Kozhikode

Kozhikode, situated on the Malabar cost of India, receives torrential monsoons. These monsoons make it a wet and humid place. And, like other Indian cities, it is overcrowded. If you ever stop at the traffic intersection on Mavoor Road, the pungent smell of pollution and the throbbing sound of petrol and diesel engines, combined with the incessant sound of blaring horns will conspire to suffocate you. With any luck, it will be raining heavily. You will be drenched and your trousers mucked up. In spite of all this, you will see a fair deal of commercial activity. On both sides of the road, you will find dozens of shops. Some are small and dingy. Others are glamorous with large neon signs and attractive glass facades. But, a feeling of forced claustrophobia is omnipresent.

As Good As It Gets

IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

Cast of characters:

Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall

Helen Hunt as Caroll Connelly

Greg Kinnear as Simon Bishop

Introduction

This movie is a touching comedy about three New Yorkers, three unhappy people, who have been condemned by destiny to be whacked and slapped more often than what would be their fair share. It is about a writer (Udall), who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), he is mean, angry and frustrated; but writes romantic stories for a living. It is about this diffident, young homosexual painter (Simon), who has a strange kind of honesty about him. And a not so young, single mother (Caroll) who has somewhere lost her own self between nursing her acutely ill son and working as a waitress.

The First Scene

Simon’s ill-mannered pooch is contemplating blasphemy at the corner of a wall with his one hind leg raised in the air, outside the front door of Udall’s apartment. This certainly does not go well with Udall. He discourages the dog in his characteristic mean and threatening manner, talking and smiling to him, inviting the dog to join him in the elevator, perhaps to dispose him off in the bustle of the mean city outside. The dog is not easily convinced. Udall picks him up, and the pooch takes advantage of his elevated position to do what Udall dreads. A disgusted Udall, enraged with the dog’s audacity, pushes him down the garbage chute; a smug smile adorns his countenance as he naively thinks that he has rid himself of this nuisance forever.

Udall

Udall is a queer character. He does not walk in a straight line, but chooses to dodge imaginary lines on the floor beneath. He, as the rest of the world, does not simply switch on the light, or lock the door. He will switch the light on and off five times – on, off, on, off and finally, on. Ditto for the lock. The cabinet above his washbasin is stacked with dozens of newly packed soap bars. He washes his hands with two new soap bars under blistering hot water. An extreme case of OCD; he is in dire need of the services of a professional and competent psychiatrist. At the same time, he is also an extremely popular writer of ideal, romantic stories – painting illusions of true love and companionship - the kind that women find fascinating but would hardly capture the attention of a man.

The story

The storyline is weaved around a tragic accident with Simon. He becomes the victim of a merciless attack, inside his own home, by some hooligan friends of his model. This not only leaves his face scarred beyond recognition but also unsettles his life. The resulting medical expenses leave him bankrupt. He will have to give up his apartment and studio. That man’s fortunes hit so low that even his own dog ignores him. Caroll is, also, unable to afford a decent treatment for her son’s asthma and allergy condition – he is literally incapacitated. She is frustrated, bitter and tired.

Udall falls in love with Caroll. He becomes a nicer person. The sarcasm and meanness withdraw from his personality. He becomes friends with Simon. He, also, does something spectacular for Caroll and her son. These three people find companionship, support and love in each other. And live happily ever after.

Thoughts

But, as I see it, life is not so easy. When you are in trouble, when you are losing hope, there is no Udall. Life is, at times, unbearable. Suffering is an unavoidable part of our lives. Your worst fears come true. We are all, anyways, doomed.

To Be or Not To Be

I know that the title is very much a cliché, but it is always so much easier to give in to the temptation of using one, rather than racking your brains over trying to create something original – knowing all the time that you will hardly come up with something as brilliant. My friend, these clichés have survived through ages - this particular one having survived more than 200 years, ever since the great bard penned them down – because they have beautifully captured the right idea or emotion. Oh, but we digress from the point. So, what I was trying to tell you is this – I am, what you might call, a perennially and utterly confused person. I have found myself bouncing back and forth, like a shuttlecock, on almost every trivial matter that one could possibly bounce back and forth upon. Several times, I have found myself in front of the mess refrigerator, pondering over the right drink to choose – one that would perfectly compliment the subzi of the day, or my mood, or for that matter even the weather. While grappling with the merits and demerits of a Pepsi and Coke, I would suddenly find myself lusting about a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, with just the right flavor – a little sweet and a little sour. After this period of indecision, I usually reach out for the drink closest at hand. Do not get me wrong, it is not these common frivolities alone, which occupy my time and energy. If you believe, I have moved my lazy posteriors, from the comfort of my cozy mattress, to this hard plastic chair just to write about the difficulties I face in choosing soft drinks, you are I am afraid to point out, completely off the mark.

The latest stimulus, which has caused my mind, to enter in to what it does best – bouncing back and forth – is the matter of…Well; do we need to go in to it? Some things are best left unsaid…..