Middle class is called so for a reason. They float between flying aspirations and ground reality. They need to prioritize everything in life, and Inspector Ghote is no different. He just has to prioritize even more…from a list of three or more important priorities at work and a zillion at home. He would love to travel abroad but he is prioritising his other ground priority, a colour TV.

‘The Perfect Murder’ (based on HRF Keating’s work) released in 1988 is a perfect film in terms of casting led by the sublime Naseeruddin Shah. He brings such a human touch to his portrayal, that if Police were to showcase a friendly brand at that time, he would’ve been the perfect ambassador. As a man stickler to process and procedure, and burdened under Indian culture and conditions yet determined to do his job, he delivers one of the finest performances surprisingly in a detective/inspector led crime movie role. All the other cast members including the veteran Amjad Khan with his Indian English (only), shine in the Mumbai backdrop film.

With a new series around Inspector Ghote, around the corner, it will be interesting to see how the new avatar would take shape. Will it be a tech savvy reboot like Sherlock or a gritty and grisly Perry Mason? Worth finding it out.

In the movie ‘Joker’, there is an expression of Joaquin Phoenix that tells it all. It essentially captures the complete loss of his innocence, and his belief in the world. He is alone in his thoughts in a made up world and all his psychotic mind can think of is the destruction of the world outside. Something similar happens to Pvt.Pyle (Vincent D’Onofrio), when he loses his faith in everybody and just snaps.

These two expressions of two very good actors are quite different, understandably as one is about to self-destruct and is sure about it (Pvt.Pyle), while the other (Arthur Fleck aka Joke) looks it at like the start of a dangerous game. This perspective of ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and Pvt.Pyle comes very handy in understanding the portrayal of Joker by Joaquin Phoenix, who internalizes everything except the laughter as if it were a defense mechanism or an appearance and his every hurt comes to haunt him in mega proportions which he unleashes on the real world.

In the end what we have is a mad man, who looks at his moves as funny and questions who are others to decide what is funny. But there is question about the performance of Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix, which is serious and spectacular in each and every frame.