Notebook - A movie review

Just watched this movie called Notebook, a Malayalam movie. I am well past the teen age, so I guess I am able to understand a lot about this movie, so much so that I am tempted to write about it immediately.


There are a lot of analysis points here and there in the movie that the schools and parents and the students need to notice. As I write this post, I will try to mark the analysis points within brackets for you to figure out yourself.


The story is about three girls studying in the Eleventh Grade[ Analysis point ], in a convent school [ Analysis point] based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Pooja, Seara and Sridevi. The three friends have good grades, have a lot of fun and mostly importantly be together all the time[ Analysis point]. Seara's parents are legally separated and she has little interest to go home. Pooja lost her father very early in life and lives with her mother in the same place. Sridevi's parents live in Kerala. Sridevi and Seara spend their second Saturday school holidays in Pooja's place. Pooja's mother is a loving and caring person who adores and supports the three friends and their friendship[ analysis point ].She is shown as a person who knows when to interfere and when to leave them alone.


Seara is this super-bold and very considerate person(Analysis). Here and there we see incidents that prove this point. So, when her friend Sridevi is in the deepest of troubles, Seara and Pooja work a plan to resolve it. The plan misfires(analysis ) and Sridevi dies. When questioned by the authorities, Pooja denied her link to the whole scene (analysis) and Seara agrees to have been a part of the scene. Seara gets a dismissal from the school and is very disappointed that her best friend didn't stand by her when it came to a common problem for both of them. Seara leaves town and Pooja feels guilty (analysis) and the guilt challenges her sanity.


Six years later, Seara graduates from a medical school and through the efforts of a well-wisher gets to know about Pooja's wherabouts.Pooja gets well and Seara and Pooja join hands again.That is the story in a nut shell.

It seems an ordinary narrative from my blog post, am sure, but the story has a lot of points to take away for school children, college boarders, parents, and authorities of the educational institution:

Parents:

1. Be a parent and not a military officer on duty.

2. Be approachable all the time and not be a bossy manager to the children.

3. If there is something happening in your child's life, you must be the first to know.

4. The children should never know about the loud disagreements between their parents.

5. If you are having a baby, ensure that you both agree to give up your egos at least for the child's welfare.

6. If you are sending your child to a co-educational institution, remember to be open to their friendships from the opposite gender as well. Ensure that all lines are drawn appropriately to avoid unexpected twists in student life.

7. Trust your child's words.

One word: Express love and care as much as you can. Children need to know that you love them, till they get old enough to understand your unexpressed and permanent love for them.

School and College Authorities:

1. Make a moral science class compulsory for the children of all grades. Teach or instill all the niceties that the child would need to know in life.

2. Academics are important, but remember, by discouraging or insulting a poor performer in front of the class is not going to improve the grades or confidence or morale of the child.

3. Do not give grades serious importance - instead give more confidence to the child who does not perform and instill the practice of brighter students supporting the poor performers without both the sections knowing this truth. It should be more of 'giving' and 'sharing' among the children.

4. Do not be too strict all the time. Your students are scared of you is not your best reward after years of service in school.

5. Be an example and be fair, even if the dealing is minor when it comes to children's issues. 'Someone lost a pen' might be a small news in a whole maze of things, but the way the teacher handles the problem decides the attitude of a lot of minds in the class.

6. Do not put too many rules.. Afterall children are children and have all the rights to be happy in their own way. Watch them over and if need be, put barricades, else be genuine with the rules that you make in your institutions.

7. Try to reason out the behavior of the child before accusing the child a lot and degrading the confidence level further.

8. Watch over them and ensure that you be unbiased.

One word : You cannot become a child again, so let them be.... and they cannot be expected to see truth in a lot of things like you do, so be there and keep your mind, eyes and ears open.

Children:

1. Stand by your friends, but be aware of unexpected dangerous twists in life.

2. Trust your elders at home or school and take advice on things you cannot decide yourself.

3. Fun is good. Too much of fun is not too good for you.

4. If you know it is too much to handle all by yourself, let someone in your school or home know about it.

5. If there is a rule, then believe that there is a reason for the rule. If you don't know why, try to talk about it to your parents.[Although talking about rules to the teachers is not practical, in today's set up, but in future it should be possible too, if the authorities listen].

6. When you are there to study, just do that. Make friends and help them grow in studies as well.

7. Be honest, its good for you.

8. Stand by your parents and do not do anything that your parents won't approve. May be they are not right all the time, may be they don't understand, but they are your parents who love you whatever you do to them.

9. Remember that anyone older than you will surely give you an advice.. Listen and store it away. Use it based on your judgement when you need it.

One word: Your parents deserve to be happy and do not deserve to be summoned by the principal for any of your behavioral issues.

Thats about what I can write presently on this subject. During the course of the movie, I did notice quite a lot of other pointers which will definitely be interesting only if you watch the movie.

A lot of scenes in this movie are not okay in my opinion for children below 18 years of age, but considering that it is a school set up and believing in the censor board , I guess, the problems discussed are relevant to the school kids of today. The parents should decide if they want their children to watch this movie or not. Since it is a school set up all children would want to watch it anyways. What they take away from the movie is upto Lady Luck.