Short Story for Continuity Exercise - EXI(S)T

Exist

He looks unkempt in a ragged T-shirt and jeans. He checks his pockets for something and then adjusts his thick rimmed glasses. He walks slowly, lost in his world of turmoil. He walks past an old big banyan tree, a man was lying under it sound asleep. He walked past him still lost in his thoughts.

His legs were weary, his heart was pounding and he felt empty inside. He walked into a beautiful park dragging a ton of pain - himself. He used to visit this park quiet often and he had his favorite place. The park was empty today. He walked slowly towards the bench which always welcomed him without any complaints.  He sat down and stared at nothing, the nothingness inside drives him now…………….

He lies on the bench.

Time slips away in the real world, but he is happy to be in the world he wants to be. He hears a bird chirping. He opens his eyes and sees a sky of green. A gentle breeze disturbs the stillness of the trees. The beautiful swaying of thousands of leaves, he felt as if they were performing for his pleasure. His eyes lit up and he smiled for the first time, after so many months.

He got up and sat there staring at the breath taking setting. The ground covered by the lush carpet of grass. The tiny pebbles on the ground huddled together. The small terracotta elephant raised its tiny little trunk, happy to see him. The Massive tree standing at the corner of the garden spread its arms, welcoming him for a comforting hug. Nature greeted him, he was filled with joy and the void was no more.

He walked all around the garden trying to see, touch and feel his new found friends. Happiness filled his veins; it traveled all over to reach every nook and corner of his body. He felt lighter without the anchor of pain.

He started to walk again. All his worries had vanished, he felt like floating. He reached the pathway which had a beautiful green picket fence. The wooden planks were standing in a perfect line. All of them stood in rapt attention as he walked past them with his head held up high. He revered the respect shown by the Green Soldiers.

He walked further towards the big banyan tree. Now he noticed the man who was sleeping there. He went near him without making any noise. The man was of similar height and build compared to him. 

He started to smile again. He was happy to see the guy sleeping without any worries. The man had his hands clasped around something; he went closer to check what it was. He saw a pair of spectacles which looked similar to his. He put his hands near his eyes and realized that he wasn’t wearing his own glasses. He looked towards the garden and started running thinking he forgot his glasses.

He ran into the garden and reached the bench as quickly as possible. He stood there staring down at the bench, he couldn’t move. 

His mind was reeling in confusion at what he saw. His eyes didn't blink, the world just froze.

He saw himself lying there on the bench – Lifeless. Blood seeped through his mouth; he saw a bottle of poison on the ground. He was still wearing his glasses.

He stood there staring at himself and then, he started to SMILE.

Cheers

Pradeep

PS: Hope the rains in Chennai stop on the day of the shoot.

My Beliefs - Part 2

My Beliefs: Subject to change when I'm wrong :-)

To judge others is inevitable but your judgments may not matter after all.

I respect and appreciate an enemy who curses me on my face rather than a friend who speaks behind my back and is too much of a coward to question my actions.

The most scariest is the Unknown and People are always Unknown and Unpredictable.

When a Dog barks at you, its wise to ignore and walk away.
If the Dog jumps at your throat, Reflex... even if you have to kill it... save yourself.
[ I apologize to the dogs for using them as a metaphor.]

Assume - Most start with the Dumbest and Mundane assumptions..... very few have the patience to find the truth. 

(I've written more about Assumptions in another post - http://pradeepsrants.blogspot.in/2010/08/art-of-assuming.html )

Honesty is a very big Turn on.

Confrontations on ideas or Exchange of opinions can be very interesting, but very difficult to find interesting people.

Its so funny to see people shrink in size when EGO takes over
their Rationale.

To Err is Human...
To Err all the time is Stupid....
To Err and learn from it is Smart....
To Err, learn from it and make it look Cool... now that's Brilliance.

I'm not Brilliant, but I do make an effort to not be Stupid.

I'm not Perfect, so are You.

