The best international movies

November 2012

This is my third post on movies (i'll provide links to the others at the end) where i write about international cinema, five of my favorites to be specific. A disclaimer though. These are my favorites only among the ones i have seen so there might be other movies that might be better than these. Having said that though, i can say with reasonable confidence, these are a few good ones u'll get to see. The criteria on which i mention them is academic excellence and not just feel good factor. Also besides every movie, I've mentioned the production country and the language. Lastly, these are in random order:

Keurosing ('The Crossing' - 2008 - South Korea - Korean):

I start with a Korean movie because most of the foreign ones that i have seen happen to be Korean. According to me they are one of the most prolific movie makers and good ones at that. Before you watch this movie, it's imperative that the context of the movie needs to be fathomed. And for that i would recommend the following documentary. Watch this first before watching the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z4OmcKddq8s

This movie explores the human rights situation in North Korea which is the most secluded nation on earth ruled by the Kim dynasty. It does it through the life of a simple peasant family in the impoverished country at the height of the famine (see above documentary). The movie as a whole and the end in particular is very emotional. This movie was screened in the White House to apprise the big guys about the human rights situation in North Korea and apparently secretary Hillary Clinton had a tear in her eye at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL807A4EF05E0F2E03&v=qyYilOhGw40&feature=player_embedded

Lastly if this moves you enough to donate to the North Korean cause you may do so at the following link:

http://libertyinnorthkorea.org/


Mongol (2007 - Kazakhstan - Mongolian):

This movie traces the rise of Gengis Khan. The reason this movie makes it to my list, besides its heroic and larger than life portrayal of its protagonist is the background score and the scenery in the movie. First the background music - it's such an integral part of the movie, as if it's one of the characters. There is this deep gruttal undertone in serious situations (that typical sound that one gets to hear in Buddhist monasteries when a million monks murmur their prayers simultaneously) to the melancholic flute like sound depicting the pristine empty fields of Mongolia i presume. The scenery is just amazing. And while there is a debate about his greatness (disclaimer for his fans: i have no opinion on this - they say one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter), this movie does idolize him a bit and that's ok because otherwise the movie simply wouldn't have generated the highs that it does. After all why would someone want to watch a normal ruler going about his normal business of the day drinking wine and womanizing  (maybe i would)! The point is - that is what generates the euphoria.  All in all this is a very well made epic like biography of someone who actually rose from a slave to become someone who ruled the largest empire on earth. Perhaps that's enough for it being worth a watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Hr_PNoCZXg4

Samsara (2001 - Germany - Ladhakhi):

'What is more important: To satisfy a thousand desires or to conquer one'.

This movie aims to present this eternal question through a Buddhist monk (Tashi). They say the Buddha chose one over the other at the age of twenty nine. Tashi has reached the same crossroads and must choose between his 'Dharma' and the love of his life. What makes this movie great is the non judgmental  and neutral stance it takes in its depiction of the emotional dilemma of a man who is torn between his devotion to the Buddha and his residual materialism and carnal desires (he commits something shameful which prompts him to reconsider the course of his life). The movie doesn't profess either choice over the other and even the ending is left to the viewers discretion and to me that's absolute honesty on the part of the director. The music is very similar to 'Mongol' (mentioned earlier) and the scenery (shot in Ladakh) needless to say, is amazing as well. Overall, a very thought provoking movie.

NB * Has sexually explicit visuals so viewer discretion is advised if watching with kids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tFKvnzjPqUE

Il Postino ('The Postman' - 1994 - Italy - Italian):

Perhaps once in a hundred years, comes a movie that sweeps you of your feet. Well this movie makes the cut. Watching this made me think again that why does every movie have to be an epic to be great and what happened to the art of simple storytelling ! Set around the early fifties, this tells the story of Mario Ruopollo, a simple postman in an Italian island whose heart beats for Beatrice Russo, the village damsel. But Mario is too simple and shy to express his love. Enter Pablo Neruda, who helps Mario with his poetry to woo Beatrice. But the movie doesn't end there. In time Pablo and Ruopollo go their own ways. Years later, Pablo learns that he had perhaps unknowingly elevated the simple postman to a much higher plane of consciousness than he thought. What makes this movie great is the amazing acting of the lead actor in his portrayal of a simpleton lad (mark my words, you'll realize this in the very first scene when he has dinner with his father). It's one of the best displays of acting i've ever seen. Lastly, the movie has a very emotional ending. As i said, movies like this will come once in a hundred years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XXCC7SdJW1o

