Vitaphiles

Hello Guys! Where to Start? A Question would be apt. When was the last time you held on to something profound, something that truly elated you, an achievement, an adventure, or an experience that genuinely made you happy and, most of all, stayed with you for some time? PAUSE your reading and think for a second. If I am right, you can't recollect many such memories, or perhaps only a handful. Now go and ask the same question to your parents or grandparents; they'd have a plethora of such memories, and our grandparents, even with their weak memory power, have their stories on the tip of their tongue, ready to narrate. Before addressing the issue here, let us travel a few years back in time - the 1980s & 1990s. What did people our age do back then? Play, listen to the radio, play, read books, play. Now the 2000s & 2010 the priorities changed. Well, the playtime got reduced, but people were watching TV more, and in this era, we saw the inception of smartphones and, apparent...

What if you met a monk who was in pursuit of a gun? Yes, you read that right — a gun. Even the thought of it sounds absurd. Yet, the film, 'The Monk and the Gun' follows a monk who is indeed searching for one, while weaving together stories tied to a real chapter in Bhutan’s history. Before I go any further, I strongly recommend that you watch 'The Monk and the Gun' if you haven’t already. Otherwise, no problem — keep reading and rob yourself of the joy of experiencing a pure masterpiece firsthand. “What is democracy?” If you had asked the people of Bhutan that question before 2006, they probably would have stared at you blankly, wondering what nonsense you were talking about. Having lived under a monarchy for centuries, the Bhutanese were content with the rule of their king. Set during Bhutan’s transition from monarchy to democracy in 2006, the film captures a society struggling to adapt to an unfamiliar system. Some elderly villagers in the film are so dee...

What makes Movies so different from Life? Well, in movies, people actually try. In films, everything has structure. There’s a beginning, conflict, growth, and resolution. Even when it’s tragic, it means something. The struggle leads somewhere. Pain carries purpose. Characters suffer, but their suffering transforms them. Real life is messy. There’s no background score. No guaranteed payoff. Effort doesn’t always equal reward. In movies, people change because that’s the arc. They are written to evolve. They fall, they break, they learn, and they rise again. But in reality, people often stay stuck. They avoid, they numb out, they repeat patterns. Growth is slow and optional. Sometimes it doesn’t happen at all. Maybe that’s why films feel kinder. Sometimes they’re motivating. Sometimes depressing. Sometimes happy, sad, angry, but at least they make you feel something. That’s what I hold onto. They remind me that emotions still exist inside me. Because in life, people have som...

Sometimes, Or maybe most times, There's always a wind Blowing in the opposite direction, Blowing in directions Meant to make you stumble, Meant to push you off course, But, oh, dear survivors Of this cruel, tainted, unforgiving world, There's always a wind, The road is always filled with potholes, This destination you wish to reach, The road to that destination Is a cruel and taunting one. Every step you take Is a lesson learnt, Every thorn you step on Is an experience to know the pain, Pain that makes you wiser, This world is full of pain and agony, But only if you choose to look it that way, Why not see this pain As the efforts of the universe To make you stronger and better? Why not see this agony As the push the universe is giving To make you move forward with strength? Oh, dear survivors of this unfair world, They say the people Who love you the most Hurt you the most; So, if you think life is cruel, And that the universe is cruel, Just know that you are a special child In...

        26th Jan, every year, as I near the date, a sudden surge of patriotism fills my chest. My heart yearns for the drill ceremony at the Red Fort, but my soul always travels back to those days. When I was a kid… Those were the most beautiful days of my childhood. I was an army brat, so I caught the patriotic fever early on. Every 26th January excited me more than any festival. On that particular day, I used to wake up by myself and get ready. Getting ready was a meticulous task back then I had to make sure my uniform was perfect: the shirt, pants, shoes, and tie. After checking them all came the major task of the day pinning the tiny flag to my chest (I'm a kid so my mom does it for me). Then I used to grab a flag and go to school, waving goodbye to mom and dad while thinking about the toffees. As soon as we reached school, we got ready for the dance performance, while the nerds prepped for their long speeches. As the ceremony kicked off with the arrival of th...

When I need motivation, I’ll start thinking of all the good things I’ve heard in life – things I adamantly vouch for, and things that get me out of the deep void I find myself in at times.          But no line stayed with me as long as something a lawyer once told me, he told me “we must always keep in mind the single most encompassing maxim in life:         The show must go on.”        It struck me then as something cheesy, an irrelevant side actor would say in a movie. But as I started thinking about it,  all of a sudden, it struck me like lightning. This is it! This is all that life is about. It’s all a show, a display, a farce, a put-on.  And it just goes on, no matter what.  Who’s the audience then?  In some of my grateful moments I think it’s God. But who am I kidding? Most probably there’s no one. We live, putting on a show with no audience. I like to believe, if there was someone at the sta...

Just imagine this: you have a stable job, a picturesque home, a loving wife, two cute kids—one boy and one girl—and two dogs. Doesn’t it feel perfect? No, wait. Finally, the cherry on top—you’re having a barbecue with your little family. Oh man, I would give away all my possessions to recreate this scene. But one question twitches me like a thorn—will I still be rejoicing with my family at that barbecue if I lose all my possessions? Well, we’re struck in a classic catch-22 situation here. Let’s cut this crap and jump straight into understanding my view of this wonderful Korean film, NO OTHER CHOICE. It is a well-crafted film by the genius director Park Chan-wook (for a little reference—the guy who made OLDBOY). I genuinely want to appreciate the way the dilemmas faced by the characters are placed. They ultimately give the plot an organic texture, making it feel deeply satisfying and natural at its core. But the thing I like the most about this film is its screenplay and edi...