Third Rate doesn't have anything to do with poverty, even the most richest person can be Third Rate.

You "Yap" about everyone around you, most probably others are doing the same about you.

The most difficult thing to achieve is Consistency.

There are very few "Absolutes" in Life. Absolut vodka is one among them :)  

Curiosity is really Good, only when it makes you Smart.

The more you try, the more obvious you get.

Experiences can make you Numb.

When Confidence is taken over by Arrogance, you literally look like a Fool.

Make your move, when you are sure of Winning.
But sometimes your Efforts matter more, even when you Fail.

If you get Disturbed easily, most probably you will also end up disturbing others.

Whining can lead to Irritation can lead to Anger can lead to Stupidity can lead to Mistakes can lead to Regrets can lead to Whining........

Men lie all the time but Women are better liars (not all men and Women though)

"Personal Life" it's just that, literally.

Never interfere in other people's personal lives, unless you are part of it.

I don't judge people by their personal lives unless and until its mine too...

When Mediocrity is the Norm, Confidence seems like Over Confidence.

One cannot act for life.

Do not question the intelligence of an honest person.

You might be extremely talented in your craft but Personality will eventually decide your Destiny.

Arrive at a conclusion only when you have all the facts, every story has multiple versions and IDIOTS make up their mind listening to one side.

There are limits for Multitasking.

There will always be someone better than you, so don't be jealous - be inspired.

A Critic will "make sense" only when he/she Introspects first.

I don't give a FUCK about what you think of me unless and until I have some RESPECT for you.

Cheers
Pradeep

Frame By Frame - Pasanga [Kids]

My first project at Film school was a very unique one, Frame By Frame.

It’s 2D animation, a 30 seconds video of 720 hand drawn frames on 35mm Film. The size of a frame was 1.9cm X 2.5cm, drawing on the film with such constrained space took a lot of effort but it was fun.

Our Project name was – Pasanga (Kids)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOahYdc3Zos

As my hero, The Joker says: Let’s put a smile on that Face.

Thanks to all, who put that smile on My Face…… :-)

Cheers

Pradeep Kumar

My rendition of the Predators Poster

After so many years I managed to do this sketching. I'm extremely happy that I haven't lost it totally.

"Never compromise your passion, for anything"

I learnt it the hard way :-)

Cheers
Pradeep

The ART of ASSUMING

It’s amazing how the human mind works, nonstop, chugging on with the infinite information we see, read, hear and experience. Somehow a lot of this leads to a crazy thing called Assumptions.

Quite often we tend to ignore facts and we get only hearsay. Some of us make all the judgments based on assumptions which are a product of half baked information. I’m always surprised by people who assume everything without ever raising a single question.

Say we have very few information and our mind starts to work on it resulting in an array of assumptions and theories which may not have anything to do with reality, now how stupid will it be to act on such assumptions?

This quality of Assuming can be a boon for writers. It also works well in the Reel world were imagination is key to everything, but it would be highly immature in the Real world.

I have learnt a simple solution from my experiences to counter the Assumption overkill.

WHEN IN DOUBT, (open your freakin mouth and) ASK  :-)

Cheers

Pradeep

Chan Wook Park – Film Maker

This is the first time I’m writing exclusively about a Film Maker and his works. I wanted to begin with THE Director who had the maximum impact, who became one of my favorite with just a single movie - Chan Wook Park, the acclaimed South Korean film maker.

His forte is controversial and dark subjects presented with extreme violence. I am one among the millions who have been shocked, thrilled and psyched by his works. Of course not everyone will like the graphic content of his movies. His works are not for the timid or for the people who only watch feel good fantasy movies. If one can look beyond the violence and understand the concepts and situations the director weaves for his characters, then the genius of Chan Wook Park will hit you like an Express Train.

