Sunday, November 20, 2011

Tokyo Story - Film Analysis

“Isn’t life disappointing?” says one of the characters in the film Tokyo Story (1953). Made with a brilliance that only a few film makers can conjure, the film succeeds in evoking an emotional response from the audience that rightly meets the gravity of the subject matter being portrayed. The execution of the film is neither too melodramatic, like the contemporary Indian film, called Baghban so as to make the audiences unnecessarily cry a thousand tears half way through the story line nor is the subject matter dealt with so lightly so as to render the audiences indifferent.
The emotional response that Tokyo Story (1953) ignites cannot be simply categorized into a euphoric or a gloomy feeling. It doesn’t make you want to burst into noisy tears nor does it make you want to instantly get up and impulsively want to change things. No. The film is about observing and accepting the grim reality of existence. Parents grow old, children grow up, the divide between the two incessantly continues to increase, expectations lead to disappointment, relationships fall apart and people die but life, goes on. In broad terms, this is the narrative that is followed by the film but in a way that engages the audience to the point where you start feeling a certain affinity for the characters.
            One of the characteristic Japanese shots, called the tatami-mat shot, where a low camera angle is taken of the scene is abundantly used in the film implying that Yasujiru Ozu, the director sought to show none of the characters above or below anyone in status or power. In fact, one can point out that Tokyo Story (1953) has neither a villain nor a hero. Even the negligent attitude of the children is explained by Noriku, the daughter-in-law as a matter of fact. Albeit a little sorrowful, the audience is led to accept that this is how reality works and the attitude of Shikuchi is mirrored into the moods of the audience, who ends up admitting that living alone is difficult but that he “will get used to it.”
One of the initial observations I had about the film was that it is slow-paced. However, a number of critics have attributed it to the overall mood of the film which is “calm” and “grim”. There are minimal to negligible camera movements in the film and in my opinion, this serves to keep the attention of the audiences to the narrative being shown rather than how the film is made. The absence of camera panning and tilting has been compensated by sharp editing. The editing of the film has been done so dexterously so as to maintain the flow of the narrative without resulting in any jump cuts.
Long shots appear frequently throughout the film mostly to establish the location or the setting while the characters mostly appear in close up or medium close up shots to focus on the expression and to build upon the personality of the characters. The married daughter, for example is seen being irritated and scornful a number of times when her parents are around. Emphasis is also placed on the rooms, particularly after they have been emptied and all of the aforementioned styles of making a film have been attributed as Ozu’s characteristic style of film making.
Another point of interest in the film is that some of the events are not shown but are just talked about. For instance, the journey of the parents to Tokyo and then back to their home is not shown. Also, that Tomi falls ill is told to the audience by the dialogues between the children and is not actually shown in the scenes. It’s quite evident that the film does not intend on being over dramatic and does not thrive on heavy emotional outbursts. As a result, the emotions of the audience are not deliberately evoked but are rather built up as the film progresses.
The film also makes use of symbolism to accentuate its narrative. What’s also interesting is how the opening and the closing scenes of the film are quite similar as they both show a train and a boat in successive shots. The boat sailing away at the end of the film, in my opinion symbolizes the loneliness that awaits Shikuchi after the death of his wife, Tomi while according to critics it refers to the fact that life goes on, no matter what. The shots of the train that appear in the beginning and the end of the film, also arguably could be symbolizing the start and end of the narrative. 
With respect to its social relevance, the film provides an insight into the post-war state of Japan and how during the respective period, Japanese way of life underwent a loss of cultural values. At the same time, western influences and ways of living were met with great acceptance so much so that a disintegration of Japanese culture came about. Even though the film intended to portray the social scenario existent in Japan, the generational conflict is shown with such mastery that the film has found favour universally.   
For me, the most outstanding point about the film is how closely it is interwoven with reality. The limited camera movements, the lighting and the sound score which is strictly put in where needed all combine to produce an effect that is at once real and hard hitting. Unlike most of the other films on the theme, it attempts to give no false sense of hopes almost as if it’s stating a fact which can neither be bent nor destroyed. The film leaves you with an array of mixed emotions and by doing so almost appears to be a manifestation of life itself rather than just a film.
 Without a doubt, Tokyo Story (1953) is one of the most brilliantly made films of all times. The message that it portrays is subtle and yet it hits hard. In a span of two hours and few minutes, the film makes the audience a part of itself. The tatami-mat shots makes you feel as if you are right there with their characters, though your story comes at a halt and it is the characters that you want to know more about. Bringing the analysis to an end, I’d just say that life maybe disappointing but Tokyo Story (1953) certainly isn’t.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Facebook and the books ... of law.


