ரொம்ப நாள் கழித்து ஒரு நிச்சயதார்த்தம் போகும் வாய்ப்பு கிடைத்தது. என் இரண்டாவது ஒன்று விட்ட தம்பி (செகண்ட் கசின்!!). உள்ளே போகும் போதே சேகர் பார்த்து "உடனே போய் டிபன் சாப்பிடு. ரொம்ப நன்னா இருக்கு..போண்டா பிரமாதம் " என்றான். எனக்கு நப்பாசை. ஆனால் மணி சாயங்காலம் ஏழரை ஆகி விட்டது. " எட்டு மணிக்கெல்லாம் சாப்பாடு போட்டுடுவா" என்று மங்களா சொன்னதும் இன்னும் நப்பாசை அதிகமாகி விட்டது. " இல்ல.. இப்போ டிபன் சாப்டுட்டு கொஞ்சம் நேரம் கழிச்சு சாப்பாடு சாப்பிடறேன்" என்று ஜகா வாங்கி கொண்டேன். விஜி என்னிடம் "ஒரு அரை மணி வெயிட் பண்ண முடியாதா" என்றாள். எனக்கு ரொம்ப பசி என்று பொய் சொல்லி dining ஹாலுக்கு ஓடினேன். பின்னாடியே மீராவும் ஹர்ஷும் "அப்பா.. எனக்கும் பசிக்கிறது"! விஜியை பார்த்து நீயும் வாயேன் என்றதும் அவளுக்கும் சபலம் தட்டி குடும்பமாக dining ஹாலுக்கு போனோம்.
டிபன் ரொம்ப பிரமாதம். போண்டா, ஊத்தப்பம், ஸ்வீட், சேவை...ஆஹா! வயிறு நிரம்பும் வரை இரண்டு மூன்று முறை கேட்டு வாங்கி சாப்பிட்டேன். அதற்கு பிறகு தான் கஷ்ட காலம் ஆரம்பித்தது. எட்டு மணிக்கெல்லாம் முதல் பந்தி போட ஆரம்பித்து விட்டார்கள். Padhu பெரியப்பா விடாமல் நீங்க போய் சாபிடுங்கோளேன் என்றார். "இல்ல.. இப்ப தான் டிபன் சாப்டேன்" என்று வழிந்தேன். டிபன் ஆறு மணிக்கு சாப்பிட்டு இருப்பேள்...மணி எட்டாயிடுத்தே..பாவம் குழந்தைகளுக்கெல்லாம் பசிக்க போறது". விஜி என்னை விரோதமாக பார்த்தாள். "அடுத்த பந்தில சாப்பிடறோம்" என்று சமாளித்தேன். சரியாக பதினைந்து நிமிடத்தில் padhu பெரியப்பா "ரெண்டாவது பந்தி போடறா...வாங்கோ, வாங்கோ" என்று கையை பிடிக்காத குறையாக கூப்பிட்டார். விஜி என்னை முறைக்க நான் கண்டுக்காமல்"இல்ல...வந்து" என்று மழுப்ப முயற்சிதேன். "வாங்கோ..பாயசமும் சாக்லேட் கேக்கும் excellent ஆ இருக்கு", என்றார்.
அடுத்த நாள் வயிற்று வலியில் அவதிப்பட்டது தனிக்கதை!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Oscar Nayagan – What ARR did that Kamal did not!
I wanted to write this post as soon as ARR won the double oscars. Somehow I did not get the urge to write beyond a few sentences. Now that ARR has come a full circle by winning the double grammy, it somehow feels topical and I decided to say what I always wanted to say.
Right from the time Nayagan hit the screens in 1987 Diwali, as Kamal Hassan fans (many of us – hardcore fans) felt Kamal had the ability to bring home something that is every movie artist’s secret/open desire – the Academy Award. Kamal did sparkle in many of his other roles before Nayagan, but somehow Nayagan was different. It was different because not only Kamal underplayed (perhaps for the first time in his career) but the entire film was so pathbreaking..be it cinematography, make up, art direction, script and direction. (I would not call the music as pathbreaking – the music was fantastic but not pathbreaking – but that is another post for another time!)
Then came the films which raised the bar for Kamal again and again – Chanakyan, Apoorva Sahodharagal, Thevar Magan, Mahanadhi! Apoorva Sahodharargal was dubbed in Hindi as Appu Raja and was a reasonable success. Bombay film industry started recognizing Kamal’s true talent after Nayagan and Appu Raja.
In the meantime, a young boy debuted silently in a movie called Roja as the music director in 1992. The music was released in July 1992 on the same day as another film by the veteran Raja – Endrum Anbudan. Enrum Anbudan was a a typical Raja score and was fairly satisfying at the point in time and the album of Enrum Anbudan started selling more than Roja during the first week. On August 15th, Roja the movie released and a star was born. The music of Roja was path breaking with absolutely unprecedented sounds and the junta took to the album. Roja became the New National Anthem with the youngsters. After listening to Roja, Endrum Anbudan started sounding like prehistoric stuff. Roja got dubbed in Hindi and Rehman became a star in Hindi as well.
Kamal meanwhile acted in MMKR, Indrudu Chandrudu, Indian and Avvai Shanmughi. Indian was dubbed in Hindi as Hindustani and again was a reasonable success. At this point in time Kamal decided to remake Avvai Shanmughi. In 1998, Chachi 420 released and became a blockbuster. A movie where Govinda played a lady (called Aunty no.1, I think) was supposed to be the competition to Chachi 420. I saw a couple of articles in Screen where Govinda was said to have been preparing hard to give Kamal a run for his money. Chachi 420 won the race and got released first and seeing the film, the makers of Aunty no.1 developed cold feet and postponed the release by a few weeks. Govinda started commenting that his was a real performance in Aunty no.1 and he did not want to hide behind prosthetics. It was clear that no Indian film lead male actor had portrayed a role of a female as convincingly as Kamal did in Chachi. Fantastic dialogues by Gulzar and an able cast including Tabu, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Nasser made the film a super hit.
In the meantime, ARR’s tamil scores were dubbed in Hindi and some became hits and some were mediocre. Bombay by Maniratnam was once again a blockbuster and it was followed by the first original Hindi film of Rahman – Rangeela. The music was awesome and the film was a typical ‘underdog winning his love’ story which became a huge hit.
