Two Thoughts And A Pause | Editor's Pen

Hi All,

Some days back, I finished reading Sidney Poitier’s memoir ‘The Measure Of A Man’. In a white world of Hollywood of that era, he was the first actor to get an Oscar for Best Actor, a feat not many managed to achieve. The secret of his success somehow lies in the fact that he held almost no prejudices against anyone based on melanin content in skin. He broke the stereotypes and achieved what he wanted.

Another person who grabbed headlines in last fortnight was Vidya Balan for her convincing performance in a glossy The Dirty Picture which failed to impress many. Vidya delivered a fine performance as Silk loosely based on life of Silk Smitha. Her expressions were good and dialogue delivery was impressive. Well, nothing new. The script failed her. A weak script that considered Silk as a body than a soul. It was OUATIM of Silk.

This fortnight we gave farewell to one of the biggest star- Dev Anand. I don’t know how to express my grief. Something is gone forever… He will not rest in peace… he has been so energetic. I guess someone wants to make movies up there… that’s why they summoned him.

Regards

Sujoy

Dev | Romancing With Life, Literally | The Statesmen

Cinema in every era has an actor who is labeled as ultimate romantic hero. However, rarely we have a hero so convinced with the idea of romance that even after seeing 88 candles on cake; he is ready to dance around trees. Dev Anand was such an hero. No wonder he titled his autobiography as ‘Romancing with Life’. This December, we lost him… forever. But let me remind you, the romance is still there and will remain there. People die, their cinema keeps them alive.

In 1948 when Ziddi came, Dev Anand had a name though not a big one. He had a few hit movies with Suraiya but since Suraiya was a bigger star, she received all the accolades. His relationship with her was in shambles. Ziddi was the breakthrough he desperately wanted and fortunately got. Baazi, Taxi Driver and Nau Do Gyarah established him as a star. He charmed his fans with his style in movies like House No. 44, Pocket Maar, Munimji, Funtoosh, C.I.D. and Paying Guest. His style and stardom established him as a part of famous Dev-Dileep-Raj trio. These three icon ruled the cinema of 50s and 60s.

Guide gave him the character of life time. He realized the power of a woman’s sexuality and its social acceptance. ‘70s arrived and he was still a hero. He romanced with Zeenat Aman, Rakhee and Hema Malini to earn the title of Evergreen Hero. No one pulled off the stereotyped character of Romantic Hero like him. Even his ventures in ‘90 and ‘00s when his movies failed to impress audience, one can see the youthfulness in his vision.

People labeled him a crackpot when his movies failed in last two decades. Some people can’t understand what Dev Anand actually was. In his life, he reached the point where it was difficult to differentiate between cinema and life. I sense the hypocrisy when people snub his movie ‘Censor’ that spoke about liberation but go out and watch movies with skin show. The good thing was that Dev Sa’ab was convinced about his ideology and hardly gave a dime to what detractors thought. He worked till his last breath. Up there, I guess, apsaras must be pretty busy right now.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya... | RS Unplugged

4th of December, will always remain a black day in Indian cinema, because it brought to us the sudden demise of the legendary 'Dev Anand' Ji. A soul whose style and persona will be there in this world forever.

There are some people who come and go, and then there are some people who make their way into the world in such a way that they never go. Dev ji is a person who came with a style... his own style... his own trademark... that kept him in a completely different league.

We all know there are endless movies which he has contributed into, to make them classics. And the same goes with the music. His style of dancing, with his hands hanging down loosely accompanied by his innocent face and a childish smile, simply makes those lovely tunes, sound and look even better. His presence in the songs just gives me a feeling that no one else could have been here, as if he had composed the songs just for himself.

Khoya khoya chand, Tujhe jivan ki dor se baandh liya hai, Gata rahe mera dil, Pal bhar k liye koi, Hai apna dil to awara, Abhi na jao chhod kar and countless many. All the black and whites are just classics! It's really hard to choose your favorite one. With such melodies showcasing him, I am pretty that sure Dev ji had a good taste of music! However, as the years passed on, his choice changed. 

