Sutured Dreams

“ That is the one unforgivable sin in any society. Be different and be damned!” ― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind Every person on this planet is born unique. But that depends on what you mean by unique. Are we each unique in terms of fingerprints and DNA (excluding identical twins)? Yes. But it would be extremely unsatisfying to refer to the ridges on your fingers as the most unique thing about yourself. Once man has secured the luxuries required to ensure survival, he turns his attention to deeper thoughts. He begins to search for self-identity. He yearns to stand out from the rest. He sets out on his own path. The desire to be unique is an essential trait from an evolutionary viewpoint. If everyone was naturally contented with the way everyone was living their lives, the human race would never have been able to reach where it has today. Some of the most influential people in history were the ones courageous enough to stray from the beaten path. But then why doe...

Manchester United have now appointed their 5th manager since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. While managers have come and gone in this tumultuous period for the club, one thing has remained constant. And that's the club's executive vice chairman, Ed Woodward. After taking over from David Gill, Woodward never appeared to be a perfect fit in his role. His football background was questionable. But while his record in terms of managerial appointments and transfers is unconvincing, there is no doubt that he knows how to please the fans in the short-term. It is arguable that United's malaise began even earlier than his appointment. After years of frugal business in the transfer market, the club was  poorly prepared to deal with the inevitable retirements of club legends Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. The decline of other senior players like Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Robin van Persie and even Wayne Rooney did not help matters in the slightest. ...

After almost 2 and a half seasons at Manchester United, Jose Mourinho has left the club. This makes it yet another club that has sacked Mourinho in his 3rd season. For United fans, it has not come a moment too soon. Jose had managed to suck the enjoyment out of the club with his lifeless brand of football and his toxic personality. I was one person who believed that Mourinho was the right person to take over when Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013. United needed a big personality to handle the pressure of being Fergie's successor and Jose's methods did not seem so outdated back then. Instead, United (with Sir Alex's recommendation) went for David Moyes who found himself out of his depth at the club. When United did hire Mourinho back in 2016, I thought it was the wrong call. United were a club in crisis after not qualifying for the Champions League. And Mourinho seemed to be in a crisis of his own, with his final season at Chelsea going horribly wrong. A club ...

They say the songs you listen to while growing up stay with you more than any you will hear later in life. I have to agree. Some of the songs I heard during high school certainly played a role in shaping who I am today, for better or worse. 1) Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees She lives with a broken man A cracked polystyrene man Who just crumbles and burns In contrast to bands that sing about hope and fantasy, Radiohead through their music has always served as a reminder that we live in the real world and its inadequacies. Fake plastic trees is a song ahead of its time. It is a lamentation of the increasing dehumanization of the modern world. On a simpler level, it's a tragic love song. Thom Yorke's lyrics convey the thoughts of a man clearly dissatisfied with his relationship because he doesn't feel any genuine emotion in a world which seems to be becoming more and more plastic with each day. The greatness of the song lies in the fact that Thom does not us...

Madhupal's Oru Kuprasidha Payyan is a film with a tried and tested plot. It succeeds not because of the uniqueness of the story it has to tell, but because of the way in which it is told, as well as the strong performances from all the leads. The first half of the film is primarily introductory. A familiar "innocent man framed for a crime he didn't commit" story is set but the way it unfolds keeps one guessing as to what would happen next. The protagonist, played by Tovino, is sympathetic enough to get one invested in the story. Ajayan, the protagonist, is not a traditional hero. He is weak. He is beaten-up. He confesses to a crime he didn't commit due to torture. He is assaulted in prison. He has been wronged and it is clear there is little he can do about it on his own. It is in the second half that the film changes pace, turning into a courtroom drama. Much like 12 Angry Men , Oru Kuprasidha Payyan is not about proving who did commit the murder but ...