Life Lessons that ‘Devil Wears Prada’ taught me…

So before you start thinking how and why I would culminate life lessons from a classic ‘chick flick’, let me tell you that ‘Devil Wears Prada’ wasn't just a movie. It served as a reminder of things I didn't want to be reminded about. So lets put it this way. Since I’m such a stupid head, this movie seems to blatantly tell me, ‘ The signs are all out there but you’re not doing what you have to do (you dumb fuck)!”  

1) You need to do something you never thought you would do, to realize what you really want!

You know how one year as Miranda Priestley’s (Meryl Streep) assistant at ‘Runway’ magazine can get you a job at any place you want? So there are these jobs that have supposedly great brand names that help you improve your portfolio. Sadly, your interest towards such a job and the weightage it carries for your resume can be very inversely proportional! But guess what?! Working at such a job even for a little while can make you realize what you really crave for.

It says to me “You don’t give a fuck about this spreadsheet, you’re thinking about the aurora borealis effect right now! So who are you kidding?” 

Working as Miranda Priestley’s assistant was necessary for Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) to truly realize who she really was as a person and as a professional. I have a feeling this applies in real life too.

2) Trendy clothes (read superficialities) cannot solve your problems

We all know this already, but end up falling into the trap of a ‘fabulous lifestyle’ where you look great, wear great clothes and are going to great places in those great clothes. So once Andrea shifts her attention towards wearing the perfect clothes and getting the right look, there is no looking back. She starts doing great at her job and starts fitting in with her ultra glam colleagues. But there is also a void in her that starts expanding. A void which she never realized existed, until it was a little too late.

In my head this is what goes on “I get that you like being neatly turned out to work but you are actually supposed to be in distressed jeans and an old flannel shirt doing many more important things"

Now, if you have ever worn a lovely Van Huesen blouse and some neat Carlton London pumps to work, yet have a 5 minute existential crisis everyday at 11.07 AM, as to what you are doing with your skills and energy….then you know exactly what I mean by ‘void’.

3) Snooty and over achieving employees are a real deal 

If you have ever worked, hell even interned at a corporate you would know by now that very real and lifelike versions of Emily (etched in our memories with a great performance by Emily Blunt) do exist! Yes dear people, it is possible to live your job. Such individuals simply modify their personalities over time to ensure that they are compatible with their manager’s. No matter what you do, these people will always make you remember that you’ll never be as good as them, because lets face it…you don’t love your job and they do!

4) Knowingly or unknowingly, wittingly or unwittingly all of us might have to trample somebody else’s aspirations 

It’s not like Andrea wanted to steal away Emily’s dream opportunity of travelling to Paris for fashion week with Miranda, but she ends up doing it. 

Though I hope this isn't always true, I have known the nicest colleagues who have been who have clobbered on somebody’s plans and/or the  victims of clobbering. 

This probably doesn't qualify as clobbering but the other day the security guard told me to sign and then swipe my id card but now I do it the opposite way! Totally badass.

5) They are all learning curves and not mistakes if you are trying to find yourself

So Andrea ends up landing that job at the newspaper house like she always wanted. That's more than a fairytale ending…But the best part is that it isn’t an impossible one! 

It is so difficult to even understand what we want from life, but once we do all the mistakes we made, or we thought we made become such great learning curves. 

Above all, it is important to pursue what you think you deserve to pursue. If a movie tells me the story of somebody who made her share of mistakes, yet is eventually chasing her dreams…that movie is an inspiring account in my books. 

Anandi’s Friendship Agreement

Hello Non-friends!

This is the Chapter 1 of the ‘Friendship Agreement’ that prospective friends need to read-through and accept if they wish to have comradeship with the creator of this agreement. Based on your performance in the preliminary assessment period* you may be upgraded from ‘friend’ to ‘All-Weather Friend’ to ‘Super Friend’**

The following are compulsory articles of the friendship agreement (I shall refer to myself as the ‘creator’ short for ‘creator of this agreement’ for quick reading and narcissistic purposes):

1)      You must pick-up and drop the creator from and at Mambalam or any other train station she may be coming or going to, while visiting you for ‘hanging out’ purposes with your ungrateful self. The creator cannot drive.No fun shall be made of this.

2)      Preferably one arm distance or a distance of 10 centimeters should be maintained with the creator since she does not like to be ‘koochikoed’.

3)      The creator is by now shocked that her first 2 articles sound a lot like Sheldon Cooper’s but she is going to be extremely chill about it. She suggests that you play along.

4)      The creator will always take care and responsibility of your irresponsible selves during times of alcohol induced frivolity. However, when the time comes (if it comes) you MUST ensure she ingests butter milk at the Chennai International Airport.

5)      The following articles will have subdivisions:

PART I

Life Approaches

a) If you consider yourself to be an individual with a ‘mind of your own’ or in other words ‘mind-of-its-own’, you may come to the creator seeking advice that you would not like to heed but need.

b) If you consider yourself to be a very ‘sane and responsible’ person, you shall not expect the creator to become a friend of yours in such a delusional state of mind.

