Paradise Now, here and ever (in every sense)!!!

Weekends are some of my favorite times. Times when I pick up a nice flick to spend time with my hubby! I have already detailed some of these rare moments from my book of life, through blogs and not and so to carry forward the tradition, the last weekend was spend with no difference from this routine. My love kept drilling through his rack of DVD collection to pick a nice, sensible flick which we both would enjoy watching over a drink of Cosmopolitan or Irish Bailey. Meanwhile, I simply used the latest Tata Sky PVR (for those who are not familiar with this facility, log to http://tataskyplus.com/index.html - it is a TV cable service provider in India (Good to know, for all expatriates) that offers user-friendly options to enrich the experience of watching TV. It provides options like pausing the live TV, (OMG!), rewinding the live TV (Awesome, isn’t it?) or even live recording of one channel while the viewing of another channel is on! (That is Technology, my friend!), to scan through our set of movie channels like HBO, Star Movies, World Movies and… hey, Zee studio! These guys really know to pick up the best flicks from the history of world cinema and showcase it for us who might know the least of existence of such masterpieces.

Anyways, as I looked at the time, I realized it was the moment for the commencement of ‘After 10’ movies. So without haste in time, I continued watching this flick and called on my hubby to check out what this movie has to offer. We realized it was a Palestinian flick. Hesitated for a moment did we, but took the challenge and continued watching the movie. Fortunately, the subtitles were displayed in English, thanks to Zee Studio.Now, back to the movie! This was quite an unusual screenplay with a portrayal of excellent and minimal characters, reeled on to speak the story of million such similar young boys in the corners of Israel or Bosnia who undergo traumatic déjà vu experiences of fighting for their country or preserving their rights as locals and not settlers. The war is still on! But this movie picks two rare characters from the stream and then percolates into their lives and those things that revolve around them. The movie basically tries to exhibit the fact that even today many people in different hits of the world, irrespective of age or sex is dragged into this world of terror and trauma where the objective of each of these soldiers may differ according to their missions stated by their troops. 

Eventually, what I understand is that this movie makes one introspect about perspectives, about how one can take for granted things that begin or end, in their own sense. The movie employs a slow start as you try to acknowledge the happenings, one by one, logically as it builds on. Released in 2005 on Valentine’s day, this flick was directed by Hany Abu-Assad, a Dutch based Palestinian director who has been acclaimed for movies like The Fourteenth Chick, Nazareth 2000, Rana's Wedding, Ford Transit and so on to name a few. These included short films, documentaries and even movies that triggered controversies, for his films always speak the truth in the most atrocious manner. Truly a director at heights, in the genre of his movies! Oh! Haven’t I yet named the movie?

Well, the details of this movie go, just like this.. Movie in talk: Paradise Now (…would have been something else, in Israel!) Screenplay brains: Bero Beyer, Pierre Hodgson Cast in act: Kais Nashef, Ali Sulaiman, Lubna Afzal and Hiam Abbas Success check points: Won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign language film and received an Oscar nomination in the same category! Also, it won the Golden Calf for best Dutch film.

Also, in many categories, geniuses from behind the camera for this movie were awarded for the renowned piece of work in such sensible cinema. I think the above speaks the story behind the class that this movie spreads strokes of, in volumes. In simple words, the movie is the marathon of moments spend by and between two childhood pals in the narrowed streets of Palestine before they enact their duties as suicide bombers in the town of Tel Aviv. You definitely need to pick this flick for a one time watch. It is worth the time. The movie simply begins in awe of the happy times between two friends, during their childhood and then in adulthood. They have their own families, just like any other normal person. They have friends with whom they hang out and share laughs. They need and give love to those special ones, like all of us do. But what dark secret remains is that, they live for a purpose, a rebellious mission. In the movie, over time, these two pals are instructed that they are going to be the lucky ones who, after a gap of two years, are going to achieve the first step of their mission.

According to them, they are already dead, but their soul awakens to serve a cult of missionaries, missionaries who fight to and for terror against the nation, against settlers.

Said and Khaled, the active protagonists or the awaited suicide bombers, in the movie are told by their leaders that in 36 hours, they will be reaching heaven in the name of Allah and achieving their goal as humans, to serve their purpose of life and their rights to banish the settlers.

The movie unfolds these 36 hours showing the domestic responsibilities of these so-called normal people and then mapping it with their duties as suicide bombers. They act normal, sleep well and bid silent farewell to their loved ones with a heavy heart as they approach the moment of truth. For the mission, Said and Khaled are made to look like Israeli settlers who are attending a wedding, their cover story for the act, across the border.

They both are directed to blow themselves at an interval of fifteen minutes each. Amidst the chaos before the act, Said is doubtful about his decision whereas Khaled is quite excited about it. Khaled flees from the site, as guards approach them next to the border but Said absconds the scene. His lady love, the terrorist group, his best childhood pal and his family lay a network of enquiries to trace him. During an encounter, with his love, Suha, Said reveal his intentions for this terrorising act. His father, a Palestanian used to work for the Israelis and during one such mission, was executed due to his origin. This had made Said weak and vulnerable for such decisions and dimensions. Said initially agrees with Khaled on withdrawing from the mission but instead yields into his own interests of intending to blow up a bus filled with Israeli soldiers. The movie ends without a say! Did Said blow up the bus or did he not defuse the bomb that was clinging onto his torso like a baby? The screen spreads a stroke of white and the credits appear. Amazing!

