The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Thursday 18 June 2015

MOHALLA ASSI: HOPE FILM DELIVERS WHERE ITS 'LEAKED' TRAILER FAILS

Well, it claims to a satirical take on 'bad side' of Kashi (or Varanasi or Banaras). Reports say it is loosely based on Kashi Nath Singh's 'Kashi Ka Assi' though the novelist, as some versions say, is not happy with the treatment. 

I watched this trailer last night and again this morning after I came to know about this movie. Looks an interesting movie by the trailer though it is certainly about stereotyping something peripheral as the main. What Chandraprakash Dwivedi, the Central Board of Film Certification member, wants to show through this film, he only knows. 

The culture of Assi, the social milieu of ghats and the overall culture of Banaras is much deeper and mystical. Hope the movie captures this essence which is certainly not in the trailer. What is bad in Banaras, its Pandas and other bad people (Kashi ke 'thug' or cons or fakers), is known from ages. I still find more books on Kashi written by foreigners than by Indians. Yes, the drug menace shown in the trailer is a reality but again it cannot be attributed to everyone. And also, the world knows how dirty has become Varanasi in recent days and needs an infrastructural makeover. 

I am from Varanasi, born and brought-up there. I have never used any expletive so far in my life. Also, I don't know anyone in my circle using expletives as habitually as is shown in the trailer. I still go back to this city to learn from it, to experiment with my thoughts. 

Not everyone uses abuses or invectives or cuss words or "gaalis' there, in day to day life, in routine, while talking. It is not there for everyone, as the trailer makes us to believe so. Mostly, it is between friends. High tempers and rage also see such words flowing. But then, it is not unique to Varanasi. Don't we find such things in Delhi and in other parts, obviously with localized elements? Such societal elements and habits are always on its periphery and we should not see them as mainstream social elements -  as this trailer tells us. 

Reports say this one is a leaked trailer of the movie, that is a work in progress since 2011 and has seen many issue derailing its completion. Finally, it may release later this year. 

As the movie is being claimed as a work of satire and as the trailer is said to be the 'leaked' version, let's see if the movie has that punch to deliver the honest message here. 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/