shamshad begum

shamshad begum her time and tryst
FORGOTTEN IDENTITY
One of eight children of Hussein baksh and ghulam fatima,the grand senior of indian playback singing-Shamshad Begum was orn and brought up in atraditional amritsar family.she made a mark much earliar to Lata Mangeshkar and Suriaya.
“passion has long life” the singer proved it right with fortunes of support in family and in laws gramophone at amritsar house encouraged her singing credentials.those were the days ,time passed sitting near the unique instrument repeating lines enthusiasticallyt.revisng songs and marsias based afuture prodigal singing star in shmshad.the talent didn’t went unnoticed.atrue art lover chacha noticed her skils with support of encouragement.passionate skills made shamshadji an identifying voice of masses.then achild only her voice struck symphony of impression.

at 13 uncle guided her Ginophone studios.at studio the relatively new but different vioce became instant Hit,punjabi song ‘hath jod’ offered and recorded.an album content the punjabi number earned grat name for adolescent Shamshad riding on huge response Ginophone offerd shamshad 200 songs in single year.
Ghulam Haider-Renowned musicain Ghulam haider, regular artist of GINOPHONE mentored shamshad ji to singing sensetion.haider saab later migrated pakistan
1937 lahore-1937 shamsahd begum became aregular vioce of Lahore Studios . at 15 in 1939 she enterd into marital knot with Barrister Ganpatlal
Break in films-shashad begum’s first break as playback Singer was-Yamla Jaat (1940)/punjabi films Yamla Jaat and Chaudhari(1941) were filmdom signatures of singer.
Lahore based Khazanchi(1941) is shamshad begum’s Hindi debut .A Panchali Arts production with Ghulam Haider musical score,Khazanchi made to box-office with numbers-sawan ke nazare,mann dheere dheere rona,ek kali nazon se pali.four to five films followed Khazanchi.incrediblE Playback with quality music made the films HIT. 1n 1943 ace director Mehboob called shamshad to sing –daroga ji kaun kasur par for his film Takdir(1943).poona visit cementd her filmy safar
1947 partition-Khazanchi crew DM Pancholi,actress R amola and Shamshad begum shifted their base to Bombay.at Bombay shamshad ji saw suraiya and sensational Lata Mangeshkar.SD burman identified Folk Potentila in siner and offerd shmashad begum to sing folk touch numbers for his film –Shabnam- ‘bajre ke khet me pehli baar mulaqat and ‘tui mahal me rahne wali main kutiyon me.l
Naushad
-shamshad begum made to Naushad as fortunate substitute for Johrabai Ambalewali.He gave her achance to sing for Dilip Kumar-Nargis starrer-Mela.milestone in indian cinema,the film was major success.numners like-‘dharti ko aakash pukare and ‘mohan ki muralia baje sun thes jia pe lage’ are signposts of singer’s contribution to film.for reson unknown Naushad those days kept Lata mangeshlkar at bay.he went for other vioces.Shmashad begum,Johrabai Ambalewali and Uma devi Tuntun were his choices.Mehboob’s Anokhi Ada relesed with no Lata Mangeshkar.Uma Devi and shamshad begum were main playback for the film—‘aaj kahan nazr takrayee’ ‘nazar mil gayee kiski nazar se’ are memorabl shamshad begum nunbres from Anokhi Ada..N aushad innovated shamshad voice as contrast to Lata M nageshkar.film ‘deedar’ marked the beginning of trend—‘bachpan k din bhul na dena-duet from film had shmashad bregum as MALE voice.for Naushad shamshad begm became anecessity.a Place for shamshad numere in many Nuashad musical scores confirms the fact.London based Naushad library has –chandni na ke aayee payar o sajna. ‘chaman me rehkar virana mera dil(deedar) and ‘chod baabul ka ghar (baabul) with ace N auashad sketch a different picture for singer.Itis true shamshad begum did most of her numbers with Naushad and OP naiyar.playback for twenty three Op naiyar musical scores suggest a point that singer worked mostly with Naushad and Opnaiyar saheb. Opnaiyar musical scores has no Lata mangeshkar.shamshad begum and ASHA bhonsle were priorities-‘kabhi aar kabhi paar laga teere nazar’(aar paar) ‘bujh mera kya naam re’ and ‘ kahin pe nighahen kahin pe nisana’(CID) Are remarlkable shamshad begum numbers with the magician.

Make shift playback-shamashad begum hasintersting statistics of sometime male and other time:male disguised as female character singing.she did Playback for Lootera(Dara singh) and Kismat(Viswajeet) ‘patli kamar nazuk umar’ (Lootera1965) ‘kajra mohabbat wala ‘(Kismat 1968) is reference point to this fact.musician C RAMACHNDRAN carried the Naushad move of assignining shamshad as contrast to Lata Mangeshkar musician called her for—Samadhi and Patanga.—‘gore gore banke chhore’ ‘mere piy agaye hain rangoon’ are top numbers of singer in contrast to Lata Mangeshkar .’chali pi ke ghar ab kahe ka darr ‘ (mirza Ghalib) is signature shmashad
Triumvirate-Literaure---Music—Acting witnessed evolution of trend.Literature—jayshankar prasad,suryaknat nirala, sumitranandan pant Acting: raj kapoor, dilip kumar.dev anand Music- mohd rafi,mukesh ,talat mehmood (male palyback singers). Lata mangeshkar,shamshad behum and Geet adutt mde the femlae fator.
ISOLATE D Emotions-Traditional apprences ,camps polarization and rising politics made singer disappeared silently.one time lead singer,shamshad begum was reduced to situational characters and Quwalli chorus –‘teri mehfil me kismat azma(mughal-e-azam) ‘holi aayee re kanhai rang bahr de’ and ‘gadiwali gadi dheere hank re’(mother india) ‘sarma k pardanasin(chaudvin ka chand) speak up the sory for reticent living singer.Musicians who earned shamshad begum name later abandoned professional relations with singer.1970’s mark a clear dip in her playback appearnces.shamshad begum slowly went unnoticed.she remained industry isolated for three decades.she was forced to live an isolated life.Naushad,Madan Mohan,Shankar Jaikisan,Opnaiyar ERASED her from their list.in between years any information on the legendary singer did’d reached any Media.just when fans begun to question-Is she dead? Columist SHISIR SHARMA set to look out for her LOST singer.he succeded in his noble cause.biography on shamshad begum by—CHANDRAKANT MOHAN is another turning point in this regard.both proved a piece of REVIVAL shamshad begum

At 90 The grand Senior of indian playback singing has found communication with fans .Awards like –PADMABHUSAN and PHALKE GOLDEN SINGER AWARD is saving grace.

