hindi-cinema-blog

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VENICE FILM FESTIVAL honours Shekhar Kapur

Shekhar Kapur will be presiding over the 2012 Venice Film Festival's Lion of the Future "Luigi di Laurentiis" award, which will be granted to a debut film. He will be selecting the awarded film alongside Isabella Ferrari, Matt Reeves and Michel Demopoulos from the film fraternity and Bob Sinclar from the music world. Other personalities participating in the Biennale's jury for other sections include Laetitia Casta, Pablo Trapero (The Secret in their Eyes), Ari Folman (Waltz with Bashir), and Michael Mann, among others. The jury shall select only one among all the debut feature-length films competing throughout the various sections of the Venice Film Festival (Official Selection and Independent Parallel Sections) to be awarded. The winner will be announced once the festival starts on August 29th. 

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THE DEWARISTS BRONZE AT CANNES LIONS!

  The novel music series THE DEWARISTS by Only Much Louder Entertainment and Babblefish has made Indians proud by being awarded the Bronze Lion at the Cannes 59th International Festival of Creativity for Best non-fiction program, series or film where a client has successfully created a reality, documentary or light entertainment show around a product(s) or brand(s).

"Dewarists" has become a new term to designate those people who believe in passion and things worth doing. "What better language to convey that passion than music, so some things are worth doing", may have thought the young team behind such a successful programme showcasing the best of Indian contemporary music and featuring some of its finest performers, from the cinema world an outside of it.

As Season 1 has already conquered audiences here in India and abroad, we are eagerly awaiting season 2, its renewed passion, new destinations and sounds.

Watch Season 1 of The Dewarists on Youtube

Visit The Dewarists official website

Follow The Dewarists on Facebook

THE DEWARISTS (TV series)

Direction: Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy with Fred & Nick

Starring: Imogen Heap, Vishal-Shekhar, Shantanu Moitra, Swanand Kirire, Karsh Kale, Midival Punditz, Zeb and Haniya, Shantanu Moitra, Swanand Kirkire, Indian Ocean, Mohit Chauhan, Parikrama, Agnee, Shilpa Rao, Shri, Monica Dogra, Rajasthan Roots, Papon, Rabbi Shergill, Shubha Mudgal, Swarathma, Baiju Dharmajan,  Raghu Dixit and Rewben Mashangva

Theme song: Raghu Dixit

Season episodes: 10

Production: Babble Fish Productions, Only Much Louder

TV Channel: STAR WORLD India

Season 1 run: October 16, 2011 – December 21, 2011

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TERI MERI KAHAANI Review

Guest post by Amer Shoib from The Cinema Journal

Amer Shoib has been a huge fan of cinema from childhood and has always been a huge Amitabh Bachchan fan. Amer works in London and has made his dream of becoming a part time entertainment correspondent come true. As such, Amer has interviewed some of the biggest figures in entertainment, the media and major celebrities and is an avid cinema watcher and reviewer.

   The trailers of Kunal Kohli's Teri Meri Kahaani made us all think that the film was a reincarnation drama. Seeing the three different looks of the lead pair Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra over three different eras, there were speculations that the film might have the lead pair reborn again and again. However, "Teri Meri Kahani is not a reincarnation film. It's a love story of three different pairs spread over three generations". Can Kunal Kohli strike gold with this hatke love story?

Can we truly luv one person throughout our life and hope that fate makes us meet with the same person in every life of ours? 

The story of the film takes us through a journey of eternal love between a couple who have vowed to love each other not only in this life but in every life to follow. Their love is so strong that destiny wants to bring them together. The story starts in 1969 Bombay with Govind and Ruksar, then moves ahead to present times, 2012 England with Radha and Krish and then goes back in time to Punjab, 1910 with Aradhana and Javed.

Can Javed and Aradhana still be together? Will Ruksar realize that Govind’s feelings for her were genuine? Will Krish be able to clear the misunderstandings?

Will true love prevail? Or will destiny takes it’s course?   

The music of the film is composed by Sajid – Wajid. Mukhtasar, has a fantastic tempo and rhythm matched with good lyrics. Allah Jaane, is a sweet track, The brightest song is, Humse Pyaar Kar Le., while other tracks like Jabse Mere DIl ko, and That’s I Really Wanna do are good but fail to make any impression. Teri Meri Kahaani's music is youthful and  Sajid- Wajid deliver another hit sound track. Timelines, boundaries seems to be a favourite recipe for Bollywood success in these few years. So why not even this one. Once again we have yet another romantic movie with power packed music to back it up. 

Kunal Kohli gives us a lovely youthful film , that is indeed very different from what we have seen in the past. The influence of Yash Chopra is plain to see. He has made a film that will appeal to all romantics out there. 

Performance wise as the film is set in three different time periods Shahid is playing three different roles in the film across eras and that is something that he has never done before. He is playing a strong Muslim character Javed which is a first for him. Then he has never enacted a cool trendy character from the current era in a manner as shown in the film, Also he enacts a retro character, getting into a 60s mode is not something that many actors of today's generation can boast of. All of this brings uniqueness to the film because whenever Shahid has done something different. He stands out in all three roles he has enacted, but the poetry speaking Javed stands out. Priyanka Chopra is not stretched as an actress in the three roles she plays in the film , but her chemistry is sizzling with Shahid.

A lovely romantic comedy that spans one hundred years and does really make you believe that true love can prevail. All you romantics are going to love it.

Verdict:3/5

Purchase the Teri Meri Kahaani soundtrack

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TERI MERI KAHAANI

Directed by Kunal Kohli Produced by Kunal Kohli Vicky Bahri Sunil Lulla Screenplay by Robin Bhatt Story by Kunal Kohli Starring Shahid Kapoor Priyanka Chopra Prachi Desai Music by Sajid-Wajid Cinematography Sunil Patel Editing by Amitabh Shukla Studio Eros International Distributed by Nadiawala Grandson Entertainment Release date

June 22, 2012

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GROW UP, BOLLYWOOD GIRLS!

Guest post by Dolce from the Dolce and Namak Talk Indian Movies blog

Dolce (Italian for “sweet”) is an Eastern European movie addict (Indian movies to be precise) who has made Toronto, Canada her home over the past few years. She has an endless infectious enthusiasm for movies, songs, settings, dances, badassness and everything else that makes Indian movies a world of their own. You may visit Dolce's blog by clicking here..

