Zodiac

 American true crime mystery movie “Zodiac” (2007) directed by David Fincher and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr. among others.

Its based on a true crimes committed by one Zodiac who left ciphers and sent letters to the San Francisco Chronicle. Jake Gyllenhaal is a cartoonist in the SFC and Robert Downey Jr. a reporter in the same newspaper.

Mark Ruffalo is handling the case but they get no clues. They interview one Arthur Leigh Allen and all clues point to him as the possible Zodiac. But the handwriting match turns negative and the case is lost.

Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) pursues the case doggedly though he is only a cartoonist and not a police man. He is interested in the cipher code and does a lot of leg work which points him to Arthur Leigh Allen.

Mike Mageau who is the survivor from the first shooting of the couple in 1969 identifies Allen as the man who shot him. But by the time they start investigation, Allen dies of a heart attack.

So officially this case remains unsolved in America’s crime history. A rather longish movie which painstakingly takes the viewers through the happenings from 1969 onwards to more than 25 years later. A lot of detailing has gone into the script.

Of the actors, both Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo have done good roles as required of them. IMDB 5/10

Iratta

 Deadly Malayalam crime thriller movie “Iratta” (2023), directed by Rohit M.G. Krishnan and starring Joju George, Anjali, Arya Salim among others.

Its a story of twin brothers Pramod and Vinod (both played by Joju George) and their respective flashback stories. Both were inseparable in childhood, but had to be separated because of their abusive and womanising father.

Vinod had to stay with his father while Pramod went to his mother. Both enter the police and again both have back stories. Vinod is single until he meets Malini (Anjali) who is subjected to beatings by her husband, a pastor.

Pramod had a wife and daughter, but due to alcoholic ways, his wife separated from him for 17 years. Too much of flashbacks take place. Anyways, one fine evening, Vinod is found shot dead in the police station.

There are lots of suspects and investigations and police procedures, to’s and fro’s going on. Vinod is given to gambling and drinking and in one such binge, he comes across a teenaged girl in a lodge and rapes her.

Meanwhile Pramod’s daughter grows up in Mumbai with her mother and she enters the singing contest on live T.V. The ending is quite gut wrenching as Pramod has to deal with some uncertain truths, just when his wife was beginning to reconcile with him.

Joju George has done an absolutely astounding role as the drunken, brazen, cop in two avatars giving it all it requires to deal with the frustrations, despair and sadness. Watch the movie for his acting only. Its breathtaking.

Otherwise the overall script is okay, camera work and cinematography are all good and background music is superb. Rohit M.G. Krishnan has managed to etch a taut crime thriller on the screen with suspense towards the end. IMDB 5/10

The Dove's Lost Necklace

 

The second part of Nacer Khemir’s desert trilogy “The Dove’s Lost Necklace” (1994), a Tunisian film starring Navin Chowdhry, Walid Arakji, Nina Esber among others.

Hassan (Navin Chowdhry) is learning Arabic calligraphy and on a quest for true love. He is learning the 60 words for love prescribed in Arabic literature and has so far found 35 of them.

Zin (Walid Arakji) is a young kid who is a son of a djinn but everybody calls him a bastard. He delivers love messages for money and so that Prince Haroun, the prince trapped in a monkey becomes real again.

They find a half burnt manuscript which reveals of a lament of Princess Samarkhand. Hassan is looking for that book which talks about true love but the store room in which they look for the book is burnt down.

He finally finds Aziz (Nina Esber) the beautiful Princess of Samarkand and then loses her. Nacer Khemir has created a magnificent and enchanting story rich in metaphor and with a visual imagery stunning for all its beauty. The camera work and cinematography capturing the Arabian architecture and landscape is breathtaking. The rich Arabian music enriches the story to perfection.

Walid Arakji is a stunner of an actor, a young child, with a naughty smile and lots of energy. Navin Chowdhry has done a good role but it is Nina Esber who captures the screen presence with her ravisihing good looks and beauty. IMDB 6/10

Wanderers of the Desert

 

First part of a three part Desert trilogy “Wanderers of the Desert”, a Tunisian film by writer/ director Nacer Khemir and starring Nacer Khemir, Souflane Makni, Noureddine Kasbaoui, Hedi Daoud and Sonia Ichti among others.

A young teacher arrives in a remote village of which many have not heard of. When he arrives, the villagers welcome him, but there is no school building.

