Movie Viewing, 2009: Top Ten

Here's the list of the top ten movies seen this year:
1) Happy Together (1997) [directed by: Wong Kar-wai]
2) Revolutionary Road (2008) [directed by: Sam Mendes]
3) The Ice Storm (1997) [directed by: Ang Lee]
4) Cinema Paradiso (1988) [directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore]
5) 13 Tzameti (2005) [directed by: Géla Babluani]
6) 500 Days of Summer (2009) [directed by: Marc Webb]
7) Dev. D (2009) [directed by: Anurag Kashyap]
8) Match Point (2005) [directed by: Woody Allen]
9) Wake Up Sid (2009) [directed by: Ayan Mukherjee]
10) Alpha Dog (2006) [directed by: Nick Cassavetes]










As the above list contains only the ten most favorite films of mine, from more than 250 films that I have seen this year, I now name some of the other odd films that stand out among the rest, though they do not make it to the top ten listing. Here they are - some old films, some new; some classy, some popular entertainers; some international films, some Indian; many languages, but all immensely enjoyable - for whatever reason:
Jamón Jamón, Chéri, Brüno, Paths of Glory, Burn After Reading, Invictus, Shine, Lady in the Water, Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, December, The President is Coming, 10 Items or Less, Romulus - My Father, Luck by Chance, 3 Idiots, Quills, Holy Smoke, Milk, The Reader, Mansfield Park, Rachel Getting Married, The Wrestler, Frozen Days, Frozen River, Frost/Nixon, Little Zizou, Barah Aana, Running Sacred, The Hunting Party, Ask the Dust, The Passion of Ayn Rand, Firaaq, Gulaal, Hunger, Doubt, Mighty Aphrodite, City of God, Tsotsi, About Schmidt, Paradise Now, Crossed Tracks, Rosewood, Enemy of the State, Good Night and Good Luck, Taking Chance, Mad About Mambo, The Counterfeiters, She's the Man, Hangover, Shelter, Broken Sky, To Kill a Mockingbird, ChungKing Express, Shi Mian Mai Fu, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain, Volver, Kinsey, Holes, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Australia, The Nanny Diaries, 8 Crazy
Nights, Corpse Bride, Public Enemies, The Great Raid, Inglourious Basterds, The Black Balloon, The Transporter, Irreversible, Perfume - The Story of a Murderer, The Greatest Game Ever Played, 13th Floor, La Zona, AntiChrist, Buying the Cow, Summer with Monika, Hey Goodlooking, Funny People, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Whatever Works, Fireflies in the Garden, The Duchess, Boiler Room, Rocket Singh Salesman of the Year, Get Real, Moon, Snatch, The Narrows, Avatar - 3D, Life Support, The Paranoids, Magique, Divided We Fall, The Householder, It's a Boy Girl Thing, Twilight, The Safety of Objects, Valkyrie, and De Griezelbus.

AIDS Jaago

Today being World AIDS Day, I am going to talk about a brilliant bouquet of short films that I have had the privilege to see on UTV World Movies;
'AIDS Jaago' is a collection of four short films that address the AIDS menace which has been alarmingly threatening the Indian population just as several other countries worldwide.
The best thing about this collection of short films is that it is multilingual, and the films have been directed by four eminent Indian directors. It features some of the best known actors & actresses from India (from veterans like Shabana Azmi, Pankaj Kapoor, Boman Irani, Irrfan to the younger breed of talented performers like Siddharth, Prabhu Deva, Ayesha Takia, Sameera Reddy, Raima Sen and Arjun Mathur.

In each, the treatment is unique and the narrative keeps the viewer engrossed despite the foreknowledge that it primarily spreads awareness. None of the films have a dry, preachy tone that often makes many a well-intentioned docu-feature fail to connect with its target audience. Here, the dialogues are crisp, the screenplay taut and the performances competent; I can easily say that the films offer much more than the nuggets of wisdom regarding tackling of the AIDS menace & its preventive safeguards; a young film enthusiast can aspire to learn a lot from the masters by just watching their craft.




Made in 2007, in 35 mm, 'AIDS Jaago' is an Indo-American co-production, graced by the funding from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The total length of the film, with all the four segments, is just 71 minutes.
The segments are as follows:
Migration, directed by Mira Nair;
Prarambha/The Beginning, directed by Santosh Sivan;
Positive, directed by Farhan Akhtar;
&
Blood Brothers ,directed by Vishal Bharadwaj.

