Lion

Movie to move the heart, mind and soul

A.O. Scott said in his NY Times review: “If you have ever been a child, raised a child, lost a child or met a child – or any of the above with respect to a mother – this movie will wreck you.” Well, it did me.

The movie opens with the most haunting musical score accompanying the rolling landscape of Tasmania, which eventually switches to some rocky hills in India. Five year old Saroo is surrounded by butterflies, exactly how a child should be enjoying and experiencing nature and life.

Saroo and Guddu earns enough money that day to buy some milk but Saroo wants some jalebi, which his brother promises to get him some soon. They leave for home. Every step of the way - past the bridge, through the fields and finally through the small alleys to their tiny home - is significant.

Saroo could never imagine his insistence on following Guddu to his night work would change the course of his life forever. When they get to the train station, he has fallen fast asleep so Guddu tells him to stay there till he comes back. Saroo wakes up to an empty train platform. He steps into the lone train, still searching for his brother but falls asleep in it. By the time he wakes up again, the train has travelled miles away. He screams for his brother but no Guddu and no one to help him. Because the train has been decommissioned.

1600 miles away. That’s how far he will travel from home on the train. In Calcutta, he gets no help in the train station even among the ocean of people. He didn’t speak Bengali, only Hindi and people were too impatient or busy to help him. The only one who showed a tiny bit of sympathy was another street child who gave him a piece of cardboard to sleep on.

That was short-lived as the children are snatched up. Saroo runs and runs until he comes to a temple. He next meets Nur, who seems nice enough, feeding him food, giving him a bath and a bed to sleep on. But that too was short-lived because she had bad intentions for Saroo. His instincts told him to run. So he does. He runs and runs again. For the next two months, he fends for himself on the street. He sleeps on a cardboard under a bridge, often dreaming of his ‘a-mi’ (mum) and hunts for food among the trash during the day. Among the trash, he finds a spoon and pockets it.

This spoon leads to a good Samaritan which leads Saroo to an orphanage and eventually to his new adopted parents, Sue and John in Australia. The first year was blissful. The next year, his parents adopted another boy from India, Mantosh. This boy has obviously been scarred. He is a total opposite of Saroo, and will continue to cause his mother heartache.

20 years later and Saroo is going away to study hotel management. He is invited to a friend’s home and here a plate of jalebi brings his memories back. He tells his friends, “I’m not from Calcutta. I am lost.” They tell him about Google Earth and he could possibly find his family in India. During this same time, he also meets and falls in love with Lucy. For the next four years, he becomes more obsessed with the search for his family, with the help of Google Earth and fueled by the constant visions of his mother and Guddu. The visions start to consume him and affects his everyday life. He pushes Lucy away and eventually his parents too.

When he meets Lucy again, she tells him that his mother is very ill and she needs him. He eventually goes to see his mum and finds out the real reason his mother adopted him and Mantosh. He was wrong. And torn. He goes to see his brother and apologizes to him for his outburst that one night, “You’re not my brother! We are different.” Perhaps, they are not so different after all. The past haunts them both.

He then goes home and starts ripping off all the work he has made. One last time, he scrolls Google Earth. Lo and behold, he finds those rocky hills from 25 years ago. Then the railway station with the two water tower. He continues to trace the railway tracks until it takes him to the town, and the bridge, and open field and finally the alley to his home. Tears stream down his face. He found home.

He tells Lucy the good news and asks that she waits for him. And tells his mother he has been searching for his family. She tells him she hopes he finds her, his mum. Thus begins his journey home. He traces his steps from the town, where he got hit by a motorcycle carrying watermelon, to the bridge, and the open field and finally the alley to his home. But it’s no longer a home. Only dwelling for goats. He’s dismayed. A passerby asked if he could help. He shows him his picture as a child and tells him he’s Saroo. He is looking for his family. The man does not say another word but just walks off. Saroo was annoyed but walks the same direction and finally see the man who gestures for him to ‘Come.’. He does though a little hesitant at first. In the distance, he sees an elderly lady.

