Critical Reviews!

  Passengers We all have dreams. We plan our futures, like we're the captains of our fates. But we're passengers. We go where our fate takes us.           Passengers is captivating and enthralling from the beginning to the end. It has twists and turns that take the viewer on an emotional roller coaster ride. First and foremost, the graphics are amazing. They are breathtaking. Watching this move in 3D would've been perfect. Secondly, it has my favorite cast. Jennifer Lawrence as Aurora Lane, Chris Prattson as Jim Preston, and Laurence Fishburne as Gus. The Plot Dissection           A spaceship of 5,000 people is going to a new planet for colonization. All the people, i.e., the passengers, the crew, and the captain are kept in a hibernation pod. The journey from the earth to the new planet is about 120 years long. Hence, it is necessary to pause all metabolic processes and prevent aging. However, after 30 years of journey, there is a...

  Prophecy           Rick Riordan is a popular name among middle schools of the west. Therefore, it has quite a fan base in the east. Rick's domain is mythology. Greek mythology, Roman mythology, and Egyptian mythology. The Percy Jackson series explores the first one in great depth and the later part of the series explores the Roman. Finally, in the recently written Kane Chronicles,  Rick takes a dive into Egyptian Mythology. A detailed version about this is available in the first blog post - The Trials of Apollo.            Prophecy by Ellen Oh has nothing, nada, kuch nhi to do with Rick Riordan's book. So why mention him?!? The world is so focused on European and American mythologies, that they forget to look beyond the Asian cultures and into their origin. Prophecy is a stepping stone to the endless exploration of Asian mythology for the west. Ellen Oh wanted a hero that her daughters could relate with. Being an immi...

  The Mind, Explained           Have you ever noticed that you are 100% sure about a certain memory but your mother or father remembers that same memory differently? The gist is the same but there may be some alternations in their version. Why is that? Have you seen a crazy dream that makes no sense whatsoever? Yet, there are people who try and interpret this dream. They feel that it holds significance. Your heart is racing and your palms are sweaty. Is it anxiety or a panic attack? Nowadays, there is an emphasis on mindfulness. However, yogis are known to meditate. Are these two the same or different? Psychedelics are banned and discouraged, though they have been known to provide anxiety relief. Why? How is our mind affected by all this? Why do we react the way we do? Why are books like The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, Ikigai, The Alchemist,  etc so popular? WHY?           In this blog, we will be indulging in topics l...

 Shakuntala Devi           The Shakuntala Devi film is about Shakuntala Devi's life. A great mathematician given the title of "the human computer" uses her talent to do shows and make a living. Coming from a low-income family, Shakuntala conquers the world with her math and has become a common household name. The whole world knows her as a genius who can perform complicated math problems accurately within a matter of seconds. She was faster than the fastest computer in her time. However, what about her personal life? What were her struggles? Which challenges did she face? What did she lose to become what she became?             Shakuntala Devi was a woman of vigor and ambition. To date, finding such a talented woman of Shakuntala Devi's caliber, challenging the norms of society is a herculean task. This is not to undermine the woman's efforts like pinjra tod movement and free the nipple movement in which women are rebelling f...

  2 Broke Girls           It is amazing! This American sitcom is my new favorite. It was love in the second episode. I want to say it was love at first sight but that would be like saying I have always loved bitter melon a.k.a krela. The reality is you may not love it at first. But eventually, you develop the taste for it. Next thing you know, when Mumma is cooking dal chawal, you ask for krela ka bhujia with it.            The story revolves around two girls who work as a waitress at a Brooklyn dinner. One of them, Caroline Channing had to take up waitressing as she lost all her money due to her dad's scam. The other, Max Black coming from a hood with a messed up history had been working in the dinner for a long time. With Caroline's entry into Max's life, the duo decides to open their own cupcake shop with Max's baking skills and Caroline's business skills. The series depicts the ups and downs they face while trying to make t...

  Pagglait           The lead role is played by Sanya Malhotra as Sandhya. In this movie, the recently married Sandhya's husband dies and she is unable to grieve his death. During the process of her husband's last rites, she discovers that her husband had feelings for one of his office colleagues, Aakansha Roy. In the process of a possible confrontation regarding an affair, Sandhaya with her friend Nazia discovers a life of an empowered independent woman.            The turning point in the plot occurs when Sandhya discovers that her husband has left a huge sum of money for her. With this money, new doors of possibility and opportunity open for Sandhya. What must Sandhya do next? Remarry immediately? Get a job? Stay under the care of her husband's family? or return to her mom and dad? The questions and actions in this movie revolve around the idea "log kya khenge?".... What will society think?          ...

Ikigai The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life A self-interview review! Q. Hey, Shreya! How are you? A. Hello! I am doing well. There is a lot on my platter. It's heavy with aspirations. But things are managing themselves. Thanks for asking! Q. Coming to review, what made you choose this book? A. I saw this book cover on someone's status a long time back. That person had good taste in books, so, I figured I should read this too. However, with the passage of time, I forgot about this book. Later, I came face to face with it when I visited my aunt's house. The yearning for this book rejuvenated. Hence, when my uncle asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I replied, "Ikigai". Q. How is this book different from other books like The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari or Who Moved My Cheese ? What makes Ikigai unique? A. I am glad you asked! All the books that you mentioned come under the category of self-help. However, each one is different. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrar...