Lesser Thought

The cinema of film maker Imtiaz Ali is distinct yet real. The story lines, though criticized for being similar, raise a new question every time Ali brings it to the screen. His repeated use of symbols is a proof of us living in a loop we never identify and acknowledge. Similar to the repetitive symbols, the cycle of problems, taboos and toxicity has not been dealt with and removed from the social structure. Ali uses the tie in more than two movies, pointing to the social constraints faced by his characters. Again the use of illness has been beautifully used to join the strings of love and bond to the body. Definitely not a crowd favourite, Imtiaz has developed a niche over a decade and a half of story-telling in the form of feature films. In his 2015 release, Tamasha, Ved looks for his Tara while he is looking at the sky dotted with a million stars (Tara). Back in Jab We Met, Aditya finds peace in Geet, after she leaves; all he is left with is music (geet). Thus Ali bridges the gap b...

The society makeup at present doesn’t only give a ‘celebrity’ the pedestal to shine on, it also is responsible for the pedestal’s make up. Admiration often blinds people into wrongfully believing that they have ultimate power in any or every situation. Excessive money often equals to excessive power or at least a strong belief of excessive power possession. In the famous case of Aaron Hernandez, a young NFL star, the lures of easy fame and money ultimately led to his involvement in homicide and death. A stark similarity is in the case of celebrity sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. His later years of conviction and death were similar. The two stars, though convicted of different crimes, had many areas of commonality. Both were largely of a belief that they could get away with any act, ethical or otherwise. The now deceased convicts were able to make quick money, furthering their self belief of ultimate power. At a deeper level of study into the lives of the two, it is apparent that t...