We; The Team

The legend goes something like this...


One fine day, two jobless guys were discussing a famous movie blog. Suddenly, out of blue an idea struck them... why not start a blog? Afterall, it hardly takes any investment to start one. All it needed was time which they had aplenty. The idea was interesting and it took shape after brainstorming over maggi, patties and tea in college canteen. Yeah, pretty uninteresting but both the guys were non-smoking teetotalers. Anyways, it started on blogspot and later got its own domain. Today with over 100 page views a day, TheReelMag.in has made a name for themselves. Brain child of Ali and Sujoy was so named by a buddy Anurag Sanwal.

Over the time, some people joined us on board and most of them remained with us. Some of them are part of the core team:

Sujoy Ghosh: Editor, Founder

Creative head of the duo is crazy about cinema. As he say, stories define him. With his e-books 'I Died... Long Before' and 'Acetic Love' and experimental short films, he is trying to explore himself in a creative perspective. Passionate about stories, he prefers drama over any other genre.

Ali Naqvi: Co-editor, Founder

Can be dubbed as 'lethargic' technical brain of the gang. He is good at what you call story telling and detailing. He is a quick learner and is very good at technical aspects of blogging. He boasts of his laid back approach and gives it credit for cooling down anger/temper quotient of Sujoy.

Neha Jain: Associate Author

A star contributor. Some of her posts have fetched us huge page views. She has a very feminist view about cinema and within group she is the one who easily lock horns with Sujoy. If something more is revealed, we will be killed.

Rishabh Shukla: Associate Author

Music is his forte. A Jimmy Stewart like character, Rishabh likes to talk about music in general. He has an amazing understanding of music and is a valuable asset.

Gyandeep Pattnayak: Associate Author

If you are on twitter, you might have heard about this guy. His understanding about cinema has been lauded by many you-know-who of Cine World. His enthu and knowledge about cinema can make many so-called critics go weak in knees. Among reviewers, he ardently follow Roger Ebert and Rajeev Masand.

Gaurav Karmakar: Associate Author

An actor at heart. He has acted in couple of shorts with Sujoy and contributed to the growth of TRM with his articles and inputs. In the bunch of people struck in bread butter, he is determined to find his art and perfect it.

Fellows

People who contributed in our journey...

• Prof. SHH Naqvi
• Vinayak Pandey
• Saumyashree Ghosh
• Souvika Das 
• Hemant Kumar Mishra
• Sandeep Shetty
• Rashmi Subrahmanya
• Arun Purushothaman
• Harish Mallya
• Anish Singh

IMPRINT: U ON COVER??

U can write about cinema? U can be on the cover of the next edition!!!
TheReelMag gives U an opportunity to share space with the mavericks of world cinema and be on the cover of TheReelMag edition.

Rules and Steps:

1: Follow the portal. It will help us to track U.

2: Mail us your biodata, a pic of yours with an intersting background and minimum of three articles with atleast two movie reviews. More articles more brownies... however, quality will remain a priority.

3: mailing details: mail at the.reel.admin@gmail.com with "IMPRINT" as a subject.


Remember, in the world of entertainment, anything can click....

Love....

Sujoy Ghosh

Be A Part Of The Journey

You are here ’coz you are serious about joining TheReelMag as a contributor, I guess. Welcome home. Your generous contribution will be considered as a mutual agreement to everything on this page. Following are the rules:


1: Article should be "original". Writeup is property and liability of contributor. How do we check? Well, there are many in-house mechanisms to check for IP Violations.

2: Racial or Gender bias is condemned by TheReelMag. Same is for any anti-social or anti-national (for any nation) views. Stereotyping is one thing but being prejudiced is other. There is a fine line, so avoid it. Also, we respect audience at large. Cinema cannot be restricted to some elite sections. We frown at snobbish behavior.

3: Any violation of Rule 1 or 2 mentioned above will lead to blocking of contributor on permanent basis. And I am very serious about it. If you have any doubt, write to us at the.reel.admin@gmail.com with 'TheReelMag Policy' as subject

4: For publicity and other purposes, the administrator is free to use write-ups with due credits. It can be shared with other blogs/websites with mutual understanding.

5: Usually for Reviews we keep length between 250-400 words. Same for other segments as well. However, under some circumstances the acceptable length can be 500-600 words. Keep it brief and crisp.

Some FAQs:

1) Who owns the copyright?
A: As said in point 1, 'Writeup is property and liability of contributor'. You own the copyrights though to spread the word, we will/might use your articles with due credits.

2) Can I use articles from my blog?

A: You are most welcome. If you want, we can put link to your blog as well. But we would need a formal request/approval for the same.

3) I want to write a column. How can I give it a shot?

