As far as epics are concerned, Indian mythology is rich – whether in its characters or intricacy of plot. SS Rajamouli's 'Baahubali' borrows the essence of an Indian epic complete with a god-like hero and power-play of brothers fighting for the throne. Undoubtedly, he succeeds in making a great impression.
Showing posts with label Bollywood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bollywood. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Five women directors
Women are getting involved in
film-making more than ever before. Women directors are taking over
the industry by storm giving us some of the most memorable films in
the past decade. Be it masala blockbuster maker Farah Khan or Gauri
Shinde who made the beautiful 'English Vinglish' that touched our
hearts.
But the industry has seen a lot of
female directors who have challenged the otherwise male dominated
B-town. Here is a list of some of the best the industry has seen:
Deepa Mehta
'Earth', 'Water', 'Fire' – Mehta the
Indo-Canadian filmmaker has had her share of controversies as she
touches topics of homosexuality, partition and many others. But the
way she handles her subject, this talented director has received
heavy international acclaim as well. Both '1947 Earth' and 'Water'
were sent to be nominated for Oscars.
Kalpana Lajmi
Being an artist is in Lajmi's blood.
Daughter of painter Lalita Lajmi and niece of auteur Guru Dutt, she
has some of the best parallel films to her credit, the most famous of
which is 'Rudaali' starring Dimple Kapadia. 'Daman', a woman centric
film starring Raveena Tandon(who won a National Award for her role)
was highly appreciated by critics and audiences for the realistic
portrayal of marital abuse and its message of women empowerment.
Aparna Sen
A big name in Bengali cinema as an
actress in her time, when Sen forayed into going behind the camera
the anticipation was huge. She turned out to be one of the best
behind as well. '36 Chowringhee Lane' (1981) connected emotionally
with her audience and she has never looked back. 'Iti Mrinalini',
'Mr. and Mrs. Iyer', 'The Japanese Wife', 'Goynar Baksho' have all
been very well received by the audience and people are only waiting
for more.
Sai Paranjpye
This Padma Bhushan Awardee has given us
some of the most memorable movies in the 80s and the 90s. The most
well known of them is 'Sparsh' which went on to win three National
Awards as well as three Filmfare Awards. Her comedy 'Chashme Baddoor'
remains a classic even today. Sai made another heart warming musical
film called 'Saaz' in 1997 which also starred internationally
acclaimed tabla artist Zakir Hussain.
Mira Nair
Possibly the most well known female
director from India in the international circuit, Mira Nair is known
for portraying human stories on the big screen. 'Salaam Bombay', her
first film was successful in putting her on the map and her
subsequent work ('Namesake', 'Monsoon Wedding' etc.) has only
strengthened her position as one of the best filmmakers India has
produced.
Six offbeat movies to look out for in 2015
2015 is sure to be exciting with many
big releases scheduled and interesting pairs coming on screen.
But many films which are off the beaten
track are releasing this year too. While some have already made a
massive impact in film festivals all over the world.
Liar's dice
Releasing in march this year, the movie
has already won accolades in many film festivals and received two
national awards in india. Geetanjali thapa and nawazuddin
siddiqui star in this geetu mohandas movie which is a human drama
dealing with the issue of migration, exploitation and revealing the
socio-political scenario of the subcontinent.
Margarita, with a straw
This movie starring kalki koechlin is
likely to release in india in 2015. Directed by shonali bose, this
movie explores the story of a girl suffering from cerebral palsy and
her struggles with being accepted as a normal person in the society.
The trailer was very well received in india, and the movie itself has
garnered quite a few accolades world over.
X
Not one but 11 directors have made this
movie. It is one story being told by 11 different directors in part.
The experimental cinema is definitely a must watch with one actor
rajat kapoor and 12 lead actresses. Abhinav shiv tiwari, anu menon,
nalan kumarasamy, hemant gaba, pratim d. Gupta, q, raja
sen, rajshree ojha, sandeep mohan, sudhish kamath and
suparn verma are going to helm the different parts of the film.
Tigers
Previously called 'white lies', this
emraan hashmi starrer is being directed by award winning
international film-maker danis tanovic. The movie is scheduled to
release on march 6, 2015. Based in pakistan, 'tigers' traces the
journey of a real life pharmacuetical employee who goes against the
big corporates.
Nyodda
Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma in a Meghna Gulzar movie is sure to intrigue any movie goer. Vishal Bharadwaj has produced the movie, while Gulzar himself is penning the
lyrics. This movie is based on the real life infamous incident of the
arushi talwar murder case which happened in noida. Tabu is likely to
make a special appearance too.
Tumbad
Sohum shah who starred in the
successful movie 'ship of theseus', broke all stereotypes and cliches
in indian cinema. His next movie 'tumbad' is being looked forward to
for the very reason. The bar is set high for the actor and one is
only waiting to see what magic he can create in the horror epic being
directed by debutant rahi anil barve.
Saturday, July 04, 2015
The fantabulous achievements of FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan!
Protests over the appointment of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) chairman are still going on. Students have come together to stand against the decision of the seat being taken by a certain Mr Gajendra Chauhan; as it is perceived that he was given the privilege of being at the helm of affair due to his political leanings and not experience in the world of cinema.
While the general consensus on this issue is that it was done to 'keep an eye' on the institution, its students and faculty--there has been no move as such from the Information and Broadcast Ministry regarding the matter. It seems that things stand at a stalemate.
Chauhan's experience has been questioned in this entire affair, but should that really be an issue?
While the general consensus on this issue is that it was done to 'keep an eye' on the institution, its students and faculty--there has been no move as such from the Information and Broadcast Ministry regarding the matter. It seems that things stand at a stalemate.
Chauhan's experience has been questioned in this entire affair, but should that really be an issue?
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Fair and handsome Hrithik Roshan? Not you too!
It is so disappointing when an actor you have liked and respected for so long goes to the dark side. Well in this case the 'light' side.
Indians have a racist streak in them. They all like fair people.
First there was a demand for fair girls. Now, the advertisement industry features girls who are so pale that they would give Bella of 'Twilight' a run for her money.
Indians have a racist streak in them. They all like fair people.
First there was a demand for fair girls. Now, the advertisement industry features girls who are so pale that they would give Bella of 'Twilight' a run for her money.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Aamir Khan on AIB: Taking the high-road or hypocrisy?
All India Ba****d roasted actors Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh as they sat and guffawed at all kinds of abuses being hurled at them. An incident that has grabbed the headlines since the last two weeks made everyone have an opinion about it.
Some loved it. Some lodged an FIR saying it hurt Indian sentiments. The end result – the show was taken down from YouTube and later an unconditional apology was issued to (specifically) the Christian community.
While the entire film community has supported Karan, Arjun and Ranveer's stand for the show and said things that amounted to 'don't like, don't watch', Aamir recently said in a press conference that he found it abusive and violent. The result is that now Aamir is being criticised.
Aamir Khan is one Khan in Bollywood, I have always been fond of. As a child I used to like him because he was cute. Now I like him because of the causes he supports and that he has grown a conscience. Perhaps, something that irks me at times that he acts 'holier than thou'. I personally think that his tone at every press conference has been a lot more condescending.
In an episode of 'Satymeva Jayate' focussing on 'When masculinity harms men' they showed a clipping which also featured Aamir himself. He also said that he now understands that the scenes he has acted in were in poor taste and harmed the community. Hmmm...so a man actually accepted that he has done movies in poor taste – he had showed something that was against 'Indian culture' and was willing to take responsibility for it.
