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Sunday, January 18, 2009

jai ho



roughly translated, jai ho (the a r rahman song from slumdog millionaire) means "may there be victory".

i just came from seeing "slumdog millionaire". i was more than pleasantly surprised at the game show vehicle and how effectively it was used. the indian/mumbai culture is one that is not very familiar to me and as the pastiche of idiosyncrasies of the filmmakers world became visible, i was repeatedly struck with little ahas around the similarities.

the film is rich with metaphors and also seems to carry a message that has familiarity. as the story follows a young boy and his friends in their hustle to survive in a mumbai ghetto, perhaps that message seems to be that if one remains true to their heart and acts accordingly, the riches of dreams coming true can follow. this theme seems to be very popular among filmmakers and film goers alike, and may speak to this films intention. but i believe, too, that the welcome reception it has been basking in is also due to the glimpse it provides us into a world to which we are not privvy.

i know that i enjoyed so many of the techniques the filmmaker used, i enjoyed the lighting, the pace, the editing, and the locations. the visual experience and the aural journey via the dialect and dialogue were captivating. and i was thankful for the subtle yet effective subtitles, for even though english was spoken, it was spoken with inflections in which i am not well-versed.

i went to the movies with a friend (he has become a friend these last couple of years). i am more than a bit surprised at some of the quiet revelations that happen during my own social interactions. i spend a good deal of time working with others, but don't spend much time being and doing with others, and there is an apparent difference in my behaviors. and so with the rest of my sunday, brunch with a very small group of guys from sin, watching football with my sponsor and another friend, and then the movie with my friend, i am left with no choice but to find conviction to walk the walk of my self proclaimed beliefs in my own life. i certainly am humbled (honestly more like fighting horror) by this look into my own behaviors. i have not discerned whether it is my own discomfort in being around others with no real task at hand other than enjoying their company which causes me to step on the caustic, bitchy button- (the easy button as it were) but that's what i do.

this paring back of another layer of the onion so-to-speak, would have caused me much tribulation before. it concerns me, yes, but it no longer will ruin my month. it indicates i have work to do, it reveals that i am in need, and it confirms that my life is out of balance, with not enough time to simply be. this is clearly a call for change as well as an opportunity to grow. more importantly, i am beginning to learn to see life through the filter of "may there be victory" - jai ho!!!

today's sound choice is "jai ho" by a r rahman. the vid clip contains the bollywood style dance sequence during the ending credits.

Documents

2 comments:

Mark Olmsted said...

I also am also humbled at the need to apply all the lessons I understand in my head to real life. It's not just understanding the idea of being kind, having fun, showing love, the value of relaxing and hanging out; you need to DO these things, and do them without necessarily being "on," trying too hard, or resorting to timeworn gay insult banter. It's about real intimacy with others.

I also loved Slumdog Millionaire.

Unknown said...

I am intrigued by this entry. My vision of you from your words here and comments left on my blog and/or Facebook, is a person with a sense of fun. A man who too often sees the darkness but nonetheless clings to the hope that the light is out there, waiting to be discovered. I never thought of caustic or bitchy as applicable to you. My sense is that you are very introspective, demanding a level of perfection from yourself that exceeds the expectations of others. Of course, I may be projecting my own demons onto you.

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