Jackson Heights - The Finale

There are some dramas that are entertaining during their run , but are ultimately forgettable. There are others that don't know how to wrap up, so are entirely let down by their final episode. And then there are dramas with writing, direction and acting of sheer brilliance with truly relatable characters that may seem slow in the build up, but end so beautifully that they resonate deep within your heart..  Jackson Heights falls into the last category.

While initially, the show seemed to have many characters and storylines, it was, in the end, the story of a Mamoon and Bhanja (uncle and nephew), their family relationships and interactions with those  connected to their lives.

It's rare that a drama manages to create the kind of emotion I felt for the characters in this drama. Pehchaan, Talkhiyan and Pyaare Afzal being the last.  

These characters were not just on screen personas - they were real people, people I can imagine living on the streets of NYC (only an hour away from me). Out there, there's a genuine Bhatti, lovable, homesick and hardworking for the sake of his family. There must be a Jamshedpur, chasing the American dream, no matter how much scheming and plotting is required. There's a Salma, a woman trapped in her abusive marriage for the sake of her child.  There's a Michelle, a headstrong, confident woman living life her own way only to be caught in a whirlwind romance  (finally) by the wrong man.  There's a Rizwan, hopelessly in love with a woman who won't accept him, forever sidelined into the dreaded "friendzone" (who can't relate to that?). There's a Sikandar, someone who has made too many mistakes and, after reforming, finds that forgiveness does not equate to forgetting OR happily ever after.  And finally, somewhere, there's an Ammi who yearns for her loved ones and spends her life waiting for their return.  

These characters were real, living, breathing people and that's a sign of incredible writing.  Kudos to Vasay' Chaudhary and Mehreen Jabbar for their hard work and commitment to creating a quality show.

I don't want to discuss the episode in detail, as I think "spoilering" a show this beautiful for anyone who hasn't seen it would be a travesty.  What I will say is the following:

Jamshed:  The American Dream pursued to no avail, even with intentions gone completely haywire. It's strange, because while Jamshed was a "negative" character, was he really? He was made so out of circumstances. He came to the U.S. To escape his Mamoon and Maami, who were terrible to him and to create a life where he could bring his Naani and provide for her. He reached the Usa only to realize Bhatti's poor circumstances and was pushed to drastic measures to avoid going back to Pakistan..  It was refreshing to see his outcome and to see that despite going down the "ghalat raasta" initially, he did eventually move in a positive direction.

Bhatti:  Our lovable Bhatti Sahab, a man with a heart of gold, working hard in a land he doesn't consider his own for the sake of providing for his family back home.  But at what cost?  And was it worth it at the end?  That's the basic message in Bhatti's story:  In the end, is living in America worth what you leave behind at home?  Isn't it possible to have a good, comfortable, successful life back home, that too, surrounded by your loved ones?  It was so easy to root for Bhatti, because his story is one that we know to be true.  His character was very well-written and at no point did we feel that he was a character - he was a living, breathing person and we felt for him.

Salma:  A mothers love knows no bounds - even if the child isn't one you gave birth to.  Salma raised Iman and accepted her as her own.  So how can she escape a terrible marriage without leaving behind her child?  Salma's predicament was one that many abused women face - what about the children?  Fortunately for Salma, her end was not as dire as most marriages like this would've been.  Nonetheless, it painted a clear picture that despite living in the USA, the Pakistani woman still can fall victim to the Pakistani backward mentality.

Sikandar:  It was hard not to feel bad for Sikandar in the end.  While essentially, Sikandar was your stereotypical entitled good-for-nothing who thought himself a prince with a dash of an abusive nature, he was let down by his family, friends and himself in a big way and realized the error in his ways at a high cost.  It was endearing to see Sikandar realize Salma's worth and also realize how badly he'd treated her over the years.  More than anything, it was great to see him realize how he'd let his daughter down and that it was time to mend himself and all the relationships he'd destroyed.

Michelle:  While I'm not sure I agreed with Michelle's decision in the end, it was nice to see that Michelle, that strong, self-confident woman, did not resort to the "I need a man in my life" mentality.  She needed time to sort her life out and she realized that, taking steps to give herself time and distance, while still leaving certain doors open.  Kudos to Marina Khan for taking such a great role and playing it so beautifully.

Rizwan:  The perfect man - patient, understanding, a good friend, and still human enough to give the "I told you so" lecture (albeit in a gentle way).  Rizwan was the guy Michelle should have gone for, but didn't.  Rizwan was our typical "friend zoned" guy, the guy who any sensible woman would jump for - but unfortunately, the heart isn't sensible.  I genuinely loved this role and how Adnan Jaffar played it.

On the whole, Jackson Heights was an incredible ride, the ride of life, taking us into the world of "Jackson Heights" in a realistic and natural way.  Applause for the entire cast of Jackson Heights and for the entire team behind-the-scenes.  Thank you for giving us such an amazing show after so long.

This show is a must-watch if you haven't seen it.  My Friday nights are already empty without it.

Happy watching!

Mann

Directed by: Indra Kumar

Starring: Aamir Khan, Manisha Koirala, Anil Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore

Released: 1999

My rating: destroy every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed but enjoyable - good – great – amazing

I sincerely, honestly believe that the ONLY thing that ever made indra Kumar´s films work was Madhuri Dixit. Apart from Dil, which I consider a good film, even if flawed, Beta and Raja were only bearable because of her awesomeness and talent, and everything after that I have seen of his work just plain sucks. Mann is no different.

I write poetry in my spare time. Love me.

There is so much wrong with the plot! A severely mopy Sati Savitri Manisha falls in love with a cheater and a liar because he loves his grandmom. Because him being able to appreciate the old lady equals, in Manisha´s eyes, to being a good person. In fact, the character played by Aamir Khan is repulsive, unlikeable asshole and womanizer, who enjoys being creepy. The lengths he goes to while „wooing“ women would get him a restraining order in real life. Yet she falls in love with him, is jealous of girls he pays attention to, even though she has rejected him before. By the time the movie reached the interval I was ripping my hair out of frustration and sheer disbelief. Then the asshole-ish hero turns good and full of izzat overnight. How am I supposed to buy that?

"What the..."

"Do I turn you on?"

"Totally!"

In the second half of the film we are served a completely different story. That of selfless love and that you should look around before crossing the road. Manisha´s face is all swollen throughout and her glycerin-tears-stained cheeks can only be equaled by Jaya Bachchan´s from Kabhi Khusi Kabhi Ghum. Because our heroine lost both her legs! From extreme „hilarity“ the movie sinks into extreme depression, and everything is so theatrical you just wonder what has the director do to make all these good actors act so terribly. 

So hot.

I was irked by so many things in the story, but the greatest outrage was perhaps when Manisha admits to the headmistress of the orphanage (where she had grown up) that she doesn´t want to marry the cheerful and genuinely nice Anil Kapoor (whom I did not expect in the least to show up), because she loves the womanizing stalker. She is then lectured on how she has no right whatsoever to follow her heart and be actually honest with her fiancé, because, you know, there is a chance he just might turn into a lunatic and go crazy because of that. And also: certainly, if she dares to refuse him, nobody will ever marry a girl from an orphanage again. Like WTF.

"Was my moustache not pervy enough for you, biatch?"

Aamir Khan is at his annoying worst (I think I read he regretted doing the film? It would definitely make sense.) Manisha looks disturbingly ill, I had to wonder whether she had some issues with her health off screen. Comedy has never been her forte, and her tragedy is too overdone in this. Anil Kapoor comes and goes, with the only sane character to play, but being himself more than anything. Sharmila Tagore cast as Aamir Khan´s grandmother felt so wrong! The fabulous actress, who was in her fifties at the time, is unrecognizable under a deck up of at least 80 year old woman, who appears very briefly only to pile on some more depression by dying in the second half.

"I am a Cinderella waiting for a Prince."

"But when he brings a shoe he won´t recognize you since you have no legs now."

"You lil shit!"

Logic has never really had place in Indra Kumar´s universe, while annoying over the top comedy thrived. Mann, which also stole a song or two from vintage European hits (here is one and here is another) is a confused movie trying to go from comedy into a tragic romance, much like Dil, but comedy is lame and tragic romance frustrating. The first half, made up of every wrong cliché, made me uncomfortable, the second half with its mopier than mopy ridiculousness made me roll my eyes till they almost stuck on the other part of my head.