A: You are most welcome. Just send us minimum 3 articles with an interesting column name. We will start posting. After three edition, you can continue with further articles. We go-live every 15 days and we will expect your articles either in bundles of 3+ articles or at regular interval. Editorial team reserves the right to change the content (in small measure) and even delay publication.

4) Do you edit?

A: Yes, we do.

5) Do you reject?

A: We hate to do so. But we have rejected posts in past... infact the very first post we got, was rejected. We have some editorial policies and we follow them... in general.

6) Do you focus on any particular type of cinema?

A: We don't believe in types of cinema. Cinema is Cinema... above language, genre, artist etc. However, we might have special editions where we will have a focus area. That makes sense, I guess.

7) I have a complaint?

A: Please drop a mail to the.reel.admin@gmail.com with 'TheReelMag Complaint' as subject.

8) Will I earn?

A: Yes you can!!! But only affiliate programs and only relevant links (not more than 5 per post). Final call will be with TRM Editors. Ali Naqvi will be the Point Of Contact for the same.

Mail your articles to:

the.reel.admin@gmail.com with 'TheReelMag Article' as subject. If you are on FaceBook, send a friend request to us and drop a message... just to ensure that we don't miss your mails. :)

The 9 Edition

Index

1. Editor's Pen

2. Shahrukh detained from flight in US

3. Kaminey review by ALI

4. Kaminey review by SUJOY

5. Statesmen: Vishal Bharadwaj, his Maqbool struggle

6. Movie Review: New York

7. Music Review: RULES Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula

8. Under Lens: Anurag Kashyap: Banned Movies - 02

9. Hammer's High: The Dog who replaced an actor!!

Editor’s Pen

Hi,

Thanks for such a tremendous response and we wish to carry the work ahead. We will try to live upto your expectations and one day ensure that evry movie lover will visit us once in a while.

We are planning to expand and in the process worked on our look. Thanks Ali for all the work. From an associate, today he is indispensable and in-disposable. Kudos to him and his efforts.

Final words… watch Jashn. Shahana Goswami has done a great job.

Love, Sujoy Ghosh

Shahrukh Khan detained | Eyes Read It

The big news is Shahrukh Khan has been detained for over 2 hours at an American Airport. According to reports his surname ‘Khan’ got him into trouble.

Ironically his next release ‘My name is Khan’ is based on profiling based on race and religion.

This incident follows frisking of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, let’s just hope ‘My name is Khan’ is a tight slap on face of such ignorant people. Amen.

Also released this week are the promos of ‘Dil Bole Hadippa’ with Rani in Bikini :O don’t worry we assure you she didn’t look that bad in it ;).

Trailers show obvious resemblance to ‘She’s the man’, complete with Rakhi Sawant trying to seduce Rani(clad as a man, wink wink)

Well lets hope Yash Raj production doesn’t go Tashan way but goes takes the path of Chak de India.

‘District 9’ the next big Hollywood release has had a few reviews out at rottentomatoes.com and it’s present rating is 100%. WOW. We sure can’t wait to see this Sci-fi Mocumentary.

Though there are reports that ‘District-9’ has major elements similar to 1980’s movie ‘Alien Nation’. But it also being already hailed as one of the best Sci-fi films ever.

Tim Burton’s ‘9’ is also releasing soon. Yipee.

Let’s see what next fortnight holds for us movie-buffs.

Kaminey Movie Review | Critique

Kaminey opens with a breathtaking scene where Charlie (played by Shahid) is chasing the man who has cheated him of all his money.

This scene sets the momentum of things in store ahead in the movie, never slow, never drab. Charlie, is a small time bookie, a wannabe bookie stall owner, who says 'f' in place of 's'.

Charlie narrates of his identical twin brother Guddu (again Shahid), whom he despises. Guddu works in a NGO, he stammers, wants a settled career before marrying, Sweety(Priyanka). As luck would have it, Sweety gets pregnant and wants to marry soon. Watch that scene where Guddu struggles to say ‘sss.sss.science… home science’.

From there on, in the next day or so, paths of Guddu and Charlie cross, who haven't seen each other in three years. Both unwittingly get entangled in each others lives. The plot has many many turns to keep you gripped through entire movie.

Shahid Kapoor shines in his carrer best role, both as Rough Charlie and Withdrawn Guddu. Priyanka Chopra displays superb range of lovable- demanding- caring- fierce- forgiving- spicy -girl with such command. Though her role is small, you defintely won't forget her role after curtains.

Surprisingly every single actor, most of whom make their first appearence, all are spot on, which shows considerable command of Director- Writer Vishal Bharadwaj. The most impressive of the lot is Nepali actor Tenzing Nima, who plays drug lord Tashi with Perfect suaveness as he intimidates his sway through the plot mouthing Hindi-African-English–Marathi with ease. Tenzing is definetly a name to look forward in days to come.

