#447 Movie Review: Sita Ramam

Movie Review: Sita Ramam

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop and link it to www.theblogchatter.com

Image Source: Google Images

This movie revolves around the love story of a princess, Noor Jahan with a lieutenant in the Indian army, Ram working in the Madras Regiment in the year 1965. The movie opens up with the operation of Gibraltar with the revelation of  annexing Kashmir. Major Tariq Mohammad, Brigadier from Pakistan Army, gets the news that the Terrorist group Mujahidin wants to accomplish this mission of taking charge of Kashmir with the help of the Indian Army which he simply dismisses then he gets the confirmation from a senior officer. Mujahideen group trains 5 boys of under 18 years of age to go to Kashmir and live with locals.

Pakistan’s youth President in London, Afreen is shown discussing the matter on a News Channel when a riot took place between Indian and Pakistani students. She, out of anger, burns the car of  Anand Mehta, who has sponsored the education of many students at the University of London. She is then asked to apologize to Anand Mehta by the Dean which she firmly denies. She’s left with one option, to pay 1 million as an amount of compensation for the car (or else she will be rusticated from the university), in a month’s time and she agrees to accept this option. She decided to fly to her home Karachi, to take help from his grandfather Brigadier Tariq.

On reaching Karachi, she founds that her grandfather is no more. When she was contacted many times before, she ignored the calls and she was angry about being sent to London for studies, which was against her wish. She meets with the lawyer and asks him the compensation of 10Lakh. The lawyer hands her the letter from her grandfather. While reading that letter, she gets to know that her grandfather regrets not fulfilling the last wish of Lieutenant Ram for the last 20 years, to send the letter of Ram addressed to Sita Mahalaxmi. So, now the responsibility lies on Afreen to send the letter to Sita Mahalaxmi to get the compensation amount 10Lakh from the lawyer.

Afreen leaves for India in search of Sita Mahalaxmi and directly heads to Noor Jahan Palace where the address was written, but couldn’t find Sita Mahalaxmi. She is accompanied by a senior Balaji who promises to help her in her mission. Surprisingly, the letter was written 20-years-ago which made it even more difficult to rely on the address. They first meet Subramaniam, working in the library of the Palace-turned-college, who denies knowing anyone named Sita. Then the idea strikes Afreen to start searching for Ram as she believes that with 3 information – his position(lieutenant), service year(1965), and regiment(Madras), she would be able to reach him. When Balaji and Afreen go to meet Balaji’s uncle working at Indian Army, he guides them to collect information about Ram from the library which allows the entry of civilians on Mondays. Afreen finds a picture of Ram in one of the magazines and shows it to the army officer, who checks other pages of the magazine. On finding a picture of Ram’s colleague, Vikas gives his address.

Vikas takes them to the year 1965, Madras Regiment working in Sri Nagar. The scene opens in LOC where Ram fires indirectly (not with an intention of killing the locals whom they suspect to be terrorists) on the order of Vishnu(his senior). Vishnu asks for a written explanation for missing the shots to Ram.  Ram feels that it is okay for him to take the punishment instead of a lifetime regret of killing innocents.

After success in Kashmir’s mission, when a reporter from All-India-Radio comes to the headquarters of the Indian Army and asks them to send messages to their families, Ram says that he is an orphan. The reporter is moved by this sentence of Ram and requests all citizens to write letters to Ram as family members. Then comes a flood of letters for Ram and he also takes time out to answer each letter. Out of the pile of letters, he finds the letter of Sita Mahalaxmi who writes him as his wife, waiting for his return. Slowly the story progresses to bring Ram and Sita together. Sita Mahalaxmi is the pen name of princess Noor Jahan, through which she has been writing all those letters to Ram.

