critique, analysis and overview

I think we all are kind of familiar with this movie, Taare Zameen Par is a gemstone, a movie directed and produced by Aamir khan himself. The film follows the story of a young boy named Ishaan who is unable to follow up in his classes due to his dyslexia, his parents however blame his failures on his lack of attention, his dad especially mocks and compares him to his elder brother who is an all-rounder perfect kid while being completely ignorant to his younger son's feeling. the younger son always gets blamed for the things that he hasn't done which involves causing mischiefs in the neighborhood so one day his dad gets fed up with his behavior and sends him to a boarding school. The boarding school is where his life completely changes, Aamir Khan comes as an art teacher and takes an interest on him because he reminds him of himself thus, he makes it a challenge to teach the kid everything that people around him failed to do so. His teachings does pay off as Ishaan turns out to ...

"Oh, to be part of this youth forever." Seasons of Blossom is a webtoon written by Hongduck and illustrated by Nemone. Seasons of Blossom is not a story of one particular protagonist alone but rather it includes the stories of various characters and each of which are assigned to a particular season. Each season focuses on a different character's perspective. This webtoon holds a really special place in my heart mainly because of how each characters feel so real, their problems and struggles are realistic, something that the youth of our generation can relate to. The importance of each season lies on the fact that each season offers a very complex and multifaceted perspective of the characters so to understand the plot better I would like to explain each of the season's first and what they mean. Spring, the season of blossoming flowers, symbolizing a new beginning. This season delves into the theme of a fresh start and first love. The story follows Bomi's flower wh...

Did I watch all the episodes of this show? Yes, yes, I did  Am I also waiting for the next episode to release? Yes, yes, I am  Cringe is an understatement for this show, this show is so awfully bad that it's good if you get what I mean. Unironically many viewers actually enjoyed watching this despite the really obvious plot with cliches and over the top characters straight out of Wattpad. Nonetheless, I would be lying if I said that this show wasn't fun to watch, the storyline although being really cliche keeps everyone on toes on what will happen next. So just to give a gist on what the show is about, the story follows the life a high school girl who ends up in a school where she is admitted to 'apparently' the worst section in the entire school, section E. Section E consists of only the mischievous infamous kids who caused trouble in the past therefore these kids were all chased to this Section. Our main character here, also has a past of causing trouble in her previo...

The Affair is an award-winning Tamil short film directed by Surrya M. Narayan. The film follows the story of a sick bedridden wife who believes that her husband is cheating on her, the children persist that their father is cheating on her with a girl of their age. The daughter argues with her father ashamed of his sinful act, yet the father doesn't say anything even once during the argument hence further proving their point. The next day itself the father comes to clarify that he is indeed cheating on his wife with a girl who is blind therefore since his wife is about to die in a month or so, he asks for her favor one last time, asking her if she could lend her eyes to the blind girl who he was 'apparently' having an affair with. Both the son and the daughter who are also witnessing this scene are absolutely disgusted and repulsed by their father unable to process over how could he even think about crossing his line. Nonetheless, the mother signs the paper approving to lend...

"Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone" There are some people fated to have a tragic end; fate is believed to be inescapable by the Greeks, whether we take the story of Medusa, who was cursed into a snake headed monster after being raped by Poseidon, or Icarus, who met his downfall after he flew too close to the sun, or we could take the tragic end of the lovers Orpheus and Eurydice in which Orpheus lost his wife twice or maybe we can take the tragic story of Oedipus who unknowingly killed his father and married his own mother and no matter how much they all tried to escape from their destiny they were unable to because fate is always decided for everyone. Today I will be delving into Park Chan Wook's Oldboy, released in 2003, Oldboy is an all-time classic revenge film. The film follows the story of Oh Dae-su who seeks for revenge after being imprisoned unfairly for fifteen years therefore he goes on a journey to find out the reason for his sufferin...

Perfect Blue is an anime film directed by Satoshi Kon. The film follows the story of a young girl Mima who is a pop idol and in the opening scene itself she announces that she is leaving behind her career as a pop star in order to pursue acting, this is obviously not taken well by some of her die-hard fans. Now, when we look into Perfect Blue, the story was truly ahead of its time, its characters are realistic, and the story of Mima resonates to what happens in the entertainment industries. Kpop idols are faced with this situation almost way too often, when these idols debut, they are automatically put on the pedestal and no matter how insignificant their mistakes maybe they are treated as traitors by their own fans or so-called fans you could say. Similarly, Mima too is treated as a traitor by her fans after her announcement, but this is not the only thing that she deals with. She struggles with her inner self, from moving on from her old self soon enough, her old self starts to take ...

