'Virgin Snow'- Offbeat,sweet Korean romance

There are some movies that dont figure in anybodys list of must watch Korean movies. 'Virgin snow'(2007) is one of those which seems to have got lost in spite of being a very good movie. The thing is this is not one of your typical films but watching this is like sitting for a couple of hours in a coffee shop and reminiscing about your long lost love.





















The plot is something like this-
Min(Lee Jun Ki) is a young 24 year old South korean guy who follows his father to Japan to live with him for a year. The father is a visiting professor in a Japanese university. Min takes this opportunity to see and experience life in Japan. One day he runs across Nanae(Aoi Miyazaki) and falls in love with her.

Coincidentally they find themselves at the same university and he courts her in a very cute manner. Since he is from Korea and she is from Japan, their conversation is greatly limited by the language problems but that does not dampen their enthusiasm to know one another better. He starts learning Japanese and she tries to understand Korean terms.















However Nanae has some bad family problems which cause her a lot of grief. One day Min learns of his grandmother's ill health and has to travel back to Korea. When he returns, Nanae has disappeared without a trace. Why she does that and how Min tries to figure his life out is the rest of the story.
















I was very happy that the ending is a happy one cause Korean movies are so inclined towards sad endings.The virgin snow makes its impact in the ending and justifies the name of the film. I don't know why but the first snow has a lot of romantic associations with it in Korea.
















Min's role is played by Lee Jun Ki who is apparently quite famous in Korea and I thought he played the part really well. He does a good job showing the lovers anguish and pain of separation.The Japanese girl takes a bit of time to get used to but she is also easy on the eyes.

One thing you get from the story is that lack of direct communication at the right time can seriously screw up relationships. But most lovers have this problem expecting their partner to magically understand everything so :)

There is a nice incident where the couple takes a boat ride when the girl tells Min that couples who take a boat ride on that lake eventually break up. Min retorts that there is a 'Doldam' bridge in Korea where the same break up belief holds true. But he tells her that there is also a concept that if a couple goes on a date in the first snowfall, they will be happy forever. So he suggests that they should go on a walk on the Doldam bridge in the first snowfall and that will cancel out the bad luck and solve their problem. It was one of those simple but beautiful romantic conversations that people have on dates.















Japan and South Korea are neighbours and have some kind of fascination with each other's cultures which is apparent from their movies. This film did very very good business in Japan according to wikipedia. Another thing that I appreciated is that the story shows us Japanese culture and things. I think the Japanese words for thank you is 'Arigato' and bye is 'Sayonara'. It is cute to see the two central characters struggle and encourage each other to learn basic words. Love even overcomes language barriers.















I liked the movie and found it to be quite entertaining. It is a tad slow no doubt but thats the best part of the story that without any drastic melodrama or plot devices, it still holds your interest. Watch 'Virgin snow' when you have some time and bask in a world where love can conquer despite misunderstandings and place and culture differences.

'Lovers in Paris' -Best romantic Korean drama..

I am so in love with Korean movies and dramas. 'Lovers in Paris' is the latest from Korea thats stolen my heart.

One of the most romantic and well written dramas is 'Lovers in Paris' which was broadcast on SBS in Korea. This Korean drama was telecast in 2004 and got very high ratings during its run. The main actors in this were-
Park Shin-Yang as Han Ki-joo
Kim Jung-Eun as Kang Tae-young
Lee Dong-Geon as Yoon Soo-hyuk

I was searching for Park Shin Yang's other movies when I came across this scene of 'Lovers in Paris'. Earlier I had seen his movie, "White Valentine" in which he had played the role of a sad, depressed young lover who is miserable after the death of his partner. I loved his acting in 'White valentine'. In many of the scenes, his eyes and body language did most of the talking.

I want to applaud the director, actors and the scriptwriter of this romantic Kdrama. They have created a beautiful series of episodes which showcase the love story so well.



