Exploring 'Hidden Figures' - an inspiring movie

Hidden Figures - is in inspiring movie which revolves around the struggle of three Afro-American courageous ladies who worked in NASA (half a century ago) who were called as ‘human computers’. This film can give enough inspiration to the under-privileged youngsters to pursue their dreams. *

Though there were quite a few movies about ‘racial discrimination’ which highlight the sufferings of people due to discrimination, this one is special since it highlights the discrimination in the field of Science & Technology both for their color & gender. The movie brings out - the courage & determination of the three ladies to succeed in their career - in heart-warming manner with apt dialogues. Though there are quite a lot of people who discriminate against color/gender - all along the human history – all over the world, there are also some others with good heart who encourage the suppressed ones, who spot talents, who value people, who value science & technology, who value progress of human kind.

It’s quite amusing now to hear that once upon a time premier science/technology institutes had separate ‘Toilets for Colored’ & ‘Colored Computer’ sections! There were some sections/areas where women cannot work (like some engineering sections). ⸸

 The film’s three lead roles are– one a genius mathematician - Katherine G. Johnson - who can compute like a supercomputer (who could calculate with better accuracy than the computers available in the ‘50s& ‘60s) , ‘Mary Jackson ‘who became the first ‘colored’ lady engineer at NASA and another lady ‘Dorothy Vaughan’ in the computing division who was aspiring to become supervisor – who had the forethought of mastering computer programming language FORTRAN by stealing a book from white only library which will help in her career in the future (and also taught other girls in her community)¥.

The ladies pursue their goals in their career - in spite of humiliations & discouraging atmosphere -with hard work, with never-say-die attitude, asserting themselves in their workplace, contributing significantly in NASA’s success, taking ownership of their work, putting their heart into it and be proud about it. After all, working on Rocket science by no means a mean job. They were living the impossible of their time. They ought to take pride in contributing to send humans to moon (the job ought to be harder unlike going on ‘honeymoon’).

There are 'non-colored'  & male characters too in the movie like Al Harrison - director of Special Task Group with whom Katherine worked, the husband of Mary Jackson, Mary’s mentor Zielinski etc., support the ladies in their ambitions.

There are few impactful scenes in the movie. One is the scene where - after Al Harrison was confronted by Katherine for the inconvenience of running half a mile for finding a ‘colored toilet’, he goes & breaks the toilet board naming it as colored with a hammer & says ‘No more colored restrooms at NASA. We all pee same color’ - touches one’s heart. That’s the courage a leader need to show for changing systems for better world.

 Mary’s mentor at the office - Mr. Zielinski, spotting her talent advices her saying “Mary! a person with an engineer’s mind should be an engineer” igniting her to dream of becoming engineer. When Mary Jackson fights her case for an admission in white only college in the court – to fulfill her dream of becoming an engineer at NASA, she argues with the judge for the necessity to change rules for creating history - like ‘putting a first man on top of rocket to touch stars’ and persuades him to become part of history by his path-breaking judgement which will create the first ‘Negro female engineer in NASA’. Mary’s husband while helping her get ready for her evening college classes, gifts a new mechanical lead pencil, encourages her saying “You will make a fine Engineer. Nobody dare stand in the way of Mary Jackson’s dreams. Myself included”.

 Not standing on the way of someone’s dream – the least one can do for the progress of humankind! That much compassion is expected out of one. Isn’t it too much to expect?

-$-

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 * When I went to a theatre to see the movie in the night two days back, it said 'no show due to lack of quorum'. I rushed to another one nearby where it started though people were few! I should be grateful for them 

 ⸸ This was the situation in India too. I do remember the occasion I had witnessed in an army camp in a desert, where some officers were advising R&D units not to send their women engineers/scientists there, since they will have problems controlling their men!

 ¥ That reminds me of my class topper who used to steal books from our University Library. Guess, reading from stolen books get digested well!

Novel based recent kannada films

Happened to watch two noticeable novel based Kannada films recently.

There were few reports in the media about Kannada films industry making losses. The complaint was that Kannada audiences were not encouraging the Kannada films enough.

