Saturday, November 22, 2008

Jaane Kahaan ... gaye ... woh din ...

Just finished watching Kaagaz Ke Phool a short while back. Such a brilliant masterpiece! Finally - a film that has made me really really sad inside. Getting this feeling after a long time. And there is no point in hiding the fact that I might even have shed a tear or two had I been alone at home.

Well, this film got me into thinking quite a bit. Well, actually, a lot about the film and the way the film industry works, but besides that a few other things as well.

Just look at our country and the kind of craze the Indians develop over this current generation of mortals working in the film industry (and I'll strictly stick to Bollywood as that's my area of expertise).

They go mad over some really untalented actors just because they have good bodies. The actresses today are really awful, but even they are projected as being extremely talented and beautiful.

They go mad over some really horrible music directors and singers. And there are no such things as lyricists, directors and scipt-writers remaining in today's era.

Yet, this country completely adores this current batch of stars (both super and not-so-super).

There are a few people who are making outstanding cinema these days, but that's a very small percentage; and they are the sort of film-makers or actors who have a cult following.

Feels so sad when we think of Bollywood's past. To think that once upon a time, it was ruled by stars like Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Guru Dutt, Dharmendra, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan(of the 70s, not later). There were other famous actors who unfortunately were not HUGE names - Rajendra 'Jubilee' Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Joy Mukherjee, Rajkumar, Sunil Dutt, V.Shantaram, Jeetendra, Vinod Khanna, Sachin, Mithun Chakraborthy, Shatrughan Sinha, Raj Babbar, Navin Nischal, Biswajeet, Farooque Shaikh, Naseerudinn Shah, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff. We had some of the finest actors ever to embrace the screen - Ashok Kumar and Balraj Sahni.

Let's have a look at the actresses - Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Nutan, Vyjanthimala, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Sadhana, Suchitra Sen, Geeta Bali, Mumtaz, Hema Malini, Raakhee, Jaya Bhaduri, Sharmila Tagore, Juhi Chawla, Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, Dipti Naval, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Ranjeeta, Padmini Kolhapuri, Poonam Dhillon, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Reena Roy. We had probably the best ever (and best there ever will be) 'item girl' - Helen.

And the comedians - ah, now there were people who could make us laugh at any situation and most of the times, with their mere presence itself - Johny Walker, Mehmood, Mukhri, I.S.Johar, Dhumal, Mohan Choti, Ram Avtaar, Deven Verma, Tun Tun, Rajendranath, Kishore Kumar, Keshto Mukherjee, Asit Sen, Utpal Dutt, Jagdeep, Amol Palekar, Asrani, Bhagwan Dada, Om Prakash, Rakesh Bedi, Satish Shah, Ravi Baswani.

And last but not the least - one can never forget the immortal character actors in their stereotypical roles - Iftekhar, Pran, Prem Nath, Prem Chopra, Ranjeet, Ajit, Nazir Hussain, Abhi Bhattacharya, K.N.Singh, O.P.Ralhan (and he was a very good director too!), Nirupa Roy, Sulochna, Duga Khote, Shobha Khote, Lalita Powar, Kamini Kaushal, Shree Ram Lagoo, Madan Puri, Rehman, A.K.Hangal, Jagadish Raj, Shetty, D.K.Sapru, Manmohan, Pichhu Kapoor, Motilal, Kishore Sahu, Shivraj, Jalal Agha, Tarun Bose, Ramesh Deo, Danny Denzongpa, Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Dulaari, Bindu, Manmohan Krishna, Satyen Kappu, Dina Pathak, Pearl Padamsee, Leela Chitnis, Leela Mishra, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajan Haksar, Nana Palsikar, Macmohan, Sujit Kumar, Aroona Irani, Kader Khan, David, Jeevan, Paintal, Sunder, Birbal, Ambreesh Puri, Satish Kaushik, Annu Kapoor, Pankaj Kapoor, Om Puri, Rakesh Bedi, K.K.Raina, Alok Nath, Shakti Kapoor, Asha Sachdev and scores of others who I just can't seem to remember while typing this post now.

Seriously, is there anyone today who can match up with any of these names mentioned. I wish Bollywood just stops making new films and starts releasing all these old movies. That way atleast the current generation will get a feel as to who the real stars are and how stupid they have all been to encourage the current directors, music directors and actors/actresses in whatever they are doing.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Pakeezah Effect

There has been a lot of talk about The Dark Knight and how great a movie it is; so much so that it even occupied #1 position in IMDB's Top 250 List for a pretty long time and Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker began to be considered one of the finest ever in the history of cinema.

Well now let me put it straight. The Dark Knight is no way one of the greatest films of all-time. It does not even deserve to be in the Top 250 List, let alone Top 10. And yeah, Heath Ledger was good ... no, he was very good, but honestly, one of the best ever? Get real.

