Religion And Interpretation | Editor's Pen

Hi Friends,

 

Recently a fatwa was issued against a girl band based in Kashmir. Also, recently a self-proclaimed leader virtually took responsibility of mass murders in riots spanning over three decades. It was a retort of some sort. My point is how can the administration allow such kind of mindless propaganda? Where is this country leading to?

 

Religious leaders have immense power of faith people have in them. They are expected to lead the masses. However, over time we have seen them converting into monsters of some kind. Religion is for people. Public welfare is the biggest goal of any religion. But still, more than often, we find religion at the crossroads. Why? Under no circumstances, religion can be against the basic tenets of humanity. If it is, one should see how he is interpreting the religion. How can music be against humanity? How can religion permit ethnic cleansing by any means? How can religion be intolerant and aggressive?

 

Two very well made movies of our generation, Dharm and Khuda Ke Liye highlighted two strong points about religion. Religion will have certain rules and guidelines. First thing is to understand them and implement them in spirit, not letter. If you can take care of spirit, letter will follow on its own. Second thing, vices are reality. One should try to avoid them. However, the victims of vices should be treated with empathy, not disgust.

 

Regards

Sujoy

Junoon | The Critique

Ruskin Bond’s works have a different sense of romance, the one people might consider sinful but the protagonist doesn’t see it any differently. Shyam Benegal works have very subtle realism blended with drama and emotions without going overboard. Junoon is a perfect blend of both artists’ brilliance. Made by Benegal and based on Bond’s novella A Flight Of Pigeons, Junoon which literally means Obsession is very true to its translation.

 

Set in 1857, when India struggles for independence, Javed falls in love with a teenaged British girl Ruth. Against Ruth’s and Mariam’s (Ruth’s mother) wishes they are brought into the Muslim household. Javed’s wife Firdaus objects to his wish of marrying Ruth. His brother Sarfaraz is a fighter against British and even he opposes Javed’s action. In turbulent times, world has turned upside down for the British family. Man of house is dead and they are living a life of destitute. A brilliant script, impressive narrative and outstanding performances complements direction of perhaps the best filmmaker of alternate cinema.

 

Shashi Kapoor as Javed, Naseeruddin Shah as Sarfaraz, Shabana as Firdaus and Jennifer as Mariam simply excelled in their individual roles and were complemented well by actors like Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Nafisa Ali and Sushma Seth. Jennifer deserves a special note. She is one of the most underrated actresses of this country. Technically Shyam Benegal’s movies have been excellent. Junoon is no exception. One scene deserves a special note where warriors return home, that one scene was at par with a similar scene from Gone With The Wind. I hope that summarizes well.

 

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nayagan | 100 Years Of Indian Cinema | Under Lens

Perhaps the biggest influence of South Indian films on Bollywood, Nayagan raised the bar of crime dramas to a new high. Rated as one of the finest gangster movies ever made on this planet, Nayagan is loosely based on real life don Varadarajan Mudaliar who was an object of admiration at his peak.

 

Nayagan is made by Mani Ratnam with Kamal Haasan in the lead role of Velu Naiker. Velu journey begins with his father’s brutal encounter. He moves to Bombay where he is rescued by a kind hearted Muslim fisherman. His first step in the world of crime was murder of a policeman who kills his guardian. The same moment he shows the brighter side of his persona by adopting policeman’s differently abled child. Nayagan shows different phases of his life where he marries and falls in love with a prostitute, conflicts with children and his tragic fall.

 

Nayagan is iconic movie on many accounts. It beautifully establishes a strong character whose success has a reason and fall has an irony. It was perhaps the first time audience appreciated the grey shade of the lead actor in a character which never seemed to be fabricated. Audience knew Velu did wrong things but was he still loved by everyone in the film for his self-righteousness. This element was later explored by many other filmmakers in different films like Agneepath and Vaastav. Shot in the slums, the characters were never glossy. This made movie more convincing and appealing.

 

Trivia: The story initially was developed with Shivaji Ganeshan in mind but when Mani Ratnam took charge, characters were remoulded. After initial shoot, unhappy with the output, Mani reshot most of the parts. The budget, hence, shot almost twice of expected.  

 

 

David And Special 26 | Second Attempt At Cinema | Under Lens

David and Special 26 – both recently released films were rated among most highly awaited movies of 2013. Why? For any random movie, the answer would have been star-cast but for these two movies, the reason was The Director of these films. Bejoy Nambiar made his debut with Shaitan and Neeraj Pandey with A Wednesday. Both the movies worked among the critics and over the time earned a cult status among cine buffs. With such reputation, both had lot at stake.