shakti samanta

Birth: born on 13 June 1926 at wardhman Bengal, Shakti samanta school
education completed in Dehradun.he returned to native Bengal for higher studies. Calcutta happened to him. Admission into Calcutta university for bachelors saw him rise to new level.shaktida emerged bilingual with equal command on Hindi and Urdu.Bangla was his mother tongue.
mumbai 1948: with passion to be a Hero in films,Shaktida moved to Mumbai. Days of struggle at Urdu school. At teaching he developed passion for talkies. Cinema urge inside him guided shaktida to Mumbai Studios of Mumbai. Bombay talkies was the favorite spot. At Bombay talkies He came in Touch with leading actor Ashok Kumar. Brief meeting with Dadamuni at talkies transformed his fortunes forever. With an advice from Ashok ji to opt for Direction, Shakti samanta came in touch of Pahni majumdar to be an assistant director. Association emerged fruitful as he dropped the idea of becoming hero/actor forever and came behind the camera.Shaktida committed him to art of film making. His devotion towards cinema proved blessing in 1945. He got break as director with bahu. (1945) inspector hill station detective followed
shakti films: 1957 shakti samanta started his own banner of film production and soon became producer director.
The golden decade: 1960-1970 Is the golden decade of Hindi cinema .decade belongs to Shakti films.array of superhits makes the decade golden.shaktida with his Shakti films gave some of most cherishing moments of Hindi films.shaktida strongly felt story music and songs decide the fate of film. Golden decade proved him right. The decade of romanticism and of Hindi cinema's first superstar—Rajesh khanna
crime -suspense-thriller was initial shaktida interest. He switched to romanticism later what he best delivered.shaktida innovated social engineering with touching musical content. The confident insights Of his films ignited urge and demand for such films among masses.shakti samanta films achieved huge recognition and fan following Howrah Bridge: star studded with actors like Ashok kumar, Madhubala, KN.singh, Howrah Bridge was first Shakti samanta film as producer-director. A crime thriller film has immortal numbers like-- aaiyee meherbaan and mera naam chinchin chu. OP naiyar, Asha bhonsle, Geeta dutt contributed to a grand musical success Post this film for coming two decade Shakti films continued as successful film factory. Good story with great lyrics-dialogues-music is striking feature of many films made under the banner. Shakti samanta shuffled actors as per need of script and screenplay. Rajesh khanna. Shammi kapoor, Ashok Kumar and Uttam Kumar remained prominent faces for Shakti films . Ashok Kumar: Shakti samanta had great love and respect for ashok Kumar. For shaktida dadmuni was elder brother. Together gave nine films. Howrah Bridge cemented their relationship. Shammi kapoor: shammi kapoor had lifelong association with Shakti samanta until very recently death separated friends. "China town" Kashmir ki kali" and "an evening in Paris" are signposts of fruitful association. Rajesh khanna: first superstar of Hindi cinema. Shakti samanta's aradhana (1969) gave popular cinema the first superstar in Rajesh khanna.shaktida brought the idea of popular cinema through khanna with his films. Cinematic efforts and ventures of Shakti samanta furnished immortal place for social romanticism.Release of aradhana became a turning point in history of romantic films. Kati Patang (1971) Amar prem (1972) followed suit. Aradhana, kati patang and Amar prem placed Rajesh khanna as superstar .the overwhelming response of these films glittered the shining superstar tremendously. Anuraag, awaaz, ajnabi, anurodh, mehbooba, alag alag are other notable films for Rajesh khanna with ace director. However Shakti samanta efforts proved less to sail the superstar's sinking innings.salim-javed’s Angry young man diminished the further hope for khanna.shakti films and romanticism shared the odds with superstar. Average and not up to mark performance of films, Shakti samanta took decisive break. Those were the days of litmus test for superstar then struggling to keep his superstar image intact. He failed shaktida expectations and the great association suffered. It even bitterd with star not looking, caring, searching For his mentor. sanjeev kumar (charitraheen) sunil dutt (jaag utha insan) manoj kumar (saawan ki ghata) and uttam kuamar (amanush) are other top actors to work with shaktida .2nd innings also saw Amitabh bachchan and Mithun chakraborty appearing for bangla films.. Sharmila Tagore: Shakti samant's winning efforts gave stars of Bangla films: Sharmila Tagore, Uttam Kumar and Mausmi chatterjee entry to Hindi films. Actress sharmila Tagore was camp favorite of Shakti films. She did many films--Kashmir ki kali, aradhana, amar prem, an evening in Paris, amanush and annad ashram are memorable Sharmila Tagore films for the banner.shakti films gave memorable pairs of golden decade.Sharmila Tagore’s on screen chemistry with Rajesh khanna and shammi kapoor formed the hit Jodis. Anand Bakshi: post super hit aradhana (1969) lyricist anand bakshi continued as lyricist for most shakti samanta films.anand sahib wrote some of his most sweet numbers for shakti films such as-- aradhana, amar prem, kati patang, mehbooba. --- Immortal 'kuch to log kahenge' 'chingari koi bhadke' 'yeh shaam mastani' 'mere naina sawan bhado' and kora kagaz tha y Mann mera' saw Anand Bakshi at his best. kishore kumar :close to shakti samanta singer kishore Kumar shot to fame with super hit aradhana film transformed the fortunes of all associated with it. Playback kishore Kumar was one. he continued as lead playback singer for most of shakti samanta films. some of his most touching numbers are for shakti films. Quest for quality: Shakti samanta devoted his time in search of hit concepts. He committed him to make meaningful social dramas with romanticism in the centre stage. Quest for good stories, suitable faces to match characters, impressive musical chords continued throughout his lifetime. Super success for his ideas reflects the hard work shaktida put in his endeavors. Shakti samanta encouraged many talents.shakti films provided them platform to actualize their potential. Mind behind great array of ideas to Hindi cinema. In the lines of vimal Roy and hrishikesh mukherjee Shakti samanta carried forward their tradition of being bangla but serving Hindi. All three opted to serve Hindi. Ear for music: a story on music In Hindi films may not be completed or get heart of matter if one ignores Shakti films.shakti samanta films contributed to the totality of film music significantly. Music meant lot to shaktida.a committed cine activist Shakti samanta devoted lot of his time to bring out suitable music and lyrics suiting characters and storyline. OP naiyyar, shankar-jaikisan, burmans(SD and RD),madan mohan and laxmikant-pyarelal composed some of their most sweet compositions for shaktida. 1980s: mainstream cinema gradually transformed with action replacing romanticism.salim-javed creation angry young man--Amitabh bachchan replaced Rajesh khanna as next superstar.shaktida paused film making as audiences were also in flow of action. Idea of romantic cinema ideology in the times of revenge and action Ceased. Geetanjali (1993) is last hindi Shakti samanta film Bangla cinema: years after making name in Hindi films Shakti samanta went for Bangla films as well. Average and not up to expectation response of his latter films made him move to regional cinema. Annad ashram, amanush are some of memorable bangla films. They were bilingual films. Hindi cinema is growing day by day. Significant number of contributors made Hindi cinema what it is now. a gradual journey and star studded growth of Hindi films has had the privileged of services of able,craetive,innovative minds--shakti samanta was one such pearl.

