For our film project, Spaces of Watching Cinema, I had created two blogs, one highlighting the different experiences of movie-going, covering three generations of Indian audiences; and the other being a critical analysis of the Malayalam movie, 'Manichithrathazhu' and its re-makes.
La Voyage dans le Cinema : http://lavoyagedanslecinema.wordpress.com
This blog attempts to understand the vast differences in the experience of watching cinema through three generations of movie-goers. My grandparents remember sitting on the ground in little temporary thatched-roof tents to watch silent movies on whirring projectors rotated by hand, while my parents recall curtains going up to reveal the screen, news reels showing video clippings of the important national news and standing at attention for the national anthem blaring out of the speakers.
Manichithrathazhu: Re-reading the Remakes : http://rereadingtheremakes.wordpress.com
This blog ventures to analyze, compare and contrast the 1993 Malayalam movie, Manichithrathazhu (Ornate Lock) and its subsequent remakes. The movie was re-shot in Hindi, Kannada, and Tamil, with plot twists in the latter two.
POEMS
1. AT THE CROSSROADS OF MY LIFE
- by Mili Eugine
Although varying as the day and night
Never will i forget
The people I have met
At the crossroads of my life
An old lady thanking me
For a seat on the bus
Taught me the agelessness of gratitude
At the crossroads my life
A forgotten friend
Demanding remembrance
Taught me to embrace my past
At the crossroads of my life
A strange man eyeing me
Provoking my show of courage
Taught me the power of bravery
At the crossroads of my life
A fireman saving a baby
From a burning building
Taught me the immortality of human love
At the crossroads of my life
Some of them stay
Some never return
But they have helped mould me
There,at the crossroads of my life
THE END.
Never will i forget
The people I have met
At the crossroads of my life
An old lady thanking me
For a seat on the bus
Taught me the agelessness of gratitude
At the crossroads my life
A forgotten friend
Demanding remembrance
Taught me to embrace my past
At the crossroads of my life
A strange man eyeing me
Provoking my show of courage
Taught me the power of bravery
At the crossroads of my life
A fireman saving a baby
From a burning building
Taught me the immortality of human love
At the crossroads of my life
Some of them stay
Some never return
But they have helped mould me
There,at the crossroads of my life
THE END.
2. THE MONSTER THAT IS ME
- by Mili Eugine
Deep deep inside
A shadow lurks
A shadow that says
“You’re no good;
You’re just a fool.”
I ignore it –
But it plants
The Seed of Doubt.
Over time
It festers and grows
And the seed blooms;
It feeds on joy
And confidence
And good feeling
Until all that remains
Is a weed of Light.
And then the shadow
begins to show –
I say,
“I’m no good;
I’m just a fool.”
And I believe it.
At first,
They sugar-coat it
As modesty –
But my thoughts echo,
Again and again,
Till they realize
How little is
left of Me.
All around my
Impenetrable wall
They cry :
“Hark not ‘ts voice!”
I’d like to –
I’d like to ignore
I’d like to stop
punishing Myself
But I can’t.
The shadow is within me,
Around me;
Surrounds me -
I hear your advice!
I hear your prayers!
Alas, this is not your fight!
You cannot save me,
I must wage it myself…
Yet, how
Can I gather
Courage,
Where there is none?
How Hope,
When all is dark?
No mother,
No father,
No friend,
No hero –
No power on Earth,
Can save me from Me.
And so I turn to Thee.
Be my pillar,
Be my light,
Be my sword -
And vanquish the night!
Articles written for the College Magazine, 'Potpourri' (2011)
Final Thesis for my B.A in English Literature and Communication Studies. The project aims to analyze the subversion of power in the series, as opposed to the conventional portrayal of powerful heroes as an integral aspect of Young Adult Fiction.
