Memoirs of a Geisha - Excellent!

A friend recommended the book Memoirs of a Geisha, which according to her was the most fascinating Japanese tale she had ever read. The thought of reading a Japanese tale fascinated me and I went ahead and read the book, twice! Here's the review...

Memoirs of a Geisha is a part-fiction, part-real novel written by American author Arthur Golden. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the story is about a Geisha called Chiyo chan, born to an old fisherman in Japan who also had an elder daughter, Satsu. Poverty, old age and illness forces the fisherman to sell off both his daughters to a certain Mr. Tanaka, who brings the girls to the Gion district of Kyoto city. In Gion, the girls are separated from each other. Satsu is sold off to a brothel for not being attractive enough whereas Chiyo is sold to an okiya. An okiya is a lodging house for geisha, which is run by a mistress known as okiya-san.

Life in the okiya is difficult for Chiyo in the initial years. She is made to work as a maid and help out in the household chores. The okiya also houses another inmate, Hatsumomo, a famous Geisha in Gion who views Chiyo as a rival and is forever seeking to settle scores with her. Chiyo falls prey to Hatsumomo's wicked ways and her debts to the okiya increase many-fold, thanks to Hatsumomo. After a couple of months of surviving in the okiya, Chiyo is sent to a training school where scores of young girls like her are taught various arts such as dancing, playing the shamisen (an instrument resembling a guitar), singing and so on.

The story takes a turn when Chiyo discovers her sister and they both decide to run away from Kyoto. Chiyo, however, is unfortunate at her attempt and is caught by the mistress of another okiya. Chiyo is stopped from attending classes any further and is confined to the okiya, much to Hatsumomo's delight. Chiyo returns to tending the household chores and is determined to find her sister one day. Her dreams are shattered when she learns that her parents have left for their heavenly abode and her sister has run away with a boy.

Chiyo realizes that life has nothing in store for her. Just when she immerses herself in pain and cries on the bank of a river, a Chairman of an electric company, happens to pass by and consoles little Chiyo. Chiyo is motivated by the Chairman's words and decides to take on life as it comes. Back in the okiya, help arrives from an unexpected corner.

Mameha, a successful Geisha in Gion proposes to take on Chiyo as her younger sister and train her as a Geisha. Under Mameha's watchful eyes, Chiyo transforms in to a beautiful and enterprising Geisha and takes on the name Sayuri. Sayuri starts entertaining her patrons in teahouses.

Secretly, she starts loving the Chairman and wishes to become his mistress one day. However, Nobu, the Chairman's friend and business partner takes a liking for Sayuri and proposes to become her danna or patron. As a danna, Nobu would take care of all of Sayuri's expenses. The story then concludes with how Sayuri resolves her dilemma over whether to accept Nobu's proposal or nourish her feelings for the Chairman, who is not even aware about how she feels for him.

The novel is beautifully written and the essence of Japanese culture is well-described. Geisha were often confused with prostitutes. However, they are neither prostitutes nor courtesans. They are artists. In fact, the meaning of the word Geisha is an artist. It is a world in which beauty rules. Geisha dress up elaborately with heavy make up, expensive kimonos and intricate hairstyles. Their lifestyle is also very expensive. Hence, all the money spent on them when they are trained is added to their debts at the okiya. Once a Geisha starts earning, most of her earnings go to the okiya. In most cases, the debts are so huge that the Geisha is bound to the okiya forever. However, if the Geisha manages to find a patron who is willing to become her danna then she is freed from her debts. Her danna not only takes care of her expenditure but also settles her debts to the okiya.

Golden's attempt was a runaway success. The book was also adapted into a movie and was produced by Steven Spielberg. Zhang Zyi (who is from Chinese origin) played Sayuri. However, the movie is not as entertaining as the book.

The book was marred by controversy as a case was filed against against Arthur Golden Mineko Iwasaki. Mineko alleged that Arthur betrayed her by specifying her name in the book as an acknowledgment. Mineko was one of the many Geisha interviewed by Arthur and according to her, it was decided that she would reveal everything about her life provided he does not mention her name anywhere in the book. Mineko sued Arthur for breach of contract and defamation of character in 2001. However, they reached an out of court settlement in 2003. Later, Mineko came out with her own version of Geisha life in a book called Life of a Geisha. She allegedly felt that she could do a better job than Arthur as she herself was a Geisha. However, the book was not acclaimed as much as Memoirs.

I would recommend the book to those who have a penchant for reading and a desire to know something about the amazing Japanese culture.

Sivaji - Review

Despite being a South-Indian, I was never in awe of the super star who reigned in the hearts of thousands of devoted fans. In fact, I used to find his gimmicks so sick that I never watched any of Rajni's super hit films. However, after watching Sivaji, my view about Rajni has changed a lot. I went to watch the movie out of curiosity rather than anything else...and came out of the theatre with my heart filled with content for a watching a good movie after a long time.

The Plot
Kudos to director Shankar for coming up with a fantastic story-line, fabulous action sequences, and hilarious punch dialogues. The reason for the film's stupendous success cannot be attributed to Rajni alone. It is the team work and a well-planned, cleverly crafted story that has done the trick.

Sivaji is a film that takes a dig at the black money market prevailing in India. The story revolves around an NRI, Sivaji, who returns to India from the US with a mission to educate the masses and provide free treatment to the poor and the needy. His sole aim in life is to run hospitals and provide education, to the poor and the needy. However, he runs into trouble as the existing corrupt system of bureaucrats and hand-in glove politicians turn his dreams to dust. His efforts are thwarted by the shrewd dhoti-clad business man, Adisheshan who feels insecure on hearing Sivaji's plans to provide free education and medical facilities. However, the must talked about project starts off after Sivaji bribes the authorities. Soon, he loses all the hard-earned money and the properties that he had amassed so far. The story is all about how Sivaji starts from the scratch and fights all the obstacles on his way to get his project back on track.

The Cast
There's hardly any scene in the movie sans Rajni. I don't think I need to write about his screen presence or acting prowess. The surprise package of the movie is Vivek, Sivaji's side-kick. The female lead, Shreya, has nothing to do except gyrate to the music. The charater Adi, played by actor Suman is fantastic. The character is cunning, shrewd, and lethal. Suman has done complete justice to the role.

The Music
A R Rahman fails to come up with a good music score this time. The music is disappointing though the picturisation is heart-warming and refreshing. The choreography is good and the costumes are unique and different.

Why should you watch Sivaji?
The star cast is terrific, the story line is awesome and the action scenes are well planned and executed. The first half of the movie is replete with humor and hilarious moments (the best being the one where Rajni tries to become fair and win over Shreya).

The Flipside
The movie is more or less in the genre of Shankar's earlier films like Nayak (Mudhalvan in tamil) and bears an uncanny resemblance in terms of treatment. However, the songs in Nayak were much better than in Sivaji.

To conclude, Sivaji is much better than the run-of-the mill films being churned out by Bollywood. It was a refreshing change to watch a good movie after a very long time.....