Batman and I

Batman and I go way back, way-way-back.

I must have been 4, or maybe even 5. Like any other toddler, I had 'teething' problems. It took a task force to feed me. After experimentation, a video helped - to distract my attention from the spoon/hand laden with grub. And that video happened to be, yup, you guessed it - Batman.

The first installation featured Michael Keaton and the resplendent Kim Basinger. I still remember the young starlet being whisked away by the obviously demented Joker - played brilliantly by Jack Nicholson up a bell tower. She was clad in white and she drops her shoe, also white somewhere along the stairwell. They then had a drunken waltz, drunken because she was a reluctant dancer.

It's not like I loved it, at least I don't recall bursting with joy at the sight of the movie but my family surely had a thrill. See what happened was, after so many meals, my little mind had, quite effectively memorised the entire dialogue. So, yup, I could tell their lines before the characters did. Quite amazing huh? My grandma baby-sat me at that time, and until today my aunt would boast to strangers how her favourite niece had induced her grandmother into a stupendous awe. I was a bright kid. (Heh, sheepish laughs)

Fast-forward a few years and I was 9 (Primary 3). We were blessed with a 'honest-to-goodness' fun English teacher. We would sing songs and have story telling sessions and have minimal and seasonal homework. I loved her - until she got too creative for her own good….

Most of you know me simply as Priya, but hey nothing is what it seems right?
Allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Bathmapriya. Now let us take a closer look at 'Bathma'. Simple steps okay, ready?
1) Remove the 'H' = Batma
2) Place a bloody 'N' at the end = BATMAN.

So there you have it. My life was ruined. No thanks to her, friends referred to me as Batman when and where they pleased. The nickname stuck to me for a very long time. That's why by the time I stepped into secondary school, I made a resolution to be known as Priya and nothing else.

To my horror, Batman didn't quite leave me alone. I was 13 (Secondary 1). We were just finished with PE. Everyone was sweaty and exhausted. In preparation for our next lesson we removed our hair 'scrunchies' and retied our mane. Yes, I know, unbelievable, but I once had long hair. My clique wasn't accustomed to seeing me with my hair down, so when they did, they decided that I looked manly, hence I better leave it up. They happily experimented and concluded that if I wore a mask covering the top part of my face, I looked like - yup, you guessed it - BATMAN!

THAT'S IT! There's no running away from the black, latex clad dark knight. But, thanks to the box-office flop of Batman & Robin installation 8 years ago, I buried Batman and his franchise behind me.

Then came a younger, fresher, darker Batman.

Batman Begins is characteristically dark. I was never a fan of comics, be it DC or Marvel Comics. I can't bet on it, whether the representation was politically correct or not. I can say for certain though that I'm not for it - the concrete jungle of Gotham City, the screeching supersonic wailing of the bats, the brutality of military tactics, the laissez-faire monopoly of the multimillion-dollar Wayne Enterprise, the vengeful yet spoilt brat-Bruce Wayne, the big Bat-Tank that goes on a rampage on unsuspecting roofs, the destruction of an entire railway line, the poisonous vapour emission from harmless streets, the dilapidating Scarecrow mask.

The one thing I'm drooling over for is Batman himself. Christian Bale has come a long way from that 21 year old that played Laurie in Little Woman. Maybe it’s the inherent pained expression on his face and those sunken eyes, whatever it is; he sure is yummy now. There's a scene where Wayne wakes up after his nocturnal adventures decorated with bruises on his biceps. He gets out of bed and drops, face down to do his push-ups. How nice to be underneath those mass of muscles, pumping and pumping away….

Watch out for Cillian Murphy who plays Dr. Crane too. His mystifying blue eyes and silky soft, pink lips can win you over before you blink. Batman Begins is a treat for the ladies!

Current music: Merril Bainbridge's Salty Lips