Top 10 under-rated Hindi films of the decade

After writing the 10 most under-rated English movies of the decade, it was quite obvious for me to write an article about the under-rated Hindi movies. More so since I felt it will be much easier to write. How wrong I was! Everytime I finished my list, another movie came in my mind out of nowhere and I had to insert it to the list. At a time I had some 35 movies and boy it was confusing. So after two days of pulling my hair out, the list below was formed. Just hope I didn't miss any serious contender.

All the films mentioned are selected on the basis that they did poorly at the Box Office.

Chronologically:

1. Haasil (2003)

Reasons:

Irrfan Khan alone makes this movie a must watch. What a performance!

A completely different landscape compared to regular Hindi films. Allahabad has not been used much as a Hindi cinema backdrop. Also the college politics in UP is not shown much on Hindi cinema. A very novel idea.

A talent called Tigmanshu Dhulia. What a debut for him! Such assured scripting and direction.
Although there isn’t much scope of music, still ‘Aankhen Bhi Hoti Hain Dil Ki Zuban’ is an awesome track.

The poignant moments captured between Tinnu Anand and Jimmy Shergill. Natural to the core.
Lastly, but most importantly, the hero is called Aniruddha. How can I not LOVE the movie?

2. Raincoat (2004)

Reasons:

Simplicity. Simple can be lyrical and beautiful. This movie proves it.
Career best performance of Aishwarya Rai. Superb performances by Ajay Devgan and Annu Kapoor.
Debojyoti Mishra’s brilliant soundtrack and background score elevates the movie.
Abhik Mukhopadhyay’s cinematography and how he plays with the light and shadow.
Lastly, the sensitivity and maturity with which Rituparno Ghosh directs the movie.


3. Naach (2004)

Reasons:

Ram Gopal Varma.
His most personal film till date. It is dark, moody and abstract.
Add to that brilliant performances by Antara Mali and Abhishek Bachchan.
Outstanding cinematography by Kiran Reddy.
Enough said. Move on.


4. Matribhoomi (2005)

Reasons:

Manish Jha. Just for the balls to make this film.
Venu Gopal’s cinematography. The bleak and dark look shows how the society is loveless and depraved.
The cast. Tulip Joshi, Sudhir Pandey, Sushant Singh and Piyush Mishra gives splendid performances.


5. Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005)

Reasons:

The sheer innovation of the story, script. The locales.
Bavra Mann, one of the finest songs of the decade.
A genius called Sudhir Mishra. To create one of the finest love stories of Hindi cinema.
To bring the drop dead gorgeous Chitrangada Singh on celluloid. Add to that Kay Kay and Shiny’s performance.
A special thanks to Pritish and Rangita Nandy for giving me my favorite movie of the decade.


6. Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh (2005)

Reasons:

For probably the best and most natural climax of the decade.
To showcase the talent that Rajpal Yadav has.
Add to that great performances by Rituparna Sengupta, Kay Kay, Varun Badola and Vinod Nagpal.
Chandan Arora. For bringing back the Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterji style of romance and humor.


7. My Brother Nikhil (2005)

Reasons:

The best and most sensitive film on gay relationships and HIV+ patients in India till date.
Le Chale, one of the best songs I have heard.
Sanjay Suri. For producing a movie like this and giving the best performance of his life.
For Juhi Chawla, Victor Banerjee, Lilette Dubey and PurabKohli, each giving heartbreaking performances.
Lastly, Onir for making this film with so much sensitivity.


8. Sehar (2005)

Reasons:

Arshad Warsi’s best performance till date.
For once, the characters speak with proper dialect (UP-ite Hindi here).
The supporting cast comprising of Pankaj Kapoor, Suhashini Mulay and Sushant Singh.
The train-borne climax and its treatment.
Kabeer Kaushik’s superb direction.


9. Socha Na Tha (2005)

Reasons:

For giving us Abhay Deol.
The best film of Imtiyaz Ali (which he keeps on remaking).
Great soundtrack.
Original, energetic and vibrant Ayesha Takia, before she tried to be the next Pam Anderson.


10. Manorama Six Feet Under (2007)

Reasons:

The best homage ever to Chinatown.
For bringing back Noir to Hindi cinema.
The dry humor throughout the film.
Powerhouse performances from Abhay Deol, Gul Panag, Raima Sen and Vinay Pathak.
For stunning cinematography which creates the claustrophobic atmosphere apt for the film.
Lastly, Navdeep Singh’s deft direction.


There are lots of films for the number 11 spot, which I mention as an additional recommendation. Got confused! So am just listing the films which are all tied up for the 11th spot.

1. Yahaan
2. Phir Milenge
3. Chhal
4. Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon
5. Dhoop

10 most under-rated English films of the decade

The article on Film.com kind of inspired me to write my own list. The reason being that I really disagreed with the article. To me, Film.com made pathetic choices. That disagreement kind of acted like a catalyst making me write my own list for the most under-rated English movies of this decade.

Now I followed certain parameters (which is followed by Film.com) while selecting the movies.

1. The film can't have surpassed $30 million, either domestically or worldwide.
2. The film can't have been nominated for/won an Oscar.

Which basically means that the movie didn't get acclaim either from revenue or awards.

So here they are, my Top 10 most under-rated English films of the decade, chronologically.


1. High Fidelity (2000)

It is useless to review the movie as most of us have seen it. For those who haven’t, go watch it! Now let’s discuss why it is under-rated.

What a soundtrack! One of the best soundtracks of the decade, if not more. Then there is John Cusack in his prime form. Jack Black with this movie made his arrival into the big league of comedians. Moments that we remember: Top 5 break-ups of all time, Evil-dead bit, the Annie Hall type dissection of a failed romance.

Because of its quirky characters, smart dialogue, and occasional bursts of penetrating humor, High Fidelity stands tall. The movie is just like the DVD back cover says, ‘a bullet’.

2. Waking Life (2001)

Richard Linklater is a genius and this film once again proves it. The film deals with the idea of lucid dreams and the nature of our existence and many other philosophical questions. What struck me about the film was the way in which the superb animation was layered over the film. What this achieves is indeed a sense of a dreamlike viewing experience. The film highlights the idea of how intertwined our dream lives and our waking lives are. Memories that we once thought to be real often turn out to dreams and vice versa.

Waking Life is a unique, cerebral experience.


3. 25th Hour (2002)

'I tattooed 'survive' on my hand the night before I went away to prison. And I did. We do what we have to do to survive.'

The film deals with 24 hours of Monty's (Edward Norton) life before he heads for the maximum security prison for the next seven years being convicted for drug possession. Knowing that he has limited time, Monty tries to spend most of his time with two of his best friends Frank (Barry Pepper) and Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and with Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), his girlfriend.

It is also one of the first movies to show the New York post 9/11. There is a sequence where we see workers cleaning away the debris from Ground Zero while Frank and Jacob argue about the future of their friendship with Monty. It acts as a terrific metaphor, that Monty's future is as bleak as the ground below. Such moments stay on with you.

The movie has a terrific ensemble cast comprising of Edward Norton, Phil Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, and Brian Cox. To Spike Lee's credit he extracts brilliant performances from every single person.

25th Hour lingers on your mind long after other movies have evaporated.


4. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

In my wildest dream, I never imagined to see Adam Sandler in a role like this and performing like this. But then this is a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. The person who made Boogie Nights and Magnolia.

Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love opens with his signature move: juxtaposition. Adam Sandler, handling a nice Nissan coffee mug in the early morning light on a backstreet in LA, watches as a speeding car comes carooming towards him, flips, flips again, and skids offscreen. And then in place of what ought to follow (continuity with the car accident), a cab appears, stops, and deposits an electric organ. It's the instrument with which he will learn the harmonies of love, and it arrives on the heels of trauma.

It is a joy to see the way the camera weaves around beautifully - such fluid photography and visually so elegant. There is not a lazy moment in Punch-Drunk, every frame executed to perfection.

Punch Drunk Love is a film that can easily overwhelm your senses and as the credits roll you may feel totally drained and bewildered - but wanting more.