folk songs

The most unconventional song in “laga chunari me daag” is “ehe thaiya motiya heraail ho raama”(this is the spot where I lost my pearl) . Though Shantanu and Swanand had tried their best to revive a most popular form of music of UP & Bihar, I felt that something is missing in the song. first thing I felt that this is a “chaiti” not “thumri” so it should be sang with the same energy and enthusiasm that the form of the song demands. “Chaiti” is a festival folk which in villages used to sing in the time of reaping of their grains. It has different moods depend on the situations for example, the villagers used to sing in two groups and counters each other’s comments. The other situation is when a woman misses her husband or a remembers her maayka. Obviously a sad situation but the fragrance of festival overcomes it and song becomes a little lighter. If we hear the same “chaiti” which was sung by Mukesh in the movie “Godaan” we could feel the difference. Ravishankar’s classical strength and the mood of the song has come out so nicely in the song that we can feel the culture inherited into the song. I am not questioning Rekha’s ability. She is absolutely a fresh air in our music industry and the team must have much knowledge of music than me. But the “ras” which I get while hearing the original Chaiti’s by Manoj Tiwari or Bharat Sharma is somehow missing in this version. Now another form is “Bideshiya”. we have seen a part of this in “Hazaaro Khwahishe aisi” in the song “Piya gaile calcuttwa” which I think Sanjay Upadhyaay has sung. It’s not the style of bideshiya in which the song came out.The movie has another brilliant thumri. “Gadar” has also a humming thumri. The song “namak Ishqa ka” I feel is very artificial song. Though I liked the style and mood with which Rekha sung it. it’s awesome. In the similar manner the rajasthani folk “kesariya baalma” has used many a times in our hindi cinema including recent one “Dor” but I don’t think that it has ever come close to the mood with which the Rajasthan’s local orchestra artists sings it. Bihar’s folk singer Sharda Sinha has sung twice(as far as I know) in our mainstream cinema.First in “maine Pyaar kiya” & the other was “Hum Aapke hai kaun”. The song “kahe tose sajna” is used beautifully in “maine pyaar kiya”. It’s an absolutely brilliant song.
The other folk song which is missing in our hindi mainstream cinema is Punjab’s folk “heer”. It’s very rarely used and if used never conceived it . The North east music is also remains untouched. The songs of “Raincoat” were obviously not folk but classical. The film has a nice Sohar (song that used to sing in the time of birth of child). There are enormous kinds of Indian folk and classical songs which has not been given importance in our film industry. Shabha Mudgal has found some precious songs which were written in the pre independence era. but it’s only a pinch of sand. With such a vast variety of culture and music available we are yet to reach those songs, but with Shantanu and Swananad we could hope for some brilliant songs to come out.

-dipankar giri-

Gehrayee-the film

Rk
A decent horror film? A horror film - subtle?
Is it possible and even if it is possible, will the film still be attractive and appealing?
One film does this magic.
In Hindi cinema, horror films mean either typical products of Ramsey Brothers or Ram Gopal Verma’s factory products and few other efforts by other filmmakers here and there like Vikram Bhatt’s 1920 and Madhvan starrer 13 B.Ram Gopal Varma’s last horror entry Phoonk was loosly based on (/inspired by) a sensible film made by Vikas Desai and Aruna Raje in 1980.
Gehrayee was the film. This film could easily be said as only sensible and good film ever came out of hindi cinema where subject has dealt with black magic, spirit, supernatural powers and ghost etc. This is the only film which does not take refuge in technical gimicks to falsely terrorise the audiences rather it goes down deeply into the psychology of the characters. Inspite of being quite a low budget film, this is highly devoted to the genre and it does not try to play the tricky games with the audience.

No tricky camera work is there, no swift movements are there and camera does not even try to portray some particular character in a wrong manner so that audiences are given a fake illusion that this person is the culprit. Film goes ahead in quite a subtle manner.Realistic touch is quite high in the film. Film looks real and shows in a way as it can happen to somebody in real life and how real people may react when come across something which defies their understanding of not to recognize any supernatural thing.
Many things happen in the life of human being and science is unable to provide any definite answer but because science has taught not to believe whatever is not proved scientifically so people live in a confused state. Science is also followed blindly like a superstition by many people.
For those who are involved deeply into the scientific reaserach few things may be fine but what about those people who even have never come across the very early and primary type of theories of modern science?These people simply rely on what newspapers feed them or what others tell them. They always have to listen to others because more successful people are shouting at them that whatever they are telling them is the right as they had read it in their 10th standard book.
To listen about supernatural powers or to read about them in books or to see films based on fictions are different thing but when confused people living in a confused time come across something which they can not define and understand then things really can disturb the families of people suffering from unknown things.Those who do not believe in any undefined powers will naturally seek the shelter of doctors and doctors will rely on the available knowledge of personality disorder or psychological problems defined by some area of human psychology.
Other people may not say anything before the person telling about problem of his family member but after he is gone, people may comment,” his family member is going mad”.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Capitalistic and consumeristic approach does not allow people to consider the lives of poor people serving the riches all through their lives.
If a person has been doing hard work on a land owned by a rich man and starts treating the land with a great love and treats the land as a very important part of his life and even does not treat badly any living creatures living in that premises and rather respects even a snake as the caretaker of the land then he can be devasted if rich person asks him to leave the place as he has sold the land to other owner who would make an industry here.
It is not about the alternative arrangement done by the owner of the land for his job at a different place and it is more the matter of his emotional attachment with the land, trees on this land, his hard work done in making this land as a green paradise where birds are singing the song all the day and different kinds of flowers are blossomed and different kinds of fruits are flourishing on the trees and different kinds of vegetables are existing on and inside the land. This land has become his life and selling this land may carry him at the door of death.
A young man brings his lover to his home so that she can meet with his family. His teen ager sister takes his lover to her room to show the photo album etc. After some minutes his lover comes out in a visibly disturbed mode and she insists on going back to home as soon as possible.
It is not usual in films to see the teen ager sister making sexual advances to her elder brother. All the family members are sitting in a room and son gets up to take the bath and all of a sudden his younger sisters gets up from her chair and takes her brother in her arms and starts saying dialogues which a prostitute may say to lure her customer. Everybody is shocked to see this lewd behaviour of a teen ager girl. Brother is trying to push away his sister but she is clinging to him more tightly.
Whole family is playing carrom board and all of a sudden daughter starts accusing her father for her sexual exploitation and not as a young girl but as some other woman.
Her mother is stunned to listen this. Daughter is taken to doctor who has only one option to treat her, electric shock.
Gehrayee explores the mental torture of the family when daughter starts suffering from a disorder in her behaviour. Father takes her to doctor and daughter complains about doctor’s rude behaviour. Brother and mother listens to their old servant that girl is suffering from ghost problem.There is a clash between father and son over the girl’s problem.
A tantrik is asked to help but it makes situation even worse and girl is saved from his evil efforts.
There is a mystry behind girl’s problem.
Padmini Kolhapure had given an outstanding performance in the role of a teen ager suffering girl. She was very young and still could portray the changing and complex behaviour of her character very well.In the media film was in news because of a nude scene of Padmini Kolhapure.
Dr Shreeram Lagoo as the father of girl, Indrani Mukharjee as the mother of girl and Anant Nag as brother of the girl were quite good.
Amrish Puri in a small role of the tantrik proved again that great actors don’t need hours of screen space and they can leave the long lasting impact even in a few minutes role.
Film’s USPs are the relience on the story, characterization, psychological dynamics of the characters and direct take on the probelm and absence of technical gimmicks. Film does not try to create false fear because of the use of technology andproblems and emotions of the characters do that job.
A simple take makes Gehrayee a remarkable hindi film in the genre of ghost and black magic etc.
Asrani used to say in the ad. of Sylvania Laxman : Ek Naam jo Ujala Laye
BPL, perhaps was first ever advertisement which Amitabh Bachchan had done through his corporate venture ABCL.Focus of the ad was on the idea to search a brand which keeps international value and Amitabh Bachchan endorses BPL that it is one brand which has that international value.
In the crowd of B and C grade horror flicks in hindi cinema Gahrayee shines like a star and keeps waiving the flag of a different and distinguished brand name even after 29 years of its first release.