In the press conference Khan said 'I WAS deeply affected by that (AIB Show)', 'I didn't find that funny'. 'I PERSONALLY have a problem with what they have done' He said that he felt there was a lot of 'violence' in the event in the form of abuses – and since he is not 14-year-old anymore, he did not find it funny. Notice how in every statement he talks about himself and his opinion and not of his 'community' and 'culture'? Or have we all just learnt to ignore the context? His right to criticise the AIB show is as much a freedom of expression as AIB's right to roast Ranveer-Arjun.
Or can't the 'liberals' who support AIB's 'freedom of speech' take anyone's opinion that differs from theirs? Or have we all just decided that you must support our stance or be called either 'libtards', 'sickular' and 'against Indian culture' or be called 'uncouth', 'right wing extremists' and 'hypocrites'?
What most people seem to be saying now is that since Aamir acted in 'Ghajini' (a very bad violent copy of 'Memento') he has no right to criticise the verbal abuse of AIB. Also, since he backed 'Delhi Belly', an adult comedy featuring the famed 'Bhaag DK Bose' he now has no right to say that he did not like the blatantly racist or sexual jokes.
Incidentally he also said, 'I believe that there must be many youngsters who would have enjoyed the roast and they have a full right to their opinion.'. May be many did not really reach this point of the press conference before outraging and venting on Twitter. Because that seems to the newest thing with all of us. Most people would happily abuse a star because he said something differing from what the herd is saying before even hearing him through because he 'deserved it' and he's shielded by the fact that he is 'rich and famous'.
What he said about AIB – I don't fully agree with that. I, in fact, quite enjoyed the roast. The humour was not in the abuses but the fact that here were a bunch of 'superstars' bearing the brunt of some really clichéd jokes on themselves and joining in the 'roasting'. Sanjay Kapoor stood up and cheered himself when one of the roasters indicated that he was the worst actor in the Kapoor dynasty. Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi and Deepika all joined in with peals of laughter when all kinds of nasty things were being said about them. I loved most of it.
All the classless humour was directed at people willing to take jokes on themselves. If Aamir is not happy with it – it is his opinion.
As far as the teams’ apology is concerned – I wish they hadn't but I am not at the receiving end of the death threats they must have been receiving from religious extremists. I am no one to judge.
The 'lynching' AIB and the stars are receiving is also something that Aamir condemned. He said there was nothing wrong in telling people if you didn't like something they did. But one should limit their interference there. Why is this point being ignored?
One thing must be said– Aamir is being attacked today because there is no other scapegoat for the social media outragers right now. Give me a new star who says that she doesn't want men to say sexist things about her and front pages of leading dailies will again tell you about the last movie she featured in where she played a belly dancer showing off her midriff and say that she is an actress who deserves sexist attacks.
Note to Aamir: Even if you did not want to watch the entire video you should have watched the beginning before saying that they did not give a public warning before airing the roast (like you did “going out of your way” for 'Delhi Belly') – they did. You could have stayed away from this with just scolding Karan and Arjun. Be careful, Shah Rukh and Salman may be offended by that. It is a season of taking offence.
Some loved it. Some lodged an FIR saying it hurt Indian sentiments. The end result – the show was taken down from YouTube and later an unconditional apology was issued to (specifically) the Christian community.
While the entire film community has supported Karan, Arjun and Ranveer's stand for the show and said things that amounted to 'don't like, don't watch', Aamir recently said in a press conference that he found it abusive and violent. The result is that now Aamir is being criticised.
Aamir Khan is one Khan in Bollywood, I have always been fond of. As a child I used to like him because he was cute. Now I like him because of the causes he supports and that he has grown a conscience. Perhaps, something that irks me at times that he acts 'holier than thou'. I personally think that his tone at every press conference has been a lot more condescending.
In an episode of 'Satymeva Jayate' focussing on 'When masculinity harms men' they showed a clipping which also featured Aamir himself. He also said that he now understands that the scenes he has acted in were in poor taste and harmed the community. Hmmm...so a man actually accepted that he has done movies in poor taste – he had showed something that was against 'Indian culture' and was willing to take responsibility for it.
In the press conference Khan said 'I WAS deeply affected by that (AIB Show)', 'I didn't find that funny'. 'I PERSONALLY have a problem with what they have done' He said that he felt there was a lot of 'violence' in the event in the form of abuses – and since he is not 14-year-old anymore, he did not find it funny. Notice how in every statement he talks about himself and his opinion and not of his 'community' and 'culture'? Or have we all just learnt to ignore the context? His right to criticise the AIB show is as much a freedom of expression as AIB's right to roast Ranveer-Arjun.
Or can't the 'liberals' who support AIB's 'freedom of speech' take anyone's opinion that differs from theirs? Or have we all just decided that you must support our stance or be called either 'libtards', 'sickular' and 'against Indian culture' or be called 'uncouth', 'right wing extremists' and 'hypocrites'?
What most people seem to be saying now is that since Aamir acted in 'Ghajini' (a very bad violent copy of 'Memento') he has no right to criticise the verbal abuse of AIB. Also, since he backed 'Delhi Belly', an adult comedy featuring the famed 'Bhaag DK Bose' he now has no right to say that he did not like the blatantly racist or sexual jokes.
Incidentally he also said, 'I believe that there must be many youngsters who would have enjoyed the roast and they have a full right to their opinion.'. May be many did not really reach this point of the press conference before outraging and venting on Twitter. Because that seems to the newest thing with all of us. Most people would happily abuse a star because he said something differing from what the herd is saying before even hearing him through because he 'deserved it' and he's shielded by the fact that he is 'rich and famous'.
What he said about AIB – I don't fully agree with that. I, in fact, quite enjoyed the roast. The humour was not in the abuses but the fact that here were a bunch of 'superstars' bearing the brunt of some really clichéd jokes on themselves and joining in the 'roasting'. Sanjay Kapoor stood up and cheered himself when one of the roasters indicated that he was the worst actor in the Kapoor dynasty. Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi and Deepika all joined in with peals of laughter when all kinds of nasty things were being said about them. I loved most of it.
All the classless humour was directed at people willing to take jokes on themselves. If Aamir is not happy with it – it is his opinion.
As far as the teams’ apology is concerned – I wish they hadn't but I am not at the receiving end of the death threats they must have been receiving from religious extremists. I am no one to judge.
The 'lynching' AIB and the stars are receiving is also something that Aamir condemned. He said there was nothing wrong in telling people if you didn't like something they did. But one should limit their interference there. Why is this point being ignored?
One thing must be said– Aamir is being attacked today because there is no other scapegoat for the social media outragers right now. Give me a new star who says that she doesn't want men to say sexist things about her and front pages of leading dailies will again tell you about the last movie she featured in where she played a belly dancer showing off her midriff and say that she is an actress who deserves sexist attacks.
Note to Aamir: Even if you did not want to watch the entire video you should have watched the beginning before saying that they did not give a public warning before airing the roast (like you did “going out of your way” for 'Delhi Belly') – they did. You could have stayed away from this with just scolding Karan and Arjun. Be careful, Shah Rukh and Salman may be offended by that. It is a season of taking offence.
This article was first published in Zeenews.com
Sunday, March 08, 2015
'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' review: The magic of the 90s
A good cast is the best thing that can happen to a movie. It is especially great when all of them not only look perfect for their respective roles but also individually give their best to the film. 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' is the perfect example of this fact.
The effort that has gone in to making this sweet romantic comedy set in the small backdrop of Rishikesh and Haridwar, is apparent.
The plot is easy to predict but the performances would blow your mind. Whether it is Ayushmann Khurrana as a good-for-nothing dreamer or Bhumi Pedneker playing the strong willed educated girl with a dream of being a school teacher.
