THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

So, I finished reading the book yesterday that I bought after watching the movie to fathom the beautiful rendition of film captured on paper. The movie and the book, both, are delightful with its pros and limitations.

The movie makes the audience surge with emotions at sporadic instances while in case of the book, I only felt emotions spike in the last chapter.

However, more importantly, I choose to write about this today is because I want everybody to watch this film. Why? Probably to come to terms with and accept the universal truth of death at any point in time - treat death as an inevitable process, a side effect of living, while making the living count. Not necessarily to leave a legacy that world would remember you by but 'to leave behind a garden patch, a healthy child, or redeemed social condition. To know that one life breathed easier because you lived...'. I can only quote Ralph Waldo Emerson who illustrated the trivial legacy of being someone to somebody or something as an insightful metaphor.

The comprehension of this universal truth, death, is only the side effect of this film that has climbed it's way atop my list of 'Most beautiful love stories ever told'. I am amazed how two teenagers have dunked into their characters and given us a film of deep and holistic love. I remember responding to a friend's comment on Facebook about TFIOS, which I choose not to dilute now for better choice of words, "it is not dystopia that the soul feeds on but the realization that even within the smallest dystopic infinity of moments, an infinite world of utopian love is promised, even if so in fantasy, that probably a healthy man or woman will never experience in the greatest infinity of life bestowed upon him or her."

The greatest attribute of the film is it lends skin to the characters and all of them play their roles rather effortlessly. Films, marked by the characteristic nature of holding audience attention, it does absolute justice to the two hours but limits the joy of leisure and pace.

That's why one should buy the book: to bask in the glory of exquisite literature, (excerpts: We watched the confetti fall from the sky, skip across the ground in the breeze, and tumble into the canal OR "Lonely, Vaguely Pedophilic Swing Set Seeks the Butts of Children." OR I fell in love the way you fall asleep; slowly and then all at once), over time at your own pace.  The books helps us see Hazel's grief of not being able to grow old, on one hand, while her gratitude to have lived twice as many years than Van Houten's daughter, on the other. It also brings neutrality to the soured experience with Van Houten. If you cannot find humor in disease and death, you definitely will do so in the Venn diagram. In the last chapter, you will encounter how a boy loves a girl. 

But with only the book, we wouldn't have the faces and therefore I believe the book and the movie should emerge into two people and marry one another. They are perfect complements.

QUEEN

In today's Bollywood, I would pick two women, Kangana Ranaut and Deepika Padukone, who people will go and watch irrespective of the flesh and face that plays the male counterpart. Obviously, I say this because I love them both :-). Kangana, because she is a number 23. We '23' people, or summarized as 5, have cognitive powers to sense each other's energies. A 5 will always love a 5. That's a given.

I stand in awe of her, for a girl with no God father in bad Bollywood, she stood out on her own gut and proved herself one film after another. Her versatility radiates through contrasting characters like Shonali Gujral and Rani, her brilliance shines on ramp shows and personal sense of style, but above all what impresses me is a pahadi girl's drive to be a better English orator and career woman of the future (apparent through her interviews). A big SALUTE to her.

I will flux out all her flops, like she told Anupama Chopra, as 'odd-jobs that paid the bills'.

However, a bigger SALUTE to Vikas Bahl, who has faith in Kangana's potential and puts up an engaging exhibit by beautifully weaving moments of the past with happenings of the future. Kangana is his clay that he transforms from psychotic actress or the drug-abused fashion model of the past into an endearing, demure, beautiful girl next door of today who everybody loves. Her dadi / nani is a breath of fresh wisdom as far as matters of the heart or adult films are concerned. Although, a middle class Punjabi household, QUEEN is probably representative of more than half of India's women in their 20s.

The story is about a devoted daughter stepping up to an obedient fiancée.  But her world topples over when her fiancé decides to call off the wedding.  After a sobbing night, she decides to venture on to her pre-booked honeymoon to the two Europe destinations of Paris and Amsterdam by herself, where she meets people of diverse lifestyles and befriends them as part of her honeymoon package. The story is spiked with random humor. My personal favorite was when Imran Hashmi was poached as reference to Indians being the best kissers in the world.

With a release followed by International Women's day, Rani's slow motion walk on the streets of Amsterdam makes a more liberating wonder than any fashion ramps Kangana has ever walked on. While keeping Rani's essence intact, Vikas Bahl, in those 2.31 hours, liberates her into a more modern imagery of herself who now has straightened hair and is comfortable in deep necks. What a savory film to ring in a few weeks before she celebrates her birthday on March 23.

Kangana is Bollywood's exemplary to Cate Blanchett's Oscar's speech, "There are those who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films with women at the center are niche experiences." she said.  "They are not. Audiences want to see them, and in fact, they earn money."

My money for the best actress award this year is on you know who.

As for the flaws, I find it difficult to comprehend as to why the fiancé wants her back? Is it simply a matter of one selfie from the changing room? The fiancé wanting her back doesn't really make a compelling argument to me.  Also, in real life, the thought of travelling alone in foreign lands, for somebody in Rani's personality, can be daunting and scary. However, the simplicity and sweetness quotient of this film is so overpowering that I am happy to dismiss the second one as 'ignorance is bliss.'

This is a film I have wanted to write about in a long, long time. An inner voice said, "Jeevan, you should have some words for this film."

Above they are.

A MUST WATCH.