You've Got Mail - watching the movie again in 2020

Last weekend, while randomly switching channels on the television, I happened to see the movie - You've Got Mail being played on. No matter how many times you watch this movie, the romance gets to you.

I am not here to write a review about the movie. It is just about what I feel while watching it.

The movie makes you believe in love and leaves you lighthearted at the end of it. Don't know about men, but am sure every woman out there wants to meet a guy like Joe Fox. Someone who never lets you down, someone who understands you and yeah, tries hard to win you over.

Being an avid reader, I loved the small cozy book store that Kathleen runs and I feel sorry that she had to close her book store. I just don't like it when old small stores or shops have to close business due to competition from famous chain stores. The film makers did a good job in showing that cozy children's corner in the new Fox Books store. It always reminds me of Landmark book store in Chennai.

I liked the way they show how both of them try to find words to express their thoughts and feelings in their mail. The scenes where Joe first tries to come up with some random excuse for standing her up and then starts writing to her or the scene where Kathleen tries to tell him about how she felt bad in shouting at her enemy in the cafe, gets to me.

I was able to relate how difficult it is to get the right words when sending a message or an email to another friend. Right now, we have all moved to whatsapp messengers to send a quick message to friends. But just imagine if we did not have one. Then we would all be writing long emails sharing experiences, thoughts in detail.

All in all, watching this movie again last sunday, lifted my spirits and made me feel so good again. Not to forget, waiting and hoping to meet someone like Joe Fox :)

The squirrel and the cat

I had just stepped out of our door at home, when I heard a noise. There was a squirrel right mid way through to the top of a coconut tree and there was a cat ready to jump on the coconut tree to catch that little one.

I was so scared for the little squirrel. After shouting and running after the cat, I was finally able to drive it away from the tree.The squirrel went up the tree still making that noise.

My mom asked me what the noise was all about.

Me: The cat was trying to catch the squirrel. Luckily, I was able to get it off.
My mom: That squirrel has no brains. Every time it comes down, the cat is trying to pounce on it. Still, it keeps coming down.
Me: But amma, it has to, right. What will it do for food when it is up in the tree.
My mom: I have tried to put nuts and other food that squirrels usually eat on the wall many times. But they never take what I put on the wall. Instead, the rat eats it in the night.
Me: Poor thing. I hate these cats
My mom:  Ippadi satham pottitu vantha, poona athe pudikaama, yenna seiyum? Muthama kudupaanga. Arive ille. (Translation - if it makes noise like this and comes down, what will the cat do other than pounce on it. Will it kiss it. It has got no brains)
My mom: Do you know how many times I have tried to shoo away the squirrels when the cat or crow is around.

My mom (coming out of the house): has it finally gone up?? Thank god!!

Just another random day on weekend.

Nerkonda paarvai - movie

I watched this movie when they played it in one of the TV channels. This was a remake of the Hindi movie Pink.

To say that the movie had left me shaken was a mild statement. It made me question my perspective on judging people's character. It is a film that delivers a strong social message.

The movie revolves around three young independent women. They befriend three men (one of them is a minister's son) during a music festival. The men invite them over for dinner.When one of the men harrasses a woman, she hits him on his face. The police arrests and charges the woman for murder. How a lawyer takes up their case and clears her name forms the rest of the story.

I liked the way the personalities of the main characters was defined. The ladies are independent working women. They party, drink and are quite modern. The lawyer representing the men argues that since the women went out with men in the night to a resort, partied and drank, they can only be prostitutes. Why? Because a girl from a good family background will never do these things. Their character was bad and it is right to judge them that way. That is the society's perception as well. There is a scene where one of the neighbor says that they could be bad girls since they wear indecent dresses and sometimes men drop them in the evenings.

The lawyer who is the protagonist of the movie argues that one cannot judge a person by their habit or behavior. Drinking alcohol is bad for both men and women. But a woman who drinks is not a bad person. Similarly being in a relationship with an older man does not mean someone's character is bad.

It struck me then how wrong I was all these years. Many years back, I had heard of a woman colleague's smoking habits. I remember talking with a few of my friends about it. We were all surprised and talked excitedly about her. Later when I heard she had married a man who was several years younger than her, I couldn't stop gossiping about it with my friends. When I think of it now, I realize how prejudiced I was. Yes, smoking is bad for one's health. But why is it taboo when a woman smokes.

We are all influenced by the society, the so-called culture and the way we are brought up. We easily judge a person based on their habits. A man drinking is acceptable in the society but a woman doing the same is taboo.

I loved the way the lawyer defends them in the end. He says if a human says "No", it means they don't want to do that or don't like it. The woman said "No" and that means she is not willing to continue. Since the man did not stop and harassed her, he is guilty. He goes on to say, the woman in question could be a prostitute, a wife or a girl friend. If she says "No", it means she does not want to do that. He says a wrong action is wrong, irrespective of whether the person is a man or woman.

Such powerful words that have a very deep meaning.

I remember a few days later, during one of my conversations, my colleague U was talking about a girl she saw on the road in the morning. She told me that the girl was smoking in the road and went on to say it was bad since it was against our culture.

I told her that smoking was indeed bad no matter who smokes - be it a man or woman. Smoking in a public place is wrong since it can affect others. But why is it bad because it was a woman who did it.

Who said it is against our culture for a woman to smoke. Many women in our history have smoked. I have heard of stories of women smoking "suruttu" in the old times. I then went on to advise her to watch this movie hoping it might change her perception as well.

Well, I can only hope it does!!