Just a Minute – to clarify – this is not a review post of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight Children. This is about NCR Gurgaon’s Midnight Children.
23:45 hrs - 2 big shopping malls in the city are full open. People are out as it is only 10 o clock. Even in Mumbai all the shopping malls are closed by 23:00 hrs. I am surprised about the night life in Gurgaon. There is no formal public transport in this city but the night life is in full flow. To my convenience (the universe does conspire to me sometimes) the metro station was just in front of the mall from where I came out after a movie. The metro was open and the business was as usual.
CRPF Jawans were alert on their toes even at that time of the day. During the security checks I was asked where I was heading to, because the last train towards Delhi had left by that time. My business of life, now, is in Gurgaon. So I was let go. The security check in metro station happens like it happens in the Airports, everyday in every DMRC station throughout its business hours. There would be around 8-10 Jawans guarding the area and a squad travels to and fro between stations often. Everyone is armed with either pistols (Google says they are Clock 17.9 mm) or sub-machine guns with 2-3 ‘20 round’ magazines (not books, these are bullets case). Apart from these, in few stations, where crowd turnout would be huge, Jawans are placed for guard duty behind sand bags. They are armed with L1A1 SLRs (Self Loading Rifles). I know SLR as I have handled it during my Senior Division NCC days. As a result, I keep starring the weapons with curiosity and to remember them. At one point I tend to notice the Jawan’s faces. Doing a guard duty behind the sand bag at times is stressful. Civilians look them as some kind of statue in a corner behind a sand bag. It often appears in my thoughts how frustrating it is to stand behind a sand bag for hours and at the same time stay alert noticing each and every movement in the crowd. Particularly, when I see these Jawans during 23:55 hrs, I empathize for them. They definitely need more than what they get now in terms of money or recognition or respect or anything.
I was heading back home after watching the Tamil movie “Ëngeyum Eppothum” meaning “Anywhere Anytime”. Worth the time! It’s produced by Fox Studios and A.R Murugadoss. For those who don’t know Murugadoss, he is the director of “Ghajini”. For those who don’t know about Fox studios, pls Google. “Engeyum Eppothum” is a world class movie, not because it’s from Fox Studios! It’s a world class movie for its narration, cinematography, editing, cast and all the aspects put together. It reminded me of "Babel". Both these movie showcase the fragility of lives. There were few glitches here and there but given the fact that it’s a fresh team and it does make an impact, it’s truly a world class cinema. Real talents have been found and many thanks to Murugadoss for nurturing these talents. A very good movie by Saravanan and team! It is people like Saravanan and the big screen which keeps fueling my desire to become a film maker! This movie director was an assistant to Murugadoss. Murugadoss is an awesome blend of Maniratnam and Shankar. He is the one next in queue who would add more crowns to Indian Cinema in world’s stage. This movie screenplay style seems to be inspired from Manirathnam’s “Ayutha Ezhuthu” / “Yuva”. Or at-least I felt that way! I liked it very much. It had a real clean and innocent humor throughout, except the climax. I wished that it could have been a positive entertainer than the heavy impact it had left. Overall, the audiences liked it. After the movie, I feel like slapping the so called “herosim” oriented movies (Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, AB are exceptions!). That’s why I had removed(for now) the hero ‘look alike’ pic from the blog display as well. I can understand that the term hero 'look alike' could be intolerable! In that case, you can smash e-tomatoes on me “@ramkiram” in Twitter or ramkiram@gmail.com in FB.
Outside the movie hall at 2345 hrs one fellow movie fan made a call to his friend back in the village and said this line “Machaan, do watch the movie tomorrow without fail and if you don’t like the movie, slap me with your slippers!”. This is why I said that audience liked the movie. I was thinking of calling up my friends too but it was so late to call them. The other fellow did not mind the time he was calling his friend who would have been in deep sleep back in the village!
Probably he would have not seen the time while he made the call. When the malls were full on, pretty girls outside the mall and metro station open; it really did not make to realize that it was end of the day! I never thought it would be so lively in Gurgaon! While metro was not a surprise as it’s managed by DMRC, the rates that the auto rickshaws quoted were a surprise; they quoted the same as they would during the day time (their day time rates are exorbitant). Minimum charge is 50rs! I usually bargain with them during day time but not really during night time as the moon vibes us a melancholy mood.
And the subtle mood is not only for me...It’s the same for the auto rickshaw drivers, CRPF Jawans, the fellow movie fan, the pretty girls; people thronging the shopping mall and everyone around the world under the bright moon.
