How Old Are You – is a Malayalam coming of age drama released in 2014. Nirupama Rajeev an ordinary stereotypical wife, a mother from a middle class family is losing her identity within her family and then the society. She has to turn her low point around to establish her identity back.
This one is a nicely crafted coming of age movie for a wife, a mother of thirteen year old in a middle class family. Director Roshann Andrews also has used the importance organic food produce and how every household can achieve this right on their terrace as a backdrop for the movie. Particularly after his success of Mumbai police this one is a very different subject and equally very appealing. The use of foreshadowing sequence where in the lead actress is in a traffic block waiting for the president’s convoy to pass by is very effective. Manju Warrier has done an excellent job with her role and is a very fitting choice. Overall this one does not have a single dull moment and engages throughout.
Irumbu Kuthirai – is a Tamil action film released in 2014. Prithvi becomes very quiet and disinterested after his father’s death. He meets a beautiful girl Samyukta and falls in love with her but to win her heart he would need to come out of the shell and take up motor biking he dreads to do.
The first trailer of the movie was very impressive and captures one of the best shot sequences. Apart from that there is nothing much left. Right from the start you see the hero riding the bike slow until the climax sequence. The screenplay is also follows this and overall makes this a very tiring watch. The bike chase sequence has been filmed well and lot of efforts has gone in. However the situations surrounding this are not very interesting. If the movie had focused on its core theme of bikes and bike races rather than romance and all song and dance this would have been an interesting product. Overall it is a slow race.
Khoobsurat – is a Hindi romance drama released in 2014. A fun loving and spontaneous physiotherapist is invited into a highly disciplined and a highly formal royal family to treat King’s paralyzed legs.
Disney princess stories no matter how many times it has been told is an evergreen success formula. But Khoobsurat has taken the fairy tale and made a below average Bollywood romance drama. They had tried to adapt the 1980’s Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film for this romance drama. Kirron Kher plays the role of Sonam’s mother, Manju; if you remember Rekha played the character of Manju a young fun loving girl in the 1980 movie. Were they trying bring in connect back? The platform for a nice princess story had been set very well, choosing Jaipur as a backdrop is an excellent choice but the screenplay gets derailed in the first 20 minutes of the movie and the writers seem to have run out of ideas and they started to adapt sequences from many Hollywood romance dramas to fill the rest of the movie. The characterizations are weak; they seem to run out of breath very quickly. Sonam Kapoor looks cute and pretty but when it comes to acting her expressions are between A and B.
Quickgun Murugan seems to be a much better outing for Shashanka Gosh compared to this one. You can give this one a skip.
In this week’s Friday fundas we would see a popular technique used in screenwriting called foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a technique screen writers use in the screenplay that gives a hint or clue to the audience as to how the plot would unfold. This is a very useful technique in preparing the audience for the upcoming events in the plot and when they occur it is convincing. In a good screenplay you always find a foreshadowing event placed in the first act or the beginning of the second act of the script (see 3 act structure for more information on three act structure).
Let us look at some examples of foreshadowing in popular movies
Avatar – Jake Sully runs out free
In the movie Avatar Jake Sully is shown running out of the base first time he is connected to the Avatar. Later in the movie he becomes part of the Na’vis and fights against the humans. You find this convincing as he is not connected to the mission and would do what he believes in.
Baasha Medical College scene
In the Tamil blockbuster Baasha, there is a scene where Manickam played by Rajnikanth is negotiating for a medical seat for his sister. He tells his name is Manickam but he has another name… and after so muted dialogues you see the dean of the college very frightened of him. This is a very good pre-cursor for his past life which would be revealed in the second half. Imagine if this was not there and all of a sudden he becomes a don in second half it would not have been so convincing.
3 Idiots – pen used in space
In the movie 3 Idiots there is a scene where in Virus is displaying a pen that can be used in the space and it has been given to him by his professor. Rancho stuns him with a question as to why pencil was not used in space. Towards the end of the movie we see him giving this pen to Rancho and also explaining him the logical reason of why pencil was not used in space. This simple scene conveys how Rancho has become the best student ever for Virus. It is so effective due to the foreshadowing sequence in the beginning of the script.
