StrayScribbles

  There are days which are ruined - even before you leave your bed. When everything feels out of place without any reason. Those days when the smallest of conversations makes you tired. Just a wrong glance from someone ruins your mood. When even music can't help. That's when you yearn to be at that happy place of yours. Away from familiar faces and daunting deadlines, to spend some quiet time with yourself. It could be the worst day ever, but the place still feels warm and welcoming. You sit there. Watching the sky. Wind blowing through your hair. Strangers laughing. Slowly your day starts getting a little better. It’s like the place shares it's peace and calm with you. It soothes away all the weight you've been carrying around. You start to notice the small things that matter. In the end, by the time you leave, you become yourself again and life seems a bit more bearable.

  The problem is, you don't know about middle grounds. You only deal in extremes. It’s either too much or too less. Feelings, emotions, trust - its 100% or nothing. Your palette seems to have only 2 choices - Black and White. Things are either right or wrong. People are either good or bad. Maybe this is exactly why you are always either too happy or too sad.   Believe it or not there is an entire spectrum of colours between black and white. Just like there are entire continents and vast oceans between the poles there is a lot lying between right and wrong; between good and bad. It's ok to do things even if you don't know whether it is right or wrong at the moment. It's ok to care about someone even before categorizing them as good or bad.   Middle grounds exist and moving away from the extremes is absolutely fine. It's ok to explore other colours because the rainbow wouldn't look half as good in monochrome, right?

Alternate Perspectives in Anand Neelakantan's Retellings of Ramayana and Mahabharata “There’s no black and no white; only shades of grey”           Epics are filled with the tales about winners. The heroes are always portrayed as righteous and ethical people. The villains on the other hand are often shown as cruel characters devoid of humanity and soft feelings. There is a clear divide among the characters as good or bad. There is no middle ground. But when we relate these epics to real life, we realize that it is quite different. In reality everyone has a good and bad side just like the two sides of a coin. Nothing is completely black or fully white. Its different shades of grey. Maybe in these epics, if we care enough to read between the lines, we would be able to see how the so called ‘villains’ had reasons for each of their actions just like the heroes. This is exactly what Anand Neelakantan tries to do in his retellings of Ramayana a...

Indian Cinema has oversexualized stories about relationships involving maid servants to the point where it seems like any dynamic other than lust, is impossible in such tales. Sir deals with this stereotype maturely and manages to humanize the character. It also acknowledges the reality of class divide without being too dramatic. And when was the last time you saw an ambitious, opinionated maid character, who wasn't just a tool for humor, on screen?

In this movie, Clint Eastwood brings to us the real-life story of Richard Jewell, who was falsely accused of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Bombing. An incompetent police force and bloodthirsty media houses came together to target an innocent person who was ironically responsible for saving hundreds of lives during the same incident. The actors have done a commendable job in portraying real life characters on screen. Once again, the director proves that he hasn't lost his golden touch.

While the discussions and debates about the state of women in the country are gaining momentum, a movie like Soni becomes increasingly relevant. Unlike usual Bollywood flicks which feels like different combinations of the same ingredients, here the story and the women characters play a central role. It talks about two women - an IPS officer and a constable - in the Delhi Police Department. The director, Ivan Ayr, has done a great job in portraying the various challenges faced by them in their personal as well as professional lives. The main actors are just terrific in their respective roles.

  We are obsessed with this idea that there is a soulmate out there somewhere who is going to complete us intellectually, physically and emotionally. But the harsh reality is that not everybody gets that. Sometimes you have to stop searching and settle for someone who does one of these things perfectly. Like, it's okay to have an intellectual soulmate with whom you don't have the greatest sex. Or a physical partner who doesn't read the same authors or watch the same movies as you do. Sometimes it is okay to settle. Straight Up doesn't beg for attention. It flows naturally through well written conversations. There are no big surprises or earth-shaking events. But still, it doesn't fail to instill in you a vivid, soulful feel.

