Thursday, May 31, 2007

Mukul



So I decided to write a little something about people I care about. As most of you who read my blog would know that the above picture of an irritated guy is Mukul. He is Anshuman's brother and therefore my brother in law. I still remember the first day I met Mukul. He was one of the most prim and proper people I had ever come across. Later ofcourse I was to witness a different side to him when the two brothers would make up awful songs and sing while driving.

We shook hands and talked for a little while after which he went away. Later in the day I saw the books he had on cinema in particular a book on Tarkovsky. A tape of the movie Blue. I just drooled and drooled. I still believe that one of the reasons I married Anshuman is that I wanted to get my hands on those books and collection of movie tapes.

Many times I would come home from work and crib and crib about the people in the film and tv industry. He would listen patiently and gave some very good advice. He has had much more experience with them and knows how things work. As time passed I have come to know some good friends thanks to him. He happens to know hazaar people and I mean literally. He spends most of his life on the phone. I think the entire city of Bombay has his phone number and calls him day and night. He has this habit of walking around in urgency when he speaks on the phone. I have bumped into him too many times to count just going from living room to kitchen. I doubt that he has ever seen a whole tv programme. He is bound to get a phone call in the middle of it. If I didn't know that he is a cinematographer I would think he is an underworld Don wheeling and dealing on a daily basis. Heh heh. Seriously he's a sweetheart.

He is one of the most caring people I know. I wanted to write him a testimonial on orkut but they have a word limit and in Mukul's testimonial that just won't do. He is very organised and has an excellent memory when it comes to music and movies. He can be extremely forgetful when it comes to day to day things. He nearly always comes back home after leaving the first time because he has forgotten something or the other.

It's hard for him to refuse a favour and ends up doing stuff he would rather avoid. He takes care of the relationships in his life with a lot of love. His patience levels are amazing and he rarely loses his temper. So you have to be careful when pushing his buttons. He just might erupt like a volcano and then there's no handling him.

All that said I'm glad I know him. He's an excellent cinematographer and an even better person.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Cyprus folder


So I was going through my folder named Cyprus and found Anshuman's picture at the Amphitheater. Now I can't remember what place this is. I got a lovely photo album from Cyprus but it is still lying empty. I saved ticket stubs and brochures and all such stuff to put in it and they are all lying in the drawer on my left hand side. The reason being that i have choose the pics for which i want prints then anshuman will get them done and then i will put them in the album. I'm getting tired just writing it down but I promise I will do it some day.

So I'm going to Bombay on Friday and then going to Delhi after one week and then back to bombay after one week and then back to sharjah. Don't ask me why. It has something to do with cost of tickets and the want to want to see one's mother father and sister and making a film. Not in that order.
A friend recently sent me her resume, some of it reads as follows

Core Competencies

Conceptualisation/ Visualisation
Ability to fulfill the transition from blueprint till complete realization and give concrete parameters to product as well as advertising by conceptualizing as well as visualizing the scope, markets and creative content.

Research and Content Development
A fundamental area of expertise backed by unmatched experience in the dual spectrum of researching a subject in the ab-initio stage and then developing the content in it from scratch.

I was reeling for several minutes.

Atul, Aparna, Anshuman, Rohan and Mukul

so I went to record my voice and had to turn back even before I got out of Sharjah because of the traffic. I have to go again tomorrow therefore will have to wake up at an unearthly hour of 7:30 in the morning. Sadhe saat baje mere farishtey bhi nahin uthte. I will have to do it for the good of the film. The higher purpose in my life.

I have lately got into the habit of day dreaming before I go to sleep every night. I envision all sorts of futures. Most of these futures are grand imaginary flights of fancy. The others are rather sad like sometimes I wonder how I would feel if Ninna died in childbirth. No she is not pregnant. It is difficult to breed French bulldogs because they have a big head and therefore are tough to deliver. Ninna is so small that I would be petrified if she were to carry pups so we have decided to sterlize her. It feels rather cruel and on the other hand it is the best thing for her.

I have been sitting for 5 minutes staring at the screen thinking what to write. This is what happens when you try to do something regularly. I think I've already said that somewhere. Dejavu happens to me so very often that sometimes I feel like life is a repeatition of everything that's happened before. Nothing new really ever happens. I have also realised that the radio in my head plays tunes that I thought I had long forgotten. Like this song which goes something like- ' Sweet for my sweet. Sugar for my honey" For the life of me I don't know where it has come from. I have been waking up with it for the last three days. The radio in your head does not stop when you want it to...especially when you want it to. So you'll have nonsense lyrics like -" Dam dara dam dara mast mast dara dam dara dam dara mast mast" going on and on in a neverending loop. I have realised the best way to get rid of the tune is by singing it out loud once followed by a more pleasant and acceptable tune.

As always I have some work to finish but I don't feel like doing it. As always I will do it at the very last moment. I went to an extremely disciplined school and learnt nothing.

