The Phantom Limb

The Phantom Limb Syndrome refers to a strange and unique sensation that one might feel that makes one believe, and even gesticulate accordingly, that an amputated or missing limb is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body parts.
It has been reported that the majority of these sensations are acutely painful.

Why exactly am I referring to this clinical syndrome experienced in amputees.
Well, it is only known to some of my very close friends how I have been psychologically ravaged on this very day, just as one trying his best to come to terms with the pains that can have a perfect analogy in the aforementioned syndrome.
There has been an intense showdown that was the worst case of a blast from the past for me. It was much more than revisiting an old wound, a bruise that hasn't heeled despite my best efforts, it was a case of involuntary surrender to a single traumatising individual. Nothing could have been worse in today's situation, nothing could have been more disturbing, as I couldn't have been more unprepared than today.
Why don't the body of an emotional amputee wither on its own, even after the emotional wings have been mercilessly hacked.
I pray to God, more out of a conditioned reflex than an active rendition of a soulful obeisance, that the perpetrator in question have divine mercy. And I genuinely wish away my limb, my vestige, I forgo any semblance of passion for the wings of my fantasy.

In the name of LOVE: "Ābohomaan", "Dorian Gray", and "Ishqiya"

Love rocks!
Love sucks!
Love hurts!
Love kills!
Love debases!
Love eludes!
Love expires!
Love transpires!
Love transcends!

Yes, all the above outbursts are true.
And they couldn't have been truer for me, as these exclamations hold good right now in the consensus reached by my multiple egos after having watched three amazing films:
Ābohomaan [Bangla/ Director: Rituparno Ghosh/ 2010]
Dorian Gray [English/ Director: Oliver Parker/2009]
and
Ishqiya [Hindi/ Director: Abhishek Chaubey/2010]

The three films are not at all similar, nor do they demand any comparison. Yet, I just happened to see all three in the past week, and have liked them all, albeit in different ways. So, I cannot help talking about them, or rather gushing about them, being a cine-buff as well as a love-obsessed individual.
Is love over-rated? I often ask myself.
The answer is both 'yes' and 'no'. The reason for this dichotomy is the fact that love has strange ways of being perceived. The way it is perceived commonly, as evident in popular culture, is of course too shallow; thus, as a concept, love can be anything but profane and much-abused over time. However, in the purest sense, love is definitely fulfilling and demands to be sought for all the profound reasons.

One of my favorite contemporary directors, Rituparno Ghosh, has explored love, loss, betrayal, and despair beautifully in his recent offering called "Ābohomaan". It takes the eternal Pygmalion premise much ahead as the complex web of relationships interlocked in the backdrop of the creator-muse romance gets explored beautifully & subtly. It is perhaps the director's most mature screenplay till date.
The relationships are wonderfully handled by Ghosh to make the chamber-piece like offering, with multiple past-present dimensions and a complex tapestry of emotions, a treat for the lovers of meaningful cinema. The ensemble cast inludes Deepankar Dey, Mamata Shankar, Ananya Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, Riya Sen, Sumanta Mukherjee, Saswati GuhaThakurta, Soma Chakraborty and Shobha Sen.


"Dorian Gray" is the latest film version of the classic tale by Oscar Wilde that deals with the gothic theme of disfigurement or corruption of soul in the wake of an unnatural pursuit of one's own superficial beauty, with which one is in love. In this latest reworking of that tale, the gothic atmosphere, the visuals, and the acting is flawless. Though the film isn't the best representation of the original content, I would recommend it for those who would find the novel somewhat inaccessible because of its complex layers or its hedonistic and Faustian undertones. Young Ben Barnes, famous for his portrayal of Prince Caspian in the Narnia films, is perfectly cast as Dorian. He is aptly supported by Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin, Rebecca Hall, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. The lovelessness and the debauchery that plagues Dorian, and the lovelorn Basil, who is infatuated by Dorian's beauty and paints his portrait, is too poignant not to touch the viewer.


