#5 Pyaaz Bytes: Happiest Season etc.

I do not know what to write today because I do not feel like writing. I feel lazy. Yet, I am persisting to keep my promise. I do not know how long I will persist, but I am trying my best. I feel an obligation to blogging because I have publicly declared it and I want the #numbers to increase. It is actually a good incentive. Dopamine rush!!

I woke up at 8:30 today. It was difficult. I had to coax myself again. But I did it. I exercised. I could not do crunches or anything else which involved the core as it is hurting a lot. It might be because my menses are near, so I do not want to harm my body. Instead of engaging my core, I tried to do more cardio and yoga. I danced with Vanu, which was fun. Vanu kept asking when we will do Shavaasana as it was her favorite. Even kids are lazy nowadays. (my typical aunty tone).

I was up till 1:30 am last night as my sister and I were watching the latest Christmas movie “Happiest Season”. I was so excited to watch the movie because of my favorite- Dan Levy.

I even spent all my data to download it from Telegram as Hulu is not in India. The movie was not that bad but I was disappointed as Dan was in a supporting role with very less screen time. His character seemed the same as it was in Schitt’s Creek and this time it was not exactly note-worthy. Otherwise, the movie was like every other Christmas movie where the entire family becomes best friends in the end and everything is happily ever after. Lame.

I do not mind watching light movies sometimes but this one was really forgettable with just one funny moment. I am not a movie reviewer but I would recommend someone to watch the movie only if you want to see a blond Kristen Stewart giving the same expressions she did in Twilight, but this time with a female partner and a few more dialogues

I have watched a few more episodes of Zindagi Gulzar Hai. As predicted, Kashaf is now married to Zarun but a good number of episodes are still left. I am curious to know what will happen now. I am happy that the show has not changed the nature of the characters magically. It is not as if Kashaf has fallen madly for Zarun and her entire personality has changed, or Zarun has changed because of his love for Kashaf. Both characters are still the same, only they do not dislike each other as such.. Kashaf is still does not trust Zarun. She agreed to meet him to talk about marriage due to family pressure and decided to marry him because let the hot cup of tea fall on his hand instead of hers, which made her think that he cares for her.

She keeps thinking that he is still a flirt and always says the same romantic lines he used to say to his various girlfriends in college. I feel that her distrust is slightly valid, given that she is conservative regarding these things. Also, she is insecure in general and does not trust men easily due to her father’s behavior towards her mother and herself. As I previously said, daddy issues are real.

The scenes of Zarun trying to be romantic with her and her awkwardness is hilarious and relatable. Zarun is too cheesy for her. The scene of their first night together is very awkward and hilarious. The direction, acting and scriptwriting is completely on point. Let’s see what happens in the further episodes. I am predicting some drama between Zarun’s mother and Kashaf. There might be surprises. One can never know.

My poor attention span is still making it difficult to read the novel. I did read more than 10 pages today but it required immense force and I was still getting distracted. I was also skipping some overly descriptive lines in between but I think that it is alright to do so. I read in a post by Mark Manson how life is too short to read all the books and we must skip things which do not interest us. Earlier, I used to read everything word by word and felt guilty and had FOMO if I skipped anything. The guilt has reduced a little now, maybe because of laziness or Mark’s advice, I do not know. I think that with regular reading, I will be able to make better judgements which would enable me to read more efficiently.

Efficiency is everything. Everything is efficiency.

It is funny how I did not know what to write and now I have written so much. This is the best part about writing. Once you start, your thoughts just flow.

Here’s to 813 words of Day 5. Cheers!

Book Musing: The Actor’s Life- A Survival Guide

I believe that a person’s perspective comprises of several layers and they view the world around them through these layers. A good book helps enhance our perspective by adding more layers, like compassion and knowledge, to our vision, which this book, ‘The Actor’s Life – A Survival Guide’, has definitely done for me.

I chanced upon this book, not because I have any talent to be an actor, but right after I had finished The Office (extremely late in life, I know) and began appreciating Jenna Fischer who plays Pam on the show. I started listening to ‘The Office Ladies’, a podcast based on The Office by Fischer and fellow actor Angela Kinsey who plays Angela on the show (love her character, as well) where I learnt about this book written by Fischer. I looked it up online out of curiosity and thought of giving it a try since it seemed like a light-hearted read and my brain, which was at a ‘readers’ block’ really needed a nudge. Also, I was curious about The Office trivia (one cannot get enough of it) and Hollywood.

When I began reading it, I got what I had expected – a light-hearted read. As I flipped through the chapters, I got hooked. It was simply amazing, literally, it was simple and amazing.

Being someone who seriously the self-proclaimed ‘self-help books’, I can vouch, ‘The Actor’s Life’ is a book which will help everyone, not just actors, and the best part is that it does it with subtlety. The book is actually what the title claims – A practical guide to direct and motivate aspiring actors in the USA. However, if you read carefully, it is so much more.

In the book, Fischer talks about her experiences about when she decided to become an actor. She narrates her ordeals and triumphs after she arrived at Los Angeles, how she got her big break as Pam after six years of struggle. Mind you, it is not only about the struggling and fretting. Jenna talks about the life experiences and processes an actor has to go through at LA, meanwhile, giving tips and hacks about important things such as getting a cover-shot, an agent, etc. It also talks about career options for actors based in Chicago and New York. She mentions back stories of other actors, how many of them got a break after ten years of struggle or even more.