Oldboy (2003 - South Korea - Korean): 

I started with a Korean movie so i guess i'll end with one. There are some movies that are always associated with a theme/genre. For example Titanic (love), Rocky (sports), the Godfather (mafia) and so on. Similarly years ago i had seen 'Kill Bill' (Quentin Tarantino starring Uma Thurman) and thought i had seen the ultimate revenge movie. Until i saw 'Oldboy'. A man imprisoned for fifteen years without being told his crime has five days to find out the reason for his imprisonment. The reason this movie appealed to me was because of three main reasons. One - a rock solid unshakable plot. Two - the sublime acting of both the lead actors. And three - the fact that it also has the feel of a full fledged commercial movie which makes one believe that not all great movies have to be the arty types. This movie keeps the viewer riveted to his/her seat in anticipation of the next scene. Such is the suspense ! And the ending makes one feel for both the characters irrespective of their crimes/sins. The portrayal of a particular kind of relationship (won't mention it here since that would give away the movie) might be a bit disturbing to some viewers but that apart, the movie deserves every bit of the viewers respect. An outlier. One in its class.

NB * Has sexually explicit visuals so viewer discretion is advised if watching with kids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YLn1y9v6yno

Lastly, a few notes:

 - For those in Bhubaneswar, you may get these movies at Rupak bhai's shop (turn left after RD college while coming from Rupali Square). If he doesn't have a movie readily available, he'll arrange it for you at an extra price. For those outside India, just go to Netflix.

 - I have the above movies. Let me know if you want them and i'll do my best.

 - As mentioned at the beginning of this post, for my previous posts on movies, click on the links below:

A Few Good Valentine Movies
The Best Unknown Movies (Bollywood)

A few good Valentine movies.

February 2010

Valentine’s Day is the usual time of the year when cupid strikes. Emotions (and passions eh!!) are on a high. People start planning weeks before. And from what I’ve noticed growing up, the plans often follow a pattern according to one’s age. The common ones that I’ve figured in the order of aging are:

For the 9th graders who’ve just started out - An ice cream at the mall.
For the ones in college - A movie and dinner.
For newly weds - A movie and dinner (candlelight).
For couples with small kids - Add an evening at the park and cut out the candlelight.
For couples with teen aged children - Nothing. This is interesting coz I can relate. My parents grew up in West Bengal on communist propaganda where frugality was virtue. To them Soviets were heroes and this was American strategy to enable their greeting card companies gain a foothold in other markets (Archies wasn’t around then) and spread capitalism around and obviously their thoughts din make any sense to me at all. I remember nothing special happening between them on this day. It was jus like any other day all because of their belief system.
For parents with grown up kids: Watching their kids make it out and then wish that only if such things existed in their time too and if they cud turn the clock back.
For old people - Sex on steroids!!! (Ok, this was to make u laugh ! Trust me i’m not paid to promote Viagra !!! Now lets get back to work).

I find the third category most appealing (nothing to do with me personally since I don belong to that category in the first place). But here I’m gonna leave out the dinner part or the candles (both very romantic indeed but some other time on them) and talk about the movies.