When I went to catch "Ishqiya" in the theater, I did so as much for Vishal Bharadwaj having written much of the screenplay, along with creating the musical scores that had captured my imagination already with repeated air-plays, as for the coming together of Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, playing the lead roles. Set in the backdrop of eastern Uttar Pradesh, the film has a noirish romantic plot where individuals get entangled in a web of crime, suspense, passion, and deception. The songs, not only the original scores & the songs but also the eternal Bollywood lovesongs that are featured in the soundtrack, made me chuckle with glee. "Ishqiya" has a rustic feel that is rarely seen in popular films. The cinematography (by Mohana Krishna) and the character-dynamics kept me glued to the screen. I would have to say that the final denouement watered down the fantastic feel by some degrees, yet it is a must-watch film for the sheer thrill and the odd relish that one is undoubtedly rewarded with. Director Abhishek Chaubey deserves a pat in the back for his fine debut.

"Clerk" - No popcorn fare this !!

When I went to see this latest Bangla film released at a nearby multiplex, I must confess that I wasn't much clued in on the buzz about it. The name, "Clerk", itself was a tad awkward for a Bangla film. I must confess that I even missed out on seeing the earlier film made by the director Subhadro Choudhury, "Prohor", though it has been screened many a time on television. All that drew me to the film was the innovatively designed poster (one of the best in recent times) which had Tollygunge's mightiest star, Prosenjit Chatterjee, in a bath-tub.... and only the first names of the key collaborators: the director, the aforementioned star, the director of cinematography (Sirsha Ray) - suggestive of the creative teamwork... really impressive!
The film caught me unawares.
I was pleasantly surprised.
I felt rewarded.
It has to be said at the onset that "Clerk" is not an easy film.
That's why I mentioned in the title of the post that it is not at all the kind of cinema that one can watch munching popcorn, reclining cosily in the slide-back chairs of the multiplex.
No, not at all!
In stead, it is the kind of film that makes us sit upright
and get rid of our slumber.
It challenges our sensibilities.
Yes, it challenged my faculties as a cinema junkie too!
How can I sum it up? Well, in just two words: Unapologetically indulgent.
Reminiscent of the cinema of Mani Kaul.
Yet, refreshingly original.
Prosenjit in the eponymous role is shorn of all excesses.
He is the loner who is seen brooding..
sulking..
reflecting..
concocting..
associating..
dissociating..
There are no song and dance routines to establish love, pain and loneliness.
Yet, we get a taste of all the awkwardness that grips him in the real world,
and we get an insider's view of him basking in an interplay of the real & the surreal.
We soak in the madness;
Biplab (played by Prosenjit) has a stereotypical clerk's job in an office that sees all the strains & the conflicts that are bypassed by him, there's labour unrest unfolding, and ultimately the downing of the shutters, yet he is ensconced in a world of his own.
We soak in the familiar routine that we see unfolding, with him, and about him.
He relishes the schizophrenic fantasy of engaging in telephonic conversations with the Bollywood heroines: Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra, Urmila Matondkar.... all typefying the male fantasy about the nubile damsel in the mainstream potboilers... the walls of his room plastered with their blow-ups, the umpteen burning candles casting an unearthly feel all night.
He is seemingly oblivious to the young girl who eyes him passionately, or the colleague in office who is a desperate widow.
We as audience are not given much scope to probe the protagonist's condition. The languid frames are just enough to involve us in his intense pleasurable moments, and then again we find ourselves distancing from him as we catch the neighbours' reactions to his non-conformity. There is an attempt to create a morbidly intoxicating routine about apparently trivial, yet symbolically significant details. Be it the drinking sessions at a sleazy bar, or a libidinous gentleman's purchases of Black Molly for his aquarium, or a housewife's attempts to figure out the truth behind the protagonist's midnight-stupor-linked obscure behaviour, and more.... we, as audience, are never given an opportunity to be judgmental.
There is a bit of a dramaturgy in two successive segments, first the protagonist fantasizing and then, in his fantasy, forging an illusory bond with Aishwarya Rai, the Miss World turned Bollywood heroine, and then the news of her betrothal becoming the most talked about thing all over, we find an upheaval of sorts as the protagonist's world comes crashing.