Bhumi is perhaps the best debut actress that Bollywood has seen in the past few years. She is genuinely a good actress, has a great screen presence and looks beautiful as Sandhya. Her struggles with being fat does not curb her spirit and that is what the audience will take from this movie.
The straight from the heart storyline will take you back the memory lanes. The director has taken his time to wind you in his 90s memorabilia starting with the charm of listening to cassettes – complete with how we wound them up patiently and how our favourite songs were put together in one cassette with stickers telling us the playlist. There were also the scooters which one had to carefully balance upon to get from one place to another. All in all the nostalgia of the last decade of the 20th century has been beautifully recreated in the film.
The director has kept the characters strong and the story concise. Even with the predictability of the movie the growing chemistry between Ayushmann and Bhumi is worth watching.
Sanjay Mishra, Sheeba Chadda, Alika Amin and Seema Pahwa (one who played Mishra's wife in 2014's critically acclaimed movie 'Aankhon Dekhi') are perfect supporting cast for the love story.
Sharat Kataria who is known for his quirky endeavours 'Bheja Fry' and 'Bheja Fry 2' has proved his genius once more with 'Dum Laga ke...'. While his last ventures focussed on urban characters, his now semi-urban story also is spot on.
The movie steers clear of exaggerated feelings and speaks of some real situations and real disappointments without being didactic. The fat girl, who has to overcome the prejudices her husband has about her, is not however the unimaginative loser that we have seen in Bollywood so far. She is educated and has an ambition – therefore lucrative for her in-laws. But they don't take advantage of her. Even with the usual Indian taunting by the Bua, the family mostly supports her and considers her feelings. The girl herself knows how to stand up to the world.
This modern thinking without the preachiness is refreshing. Kataria has excelled in making you feel for his characters.
The background score by the Italian composer Andrea Guerra is perfect and Anu Mallik's comeback is laudable. While 'Moh Moh Ke Dhage' (both Monali Thakur's and Papon's versions) is perhaps his best composition till date, the quirky 'Sundar Susheel... ' (Malini Awasthi, Rahul Ram) sets the mood of the film pretty nicely. The Kumar Sanu fandom has been revived in this film and he brings back the memories of his heyday..
The shots (Manu Anand) of the Rishikesh and Haridwar too are beautiful and one wonders how they found the two towns empty enough to shoot since they are thronged with tourists throughout the year.
This movie is a feel good package and a must watch for those born in the 80s and the 90s simply to relive the decade. For those who are not, go for the performances. It is rare that a Bollywood movie makes you all warm, fuzzy and gooey from the inside – the experience is a must for those who love cinema.
The effort that has gone in to making this sweet romantic comedy set in the small backdrop of Rishikesh and Haridwar, is apparent.
The plot is easy to predict but the performances would blow your mind. Whether it is Ayushmann Khurrana as a good-for-nothing dreamer or Bhumi Pedneker playing the strong willed educated girl with a dream of being a school teacher.
Bhumi is perhaps the best debut actress that Bollywood has seen in the past few years. She is genuinely a good actress, has a great screen presence and looks beautiful as Sandhya. Her struggles with being fat does not curb her spirit and that is what the audience will take from this movie.
The straight from the heart storyline will take you back the memory lanes. The director has taken his time to wind you in his 90s memorabilia starting with the charm of listening to cassettes – complete with how we wound them up patiently and how our favourite songs were put together in one cassette with stickers telling us the playlist. There were also the scooters which one had to carefully balance upon to get from one place to another. All in all the nostalgia of the last decade of the 20th century has been beautifully recreated in the film.
The director has kept the characters strong and the story concise. Even with the predictability of the movie the growing chemistry between Ayushmann and Bhumi is worth watching.
Sanjay Mishra, Sheeba Chadda, Alika Amin and Seema Pahwa (one who played Mishra's wife in 2014's critically acclaimed movie 'Aankhon Dekhi') are perfect supporting cast for the love story.
Sharat Kataria who is known for his quirky endeavours 'Bheja Fry' and 'Bheja Fry 2' has proved his genius once more with 'Dum Laga ke...'. While his last ventures focussed on urban characters, his now semi-urban story also is spot on.
The movie steers clear of exaggerated feelings and speaks of some real situations and real disappointments without being didactic. The fat girl, who has to overcome the prejudices her husband has about her, is not however the unimaginative loser that we have seen in Bollywood so far. She is educated and has an ambition – therefore lucrative for her in-laws. But they don't take advantage of her. Even with the usual Indian taunting by the Bua, the family mostly supports her and considers her feelings. The girl herself knows how to stand up to the world.
This modern thinking without the preachiness is refreshing. Kataria has excelled in making you feel for his characters.
The background score by the Italian composer Andrea Guerra is perfect and Anu Mallik's comeback is laudable. While 'Moh Moh Ke Dhage' (both Monali Thakur's and Papon's versions) is perhaps his best composition till date, the quirky 'Sundar Susheel... ' (Malini Awasthi, Rahul Ram) sets the mood of the film pretty nicely. The Kumar Sanu fandom has been revived in this film and he brings back the memories of his heyday..
The shots (Manu Anand) of the Rishikesh and Haridwar too are beautiful and one wonders how they found the two towns empty enough to shoot since they are thronged with tourists throughout the year.
This movie is a feel good package and a must watch for those born in the 80s and the 90s simply to relive the decade. For those who are not, go for the performances. It is rare that a Bollywood movie makes you all warm, fuzzy and gooey from the inside – the experience is a must for those who love cinema.
This review was first posted on zeenews.com
Friday, January 23, 2015
Mardaani review: Watch out for fiery Rani Mukerji
In the world of Bajirao Singham and Chulbul Pandey, Shivani Shivaji Roy has come as a breath of fresh air. ` Mardaani` does not have Rani Mukerji play a tomboy – it is a woman doing her bit to fight in a man`s world.
Rani has been acknowledged as a fantastic actor. In that regard, she has very little competition in the industry. The fact that she is possibly the best has been established well with `Mardaani`. The film deals with the difficult subject of human-trafficking and Director Pradeep Sarkar tackles the issue very carefully.
Rani plays a Mumbai crime branch officer, Shivani who is a hard-bitten cop with a mission to set things right. She is not afraid to bend the rules, to nab criminals and is respected by her fellows. She gets involved in the investigation of busting a sex-trafficking racket when a girl close to her goes missing. She has to follow the trail fast, as anyone involved is getting killed fast. The investigation leads her to Delhi where she goes into the nitty-gritties of the city to nab the elusive `Walt`, played by Tahir Raj Bhasin.
Rani has been acknowledged as a fantastic actor. In that regard, she has very little competition in the industry. The fact that she is possibly the best has been established well with `Mardaani`. The film deals with the difficult subject of human-trafficking and Director Pradeep Sarkar tackles the issue very carefully.
Rani plays a Mumbai crime branch officer, Shivani who is a hard-bitten cop with a mission to set things right. She is not afraid to bend the rules, to nab criminals and is respected by her fellows. She gets involved in the investigation of busting a sex-trafficking racket when a girl close to her goes missing. She has to follow the trail fast, as anyone involved is getting killed fast. The investigation leads her to Delhi where she goes into the nitty-gritties of the city to nab the elusive `Walt`, played by Tahir Raj Bhasin.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Rang Rasiya review: Painting a not so pretty picture
For artists in India, Raja Ravi Varma is an icon. He brought together the western style and Indian subjects, and made God available to each and every household in the country. He is a symbol who fought the society for the freedom of expression – something that we struggle with even after a century has passed.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Happy Ending review: Intelligent but unoriginal
The movie starts with mocking the clichés of Bollywood romance, with the young urban commitment-phobic guy, highly unlikely to fall in love! And yet 'Happy Ending' is what all romantic comedies turn out to be – feel good!