One of the biggest disadvantages of having a group of friends where everyone is 3-5 years younger than you is that you're always waiting for people to grow up. You keep making excuses for them and keep saying: they'll grow up when they get a real job, they'll grow up when they find a steady girlfriend/boyfriend, they'll grow up when they move out, etc. And there is some truth to that because that is usually how people learn responsibility and maturity. In fact, on the opposite end, the most telling sign that someone is refusing to grow up is that they will do anything (and I mean ANYthing) to not get a full-time job, or what we call a "real" job.

In a way, Bollywood is like these friends of mine: it keeps refusing to let its heroines (and heroes sometimes) grow up. In real life, if someone is responsible enough to keep a real job and live on their own, we also expect them to be emotionally mature. (Of course that expectation can backfire horribly, but that's for a different day to discuss.) But Bollywood, as I have discovered, doesn't like emotionally mature characters. It follows logically that they cannot have jobs (or if they do they're in the artistic realm), live on their own or make reasonable (read: mature) decisions. So... they don't.

I have already discussed in my blog that a fair percentage of the male characters have become manchildren (without actually getting to the bottom of why that is, but we might get there in this post), so it's only right to now discuss what type of female characters will suit these boys. Not surprisingly: girls! Not women. Girls. Sometimes (not very often, thankfully!) manic pixie dream girls and other times just girls in the process of growing up along with their hero. But girls nonetheless.

Look around at Bollywood movies from the past two decades: how many women can we count and how many girls? And of those women, how many are the heroine? Moreover, how many of those heroines end up with the hero? Three questions, each worth exploring in some detail.

By the way, as I was writing this I realized that this is a very a-typical post for me because I'm never big on women power. To me everyone is equal and no sex should be more equal than the other. But a few recent stinkers from Filmistan have made me a little fed up with all these cutesy bubbly teenage dream girls that Bollywood (and regional cinema) loves so dearly. And I realized that normal grown-up women have been a bit of a rarity lately. Hence my upcoming rant.

How many women and how many girls are there?

For a while there it seemed like Bollywood was going in the right direction with its female characters, providing some much needed relief from the whiny, spine-less love interests that populated the last decade of the millennium. And here mad brownie points go to Dil Chahta Hai for giving us not one but three female characters that despite being at different stages in their development shared one quality: they all had a level head on their shoulders. Then Southie remakes started happening. And Hollywood "inspirations". And then it all started going downhill again.

While it's understandable that a certain amount of innocence should go with the virginal ideal woman (according to Indian cinema anyway), it's incredible how often that degenerates into ditsiness and childlike behaviour. Even some of my favourite movies manage to slip into this cliche. I adored Dimple in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, but let's face it, mature is not the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe her. One of my favourite movies ever, Jab We Met, features another good example of innocence and airheaded-ness, despite a few well placed dialogues that manage to give Geet some depth. Her behaviour however is not exactly what we would expect from a grown woman. In another intriguing example Kaminey's Sweety is a strange mixture of determination and puerility.

And mind you these are the films that balanced it well and gave us some truly memorable, three-dimensional characters that I will always love. Most films out there either don't even try to give us a round character, or if they do, it reminds us of how we used to be at 15. This is, by the way, much much worse in regional cinema, which is probably why I'm so fed up with them.

Whether that innocence comes from having grown up in a warm family that has sheltered the girl from the evil world, or from simply being a carefree type of personality, the fact is it exists in far too many female character out there. And while I do understand the appeal of a sweet, wholesome, happy and (usually) virginal creature, there is something to be said in favour of a lady who has some knowledge of how the world turns. And who has some depth to her even if that means being manipulative or selfish. No? Too much? Ok, then at least a girl who has kissed a boy before and doesn't look like it's the most miraculous moment in her life when she kisses the hero. You see what I'm getting at here.

But evidently Bollywood does not agree because it keeps serving us these lovely wide-eyed caricatures of women who more often than not seem inspired by high school cheerleaders (or bookworms, depending on the story) rather than by real life women.

Of these Women, how many are the heroine?

This is a startling conclusion that I came to: a lot of times the female characters who seem real and who make mature decisions are not the main characters in Hindi films. Think of Jai's Swiss girlfriend in Love Aaj Kal. Think of Luv's ex in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. Think of Tanu's best friend in Tanu Weds Manu. Think of Ria in Monsoon Wedding. Or Raina in Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl. All these secondary characters behave like a normal grown-up woman would in front of a tough situation. They don't call mommy, they don't cling to the hero like ivy to an old house, they don't give up on life. They do what any adult does: deal with the problem. (Or in Tanu's case, they deal with their best friend's problem.)

So this is where it gets really confusing now. I used to look around at all the different kinds of fabulous women that I know and wonder: why is it so hard for scriptwriters in Bollywood to create a character that feels real? Normal women walk around us all the time, why is it so hard to transfer them to paper and then to screen? Why the need to go over the top with these unnaturally bubbly characters? Or worse, come up with flat characters whose sole purpose is to look pretty in a sari and possibly fuel the hero's transformation into a real man. Now understandably if we're talking about a movie like Dabangg or Dhoom 2, we won't take offense at the flatness of the female characters, the movie is, after all, not about them. But why can we not have grown-up women in rom-coms? In love stories? In dramas?

Because it turns out that they can be written. They do exist and they do make it to the screen. Just... not as the heroine.

And the more I think about it the more if feels like I figured it out. In Bollywood where the love story is such an important element, a character who is already developed doesn't have anywhere to go. The whole fun of watching a story that's been told before (which most of the times is exactly what you're watching) is seeing how the characters change. So unless there's some sort of growth (and the growing up kind seems to be the easiest to handle), there is no satisfaction at the end of the journey. Unless, of course, there's action and sparkles and dancing in which case we really don't care about the character development.

Then of course there's also the issue of the fountain of youth which Bollywood is still looking for. There's no telling when it will be found, but in the meantime we're getting some practice with the kinds of characters that a forever-young actress or actor will need to play (ie teenagers). Though credit where it's due, Bollywood actresses are doing a whole lot better than the actors in choosing age-appropriate roles.  