To improve the political relation between Hyderabad and Oman, his brother brings the marriage proposal of the son of Oman's King which she refuses, saying she loves a commoner and the news of their affairs is true. She leaves the palace to live with Ram as his wife. The day when she decides to tell Ram about her identity, Ram goes out on a mission. In that mission, Ram along with his senior Vishnu is caught by Pakistan Army when Ram goes inside a burning cottage to save child Afreen, granddaughter of Tareeq. They are sentenced to imprisonment and an order comes to release one of them. Vishnu reveals the coordinates of the Indian army camp to the Pakistan Army in lieu of being released and puts the blame of the traitor on Ram. In this way, the media starts to regard Ram as a traitor. This story is narrated to Afreen by Vishnu.

The story ends with Afreen seeking an apology from Sita while handing over the letter and a valedictory march for Ram.  

My Opinion

This movie has an interesting plot, the major outline of the movie, a rich girl falling in love with an army man when he rescues her during a tough time reminds me of Veer Zara with an angle of inter-religion love. I didn’t feel like wasting my time after watching this movie and I can watch it later. So, I won’t put this movie into the category of a one-time watch. The movie beautifully unfolds while keeping all the suspense intact and everything becomes clear in the end. So, this movie can be better understood from the end to the beginning, in a reverse way. The actors have done a brilliant job. I have already watched a movie by Dulqeer Salman, Banglore Days, but it was my first movie starring Mrunal Thakur. I was mesmerized by the beauty of Mrinal and the style of acting to match such a fabulous actor like Dulqueer. I would prefer dubbed version to the one with subtitles and I am glad that the Hindi dubbed version was available. There was little humor here and there to make the plot a little less stressful. This movie has a happy ending. I wished it could have united Ram with Sita in the end! Overall, it is a must-watch movie and I would rate it 4.5/5.

 

For the prompt of [7thFeb-13thFeb] #BlogchatterBlogHop, along with this movie I would recommend, Before Trilogy Series  - Before Sunrise(1995), Before Sunset(2004), and Before Midnight(2013). I have not been a very big fan of the genre romance but somehow started to explore this genre in 2020. What I like most about this series is the way the movie progresses so naturally through pure conversation between two strangers, who met on the train during the journey. Their conversation is funny, playful, deep, and interesting. How can you know more about  a person without ever interacting or asking some deep and relevant questions? They depart each other without any commitment and leave their next meeting to fate and luckily their paths cross in the later sequels. Out of these movies in the trilogy, I liked the first one the most because that shows how they met, and other parts act as extensions of the first one in a more mature and profound way.

Image Source : Google Images

My third recommendation for the genre romance would be the series Love Is Blind – Japan. It is one of the most popular shows of 2022. I preferred the Japanese version over other versions because I thought I could connect well to the Asian culture. I have already written an article based on it which can be read here. So, in brief, it’s a dating show, where men and women would get to know each other by conversing with each other from their respective pods thereby completely removing the physical traits governing the choice of partner. Not every engaged couple in the show made it to the day of their marriages and I won’t spill the beans now. You must watch it to know the result in case you want to go with this recommendation.

 

Image Sources: Google Images

All Rights Reserved!

Swati Sarangi

12.02.2023

 

#446 Reminiscing memories with you

 Remniscing memories with you

Image Source: Google Images

Reminiscing memories of how we met,

Unknown trajectories when crossed their ways,

Surprised by cupid’s conspiracy,

Knowing not what it would bring,        

Igniting the love long forgotten

New blossoms when start blooming,

Begins a series of events to unfold,

On this journey of togetherness,

Never ever we’ll part ways untill

Destiny has a different say.

This poem is an acrostic poem using the name of my favorite writer, Ruskin Bond. An Acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the first letter of each new line spells out a word, message, or the alphabet. This is the prompt given by the Team Poetizer and it’s my first attempt at trying this new form of writing.  Hope you all like it.

All Rights Reserved

Swati Sarangi

09.02.2023

#poetizerlovelanguage

#445 Walking with you by my side

 Walking with you by my side

Image Source: Google Images

Under a bright morning sky,

Sun spreading its golden rays,

I would love to have you by my side

Walking over the bed of sand.

 

Let our feet be washed by the waves,

Background music being the sound

That it continuously creates,

No gadgets to make us their slaves.

