Arnesh Bhattacharya

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MOVIE: Ford v Ferrari Ford v Ferrari (titled Le Mans '66 in some European countries) is a 2019 American sports drama film directed by James Mangold and written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller. CAST: Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, American former race car driver, automotive designer, and builder Christian Bale as Ken Miles, British World War II veteran and professional race car driver Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca, vice president of Ford REVIEW: Test driver and engineer Ken Miles (Christian Bale) is trying to cope with the fact that he doesn’t get to drive a car he fine-tuned because he does not fit the image of a Ford driver. Henry Ford II, the eldest grandson of the founder of the automobile giant, is staring at huge losses in the early ’60s.An image makeover is deemed necessary to revive the company, and hence it is decided to take the motorsports route.But there is one hurdle, Ford doesn’t make sports cars. Ford doesn’t have a racing team. A window opens in the form of rivals Ferrari, who are running extremely low on resources. But the deal fails and Enzo Ferrari, the boss of the Italian company, isn’t very graceful in his words to his American rival.Ford is desperate to avenge the humiliation and decides to do something outrageous: Build a race car in 90 days and take on multiple-time winners Ferrari at the 24-Hours of Le Mans — the Tour de France of car racing.Ford ropes in car designer and former racer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), and Miles, a short-tempered, stubborn engineer, is the anointed one to dethrone the Italians.Damon and Bale’s gripping performances ensure the movie doesn’t end up becoming only a contest between two businessmen with inflated egos. Miles lets you into his mind where you see his love, fascination, passion and admiration for the super cars.James Mangold, who directed the superhero movie Logan in 2017, brings back the good ol’ ’60s feel to the two-and-a-half-hour movie. The storyline is extremely simple, and even people with little or no knowledge of professional racing should find it engaging.It’s a great relief that the movie, unlike most sports flicks, features no montages and hazy flashback scenes. It’s all in the moment. The biggest challenge for any movie based on real-life incidents is to keep the audience hooked as the eventual outcome is no secret, and Ford v Ferrari manages to do that, thanks to its lead characters. Your heart is bound to race as Miles hits those tight corners, you will feel a rush of blood when Shelby takes those bold decisions from the pit stop, and at the end of the movie, you’ll realise, it is not all about winning.

BOOK: Walking the Himalayas Author: Levison Wood Originally published: 4 January 2016 "But where there is darkness, I'd also found light. Years of travelling out of uniform in war zones had taught me a few lessons. So long as you're not armed and come in peace, you're willing to adopt to local customs with sensitivity to culture and tradition and try not to judge too much — however tempting — you'll generally be fine. People in the most dangerous parts of the world had gone out of their way to make me feel at home, sometimes regardless of whether I'd wanted to or not. With a smattering of language, a spot of homework, a bit of fancy dress (and knowing when it's wise to grow a beard or not), I'd somehow managed to blend in, survive, and what's more, make some good friends along the way." I love books about exploration. Someone who travels to far distant lands in search of the unknown, the unexplored, always makes for a great story. “Walking the Himalayas” is Wood’s second book. His first book is “Walking the Nile”. Another book, “Walking the Americas”, is his latest. Both books are now on my “to read” list. One aspect of Wood’s “Walking the Himalayas” that I really like is he explores the entire region. There seems to be so much on Nepal, Everest, and the highest of the mountains, but the entire mountain range is a wonderfully interesting area.He starts his walk in Afghanistan, an area that has a great deal of currently interesting and relevant culture. I loved learning about the differences in the people of the country and how the local people live their daily lives with the evils of the Taliban. Another area and culture I loved learning about was Kashmir. I knew India and Pakistan did not like each other, but it’s one of those things where you never really know why. Wood not only explains this, but he shows how the two cultures live in the area with disputed borders today. Wood ends his trek in Bhutan, one of the least traveled countries in the world. I found this part of the book extremely fascinating. The people are so happy, but they don’t have whole lot of choices to make, which Wood’s guide Jamyang Dorji explains is the reason they are so happy. Now, Levison Wood has become my favorite adventure travel writer. "Walking the Himalayas" follows Lev in his arduous six-month journey from Afghanistan to Kashmir to Nepal. There are natural disasters. There is conflict. There is a dangerous crash. There is also incredible beauty and innumerable acts of human kindness. There's even a meeting with the Dalai Lama! I hope he continues to go on these incredible journeys for as long as he can. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a thrilling travelogue.