can you vish?

  People who know me might know that I am a cinephile. I avidly follow the happenings in the cineverse, regularly interact with fellow cinephiles in social circles, and occasionally write short snippets on movies that moved me. I am not much of a picky eater, but I am a picky watcher. I check reviews, watch the trailer, and decide to watch a movie only if it suits my taste. In a time before Covid and direct OTT releases, seeing a movie that you waited for eagerly was not always easy. The cinema halls may not be that accessible to you, or the movie may not be prominent enough for it to release in your nearest theaters. There have been times where I have dropped the idea of watching some movies in theaters due to practical limitations, but here let us talk about the times where I went the extra mile. The Jungle Book (2016) Disney’s Jungle Book was, beyond doubt, one of the most prominent releases of the year, and of course, it was released in theaters near me. But the trailer of the ...

As the news of the islanders of Lakshadweep being engaged in long drawn protests with the authorities took limelight in the media, I was reminded of the malayalam movie Kammattipadam. This Rajeev Ravi directorial talked about the lives of people who were forced to give up their lands to the powerful real-estate mafias, as Kochi underwent a tide of urbanization. The tropical archipelago of Lakshadweep is apparently finding itself in similar waters. The Union Government seems to have a revamped  vision for the islands, with a great onus on tourism. High end tourism projects are being mooted, “under the aegis of NITI Aayog with a vision to establish a robust base for maritime economic growth with tourism development”. Among the various plans, the major attractions include the construction of overwater villas and bungalows, which have proved to be a great hit with tourists worldwide, especially so in Maldives and Bora Bora. While India has the ideal geographic conditions in the islands...