Alone she lived In the great manor house. Without a single being; Nor to love neither to talk. Darkness was  her greatest pal, the chattering windows  her sole company. Waiting for that blessed moment, when at last she'd be free. When that soothing arm, would reach from above. Then for the last time  shed cry; scream and shout. Not in pain but relief. The light in her teary eyes, would fade away; Replaced by the depth of eternity. Her sound would echo around, waiting to be heard by someone dear. At last when her soul leaves, with none to cry or mourn, tears would ebb down the cold cheeks. And for the final time, she'd beg for forgiveness that she craves above all She had chosen to be alone; lest they discern her dark and lurid sin. Alone she lived In the great manor house, in remorse and regret. Counting down her own days...

The door closed, right before my eyes A few steps more and I would've reached What lay behind, I never knew Another chance to make it right? or the same story in a new tone? "When a door closes a hundred others open God has saved something better For maybe you deserve better" he says God? I ask between laughs Which one among them? I ask The Christian one who bore the cross? Who drew onto himself the pains of the world? At the waiting room of the cancer ward my mother waited ; rolling the rosary between her fingers. Spotting a beard I thought it was him But no one came, to stop her, before her last journey began. Or the Muslim one? The one they pray to, looking westward My father had his knees on the ground and his forehead touched the sand where the shadow of the dome fell as the bomb roared. His prayers drowned along with his soul among the heart wrenching cries of the kin. Or now, the Hindu one? Draped in red and sword in hand? My brother breached all old laws. He ate t...

The old man walked, along the beach. The waves splashed, spraying water on his face. The cool breeze, blew through his hair. The air was salty and crisp. Waves took a ball away ; a colorful one, and a toddler cried. Couples sat hand in hand on the damp sand. Shovel and bucket in grip, a little architect ran. Ringing merry bells, the ice cream van moved. The fresh smell, of hot peanut swayed through the air. The red ball of fire, started sinking into the sea. Kites!  Kites! A girl squawked. The old man bought a kite. His dog led him to the bench He held the thread, and released the kite into the wind.  For him the red kite was black. Black sea and a black beach. As the kite soared high, the blind man cried with joy. A great old wish  fulfilled at last 'Going to the beach  and flying a kite' his younger self said, as people around laughed. And he remembered  the lines he read somewhere. 'The kite flies away only if you choose to let go of the string' And new dream...

Twisting and turning on my bed, I yearned for the angel of sleep to embrace me. I hoped the covers would protect me, from the evil of the world. And the monster  in me  would be  tamed,  in the darkness. The moonlight seeped in through the curtains, giving them  a scary glow. Drenched in sweat, the clothes stick onto my body. As I close my eyes trying to sleep, memories, of good old times flood my mind. When, nights were easier, and sleep...effortless. When my mothers embrace,  was the strongest  protective charm. And sleeping  beside my father, was the biggest confidence. Those times, when dreams were still rainbow coloured …unlike the dark gloomy nightmares now. Darkness survived only till the lights turned on. But now lights fail to drive out the darkness  that has engulfed me. When my greatest problems were ones which could be solved by my favorite superheroes. When future was not  a scary topic,  but a happy one. Finally a...

Changes, Challenges and Future [Based on Kinoautomat (1967) and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2019)] Films have been a popular form of entertainment since the last decade of the twentieth century. From the first versions that were just continuously moving images of an object in motion, films have developed into much complex entities involving technology. It used to be a passive activity where the viewers lean back and watch, like many other performing arts. But with the developments in technology and innovations in the field of cinema, attempts to make it an audience inclusive activity began. Inspired by choose-your- ending novels, filmmakers started to attempt making films where some sort of agency was given over to the viewers in the unravelling of the plot. This genre of cinema is now referred to as Interactive Cinema. First examples of this genre came out in the 1960’s as experiments but it never caught on as a popular form. In this paper we will be examining how Interactive Cinema h...