 

We would only talk about us,

Getting to know more about each other,

By creating castles on sand, we can

Build our lives with a magic wand.

 

That magic wand is the love that

We share, the little things that we care

About each other and thousands of

Unsaid words of expressions.

 

The waves touched my body and soul,

I wish the time to slow down,

To an extent that I would have

You by my side for eternity.

 

With our hands locked into each other,

Our hearts beat in synchronicity and

Our footsteps march in unison

While we walk along the shore.

 

It feels surreal as if we know,

Each other for many years,

I’ve lost the track of time,

Amidst numerous conversation we had.

 

The cool breeze signals the

Passage of time, there’s no sun

To put a blanket while a sheet

Of Stars appear twinkling steadily.

 

I will always carry these memories

Of salty waves creating music, us

Lost in ourselves, endless conversation

Of us, life and everything that it connects.

 

08.02.2022

All Rights Reserved!

Swati Sarangi

#poetizerlovelanguage

#444 3 Ways Writing has made me a better person

 3 ways writing has made me a better person

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop and link it to www.theblogchatter.com

BlogChatter prompts

I have always been associated with the activities of reading and writing since my school days. I can’t remember the exact reason why I was so driven towards these tasks, in the first place but I believe that the gift of writing has come to me from my ancestors. Relatives from my paternal or maternal side published articles in newspapers, and magazines even though they were not professionally into journalism, writing, or publishing. Before I start writing this article, I would like to thank the team of blogchatter for providing such an interesting topic to stroll down my memory lane which I would always love to do.

If I look at my own life, I have been actively writing articles, poems, and short stories for the last 15-16 years while not pursuing linguistics/literature in either my Bachelors's or Master's program. Perhaps, the urge to write or express myself through written words evolved from my reticent behavior. I was a very introverted child with so much to say and uncountable dialogues would always run inside my mind.  Writing provided me a medium to streamline those dialogues into something creative or meaningful.

Before I started writing something on my own, I would often take the help of my father. He has always been so supportive of me. I was so marveled by the rich vocabulary that he possessed and his spontaneous writing ability, that I would often dream to write independently like him. I wrote my first poem when I was in standard V and didn’t stop after that. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a life-long habit to be treasured.

As an introverted child, I was always immersed in the activities that I absolutely enjoyed doing. Some of these were painting, singing, reading, writing, etc. All these activities required the involvement of my own self and I need not depend on others to accomplish them. I always believed that I was different from my peers in abilities, thoughts, and ambitions for which I didn’t want to fit in but stand out. Writing gave me comfort, a way to express myself without being judged, and a companion to embrace during difficult times. I started writing in my diary which provided the best closure to any day. Writing brought me recognition in form of prizes in various competitions and appreciation from teachers.

When I moved to college, I discovered another aspect of writing, i.e therapeutic and a way to connect with my deeper self. In some way, I was missing my former self and writing was the only way through which I often revisited my childhood days to recall golden moments. The bond I shared with my diary started growing stronger with each passing day and the flow of emotions became even more spontaneous. That’s when I decided to publish my work on my personal blog. This blog came into existence on Mar 2013 with my partner-in-crime, my twin sister. This blog served the purpose of providing a platform for compiling the writing works in one place. Ideas came pouring in, without much effort, and by the time we graduated in 2015; there had already been around 116 posts.

I have always been writing, in some way or other, if not in my blog, then in some other platform like Your Quote, Quora, Story Mirror, etc. I experimented with quotes, haiku, etc., and vented out my bottled-up emotions during the days of struggles and continuous failures. Later, I connected with various blogging platforms such as BlogAdda, Indiblogger, etc., and met many like-minded bloggers virtually. Such platforms helped me to come out of writer’s block and utilize my creative juices to keep blog posts coming.

Writing has made me a better person in so many ways of which the followings are the major ones, that I feel:

1. Consistent

I used to journal every day during my school days and have filled up approximately 7 diaries in my life. The sense of satisfaction that writing on a piece of paper with a pen is simply irreplaceable. Last year, I took up the #100DaysOfWriting Challenge and I could complete 2 rounds of it. I didn’t restrict it to just publishing blog posts but also writing letters of gratitude or reviews to the authors of blog posts or books that I read/came across. I made sure to write something every day. I feel that writing has made me effortlessly consistent by being a part of my habits.