His take on the style and subjects he chooses:

"Basically, I'm throwing out the question 'When is such violence justified?' To get that question to touch the audience physically and directly - that's what my goal is. In the experience of watching my film, I don't want the viewer to stop at the mental or the intellectual. I want them to feel my work physically. And because that is one of my goals, the title 'exploitative' will probably follow me around for a while." – Source IMDB.

Park has directed twelve films till date, out of which he his well-known for his Trilogy - Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. The most striking thing about his movies is that all his characters look very real. The performances are on par or even better at times when compared to Hollywood or European Cinema. Indian audiences will go mad if they get to see the kind of subjects he handles. We might think Hollywood is extremely forward and liberal but wait till you see his works. Cinematography is also one of his strengths. The daring subjects coupled with beautiful and unique visual design will stun the viewer into a trance.

I've seen three of his works and here are my(re)views. I'll update this write-up as I watch more of his films.

J.S.A. Joint Security Area [2000]  

The story deals with the volatile North and South  Korean politics. A shooting incident at a border post leaves two North Korean soldiers dead with three survivors. A neutral enquiry is conducted by Swiss Investigators to find the truth. Both sides come out with different versions of what really happened. The investigators slowly decipher the mystery as the actual incidents are shown in flashbacks.

The movie starts with a bang but overall the screenplay is at a  slow pace. The acting makes all the difference.

The movie raises a lot of important issues which haunts both the countries. One insightful theme is the separation or lack of peace between the two countries which actually benefits other Nations who are obsessed in controlling the world. The same is true in our sub continent; if peace prevails all of us get to gain. So the question is, with war and trouble in our region “who stands to gain the most?”

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance [2002] : Rated R

It's one of the most depressing films I have seen but one cannot argue with the motives for the bloody events happening in the movie.

Ryu, a deaf and dumb factory worker takes care of his sister who is unwell. She needs a Kidney transplant, Ryu’s blood type doesn’t match so he is unable to donate his own kidney. He desperately tries to save his sister through illegal means which leads him into further despair. The story takes some mind blowing twists and turns with some brutal portrayal of emotions.

All the events flow like water in a river. The use of silence in many sequences is intriguing. Be warned that this movie is extremely violent with some gruesome scenes.

P.S. I screened this film for my peers while I was at film school, by the end of the movie there were quite some people who walked out and one even rushed out as she felt sick due to one particular scene in which there was nothing visually graphic on screen.

Old Boy [2003] : Rated R

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS FILM DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. THE BEST WAY TO EXPERIENCE THIS FILM IS TO SEE IT WITHOUT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS FILM. GO WATCH IT NOW.

This is The Movie which made me a fan of Chan Wook Park.

Oh Dae-su is locked up in a room. After fifteen years of imprisonment he is set free by his captors. Oh Dae-su vows to find his captor and the reasons for his detention.

I’m not going to explain more about the plot as it will lead to spoilers. The story is extremely controversial and it might be too explicit even for western audiences. Acting is top notch especially of Min-sik Choi who plays the lead character Oh Dae Su. He has given an exceptional performance which is both physically and emotionally demanding. This movie gave Park his much deserved international acclaim. It also won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes film festival.

There were reports that Steven Spielberg was to remake this movie with Will Smith in the lead. Later Will Smith was trying to procure the rights to the original Japanese Manga Comic on which Old Boy was based. Somehow the project didn't come to life. Now after so many years Spike Lee is directing the Hollywood remake. It's unreasonable to expect spike lee to come up with a better version, but  I  do respect his talents. Let's just wait and watch. Also there was an unofficial remake in Hindi - Zinda by Sanjay Gupta.
(update) And the hope dies as I just watched a really crappy remake. The original cut was supposed to be 140 mins but the studio edited the movie heavily and the final released version was 104 mins. Even if it was the longer version, the movie wouldn't have worked, as it was a really bad remake by Spike Lee.