This is a script for a radio show and was written as part of a course called Radio Channel Project. RR and MNF are the two people hosting the show. 

RR: Hello Folks! A very warm welcome from the studios of FM radio 106.6. Me, Riffat Rashid and Mehak Natasha Farooq (Mehak, say hi,! ) will be hosting the very first episode of “K for Karachi!”. Mehak! How’s it going?
MNF: Ah well, since there’s no one in the studio right now I might as well talk to you…
RR: What’s that?
MNF: Nothing, I said it’s going great.
RR: Oh amazing! Amazing..So anyways,
MNF (under her breath): Retard.
RR: Ahm. Seems like somebody didn’t get some alone time on Facebook today. *Cough*
MNF: What’s that?
RR: Nothing, I said it’s amazing.
MNF: What’s amazing?
RR: The ban on Facebook.
MNF: “What!? They are banning Facebook?”
RR: Yeah, not like it’s a big deal. I mean it’s just a website and there are million others like it on the world wide web.
MNF: Not a big deal? Are you crazy! It’s the only place where I have all my friends and relatives in one place!
RR: And you say that like it’s a good thing?
MNF: Ofcourse it’s a good thing man, I don’t have to spend hours in line trying to pay my phone bills when I can only just “poke” people on Facebook to let them know all is well. Also, do you realize the number of painful conversations it saves me from? The kind of conversation that starts from “How old are you beta?” and end on “How many rotis and chappatis do you know how to make!”
RR: Oh c’mon you are exaggerating!
MNF: Seriously? You say that like it has never happened to you.
RR: Ah well, it has… but you know there are things you can do to avoid that?
MNF: “Acha, like what?”
RR: “you know like, pretend you have left the city
MNF: doesn’t work
RR: “act like you are on the verge of making an important discovery, even though your field is commerce
MNF: tried and failed
RR: “pretend that rotis and chappatis are old school and u are into paninis and pita bread now.
MNF “yeah right, so they ask for a dawat!”
RR: “Okay, fine! So facebook saves you from a lot of painful conversations but c’mon its barely more than just a petty reason
MNF: I shall tell you more if you play me a song.
RR: Justin…?
MNF: Don’t you dare!
RR: Okay, Pitbull it is then. The song is Rain Over me sung by Pitbull and Marc Anthony! Be right back after the song.
RR: Welcome back everyone! This is me and Mehak in the studio of FM Radio 106.6 bringing to you the very first episode of K for Karachiii! Mehak, the song is over. Stop stepping on my toes.
MNF: Buzzkill.
RR: You know I can hear you right?
MNF: Right.
RR: The ban on Facebook has you in a really bad mood!
MNF: Ofcourse, and your increasingly happy voice isn’t helping it either.
RR: Sadist.
MNF: What?
RR: Nothing , I mean, what would you miss the most about Facebook once it’s banned?
MNF: If you had accepted the endless invites I sent you on Facebook for my business page, you wouldn’t be asking me that right now!
RR: Oh right, the cupcake business you started right?
MNF: No that’s Niha’s you moron! My business page is about selling footwear. Do you realize the number of young entrepreneurs who were starting to get successful through the business pages of Facebook and now will have no platform to sell their products or show case their talents?
RR: Well, there’s youtube you know!
MNF: Man, you aren’t getting my point! Facebook is about useful things. True it’s called a social networking website but it isn’t just about fun and games.
RR: As far as my homepage is concerned, all I see is gossip!
MNF: It’s just you then! There are countless people who are using Facebook for a number of meaningful things. A number of businesses in our country are afraid of opening up their own outlets because of a number of reasons that range from low availability of capital to high security concerns. Advertising their business on Facebook allows them to only target the relevant people at minimal costs.
RR: I see that but in my opinion, if a young entrepreneur is determined enough he or she should be able to carry out his business anyway he or she wants.
MNF: Yes but don’t you see, by banning websites, we are actually closing down one of the most promising mediums of carrying out a business and networking?
RR: Hmm… Let me think about it…
MNF: Hopeless. I will just play a song. People this is Rolling in the Deep by Adele! Don’t forget to stay tuned.
RR: Okay fine I thought about it a lot but c’mon you have to pay heed to the other side too.?
MNF: “What other side man?
RR: “You know the side, where people are trying to spread messages of hatred and violence. And Pakistan being a struggling country, I think its right that they have taken the step to nip the evil in the bud.
MNF: Yeah? And what about the messages of hatred and violence spread around on TV? Do we ban TV too? Do we ban phone calls, vehicles because they have the ability to carry arms and ammunitions, people because they are capable of violence?
RR: No…
MNF: Then why just Facebook?
RR: But think of it this way, the youth of today like ourselves are better aware of what goes on Facebook then anywhere else in the country… so if we are to be influenced by any messages that carry a special agenda…it is more likely to be through Facebook.
MNF: Oh and what about the fact that the very point of Facebook being an effective tool of educating the urban youth of today can be used for something more productive instead of banning?
RR: More productive like what?
MNF: Like spreading awareness about social causes that we should be spending our time on, about educating people internationally of what kind of people Pakistanis are. Don’t you know think the status updates and pictures that we upload can be used in a way to reflect that there are people in Pakistan that can are both progressive and educated?
RR: Yeah, well I guess some of the people abroad don’t even know that people in pakistan have roads.
MNF: See! What better bridge between the international community and ours than Facebook?
RR: Okay so you’re saying Facebook is important because it allows you to interact with people, open up businesses, and spreads awareness about a certain society?
MNF: Ah! Finally! Yes!
RR: But… oh wait, Maha says we have to submit our Advertising presentations next week.
MNF: Really? I got no text!
RR: Moron! Check your Facebook.
MNF: People, as you can see Riffat has lost it! You guys have fun by listening to Coldplay’s track “Every teardrop is a waterfall” and we will try giving Riffat her proper meds the next time we come on air! Till then, take care! And keep listening!