The idea of 'Love'  or is it just an idea? 'Love' is not just a sentimental feeling that makes us feel fuzzy or warm, so does 'love' mean that we need to sacrifice? According to science 'love' is a chemical reaction that happens in our body giving us a rush of dopamine and serotonin but what is 'love' exactly and how do we love? To decipher the meaning of 'love' can be a little complicated, oh wait.....'little' is actually an understatement, 'love' can be very complicated to 'understand'.  What do I get if I love someone so deeply?  Who should we love for that matter? It's easy to love someone who loves us but what about loving someone who is repulsed by us? Does it even matter whether we get something out of it or not? It's a weird concept, isn't? 'Love' doesn't seek for anything in return neither can we pick and choose who to love. Weird, but understanding love is not that complicated once...

Howl's Moving Castle is an animated movie produced by Studio Ghibli, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is loosely based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. This movie is a cinematic masterpiece to say the least, right from its beautiful sceneries to its stunning visuals and character designs, the movie compels the audience to immerse themselves completely into the magical realm of Howl's moving castle. The film follows the story of a young woman named Sophie who lives in a small town, eldest among her three sisters, she is fated to have a dull and uneventful life according to the good old fairytale tradition. However, her life takes a drastic turn when she meets Howl. She inadvertently offends the wizard of waste who ends up cursing her to transform into an old woman, Sophie ultimately takes on the adventure in order to break the curse where she meets Howl, the wizard once again but this time in his notorious moving castle. Howl is the complete opposite of Sophie, he is fun,...

Grave of the Fireflies  Grave of the fireflies is a Studio Ghibli movie directed by Takahata Isao in 1988. The setting of the movie is based on the waning days in Japan during World War 2.  The story follows the lives of a fourteen-year-old boy named Seita and his younger sister who is four years old, Setsuko. This film realistically portrays the sufferings endured during the war. The two kids suffer tragically as they are left for starvation which eventually leads them to their death, and this is the cycle that they have to face over and over again even in death, as spirits.  This movie does a great job in portraying the struggles of the victims, although there are critics that say that this movie is trying to show only the miseries endured by Japan during the war, I believe that what this movie is actually trying to put out is the sufferings endured by the innocents regardless of which side they are in. There are no winners or losers in a war, everyone is a victim to th...

Black Swan  Black Swan is a  2010 American psychological horror   film directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Natalie portman as Nina, a devoted ballerina. This movie is a psychological drama about an obsessed ballerina who dreams of the role of the Black Swan.  It's interesting to see the life of a ballerina and the struggles that they go through. Nina Seyers, the protagonist of the movie is a young naive girl who wants to be chosen as the new swan queen. Obviously, it's not an easy task to get the role of the swan queen for the play therefore Nina puts her entire heart and soul into her dancing however there is something that keeps holding her back which is her inability to let go of perfectionism. Nina does end up getting the role of the Black Swan in the first half of the movie because she persuades her mentor by seducing him.  The fleeting moment of happiness disappears when Nina soon falls under the fear of being replaced when the new girl Lily is introdu...

 "We accept the love that we deserve" The Perks of being a Wallflower is a movie based on the 1999 young adult novel by American author Steven Chbosky, it is a coming-of-age film following the story of Charlie, an introverted teenager. Although it has been years since I first watched this movie one thing that I would never forget is the feeling that I got after watching this movie. Charlie is a wallflower because he is an extremely observant character, he sees the things happening around him, quietly from the corner. I think the reason why this movie feels so alive is because of the performances by the actors and how their personalities in the movie actually resonate with people in real life, it feels authentic. Charlie, the protagonist faces difficulties in high school in the beginning of the movie during his freshman year, known to be timid and introverted he soon however gets adopted by an extroverted group of friends, Sam and Patrick. The reason why Charlie is such a quit...

Nostalgia is a powerful ingredient. It evokes a sense of warmth, longing and comfort within us which is why Ghibli movies are so nostalgically beautiful to watch.  Almost all of Ghibli films such as "My Neighbour Totoro", "Spirited Away", "KiKi's delivery service", " Howl's Moving Castle', and so many more movies evoke a sense of warmth and comfort within us, allowing us to delve into the world of Ghibli movies. Hayao Miyazaki, the master and creator of Studio Ghibli Films truly pioneered the art of reminiscence. Ghibli Films are known for its rich storytelling, often exploring universal themes of childhood wonder, the passage of time, the beauty of nature and the complexity of human emotions. The world of Studio Ghibli films is fantastical yet realistic allowing its viewers to immerse themselves completely and connect with the movies emotionally as well. I think one of the greatest aspects of Studio Ghibli movies is the simplicity of the ...

