Saturday, July 20, 2013

Ship of Theseus



Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 19th July, 2013
Time : 139 minutes
Director, Writer : Anand Gandhi; Music : Naren Chandavarkar, Benedict Taylor
Starring : Aida El-Kasheef, Neeraj Kabi, Sohum Shah, Vinay Shukla, Sameer Khurana, Faraz Khan, Amba Sanyal



A movie that moves so slowly, languidly that you’ll swear you know snails who’re faster, turtles who seem rocket-fueled compared to this.

Visuals that make you rock back, admire their beauty, of the planet we inhabit and the meanings within

Stray thoughts, casually tossed up in conversations that go nowhere, which make you ponder about this, that and everything else.



For me, Ship of Theseus, while obviously making you think of the question it asks in its opening frame, manages to do more because it chooses a non-confrontational, subtle (not heavy-handed, preachy) approach. One, which is the precise opposite of what, say a Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra chooses to do. The beauty of this approach is that different people, based on their proclivities, their journeys so far, the stage of life they are at, can choose to draw completely different things from the film


The movie, for the record, is about three (unrelated?) stories.

Aida El-Kasheef, who took up photography post losing her eyesight, but thanks to technology and her boyfriend’s loving support (including verbally describing the visuals she has taken), is doing amazingly well.

Neeraj Kabi, a monk, fighting a court case against pharma companies to force them to treat the animals they use for R&D testing in a more humane manner. Determined to live life as per his conscience, his terms


And Sohum Shah, who can’t understand his grandmother’s disapproval of his desire to make money. He just wants to be respected, treated well for the good person he is.

There are several comments about the choices we make. Our obsession with money, with what we eat, the desire of media to make heroes out of people, the ruthlessness of big business, the ability of intelligent people to easily argue both sides of a debate while not taking a stand, the sense of humanity still retained by the poor.


The cinematography reveals the beauty within the inherent ugliness of our urban cities. Visuals of a slum-dweller giving shelter to ducks, other animals. A monk, swathed in white, crossing a bridge with huge sewage pipelines on either side while a river, who’s water has turned black, flows leisurely underneath. The light filtering through under a ugly flyover. The sun peeping through between Aida and her boyfriend while they argue, look over the city from a rooftop. Monks crossing a giant field filled with ugly, electricity-generating windmills. The rising sun making red walls glow deeper. The narrow alleyways of our slums, which cars or plump people find difficult to access. And the struggle of a centipede to cross over a busy path with oblivious people stepping all around it.


I feel the movie should be seen without any thought or search for deeper meaning. Let it wash over you and make of it what you will, but later. It has the potential to make you think, ponder over things around us. And for sure to make all of us reach for organ donation forms. Which is a great thing by itself…the ability to prolong life even in our death…to live longer, almost attain immortality by a simple act of kindness…

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

In 2004 I took d pledge...my organs b donated after I pass away... being a Hindu d entire family laughed at my decision...but i had my way & it's now my will.. wish more people would come forward.

Anonymous said...

That was prompt.

Apurv Nagpal said...

That was good on you, signing up almost a decade ago to donate your organs !

Anonymous said...

Yep. Fact of life.

Anonymous said...

& lo , u've got d pulse & d heartbeat of it. Savouring d sights, smells & sounds of show business. It's d pursuit u enjoy , d challenge .... People need to quit depending on electronics & start trusting their instincts again. ITS HIGH TIME. They need to contemplate, each one can make an impact.... Each succeeding year leaves a mark on a patina of hardness, like d annual rings on a tree. But one sh.never give up one's dreams & aspirations in life , no matter what odds. Life sh b like that.....

Anonymous said...

But even d recipient will refuse an aching & broken heart.. Feeling so heavy...lump in my throat.. my brain is flogged... lagta hai short circuit ho jayega.

Anonymous said...

Dyslexia gave me an imagination. I actually remember falling into a book for the very first time. Suddenly d world would disappear. Dyslexia was a gift, I polished my stories till they got better.. d idea was to banish fear.. there was a time I couldn't see in d eyes of d opposite sex.. to feel loved & connected & secure in how one feels while learning to accept things that are sometimes sad. I remain cheerful among kids..maybe d real me is escaping from reality.. a mind that is playful is unafraid. It does not filter d little things out...

Anonymous said...

Vaginas can take more pain than penises.. girls attain puberty so early these days. There are many instances I'd like to share, three years ago a ten years old came weeping..she started with her periods & had no clue about it. That was a real ordeal.. At camps, they are amazed to see their teacher in casuals & speaking in Hindi.., can see d spark in their eyes..

Anonymous said...

Soon shall be celibating my second anniversary.. want to be forever smitten by Him.. d charm of first love... two songs I wish I could sing for him... Sway with me by Frank Sinatra & Love to love you by Donna Summers...

Anonymous said...

Watching The Bridges Of Madison Country : Clint Eastwood gave M. Streep 4 days..

Anonymous said...

Bachche itnee jaldi kyu bare ho jaate hai aur apna gharonda chor dete hai ? Aaj bete ki bahut yaad aa rahi hai.. Na jaane kyu dil bhar gaya, na jaane kyu aankh bhar gayi... kabhi, kabhi akelapan....