2. Observant

Writing has made me more observant of my emotions as well as my surrounding. I am a person who just isn’t content with the surface but wants to delve deeper into it. That may be because somewhere I am a mixture of spiritual and philosophical being. The more I looked around, the more elements I got to write about. The more stories I found to be noted down so that those stories can reach a wider range of readers because I feel that stories are everywhere, sometimes open other times, hidden or forgotten. I have created a section of the blog as Thoughts Emanating especially for penning down the words of a philosopher or spiritual side of myself.

 

3.Thoughtful

Another gift that writing has brought to my personality is being thoughtful. I am now more considerate of my emotions of myself as well as those surrounding me. I have developed an ability to read people’s emotions to some extent. It has helped me to scratch the surface to reach the root cause of the problem. In a way, it has made me a better problem-solver.  

 

Ending this article with a short poem about why I write:

 

Do I write to quieten my inner voices?

Or select one from myriad of choices,

That the crossroads of life offers,

When I break the chains of doubts

And let the train of thoughts flow,

Whatever the reasons, I don’t know,

I write as it feels right,

And I write until the time

I feel content and satisfied,

I don’t struggle with the words,

When I write as they find

Their way and place naturally.

 

All Rights Reserved

Swati Sarangi

05.02.2023

 Edit: This post has been recognized as the TOP BLOG at BLOGCHATTER.

#443 From the last page of my diary

 From the last page of my diary

(Reflecting on my journey of 2022)

It has been a custom of mine to summarize the year in my diary. I know, it’s late to publish this article but I believe that the freshness of the new year hasn’t faded in our minds yet. So, here I present a wrap-up of the year 2022.

Dear Diary,

I’m happy to have reached this page which is the last page of 2022. The time has come to reflect on the happenings of 2022 and it’s hard to believe that this year passed too quickly like all other years. Ignoring the turmoil of recent days from the news of my relative’s health condition, If I close my eyes to read my emotions for the year 2022, it has been a wonderful year for me which gave me enough experiences to explore the world.

Chinese New Year

In the first half of the year, I got an opportunity to witness the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong which fell in the month of February. The vibes and decoration of this festival filled my heart with joy. As a part of the ritual of this festival, I received some Laisee from my colleagues and gave some too. Really, festivals give a break to the ordinarily-appearing life and bring immense joy. Professionally, I entered a phase of facing and solving real-world problems after completing my probation period. I enjoyed my work life even though it was a little hectic for me to travel and bonded with my colleagues well. With a resolution to improve myself, I took up many #100DaysOfX challenges like #100DaysOfWriting,#100DaysOfReading,#100DaysOfCode, and #100DaysOfMeditation. Out of these challenges, I gave up on #100DaysOfMeditation too soon while sticking around for other challenges to complete them. Luckily, I am now able to continue with the second round of these challenges for #100DaysOfWriting, #100DaysOfReading, and #100DaysOfCode. I started writing actively in my technical blog – Coding Concoction. I strongly believe in the power of habits to transform life and little habits, like these create a great impact in the long run. Due to these challenges, I could complete reading 17/26 books that I picked up this year, written several articles/gratitude emails/poems, etc, and coded more than ever before. I am on a 521-day strike in Duolingo for learning Finnish and German. In short, I have accomplished more than I can ever imagine.

 

Our first flight together

In the middle of life and job, destiny had a different plan. My husband got an offer to move to Finland in the second half of the year. We had to bid adieu to the country, Hong Kong which had hosted us for a year and a half and provided us a lot of memories to cherish for life. I loved exploring Hong Kong, and the fast-paced urban life taught me to always keep moving and learning. Before relocating to Finland, I decided to meet my family and attend the most awaited function, my sister’s wedding. It was a great reunion after a long time and life gave me chance to fly to my homeland through a transit country, Thailand. Even though my travel in the COVID era was hectic, but it was all worth it in the end when I met my family.