sau jhooth ek sach

satyendra jha

One such movie that I watched, (and I was fortunate I did so) was Sau Jhooth Ek Sach, a 2005 film directed by Bappaditya Roy, starring Mammotty (in one of his rare non-dubbed / original Hindi movies), the DVD of which I had picked up on an impulse during my recent visit to Kochin (it could be the Mammootty-effect, or maybe even trying the ‘local-flavour’), but had not even removed the wrapper since then.
The reason of going into details about the treatment I had meted out to the film is to curse myself once again (this time, publically) for having missed out on this little-known gem for such a long time. The film is based on a famous English play ‘An Inspector Calls’ by JB Priestley, and has, apart from Mammootty, other assorted powerful actors like Vikram Gokhale, Lillette Dubey, and Joy Sengupta. Among the lesser known, there are Anjali Jathar, Kiran Jhangani, Neha Dubey (Lillette’s daughter) and Tisca Chopra. Fortunately, the director has given an official credit to the source material, so its easier on the conscience to praise the film for all its inherent qualities, even the borrowed ones from the original play.
It is most unlike a regular film, and the setting is entirely in the drawing room inside the bunglow of a rich business tycoon, Vikrant Pradhan, played with amazing nuance by Vikram Gokhale. He is in a mixed mood of celebration as well as hurt-ego, the former due to his daughter’s engagement to the son of another rich industrialist, and the latter due to his not-so-subtle derision in front of other guests by his son on the dinner table earlier in the evening. The way in which Vikram Gokhale has managed to convey both emotions at the same time without speaking anything has to be seen to be believed.
Late in the evening, while he is enjoying a drink, his wife (Lillette Dubey) is sulking in their bedroom for some bitter confrontation between them, his son (Kiran Jhangani) is out somewhere getting drunk and laid, and his daughter (Neha Dubey) is making out with her fiance (Joy Sengupta) in her bedroom, comes an unannounced and unexpected police inspector Vivek (Mammootty, with all his Malayali accent and mannerisms intact), in connection with the interrogation of an apparent suicide of an unmarried pregnant girl in a discrepit chawl room in another part of the city.
At first, Vikrant Pradhan is arrogant and dismissive with the inspector, but against the no-nonsense attitude of the inspector and certain bare truths later, he complies with the interrogation. As the story unfolds, all the characters, including the daughter, the son, the wife and the would-be son-in-law turn out to have had something to do with the suicide case, and all of them have their own skeletons to hide, their own demons to face. How the story unfolds further and how does it culminate has to be seen, not told, else I have to give away a lot of interesting details. However, trust the film to give you a few shocks and twists on the way.
Those who have read the play or watched the two English film-adaptations would surely know the ending beforehand. Suffice it to say that the film has not tried to deviate much from the original except to set it up in the Indian mileu, and use some local references. The merit of the film is in the coherence with which the characters are coerced by the Inspector to introspect themselves. The film also reflects a lot on the inter-connectedness of our human-existence. It can also be merited with the concept of integrating “Chaos Theory” in a more believable manner, without trying to go over-the-top. The character of Inspector Vivek is a collective manifestation of our human-conscience, and the naming of the character signifies that as well.
The suicide-girl in question has been played by six different actors for the same character, maybe to reflect the significance of a common man(?), and the plight and class-injustice suffered at the hands of the capitalists. It may sound a bit serious and ‘arty’, but I would put it more in the lines of “12 Angry Men” / “Ek Ruka Hua Faisla”. I would strongly recommend it to those who like that genre.
The bottomline of this movie can be summarised by way of one of the best SMS jokes I have ever come across, and which, IMO, is the most apt and succint way to conclude this article. Some of the words in the following joke have been *beeped* for obvious reasons. Here goes:
Garib Aur ***** Hamesha Dabaaye Jaate Hain…Museebat Aur **** Kabhi Bhi Khada Ho Sakta Hai…Kismat Aur *** Kabhi Bhi Khul Sakti Hai…
Disclaimer: I sincerely apologise to anyone whose sentiments have been hurt due to the content of the joke…The intent was to let people know the truth that the movie tries to confront, without losing the humour.

salman khan

.

Can one man guarantee success in the film-industry? We all agree that in a team effort, success is the result of a collective effort towards the common goal. There have been numerous occasions where the director has taken the blame of failure of a movie on his personal shoulders, but he has heaped praise on the entire team for the success of any film. In fact, RGV is quite vocal in support of the claim that success is due to the whole team, whereas failure is solely his own.

One of the biggest talking points in the Hindi film industry for the last decade-and-a-half has been about who is biggest star among the three Khans: Aamir, Salman or Shahrukh. The supporters of the stars have gone to lengths to make their point across the supporters of the ‘rival’ camp, and they have not even shied away from either deifying their ‘idol’, or from running-down the ‘rivals’ by whatever means possible. The more sane voices have tried to point out towards the body of work under the belts of the respective stars, and have a comparative analysis of the good/bad products.

There is no denying the fact that if analysed individually, all the three have had their share of hits and misses, commercially successful as well as artistically uplifting. Practically speaking, there is hardly any edge with any one star to choose from, and they deserve to be where they are for their individual contribution to the industry. Its only when we look at the circumstances under which, and the team with which the commercially successful films have been given by these three pillars of stardom, that we realise the edge and extent of stardom that Salman Khan enjoys over his compatriots.

Just think of a Salman Khan movie, and chances are, all we will remember would be the name of the film, and the fact that Salman played a romantic/action/comedy role in it. We will not even bother about the story-line, or other cinematic brilliance expected from any other film. It is even likely that we won’t remember the name of the director either, probably because the director is a newcomer, and the production house is not necessarily a biggie. The songs would be ordinary, the dialogues clichéd, and the entire experience of watching the movie would give us a sense of déjà vu. The fact that it is a Salman Khan movie is the only solace that we will carry back, and that is sufficient for many among us to throng to the cinema-hall to catch our favourite superstar.

Contrast this with the films of the other two Khans. Shahrukh Khan believes in playing safe, and prefers working with the Chopras and Johars of the industry. Most of the roles undertaken by him are commercially a ‘safe bet’, and the brilliant marketing and PR efforts coupled with the names involved make sure that the movie is successful even before it has completed its first-week-run. Aamir Khan, on the other hand, doesn’t worry much about the names he is associated with, and makes sure that the product he is involved with is unique in its own way to garner a buzz from the day it is announced, to create awareness about the movie, and to generate a high-level curiosity around the time of release, all resulting in audience thronging to the theatres irrespective of the merits of the film, as claimed or purported by the team behind the film, Aamir himself being the most vocal. Also the fact that Aamir spaces his films wisely, and mostly follows one-film-at-a-time approach, those who swear by his talent (and there are many in that category, including yours truly), just o ahead and watch it.

It might apparently seem that both SRK and Aamir also sell the movie by their name, but in most cases, we end up taking away much more than just the ‘star-value’ from the movie, in terms of either a good story, or some beautiful visuals and great songs. In comparison, all we get from a Salman Khan film is him and him alone (in most of the cases). He is neither a good actor like Aamir, nor has the back-up of the mightiest of film fraternity like SRK, nor has martial-arts skills of an Akshay Kumar. Yes, he is extremely good-looking, but then, so are most of the stars, in their own way. Then, what unique thing does Salman Khan offer for people to watch his otherwise atrocious movies in such huge numbers? We may not really have an answer to this phenomenon.