Let Nabeel Khokhar Be


Today, we live in a world where when you slip and fall at your private residence, a million people from all over the world have the ability to laugh at you and we have nothing but the well-meaning social networking and broadcasting websites to thank for that. Go to throw rubbish outside and you are aware of a million eyes watching you, even if there's no one in the vicinity. Yes, today it's a world where everyone can see, hear and access any and everything. But does that mean, understanding comes easy as well? Does seeing everything implies that one has perfect understanding of the situation that is made visible? Sadly, no.

 Everything that we see online is made to appear in a certain context, usually a humourous or insulting one, even if the situation that is being aired or broadcast would be a grave one. Take Amir Liaquat's video that went viral for example. Two words, “Kesa Dya?” have almost become a household statement (if there's such a thing) and recently, we saw yet another example of how the electronic media can serve to transform a no-issue to amazing heights.

Yes, I'm talking about the billboard that went up on Friday, 4th November in Karachi and has since then been the talk of every Facebook page discussion. Nabeel Khokhar, did indeed had the billboard put up to apologize to his ex-wife for his considered misdeeds. And Nabeel Khokar does exist. He is somebody's son and my friend's immediate relative.  Imagine having to put up with tactless and tasteless comments on public forums about somebody in your family? It's hair raising isn't it? And yet, just to have a cheap good laugh people continue to tarn reputations upon reputations and say the wildest of things just to get a certain number of “likes” on their social profiles.

