh nahin..

 Mohe aayi na jag se laaj main itna zor se naachi aaj, ke ghungroo toot gaye..

An incident I remember from his live concert we had gone to in Atlanta, USA. The sound was too loud. And when we went to the sound guy and asked him to tone it down, he asked us "Kabhi Michael Jackson ka gaana suna hai? (Have you ever heard a Michael Jackson concert?)" and continued with the setting he had on.

Raving About Ra

Ra is at the start of many historic things.

For one, Raga is an important part of Indian classical Music.

Rain brings us our food, and begins with Ra.

Rails are what trains run on..a great way to see the world.

Raatkali ek khwab mein aayi, aur gale ka haar bani...is a favourite song.

Rap is a form of music that keeps us young.

Radical change is needed to take us forward.

Rastafarian Bob Marley is the musician I like. Particularly "Buffalo Soldier.."

Radio is one of my favourite media..my love for music began with this, and continued through records, cassettes, CDs,...and back to radio along with Youtube.

It's just incidental that my name begins with Ra.

We are Creatures of Habit

Habits form early, and we are rarely able to get out of these.

I had a habit of reading. The books changed, but the habit remained. I still read a lot. A little less of the neswpapers, and fiction, and a little more of other things, but read I must.

Writing is a habit I formed a little late in life, apart from school assignments. But now I am almost addicted to it. Blogging (which a few read), to writing text books (which not many read!), I have tried it all, even writing an autobiography when I was all of 48!

Creative things like photography have always been of interest, and I do indulge a bit, but more often, I appreciate what others are doing- like my Nice DP Oscars! (which people do aspire for, I think)

Songs (Hindi film) are an enduring passion, and we as a family have had singing sessions galore (a la the Von Trapp family from The Sound of Music). Listening too, it goes without saying.

Small-sized get-togethers are what I like best, though I have also been a part of bigger ones that were fun, now and then.

Sports too, were a habit from school, where I played cricket regularly, and home, where Badminton was a staple. Graduated to Golf a little late, during my Harihar days, and then Nagpur days.

Names Derived From Places

We have a lot of names or surnames derived from places. An example- my surname is derived from a small town called Nargund in Karnataka. Javagal is a town in Karnataka, and so is Padukone. This (adding a 'kar' after the name of a place to create a surname) is a common practice in Maharashtra- so you have Solapurkars, Chalisgaonkars, and Punekars.

Atal Behari Vajpayee may or may not have been from Bihar, but maybe S.H. Bihari, the lyricist was. Lyricists have this trend among them of naming themselves after their place- Sahir Ludhianvi, Rahat Indori, and Hasrat Jaipuri are examples.

In Andhra, where I grew up, the village name is used as an initial, if not the family name-sometimes both are initials.

You could call this the game of the name.

Shake it up baby..

Shammi Kapoor was the Sheikh of all Shakes. If you don't believe me, take a look at this song-

Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZWcaRlhGAs

Or this, Aaja aaja main hoon pyar tera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8ZrN_pizyQ

or this,..Badan pe sitare lapete hue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcths9S_bLo

Another- Kisko pyar karun, kaise pyar karun (unusual dilemma).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT1-pc3VJpI

and of course, the junglee we all love..Yahoo..chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SIE55SFylI