All the three Khans started their career around the same time, and were involved in some good, some bad and some atrocious choices in the beginning of their career. All the three of them have given some colossal hits already. But with time, SRK & Aamir moved ahead with their own brand of exclusivity (in terms of persons or projects they would work with), whereas Salman Khan remained there, associating himself with one ordinary product after the other with his trademark benevolence. Sample some of the ‘commercially successful’ movies that he has given us, and you will appreciate the point I am driving at: Sanam Bewafaa, Veergati, Bandhan, Judwaa, Auzaar, Jaanam Samjha Karo, Hello Brother, Biwi No. 1, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge, Chal Mere Bhai, Tere Naam, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, Garv: Pride & Honour, Phir Milenge, Lucky, Partner… phew… Put any other star in these movies, and chances are, the film as well as the star would be overtly criticised or worse, out-rightly rejected for their association with the torture-fest. However, the same no-quality film with Salman Khan becomes worth a watch because of the unmistaken fan-following he has generated over the years.

Salman Khan is also the favourite ‘guest / friendly / special’ appearance guy of the industry, for the obvious reason that he can’t say No where he should, and taking advantage of this weakness, the producers / directors approach him, because they know the name will sell tickets more than the quality of the product. Sample these: Deewana Mastana, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, Baghban, No Entry, Baabul, Salaam-e-Ishq, Saawaria, Hello, Heroes and many more which I seem to forget for now.

Another point to be noted in Salman’s favour is that from the very beginning, he has given hits with the lesser known directors, as he was not afraid to experiment, and also his confidence was always with him, so he didn’t need to be convinced about the “names” associated with the project. Maine Pyaar Kiya saw Rajshree Productions come out with a big budget movie after almost a decade with the then unknown Sooraj Barjatya making his debut as a director, and Bhagyashree, a virtual non-entity giving him company. Baaghi had Deepak Shivdasani as the director, and Nagma, again almost an unknown face as the heroine. Patthar Ke Phool was directed by Anant Balani, and Raveen Tandon debuted with him. Similarly, Sanam Bewafa was directed by Sawan Kumar Tak, and heroine was Chandni, about whom nobody had heard earlier, or has even her whereabouts since. Fact of the matter is, Salman Khan drew the crowds on his own merit, and made a career out of many others associated with those movies.
Salman Khan has that typical screen presence, wherein the moment he comes on screen, you just forget about the other faces filling the space, be it a supporting actor, or the villain, or even the pretty face of a heroine. Any other actor with such ordinary ‘acting prowess’ would have crumbled under the tremendous competition that the other two Khans presented to him, but Salman has his own way of keeping his loyal fans happy, and that is an enigma. I am in no way propagating his films or his choice of roles. If anything, I prefer not to watch his movies in most of the cases. But the hysterical following that he enjoys across the country is something no other Khan can boast of. In fact, SRK has himself accepted in one of his interviews that it is to Salman’s credit that he has made some of the movies work at the BO despite the inherent weakness of the film, and no other actor would have garnered so much attention to those movies except Salman Khan. And that is the true hallmark of a ‘superstar’.

Many people argue that he is repetitive in most of his roles in terms of his acting or mannerisms. I personally feel that being repetitive is what makes him the star that he is, since the ‘star’ lives, whereas the actor dies with the character. That is the reason why all the movies of Salman Khan are watched as ‘his’ movies, rather than for the character that he portrays. And that is what his fans take back home, and remember him for, long after the film is over.

-satyendra jha-

balraj sahni

here comes an actor in decades who we love to watch for the simplistic portrayal of the most layered nuances. Balraj Sahni (born Yudhisthir Sahni) was one such gem on Indian cinema.

Those who have seen him in two of his arguably best roles, Do Bigha Zameen and Garam Hawa, would have no doubt that Balraj Sahni was the main pioneer of neo-realistic movement in Indian Cinema, that was later carried forward by the likes of Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihlani, Naseerudding Shah, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil etc.

Not surprisingly, the two movies mentioned above are not only the highlight of his illustrious film-career but also encompass the entire arc of his acting life. Do Bigha Zameen came in 1953, when he had just started getting recognised in the industry. The film, and the awards that followed, brought him recognition both at national and international level. To win the National Award and the Prix Internationale at Cannes was no mean feat, and even Satyajit Ray, the maker of Pather Panchali and already hailed in international film fraternity praised the film and Balraj Sahni as probably the best thing to have happened to Indian Cinema. For many, Balraj Sahni’s life begins with Do Bigha Zameen.

Garam Hawa released in 1973, and is the last well-known film Balraj Sahni acted in. prior to its release, the movie was much discussed for its anti-communal overtones, and the censor board was in two minds about the likely impact the film might create on the Indian Diaspora. Also, considering the fact that India had just come out of another war with Pakistan, the feelings between the two communities were rather sensitive even then. However, the director M.S. Sathyu’s persistence and perseverance with the film paid off, and upon release, the movie didn’t disappoint anyone, and went onto become a critically-acclaimed as well as a commercially successful film, a rare achievement on its own. The movie won major awards in India, including the National Integration Award, and was nominated for major international awards like Academy and Palm D’ Or at Cannes.

The fact of these two movies completing his circle of professional life, and both bringing him laurels at an international level in almost a similar fashion, though being separated by almost two decades speaks volumes of the command over his vocation that Balraj Sahni enjoyed throughout his career. However, for the majority of the cine-going public, probably the first image that comes instantly to mind is that of a wealthy man in his forties crooning love-ballads to his wife with three children in Waqt. The song ‘Aye Meri Zohra Zabeen’ is considered a cult even today, and is the introduction reference of many young cinegoers who naively ask – Balraj Sahni who? To share the screen space in Wqat with the big stars of that time – Sunil Dutt, Raj Kumar and Sadhna, not to forget the talented new-kids-on-the-block Shashi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore – and still steal the show from right under their nose and emerge as the most talked-about performance is a proof in itself of his acting prowess and professional standing.

He also worked in many other memorable movies of that era, like Seema, Bhabhi, Kabuliwala, Haqueeqat, Ek Phool Do Maali, Hanste Zakhm etc., but most of his movies saw him playing him an integral part in the movie as a patriarchal character. His sensibilities didn’t allow him to do the typical running-around-the-trees and wooing-the-heroine roles. However, to be fair, his age was also not conducive to engage in such frivolities.

Few would even expect the actor portraying such rustic and ‘earthy’ roles to be a highly sophisticated, westernised and well-read in real life that Balraj Sahni was. He was the typical Indian intellectual, having studied abroad, and had a stint at Tagore’s Shantiniketan as the English teacher. He had also worked with Mahatma Gandhi for the independence-movement, and later in life, channelized his leadership qualities to revitalise the Indian People’s Theatre Organisation (IPTA), which used to be patronised by the likes of Prithviraj Kapoor, Ritwik Ghatak, KA Abbas and Utpal Dutt. He felt the need of addressing the plight of the common man through his profession, and brought out the suffering of the masses through stark and vivid portrayal of his plays and “nukkad-naataks”.

He died of a massive heart-stroke in 1973, and gave us not only some of the most memorable realistic character-portrayals on Indian cinema but also an awakened sense of realism through his sensibilities and social-awareness. His shoes have still not been filled by any worthy successor, and we await the day when a ‘Yugandhar’ like him will bless us once again.

courtesy----satyendra jha

travis bickle

Afternoon,26 jan 2007 ……aadhi jagi aadhi soyi mumbai…main apne director ki badi si elantra car me baitha hoon …mere haath me ek brand new dvd hai jo abhi abhi mere director ne kharidi hai……main unke plush chamchamaate ghar me ghusta hoon to nazar khidki se baahar jaati hai…..bhagat singh nagar ki jhuggiyan…….dvd ke cover pe chamak rahe hai naam martin scorcese…. taxi driver…..aur thodi der me film shuroo hoti hai ….saamne hai king kong jacket pehne hue Robert de nero a.k.a. travis…ek officer ke sawaalon ka jawaab deta hua….