The teacher is told that the young men of the village go around wandering in the desert like a ghost due to a curse. Once a year the wanderers come back and the teacher is given a book which he has to make them read so that the curse will be broken.

There is lot of mystery and mystique in the story. A young kid breaks all the mirrors in the village in order to make a garden. There is a beautiful young girl who comes in front of the teacher and makes some hand movements.

One villager is digging for a treasure for 50 years but finds nothing and dies. Suddenly a boat appears in the desert and the police arrives to investigate the sudden disappearance of the teacher.

Its not a linear story line but quite a fable mixing up Arabian culture, mysticism, folklore, legend with some stunning desert visuals and hauntingly melodious Tunisian music. Without the credits, it is difficult to know the characters, but the young kid is quite a devil in the movie.

Nacer Khemir manages to captivate the audience with the never ending suspense. Viewers are trying to piece together the various scenes in order to make a context out of the story. IMDB 4/10

Kalikallam

 Action packed Malayalam movie “Kalikkalam” (1990) directed by Sathyan Anthikad and starring Mammootty, Murali, Shobana, Sreenivasan among others.

Its a classic robinhood story as Mammootty is a robber who robs from the rich and corrupt and spends that money for the poor & disadvantaged. He assumes various roles and identities to dupe the police as well.

Murali is a new police officer and honest one at that. Its a cat and mouse between Murali and Mammootty and try as he might, no clues lead the police to the robber.

One too many murders take place and Murali being a suspended police officer on the spot is arrested and tried for murder. Mammootty is moved by that prospect of an innocent police inspector going to jail and makes amends towards that end.

There are many other character actors in the movie including Shobana who is reduced to a side role as somebody who is pining for the robber. Innocent, Mamukoya, Shankarady, Sreenivasan, Sukumari, Philomena all play useful little roles in their inimitable manner.

This is more action oriented than the earlier movies of Sathyan Anthikad. There is an underlying subtext to the movie in the form of subtle messaging towards corrupt persons and innocent guys getting caught instead. Fine acting by Murali — he was such a fantastic actor in the Malayalam cinema. IMDB 5/10

Bim

 Award winning Trinidad and Tobago film “Bim” (1974) directed by Hugh. A. Robertson and starring Ralph Maraj, Anna Seerattan, Wilbur Holder, Lawrence Goldstraw among others.

Its a kind of a political drama movie of the Indians settled in Trinidad and Tobago. They are nearing their independence from the British empire and Bim (Ralph Maraj) is their natural born leader, though his past is that of a hoodlum doing all sorts of bad things.

Bim’s early age was in an upheaval, becuase his father was killed right in front of him by another Indian rival. He is rejected by his school and taunted and bullied by the afro students. He has no choice but to take to crime to live his life.

Bim’s early love life Anna (Anna Seerattan) later takes to prostitution and he discovers Anna while at one of his sexual flings. Bim gravitates towards political leadership in order to take revenge upon the killers of his father.

While the political climate is hotting up, Bim continues to be arrogant and rejects the offer of a political alliance with the leader of the blacks in Trinidad. The print uploaded on youtube is of a poor quality and overall production values are very poor.

But this movie is supposed to be a cult classic in Trinidad which is why i think somebody should digitally enhance this movie to latest standards. The plot is decent and the story conveys what is intended. IMDB 3/10

6.01 kms

 First run of the new year. 6.01 kms to start the year. 2kms warm up followed by 3kms of tempo pace and 1km of cool down. Happy New Year friends and have maximum fun while running. Cheers.

13.08 kms

 13.08 kms for the last run of the year. Plan was to do 18 kms today, but heavy cold put paid to that. Felt slightly better today so decided to go for more. Yesterday 5.13 kms and with today's mileage it adds upto 18 kms, so happy with that. Total mileage for the month 157.92 kms which is the highest mileage recorded in a month in three years. Have a great weekend folks and Happy New Year to all.

5.13 kms

 Easy 5.13 kms for the morning. Am battling a severe cold and throat irritation. There's so much of construction going on in our area, and so much of dust and pollution, and the govt. does not seem to be doing anything to alleviate the problem. Current AQI in Mumbai is 203, which is unhealthy. Have a great weekend folks.

Destination Chad

 This is an interesting documentary on Chad, a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa.

Its a tough terrain with the majority of the country being desert sands. Not much by way of agriculture is to be found except for fishing which is probably the main occupation and source of living for the people here.