Both Kamal and Rahman were at the crossroads at this point of time. Kamal started writing his scripts from hereon in films like Hey Ram, Aalavandhan (Abhay), Anbe Sivam etc. and in between starred in comedies like Kadhala Kadhala, Pammal K Sambhandham, Panchathanthiram, Vasool Raja MBBS etc. The comedies were no brainers and he was convinced that they would definitely work in the box-office and always did a comedy after a serious film. He almost became predictable in his choice of genre. Rahman meanwhile started expanding his exposure by working with renowned film-makers – Subhash Ghai, Shekhar Kapur, Govind Nihlani, Shyam Benegal, Deepa Mehta and Ashutosh Gowariker. His work started getting influenced by more and more of these visionary filmmakers who motivated and encouraged Rahman to push the envelope.
Shekhar recommended Rahman to Andew Webber Lloyd and the decision to do Bombay Dreams was crucial for Rahman. It demanded a lot of time outside India and there was always a threat that it might not work and another threat that he might lose his position in Hindi and Tamil Cinema due to long absence. Rahman was shrewd enough to see this as an opportunity of a life time and grabbed it with both the hands. He was also technically savvy and started sending scores via email to filmmakers in India thereby supressing a threat.
He used many Hindi/Tamil scores in Bombay dreams, adapting them to suit western audience. Bombay Dreams had a huge opening and mixed response but one thing was wholeheartedly accepted, that the music worked for the westen audience. Rahman also carefully exposed himself in the international arena by doing select projects like Lord of the Rings(theatre), Provoked, Warriors of Heaven and Earth and Golden Age. I sincerely believe that this international exposure did the trick for him when Danny Boyle came to India looking for a MD for his project. When Rahman accepted Slumdog and started composing the music, he had the readymade advantage of a template in his experience – that of Bombay Dreams. AND THE REST IS HISTORY. Rahman won the Bafta, Golden Globe, the Academy Award, Indian of the Year, Padma Bushan and now the Grammy!
Kamal continues to write films, wear prosthetic make up, remake films from Hindi and work with mediocre film makers. I was so happy that he agreed to work with Misskin. But now I believe that project is scrapped and he is doing a film with KS Ravikumar(yet again). Talks are on with Trisha who is 30 years younger to Kamal, to play the leading lady. The film is supposed to launch Udayanidhi Stalin in an important role.
For fans like me the original Oscar Nayagan was Kamal, as we believed he had the capability. Alas, what a wasted opportunity.
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
Right from the time Nayagan hit the screens in 1987 Diwali, as Kamal Hassan fans (many of us – hardcore fans) felt Kamal had the ability to bring home something that is every movie artist’s secret/open desire – the Academy Award. Kamal did sparkle in many of his other roles before Nayagan, but somehow Nayagan was different. It was different because not only Kamal underplayed (perhaps for the first time in his career) but the entire film was so pathbreaking..be it cinematography, make up, art direction, script and direction. (I would not call the music as pathbreaking – the music was fantastic but not pathbreaking – but that is another post for another time!)
Then came the films which raised the bar for Kamal again and again – Chanakyan, Apoorva Sahodharagal, Thevar Magan, Mahanadhi! Apoorva Sahodharargal was dubbed in Hindi as Appu Raja and was a reasonable success. Bombay film industry started recognizing Kamal’s true talent after Nayagan and Appu Raja.
In the meantime, a young boy debuted silently in a movie called Roja as the music director in 1992. The music was released in July 1992 on the same day as another film by the veteran Raja – Endrum Anbudan. Enrum Anbudan was a a typical Raja score and was fairly satisfying at the point in time and the album of Enrum Anbudan started selling more than Roja during the first week. On August 15th, Roja the movie released and a star was born. The music of Roja was path breaking with absolutely unprecedented sounds and the junta took to the album. Roja became the New National Anthem with the youngsters. After listening to Roja, Endrum Anbudan started sounding like prehistoric stuff. Roja got dubbed in Hindi and Rehman became a star in Hindi as well.
Kamal meanwhile acted in MMKR, Indrudu Chandrudu, Indian and Avvai Shanmughi. Indian was dubbed in Hindi as Hindustani and again was a reasonable success. At this point in time Kamal decided to remake Avvai Shanmughi. In 1998, Chachi 420 released and became a blockbuster. A movie where Govinda played a lady (called Aunty no.1, I think) was supposed to be the competition to Chachi 420. I saw a couple of articles in Screen where Govinda was said to have been preparing hard to give Kamal a run for his money. Chachi 420 won the race and got released first and seeing the film, the makers of Aunty no.1 developed cold feet and postponed the release by a few weeks. Govinda started commenting that his was a real performance in Aunty no.1 and he did not want to hide behind prosthetics. It was clear that no Indian film lead male actor had portrayed a role of a female as convincingly as Kamal did in Chachi. Fantastic dialogues by Gulzar and an able cast including Tabu, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Nasser made the film a super hit.
In the meantime, ARR’s tamil scores were dubbed in Hindi and some became hits and some were mediocre. Bombay by Maniratnam was once again a blockbuster and it was followed by the first original Hindi film of Rahman – Rangeela. The music was awesome and the film was a typical ‘underdog winning his love’ story which became a huge hit.
Both Kamal and Rahman were at the crossroads at this point of time. Kamal started writing his scripts from hereon in films like Hey Ram, Aalavandhan (Abhay), Anbe Sivam etc. and in between starred in comedies like Kadhala Kadhala, Pammal K Sambhandham, Panchathanthiram, Vasool Raja MBBS etc. The comedies were no brainers and he was convinced that they would definitely work in the box-office and always did a comedy after a serious film. He almost became predictable in his choice of genre. Rahman meanwhile started expanding his exposure by working with renowned film-makers – Subhash Ghai, Shekhar Kapur, Govind Nihlani, Shyam Benegal, Deepa Mehta and Ashutosh Gowariker. His work started getting influenced by more and more of these visionary filmmakers who motivated and encouraged Rahman to push the envelope.