I Saw The Devil – is a South Korean psychological thriller released in 2010. A psycho serial killer Kyung-chul kills the fiancé of a secret service agent Soo-hyun. Soo-hyun takes a painful revenge on Kyung-chul by injuring him and then let him get treated to get well and then again injuring him.
The film is strictly for those who can with stand gory movies and is not suitable for kids. The movie is shot boldly with very explicit violent scenes. Director Kim Jee-Woon has given a different genre of movie after his star studded The Good The Bad The Weird. Choi Min-sik has performed the role of a psycho killer very well and is very scary. Lee Byung-hun is very convincing as a secret agent out to take revenge. The scene where he sees the body of his fiancé and tries to control his emotion is a notable performance. He has maintained the mood throughout as he is on the run to chase the killer. He is good at playing negative shade character and as this character has the negative shade it had aptly fitted him very well.
The recent Bollywood movie Ek Villain is very similar to this plot. Although the makers have denied that it was adapted from this. There are lot similarities between the two although the Bollywood version is a mellowed down version of this movie. The Bollywood version goes into giving a reason for the serial killing which is not there in this movie.
The Good The Bad The Weird – is a South Korean western style cowboy adventure drama released in 2008. A bounty hunter, a bandit and a thief are after a treasure map in the 1930s Manchuria.
The foremost thing that strikes you in the movie is the ensemble of popular star cast. Director Kim Jee-woon has given a star-studded movie which in every way keeps the audience glued onto their seats throughout. Song Kang-ho in the role of the Weird is outstanding in his performance. Lee Byung-hun and Jung Woo-sung have also done their roles very well. Although the movie is adapted from many western cow boy movies it still has many elements of a Korean movie which makes it unique in its own way. There are two high points in the movie the initial train robbery sequence, what an ecstatic experience it would have been to see the stars in action on a big screen. The other one is the 15 minute long chase and fight sequence on the desert of Manchuria. The stunt choreography is absolutely stunning. The movie does have a very interesting climax. If you are fan of adventure drama this one is a must watch.
Finding Fanny – is a bilingual (Hindi and English) movie released in 2014. In a small Goan village Pocolim, the old post master Ferdie receives an undelivered letter which he had written 46 years ago to Fanny proposing to her. Ferdie embarks on a roadtrip along with a young widow, her obnoxious mother in law, an old painter who is looking for inspiration for his last painting and an egoistic mechanic go to find Fanny and convey his love for her.
After the commercial outing with Cocktail, director Homi Adajania is back to his home turf creating a off-beat cinema with an ensemble of popular star cast. The movie does not have any strings attached. You should watch it for what it is. None of the situations are dramatized nor dragged to evoke emotions. There is subtle and intelligent humor one would enjoy (if you like such humor). Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapoor dominate the screen. Deepika looks so lovely, simple and beautiful like the script itself. Dimple Kapadia has done a very interesting character like the one she did in Being Cyrus. The characters based on Goan Catholics gives a very fresh look to the movie.
The movie is a road movie with some dysfunctional people who through their journey rediscover love. Although there is a slight slowness in the script post the interval it makes up for it in the end. You would walk out of the movie hall with a smile on your face. This movie may not appeal to everyone. If you love movies like Little Miss Sunshine then you would like this movie as well.
Amara Kaaviyam – is a Tamil romance drama released in 2014. A high school student Sathya meets his classmate Karthiga and conveys that his friend Balaji is in love with her, but Karthiga tells him that she is in love with Sathya and not Balaji. They fall in love with each other but when their families come to know about this they try to keep them away from each other.
There was an era in the early 80’s in Tamil Cinema when there were movies based on teenage love story. Movies like Alaigal Oivathillai, Paneer Pushpangal, Kilinjalgal became block buster hit. Director Jeeva Shankar has tried to reproduce the magic of that era in Amara Kaaviyam. He had used the 80’s period to convey the movie as well. The first half of the movie seemed like modern version of Paneer Pushpangal for me. However the second half turns into an emotional melodrama ultimately leading to the climax which is much different from those movies. The first half of the movie is very engaging but the second half falters a bit with a sudden shift in the behavior of the lead character. I felt like his role having shades of the lead protagonist from the director’s previous outing Naan.