Of all the four films, I particularly loved Prarambha/The Beginning , the Kannada film by Santosh Sivan. In it, a truck driver (played by Prabhu Deva) meets a boy searching for his mother who had left him when she had learnt about being HIV-positive. The way in which the simpleton tries to get the boy, who also has the virus, back into school is touching in a dramatic way, yet it is every bit reflective of the real-life scenario.

In Blood Brothers, Siddharth plays a young man whose life falls apart after being told that he has got the virus; he is plagued by the guilt of having given in to carnal digression. In true Vishal Bharadwaj style, there is a bit of suspense too, and the character of Pawan Malhotra is shown acquiring an uncanny significance later in the tale.

In Migration, Mumbai go-getter Abhay (played by Irrfan) leads a double life, with his wife, Divya (Sameera Reddy), and a gay lover. Impoverished farmer Birju (Shiney Ahuja) has amorous encounters with the neglected Divya, while his own wife (Raima Sen) & baby test positive.

In Positive, a son returns home to nurse his once-philandering father, who is dying of AIDS. Shabana Azmi & Boman Irani excel as usual.

If you haven't been lucky to catch the films on television, you can surely watch them online at the Jaman site. [http://www.jaman.com/aidsjaago]

Three Idiots

Just as the songs and the trailers of the movie "3 Idiots" have been doing the rounds on the television channels, I cannot help going ga-ga over the visuals from the movie, and hence this special post. "3 Idiots" is loosely based on my favorite Chetan Bhagat novel called 'Five Point Someone'. The film is directed by Rajkumar Hirani, and is produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It has Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Kareena Kapoor in the key roles. Abhijat Joshi & Rajkumar Hirani have written the screenplay. Though Chetan Bhagat was not involved with the scripting, he has given his stamp of approval after having seen the final draft of the screenplay. The music has been composed by Shantanu Moitra & the lyrics have been penned by Swanand Kirkire. The film is slated for Christmas release, that is on December 25, 2009. It is giving me goosebumps that the most eagerly awaited film of the year is all set to hit the theaters just as the year would be on its way out.

Grim Tidings

The times haven't been easy....
The times haven't been right....
I alone know how it hurts
Even after the crisis is out of sight.
Even when
I wish I could yell....
Arre Bhaiya,
All Is Well!!!

But all is NOT well, my dear friend.
I miss you.
I miss all the silliness that we used to share.
I miss the lost opportunities...
But
I miss the awkwardness of an acceptance the most.

The grim reality of life:
'People don't change when you give them better option,
they change only when they realise there is no other option.'

But I ask, did I really have an option....
Eons after the options were given a waiver?

Was there any other option?
Other than absorbing myself in self-pity,
or wallowing in endless misery?

The grim reality of life: No one loves a loser!

But ain't a loser ever gonna be missed?????

I am told: "The answer is blowing with the wind,
my friend (sic)... This is exactly what you call LIFE!"

I ask, do you regret my refusal to break free?

I am told: "I don't regret anything...
Everything enriches (sic) me...
I try to take (sic) things positively...!"

I implore: Do you miss me?
Ever?
Do you miss talking to me?
Do you miss me all of a sudden one fine morning?
Or on a pensive afternoon, or on a lonesome night?

No? Never???
I receive no answers....

Do I hear the wind?
I wonder.
Since when did the wind become so silent????

I reinstate: I do miss you.
Always.
When times are fast,
moments are hard,
When everyone's busy,
when seconds are few,
My grim tidings remind me,
that I am alive because my heart has been remembering you.
I wish I could yell:
All Is Well!!!

But all is NOT well, my dear friend.
I miss you......

A River Runs Through Me

A River runs through me....
and several others like me,
whose lives have been changed forever
simply by witnessing River Phoenix [August 23, 1970 - October 31, 1993] on screen.

The power of celluloid is such that it transcends boundaries
- geographical or physical -
by simply penetrating one's soul by means
of powerful images,
powerful depictions,
powerful narratives,
and, last but not the least,
powerful characterizations.