Shekhar recommended Rahman to Andew Webber Lloyd and the decision to do Bombay Dreams was crucial for Rahman. It demanded a lot of time outside India and there was always a threat that it might not work and another threat that he might lose his position in Hindi and Tamil Cinema due to long absence. Rahman was shrewd enough to see this as an opportunity of a life time and grabbed it with both the hands. He was also technically savvy and started sending scores via email to filmmakers in India thereby supressing a threat.
He used many Hindi/Tamil scores in Bombay dreams, adapting them to suit western audience. Bombay Dreams had a huge opening and mixed response but one thing was wholeheartedly accepted, that the music worked for the westen audience. Rahman also carefully exposed himself in the international arena by doing select projects like Lord of the Rings(theatre), Provoked, Warriors of Heaven and Earth and Golden Age. I sincerely believe that this international exposure did the trick for him when Danny Boyle came to India looking for a MD for his project. When Rahman accepted Slumdog and started composing the music, he had the readymade advantage of a template in his experience – that of Bombay Dreams. AND THE REST IS HISTORY. Rahman won the Bafta, Golden Globe, the Academy Award, Indian of the Year, Padma Bushan and now the Grammy!
Kamal continues to write films, wear prosthetic make up, remake films from Hindi and work with mediocre film makers. I was so happy that he agreed to work with Misskin. But now I believe that project is scrapped and he is doing a film with KS Ravikumar(yet again). Talks are on with Trisha who is 30 years younger to Kamal, to play the leading lady. The film is supposed to launch Udayanidhi Stalin in an important role.
For fans like me the original Oscar Nayagan was Kamal, as we believed he had the capability. Alas, what a wasted opportunity.
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
Great Scenes in not-so-great cinema
The strategy is to kill one of them so that it sends a strong signal. They have to pick one! Now!! They look at each of the victims. Which one would be perfect? The camera pans on the victims and they are shit scared. The camera pans on the faces of the gang members and they look cold; they are contemplating….which one would be perfect? Their face looks like a predator carefully looking at a herd of deer to select its prey. Some members of the victims are crying, all of them are pale. And then they pick her.
She is just perfect. They pull her out and she screams. Her husband screams. He tries to hold her. He begs for their mercy. They start beating him up so that he leaves her. He does. The victim next to them is panicked, yet visibly relieved. It is not him they have picked! They drag her out; she screams; her husband begs for mercy; they simply kick him out. The camera is restless and so is the edit cut. They take her out to kill her. The female in the gang tells them to buy chaawal when they return as the number people have gone up!
Cut to next scene. Two of them are holding her and the relatively junior one is a bit farther. And then they start discussing. Their conversation becomes unclear now. They need to decide how they are going to execute her; they need to decide if the spot they have decided is the right one. She keeps screaming. The younger one now makes a request. He wants to cut her neck open. She keeps screaming. One of them loses his temper and yells at her. He tells her to keep quite. "Yeh bhi naa, dhimag khaa rahi hai", he complains. He simply needs to do a job and her screams are making him lose focus. He decides to give the younger one a chance. He asks him to go ahead. One person holds her arms and the other holds her leg. The younger one now takes a knife and raises his hands. The knife comes down.
Cut to next scene. Close up of the husband's face. The tears are dry. The face is expressionless, but his eyes are conveying the pain and the helplessness.
The film was Jungle. Written by Jaideep Sahni. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma.
I have watched it only once. It was the year 2000. Nine years after watching it, the scene remains etched in memory. The movie itself was just about ok. I did not think that it was great cinema. Ram Gopal Varma gave into commercial considerations with some silly songs and sillier placement of them. He had a mix of clichéd characters and interesting characters in the film. There were a lot of gimmicks used to scare and fool the audience. Jungle was a moderate success. It did not win any major awards. It got nominated in the technical department in Screen Awards, and in Filmfare, I think it got nominated only for sound. I remember some weird camera angles (which eventually became trademark RGV; he started using them even in love stories like Nishabd), some good sound effects, a neat BGM by Sandeep Chowta (Why the fuck is RGV using Amar Mohile nowadays? Why not Salim-Suleiman or Sandeep Chowta?) a neat performance by Fardeen Khan (for the first time), hamming by Urmila. Sunil Shetty was so-so and Sushant Singh had a good role and made full use of it. Considering it was Jaideep Sahni's work, the script was mediocre. RGV now has started giving so much of trash, that Jungle looks like a masterpiece in comparison. But back then, it was just another film. The movie had its moments but it was not great cinema. But it was a great scene. It was great because it was inclusive. It was great because, you felt the emotions of the husband and his wife, you felt the relief of the balance victims and you felt the gang’s cold approach. The writer and the director took you inside the heads of the characters. It was terrifying, it was repulsive, but it was fascinating.
Last week, I happened to read Suketu Mehta's Maximum City, in which he describes buffaloes getting killed as Balidhaans. The way he describes this, the scene from Jungle immediately came to my mind. And the scene started playing in my mind as if I had watched it only last week. That's the hallmark of a great scene. It remains etched in your memory for a long long time.
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
She is just perfect. They pull her out and she screams. Her husband screams. He tries to hold her. He begs for their mercy. They start beating him up so that he leaves her. He does. The victim next to them is panicked, yet visibly relieved. It is not him they have picked! They drag her out; she screams; her husband begs for mercy; they simply kick him out. The camera is restless and so is the edit cut. They take her out to kill her. The female in the gang tells them to buy chaawal when they return as the number people have gone up!
Cut to next scene. Two of them are holding her and the relatively junior one is a bit farther. And then they start discussing. Their conversation becomes unclear now. They need to decide how they are going to execute her; they need to decide if the spot they have decided is the right one. She keeps screaming. The younger one now makes a request. He wants to cut her neck open. She keeps screaming. One of them loses his temper and yells at her. He tells her to keep quite. "Yeh bhi naa, dhimag khaa rahi hai", he complains. He simply needs to do a job and her screams are making him lose focus. He decides to give the younger one a chance. He asks him to go ahead. One person holds her arms and the other holds her leg. The younger one now takes a knife and raises his hands. The knife comes down.
Cut to next scene. Close up of the husband's face. The tears are dry. The face is expressionless, but his eyes are conveying the pain and the helplessness.
The film was Jungle. Written by Jaideep Sahni. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma.
