kartiknnagar

'Gandhi' is a comprehensive biographical sketch of one of the greatest men of contemporary times, and certainly the greatest man in the history of India. It also dutifully covers almost all the major events of India's independence struggle from the rule of the British Empire. In spite of being an historical account, the movie is by no means dry or pedantic, and it covers a large span of years with perfect pacing, often being witty, moving, humorous, thought-provoking and sprinkled with large doses of Gandhiji's famous messages.

It is ironic that a Britisher would create such a moving and heartfelt portrayal, and it does hurt the credibility of the movie that every one is speaking in perfect English (even Gandhiji's famous last words are in English). Having said that, the movie is completely successful in exploring the life and character of Gandhiji, and in providing a faithful overview of the difficulties involved in the birth of India.

India's independence struggle was unique, and Gandhiji's idea of non-violent non co-operation and shaming the Britishers by attacking their good image and appealing to their sense of morality and honour was a master stroke. As a person, all of Gandhiji's admirable qualities are on full display here : he was a man of strong conviction, an iron will, a sharp intellect and complete dedication to the cause of a strong, independent India.

To be honest, the events portrayed in the movie are so far in the past that it is easy to debate about the importance of Gandhiji's non-violent movement in hindsight : India would probably have gained its independence sooner or later since the Britishers had suffered massive losses in the Second World War, but without Gandhiji, it is hard to guess whether would it have been more violent or less violent, and what values and principles we Indians as a nation would have inherited. It is also debatable how much of those values and principles that Gandhiji so strongly advocated have survived in the present time. All that said, it is certainly beyond debate that MK Gandhi was a great man, and his philosophy and his pivotal role in the birth of India will always be remembered.

Without a doubt one of the most unpredictable series I have ever watched, The Leftovers over the course of its 28 episodes does plenty of ridiculous things, and goes to some really strange places, but there is no weirdness just for the sake of it, and through its dramatic set pieces and mind numbing realities, the series has a powerful message to say about the human psyche and how we deal with grief, loss, guilt and uncertainty.

The series begins with a supernatural event called the Departure, where 2% of the world population vanishes without a trace, but as the title of the series suggests, this is not a story about those who vanished, but those who were left behind. The Departure is an extraordinary event, and the entire series is an interesting thought experiment on how humanity would react to such an event, both at macro level and the individual level.

While there is an exploration on the religious, political, and cultural impact of the Departure, this is a character-centric series, and there is a greater emphasis on the psychological impact of the Departure on the minds of the principal characters. In particular, how an event like the Departure could act as a catalyst for the mental issues that are already present, be it guilt, purposelessness, anxiety, or the scars of traumatic events in the past, and it could give the licence to indulge in those faults and allow them to rule the mind, since the whole world is going crazy anyway. The series stays true to its characters, but this also sometimes makes it a difficult watch, since characters frequently make some extremely bad decisions, and it is very difficult to relate and empathize with them.

One of the most interesting things about the series is the narrative structure, with multiple supernatural-seeming plot threads with lots of ambiguities which are also intricately linked with the psyche of the characters, revealing a lot about their inner workings and dreams and fears. There is also an interesting commentary about the rise of faith and superstition, and the strength of religion in times of uncertainty.

All that said, the series is highly entertaining, often shocking with some supreme episodes that will elicit an involuntary 'Wow', highly thoughtful in the treatment of its characters, and in the end it will leave you with plenty of ideas to chew upon.

Favourite episodes - S01E03 (Two Boats and a Helicopter), S02E03 (Off Ramp), S03E08 (The Book of Nora).

It is rare to find a sequel that outshines the original in almost every way, and BR 2049 should be applauded for just achieving that feat. This is a visually stunning, narratively complex sequel which unfortunately inherits all the thematic weaknesses of the original and so falls a bit short in achieving the ultimate purpose of creating a SF movie, but still needs to be applauded for its ambition.

First the good bits : the set designs are unbelievably good and detailed, and it is clear that a lot of effort went in this imagining this future world in a logical and coherent fashion. The narrative is tight and complex and requires some attention on the part of the viewer to connect the dots. Some of the plot details are kept a little fuzzy, maybe intentionally, but it is still leaps and bounds better the original Blade Runner.

The core theme of BR has always been about asking what makes us humans, especially relevant in the future where we would have very smart and capable entities who can do things exactly (and sometimes much better) than humans, but they do not have the basic human rights. However, the replicants have exactly the same biological structure as humans, in other words, they are humans both from the inside and outside, but still they are not somehow regarded as humans?

This theme is much better explored if the entities are actually mechanically produced (such as androids) and have clear differences in their internal structure from humans. This would starkly differentiate them from humans, but still raise the thorny question of consciousness due to their abilities and intelligence. In BR, it is really hard for me to swallow that replicants are somehow not considered humans.