Perhaps I would not have been the person that I am
had it not been for River Phoenix.
He was more than an actor
who played his part well in movies.
He acquired cult status as an actor partly for the films
that he acted in, and also because of his dying young -
that's what most would say.
But to me, he was a magical presence....
I did not even know much about him when I saw him first...
most of his films were seen by me after his death,
and that too on the small screen, thanks to satellite television
and home videos.
But he still looms large in my sub-conscious...
is it him? Is it the parts played by him?
Is it the enigma, the rebellious streak in him that epitomized his legacy?
Well, it is difficult to pinpoint...

I cannot distance myself and come up with an objective appreciation.
I can only recall the madness that gripped me when I saw him play the narcoleptic hustler in "My Own Private Idaho" or in numerous other standout performances in ensemble films.
I read almost all piece of reading material that dealt with his life & times.
I caught almost all documentaries and tribute films made on him.
I searched for all his early films and tried to gather all the published photographs of him, including film-stills, from newspapers & tabloids.
At one point of time, I was obsessed with him.
The magic called River Phoenix overpowered me in totality.

Herein, I offer my tribute to the ever-young, ever-inspiring artiste by this humble write-up.
The assemblage of photographs has been made possible through several links on Google, and I intend no copyright infringement thereby. I am also attaching a list of River's films seen by me, along with a mini-biography of the late actor.

River Phoenix, born River Jude Bottom, was the eldest of five children whose itinerant parents were members of a radical Christian group called the Children of God (later known as The Family). His family lived in communes in Oregon, Texas, Puerto Rico and Venezuela before settling in Florida. River's birthplace was Metolius, near Madras, Oregon. Pursuing entertainment careers for their children, the parents eventually moved the family to Los Angeles, where River began getting television jobs in the early 1980s. Phoenix was soon labeled a promising young actor and his career took off with several movies of repute & acclaim. Although Phoenix's movie career was generating most of the income for his family, it has been stated by close friends and relatives that his true passion was music. Phoenix was a singer, song writer and an accomplished guitarist. Prior to securing an acting agent, Phoenix and his siblings had attempted to forge a career in music by playing cover songs on the streets of the Westwood district of LA. At seventeen, he formed his own band called Aleka's Attic. He was also well-known for his animal rights activism. Phoenix was renowned for using his power within the media to voice his beliefs and opinions on issues he felt important. For Earth Day 1990, Phoenix wrote an environmental awareness essay, targeted at his young fanbase, entitled "We Are the World" that was printed in Seventeen magazine. He and his band often played environmental benefits for well known charities.
The flip side of his fast rise to celebdom was his getting addicted to drugs. On this very day, that is October 31, in 1993, Phoenix collapsed from a drug overdose of heroin and cocaine (known as a speedball) outside the Viper Room, a Hollywood night club partially (owned by actor Johnny Depp until 2004).
..........................................................

His films that I have seen:
Explorers (1985)
Stand by Me (1986)
Little Nikita (1988)
Running on Empty (1988)
Indiana Jones & the last Crusade (1989)
I Love You to Death (1990)
Dogfight (1991)
Sneakers (1992)
My Own Private Idaho (1991/92)

5 Favorite River Phoenix Quotes:
"I wish sometimes I wasn't as conscientious as I am."
"Every day of my life since I finished My Own Private Idaho, at some point in the day, I find the conversation somehow goes back to that film, because it was just such a great experience. I just start getting all joyous and start babbling about it."
"In simplicity there is truth."
"When I was in first grade, everyone made fun of my name, of course. I think it's kind of a big name to hold up when you`re nine years old. It seemed goofy. I used to tell people I wanted to change the world and they used to think, 'This kid`s really weird.' "
"Everything is ironic to me. There are moments I find hysterical, but I'm probably the only one who would find that, except for a few people."

Rise, rise... Agassi

Andre Agassi has been my tennis hero all through my growing up years.
I can even say that I grew up with him. Following the tennis legend's actions, his success stories, his low phases and even his dalliances have always been my passion.
So, now, when the world of tennis, and sports in general, has been in the whirlwind focus post Agassi's shocking revelations, I thought that it is best to write my take on Agassi, here and now.

Agassi has always been the proverbial bad boy of tennis, at least for most of the commentators. He has been known for his colorful outfits, pop-star like hairstyle and flashy temperament, as much as his skills in the game of tennis.
Born in 1970, Agassi learnt the game of tennis at a young age and was egged on to compete by his domineering and ambitious dad. I would keenly follow Andre's career progress right from the days he turned a pro, way back in 1986. His charismatic service returns impressed me very much. A keen sense of anticipation on his part kept the game alive till the very end. And I would be hooked on to television, regardless of the fact that tennis wasn't exactly a popular sport among my peer group, and I lacked the knowledge of the game beyond the rudimentary. But there was something about Agassi, the player, the man..... it was magnetic, it was a magical charm.

