Today , after travelling by road for 8 long hours, I came home at 6 am. I actually felt like a king when i got sweet home made "special tea" soon after arriving. These small things like the luxury of depending on ur parents,having those get togethers on festivals and the comfort levels that one gets from his family, i feel are simply unmatched.
With this frame of mind, I was suddenly having those bouts of thinking and rethinking bout my plans to study in US.Now one might wonder y am i spinning a yarn on this emotional note today n that too when my theme is totally different.It's because after these thoughts made me go crazy, i decided to watch the movie "Goal". Choice of the film wasn't based on any particular grounds (............ just cos (a) i had the access to this movie alone and(b) i hadn't watched it inspite of making plans to see it time n again for the past 2 months.)
My decision with movies has never been so right as it was today. "Goal" simply packs the punch . Simple theme, strong emotions & the urge to succeed is what makes this movie click. More so because it kinda firmly nailed the doubts that i had about pursuing my dream.
Santiago Munez, the protagonist is a LA resident, grown up on a staple diet of................"Soccer" or Football as they refer to in England. Simple turn of events occur.....a former scout sees the potential in Munez and convinces Newcastle United Coach to give him a trial.
Munez, against his father's wishes, lands up in newcastle and gets a trial with the reserve lads....fairs poorly n sees his dreams fade away. Emotions run high n the scout convinces newcastle coach to give him a fair trial for a month. Santiago latches on to the chance.....impresses everyone...(including the lady doc who first did his preliminary testing) .
Now everyone might feel ...........oh soooooo the story goes that this guy becomes a champ footballer.
Just as you start feeling that Santiago is the next big thing, story takes a slight twist that keeps the viewer on the edge of the seat.It is this ability of the script that simply keeps the viewer interested all the time.In the reserve side match against Man Utd , Santiago's asthama comes to light. Almost on the verge of being kicked out from the reserve squad, his case is pleaded by the Glamour boy of Newcastle united "Harris" who himself is in the line of fire for his abysmal performance on the pitch and his pompous lifestyle off it
Coach keeps the faith in the lad and from here on Munez's path to glory simply has to be watched. He further faces a heart breaking moment but still manages to come to terms with it and perform.
Films based on this genre, generally have one twist and as soon as the protagonist is through the 30 minutes of agony,tears and depression, he immediately strides towards glory and is seldom heldback during this charge towards his aspiration.
"Goal" deviates from other films in this aspect. This is because, time and again, Santiago Munez falters before he gets what he wants. Thus "Goal" is more closer to reality in the sense that in life we also falter so many times before getting what we want. It rightly shows the dejection and an almost backing out scenario of the protagonist which is what happens in real life too. When dreams shatter, many of us do get back to our comfort zones rather than getting up and trying again...( which is easier said than done...).
Slick football moves, shades of happiness followed quickly by shades of gloom and a sound performance from each actor is what drives home the point .
Don't know y i didn't watch it earlier but i guess it was best suited for the mood i was in today . For anyone seeking buckets of motivation, my advice would be.....Set ur sights firmly on this "Goal"....
