Julie, Julia & Me...

What could be the dangers of blogging?

• Self indulgence-Narc-ism to be precise
• Over sharing (in the words of Julie Powell)
• Susceptibility to judgement
• Effects on life..both personal & profession. (imagine what it could do to your love life!)

Given all that, I'm willing to risk it & start

this blog. And what better way to do it than on this movie Julie & Julia (am not going into the synopsis..so if you would like that just click on the title)! The way the movie entwines the life of two women out of the will of one of them is spectacular. The story is about how adoration helps you get out of a stiff patch.

If I might say, the story has quite a number of similarities with the story of Karna from Mahabharatha & how he sought the help of Dronacharya to learn archery.

1. Karna started learning archery assuming Dronacharya as his teacher when Dronacharya had no knowledge of it.
2. When Dronacharya came to know about it, he did not want to consider Karna as his disciple.
3. Both Dronacharya & Karna were good at what they did.

Having said that, there are a hell lot of differences as well.

1. Unlike Drona and Karna, Julia did not want ill of Julie when she came to know of her blog.
2. Julia & Julie never ever, ever met in person.

The story is of Julie Powell, a small time writer who has written a novel halfway & never got it published. So now she starts a blog about her journey through the book Mastering French Cooking by Julia Child.She intends to complete 524 recipes in 365 days. (Just in case you want to buy the book..go on..click!) She hopes it will pull her out of all her earthy mess of having a job she practically hates (really!! does it sound like your story?) and living in an apartment over a noisy pizzeria(ok..thats not something you come across everyday!) Julie is completely floored by the marvel that is Julia Child. Julia Child on the other hand is this feisty woman for whom things worked just perfectly & even if they wouldn't, she would not lose her cool. She would just surf through her stiff patches & make it look so very easy!Julie Powell comes across as a classic narsict who loves to write. She most dearly needs attention ( so do most of us!). So it's not surprising that she chooses to blog about what she loves most-cooking. This story is of two women, who did not start off knowing how to cook, but ended up having that very skill changing their lives .

The fact that Julia Child is so composed & yet full of fun & energy is what grabs us just as it clicks

for Julie. Given my weight issues, a movie about food & cooking doesn't top my priority list! But the movie made me think of how easy & yet difficult it is to get out of shit! All it needs is a little bit of dedication, conviction, thoughts & a deadline. As simple is it to say, if only it were that easy to practice! But come on...if you really want it, you would do it! [for those of you, like me have a weight issue..try this! & let me know if it works. :)] Who doesn't want to do something good..something extra (atleast everyone in movies want to!). That's what gets this movie alive & kicking.

In the movie Julia tries her hand at learning bridge, French until she ends up learning to cook French cuisine. It made me think how Edison

might have felt on his innumerable failures until he turned around and invented the electric bulb! He must have been ecstatic!! So was Julie & Julia when they broke even in their respective own spaces. & so would I when ever I become famous or even successful! [:P]

But when Julie Powell got famous, she missed being acknowledged, let alone liked by Julia. Julie venerated Julia Child. But Julia in turn thought that she wasn't " very serious" and "she just must not be much of a cook". What interested me was that it did not movie Julie a bit. Check it out! In the movie Julie's husband Eric Powell consoles Julie with some of the most comforting words, I though were wonderful!

But I suppose all is not well in Julie's home front now after her second book, Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession. Something she doesn't share with Julia Child. But just as Julie likes Julia because "she was a woman, not a saint", it shouldn't harm us to give Julie the benefit!

So much for a movie based on real life characters! Meryl Streep as usual proves that man she can ACT!! The way she embodies Julia Child is amazing. It's no child's play to act like someone who everyone knows & admires. And to be honest, this truly Meryl Streep at her best!It isn't for nothing that she got nominated to the Oscars, the BAFTA & won the Golden Globe!

Amy Adams also looks convincing. But to be frank her innocent face did most of the trick & Meryl Streep's performance made her look like a rat in front of a mountain. But that in no way makes the movie less enjoyable!The Powell couple deny any contributions to the movie from their side. And yet the couple is depicted to be very romantic. Just like the Childs'. Artistic freedom taken by Norah Ephron, the writer and director of the film. Nevertheless, I dare not blame Ephron for making the movie experience enjoyable. And of course, this isn't the first time that someone has taken their creative freedom on a piece based on real character and incidents. So alls well that ends well! Bon Apettite!