Puttanna used to make movies based on novels. There were good art movies made in '70s too. Art movies weren't reaching many, not having commercial success.

The two films based on novels released recently were significant in terms of what they have achieved.
One excelled in adhering to the story theme & succeeded in depicting the historical environment quite effectively with the message of communal harmony.
Another one succeeded in modifying the story to find value for life even with all the sufferings due to the surrounded blind beliefs and rituals.

KallaraLi hoovaagi

BL Venu has been a popular novelist. Several of his novels used to be published in Taranga in '80s and '90s in instalments. He had also ventured writing novels whose story is woven around history too. One of those is 'KallaraLi hoovaagi'woven around the era of Madakari Naayaka, the ruler of Chitradurga.(I think it was published in Sudha magazine several years back. I had read quite a few instalments of it then.) The story focuses on a love story(BL Venu's most of the novels theme is love story) between inter-religious lovers & how society raects to it. The depiction of a embarasment of a Lingayat family nursing a muslim girl in their house was quite amusing especially when adhering to their rituals(especially coping up with chicken biryani smell).

Nagabharan, a talented director with drama background(had worked with people like BV Karanth earlier) had given life to the story. One can see that his experience from theatre has been utilized well in the movie, though in certain places one may get the feeling that there are certain places the sceneries are limited to 90 degrees (limitation of theatre stage) instead of 360 degrees.
He has packed the movie with big stars - like Ambarish, Ananthnag, Bharathi, Sumalatha,Devraj, Vijaya Raghavendra, etc., but only few had made justice to the roles. Ananthnag suited to his role, Ambarish, Devaraj are not impactful.Heroin doesn't look good match for the hero(Vijay Raghavendra). Nagabharan has used graphics, animations well (for chopping of heads too, though it may look violent, may not be advisable for children).



Naayi neraLu

Girish Kasaravalli has made several award winning movie. People often say that he makes movies only for awards. Some of his movies contained strong messages too like Tabarana kathe! He has mastered the art of making his movie quite impactful too. Though he has made several movies based on several good novels/stories too, the latest novel he selected had several challenges.

The novel 'Naayi neraLu'from Bhyrappa is of typical Bhyrappa style depicting some of the old rituals and blind beleifs like 'rebirth'. Bhyrappa sometimes ends up his novel as if advocating retrograde beliefs! Depicting this novel as it is in a movie would have got Kasarvalli the bad name as a 'retrograde'director too. But Kasaravalli adapted it to send a modern outlook message. He uses part of the novel to depict the struggle people need to undergo in this society due to some of the societal impositions for ill fated females(widows)and modified a bit to show that some people embrace it to get out of some sufferings too. The novel talks about an old Brahman couple believing in a story that their son has been reborn at some other place & try to bring him home after two decades of his demise. The mother was eager to accept the unknown young man as her son, but it was not easy for the daughter-in-law to accept, since she already had a grown up daughter too and the person came as the reborn husband is of her daughter's age! The suffering and out casted state of widow life makes her think of accepting the new person as her husband, hoping that her status can be improved & get out of the ritualistic restrictions.

But the things will not improve, since the society cannot digest the fact that she can come out of the 'widow'status & enjoy social status like other married women. Her sufferings increase when she become pregnant from the re-born husband, even her daughter goes away from her!

The daughter wasn't able to digest the fact that her mother also is supporting the blind belief & find it difficult to accept an young person in place of her father! The movie ends with the daughter getting puzzled by her mother's answer for her question that 'how come mother started developing faith in rebirth theory which she wasn't having earlier?'- for which the mother quips - "she never believed in that till now"!

Kasaravalli didn't rely on any famous stars this time.There were mix of few dialects being used (some actors were not able to completely adapt to it including Ananya Kasaravalli).Sukri impresses with her liveliness (the 'Kudubi' dress need not have been taken to little extreme with bare back!)
Sceneries were looking good (for a change kasaravalli has switched to 70mm instead of his usual 35mm) especially the river side ones. Movie impresses in its theme and settings rather than with actors performances.
The movies official website can be reached by clicking http://www.nayineralu.com/