This is a poignant moment in the movie. When Saroo finally finds his mother and they embrace.A touching reunion. The whole town comes out to celebrate his return. Sadly, Guddu is no longer alive. There are no words to describe this scene. If it doesn’t tug at your heartstring for even a moment, then your heart has to be made out of stone.

Lion was my favorite movie at last year’s HIFF. I vowed to watch this movie again when it came to the theaters. Today, I finally did so. And it still made me cry. There are many heart wrenching scenes in this movie but I particularly like the one of Saroo and Sue by the bathtub. Watch the movie and you’ll understand why.

Trailer here. 

Shivaay

Movie to move the heart, mind and soul

It is no surprise that a Hindi movie made me cry. They normally do. But it is surprising because this is not the first Bollywood movie I've watched at HIFF. It’s the third. I don’t easily break down in face of anything, but sad movies usually do the trick. And this is day ten and over ten movies later. I shed a tear or two watching Mahana but nothing like the tears in this movie. What’s more? Shivaay is supposed to be an action-packed thriller!

The movie opens with Ajay Devgan, portraying Shivaay, in anguish and pain. No dialogue just his acting and the doll that give viewers the idea that perhaps this is a father who has lost his child. In his view are three men on the ground. If the synopsis I have read had touched on this, I may have been more prepared for the impending emotional roller-coaster ride. However, that would perhaps have given too much of the movie away.

The next frame takes us to the stunning snowy Himalayas. And Ajay Devgan takes us on an exciting adventure on the slopes of the mountains. The music by Mithoon helps viewers feel the thrilling experience of the scene - it wouldn’t be a good Bollywood movie without good music. I felt like the director, Devgan himself, would like us to liken Shivaay to the Hindu deity, Shiva, which will be reinforced a few scenes later by the tattoos on his body.

So Shivaay is a mountaineer who takes tourists on treks and climbing expeditions on the Himalayan mountains. On one of these expeditions, he meets beautiful Olga (played by Polish actress, Erika Kaar), a student from Bulgaria, who speaks I thought almost flawless Hindi. Their first meeting was funny but reminds us not to assume someone does not speak or understand your language just because they are a foreigner.

It is obvious there is instant attraction between Shivaay and Olga though I had no idea discussions surrounding Shiva could be that sensual. Maybe just in a movie? Their tumble in a well-padded tent down the mountain is probably one of the most romantic scene I’ve seen for awhile (though I don’t normally watch this genre) if one could actually survive an avalanche that way.

From the beginning, they are aware of their differences and Olga is honest by telling Shivaay she will not stay back in India. Amidst this is the most beautiful line in the story, professed by Shivaay, “let’s not measure time by weeks or days but by breathes.” Anyway, every day they share together shows Olga embracing the culture and lifestyle more. If we think that means she stays, we think wrong. She is determined to leave so when she finds out she is pregnant, she is upset and wants to abort the child. Shivaay begs her to give him half a family if he can’t have the whole he has always wished for.

Fast forward nine years to Shivaay and Gaura climbing in the Himalayas. Gaura is a splitting image of Olga. There is no mistaken the love this father has for his child. Tears keep streaming down my face as they showed the beautiful, happy scenes of this pair together but thinking that he may lose her in the end is what’s paining me. Nothing seems to be able to shatter their bond and happiness until Gaura finds the letter her mother left behind. This little girl is fierce like her mother, by the way and causes her father quite a headache so Shivaay caves. They will go to Sofia to look for her mother.

Bulgaria is going to be anything but peaceful like their life in the Himalayas. The dangers of the mountains will not prepare them for the dangers that awaits them in a new country. Shivaay saves a child from a pedophile, thus involuntarily plunging himself into the world of human trafficking. In retaliation, the syndicate kidnaps Gaura. What does a father do in such circumstance? Fight to get his daughter back though most fathers are no superhero like Shivaay. He leaves behind destruction all over Sofia in chase of the kidnappers.