I have watched it only once. It was the year 2000. Nine years after watching it, the scene remains etched in memory. The movie itself was just about ok. I did not think that it was great cinema. Ram Gopal Varma gave into commercial considerations with some silly songs and sillier placement of them. He had a mix of clichéd characters and interesting characters in the film. There were a lot of gimmicks used to scare and fool the audience. Jungle was a moderate success. It did not win any major awards. It got nominated in the technical department in Screen Awards, and in Filmfare, I think it got nominated only for sound. I remember some weird camera angles (which eventually became trademark RGV; he started using them even in love stories like Nishabd), some good sound effects, a neat BGM by Sandeep Chowta (Why the fuck is RGV using Amar Mohile nowadays? Why not Salim-Suleiman or Sandeep Chowta?) a neat performance by Fardeen Khan (for the first time), hamming by Urmila. Sunil Shetty was so-so and Sushant Singh had a good role and made full use of it. Considering it was Jaideep Sahni's work, the script was mediocre. RGV now has started giving so much of trash, that Jungle looks like a masterpiece in comparison. But back then, it was just another film. The movie had its moments but it was not great cinema. But it was a great scene. It was great because it was inclusive. It was great because, you felt the emotions of the husband and his wife, you felt the relief of the balance victims and you felt the gang’s cold approach. The writer and the director took you inside the heads of the characters. It was terrifying, it was repulsive, but it was fascinating.
Last week, I happened to read Suketu Mehta's Maximum City, in which he describes buffaloes getting killed as Balidhaans. The way he describes this, the scene from Jungle immediately came to my mind. And the scene started playing in my mind as if I had watched it only last week. That's the hallmark of a great scene. It remains etched in your memory for a long long time.
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
AR Rahman is a genius no doubt, but
AR Rahman has won his first golden globe and all of us are shouting from the rooftop that he has done us proud.
Yes indeed, but let me play the devil’s advocate and ask you the question, how many of us have actually listened to the soundtrack of SM? (I am not talking about NRIs here). Many of us who have not listened to the soundtrack are now predicting that he would even get an Oscar!
My opinion: AR Rahman is a genius and he does not need a Golden Globe to prove that. I have not listened to SM so far, so I cannot form an opinion for sure if he deserved it. What I can surely say is that he deserved the biggest of awards for his score in Roja, Thiruda Thiruda, Kannathil Muthamittal, Dil Se, Alaipayudhe, Rang De Basanti, Minsara Kanavu, Kandukonden Kandukonden, Lagaan, Swades, Bombay Dreams, 1947 Earth..the list is huge. Does a Golden globe change our perception of him? We do not need a golden globe to recognize his talent. But I notice that many of us (by us, I mean Indians) do not comprehend the magnitude of talent that is available with us. All of us went ga-ga when Elizabeth was nominated for 7 Oscars. Did we even think about what a talent Shekar Kapur was/is, before Elizabeth? I remember only bad things said about Shekar before Elizabeth. After Elizabeth, he has not won any award..does that make him a lesser filmmaker? In my opinion, his ‘Four feathers’ and ‘Golden Age’ were equally good films. And so were Mr. India and Masoom.
It is unfortunate that many of us badmouth our geniuses and need West to recognize their contribution. I have several examples. Take any blog about Kamal Hassan, there are at least a few comments which criticize him - that he hams, that he wants to project only himself etc. A performace like Mahanadhi, Guna, Hey Ram and Virumandi anyday can be compared to the best in the West(or East). Yet we ridicule him saying that his ambition is to win an Oscar.
Ilayaraja..After Subramaniabharathi, this is one artiste who has never been given his due(by the State, by the society at large). We are doing a big mistake by not appreciating the kind of talent that Raja is. There are many die hard fans of Raja and I am sure they would object to my opinion, but can you justify not giving a Padmashree to a talent like this man, who has contributed for the last three decades?
AR Rahman himself – Do you know that ARR was ridiculed for his background music when he initially entered films? Just watch Roja now and you will understand how his music enhances the film. Dil Se, 1947 Earth, Golden Age – a number of films where the BGM has been exceptional.
K. Viswanath – The contribution of this genius to Telugu Cinema has never been appreciated by the ‘Neo Pan Indian’ media and therefore his genius has never come to limelight outside AP, and to some extent, Tamilnadu. At a time when films all over India were nothing but Masala potboilers, he thought of Sankarabaranam, a carnatic musical. He had the comprehension to rope in KVM for music and the master stroke was to rope in SPBalu for rendition of songs. Sagara Sangamam, Swathi Muthyam – such gems…!
I am not much aware of Malayalam films, but in whatever I have seen, Mohanlal and Mamooty are no lesser than any talent that is ruling the world today.
And to top it all, Bachchan’s over the top performance in Agneepath. After he won the National Award for it, so many people criticised him. Yet today we are praising Slumdog and from whatever I have seen bits and peices of it, it just looks like a ‘Classic over the top’ Indian masala film.
Does it mean that the Golden Globe is not important..Let us put this in perspective. The GG is important. In two aspects. Any recognition is inspiration for an artist and therefore as a recognition it is important. Also, a GG or an Oscar enhances the business potential of a film. It enhances visibility for the GG/Oscar winner’s other works. Once an Indian gets a Golden globe or an Oscar, it opens a lot of business avenues for Indian filmmakers across the globe. Mind you, these are two important benefits that we get from a GG or an Oscar and I am not undermining that. Today the news is out that Taare Zameen Par is out of the Oscar race. It is not in the top 9 shortlisted films by the academy. With due respects to the academy and to the shortlisted other 9 films, Academywaalon, we respect your decision, but I personally think that most of your members have either not watched our film or have not comprehended it completely.
Let us not wait for GGs and Oscars to appreciate huge talents that we have amidst us. I am happy for Rahman, the kind of genius that he is, this is only another beginning for him. But make no mistake, GG or no GG, Oscar or no Oscar, he is one of the best of all times! And so are our own Kamal, Raja, Mani, Mammooka, Lal sir, K Viswanath, Naseer saab and many others. Oscar and GG – Yeah, you are welcome, it enhances our business potential, it gives us a good feeling, but thanks – we have people who have given better performances than some of the GG and Oscar winning performances.