"Good luck and break a leg, like you broke my heart."

(note on captions: Sorry for lame jokes. I don´t  mind Anil´s stache. The Cinderella comment was indeed made in the film. Except the ending. Of course.)

Oru Vadakkan Selfie Malayalam Movie Review

Vineeth Sreenivasan's script and some cool performances from the lead actors stay as the backbone of Oru Vadakkan Selfie that has loads of fun and entertainment to offer. Right from the word go, there is lot of life, energy and humour to make this film a good one that is made by the youth for the youth. Having said that, OVS is not a movie just the youngsters only can enjoy. It is definitely targeted at a particular group but anyone can find a liking for this film if you love humour, fun and entertainment.

The main character here is Umesh who is miserably failing in B.Tech and his hope is always clearing the course by attempting the suuplementals. But things never goes his way. Unable to pass out, he and his friend Shaji along with couple of others decide to make a short film based on a story copied from a Korean film. Well this short film making is not the main story here. He goes to Chennai to meet a successful Tamil Director to earn fame and make a living. But without his knowledge he indirectly gets implicated in a case and from hereon OVS takes the form of a road movie and narrate the efforts of Umesh and Shaji to come out of their present hardships.

Friendship plays a pivotal part in OVS. Quite a lot of hilarious moments are there to keep you entertained and credit for that goes to the screenplay. And the combination of Nivin Pauly and Aju Varghese has boosted the film with lot of good and humorous situations creating a laugh riot inside cinema halls.

The first half is the main attraction that is filled up with comedy and the latter half is also good except for that finishing stage that had some tone of melodrama added eventhough the message they tried to pass on in the end is a genuine one that needs a look. Ending is on a safe zone except for the final twenty minutes or so before the real climax.

Nivin Pauly has an uncanny nack to be part of some good scripts by selecting roles that suit him well. Here in OVS too, he is in fine form and combine very well with Aju Varghese to make a fun ride for the audience. Vineeth Sreenivasan apart from his script has also acted and have a major presence in the latter half and his acting has definitely improved. Not that he is a bad actor but upon comparing with his last few flicks, there are signs of improvement. The weak link in the acting department was heroine Manjima. She was good initially but towards the latter stages, there was substance in the character but it did not evolve fully on screen. Neeraj Madhav was able to create a few laughs supported by Vijayaraghavan, Bhagath Manuel, Sreelakshmi, Shravan, Harikrishnan, Rajesh Sharma and few others.

G Prajith is the director and he has done total justice with a script that had everything in it. I am not taking any credit from Prajith's direction but with this script by his side, half his job was done. No need to say much about Jomon T John, the man who wielded the camera. He has maintained the standard he has already set. Shaan Rahman's music and background score is also a major contributor for the overall goodness of this movie.

Overall, I would say that here is a movie that is neatly packaged as an entertainer with tons of uninterrupted fun to make you laugh and the rating for G Prajith's Oru Vadakkan Selfie is three and a half out of five.

Rating - 3.5 / 5

Review of Ennum Eppozhum (എന്നും എപ്പൊഴും), a Malayalam Movie

Image Courtesy: www.ytalkies.com 

Cast: Mohanlal (Vineeth N Pillai), Manju Warrier (Deepa), Innocent (Kariachan), Renji Panickar (CEO of GM Builders), Reenu Mathews (Kalyani), Lena (Farah), Jacob Gregory (Maathan), Usha S Karunagapally (Rosy – Kariachan’s wife), Kalpana (Bindhu Nainan), Minon (Ganapathy), Baby Adhvaitha (Miya, Deepa’s daughter), Kochouseph Chittilappilly (playing himself), Santosh Keexhaattoor, Dileesh Pothen, Sreekutty Ramesh, Kozhikode Sarda, Ajith