And finally: how many end up with the hero?

A few movies have managed to elevate these independent, strong women from the secondary character status to heroine or at least the "other" heroine. I'm thinking about Dev D.'s Paro, Ishqiya's Krishna, Chalo Dilli's Mihika, Delhi Belly's Menaka, Aaja Nachle's Dia, Luck by Chance's Sona and to a certain extent Riana in Ek Main aur Ekk Tu. All women who know what they want and don't rely on men to build their own happiness.

But strangely, of all these, Delhi Belly is the only one where there is a possibility she will end up with the main hero. In all the other ones they either are never meant to be a couple (as is the case with Chalo Dilli), or they just don't end up doing the "happily ever after" thing for whatever reason.

Actually, it's not for "whatever" reason. It's for a very obvious reason: the hero is not likely to make such a woman happy. Whether it's because he's too immature, or because he's too self-centered, or simply because... she's just not that into him. Puns aside, could we even picture them together? In most of these cases, not really. And not to say that it's imperative for a woman to be in a couple in order to be happy, but... it doesn't hurt either.

Strong women, it seems, don't belong with chocolate heroes. Maybe chocolate heroes wouldn't know how to handle them. The nervous boy who is in love for the first time and doesn't even know it would be crushed by a love interest who isn't herself a shivering fragile lily. So the grown-up women get sidelined and in come the girls who will be more than happy to stick around through thick and thin holding a man-child's hand. The one-eyed leading the blind...

(Of course there are a handful of films where the independent, strong-headed heroine does end up with the hero, but more often than not, their love story is not the main focus. I'm thinking of the adorable Well Done Abba, the intriguing Paa, and the brilliant Swades. Too few... too few.)

The conclusion here seems to be that in order for us to buy the hero and the heroine being happy ever after, we have to visualize that they will evolve together. If the female character is a woman and the male character is a boy, it doesn't ring true to picture them still together in 20 years, which is really what we should think at the end of a good love-story. On the other hand if neither of them has to wait around for the other to grow up, and they're in it together, it's easier to believe that they will make it.

The bottom line...

Bollywood certainly has a firm grasp on this one concept: there is nothing more intense, more romantic and more adorable to watch than two people falling in love for the first time. In fact, because this first-love magic usually happens to us when we're teenagers, Hindi films have gone as far as routinely selling us characters in their mid-twenties who act like teenagers in the turmoils of their first love story (and no, it's not just the female characters, it's both sexes).

But here's something that Bollywood apparently has yet to discover: grown-ups fall in love too. And it can make for some pretty cool stories.

It's not that girls are not fun to watch, don't get me wrong, I love my bubbly energy balls just as much as I love my man-children, but I do find that the stereotype has gone a little too far in recent years. I'm ok with being given a girl instead of a woman, but give me a well-rounded one (and I don't mean just physically in case you were getting ready with a pun here), give me one I can picture surviving in real life. I know... I know... Bollywood is not meant to be realistic. But I find that it's doing a great job with the male characters in that department, so why not with the ladies as well?

Maybe when mainstream Bollywood finally discovers adults we'll be treated to some real women, who act like they're firmly in their twenties or thirties. Or fifties. Who think for themselves and know what they want. Who make the right decision for themselves, not for mommy and daddy, not for the boyfriend or for anyone else. And who don't end up alone.

Until then we'll have to make do with girls who assert their independence through teenage rebellion acts such as *gasp* smoking, drinking and driving a scooter at high speed. In traffic. Whoa.

PS: This post was brought to you by Adam's Rib, a Totally Filmi initiative, made possible by the generous support of Bloggistan. For more women power (and for less cynicism than what I just served you) keep an eye on her blog for links to all the participating posts. I promise after I'm done celebrating the male power of Ali Zafar in London Paris New York, I will sit down and write a nice happy post about the ladies of Indian Cinema.

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NICOLE KIDMAN's "GRACE OF MONACO" co-financed by YRF

Talk about the South of France and Cannes may be a hot topic at the moment due to the worldwide known Cannes festival 2012 but our attention was recently diverted by the news that the South of France will also be the "point of departure" for Nicole Kidman's Grace of Monaco. What does this have to do with Hindi cinema, a reader may ask. YRF Entertainment, a subsidiary of  Yash Raj Films studios in India is a company that focuses on the production of English language films abroad. The company will be participating in Kidman's endeavour in the executive production, script writing and financing/production departments. YRF Entertainment's CEO, Uday Chopra, has met with producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam (ex co-founder of Europacorp and known for global films such as Colombiana) to organize the financial production of Grace of Monaco, which will be directed by Olivier Dahan (well known in France for La Vie En Rose starring Marion Cotillard). Films having a mix of Indian and foreign crew and cast include Oscar nominated movies by Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth and sequel Elizabeth : The Golden Age) or films such as Karma: Crime, Passion, Reincarnation. We are looking forward to see the successful collaboration of entertainment professionals from France, India and the USA in Dahan's film, which retraces the political life of Grace Kelly.

Keep updated about Grace of Monaco at IMDb

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Climb on the ROWDY RATHORE Musical Ride

Taking the risk of sounding snobbish or of disappointing some readers, I have to own up to the fact that Sajid-Wajid have seldom been my favorite soundtrack composers. I acknowledge that they are talented and I do believe they have their moments of brilliance but I have sadly never been 100% captivated by a full album of theirs and have always thought that creating a high quality masala soundtrack is a titanic task. The Rowdy Rathore soundtrack however has the merit of having definitely caught my attention and I therefore could not ignore the opportunity of writing something positive about the composers. What follows is a brief account of each track and our recommendations.

'Dhadang Dhang' sets the tone with a powerful and fun groove sung by Wajid and Shreya Goshal. Both the melody, rendition and singing styles transport us to the 1990s and its masala sound. We think the song will be doing the rounds of radio stations and have people humming "dhadang dhang" day in day out.

 'Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita' is another more modern sounding masala track with the characteristic Mika Singh style sticking the repetitive tune in our memory, occasional bansari and all.