I guess people should watch films from all decades to actually gauge what a great film really is. It is only when you've seen cinema emerge that you will be able to accurately distinguish a good film from a great one.

In my honest opinion, The Dark Knight comes nowhere close to Superman (1978), which as all critics too might admit, is probably still the best superhero film ever made.

Now, all this hype about the movie and one particular actor is not something that was unexpected. Nor is it something unseen before.

Indian movie buffs might remember a similar situation which took place in 1972. The year Pakeezah was released. The year it was declared a huge box-office success. The year fans fell in love with the film as well as lead character. The year a classic was born. Also the year Meena Kumari passed away. Just a few weeks before the release of the film.

Now, anybody who has seen Pakeezah will say that it was a very well-made film - beautifully shot, some amazing performances, soulful music, eye-pleasing dances and some of the best dialogues ever written and heard-of. But calling Pakeezah one of the best films of all time, so much so that it features on almost any worldwide list of Best Films of All Time? I mean, I know it is a FANTASTIC movie, but surely there must be atleast 300 films from across the world that must be better than it!

So what, you may ask, is the reason for films like Pakeezah and The Dark Knight creating such a rage with audiences? Sympathy.

I think whenever audiences across the world have watched these films, they've always had it in the back of their minds that the lead actors in these films are no more and that this was their last movie ever. I tend to think of it as The Pakeezah Effect (The Meena Kumari Effect should be a more appropriate term though, but I'm just used to saying it the other way). I'm sure if people had watched these films unknowingly, they would come out of the theatres saying - "Hey, you know what, I just saw a very nice film. Would recommend you to watch it", instead of "Hey, you know what, I just saw the best film ever made! You must be mad for not having seen it yet!!!???"

Thursday, May 15, 2008

What a wonderful film!*sigh*

Last week I had a wonderful 2 hours odd when I got to see It’s A Wonderful Life for the first time. I’ve seen it twice after that, and am going to watch it for the fourth time again tomorrow.

I’ve spoken about the old MGM Musicals and about some ‘perfect’ movies (Casablanca and The Apartment). Well, they are marvelous indeed, but I’m still going to place It’s A Wonderful Life on a different league altogether.

My IMDB account shows 1022 titles I’ve voted for (as of May 15th 2008), and I can confidently say It’s A Wonderful Life is all my all-time favourite movie, and I don’t really see any other movie taking it’s spot.

A perfect movie, just like scores of others, It’s A Wonderful Life has just about everything right – the acting, the music, the story and screenplay, the make-up, the cinematography and Frank Capra’s subtle touches and attention to detail is well, simply put, quite wonderful.

Now I’m not going to give the plot away and this is the first review I’m ever writing, so please forgive me if you find this post boring (just as you would find my other ones).

Released in 1946, this film very well stands the test of time. Often you come across magnificent movies, but movies that carry a message and touch your soul are the ones that really deserve a mention. Seeing some tough guys mellow down and not afraid to shed a tear or two in front of others, I think this movie has the potential to connect with just about everybody in this planet.

Now don’t get me wrong, this movie is not depressing, nor does it end as a tragedy. And that makes the ending more special, because when you actually get emotional, get goose bumps all over and get teary all over on a joyous moment, you know you’ve honestly enjoyed the movie.

If I were to speak about the various departments of this movie, I really wouldn’t know where to begin. Just about everything in this movie is flawless.

The dialogues and the screenplay is just so perfect, you’ll definitely realize it later in the movie. Just about every line spoken or every action in this movie is there for a purpose. Nothing is just fitted in to add a few minutes into the movie.

Donna Reed is so fantastic you’ll find it hard to believe it’s her first film. And James Stewart! Well, James Stewart, as usual, proves why he’s such an iconic figure, as he once again carries the entire film on his shoulders. Seriously, even if everything in this movie were to go wrong, you would still love it as you would find good ol’ Jimmy in almost every frame. Thankfully, nothing goes wrong though.

There are several characters in this film, but each character is so well written, you can imagine how hard Frank Capra and the other writers have worked for this film. Even the four children, who hardly have a minute individually, stand out.

The costumes for Stewart (even though they are the usual costumes of the 40s – the hat, the coat, the formals) and the make-up are so incredible you’ll actually believe you have seen Jimmy grow 8 years in the film, from a young guy to a working man and finally as a married man with four children.

Even the way in Capra narrates the film in flashback deserves mention, demonstrating in what unique a manner the flashback technique can be used; a style none of us could have imagined. The ‘alternate world’ makes you wonder as to how essential detailing really is to a film.