So this guy travels by his four wheel drive from Cameroon into Chad with Ndjamena, the capital being his first port in Chad. The beauty of this documentary is that he goes close to the local people and interacts with them in a friendly way and gets their story. Along the way he meets a witch doctor, a blacksmith, a young lady who is married with children but not educated and so on.

He also goes to the Waza natural game park, traverses through Lake Chad, Massakoury, Ngouri, Mau where he meets nomads who come to the market place to sell their dromedaries. There is also a view of an oasis in the desert which grows several fruits and vegetables.

The country is bereft of much trade and occupation except primary ones and it is hoped that oil is discovered somewhere which will then benefit the villagers and the people. The documentary is done well with narration and translation, but would have been better to have sub titles for the dialogues spoken in their local dialects rather than voice overs. Hearing different languages and dialects itself is a pleasure.

Camera work is quite fantastic along with the editing, which is done neatly. You can watch the documentary here

8.48 kms

 Squeezed in a 8.48 kms on a Sunday morning in deadly humidity and heat in Bombay. Coming back to running after almost two weeks of non running did have its effect though. Luckily could manage today without taking a walking break. Have a great day folks. 

3.12 kms

 

evening walk of 3.12 kms with the kiddo, did inside the colony only - some of the roads have been dug up, so had to take a detour of sorts. Little bit of breeze at one stretch, otherwise since the sun had already set, it was ok. Worked up quite an appetite now. 

3.42 kms

 

Back running after 13 days hiatus due to one reason or another. Feels good to be back. Did a low mileage planning to do a back to back long run tomorrow. Running is stress free, its the best destresser in the world. Have a great weekend folks. 

Stalker

 It is classified as a science fiction film, but it is anything but that "Stalker" (1979) directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and starring Alexander Kadanovsky, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Nikolai Grinko among others.

Its the slowest science fiction movie that i have ever seen. The camera moves ever so slowly and with a purpose. The Stalker (Alexander Kadanosky) takes people to a distant place where ordinary laws of physics do not apply and it was probably a site where a meteorite once fell. That is called the Zone and it is a difficult path to traverse.

One can't go in a straight line and each step has to be carefully taken. The stalker takes two men - the Writer (Anatoly Solonitsyn) and the Professor (Nikolai Grinko) to the Zone. Inside the Zone there is a room where all your desires and wishes will be fulfilled. Its an allegorical film in the sense that to achieve such a state of consciousness that to achieve one's desires, a person has to pass through many obstacles and difficulties and hardship.

The script is intellectually challenging because a whole host of philosophical questions are thrown at the viewer. The camera work is absolutely astounding, the art design showing the ruins and remnants of an industrial building including dirty water is breathtaking and stark. Cinematography as usual is quite good. Andrei Tarkovsky's movies are difficult to follow yet there is something in it for the viewers, something deep and thoughtful that a viewer can relate to in his own life. IMDB 6/10 

penalty on unimoni financial

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalty of ₹2.97 million on Unimoni Financial Services Limited (the entity) for non-compliance with the instruction contained in paragraph 9.1(i) of the Master Direction on Issuance and Operation of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI MD) dated October 11, 2017 (as updated on November 17, 2020).

It was observed that the entity was non-compliant with the directions issued by RBI on small-PPI requirements. Accordingly, notice was issued to the entity advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed for non-compliance with the directions.

https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_PressReleaseDisplay.aspx?prid=53696

This is RBI's way of announcing regulatory measures. So pathetic it is not giving any details of the non compliance or violation of the provisions of the regulations. 

Ayurveda Regulations

 https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1824783

Ministry of Ayush and Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under MoHFW, India’s apex body for food regulation has formulated regulations of safety & quality standards for food products under ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ category. This comprehensive initiative will ensure manufacturing of quality Ayurveda food products and help in expanding the international market for Make-In-India products. The Ministry of Ayush is confident these regulations will further strengthen India’s global positioning as a custodian of Ayush system. 

According to the regulation, manufacturing and marketing of ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ products will now adhere to strict Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022 rules and will be available in market only after license/approval from FSSAI. A special logo has been created for “Ayurveda Aahara” category, which will enable easier identification and reinforce quality in Ayurveda food products. 

The Ministry of Ayush with an understanding that food safety and quality is a shared responsibility between manufacturers, consumers and everyone has a role to play to ensure food we consume is safe and healthy. This has been further strengthened after resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic brought the focus on food, nutrition, health, immunity and sustainability.