5. Shattered Glass (2003)

Probably the most under-rated movie of this decade, this gem tells the story of Stephen Glass, one of the top reporters for The New Republic in the 1990's, whose confession about fabricating his stories created a huge splash in the media world. The movie plays like a Greek tragedy showcasing the rise and fall of Glass.

Integrity is one of the cornerstones upon which journalism is based, and, when it is called into question, we begin to doubt everything we read in newspapers and magazines and see on television. Which makes it a very topical subject, since we in India do question the integrity of our media.

Hayden Christensen gives a superb performance and it does come as a surprise since we are used watching him in movies which only highlight his physicality. Peter Sarsgaard, Chloe Sevigny, Hank Azaria and Steve Zahn also adds perfect support.

6. Garden State (2004)

This is my personal favorite in this list. I never expected the 'guy' from Scrubs to deliver a movie which would be so touching, funny and poignant at the same time. This movie is just like a slice of life.

Zach Braff plays Andrew Largeman, a struggling actor in Los Angeles who earns his living being a waiter. The movie is about his homecoming almost after a decade since his mother has passed away. The movie is about how he deals with his grief and how he deals with his father with whom he shares a very cold, distant relationship.

Back home he meets Sam (Natalie Portman) and re-unites with his school best friend Mark (Peter Sarsgaard). The movie is about the coming of age of Andrew while Sam and Mark act as catalysts.

Natalie Portman nails the role. She is just phenomenal as Sam, the dream girl of Andrew. The movie also has a killer soundtrack which enhances the movie to another level.

The movie defines the current generation. Garden State is Indie cinema at its very best.

7. Serenity (2005)

Rarely does this happen that a show which is taken off TV (read canceled) becomes such a cult hit that the producers make a motion picture of it.

Being a huge fan of Firefly, I enjoyed Serenity even more. But that does not mean those who haven't seen Firefly will be disappointed. Serenity stands tall with all its merits as an independent Sci Fi. The characterization and the circumstances reminds me of Blake's 7. For a Sci Fi film, Serenity is pretty verbose. But of the fantastic script and its interlaced humor, it works big time.

Serenity is one of the best Sci Fi of the decade.

8. The Proposition (2005)

If we look carefully, this decade hardly saw the release of good Western movies. I only recall Open Range and 3:10 to Yuma. Even then there is a gap of 5 years between them. Western as a genre was almost non-existent. The Proposition revived it with its release.

Following the rape and murder of a colonial family, outlaw brothers Charlie (Guy Pearce) and Mike Burns (Richard Wilson) are captured by ruthless local lawman, Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). Rather than imprisoning both fugitives, Stanley presents Charlie with a proposition (though it's really a demand) that Charlie kill his older brother, and gang leader, Arthur (Danny Huston) or else Mikey will meet his demise at the end of a hangman's noose. It is a proposition which will have karmic repercussions for all involved.

It has a stellar cast comprising Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, John Hurt and Emily Watson. Evryone performs brilliantly. The film has some of the most gorgeous photography of the Australian outback ever committed to film, showcasing it's unique desolate beauty in it's dust, flies and exquisite sunsets.

The Proposition, to me is the best Western of the decade.

9. Inland Empire (2006)

David Lynch. Another mind bender of a movie. Surreal experience. Laura Dern in the performance of her life. Do I need to say anything more? I don't think so. Experience it!

10. Rescue Dawn (2006)

Werner Herzog is one crazy genius! Rescue Dawn proves that.

After getting shot down in Laos, Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) is captured, tortured, and eventually transported to a remote POW camp where he is united with fellow American pilots with the same problem. The film tells the story of how Dieter along with Duane (Steve Zahn) escapes from the camp. Herzog makes no attempt to pump this story up into a thrilling adventure. There is nothing thrilling about dysentery, starvation, insect bites and despair. Rescue Dawn isn't about heroism. It is about something deeper, more primitive: survival instinct.

This movie has the career best performances of Christian Bale and Steve Zahn. Rescue Dawn is one of the finest POW movies ever made in the history of cinema.