He loses the kidnappers and comes face to face with the police. His biggest problem is the police thinks he is the kidnapper because no one believes Gaura, who looks caucasian, is his daughter. He is charged with kidnapping and murder. Shivaay breaks out of prison and begins his hunt for his daughter. He tries to enlist the help of Anu (Sayesha Saigal), an officer from the Indian embassy but she asks him to surrender. Her father’s coaxing and Shivaay’s saving of a Serbian girl eventually convince her to help him.

Olga sees the news and seeks out Anu. Together with Shivaay, they enlist the help of Wahab, a hacker to help trace the kidnappers. Every time Shivaay thinks he is closer to Gaura, he is faced with heartbreak. They finally identify the mastermind, Changez, a police officer. But no time to chase him now. Gaura is in a van heading for Romania. Once the van crosses the border, he will no longer be able to save his daughter. Despite short cuts through the mountains, Shivaay does not make it in time.

Does a superhero dad gives up? No, he finds mountaineering gear in the back of the truck and proceeds to use his mountaineering skills to finally rescue his daughter. The reunion is short-lived as Changez and his goons starts shooting at them from a helicopter and on the ground. The father is subdued and he begs for his daughter to run. Another tear-jerking scene that brought tears to pour down my face.

As expected, Shivaay would eventually overcome Changez. And viewers are reunited with the opening scene where Shivaay collapses. He wakes up in the hospital, asking for Gaura. Anu takes him to Gaura, who is excited to see her father but also excited to show him the room of teddy bears Olga, now married to a wealthy man, has bought her.

Besides losing a child, what hurts a father more? The child’s mother who has abandoned your child coming back after eight years wanting to not only be a part of her life but to tear her away from you? Perhaps. But I think what hurts more is when you see that you are not only replaced by all the luxury the mother can provide but another man that could replace you as her father, as your daughter ignores you for this man.

The scene cuts to Shivaay at the airport with Anu. He has decided to leave for India without Gaura. Anu tries to comfort him though it sounds more like a confession of her heart. He is about to go through immigration when Gaura’s shrill shriek that we have come to be accustomed to stops him. The little girl is very upset. How dare her father leave without her. She fiercely puts him in his place and brings him to his knees. A happy ending.

The action in this movie is amazing. Sometimes unrealistic but not surprising if Shivaay is being compared to Shiva. The most annoying thing about action movies is when the protagonist gets beat up to a pulp when he was just doing all the pummeling earlier or later. Well, it happens here too for a little towards the end. But the end to the fight sequence somewhat makes up for it.

This movie has its flaws but the panoramic view of the Himalayas, the heart-warming love between father and daughter, and the plug against human trafficking makes this movie a must watch for me.

Trailer here. 

The Bait

Movie to move the heart, mind and soul

Where do I start with this one? A beautifully shot story set in rural India where cultural notes are sometimes told through comedy. Some audience will appreciate and maybe even love it while others will leave the theater lost and less than satisfied.

The opening scene has Raja, the self-declared expert tiger hunter dancing to his old gramophone. It is not till later or towards the end that the significance of this scene becomes clear. The gramophone will make its appearance several more times in the movie including the last scene, connecting the beginning and the end poetically.

In the beginning, the movie seems disconnected with focus on three separate characters, their lives vastly different from each other. Raja, the aristocrat who lives in his mansion with his bored and unhappy wife or mistress, Rekha, who dreams often of a stranger who swims with her. Goja, who lives in a tree with the monkeys, disguising himself as a seer but has only been relating the news he read from the letters he stole instead of delivered. And finally, Munni, a teenage street performer who leads a nomadic lifestyle with her impoverished parents but wishes to have beautiful trinkets for the wedding she dreams of.