The new comer Sathya has acted well in parts of the movie. The credit goes to the director. Jeeva Shankar’s cinematography and Ghibran’s music are great plus for the movie. Each shot is like a painting on a canvas. The pace of the movie is a big drawback for the movie. As the movie is headed to its climax you would be able to predict what is going to happen next. A little bit of increased pace in the screenplay and maintaining the suspense a bit tighter would have made this one a very compelling watch.
If you had liked the teen love stories like the ones I had mentioned before then you might enjoy watching this or else you would be waiting for the movie to get over.
Watchable – for all those who love 80’s movies based on love at adolescence
Parallel Cinema is a term that refers to the film movement in India during the years 1940 to 1960 wherein new age of film makers emerged and they started to make movies which are very close to reality and not having typical Bollywood commercial entertainer which had all the song and dance. This movement was heavily inspired by Italian neorealism and French new wave movies. This originated mainly in the Bengali movies and then spread across to other Indian film industries.
Satyajit Ray is considered to be the father of parallel cinema. Before he took his first movie Pather Panchali he had assisted Italian film maker Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, French film maker Jean Nori’s The River. He said his first movie had a lot of influences from them. This was the birth of parallel cinema. Post this many able film makers started to make parallel cinema. Some of the prominent film makers of parallel Cinema are Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, Basu Bhattacharya, John Abraham (director who made critically acclaimed Agraharathil Kazhuthai), Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak, Girish Kasaravalli, G. Aravindan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Girish Karnad, J Mahendran, Balu Mahendra and many more. They redefined Indian Cinema and made it shine on global stage. It is during this time when many Indian movies became regular feature at prominent international film festivals like the Cannes. Also movies like Pyaasa by Guru Dutt still features as all-time top 100 movies in Time Magazines movie list. And rightly the period of 1940 – 1960 of Indian Cinema was considered to be the Golden Age for Indian Cinema. Many of these were commercial success as well.
It then prevailed very strongly till the early 90’s. State government used to fund a lot of parallel cinemas which was very encouraging. However post the 90’s the commercialization of cinemas became very prevalent. Production houses had to make commercial success to thrive in the economic conditions and the cost of making a movie started growing high. Thus we don’t see much of parallel cinema coming out as it used to. Hope the government starts another movement to let the artists express their view in pure artistic format thus giving us some gem of movies.
Today you can see many of these movies digitally restored free at http://www.cinemasofindia.com/. This is a great initiative by NFDC.
Scarface – is an American crime drama released in 1983. Tony Montana, a criminal in Cuba arrives to the United States along with the Cuban refugees. He becomes part of a criminal gang and rises to power due to his arrogant, aggressive and brutal attitude.
Although the movie has been shot in 1983 it is still one of the best gangster movies. Right from the start till the finish you see street fights, gang wars and shootouts. Al Pacino has set a great role model for any gangster role in movies that would be made. Many of Indian gangster movies have been influenced by this one. The recent one is Billa 2 starring Ajith. As the movie progresses you could see a remarkable transition in Al Pacino’s character, mannerisms and style. All these have become iconic now. If you love gangster movies this one is a must watch. Strictly not for kids for the violence it has.
Mary Kom – is a Hindi sports biopic on world boxing champion Mary Kom released in 2014. The movie revolves around Mary Kom’s journey from a small Village in Manipur to become five times world boxing champion even after being a mother of two kids.
When I came out of the theater watching Bhaag Milkha Bhaag I wished the trend of biopics to continue in India. Mary Kom is a wish come true for me and it’s encouraging for Indian Cinema. Hope this continues. Omung Kumar who had been Art Director for movies like Saawariya has turned into a director for Mary Kom. He has given a very inspiring and visually pleasing movie. The movie stays true and honest to the plot. As you see Mary Kom punch in the ring you get goosebumps. Priyanka Chopra has given everything for the character and has done true justice to the struggle Mary Kom has gone through. The good part about the screen play is the way in which other characters are built like her husband, her parents, her coach, the officer in the federation and the street fighter she takes on. It is an irony that the amount of sponsors for the Mary Kom movie are far more than the sponsors who would have endorsed her as she was winning world championships. Hope there is a healthy change in the system soon which can nurture more champions.