Although I have finished naming the 10 most under-rated English movies of decade, I cannot help but add one more film as recommendation.

11. The Fall (2008)

A lot of things are being told about Avatar. That James Cameron has created a new world which is breathtaking. It is rightly said so. Avatar is indeed breathtaking. But is it real? No. It is a virtual world.

How about looking at what we have and try to see if that is equally breathtaking or not? The Fall is the answer for that. This is the most gorgeous looking film in the history of cinema and that too devoid of a single frame of special effects. The Fall is what we call 'passion' - passion for cinema. Tarsem Singh shot the movie all over the world. The movie is only worth a look just for its cinematography. The colors, the framing, costumes, lighting, the backdrops, all are gorgeous; seems like a dream.

The story, screenplay could have been better. That is the reason I am keeping it at number 11 as a special mention.

15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009 – Day 5

On Sunday, they had the worst films scheduled. It was pretty hard to decide which ones to watch as most films were similar, all equally unimpressive.

Katalin Varga was playing at noon. Since it had won a couple of awards at MAMI recently, thought of giving it a try.

All the movies I watched had one common theme. They all dealt with abuse on women be it rape, murder or both. Of course the treatment were different as chalk and cheese, which differentiated the movies from being good or crap.




Katalin Varga
Dir: Peter Strickland
Romania/ 82 min

I honestly didn’t expect a clichéd storyline like this to be treated so differently. The movie tells the story of Katalin (Hilda Peter), who was raped by Antal (Tibor Palffy), looking for vengeance.

What also helps the movie to seem so different is the setting. It is a completely different world. So secluded. Where people still travel using horse drawn carts. Yet folks use mobile phones. Also using forests as backgrounds rather than landscapes give the movie a certain eeriness that goes perfectly with the theme of the movie.

The cinematography and the shot composition is something else. Almost the entire movie is shot in low, diffused light as most of the time it is either early morning or night. It looks so surreal. Hilda Peter gives a very nuanced performance.


I’m Tired of Killing Your Lovers
Dir: Nikos Panayotopoulos
Greece/ 105 min

This is first movie I watched of Nikos Panayotopoulos. It will probably be the last. What a pathetic waste of time I had! The movie made no sense whatsoever.

The movie tells the story of Theofilos (Nicos Arvanitis), who is a book publisher and his obsession towards Sia (Theofania Papathoma), a performer. Then there is Theofilos’ rich aunt who is suddenly killed by her young lover. Theofilos steals some jewelry from his dead aunt’s place. Later he gets framed for the murder and lots of chaos happens.

The movie is exactly as chaotic as the storyline seems. Except for Theofania Papathoma who looks hot, there is nothing redeemable in the movie.

Wastage!



Backyard
Dir: Carlos Carrera
Mexico/ 120 min

Now Carlos Carrera is one director I admire a lot. Especially after I watched The Crime of Padre Amaro. So I really wanted to watch Backyard. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint.

Backyard tells the story of rape and murder of women in the rural areas of Mexico near the US border. It also tells about the corruption in the Mexican administration.

Borderland (2006), a movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas had a similar storyline. But since it was a Hollywood film, the execution was very superficial rather than showing the actual problem.

Thankfully Backyard goes deep into the core issue. The rural Mexico is so drastically different to look at. Sometimes the entire frame seems like a desert storm. It makes one feel claustrophobic to stay in such places.

The ending is very pessimistic but that is the actual reality. It is an important film that tells a powerful story which needs to be lauded.

15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009 – Day 4

It just gets better and better. All the 3 movies that I saw today were impressive to say the least. This year German movies are taking all the honors. I have seen 3 German movies and those 3 movies impressed me the most till now.

Now Andrzej Wajda is coming to Kolkata tomorrow from what I have heard. If it’s true, tomorrow is going to be special.



Made in Hungaria
Dir: Gergely Fonyo
Hungary/ 109 min

Finally a musical! Such a refreshing change from the other movies till now.

The film is about a small town in Hungary set in the early 1960s. Miki (Tamás Szabó Kimmel) along with his family returns from US and tries to make his own band and play music influenced by American artists. Being a communist country, Miki along with his band-mates faces objection from the authorities for playing American music.