In the opening episode we are introduced to Tae Young who is a struggling student in Paris. The series shows her wishing for money and happiness at the wishing fountain in Paris. She is a bit goofy and tends to mess up things but she has a very nice caring heart. She somehow gets a job as a housemaid in a rich man's place. The rich man is Han Ki-joo-the central character of 'Lovers in Paris'. He is a shrewd but smart businessman who has a very keen eye for things around him. He is a cut above the rest in all his business dealings.




















Through a series of fun misunderstandings Tae-young ends up acting as his fake fiancee for a business deal. As the story progresses they find themselves drawn to each other. Park Shin-Yang performs his role very well as a jealous, super handsome lover. The plot thickens when the rich guy's nephew(Yoon Soo-hyuk) also gets attracted to the same lady. Now the lovers have to sort out amongst themselves as to who gets whom.
















The music that plays during the series has a very catchy tune. The moment you hear that it registers in your memory. Also the director has utilized the amazing "Moon River" soundtrack from 'Breakfast in Tiffany's'. It is such a beautiful tune and raises the effect of the Kdrama to a different level.

I saw a couple of scenes of this drama on Youtube and was blown away by the intensity of the performances and the brilliant script and acting. The two lovers in this also got the 2nd place for a best kiss contest in Korea. The scene for which they won the award is below. They both look terribly cute and embarassed as the kissing scene is played out to the audience.



There are other amazing scenes in this Korean drama including a proposal scene which is hilarious. The main guy proposes to the girl by giving her three options and asks her to choose from yes, NO and maybe but whatever she chooses his option ends in marriage.

The best part is that even parodies of this drama are hilarious to watch. This clip from another television show proves that. I liked the way the singer in this parodied the important scenes from the drama.


Somehow I wonder why the director didnt make a movie out of this. But I guess Korean dramas are equally popular as Korean movies so it did not matter.

I wish I could someday write a brilliant script like this for an Indian serial. This is a must watch for all people who like romantic dramas which has a good amount of comedy too.



Spoiler Alert-Please dont read further as I am gonna jot down my thoughts about the ending to 'Lovers in Paris'.

I read at many places on the web that people don't like the ending of the drama. Personally I understand that they felt a bit cheated when everyone realized that the whole drama was just a screenplay that Tae Young was writing in real life while working as a maid in Han Jo's house. But the best part is they are destined to be lovers in real life as they end up meeting each other in the exact same circumstances as she has written in her fictional screenplay. It was one of the best non cliched happily ever after endings that I have seen.

Also I loved how the writers ended the series in Paris-the same place where the story started in the first place bringing to a full circle the series of events in the love story.

Three cheers to the wonderful Korean drama, 'Lovers in Paris'.

Tere Bin(Besides you)

I got the "Tere Bin" song lyrics by Rabbi Shergill in a forward today and it’s made me so happy. I keep listening to this song over and over again. The song is from a very non-descript movie called Delhi heights. The movie sank but the song rocked.

The lyrics have so much meaning and they are the most profound lines of the mushy-gushy type but said in a Zen like manner :)

tere bin / sanu sohnia /koi hor nahio labhna /
besides you my love; i shan't find another
jo dave / ruh nu sakun / chukke jo nakhra mera /
who'll give peace to my soul and indulge me
ve main sare ghumm ke vekhia /
i have gone and seen it all
amrika , roos, malaysia /
America,Russia,Malaysia
kittey vi koi fark si /
there wasn't any difference
har kise di koi shart si /
they all had some condition
koi mangda mera si sama /
some asked for my time
koi hunda surat te fida /
some were fascinated with my face
koi mangda meri si vafa /
some demanded my fidelity
na koi mangda merian bala /
none wanted my demons
tere bin / hor na kise / mangni merian bala /
besides you no one else
wanted my demons
tere bin / hor na kise / karni dhup vich chhan /
besides you no one else
shall shade me in the sun
jiven rukia / si tun zara /
(the) way you paused slightly
nahion bhulna / main sari umar /
i shan't forget all my life
jiven akhia si akhan chura /
you said, looking away
"rovenga sanu yad kar" /
"you shall weep in my memory"
hasia si main hasa ajeeb /
i laughed a strange laugh
(par) tu nahi si hasia /
but you didn't
dil vich tera jo raaz si /
you had a secret in your heart
mainu tu kyon ni dasia /
why didn't you tell me
tere bin / sanu eh raz /
besides you none shall tell this
kise hor nahion dasna /
secret to me
tere bin / peerh da ilaaj / kis vaid kolon labhna /
besides you what druid
has the cure to my ills
milia si ajj mainu / tera ik patra /
i found today a note of yours
likhia si jis 'te /
on which you had scribbled
tun shayr varey shah da /
a varis shah couplet
park ke si osnu /
upon reading which
hanjnu ik duliya /
a teardrop fell
akhan 'ch band si /
what was locked in the eye
seh raaz ajj khulia /
was revealed today
ki tere bin / eh mere hanjnu /
that other than you
these tears of mine
kise hor / nahio chumna /
won't be kissed by
none else
ki tere bin / eh mere hanjhu /
that other than you
these tears of mine
mitti vich rulnha /
will wither in the dust