Overall the movie Mary Kom would inspire you, move you emotionally, create adrenaline rush and give you goose bumps. It is a Must Watch in the theaters and if you have kids take them to see Mary Kom.
S.S Vasan’s Chandralekha – A milestone in Indian Cinema
In this week’s Friday Fundas I decided to write about a movie that is considered to be the milestone of Indian Cinema.
The movie name is Chandralekha which got released in the year 1948.
What is so special about this movie? Well this has been the most expensive movie made during its time. The movie was in production for five long years from 1943 to 1948. But the most interesting part is the perseverance, obsession and conviction of its producer / director S.S Vasan. I loved watching the latest movie Hitchcock which is based on Alfred’s Hitchcock’s filming of the Psycho. However after reading about S.S Vasan I found his story to be many folds challenging, visionary and what a true obsession of an individual could produce. Someone could make an interesting movie out of this one. Here is the summary of events (courtesy: Wikipedia)
After producing very successful movies Bala Nagamma and Mangamma Sapatham, S.S Vasan decided to produce an extravagant movie which would not have any budget constraints. He asked the story department of Gemini studios to come up with a story line but they failed to impress him with any story. Without having a story or plot ready S.S Vasan made a public announcement that his next movie would be Chandralekha which would be made on an extravagant budget. One of his story board artists Veppathur Kittoo developed a story based on a chapter from George W. M. Reynolds’ novel Robert Macaire which eventually got made as Chandralekha. During the 5 years of its production the script and cast underwent multiple changes. M.K Radha played one of the princes and Ranjan played the role of his younger brother who was also the villain of the movie. Initially the film was to be directed by Raghavachari who left the film in midway due to creative differences and S.S Vasan who was only a producer till then took up his first ever directorial venture. The film had circus scenes and the technology of zoom lenses were not available during those days to show the expression of the lead heroine Chandralekha played by T.R Rajakumari flying on a trapeze. In order to capture her expression the cinematographer Ramnoth used a crane at that height to capture her expression clearly. He took 20 shots and chose the best one.
Another interesting trivia is when they were scouting for an actor for the role of the bodyguard of the hero, a struggling stage artist Villupuram Chinniah Pillai Ganeshamurthy wanted to do the role. He also grew long hair for the role. But S.S Vasan rejected him and said he is unsuited for films and asked him to find a different profession. Villupuram Chinniah Pillai Ganeshamurthy later went on to become Sivaji Ganesan one of the best actors in Indian Cinema who won many accolades for his acting including the most prestigious award of Chevalier title from the French government. S.S Vasan had cast Seetharaman who was later known as Jawar Seetharaman for the character.
The film is also known for its extravagant dance sequence on drums which occurs during the climax of the movie. This involved 400 dancers who had practiced daily for about 6 months before they did the final performance. The production cost of the song itself was equal to production cost of a Tamil movie in those times. Here is the video of the song. You can guess the amount of effort it would have gone into this.
The movie’s production cost increased day by day and S.S Vasan had to let sell off his wealth and jewels to complete the movie. During these five years he ignored his family responsibilities as well. Finally the movie was done in Rs. 30 lakhs (3 million Rupees). This was only next to the cost of producing a Hollywood movie at that time. The movie was made in Tamil and when it got released it had a very good response from the audience but however it could not recover the production cost. So immediately S.S Vasan made a Hindi version of the movie with some minor change in the cast and released it all over India in the same year and it was a super hit. Finally the movie made a booking of Rs. 1 crore (10 million rupees). This was the first time ever someone proved movies made in one part of India can be marketed and earns more revenue by releasing it in other parts in different language.
You would find many such gem of movie makers when you read through Indian film history who were no less creative than the likes of Hitchcock, George Lucas, Kurosawa. They made movies which had set a bench mark and the Indian Cinema was never the same as before.