So here are my recommended valentine movies. The basis on which I’ve chosen them is not cinematic excellence (that explains why there isn’t ‘Gone with the wind’ or ‘Casablanca’). In fact the movies that I’ll mention are pretty average academically. But the only reason I’ve put them here is that they have that ‘feel-good’ factor. They leave behind a soft mushy residue which u think about at night when u sleep (and admit it fantasize putting urself in the boy or the girls place !!). To make a long short, they just make ur day! Also I wont be writing bout movies that are famous and in all probability u must have seen already countless number of times in Star Movies and HBO. That explains why u won’t find movies like Pretty Woman (voted as the best Valentine movie of all time), You’ve Got Mail, Noting Hill, Nine Months etc. There are also movies which are famous but which i din like at all like 'When Harry Met Sally' and 'Sleepless in Seattle'. But rather I’ll write about movies that may not have been very famous but are upto the task as far as that ‘feel good factor’. They are soft, mushy and do make a dent. Also I have avoided movies which have a sad ending for it obviously doesn’t make any sense seeing them on Valentine’s Day. That’s why I din mention Titanic (get the point now). Also, let me give the disclaimer that these are the best Valentine movies only among the ones that I have seen and can remember at this point and not necessarily of all time. There might be other great movies that I might have not come across so please don treat this list as exhaustive by any means. Lastly the order I’ve mentioned them is random.

Tum Bin (2001): This movie tops my Valentine list. And yes i am aware some of u may not agree and i respect that too... But remember nowhere am i saying that this is the best love movie on earth. Its just that on Valentine's day, it'll be a very good watch. Some of u must have seen this on TV. I have a soft corner for this movie. The movie, although not a blockbuster, maybe because it starred all newcomers, nevertheless did decent business. But believe me u can’t judge a movie by the money it makes (Swades flopped right!). The songs (and almost all of them) were very melodious. In spite of very high emotional drama, this has a happy ending. Shot in Canada, the visual effect is absolutely stunning. Every actor has done justice to their role. According to me, a perfect Valentine movie. While i cun find any formal trailer, i am giving a few decent links below of whatever i cud come across (the second link actually more for the beautiful song by the Pakistani singer Ataullah Khan Esakhelvi, incidentally one of my favorites). Watch it if u haven’t already. Most of u will like it. And that’s a guarantee.







Stuart little 1 (1999) and 2 (2004): This is an exception I admit because it’s famous. It really doesn't matter what age you’re in, u’ll like this movie. The reason I mention part 1 is because its shows love within the family (this compels even a cat to take on his mates to protect Stuart). If at all u decide to watch both, see it in sequence to enjoy it the most. The reason I mention this as a Valentine movie is because in the second part Stuart actually gets smitten by the bird (Margelo I guess) and determined to save her from the clutches of the ‘Falcon’ even risking his life. This was the movie that had the very famous song ‘I’m Alive’ by Celine Dion later included in her album ‘A New Day Has Come’. Just watch the video of this song where u have Stuart flying his tiny airplane to fight the Falcon and save Margelo with the entire New York City watching and cheering for him. That was really romantic – and brave. Although Margelo leaves Stuart at the end, the reason I mention it here was because when Stuart's dad asks what was the silver lining he replies ‘She’ll be back in spring’. And that to me was a happy ending.



Wimbledon (2004): John McEnroe and Chris Evert play commentators in this movie in a special appearance. The DVD cover mentions it to be a romantic comedy. But don get swayed by that for according to me I couldn't really understand what was so comical about this movie. To me it’s a beautiful romantic drama that really touches your heart. Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) is at the end of his tennis career current ranked a hundred something on the ATP circuit who’s never won a tournament in his life. He decides to play Wimbledon one last time. When the tournament begins he meets the women’s top player Lizzie something (Kirsten Dunst) who is in top form and is like the Maria Sharapova of tennis. Inspite of his failing form Lizzie sees a feeble glint of potential inside him. Paul makes a last ditch effort to win Wimbledon and along with it, the heart of a rising superstar. Watch this. Trust me you wont be disappointed.



Little Manhattan (2005): Its all about first love. This beautifully narrated movie tells the story about Gabe, a 12 year old who has fallen in love with Rosemary Telesco. They both live in ‘Little Manhattan’ area in New York City and hence the name. Shot on location this movie will create nostalgia and make u recall the various emotions we undergo when we like someone for the very first time.






Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993): Agreed. u’ve heard of this. According to me one of Shah Rukh Khan’s best movies. I really liked his innocent acting here. I wud recommend this movie to anyone who is alone this year or has had a heartbreak recently, for this movie very sweetly portrays moving on and that there is life even if u don always win in love. And who knows, u may even end up with someone as good, if not better! Suchitra Krishnamurthy looks very fresh, sweet and innocent. Lastly the songs are good too.




Choti Si Baat (1975): I sometimes wonder why does every great movie need to be an epic and what happened to the art of simple storytelling. Amol Palekar was an actor whose movies were so simple and yet so elegant. In this movie, he plays a simple guy who is madly in love with Vidya Sinha but due to his innocence is a moron when it comes to love. To add to it there is Asrani who also fancies Vidya and hence adds to his woes, spoiling his plans every time. Amol needs help. And he gets help from Ashok Kumar who is an ex serviceman and a Mr. know it all from whom the entire world seeks suggestions including Amitabh Bachan who plays himself in a one minute special appearance. In the end the old man’s training pays off and Amol wins the heart of Vidya. This is a very light hearted movie so don’t expect heavy emotional drama. But trust me, it’ll make u’r day.




Jerry Maguire (1996): Yes this movie is famous too but the reason I mention this is because of great lines in this movies. The line ‘You Complete Me’ said by Tom Cruise to Renee Zelwegger was voted to be the most romantic line in movies once. Also Renee’s reply ‘You had me at hello’ was equally impressive. And of course Cuba Gooding’s ‘Show me the money’ and ‘I love black people’ added some light moments. One of the scenes I remember is when Tom Cruise is about to leave his job and asks who wants to join him, Renee joins him without any second thoughts and sticks with him. Lastly the kid is the cherry on the cake.




Last Chance Harvey (2008): This will probably appeal to middle-aged people. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thomson play two middle aged people (probably in their fifties) who happen to meet in London. Both are losers in their personal lives. They manage to connect and despite a few hiccups bring happiness into each others lives. Shot in London, the locales add to the movie. There is no concrete storyline as such but it does leave u happy at the end of the movie. A decent watch.




Music and Lyrics (2007): Hugh Grant seems to crop up again (after ‘Nine Months’ and ‘Notting Hill’ mentioned above). But if there is anyone who really makes this movie worthwhile, its Drew Barrymore (she actually looks so pretty in this movie, u just kinda miss everything else !). Hugh is a once-famous rock star who had a rock band in the mid 80’s that dismantled in the early nineties. Now he makes a living by composing the odd jingle and singing at fairs. Until he meets Drew who is employed to water his plants ( I wrote pants the first time around – cant stop laughing). While Hugh is good at composing music, he just cant write lyrics anymore which is holding him from making a comeback. However he discovers precisely this talent in Drew when she accidentally fills in an incomplete line while he’s composing. Hugh requests her to help him to which she agrees. However when Hugh pressurizes her to mould her lyrics to suit a Britney Spears like star who he plans to team up with in a forthcoming concert, Drew walks out feeling very hurt. Hugh does something pretty amazing to win her back – and in the process realizes that he is not that bad after all. Again while this may not be a cult movie, on Valentines Day, u wont probably dislike it either. Maybe my liking for Drew Barrymore was too strong to resist missing this out. Incidentally, this was released on Valentine's Day !

 

Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007): After 'Top Gun' (1986), Tom Cruise was already a superstar and around 1990, he acted in a movie called 'Days of Thunder' (just for some trivia, this is said to be where he and Nicole Kidman fell for each other). TRRP has been inspired (or maybe simply copied) from this movie (see the trailers). But with a twist! While DoT is more about racing in addition to the emotional drama, TRRP has shades of very powerfully shown family bonding and love and for that reason i don mind mentioning it here as Valentine watch. TRRP is the story of a racing driver RajVeer (RV) who falls into a bad patch in life and his path toward getting back. While this movie may seem to be a sports movie on the periphery, it might as well be about bouncing back when life hits u below the belt (and believe me, people do bounce back in life - remember Sourav Ganguly’s man of the series return in South Africa after a year in the wilderness – that was bouncing back like nothing else). The racing car was just a medium to carry this theme. It cud have been anything else all the same. Being a Yash Raj banner, this movie had all the glam and glitz (shot in New York City). The songs were very nice too. But what really makes this movie so amazing is the support that RV gets all along from his wife (Rani Mukherjee – this is the only movie in her entire career in which I liked her) his two kids who were like two cherry blossoms in the movie, and even his friends and neighbors who chip in with whatever they can. It makes u realize that when the chips are down, our loved ones really cushion our fall. To me, that was the high point of the movie rather than the racing part. Lastly, if this is a perfectly watchable movie with ur entire family and if u r married, ur kids included or for that matter anyone who stuck with u when it was raining.

Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2007): Both movies were critically acclaimed but to me the first one was a disappointment. But the reason I recommend it is because the second one somewhat makes up for it. The second is a sequel which is shot in real time nine years after the first. In the first part, two strangers meet on a train in Europe. In the course of a conversation, the guy develops a liking for the girl and requests her to get down in Vienna where he is supposed to disembark where they can explore the city together. The girl agrees and hence begins their story of one day after which both go their own ways. The only reason I recommend the first part is coz it’ll help u appreciate the second part somewhat better. In the second part, they meet again after nine years in Paris and the story explores another day. In the course of the conversation they both realize that they both still have a longing for each other. This is very beautifully reflected in a song that the girl sings to the guy over tea (I found it one of the high points in the movie and very sweet indeed). This time, as the day approaches its end and its time to move on, the guy makes a different decision and some interpretation (in all probability a happy one) is left to the viewer. Ethan Hawke does full justice to his role but Julie Delpy, the actress levitates the movie to a different league altogether with her brilliant performance. A somewhat serious movie which will leave some residue in ur heart.

The best unknown movies.

Aug 2007.

There are two passions in my life. Literature and movies. While i've given up on the former, the latter still holds its sway on me. So in this post i'll list some of my favorite movies. But there is a difference. I won’t be writing bout movies which we all know and love. Deewar, Anand, Godfather... u get the drift. Famous stuff which are bound to be favorites. But rather i'll kinda restrict it to movies which may not have created a rage but are really beautiful. U probably may not have even heard of some, but if u can, do see them. Believe me u wont regret. And if u've seen and liked any of these, drop in a line. Here it goes:

Bagh Bahadur - 1989: Directed by Buddhadev Dasgupta, this movie won the National award for the best movie in 1990. The lead character was played by Pawan Malhotra (a power actor in the same league as Raghubir Yadav, Ashish Vidyarthi types). It tells the story of Ghunuram who makes a living by playing a tiger in the annual village fair and nurses the dream of getting the local village beauty after earning enough money. But his life is torn apart by an outsider who gets a real tiger in the village to display and in the process manages to impress the villagers and the damsel of Ghunuram. In frustration and as a last ditch effort to salvage his pride, Ghunuram decides to take on the tiger in front of the whole village. One of the best i've seen.

Target - 1985: Originally written by Satyajit Ray and directed by his son Sandip, this tells the story of Rambharosa (Om Puri) who plays a servant to a zamindar (Mohan Agashe - bikta hai sona mitti ke mol - Trimurti alongwith SRK). Rambharosa never misses a target on hunting trips with the zamindar. One day the zamindar chances upon the voluptuous wife of Rambharosa and molests her. When Rambharosa protests, the zamindar slices of his shooting hand. Rambharosa starts practising shooting with one hand and when the time comes makes the zamindar his target. It’s a pity that a person of Om Puri's caliber has to play a regular cop in movies like Don which don do any justice to his abilities just coz he has a family to feed.

