My Magic Beans

You don’t buy Them from the stores,

Or find Them behind hidden doors.

Without any notice They come,

Not just one- two but in lump sum.

Out of Them just few stick around,

And after that, They turn your world upside down.

At least to me They are not mean,

That’s why I call Them My Magic Beans.

You sing with Them, you dance with Them,

And then They make you run like a crazy hen.

They help you in your difficult time,

Hatching the stupidest joke, thinking it would make things fine.

Though it helps in a way,

Like a bright summers day.

On Their shoulder you can always lean,

That’s why I call Them My Magic Beans.

Sometimes They unnecessarily fight,

 But you should be at ease like a high soaring kite.

They would never ever ditch,

Even if you behave like a super duper bitch.

‘They’ are my best friends,

Living in my thoughts without paying any rent.

They ain’t nothing like the kings or queens,

Just sweet little, My Magic Beans.

Some Things Don’t Happen Out of the Blue

Since childhood, always wanted a baby brother,

For me, who would always be a trouble-maker.

But God gifted me a gorgeous sister,

With compelling dark black eyes full of blister.

Her hair was dark coffee brown and long like Princess,

Which she always thinks is absolutely useless.

Her features are just like a deer,

But She is the wild tigress without any fear.

And then, I had to share my belongings,

Which was worse as it was happening.

She broke my toys and pulled my hair,

All I needed was some fresh air.

She is the devil in disguise,

And keeps on changing like the rolling of dice.

Yet, She is my sweet little angel,

Who wants to be a shining star in the city of Tinsel.

She is a magnet for danger,

Arrogantly believing as though She is some sort of Power Ranger.

Sometimes She lacks sense,

And trouble follows Her then.

But as years passed by,

Our affection and understanding went high.

She turned to be more matured and strong,

And when She would be around, nothing would go wrong.

Sometimes She is cruel and annoying,

But honestly, without Her, every moment I keep on dying.

When I’m low,

She lightens me by Her glow.

When I find the world cold,

She warms me by Her comforting hold.

Our quarrels and fights,

Has made the bond tight.

The fun and smile,

Is turning into a huge pile.

The gossips and bitching,

Is topped with ‘boy talk’ as icing.

I don’t want these memories to turn timeless,

The thought of it makes me sick and restless.

I’m thankful to God for giving me a sister like You,

Because honey, some things don’t happen out of the blue.

I'll Be There For You...

“I’ll be there for You, like I have been there before, I’ll be there for You ...” Does that ring a bell? That’s right folks, it’s the title track of the very, very, very famous sitcom ‘FRIENDS.’ Imagine how awesome life would be with all your friends together all the time with you, sharing your joys and sorrows. That’s how, there are these six friends struggling and surviving on their own in the real world with each other’s support, companionship and above all, love.

         

‘FRIENDS’ reminds me much more of my friends. I could easily relate my life to it, with knowing that how badly the real world sucks, or using the word ‘pathet’ for pathetic, which according to Ross is a Sanskrit term for a cool way of living and it’s better to have a monkey than a human as a roommate. I still remember Rachel’s 18 page letter back and front and her statement-‘once a liar, always a liar’ and Chandler working as a ‘Transponder’, that’s the term I use when I barely understand what a person’s job is or ‘Unaki’ which is actually a kind of sushi but you can call it ‘the art of self defence.’ Only a true FRIENDS fan would understand what exactly I am talking about.

          

But then, what if you actually had a friend who is the mother hen of the group with her obsessive cleaning and a control freak nature or a friend having psychic crazy thoughts or a sarcastic friend or a friend just loving pizza or a friend little hyper or a friend beautiful enough, having Chanel, Vintage and all the other brands in the world yet whining over stuff. Believe it or not but I hangout with a bunch of such people. They could be a pain in the neck and trust me being with them isn’t a child’s play.

          

Back 3 years, these people were all strangers to me, their every habit and act annoyed me, irritated me. But today, even if one day I don’t get to hear from them I get annoyed and irritated. For me 1^st Sunday of August is not the only friendships day rather every single day with my friends is a friendships day. We have our own jokes, disputes, quarrels and understanding.