According to the regulations, all food prepared in accordance with the recipes/ingredients/processes described in the authoritative books of Ayurveda will be considered as “Ayurveda Aahara”. Food recipes and ingredients for promoting health, specific physiological needs, and foods specified for consumption during or post specified diseases, disorders referred as Pathya in Ayurved are covered under these regulations.

The labelling of ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ shall specify the intended purpose, the target consumer group, recommended duration of use and other specific requirements. Health claims and disease risk reduction claims for the different categories of 'Ayurveda Aahara' and their approval process shall be in accordance with the requirements specified in regulations. However, ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ will not include Ayurvedic drugs or proprietary Ayurvedic medicines and medicinal products, cosmetics, narcotic or psychotropic substances and herbs. Further, Ayurveda Aahara is also not recommended to young children below age 2 years.

‘Ayurveda Aahara’ needs prior approval, the same shall be in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Approval for Non-Specific Food and Food Ingredients) Regulation, 2017. FSSAI shall constitute an Expert Committee under the Ministry of Ayush consisting of relevant experts including representatives of FSSAI for providing recommendation on approval of claims and products and the committee shall also empower to address concerns regarding registration or licensing or certification or laboratory accreditation or testing or quality issues related to “Ayurveda Aahara”.

Food business operator to adhere quality parameters for the ingredients as per the criteria defined under Food Safety and Standards Regulations, relevant BIS specifications.

Nairobi Half Life

 

Kenyan award winning movie "Nairobi Half Life" (2012) directed by David "Tosh" Gitonga and starring Joseph Warimu and Nancy Wanjiku Karanja among others. 

Mwas (Joseph Warimu) is a young man making his life selling video movies and acting the part in order to sell them. He dreams of being an actor and gets half an opportunity when a theatre troupe comes to his village. 

On the way to Nairobi he is forced to do some chores by his cousin and gets promptly robbed the moment he enters into Nairobi. Forced into the streets he is arrested for a day and in jail meets a gang leader who provides him job. 

They do small odd jobs like stealing car parts. Mwas meanwhile gives an audition for a play at the National Theatre and lands the job. In stealing they graduate from stealing car parts to stealing cars themselves. 

The movie shows the dark underbelly of Nairobi crime life where crime is common, gangsters are hand in glove with the policemen, there is corruption, violence and brutality galore. Gitonga has deftly woven the plot nicely moving on two parallels - the crime life and the theatre life, the only common thread being Amina who is the girlfriend of one of the gangsters but who starts loving Mwas. 

Cinematography is quite breathtaking in the movie and both Joseph Warimu and Nancy Karanja have played their parts quite well. Its quite a realistic movie in that sense almost like Salaam Mumbai of Mira Nair. IMDB 7/10  

Mortu Nega

 

"Mortu Nega" an award winning film on Guinea-Bissau by Flora Gomes. 

War is going on against the Portugese and it is a war for independence from the colonialists so the nationalism is sky high. Diminga (Bia Gomes) wants to go to the frontier because her husband Sako (Tune Eugenio Almada) is fighting there. 

She reunites with her husband, but he ends up injured in the war. Diminga comes back to her village where she is welcomed back whole heartedly. Meanwhile Sako also comes back, but his injury has not gone yet. 

Just when independence is got, drought hits them and they all suffer because of that. There is a tribal village cultural dance and song which i think is to propitiate the rain gods. The rains do come in the end, which is the final shot of the movie, which the children dancing in the rain.

Bia Gomes has done a splendid role as Diminga. There is lot of pathos in the movie in the form of an untold grief, human tragedy with the war taking lives of innocent people, the tough, hard life of people, the sadness of people living with bare little essentials to go by, lack of education and all. IMDB 7/10  

4.99 kms

 

Good morning. 4.99 kms for the morning. Good strong head winds today. Have a nice day folks. 

Be Kunko

 

Short Guinean film "Be Kunko" by director Cheick Fantamady Camara. 

Its based on the refugee crisis due to which many teenagers are living in the refugee camp in Conakry. Life is tough to come by in the UNHCR camp due to which teenage children indulge in crimes of various sorts like car jacking, burglary, armed robbery, prostitution etc. 

There is a grandmother who is upholding all the family tradition of labour, hard work, love etc. but the children are more interested in quick half measures to get their jobs done. 

There's not much of a story developed in such a short movie (31 mins) but the picture above, which is the closing shot, depicts the angst and frustration of youth in a never ending war.