*****************************

Maine Pyar Kiya - It's all about winning the parents

‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ is really a saccharine sweet movie from the late 80's. It was released sometime in 1989 to be precise. I remember the headline for the review of the movie by Khalid Mohammed in the Times of India was titled 'Vague Entertainment'. I didn’t know the meaning of vague then so I assumed that it should mean something good. Don’t ask me why I remember such nonsensical things but that’s how it is with me.

Anyway I digress from the main point which is that when the movie was released it became such a huge hit and a rage everywhere. Every girl wanted to be like the stunningly beautiful Bhagyashre. Young guys had a new idol to look upto-the lean-mean and overtly good looking Salman Khan.

Many girls stitched clothes like the simple salwar kameezes worn by Bhagyashree. What's really amazing about this diminutive actress is that she still looks as young as she did, 20 years ago. Of course the fact that she sacrificed everything and bid adieu to movies to set up her family on her husband's diktat (who didn’t approve her acting with other co stars) is probably the sweetest thing done in the name of love.

Salman of course went from strength to strength after this movie and he is what he is today. Our now famous comedian Raju Shrivastav I believe had a small character in MPK as a servant or something. The very talented and good looking Mohnish Behl (Nutan's son) got relegated to playing the bad guy in every role after this. Laxmikant Berde got stuck playing the hero's sidekick and unfortunately died a year or so back due to some health issues. Alok Nath and Reema Lagu continued to play the role of harried parents for another million years.

The one cute thing about Maine Pyar Kiya was that it brought friendship back into fashion (no... not the-i-dont-know-u but will u be my fren like on orkut) but the simple uncomplicated friendship that should be the basis for love. And that brings us to yet merchandise made popular by the movie-Friend caps. I didn’t purchase the ‘Friend’ cap though I saw it selling like hot cakes everywhere.

Dialogue time-
Ek ladka aur ke ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakthe(Boy and gurl cannot stop at being frens)
Nahee ho sakthe hain, agar ladka ya tho ladki dono main se ek thakela ho(No they can still stop at being frens if one of them is a loser) Just kiddin :)

MPK started the trend of saaf suthra Barjatya family romances set in Wankhede stadium like houses with an assortment of servants. Kabootars got a new lease of life and suddenly love was in the air. Everyone appreciated the basic premise of the movie which is that you don’t need to elope for your romance; you can work it out and win your love and parental approval.

What simple times were those... I try and watch some scenes of MPK even today when the movie is telecast on some channel. It is interesting to see romance as it once was.

The Zahir--Paulo Coelho

Love is the history of a woman's life; it is an episode in man's.
---Germaine De Stael
=====================
“The Zahir” is a bad book. Period.

It had a very interesting premise which has been executed very badly as the story progresses. The reader is introduced to a marriage of ten years, torn asunder by the sudden disappearance of the wife. The husband has numerous questions about the disappearance of his wife, who has left without any explanations and these questions turn into a "Zahir” or an obsession for the author.

Take it from me except the plot outlined above, there is hardly anything interesting in the book. To put it simply, the book is a drag.

