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.