The second half of the year was all about moving to Finland, coping with the weather, getting to know the country, and settling there for a while before any change of plan. It was for the first time I traveled with my husband by flight, and it was my longest trip by the flight of duration 9 hours from Delhi to Helsinki. This new country was colder, quieter, and more spacious than Hong Kong. Every moment of my stay in this country, made me realize why it has been able to secure the tag of “The Happiest country” in the world five times in a row. So, we started living in the capital, Helsinki, close to the city center, which made it possible for me to avail all modes of transport, including Tram, bus, Metro, Train, and even public rental cycle stands. There’s a provision for renting cycles from March-October. The month of June urged one to put on a jacket to face 9 degrees Celsius. I also had never experienced uneven distribution of hours for day and night based on seasons. During summer, referring to June-July, the sun would be in the sky till 1 a.m. and rise at 4a.m. I could never imagine, just 3-4 hours of blank out in a day during summer. The weekend would bring a little hustle bustle in the area we lived because of the presence of small Cafés and Restaurants.

Sibelius monument

  

Living in the proximity of the City Centre made it very convenient for me to explore nearby places. We lived just 3 tram stations away from the City Center and it took just 10 minutes to reach there. I explored the National Museum of Finland, the Cathedral, Sibelius Park, the Sibelius Monument, the Central Railway Station, Malls like Forum, Sokos, the City Center, Mall of Tripla, Restaurants like Gandhi, Maharaja, etc. As a person of books, I explored the Library of Töölö, Central Library Oodi, Rikhardinkatu Library etc., and got a chance to read a lot of books written during World War II and Nazi rule.  

  

The sight of a tram passing just in front of my apartment was something unusual for someone like me who has relied more on private modes of transport like cars, cabs, taxis, rickshaws, etc.  There was a unique calmness even in the sound of the passing tram and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with this place, but I had to remind myself about the fact that the apartment we had booked, was for a temporary stay. We stayed in Helsinki for 1.5 months and moved to the Espoo region, closer to my husband’s workplace. We booked an apartment close to the Metro station and it was now about 15 km away from the Central Railway Station. This region was too peaceful, and I often missed the hustle-bustle of Helsinki. My usual outing decreased which gave me ample time for hobbies like reading, writing, and singing. I received certificates for my performance in two of the contests in Smule and collaborated with wonderful singers around the world.

Celebration of Rath Yatra,Helsinki

 

My search for Indian restaurants, Libraries, Indian grocery stores, job opportunities, etc. began in this region too. The nearest one is Iso Omena, Matinkylä. I found a library to continue with my reading challenge. I came across various Indian communities to celebrate Rath Yatra, Janmashthami, Saibaba’s Punya Tithi, Diwali, Kartika Purnima, Christmas, etc. I got a chance to meet many Indians through such gatherings and events. During September, we planned a short trip to Tallinn, Estonia, and Stockholm, Sweden. It was a wonderful trip by cruise. I can’t forget my experience of singing “My Heart will go on” on a Karaoke, on the cruise. Some experiences are for a lifetime, and I got to strike out a lot of things from my bucket list this year.

                                  

View from the window of my living room

With the advent of winter in October, there came the season of snow. It was my first experience of witnessing snowfall and coping with negative temperatures. Thankfully the temperature inside my apartment is well taken care of, and I am always so grateful to be able to look at the magnificent view of snow-clad trees from the comfort of my living room. 

This year has been wonderful for me which helped me to tick off so many things from my bucket list. It threw challenges towards me to test my strength and I discovered a lot about myself for that. There have been some pending tasks in the field of learning that I want to continue doing but I have no regrets about anything. Like every year, my priority for this year stays the same; the well-being of my family and friends. I would like to make some deep and genuine connections for a lifetime.

With a sense of gratitude, I end my writing here. See you soon in a brand-New Year!!

 

Thank You 2022 and Goodbye 2022!

Welcome 2023!!

 

Yours lovingly

Swati