#538 Maharaja : Movie Review

 Maharaja

Image Source : Google Images

 This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2024.

What an awesome movie, it is! I watched it on a Friday night and I had no regrets about watching it. Although I'm not a very big fan of movies of the genre suspense/thriller but this one changed my opinion. This movie is originally in Tamil, I had to watch the version in English dubbed because of my lack of knowledge in Tamil.

Vijay Sethupathi continues to surprise me with the simplicity of his acting style as I've watched some of his movies dubbed in Hindi. He's the hero of this movie named 'Maharaja'. He plays the role of an ideal husband, a loving father, and a devoted barber by profession. Life takes a different turn when a truck bumps into the house while he goes to buy toys for his daughter, and he loses his wife but his daughter is saved under the dustbin which was kept there. Since then, they worship that dustbin, 'Laxmi' as the protector of their house. One day, Maharaja goes to the police station to give an FIR against the stealing of Laxmi; dustbin, and the whole story revolves around it. The stealing of Laxmi is symbolic of the loss of modesty of his daughter by Selvam and his friends as revenge.

Another important character is Anurag Kashyap(Selvam) who has acted very well as opposite to 'Maharaja'. Scenes taken from different time frames are played successively. The audience can correlate to every scene once the climax is revealed, which couldn't have been done in another way! Excellent direction, acting, and display of emotions, are all factors that contribute to the success of the movie. It's among such movies that can't bore me even if I watch it a thousand times. I highly recommend it to someone who wants to watch a really good movie! My rating for it is a perfect 10/10.

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Swati Sarangi

29.08.2024

#537 Echoes of the library

Echoes of the library

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2024.

Image Source: My mobile

There’s no denying fact that books can be best friends of humans. As he grows older, the companionship that books provide can be unmatched. They take him to various places even within the comfort of his room and let him live in multiple time frames. The characters from the books appear real as if he has started living with them and tries to see the world from their perspectives.

         For a book lover like me, the library is like a temple where I get my mental peace. Even though some libraries may be buzzing with people, I am intoxicated by their aura. I feel enveloped in an inexplicable joy and a sense of security lightens up my mind. So, wherever I went, the first thing I did was search for public libraries.

         Luckily, I’ve discovered a public library just 200 meters from where I’m living now. I’ve been visiting there every day for the last few weeks from 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm. I’ve decided to keep this time fixed so that it creates an urge for me to go there. In a foreign land, where my social interaction is limited to my husband, I can at least get to see some faces in the library or initiate some small talk with the librarian.

         I’ve not taken the membership of the library this time to motivate myself to go there to read. You might find this decision quite contrary for someone so passionate about reading, but it worked for me. Previously, my hungry self would burrow a lot of books just to create another mini library at home. I would end up paying a fee for the late return of all those books or be immersed in remorse for not being able to read them before returning.   

         Currently, I’m halfway through “The sisters of Auschwitz” and I feel so lucky to find that among a flood of English fiction books. As an admirer of non-fiction books, initially, I found it too challenging to pick up any book from the shelves of English Novels but my joy knew no bounds when my eyes fell on this book. I’ve read a couple of books on Holocaust ever since I moved to Europe, but reading something that happened at the place where you’re living now, is nothing sort of a coincidence, or it may be the way of the Universe to walk you through the history of that place. The book talks about the plight of Jews during Germany’s invasion of the Netherlands. I could relate to many cities described in the book. It was so hard to believe those horror incidences happened in the past.

During Summer for the last couple of weeks, the library has opened till 6 PM but to my surprise, when I visited the library after five days today, I found it to be open till 11 pm. Unlike other days, there was no announcement at 5:30 PM as a reminder to leave the library by 6 PM. I felt as if the duration of the opening hours of the library was extended for me to compensate for what I had missed in the last 5 days. In the last few, when I stayed mostly indoors, my mind was worried about the whereabouts of the inhabitants of “The High Nest”. Such is the power of narration; it makes you part of that description.

    I hope to complete my reading goals and diversify my reading list by incorporating some fiction into it. That’s what this library has taught me, to choose something that I hesitated to pick early, to come out of my comfort zone, and to experience the bliss of trying something new. English books constitute 1% of the entire library and reading my favorite genres in Dutch is a far-fetched dream for me now.

                 

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Swati Sarangi

28.08.2024

 

 

#536 Why I want to participate in BlogchatterHalfMarathon2024 ?

 Why I want to participate in BlogChatterHalfMarathon2024?

 This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2024.

Image Source : Generated by GROK2.0

Blogchatter Team has come up with a new campaign – #BlogchatterHalfMarathon 2024. I have been eagerly waiting for it to start because as a writer I still feel a need for the push and such campaigns are nothing but an excellent medium to provide enough push for me to get my creative juice flowing. It’s not always the writer's block that hampers my ability to write, but the presence of myriads of easy dopamines like social media in my access. Through this campaign, I will try to be as disciplined to cut off any kind of distractions from my surroundings when I’m writing. 

         I can’t thank BlogChatter Team enough for starting this campaign as it will let me not just write but reflect on various aspects of my life. Under this campaign, I have to write 10 posts in 15 days which appears a little challenging to me at this stage because I’ve not thought about any particular topic or theme to cover. I will write whatever comes to my mind as the process of writing commences. Let me not forget that writing is like a flow and as a writer, I must try to pick up any jewels that I will come across through this journey. Since when have I got the power to obstruct this flow?

Another coincidence that I find between this campaign and life is that both are like Marathons, not just some sprints. Finishing the marathon is more important than how fast you can finish it. To be successful in life and campaigns like this, one has to consistently put in his efforts. These small efforts put in every day will help one reach the destination. From my experience of participating in such campaigns organized by BlogChatter, I have found that I could challenge myself to come out of my comfort zone. Completing such challenges gives a sense of accomplishment and that’s what challenges are for. Aren’t they? If they were easy, everyone would do it. That reinforced a deep sense of trust in my ability which I wouldn’t have developed, had I not completed these campaigns on time!

       Through this campaign, I will let my inner voice do the writing. I am sure, a lot of interesting pieces will come out of it. I may or may not take help from the prompts given for this campaign but I will try my best to complete it just like other campaigns in the past. I also look forward to read some amazing pieces from my fellow writers and engaging with their blogs positively!

Before my lunch gets cold, let me quickly finish it!

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Swati Sarangi

23.08.2024