PART II

             
Food Intake

a)      During events of congenial food intake, the creator shall not entertain the placement of one’s hand on the creator’s plate, no matter how swift the movement of food between plates maybe.

b)      The clinking of ladles and vessels shall not be encouraged. You may contact the creator’s brother, for such sound effects.

c)       A love for food at any place and at all times is a non-negotiable entity. You must erase the word ‘diet’ from memory.

PART III

Social

a)      To respect the creator’s anti-social tendencies is also a non-negotiable entity.b)      The creator may not pick up phone calls or respond to messages; this does not mean that you are not valued as a friend. This means you are a whiny person.

This encapsulates Chapter 1 of the friendship agreement. Chapter 2 of the agreement discusses other aspects in detail. This shall be shared soon.

For a complete reading of ‘Anandi’s Friendship Agreement’ leave a mail at anuthisismyid@gmail.com.

* The duration of the preliminary assessment period will be kept secretive due to selfish purposes

** Super Friend: A rare achievement that has been unlocked by a very few but extremely grateful individuals

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The Zero Loss Theory

Whether or not, our politicians dispense their political duties to their utmost capabilities, they do come up with the most brazen and stumping arguments. The reason for debate now is the new entrant in the quagmire of scams, the coal mining scam.

Now that the sophisticated glamour of the finance ministry has been re-established with the entry of Mr.P.Chidabaram, the UPA seems to be banking on him to tote the “no loss theory”. According to our union finance minister, the 1,86,000 crore rupee loss to the exchequer, as given in the initial report produced by the Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) is, but a delusional number. His argument is based on the fact that the process of mining has not yet been carried out so technically the companies, to which the blocks had been allocated, have not benefited monetarily. This argument is unimpressive and weak coming from a politician that of Mr.P.Chidabaram’s stature. Let us discuss why.

Yes, the actual mining has not taken place as of now, but is it not a fact that the coal blocks are no longer under the government’s authority and control? Is it not fact that the private players can dictate how that coal can be priced? Is it not fact that one of the primary motives behind any business is profit, and that it is no different for the new owners? Not only this, but looking at the issue at hand from the perspective of Dalal street; the mere holding of these coal blocks by those certain companies, the likes of Essar Power, Hindalco, Tata Steel, Tata Power, Jindal Steel and Power, could have and will continue to, arguably increase their market value along the line. The moral here is that, profit has been a reassuring actuality to these companies and loss, a biting reality to the exchequer.

Another reason that this theory has been touted as ridiculously weak, lies in its similarity to the erstwhile argument propounded by, indeed, Mr.Kapil Sibbal during the 2G spectrum scam. Because the coal has not yet been unearthed, does it forever negate the occurrence of its sale at higher prices altogether? It is very important for both of our esteemed UPA colleagues to understand, that, just because the barracks are empty, does not necessarily mean that the war is not imminent. As is tradition, the blame game now ensues with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh relaying the rhetoric of complete responsibility for his decisions as the ex-coal minister while simultaneously passing the buck to the state governments. Yes, it is within his right to condemn the governments that had opposed the move to auction the coal blocks during the UPA first regime in 2006. But this free for all tomfoolery by the coal ministry in his regime, under his nose, how will he be able to justify that?

The only theory that the government seems to be following apart from the “zero loss theory” seems to be the “Hawley’s Risk theory of profit” which states that, the riskier the industry, the higher it’s profit rate. The industry here is politics. 

Honey. ..So what if you don’t like it now? You’ll learn to love your job!

I don’t know how or when this happened but more and more people I know feel that content writing is somehow the prefect job for “rebellion within a controlled environment”. As paradoxical as that sounds, the view seems to be that, one gets to do the writing work, without the stress involved in journalism. If not anything else, to me this seems like an unintentional and mild insult to those passionate content writers who actually love their jobs. I wonder if many of us would be okay to munch on carrots instead of French fries, the common factor here being, crunchiness. More interestingly, this whole “learning to love the job” paradigm feels analogous to the arranged marriage system!

They say “You’ll learn to love your husband( who by the way, happens to be rich)” similarly ,not just content writing but any other job for that matter…”You’ll learn to love your job( which by the way will make you rich)” Maybe. While they’re at it, it would immensely help if they could also prescribe something that would cure the regretatthebackofmyhead condition, knowing I would have rocked at something that they deemed an impractical career choice. Will some aspirin help me perhaps, 20 years down the lane?

I know it is that proverbial question of comfort vs. passion, so let’s get down to it. How many people who are famous and I mean Bill Gates kind of famous, took the option of comfort as opposed to passion? I am not a big follower of history, but I don’t think any of the great men and women who accomplished great things said “I’ll take the money instead!” Yes I do accept we all have those super successful cousins and friends who call all the shots at their workplaces…but their arguments are invariably based on “comfort”. These are the exact same people who want their kids to infallibly follow their dream, irrespective of how “impractical” their career choices are(nascent memories anyone?)