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
Yes indeed, but let me play the devil’s advocate and ask you the question, how many of us have actually listened to the soundtrack of SM? (I am not talking about NRIs here). Many of us who have not listened to the soundtrack are now predicting that he would even get an Oscar!
My opinion: AR Rahman is a genius and he does not need a Golden Globe to prove that. I have not listened to SM so far, so I cannot form an opinion for sure if he deserved it. What I can surely say is that he deserved the biggest of awards for his score in Roja, Thiruda Thiruda, Kannathil Muthamittal, Dil Se, Alaipayudhe, Rang De Basanti, Minsara Kanavu, Kandukonden Kandukonden, Lagaan, Swades, Bombay Dreams, 1947 Earth..the list is huge. Does a Golden globe change our perception of him? We do not need a golden globe to recognize his talent. But I notice that many of us (by us, I mean Indians) do not comprehend the magnitude of talent that is available with us. All of us went ga-ga when Elizabeth was nominated for 7 Oscars. Did we even think about what a talent Shekar Kapur was/is, before Elizabeth? I remember only bad things said about Shekar before Elizabeth. After Elizabeth, he has not won any award..does that make him a lesser filmmaker? In my opinion, his ‘Four feathers’ and ‘Golden Age’ were equally good films. And so were Mr. India and Masoom.
It is unfortunate that many of us badmouth our geniuses and need West to recognize their contribution. I have several examples. Take any blog about Kamal Hassan, there are at least a few comments which criticize him - that he hams, that he wants to project only himself etc. A performace like Mahanadhi, Guna, Hey Ram and Virumandi anyday can be compared to the best in the West(or East). Yet we ridicule him saying that his ambition is to win an Oscar.
Ilayaraja..After Subramaniabharathi, this is one artiste who has never been given his due(by the State, by the society at large). We are doing a big mistake by not appreciating the kind of talent that Raja is. There are many die hard fans of Raja and I am sure they would object to my opinion, but can you justify not giving a Padmashree to a talent like this man, who has contributed for the last three decades?
AR Rahman himself – Do you know that ARR was ridiculed for his background music when he initially entered films? Just watch Roja now and you will understand how his music enhances the film. Dil Se, 1947 Earth, Golden Age – a number of films where the BGM has been exceptional.
K. Viswanath – The contribution of this genius to Telugu Cinema has never been appreciated by the ‘Neo Pan Indian’ media and therefore his genius has never come to limelight outside AP, and to some extent, Tamilnadu. At a time when films all over India were nothing but Masala potboilers, he thought of Sankarabaranam, a carnatic musical. He had the comprehension to rope in KVM for music and the master stroke was to rope in SPBalu for rendition of songs. Sagara Sangamam, Swathi Muthyam – such gems…!
I am not much aware of Malayalam films, but in whatever I have seen, Mohanlal and Mamooty are no lesser than any talent that is ruling the world today.
And to top it all, Bachchan’s over the top performance in Agneepath. After he won the National Award for it, so many people criticised him. Yet today we are praising Slumdog and from whatever I have seen bits and peices of it, it just looks like a ‘Classic over the top’ Indian masala film.
Does it mean that the Golden Globe is not important..Let us put this in perspective. The GG is important. In two aspects. Any recognition is inspiration for an artist and therefore as a recognition it is important. Also, a GG or an Oscar enhances the business potential of a film. It enhances visibility for the GG/Oscar winner’s other works. Once an Indian gets a Golden globe or an Oscar, it opens a lot of business avenues for Indian filmmakers across the globe. Mind you, these are two important benefits that we get from a GG or an Oscar and I am not undermining that. Today the news is out that Taare Zameen Par is out of the Oscar race. It is not in the top 9 shortlisted films by the academy. With due respects to the academy and to the shortlisted other 9 films, Academywaalon, we respect your decision, but I personally think that most of your members have either not watched our film or have not comprehended it completely.
Let us not wait for GGs and Oscars to appreciate huge talents that we have amidst us. I am happy for Rahman, the kind of genius that he is, this is only another beginning for him. But make no mistake, GG or no GG, Oscar or no Oscar, he is one of the best of all times! And so are our own Kamal, Raja, Mani, Mammooka, Lal sir, K Viswanath, Naseer saab and many others. Oscar and GG – Yeah, you are welcome, it enhances our business potential, it gives us a good feeling, but thanks – we have people who have given better performances than some of the GG and Oscar winning performances.
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
And the Best Hindi film of 2008 is
2008 has nothing more to offer and is coming to an in a couple of days..all awards will start, Filmfare, Screen, Zee, Stardust and what not. I want to analyze the Hindi films that impacted me the most! The list below is in no particular order:
Mithya: If not for Anurag Kashyap's post, I would not have even recognized that Mithya's concept is a What if from Don! When the duplicate Don is put in place, faking amnesia, What if he suffers actually from Amnesia?!! The characters were real, believable and the performances were excellent. Mithya was fun all along and completely unpredictable. Great watch!
Jodha Akbar: The scale was huge and so was the ambition of the filmmaker. Jodha Akbar suffered from what, in my opinion, a common mistake committed sometime or the other by all talented filmmakers - overindulgence! But the music, performances and the chemistry between the lead pair salvaged the show. Jodha Akbar was not a film without flaws, but which film is?
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na: Abbas Tyrewala's debut and I was surprised to note many reviewers chided Abbas for his script. I thought the script was quite clever. The way the Khan brothers and Imran Khan's Nightmare/Dream is integrated into the climax is an example of clever writing. And not to forget ARR's fabulous score. Kabhi Kabhi Aditi, IMO, was the year's best number, but unfortunately the filmmaker did not do justice to it on screen. The performances by the entire cast were superb but special mention must go to Ratna Pathak Shah. She also delivers arguably the best written line in 2008 “ Phone pe Beta, Phone pe!"
Rock On: One of the members of Magik has brain tumour, one of the members' ex happen to be the wife of a rock concert organizer, one of the earlier competitors to Magik eventually becomes the Rock Concert Finale's organizer. Rock on was filled with Cliches. But as a film it worked beautifully. The music, the cinematography, the narrative, the perfect cast all came together and indeed created Magik.