13th of February 2025 is a day that I would always want to remember. Today was not like any other ordinary day, English department had an exhibition which was amazing to say the least. My friends and I had a lot of fun especially when we were playing the quizzes even though there was nothing much that we won I think it all comes down to the enthusiastic team spirit that we shared.  After we were done strolling around the exhibition, we went to watch a play made by our senior. The play was fantastic, right from the acting to the directing and the setting, everything was perfect, I had literal chills down my spine when I was watching the play. Even though this sounds like a vague gist of what actually happened all throughout the day, nevertheless, I am grateful for today’s experience. It truly was an eventful day, right from the start I had a great time and I’m glad that I could create so much of memories with my friends.

From K-dramas to K-pop idols that create a sensation in the media, latest fashion trends that take the industry by storm, the ideal beauty standards that are reflective of the society that South Koreans live in. South Korea Is a Capitalist Dystopia  Recent headlines stating that there was an actual game as dangerous as the squid game in real life shouldn't faze anyone. The South Korean economy perhaps one of the strongest among the economies now was not always like this, having a history of being colonized left and right south Korea suffered a lot financially therefore the first logical step for them was to work harder than others to make it. The South Korean government made it necessary for every child to receive education after independence. Education alone was not the sole factor that made south Korea to where it is now. The chaebols that are known to have so much of power that they are essentially known to run south Korea  In simple words, they are untouchable  But wh...

Love is patient, Love is Kind, however often times when we love someone, we forget that Love in itself is not always enough. we create expectations and we give in to the hopes easily so when they do not meet our expectations naturally our disappointment is great. However, is it really necessary to always expect from our loved ones so much to the point that we start to loathe them if they do not give in to our expectations?  Love is patient, Love is Kind, Love is forgiving, and love is about respecting one another. Love is important in every relationship whether it's with our partner or with our friends and family members. The notebook is an all-time classic romantic film directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the book by Nicholas Spark. Starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling that brings the movie to life due to their compelling performances and chemistry. The notebook deals with the themes of enduring love and memory. It is said that First Love is often the love that you are unable...

Beautiful Boy "The monsters gone he's on the run  and your daddy's here  beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy" Beautiful Boy is a movie directed by  Felix Van Froeningen, it is a true story based on the memoirs of Father and Son David and Nic Sheff respectively.  This melodramatic film explores the harrowing journey of addiction and the impact it has on both the addict and the loved ones. The story depicts the beautiful relationship between a father and his son. Both the actors, Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carell deliver powerful performances. The journey of battling through addiction is tough not just for the addict but for the loved ones as well. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see someone you love so much crumble down due to addiction; this is what Nic's father Steve undergoes throughout the movie; He is completely helpless at one point because you can only do so much for even the ones you deeply love. The father's constantly tries to get his so...

Squid Game, a popular Netflix series that took over the covid-19 era. Almost all of us by now must have watched squid game or at least have a general idea of what it is about. Seong Gihun is the protagonist of the show Squid Game directed and written by Hwang Dong-Hyuk. In the First season of Squid Game Gihun is introduced as a broke man who is under huge debts due to his gambling addiction. He is a divorced father who has lost the custody of his daughter and worst of all he even steals money from his mother's account in order to gamble by betting on horses. Despite his flaws and financial struggles, Gihun is genuinely a kind man in heart, even when he was playing the games he was concerned about his fellow teammates and wanted to get out of the hell hole with them together. Even after all of the struggles that he faced during the games it was obvious that he genuinely cared for the people around him. During the Tug of War scene when Gihun and his teammates win against the opposing...

 OKJA A movie that completely changed my views on the consumption of meat was Okja. This movie follows the story of a young girl named Mija who lives on the mountains, she has a pig that she takes care of, whose name is Okja. Okja is actually a genetically modified super pig that shares a very special bond with Mija. One day when Mija comes back home she notices that Okja is missing when she realizes that it was actually her grandfather who sent Okja away to the group of people from the American company, Mija makes it a mission to rescue Okja.  The movie takes a turn from then onwards as Mija continues with her journey she is met with a group of Vegan activists who makes her realize that Okja was actually sent to the animal farm.  The movie is more than the bond between Mija and Okja, the film sheds light on animal cruelty and how they are exploited, showcasing the inhuman and harsh conditions that animals endure. This movie was directed by the legend Bong-Joon-Ho himself...

The word 'if' is such a strange word  With no doubts or pressure behind it, it is easy to say it out yet again the word can unfold so much because within a blink of an eye 'if' I were to open up to matters would things be easier? 'if' I were to face my challenges head on would I do well like how I used to? 'If' is a word that is strange once again the line between reality and our imaginary perception comes into play. Perhaps what I truly seek for is to overcome the line of imagination and work for a reality that I desire.