First of all, the soundtrack (especially the songs) is phenomenal. That itself elevates the movie a few notches than average. There isn’t much to write about the story, as it is fairly predictable. But the movie is very enjoyable and pretty humorous. Since it is a commercial, mainstream film, several cinematic liberties are taken and in certain sequences the songs seem forced and doesn’t quite gel. Still even with those flaws, it is a good watch.




Cherry Blossoms – Hanami
Dir: Doris Dorrie
Germany/ 127 min

Sometimes one is dumbfounded after watching a movie. That is exactly what happened to me after I watch the movie.

The movie is about an elderly couple Rudi (Elmar Wepper) and Trudi (Hannelore Elsner) and what happens when suddenly Trudi dies. Rudi visits his son in Japan, as it was Trudi’s unfulfilled dream to visit Japan, watch Mt. Fuji, cherry blossoms and Butoh, a dance form of Japan. Rudi befriends Yu (Aya Irizuki), a Butoh dancer, while in Japan. The movie then becomes about their journey.

The storyline itself is the highlight of the film. Very few films deal with love between an elderly couple. But the trump card is the relationship between Rudi and Yu. The bonding they share becomes special.

I didn’t find a single flaw in the movie. Every scene felt like poetry. The cinematography and editing are just phenomenal. Aya Irizuki and Elmar Wepper are just outstanding. What performances!

The climax is one of the most fascinating climaxes I have seen in my lifetime. It provides one of the most exquisite unions of souls in the history of cinema.

Very highly recommended.



Moscow, Belgium
Dir: Christophe Van Rompaey
Belgium/ 102 min

Now this movie had the best reviews among the movies being played in the festival. So I expected a lot from it. Maybe that is why I was a tad disappointed.

The movie is about Matty (Barbara Sarafian), a mother of three, who is going through her separation with her husband and how she meets a truck driver Johnny (Jurgen Delnaet). Matty and Johnny starts to like each other but their relationship is opposed by her teenage daughter Vera (Anemone Valcke). Matty thus faces a dilemma between choosing Johnny and her husband.

The storyline is predictable, but what really makes the movie standout is the treatment. It seems very real. Of course the performances help. Barbara Sarafian is really good as the worn out, confused Matty. But to me, Anemone Valcke nailed it as Vera, the teenage daughter. There is not a single wrong expression. The movie is pretty funny too which makes it enjoyable.

Moscow, Belgium is a good film to watch mainly because of the treatment. However, its better if the expectations are low.

15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009 – Day 3

Day 2 was much better than Day 1. So I hoped it continues with Day 3 too. It did. I did a couple of changes to the schedule and it worked again.



Zift
Dir: Javor Gardev
Bulgaria/ 92 min

A neo-noir with a narrative style like Tarantino and Ritchie is what I was told about Zift. I didn’t think twice.

It tells the story of Moth (Zahary Baharov) who is out on parole after being imprisoned for 15 years for a heist. It is his journey to find his wife. There is also another track involving Moth’s old partner trying to find him to settle old score.

The film was nothing new. Technically however it was superb. Cinematography, editing were top notch and so was the background score. However, a lot of scenes were just unnecessary and stood like a sore thumb. Few of the comedy tracks seemed forced. Also too much philosophy during voice-over spoiled the flow. It became a tad tedious.



Sweet Rush
Dir: Andrzej Wajda
Poland/ 85 min

This was the first time I watched any movie of the Polish auteur. He delivered and how!

Sweet Rush is about an elderly woman, Marta (Krystyna Janda) who is married to a doctor. It is about how she wants to be young all over again after she meets a guy (Pawel Szajda) who’s much younger. There is also a parallel track where Krystyna Janda plays herself and tells about her life. The movie is about how both the reel and real life becomes one.

After watching this movie, I am a fan of Wajda. I just loved every single frame of it. The setting, the locations, the cinematography, the performances, everything is perfect. There is a monologue about 10 minutes long where Krystyna Janda plays herself and talks. It is just out of this world. The way that scene is lit up, shot and the way Krystyna Janda performed gave me goose bumps.