Old Boy was Park’s first movie that I saw. A friend told me that this was a cult classic and about a year later I got the movie. I feel like I wasted a year by not watching this one. At that time I was working for an MNC and everyday when I got back from work I used to watch a lot of movies. As usual I started this movie and leisurely lay down on my bed to see what the fuss is all about. Half an hour into the movie I was sitting upright and staring at the monitor without blinking an eyelid. As the movie came to an end, I sat there staring blankly at the wall. Such a Shocking story; I haven’t seen anything like this before. This was creativity at its best in cinema. As a person who is obsessed with anything creative, I asked myself “What the F…k am I doing here in this Crappy job?”

Within a couple of months I quit my job and a year later, after constant efforts, today I am taking my first step towards learning the Art of Film Making. Chan Wook Park made me jump right off the cliff into the Amazing World of Cinema. I can’t predict what the future holds for me but I’m extremely happy that I’m making an Effort.

Happy Independence Day.
Cheers

Pradeep

Some interesting links:
http://youniversemovie.blogspot.com/2008/11/oldboy-octopus-eating-scene.html

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Update: OCT, 2012

Lady Vengeance [2005] : Rated R

The story is about Geum-ja Lee, who is released from prison after 13 years. She was convicted for kidnapping and murdering a young boy. She plots her revenge against the real perpetrator of the crime with the help of her Ex inmates.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is another Masterpiece. This was the third film in the Vengeance Trilogy. I watched this movie again after a very long time. Each time I watch it, it mesmerizes me. It  throws a zillion thoughts in my mind about the characters, the situations, the violence, the pain and all the little detailing that has gone into making this wonderful classic.

Park's films are known for its technical brilliance and Lady Vengeance is another treat to watch. The shot design and transitions are mind blowing. The music as always with his films, is spot on. Never intrusive but always engaging. The cast consists most of the actors from the other two Vengeance movies. The lead character is played by Yeong ae Lee. She looks Angelic, her performance is quite powerful, but restrained.  There isn't much violent scenes which one would expect in a revenge drama but the second half will be a little difficult to watch with some shocking scenes.  

Lady Vengeance is indeed a Violent film, not for your Eyes but for your Senses.

Cheers
Pradeep

Scent of a Woman – Directed by Martin Brest

The movie Ends

And I wanted to stand up and

**clap clap* Bravo*clap*Bravo *clap clap**

Or should I say  

!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO – AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Charlie Simms [Chris O'Donnell] is a student of Baird School. He attends the exclusive school on a scholarship. Charlie agrees to take care of a blind retired Army Colonel, Frank Slade [Al Pacino] over Thanksgiving Holiday. 

Just before Thanksgiving, Charlie and his rich friend George Willis [Philip Seymour Hoffman] witness a prank played on the headmaster by George’s friends. Charlie is threatened by the headmaster to reveal the names of the pranksters at the disciplinary hearing. The headmaster also offers to recommend him for an Ivy League college for the names. He asks Charlie to think over it during the holidays.

As the Colonel’s family leaves for the trip Charlie arrives to take care of him. Colonel Frank has his own agenda and takes Charlie on a trip to New York. The rest of the story is all about Frank’s execution of his plans with the hesitant Charlie by his side.

This movie was a remake of a 1974 Italian Film - Profumo di donna.

I can’t imagine anyone else in Colonel Frank’s role, it was like tailor made for Al Pacino. The introduction scene of Al Pacino gives all the insight to the crazy character of Frank Slade. The final sequence has one of the greatest speeches in movie history and Al Pacino won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Chris O Donnell did adequately with his supporting role as the conscience driven Charlie. Another great actor who always stands out in an ensemble is Philip Seymour Hoffman. He makes an unforgettable impression with all his performances. One should watch out for his roles in movies like Boogie Nights, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Red Dragon and Along Came Polly. I’ll surely catch all of his movies soon.

The movie had some of the best dialogues ever. Bo Goldman was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Martin Brest was nominated for Best Director and the movie was also nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. I have only seen two other works of Martin Brest, Beverly Hills Cop and Meet Joe Black. His last work Gigli was panned by critics and it bombed at the box office.