Aur ek prem kahani - 1996: A Hindi movie which starred the top south indian actors of that time - Heera Rajgopal, Ramesh Arvind and Revathy(Amitabh's wife in Nishabd). Although this movie had a slightly adult theme, I remember watching it as teenager and even managing to comprehend and appreciate it in spite of a very complex emotional theme. Heera is a doctor and also a budding singer with a promising career who lives in erstwhile Madras (now Chennai) along with her parents, a tenant (Ramesh) and her servant (Revathy). In due course of time Heera and Ramesh fall in love and decide to marry once Heera returns from a singing assignment. While Heera is out of station, Ramesh, in a moment of weakness has a one night stand with Revathy. Revathy presumes that it was an act of love but feels really used (thinking just becoz she is a servant) and begins to cry when Ramesh insists her to take contraceptive pills (it's after watching this scene that you'll realize why this movie won her the National award for best actress that year). When Heera returns, she finds both Revathy and Ramesh missing. Years later all three meet but with a beautiful twist in the tale which is best left to you guys to watch. I can say that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. This is a brilliant depiction of human emotions, weaknesses, loyalty, pain compromise etc. I would say that true to its name, I have never seen a better love story or read one like this. I guess I need not say more.

Aadmi aur aurat - 1984: The second movie produced by Doordarshan after the critically acclaimed Sadgati (another great movie as per mom which was made in 1981 and Directed by the great Satyajit Ray which won him a National award. Try out this too and if possible, save a copy for me as I have yet to see this). This entire movie has just 2 characters who call each other aadmi (Amol Palekar) and Aurat (don’t know who). It so happens that aurat is a pregnant lady who suddenly starts getting labor pains while she is crossing over to the next village or something and in a totally desolate area with not a soul in sight except for aadmi who eventually comes to her rescue and takes her all the way to the distant clinic in a long journey without taking any advantage of her desperation. While the story in itself is quite simple, the notable thing is how aadmi keeps the aurat awake throughout the journey by encouraging her to take all the pain keeping in view the prize ahead. Almost 90% of the movie is bout this journey through this desolate land. After seeing this I really appreciated both Amol and the lady for brilliant acting. A must watch. I just wonder what has happened to Doordarshan !!!

Saudagar - 1973: A movie with an Urdu look and feel but written and directed by Bengalis (there was a time when they ruled Bollywood), this was one of Amitabh Bachchan's best movies and incidentally, made before Zanjeer catapulted him to superstardom in the same year. I reckon the budget of this movie wouldn’t have exceeded even 1 lac in those times. This tells the story of a Mohammedan named Moti (Amitabh) who climbs palm trees to extract the juice and sells jaggery made out of it by his new wife (Nutan) who puts her heart and soul into the job to make Moti succeed. But that is all he has married Nutan for. To make a pile of money on her effort and then marry the local village beauty thus deserting Nutan once he has made enough money to pay the new girl’s (Padma Khanna) father. In due course Nutan remarries. Moti 's new wife turns out to be a good for nothing and ruins Moti 's business. When in poverty Moti goes to Nutan and begs her to teach his new wife her skill so that he can live. In spite of the brutal treatment meted out to her, her goodness of heart prevails and out of humanity she teaches her the job.

Pushpak - 1988: Although not a much unknown movie, i'll take the liberty to mention it here. Being a silent movie there isn't much of a plot (well there is but not a serious one). I reckon the movie is about emotions depicted without words. Kamal Hassan and Amla weave a magical tapestry to make the movie speak for itself. In the end there is an underlying theme of both sorrow and happiness that I'll leave to the viewer to discern.

Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaayen - 1990: One of the reasons i recommend this movie is because the whole story and dialogue delivery has been done via poetic and rhyming language which assume is very tough as i haven't seen it in any other movie. Directed by Amol Palekar, this movie has a girl called Binni (don't know who but seemingly a trained actor - and a good one at that) who considers herself  a small town average Jane, and hence very low on confidence. To add to this, the drought in her town doesn't help her spirits any further. Enter 'Dhrushtadyumna Padmanabha Prajapati Neelkantha Dhumketu Barish Kar' (Nana Patekar) a man who offers to bring rain in the village for 5000 rupees.While Binni's family and all others initially view him with skepticism, they eventually decide to take a chance even though Binni isn't convinced. The question is , can the man bring back rain.....and along with it Binni's lost confidence. This movie exemplifies the art of simple storytelling and takes it to a new level altogether. A must watch.