Saif Ali Khan plays Yudi Jaitley, a young writer who has struck a writers block after hitting the jackpot with his first book. He is also caught in a string of unsuccessful relationships with the characters of Kareena, Preity and Kalki, which is a nice enough way to bring in the star power.
Enter Aanchal Reddy, a best-selling romantic author who doesn't believe in the idea of perfect romance she herself writes about! The rest of the story is as predictable as romedies go!
Saif Ali Khan plays Yudi Jaitley, a young writer who has struck a writers block after hitting the jackpot with his first book. He is also caught in a string of unsuccessful relationships with the characters of Kareena, Preity and Kalki, which is a nice enough way to bring in the star power.
Enter Aanchal Reddy, a best-selling romantic author who doesn't believe in the idea of perfect romance she herself writes about! The rest of the story is as predictable as romedies go!
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Rahman, Pritam have taken Indian music forward, says Shafqat Amanat Ali
“Music transcends all boundaries”
An adage that defines what singer Shafqat Amanat Ali stands for. Perhaps, one of the most loved artists in the subcontinent, he shot to fame with Fuzon's (his band) first album. Shafqat is the son of Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and belongs to the illustrious Patiala Gharana. Having had a Hindustani classical music training, Shafqat decided to try something different and worked on bringing together sufi, folk and classical music with western rock.
His foray into Bollywood has made him one of the most sought after artists in the subcontinent. Shafqat is known for some fabulous hits like 'Mitwa', 'Dildaara and 'Bin Tere'. Here is the interview with the talented artist
What brings you to India?
This India tour is for a very old commitment to perform in Kolkata. I am also here for some small projects and recording some pieces for a film. I have already recorded the songs and this time it is just for doing some small parts for Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha starrer 'Tevar'.
Are you working on any new solo albums?
Yes, I am working on a solo album. Without revealing too many details, I can tell you that it is now in the mixing process. We are working on some last bits, and it is almost ready.
Do you like doing playback singing, live concerts or do you like working on collaborations like 'Dewarist', 'Unplugged' and 'Coke Studio'?
I don't have any particular preference. It all depends on what sort of work I get. If I am doing more satisfactory work on solo albums then that excites me. But if we have a good collaboration and if it is coming out to be a good song and a good composition, then that makes me happy as well. What matters is that it should be something that I can relate to later.
Who would be your dream collaboration with?
I won't like to name someone as I would keep thinking later that I may have missed out on someone important. The only criterion I have is that the person I collaborate with is as interested as I am in the project.
Anybody from the past....
I think I would have loved to work with someone like Madan Mohan ji and Salil Chowdhury ji.
How important do you think classical music training is in playback singing?
It is really important. It is like writing an English book. If you don't even know ABCD, grammar or the basics of the language – you won't be able to write a good piece. If you haven't trained to know the basics of singing then your work will just be a fluke and not proper singing.
Do you think the independent music scene in the subcontinent has become better with the passing years?
Film music has always been very dominating in India. Whereas that is not the case in Pakistan as it does not have a strong film industry. People just create what they want. They don't have to follow a certain situation. They don't need to compose something according to the writer or a set story. People have a free hand and that is a blessing in disguise.
But now, even in India a lot of people have made that change in the industry. Starting from AR Rahman to composers like Pritam, all of them are doing fabulous work. There is a plethora of music directors such as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Vishal Bharadwaj, Salim-Suleiman who have taken the music industry to another level. It is very refreshing.
Do you have any message for your fans?
I would definitely like to send out a message to everyone to stop downloading illegally. Piracy is causing great damage to music and music industry per say. It is an advice to all the people who love music to buy music because downloading and piracy is one of the biggest challenges that the industry faces today. All the music that you love is available easily, it is inexpensive and is just a click away.
An adage that defines what singer Shafqat Amanat Ali stands for. Perhaps, one of the most loved artists in the subcontinent, he shot to fame with Fuzon's (his band) first album. Shafqat is the son of Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and belongs to the illustrious Patiala Gharana. Having had a Hindustani classical music training, Shafqat decided to try something different and worked on bringing together sufi, folk and classical music with western rock.
His foray into Bollywood has made him one of the most sought after artists in the subcontinent. Shafqat is known for some fabulous hits like 'Mitwa', 'Dildaara and 'Bin Tere'. Here is the interview with the talented artist
What brings you to India?
This India tour is for a very old commitment to perform in Kolkata. I am also here for some small projects and recording some pieces for a film. I have already recorded the songs and this time it is just for doing some small parts for Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha starrer 'Tevar'.
Are you working on any new solo albums?
Yes, I am working on a solo album. Without revealing too many details, I can tell you that it is now in the mixing process. We are working on some last bits, and it is almost ready.
Do you like doing playback singing, live concerts or do you like working on collaborations like 'Dewarist', 'Unplugged' and 'Coke Studio'?
I don't have any particular preference. It all depends on what sort of work I get. If I am doing more satisfactory work on solo albums then that excites me. But if we have a good collaboration and if it is coming out to be a good song and a good composition, then that makes me happy as well. What matters is that it should be something that I can relate to later.
Who would be your dream collaboration with?
I won't like to name someone as I would keep thinking later that I may have missed out on someone important. The only criterion I have is that the person I collaborate with is as interested as I am in the project.
Anybody from the past....
I think I would have loved to work with someone like Madan Mohan ji and Salil Chowdhury ji.
How important do you think classical music training is in playback singing?
It is really important. It is like writing an English book. If you don't even know ABCD, grammar or the basics of the language – you won't be able to write a good piece. If you haven't trained to know the basics of singing then your work will just be a fluke and not proper singing.
Do you think the independent music scene in the subcontinent has become better with the passing years?
Film music has always been very dominating in India. Whereas that is not the case in Pakistan as it does not have a strong film industry. People just create what they want. They don't have to follow a certain situation. They don't need to compose something according to the writer or a set story. People have a free hand and that is a blessing in disguise.
But now, even in India a lot of people have made that change in the industry. Starting from AR Rahman to composers like Pritam, all of them are doing fabulous work. There is a plethora of music directors such as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Vishal Bharadwaj, Salim-Suleiman who have taken the music industry to another level. It is very refreshing.
Do you have any message for your fans?
I would definitely like to send out a message to everyone to stop downloading illegally. Piracy is causing great damage to music and music industry per say. It is an advice to all the people who love music to buy music because downloading and piracy is one of the biggest challenges that the industry faces today. All the music that you love is available easily, it is inexpensive and is just a click away.
This article was first published on Zeenews.com
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Govinda: The return of 'Hero No 1'
Govinda was one of India's favourite 90s hero. No matter how much the snobs ignored him, secretly everyone loved him as he wore his purple and orange pants and made faces that would make soulless zombies guffaw till their sides split. He is the Jim Carrey of India - loved by many. His comic timing is something that younger heroes are trying to emulate and they still have a long way to go.
An actor who shot to fame with 'Love 86', 28 years later is still overshadowing his co-actors in the mere 10 minutes or so that he has appeared in his movies in 2014. His comic timing is impeccable as always. The way he dances will put the trained dancers of today to shame. Riteish Deshmukh, Varun Dhawan and possibly Ranveer Singh are probably one of the few actors of today who can match up to his style and energy.
An actor who shot to fame with 'Love 86', 28 years later is still overshadowing his co-actors in the mere 10 minutes or so that he has appeared in his movies in 2014. His comic timing is impeccable as always. The way he dances will put the trained dancers of today to shame. Riteish Deshmukh, Varun Dhawan and possibly Ranveer Singh are probably one of the few actors of today who can match up to his style and energy.