" SCENT OF A WOMAN – No No, its all about The Man – AL PACINO " 

Some of Lt. Col. Frank Slade Dialogues:

When in doubt... fuck

The day we stop lookin', Charlie, is the day we die.

Don't shrug, imbecile. I'm blind. Save your body language for the bimbi.

Women! What can you say? Who made 'em? God must have been a fuckin' genius. The hair... They say the hair is everything, you know. Have you ever buried your nose in a mountain of curls... just wanted to go to sleep forever? Or lips... and when they touched, yours were like... that first swallow of wine... after you just crossed the desert................................

Well, gentlemen, when the shit hits the fan, some guys run and some guys stay.

Out of order, I show you out of order. You don't know what out of order is, Mr. Trask. I'd show you, but I'm too old, I'm too tired, I'm too fuckin' blind. If I were the man I was five years ago, I'd take a FLAMETHROWER to this place! Out of order? Who the hell do you think you're talkin' to? I've been around, you know? There was a time I could see. And I have seen. Boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn't nothin' like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that. You think you're merely sending this splendid foot soldier back home to Oregon  with his tail between his legs, but I say you are... executin' his soul! And why? Because he's not a Bairdman. Bairdmen. You hurt this boy, you're gonna be Baird bums, the lot of ya. And Harry, Jimmy, Trent, wherever you are out there, FUCK YOU TOO!

[Lt. Col. Frank Slade is speaking in defense of Charlie Simms at meeting at the Baird School] Now I have come to the cross-roads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew, but I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard. Now here's Charlie. He's come to the cross-roads. He has chosen a path. It's the right path. It's a path made of principle that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey.

Cheers

Pradeep

Gene Kelly - God of Dancing: Anchors Aweigh [1945]

Anchors Aweigh is a Musical Rom Com directed by George Sidney. Gene Kelly plays the lead with the great Frank Sinatra as his sidekick. They later acted together for another classic "On the Town" in 1949.

The story is about two sailors who get a four day leave in Los Angeles. Joseph Brady [Gene Kelly] is the Dude, the proverbial ladies man. He is on his way to meet his muse Lola in Hollywood. Clarence Doolittle [Sinatra] a fellow sailor is a shy, introvert guy. As he doesn’t have any plans he follows Joseph. Both of them end up in Susan Abbott’s [Kathryn Grayson] home. Susan is an aspiring singer, Clarence falls for her and Joseph promises to help him out to woo her. From here the story evolves to a love triangle which is enacted so beautifully by the three actors. It’s such a pleasure to watch the tension, doubt and emotions the characters go through and none of it seems contrived.

As a musical it has some great songs and choreography. The most unique part of this movie was the dream sequence where Gene Kelly dances with Jerry the mouse. You just have to watch it to gasp in awe at the performance.

The movie won the Oscar for Best Music -Scoring of a Musical Picture. Gene Kelly was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role and it was also nominated in the following categories - Best Cinematography, Best Music -Original Song and Best Picture. 

Our film makers can learn a thing or two from such classics; I’m not talking about ripping it altogether. Simple things, like the way the story cuts to a dream sequence or how the scenes naturally progress to the song and dance routine.

Gene Kelly is truly an inspiring personality. He is an amazing dancer and choreographer, that’s obvious but he is also a Singer, Director and most of all a superb Actor. I’ve just seen three movies of Gene Kelly and already "Singin in the Rain" is my all time favorite musical. 

Gene Kelly - the God of Dancing :)

Cheers

Pradeep

Roman Holiday [1953] – Directed by William Wyler

I like to mix it up and most of the times it’s been fruitful. Watched too many mind benders lately so I opted for a 50s movie.