The movie is fun and people around you erupt in laughter at unexpected scenes. It is the quirky and different characters, that make situations interesting. Dialogs are Sharp and witty

The film has but one shortcoming- the PLOT ELEMENTS aren't original, we have already seen the whole valuable-in-unexpected-hands, tale-of-two-brothers, druglord-hitting-back, and a big-boom-boom-Bollywood-Climax before. May be I’m being a dork but even Kunal Khemu starrer 99 had similar elements. May be i expect too much of Vishal Bharadwaj, maker of Maqbool.

Verdict- It might not be as original and harditting as Maqbool and Omkara, but it makes in all other departments. Thus it is easily one of best movies of this year but not the decade.
Rating-*** (good but a little short of great)

For ‘The Reel’; Written by Ali Naqvi.

Critique: Kaminey

Vishal Bhardwaj is going to be the flavor of this season. Kaminey is awesome as a movie and explores a new actor in the hero- Shahid Kapoor. I guess, these two lines speak volumes about what the movie is like.
Dark as a chocolate the movie is a great example how should a ‘on your face’ movie should be like.
However, who expect a classic like Maqbool or Omkara may be a bit disappointed. Its racy, dirty yet stylish in its own way. Vishal Bhardwaj once again proved why he commands such respect. Yes, its not in league of Maqbool or Omkara… but still its rocking. Its different and a class in its own way.


Love and heart-break can do a lot to you. Shahid proved it. Leaving behind the chocolaty hero image, Shahid has finally emerged in the bad world of showbiz. Jab We Met was a great step, but here in Kaminey… he is finally there. Priyanka was cool and apt. Romance? Only the duo can tell you. The world of Charlie, Guddu and Sweety is dark and stark by all means.

Music is awesome, direction is wonderful and cinematography… class. Its interesting to see how scenes were picturised and the way story and director treated Charlie and Guddu is great. Songs are different as usual. Dhan De Nan is fresh like lemon… and really tangy. Watch out for a wonderful story…

Charlie and Guddu are bros who almost hate each other. Guddu is the sweet one and Charlie is the salty one. A bad game of race and drugs to change everything. Sweety and her brother add more trouble to everything. Politico-Mafia-Police nexus is the final addon. Watch it… take my word. If you love dust, you will love it.

For The Reel; Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Vishal Bhardwaj | Statesmen

Vishal Bharadwaj Directorial debut almost shelved. Want to know more read on…

In 2002, Vishal’s career as music director was going smooth with critically acclaimed music scores of films like Maachis and Satya. But Vishal intended to do more, he wanted to direct. He made his debut as Director in ‘Makdee’ starring Shabana Azmi. Next he had set his eyes on adapting Shakespeare’s play Macbeth in hindi, as he wanted to make something more forceful.

He initially wanted to cast Naseeruddin Shah-Tabu in Maqbool as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth respectively. He struggled to find producers for the project. He was told, ”Get some popular actor do the role”. Vishal had no choice but to approach big stars of that time. Sanjay Dutt had been considered, as he had starred in underworld movie ‘Vaastav’. He refused. Sharukh Khan was also approached. He denied. Hence, Maqbool was nearly shelved.

Bobby Bedi came to rescue of ‘Maqbool’, and finally a then-lesser-known actor Irrfan Khan was chosen to play ‘Maqbool’. A Shoe string budget was allotted to making the film. Pankaj Kapoor starred as Abbaji in his Godfather-esque kind of character. Naseeruddin Shah along with Om Puri starred as corrupt cops (essaying role of witches in Macbeth). The rest as they say is history.

Maqbool was gathered huge acclaim in film festivals across the world. It received ‘best film award’ in Bangkok Film Festival. Finally it was released in 2004 in India and it got rave review from viewers across India. In India it got various Awards including National Awards.

Vishal Bharadwaj is still active as music composer, giving scores not only to his own films but also of others. His recent movie scores include Nishabd, U Me aur Hum, No Smoking.

He has Directed 5 full feature film and a short film to date. What is extraordinary about his films is, that many of his actors have starred in their career best roles under his direction aka Pankaj Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Konkana Sen Sharma, and more recently Shahid Kapoor.

for The Reel; Written by "Ali Naqvi"

The Critique: New York

Amidst allegations of ‘influences’, Pritam brings out nice music. Though most of the times the allegations are true, music has freshness that cannot denied. New York is just a fine example.

Hundreds of people suffered backlash due to their religion after 9/11 though they were as innocent as a meek sheep. But it cannot justify the route of terrorism to nullify atrocities.