It's true that if it hadn't been my friend's relative, I might have also been one of you, poking fun and sharing gossips. But this has made me realize, how “harmlessly” making fun of people can alter and damage lives. The “Princess”, to whom the Billboard is addressed is a real person and a very good hearted one at that. The amount of emotional distress that she has to go through and will have to put up with till all of this dies down can't ever be explained into words. Usually, I would have advised my friends and their family to wait for all the hype to go down but unfortunately, the wait is taking the toll upon them.

Nabeel Khokhar, should indeed have considered the consequences but what is it that we are actually laughing at him for? For apologizing for his past actions? We all know how that's needed on all of our parts, even though in not really such a public way. But seriously, ask yourself why should the family and “Princess” have to go through the embarrassment? Is it really their fault?

This blog is not meant to garner more attention to the subject. It's been brought up amply enough. This is just written to request whoever is listening, to please, if possible help us in taking it away from the direction to where it's going. It was not meant to be hurtful to the people but has become a serious source of pain and this, I really really want to curb. 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

What makes Harry Potter a Hero?

When it comes to movies, popular TV shows and even best-selling novels, knobbly knees and a scar on the protaginist's forehead is what rarely marks the prominent physical feature of the "hero". Usually, you would get to see a tall, James-Bond look alike with a personality that bespokes confidence, high self esteem (sometimes even more than needed), a strut that pulls the audience to the edge of their seat trying to wonder what the scene is about to unfold next and a voice that is so like music to your ears that your mind often ignores the lyrics.

But, for anyone who has read Harry Potter and well there are many of those, believe me! They will know that this is not what makes Harry Potter a hero. In fact, if he was in your school right now you would be considered a loser if you take as much as a second glance at him (for that's exactly how high schools work). At the outset, Harry Potter is just an average kid (Yes, I actually said that) with an unimpressionable height and a broomstick with a very fancy name.

However, what makes millions of people around the globe scramble to book stores and throng cineplexes whenever Harry Potter books and movies come out is something that goes beyond the depth of Harry's skin. For them, Harry is a hero because he is relatable. Sure, he talks to snakes, looks at moving pictures and doesn't flinch, flies in the air only to dive later to catch the Snitch, loses his bones and regains them through Skele-Gro (Trust me, you don't want details) and does a lot of other things that (let's get real guys) we don't.

But despite all the fantasy that revolves around Harry's life there are a lot of things that are very much real. Dudley, the bully, Ron, the over-awed best friend, Snape, the discriminating professor, Dumbledore, the voice of reason outside your family, Cho, the girl he can never work it out with, Dobby, who causes more harm than good while meaning well - these are all real life characters. They are all around us at every point in time. And despite how intertwined with fantasy Harry's life is, it is the reality that sucks you in. It is the reality in the books that makes you feel for him for you have been there and done that (well, almost). It is the reality which makes you want to scream on top of your lungs to whoever will listen that Harry Potter belongs in the Non Fiction section.

And it is the reality which makes Harry Potter a hero.




Sunday, August 14, 2011

The independent feeling

I remember a time when the decisions I made were overshadowed by what other people thought of them, when what I believed in was conveniently put away in order to make way for something else, when the things that were in my priority list took a back seat as they definitely weren't an urgent concern for the authority. For me, this was a time when it took much more than confidence to be myself. It required endless hours on my part to seek approval. Even though I was very much an individual with ideas and opinions that were unique to my self but when it came to living the life I wanted I was chained by things that had nothing to do with who I was or what I wanted to be.

When we talk about 14th August, it is just another day for the entire human population existent in the world. But mention it to a Pakistani and he would tell you at great lengths how the importance of the rest of the calendar pales in comparison to this day. For Pakistanis, it is a day when all the divisions and the differences between people are set aside (and that's saying something!) so that all of them can come together to celebrate - independence.

Sure, today is hardly a time when Pakistan can expect to receive a gold star for its performance by the world at large. Everyone continues to regard it as a failing state while magazines upon magazines publish articles talking about how Pakistan is a danger and a parasite. People talk about leaving Pakistan on a daily basis and it is thought that the country has bit on things more than it can chew. It is hurtful to hear such things about your country but that's not enough to stop the practice.