PERSONNEL OFFICER

So why do you want to be a taxi driver?

TRAVIS

I can’t sleep nights.

mera blood circulation tez ho jaata hai……ye to meri kahaani hai….main hill jaata hoon saamne roshniyon aur crowd se bhara newyork city aur ek aadmi ko raat me nind nahi aati ……travis ke eyeballs blink nahi karte, sirf ghumte hai jaise DOP ka camera pan ho raha hai….30 sec ka ek hi shot ….uf those wer d eyes…so innocent….shekhar kapoor once said ” my discovery of life is nothing but murder of the innocence…..kya ye wahi “innocence” hai …… Travis or bihadon ki raani.. kya ek hi hai…..main sar ko jhatka deta hoo credits khatm hone waale hai…….meri nazar khidki ke baahar chali jaati hai …..extreme long… top angle sab ek hi shot me….jhuggiyon ke beech ek bachha cycle ke tyre ghuma raha hai……nange paaon…..film shuroo ho jaati hai aur phir main film dekhne lagta hoon ….peene ke liye chay aur khane ke liye kuch na kuch milta raha…aur Travis bhi khata aur tv dekhta aur sirf taxi chalaata..

TRAVIS (V.O.)

I’m working a single now, which means stretch-shifts, six to six,

sometimes six to eight in the a.m., six days a week.

film aage badhti hai badhti hi rehti hai travis ke taxi meter ki terah….par travis ke bheetar kuch kam hota chala jaata hai…….travis disillusioned ho jaata hai…..wo gun shop me jaata hai….mujhe woody allen ki ek line yaad aa jaati hai

“What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet.”

wow main uchal jaata hoon … mujhe laga ki “Hollywood Ending ” ka “director” ka andha hona woody ki kaun si bhookh dikhaata hai …..dere is a difference of 30 yrs betwn both films lekin Travis andha nahi hota “director” andha ho jaata hai….kahin ye woody ka escapism to nahi tha …….ya ghao ki terah uske bhitar kuch pak raha tha jab woody kehte hai ki “I took a speed reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.” Kya aisa ho sakta hai ki jis pathbreaking novel ko five times likha gaya ho phir use fad diya gaya ho aur saalon baad ek paagal aadmi 20 mins me use padh leta hai……… Tolstoy apne autobiography me likhte hai ki unki maa bahut sunder thi unki hatheliya jab chay ke kettle se chay dalati thi to who Russian pari si makhmali lagti thi…unki maa jab muskurati to wo unke chehre ki khoobsurati das guna badh jaati thi…..ek din tolstoy ki maa ne poocha “tum ro rahe the…..”tolstoy : nahi ………maa main sach kehta hoon main sirf neend me ro raha tha….

Tolstoy ki aankhon se russia ro raha tha aur jaisa ki aksar hota aaaya hai julm aur atyaachaar ke daur me bhi “innocence” ko bachaane ki purjor koshish ki gayi…….sabse imperative literature usi samay likhe gaye jab russia revolution ke liye taiyaar ho raha tha…..koi surprise nahi ki usi samay Chekhov ki kalam bhi paida ho gayi thi….mujhe yaad hai Chekhov ki ek kahaani jisme village school ki headmistress roz ki terah ek din ghar jaa rahi hoti hai to railway crossing me train ke gujarane ke karan achaanak use rukna padta hai ….thodi der me wo kya dekhti hai ki train ke ek coach se ek aurat uski taraf dekh rahi hai….shakl surat bilkul uski maa jaisi aur who train ke saath udti jaa rahi hai ……..mistress puzzled ho jaati hai ki uski maa ko to mare hue 30 saal ho chuke hai phir wo use kaise dikhai de rahi hai….ye samay tha jab Russian revolution apne peak per tha….Chekhov apne characters ke bahane aise samay me kya dhoondh rahe the… ….ye us caculated mistress ka illusion tha ya khud chekhov ka …..kahin chekhov apni maa ko to nahi dhoond rahe the….cut to bahut saalon baad Hindustan me likha gaya ” julmaton ke daur me bhi geet gaaye jaayenge……”

Albert kamu ka novel “the outsider” ki shuruaati lines hai….Mom is dead….tommorow ? or today ? wow…. maa saamne mari par pata nahi chala kab mari….Pritish Nandi ne apni maa ke marne par likh tha ” unhe bhi kuch aisa hi ehsaas hua tha jab unki maa safed Bengali sarree me jameen par lash bankar padi hui thi aur baahar duniya tezi se bhaag rahi thi…..wo jaante hai we kal phir se kaam me jana shuroo kar denge kyonki mumbai ke liye to it’s just another day hai…… “..aaj maa kahan hai…..aanchal me lipta innocence humaari sensitivity me hai bhi ya nahi…..

Maa to Steven Spielberg ki film “Schindler’s List ” ke har reel me baahen failaaye …..apne bachho ke liye ro rahi hai ………….ye kaun se “innocence” ki pukar thi jisne Spielberg ko history ke tehkhane per le jaane ko majboor kar diya…? hindi ke ek writer hai Swadesh Deepak jinka play “court martial” ka aaj tak record manchan hua hai ……darjano kitabein likhi hai…..ambaala college me English ke lecturer hai ….desh videsh me apne writing ke liye mashhoor….achaanak ek din subeh morning walk ke liye nikale aur laut kar waapus hi nahi aaye….aaj teen mahine ho gaye na koi news channel unko follow kerta hai na koi newspaper follow up kerta hai…..kahan hai itna bada writer….agar mar gaye hai to unki laash kahan hai……andheri oshiwara fun cinema fame jaisi jagahon per jo cinema discuss karte hai …..fresh chamakte laptop haathon me liye screenwriters ke liye best imagery ….Sawdesh Deepak naam ka ek aadmi gas cylinder ke pipe ko stove se alag kar apne body se laga leta hai aur fufkaarti hui gas me maachis maar deta hai…….body ka ek hissa jalta jaa raha hai ..aur right hand me cigarette pete hue Deepak hans rahe hai …….acchha jise maut kehta hai kya yehi hai wo……..par shayad safai waale ne bacha liya….ek aur attempt…..nas kaat kar balkani me baith gaye aur ciggerette peete rahe….khoon doosre haath se tapak raha hai aur kabhi bhi maut aa sakti hai……chill…..wow kya scene hai …umr bhar yaad rehne waala scene….gurudutt kahan the…..”ye mehlon ye takhton ki duniya…ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai” Anurag basu ki film “Metro” ka scene jisme konkona khule chhat par chillati hai aur roti hai……kyun roti hai shruti…itne bade shaher me……mere hisaab se who film ka last scene hona chahiye tha…lekin nahi….last ke fuckall 20 mins dikhana shayad UTV waalon ko kaaffi achha laga hoga…khair….