Phenomenal!

Landscape No. 2
Dir: Vinko Modernorfer
Slovenia/ 90 min

This one surprised me completely. Didn’t expect the movie to be this good.

Landscape No. 2 tells the story of two burglars, Sergej (Marko Mandic) and Polde (Janez Hocevar) who steal a painting from a retired general’s house. Along with the painting, Serjej by mistake steals an important document of World War 2 which if leaked might create huge uproar in the country. The movie is about the consequences the burglars face when the general hires someone to get the document back.

Although a few cinematic liberties are taken, still Landscape No. 2 works big time. The movie is highly entertaining, crisply cut, has great cinematography and a super background score.

Hilde
Dir: Kai Wessel
Germany/ 136 min

Day 3 ended with a bang. What a movie it was! And what a performance! Speechless.

Hilde is a biopic on Hildegard Knef, one of Germany’s biggest post World War 2 stars.

What a life this lady had. From being an actress in West Germany, to being a soldier during World War 2, going to Hollywood to be a star and being able to do nothing, being super successful in Germany after coming back and then leaving it all to do what she loved most, singing. Just not singing, but to be one of the most popular singers ever.

All of the above would not have been possible had Heike Makatsch not played Hilde. She nails it. The movie covers 30 years span and what a performance she gives. It deserves standing ovation.

Everything in the movie is pitch perfect. The sets, cinematography, editing – which is just awesome. One of the best biopic I have seen in a long time.

15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009 - Day 2

After a slightly disappointing first day, I went back and rescheduled couple of films from Day 2. It did wonders. But the highlight of Day 2 was to meet Helena Ignez, the actress of The Woman of Everyone and daughter of director Rogerio Sganzerla, both of whom had come to present the film.



The Woman of Everyone
Dir: Rogerio Sganzerla
Brazil/ 93 min

The movie should have been renamed ‘Making out in VIBGYOR’. The print was horrendous. The movie had different color tones on different scenes throughout. The first couple of minutes was Red and then suddenly changed to Green and then changed to Violet and like that.

The movie had nothing to say. It only showed the skin of Helena Ignez. The film is about Angela (Helena Ignez) and her adventures with different men. All she did throughout the movie was scream in the world’s screechiest voice and make out with atleast 20 guys throughout the movie.

Even as soft-core porn, it does not stand a chance. It is that bad.

A Woman’s Way
Dir: Panos H. Koutras
Greece/ 111 min

After watching one of the worst movies of my life, I was really scared to watch this movie. Love story between a convict and a transsexual is a very unusual storyline and if not handled with immense sensitivity and maturity would fall flat on its face. Thankfully the movie had both and in plenty.

The movie tells the story of Yiorgos (Yannis Kokiasmenos), a convict who gets released after 15 years of imprisonment and his relationship with a transsexual, Strella (Mina Orfanou). There is also a parallel story of Yiorgos trying to find his son.

The movie is very complex and in films like these, the climax is the most important aspect and most films falter there. However, with utmost sensitivity shown by the director and with help from the cinematographer, the film stands tall.

But, the best part of the movie is Mina Orfanou’s performance as Strella. It is just unbelievable. It is one of the best performances by a female actor in recent times.



A Year Ago in Winter
Dir: Caroline Link
Germany/ 128 min

Having missed this movie yesterday due to scheduling conflict, I made sure I get to watch this. I have heard and read so much about the movie, and everything positive. So went to watch the movie with huge expectations. It delivered and how.

The film tells the story of a family and how they heal themselves after the loss of their son. The parents want to get their son’s portrait done for the 1st death anniversary while the daughter Lilli (Karoline Herfurth) is dead against it. It also tells the story of the bonding that grows between the painter and her.

Every single scene felt like poetry. Not a single scene seemed unnecessary. The direction is so assured. The equations between different characters within the family are beautifully shown. Cinematography is phenomenal and so is the editing. Karoline Herfurth as Lilli gives a superlative performance.