However, Pakistan has given its people the freedom to be - the way they are. The way they probably won't be accepted as openly in other parts of the world. Without succumbing to slavery and mockery. The very being of the country has allowed the people to respect and preserve their culture. It has been a motherland to billions of Pakistanis who would be clueless and without identities if it were not for the existence of Pakistan. The people here don't wake up thinking that they have to be someone they are not in order to progress. They can feel at home while practising their beliefs, cheering for their cricket team, dressing and talking in a way that defines them and doesn't feel foreign to their nature. 

And that feeling is what you get when you know you are independent. For me, it was a matter of giving a few interviews and getting a job. And the days where I had to ask before making decisions about my own life were over. I was free. To do what I wanted and to make the mistakes that I was destined to make. And all that didn't make me less successful a human being. But it made me who I am today. Very much myself in my own right.

However, for Pakistan getting here took a war and then a lot of other ones. It had to constantly remind the world of what it stood for and the reason for its being. It had to repeatedly prove its mettle only to be recognized as a dot on the world map. People on both sides of the border sacrificed more than just money because they believed in the existence of Pakistan. Because they believed in freedom.

If it was an ideal world I would say that today that's all Pakistan needs. A strong belief in the country and what it stands for. But by doing that I will be sugar coating things and grossly misrepresenting the picture that Pakistan presents. Today, it takes more courage to take pride in Pakistan than it takes to fight a war. The failings of the country have been magnified and highlighted and magnified and highlighted for the entire world to see. Even a penguin living in a totally different time zone can tell what's wrong with Pakistan.

But it's only the Pakistanis that can tell the world what is right. Today, Pakistan needs much more than just mere belief and faith. It needs actions and results. It needs a strategy and effective implementation. It needs, nay it deserves nothing less than anything hardcore. We as a nation need to celebrate the independence of Pakistan and not the fact that it continues to survive despite its failings. What we as the youth of Pakistan need to realize is that the party is over and the work has just begun.

So on this indepedence day, ask yourself this: Are you game enough to be a Pakistani?


Friday, August 5, 2011

Who? Me?


Today, well not exactly today I guess I can never start my work without procrastinating at least a little bit, when our teacher for the course called Idea Development asked us to maintain a journal, my immediate thought was that it'd be an extremely easy thing to do, what with my past experience of working as a freelance writer and more importantly writing being one of the few things that made me feel like I could make a difference. However, my relief and smugness was cut short soon enough when he furthered about how we'd expected to write about who we think we are, and where are we coming from... "Serious shit" he called it.

Serious shit indeed. And when you actually got down to writing about it, whoa there's no right way to begin is there? But that's one of the thing that makes me enjoy a love and hate relationship with writing. In fact, it is one of the "beauties" of writing if I may add. You could start writing from where the story ends, have multiple flashbacks, decide it's only a dream when it's only starting to make sense or have no beginning or end altogether, just clusters and clusters of random thoughts intervowen together in a stream of words to make it appear as they ought to make sense to the reader. And even though you might have guessed to which category does this blog post belong to, just stick for a little bit longer if you have read till here.

To actually get down to business, I have always been an implusive person. Very impulsive. And it's very easy to steer me even though my dad would like to believe otherwise. Just tell me something that I cannot do. Or even better, shouldn't do. And I'd go do exactly that. That's the trick. The only trick.  When I was in O levels, giving the final bunch of papers, my mom came up to me and said "You can't take commerce and science subjects together" and voila, I had registered for all the subjects my school was ready to offer at the time, both science and commerce and otherwise. While preparing for my A levels, all the tutors that I had kept saying that I can't do it in a year - that I should take my time with it and indeed, the very next day, I had registered for my AS and A2 papers altogether for the same year. In ACCA ... ah well, you get the drift.