Katha - 1983: A movie which is very close to my heart. Actually shot on location by Sai Paranjpe in a Mumbai chawl with the real chawl people playing the residents, Katha tells the story of 'Rajaram Purshottam Joshi' (It was after seeing this movie that I admired Nasiruddin Shah) a honest simple hardworking man who believes in walking straight and turning right. Rajaram also nurses in his heart the hope of marrying Sandhya (Deepti Naval) who is the chawl's damsel. However Rajaram meets his nemesis in Bashu (Farookh Sheikh) a suave man who knows all the tricks of the trade and manages to woo Sandhya with his style thus leaving Rajaram heartbroken. In a world where nice guys finish last, what happens to Rajaram ?

Of Parineeta and the city of joy.

July 2007

NB* The words/phrases in purple/green are hyperlinks. Click on them to know more.

Quite long ago I had seen the movie 'Parineeta', Sarat Chandra's classic slightly tweaked for a happy ending. If u see the movie, the beginning that is, u'll find the voice of Amitabh Bachchan giving a very illustrative and poetic account of this city along with matching shots in the background. According to me that rendition of his, along with the background shots captured the mood and beauty of Kolkata to perfection. The reason I'm so intoxicated by the beauty of this city is because I have just left it for my hometown Bhubaneswar, after spending around a month there. And I have seen it all. And believe me in these thirty odd days, this city captured a piece of my imagination. And although my first love still remains Bhubaneswar to the core, I can't excuse myself from describing the enchanting beauty of this place. Some of the stuff worth mention, I write below:

Traffic Jams: I repeat I've seen it all. I lived in this huge mansion exclusively inhabited by Parsi families (my aunt is married to one and hence the privilege). It was located in the most central part of Kolkata namely Moulali. And needless to say it was bustling the whole day. Buses, trams (more bout that below), taxis, people on the move, u have it all. Even the metros are crowded now and do little to help. The city just never slept.

Culture/Architecture/Cuisine: Nostalgia still prevails here. The mansion I mentioned above is almost 70-80 years old but still would put many houses of today to shame. It really has class with its high walls and windows the size of doors. What i intend to say is the architecture of yesteryears is still there in most parts of the city with British influence very much apparent most notably in the Victoria Memorial. And the Parsis are indeed one of the most peace loving communities as I saw. Pity its dwindling with only about 500 odd left in Kolkata. The best part is the food. During festive occasions that's served in traditional banana leaf. To me that beats sophisticated cutlery and fine dining any day.

Intellect: There was a saying once upon a time - 'What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow'. After all, this was the place where the freedom struggle started and the Congress was born. Greats like Ram Mohan Roy, Vidyasagar, Michael Madusudan Dutta (according to me the greatest Indian writer of all time though very few people know of him), Sarat Chandra himself, the list goes on, are connected to this place. Lastly this city has produced three Nobel laureates. And this was the city Mother Teresa called home. I guess I need not say more.

Presidency college: Satyendranath Bose (of Bosons and Bose-Einstein Statistics fame) hailed from here. This man was awarded 110/100 in his math exam as he had not only solved every question but also in every possible way. Einstein wrote his reco. Jagdish Chandra Bose taught here without taking his salary for three years as a mark of protest as he was paid three times less than the British professors while he considered himself as good as them. The British had to relent after 3 years. That was some courage of conviction. Netaji, its most famous alumnus (the most inspirational national leader according to me) had slapped a British professor for insulting a fellow Indian peon. A board on the staircase mentions this with pride in the exact location where it happened. And it all happened in this institution.

Trams: Probably Tokyo and Hong Kong are the only other Asian cities that have it. And believe me trams are some nostalgia. I traveled in them extensively just for the ride. My favorite route was the one that ran parallel to the Ganges shore with Babughat and Princep Ghat on one side and the Maidan on the other and the Calcutta skyline (Chatterjee and Tata building) beyond it. Take this route during sunset and its like honeymoon in slow motion (I had to put this in a corny way to make u feel the bliss of trams!).