Thanks to Atul, Aparna, Anshuman, Rohan and Mukul for reading my blog. I intend to be as regular as possible for you and more importantly for me. I get surprised by the stuff I write not because it's great or any such thing but because I wrote it at all.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Bang

So today things started with a bang. I dreamt that I was riding on one of those bicycles that are pedalled by two people at the same time ( I use that phrase because I am not sure how to spell simultaeneously). So this thin guy was riding in front of me and I was at the back. We went up a hill when I stopped pedalling. Suddenly two men came along on a motorcycle and almost crashed into us and then started fighting with the thin man. Soon the thin wan was on the ground. Then they got on the motorbike and came at me. I picked up my part of the bicycle( Some how it had come apart) and hit on one guy's head. He came back at me and I hit him on the head again. He kept coming back. Suddenly there was a sound of a crash. I had flung the glass ashtray on the floor in one smooth motion. With a bang.

Anshuman and I spent almost all day watching Kiefer Sutherland save his family on 24. I fixed lunch and now ( bell rang) he's gone off to play tennis after being upset that his t-shirts are mysteriously disappearing. There was an Arab woman with a kid at the door. They come periodically looking for money from sympathetic residents of the building. I didn't open the door and Ninna looks disappointed.

I just booked my ticked. I'll be in Bombay during the first week of June shooting and editing and stuff...and yes Aerosmith comes to town coming thursday. will go see them. I don't know how someone like Steve Tyler manage to produce a daughter like Liv Tyler.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

blogging regularly

so I have considered Aparna's suggestion and have decided to write regularly. So here I am. I have just checked my gmail. My friend inAhmedabad, the only one who writes to me regularly has written words of encouragement to push me towards finishing my poem film which I mentioned some time back. I have not made a film in many years and now I find myself shooting with a handycam mostly without a script. God alone knows what the end product would be. The only thing I am semi confidant about are the poems themselves. I think they are pretty good although I feel rather stupid saying that. This is what happens when you decide to do something regularly...after a while you end up feeling stupid.

On the other hand some time back I was going through some stuff I had written earliear and it was good to read about the good times and relieved to read about the bad now that they are in the past. So from now on I will try to write regularly.
Hmmmmm....

Have started watching 24 1st season. It is supposed to be in real time. Each episode is one hour duration. Pretty exciting series. Some time ago I saw the first season of the series Rome. That was really good too. Clearly I am running out of things to say. Let me try and go on. Ninna is sleeping inside the comforter. She spends most of her time sleeping. She has no sense of routine and discipline. I think she's got that from me.

The earlier Hariya my plant died so I have got Hariya 2 and this time with instructions. He has to be watered once a week. He is to sun himself only once in two weeks for an hour. I have made a note in my extremely thin organiser. Phew! I'm running out of steam again.

And now I have officially run out of things to say so till next time....

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

3 people

There was something I wanted to say but I have totally forgotten what it was. Yes I just remembered- Ihave a sneaking suspicion that only three people read my blog. Mukul, Anshuman and by default me.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Procrastination


I just wanna tell you what I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around
and desert you

Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say Goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie
and hurt you

AND the award for the most unimaginative lyrics goes to Rick Astley for Never gonna give you up!!

So I have to finish some little work but I am not doing it. I don't want to do it. I want to write" I don't feel like doing it" on the word file and send it to the client. I wonder what she will have to say...may be something like " I don't think this is working out. We could still see each other socially but we must never mention the breakdown of our professional relationship in any capacity to anyone. You may call when bored but only after 6:30 pm' ( I do that. I call her when bored with some inane detail and make her talk to me unnecesserily. I insist she call me everytime she sends mail. I call her when I send her mail as well. Altogether it has been a very healthy relationship.)

Today I am in no mood to work or did I already say that. I have actually sent a forwarded mail to everyone on my add list. It shows a Lion hugging a man and nearly giving him a sloppy wet kiss. I like the email so I sent it to everyone I know. I don't like forwarded mail very much except on days like this when I want to do everything else but what I'm supposed to do.

So I made tea. Then I drank it. Then I checked my gmail. Then I started feeling guilty so I opened two word files and let them sit in a state of readiness to be worked on. Then I called Anshuman and insisted he call me " My pomfret" I have asked him to refer to me as a Pomfret from now on. Don't ask me why.

I put on the radio and they were playing that Rick Astley song. 99.3 Radio 2 is a beautiful radio station. It plays all classic hits. Annie Lennox is singing Why right now. I remember the video which makes her look like a vampire doing her make up.


That suddenly reminded me of that lovely song by A-HA Take on me. I loved the animation. The way the cute girl goes inside the comic book. I found the above picture on wikipedia...talk about nostalgia!

I am chatting with a friend who has totally complicated his life. I end up being agony aunty for many of my friends. He can't seem to decide if he should marry the girl he loves. I thought you were supposed to marry someone you love. There are problems and then there are created problems.

Ah! Dancing in the dark playing now. I so want to be Courtney Cox and be called on stage to dance with Bruce Springsteen.( where your mind will go when listening to a song!!) Whenever I listen to 'I'm ready' by Bryan Adams I remember dancing by myself in my basement room at NID. It sounds very Ally Mcbeal now but it was much before the neurotic heroine made an appearance on tv.

I really should finish work. Ah BTW I am going to shoot something after a long time day after tomorrow. Am making a short film based on my poems. I have no money to pay an editor. Have borrowed a friend's camera.
Best things in life are free. Are you willing to edit for love?