The book has many lessons for aspiring actors which could apply to everyone.

One of the great lessons is that one can be highly talented but that alone will gain no fruit if one does not adapt to the circumstances they are in.

For example, you might be a great actor after a week of practice but auditions at Hollywood only give a few minutes to practice before the screening process and you have to grasp the opportunity.

Another piece of golden advice is that one should keep learning.

Even after you might have graduated from a top institute, you have to learn new things if your profession demands it and there is no shame in taking classes again or honing a skill.

The best lesson from the book is that for many people, success is not linear. It is not as if one gets a big hit and then it is ‘happily ever after’.

Some actors narrated how after a big-hit, they did not get any substantial role for thirty years. Although Jenna’s narrative is about the profession of acting, it was very inspirational for me as we need to learn and grow in every profession and not just give up on our dreams, whatever they might be.

The book also taught me that we should not make our career the sole source of contentment.

Instead, we should have something outside of it such as volunteering, taking up a hobby or anything which does not hinder our dream but helps us relax and be creative. The book also talks about a lot of other actors who have created their own work, who write, direct, design costumes and do many more things than just act. It really made me think about my career from another perspective and how I can also do a lot of things and expand my horizon.

The book taught be to be kind to one’s fellow colleagues and others in the same profession. We do not need to be “rivals” and disparage each other to succeed. Kindness begets kindness. Jealousy and sabotage  helps no one. So next time if you see someone succeed “more” than you, go and talk to them. Befriend them and learn from them. You might never know what great things you can achieve in the long run.

The book enhanced my perspective about the profession of acting as a whole and instilled a lot of respect for actors, be it movies, television series, web series, theater…..anything.

I have started noticing actors in guest roles, small supporting roles and even extras, which I never did earlier. I started looking up their names and could not help but wonder about the career trajectory of all of them whenever I see them on screen. I have even started to read more about the lead actors and how they have risen to their position. I am currently in awe of Dan Levy who writes, produces, directs, designs costumes and acts in the hilarious show ‘Schitt’s Creek’. I also got reminded of the movie ‘Kamyaab’ starring Sanjay Mishra and how every role is valuable.

The most important lesson that the book taught me is that one does not have to be at the top to be successful.

Just like one does not have to be an Academy award winning actor to be a successful working actor, one does not have to be a CEO or at the top of the hierarchy to be successful in any profession.

The only thing that matters is that you get to do what you want to do and that makes you feel good.

Movie Musing : Bohemian Rhapsody

It has been 3 hours since I got out of the movie theatre after watching Bohemia Rhapsody, and I cannot get over it. The sound, feel and characters of the movie are still lingering around me, both inside and outside of my mind. It feels like a beautiful hangover, which is tingling me, giving me goosebumps.
For the first time in my life, I took myself out to the movies alone. I do not feel it is a big deal but it was a first anyway. Moreover, my friends here do not listen to Queen ( poor unfortunate souls) and a non-fan would really not enjoy the movie. Fortunately, I was not alone in the theatre. There were 50 other fans with me and we were all singing, clapping, rejoicing and crying together. It was one of the best theatre crowds ever.
Although I am a fan, I did not have much knowledge about Mercury and his antics. When I had first listened to Bohemian Rhapsody 2 years ago (yes, I am a late bloomer, but anyway), the first thought that came to my mind was that Freddie Mercury is a genius. You have to be a genius to write such an eccentrically beautiful song. Fortunately, the movie showed it to me and how! One cannot be a “regular” person to create such a legacy. He named the band Queen because it had no meaning. Bohemian Rhapsody had random words to create a mystery, which made the song more famous. Poetry cannot be loved if everything is explained.
The most astounding feature of his character was his confidence, and that is what made him. He was confident about his bucked teeth, queer sense of style, which brought about a revolution in the industry. Who would have imagined a group of boys to be bold enough to cross-dress for the video “I want to Break Free” in the 80s. He taught me that if you are confident about what you are doing, no matter however you look or talk, no one can take it away from you.
Freddie’s urge to be accepted was a major theme of the movie and it did touch many chords in me. I won’t state the reasons here (I also am unaware of most of them), but I have had troubles being accepted by my peers and the people around me, I guess I still do. Most of it is psychological too, just like in the case of Freddie. The songs he wrote for us misfits were something which helped a lot of us. “A band of misfits for the misfits.” It truly was.
So beautiful it is when you realize the origin of your favorite songs. What pain and pleasure the artists went through to produce such beauty. I could not help but wonder about Linkin Park and Chester Bennington. The resonating lyrics of each song, the pain in his voice, and the suicide.
The most beautiful part of the movie was love. The love between Mary and Freddie because of the belief they had in each other, despite Freddie being gay. The love among the band members and their belief in each other. Even though Freddie went out of control and left the band, they loved and revered him, and eventually got back together. They truly believed he was a legend, he still is.
Even though the movie was Freddie’s biopic, it did not let the other band members go unnoticed. It showed the contribution of each and every member, without whom it would not have been Queen.
The Live-aid concert, in the end, was beauty, and it brought tears to my eyes, not only because the songs were beautiful, but because of Freddie’s passion which reflected completely in his performance. He was immersed in the performance so beautifully that he forgot all his fears, and you could feel it too.
In spite of all the negative publicity that Freddie and the band received, the people loved him and will always remember him, not because he was queer, but because of his passion for music and the masterpieces which the band created together. He will forever be known what he believed he was born for- music.