Trials and Tribulations by Fire

Just finished watching Badlapur: Don't miss the beginning. The phrase is part of the name, not my addition.  Badlapur is all about Revenge. A bank robbery and a chance murder catapults the lives of all the characters into a never ending boiling cauldron. Varun Dhawan, a twenty something actor has pulled off a very tricky role, with panache. Playing the brooding widower baying for the blood of the murderer, he is stunning.  Nawazzudin, as the bank robber Laik Muhammad, gives a superlative performance. Together they do a perfect tango, of hatred and vengeance.  When Laik and Harman (Vinay Pathak) accidentally kill Misha (Yami Gautam), Raghav's (Varun) wife and their son Robin, Raghu takes to the streets, his heart set on revenge. He extracts his due fully, slowly, painfully, revelling in his torturous routine. Varun has given a spectacular performance, leaving behind many such anti-heroes far behind. You won't be able to believe the metamorphosis of the sweet...

Recently, I heard a voice from the near past. A not so pleasant voice.  Then came a tingle. It was my WhatsApp inbox, calling out to me, drawing my attention to a seemingly harmless message. It was from her. It simply said, how are you, how is life?  Well, life is as it can be, should be, how does it matter, as she would oft say. I stared at the message for a long time. My head filled with the images of the past, of her betrayals, of my reactions to her. My heart sank. Will I never get to move on? Will she pursue me even in my new life? I replied. A nonchalant, typical polite response. Then silence. She had been like that. Blow hot, blow cold. You could never emotionally attach to her, she would clam up. I knew this from before, didn't expect anything beyond. I just wished she would stop messaging. How much can a person avoid? I had unfriended her, un-Linked her, but she refused to get the message. 'How are you'? Why are you bothered? I thought.  Choicest expleti...