SONYAA's RANDOM MUSINGS HITS A CENTURY: REMINISCING A WONDERFUL JOURNEY SO FAR & MUCH MORE...

Hi Friends,

How are you doing? Hope all's well at your end.This month's post is special because Sonyaa's Random Musings hits a CENTURY! Yes,you read that right... this is my 100th post on Sonyaa's Random Musings! Cheers!! 

Today,I fondly look back at this wonderful journey that began seven years ago when my father prodded me towards putting my writing skills into practice by starting a blog.He knew from the start about my love for films (both front and behind the camera), thus he encouraged me to pen down my thoughts on the same and collate them in the form of a well-structured blog. He believed that blogging was a powerful platform to network and interact with like-minded people and professionals from different walks of life who shared the same passion for films. And thus, I am eternally grateful to my father on his much cherished vision for Sonyaa's Random Musings!

Though I am not a pro when it comes to writing about cinema...but I do believe each one of us has a view and perspective to share and so doI! :) During the initial years of blogging,I would oft pour my heart out on varied topics like current issues,politics,spirituality and of course,films until I decided to make it a niche blog purely on and about films and the vast canvas it encompasses.

Along the way,many of my friends (including my dad) chipped in by contributing guest posts to motivate my spirits especially when I couldn't keep up with the deadlines of balancing my work in a television channel and managing a blog at the same time. And it is them to whom I also owe and express my deepest gratitude to.

I would also like to thank my readers who have from time to time dropped by their invaluable comments on my articles which has helped me to cultivate an active interest towards the daily functioning of my blog in terms of content, layout and design.However on the flip side,when I started out blogging, I updated it on a weekly basis but with my hectic schedule on board,I couldn't keep pace and soon I was only able to do so once a month.However,this is something that I am working on and very soon I shall definitely make it a point to update my blog on a fortnightly basis. But here's a window of opportunity for budding writers out there passionate about cinema to share their articles in the form of views/ reviews/ notes/ musings with me on sonyaa.random.musings@gmail.com  which I shall be very glad to publish here! :)  With over hundreds of hits every month,this is your space and a golden chance to get featured when the world learns about you and your innermost thoughts on films, be it Bollywood, Hollywood or even World Cinema.

So, now without any further delay let's kick start this month's post on a magical note! We have all loved fairy-tales and I am no exception to it. In fact,I still do even as my friends have graduated into their choices with their undying love for the haughty yet kind,Mr. Darcy or the roguishly charming,Rhett Butler.While there is enough room in my case for the Prince Charming in fairy-tales and both Mr. Darcy and Rhett Butler to co-exist,however there is competition with the flawed yet likable,Prince Henry entering the foray as he comes alive in the film, Ever After: A Cinderella Story which I would like to recommend to my readers. Even though Prince Henry is not the ideal Prince Charming but it is these imperfections that make him perfect. He comes across as a rebellious boy trapped in the body of a man who wants to relinquish all duties and responsibilities as a prince but when he is in the company of his lady love, Danielle we see him mature as a man-a man who shares the same passion as her,makes mistakes but is willing to listen and learn from them as he grows in love.As for the film,I thought it was a refreshing take on the fable of Cinderella as well for it gives her character a renewed sense of identity and a larger than life persona when it transports you back into 16th century France as the viewers for a moment come to believe that a story as such may have indeed transpired in the pages of history (i.e. if you let your imagine blossom!). And even though there is no fairy God-mother or pumpkins turning into carriages and mice turning into horses,but there is such magic in the narrative which knit the story together that there is no room left for supernatural elements to do the wonders! Drew Barrymore is beautiful and convincing as Cinderella.Her character, Danielle outshines Prince Henry for she is not only intelligent,down-to-earth and kind but she is also not the typical damsel-in-distress waiting to be rescued by her Prince. In fact, she displays exemplary courage each time for she not only has the conviction to disguise herself as a Comtesse in order to pay off her servants debts but she rescues her prince from the up-in-arms gypsies and herself from the clutches of the vile landowner,Pierre le Pieu to whom she is sold to by her wicked step-mother.And after watching this film,I have come to realize that there is more flesh to the story of Cinderella from what was read out to us as children about a helpless girl,ill-treated by her step-mother who worked in her own house as a servant as she patiently awaited her silver lining to come in the form of a fairy god-mother to release her from the spell of drudgery. However,nothing as such happens here.Perhaps, you could call Leonardo Da Vinci,her fairy God-mother (father, right?) who gives her imagination flight and her dreams "wings"! In fact,you can say that it is Leonard Da Vinci who plays cupid between the two lovers as well.This weekend if you are looking for some magic in your life then I insist that you rent the flick Ever After: A Cinderella Story! You will love it. :)

Now as I watched Ever After: A Cinderella Story, it reminded me of the story structure of Lasse Hallström's Casanova.In a way, I loved how the legend of Casanova and Cinderella begins with the story being told by one of the close aides of the protagonist that quickly dissolves into a flashback. And then how it all unfolds into the colorful splendor of the lives of both Danielle and Casanova who are contrasting personalities though and thrown into different conditions and situations but on finding love, how their lives are transformed when they find the strength to confront all obstacles and challenges that come their way which is not before some major misunderstandings are cleared when finally the two lovers unite and love triumphs all the way! And as the curtains fall down it is back to the person who is narrating/penning the memoirs of their stories that would live on forever.Did anyone else apart from me think that way? 

Speaking of the 1998 flick,Ever After: A Cinderella Story what I also loved about it was that it retained all the essential elements of the fable - like the evil step-mother,the dashing prince,the royal ball,beautiful dress, glass slipper and the fairy god-father (not mother) but when you compare it to yet another popular fairy-tale among kids adapted in recent times - Snow White and the Huntsman (2012),I found that a great opportunity was lost in re-telling this story in all its splendor and glory once again. Not only was Kristen Stewart miscast as Snow White but the character whom we so fondly remember as the most beautiful, petite and a gentle young lady is reduced to playing a warrior leading a battle to defeat the queen and reclaim her place in the palace! Visualize that! Then the story of the film was even altered when it is not the Prince but the Huntsman who breaks the spell with love’s first kiss! Now...what was that? If I recall correctly,the Huntsman saves Snow White's life when instead of killing her on the Queen's orders he leaves her in the woods. According to the story,Snow White goes on to make her home in the jungle with what should have been seven dwarves as opposed to eight dwarves in this film. Finally,when she falls to her death upon taking a bite from the poisoned apple given to her by the Queen disguised as an old hag,it is love’s first kiss by the Prince whom she had met earlier that releases her from the spell.And furthermore the Queen meets her death the moment she poisons Snow White after a chase by the dwarves and animals as she falls off the cliff when a boulder strikes her.There is no rebellion or war that I recall...Check that! Secondly,the complete look of the film was a stark contrast to the dream like quality that we had imagined as children.Snow White And The Huntsman was nothing short of a grim "scary" tale bordering on horror with an eerie setting in dark ominous tones!I had thought that in today's times the film,Snow White could have had the same magic as Ever After:A Cinderella Story did with technology enhancing it visually and the story-telling handled deftly keeping in mind the sensibilities of children by staying true to the book and enriching it further with some fine treatment in the story-line to refine it all the more! What are your thoughts on it?

So with this,we come to the end of this month's post! Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Till then, take care and ciao

Love,

Sonyaa