A Wednesday: Some said that the message the film delivered was irresponsible..some said the BGM was too loud. Some said it did not work as a thriller. But A Wednesday worked for me big time. A less than two hour film, edge of the seat narrative, lovely touches by the first-time director(he could have avoided certain RGV cliches like the actor getting threatening calls), an unexpected twist in the climax! but A Wednesday will be remembered for a long time primarily due to the two leading men, Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher.
Dasvidaniya: A concept which could have gone either way..too risky man. If I make a film, I'll play safe and will not choose such a bucket list concept. A Director supremely confident of his craft came out trumps in creating an emotional impact on his audience.
Rab Ne Bana di Jodi: I hated the bike chase, I hated the Sumo wrestling sequence, I hated the word Rab, I hated when finally Rab solved all problems. I came out saying "lousy film, man". Yet after a fortnight, there are many sequences which are staying with me. Suri picking up the rose and keeping it back in the vase as an afterthought; Taani standing with the tray when Suri starts saying she is really sick; Raj talking to the mannequin of Suri; Taani, to overcome her frustrations, keeps doing household chores which have already been done! I did not want to include the film in this list, but I guess the film included itself..power of Rab!!
Ghajini: You know from the promos that it is a revenge saga..even if you missed it, the first scene of the film tells you that Sanjay Singhania's girlfriend is killed. Then when you get introduced to Kalpana and your heart warms up to her, you get this ticklish uneasiness, is she going to be killed? And I think that's why the film is successful. Not because of 8 pack abs, not because of the promos, not because of dumbing down Memento, but because the love story works!
Oye Lucky Lucky Oye: It is irony that the film which has two "Lucky" in its title turned out to be the unluckiest film of 2008. I generally do not buy any Hindi film DVDs because, they are anyway showing all these films in one channel or the other. But I have decided to buy OLLO DVD, not because Dibankar deserved better luck in the Box office, but because I truly believe that this is the best film of 2008.
You may disagree with me! You are welcome to put down your best in the comments. And before anyone trashes me for not including Aamir, have not watched it guys. Was not able to catch in UTV also since I was traveling, hope they show it again in the near future!
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
Mithya: If not for Anurag Kashyap's post, I would not have even recognized that Mithya's concept is a What if from Don! When the duplicate Don is put in place, faking amnesia, What if he suffers actually from Amnesia?!! The characters were real, believable and the performances were excellent. Mithya was fun all along and completely unpredictable. Great watch!
Jodha Akbar: The scale was huge and so was the ambition of the filmmaker. Jodha Akbar suffered from what, in my opinion, a common mistake committed sometime or the other by all talented filmmakers - overindulgence! But the music, performances and the chemistry between the lead pair salvaged the show. Jodha Akbar was not a film without flaws, but which film is?
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na: Abbas Tyrewala's debut and I was surprised to note many reviewers chided Abbas for his script. I thought the script was quite clever. The way the Khan brothers and Imran Khan's Nightmare/Dream is integrated into the climax is an example of clever writing. And not to forget ARR's fabulous score. Kabhi Kabhi Aditi, IMO, was the year's best number, but unfortunately the filmmaker did not do justice to it on screen. The performances by the entire cast were superb but special mention must go to Ratna Pathak Shah. She also delivers arguably the best written line in 2008 “ Phone pe Beta, Phone pe!"
Rock On: One of the members of Magik has brain tumour, one of the members' ex happen to be the wife of a rock concert organizer, one of the earlier competitors to Magik eventually becomes the Rock Concert Finale's organizer. Rock on was filled with Cliches. But as a film it worked beautifully. The music, the cinematography, the narrative, the perfect cast all came together and indeed created Magik.
A Wednesday: Some said that the message the film delivered was irresponsible..some said the BGM was too loud. Some said it did not work as a thriller. But A Wednesday worked for me big time. A less than two hour film, edge of the seat narrative, lovely touches by the first-time director(he could have avoided certain RGV cliches like the actor getting threatening calls), an unexpected twist in the climax! but A Wednesday will be remembered for a long time primarily due to the two leading men, Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher.
Dasvidaniya: A concept which could have gone either way..too risky man. If I make a film, I'll play safe and will not choose such a bucket list concept. A Director supremely confident of his craft came out trumps in creating an emotional impact on his audience.
Rab Ne Bana di Jodi: I hated the bike chase, I hated the Sumo wrestling sequence, I hated the word Rab, I hated when finally Rab solved all problems. I came out saying "lousy film, man". Yet after a fortnight, there are many sequences which are staying with me. Suri picking up the rose and keeping it back in the vase as an afterthought; Taani standing with the tray when Suri starts saying she is really sick; Raj talking to the mannequin of Suri; Taani, to overcome her frustrations, keeps doing household chores which have already been done! I did not want to include the film in this list, but I guess the film included itself..power of Rab!!
Ghajini: You know from the promos that it is a revenge saga..even if you missed it, the first scene of the film tells you that Sanjay Singhania's girlfriend is killed. Then when you get introduced to Kalpana and your heart warms up to her, you get this ticklish uneasiness, is she going to be killed? And I think that's why the film is successful. Not because of 8 pack abs, not because of the promos, not because of dumbing down Memento, but because the love story works!
Oye Lucky Lucky Oye: It is irony that the film which has two "Lucky" in its title turned out to be the unluckiest film of 2008. I generally do not buy any Hindi film DVDs because, they are anyway showing all these films in one channel or the other. But I have decided to buy OLLO DVD, not because Dibankar deserved better luck in the Box office, but because I truly believe that this is the best film of 2008.
You may disagree with me! You are welcome to put down your best in the comments. And before anyone trashes me for not including Aamir, have not watched it guys. Was not able to catch in UTV also since I was traveling, hope they show it again in the near future!
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
Delhi 6: I want my money back…
For those of you who think that this a review which bashes the film; you are bound to be disappointed. It is not. For the others, here we go.
I have had a couple of drinks and I am angry. The laptop is in front of me and I want to type furiously venting out my anger. I was in Pune on Thursday and Delhi-6 was playing in the nearby multiplex..It was a paid preview but it wasn’t Inox and so I did not want to take a chance. You see, I had already booked my tickets at Satyam Chennai for today. You see, the film is important to me, but so is the entire experience of movie watching.
