Antaheen: Eternal praise for an eternal film

A masterpiece is something that can transcend beyond the realm of subjective judgment , it can create such a strong link between itself and the observer that the observer hardly finds any free space for himself to make subjective judgment and if this definition of a master piece is valid then definitely the Bengali film Antaheen is a masterpiece .It is surely one of the best made films of the decade .Very rarely can one find a film like this that does not only have a terrific story,star cast, performance ,script, screen play but also such a magnificent cinematography ,songs,lyrics ,background scores,and music .In every department the film is simply awesome ,and when i say every department it does mean every department even the name is not an exception , the name "Antaheen" in English means endless and the film is really about the endless waiting of a man for true love, though not used frequently the word along with it's meaning is the soul of this 2 hour film . Shot in the beautiful locales of contemporary Kolkata the film is as contemporary as traditional, as classy as cheesy as realistic as dramatic , with out sounding so obsessive i will say that the flick simply dissolves all the parameters of compartmentalization .

The film fundamentally revolves around two net friends one a middle aged IPS officer played by Rahul bose the corner stone of indian cross over flicks and a young media journalist played by theater actress Radhika apte .Both the actors are in complete sync with their roles, while Rahul plays the role of a a bit haughty but well behaved cop radhika plays the role of a passionate TV journalist . Rahul is perfectly okay with playing the role that not only requires a great degree of gravity but also a constant outflow of human emotions beneath the blanket of this gravity . Radhika's character not only requires the the burning passion of a young media journalist but also the mellowness and capriciousness of a young lady who is just discovering her love .Along with these two actors the film has an array of very fine actors such as Sharmila tagore ,Mita visisht and Aparna sen .These two characters though chat daily in the night but they don't know the real identity of each other, circumstances make them meet with each other but hardly have any clue regarding each other's identity .Along with the story of these two the film also has a parallel love story of rahul's elder brother and sister in law who are though divorced but still so attached with each other that they are hesitant in giving the final adieu to each other and socio economic issues of land acquisition for a high profile construction project , but the good part is that in spite of dealing with three different story the film never looses its track, in fact in the end there happens to be a wonderful convergence of all the stories into an incomplete,painful but a perfect end .In spite of dealing with the burning issues of land acquisition the film never takes any stand , nor it tries to sound preachy . In fact as said earlier the film is just about pure emotions it has got nothing to do with making judgments.

Though from start to end the film is mesmerizing but the best is definitely the climax,though it will be in the favor of the viewer that any eagerness regarding the revelation of climax must be controlled by the author. Antaheen draws a very large amount of it's strength from the use of plenty of symbolic gestures .Every symbol has a meaning, many a times the meaning cannot be comprehended at the time of it's use but in the end it can be clarified provided a bit of thinking must be invested for exp:- the story of the phone calls of the "BHADRA LOK(gentle man)" received by sharmila tagore .Another forte of the film are the beautiful songs blended with apt situations and powerful lyrics .Cinematography is also simply awesome, though nothing so special these simple locations of kolkata have been shot with extensive beauty beautiful bridges, rains,silhouettes of water on crystal clean glasses ,greenery ,leaves soaked in rain water all had been shot with great beauty .Even the usual things such as CAFE COFFEE DAY CAFE, or a glass of wine ,or burning cigar each has it's own charm.

In the end it can be said that the film is simply a class, a complete package that has the capability to get it's viewer into altogether a new realm of experience .I watched the film yesterday, though the film has ended up the sounds are still very fresh and reverberating in me.I can still see the final scene where the melancholic Rahul bose is sitting in his car and he is just seeing the world world which has taken a 360 degree turn for him in just a small time, and from the background comes a heart breaking but electrifying song .

Anxiety has a lot of positive sides also.

The up coming blog that i am going to write will basically deal with the positive side of anxiety, lot of negatives has been said on the anxiety factor, and frankly speaking being anxious is a very uneasy state of mind, though it is neither painful nor torturing as such but it creates such a chaos in your inner world that every thing seems to disturbed, any ways this not the point of discussion, the point of discussion is that this state of inner volatility can also do a great good provided if it is used in a proper way .This state can really help you to take new resolution in your life and to implement something new, some thing more positive in your life .

At first it might seem a bit weird that how come there be a relationship between anxiety and taking a new resolution .But there is a fundamental relation ship between them . As human beings we all suffer with some sense of incompleteness and incompetency and we do want remove it, we always make plans to take some thing new in life but unfortunately most of the times it gets restricted to planning only . We hardly implement in practice, the reason being the underlying pattern of our habits which is so deep in us that we do not find it easy to break this down .externally we might have some sort of angst with us but internally we are habituated with the way we live and are with complete peace with us ,internally we do not want any change . Now the good part of anxiety is that it creates a lot of inner turmoil, suddenly the so called equilibrium that the mind had created comes to a crash .we started doubting ourselves ,suddenly we are at some unease with our self, the so called habitual set up that was developed by us disintegrates temporarily. Now this period of temporary disturbance is the most fertile ground for doing some thing new, now there in this situation of chaos of yours there is no predetermined habitual inclination to stop you from doing some thing new , in anxiety you get the freedom to start any thing new .(In fact rather than freedom it is more of a need , you really want to do some thing new to pacify your anxiousness , to suppress your uneasiness)

The point that has to be taken care of is that anxiety can get you started but after that to continue some thing for a long period of time you need a decent amount of self discipline and dedication .Once the dose of anxiety goes down old habits will like to come back but with a lesser vigor , at such time you need to be a bit more patient and cautious . You need to be committed towards your new found practice for a while, after that over a period of time this new commitment of yours will become a habit and both you and inner being will be used to it .