Howrah Bridge (the old one): The busiest bridge in the world. Not a single nut and bolt has been used. It’s all sealed. Probably now u can fathom why I mentioned traffic above.

The Maidan: I guess u wont find such a huge open space in the midst of bustling traffic right in the middle of the city in any other place in the world. They say it’s bigger than Central park in New York City. The Ganges is on the left and downtown on the right. Probably the only place in the country where Football rules instead of Cricket in the evening. There is a Taanga ride (horse-driven-carriage) that people take in front of the Victoria Memorial near Eden. Believe me, for those 10 minutes, you feel like a royal basking in the adulation of lesser mortals on the street.

City centre: There’s something for the youngsters too. On the weekends the entire young crowd, the software people in particular gather here. And you do find love in the air! And yeah, the largest Pantaloons is in Kolkata too, though in a different area. You get spoilt for choice.

Boat ride in Princep ghat: This is how Rajesh Khanna expressed his love for Waheeda in Khamoshi (Woh Shaam Bhi Kuch Ajeeb Thi) and Sharmila in Amar Prem (Chingaari koi Bhadke). A 30 minute ride costs 100 bucks. But take it from me it’s worth the ride. U get to pass under the Howrah bridge if u pester the boatman a bit or lure him with some extra money. The boats actually have a lantern hanging from the arched structure and the boatman uses just the long bamboo to row. Made me realize why some things look so appealing when done the old fashioned way.

Propaganda: Rather communist propaganda. You see the red flag everywhere. The strikes though openly criticized by the 'intellectuals' are secretly reveled by them all the same (with me as a partner in their crime for the free holidays). Gorky Sadan, Lenin Sarani, Tolstoy Bhavan - these people just love Soviets. If Castro dies i reckon they'll get the corpse here. One of the last strongholds of Communism in India. Lastly where else would you find Che Guevara right from college walls to almost every T-shirt worn by students as if it were uniform as a mark of protest against something they don't like. It really confirmed what I had heard often - that Che is the most tattooed and T-shirted face on the planet.

Roshogolla and mishti doi: The first one is often used to signify a beautiful girl. It’s so beautiful indeed! Recent fusions include a variety where Mango flavor is infused in yogurt (Aam Doi). As for 'Roshogolla', these guys apparently stole the recipe from Oriyas and claim it to be their own (Wikipedia). Realize why I said propaganda above !!!

Park street: The half century old restaurants are still there. And u still have the Flury's (Sanjay Dutt treats the whole family here - sorry I can’t get off this movie). A slice of bread still costs a fortune. These guys supposedly openly admit to having opened this exclusively to fool rich foreign tourists living in Park Street. Oh and yes, there’s Moulin Rouge too!

And lastly, the Durga puja: I once heard that UNESCO declared this as the biggest Autumn festival in the world (to me it seems more of a rumor spread by the Bengalis to assert their culture - but not too of the mark though). This takes the cake for me. More for the social than the religious aspect or the rituals. On the social side its' the annual get together of relatives, pretty much similar to the annual reverse migration of the Chinese during the Chinese new year. And the most joyous time of the year where people indulge in merrymaking  dining, shopping and of course 'Adda' (Bengali for get together of friends after a long time). On the religious, men actually dance like Sanjay Dutt in Parineeta in traditional Dhoti Kurta. And the women look traditional draped in their red sarees. It's also here that matches are made for the people of marriageable age for the coming year. There is a slight whiff of flirtation  in the air as guys and girls decide on their future mates (or at least fancy them !!). I have faced a traffic jam at 3 in the night. It’s electric. I don’t think any other festival or carnival livens up any other city like what the puja (pujo in local dialect) does to Kolkata (maybe the Rio carnival comes close).

They say that if u live in a city long enough, u eventually begin to like it. Well in my case, it took just one month to make me fall in love with 'Anondonogori Kolkata' - The city of joy.