Ramblings of a 20something girl

Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.  This quote from an essay by Oscar Wilde went through my mind when I saw an article in the newspaper (mentioned below) after watching the movie  Sthanarthi Sreekuttan.  . Sthanaarthi Sreekuttan is a Malayalam movie directed by Vinesh Viswanath in his debut, starring Aju Varghese, Saiju Kurup, Kannan Nayar, Anand Manmadhan, and Johny Antony, among others. The film follows the story of 7th-grade students at   K.R. Narayanan U.P. School in Kerala.  Sreekuttan (our hero), along with his best friends  Sharat, Anoop, and Anas, are the backbenchers of the class; t hey don't like to study (like every other kid), and would rather be out playing cricket or pulling pranks and inevitably getting into trouble. There is a constant struggle between this group and the good kids in the class, with whom they are always compared by the teachers. The most studious one, Ambadi, is their direct competition.  The main ...

It's July of 2025, and it's time for my annual review of movies I watched last year. The movies released last year were extremely interesting. No points for guessing which Indian film industry shone through last year ( hint: it's not the Hindi film industry :p) Honestly, there were so many good movies I watched last year, it took me a lot of effort to pick just a few for this list due to space constraints. Anyway, if you don't find your favorite movie here, don't fret. I might have watched it, or I will in 10 years :p  Now that it's here, read on!  Malayalam Of course, I will start with the Malayalam film industry (it's my bias, I know). The Malayalam film industry went through an absolute whirlwind last year, with its back-to-back record-breaking successes. Were there bad movies too? Oh, absolutely! But here's my list of movies that made me laugh, cry, and go through all sorts of emotions!  1. Premalu    I didn't like this film (JK!). It's a mo...

Manithar unarndha kolla, Idhu manitha kaadhal alla, Adhaiyum thaandi punithamaanathu (For mere humans to understand, this is no mortal love! It’s beyond that.... pure and holy!) Manjummel Boys is the newest movie of the Malayalam film industry that itself has been riding high by its back-to-back hits with Bhramayugam and Premalu within the first two months of this year. Directed by Chidambaram Poduval, Manjummel Boys has been in the theatres, going strong weeks after its release.  Based on a real-life incident, the film follows the story of the Manjummel boys to their trip to Kodaikanal in 2006. Like any other gang of boys, these boys in their early 20s are having fun, out and about without a care in the world, waiting to have the time of their lives as they plan their tour to Kodaikanal. What seemed like a fun tour at the start becomes a matter of life and death for the Manjummel boys when the boys reach Guna Cave (formerly known as the Devil's Kitchen). Guna Cave was named a...

  I was watching Parks and Recreation last year, when I came across this new concept called Galentine's Day. While this holiday may have been around for a long time (I think?), it definitely became popular and came into the mainstream after it was introduced by Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation  (S2 Ep18- if you wanna watch this, hehe).   Celebrated on 13th February, a day before the most romantic day of the year, Galentine's day centers on the love for the gal pals in your life and celebrates female friendships.  Having studied in an all-girls school for 14 years of my life, it can be assumed that I had girl friends since my childhood. BUT. That wasn't the case. Till middle school, I did not have a close knit group of girl friends. I saw myself as not too girly and would pride myself for having more guy friends than girls since I firmly believed that 'all girls were drama' and that 'I wasn't like the other girls'. I thought I was very cool. But I was...

It was July of 2020. Having been stuck in my house for more than 2 months, courtesy the Covid pandemic and the lockdown which followed, and having re-watched all my favorite shows/movies for the nth time, I was ready for something new and heartwarming. It was almost at this moment, as luck would have it, that I chanced upon Modern Love on Amazon Prime. I watched the trailer, and I was not disappointed. If anything, it made me click on the ‘play’ button as fast as I could. I’d suggest you watch Modern Love S1 and S2 ASAP because, let’s face it, it’s beautiful. But, if you’re like me, who needs a little more cajoling before diving into anything new, read on! Modern Love is an anthology series, created by John Carney which is inspired by the weekly column of the same name published by The New York Times. The first season was released in 2019 and the second season released in August, this year. Season one is brilliant, heartwarming and boasts of a stellar cast including Anne Hathaway, ...

 We’ve all had those really bad days when our boss just won’t stop giving us work, or people are annoying all around and nothing seems right, or we’re just simply tired from being stuck in our homes because of the endless lockdowns and the uncertainty facing our future. So, what does one do? Simple! You get into your comfiest pajamas, grab your favorite snack and watch movies that make your heart go aww! I’ve compiled my favorite heartwarming movies so you don’t have to hunt them, hehe 😊 Pride and Prejudice  (2005) – This has to be right on top, for obvious reasons (It's my favorite movie, that's why :p). I first watched Pride and Prejudice (2005) in 2018, post my class 12th examinations, and have not stopped recommending it to people ever since! An adaptation of Jane Austen’s book by the same name, this movie, set in the 19 th  century England, is a treat for the eyes! Beautiful performances by Keira Knightley, Mathew McFadyen as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, th...