One of those rare movies, which gets better on repeated viewings, It’s A Wonderful Life stands out in it’s ability to offer you something new each time you see it.

Well, to put it simply, along with To Kill A Mockingbird, this film is probably THE most important and influential films ever made. A film everyone deserves to see, and quite 'frankly', a film everyone SHOULD see!

Watch this movie and you’ll never love life the way you have loved it hitherto. Nobody’s life can be perfectly smooth and without any troubles, but what is the single most important thing you really have? What is the single most important thing you should never try to get rid off? What is the single most important thing you should be thankful for? What is the single most important thing never to be taken for granted in life? The answer is very evident once you’ve watched this movie.

A feel-good movie, It’s A Wonderful Life is just as wonderful as it gets. Watch the movie when you are in a good mood, watch the movie when there are festivities all around and I must say this – PLEASE watch this movie especially when you are depressed.

Watch this movie and you’ll realize you’ve led a more wonderful life than you think.

Friday, April 18, 2008

That's Entertainment!!!

As I am posting on this blog, I am also watching the opening ceremony of IPL, something I was looking forward to right from the second I woke up today morning. However, I could never involve myself completely into IPL. My mind's still thinking about this special I saw on TCM today afternoon, That's Entertainment! III.

The film contained scenes from various MGM musicals, right from Hollywood Revue (1929) to Gigi (1958). Ah! The Golden Age of Hollywood.

These Musicals are just incomparable. I have never seen such lavish sets, such wonderful screenplays, such dazzling costumes, such memorable music, such fabolous dances and such perfect performances, all combined into one single package. This is what these musicals were all about. Every new film made just had to be better than the previous. That only means MGM improved perfection and set a new benchmark for the word each time.

One major feature these Musicals carried was they gave the viewers' a power of imagination which no film of today can. They didn't need major visual effects to place the audience in their fictional world, pretty much like Broadway (ooh, how I would love to watch musicals on Broadway too!).

And the colours!!! They immediately transport you into their universe. You watch the movie like a small child would watch a magician - not able to believe what has been happening, and very keen to know what magic appears in front of it's eyes in the next few minutes.

Infact, it is the musicals itself which contain the best moments of cinema. It is often agreed that Gene Kelly 'dancin' in the rain' is probably the single greatest moment in cinema. And who can forget Fred Astaire tap dancing and producing music only by his shoes and drums, Gene Kelly doing a similar act - providing music only by using a wooden floor and a newspaper, and one more moment of him dancing with Jerry the mouse.

By watching the documentary today, I also had a chance to truly appreciate the musicals as it contained the making of several songs, especially Lady Be Good, where Eleanor Powell's dance steps were captured quite innovatively for us, the audience.

There is no flaw in MGM's famous line; they really did have more stars in their studio than there are on the sky!

I consider myself a very lucky person as installing DishTV was one of the best things that could happen to my film-watching experience. I have now seen almost a hundred of such musicals and I think even if I don't watch any new film from now on, I'll die a content man.

I consider myself a very unlucky person as well. I wish I was there in the USA, during the Golden Age. I would give anything to watch those movies in the theatres back then when they were just released. Even now, if it all I had a time machine and I had just two places to go, one would be my childhood dreams of going back to the Jurassic era (just for a few hours though) and the other would ofcourse be America in the mid 20s. I would never want to come back till 1965 I think.

So far I have not written much about the movies and the music and the stars of the old MGM musicals. I don't think I will ever be able to write anything about them. They always leave me dazed, leaving me with no words to describe them.

Gene Kelly, in this documentary, rightfully said we'll never be able to see such wonderful cinema again, but thankfully we'll always memories and 'miles and miles of film'.

In the words of Irving Berlin, "The song has ended, but the melody lingers on."

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Simple is beautiful

Last holidays (between my 7th and 8th semesters), I had the time of my life watching all-time classics, be it Hindi or English. Two of the movies I saw which inspired me to write this post were Hum Dono and Asli Naqli.

Now I'm sure everyone in the world absolutely adore Sadhana, for her looks and her acting ability. Well, Sadhana had a very different look in these two films, as most might be aware of. She is well-known for her Sadhana cut, a hairstyle popularised by her in India. Every female I know who wants to look glamorous without shedding their clothes, tend to follow that particular styling. In fact in the 1960s, ladies used to send their tailors to the theatres to watch Sadhana's movies, just so that they could replicate the same designs on them! That is something unheard of today!

But there was no Sadhana cut in these two movies mentioned and you know what, I never knew how gorgeous Sadhana really could be until I saw them. The reason - she appears in a very simple avatar; clad in a sari, hair nicely oiled back and a voice so innocent you instantly fall in love with her. Sadhana, known for being glamarous, had a knack of stealing every male's heart, but this time you would actually want her to meet your parents and you meet her's.