I remember how ecstatic I would be when Agassi would win a match. When his powerful groundstrokes and deep angling would wear out his opponents, it felt so ecstatic.
In 2005, with the emergence of Roger Federer on the scene as the new tennis icon, I knew that Agassi faced more odds than ever. Agassi rolled his ankle in a racquetball accident & tore several ligaments and since then his fitness, that used to be the envy of all, took a major blow. Severe strain on the back, leg pain, and ankle injuries made Agassi stumble in many a match. Agassi announced his plans to retire following the US Open and I knew that watching tennis would not be the same for me.

Agassi had a short but dramatic run in his final US Open. Because of extreme back pain, Agassi was forced to receive anti-inflammatory injections after every match. I remember grimacing all the while as I saw him play in the second round. Agassi received an eight minute standing ovation from the crowd after the match, against Benjamin Becker, that he lost, and delivered a memorable retirement speech.
Since retirement, Agassi has been in the news for participating in a series of charity tournaments and for his work with his own charity, that focuses on the plight of the children who find themselves to be victims of war and persecution. In his personal life too he seemed to be having a near-perfect bliss after his marriage to Steffi Graf, yet another the tennis icon herself. Earlier, Agassi had a stormy two-year marriage with actress Brooke Shields, best known for films like 'The Blue Lagoon', 'Pretty Baby', and 'Endless Love'. But with Steffi, and their two kids, I could see Agassi as the lovable family man. They made a pretty picture - Agassi & Steffi and their kids - and I would smile contentedly, looking at the pics in the glossies.

But who knew that there was such a storm brewing in Andre's heart........!!!!
He had been battling his demons for long, and at last, he decided to come clean in his bare-all autobiography called "Open". The name befits the no-holds-barred account of Agassi's experiencing of drugs and other scandalous episodes that had been hidden from the world until now.

People might see it as an extension of the Devil-may-care attitude that Agassi has been known for even in his heydays, many are also crying out, "Shame! Shame!".....
However, I beg to differ....
I find such confessions on his part to be extremely brave and honest. Maye be all he seeks is comfort from baring all the ugliness from the past that had been casting its shadow even, and more so, upon his present state. His revelations, ranging from something as serious as having taken crystal meth, to something as bizarre as having used a hairpiece, might have outraged many, disgusted many more.... yet Agassi, to me is a true hero. I would just like to see a rise even in his supposed fall from the pedestal. Agassi has even admitted to having lied to the Association of Tennis Professionals when he was asked to explain a failed drugs test; this might lead to debates & repercussions. But Agassi knows that it is better to have come up with the candid confessions on his own than to wait for some jilted acquaintance to rake in the rewards with spilling of the beans. A true hero is one who goes the extra mile and battles the odds, and that includes battling one's inner demons for sure.
So, rise my hero, rise above all odds.

We've woken up..... !!!!

Bollywood has really woken up.... to new-age cinema! And this time, none other than the much celebrated king of mush, Karan Johar, has backed this very refreshing film called "Wake Up Sid" by first-time director Ayan Mukherjee. Kudos!

Watching the film last night at a nearby multiplex made me many in the audience wake up too.... waking up to the possibilities of films reaching out to the viewers by means of fresh takes on age-old rom-coms. The film adds a lot of zing to the pre-existent romantic conventions which have been worn out with over-use in factory-like Bollywood, that by and large churns out meaningless spin-offs of stale romances and poor man's version of Hollywood make-believe. It's true that there have been many a fresh attempt of late, by the new-age makers, who've infused their own modern sensibilities and have even managed to make a significant difference through their creative outpourings, but the standard Bollywood studio products have shown their indifference by catering to the mass market. Market economics have dictated the perpetuation of staleness, the stifling of growth. But this time the story is different.....

Karan Johar's earlier home-production was "Dostana" which I had covered in one of my write-ups, and it did have some novelty, but again not quite..... it was much of the same.... only toying with the risque, and generating stereotypical fun. "Wake Up Sid" is indeed different, sorry for sounding cliched, it is a coming-of-age story that has tremendous appeal; it's vibrant, zany, frothy, bubbly, spirited and - to sum up simply - fun, sheer fun!