 

Not many people might inhale the truth in this story the way I was able to accept it. Not many people would even enjoy watching such a movie that is so silent and yet so deep. Even my hubby had his own perceptions and misconceptions about the movie. We even ended up having various verticals of debates over the story and ending of the movie. Not all five fingers are like, as all knows it best!

However, no matter what others think, coz’ I know that there are many out there like me who would enjoy and accept these kind of movies too. And what I did like about this movie was:

Said and Khaled’s friendship · Suha’s perception about her dad, the rebel leader · Conversations between Suha and Said · Terror, at its peak in mind, hearts and lives · Said’s relation and bonding with his mom and siblings · Said’s hatred towards how Israelis had cheated his dad · Technology and terror mapping each other in awe · Flow of the movie from the day of instructions given to the suicide bombers to the day of the actual attack · Moments of self-realization and introspection · Judgement of the right and the wrong · and so on.

An ending that puts the audience to judge between perspectives · Photography and camera, the angle placement is absolutely perfect in every shot · Khaled’s moment of withdrawing from the terror act · Terrorists logically planning the act, as in real life · Wonderful screenplay which was initially written for a friend in search of a suicide bomber who was his pal to two friends engaging within the activity of bombing cities.

To end with, I request you all to take a pick on this flick at least once when you have time to spare in life. These kind of movies make one think about many incidents that happen in our daily life, including the Mumbai terror and also moments that make us think deep enough. So wouldn’t you wanna catch up with this flick?

Hours of Terror

40 Hours back, as I switched on the TV to watch my daily marathon of reality shows; a marquee began flashing beneath the TV channel logo. To my shock and surprise, and thanks to my instincts, I swapped to some News channel that would spill clarity on the BREAKING NEWS that I just saw, ‘MUMBAI ATTACKED’.

And there was the horror that I dreaded of! Away from the strategies and tactics that the IB, Police force and the Government was trying to implement, my heart immediately sank for those people who would have never woken up that day, imagining the end they would see.

Two luxury hotel sieges by unknown terrorists – the TAJ and TRIDENT! Well, how many times have I stayed in these hotels.. What would have been of me, if today I was there in one of those rooms as a hostage, fighting terror?

Young boys, by whatever name you call them, the Lashkars or the Mujahedeens or whomsoever, donning uniform black attires and clinching onto the professional, freshly imported AK-47s, had stormed into the simple lives of these innocent people to conceal the consequences and reveal the facts of their destiny. How the heck did they even enter this land amidst all that tight security? (Oh! Who am I kidding?) We all are known for the ‘being hit’ syndrome. 

Only when terror strikes in some part of the country, the states wake up and secure themselves, just in case they get hit. But this goes on for a short while, until all cools and calms down. Else, how could have these wrath filled individuals entered our land crossing the eagle eyes of our forces and guards?

Be it the Europeans who were just in town to attend a conference, or the local Cyprus origin chef who had to encounter death with his family, to the people who simply had to fall a prey to the attacks, as a result of just being in that spot, that day. What was their fault? If the attackers had a grudge towards those of foreign origin, then why did they attack those innocent Indians?

And what is their problem with people of British or American origin visiting our country for their personal or official purposes? Should India always be termed as a third world country? What was their ultimate motive? What was their success plan? If it was simply to keep us alerted on what they can do, whenever they wanted to, then why did they play fate with those innocents? They could have simply made a point through some emotionless announcement.

After the whole assault drama that has been continuing for hours now, sans the food, sleep and peace, Mumbai now remains dead in its daylight too. Nothing seems alive in the city that once never used to sleep. From films to fun, schools to sensex, everything mourns in the darkness of this incident, this horror. After fate sacrificing the life of hundreds in places, from the railway station to luxury hotels to those brave Indian officers who stood in front to lead and leave and on the other hand destiny forgiving the life of another hundreds who gets to live a traumatic future after this day, thanks to the NSG forces who have thrown light to our hopes in terms of the survival of hostages and the capturing of those mask blinded, selfless inhumanly beings.

So where does all this zero down to? Wake up politicians, Wake up the government! Yeah, Yeah, you all are doing a lot for us. But not where you have to. Stop fighting for power and prejudice within yourselves and instead get on to the streets to peek into the lives, that pay you votes. You want to bring India to the front? Well, use the brains and brawns in the right way for the right thing. Strengthen our forces, get them the best equipment, give them the best training so that any time anywhere for situations like this, we know we have a battalion that cares and have the guts to go up front and fight for those in panic and pain. We have all learned a lot. First it all began with Kashmir and now all the way till Bangalore. Blasts, murders, assassinations.. We, Indians are tired. It is time we want to be on the streets, free and fearless. Over every blast, the authorities meet up to take a decision. Two days, we all mourn a minute and then carry on with our lives and so does the authorities. But in a month or so, another set of terror incidents strike and once again we are all in panic and shock. This is what has been happening. Now, is this, what will go on, in India? Will people from all around fear to enter the boundaries of this once, sacred land? We all are economically hit and now we will be hit, in terms of everything, from tourism to education. Maybe even ‘Chandrayan’ may not help. Hope this rings a bell????

The drama still continues. Some of the masked teenagers dead and some still lingering. Hostages, some saved and the rest not. And something even more humorous that occurred to me, even during such a stressed situation was the non-availability of a copter, as part of the air unit, quite similar to the S.W.A.T team in US. Yeah, I know, that is US, and this is India man! But as my hubby rightly stated, the scarcity of such systems within our defense forces is what lacks the credibility of the nation, in terms of fighting terror worldwide. Now finally where does all this bring us to? Are we less capable of fighting terror in our very own nation or is there a blocker that is ceasing our ability to fight terror? If you had to answer this, do you have one?