The whole story or the lack of any sense further in the plot has to be read, to be disbelieved. Granted that the author has written other good books like The Alchemist, Veronica decides to die etc. But with Zahir, the author has committed a huge mistake. Throughout the book, the one dominant theme is that of an egoistic author talking about himself, his achievements and the narcissism is just too much for the reader to bear.

The protagonist of the book is none other than the author Paul Coelho himself although he does not admit to the fact out rightly, it is left to the reader to "read between the lines".

As the story progresses, Coelho(the husband) hams about his new celebrity author life style in which he has plenty of money, fame, respect but he still feels lonely inspite of all the adulation. His wife or rather his 2nd or 3rd wife in the book, Esther is a war correspondent is frustrated with her husband who hardly has any time or feelings for her anymore. One day she gets fed up and sets off leaving a trail of strange clues behind. And then the husband starts searching for her since now he understands that she was an integral part of his life. Sheesh! Why do people always realize when it’s too late? But then again you don’t sympathize or understand the protagonist of the story because he starts having random affairs with other women while searching for his wife, how strange/putting off is that?

While searching for his wife, he meets these spiritual, mystical people from the Steppes including his wife’s so called lover, Mickail. Mickail takes him into various private meetings and a lot of humbug spiritual enlightment situations that will bore you to tears. By the end of the book or rather with more than 100 pages still left, you start getting frustrated and kinda identify with the wife who must have got similarly fed up of her good-for-nothing husband-the author.

Coelho also does not let go of the opportunity to express his views on Christianity and his disbelief about certain things associated and the book simply serves him as a convenient, secret platform to express his views. It would be nice if Paulo Coelho sticks to writing stories like ‘The Alchemist’ instead of selling his autobiography/personal opinions to the public in the guise of a spiritual enlightenment book

I don't like being a non conformist but I don't understand as to why people praise something when they just don’t get it. If you read the book and think that there is some deeper meaning, forget it. There is no deep thinking needed at all unlike "The Alchemist" in which there was a lot of hidden meaning in the fable.

Take my advice and read the above review three times but do not venture out to get "The Zahir" because the book is a huge waste of everyone’s precious time. I didn't even buy the book, just took it from the library for 25 bucks as reading charges and I am venting, so you can understand how disappointing the book was. You have been warned.

Love Quotes!

If it is your time, love will track you down like a cruise missile.
-Lynda Barry American Cartoonist, Painter, Essayist

Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep-burning, unquenchable.
- Henry Ward Beecher 1813-1887, American Preacher, Orator, Writer

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.
- Bible Sacred Scriptures of Christians and Judaism
Love is love's reward.
- John Dryden 1631-1700, British Poet, Dramatist, Critic

Love possesses not nor will it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love.
Kahlil Kibran 1883-1931, Lebanese-born Poet, Philosopher, and Artist

He is not a lover who does not love forever.
- Euripides BC 480-406, Greek Tragic Poet

Quotes!!!

I love random lines-Quotes-Here are some o f 'em

Be careful of what you want; you might get it

'life ek race hai, koi morning walk nahi'.

~No good deed goes unpunished~

~Most problems in life stem from saying yes too soon and not saying no soon enough~

“Learn how to separate the majors and the minors. A lot of people don’t do well simply because they major in minor things.” - Jim Rohn.

The sincerest love is the love of food.
Bernard Shaw

How can you have a future when your past is still in your present.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Shallow Hal

Shallow Hal is a very entertaining comedy because it deals very beautifully with the fact that most of us are superficial when it comes to judging people. We want to meet and date people who are only superficially beautiful and anyone not meeting our beauty standards is automatically rejected. What the movie tries to tell us is that we should not go by the external facade of the other person but rather give everyone a fair chance or we might miss out on some fabulous people in our lives who are not so beautiful.