The very young director of the film, Ayan Mukherjee (seen in the last pic with the hero, Ranbir Kapoor) has shown great maturity in handling the subject. Ayan had earlier assisted director Ashutosh Gowariker in "Swades", and he had also assisted Karan Johar in "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna". In some ways, with "Wake Up Sid", he has even gone ahead of Farhan Akhtar who had shot to fame with his own coming-of-age semi-classic "Dil Chahta Hai"!

The film's ensemble cast is like a dream come true, each member of the cast is just perfect in terms of characterization. Ranbir Kapoor plays the protagonist Siddharth Mehra (Sid), Kpnkona Sen Sharma plays Aisha Bannerjee, the unconventional heroine, Anupam Kher plays Sid's father, and Supriya Pathak plays his mom. Also in the cast are Rahul Khanna, Namit Das, Shikha Talsania & Kainaz Motivala.

The story of this movie is about Sidharth Mehra, a rich, lazy, unmotivated slacker from Mumbai whose life undergoes a series of changes after college. Sid is a happy-go-lucky guy; he lives a breezy, carefree life. He is yet to wake up to the realities and complications of life. The most important elements in his life are his friends, his camera, his car, and his X-box 360. Sid might be the proverbial lazybones, but he is a warm, lovable soul.
Aisha Bannerjee, on the other hand is an aspiring writer from Kolkata, her path crosses with Sid's on her first day in Mumbai. Ambitious, well-read, and driven, Aisha has come to the city to realize her dreams as a writer. Despite their contrasting personalities, Sid becomes Aisha's first friend in the city.

A series of circumstances and events compel Sid to take stock of his life and take a hard look at himself. A wake up call is sounded in his conscience as he is compelled to deal with the emergent situation in his life, and that simultaneously involves his work, his dreams and also his heart.

The music of the film is just brilliant, it is classy, natural, and very much in sync with the screenlay. The talented team of composers Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy and lyricist Javed Akhtar, and also the guest composer Amit Trivedi, deserve genuine applause.

A reprise of personal thanks to Karan Johar, whom I had always had high regard for (especially for his articulate, intelligent & affable persona) but whose larger-than-life romances had always baffled me (and sometimes even irked me), for daring to deviate, for daring to take a risk; believe me Karan, it has paid off! And here's looking at you, Ayan.... for your future endeavors... surprise us with films that we can relate to, and which can make us reassert our confidence in the 'fresh' filmmakers brigade. Here's wishing you all the BEST!
....................................................................................
[pics: courtesy - Dharma Productions]

Autumnal Hues

Durga Pujo marks the beginning of the autumnal festive season in Bengal.
It is the time for celebration and togetherness.
It is the time to rejoice and seek the blessings of the divine deity, Maa Durga.
Even for those of us who aren't high on religion and rituals of the Hindu calendar, this time of the year is synonymous with family reunions, and get-together with friends & loved ones.
It is the time to deck up in best clothes and go pandal-hopping especially in and around Kolkata.
It is the time for revelries of the other kind too - like feasting on good food, feasting on the literary treats that are released in form of the annual supplements of magazines & periodicals, feasting on the movies in Bangla (or other languages), and feasting on the music albums released by all the major audio labels,
The festive revelry typically includes even the spinning of real-life love stories,
egged on by the wisp of freshness in the air,
especially during the four days of Durga Pujo.
I can never think of being someplace else during this time.
Only twice in my life I have had to miss out on the celebrations in my favorite city, Kolkata, and, needless to say that I missed my city and its typical sights & sounds a lot.

From Mahalaya to Bijaya Dashami, to Lakshmi Pujo, KaliPujo/Diwali and BhaaiPhonta,
it is a series of festivities. It is much more than the pomp & show, or the Brahminical rituals; for most of us Kolkatans in means basking in the blend of tradition & modernity, of savoring the delectable mix of religious, neo-religious & non-religious sentiments.
It is a time to be nostalgic as well - as if the season itself conspires to evoke nostalgia in us all.
For me, things that I do during the festive days have changed, or rather evolved with time. I hate the excesses. I abhor the noise pollution. I detest the recklessness exhibited by the maddening crowd in the evenings.
But....
I still wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world, during the Pujas.
I wouldn't want to catch the unmistakable autumnal hues, the serene morning air, and the vibrant spirit that is the hallmark of the Pujas in Kolkata.