A Self Flamboyant Letter to BR!

Dear Baradwaj Sir,

My name is Kishore and I am from Trichy. For the past three years, I have been a dedicated viewer of your movie reviews and I truly admire the way you review films.

I may not consider myself as a hardcore movie buff, but I have a very strong belief in Art - as a whole. In every forms of art, from Cave paintings to AI generated outputs, I could see the never ending quest of human beings for eternity and immortality. I have had this romantically ideal approach towards art since childhood but, I couldn't find proper channel to nurture and paraphrase my abstract feelings. I knew that, I should go to the books but, I found difficult to start from the right one. I have gone through many bestsellers and five star’ers (as per Google) both in Tamil and English, which eventually made me to loose faith in my taste itself.

Finally, through the same internet, I’ve found the websites of contemporary literary masters of Tamil such as Jeyamohan, S.Ramakrishnan, CharuNivedita,  who completely captivated me through their creative works, articles and most importantly their recommendations. In those times, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the process of learning and deeply considered myself as a part of something bigger. Bigger than life itself. Yeah! I inherited this grandeur perspective towards art from literature, specifically Tamil contemporary literature.

I was searching for movie reviewers who genuinely cared about the films and the viewers, but all I could find were politically correct or bland reviews. When I found you at Film Companion, I was impressed by the freshness and genuineness of your reviews. Your knowledge in the form, style, and aesthetic aspects of films was astonishing and I started following your reviews.

You have  introduced me to the world of Malayalam Cinema through 'Kumbalangi Nights', Kannada cinema through 'Garuda Gamana Vrishaba Vahana', and Hindi Cinema through the latest 'Qala' (which was gorgeously haunting, the finest movie I have watched in recent past).

I am also a huge fan of your interviews and the way you explore the personalities and works of artists through conversations. They provide exceptional insight into the mastery of their respective fields. Your interviews with Vetri Maran, Mysskin, Anurag Kashyap, Maniratnam, GVM, Karan Johar, Vineeth Srinivasan, and Mahesh Narayana are my favorites. The roundtable conversations are truly fantastic.

Recently, I discovered your WordPress blog and read the post "What I read in 2020." I was amazed to see that you have read great Tamil novels and follow contemporary literary legends like Jeyamohan. I found your email ID there and I wanted to express my gratitude. My greatest wish is to witness a conversation between you and Jeyamohan, and I hope that this will happen in the future.

Thank you so much, Baradwaj Sir, for everything you have given me.

- Kishore Kumar

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Dear Kishore

Firstly, apologies for the delayed response. But your mail was so evocative that I did not want to say a simple "thank you so much". But yes. Thank you so much.

An email like this reassures me that I am doing something worthwhile, and yes, ART is a vast ocean. The more swimming you do, the better you understand the world and -- more importantly -- yourself. So I am glad you (as you say) "inherited this grandeur perspective towards art from literature". It is so important that one has this.

I am glad I was able to point you films that broadened this "perspective" of yours, and when you speak of interviews, I broaden my own perspectives as well. Depending on how well-spoken and "open to share" the interviewee is, I learn SO MUCH. The one I did with SJ Suryah taught me so much about life, facing failure, etc.

Thank you for writing in, and I must say you write beautifully. I do hope you are putting this talent to use, because not everyone can articulate what they feel so precisely.

All best wishes :-) 

Baradwaj Rangan

Editor-in-Chief, Galatta Plus

https://baradwajrangan.wordpress.com