Genre: Family Drama

Directed by: Satyan Anthikad

Produced by: Antony Perumbavoor

Screenplay by: Ranjan Pramod

Music by: Vidyasagar

Cinematography: Neil D’Cunha

Edited by: K Rajagopal

Distributed by: Maxlab Entertainment (Kerala), Four Brother’s Release (India), MAS Film and Entertainment Limited (Europe), Achu & Achu’s Creations (Australia, New Zealand & Singapore), Aashirvad UK (Rest of the World)

Release date: 27^th March, 2015

Duration: 2 hours 29 minutes

Language: Malayalam

Ennum Eppozhum (എന്നും എപ്പൊഴും) – Satyan Anthikad film. A great thought provoking title with terrific pairing of Mohanlal and Manju Warrier, who are coming together after a gap of seventeen years (Kanmadam, Summer in Bethlehem), the plot could have been explored in a much better manner. Rather the plot seems to be under-developed. A few sub-plots are also introduced in the movie without a proper beginning and a proper end. The focus of the movie shifts gears from the main theme to the sub-plots in between. As a spectator, I did feel initially that these sub-plots might be relevant to justify the title ‘Ennum Eppozhum’, but it did not turn out to be so. Ennum Eppozhum superficially touches so many issues: land mafia, corruption at the top level of justice, journalism ethics, relationship conflicts, women empowerment etc. but fails to focus on these in a concrete manner. Humour at the sake of frivolous dialogues reduces the gravity of the plot. But ultimately, Ennum Eppozhum summarizes (justifies its title) which is all about standing up for what is right as per one’s own conscience and it definitely gives a very positive end.

The movie begins with Vineeth N Pillai’s (Mohanlal) narration. He is a Senior Correspondent working with women’s magazine Vanitha Ratnam. In spite of being a procrastinator, he is able to hold on to his job due to his late mother’s rapport with the top boss of the magazine. Initial narrations project how people are leading monotonous lives – same morning chores, taking same route, going to same office, boarding same bus etc. These give us cue in regard to Vineeth’s boredom with non-challenging assignments. Vineeth displays a very casual approach to his work, ends up reaching late for his office / meetings etc. He is warned many times by his management. Vineeth’s challenges increase when a new Editor-in Chief Kalyani (Reenu Mathews) joins the organization. Kalyani feels that complete revamping of the organization is required and fresh minds have to be brought in and those employees who are not good need to be chucked out. Kalyani finds Vineeth’s  casual approach towards work very irritating. She throws a challenge in front of Vineeth to do a cover story for Vanita Ratnam’s special edition. Kalyani wants Vineeth to interview Deepa (Manju Warrier), a family court advocate who hits the news headlines due to brave fight which she picks up with the authorities after she falls in a pothole while travelling by the scooty. It was not easy to get to Deepa, who is extremely engaged with her parenting Miya (Baby Adhvaitha), as well as with her work and social commitments. Vineeth’s entry strategies to get an interview from Deepa fail but he pursues consistently. These definitely land him in unexpected situations.

How does Vineeth manage to get an interview of Deepa for the cover story? How does the relationship between Vineeth and Kalyani evolve? I am confused with the way this relationship is handled in the movie.

Lot of sub-plots emerge in the background. Lena portrays the character of Farah, Deepa’s friend, who runs a boutique. Innocent as Kariachan (a retired postmaster), and his wife Rosy (Usha S Karunagapally) play the role of guardian angel neighbour of Deepa. Although most of the verbal tiffs between Vineeth and Kariachan, Vineeth and Maathan – Vineeth’s room mate cum assistant (Jacob Gregory) get a bit overboard at times, but some moments do add to the humour quotient of the movie. Young Minon’s (Ganapathy) advice to Vineeth to woo a girlfriend is hilarious.

We have seen this Mohanlal many times on screen. It is great to see Mohanlal and Manju together on screen. I loved the frames where Manju stands unperturbed when she is threatened by mafia or her non-submission to wrong elements of the society or her standing firm even amidst crisis.  

This movie is moderately paced. Songs don’t detract the attention, rather it flows in rhythmic pattern in the background of the story. Songs support the touch of unexpressed love projected in the movie.   