Saturday, January 03, 2015
Ravi Chopra – The man without whom childhood wouldn't have been as sweet
Growing up, Sunday was everybody's favourite day. It probably still is. But it was different for the 90s kids. It was the only day when there were interesting television shows which we were allowed to watch. There weren't a lot of channels to choose from.
But the national television then had a lot to offer. And for us, Sunday mornings were a treat. Every Sunday, after breakfast we would start with cartoons and soon be joined by our parents for 'Mahabharat'. As Mahender Kapoor started singing the title song, my mother would start hurrying with her chores, and my father would be sure to put the newspaper down, or put down the last letters in his crossword.
If I was spending my summer vacations with my grandparents, I was sure my grandma would have set her alarm clock to see Krishna in all his glory on television, looking on with such immense devotion, as if God himself has come down to feature on the little black and white screen.
Even though Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan' was already being telecasted, I loved this epic more. It was part of the ritual.
The death of Ravi Chopra brought back all the nostalgia of 90s television.
Belonging to the illustrious director producer BR Chopra, Ravi Chopra is also the nephew of Yash Chopra. He had directed several movies, including 'The Burning Train' and more recently 'Baghbaan'.
But he will be remembered for the television epic 'Mahabharat' which is considered a cult classic on the small screen, and also was screened on BBC. Many well known faces of today started or built their careers through the show.
He worked with BR Chopra and Yash Chopra as an assistant director for several films. He also produced and co-produced many flicks, many of which went on to do well at the Box Office. After his father's death in 2006, Ravi Chopra has only produced 'Bhoothnath' and the more recent 'Bhoothnath Returns'
His passing away is a sad day for Bollywood, but his legend will continue to live on for all those people who grew up in an era where television was a privilege. He made our weekends a cultural event - with the three generations of the same family watching a single show with the same amount of devotion as you may see in a temple.
But the national television then had a lot to offer. And for us, Sunday mornings were a treat. Every Sunday, after breakfast we would start with cartoons and soon be joined by our parents for 'Mahabharat'. As Mahender Kapoor started singing the title song, my mother would start hurrying with her chores, and my father would be sure to put the newspaper down, or put down the last letters in his crossword.
If I was spending my summer vacations with my grandparents, I was sure my grandma would have set her alarm clock to see Krishna in all his glory on television, looking on with such immense devotion, as if God himself has come down to feature on the little black and white screen.
Even though Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan' was already being telecasted, I loved this epic more. It was part of the ritual.
The death of Ravi Chopra brought back all the nostalgia of 90s television.
Belonging to the illustrious director producer BR Chopra, Ravi Chopra is also the nephew of Yash Chopra. He had directed several movies, including 'The Burning Train' and more recently 'Baghbaan'.
But he will be remembered for the television epic 'Mahabharat' which is considered a cult classic on the small screen, and also was screened on BBC. Many well known faces of today started or built their careers through the show.
He worked with BR Chopra and Yash Chopra as an assistant director for several films. He also produced and co-produced many flicks, many of which went on to do well at the Box Office. After his father's death in 2006, Ravi Chopra has only produced 'Bhoothnath' and the more recent 'Bhoothnath Returns'
His passing away is a sad day for Bollywood, but his legend will continue to live on for all those people who grew up in an era where television was a privilege. He made our weekends a cultural event - with the three generations of the same family watching a single show with the same amount of devotion as you may see in a temple.
This article was first published on Zeenews.com
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Shah Rukh Khan and the emperor's new clothes
Never a die-hard fan, but I have always admired this charming fellow from Delhi. My favourite Shah Rukh Khan moment was his introductory scene in ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ where he plays rugby in the rain. I guess every SRK fan fell for him in that movie. Maybe, the credit goes more to Aditya Chopra than to SRK himself.
However, the rise of this generation's king of romance was rooted in the negative roles he did in 'Baazigar' and then 'Darr' in 1993. He had starred in a few movies previously, but was always overshadowed by other actors like Sunny Deol and Aamir Khan. The boy-next-door from Delhi took a risk few would even dare to so early in their career. And he thrived.
Chopra took him and went on to make the cult classic 'DDLJ', making Shah Rukh a poster boy. He became what Hugh Grant is to Hollywood. Whether it is 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Yes Boss' or 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', his character of 'Rahul' has been so oft repeated that it got irksome for many.
People who don't like the 'Badshah' of Bollywood have always stated how all his films have the same formula since 1995. He has always been the larger-than-life rom-com king of Indian cinema.
Now, things have changed. Shah Rukh, the hero of the urban teen, is approaching his 50s. He also has to contend with the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan (who has established himself as a brand unto himself) and Ranveer Singh.
Unfortunately, instead of attempting to take on more challenges in life, he is sticking more and more to formula films. This is a mistake that many a great actors made when their careers were on the brink of fading, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor in the 80s and the 90s. Stars who thought they were infallible were suddenly gone, replaced by the likes of Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Govinda.
Brand SRK sells, no doubt. But that is no excuse for someone who is capable of 'Swades' and 'Chak De' to mould himself into somewhat similar to Salman Khan. One moronic film follows another, each more forgettable than the last. He knows his name alone draws crowds, so the mantra seems to be – why waste money on scriptwriters?
While all these movies are bound to make waves at the Box Office – with the atmosphere of marketing ruling over content – they are like the fireworks one sees at Diwali – there’s a loud bang and zero recall value. They spin money without caring about the ‘art’ side of cinema.
Grant's refusal to make different movies is rooted in his reluctance to be a celebrity (as he has openly stated many times), but Shah Rukh likes to do well. He thrives on being the star, he likes the limelight.
In a recent interview, he said he was afraid that he will wake up one day without work – it is amazing for a man who has achieved so much to strive so hard for so much more. It isn't as if SRK is only after money, otherwise he would have never agreed to do Amol Palekar's adorable fable 'Paheli'. It certainly wasn't your typical masala flick.
SRK says he doesn't make films for critics. Not many do. Everyone wants to make films for the audience. Some assume that their audience is intelligent and capable of thought. Some assume the audience is stupid and would pay for anything that is sold with a superstar’s face attached to it.
Unfortunately, more and more filmmakers fall in the second category.
I sincerely hope that someday, Shah Rukh would indeed take notice of his critics who maintain that he is capable of so much more. His fans hailed him when he did 'Baazigar', and also in the larger-than-life yet challenging 'My Name is Khan' (even though personally it was a little too idealistic for me). They surely expect more from him than hammy and repetitive tripe that is 'Happy New Year'. Fans will lose interest sooner than later.
He may be flaunting his 10-pack abs and getting all the love now, but the wrinkles on his face are starting to show. Even die-hard fans will move on to other people -- there are new kids on the block ready to topple him from his ‘throne’.
It is almost as though movie makers have conned SRK into believing that he can do larger-than-life versions of himself, however unoriginal they may be. He has been a superstar for more than two decades, and soon he may find that someone has called his bluff. He owes something to the people who have loved him and adored him for 20 years.
The only problem that I don't understand is whether he is the emperor being swindled or has he laid himself threadbare intentionally.
It is time to reinvent Mr Khan. You may not be interested in what they have to say, but experts notice changes in trend before others – it is their job. And it is bound to catch up with you, sooner than you think is possible.
However, the rise of this generation's king of romance was rooted in the negative roles he did in 'Baazigar' and then 'Darr' in 1993. He had starred in a few movies previously, but was always overshadowed by other actors like Sunny Deol and Aamir Khan. The boy-next-door from Delhi took a risk few would even dare to so early in their career. And he thrived.
Chopra took him and went on to make the cult classic 'DDLJ', making Shah Rukh a poster boy. He became what Hugh Grant is to Hollywood. Whether it is 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Yes Boss' or 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', his character of 'Rahul' has been so oft repeated that it got irksome for many.