"Rowdy" is the proper adjective for 'Aa Re Pritam Pyaare' and the combination of Mamta Sharma's voice with a fast paced background filled with percussions and creative arrangements where there are just the right amount of instrument and rhythm layers to give the listener the impression of rich sound without overwhelming.

The 1990s are clearly paid homage to in 'Chamak Challo Chel Chabeli' which could have been taking right out of one of that decade's film hits. It is an absolute delight to listen to Shreya Ghoshal paired with  Kumar Sanu. How this blogger wishes to listen to him more often in new soundtracks! 

The homage continues in full fledged fashion through 'Tera Ishq Bada Teekha' with a lovey performance in 90s style by Javed Ali and Shreya Ghoshal. Yes, I am a Shreya Ghoshal admirer but I have to say I am still to find a performance by her where I find true flaws. 'Chandaniya (Lori Lori)' has a quiet charm that could only be enhanced by Shreya's voice.

Akshay Kumar provides thunderous dialogues for the final 'Rowdy Mix', which brings us back to 2012. The Mix provides the nightclub sound that will promote the film throughout India's young hangouts and should possibly be given a "music video" picturization. 

All in all, the Rowdy Rathore soundtrack pledges full allegiance to the 1990s sound in Bollywood and should be enjoyed by all those who enjoy that masala 90s vibe!

Purchase the Rowdy Rathore soundtrack

ROWDY RATHORE

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha Director: Prabhudeva Music Director: Sajid-Wajid Lyricist: Faiz Anwar, Sameer Anjaan, Shiraz Ahmed, Sajid 

Singers: Mika Singh, Wajid, Shreya Goshal, Javed Ali, Kumar Sanu, Mamta Sharma

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Aamir Khan’s SATYAMEV JAYATE: A Show with a Heart

This Sunday, the Hindi Cinema Blog enjoyed an hour and a half in excellent company. The actor turned TV show-host, Aamir Khan and his guests, graced the household with Khan’s “most ambitious project to date”, television show Satyamev Jayate.

Expectation at Star Plus TV was at its highest as the first episode countdown began since last evening. A permanent announcement being made at the top left-hand corner of their broadcast let India know how many hours, minutes and seconds were left for the final take off. 

Let us imagine… Do you recall Deejay (Rang de Basanti), the rebel who increasingly became aware of his country and wished he could become its voice and touch its people enough to create change from within? How about Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Taare Zameen Par), who wanted each child’s voice to be heard and nurtured? The picture would not be complete without the immensely popular and endearing Rancho (3 Idiots), the inspiring intelligent innocence who moves lives and whom we can all relate to because that is what we each aspire to become. Our imagination can see that all of these characters had a common denominator apart from their will to make the world, or at least India, a better place. That common denominator is Aamir Khan. Things seem to come full circle with Satyamev Jayate.

After many questions from the media and the audience related to what his show’s content would be, the result is an eclectic, pacy, touching and profoundly Indian talk show. A few elements of Satyamev Jayate may have been perceived in USA based talk shows, especially those catering to minorities (early 90s “Cristina” shows, for example) in terms of creating awareness regarding a certain issue or the emotional degree of the content being presented. Aamir Khan’s show however is innovative and deeply different in the sense that its topic, mindset, audience on the set, specialists and even its entertainment style (oh what wonderful music!) are Indian at the very core. Those readers who relate to India or are Indian will understand that this signifies that the show is unique in itself, given India’s inherent singularity.

It is obvious that the show has been the result of considerable work by its team, ranging from research, footage and choice of topic to the carefully written TV host monologue used to present the issue at hand. Moreover, it has been an excellent choice to open the show by targeting a vast audience with the topic of female foeticide, which will inevitably be close to each woman’s heart and to which the male part of the population can also relate to. The time slot selected for broadcasting the show we believe has also been a winning decision. 

But how to present an issue to the audience in only one hour and a half? How can the show be useful to India? The first episode of Satyamev Jayate reflects that these questions were extensively pondered on beforehand and we are happy to be witnesses to that. The show attempts to draw in donations for the cause being presented through Junglee, thereby motivating the audience to act upon what they have been listening to and be useful. We hope other ways of collecting funds have been put in place in other episodes, helping those who do not have resources to donate to possibly win or generate money for the cause. As to the challenge of presenting an issue and its major implications in only one hour and a half, the show succeeds and achieves so through logic (presenting the dangerous consequences of female foeticide) but also through the heart… I have not seen another Indian cinema icon connecting emotionally and genuinely, even if briefly, with his fellow countrymen as much as Aamir Khan. Though guests are interviewed by him for only a very short time, their story is to the point and stirs feelings in he who listens. Satyamev Jayate is a show about feeling. It is a show with a heart. 

Even though this first episode of Satyamev Jayate does not truly show what many expected as a window into India in the shape of a road trip through Bharat, with Khan encountering his fellow countrymen and women throughout the vast wonder of his nation, this blogger has not yet given up in seeing that dream sporadically unfold on screen in subsequent episodes.  Aamir Khan may always be trusted to surprise one and all. The thirteen topics are as many opportunities to unravel delightful surprises.

A final mention goes to the fantastic theme song for the episode. Ram Sampath accompanied Swanand Kirkire in O Ri Chiraiya, one of his best television performances, both due to the beauty of the song and lyrics but also to the perpetual moving quality of his voice.

  An hour and a half went by without blinking and now the week will have a new mantra until we reach next Sunday: “Hum sach se nazrein hatayen kyon”...  Watch the full episode with English subtitles below:

Satyamev Jayate airs on StarPlus and DD1 at 11 am IST every Sunday in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada 

Read Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate column in the Hindustan Times Visit the Satyamev Jayate website

Learn about Satyamev Jayate on Wikipedia

[hindi-cinema-blog]

HINDI CINEMA AT CANNES 2012 - Kashyap at the forefront

The Hindi Cinema Blog is gleefully watching how Anurag Kashyap has become the new Indian "coqueluche" at the Cannes cinema festival. The director that our partner CinemaHindi interviewed back in August 2009 (read the Exclusive Interview with Anurag Kashyap) will be showcasing 3 of his banner's films at the coveted screens of the festival: PEDDLERS, by Vasan Bala (assistant in Gulaal and  Dev D), has been selected for the Semaine de la Critique (Cannes Film Critics Week). The film stars Gulshan Deviah (Hate Story) and Kriti Malhotra (acclaimed for her performance in Dhobi Ghat).