Later on, however, I began to realize that I wanted to do things for me. Not because someone said that I cannot do them. This does not mean that I stopped being who I was earlier. I just sort of learnt to combine the two. Call it Media Science, Arts, Journalism, Music, or whatever, this was something I had been yearning for all my life. To find out who I am or to at least know that I am trying to was the feeling that I had wanted to experience. Working 9 to 5 provided me with ample opportunities to buy lots of shoes but left me with a sense of direction and meaning that was hazy at best.

I'd come home feeling disillusioned and distraught with a heavy sense of feeling that something is wrong. My mom, my sole confidante at the time failed to realize how could I be sad when I was so "financially empowered". The thing was even I didn't know what I was missing because I had never experienced what was it like to have what I wanted before. I had never earlier tried to be in sync with what I was feeling or tried to give it a medium of expression. It was something that was only confined to a few words here and there that would get published in Young Times but elsewhere, they were non existent.

It was 25th April, 2010 - exactly a year after I had started working at a semi-governmental organization as basically a content manager. I sat there working at my desk. I was writing a press release for the event that was about to happen two days later. And I was writing about how it went. That's how press releases normally work - something which had surprised me when I was told what was to be done. Anyways, my co worker sat across me munching biscuits and having tea (not to imply that I was the only employee that worked in the organization) and asked "So what are you going to do after your ACCA?"

I replied "CFA I guess. Though sometimes I wish I had the time to do a full fledged program on Journalism."

She shots me a disbelieving look and laughing slightly says "Yeah... but you can't leave your job to do that!"


This is my story, albeit badly written. This is how I got here.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?

The generation Y, as we are often called in know-it-all magazine articles and in the marketing world by professionals trying to sound like they have a point, remember fairly the time when well (Warning: you have heard this one before) Apple and Blackberry were just fruits, BRB signified nothing more than a strange equivalent of a burp sound while cloud computing probably meant you trying to solve math equations in your dreams. That was the time when you had to talk about "What's on your mind?” you didn't have to spend time logging on the computer or to the nearest mobile device to let it out, you'd just say it - to yourself most of the time anyway.

Older times are always the simpler times as far as the civilization's rule of "thumb" is concerned.  However, one rarely looks for simplicity when the idea of happiness and satisfaction continues to loom at large, unattained. And that is what we, as a global society have done – sacrificed simplicity to get closer to the larger-than-life notions of luxury, happiness and fulfillment. As a result, times have changed and times have progressed. But, have we come closer to our goal any more than we were before?

These days you see your younger cousins and siblings downloading popular album covers and screenshots of pop stars on their PSPs and internet tablets at an age when you didn't even know what popular culture meant. Back then, having a torch phone was as big a deal as owning a Blackberry Torch, though the former could do little more than just allow you to text, call or wake you up through an alarmingly shrilling tone. Scooby Doo for Ben 10, Cinderella for Hanna Montana - the comparisons that can be drawn between now and yesteryears are just endless.

And it all comes down to conclude that technologies continue to advance, the media continues to evolve – even we with our beliefs, thinking and attitudes change but to what end? To get closer to self fulfillment? To achieve a state of being where you want nothing more? Isn’t that what everybody at any point in their lives want? So when we differentiate one generation from the next, are we doing it on the basis of the number of friends they have following them on Twitter or their views on abortion or global warming?

Cause, if we are differentiating them on what they wanted from life when they were our age, there won’t be anything to draw a line from. We’d all just be exactly the same because we all want the same things - the same idea anyway. So, when your parents forget to press enter after typing a message on Gmail chat or spend most of their online time poking each other on Facebook, don’t think they are not smarter than the next fifth grader. They are just who they are - like you, a tiny speck in the great big circle of life - the circle that is nothing more than an unchanging repetition of events like birth, life and death. Even if, today you can better customize your life with a truckload of gadgets, applications and apparel, from a bird's eye view nothing has changed. We are no different from the hunters and cavemen of Stone Age trying to make ends meet.  

(Here, I'd just like to take a private moment to be horrified at the fact that I have become old enough to blog a "When we were little..." rant - a rant I as a child tried so hard to avoid when it came from my folks.)