I went with a lot of expectations and the movie did not let me down, but the experience of watching the film was dreadful. Mostly it was a college going crowd, but in terms of behaviour, I suspect they were illiterate. They were booing, did not understand one bit of the film, they were restless and they spoiled the day for me.
I want to ask a few questions to them. Why is a plot so necessary for a film? Did you not understand that this film is about characters? To start with, let us take the character of Ali. When Roshan leaves his mobile phone in the car when he enters the house for the first time, and his mother, Fatima calls him and Ali picks up the phone(to hand it over to Roshan) and he sees the photo of Fatima, did you notice the change in his expression? Later on, when he confides to Roshan that he was in love with Fatima, did you notice that he was uncomfortable and quickly changed the topic to how Roshan’s father loved Fatima against all odds and won her over? The character of Dadi! Why, she is so sure of what she wants. She knows she is dying, she wants to die in Delhi 6. She knows she is dying, she goes shopping for it. And she knows exactly what product she wants. And no, she does not believe in bargaining. “Khush Raho, Lala” is what she says, paying what she thinks is right for the product. And in the beautiful scene where Roshan questions ‘Uparwalah’s haath’ in the scheme of things, she just makes him speechless with her words ” Yeh hamara vishwas hai, beta”. Did you even notice the consistency in her character?
Madan Gopal and Jai Gopal..we do not know why they have fought. We know they have built a wall in between their homes! And what a love-hate relationship they share. When Madan donates Rs.20/-, Jai donates Rs.50/-! When Jai talks about water entry creating a short circuit in a circuit, Madan simply admonishes the logic (His grandson says that the logic is right, even his teacher told him the same thing)Yet in the last scene when Kala Bander makes an appearance, he tells people to carry water to make the beast powerless! And the puja scene where they compete in praising the Lord! Did you not like it?
Bittoo:I know you loved her, you welcomed her entry on screen with Taalis. But I know that those taalis are for Sonam and not for Bittoo. And I know you got disappointed with the amount of screen time she has. But can’t you understand that the Director wanted to treat her character like any other in the film? That the Director did not see her as a heroine? And the remarkable scene inside the Taj Mahal, when Roshan wants to call out her name, but is surrounded by the kids, so he says” Guys, Check this out!” and he shouts “Echo” and then he shouts her name and she laughs!! Have you seen a more romantic scene in the last few months? Or, “Raj..Naam to suna hoga” kind of romantic scenes have made you numb towards real romance?
Kala Bandhar..! Listen, you guys go to college, study lot more complicated stuff..Can you not understand a simple metaphor? There are so many clues throughout the film. Did you not see them?.
Fine..you did not get the film..so you did not enjoy it. May be you like your Silambattams and Villus and Aegans and Padikathavans. Good for you. You like what you like and I do not want to get judgemental about it. But what right do you have to spoil MY show? I loved the film and I have paid money to watch it and I am entitled to watch it in total silence. Why do you have to boo if you are dumb enough not to get a scene? Why do you have to boo when you are dumb enough to think that all good films have a plot? Why do you have to boo when you are dumb enough only to appreciate three act structures?
I hope you grow up and not create a nuisance for others.
I only hope that
‘Baba sab theek kardega, okay?’
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
I have had a couple of drinks and I am angry. The laptop is in front of me and I want to type furiously venting out my anger. I was in Pune on Thursday and Delhi-6 was playing in the nearby multiplex..It was a paid preview but it wasn’t Inox and so I did not want to take a chance. You see, I had already booked my tickets at Satyam Chennai for today. You see, the film is important to me, but so is the entire experience of movie watching.
I went with a lot of expectations and the movie did not let me down, but the experience of watching the film was dreadful. Mostly it was a college going crowd, but in terms of behaviour, I suspect they were illiterate. They were booing, did not understand one bit of the film, they were restless and they spoiled the day for me.
I want to ask a few questions to them. Why is a plot so necessary for a film? Did you not understand that this film is about characters? To start with, let us take the character of Ali. When Roshan leaves his mobile phone in the car when he enters the house for the first time, and his mother, Fatima calls him and Ali picks up the phone(to hand it over to Roshan) and he sees the photo of Fatima, did you notice the change in his expression? Later on, when he confides to Roshan that he was in love with Fatima, did you notice that he was uncomfortable and quickly changed the topic to how Roshan’s father loved Fatima against all odds and won her over? The character of Dadi! Why, she is so sure of what she wants. She knows she is dying, she wants to die in Delhi 6. She knows she is dying, she goes shopping for it. And she knows exactly what product she wants. And no, she does not believe in bargaining. “Khush Raho, Lala” is what she says, paying what she thinks is right for the product. And in the beautiful scene where Roshan questions ‘Uparwalah’s haath’ in the scheme of things, she just makes him speechless with her words ” Yeh hamara vishwas hai, beta”. Did you even notice the consistency in her character?
Madan Gopal and Jai Gopal..we do not know why they have fought. We know they have built a wall in between their homes! And what a love-hate relationship they share. When Madan donates Rs.20/-, Jai donates Rs.50/-! When Jai talks about water entry creating a short circuit in a circuit, Madan simply admonishes the logic (His grandson says that the logic is right, even his teacher told him the same thing)Yet in the last scene when Kala Bander makes an appearance, he tells people to carry water to make the beast powerless! And the puja scene where they compete in praising the Lord! Did you not like it?
Bittoo:I know you loved her, you welcomed her entry on screen with Taalis. But I know that those taalis are for Sonam and not for Bittoo. And I know you got disappointed with the amount of screen time she has. But can’t you understand that the Director wanted to treat her character like any other in the film? That the Director did not see her as a heroine? And the remarkable scene inside the Taj Mahal, when Roshan wants to call out her name, but is surrounded by the kids, so he says” Guys, Check this out!” and he shouts “Echo” and then he shouts her name and she laughs!! Have you seen a more romantic scene in the last few months? Or, “Raj..Naam to suna hoga” kind of romantic scenes have made you numb towards real romance?
Kala Bandhar..! Listen, you guys go to college, study lot more complicated stuff..Can you not understand a simple metaphor? There are so many clues throughout the film. Did you not see them?.
