About

There is something inexplicable about childhood memories, for some reason the candies that we ate, the music that we listened to, the places that we visited, the shows we watched, etc., all the tastes, experiences are so vivid and felt so wonderful. As an adult,  all grown up now, I realize that there are times  I just want to connect with those memories to trigger the feeling of pure joy that just came with smaller things, in the scheme of the bigger and busier goals and responsibilities of life. 

My passion for movies is ingrained in one such childhood Sunday ritual in the joint-family I grew up in. We went  to the movies at Sathyam/ Ega/ Melody (evening show) followed by Dinner and icecream with my paternal Uncle and aunt. We were 4 girls, including my two older sisters and an older cousin and I, who awaited this ritual the entire school week. My paternal Uncle Dinesh Kaka, whose name we fondly abbreviated to D’Kaka packed us all in to our family Fiat to watch the latest movie release. It wasn't this easy to get tickets back in the days with fewer movie theaters, fewer movies and the least available technology, but we managed really well, thanks to my Uncles networking skills with the “Right people”;).

Chennai, where I come from- Movies are a part of it’s cultural heritage in many ways.  One time, the city was known for its hand-painted film banners, large hoardings and life-sized cut-outs covering the city’s landscape which are rare these days but still do exist. The culture of idolizing film actors and building temples and worshiping them is still prevalent in some rural areas in the State. Also, going to the movies on Diwali or Pongal is a must activity, like a compulsory ritual or puja to embark or end the festivities

I can say for sure that I don’t really breathe or live movies like many others do, or perhaps even make a livelihood out of it. Watching movies to me is like connecting to that bit of my childhood or culture that brings me the utmost joy. I still go to same Sathyam Cinemas, but things are a much different- it is now a swanky multiplex, I book my tickets online and indulge in that sinful blissful box of popcorn, that once was a tiny plastic bag. Times and ways have changed but my ritual remains the same. I write this blog for my joy of watching movies and sharing my experiences/ opinions with friends, family and others who wouldn’t mind a less than expert review on their next movie watch.