Highlight of the Movie: Effortless dance performance by Manju Warrier. A visual delight indeed. Another moment where Lena interacts with Manju in regard to her fascination for travel. She says that how scenes move in front of us when we travel. She adds to it by saying that let us atleast try to be happy, appear to be happy. Scenes would change and a day will come, when we will really be happy.

Ennum Eppozhum, a plot / cast with tremendous scope, although went a bit awry, still a delight to watch for Mohanlal and Manju. Watch it, you would walk out of theater in a happy mood.

Rating : 3 / 5 (Good)

Jab Jab Phool Khile

Directed by: Suraj Prakash

Starring: Shashi Kapoor, Nanda

Released: 1965

My rating: destroy every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed but enjoyable - good – great – amazing

Clearly the awful Raja Hindustani drew much inspiration from a film lot older, lot sweeter, and less blatantly sexist and prejudiced. Perhaps not as equally successful, but very successful still. Those were my initial thoughts after watching Jab Jab Phool Khile, a picture full of beautiful songs, terribly unrealistic studio sets, sophisticated Lolita-reading Nanda and above all the cutest, handsomest Shashi Kapoor. Perhaps no other actor has had innocence so clearly mirrored on his face. Mr. Shashi is simply adorable as a simple Kashmiri falling in love with a wealthy lady.

For most part Jab Jab Phool Khile is pure joy to watch. The wealthy girl is spoilt, but not rotten spoilt and does not think that poor people stink. She is wearing western clothes, but the traditional Shashi does not tell her off because of it (unlike Aamir in Raja Hindustani). She is, actually, clearly educated, sophisticated and has a strong will and sense of independence. Very early on she makes it clear that she has not yet thought her own life through, so why think of marriage. And she keeps the same attitude until love comes her way. Then too the wedding is not quick affair in a rush of emotions moment. Nanda has been known as the „homely“ heroine with sweet, inoffensive charm, and she essayed the role of Rita perfectly.

In the very soul of the story, however, is Raju (the most Shashilicious of all the Kapoors), his naive dreams and devoted persistence, which, as should be mentioned, never goes out of control. Far from being a stalker who puts himself in front of every step of the lady he fancies, Shashi loves Nanda from a certain distance. This distance always remains respectful, and for once the hero is not creepy at all. In fact he is completely loveable. Shashi with his gentle eyes and shy smile is forever my crush and whatever damage to his image was done by Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Jab Jab Phool Khile repaired seamlessly. The Kapoor men have always had incredible energy and gusto with hich they performed set them apart from other actors. Shashi´s excitement and unbounded joy as he sings about his hopes are infectious.

The smooth narrative, unfortunately, does have a few dents, most of which one is willing to forgive given the release date of the movie, and the fact the rest of it is so sweet. Still, they did take a away a bit from the viewing experience. The hero tries to fit into an unfamiliar world of his beloved without making it seem like a huge sacrifice of his moral conscience, and unlike in Raja Hindustani he is successful and not ridiculous at all. But just as I was ready to cheer for the movie, the eternal „west is bad“ idea crept into it and ruined the ending. When Shashi and Nanda dance at a party thrown by her parents, she goes on to dance with someone else for a bit. Within seconds the sweet Shashi turns into a lecturer on morality. Because how dare you dance with other men. It basically means you are a used thing with no worth. Naturally Nanda ensures a dramatic finale, during which the imagery is all too clear: Shashi having the moral high ground stands in a moving train, while she trips on down below on the pavement, begging him to take her away from everything what has been her life. I feel like inserting the „you tried“ meme here – for the makers.

Oh – the comedy bits were.... painful.

In the end it should be noted that the only saving grace of Raja Hindustani today is the music. Jab Jab Phool Khile, on the other hand, is still a pleasing cinematic piece. When two do the same, it is not the same.

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Nashta – Combination of Health + Taste

Image Courtesy: Kellogg's 'Anaaj Ka Nashta"

Breakfast is the first meal and also the most important meal of the day. Breakfast is the combination of two words: Break + Fast, i.e. breaking one’s fast of prior night. Being a foodie, I enjoy and relish every meal, I never ever miss my breakfast. This gives me tremendous amount of energy for the whole day. However busy I might be, or however early I need to leave for my work, I do ensure to have breakfast. I have read somewhere that skipping breakfast can result in overeating later in the day. Whereas, a healthy breakfast, on the other hand, gives us energy, satisfy our appetite, and set the stage for coherent thinking as well as smart decisions all day along. Yes, you read it right: “A Healthy Breakfast”. We take breakfast, but don’t ensure to have healthy breakfast. I am intending to visit Gupta family to understand more in regard to healthy breakfast. Do you want to join me?