          

They accept me for what I am. They supported me when I was right and taught me when I went wrong. They were never critical or judgemental of me or my work. They always gave me money when I stood empty handed in the canteen, they taught me to laugh without reasons, they taught me the trick to pass exams without studying and also how to stand smartly while being scolded.

          

When I was awfully low, they cheered me. While I would cry, they gave me their shoulder. They were my laughter on a tearful day. They are the reason for my phone doesn’t stop ringing until its battery dries off. They are the ones making me embarrass in front of my crush. They are the ones calling me with 100 different names. They give the cheapest and funniest therapy no shrink could ever give. Yet, when I am around them I don’t have to pretend to be someone else. It’s just me, the real me.

          

I am lucky to have such friends by my side all way long. So my dear friends, no one will tell you that life will be this way, in future, your job maybe a joke and you may go broke and your love life maybe DOA, you may get stuck in the second gear and it won’t be your day, or week or month or even a year, but..Your friends will always say ‘I’ll be there for You...’

Been There, Done That

Scriptwriter, poet, actor, director- Rohit Shenoy, an early 20’s chap, the face of Junk Funk Production, has recently won the 'Channel V's Directors Cut', for his short films ‘Sketch of Fate.’

Channel V’s Director’s Cut is a reality show where student film makers all over India participate in this film making contest. The participants have to show their creativity in every round in order to get to the next level. This final level is the Director’s Cut. In literal terms a director’s cut is a specially edited version of a film. ‘Cut’ explicitly refers to the process of film editing. The director's cut is preceded by the rough editor's cut and followed by the final cut meant for the public film release.

Many colleges like Xavier’s, Jai Hind, KC, etc participated amongst which S. K. Somaiya got home the the Director’s Cut, 2012 trophy. The College thanked the Junk Funk Production for their movie ‘Sketch of Fate.’ The story of the film revolves around an unhappy suicidal girl and a scrap picker boy as how the boy finds her drawing book in a trash can and how fate brings them together through her drawings with life teaching lesson.

4 years back a group of ordinary 6 college going kids with handful of money, basic equipments, concepts and thoughts and above all the passion for films came together and created an unexpected production house, The Junk Funk Production. Junk Funk has created a couple of movies in the past 4 years wherein Rohit Shenoy happens to be the force behind the production house & has an enviable slate on hand. Rohit, an x BMMite of S. K. Somaiya is the creative strength and is the unsung hero who multi- tasks.

Choosing a Mass Media course was something not on Rohit’s list after his HSC. They say best things are unplanned and Rohit Shenoy is a firm believer of it. Being forced by parents to opt for Engineering he went against his parents will. Rohit believes that making movies is way easier than getting KT’s in Engineering.

Being a college assignment ‘Bread of Happiness’ his first short film boosted his fascination for movies. ‘Bread of Happiness’ elucidates basic strata’s of our society, the rich and the poor in 5 mins. The story revolves around a poor boy and his struggle to simply gift a piece of bread to his younger sister on her birthday. Former Prof. Saransh Mohite who himself is a critically acclaimed short film maker gave him a standing ovation. He says, “it is very hard to see movies of this echelon at the very first attempt with equal amount of realism and humour. And directing and acting simultaneously is something professionals are good at. But Shenoy has something matchless which is really hard to describe. He is a truly potential and passionate film maker.”

“Rohit is a creative person. He sees things through different perception. He simply takes you to a place which no man can visit even in his dreams. He makes his best shot to add realism in his films. Although we are of the same age working, with him is always a great experience. He will make you take retakes and retakes until the shot is as per his satisfaction,” says Junk Funk cinematographer Parikshit Nehete aka PK.

Rohit comes from a middle class family of 4. His parents are into catering and older brother in BPO. Being praised for his films, Rohit simply says, “I’m a director who was not meant to be a director. I don’t have a simple digi or SLR camera nor do I have a computer or any basic equipment required to make movie, all I have his my own vision to see things differently and my team mates for support.”