 

Bijoy’s David was made in two languages and got decent reviews. The film worked as a standalone product, it failed to build upon what Shaitan established. For people who loved Shaitan, David was a disappointment. Special 26, on the other hand got both acclaim and collection on the opening weekend. However, for people who seriously follow heist dramas, Special 26 would be a sad disappointment. A Wednesday to three notch higher on a scale of ten. Now, the mystery is what happened to these thinking brains?

 

When they made their first movie, both were free of market dynamics. That’s why Shaitan had more rawness and A Wednesday lacked songs and romance. The second step is always a little more calculated. The instincts which drove Shaitan and A Wednesday took a backseat and conference room dictated terms. Directors might disagree, its visible out there on screen. David and Special 26 gave away the goods they had in the promos to seduce audience. This might reflect in the BO Collections but ten years down the line, people would remember Shaitan and A Wednesday. David and Special 26 would remain inferior successors.

 

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

 

 

Insights

 

Indian Cinema Scores A Ton | Editor's Pen

Hi Friends,

 

Over last couple of days, film industry suffered some setbacks. Be it release of Kamal Haasan’s Viswaroopam or outrageous comments by Rehman Malik on Shahrukh Khan. We saw a Sudheer Mishra movie falling below his standards. We lost some Marathi actors in accidents. Terrible.

 

Amidst these news, we saw Indian Cinema completing 100 years. What a journey! A nation which failed on many grounds is the world leader in Cinema. We learnt the trade from west, modeled it on our sensibilities and created some of the best pieces of art under sky. People might not agree as they revere American and European films like demigods, but the fact is that even though we might not have outnumbered them, we have given them stiff contest as far as quality of cinema is concerned. Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Do Aankhein Barah Haath, Waqt, Anand etc. are at par with any Hollywood classic.

 

Celebrating achievements of Indian cinema, from this edition we are starting a ten part series - 100 Years Of Indian Cinema.

 

One more news is there, though not pleasant. Due to heavy workload on the admins in their professional life, we will not be able to continue with Between Breaths Short Film Contest. However, we will dedicate the edition to selected short films. Apologies for disappointing you all but we believe that quality should not be compromised.

 

Love,

Sujoy

Raja Harishchandra | 100 Years Of Indian Cinema | Under Lens

People argue that Shree Pundalik was the first motion film in India. But logically it was just recording of a play, not a film. Raja Harishchandra made by Dada Saheb Phalke was the first Indian film made with proper cast, crew and shooting. Made in 1913, influenced by Raja Ravi Verma’s school of art, Raja Harishchandra was a story of a king who is adored by generations for his kindness and righteousness.

 

Raja Harishchandra saw the advent of filmmaking in India. Today, India is the biggest contributor of global cinema as far as numbers go. We are ahead of any country, even USA. A couple of million people are directly or indirectly involved in Indian film industry – from pre-production to torrents – and a large sections survive on films for their livelihood.

 

For a long time, we saw religious movies doing good business. A trend that lasted till ‘70s. It contributed to our cultural heritage and improved bonding among different communities. Whenever a Muslim actor played a Hindu God on screen, the differences reduced. Apart from creating communal harmony, such movies successfully archived folklore in visual media. For a nation with such diverse cultural heritage, films were a blessing indeed.

 

Trivia: First actress of Indian films who played the role of Raja Harishchandra’s wife Taramati was a man. A cook by profession, Salunke was discovered when Phalke failed to find a suitable woman. Salunke later worked in many films including Lanka Dahan made in 1917 in which he played a double role, perhaps the most complex one, of Ram and Sita.     

 

 

Indie Works In India | Under Lens

Finally Indie is getting recognition. Given the deeply rooted structure of studios where money spoke loud and only few survived to enjoy the ruins, this was a distant dream. It took more than 4 decades for parallel/alternate/indie cinema to find a space, it has finally arrived. Among different highs, we saw some amazing independent films making their presence felt beyond the film festivals. PVR Rare deserves an applause for their contribution.

 

Kshay: What can be Kshay’s genre? It’s not important but still a valid question. A drama with edginess of a thriller. It plays with your nerves and keeps you engaged despite of the fact it has a one word story – obsession. Indie in true sense, Kshay comes up as a brilliant effort on celluloid.

 

Gattu: What was the last film for children made in India which made some sense? Maybe I Am Kalam. Gattu fills in a big void. A very sweet little film which brings smile on your face.

 

Miss Lovely: Nawaz rocks! Miss Lovely is an interesting take on the forbidden world of C-grade cinema. It’s an interesting take on a relegated section of industry which makes millions laugh and thousands eat. In terms of percentage, they can beat likes of Dabangg and 3 Idiots any day. Its forbidden. Well, so is weed.