Princess Anne arrives in Rome. She hates her restricted royal life so she runs away. She ends up sleeping on a bench in a sedated condition. Joe Bradley, a newspaper reporter finds Anne and takes her home. Joe misses a press conference the next day but finds out the girl in his apartment is indeed the princess. He makes a bet with his boss for an exclusive interview with the princess. The rest of the story is about how Joe takes the princess on a tour of Rome without revealing his true intentions.

The movie had two of the greatest actors from Hollywood. Princess Anne is played by the beautiful Audrey Hepburn. She won the Oscar award [Best Actress in a lead role] for her amazing performance. Joe Bradley, the male lead was played by the legendry Gregory Peck. I have only seen two other movies of his, The Guns of Navarone and Mackenna’s Gold. He is truly a versatile actor. The Director William Wyler is also a legend who has won two Oscars for Best Direction, one of them is for Ben-Hur. The movie had ten Oscar nominations.

This movie must have inspired a lot of film makers around the world. There are so many beautiful moments in this movie which I have seen in contemporary cinema, now I know the origin. 

Roman Holiday is a timeless classic. If you are looking for the definition of Romantic Comedy, look no further.

Cheers

Pradeep

Following [1998] – Directed by Christopher Nolan

Finally I have done it :-) I’ve seen all of Nolan’s works till date. I had this movie in my collection for a long time but somehow never got to see it. It’s so apt that I had to watch it after Inception.

Following was his first feature film which was made with a meager $6000. The story is about a writer in London who follows people at random to observe and to get inspiration for his book. He has some rules in following people, like never follow the same person twice. He starts to follow a thief more than once and this turns his life upside down.

For a thriller which deals with crime there aren't any usual fight sequences or extreme stunts, without any of these it commands your attention with just the crazy screenplay. It is a bit hard to follow but it all ties up in the end. Nolan has repeated this style in his later works namely Memento, The Prestige, Batman Begins and Inception. I feel this movie has a lot of similarities to Inception; it toys with the viewer’s mind but at a much slower pace. It’s in Black & White which is in no way a negative to watch and enjoy the film.

Updated: Christopher Nolan’s track record is envious purely considering his box office success. It all started with a short film named Doodlebug in 1997 [You can watch it in you tube]. He may not be in the league of the greats like Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. I don't think he will reach their status unless he strikes a balance between his extreme commercial ventures like Batman trilogy, Inception and now Interstellar to movies like Prestige, Insomnia and Memento. The most common thing for me about Nolan's films is the experience while watching is always Amazing (except for Dark Knight Rises) but later when you think about the movie, it always feels like Nolan is trying so hard to impress the viewer that it shows. When all said and done Christopher Nolan is still my favorite commercial filmmaker from Hollywood.

Cheers

Pradeep

Agora – Directed by Alejandro Amenabar

This movie is a biopic of Hypatia a mathematician, philosopher and astronomer. The story is set in Alexandria, 391 A.D so the stage is set for a visually beautiful film. It does deliver on this and much more.

Cinematography and Art department are the best in this movie. The perfection achieved in these two departments makes the viewer feel as if we are part of Alexandria.

Rachel Weisz has given a stunning performance.  As an astronomer who believed in science and philosophy, Hypatia had to face the wrath of the raising Christian church. History proves that people who went against the church were termed as Heretics and were sentenced to death. The story delves into the complexities of people, people who follow different religions and beliefs. Christians might find it difficult to digest this movie.

The film is two hours long which might be a drag for some, but it sure is worth a watch. The good thing is, it doesn’t preach against any one particular religion. As a fellow blogger pointed out with her comments, I'm not sure about the historical facts but the movie sure made me interested in learning more about Hypatia.