People who don't like the 'Badshah' of Bollywood have always stated how all his films have the same formula since 1995. He has always been the larger-than-life rom-com king of Indian cinema.
Now, things have changed. Shah Rukh, the hero of the urban teen, is approaching his 50s. He also has to contend with the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan (who has established himself as a brand unto himself) and Ranveer Singh.
Unfortunately, instead of attempting to take on more challenges in life, he is sticking more and more to formula films. This is a mistake that many a great actors made when their careers were on the brink of fading, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor in the 80s and the 90s. Stars who thought they were infallible were suddenly gone, replaced by the likes of Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Govinda.
Brand SRK sells, no doubt. But that is no excuse for someone who is capable of 'Swades' and 'Chak De' to mould himself into somewhat similar to Salman Khan. One moronic film follows another, each more forgettable than the last. He knows his name alone draws crowds, so the mantra seems to be – why waste money on scriptwriters?
While all these movies are bound to make waves at the Box Office – with the atmosphere of marketing ruling over content – they are like the fireworks one sees at Diwali – there’s a loud bang and zero recall value. They spin money without caring about the ‘art’ side of cinema.
Grant's refusal to make different movies is rooted in his reluctance to be a celebrity (as he has openly stated many times), but Shah Rukh likes to do well. He thrives on being the star, he likes the limelight.
In a recent interview, he said he was afraid that he will wake up one day without work – it is amazing for a man who has achieved so much to strive so hard for so much more. It isn't as if SRK is only after money, otherwise he would have never agreed to do Amol Palekar's adorable fable 'Paheli'. It certainly wasn't your typical masala flick.
SRK says he doesn't make films for critics. Not many do. Everyone wants to make films for the audience. Some assume that their audience is intelligent and capable of thought. Some assume the audience is stupid and would pay for anything that is sold with a superstar’s face attached to it.
Unfortunately, more and more filmmakers fall in the second category.
I sincerely hope that someday, Shah Rukh would indeed take notice of his critics who maintain that he is capable of so much more. His fans hailed him when he did 'Baazigar', and also in the larger-than-life yet challenging 'My Name is Khan' (even though personally it was a little too idealistic for me). They surely expect more from him than hammy and repetitive tripe that is 'Happy New Year'. Fans will lose interest sooner than later.
He may be flaunting his 10-pack abs and getting all the love now, but the wrinkles on his face are starting to show. Even die-hard fans will move on to other people -- there are new kids on the block ready to topple him from his ‘throne’.
It is almost as though movie makers have conned SRK into believing that he can do larger-than-life versions of himself, however unoriginal they may be. He has been a superstar for more than two decades, and soon he may find that someone has called his bluff. He owes something to the people who have loved him and adored him for 20 years.
The only problem that I don't understand is whether he is the emperor being swindled or has he laid himself threadbare intentionally.
It is time to reinvent Mr Khan. You may not be interested in what they have to say, but experts notice changes in trend before others – it is their job. And it is bound to catch up with you, sooner than you think is possible.
This article was first published on Zeenews.com
Monday, December 29, 2014
Building anticipation - Bollywood's new fad
“The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting,” said noted artist Andy Warhol.
Bollywood seems to have taken his words to heart. It has become the new mantra in Bollywood to get the audience chock-full of anticipation for an upcoming film, and the new fad has even surpassed the old one of numerology-induced crazy spellings.
Long, teasing build-ups are now the standard operating procedure leading up to the climax of film making – the release. Promotion and marketing is key to making a movie work. Without it, the film is sure to fail.
Bollywood seems to have taken his words to heart. It has become the new mantra in Bollywood to get the audience chock-full of anticipation for an upcoming film, and the new fad has even surpassed the old one of numerology-induced crazy spellings.
Long, teasing build-ups are now the standard operating procedure leading up to the climax of film making – the release. Promotion and marketing is key to making a movie work. Without it, the film is sure to fail.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Happy New Year review: Rides solely on Shah Rukh Khan
Farah Khan's movies are never about logic, great loophole free storylines or even thought generating grounded cinema. They are the definition of the word 'Bollywood'. Entertaining, cheeky and pompous. At least they are supposed to be.
One of the biggest and most anticipated movies of the year, 'Happy New Year' sees best friends- turned enemies-turned best friends again – SRK and Farah – coming back together after a hiatus of seven long years. It is bound to draw in the masses with a long weekend release, plus the movie has been dubbed in a few regional languages as well to attract the crowd from across the country. It also boasts of a very strong star cast. Shah Rukh Khan paired with Deepika Padukone – the hit making duo; added to them are Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah. It also stars Jackie Shroff as the typical Bollywood villain – complete with a bad accent and hairstyle.
One of the biggest and most anticipated movies of the year, 'Happy New Year' sees best friends- turned enemies-turned best friends again – SRK and Farah – coming back together after a hiatus of seven long years. It is bound to draw in the masses with a long weekend release, plus the movie has been dubbed in a few regional languages as well to attract the crowd from across the country. It also boasts of a very strong star cast. Shah Rukh Khan paired with Deepika Padukone – the hit making duo; added to them are Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah. It also stars Jackie Shroff as the typical Bollywood villain – complete with a bad accent and hairstyle.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
'Mamta' to 'Mary Kom': The changing face of women in India
Bollywood's woman – an entity of glamour, beauty, ideals, values and much more. The woman in Bollywood has changed over the century of filmmaking this country has seen.
From a time when only men played women’s characters, we have come a long way to having a female as the only central character in a movie. And yet, more things change, more they remain the same.
Even now, we are subjected to movies where the role of a woman is so trivial that her character could have been done without. 'Singham', 'Holiday', 'Kick', 'Entertainment', 'Humshakals', the list of hit movies without a sizeable contribution of a girl character is endless. Despite all that, the 'gentler' sex has established itself much more firmly than ever before.
Suchitra Sen, Ashok Kumar and Dharmendra starred in a movie called 'Mamta' in 1966 – the characters in the movie were quite forward-thinking for the time. Suchitra (in a double role) decides to escape from the shackles of an abusive husband, she also takes a strong step to bring up her daughter with a good education and a career. The daughter, who does fulfil her mother's dreams, is a commendable lawyer, who is competent among her contemporaries as well as seniors. She is a woman with opinions. A role that was rarely seen in Hindi cinema at the time.
A woman's part at that time was to be the ideal woman who looks up to her man. She depends on his love to keep herself alive. She lives to love him, and cry when he goes away. She, at most, took to stitching clothes to survive, the one thing she is good at. Even today, the depth of her persona is still limited to what the man thinks of her. She was and is supposed to always look good. She is supposed to dress up and stand out for the guy to fall in love with her beauty and not what is inside. This trait of a woman has hardly changed.
Even if the female lead has now evolved to a designer from a mere tailor, or even taken to journalism, or psychology, or is even a business tycoon – she would still dance to the tune of her hero. She also takes off her clothes at the drop of a hat to do a skimpy item number for ogling men making disgusting covetous faces at her - think 'Pinky hai paisewaalo ki' or 'Chikni Kamar'. They have nothing much else to do. They can only stand back and watch their 'better' halves take care of business, while they can sigh at their rippling muscles and high octane dialogue delivery.
We have had sporadic movies based on women. Perhaps, the most popular of them all has been `Mother India'. Nargis made the struggling farming woman, an icon of Bollywood – her stance of killing her own son rather than have him disrespect another woman has been reiterated several times in many movies – 'Vaastav', 'Fanaah' and even at one point the popular television serial 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' had the same theme.