So next time when ever you suffer with an attack of anxiety don't be worried, rather try to use this opportunity for some better purpose .

If this is secularism then i am happy that i am not a Sickular Idiot

There has been endless rounds of debates on secularism ,When ever it comes to hitting the Right wingers in the country every one from the self proclaimed purist left wingers to the pseudo secular Indian media has taken the shelter in the great ideals of secularism ,for them any thing on which the right wing parties agitate or want to fight for seems as a contradiction of secularist credentials of india.

Having said this i must say that i am also a firm believer of secularism and i believe that if India needs to develop as a nation secularism has to be kept at the fore front , But the point that has to be taken care of is what do you really under stand by secularism , here with out getting much into etymology i will like to say that in my opinion secularism is an idea that aims for providing a kind of socioeconomic atmosphere in a nation where people from different religions can live with peace ,where every people gets equal opportunity in terms of economical, political and social incentives to develop their capabilities and to move forward in their life. Secularism aims for the creation of a society where the ideals of the predominant religion should not be imposed on the minority , In short it aims for a society where minorities should not be demarcated in any sphere of life ranging from political, social ,economical etc. A very important point that has to be taken care is that secularism is more of a political and social idea rather than being a cultural idea .With this practical definition i completely agree and any thing that contradicts with these ideas must be scuttled at any cost ,but in the present Indian context is the so called nexus of socialist-communist -pseudo secular media serious with this , for them i do not understand why is the cultural aspect becomes so important over political and social aspects that there definition of secularism starts tampering with the very roots of Indian culture .I do not under stand what is really wrong with them , as a state we are committed to secularism we have, we should and we will be striving for building a just society where every one can live with peace and can get ample opportunities so that move forward in all spheres of their life, but i do not under stand how is this idea related with the notion that if secularism has to prevail in India each and every cultural tradition of the majority should be annihilated . How come being anti -Hindu and being secular are synonymous .If secularism means pacifying the minority at the cost of heritage and the cultural assets of the majority then i do not have any qualm in saying that such an idea is not only irritation but is simply preposterous.

If secularism means rationalizing the slaughtering of cows then i am happy that i am not a secularist .

If secularism believes that one should disobey the national anthem of India seeking religious reasons then i am happy that i am a non secularist .

If secularism believes that it is okay to convert poor people from the majority by giving money then i am happy that i am a non secularist.

If secularism means that there is no wrong in the mass murder of Kashmiri pandits the original residents of Kashmir then i am happy that i am a non secularist .

If secularism means that infiltration from Bangladesh into Assam , West Bengal and other north eastern states is okay then i am happy that i am not a secularist .

Defeated, Dejected and Demotivated .

There happens to be time when you feel defeated , when you feel dejected and when you are low in motivation, you don't feel like doing any thing neither do you have the strength nor do you have the focus to do any thing, you just want to relax,just relax and nothing else, you just want to sustain yourself, just want to do the bare minimum of your life and after that you do not want to do any thing . It happens with every individual.It happens , and their is nothing new in this .You feel as if their is some flaw in the design it self ,you feel as if its no more your mistake, in fact you are some one who is beyond this game of mistakes and correctness ,you are just a part of the game which is played on you and with you with out your permission. you are just helpless, you are no one to do, you thought that you can make a lot of difference, you dreamed high and was optimistic of your victory, but it was not the victory but defeat that was waiting for you because defeat was designed for you by destiny. it was your illusion that there was victory but there was no victory , in fact victory is the privilege of a few and for other it is defeat , and you are among this very vast bunch of others, the losers who in spite of making good start are derailed in the middle , they loose their motive mid way so do their goal and target .There happens to be a hunger a passion in the beginning but suddenly it goes away ,once the effervescence goes out every thing dries up.
The very purpose of life that was dreaming of the ideals of perfection, victory and celebration suddenly gives way to idea of sustenance, just sustenance by following the bare minimum requirements , and beyond that there is now no extra need, in fact its not about whether there is a need or not ,because need and want are just projection of mind, a projection that makes you do some thing but now since you have started questioning the design it self where is the need for these projected needs and wants, No need ,No want just sustenance mere sustenance and beyond that it is all illusion for this tired mind and exhausted body.

AND IN THE BACKGROUND COMES THE LINKIN PARK'S FAMOUS SONG:-

I tried so hard and get so far but in the end it does not even matter,
i had to fall and loose it all . 

i am defeated , i am dejected and i feel demotivated .