Anonymous said...

Char din ki chandni phir andheri raat.. after a week of such pleasant sexual dreams... back to scary nights....

Anonymous said...

Iqbal says: Udne de in parindon ko azad fiza me Galib.. jo tere apne honge wo laut aayenge kisi roz... I try not to think about Him...but after every cycle of 25 days something happens to me.

Anonymous said...

Aaj main bahut khush hoon. Kehte hain khushi baatne se dugni hoti hai. What else better than this channel... my Sonny has got a handsome scholarship & shortly will be going to a prestigious university abroad.. means a lot to me.. since his birth, all I heard ... "mama's boy.. sissy" ...by my better half.... Now he is out there to make a mark in this world. Independent, focused & committed.. feeling so v proud & elated.. woh Kehte hai na "ma ka seena garv se phole nahi sama raha"..... don't mind.. wanted to share with you...

Anonymous said...

I shall tell you a top secret.. I have found this new love.. of getting myself clicked !! Maybe I see myself turn into a swan !! someday and fly away into the blue .. to a point of no return.. a home away from home (far from this disguised slavery)...just be myself.. breathe .. soak in the starry skies... endless desires.... ... .. .

Anonymous said...

Work can bring you a sense of fulfillment - but it pales in comparison to the enduring happiness you can find in the intimate relationship that you cultivate with your Long Lost Friend...

Anonymous said...

Do I suffer from dual personality ? Am not a bra-burning feminist out to prove a point... It sounds like a joke, I couldn't get a date: Horrible isn't it, the sad irony of rejecting feminism to get male attention & approval.. I shall not attain nirvana, observed the vows & rules, practiced celibacy & penance... Alas ! How is a wife supposed to feel when in the middle of the night she wakes up in a rocking bed to find her husband masturbating. . we've never had a bath together... can a smartphone & T.V. be a man's love ? Feel underapprecited, frustrated & demeaned. I crave for male intimacy.. Is this what a girl signs in for? Yep, for years had reconciled that this is going to be my destiny,. Ignoring the issue is a classic survival technique..like in Queen, i too upheld my high morals & virtues & values, but having found the love of my life, my thinking changed... I had thought the destination was what was important, but it turned out it was the journey....shall always cherish those moments.. Remembering AB's line from Namak Halal : mere bhi armaan jage hai...man mein tarang uthe hai .. There is no end to wanting to achieve what you want to achieve...

Anonymous said...

Everyday I think of how fortunate I am that I could make it back to school to teach & develop a generation of wonderful young people. A choice of passion, feel a sense of worth, replenished reservoir of esteem.. a deep sense of satisfaction.. work is challenging, each child is wired differently, & they aren't interested in the same things we were. There is no one-size-fits all approach. The hot water that softens a carrot will harden an egg. At times, it's fighting an uphill battle... It takes years of patient nurturing. Making a meaningful contribution, feeling of accomplishment.. in some way..

Anonymous said...

Can't curtail my happiness. He is on You-tube !! Can you believe it... What a holistic approach.. Does one have to pay for sooo many of them... What an investment it would have been.. Am so happy for his happiness. Jab Bhagwanji ek raasta band kar dete hai, to doosra raasta khud-b-khud khul jaata hai.. I searched for his picture at all possible hiding places..the entire book shelf is topsy turvy, shelves, cabinets, under the pillow, mattress, and look what I found.. HIM..live in action. What more could i dream about. Miracles do happen (to me...of all people!!).... Missed my morning walk after months... What a way to begin a super Sunday and end a month and welcome another one with new hope.. AM SO Much HAPPY.. No complains in life now.. Saara jahan mil gaya..

Anonymous said...

I can see Him. I can hear Him. But i want to move my fingers on those sensuous lips... What a drool- worthy gentleman. Kicked about the whole experience.. His signature style "I wear my attitude".... Lifting the veil of mystique...

Anonymous said...

Gaur farmaiyega hazroor...unke hoothoo kee shabnam kee woh boondey...kah nahi paa rahi...maff kar dejeeyega

Anonymous said...

Scribbled a few lines...yesterday night... Seek your approval.. It's on attaining puberty : "I had watched myself growing and maturing almost everyday now for nearly thirteen years, and I had lately come to accept within myself that my ripening into womanhood would be only a matter of time; yet somehow I felt completely unprepared for this pungent evidence. After another day abed, though, I was back up and about, back to work in the big house - and it was as if overnight that I began actually noticing for the first time now; my previously narrow body had begun to swell and curve. I even seemed to be walking in a less girlish way."... (Was a complete 'gundi'\tomboy:forever a good athlete.. from climbing trees, jumping walls, stealing raw guavas from the neighbours...those were the days my friend of playing dark rooms..koi lauta de mere beete hue din...).. But i used to look at myself in the mirror and wonder when my lemon sized would further swell into mango size...... ..... .....

Anonymous said...

Woah ! You've made my day...

Anonymous said...

Another good news ... My salary increases.. Govt announces 7% DA hike...dhaisaw rupeye ka izaafa. Hurray !! But there is no comparison kaha one crore and kaha five lakhs per annum...