Art cinema or parallel cinema like 'Arth', 'Mirch Masala', 'Bhumika', 'Ijaazat' and 'Daman' had much more depth in their lead characters – women who had layers of nuances. Where their emotions were subjected to situations and not only love life, they had other struggles. These movies are women-centric not only because they talked about women issues – but also they had made their women think, react, express emotions that questioned the society and morals.
Remember 'Astitva'? The movie spoke about Aditi(Tabu) who has had an extra marital affair. The film was a deep insight to the woman's story – how everything we see is not black and white. How in a man's world, a woman's needs and wants are often secondary. The tragedy is mainstream cinema, which even today struggles with the concept. They still often make the ladies look vulnerable and glamorise that vulnerability.
But as a Bollywood buff, I find myself more optimistic than ever. Times have not altered much, but the wind of change has started blowing. More strongly than ever.
More and more filmmakers have started delving into the human side of womanhood. 'Cheeni Kum' had the female lead, Tabu, a 30 something who had the decision-making capability of choosing a life partner, almost double her age. 'English Vinglish' had Sridevi, who played the housewife, who takes her own stand with the help of her extended family to gain respect from her own. 'Kahaani' had a scorned woman out to avenge the death of her husband. 'Gulaab Gang' had a group of women, who fought the system and corruption. 'Queen' had a young girl who broke many societal norms to break free into a self-realised woman. There are many more big budget movies that have made it to the silver screen in the last decade.
With 'Mary Kom', the movement has taken a step ahead. Not only is the movie a Sanjay Leela Bhansali big budget production, the subject is also a real-life heroine. Female sports-persons have often been ignored by the people. That too an Indian who is from the North East – from an oft ignored sport like boxing. Mary Kom - who has represented the country on the world stage for so long now finally has become a topic of dinner time discussion in households across the country. Maybe others would aspire to bring more such heroines to the fore.
It is the power of Bollywood to have more people realise the worth of a woman – a responsibility and risk that directors and producers are now more willing to take. And hopefully the change would influence some others to break stereotypes and bring out the power of the feminine – 'Shakti'.
This article was first published on Zeenews.india.com
From a time when only men played women’s characters, we have come a long way to having a female as the only central character in a movie. And yet, more things change, more they remain the same.
Even now, we are subjected to movies where the role of a woman is so trivial that her character could have been done without. 'Singham', 'Holiday', 'Kick', 'Entertainment', 'Humshakals', the list of hit movies without a sizeable contribution of a girl character is endless. Despite all that, the 'gentler' sex has established itself much more firmly than ever before.
Suchitra Sen, Ashok Kumar and Dharmendra starred in a movie called 'Mamta' in 1966 – the characters in the movie were quite forward-thinking for the time. Suchitra (in a double role) decides to escape from the shackles of an abusive husband, she also takes a strong step to bring up her daughter with a good education and a career. The daughter, who does fulfil her mother's dreams, is a commendable lawyer, who is competent among her contemporaries as well as seniors. She is a woman with opinions. A role that was rarely seen in Hindi cinema at the time.
A woman's part at that time was to be the ideal woman who looks up to her man. She depends on his love to keep herself alive. She lives to love him, and cry when he goes away. She, at most, took to stitching clothes to survive, the one thing she is good at. Even today, the depth of her persona is still limited to what the man thinks of her. She was and is supposed to always look good. She is supposed to dress up and stand out for the guy to fall in love with her beauty and not what is inside. This trait of a woman has hardly changed.
Even if the female lead has now evolved to a designer from a mere tailor, or even taken to journalism, or psychology, or is even a business tycoon – she would still dance to the tune of her hero. She also takes off her clothes at the drop of a hat to do a skimpy item number for ogling men making disgusting covetous faces at her - think 'Pinky hai paisewaalo ki' or 'Chikni Kamar'. They have nothing much else to do. They can only stand back and watch their 'better' halves take care of business, while they can sigh at their rippling muscles and high octane dialogue delivery.
We have had sporadic movies based on women. Perhaps, the most popular of them all has been `Mother India'. Nargis made the struggling farming woman, an icon of Bollywood – her stance of killing her own son rather than have him disrespect another woman has been reiterated several times in many movies – 'Vaastav', 'Fanaah' and even at one point the popular television serial 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' had the same theme.
Art cinema or parallel cinema like 'Arth', 'Mirch Masala', 'Bhumika', 'Ijaazat' and 'Daman' had much more depth in their lead characters – women who had layers of nuances. Where their emotions were subjected to situations and not only love life, they had other struggles. These movies are women-centric not only because they talked about women issues – but also they had made their women think, react, express emotions that questioned the society and morals.
Remember 'Astitva'? The movie spoke about Aditi(Tabu) who has had an extra marital affair. The film was a deep insight to the woman's story – how everything we see is not black and white. How in a man's world, a woman's needs and wants are often secondary. The tragedy is mainstream cinema, which even today struggles with the concept. They still often make the ladies look vulnerable and glamorise that vulnerability.
But as a Bollywood buff, I find myself more optimistic than ever. Times have not altered much, but the wind of change has started blowing. More strongly than ever.
More and more filmmakers have started delving into the human side of womanhood. 'Cheeni Kum' had the female lead, Tabu, a 30 something who had the decision-making capability of choosing a life partner, almost double her age. 'English Vinglish' had Sridevi, who played the housewife, who takes her own stand with the help of her extended family to gain respect from her own. 'Kahaani' had a scorned woman out to avenge the death of her husband. 'Gulaab Gang' had a group of women, who fought the system and corruption. 'Queen' had a young girl who broke many societal norms to break free into a self-realised woman. There are many more big budget movies that have made it to the silver screen in the last decade.
With 'Mary Kom', the movement has taken a step ahead. Not only is the movie a Sanjay Leela Bhansali big budget production, the subject is also a real-life heroine. Female sports-persons have often been ignored by the people. That too an Indian who is from the North East – from an oft ignored sport like boxing. Mary Kom - who has represented the country on the world stage for so long now finally has become a topic of dinner time discussion in households across the country. Maybe others would aspire to bring more such heroines to the fore.
It is the power of Bollywood to have more people realise the worth of a woman – a responsibility and risk that directors and producers are now more willing to take. And hopefully the change would influence some others to break stereotypes and bring out the power of the feminine – 'Shakti'.
This article was first published on Zeenews.india.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
'Ek Villain' review: Watch it for Ritesh Deshmukh
Director Mohit Suri has made sure that with the trailers for `Ek Villain` the curiosity is raised to a palpable level. The thriller genre in Bollywood is so unexplored that this movie should come as a breather.
It was good to see the theatre houseful and many others queuing up for a movie that promises neither mushy romance nor comedy. The style of the motion picture is out and out thrill based, and the script and the timeline makes for an admirable tension that has been maintained throughout the length of the movie.
But there is a catch. The filmmaker has not been able to break out of the mould of melodrama that he has so far used in many of his movies. Even though this remake of the Korean flick `I Saw The Devil` is well modelled to suit the Indian audience, and retain an U/A certificate, Suri fails to capitalise on a very well built up interest through his promos, and tight lipped crew.
Sidharth Malhotra plays the brooding Guru with the back story of a heart breaking childhood. Shraddha plays an effervescent and rather chatty girl, Aisha who manages to steal Guru`s heart. Guru leaves behind his dark past, to build a life with his lady love. Unfortunately their love story is cut short when Aisha is tragically killed. Riteish Deshmukh stars in a negative role for the first time. And he is magnificent.
