Lights, Camera….Cut!

Movies. One of my many passions. I somehow find it surprising how something can keep you stuck to a chair for two hours. I’ve always wondered what happens behind the cameras, a director shouting, cameramen focusing their cameras on the film stars and still not getting it right, spot boys running all over the place with no idea what they have to do, it’s exciting to know what all there is to a film. The chaos is unimaginative, but the result of the film is most definitely enduring (or at least should be).

A film has so many takes; still, some weird directors can never get them right. Yes, I blame it on the director and not on the actors. Till the time the actors are not told what to do, the film is never expected to be good. A filmmaker plays the most important role, he is the one who ultimately gets critically acclaimed, and so, he is the one who has to do full justice to his film and to his work.

Now let’s leave the poor director and talk about something else. Nowadays, a new trend has come under my notice. Hollywood has started taking over Bollywood. All actors seem to enjoy working in American films rather than working in their own country, well, I don’t blame them. Most films in India are now becoming trash. Actors get better opportunities in Hollywood and they choose to use their talent there.  I wonder how many Indian films have won Oscars, for that matter, even been nominated for Oscars.

Back to my favourite topic of discussion, Music. It plays a very important role in the film industries. Some expressions can be expressed through music in outstanding ways. But, that does not mean that songs are added after every 5 minutes. That’s the most annoying part. This is one of the reasons I prefer Hollywood films over Bollywood.

One movie I wish for everyone to see, The King’s Speech. A remarkable film, with outstanding work done by the director and the lead actor Colin Firth. He deserved the Oscar and so did the film. This is what movies should be like. Even if not that serious, but the amount of effort put in it is something we wish to see in Bollywood films too.

Before going, I just want to add one thing. I did not mean to criticize Bollywood, many Indian films have been amazing too, but directors and actors need to come up with better ideas. A few films cannot make up for all the other disastrous films made by other filmmakers.

So, hats off to those legendary films which have made us laugh and cry. We wish to see many such more in the near future.

Beyond Boundaries

I was an introvert. A girl afraid to show her real self. Would people like me? That was not my fear. Would I be able to live up to what I wanted to be? THAT was my fear. I always loved music. Singing was my passion. A passion nobody knew about.

Till now people knew me only because of my sister. To tell you the truth, she was actually my inspiration. One of the best singers the school had seen, my sister was very famous in her time. Everybody used to compare me to her, especially my teachers. But I didn’t get angry or anything. I instead used it as a motivation.

The beginning of ninth was pretty normal. But then a few months later there was a competition. Band Competition. I had to sing. This was my chance. So I went. I went to my teacher. They heard me. I was in.

I couldn’t have done any better. That was the best choice I ever made. My teacher actually loved me. She actually said that I sounded like my sister. That was the best compliment for me.

From then on, my life changed. People began to know me. I had gained confidence. I was no longer afraid and was definitely no longer an introvert. I could sing.

All this just taught me one thing. Till the time you have confidence in yourself, nothing is impossible. You just have to wait for that one opportunity and when it comes, grab it. Life will give you chances, you just have to know when they come. Being scared will not help. Don’t give a damn what the world thinks, do what you like to do and do it for yourself. People will love you for that.

So all my fellow mates out there, be free, be confident, and don’t let life scare you. I did and I got nothing out of it.

Let there be Music

Music is what surrounds everyone. Everybody knows it, everybody can hear it. Some people say that today’s music is better than ever, but according to some, it’s just getting worse as generations come. Everybody has their own tastes in music and their own views.

For me, every genre is different in its own kind. They all have their own specialties, may it be rock, pop, jazz, metal etc. But nowadays, you can actually hear the craziest of stuff. Has the quality of music declined? Yes. Two people who make the biggest news for making the worst music- Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black. No offense to their work, but even they can do better.

The worst part of the music industries nowadays are the lyricists, especially in Bollywood. Recent songs have had the most vulgar lyrics, that too that make no sense. All this to get appreciated commercially.  Do they? No, and they never will. Music is not supposed to be created to mark the country’s choice. It’s the passion in the artists that makes it so popular.

Legends like Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan etc are all being replaced by new artists who can’t even match up to their standards. Music has transformed greatly in the recent years, it has taken a different form. New bands are not bad in any way, but they have definitely declined from what they used to be 30-40 years ago.

Now let’s talk about and take a minute remembering The King of Pop- Michael Jackson. He gave us outstanding music and amazing dance steps that includes the now so famous –Moonwalk. People criticized him his entire life, about his surgeries, with the child sexual abuse allegations, his marriages and sometimes even about his music. But, he always stood up to them. He never let his fears come in front of him. Even for people like me, who hardly listened to his music, he was a legend. He gave the world so much to think about after his death, he went but left a deep mark in everyone’s heart.

So, coming to the end of this, all I would like to say is that music is to be felt, not heard. It has a meaning in it which should be understood and not ignored.