As the story evolves to its tragic end, one can’t help but wonder how much the situation is still the same. It’s ironic that humans, the most intelligent beings in this world [at least we think so] have progressed so much but yet we cling on to medieval myths. "Let there be light" both in our minds and our hearts :)

Cheers

Pradeep

PS: To know more about Agora and the real Hypatia please refer to the excellent articles written by Faith L Justice [links given below]

http://faithljustice.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/agora-hypatia-part-i/

http://faithljustice.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/agora-hypatia-part-ii/

http://faithljustice.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/agora-hypatia-part-iii/

The Constant Gardener - Directed by Fernando Meirelles

There are two major things that stood out in this film, let me write about "The Big Picture" first. This movie is about Africa, and it is a SLAP on the face for the rest of the World. How the rich nations ignore Africa. How vested interests swindle and exploit Africa. This message is portrayed throughout the movie but the main plot is Love, The Love of a man for his woman.

The story revolves around a UK diplomat, Justin Quayle who works in Kenya. His wife Tessa, an activist, is killed along with her doctor friend. Justin then embarks on a quest to investigate the mystery surrounding his wife's death. Justin Quayle is played by the immensely talented Ralph Fiennes; I loved his performances in Red Dragon, The English Patient and Schindler's List. Tessa is played by the gorgeous Rachel Weisz, she has lived the part and is deserving of all the accolades. Her performance, won the Oscar for best Actress in a Supporting Role.

This gem of a movie is directed by Fernando Meirelles who gave us Cidade de Deus aka City of God. The movie was also nominated for Best Editing, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.   

SPOILER ALERT: The most heart wrenching scene in the film, for me, was when the protagonist and a doctor are running from a group of bandits who raid a village for UN's aid supplies. As they reach the UN airplane the lead character Justin Quayle and the pilot of the airplane have an argument about saving a kid by taking her with them. The girl watches as both the men fight and suddenly she jumps off the plane and runs. The airplane lifts off with the UN aid workers as the girl runs away in the distance... 

Pradeep Kumar

The last place you will have Memorable Moments in Life - OFFICE

Yup, most of us dread going to office, but way back in 2006 I used to go a lil early to office. Office was fun, filled with like minded crackpots but of course we did work  :-)

Here are some moments of that life:

Imagine coming in for the day and you find this ... what tha .....

When you have creative / loony co-workers, this is what happens..... they said a storm had hit my desk...

Ha Ha ... very NOT funny.

Me at my desk, actually on my desk and for the record I was indeed working.

A friend, he too was working :-)

Another friend...... he was supposed to be working.

Three men crowded in front of one monitor, now what can be that interesting ? :-) Advantages of working for a stock photo agency.......loads of images of beautiful women to gawk at..... all part of official work of course. After the pic the count went back to Four men crowded in front of the monitor :-)

Loving Work......and we never had any technical issues [pun intended] :-)

Time Zones: Hazards of working in an MNC

Ain't this TEAM WORK or what?
Team outing to a resort and our van got stuck, we the "gentlemen" got out valiantly and did this. I'm in the middle acting as if I'm pushing hard :-)

The next pic is of "Smuggler Sumod" :-)

Actually the guy had his new laptop delivered to our office and he was happily taking it home. Unfortunate for him that I was there in the cab. I took this pic and titled it smuggler sumod. I emailed it to all my friends saying smuggler caught red handed stealing stuff from office..... lol.

BTW Thanks Sumod for commenting for this post ...Toiiiiiinnnnnng [it's a sound we make at office when someone makes a mistake or if something goes wrong :-)]

At one point or the other we all become crazy :-)

No No... this was not everyday or every weekend.... but CHEERS for those who made it memorable.

Pradeep

PS: I have more quirky images but couldn't upload as I might have to get a lota permissions :-)

Memorable Moments: Colorful Kerala

One of the most beautiful places in the world. I have traveled quiet a lot across Kerala and was lucky enough to have a camera at these beautiful moments.

Alappuzha or Alleppey:

Alappuzha:

Kovalam:

Alappuzha:

Kovalam:

Cochin:

Alappuzha: 

Wayanad:

Alappuzha:

Wayanad: And here I am at one of those serene locales. This is a candid image of myself, talking over the phone to someone special :-)

I still have a lot of places to cover and hope to discover more of Exotic Kerala.

Cheers

Pradeep