All in all the best film of the festival so far and probably will be.



Aching Hearts
Dir: Nils Malmros
Denmark/ 117 mins

After coming out of Caroline Link’s film, I thought of going home as I was sure to be under-whelmed by the next one. I am glad I watched it.

The film tells the story of a group of high school kids and their experiences with love and sexuality. It spans three years and can also be interpreted as a coming of age drama.

Although the movie is fairly slow to begin with, it still keeps the viewers engrossed. Since the movie is from the protagonist’s point of view, a lot of voice-overs are used. It felt very similar to ‘The Wonder Years’. The cinematography is really nice with some great wide shots. The performances are uniformly good. Although a number of movies in the recent past dealt with subjects like that, still the theme is such that one slowly cares for the movie. We all love to watch the charm of the school days and the confusion created due to love, especially if it’s well made.

15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009 - Day 1

With so many films to choose from I was really confused. I also had to make sure I choose movies by looking that their running time. Finally, after a few hours I was done with my schedule for Kolkata Film Festival. I will be watching 26 movies 7 days. Phew! Some crazy week this is going to be.

I started with Fellini as I thought most people would have seen his work so the theater would be less populated. And I was correct indeed.


Variety Lights
Dir: Federico Fellini
Italy/ 93 min

I really wanted to watch the movie, as it is Fellini’s debut film as a director. I was surprised to see that it is unlike most of Fellini’s work. It has a very straightforward narrative and it is completely void of any symbolism. The narrative is similar to `La Strada’ and `Nights of Cabiria.’

The film tells the story of a troupe of performers and what happens when a beautiful, young woman with dreams of perusing her career in showbiz joins the troupe. How the equations of relationship change and how much the troupe and the people in it are affected by it. The three main leads, Peppino De Filippo (as Checco), Carla Del Poggio (as Liliana) and Fellini’s wife Giulietta Masina (as Melina Amour) give superlative performances. The film is highly enjoyable with lots of humor thrown in. The ‘behind the scenes’ of the performing troupe is shown with lots of detailing.

Variety Lights is definitely not among Fellini’s best works, but still a very enjoyable movie with good performances.


Lost Song
Dir: Rodrique Jean
Canada/ 102 min

After beginning with Fellini’s movie, I was worried if the next movie would not meet the already set expectations. Just like I thought, the second movie was a damp squib.

Rodrigue Jean’s Lost Song tells the story of a couple, Pierre (Patrick Goyette) and Elisabeth (Suzie LeBlanc), and their struggle with post-partum depression. While the subject is interesting, the execution is absolutely not. So much so that I was wondering what was the necessity of the first 30 minutes. It seemed like 3 or 4 sequences over and over again. It felt like a montage of similar sequences without making any sense. It was frustratingly slow.

The characterization of Elizabeth, the mother, is very uneven. So sequences which should have resulted in sympathy towards the character, results in cheap shocks for the confused audience. The only plus point of the movie is the superb performance of Suzie Le Blanc as Elizabeth, the mother suffering from post-partum depression.

But that ultimately does not save the movie from becoming frustratingly slow and confusing garbage.


The Desert Within
Dir: Rodrigo Pla
Mexico/ 112 min

This one completely took me by surprise. I had plans to watch some other movie. But due to the excess crowd I went to watch Rodrigo Pla’s The Desert Within. The best decision of the day I took!

The backdrop of the film is 1920s when Mexico government banned Catholicism and persecuted its followers. The film tells the story of Elias (Mario Zaragoza) and how he puts his family into trouble by trying to have his unborn child Baptized. To redeem himself and his family of his sins, Elias starts building a church. What happens to the family after the church is built forms the crux of the film.

This movie is a powerful tale about the obsessive pursuit of redemption and the toll it takes on the family. The film is divided into four chapters: Sin, Penance, Sign and Pardon. By the time the movie ends, Elias has become a tragic figure of Shakespearean proportions.

The best part of the movie is the usage of animation along with live action and how perfectly both blends. The cinematography is breathtaking. The acting is uniformly good but Mario Zaragoza takes the cake with a superb performance.

