Yashoda – Samantha Starrer – Movie Review

Amitabh Bachchan in and as Don. Mithun Chakraborty in and as Disco Dancer. Or Prabhaas in and as Baahubali. Like this we have seen many movies where a hero is the protagonist. Rarely does a female actor gets an opportunity to be the main protagonist or lead role in a movie. In that perspective, it is good to see the title rolling as Samantha in and as Yashoda. And truly this film has done away with the need for a hero. And we need to appreciate Samantha for her well deserved recognition of her acting skills by the movie industry.

After watching this movie if you walk immediately into a dark alley, you will probably get scared that someone is going to harm you. That’s because you are still immersed in the experience of watching this movie. The movie surely manages to keep you haunted for a few minutes.

Before watching this movie, I checked in social media for the songs of this movie. But the search results didn’t show anything. After watching I realized that there are no songs at all in this movie. That’s another aspect I liked about this movie. No unnecessary songs that will prolong the movie.

So, what’s this movie is all about? It’s a crime thriller and straight away opens with a rape and murder of a Hollywood actress who is on a visit to Hyderabad. One thread of the movie is all about the police investigation into this murder. Yashoda is from a poor family and she has the responsibility of looking after her sister Brinda. Yashoda is in need of money for her sister’s operation and comes across an opportunity to become surrogate mother to a rich family that will fetch her the required money. She is soon shifted to a Surrogacy Center where she has to stay until she delivers the child as per the contract terms. What happens next forms the crux of the movie with a link to the murder of the Hollywood actress.

In one scene, you will find Yashoda fighting with another woman and I wondered how can the poor girl can have so many fighting skills. But that doubt was clarified by the director in the climax scene.

This film has many well known actors but clearly it’s Samantha’s show all the way. She has excelled in her role for sure and I guess this film was written with her in mind. And this movie is just like any other English movie where the focus is only on the plot without any unnecessary scenes. On the flip side, surrogacy is a theme used in the movie but it does not give us any enlightenment about what is surrogacy. But being a commercial movie that’s fine.

Overall, I recommend you to watch this movie in a theater near you since these kind of thrillers need to be watched at one go and without any disturbance. If you cannot watch in theaters, do watch it in the Prime Video OTT when it gets released.

The Joy of Living – Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness – Book Review

The joy of Living!

I know that you will probably start reading this blog because of the first two words ‘The Joy’. And you are not at fault if you got attracted to the word “Joy” because that is what we are all striving for. All of us want to lead this life joyfully. But what do we need to do for us to be joyful at all times? The answer can be obtained by reading this book.

One of the teaching of this book is the unlimited potential of the universe for anything to appear, change or disappear. This book similarly appeared itself before me and I was not aware of its existence earlier. And I thank the universe for that. The author of the book is a world renowned Buddhist teacher and master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. The author weaves together the principles of Tibetan Buddhism and Science in a way that will forever change the way we understand the human experience.

First and foremost, the author has worked with various scientists to understand the underlying principles of modern science and how it relates to Buddhism. He was part of many workshops where the Buddhist monks and scientists worked together to unravel the mystery of the mind’s working. This book is based on his understanding of the modern science and its correlation to Buddhism. The book is organized in three parts. Part one is all about the theory and the part two is all about the path to be followed and the part three focuses on the fruit.

This first part of the book tells you who you are, what is the essence of Buddha Nature and what is emptiness. It further talks about compassion, the relativity of perception, the gift of clarity and various other aspects. The best way to get benefitted is to read and reflect on what you learned and what needs to be done to follow the teaching.

The second part gives various types of meditation that helps you realize your Buddha Nature. And it is essential to be aware of various types of meditation since it will not be possible to follow always one method only. You can choose to meditate using a type that is suitable at that moment.

The third part explains what happens when you learn to meditate and rest your mind in meditation. It explains the various progressive stages of meditation, how is enlightenment possible, the fruit of compassion and the biology of a Happiness.

Hence this book is recommended for both beginners and the advanced practitioners of meditation. More than anything it increases our awareness. Whether your life will be joyful after reading this book depends on you and you alone. Your aspiration to meditate is what matters at the end. So, take the first step and get a copy of the book and find your way to Joyful Living. All the best to you.

KANTARA Movie Review

In the first few moments, the film teaches us a big lesson that we keep forgetting and indulge in all kinds of desires. That lesson is that none of our material possessions can bring us peace and happiness as experienced by a king in 1870.

Also in the opening sequence, a father is shown advising his son that just because a land is given to them it doesn’t belong to us. If the donor demands, we shall be prepared to part with it. Actually one shall remember that nothing belongs to us.

The film also shows the greed for land by the king’s successor. This greed to acquire land is being seen all around us in our daily life. It’s just that amount of greed varies from person to person and the highest is among the current day politicians.

The above examples clearly shows that Kantara is a different kind of movie and is worth watching. The film’s strength lies in its depiction of the rituals of the tribes living in the forests of Dakshin Kannada. The depiction of Bhoot Kola, a ritual performed annually is a treat for our eyes especially when seen on a big screen.

This film is written and directed by Rishab Shetty and he also plays the lead role of Shiva in the movie. The story revolves around a forest land. A king travels extensively in 1870 to find a place where he can experience peace and happiness. He happens to find that place eventually and comes to know that the reason for his happiness is the Punjurli Daiva, a local deity worshipped by the tribesmen of the forest. The deity agrees to accompany the king to his home on the condition that the forest land is given to the tribesmen. While the king agrees, he is also warned that any attempt by him or his successors, to take the land back will result in destruction of his family. The rest of the story revolves around the greed of the king’s successors and how Shiva the protagonist fights them. One more character that attracts is that of a forest officer who is posted in 1990 to create a reserve forest.

The other aspects that are worth mentioning are as follows. The affection of a mother towards his wayward son and her attempts to put him on the right path. The willingness of the friends of Shiva to support him always. The divinity of the kolam tradition and the need for respecting those traditions. The buffalo race is also a treat to the eyes.

There are some negative shades also like the excessive violence, unnecessary jokes, and certain scenes in the middle portion may not be to our liking.

To conclude, Kantara is a different kind of a movie and is a visual treat for us. The climax scene is the major highlight of the movie. If you are bored of the usual masala movies, or if you are a person who is keen on viewing different kinds of movies, or you want to know about the Bhoot Kola tradition then this movie is worth watching. Don’t miss to watch it in a nearest theater to you.