"I tried reading this but gave up halfway. All the best finishing it", quipped a woman at the airport before hauling her luggage towards the gate. I glanced at her with a smile and continued reading. Ayn Rand can distinctly implicate the coarseness of how the world works. Roark and Keating are the semblances of mankind's two extremes- The Creator and The Parasite. Ayn Rand proposes an atypical philosophical system called "Objectivism", the tenets of which revolve around reason and individualism. What bothers one about this principle is the foolhardy notion it suggests to oppose collectivism on the pretext of Man's moral purpose in life. The author wants her readers to look closely and try to see how Capitalism is way better than Communism as the latter is only a political ruse, a subterfuge to destroy uniqueness and to control the minds of people in large groups. The debate around Individualism vs Collectivism, as provocative as it sounds, does not really ta...

IKIGAI was on the TBR list ever since a friend recommended it to me. As I am bad at flitting between books, this one had to wait till I wrapped up the book I was reading then. Surprisingly during a recent visit to my friend's place, j uxtaposed with "Educated" by Tara Westover and another book,  the word "IKIGAI", etched on the spine of a baby blue cover caught my eye. Without a second thought, I picked it up from the bookshelf and went on a reading spree. It's fascinating to easily associate with any piece of art, realising that we have all devised a set of routines and coping mechanisms based on our personal experiences. What a great relief it is to know that the tried-and-tested principles we have allowed ourselves to follow are not just our discoveries but happen to be one of the most powerful approaches to attaining a state of calm! Osho once said, "Peace of Mind is a Contradiction in Terms". Peace cannot prevail when you have a mind that'...

  Only after reaching the last page of the novel, did I come to know about Dean Koontz's own Golden Retriever. A late realization dawned on me. Only a pet-friendly person who had obviously spent plenty of time with the man's best friend could write a story this thrilling yet heartwarming. This is all because of the portraiture of the Goldens. The story is surprisingly undeterred by the predictable narrative here and there, as the author's turn of phrase while describing a certain scene or a character's emotion or even the canine creatures' responses is engaging to read. "The Darkest Evening of the Year" is about two torn souls finding comfort in each other's company, coming together to fill the space left because of a missing piece in their lives. A dimension of the supernatural phenomenon is introduced through the instincts of dogs which play a paramount role in the plot. We, humans, try really hard to find meaning in life by attaching faith to a grea...

Loving (2016)  Starring: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Terri Abney, Michael Shannon. Loving is a biographical romantic drama film based on the lives of Richard Loving and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple who faced litigation for being wedded. The Racial Integrity Act in Virginia prohibited interracial marriages and is considered illegal. Richard and Mildred are madly in love with each other and get married in Washington D.C. in 1958. However, upon returning to Virginia, the local Sheriff arrests them as the marriage laws are invalid in Virginia despite having a marriage license.  Though the couple built a family in Washington staying in one of their friend's houses, Mildred desperately wanted to return to Virginia and watch her kids grow up in the country. Hence they plan to appeal to the Federal Supreme Court and successfully get a favourable verdict. This movie wonderfully captures how love transcends race. The moment when Richard says, "Tell the judge I love my wife"...

"To Have and Have Not" tells the story of Harry Morgan, a struggling owner who goes to great lengths to make ends meet and to feed his family.The Depression has pushed Harry to get involved in precarious crimes like shipping contraband and in human trafficking. Though Harry tries to ethical and accommodating to a certain extent, his observations about the Haves and the Have-nots camp has had created a durable bitterness about this difference in society. Ernest Hemingway has also adeptly shown narratives from various characters in the story and gives insight into the corrupt lives of the well-to-do folks. The setting of the story also illustrates communist infiltration into the United States of America (Florida) from Cuba and the prevalence of extreme racism in the Southern states. This is a sad tale. that is written using various literary devices to sensitise the struggles of Rednecks. It's an ingenious crime novel that captures the historic and cultural changes that took...

