For the seagull who wanted to fly

Monica Dogra as Shai  in Dhobi Ghat

Recurring   grim memories, broken thoughts, unsolved misunderstanding were engulfing my mind for quite some time. Then the sudden idea of indulging oneself into watching movies struck..…and   this time it was “Dhobi Ghat”.

After many many years ,could actually see myself, the  unbound inner spirit in the protagonist-  'Shai' . The initial training to be a banker (read economics ) , the relentless love for arts, amateur photography (ok , I will own a slr someday) , light cotton clothes, silver jewellery ,  red wine,…and most importantly  the chaos and the humdrum , the mess and  the  melange, the innocence and the simplicity, the filth and the dirt, the pain and the laughter, the ebullience and the charm,the humility and the compassion,the keenness and the empathy,the poise and the elegance,the joy and excitement,the sensitivity ,the mad passion and the grave enchantment ,the tears and the numbness,  the nuanced tactility and the oneness ,the emotions and the hidden dreams, the acceptance and the peace,…the underbelly and the upper crust  (by the way, who divides and defines?)  all spun into one ….life as I love to see, almost seen through another inner eye. In fact  enacted if not  lived by another  life.

(PS: the composition, not the picture is mine.
At the end  I  do wonder is it  only Shai or is it  the writer and director- Kiran's soul that enthralls me and speaks my heart.Nevertheless a more visceral tribute to a city, i haven't come across)