We newbies, hold a tremendous amount of respect for the experienced. That’s why we need them to be there for us and support us when we take our decisions. We need them to offer us some words of advice, but also to let us make our own mistakes. All our parents want is to see us happy and doing well for ourselves, and we are truly blessed to have them worry for us. I ask them however, how to have our integrities intact with regret in our hearts? How does one completely give in to their new job as the business development officer when they know, that their dusty dslr camera beckons at them every day?

Bottom-line is, I may not turn out to be the next hotshot writer of a best-selling novel (which I am, smugly enough, sure to be by 40!) but hey…I tried! And I loved every step of the way, knowing I was fully aware of what I was doing. Trust those like me; to be smart enough to make money out of stuff we love doing. The revolutionary generation has arrived indeed

When it comes to career choices, don’t make them under the influence of somebody and/or money. Because sometimes, it’s more dangerous than being under the influence of alcohol. 

09/07/2012

I felt I would be doing myself a grave disservice if I didn’t pen down my thoughts today.  Trying to bring in even a semblance of discipline in my lifestyle is becoming relatively difficult, though for an aspiring writer like me, discipline is of the utmost importance. I understand that now.  As a matter of fact, I am reminded of that episode where Ross urges Joey to have a much disciplined outlook, to start writing his movie script. I didn’t understand why, back then. Now I do. I see that the writers of the show had clearly expressed that they wanted the audience to know this, albeit through a very light hearted rant.

It is not that most writers want to wait for inspiration to strike, before they start writing. It is just that, many of us want to stay cocooned in our little made up worlds and escape the vulnerability that writing brings. Let’s face it, nobody, not even writers are brazen enough to face themselves defenceless, that easily. This brings me to think about something. It can’t be denied that it requires bravery to bare one’s vulnerable self. Just one another oxymoron of life isn’t it?

I intended to do this yesterday, since I now find even during typing this that writing is indeed therapeutic, but here I am writing today. Let me shed some of my thoughts on the movie that I know, will be in my mind for a few more years to come- Gangs of Wasseypur.

 I was at a loss of words for a befitting term to describe what this movie is, in a nutshell. What I can tell though is that this movie is going to reign in a style, in film-making and the popular culture of today that can be termed as “charmingly crude” It is a contradiction, but it is true.

In the larger sense, I hope this paves the way towards acceptance in general. Gangs of Wasseypur maybe the story of essentially, a scintillating and sincere rivalry between two warring clans, and the story of a man with a plan…but it showcases who we are as Indians. We don’t have to be pure and perfect. We can be boorish, deceitful and brazen, yet be as charming as an Audrey Tautou of “Amelie”.  Being prim and proper is finally over rated. What a wait it’s been, for that to happen! And what a time this movie has come at…when we are all racing towards westernization at a blinding speed.

I am not saying that, there aren’t any factors in the film that maybe cringe worthy and neither am I stating that it is THE most authentic representation of the people of Wasseypur, but from my experiences, such characters are very real and do very much prevail as compared to a “Poo” of “Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham”

The man, the protagonist, Sardar Khan portrayed by Manoj Bajpai( who was so good, that I forgot that he was indeed Manoj Bajpai and not Khan) going by butler psychoanalysis, is  the alpha male, who lives to avenge his father’s death. But his antics at many a times are hilarious and perfectly complement his otherwise ruthless nature. In a sense, he is the coolest anti-hero of recent times.

 He is also a man, who cannot resist the thought of a woman’s curves and he always goes for the kill. But he succumbs to his wife. He seems to have some unspoken respect for his wife, so much so that he fears her wrath whenever he gets caught betraying her. His wife Nagma, played by_ who is initially very fiery and brazen, is deeply hurt along the line by his behaviour. She ages and in true 21^st century style, she turns to the more comforting, materialistic realms of life. Her character graph, even then, is astonishingly not made to be an advertisement for seeking the services of a feminist welfare group. This is because, at no point in her life, is she an “avla nari”. All the women in the movie, as in real life, make their own choices. This is why the movie is so realistic.

There were a few moments of epiphany during the film which I must share. There is a scene where Nagma orders Sardar to eat well so that he has enough energy to pursue his (delicately put) ‘amorous’ ways, so as to not bring any embarrassment to her. I was shocked indeed that a woman can be so secure about her man. What shocked me more however was the fact that, I call myself progressive and I couldn’t watch the scene with Reema Sen and Manoj Bajpai without cringing a little? I mean, here is a woman, who is so bloody secure about her man that she can let him off for his “tharakppan” and here am I, the 21^st century girl, who is afraid of a love making scene because it may spell doom for a tasteful representation of female sexuality, the candour shown towards the fashion in which the men woo these women and what not! But I felt that Nagma was way ahead of me.

It is indeed difficult to face your vulnerabilities and acknowledge that they exist, but I think we should try. I would say, watching GoW as compared to watching a K3G or a Cocktail (at least going by the trailers, though I could be completely wrong!), would be comparable to stepping out of a cocoon. If you can’t do yoga to face your inner self or conscience, at least do watch this film.

More on the movie in my next rant.

Randomness

Why does it sound then…

Like it washes away my fears

Brings those closer, who have been near

In a drenched state, the willows weep

The shards of sorrow though cut me deep

The drops abound and wash them away

They’ve got the heaviness down today..