Let me introduce to you the Gupta family. This family is a four member family with Gattu ji (Gupta Ji), his wife Shalu (Mr. Gupta), and two kids – elder daughter Ritu and son Rohan.

Lot of people keep asking them: “Nashte pe kab bula rahe hain”. What I have heard from various people is just amazing. How many recipes, you can make out of corn flakes? One…Two…probably that is all. But Gupta family is popular for their yummy breakfast, varieties of items prepared using corn flakes. Her name is Shalu (Mrs. Gupta), who prepares interesting breakfast varieties using Kellogg’s Cornflakes. Isn’t it interesting?

Image Courtesy: Kellogg's Anaaj ka Nashta

Her breakfast menu is interesting. Wow, what a great start to a day with a great breakfast, which is yummy as well as healthy. You name any occasion, Shalu, the magical chef of the family will have a specific breakfast prepared with the magical ingredient Kellogg’s cornflakes. It seems, she has almost 100 varieties prepared out of Kellogg’s cornflakes. Check out some of these on your own:

• Smile Wala Nashta
• Best Family Wala Nashta
• Guest ko Impress Karne Wala Nashta
• LOL Wala Nashta
• Smashing Date Wala Nashta
• Line pe Lane Wala Nashta
• Chugli Wala Nashta
• Chup Karane Wala Nashta
• Homework Wala Nashta
• Sanskar Wala Nashta
• Movie Wala Nashta
• Tiffin Wala Nashta
• Jagah Banane Wala Nashta
• First Crush Wala Nashta
• Celebration Wala Nashta
• Nakhre Wala Nashta
• Remote Wala Nashta
• Who Wala Nashta
• Passing the Parcke Wala Nashta

                               Image Courtesy: Kellogg's Anaaj ka Nashta

The list is breathless… Gupta family’s nashta is light and filling and after all very healthy. It can be prepared in couple of minutes. I am curious to come to your house Guptaji to understand the recipes of preparing atleast a few of breakfast items out of Kellogg’s Cornflakes. Also, I want to explore the taste, am sure, some might be sweet and some might be salty and some might be spicy. I am excited. Guptaji, Nasshte pe kab bula rahe ho mujhe?

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Nashta is perfect Combination of Health + Taste

This article of mine is about Kellogg's India - kellogg’s cornflakes
 - https://www.facebook.com/anaajkanashta

https://www.youtube.com/user/kelloggindia

Book-Review of Ramayana : The Game of Life – Shattered Dreams

Author: Shubha Vilas     

Genre: Mythology

Publisher: Jaico Books

Publication Year: 2015

Number of Pages: 387

Price: Rs. 350

About the Author - Shubha Vilas: He is a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, holds a degree in engineering and law with specialization in Patent Law. His leadership seminars are popular with top-level management in corporate houses. He also helps individuals deal with modern-life situations by applying the teachings of the Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana and other dharmic traditions. (Courtesy: Amazon.in)

Ramayana: The Game of Life – Shattered dreams, by Shubha Vilas is a sequel to his previous work – Ramayana: The Game of Life – Rise of Sun Prince. I can’t draw the comparison with his ‘Rise of Sun Prince’, since I have not read that, but I found this book to be unique in its own way. Ramayana is an age-old epic and we are no strangers to the story. Although mythological tales have been reiterated many times, this book links the stories very deeply with the philosophies of life. As the title of the book says, indeed it talks about ‘Game of Life’. A very interesting read which explores the epic’s various dimensions, basically revolves around the incidents leading to Rama’s exile, Lakhsmana / Sita deciding to join Rama, Dashratha’s death and Bharata’s humility and his persuading Rama to come back.

