Only Murders in the Building

I always look at lists or reviews  to select a particular movie to see. At times some of the movies which are highly revered make no sense but 7/10 times these movies are what I was looking for and enthral me, give me my moment of bliss in an otherwise chaotic or mundane day. 

But sometimes I just rely on instinct - where the past memories of movies / reviews / actors or whatever defines instinct I choose a movie or documentary but rarely a series Because series needs investment in time. 

Only Murders in the building was one such series I whimsically picked (I think driven by the combination of the 2 of the most underrated funny actors Martin Short & Steve Martin) and saw the first episode enroute to Bangalore. I loved it so much that by the next day I finished the series. It was much before it garnered good reviews from many many people. I just finished Season 2 and I quite liked the way S2 built the past stories of the lead actors into the present. I think most of the reviews were not very favourable (season 1 was better according to the press) but personally I liked it. Of course S1 had the novelty which any 1st season of a series has..It’s like most marriages / relationships - 1st year is the best because there is no benchmark. 

So, what do I like:

I like the lightness of the series - In a stupid parallel I thought it was very much like the Rishikesh Mukherjee / Basu Chatterjee + Amol Palekar movies of 70’s. You come out feeling good and happy and a smile automatically comes to your face.

The characters are fallible, they all have a problem past, like all of us which haunt us, we run away from them & in most cases unknowingly drives our present. 

The fact that both lead actors are 70+. At 53, I can relate to the relationships they have with their families, their need of feeling loved and cared for & a kind of silent rejection by society as people whose time of fun & frolic is in the past.

I also like the overall production value, the Aconia building and the beautiful houses with rugs and interior designs done in a fashion that each house looks different but very upstate NY. 

Lastly I love the pets & special appearances by Sting, Shirley Maclaine and many others which brings in a change and also lifts the show from it’s regular rhythm.

When time stands still

I entered our Delhi house after 4 years. The last time I entered was to do baba’s shradh in 2018. This time when I entered, It was like time stood still - the photographs from my childhood to my kids early teen, the kitchen with utensils and plates in which we made and had food, the toilet broken because of misuse, the beds & chairs dusty, with a layer of sand - it was like when you pause a movie while editing it. Only difference is that here we didn’t have the actors and could not unpause it.

Except in memory of course. But then memory also is like the fishes hidden in the crevices of stones deep in the ocean - difficult to retrieve. But when I came into our home it was like a tsunami of memory which hit me and stunned me. I stood still for a long time till I got my senses back. My mind had to move from heart to mind - because I was here to empty the house. To remove the physical baggage once and for all. 

In my journey from Delhi to Solan as the flat lands gave away to hills, the ebb and flow of thoughts also reduced or did they go numb. I reflected on this, what is the trigger for any recall, objects, photos, songs & movies heard and seen together - shared spaces like a house. When we grew up in the 70's & 80 there was mostly nothing called personal space. All the fathers friends were uncle & their wives aunties & their children were our friends - we went for picnics, saw movies together, we huddled together in a TV room (called ante room - i still don’t know why ?) to see Star Trek and Spiderman. We played all possible games from pitto (7 stones), gulli danda, football, cricket. Then there were all the festivals & programs - everyone celebrated all festivals. 

That’s the way it was in Air Force cantonment areas - I am hoping the same continues even now. Unless the mobile has intruded and divided the children. When my children were growing up in Bangalore the apartment also had a similar culture and I am happy that the kids were mobile free and enjoyed the friendship, many of which they still maintain - yes on mobile :)  

As I lock the house, heavy winds start blowing and very soon rain follows. I walk in the rain with tears in my eyes and rain on my face merging the past and present in a single stream.

Khosla Ka Ghosla

Last few months, in fact for a year now, I have been trying to sell baba’s house in Delhi. Speaking to brokers is the first because without them nothing moves especially if you are selling a DDA flat. 

So there were brokers of all kinds

• one who is based in Uttarakhand but has someone who will get it done - Ho Jayega Sir! Don’t worry! Was a common statement and after they visit the house they will list out all the reasons why it will be difficult to sell and try to get the price down.

• One who stays below & got someone to agree to buy and after the discussion quietly said - ‘Mujhe 1% dena’ For what I asked. Introduction Ke.

• There were few brothers - every time I called their wife would pick up and say - haa ghar dikhane haye, which was complete nonsense - because no one showed up. 

Operating out of Bangalore and having stayed here for 16 years I was a soft spoken south Indian who did not speak any south Indian language but had lost the Delhi swagger. All those who stayed in Delhi will understand what I mean. Slowly I moved from English to Hindi not only in speech but also text (W app) and I could immediately see a change in the response.

Thankfully, the broker was soft spoken, while I was prepared for a war it was armistice right from the first call and thanked my stars that I got a level headed guy to deal with. Even the buyer was good so was able to close everything - My Bangalore gentleness was appreciated by both :)

Postscript: Khosla Ka Ghosla is a 2006 film which was directed by Dibakar Bannerjee and won the National Award for the best feature film. Kamal Kishore Khosla is a middle-class man living in New Delhi where he has purchased a plot of land to build a house. It's a black comedy also starring Ranvir Shenoy & Vinay Pathak duo. You can see it in Disney.