Curiously, the protagonist is named Biplab, which means 'revolution' in Bangla, and the film itself if not quite revolutionary is quite a milestone in the history of Bangla cinema, as never before has a director risked making an experimental film with the most commercially viable name in the lead. There are several distinctive moments, especially towards the end of the film, which I would not want to elaborate on, as I do not want to spoil the fun (for the lovers of serious cinema only) for those who chance upon my blogpost before watching the film, and these are a key to our understanding too. I would also like to say that the silent moments in the film speak brilliantly, the splendid cinematography heightening the effects. Hardly does one come across such brilliant moments that speak a thousand words without any of the on-screen characters speaking a word. My most favorite sequences are those which has Prosenjit twisting and contorting his face in front of the mirror, and the bath-tub sequence of course.
Let me thank the makers and those who backed this experimental film without bothering about general or mass acceptability. "Clerk" is not a film for all. It is absolutely a niche film, and may it just seek & find its viewers.
Apart from Sirsha Ray's amazing camerawork, the film also boasts of briiliant art design by Tanmoy Chakraborty, an apt background score by Raja Narayan Deb, and a credible act by the cast of the film (other than Prosenjit, who must derserve the highest praise for just being a part of such a film, one can find several lesser known names, like Runa Banerjee, Anindita Bose, Debabrato Chakraborty, Kalyan Gupta and several others). My best wishes for director Subhodro Choudhury, and producer Nitesh Sharma, under whose Bangla Talkies banner the film has been presented.

Kolkata: Chilly Scenes

I had read some years back the book called 'Chilly Scenes of Winter' by Ann Beattie.
I still remember having stumbled upon the book one lazy summer afternoon, at the American Center Library, Kolkata.
It was not just discovering a popular classic. It was also a case of self-discovery for me.
It was an instance of serendipity.
The poignant tale made me cry, made my thoughts crystallize on a number of things.
The association was total.
And - of course -
fulfilling.
Most of my readers are perhaps aware of the wonderful manner in which the book chronicles a year in a man's life after he loses his girlfriend.
And those who haven't read the book, must read it whenever they get a chance.
But the reason I started talking about the book in this post dedicated to Kolkata in winter, is that I would like it very much to see my favorite city - Kolkata - chronicled in contemporary literature (Bangla or English) in the wintry delights and/or pitfalls.
I am yet to come across such a piece of fiction (be it a novel or a short story) - if any of my readers can illuminate on the same, I'd remain grateful.
One of my friends had asked me to write about Kolkata's unique thrills in winter; let me confess that I am not much of a winter-lover so I think others can do more justice to that. However, I oblige by making a mention of just some of the delicacies and delights typical of Kolkata.
The chilly days & nights are just a few. Winter has a short stay in Kolkata. Though it nags and bothers distressingly at the fag end of the season. The chilly scene is enlivened by roadside dwellers and the bunch of homeless people who light up a bonfire with twigs, leaves and what not - unaware of the carcinogenic consequences, they even do not hesitate to burn rubber and plastics.
In my childhood, winter meant three wondrous things:
a mandatory visit to the zoo,
being treated to circus & magic shows, and maybe a film too, if my parents were in a mood to over-indulge,
and, last but not the least, the wintry food fare: ranging from the fresh seasonal vegetables & fruits, to the sweetmeats - notungurer rossogolla, sandesh, and paayesh.
Kolkata isn't as lucky as Delhi when one thinks of the relish of extensive & lavish delicacies from the eponymous Dehlvi cuisine; however, we are lucky enough to be spared the intense bite of the chilly winter that makes me dread Delhi in winter!
The circuses and zoos have become passé, what with the politically correct stand on the animals (can't lament on that too, if the animal rights issues are given a fair consideration) and the local sweetmeats have taken a backseat or are often lost in ignominy as the pizzas, pastries and other confections have gained our preferences.
Yet, winter makes us nostalgic.
Still.
And, the wintry blues rule.
Post Script: Today is the death anniversary of Job Charnock; without him there wouldn't have been the thriving city of Kolkata as we know it; Job Charnock died on this day in 1692. I dedicate this post to that servant and administrator of the English East India Company, traditionally regarded as the founder of Calcutta (Kolkata).

AAL IZZ very much Well with '3 Idiots'!

'3 Idiots' rocks!