Moreover, none other than Kashyap's most recent film, GANGS OF WASSEYPUR (Parts I and II), starring Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is one of the select group of films to be scheduled for the festival's Directors Fortnight.

Anurag Kashyap excitedly announced his participation in Cannes through Twitter "Three of our films; Peddlers, Gangs Of Wasseypur (I&II) at Cannes Film Festival. HUGE MOMENT OF PRIDE FOR US!' 'Waiting at theBrussels airport in a silent zone, wanting to scream out loud, off to Copenhagen.. I am very happy..really Happy today." 

Apart from Kashyap’s films, another Indian film, MISS LOVELY, by Ashim Ahluwalia will compete in the Un Certain Regard category, which has been selecting high quality cinema over the years.We are looking forward to see Nawazuddin Siddiqui performing in this film too and are delighted to see two of his films are being showcased. Last but not least, the film DELHI BELLY by Abhinay Deo is allegedly set to be screened at the festival, off competition, and we wish it utmost success.

We hope this new wave of Indian cinema at the prestigious festival will set a precedent and will get the French audience increasingly acquainted with Indian cinema. It is high time!

[hindi-cinema-blog]

VICKY DONOR: More than a Find... a Hit!

  Backed by John Abraham's production and cool promotional video, Vicky Donor surprises by thinking out of the box in all departments: its subject, its excellent acting (Yes! No humongous stars in this one but still lots of bang for your buck!), cute and funny script and last but not least, a pleasant soundtrack. With all this working for the film, there is no going wrong with Shoojit Sircar's comedy.

New Delhi is the setting of Dr Baldev Chaddha's (Annu Kapoor) failing fertility clinic and sperm bank. Dr. Chaddha's problems seem solved when he meets Vicky Arora (Ayushmann Khurrana), a handsome young man who lives with his mother struggling to make ends meet. Dr. Chaddha is convinced that Vicky is the donor who would erase all his sperm bank woes. His duty remains to convince the young man, and once this happens, one wonders what the future love life of Vicky will become.

  Though it is known that Vicky Donor marks a Bollywood debut for a lovely and spot-on Yami Gautam, for Ayushmann Khurrana and for John Abraham as a producer, it may be less known that Abhishek-Akshay are debuting as music directors and quite frankly... upon watching the film and listening to the soundtrack, one could easily think that this is not anyone's first venture. Ayushmann Khurrana's theatre background is surely the cause of his sterling performance and comic timing. John Abraham as a producer has had an extraordinary flair for finding what will entertain today's moviegoer and we are only too happy to congratulate him for entering the world of film production having selected such an entertaining story.

In the more experienced department, the wonderfully cast Annu Kapoor, Kamlesh Gill and Dolly Ahluwalia bring their zest to the characters they portray, making this comedy one of the best to have been released recently in Indian cinema. Despite all this talent, the film would not be as entertaining if it were not for well written characters and a good story. Huge accolades are well deserved by writer Juhi Chaturvedi.

  Shoojit Sircar's merit is to treat the often taboo subject of sperm donation without making a comedy of it. The director has been quoted saying: "I haven’t made a comedy about sperm donation. The endeavour is to bring the issue out of  the closet in a light tone so that it is acceptable to every section of the audience. We had a sperm-donation specialist Dr Malpani from Mumbai on board to guide us through the technicalities."

Paani da Rang has already become a hit song and also features Ayushmann Khurana very smoothly in the vocals:

So don't wait, buy that ticket at your nearest cinema, sit down and enjoy the thoroughly sound entertainment. Vicky Donor will be sure to please young and old. Buy the Vicky Donor soundtrack Watch the Vicky Donor official trailer Learn more about Vicky Donor on Wikipedia

VICKY DONOR

Directed by: Shoojit Sircar                

Writing credits:  Juhi Chaturvedi

Cast:  John Abraham, Dolly Ahluwalia, Jayant Das, Yami Gautam, Annu Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana

Produced by: John Abraham, Sheel Kumar, Ronnie Lahiri, Sunil Lulla, Ram Mirchandani

[hindi-cinema-blog]

100 YEARS OF INDIAN CINEMA

Indian Cinema... the idea of it and its reality are alike India, a vast palette of styles, languages, sensibilities, heroes and heroines. When the Lumiere brothers' short films were screened for the first time at the Watson Hotel in Bombay in 1896, how many audience members would have dreamt of what was to become the most prolific movie industry in the world?

As Indian Cinema enters a new century of history, we cannot help but celebrate! On this same day (April 21) in the year 1913, Dadasaheb Phalke saw his Raja Harishchandra screened at the Olympia Theatre in Bombay, marking the first time a full-length feature film made in India would be shown to an Indian audience.

Indian cinema remains difficult to grasp or define in a single sentence. Ranging from silent films to black and white or colorized versions of timeless classics to the current multiplex blockbusters, what remains constant is the will to entertain. Directors have created formulaic or avant-garde plots for the benefit of the audiences for almost a century.

Let's celebrate and smile to many more centuries of Indian entertainment!

[hindi-cinema-blog]

AAMIR KHAN to launch TV show on StarPlus

Actor Aamir Khan visits Srinagar and rides a Shikara for TV show "Satyamev Jayate" (photo: Hindustan Times)

  Last week, Aamir Khan attended a highly successful music launch. No, not for any of his upcoming films, but for his newest and ambitious project: "Satyamev Jayate", the actor's maiden TV show to be watched every Sunday at 11am IST, starting May 6th, on Star Plus. The actor commented about the show: "This is the first time in Indian history that a show will be showcased simultaneously on national television channel DD1. Besides, the show will be dubbed in four southern languages: Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. This show is being launched on a large scale".