We are the Midnight’s Children.
23:45 hrs - 2 big shopping malls in the city are full open. People are out as it is only 10 o clock. Even in Mumbai all the shopping malls are closed by 23:00 hrs. I am surprised about the night life in Gurgaon. There is no formal public transport in this city but the night life is in full flow. To my convenience (the universe does conspire to me sometimes) the metro station was just in front of the mall from where I came out after a movie. The metro was open and the business was as usual.
CRPF Jawans were alert on their toes even at that time of the day. During the security checks I was asked where I was heading to, because the last train towards Delhi had left by that time. My business of life, now, is in Gurgaon. So I was let go. The security check in metro station happens like it happens in the Airports, everyday in every DMRC station throughout its business hours. There would be around 8-10 Jawans guarding the area and a squad travels to and fro between stations often. Everyone is armed with either pistols (Google says they are Clock 17.9 mm) or sub-machine guns with 2-3 ‘20 round’ magazines (not books, these are bullets case). Apart from these, in few stations, where crowd turnout would be huge, Jawans are placed for guard duty behind sand bags. They are armed with L1A1 SLRs (Self Loading Rifles). I know SLR as I have handled it during my Senior Division NCC days. As a result, I keep starring the weapons with curiosity and to remember them. At one point I tend to notice the Jawan’s faces. Doing a guard duty behind the sand bag at times is stressful. Civilians look them as some kind of statue in a corner behind a sand bag. It often appears in my thoughts how frustrating it is to stand behind a sand bag for hours and at the same time stay alert noticing each and every movement in the crowd. Particularly, when I see these Jawans during 23:55 hrs, I empathize for them. They definitely need more than what they get now in terms of money or recognition or respect or anything.
I was heading back home after watching the Tamil movie “Ëngeyum Eppothum” meaning “Anywhere Anytime”. Worth the time! It’s produced by Fox Studios and A.R Murugadoss. For those who don’t know Murugadoss, he is the director of “Ghajini”. For those who don’t know about Fox studios, pls Google. “Engeyum Eppothum” is a world class movie, not because it’s from Fox Studios! It’s a world class movie for its narration, cinematography, editing, cast and all the aspects put together. It reminded me of "Babel". Both these movie showcase the fragility of lives. There were few glitches here and there but given the fact that it’s a fresh team and it does make an impact, it’s truly a world class cinema. Real talents have been found and many thanks to Murugadoss for nurturing these talents. A very good movie by Saravanan and team! It is people like Saravanan and the big screen which keeps fueling my desire to become a film maker! This movie director was an assistant to Murugadoss. Murugadoss is an awesome blend of Maniratnam and Shankar. He is the one next in queue who would add more crowns to Indian Cinema in world’s stage. This movie screenplay style seems to be inspired from Manirathnam’s “Ayutha Ezhuthu” / “Yuva”. Or at-least I felt that way! I liked it very much. It had a real clean and innocent humor throughout, except the climax. I wished that it could have been a positive entertainer than the heavy impact it had left. Overall, the audiences liked it. After the movie, I feel like slapping the so called “herosim” oriented movies (Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, AB are exceptions!). That’s why I had removed(for now) the hero ‘look alike’ pic from the blog display as well. I can understand that the term hero 'look alike' could be intolerable! In that case, you can smash e-tomatoes on me “@ramkiram” in Twitter or ramkiram@gmail.com in FB.
Outside the movie hall at 2345 hrs one fellow movie fan made a call to his friend back in the village and said this line “Machaan, do watch the movie tomorrow without fail and if you don’t like the movie, slap me with your slippers!”. This is why I said that audience liked the movie. I was thinking of calling up my friends too but it was so late to call them. The other fellow did not mind the time he was calling his friend who would have been in deep sleep back in the village!
Probably he would have not seen the time while he made the call. When the malls were full on, pretty girls outside the mall and metro station open; it really did not make to realize that it was end of the day! I never thought it would be so lively in Gurgaon! While metro was not a surprise as it’s managed by DMRC, the rates that the auto rickshaws quoted were a surprise; they quoted the same as they would during the day time (their day time rates are exorbitant). Minimum charge is 50rs! I usually bargain with them during day time but not really during night time as the moon vibes us a melancholy mood.
And the subtle mood is not only for me...It’s the same for the auto rickshaw drivers, CRPF Jawans, the fellow movie fan, the pretty girls; people thronging the shopping mall and everyone around the world under the bright moon.
We are the Midnight’s Children.
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