Fine..you did not get the film..so you did not enjoy it. May be you like your Silambattams and Villus and Aegans and Padikathavans. Good for you. You like what you like and I do not want to get judgemental about it. But what right do you have to spoil MY show? I loved the film and I have paid money to watch it and I am entitled to watch it in total silence. Why do you have to boo if you are dumb enough not to get a scene? Why do you have to boo when you are dumb enough to think that all good films have a plot? Why do you have to boo when you are dumb enough only to appreciate three act structures?
I hope you grow up and not create a nuisance for others.
I only hope that
‘Baba sab theek kardega, okay?’
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
Golden Silences
Ram Gopal Varma - a lover of basic instincts (Powerful Men; Sexy
Women) has said that he uses background score to heighten the impact
of his story telling. One of the reasons that Phoonk did not scare was
the loud use of BGM (background music). Remember the scene in Bhoot,
where Urmila wakes up in the middle of the night, goes to the kitchen,
takes out a bottle of water from the fridge and drinks, and returns
back to bed. We see the ghost for the first time in that scene. It was
a truly scary scene and everything including the camera angles,
lighting worked out well in its favor. One of the main reasons why it
worked out so well was the BGM, or the lack of it! The silence was
deafening in that scene making the audience squirm in their seat in
anticipation. How well Salim and Suleiman understood the effect of
silence! And how I wish Amar Mohile understood it…
Anyway, the objective of this post is not RGV bashing…it is about
some of the randomly picked golden moments created in Tamil Cinema due
to (amongst other aspects) Golden Silences.
Mahanadi: Kamal goes to prison and on his return finds out that his
daughter is sold off and is a sex worker in Sonagachi. He goes to
Calcutta, finds her and brings her back. He handles his emotions quite
well during the entire episode but after his return, when his daughter
starts blabbering in her sleep ” Vidungada Thevadiya Pasangala…Oru
Naalaiku ethanai Customeruda” (roughly translates to ‘Leave me alone
you bastards…how many customers can I handle in a day’), he is
unable to control his emotions and breaks down…and what a moment it
is. One of the classical scenes in Indian films where everything falls
into place. Kamal Haasan’s acting, the lighting of the scene, the
dialogues…and above all, the absence of music during the entire
scene. After talking about his personal tragedy, Kamal starts talking
about the state-of-affairs of under aged sex-workers in Sonagachi and
then he starts talking about how the world accords respect to the ‘bad
guys’. At this point, Kamal Haasan’s emotions change from being
helpless and to that of anger and it is here Ilayaraja starts the
music. It remains the best scene I have ever seen in my life.
Mozhi: A fabulously conceived scene - When Prithvi falls for a
deaf/dumb girl, he wishes to understand how her world would be. So he
seals his ears with a bandage and tries to spend a day without hearing
anything and speaking anything. The scene occupied about two minutes
of screen time, and Vidayasagar just let the silence be in those two
minutes…What an impact it had. (I do remember a few cat calls when I
watched it for the first time, but in the second viewing “ after about
a week of the film’s release" there were none).
Sigaram: After the death of SPB’s wife, he conducts the last rites
and returns home, after which he suffers a stroke. Ananthu, the
Director, showed SPB performing the last rites for about a minute and
again silence was beautifully used (Music Director - SPB).
It is unfortunate that many Music Directors today do not understand
the strength of silences. I do not remember watching any film in the
last year or so, where silence has been used effectively - Of course,
I hope to be proved wrong.
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
Women) has said that he uses background score to heighten the impact
of his story telling. One of the reasons that Phoonk did not scare was
the loud use of BGM (background music). Remember the scene in Bhoot,
where Urmila wakes up in the middle of the night, goes to the kitchen,
takes out a bottle of water from the fridge and drinks, and returns
back to bed. We see the ghost for the first time in that scene. It was
a truly scary scene and everything including the camera angles,
lighting worked out well in its favor. One of the main reasons why it
worked out so well was the BGM, or the lack of it! The silence was
deafening in that scene making the audience squirm in their seat in
anticipation. How well Salim and Suleiman understood the effect of
silence! And how I wish Amar Mohile understood it…
Anyway, the objective of this post is not RGV bashing…it is about
some of the randomly picked golden moments created in Tamil Cinema due
to (amongst other aspects) Golden Silences.
Mahanadi: Kamal goes to prison and on his return finds out that his
daughter is sold off and is a sex worker in Sonagachi. He goes to
Calcutta, finds her and brings her back. He handles his emotions quite
well during the entire episode but after his return, when his daughter
starts blabbering in her sleep ” Vidungada Thevadiya Pasangala…Oru
Naalaiku ethanai Customeruda” (roughly translates to ‘Leave me alone
you bastards…how many customers can I handle in a day’), he is
unable to control his emotions and breaks down…and what a moment it
is. One of the classical scenes in Indian films where everything falls
into place. Kamal Haasan’s acting, the lighting of the scene, the
dialogues…and above all, the absence of music during the entire
scene. After talking about his personal tragedy, Kamal starts talking
about the state-of-affairs of under aged sex-workers in Sonagachi and
then he starts talking about how the world accords respect to the ‘bad
guys’. At this point, Kamal Haasan’s emotions change from being
helpless and to that of anger and it is here Ilayaraja starts the
music. It remains the best scene I have ever seen in my life.
Mozhi: A fabulously conceived scene - When Prithvi falls for a
deaf/dumb girl, he wishes to understand how her world would be. So he
seals his ears with a bandage and tries to spend a day without hearing
anything and speaking anything. The scene occupied about two minutes
of screen time, and Vidayasagar just let the silence be in those two
minutes…What an impact it had. (I do remember a few cat calls when I
watched it for the first time, but in the second viewing “ after about
a week of the film’s release" there were none).
Sigaram: After the death of SPB’s wife, he conducts the last rites
and returns home, after which he suffers a stroke. Ananthu, the
Director, showed SPB performing the last rites for about a minute and
again silence was beautifully used (Music Director - SPB).
It is unfortunate that many Music Directors today do not understand
the strength of silences. I do not remember watching any film in the
last year or so, where silence has been used effectively - Of course,
I hope to be proved wrong.
Originally posted in www.passionforcinema.com
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