Added 27 April: AVS Interview with Aamir Khan speaking about "Satyamev Jayate"

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The actor has been posting promos for his TV debut on his Facebook fan page and has not disclosed the main structure of his show, which seems to be a thought-provoking way of connecting all of India and its people together through his travels. (Refer to our article posted 6 May for our thoughts on the show when it released)

Aamir Khan seemingly traveled to the states of Punjab, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Kerala, Delhi and several other North-Eastern states to gather experiences and material for the show. We wish him the very best and share with you the beautiful ad with Satyamev Jayate's musical theme to stir the viewers' curiosity. You may also find the lyrics to the song, penned by Prasoon Joshi, below this video. We look forward to listening to the 13 specific songs composed by Ram Sampath for each episode too.

Visit Satyamev Jayate's official website and find the beautiful lyrics to the theme song below:

Tere rang aisa chadh gaya Koi aur rang na chadh sake Tera naam seeney pe likha Har koi aake padh sakey Hai junoon hai junoon hai Tere ishq ka ye junoon hai Rag rag mein ishq tera daudta Yeh bawra sa khoon hai Tune hi sikhaya sachai oo ka matlab Tere paas aake jaana maine zindagi ka maksad Satyamev, satyamev, satyamev jayate Sacha hai pyaar tera, satyamev jayate Tere noor ke dastoor mein Na ho salwatein na shikan rahe Meri koshishein toh hai bas yaheen Rahein khushbooein gulshan rahe Teri zulf suljhaney chala Terey aur paas aaney chala Jahan koi sur na ho besura Woh geet main ganey chala Tere rang aisa chadh gaya Tha nasha jo aur bhi badh gaya Teri barishon ka karam hai ye Main nikhar Gaya main sanwar gaya Jaisa bhi hoon apna mujhey Mujhey ye nahin hain bolna Kabil tere main ban sakoo Mujhey dwaar aisa kholna Sanson ki iss raftaar ko Dhadkan ke iss tyohaar ko Har jeet ko har haar ko Khud apney iss sansaar ko Badloonga main tere liye Mujhey khud ko bhi hai tatolna Kahin hai kami to hai bolna Khahin dag hain toh chupayein kyon Hum sach se nazrein hatayein kyon khud ko badalna hai agar Badloonga main tere liye Sholon pe chalna hai agar Chal doonga main tere liye Mere khoon kee har boond main Sankalp ho tere pyaar ka Kato mujhey to too bahe Ho surkh rang har dharrrr ka.

[hindi-cinema-blog]

RANI AND BOLLYWOOD DIVAS

Among Rani Mukherjee’s upcoming films, Aaiyya, opposite Prithviraj Sukumaran has recently been making Bollywood enthusiasts eager with excitement. Sachin Kundalkar‘s debut Hindi film will allegedly have the actress, who has been nicknamed today’s Bollywood queen, pay a tribute to cinema divas of the 80s and early 90s. 

Within this framework, Rani Mukherjee has suggested to that the ever beautiful Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla and Sridevi  participate in the film with her by having all three divas appearing on a cameo. The Hindi Cinema Blog believes this is a bombastic idea… Yes indeed, who would not be tempted to exclaim “Hai Allah! Sridevi, Madhuri aur Juhi Chawla!

[hindi-cinema-blog]

TOP 10 ROAD TRIP MOVIES OF THIS CENTURY

Guest post by: Arnab Maity

Arnab is at simultaneously a photographer, a seasoned traveler and a software analyst from Bangalore who also delights his readers and photography enthusiasts regularly at his own blog: www.arnabmaity.com His never ending wanderlust has contributed to making him develop a keen taste for road movies. Fly away with him and his list of Top 10 Road Trips of the Century from all over the world, which features a couple of our own Hindi language favorites.

We all love our road trips, don’t we? That orifice to vent out the vapors of our day to day chores, to bring us out into the open, sometimes gifting unusual sights and sometimes making us meet unusual people, who leave a mark throughout our lives.

We all have such road trips in our lives, which had changed many a thing about us and there are many such movies which have inspired us to leave our couches and get onto to the road!

This compilation consists of those movies, which had left us thinking and made us pack our bags, to explore the unexplored and meet the unknown.

1. Motorcycle Diaries(2004) Country: USA, Language: Spanish

Starring: Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo De la Serna

Summary from imdb

This adaptation of Argentinian-born Cuban revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara's journals,will take you into an adventurous ride through the interiors of South America.The journey which merely started as a break away trip becomes a life changer for Che and the rest is history

2. Qué tan lejos (2006) Country: Ecuador, Language: Spanish

Starring: Tania Martinez and Cecilia Vallejo

Summary from imdb

Esperanza and Tristeza are co-passengers on a bus that is going from Quito to Cuenca.They have different reasons for their travel but come close to each other during the journey, thanks to a nationwide road strike and some amusing characters they meet on the road.Their journey of self discovery along scenic highlands and coasts of Ecuador tells a poignant tale.

3. The Art of Travel (2008) Country: USA, Language: English and Spanish   Starring: Christopher Masterson and Brooke Burns

Summary from imdb

The Art of Travel embraces the true wanderlust spirit, where Conner Layne, a high school grad, runs away from his marriage to a solo adventure into the Central and South American jungles.He meets a group of ragtags there who change his life forever and makes him an author.The movie pays tribute to the human desire of finding the road less traveled and says : "The Art of Travel is that it can never be planned"

4. Into The Wild (2007) Country: USA, Language: English and Danish

Starring: Emile Hirsch and Marcia Gay Harden

Summary from imdb

Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch),a young Virginia man, divorces his friends, family, and possessions in search of a greater spiritual knowledge and communion with nature.His journey to his dream destination, Alaska, takes him through many twists and turns.A kayak trip down dangerous rapids, a gig working in a grain mill, extended stays with a hippie couple and a kindly old widower,makes their own impacts,but he renounces the material world, staying immortal as a symbol of human endurance. 5. Seven Years in Tibet (2006)

Country: USA, Language: English, German, Mandarin, Tibetan, and Hindi

Starring: Brad Pitt and David Thewlis

Summary from imdb

Heinrich Harrer, a famed yet arrogant Austrian mountain climber, leaves behind his pregnant wife for a Himalayan expedition, only to be imprisoned as a prisoner of war by the Allied Forces.He escapes from the prison and sneaks his way into the forbidden city of Lhasa, through the rugged yet breathtaking terrains of Tibet.There he meets the young Dalai Lama, who transforms him from a haughty to a humble man.Not a typical road movie,but an enlightening one!