The three lives that normally would not intersect eventually starts to entwine, culminating in the tragic end that I dreadfully felt coming as soon as the two lives met. What I thought to be a reprieve turns out to be perhaps a ruse to lull my instincts. The bait becomes sadly clear in the next frame.

The ending can only be inferred. Nothing dramatic about it. Though it did resolve the uncertainty I had about what happened to Rekha.

My appreciation and understanding of this film are much amplified after pouring my thoughts and impression of it on paper. I can see much clearer the brilliance that is Buddhadeb Dasgupta.     

Trailer here.

Chennai Curry House 

141-143 Jalan Lagenda 5, Lagenda Heights, Sungai Petani, Kedah

 

Foodelicious

If you are in Sungai Petani and craving Indian food, Chennai Curry House will probably come to mind. I usually come here for lunch. It’s less crowded so the staff tend to be more attentive. 

See, even the cooks have time to grab a bite. Haha, actually, we were having a late lunch. He was probably slaving away in the kitchen till now, when the crowd has thinned out. 

When you have lived in a town for awhile, it may seem like you know everyone. Our neighbor's brother apparently owns the restaurant and his wife happens to be my mother's former student. Small world right?  

This restaurant is clean. The layout makes it seem spacious. We sat in the so-called ‘open air’ area. Malaysia is muggy like every day but you don’t feel like you have sweat pouring down your back while sampling the hot curry here. It’s actually comfortable. I think the ceiling fans and wide open entrance store front helps. Very welcoming too.   

The restaurant has a separate air-conditioned space, probably same seating capacity. I have never eaten in there. It is considered the fine dining section so the décor and furnishing are much more refine.

Dad decided on the banana leaf rice. For those not familiar, they give you a big piece of banana leaf, acting as the vessel for the delicious goodness that will be piled on soon enough. 

Then, one of the servers stops by with this very practical trio of steel containers, each containing a different vegetarian dish. I think I’ve only seen these at banana leaf restaurants, sometimes they have four containers but more shallow.

 

You get one big scoop of each. Here we have spinach with potatoes, scrambled eggs with melons, and a vegetarian sambal dish. The only one I tried was the egg dish and I really liked it. 

Next comes the papadum – a big one. Then, the curry on top of the rice. They start with one big scoop of curry. If you want more, they will oblige. If this was mine, it would be drenched in curry. 

Don’t this look so delicious? I almost wished I was eating this instead of waiting for the dishes we ordered.

So what did we order? First, the Spicy Bindi. Okra or bendi is one of my favorite vegetables so if it’s on the menu, it will usually land on my table. And spicy okra is just heavenly. This one is super spicy and I loved it. I think I ate two-third of the dish or was it three-quarter? 

Sotong or squid/calamari is a seafood I can’t seem to get enough of when I’m home in Malaysia. I hardly cook it in Hawaii. The prep time of having to clean it – removing the outer skin, eliminating the ink sac, gutting the insides – takes too long, not to mention cumbersome. So of course I ordered the Sotong Sambal. It had good flavor but I wished they didn’t cut the sotong into such small pieces.

Last dish – the chicken. Sorry, forgot which one we ordered. I think it was the Chicken Korma. I let my mum pick so was not paying attention. It was also my least favorite dish. I thought the curry was a little watered down – flavor not as bold as the bendi or sotong. 

We had a satisfying meal. I know my dad sure did – look at his ‘plate’. 

I would come back here over and over again. If I had a big enough stomach, I would order the banana leaf rice and a medley of dishes. A word of caution, the prices can add up pretty quickly here depending on what you order so if you are on a budget, the banana leaf rice may be the safest, tastiest bet.

Oops, almost forgot the Teh Tarik. It hit a spot. That’s all I got to say.

Food                            4.5

Customer Service     4.0

Ambiance                   3.5

Décor/Details            2.5
Parking                       3.0