The crux of the story is that Hal (Jack Black ..extremely funny)and his best friend are guys who only like to date thin, good looking women. Intelligent women who are not so presentable are ignored totally by these guys. It?s a different issue that these two guys themselves are not drop dead handsome or something. They meet a new age speaker who casts a spell on Black and makes him see the inner beauty within every person. A string of incidents happen in which Jack even meets the love of his life. But the only problem is that although she appears gorgeous to him; in reality she is really fat. How Jack learns the truth and overcomes his superficiality forms the rest of the story.

This flick has wonderful acting by Black and is ably supported by the very pretty Gwyneth Paltrow and Seinfeld actor (don?t know his name..sorry). There are so many beautiful moments in the flick, which give you the message in a very humorous manner. I hate movies that are you know the ’’preachy-preachy’’ types but what I liked was that this one makes us understand the message in a very subtle manner.

There are so many hilarious scenes like when the hero’s girlfriend takes a jump in the pool and the disastrous after effects of ’’the jump’’; when they share a drink romantically and the super fast way in which she finishes it all alone and many more. Also there are very touching scenes especially when he visits the children?s ward of the hospital the second time and when Black sees his girlfriend the way she really is(and not thin as he had always imagined and seen her). Note his first words on seeing her.
The film has lots of humor thanks largely to the fact that it is a Farrelly brothers creation. Their movies have so much of laff-a-minute humor that it is really enjoyed by people of all age groups.

Though their movies tend to have somewhat loud humor; in this one they are restrained. Mind you this is not a sappy romantic but a movie that belongs to the ’’funny romantic’’ genre so I daresay people should like it. Personally speaking the way in which Black acts is really funny with his deadpan style of dialogue delivery. His friend also excels in supporting him.

’’Shallow Hal wants a gal’’ is really the whole catchphrase of the movie so ?You my pal should watch Hal? bad rhyming but watch it if you can anyway.

Really cool movie!

Socha na tha’ is like a breath of fresh air. It’s funny because most of the people who walk in to watch the movie don’t have too many expectations. By the end of the movie though the audience is delighted with the outcome. Most of the Indian films tend to go over the top with loud characters, hamming actors and so on. So it feels great to watch something that’s zara hatke. The director has wonderfully narrated a simple story and managed to catch the viewer’s attention from the very first frame.

We are introduced to the 20something, urban characters of Viren, Aditi, Karen and their respective families. Viren is hiding from his family about the love of his life: Karen. Somehow he manages to convince his family about accepting the Christian girl when things go for a toss as Aditi enters their lives. Viren and Aditi meet up several times and end up being very candid about their respective lives to each other. Somewhere along the line they realize that they have fallen in love and therein lies the problem. The pair now has the daunting task of convincing their respective families who are at a war of words with each other over a non-issue.

The surprise of the film is definitely the latest Deol on the block, Abhay who has hit the bull’s eye with this movie. His endearing mannerisms and dialogues are a treat. His portrayal of the character is sweet enough to convince you to like him, inspite of his wavering nature regarding the affairs of the heart. He has tried his best and it shows. Ayesha Takia is a total natural and completely at ease with the camera. She has as a good flair for acting, which makes us really care for her character. Sandya Mridul is wasted in a good for nothing role and makes you wonder if her role was chopped off on the editing table or what. Other actors like Suresh Oberoi, Ayesha Jhulka and Rati Agnihotri ably support the newcomers.

Sandesh Shandilya’ s compositions border on the average to the pleasant. Love stories need a good superhit score, which is sorely lacking here. If nothing the songs are a good means of generating interest about the movie amongst the public. Over here the songs are good but are not hummable enough to create an impression. ‘Abhi Abhi mere dil main khayal aaya hai’ is picturised rather well. However once you are out of the theatre, the tunes are out of your mind. I guess the director could pay a little more attention to that department next time around.

The movie could have done with better marketing and promos so that people don’t miss out on good clean family entertainment. One thing that could have been done without was the hero’s atrocious hairstyle that resembled his brother Bobby’s long locks. I hope he does not follow his brother’s footsteps and end up doing the “dishumdishum” roles. I guess his strength lies in playing characters like these.

The story has been greatly appreciated by the young college going crowd but I am sure that this is something that anyone will enjoy. The likeability quotient of the youth towards the movie can be attributed to the college situations depicted like the group picnics, parties, bahanas etc.

