Last week, I saw Interstellar. Whoa! Do desist from jumping to the conclusion that this here is a review of the movie. I don’t do reviews, period. At the cost of antagonizing regular reviewers, let me tell you what I think of them (no, not the people who review, but the reviews). I think they are bunkum as objective views on anything, books, movies, whatever. Yes, I definitely said that. But reviews as personal opinions, yes, I am cool with that. We are different people and reviews reflect our individual views colored by our tastes in literature, music, movies. So they absolutely canNOT be the last word on anything, just our individual word on something. Do a search for the reviews of the book ‘The Palace of Illusions’ by Chitra Divakaruni, one of my favorites by the way, and be surprised at the extremes in views you will come across. I rest my case.

Oh bother. I have infamously digressed from where I started, about having watched Interstellar. Getting back: Prior to going for the movie, when I heard my nephew and friend had been to watch it, I merely said, “Oh did you?” or something to the effect and left it at that. Lots of physics involved, some of it I didn’t get myself, I heard the IIT-ian and the brains of the family adding. When the word ‘physics’ hit me, I shuddered dramatically and thanked him for the warning. I wouldn’t touch the movie with a ten-foot pole, not if it involves knowing principles of physics, the scariest of subjects back in school, I told him. We always speak too soon, don’t we? I was to find out very soon how soon was soon.

You see, I had no idea that Interstellar was a Christopher Nolan movie. Yes, sometimes I am like that, totally living under a rock and having to be dragged out by someone into the light. It came in the form of a message from the Second Born. Dad and you simply HAVE to go and watch Interstellar, his message said. It’s a Christopher Nolan movie, Mom. You will like it! Bless him, he never fails to tell me which are the ones to watch out for. Eh? Oh? Issatso?!! Sure, sure, I responded and promptly booked the tickets for the next day’s show.

You bet I love watching a Christopher Nolan movie. Funny how the scary physics lessons from school are the last things on my mind when I do that. I won’t mislead you into thinking I understood all that went on on the big screen. Better brains than mine couldn’t, so who am I to complain? In spite, absorbed I definitely was, and tried to follow everything with a concentration (and reasoning) that my Physics teacher would have been proud of if I had exhibited it in her class in 7th grade. Hint: I never ever opened my mouth for fear she’d find out how little I knew. No, make that, ‘she’d find out I knew zilch’.

See, I told you this wasn’t a review, just some aimless chatter.

©Shail Mohan 2014