 

Innuendo: Usually, indie films have a linear story. Innuendo has three plots. Arvind Kamath managed to keep the pace going with three different stories, each having subplots and undercurrent messages. The title makes more sense as the credit rolls.  

 

Shahid: Hansal Mehta is a respected name. The respect increased manifold with Shahid. It’s not brave to fight goons. It’s brave to stand against wrong and prejudices. Shahid Azmi did so. By making a film out of his life, Mehta did the same.

 

Peddlers: Vasan Bala. You know him. If you get an opportunity to watch Peddlers, you will never forget. An edgy story aided by brilliant work of camera might make you forget the fact that it was largely shot in guerilla way. Another Indie to core.

The Verdict | The Critique

The biggest trick in 3-Act structure lies in how climax is revealed to audience. The way The Verdict presents failure and success of Jury System in single vein, any day it stands at par with a classic like 12 Angry Men and Anatomy of a Murder. Like 12 Angry Men, The Verdict is a Sidney Lumet movie. Brilliance thus established again for the zillionth time.

 

The Verdict starts with Frank (played by a brilliant Paul Newman) who is at the abyss of his life – personal and professional. As a favor from a friend, he gets a case of medical malpractice. It’s a routine case suited for out of court settlement. The accused facility offers him a handsome settlement amount but he refuses the offer. He thinks that his case can be his last chance to make a point as a lawyer, a goal he set for himself in his early days. Against the odds, he fights the case. Will justice prevail?

 

Based on novel by the same name, unlike 12 Angry Men, The Verdict relies much on gesture than dialogues. Paul Newman and James Mason are two sides of the courtroom segment. Their performance keep audience on toes. The other aspect of the story, i.e. Frank’s story is explored in detail. The grittiness in the characters when cornered comes out well and seems both heroic and justified at the same time.

 

Technically, The Verdict is sound. Good background music, good cinematography (some signature shots from classic era) and tight script. With his direction, Sidney Lumet presents a brilliant case study for all budding directors. Rated as rank 4 courtroom drama by AFI, The Verdict is a must watch for cine buffs.

 

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

 

Salim Mirza In Garam Hava | Actor's Eye

Garm Hava or Scorching Winds, as the subtitles suggest, is I feel one of the best and amongst the must watch movies in the category which deals with the subject of post partition atrocities faced by the common man, to be more particular by the Muslims who stayed back, in India.

 

The story of the film unfolds at its own pace slowly and steadily making you a part of the day to day life and problems of the Mirza family, headed by Salim Mirza. The character of Salim Mirza, through Balraj Sahni, tells its viewers how to follow your heart in spite of being in unfavorable conditions. In conditions where your loved ones are moving to an altogether and newly formed country whereas you are staying back; in conditions where your business is being hit because you have always worked on your own terms and want to continue with the same; in conditions when you have to mortgage your house of many decades to make your ends meet; in conditions when your children are not getting jobs because of communal prejudices; in conditions where your daughter is under mental trauma for the fact that all eligible bachelors have moved to the new country; and these all being just a part of the bigger picture. Balraj Sahni has played all emotions, and as his reputation goes, he has played them all very well. He has done it in a very subtle yet effective way. He shows the pain of loss, the love of a father, the care for an ailing mother, the hard work of a good businessman, the fear of one day giving in to the surmounting situations and many more.

 

In all a very nice movie and some very nicely power packed performances by all the actors. No doubt that apart from being the debut movie of a fine actor Mr. Farooq Sheikh, some very fine performances by the very respected Balraj Sahni, playing the lead character of Salim Mirza, A.K. Hangal, Yunus Parvez and others this movie also boasts about being India’s official entry to The Oscars for the year 1974 in the best foreign language film category and many other national and international awards.

 

Written By: Gaurav Karmakar

2013 - Year Around | Eyes Read It

2013 is definitely year of sequels, remakes and adaptations– both qualitatively and quantitatively. In 2 months we have seen Race 2, Murder 3 and Kai Po Che. Well, only third one was able to earn some brownie points. Race 2 and Murder 3 hardly raised any emotion.

 

Major Sequels in 2013: Race 2, Murder 3, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, Shootout at Wadala, Aashiqui 2, Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2, Ragini MMS 2, Krrish 3, Dhoom 3

 

Major Remakes in 2013: Himmatwala, Chashme Buddoor Remake, Zanjeer, Ramaiya Vasta Vaiya

 

Major Adaptations in 2013: Kai Po Che!, Lootera, Ram Leela

 

Among the ones which are yet to be released, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2, Dhoom 3, Chashme Buddoor Remake and Lootera will be the ones to look out for. 2013, I hope some good surprises are in store.