It is high time for a talented actor like Riteish Deshmukh to finally explore movies like `Ek Villain`. He has out-shined and outperformed every actor in the movie and is possibly the biggest reason you should go and watch `Ek Villain`. This might be the turning point for Deshmukh as he would definitely be cast outside his comfort zone in Hindi movies whether in negative shades or in more character based roles in future. Filmmaker Karan Johar hit the nail on its head when he said that this was Riteish`s career best performance.
Sidharth is hardly convincing as a brooding, serious looking anti-hero. He ends up looking much out of his usual garb of a romantic hero. Even in his intense scenes and action sequences, Riteish easily overpowers with his subtle performance. Shraddha`s character fails too with some badly written emotional dialogues which really eat into the thrill of the film.
The worst mistakes are made in casting Remo Fernandez and Kamaal R Khan. Their roles are practically useless in the movie. Apart from very bad acting and some action scenes, Remo has nothing more to offer. And the less said about KRK, the better. It seems that Suri has cast him only to make the audience realise that such men are more loathful than psychopaths serial-killers.
The plot line moves interestingly between flashbacks and present day, almost seamlessly. The cinematography is not that great but the editing is crisp. The only qualm I have with the movie is that it did not need to establish the back stories of each of the actors, they could have kept some in darkness just to leave the audience asking for more. Especially Aisha`s bubbly nature and innate goodness needn`t have a tragedy attached to it.
The music is hummable and definitely a lot of people would love the intense romance, but sounds somewhat tragic and monotonous when put in perspective of the movie. `Teri Galliya` and `Banjara` are really romantic tracks which would be remembered for quite sometime.
The unveiling of the visceral saga has a lot of strong characters and Mohit has done a good job in adapting a foreign film and complimenting it with the drama that the Indian audience is used to. But he has gone a tad over in making a thriller. Maybe, filmmakers should step out of this trap more often and we wouldn`t be too far from making beacons of world cinema.
Rating:
This Article was first published on Zeenews.India.com
'Kick' review: Watch it for Salman Khan
There should be a separate benchmark for Salman Khan movies. Not only because they are mostly just high-action masala entertainers and the `Bhai` does not venture into other genres any more, but also because his audience simply worship him.
When Sajid Nadiadwala decided to step into the director`s shoes, he pulled out all stops. He has invested everything he could to make the movie look slick and make sure this is Salman`s biggest release of the year. `Kick` is based on a 2009 Telugu blockbuster by the same name.
Devi Lal Singh (Salman Khan) does eccentric things to get a `kick` out of life. He goes to any lengths to get that extra spark out of life, which borders on insanity. He is loved by everyone around, but he does have ulterior motives behind his antics. Jacqueline as Shaina is a psychologist and Devi Lal`s love interest.
Made in a typical south Indian masala style, the entire movie can be summed up in its own dialogue "Main dil mein aata hoon, samajh mein nahin" (I enter hearts, but can`t be understood). It is all about Salman`s aura. Sajid has fit him into as many frames as possible, and he looks terrific. The actor has not looked this slick in a while now and every time he mouths a dialogue the hall erupts in another round of wolf whistles.
The script is not written with a lot of finesse, although that should not matter as none of the audience is expecting that. The storyline is senseless and has a lot of loopholes, but it is made up for by some good action sequences and over-the-top dialogues that are sure to go down well with Salman fans. The cinematography and CGI effects are not too bad, but the Rohit Shettyesque flying cars and vehicles breaking in every direction has become too cliched and gets boring.
The first half of the movie is slow, with a lot of scenes that could have been done away with. The entry of the `Dabbang` star as Devil in the second half is where the excitement begins. The Robin Hood of modern day Bollywood is a superhero simply because he is Salman. He can jump off buildings and wreck things to get his way without a batting an eyelid. Despite not making any sense, his screen presence is thrilling.
Jacqueline looks rather good paired with Khan – and she is positively vibrant in `Jumme Ki Raat`. That dance sequence choreographed by Ahmed Khan is fantastic and Jacqueline will make your jaw drop. The Eid special song composed by Himesh Reshammiya is already a hit and is going to stay with the masses for a while, although not in the `Munni Badnaam` way. Jacqueline does need to work on her diction, but the exotic accent has worked for Katrina before, so it may not be too much of a problem for her either.
A special mention to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as one does not expect him to fit into this genre of cinema. He is extremely talented and fit into the character`s shoes without any trouble. Here too he has moulded himself as a maniacal villain with all the expected drama. It was fun watching him in such a heavily commercialised venture and we hope he continues doing his brand of cinema too along with big budget flicks.
Salman `Dabangg` Khan, has made sure with `Kick`, that he has another multi-crore hit under his belt. The movie is exactly what it promises - a larger than life Salman Khan movie which the director knows will go down well with his massive fan following. The actor is at ease playing a quirky hero – comic, with a big heart, can beat baddies to pulp as easily as he can romance long legged lasses. If you are a Salman fan – go watch the movie. Don`t expect any ground-breaking, revolutionary filmmaking. This is as entertaining as it gets.
When Sajid Nadiadwala decided to step into the director`s shoes, he pulled out all stops. He has invested everything he could to make the movie look slick and make sure this is Salman`s biggest release of the year. `Kick` is based on a 2009 Telugu blockbuster by the same name.
Devi Lal Singh (Salman Khan) does eccentric things to get a `kick` out of life. He goes to any lengths to get that extra spark out of life, which borders on insanity. He is loved by everyone around, but he does have ulterior motives behind his antics. Jacqueline as Shaina is a psychologist and Devi Lal`s love interest.
Made in a typical south Indian masala style, the entire movie can be summed up in its own dialogue "Main dil mein aata hoon, samajh mein nahin" (I enter hearts, but can`t be understood). It is all about Salman`s aura. Sajid has fit him into as many frames as possible, and he looks terrific. The actor has not looked this slick in a while now and every time he mouths a dialogue the hall erupts in another round of wolf whistles.
The script is not written with a lot of finesse, although that should not matter as none of the audience is expecting that. The storyline is senseless and has a lot of loopholes, but it is made up for by some good action sequences and over-the-top dialogues that are sure to go down well with Salman fans. The cinematography and CGI effects are not too bad, but the Rohit Shettyesque flying cars and vehicles breaking in every direction has become too cliched and gets boring.
The first half of the movie is slow, with a lot of scenes that could have been done away with. The entry of the `Dabbang` star as Devil in the second half is where the excitement begins. The Robin Hood of modern day Bollywood is a superhero simply because he is Salman. He can jump off buildings and wreck things to get his way without a batting an eyelid. Despite not making any sense, his screen presence is thrilling.
Jacqueline looks rather good paired with Khan – and she is positively vibrant in `Jumme Ki Raat`. That dance sequence choreographed by Ahmed Khan is fantastic and Jacqueline will make your jaw drop. The Eid special song composed by Himesh Reshammiya is already a hit and is going to stay with the masses for a while, although not in the `Munni Badnaam` way. Jacqueline does need to work on her diction, but the exotic accent has worked for Katrina before, so it may not be too much of a problem for her either.
A special mention to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as one does not expect him to fit into this genre of cinema. He is extremely talented and fit into the character`s shoes without any trouble. Here too he has moulded himself as a maniacal villain with all the expected drama. It was fun watching him in such a heavily commercialised venture and we hope he continues doing his brand of cinema too along with big budget flicks.
Salman `Dabangg` Khan, has made sure with `Kick`, that he has another multi-crore hit under his belt. The movie is exactly what it promises - a larger than life Salman Khan movie which the director knows will go down well with his massive fan following. The actor is at ease playing a quirky hero – comic, with a big heart, can beat baddies to pulp as easily as he can romance long legged lasses. If you are a Salman fan – go watch the movie. Don`t expect any ground-breaking, revolutionary filmmaking. This is as entertaining as it gets.
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