SEPERATE THE ART FROM THE ARTISTS

There is a beautiful understanding that i struck with, which gave me a comfort in the mind and will try to consolidate it and assimilate for final realization. Though nothing new and not a revelation or discovery, this is about artists and the people’s relation to artists. The people who enjoy any work of the art, the best and more are the ones who have no connection with the artist who created it or with the artist who is responsible for the art in way or the other. This joy is absolutely detached from the creator and only a pure connection between the product and the consumer.

I have often experienced that, people sitting in the gallery, at a long distance from the stage during any performance are the ones who enjoy the most and better than people sitting in the front rows. The front row guys have 2 basic problems. 1) Either they know the performers decently well and they keep thinking about them at a personal level or they make some kind of judgements 2) They are keener to establish better rapport or connect with the artists, for several reasons and hence miss out enjoying the content. 

For the people sitting in the gallery, his or interest is just focusing on the content and expecting the best from the performer.  In both the situations, there is a critical difference. Knowing and not knowing the artist at some personal level. This is very crucial in appreciating in any art form.

Before getting into that, let me express what i analyzed for myself who an artist is. An artist is not a normal person with regular sensibilities of an average human. He or she has an inexplicable urge to extract something deep side them to give self and society an above normal experience. In other words, they realize consciously or subconsciously that, they are bestowed with some talent which needs to be exploited for the expression. There is this inner positive restlessness that they live with and deal with most of their life. There is this deep need to express themselves with their talent to the world. They seek recognition for their work more than their personal attributes. 

An artist can never be happy if he or she is praised for their qualities as a human or for their beauty if the artist is a woman. Take the best of the singer or the actress and just heap praises on their womanhood and yes they will feel good but they will feel more deprived and insufficient if their talent is not acknowledged or appreciated. 

Brahmanandam will never be contented if suddenly people say you are as great as Swamy Vivekananda or if Amitabh is called the best monk ever. Even Aishwarya Rai bacchan’s happiness will be restricted if people heap praises on her, calling a great mom. And not make a relation to her as a fabulous actress, which she is. They are all justified and these are the facts of life. 

An artist needs to be understood from the perspective of that particular art only to know the person well. But most of us do not have time or even the attitude to know the person well enough as we do not want to, at the very basic level. Hence, we should just leave them to their personal lives and we should just focus on their art form. They are eternally struggling anyway to balance several aspects in their lives.

So why do people who interact with celebrities get disappointed or make judgements about their personal character?. Some where the fault lies with us( the consumers of art)  as we ought not to know them personally and we have to have connection only with the artist in them, with exceptions being silent admirers and family members. 

Being a A.R Rehman fan, i can’t expect him to be a messiah outside and keep doing several good things. May be he does also and that’s all private . He has to worry about privacy; his has right to lead life and have opinions or not have opinions about anything. Why should that alter my respect for him? A.R. Rehaman, Shreya ghosal, Amitabh,  Aamir khan are all greatest artists for me and i better restrict myself knowing their works and everything related to their works. 

Media blitz Krieg on their personal lives and giving details, away from their core talent, have to avoid at the consumption level as we have no choice to condemn, when they are being pumped by all media platforms. And for all those who have to interact with them, they need to consciously keep away from their personal lives and details. If by default, such experiences are inevitable, and then they ought to be treated as basic humans who are liable to make mistakes, behave normally and react normally. 

Why artists are expected to be above normal? In fact the insecurities that they are subjected to , by the parameters of success and failure, richness and erosion of affluence , which is so susceptible  by one movie, one song, one week etc that, we need to sympathize with them. Allow them to handle their lives and let be them what they are...

One thumb rule is, if we want to enjoy the art forms, better not to take them seriously at the personal level and if possible not meet them also. I have given up my idea of meeting Lata ji, Amitabhji, Saurav Ganguly as i will only force all my expectations on them and then get disappointed. Not that they will be bad, but i will be caught in my expectations tangle, and i do not want to stop appreciating artists as what is life without an art? 

Expectations in general with people brings disappointment and hurt as we stop appreciating people as to what they are, we want them to be like we want.. With artists our treatment subconsciously is very intense and hence we all make mistakes. Just know them as artists, period.

JUST FOLLOW THE NATURE AND SIT BACK

                  BEING INDIAN IS BEING CONTENDED AND TRADITIONAL


Come sankranthi and apart from all the rituals, traditions that we need to follow , let us look at the food that is there for us to consume . Most special items in Sankranthi are done with TIL ( nuvvulu) as the base . Be it Chakkanalu of telengana region, Arisalu of Andhra , Nuvvula laddu of rayalaseema( none of it is region specific though)   This stuff is not only heat generating that is required in winter  but has several qualities that will take care of our health in its own way. ( search google for more accurate information or talk to someone who is well versed n Ayurveda) .