Anonymous said...

Now I'm putting two and two together : She wears Red Bra under white shirt.. ( Two Days... ) and travels a lot too... That means..... Gosh Nooooo...... How could I be so gullible, deluded and deceived about the goodness of my sister. Remains on cloud nine : always talking about her Jimmy Choo, Prada and LV... Total Brand freak... But when she has to gift us..shows us our 'aukaat' it will be Liberty and Bata.. I don't like her small mercies.. Haan ! Complex hota hai.. On top of that my husband always praises her..she has all that I lack...

Anonymous said...

He has no vice.. Me avant garde in this spectrum :). ... Sinners need the Lords mercy most... ...... The Space Between Us... Liquor is the kiss of the angles as well as the curse of the devil... It can conceal but also reveal.. Want to be a constant state of unconscious mind to know myself... When I drink I think and when I think, I drink... Alcohol may be a woman's worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy.... It provokes the desire...with His warmth always beside me..takes my breath away..

Anonymous said...

I have come to enjoy this Saturday's solitude.. This is where I learn about myself... Taking a day off to just be myself. Doing nothing... However, this luxury is so hypothetical ....(By Jove, I sound so distinctly someone else I feel like ringing a bell and asking Jeeves for a scone right now !) .... ..... What a noble gesture : Gifting 100 crore to your widowed daughter-in-law..that too by an MP ! While in the capital 2 incidents that has sent shock waves : Two small girls (2and a half and the other 3 year old) molested and sexually assaulted, he even thrashed her before letting her off.. Sick Bihari babus.. For life these toddlers will be emotionally distraught.. What trauma.. Such sick men should be hanged.... .... ..... Latest from the school front : Cleanliness Drive on second October : Why not clean the corrupt system first. Discipline the masses.. Train the men who spit and spoil public places, with paan and masala strains, urinate openly.. Clean the rivers. Yamuna is just a filthy drain.. We are the culprits, all in the name of religion... Idols are submerged. One festival gets over & the next is round the corner.. So much of chemical, colours, rotten flowers, ashes..when will it all stop ? Why can't people be more caring to their eco-system ? If each one does his|her duty, it will bring a remarkable difference. Give back to the society, its our duty. Makes me feel good atleast.. I do my bit and don't brag about it... Many of us simply love to complain but fail to act... (I think I have turned into a big critic myself..bombarded with negative thoughts...)

Anonymous said...

At the convent, I was taught wonderful fictional things called 'morals'... We were told the meek would inherit the earth. Do good. Be good. The meek never thought they would have to fight for their rights because we were told the world would be fair and God would judge the wicked and that people were inherently nice... I'm not sure God has met many of his own kind...

Anonymous said...

What a journey ! When they got married, she used to sit behind him, on his second hand scooter... How times change : Now he follows her like a hen-pecked husband, while she drives her automatic Audi Q series.. Is money all anybody cares about ? She is underwater on 6 different investments, real estate. Property in all the prime locations of NCR.. Her cash flow is strong. I'd describe her lifestyle as self-indulgent; has a long history of extravagant purchases. She was always the gifted one asthetically. She had opportunities on the horizon, chasing money or power or whatever....... A handsome woman in her late 40s. 'Uski twacha se uski umrr ka pata hee nahi chalta' ... Always at cutting edge, known to cut corners to achieve her objectives. Ah ! The lives of the elite and the affluent... I've studied their ways, their fashions, manners, dialect as an almost flawless persona... Manicured hands with fancy nail-art. ( Would they ever be cleaning the toilet tiles ? Everywork is outsourced. ) She's been getting progressively worse. There are pictures of the couple all over the house, images designed to boost an insecure, creative mind.. She is a certifiable, world class shopaholic. Brand Factory :: iPhone 6 + all other of the Apple family.. Burberry shades, designer dresses, assorted diamonds, nuggets, utterly ugly display of wealth and ostentatiousness.. I said, "smart footwear." She said, "ya, they are from MK." I said, "you mean Khan Market." She laughed deep, unabashed, "Micheal Knors"

Anonymous said...

She did it again, in front of the entire family, took out two of her discarded dresses and said,"you can have them. I have got bored." (I refused.. Have learnt to say NO...). My husband: every bit of him focused on her the way a mongoose might focus on a particularly mesmerising cobra... On our return drive he said, "you don't have her personality, her style." & at night, yet again, forced himself.... One would say just let the past lay and get on with it, right ? Did I upset their golden cart ? Was I married off as compensation ? They both knew each other before hand...

Anonymous said...

Why does she have to flaunt her wealth ? Is that how they dress up at corporate social gatherings ? Fake leopard skin, single dress ! Maybe I am prude, but found her dress v busty and provocative and told her so. She said this much is permissible.. Ma going all ga-ga over her. Are they all blind-folded ? Can relationships be bought too ? As I speak, she flies off tonight.. Am so confused

Anonymous said...

Often I wonder, what do young widows or for that matter, spinsters do when on heat ? What means would they adopt ? How do they curb the urge ? What happens to women, whose husbands suffer from erect ile dysfunction ?

Anonymous said...

I want to keep on asking..