6. The Beach (2000)

Country: Equador, Language: English, French, Swedish, Thai, Croatian

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Virginie Ledoyen

Summary from imdb

Richard, an American backpacker lands in Thailand and eventually finds a crude map of an island which is paradise on earth: beautiful, unspoiled, and uninhabited.He lands up there after a dangerous journey, only to find a group of travelers having their own secret habitation on the island.They are part of a secret society sans all social evils,living in a world that is seen only in dreams.

7. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) Country: India, Language: Hindi, Japanese, English and Spanish

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar and Katrina Kaif

Summary from imdb

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a celebration of life, where three friends set out on a bachelor road trip to Spain.Each of them choose one location and an adventure sport to challenge the other two.It turns out to be an outing of a lifetime as they confront the past, negotiate the present and carve out a new future.Eventually,they emerge strong from the experience, they are prepared to live their lives by the moment, taking pleasure in what they have than bother over what they don't.

8. Road,Movie(2009) Country: India, Language: Hindi and English

Starring : Abhay Deol and Satish Kaushik

Summary from imdb

The lure of the open road and the hypnotic power of movies, makes this fable about Vishnu,a restless young man,looking to find an escape route from his father's hair oil business.He offers to drive to a distant town, a battered truck, which was a traveling cinema once, fitted with projectors and reels.He meets a young boy, an uncanny mechanic and a gypsy woman who bring in interesting twists to his tale.Cinema plays an important role in their lives, from transforming them to saving them from water-lords and corrupt policemen.

9. Little Miss Sunshine(2006) Country: USA, Language: English

Starring : Abigail Breslin and Greg Kinnear

Summary from imdb

What happens when you stuff a failed motivation speaker, his wife, the nation's number one Proust scholar, an elderly potty-mouthed heroin addict, a teen who's mute by choice, and a bespectacled little pageant hopeful into a mini VW bus for a three day road trip? You get this hilarious but moving satire about a dysfunctional family obsessed with winning

10. Chalo Dilli (2011) Country: India, Language: Hindi, English

Starring : Vinay Pathak and Lara Dutta

Summary from imdb

Chalo Dilli is about two mismatched strangers who take a life-altering trip together.

Mihika Banerjee,an uptight investment banker meets an obnoxious country bumpkin and the owner of a cloth shop, Manu Gupta on a midnight cab ride from Jaipur to Delhi.The unfortunate turn of events forces the uptown Mihika to spend the night on a roadside shack, take a camel ride, board a local train without ticket, get imprisoned and then finally attain self realization.

Thanks for going through the list. If after seeing any of these movies, you embark on a road trip which completely changes your life or the way you are, then do let me know.

Do post your suggestions on any other movie; you would like to see in the list and yes, don’t forget to leave a note, if ever a road trip had changed your life in some way!

The Hindi Cinema Blog thanks Arnab Maity for this excellent classification of film recommendations. You may visit his website for more excellent articles on travel throughout India.

[hindi-cinema-blog]

An Unmissable KAHAANI! - Film Review

Shah Rukh Khan once said about his co-star Madhuri Dixit: "Madhuri is the most solid man I've met in the industry. Yeah, you heard right. She's truly like a man. She's the most solid thinker, solid emotionally, solid believer (...) She's the complete Indian film heroine."

The above quote today inevitably brings to the mind current "hero-ine" Vidya Balan. In a male centered film industry, her sound script sense and her talent currently make her one of Bollywood's most regarded professionals, up there with the sharpness of the market-savviest male stars or the talent of the best actors in the industry. She has turned the audience's focus to women characters with a solid hand, making men and women alike love her for it. After Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica and The Dirty Picture, it is today Kahaani's turn to blow the spectator away with Balan's ability to subtly perform within a team, focusing on her characters as individuals more than as female roles, while intelligently allowing her co-stars to shine along with her too.

Kahaani is the story of Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan), a 7-month pregnant woman who arrives in Kolkata from London to look for her missing husband but is confronted with clues that her husband in reality does not exist. It is natural to feel for a Vidya who struggles to know who is telling the truth while the story effectively morphs into a suspense-thriller, with the audience hanging on to every moment hoping to unravel the mystery and wishing that the main character will manage to keep her and her unborn baby safe.

Mrs. Bagchi's kahaani is however not solely about herself. This queen is surrounded by a tight circle of  highly accomplished actors and interesting characters. Let us take a closer look at the performers that make this Bengali story alive:

First and foremost, we should mention marvelously cast Parambrata Chattopadhyay, who embodies police inspector Rana and scours the town along with Mrs. Bagchi, becoming her faithful aid and unrequited admirer. He is a fabulous match to Balan's talent and his character has heroic undertones that are masterfully performed.

No less merit goes to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who fantastically plays the consummate Intelligence Bureau officer, scorching the screen with his natural presence and giving his character oodles of attitude, layering it all to perfection. Saswata Chatterjee gives a chilling impersonation of an insurance agent who also earns his life by murdering on contract. Indraneil Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee and the two child artistes also richly add to the performance quotient.

Last but not least, this is the only recent film in my opinion that convincingly incorporates a city as if it were a full-fledged character. Kahaani would not be what it is without Kolkata and the intriguing way it is filmed, at times colourful and vivacious, at others in all its dingy glory. The city silently permeates the screen with its presence and makes the audience fear and hope, alike an excellent actor giving life to a vibrant but mysterious character. Kolkata comes alive and we say cheers and kudos to Satyajit Pande, in cinematography for accomplishing such an impressive feat.

Yes, we all wonder why an inspector takes it to heart to help Mrs. Bagchi, how clues appear so suddenly or how the surprising climax came to be, but unlike a vast amount of films, the script takes center stage in this one! Sujoy Ghosh, Advaita Kala, Nikhil Vyas and Suresh Nair have done a superlative job in terms of writing, successfully navigating between a moving situation and a compelling thriller and giving audiences a film that is proudly Indian (observe Kahaani's deep symbolism in its continuous referrals to Durga Puja throughout its narrative) but universally capable of being well received. Sujoy Ghosh's direction is of sterling quality and suitably enhanced by Namrata Rao's nimble editing. The movie succeeds in keeping us at the edge of our seats.

