On a Long Drive.......

As the clouds gathered and shrouded over the Sunday morning, sleep never withdrew from my eyes and mind......... Pulling my rajaai the body once again, I tried to forget the world outside.......every bit of it, including the impending Chinese language exam, which was hanging like the sword of Damocles.......... The cellphone suddenly bursts out with the Malgudi Days ringtone. No peace of mind, even on a dull and chill weekend........

But the news is interesting.........offer of a long drive to a wedding in Haryana, about 100 kms from Delhi. After initial reluctance to get out of the comfort zone, I decided to have a quick bath and tuck in some light brunch-for the regular breakfast time had already passed due to my over-sleep. Since living away from home for sometime now, the skill of automobile driving-that too a four-wheeler-seems to have got a bit rusty!! The vehicle for travel was an Alto, of Maruti. Not too complicated to drive around!! Getting onto the wheel accompanied by four others, the journey had started well. The car had just one deficit, which being the absence of a music stereo. Long route; sometimes plain highway and at times some bottlenecks in traffic. Moving away from the highway into the interiors!! The metalled roads giving way to cattle-tracks. Plus, the overnight rains bringing in slush and mud into the road!! driving at around 80 kms is no doubt a challenge. Stopping for chai and light refreshments at two three places, keep on asking people the correct location, and re-filling gas, the journey was memorable.

Reaching the destination just in time to see the ceremony, and being part of the grand feast was something more joyful. As soon as the things were done there, the return. Now through the state highway, watching the rain coming from a distance; through the midst of mustard fields, blowing the horns loud and clear; clearing the way for the car to race ahead at a speed of 80-100 km/hr..............another kodak moment!! The absence of music system was forgotten as each of the passengers sang their hearts out!!!! As the sticky rain continued with the car splashing through the puddles on the roadside, hits of Kishore-Amitabh flowed delicately......... As the dusk finally settled around, pal pal dil ke paas was the reverberating tune...........Finally after the day long journey ended with the vehicle entering the campus and the keys being handed back to the rightful owner, its time to end the role of the chauffeur. Some accolades from the fellow passengers, with pats on the back and praising words for being an expert driver, there are even promises of dinners!! As I walk back through the wintry night to get quickly under the quilt, there is a tune on my lips. May be the next marriage should ideally be in Agra.......!!!! Long Drive, another vehicle perhaps and another occasion to feast upon.......Hmmmmm, its really mouth-watering!! By the way, have the showers again started??

Watching Traffic Signal.............

Watching the movie Traffic Signal by Madhur Bhandarkar last week, has my mind more lighter. In the sense that, unlike his first two editions in the Mumbai trilogy, Page 3 and Corporate, Traffic Signal does state the obvious; however, it doesn't go beyond that. In the sense that, the film doesn't go on to say something new. The life at the signals in the metros of our country is well and truly reflected in the film. In fact, my take would be that under the given circumstances, this could only be the right way to produce it on the screen. However, it still is silent on the aspect that the character of Silsila-played by Kunal Khemu-can also be exploitative, wherein he opresses those under him. Here, he is generally portrayed as a messiah or as in the end, a kind of redeemer or kind of saviour. The movie's end is also one on predictable lines-going on to "wash off his sins"!! The other critiques of the film also stand-like no proper organziation of the characters, no soul-filling music unlike his earlier films in the trilogy nor any hard-hitting statements against the system or the way of things.

Hence, this film cannot in any terms be compared with his other two ventures. Page 3 and Corporate were strong statements on the times we were living in, particularly on the cosmopolitan life we generally feel cozy about. The hollowness of the life at the Page 3 parties as well as the rush to sell off public assets for a song do not necessarily match the life led by a big group of people at the numerous signals in the metropolitan cities. However, the most remarkable thing which the director has been able to expose the hierarchy exisiting within the system. The hafta taken from the people at the signals is taken over by guys like Silsila, who in turn are led by another perosn, who essentially acts as the middleman and takes the collection to the lord above. This lord is on the other hand controlled by the hawala transactions from outside the country's borders. This whole racket or ring is a huge one, which is thereby linked through a long chain. This chain link is effectively something 'cast in stone'!!!!

Overall the movie has a typical signature by Bhandarkar; but that signature is not on the same lines like in the past. It, on the whole is more lighter and much more 'out of the emotional bracket'.