From Mohd. Rafi to Kishore Kumar, from S.D. Burman to Kalyanji-Anandji, there is nobody in who hasn't had a classic with him. But yes! I don't remember Mukesh singing for him. Maybe you guys can correct me in this, by finding a song where Mukesh sang for him.

He had always believed that youth is forever, and it clearly reflected in the way he did things. The legend will always be remembered through his fabulous songs, where his youth will be preserved... forever!

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.

Written By: Rishabh Shukla

An Affair To Remember | Dev-Suraiya | Cine Talk

He was dashing. She was beautiful. He was getting success. She was successful. He loved her. She loved him. But they didn’t marry. One of the greatest romances in the cinema of this country faced a tragic end when Suraiya’s maternal grandmother, who was head of the house, rejected Dev Anand’s marriage proposal for Suraiya because he was  a Hindu and she was a Muslim. In today’s India, the issue seems to be very trivial given the fact that we have many multi-faith couples in cine world. However, in late 40’s it was a big deal partly due to pre-colonial reservations and partly due to partition.

After rejecting Dev’s proposal, Suraiya stopped working with him. Dev established himself as a superstar while Suraiya saw the nadir. He films failed and she finally stopped working in films. Rustom Sohrab released in 1963 was her last film. She never married and died of cancer in 2004. She was 75. Dev Anand didn’t went over for her funeral. He didn’t wanted people to raise fingers on her and speculate some secret affair, a pain Dev willingly bore. Dev Anand made a successful on-screen pairing with Kalpana Karthik and later married her. They had a child, Suneil. Suraiya, he never forgot her.

Just like Nargis and Sunil Dutt famous love story, Dev Anand and Suraiya fell in love due to an accident. A freak accident took place during shooting of movie Vidya when a boat tipped over and like a real life hero, Dev saved Suraiya. Suraiya fell in love with her savior. A true romantic Dev gave her a costly diamond ring to Suraiya at the sets of movie Jeet. But fate had some reservations.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Why This Kolaveri Kolaveri Kolaveri Di | Editor's Pen

Dhanush is more popular and acclaimed as an actor than being just Superstar Rajnikanth's son-in-law. Some of his performances can make his father-in-law very proud. However, he was kind of unknown face for about 25 states in the country... till last week.

For his upcoming movie titled '3', Dhanush created this song along with music director Anirudha and the viral caught the imagination of entire nation like anything. Thanks to facebook and twitter. Within a week or so the video touched the mark of 4 million hits. You can see this song all over your fb home and  is still trending on twitter. Blogs and newspapers are still discussing the craze and anthropologists are still confused over the fact that Kolaveri actually became such a big thing.

Virals can surprise anyone. What is the trick, nobody knows. It either clicks or fizz out. Kolaveri is a soup song. It’s have funny lyrics. Its hummable. It has a simple tune. So? At least 10 songs every year match Kolaveri on these parameters but none becomes a rage like this one. Life is heuristics...

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Story Of Two Villages And One Woman | Mirch Masala And Manthan | Under Lens

Among different shades Smita Patil gave life, character of a strong willed village woman is a prominent one. In Mirch Masala and Manthan you can see different hues of a village woman. The way Smita Patil interpreted these characters and played her roles is a case study for all heroines who wants to become actresses.

Manthan made by Shyam Benegal is one of the most inspiring biopics of Hindi Cinema. The movie talks about White Revolution and AMUL. Smita plays a role of a villager and is pivotal element in the growth of narrative. However the story remains about the person behind Amul and the character played by Girish Karnad never gets subsided. On the other hand, in Mirch Masala she plays a fiery character who is not ready to give in to a cruel subedar who lusts for women.

