Hello !
I managed to watch Rocky Rani ki Prem Kahani on OTT the week it premiered and found it rather underwhelming. I didn’t buy Rocky or Rani or their Prem Kahani. Till then, I was also living under a rock, away from social media and had missed out on the Promo, interviews, reviews and its associated discourse. I sat through the movie, waiting to feel something, and was left annoyed at the hodge-podge of social issues it was trying to address. After the movie ended, I rewatched clips of old Hindi movies on YouTube to cleanse my palate instead.
Reading Corner
One of my readers suggested that I read The Devotion of Suspect X ( and also sent a complimentary copy! Yay! ) , the original story behind screenplay of Jaane Jaan streaming on Netflix. Obviously, if you have already watched the movie, you will enjoy the murder mystery as well and it may give you a chance to compare the two. I am returning to the murder mystery genre after the longest time, and honestly enjoying the cat-and-mouse chase. Bonus points if you are a Math nerd, cause there are quite a few references here!
Writing Corner
Target Run- Episode 2
Neelambari!
Obviously, Neelambari was not her actual name. It was Sana, or Sanya or something that started with ‘S’. What was she doing here, in Arkansas ? In the middle of nowhere. Didn’t she live in California ? Or Colorado or some place cool. Neelambari and I had studied in the same school. She was a year ahead of me, and at that time was the it girl.
During a school play, she had played the role of Neelambari, a mythical goddess who was revered in local foklore. Her performance was lauded by many, and the name of Neelambari stuck. I still have visuals of the play fresh in my memory and Neelambari’s performance, especially her performance- the ease with which she emoted her expressions, her easy gazelle like movements, so light in her feet! And her piercing blue eyes. It felt like she was talking right to me, even though she was on stage.
I looked in the direction again, wanting to strike up a conversation with her.
She looked very different now. Age had taken a toll on her, or maybe it was living in the States. Her face had matured, it no longer had the child-like innocence that I had in my memory. What was I going to say to her ?
“Hey Neelambari, you probably don’t remember me but I studied in the same school as you. Everybody knew who you were, I still remember your performance as Neelambari. Haha, see in my head, your name stuck has stuck as Neelambari itself.”
Yeah, this was easy. I thought to myself.
I walked past a display of mirrors, and grew conscious of my own reflection. It was quite evident that I hadn't bothered to shave that week; my beard appeared unkempt and scruffy. The dark circles around my eyes had deepened as the day wore on. My belly, too, had notably expanded, making matters worse under the constraint of my T-shirt that used to fit comfortably a few years ago.
I stopped at my track. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea.
Learning Corner
Lounge Corner
Office Hours
I'm excited to help folks out and give back to the community via Topmate. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just want to say hi!
See you soon,
Pratiksha