The Hater (2020) Director : Jan Komasa Starring: Maciej Musiałowski, Vanessa Aleksander, Agata Kulesza, Danuta Stenka This is one movie that resembles the current political unrest created by the influence of social media globally. The movie is about a young fellow who gets thrown out of his law college for plagiarising his assignment. His uncle and aunt who fund his education constantly look down upon him and treat him as their inferior. This internally creates a lot of disturbance in him and he plans to avenge them soon. He joins a company that runs negative and positive campaigns for certain individuals as per the request of their clients through Social Media. As he learns the technicalities of such campaigns, he also uses social media as a platform for spreading fake news and hate-mongering. This results in devastating consequences. Coincidentally and unfortunately, three weeks after the movie got wrapped up, the mayor of Gdansk, a city in Poland was stabbed by a mob during an even...

Directed by: Dan Gilroy Starring:  Jake Gyllenhaal,  Rene Russo Toni Collette  Tom Sturridge Natalia Dyer Daveed Diggs Billy Magnussen John Malkovich Velvet Buzzsaw is a fascinating supernatural art thriller. Art and Crime always make a deadly combo. A group of fine art sellers play dirty politics to heap money by selling and promoting artists in Miami. Some tragic events begin to happen when Josephina, the assistant in the Art gallery discovers a set of mysterious paintings of her neighbour Dease after his death. The greedy art sellers decide to sell Dease's paintings for an outrageous price. Upon inspection they also discover Dease's scary past the material he had used to create his paintings was not just paint but something more ghastly. The movie ends with a strong message that warns the world of the scams behind the Fine art business. ஓவிய நுண்கலையில் ஆர்வம் உள்ள சில கலைக்கூடங்கள், சிறந்த ஓவியங்களை தேர்ந்தெடுத்து கண்காட்சிகள் நடத்துகின்றன . அதன் மூலம...

Vintage Classics are always refreshing. "Three Men on the Bummel" oozes with not just any wit but pure British wit.  Of course, it is condescending every day but Jerome. K. Jerome, with an elusive approach manages to do it with the art of subtlety. The three middle-aged men George, Harris and the author himself who is also the narrator of the story set out for a short trip a.k.a, a bummel to Germany. As they explore the cities, their streets, the people, the cuisine, the culture, law and order in the new country, they encounter and become a part of some funny incidents which are tragic for them but a comic relief for the readers. The author also provides an informative bite-sized language course from German to English and French/Italian to English here and there. The book, when released in the 1990s must have received some harsh censoring and policing before publication as it very much ridicules the German stereotypes and norms. The part you will enjoy reading a lot is whe...

BATES MOTEL(2013) Developers: Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, Anthony Cipriano Starring: Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz, Nestor Carbonell, Kenny Johnson BATES MOTEL(2013) Developers: Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, Anthony Cipriano Starring: Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz, Nestor Carbonell, Kenny Johnson Joe This is a prelude to the master story-teller Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 thriller "Psycho".  Bates Motel tells the tragic story of Norman and Norma who are tied to each other by an unusual Mother-Son relationship. Being overly possessive and insecure about each other, these two characters portray the effect of upbringing and the environment on a person's turn of mind. The locations chosen for filming like Vancouver,  create a beautiful backdrop for this terrifying story. Each episode ends with a cliffhanger and though the audience has seen the ending of the plot in the movie, the story b...

Berlin Syndrome(2017) Director:  Cate Shortland Starring:  Teresa Palmer,  Max Riemelt Clare, a young adventurous photographer wanders the streets of Germany clicking pictures of the interesting events happening around her. She accidentally bumps into a young English teacher by the name of Andie while crossing the street. They chat casually and develop feelings for each other. Though Clare was supposed to travel to another city in Germany, she decided to spend the night with Andie. It becomes a memorable night for her too. However, the next morning, when Clare plans to leave, she discovers that Andie has locked the door and has not left the key. She spends the day in Andie's aloof apartment waiting for his return. Andie returns that evening and apologises to Clare about his forgetfulness telling her that he will be leaving the key in the dresser so that she can leave, the next day. What happens next is a shocking series o...