I must admit that it was quite challenging to finish reading it within a span of seven days, since it needed an in-depth reading. I felt like going back and re-reading it again. I also wanted to just sit back and ponder upon the beautiful concepts / philosophies of life mentioned in the footnotes. I wanted to look within myself and focus on my insights as a reader. Simple yet powerful leadership sutras are also mentioned in the footnotes. Rather, almost every paragraph of the book talks about a concept. Various chapters are titled in a very interesting manner which raises curiosity to understand how the chapter justifies the titles. An excellent effort to revisit the epic with an in-depth analysis.

Shubha begins the book with Dasaratha’s running breathlessly. Between his delusions and his consciousness, Dasaratha realizes that he is in fact fighting two monsters – the monster within and the monster outside. Which of the two monsters was Dasaratha fleeing from? Dasaratha desperately wants to change his and Ayodhya’s ordained destiny. Dasaratha’s moonbeam is none other than Rama.      

We all are aware of the main plot of Ramayana, but what makes the narration beautiful is the sub plots and stories of characters apart from Rama and Sita weaved with the larger context. It is also interesting to understand, how Nemi became Dasaratha and how Dasagriva (Ravana) was born with the attributes of both races – Rakshasas (asuras) as well as that of Brahmanas.

Apart from Rama and Sita’s stories, other stories and characters are also discussed in detail, be it Dasagriva’s rivalry with his half-brother Kubera, the flying tyrant – Pushpak Vimana, the invincible father-son duo Ravana-Meghananda, Ravana’s journey to become Trilokeshwar, Manthara corrupting Kaikeyi’s mind (detailed version), Rama meeting Trijata, the boatman Guha, Charioteer Sumantra’s bidding adieu to Rama, the Hope March. Anasuya’s covert prediction of future to Sita  etc. The book explores various relationships and its intricacies beautifully.

Shubha discusses life’s philosophies so minutely. Some of them which I found so useful are:

• Six inner enemies
• Why do people who love each other suddenly realize that they have nothing in common?
• How does one handle reversals in life?
• Can negative emotions be tools to display positive love?
• Confronting blame and praise
• The five tips on management, a good leader should adhere to

The insights which I gathered from the footnotes are many, but I want to make a special mention of a few of them, which enticed me, and made me fall in love with this book:

• Life is a combination of hope and despair, the one that dominates you carves your personality.
• The easiest way to forget your limitations is to shift the focus from self-absorption to active-facilitation.
• Every protector needs protection. Being constantly reminded of such a need keeps the protector humble.
• The danger of anger is that it suddenly makes one a stranger to others.
• The pain is supremely acute when an unavoidable and uncontrollable obstacle terminates an expectation that was very close to being met.
• The highest manifestation of gracefulness is gratefulness.
• The easiest way to evade truths was to shrug them off as fantasies spun by fertile minds, rather fearful minds.
• Expressions of love may be illogical, but expressions of expectations should be logical.

What could have been avoided or improved? I felt, at certain instances, concepts are connected just for the sake of it. Also, at one point, when Sita calls Rama by his name, the footnote says: Sita was so hurt that she addressed Rama by His own name. In traditional societies, women did not directly call their husbands by their names. That Sita was hurt was evident from that one utterance. She realized her mistake immediately and ensured that she never repeated it again. Didn't this footnote reflect male chauvinism or non-acceptance of diversity? Too much description at times slows down the pace.

Yes, the story of Ramayana is not new. Various philosophies discussed are also not new. But yes, what makes this book a must-read is the simplicity with which the plot has been presented and related with the Game of Life. It turns out to be self-help book, a wonderful merger of spirituality with way of life. The learnings can be easily comprehended and applied by anyone, be it of any age, gender or walks of life. The book is packaged with an attractive cover-page and easily readable fonts (with appropriate font size) in inner pages.

Picking up from Author’s Note, it begins with a bewildering dilemma and ends with a riddle.

Ramayana: The Game of Life – Shattered Dreams is a Value-based book which would definitely entice you. Happy reading!!!

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books! 

This review is a part of the biggest <a href="http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews" target="_blank"> Book Review Program </a> for <a href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">Indian Bloggers.</a> Participate now to get free books!