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Angelina Jolie. Twists and turns. Spy thriller. Salt is no game changer, but this one-woman show still delivers the thrills.
By Anne John
Phillip Noyce’s Salt starring Angelina Jolie in the title role of Evelyn Salt is a power-packed movie to satisfy your thirst for action thrillers. The story revolves around an undercover CIA operative whose already dangerous double-life gets even more treacherous, when she is accused of being a Russian agent on a mission to destroy America.
Though Salt initially denies the charges, an element of mystery is added when she suddenly goes on the run, contributing to the law enforcers’ (and our) worst suspicions. On the other hand, there are some pieces which do not exactly fall into place in this jig-saw puzzle, thereby adding to the confusion.
‘Who Is Salt?’ the movie’s tagline asks and the storyline plays a guessing game, keeping us at the edge of our seats.
There are intriguing twists and turns, and the suspense is well-maintained till the climax when all questions are answered. Playing a stylish and tough, no-nonsense woman who is willing to fight and bull-doze her way through, is nothing new to Jolie and she slips into this role with ease, looking superbly fit, as always. She receives ample support from the rest of the cast which includes notably, August Diehl as Salt’s arachnologist husband, Liev Schreiber as her friend and colleague Ted Winter and Chiwetel Ejiofer as Peabody the officer in hot pursuit of Salt.
The screenplay is fast and well-paced, complimented by a racy and upbeat soundtrack. Energetic chases, well-executed stunt sequences and explosive gunfights are strewn around generously and here Jolie’s dynamism and vigour comes to the fore.
Of course, the basic story itself is only a variation of the innumerable espionage movies that Hollywood has produced so far. Don’t probe too deeply or reason too much and don’t expect anything radically different or amazingly innovative here. The focus seems to have been on developing a fun, entertaining and exciting flick, while not dwelling too much on moral dilemmas, rational loopholes or practical arguments. On that count, Salt delivers. It is a strong, all-out one-woman show which Jolie pulls off effectively, with her signature flair and panache.
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
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