I loved '3 Idiots',
but more than that, I felt after reading the t2 review (with The Telegraph) of the movie that
the reviewer (Pratim D. Gupta) and I had watched two parallel films!
It was a delight to laugh and cry with a theater full of paying public,
who whistled in joy, and uttered loud cheers, not on account of star gazing,
or as a sign of boosting of some star worshipper's ego,
but for their involvement with the protagonists,
thanks to brilliantly conceived scenes, and the smart dialogues.
The Chetan Bhagat novel - to be very honest - didn't have anything filmable as per the staid Bollywood norms.
But Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani has executed the idea in an almost unrecognisable format with much of the filmy Bollywood conventions thrown in, but retaining much of the crisp of the essence the tale's essence.
The movie, infested with some of the finest performances ever, was a pure delight for me!

And finally, let me assert that I am publishing this post not to publicize the movie '3 Idiots' (it has already become a phenomenal success, and is playing in theaters all over) but to state how biased some of our reviewers are and they go ahead with opinionated trash instead of proper critical appraisals, and yet are proved wrong by the paying public! Had t2 published my original critique of the review I would not have bothered to post this. Let me thank my dear friends who convinced me to go ahead with this post, as they felt agitated by the 'Aal izz not well' & 'bhashanbaazi', 'gyaan' tags that tainted the review page of the publication mentioned earlier as it carried the disgustingly biased take on the film for reasons best known to the reviewer in question.

Right now, Aamir Khan and other members of the 3 Idiots team are RIGHT NOW in Kolkata, and there cannot be a greater cause for celebration for us Kolkatans as we usher in the new year after just a few more hours, hopeful for as engaging and better films in the years to come. Thank you, Aamir Khan, thank you for being at the helm of such adorable 'idiocy'! We love you!

2 Untimely Goodbyes

This is my tribute to the two stars who have had too sad & untimely demise this year.
This year has seen the biggest untimely demise, the passing away of Michael Jackson, the legend.
And while I, along with the whole world, still mourn for his demise, we are stunned by at least two other deaths - that of Stephen Gately, who passed away at the age of 33, in October,
and of Brittany Murphy, who died just the day before yesterday (Sunday, December 20), at the age of 32.
Both have had a body of work that endeared them to me, and millions like me.
Yet, both had a lot more to give.
One wishes that each of them had lived a full & creatively content life.
Here's saying a silent goodbye to them, as with a heavy heart I recall their work that I had been familiar to.
Brittany Murphy
[November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009]

I have been very fond of Brittany Murphy's portrayals
in films like 'Clueless', 'Girl, Interrupted', '8 Mile',
and 'Uptown Girls'.
I also remember seeing her in films like 'Don't Say a Word', 'Just Married', 'Little Black Book', 'Riding in Cars with Boys' and 'Just Married'.
She has been known for her singing too, apart from her wonderful roles in films.
I had last heard her as the voice of the sweet as well as fetching penguin, Gloria, in one of my most favorite animation films of all time, 'Happy Feet'.
.................................................................................

Stephen Gately
[17 March 1976 – 10 October 2009]

Stephen Gately, the Irish singer, shot to fame after becoming part of the pop-group Boyzone. He was one of the lead singers of the boy-band, the other being Ronan Keating. As Boyzone became a rage across the globe in the Nineties, Stephen's fan following just soared unbelievably. He released a successful solo album in 2000, after the group's initial breakup, which charted in the UK top ten and yielded three UK hit singles, including the top three hit "New Beginning". Gately went on to appear variously in successful stage productions and on television programmes as well as contributing further tracks to various projects. In 2008, he rejoined his colleagues as Boyzone reformed for a series of concerts and recordings.
Gately made his sexuality known in 1999 and later had the same-sex marriage with Andrew Cowles. Upon Boyzone's reformation, Gately featured as part of the first gay couple in a boyband's music video in what was to be his last music video with the band, for the song "Better".
My favorite song of Stephen's is "I believe" that featured in the soundtrack of the film 'Billy Elliott'. His vocals in the Boyzone numbers like "Key to my life", "A different beat" and "No matter what" will keep ringing in my ears, and I am sure millions of music-lovers would agree, forever.
.................................................................................
[Intentionally, I have omitted the details regarding the circumstances and actual reported facts regarding the aforementioned deaths. First, because this is just a personal tribute post, and also because the reports keep changing with investigation and/or fresh findings.]