Travis tv dekh raha hai aur tv ko ek dhakka marta hai….Tv table sahit neeche gir jaata hai…..maine bhi ek baar saas bahu serial ko aisa dekha tha poore five mins tak..par mere paas ek hi tv thi…humare bhitar koi aag hai ya hum jalte hue aag me baithe hai……us din Bandra ke ache school ka ek brilliant student ko naxal hone ke aarop me arrest kiya gaya…..film khatma hone waali hai aur ab hum paan khane jaayege….. hum nahi sirf sir…..hum sab chupchaap baithe hue hai apne apne gharon me humare innocence ko koi cheenta jaa raha hai aur hum kuch nahi kar paa rahe hain….us din orrissa ke ek majboor baap ne Prime minister ko letter likhker apne jawaan betiyon sahit suicide karne ki ijajat maangi hai……kyunki uske paas kamaane aur ghar chalaane ka koi jariya nahi bacha…….intresting….café coffe day or barista waalon ke discussion ke liye thodi der me bhool jaane waala topic..aur us din elantra me baithe hue hum bhi kuch aisa hi discuss kar rahe the…Kya hum yng breed us “innocence” ko bacha paayenge ya atleast sangharsh karenge aur agar agar itna bhi nahi kar sakte hai to laanat hai humaari jawaani ko…..hume yaad rakhna hoga… “lamho ne khata kee aur sadiyon ne sajaa paayi” ………mistakes were done by seconds and felt by centuries….

courtesy---dipankar giri

http://passionforcinema.com/category/projekt-iview

aisa des hai mera

I was going thru the pages of “The motorcycle dairies” n suddenly Fusor hold my hand n drove me into The Amazon…was luking at him…the dark chamber of night has covered the whole water..n i was swimming wid him… Fuzor wanted to scrub this river to unite the two colonies… I was recalling these lines of Ernesto while my last breaths…

Is a piece of two lives taken in a moment when they were cruising together along a given path…… With identity of aspirations and a conjunction of dreams….. Was our vision too narrow, too partial, too rushed?

But I crossed the river safely…n this strange step chilled the other side..n I too was dancing n celeberating…. thousands of hands were bidding him a farewell….I m smiling on Fuzor ..is this an end or just a beginning for Fuzor…..Fuzor who is so well identified by d director that he stoles the whole show..

Ernesto (to Fuzor) :You know what your problem is………Your fucking honesty. n Fuzor is like that only….. I just love him like others do…I also bid a goodbye to him n the next moment I was at charanpur…with Mohan bhargav….closing the eyes of kaveri amma….mohaannnnnnnnn….and then there was Melaram n Nivaran….came together to educate the village. “Swades” was an attempt to show us the illiteracy…the poverty…n the castism…Melaram represents a villagers dream wer as nivaran dada’s character shows that how much our villages r desperate to become advance…true, these characters were captured beautifully….but what the director shows us is at very superficial level…only thing of swades which disturb me often is a dialogue..Mohan bhargav says that “humein andhere me rahne ki aadat ho gayi hai ” I don’t know Mr. Bhargava is referring to which “andhera”…. may be it’s poverty, backwardness, illiteracy….sori Mr. Gowarikar but this is not the real sketch of contemporary Indian village..it lacks the research….u r telling about andhera…but this andhera can be conquered if the government policies would implemented honestly…but what about the another andhera which is not so innocent…. these Indian villages has covered a long way…everything has changed…go to the villages…say UP …the streets r full of different flags…there were Mayawati’s flag…Samajwadi’s flag…replacing mythological bjarangbali’s flag….every village has divided …every family separated….

I think that after 60 yrs of independence Indian villages were more divided where they should ideally unite…go n meet some old woman or man.. no one feels for them in the village..they were left behind a lot in the race of politics n unemployment. the youth has diverted from their path….they have been converted into violent groups.. and over seventeen states are in the grip of Naxalism. They r disrupting the highways, railways, tunnels, bridges. They demands a heavy package from the companies like L n T who has the responsibilities to make roads for the government. The political dramas holding at state capitals is indirectly thrashing the unity among the naïve villagers..In UP n Bihar mass killing were done every month…the only byline….revenge for revenge…upper caste vs lower caste…

This is contemporary village. we are making globally accepted Malls, multiplexes, n stepping ahead towards a new India…world has become a global village..but where the real villages were heading….forget electricity,water,drought,floods…what is the answer of violence n politics which has surrounded these villages…meeting some communists Ernesto writes “Those eyes had a dark and tragic expression They told us about some friends that had disappeared under mysterious circumstances.. That was one of the coldest nights of my life….But meeting them made me feel closer to human kind.Strange, so strange to me…“. now the sentiments have dried up in villages also…the moral values are changing exponently in our villages…have read a story of woman who was left alone in the family.. when she died the question arises..who will offer agni to him…coz the man who will give the agni will have to follow all the rituals & formalties…till 12 days…no one in the village came forward ..so they hire a dom (a lower caste performs the task of cremation of dead bodies ) but he demanded some price for this work.. the money they collected was too less to pay even for the woods ….so to pay off the wood vendor and dom the villagers told them that the dead has a nathuni(an ornament used to wear in nose) made of gold which has kept under her mouth as a ritual. So as soon as u lit her up u can fetch the ornament….they agreed n dom tried his best to bring out the ornament safely but couldn’t find it….nobody could get the answer that what happened to the ornament…the writer wrapped the story leaving many questions….does professions are hijacking the emotions…

Ernesto writes “ Dear mom…I knew i wouldn’t be able to help that poor woman That up to a month ago she had been serving tables, panting like me Trying to live with dignity. In those dying eyes, there was a humble request for excuses And a desperate plea of consolation that gets lost in the emptiness Just as her body will get lost very soon in the magnitude of the mystery that surrounds us Yes, that’s it, that’s were we are from”

In the same way “helicopter” story of Vijay Pandit explores the rigidity of our political leaders. There is a big piece of land in the village called sarpatiya teela..which is surrounded by the large sarpat plants…the land was the soul of the village which was used as toilets by the women of the villages..the meeting point of lovebirds and also a number of handicraft work is executed there …in brief it was the most happening place of the village..a rally happens there n for security reasons the plants were cut n they converted the land into a plane surface…n with this landmark of faith n culture of village got ruined……the story has some brilliant moments n contains reality in pieces…it’s poignant that the leader who is the lone voice of dalits could not understand the sentiments of her own people n visits the village in helicopter, delivers her speech n fly away …..

recently when I visited my native village the panchayat elections were on the full swing..i was shocked to c the nomination register…for a single post of mukhiya there were 28 contestants ..n five to six of them came to me to write a speech for them…I felt that these contestants were not there to win the election but they just want to divide the vote…

Of all the tales of contemporary villages their reflection in Indian cinema is yet to be observed…the cinema must tell the story of these indigenous people…… I liked Swades due to its vulnerability. nobody could help haridas..The grief of haridas is very genuine n real but should not be told in the way it was told..it’s more like an interview…it’s not that the track had a problem..the audience just could not digest it..our cinema needs to be more intelligent…specially when we r dealing with our native characters…

The vast n deep reality of Indian villages is yet to b discovered…the global audience (specially NRIs) love n admire Yashraj films simply coz they helps their kids to brush up their hindi…we r showing an urban art to an urban audience…we r selling cozier life style to them who had already become used. to .recently shekhar kapoor raised an important point that we should show ur desi cinema to the world….i completely agree with him coz a foreign tourist comes India to take bath in Ganga (they have more clean rivers than us)..to visit qutabminaar (they have much taller buildings)….they never came to c a shopping mall.or multiplexes….n y we r crying only for global audience…our Indian audience has lot to discover in their own country…but do we tell them their real stories…moreover do we tell them in the style they like..u can’t beat the Indian humour..it’s the best way to tell the world about what we r for…but for that we too have to come out from our ac rooms to explore the real India…as fuzor n Ernesto did…n changed them a lot.. Ernesto writes..