Like wise the consumption of new rice on sankranthi by making  pongal has tremendous nutritional value and use of jaggery is  what is required for human body now , in this season. In summer, though it is hot, heat generating mangoes, Water melon is given by nature. Custard apple in winter , which is supposed to be generating coolness, antithetical to winter..  So on and  so forth . We are born into this world with a design and we are given everything to consume according to seasons.Everything good only is given by nature, including spices. But one should have knowledge on the consumption methods.

This kind of methods and approach to eating is abundant in our native wisdom and listening to grand parents at home is useful. On sankranthi day it is important that we talk to our grand parents and spend time. People without them, can go to old age homes and interact. 

In simple terms, nature has given us birth and it is not our choice and nature has also provided us with everything good. Then why bother? just sit back and be in touch with nature and get rooted in our traditional knowledge and wisdom to be happy. One such value is the value of the family.  Joint family, ayurveda, yoga,  seasonal foods, contentment , sharing, sacrificing are the indian ways of stating fit and peaceful.. Sankranthi is a better day to start or consolidate if we are already practising. 

But do not forget eat stuff with good amount of Til ( nuvvulu) with jaggery... Happy sankranthi .

SEETHAMMA VAKITLO.. WHAT A MOVIE..

                           POSITIVES IN HIGH BUT REQUIRED DOSES

Most people including me talk nonsense most of the time and are at a quick phase and in a hurry try to conclude or judge..  Along with several good things, lot of nonsense came along with this movie. Few such notions which needs to be dispelled and here are my impressions 1) Venkatesh character, acting is as important as Mahesh and he has done a simply marvellous job. What a fabulous acting he has done, and he actually elevated Mahesh character, and acting. What can anyone still talk about Mahesh babu acting and as Grusha said, he can act without fights too.  2) IT is not just one of those   general feel good movie.. It is an absolutely brilliantly thought movie with fine characterization and not a single character, role, frame, dialogue looks unwanted.  3) Length is pretty decent and after a very long time, actually felt that length could be longer.

Two people need special mention. Producer Dilraju and Director Srikanth addala... How could Dilraju have understood and accepted this story and had guts to produce this movie? It is very difficult to put this as a story and explain. Then how did the producer have the conviction to make such a movie and that too with Mahesh and Venkatesh ? This movie is not just a family story but a penance, a YAGNA with ingredients picked up from all that is best about India.... Family values, scriptures, traditions and concepts like happiness, living, peace, goodness etc. Not a mean task to put all these together in any form .

Is it possible to have all the elements mentioned above and still venture to make a presentation in a popular medium called Cinema with Such big stars ?  I would not have believed before watching this movie.. Every single message is there to be taken and understood without any preaching or boredom. There is entertainment in every frame without missing the poignancy. I have not seen such a clean telugu movie in last several years. The tears in most scenes in the second half does not roll down the cheeks as the tears stop to think , as to why is it coming out and tells itself  should stay there with a purpose to digest all that is delicate .

Walking out of theatre after the movie only brought positive thoughts and a very good feeling. Life is so beautiful with simple, minute things and understanding is what one carries as we walk out of theatre. No obscenity of any kind or measure, no exaggerations, no unreal situations, no larger than life for Mahesh babu sequences and just a normal simple life story told very realistically.  I would not mind another 30 minutes of the movie and children at home did not like the idea that movie length was chopped. Many honest reactions came about like my 21 year old nephew who was asking me, will the movie inspire 5 % audience at least to change  and his question was more on what he wanted to happen. 

India signifies family relationships and values. Family as a unit alone can make or break a society. Coming this from a tollywood is most welcome as people stop believing that tollywood can make meaningful movies. This movie helps people sensitize, think and pauses them from IPad’s, mobiles, you tubes, and all that is taking away the human connections. 

Anjali, the actress makes you feel very subtle, Venkatesh makes you introspect , Mahesh gives you pride , jaya sudha gives you power of tolerance and Prakash raj allows you to just get in touch with the  self that most  normally avoid. Mani Sharma deserves a special mention and Mickey songs sound better on screen. Srikanth Addala must have just translated only 5 % of the stuff he had in my mind and understandably took so long to make this movie  and what will happen if he had done it 100%....  Good he did not as he left us think, ponder and yes wonder about basic human life and values that go with it.

 This is a Very meaningful movie, sensibly made without missing entertainment and a must watch for all with bigger groups and joint families. Please watch as this kind of movie has really done a good service to human minds and emotions. This has done what a mass media like movie ought to be doing for good and yet be commercially viable. Special hats off to DIlraju garu.