I read somewhere that Subhash Ghai, was so impressed after the screening of ‘Socha na tha’, that he personally congratulated the director (Imtiaz Ali) and has supposedly offered him a Mukta productions venture to direct. The storyline is very simple but it’s the treatment of the plot by the first time director that has made all the difference.

Although the film was long in the making, thankfully it does not have a dated look. There is an air of joie de vivre throughout the story. In fact after watching the film, I agree with what another MS reviewer has commented that socha na tha movie itni achi hogi. Using MTV parlance, the one thing that you should do now is see ‘Socha na tha’ and ENJOY!

Stories of love, loneliness and longing

I am reading a short stories collection after a really long time. So forgive me if I wax lyrical about this book but believe me this is good reading. The Interpreter of Maladies is a short stories collection by Jhumpa Lahiri. The book had won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for best fiction and a host of other awards. All the stories have the underlying theme of ‘yearning’ , the deep desire to go back to your roots, in this case, India. The cultural displacement of the Indians and their adjustments in the new land of opportunity (America) brings out different reactions from the myriad characters.

Here is a short synopsis of some of the stories.
A Temporary Matter is about this couple who are individually grieving over the loss of their dead infant and have completely not overcome the sadness. Instead of talking it out, both of them keep silent about it, while the wounds of loneliness and pain fester beneath their hurt bodies. The power cuts in their area force them to spend time together by candlelight. They end up slowly and unsurely, having conversations about their past. This one is highly recommended and my favorite of the whole lot.

This Blessed House A young couple finds sacred objects of Christianity, hidden in extremely ingenious ways in their newly acquired house.

The curing of Bibi Haldar tells the tale of a emotionally disturbed, young girl who has to endure a lot of pain before finally getting her deliverance. It reveals the huge expectations of the traditional Indian culture on single women who have to marry someone within an appropriate time and the resultant implications of that.
When Mr Pirzada came to dine is the story of Mr Pirzada(a Pakistani) who is separated from his wife and kids at the time of the Dacca war. He spends time with a friendly Indian family across the seven seas. The food shared by the protagonist with the Indian family is the strongest bond of love that also expels the collective feeling of homesickness.

The Third and Final continent is about a shy Bengali immigrant who recollects how he had to get accustomed to a new culture and a new land (having traveled from India to Britain and finally to the US). He finds a mother figure in his 103 yr old landlady who has her own quirky ways. The story ends with the protagonist’s wistful lines, ’’Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept.’’

Mrs.Sen’s is about this Bengali lady who takes up a job as a caretaker of little Elliot. Though the boy’s eyes, we understand how she is sick of leading a false life and pretending to be well off and happy in the alien place. In reality, she is bored and miserable and the trips to the fish market are her only solace. The fish market is so vividly described that you actually experience the sights and sounds of that place. In a way, the food is her link to her homeland that she sorely misses.

The characters in Jhumpa’s story are very ordinary people who lead mediocre lives. Though they look somewhat happy and okay with their lives, but beneath the surface, they have lots of desires, fears and wants, which are unexpressed. These hidden needs manifest in different ways in their day-to-day lives and everyone continues to exist mundanely, ignoring what they really want from life.

Jhumpa does not go too deep into the characterization of the people involved but she mentions small personal details about them, which more or less tell the reader everything about the character. The writer has captured the nuances so well, that you actually feel the pathos of the characters.

Somehow the narrative does touch a chord in your heart. You know these people because they could be anyone of the persons that coexist with you in your locality. The silent workaholic couple, the lonely bachelor, the disloyal wife and so on. The point that the writer makes is that none of us are completely black or white but we have loads of gray shades to our personas.

Finally it’s befitting that none of the stories have an ending per se. The ending of each story leaves the readers to draw their own conclusions and ponder about the vagaries of life. Successful stories are those that make the reader go through the entire gamut of emotions that the characters experience. With her stories, Jhumpa Lahiri has succeeded in doing just that and much more.