Shenoy considers himself more of a chameleon. He does scriptwriting, acting, directing. He is more of a poet and lyricist and not to forget mentioning, a band member of Grass. Ergo, there are variations of him. When asked on his future plans on career he says, “Movie making is not a 9-5 business. Making movies can get you a career but having it as a profession is a feel of pride but I don't think I'll take it as a career. I make movies for fun. I enjoy making movies. I'm a carefree person but a true believer of fate & I believe that if I got to be a director, fate will lead me.”

Rohit Shenoy, the dark horse, today works for the very gigantic event management firm, The Adlabs Media Ent. He is no Steven Spielberg or Anurag Kashyap but this happy go lucky fella has food for thought for all the upcoming young film makers, “Be a master of one and jack of none.”

When we turn on a television set, we get a range of channels to keep us informed and entertained for all the 7 days of a week. When we browse the internet, an ocean of information floods at a click of a mouse. I guess we are just way to lucky to live in this era of advanced technology. These media plays a very crucial role in our day to day life in shaping our beliefs, perceptions, ideas, values and our behaviour in the society. It is a powerful medium of education and entertainment in numerous ways. But did we ever stop for a while and think what impact exactly is the media leaving on you, me, our family, on the coming generation and the society?

Our society is rampant with corruption, crime, etc. and many a times media plays the role of adding fuel to aggressive behaviour, violence, sex, obscenity etc. however more over in the younger generation.

The following two posts will deal with such issues. It is to be noted that the following posts are analysis of five research papers each post. The first post will be a brief analysis on the effects of violence in media and the second on the sexual content in media. Each post has a bibliography of the research papers followed for this project. 

Bicycle Thief

I’m a little biased when it comes to the old classic black and white movies. Irrespective of the poor film print, typical melodramatic acting and not to mention the technological aspects, these oldies have always been my thing. And to top it, there are few ‘true’ classics out there that seem to challenge the passage of time. I recently watched, as a part of my Films Studies class, Vittorio De Sica’s ‘Ladri di Biciclette’, infamously known as ‘The Bicycle Thief.’ 

The point of watching the film was to learn about neo-realism, a style movement which attempted to give a new level of realism to cinema. This meant shoots on location, non-actors in lead roles, and tackling issues of everyday life, such as economic and social difficulties.

The film is set in post Second World War, when huge part of Roman population was steeped in poverty. One of them is Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani), a proud husband and father, whose life takes a turn for the better when he is offered a job pasting film posters on the city's walls. Helped by his wife, who pawns their bed linen, he manages to buy a bicycle. Joy turns to panic when his only means of transport, a bicycle, is stolen. The film, formerly about the search for employment, now becomes a search for the bicycle and the person who stole it.

Bicycle Thief abandons the studio for the dirt and style of the city life.

Antonio is a decent and true man, who wishes only to hold his head up high and to protect the people he loves. He is a working man who has been failed by an economic system that exploited him. He is, in 2008 as much as in 1948, a mirror to many of those people watching him.

The emotional heart of the film is Maggiorani’s relationship with his son, played by Enzo Staiola, a bond that recalls a classic cinematic father-son pairings as Roberto Benigni and Giorgio Cantarini in “Life Is Beautiful.”  There’s something elemental in the sight of a man and his boy walking hand in hand, whether in glory or defeat. This touching relationship between father and son, the father’s increasing desperation and despair, and the son’s gradual loss of innocence, all carry timeless messages. 

This is hardly enough space to do justice to one of the masterpieces of the film industry. Suffice it to say that if you’ve never seen ‘The Bicycle Thief” you’re lacking in your appreciation of what film can do.

In my opinion, The Bicycle Thief is a ‘true classic’ that can still ring with viewers even more than 60 years after it was made.  I couldn’t believe it myself that they were capable of making such technically sound and emotionally power films back in those days, especially in Italy, where they didn’t have anything close to the big budgets of Hollywood.

For a film that premiered more than 60 years ago, ‘The Bicycle Thief’ still feels fresh and vigorous. It's hard to imagine what the history of cinema would look like without Bicycle Thief.