I am really grateful to Sadhana for making me realise for the first time in my life that simplicity is perhaps the finest look any female can carry. Now I just hope the actresses and directors of today realise that. The world will be a more beautiful place then.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Badnaam Baadshah?

Ah,a quiz show on Bollywood! That should be interesting! That's what I thought when the promos of Bollywood Ka Boss started on TV many months back. Being an ardent fan of Bollywood, I obviously sent an sms to the required number immediately, as were the instructions for participating in the show. I was very excited.
The procedure for participating in the show was simple. After sending the sms, we would be called for a written round and the winners of that would qualify for the TV round.

Months passed by. It was late December and the trailers of BKB were back on; this time saying that the TV rounds would start on Jan 9th or something. I was shocked. How could they possibly finish the written round and subsequent activities in less than a week? I visited their website and was in for a shock. The written rounds were over a long time back and a fixed number of candidates were selected for the TV round.

Now on what basis was I not called for the first round, I wondered. I checked up the rules and it only said that any Indian above the age of 18 is eligible. I'm Indian and I'm 21. So surely there was no reason for not calling me. And not only me, it happened with a friend of mine too.
This means that there is no sort of fair means of choosing contestants. I'm sure this show is all fake, with contestants chosen by the TV crew itself. Come on, otherwise why would they not call any regular guy then?

Despite my hatred for the show even before it started, I watched it. It has a good format and a good host. But it lacks the most essential thing in a quiz show - GOOD QUESTIONS!!! Oh man, the questions are so simple! Extremely silly questions, 99% of them cover the 90s and 2000s only (the two decades with the least number of path-breaking films after the 80s). Any good Hindi film-buff can answer them when asked in deep sleep as well. It's so sad to see a show completely on Bollywood, on television for millions of viewers, neglect the golden decades of the 50s,60s and the 70s. Well, they do ask questions from the 70s and 80s sometimes, but even they are so simple, most of them coming from films like Deewar, Qurbani which everyone must have seen over a dozen times.

And those foolish contestants end up getting more than 3 or 4 questions worng every episode (most of them from the remaining 1% comprising questions from old movies)!

You know, it's times like these that make me want to sue Sahara Filmy for not allowing me to lay hands of lakhs and lakhs of rupees even before the auditions for the show began!

Damn cheats!!!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The inspiration to start this blog

About a month back, I was keenly watching the Star Screen Awards on TV. Everything seemed to be going fine - the awards were fair (until that turning point in the show which has inspired me to express my film views openly to the whole world), Sajid Khan,the anchor, was as usual doing a great job. Then came the Award for Best Screenplay. I was frustrated when this particular movie was even nominated, and I assumed it was only because of the lack of any other better one to fill up the five slots of the nominees (now to always have a fixed number of nominees can be an entirely separate topic itself). But when it won, I was furious! I started pulling my hair, banging the dining table, shouting and what not. I infact, stopped seeing the awards ceremony after that point. The movie in question was Life In A Metro. This movie is a complete rip-off of one of the most popular and acclaimed movies of all-time, The Apartment. There are many storylines in Metro, but the fact is the essence and the real charm (if I can use this word) of the movie was the love triangle between Sharmaan, Kangana and Kay Kay (all other stories were based on this storyline), which is blatantly derived from the extremely wonderful, and a 'perfect' movie,which has mulitiple Oscars to it's credit.

Now, shouldn't the jury have known that? I always thought the jury would be well-versed with the classics, movies which every person who loves movies should have seen before they can have the odacity to go judge the works of others. That decision was probably, one of the most terrible decisions I have ever seen, and I'm not talking of just film award decisions. Giving awards for acting or music is fine when the movie is a remake, but writers, producers and directors should never be encouraged. And of all the awards the film won, it had to win for screenplay!

And the director Anurag Basu, who became famous with a superhit which was also a remake of a Hollywood movie (Murder -> Unfaithful), has the nerves to say this after winning, "Thank you for the award. It only means I have to write a better screenplay next time".

Now what does he mean by that? Is he thinking of remaking Casablanca next? And he's judging young film-makers in Gateway To Hollywood. God bless Hollywood now!

Well, Anurag Basu has definitely shown that he may be wonderful in copying others' painfully thought of, extremely well-written, straight-from-the-heart scripts, but he has also shown that he is a man with no shame and respect. This man (if I can call him that) is one hack and deserves no recognition from anybody. He just does not have any conscience at all!

Mr. Rajeev Masand (shouldn't he know of the existence of this AFI Top 100 movie?) praises Metro even on a New Year's Special on TV, and you know it's time to change the way you choose film critics and jury members!