…but that aimless roaming through our enormous America has changed me more than I thought

I…..am not myself anymore

At least, I’m not the same inside…

courtesy--dipankar giri

http://passionforcinema.com/category/projekt-iview/

literature in cinema

Last time when I went to the office of Rajesh Singh (producer of Anwar) they yelled at me “yahan Manish Jha ka naam mat lijiye nahi to maar khaiyega”.The tempearure was soaring outside…n this came out as an increment of another degree..I was surprised..hey what’s wrong with u man….but I controlled myself n calculated what must have gone wrong with these guys….Rajesh Singh had come all the way from lucknow to finance some “different” stories….but even certified directors couldn’t recover his money…so obviously, there is an agony towards the director….I don’t know what turned the producer on whenever Manish would have narrated the story to him….I have not seen the film….all I know about the film is that the idea for the film has came from a short story “phagun ki aatmakatha” written by noted writer Priyamvad…. When Priyamvad got to know this, he claimed n get paid….I tried but couldn’t find the original story.

Noted writer director Sagar Sarhadi has made a film..”chausar“. It is also based on a short story “bandook” written by Ram Janam Pathak… it’s wonderful story which depicts the struggle of a man for a job of security guard . For the job of security guard he must has an arms license….to keep gun…this license turn to a nightmare for the guy….I have read the story n excited when got to know that sagar sarhadi has made a film on the story….I met the director.in his andheri office…a totally obliged filmmaker invited me on a trial show of the film at eros….i went n really shattered while watching the movie…I was watching a shit adaptation of a cult story…..my mind simply stuck.. is this the man who has written the milestones like kabhie kabhie,silsila, chandni diwaana ,kaho na pyaar hai n directed an excellent movie “Bazaar“….I told the director that even a blind man will not buy this film….he argued and responded with an anger in his face…this type of film is not made in the last 15-20 years…Though the movie starts well…opening scene has got some hold when the ritual of saat phere is in progress n suddenly the bride’s father notices that the groom is limping…he screams n cancels the marriage…cut to we c that the grooms younger brother is taking saat phera’s with the bride…the heart breaking song plays in the background…. “agle janam mujhe bitiya na kijoo..bitiya jo kijau to bitiyaa ke bhag na dijau..

Another prominent examples of adaptations are Prakash jha’s “Damul” n “Parinati“. Damul was based on Shaiwal’s story n Parinati was based on Vijaydaan detha’s story….I still think that Damul is the best film of Jha…yet Parinati’s destiny was so poignant n pathetic that u don’t need any other conflict in the story…. an elder couple used to kill people for their treasuries….In this blind race they couldn’t identify their son n kills him also….This conflict is very rarely told in Hindi cinema….

These r the films lesser known to the audience which borrowed their idea from literature…n failed to convince the audience…I simply couldn’t understand why they made the films so boring that nobody is interested in watching the film…my personal view is that these stories should be told in a cinematic way…they easily get stories but forgot the story telling n treatment…for me dere is only one bright idea in a film n u have to expand it with a story..they made the stories a waste. But ya there always lies a silver line n a few writers broke all the rules n created a different “story telling”…They were once considered as the best writers ….m trying to introduce some of dem in few lines…..

One of the reasons of why I liked “Mr.& Mrs. Iyer” is it’s wonderful picturisation of the song ” gustakhi ankhiyan kinne ja ladiya” .The song starts just after the exit of the old muslim couple..(Bhishma shahni & Surekha seekri).cut to “gustakhi ankhiyan” & the amazing shots…the bottles of beer lying in the shores….the driver brushing his teeth…n the long queue of vehicles… n the ultimate shot of the women who comes n offers tea to his husband repairing his truck….n the line in the background.. “kis surat nu main cha khaawa” (how can I have tea in such a situation)…..the peerless voice of Ustad sultan khan…unforgettable

The character of Muslim old man played brilliantly by none other than Bhishma saahni who happened to b the first president of IPTA(Indian people’s theatre association) n is the author of the book “Tamas“.Later in the eighties Govind Nihalani made a tv serial based on the book n was a huge hit. What I liked in the novel (n fortunately in the serial also) that while reading the book one can easily smell out a riot in the next page but

towards the end of the book rites were nowhere…definitely there were some incidents but more than the riots …there exists the “pain” of the riots…what Aparna tried to do is the same..a film on communal riots but never showed a killing…! I followed Aparna n went to “36 chowranghee lane”…again she succeded to capture the cosmopolitan Calcutta…oops ..the emptiness of ” jeniffer”…!

Another movie was “Teesri kasam” directed by Basu Bhattacharya based on the story “mare gaye gulpham“written by Phaniswarnath renu …An avid story teller, Renu was also an activist…Renu had written some masterpieces..like “Maila Anchal” & “Parti Parikatha“….Tv serial Maila Aanchal was based on his book… those were d days when Tv was not known as an idiot box… More than the content n subject, the best thing of Renu was his visualization n dialogues…While reading his book I always felt as if I m watching a film….the common man’s dialogue.like one in teesri kasam…”jaane kya hai is mahua ghatwarin ki katha me ki dono bail kaan lagaakr sunne lagte hai”…. ..The importance of mahua ghatwaran story in “Tesri kasam” was not used as a tool to create a bonding between hiraman n hirabai… rather the writer wanted us to feel the ambience of the place ..here Renu’s strength lies…telling story of people ..for the people…

Hiraman is a naive but not stupid… When the other gaadiwan asks .kahan jaa rahe ho, Hiraman replies “chattapur pachira” n then tells Heerabai that these people always interrupts.. don’t have other business to do….. are humko kahin bhi jaana hai..tumko jahan jaana hai jao…For me the best story of renu is Thes(hurt.)…. I can’t forget the writers introduction about the protagonist Sirchan “Sirchan moonhjor hai kaamchor nahi” sirchan is blunt,outspoken…. but always an artist.

The three novels which I think can depict the changing scenario of Indian villages in the post independence era were… Godaan, Raag Darbaari and Maila aanchal….. …”Raag Darbaari” was also made into a TV Serial…directed by Krishna Raghav …an FTII alumuni…

Now another writer was Kamleshwar. Gulzar’s “Aandhi” n “Mausam” were based on his novel’s. “Kaali aandhi” n “Agaami Ateet” respectively. Kamleshwar has also written “chandrakanta.”

Manohar shyam joshi was the another writer who penned the dialougues of “Hey Ram” and an Innovative writer of TV series ” humlog“, “buniyaad” & “kakkaji kahin” ……his book “kuru kuru swaaha” is one of the best black humour written in Indian literature… then there is a Udayprakash (who according to sudhir mishra is a most underrated writer) has written wonderful stories.. Mazhar kamran (man who shot satya, kaun, masti, jhankaar beats & tarkieb) is making a film on one of the stories of Udayprakash… Mohandas (not another munnabhai) …….a depressing but raw story of a man named Mohandas who gets a govt. job but got puzzled when he is told that Mohandas has already joined the duty …. the story revolves round the struggles of the man to prove himself that he is the real Mohandas… this film needs to see the day of light….the character were most alike to Tirpat singh, MLA Durga pandey n abhay singh (Mrityudand)….Mohandas faces all of them n fails in the end…

I’ve never been able to find out the reason why all the literary giants couldn’t succeed to become great screenwriters. If you go through the history of Hindi cinema, the best directors always worked with the writers who had some literature backgroud...

courtesy---this is in series of article bydipankar giri http://passionforcinema.com/category/projekt-iview/