Consequently, Kahaani is the type of film that we would wish to share with cinema enthusiasts in India and beyond. It has the ingredients to engage audiences from any culture. Sujoy Ghosh's film can cross borders and does away with Bollywood clichés, pushing storytelling forward. A definite thumbs up. Do not miss it at a cinema near you!

Visit the Kahaani Official Website Read the Kahaani Music Review Purchase the Kahaani soundtrack Follow Kahaani on Facebook

KAHAANI

Director: Sujoy Ghosh Producers: Kushal Gada and Sujoy Ghosh Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indraneil Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Darshan Jariwala, Saswata Chatterjee Screenplay: Sujoy Ghosh, Advaita Kala, Nikhil Vyas and Suresh Nair Editing: Namrata Rao Cinematograhy: Satyajit Pande Music: Vishal-Shekhar

[hindi-cinema-blog]

59th NATIONAL FILM AWARDS: Onir, Vidya Balan, Ra.One and more

Photograph: Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images

It was an exciting and momentous day for the films and crews nominated to the National Film Awards 2011. Our heartiest congratulations to all winners!

Best Hindi Film: I AM (Onir) Best Feature Films (2 awards): Deool and Byari Best Director: Gurvinder Singh for Anhe Ghorey Da Daan  Best Bengali Film: Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbo Na Best Marathi Film: Shaala Best Dialogue: Deool Best Actress: Vidya Balan, The Dirty Picture Best Actor: Girish Kulkarni for Deool Best Screenplay: Nitesh Tiwari, Vijay Maurya, Vikas Bahl and Rajesh Bajaj for Chillar Party Best Editing: Praveen KL for Aranyaa Kandam Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Azhagar Samiyin Kuthirai Best Music Direction: Neel Dutt for Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbo Na Best Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya for I AM Best Choreography: Bosco & Caeser for "Señorita" from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Best Special Effects: Ra.One Best Children’s Film: Chillar Party Best Child Artistes: Partho Gupte for Stanley Ka Dabba and Sanath Menon, Irrfan Khan, Rohan Grover, Chinmai Chandranshuh, Naman Jain, Vishesh Tiwari, Vedant Desai, Aarav Khanna, and Divji Handa for Chillar Party Best Supporting Actress: Leishangthem Tonthoingambi Devi for Phijigee Mani Best Supporting Actor: Appu Kutty for Azhagar Samiyin Kuthirai  Special Jury Mention: Anjan Dutta for Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbo Na

[hindi-cinema-blog]

MADHURI DIXIT at Madame Tussaud's in London

  Following in the steps of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, it is now the beautiful Madhuri Dixit who will soon be inaugurating her very own wax statue at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London.

The versatile actress has flown to the English capital in company of her family and will unveil her statue this following week. Madame Tussaud's has a new quintessential beauty in its collection.

[hindi-cinema-blog]

When will OSCAR love BOLLYWOOD?

A movie buff usually plans the Oscars soirée in advance and spends hours glued to the TV screen rooting for his/her favorites.

I am however one movie buff who barely remembers the last time she sat down to watch the Oscars. My love for films and good stories currently only motivates me to follow the Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Picture and then the list of actual winners for all categories once the gala is over.  "Why?", I have been asked time and again. This would seem a simple question to answer but, upon second thought, it sort of opens a pandora box of thoughts regarding cinema in general, Academy award policies and, last but not least, Indian cinema. 

The main reason I believe the Oscars have lost their filmdom shimmer for me is the fact that they have been so focused in awarding English language films. I remain perplex at the hundreds of cinema genres and musical rhythms being labelled as World Music and World Cinema in the English speaking world, as if the world was divided into two types of people: English speakers and the rest of the world. The Oscars are no exception to this view of the world and their measurement of merit has long seemed extremely reduced to me. A fine example is the Best Foreign Language Film category, where only a tiny handful of films from every part of the world compete together, therefore reducing the chance for many excellent foreign language films of benefiting from the platform they would deserve. Likewise, the Academy also waited too long, in my opinion, to give due acknowledgement to the colossal musical talent of A.R. Rahman, only doing so when he composed the soundtrack of a good English language film made by a well-known Western director.

This year a foreign film finally got its well deserved ovation, entering the mainstream English language award categories. French film "The Artist" received the attention it deserved. "Finally, the Oscars are able to acknowledge that a great film with a good story is worthy of an award, regardless of its language and of the "drag" of reading subtitles", I thought. Much to my surprise, upon documenting myself a bit more on the French film I came to know that... well... it was a silent film!

Oh Oscar! Why ist thy love so afraid of losing itself in the exotic music of another language and culture?

And this takes me to the inevitable question made by numerous bloggers and media representatives in India each year. What shall it take for an Indian movie to score an Oscar? O skies, when shall proud and reasonable Oscar see the beauty and seductive charm of Bollywood's thick fluttering eyelashes and fall at her feet?

"Mother India", "Lagaan", "Salaam Bombay" and "Rang de Basanti" almost lured Oscar into Bollywood's arms but it was not to be. Each year, the country that is the world's largest producer of films sends some of its best work to the Academy only to lose the coveted statue. I am a firm believer in a lack of mutual cultural understanding. "Communication is the basis of any love relationship, my dears", I once said to Oscar sir and Bolly madam. Will they one day listen to my advice? 

The Academy seeks a good story by Western standards of a concise and rigorous script teamed with excellent acting and a good splash of realism that still succeeds in touching the audience's heart. Bollywood's tightest scripts usually have a couple of cracks that let escapism or unlikely developments seep through. Movies tend to be star-based (Indian films nominated by the Academy in the past have seldom been focused on a star). Fantasy and a mix of genres streamlined with romantic or musical item numbers generate more box office results than sheer realism in India. These strong differences between both tastes for cinema make it difficult to find a common ground.

As Indian films evolve and branch out into more and more different styles and as regional films gain in budget and continue to demonstrate the quality of their scripts, it is likely that an Indian film might conquer the Academy in the future. Then again, is a man (Oscar) who lacks interest in how things are done by others worth the while of a colourful, beautiful and thriving woman (Bolly madam)? Oscar baby, it seems like you also have a long way to go...