In these two characters of hers, Smita plays very strong characters having a personal identity and a strong will power to stand against the odds. These characters though based in villages echoed the contemporary feminism mostly exhibited in urban, something she stood in her life. Even after so many years, she is a poster girl for Indian feminism.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Thalapathi | Karna-Duryodhan Friendship | The Critique

A Tamil movie based on Mahabharatha directed by Mani Ratnam, camera work by Santosh Sivan, score by Ilaiyaraaja and starring Rajnikanth, Mammootty, Shobhana, Arvind Swamy and Amrish Puri won't be anything less than an epic. Thalapathi is an epic... in all measures. This movie is memorable for intense performances and deep dialogues.

Thalapathi is based on friendship between Karna and Duryodhana. Surya, dumped by a unwed mother, grows into a strong personality. In interesting course of events, he earns friendship of a local muscleman, Devraj. Slowly, Surya and Devraj start ruling the city and at their pinnacle are countered by an honest IAS officer, Arjun. In a sub-plot, there is a love story between Surya and Subbulaxmi who eventually marries Arjun. While, Arjun and Surya are taking on each other the secret is revealed. Will they fight and annihilate each other?

Rajni as Surya commands an amazing screen presence however, Mammootty as Devraj takes away the most of the scene. He underplays his character but still overwhelms with a stellar performance. Arvind as Arjun comes up as the third pillar of the story and matches the scale of other two legends. Music and cinematography both makes a mark on your soul. Direction, as usual, is awesome and can be rated as one of the best by Mani.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Middle Finger Of Rockstar | Cine Talk

There are many interpretation of Jim Morrison's middle finger act. One of the versions say that it was his defiance to his fans and rest of the world. The finger yelled "F*** you all, I don't care". A highly rated performer Jim was very different from a tormented Kurt Cobain but still died young at 27 under shady circumstances. There were certain reasons which pushed him towards semi-accidental death.

In 11^3 release Rockstar, the lead character Janardan/Jordan makes a note of this version of Middle Finger...  He idolizes him because Morrison achieved so much fame in his life. Even his act of defiance to fans is adored as a 'punch' act. Little he knows that one day he will hate this world and show his middle finger to his fans.

The character of Jordon wants to achieve success and become a big star but on his way to success he finds a big void in his life... Heer. His stardom becomes his biggest shortcoming because it doesn't allow him to heal his wounds. The mood swings and frustrations start taking a toll on him but his stardom doesn't allow him any respite. His angst either need to be quenched or given a vent. Beyond a point he doesn't give a damn to his ambitions, his stardom or his admirers because he is lonely while fighting his demons. The Middle Finger puts that across...

Hardly seen such metaphors in Bollywood. Loving fans is so hyped that you don’t see a point when someone hates them.

Conversation Between Ali and Sujoy

Gandu | Much Ado About A Little | Candid Krishnan

Q has a simple name. His vision for cinema is however a little complex. He subtly tells a story, garnishes it with forbidden elements and puts in front of prejudiced society. They puke on it and it serves to his purpose. His movie gets a moment of glory and despite of all bans, becomes a rage in underworld. Gandu does not have a high IMDB rating. It does not have great reviews to boast of. As a matter of fact it’s hardly the most amazing movie made over the turn of the decade… yes… its however, one of the most controversial movie of recent times.

As the movie starts, one might sympathize with the lead character. It has a kind of innocence though loaded with shamelessness and perversion. After a point the movie drags a little and the frustration of protagonist starts growing on you. Then the character of his friend comes into picture and you start liking it more than the protagonist. After a small phase of interesting flow of events, the movie loses its course and tries to breach the boundary between art and porn. One might feel offended by some of the scenes… The story has multiple layers and its really interesting the way Q handled it.  

Q glorifies sex, undoubtedly. Frankly speaking, a cine lover I have no qualms with that. But sex should not become the USP of a movie which have so many different layers. That widens the scope of movie and people appreciate your work more than appreciating or rather ogling at few scenes.

Written By: Krishnan