Ani & Bonnie: Talking Tolly

Hello.... here's a bit of letting in....
for those who have been complaining that there hasn't been much of the friendly banter of late....
get into this candid conversation about films, what else, but actually trying to gain a perspective on the Bangla cinema exclusively.
For the uninitiated: Ani is what my friends call me (short for my first name, Anindo) and Bonnie is a dear friend (well a lot more than that, and that's all that you would get in the name of an intro for Bonnie) and a fellow film-buff, or a film junkie!
Ani: Hey, don't you think that things have been looking up for Bangla films of late? I felt surely lucky to get treated to such diverse yet engaging & watchable films this year as 'Antaheen', 'Jackpot', 'Madly Bangali' and, of course, 'Angshumaaner Chhobi' (the best Bangla film of 2009 according to me)...
Bonnie: I cannot sound so optimistic, dear! Though the year began good with 'Antaheen', 'Jackpot', 'Cross Connection' & 'Madly Bangali', most of the films seen later were duds! Only 'Angshumaaner Chhobi' being the exceptionally good offering later in the year.

Ani: Well, the Bangla films do suffer from qualitative mediocrity because of a lot of things, though there is no dearth of talent here in Tollygunge.
Bonnie: The compulsions that the makers are often subjected to are too weirdly traditional.

Ani: What do you mean exactly?
Bonnie: The weird wondrous traditions? Oh there are a plenty, for instance take Prosenjit considered the numero uno in Tollygunge, as if he is the next best thing after the rosogollas of Bengal..... everybody goes gaga now that he backs up supposedly substantial films after having clenched his teeth and flexed his muscles, mostly the facial ones, in umpteen trashy potboilers.
Ani: This year I am sure you saw him in 'Houseful', what you would call a pseudo art-house flick. Prosenjit did deliver what was asked of him. No?
Bonnie: Well, he did.... but wasn't that expected? However, I fell asleep watching that indulgent director Bappaditya Banerjee torturing us, as he would like to torture his critics, with such a boring film!

Ani: I was lucky to see Prosenjit in a gem of a performance in a Buddhadev Dasgupta film, that I saw on home video this year, it's called 'Swapner Din'. Seen it?
Bonnie: Ya, some time back it was released in select theaters during the Pujas. Prosenjit was good in it. I am not saying he is a bad actor, I never said that - he was fantastic in 'Utsab', 'Chokher Baali', 'Dosar' and 'Khela' too, all Rituparno films - don't forget that link..... ha ha ha...
Ani: Did u see some of the new-age films of the year, like 'Bishh' and 'Risk'? I missed seeing both.
Bonnie: I was not so lucky! I found 'Bishh' engaging, but it hardly makes the cut as a decent watch. And the less said about Riingo's 'Risk' is better; it is so moronic on a technically competent director's part to rip-off a Hollywood thriller like 'Cellular'!

Ani: Okay, got your point.... but originality is hardly valued in Bangla films these days. Look at the double successes that Raj Chakraborty had with his 'Challenge' and 'Prem Aamaar', both of which I saw in theaters and saw the mass-connect that is enjoyed by Raj. I might not have approved of the content, but I had to say that this is a director with panache, after all the controversy over a silly song from 'Challenge' (Bhajo gourango....) and the way he gave his sound-bytes on umpteen television channels on the same....
Bonnie: How a young, energetic director like Raj makes silly potboilers is not hard to guess.... it is the lure of the lucre, boss..... but what beats me is that guy's emulation of Subhash Ghai in being in front of the camera in every movie of his! Well, he is at least better looking that Mr Ghai.
Ani: Both Raj & Subhash Ghai had one thing in common, a big fat ambition to be a hero in films.... hence the cameos. But on another note, what do you think of the first Bangla blockbuster that had the gloss thanks to 'digital intermedite' technology? I am talking about 'Dujone'....
Bonnie: Did you see it?
Ani: No, I could not....
Bonnie: It is absolute rubbish. Dev has his limitations as a hero, if you ask me.