Overall, NY is a good movie and deserves to be recommended. John and Katrina apparently silenced the critics who termed them plastics. They did justice to their characters. Neil was brilliant. He is a potent explosive. Irrfan Khan was good as usual. The portrayal of a Muslim FBI Officer must have been difficult considering the complexity of role and sensitivity of story.

Special applause for the unsung hero who played the role of post-9/11 injustices’ victim who killed cop for misbehaving with Katrina. He was really good.

Kabir Khan has raised his bar as a director after an impressive Kabul Express. He has done a good job and we expect better movies from him. Story was nice. Applause for the writer Sandeep Srivastava. In all, in the time when stale mutton like Kambakkht Ishq turns out to be a blockbuster, NY is refreshing like a mint.

For The Reel; Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Music Review- RULES Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula

RULES - more the word sounds confined, more the album has no limits to its versatility. The tag line "Pyaar ka superhit formula" is its perfect explanation.

The colleges are reopening, and new love bonds are springing up, so I thought of suggesting you a perfect gift for your loved one. You may have several rocking hits this season but let me assure you, this is an album one would fall in love each time. If you do not trust me, just listen to the first song,

"Uljhanon ko de diya", and track itself would take away all the unnecessary fears from your mind. Its a well written romantic track in the voice of Sanjeevani, a perfect proposal song.

"Pyaar ke naam pe" is another rhtymic, jazzy number by the famous Bombay Vikings, whose spell makes you to tap along with the beats.

Prof. B.N. Dubey has written classical lyrics, "Gori tore nain", which have been used for a fashion show, stark difference,but yet well suited. Sonu Nigam has given his voice to his song, but as his other songs, his voice is voice is very familiar,and the track ends to be just an average.

The album also has an instrumental, "Radhas Theme", which is a free flowing track. I put it into this genre, because, it gives an open space to your thoughts to flow, as the music continues in background.

The album concludes with a beautiful romantic track ‘Chodo Na Mujhe’. With new lyricist there is always an apprehension about the quality of the music, but Subrat Sinha has not let his directors down and has come out with a nice love poem. Kunal Ganjanwala gives life to these lines sounding like a man who is passionately in love, doing justice to song, situation and listener.

This is an album which has range of classical, jazzy, soft and instrumental but they all have one thing in common, all are perfectly romantic and melodious. So what are you waiting for guys, just run to your nearest music store, and fish for this album among their old stock or just simply download these songs from a website, burn a CD and present to your beloved, surprising them with this unique collection.

PS -guys beware dont go for video album of this song, else our hunk Milind Soman would be eye candy for your beloved [;)]

For The Reel; Written by Neha Jain

Under Lens: Anurag “Banned” Kashyap

Anurag Kashyap is more known for the movies that were not allowed than the movies that were allowed to be showcased on silver screen. Apart from a confused No Smoking, irresistible Dev D and egoist Gulaal, the director has two brilliant movies to his credit- both banned temporarily or permanent.


His debut Paanch starring KK and Tejaswini Kolhapuri was inspired from a real life incident. It won accolades all around the world and Kashyap was instantly in limelight well before a release that never happened. Story of a struggling band and intense violence, the movie was banned by the Censor Board and till date it has not been released. A member found it unhealthy to leave the movie for public viewing.

But another movie- Black Friday, a docudrama based on Mumbai Bomb Blasts saw the silver screen after a series of cases. The devil was not the happening on screen. It was the content that was controversial to the core. TADA court was presiding over the case and some people including the accused believed that the movie can negatively influence the court. Prejudice was the fear. It was banned and then after suitable amends, released.

Though both movies were banned, they were available on DVDs at Palika… does censorship work?

For The Reel; Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Hammers High: The Dog Who Created Magic

Homi Master was a legendary director of the era of silent movies. He was extremely stern as a taskmaster and definitely knew how to manage the starry tantrums.

J.B.H. Wadia once told an interesting story- an actor of great fame and greater ego tried to bully Homi Master. But the person in front of him was no Tom, Dick or Harry. Egos clashed and things went beyond the verbal limits. In rage the actor left the shooting. The crew did panic but the director was as calm as an ocean. He knew how to meet the ends.

The last shot had a magician in focus. Shot began with minor changes in script. Magician converted the estranged actor into dog and then the dog played the lead. Even the actress had to hug the dog to express love.

The ‘dog’ sequence got ample of media attention and actor felt that his stardom was at stake. He patched up with Homi Master. The magician returned on screen and converted the dog into the actor. Actor carried the movie on his shoulder thereafter. The ‘dog’ sequence turned out to be a blockbuster and movie gained a lot. Both actor and director were officially friends; however some issues left messed up.

As J.B.H. Wadia remembered, Homi Master was a legendary director of his time. The era of Silent Movies is incomplete as the 90’s would be without Shahrukh Khan.

For The Reel; Written By: Sujoy Ghosh