WAITING - THE FILM

So when do you 'pull the plug' - and how do you deal with the uncertainty called LIFE is what the film WAITING is all about. I, for one, can't remember how many times I have told my husband and kids that if I am in that state where it is difficult to keep me alive they should take the decision to 'pull the plug'. But when the time comes how easy will it be for a family member to do that?

WAITING takes you through the stages of frustration, anger, dejection, acceptance and utter helplessness a family member goes through when a loved one is on life support - dead but not quite yet. When does one decide to let go and for how long does one hang on to the hope of life?

Subtle references to the commercial needs of the medical profession and the nexus between insurance companies and hospital boards only increase the futility of the wait. How much of what the doctor tells you is true? How much does he or she know? Are his decisions based on commerce or empathy? 

Fragile relationships in these times of Facebook and Twitter, strangers bonding for no other reason except shared pain, efforts to rise above the morbidity and snatch moments of hope and cheer are some of the layers the film explores through its beautifully montaged scenes.

Excellent, nuanced performances by the two protagonists makes this film a treat to watch. Naseeruddin shah - and this is the Naseer one waits for years to watch - is flawless. Kalki portrays the mercurial Tara with great ease. Her eyes convey a gamut of expressions and make her silent moments as impactful as her loquacious ones. 

Go watch WAITING not only because sometime in your life you may, in all probability, be faced with a similar dilemma but also because it's only once in a while that you get a chance to see good cinema! And such a chance should not be missed. 

Kiran

Age is an issue of mind over matter....

I started going gray at a very young age - an event in which heredity played as major a role as did a chronic sinusitis ailment. For a few years I went the natural way using Henna to color my gray strands but soon the gray far exceeded the limits to which henna could hide it - leading me reluctantly to chemical dyes. Initially, and because I was younger, more flexible and definitely very enthusiastic about it - I colored my hair myself, but a fading eyesight and a cervical problem drove me to salons for professional help.

The guys and gals at the salons are terrific sales people. They tell you about your imperfections with such finesse that you are left with no recourse but to believe them. You think you have 25% gray in your hair and they convince you it is  hundred percent. You see three wrinkles and the girl threading your eyebrows will see a hundred - 'madam, your skin is very lose. Too many lines. Facial nahin karate kya?' The premise being that if you don't go in for a facial every 15 days your jowls will hang low enough to touch your shoulders. 

One of them (herself a 30 something) tried to convince me of the benefits of taking Botox injections to ease out the lines on my 60 year old face.  No amount of telling her that I loved my wrinkles (they do add character to my face) helped. Her logic was simple. If she at the age of 30 something was taking Botox why was I at 60 refusing it. I had to run out of the place to save my skin! Well, I do admit to certain vanities - despite my age. Dying my hair is one, swathing my face with day and night creams is another, dressing well and being aware of my appearance can be added to the list and I guess there are a few more foibles in the running which need not be mentioned here. But it's all normal everyday stuff. I don't want chemical in my face that would probably freeze me so much I won't be able to smile. 

However, of late I have started getting second thoughts about coloring my hair. Too much chemical, too much hassle, too much waiting for the color to act on the stubborn gray, waste of money and a myriad other reasons I conjure up just after getting it done. No more I tell myself. There's going to be no next time. I will go bald - okay not really, really bald - maybe a sharp crew cut to let the gray grow our fast and what will emerge from the mess will be this silver-haired, elegant woman who despite the silver hair will not look old! 

The point is I am so very unsure about who will emerge - a silver-haired elegant woman or a dull gray old one. And therein lies the dilemma!! To do or not to do - that is the question.