Monthly Review: July 2024
At the beginning of the month, I never really thought I’d be with my friends and colleagues in Bengaluru, extend my stay there, have fun with them, have the first surgery of my life, stay closer to family and loved ones for a few days, avoid screens for a week — everything was well!
And I watched a few movies, too, and completed reading two books (back on track?). Most of the things I did this month were unplanned, including my surgery.
Company Offsite
One of the most lovely things this month was our Fyle’s offsite. 💚 I was in Bengaluru for almost two weeks and was always with my colleagues. We had our offsite on the outskirts of Bengaluru, and I thought I’d stay there until the offsite. Thanks to Ashwin, I played cricket a few times and badminton after a long time — I don’t recall playing it after school (wait, did I play badminton during my school days? Am I too old to forget that?)
I made friends and got to hear stories of a lot of people. I made personal connections and listened to the advice, too — that is helping me right now, like showing up for in-person events and thinking in the long term, among others.
I worked with a few colleagues at a cafe and was there at the homes of a few colleagues (now friends?). There was a lot to learn about hospitality from them. Sorry, I can’t name all of you, but if you read this, you know I’m talking about you! ❤️
Thank you for being nice and hosting this weirdass person. It was so good that I reluctantly booked the return ticket! I realized I could happily converse with people of my parents’ generation, too! And have fun with my cousin’s kids too! I did something else during the offsite, but it’s too early to reveal it. Let me see if I can repeat the magic and pursue it for some time, then disclose it.
Lasik
I’ll write about it in detail in a separate blog post, but here’s what happened — I got my Lasik done and am writing this sentence without wearing glasses.
(I wrote this before surgery) The anxiety before the surgery is natural! I tried keeping myself away from the thoughts of surgery (the first one in my life) and also the things I needed to do after the surgery, and I was almost successful. I was not thinking about it, but when I spoke to a few people, they asked me not to take tension! Bro, why induce tension in someone who wants to think about something else!!
But yeah, fingers crossed — for a better vision. The first day I got these specs, I decided that I’d get rid of them once I started earning. Yeah, it’s 12 years, but it’s worth the wait! I was the last in our family to have an eye-sight problem and perhaps the first one to get rid of it, too! Let’s see!
(writing this after surgery) It went well! Almost 50% of this blog post is written without glasses 🙌
Now the vision is clear, so let’s get into the usual stuff. Yeah, movies and all!
Movies
Primal Fear
It is a good film, and I learned the importance of “less is more” in dialogue and setting up the environment. The suspense is carried throughout and I like the subtlety of the performances the actors performed in this movie.
12 Angry Men
This movie has been on my watch list for a long time, and I finally watched it, though not in a single stretch. The film is shot in a single room, with 12 actors, forming a jury to decide on the sentence for an 18-year-old boy who’s accused of murder.
I like the way things unfold in this film. The way the characters think they are alike one by one, slowly understanding the underlying differences among them, reasoning instead of going with a mob mentality, and overcoming personal prejudices — this is one of the most exciting films I’ve ever seen. I never thought I’d watch a film with dialogues between twelve people under one roof. I’d recommend watching this film.
How could they have ensured the focus on the actors, the staging, and the movement of cameras to keep the audience hooked?
Sharing the link to the movie here:
The Hitman
This film is good. It’s a light-hearted dark comedy with an exciting screenplay. I liked the actors’ performances, especially Glen Powell, and the way the screenwriters kept us hooked with the storyline. I was engaged throughout, and again, I liked the subtlety here, too! And above all, I loved the love story, too. The scenes are created perfectly for them to meet. It felt organic, and the voice-over certainly did its job well in this film. It’s ironic that out of all the potential murderers, Gary (Glen) convinces Madison (Adria) not to commit the crime while he records confessions from other such people. Yet, it’s Madison who murders while the others who get convicted don’t commit any murders!
Is it because I’m too used to loud, over-the-top films that I’m finding the movies where actors underplay or portray emotions with subtlety better these days?
Re-visiting RRR
I was browsing through the films on Netflix one day and found RRR in Hindi. I had never watched a Telugu film in Hindi audio until then, and I thought, let me see what it is like. Rajamouli takes care of the dialogues and dubbing well. I’ve watched RRR multiple times over the last two years, but this time I don’t know why the emotional impact on me was high, especially the camaraderie between Raju and Bheem. I realized the tears rolling down my cheek when Sita reveals Raju’s ambition.
Re-visiting Piku
Oh my god, I don’t know how many times I watched this movie this month while having food or after an intense day! Such a beautiful movie that grows for me with every watch. Perhaps I’m observing the way Irrfan acts these days and loving this film even more. ❤️
Avvai Shanmugi
I vaguely remember watching this film in childhood, but not to the extent of jokes and comedy. I revisited it this month, and, oh god, the humor is fantastic. The confusing comedy, wordplay, awkward situations, and charming (beautiful) Kamal Haasan — everything still worked for me. This was my go-to movie this month, for it provided the entertainment I needed this month. Someday, I wish to write a comedy story like this 🤞
Books
Kamal Haasan: A Cinematic Journey by K Hariharan
It’s not a great book, as it didn’t meet my expectations. Shared my thoughts in detail here.
Ghachar Gochar by Vivek Shanbhag
It’s a quick read. Narrates the story of a family settled in Bengaluru and underlines the impact of newfound prosperity on interpersonal relationships. Written in first person and in a few paragraphs, it is relatable to the dynamics of a family and the siblings! Originally written in Kannada (I read the English translated version).
Song
A few months back, I saw a YouTube video of people jamming to songs in Chennai Metro. Here’s that video:
I felt it to be joyful and wholesome — on their way back home after work, people are having little joy in singing their favorite songs accompanied by the band. After LASIK, this is, I think, the first video I saw; I’ve been wanting to watch it during my time away from the screen. I sent this link to my friend asking about the first song and learned that it’s from Sathya, with music composed by Ilayaraja. I’ve been listening to this song on the loop since that time! SPB and Lata Mangeshkar ❤
I couldn’t let my thoughts stop and just wrote these lines someday; not sure whether this is before Lasik or after, but damn sure it is after the Bengaluru trip. Reading this paragraph now, I don’t know what made me write this, but anyway, I’m letting it on the blog post.
The hormones, oh my god, can they stop secreting at these intervals and help me lead an everyday life without ups and downs? I believe they can’t because life is such — you can’t control it but certainly welcome it. Now, I really don’t know where this is going, and I don’t want to maintain it either. Let the thoughts flow uninterruptedly and come out of my heart — because perhaps that makes it lighter once they are on paper.
And here we are towards the end of the blog…
I realized how much I yearn for in-person meetings and the social animal that I am. And yes, at the same time, I love solitude, too!
Out of all the words that come to my mind to reflect on July, one word sums up it all — it has been colorful 🌸 and slightly more clear visually (pun intended)!
Until next time…