Ani: But isn't he the next big thing in Tollygunge after Prosenjit & Jeet?
Bonnie: If you had seen Jeet in this year's 'Saat Paake Baandha' and 'Neel Aakasher Chandni', you would know why Dev still has a long way to go as far as acting is concerned.
Ani: You seem to have a personal bias for Jeet, eh? I am yet to see the two Jeet hits of the year, will surely try to catch them on home videos later.
Bonnie: Well, you may say that I am partial to Jeet. That guy surely worked his way up, and has been able to maintain a stable position as far as commercial viability is concerned. And the Jeet-Koel pairing is truly good. The films would have done much better had it not been for the 'Paran Jaaye Joliya Re' craze that was fanned by the fact that the filmmakers got sued (ashamedly, a first for Bangla films!) for having copied 'Namaste London'.

Ani: Okay, now tell me which was the worst Bangla film seen by you this year?
Bonnie: Cannot name just one, dear. There are so many of them..... as I get to see a lot more of those meaningless, formulaic films than you... the films with those silly imports from Mumbai (be they B, C or Z grade starlets, we have such a fetish for them it seems!), the sillier stunts, and stupidly lifted plotlines.... the majority of the Bangla films are a mess, STILL!!!!! The worst I have seen this year, or should I term it the most gruesome torture of the year that one could be subjected to, was 'Phire Pete Chaai' starring Vivek Trivedi & Arpita Mukherjee. However, there's this one film that I would like to make a mention of which I was heartbroken to see... and that's 'Hitlist' by Sandip Ray, I must have expected a lot more from such a fine filmmaker. It seems he made the mumbo-jumbo pulpy saga having been completely clueless about what he was doing; it left me with a 'neither here - nor there' feel.
Ani: I know what you mean. I too was disappointed by 'Hitlist'. Sandip Ray is a very good filmmaker on his own, and one need not always compare his work with that of his father, Satyajit Ray - the maestro, the legend. I think he needs to be backed by credible producers who can help him realise his creative vision.
Bonnie: That's a far cry, 'cause Tollygunge is always dependent on the non-Bengali 'moneybags', that's as deplorable a tradition as the trend to refer to our film industry by the name of Tollywood, a christening in poor taste!
Ani: That reminds me of the worst Bangla film that I happened to see just a few days back, on VCD..... it's 'Trishna', a Bangla version of the steamy flick 'Jism' (which itself was 'inspired' by a Hollywood product) and it gave me nightmares.....
Bonnie: Yuck! How could you sit through it? It had made me cringe, I remember.

Ani: I had known about it being universally panned.... but could not resist the temptation of seeing Rituparna do the dare-bare routine. Ha ha ha... Well, it definitely has some shock value. Before I end the chat, I would like to say something positive. I just remembered seeing a film that was not exactly in the A-plus league but is worth a watch... it was the pleasant surprise of the year for me, I am referring to the film 'Kaaler Raakhaal'.
Bonnie: I missed out on that? How was Parambrata in it?

Ani: Parambrata was excellent, and so was Rudraneel. I thought that the film by Shekhar Das would be a propagandist bore, but it is eminently watchable, a fine story, fine musical score, and some fine performances.
Bonnie: By the way, I hated Rituparno's 'Sab Charitro Kaalponik', with Bipasha Basu, Prosenjit and Jisshu in the cast. And judging by your review of that movie (in mouthshut.com) it is evident that you did not approve much of it either. Though I think that the whole execution was wrong. The dubbing of Bipasha's voice by Sohini definitely takes the cake for drowning it completely.

Ani: I agree. I am anxious to see 'Kaalbela' which I missed seeing when it released....
Bonnie: Goutam Ghose's 'Kaalbela' was good enough, but it again had a lot more to chew because of the extensive serialsed version that was originally planned for television and was heavily edited for the big-screen release. Paoli Daam is here to stay though, she is a brilliant actress.

Ani: What are the things you are looking forward to in the coming year, as far as Bangla films are concerned?
Bonnie: I am greedy. I am hopeful. I hope for the best. But I am also a bit cynical, when I say that it is really hard to make things change for the better in Bangla films. I am hopeful to see a lot more fresh talents both on and off screen. And the big-ticket release that I am waiting for is Aparna Sen's 'Iti Mrinalini'.

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[Pics, from top: stills from 'Jackpot', 'Antaheen', 'Houseful', 'Hitlist', 'Challenge', 'Bishh', 'Trishna', 'Kaaler Raakhaal' and 'Sab Charitro Kalponik'; and the promising actress Paoli Dam; and, a scene from the film 'Madly Bangali'.
Pics courtesy: Google images]

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.