MarkFlicks

Travel the world from the comfort of your couch

Hello to everyone who likes to travel even for a weekend just to break the monotonous cycle of daily routine. How are you guys holding up? I hope your wanderlust has not started fading because of the long term lockdown. Many will have the suppressed urge to go places, meet people, and travel. It has been a hard seven months for people who love to travel and many would not let go of an opportunity to visit places. If I tell you about myself, not even a bit of my travelling instinct has gone down. But being safe is the top priority right now. And only if you have life, you have the world. You can also use this time to boost all the energy that will be required once all the restrictions are lifted. So, for now, keep the travelling animal alive while we fight this pandemic together.

While the whole of India is in the unlock phase, recovering slowly and steadily from the pandemic, you can travel with extra secure preventive measures, but won’t it feel like you’re locked in some kind of chain stopping you from the carefree fun, meeting new people might seem like a risk because you’ll always have the fear of Covid-19 in the back of your mind.

But there is no need to be beaten up by this. An alternative to this would be revenge tourism prevalent in China after the unlock phase. What if I tell you that you can apply revenge tourism at home by watching movies of journey/travel genre because movies can take you places where you experience things never would have imagined while you are sitting comfortably and safely in your homes with your loved ones cuddling up in blankets. So, here is a list of movies:

Dhanak (Rainbow) (2015)

IMDb Rating: 7.9/10

Genre: Drama/Road

Running Time: 1hour 46mins

Available on: Youtube

This movie will make you relive the bond you have with your siblings which might have faded away with time. The protagonists are an 8-year old brother (Chotu), who is blind, and a 10-years old sister (Pari). Pari always ahead, leading the charge into the world while clasping Chotu’s hand, or holding the dupatta tied around his waist whose one end she holds firmly, guiding and gently pulling him along. They have an inseparable bond and rivals in their love for the two stars. Pari’s favourite is Shah Rukh Khan and Chotu’s is Salman Khan. They argue, fight, share their thoughts, food, and each day, on the way to school, they flip a coin to choose whose turn it’s— Salman Khan or Shah Rukh Khan. She has made a promise to make him see Dhanak, rainbow, at night before he turns 9. At one film outing, she sees a poster of Shah Rukh Khan promoting eye donation. And then she hears that SRK is shooting just 300 km away, in Jaisalmer. From here, their journey begins to Jaisalmer on foot with hope and determination. The journey was not easy across Rajasthan but as the saying goes "where there is a will, there is a way". They faced various obstacles in their way but whether they reached their destination or not, whether Pari was able to fulfil her promise or not? For that, you have to watch it.

We’re the Millers (2013)

IMDb Rating: 7/10

Genre: Comedy/Crime

Running Time: 1hour 58mins

Available on: Netflix

This movie might appear like an ordinary family movie going on a trip but it’s nothing like it. A group of four weird people who have nothing in common except for their dark background comes together pretending to be a family for smuggling drugs into the USA from Mexico on the 4th of July in a shiny RV. During this journey, they grew fond of each other and a weird connection started between them like a family. For knowing whether they ended as a family, completed the job, or both, you have got to watch this and also if you’re looking for spending your time having a good laugh, happy and relaxing, go for this.

Eat Pray Love (2010)

IMDb Rating: 5.8/10

Genre: Romance/Drama

Running Time: 2hour 20mins

Available on: Netflix

This is a soul searching kind of movie. It will inspire you for finding the right path by making as many mistakes as possible. It's a story of an independent woman who is married, career-oriented but still misses something in life, and thus she decided to explore herself in different places. She ditches a failing marriage and a disastrous love affair. While travelling, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy, the ability of prayer in India, and, finally in Bali seeking the balance of body, mind, and spirit. Was she able to find the balance? You gotta find it yourself. Maybe with her, you will find your balance too.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Running Time: 1hour 42mins

Available on: Youtube

This a delightful movie with bittersweet comedy. A family starts travelling on a Volkswagen bus across America when their 11-year-old daughter chooses to participate in a beauty contest. It is just an ordinary yet not so perfect family, of a bankrupt husband, a wife whose brother just recently tried to kill himself, little bit pervert grandpa Edwin yet a caring family man and at last, the mute older son. All of them facing difficulties in life, yet all of them bonded together. And if you want to know whether they were able to overcome their differences till the trip ends, you have to watch it yourself. It will leave you with a heartwarming and feel-good effect.

Into The Wild

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Comedy/Adventure/Drama

Running Time: 2hour 28mins

Available on: Amazon Prime, Netflix

A movie directed by Sean Penn, based on the novel of the same title (by Jon Krakauer) is a soulful visual rendition of the concept of self-discovery. The brilliant narration, the inspirational story combined with a great background score makes this movie a masterpiece. Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch), a student and athlete with a bright future forgoes his possessions and savings to live in the wilderness. The path of self-discovery leads him to different people and emotions where he stumbles upon love, friendship, and a sense of belonging. He discovers his way of living, free from the hindrance of normal human life. His journey teaches him to hunt, farm, climb, overcome fears, grow, inspire, and be inspired, things he would have not experienced if he led a normal life. Even in his final moments, the character continues to inspire and amaze.

Piku

IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Running Time: 2hour 3mins

Available on: SonyLiv

What could go wrong with a movie directed by Shoojit Sircar and a star cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irfan Khan, and many other veteran actors?

Nothing! Little did we know that the human bowel system could become the heart of the movie.

The movie revolves around a young, ambitious, and bossy working lady Piku, played by Deepika Padukone, and her father, Bhaskor Banerjee, played by Amitabh Bachchan who suffers from constipation. After falling sick Bhaskor Banerjee takes a road-trip to his ancestral home in Kolkata from Delhi. They hire a cab and the cab owner/driver, Rana played by Irfan Khan takes us on a chaotic yet delightful journey to Kolkata. The comic timing of the actors was unmatchable. Moreover, in an era when adult comedies are more relevant, we learned that humour is a matter of perspective.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Running Time: 2hour 35mins

Available on: Netflix

Friendship is not just emojis, comments, and likes. Friends, more often than not, know us better than ourselves. Old friendships are like red wine. It only needs a nice gentle swirl and sizzle in the glass before consumption.

A tale of 3 school friends, a pre-planned long overdue trip, and a plethora of individual issues. Arjun, Imraan, and Kabir gather for a holiday in Spain. Their contrasting personalities and past unresolved issues portray friction within the group. However, on their journey, they begin to bond with each other and the purpose of the vacation pays off. They tour Spain, having the time of their lives and reminiscing the good old times. From old pranks to old jokes and jingles, they begin to rediscover their mojo and at the same time overcome their issues and their fears.

Highway (2014)

IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

Genre: Crime/Drama

Running Time: 2hour 13mins

Available on: Netflix

Our generation grew up watching and enjoying Imtiaz Ali's movies. However, a movie like Highway was an unexpected turn. The brilliance with which the lead actors portrayed their roles were commendable.

Veera (played by Alia Bhatt), a young woman is kidnapped and held for ransom. However, as the days pass by, she finds a sense of freedom in the bondage which was missing in the normal course of life. As they travel places, she begins to develop an affection for her kidnapper, Mahabir Bhati (played by Randeep Hooda). A classic case of Stockholm Syndrome in which the captive develops a fondness for the newfound freedom in captivity. Moreover, the music by A.R.Rahman sets the tone for the movie for the brilliance in execution.

I hope you have decided which one you would like to watch because you can experience the feeling of having travelled and still be in your homes safely. And do tell us about your favourite movies too, we would also love to experience the same things, and also adding something new to the list of favourites feels good.

By - Amit Nandi & Akansha Sinha