08 July 2015
Hyderabad

Many years back, during my post-grad days, a friend once told me he had come up with a new term to describe all that he sees around him in the name of life. The term he had coined was societal monotony. He said everyone is born, raised, adjust to their circumstances, most join school, find jobs, get married, have kids, grow old and die. On a broad level everyone does, and has been doing the same things for centuries. Societal monotony. Yet, it feels so dramatic, so overwhelming for each individual as he/she goes through these stages. To each, his/her life is the greatest, most intricate epic.

What he said seemed pretty deep back then. Still does. I haven't forgotten that conversation we had standing by a vadapav stall in Ahmedabad. I suspect I never will.

Some Years later, I realized why. I know why each person is overwhelmed as one goes through important stages in life even though billions have been doing the same things for centuries all around them. The answer is cognitive development. Cognition developed by observing others only leads to information. Cognition developed by self experiences triggers emotions (Or the other way round you might argue). And the 'overwhelming' results from these emotions sweeping through you.

Now, I've probably lost your interest by now. Especially, that last paragraph because of its abstract nature. I couldn't put it across any more interestingly. That's because am only me. Am not a cinematic genius called Pete Docter. Am not the storytelling God that John Lasseter is. Though he's only executive produced the absolute delight that is Inside Out, his fingerprints are all over the film.

Inside out is perhaps, no strike that, is undoubtedly the most original thought in cinema since The Matrix. It's the most inventive, creative cinematic masterpiece in a very long time. It's not just the reason why we love the movies...many films can claim that...it's the reason guys who make movies love making movies.

I can only imagine the ecstatic high this team would have been floating on collaborating on this film. When you can take the most impossibly abstract of themes and make a film that's so simple, so crackling with life, and one that makes all age groups laugh and cry... It must feel like meditating up on a cloud.

If I must, the film traces a crucial year in the life of our protagonist Riley, a young girl of 11. But the film is really about 5 fascinating characters up inside Riley's head. Am not going to tell you who they are. They must first come to terms with themselves before they can help Riley. All the emotion plays out outside...And the cognition happens inside. We also get a peek into the minds of older humans and we know how these characters will eventually learn to co-exist like in Riley's mother's head. The dudes inside her dad's head have their own style. It was pretty reverse-sexist but am sure every man will enjoy it:)

Understood nothing? Don't bother! Just go watch the movie! There are so many things in the film and about the film that I want to unpack in my head and write about. From the concept of memory dumps to imaginary friends to personality constructs to animus & anima. Jung and Freud will absolutely love this movie! But just way too many thoughts are prancing about to organize and write. If you have already seen the movie, you'll have a visual idea of the kind of havoc inside my head right now :)

Am going to be marveling at the sheer genius of the film for weeks am sure. It's the kind of film that can make the best of directors feel very small and humbled. Thankfully, am not one!

PS: Thanks to the film, I finally have an explanation for why I get stuck singing the same line from morning to night;)

- Rahul Ravindran (Andala Rakshasi, Ala Ela and Tiger)