For me, The Desert Within was the best movie of the day.


Lake Tahoe
Dir: Fernando Eimbcke
Mexico/ 85 min

Fernando Eimbcke’s Lake Tahoe is a lovely, little indie about coming of age. The film tells the story of Juan (Diego Cataño), who crashed his car to a post and his (mis) adventures in trying to find a mechanic to repair his car. There is also a parallel story about dealing with the loss of his father.

Fernando Eimbcke seems to be inspired by Jim Jarmusch that is evident in the way Lake Tahoe is shot. The luminous long shots, the wide-angle cinematography and cut into segments with blackouts – all reminiscent of Jim Jarmusch’s early works. The deadpan look on Juan’s face, the lack of characters in the movie and on the streets, all add on to show the emptiness in Juan’s life following his father’s death.

The film is fairly enjoyable with dry humor throughout. The only issue with the movie is the editing pattern. The blackouts used in the movie are so long and repetitive and after a point it becomes tedious and starts affecting the charm of the movie.

Yet with all its flaws, Lake Tahoe is a rewarding, little indie that deserves a watch.

Wake Up Sid - Talking Points

This is NOT a review. These are some points which I felt are necessary to discuss.

The term ‘Coming of age’ is, quintessentially, Hindi cinema. The hero, not always necessarily a very young man, is almost always jobless and does not have much maturity in understanding his responsibilities. Yet, the heroine still falls for him. And by the time the movie ends, we get to see the transformation of this hero into a more mature, understanding-his-responsibilities who gets-the-girl man! If this is not ‘coming of age’, then what is? It’s just that our filmmakers have been more forthcoming and liberal in using the tag ‘coming of age’ in the last few years.

The basic premise of Wake Up Sid is not exactly ground-breaking. Sid, a spoilt but privileged college student, with no sense of purpose or responsibilities, wakes up to life after interacting with Aisha. The only ‘hatke’ thing here is that Aisha, the heroine, is older and supposedly more mature than him.

Right from the initial scene, when we see Sid, the film travels to known territory. Sid is least interested in his studies and thinks that life is a big party. His rich parents don’t seem to be too bothered and happily pay his credit card bills. Firstly, why is it that, urban, rich kids are always shown to be so confused with life? Also, why is it that, neither of Sid’s parents say anything to him when they are aware that he his least bit interested in his studies? Isn’t education of any importance to them? Especially so, when we hear Sid’s mother complaining that Sid was a good student in school. Yet, she chooses to be a doting mother who has nothing to say. Also why do most fathers try and bribe their kids with a Porsche (or a Mercedes or BMW) to join their business when they have just finished their degree (B.Com in the case of this movie)?

These things are highly questionable.

Now let’s focus on Aisha. She has come to Mumbai all the way from Kolkata to start her life. She says, she has no friends, or family here. Yet, and just after a couple of days in Mumbai, she manages to get an apartment of her own. The transformation of that apartment into a designer suite is hard to take seriously. We see Aisha along with Sid and his friends painting the apartment on their own because Aisha cannot afford much money. Yet, the drapes used in the apartment are of designer quality. She uses a Mac but cannot afford a washing machine. Details, anyone? These things just don’t fit in. I wonder if everyone has to look his or her best and stay in the best possible places no matter what their backgrounds are just because it is a Karan Johar movie!!

After Sid moves out of the house and stays with Aisha, not even once do we get to see a scene where his parents call him up and persuade him to come back home. Is that normal? Much later, we do see his mother coming to the apartment, and offering Aisha money instead of actually staying back till Sid comes and persuading him to return back to their house. Nor do we see a single scene where Sid’s parents are concerned about Sid abandoning them and the house. Aren’t they bothered at all?

One might say that some things are obvious and if explained, will be akin to spoon-feeding. I agree, too. But if that is the case, then why write a screenplay with a clichéd story. Isn’t a dad’s trying to bribe his son with a car clichéd? Isn’t showing a doting mother saying nothing to her spoilt son clichéd?

So far my article might seem to be a rant. Yes, it is. It is a sin to have such an ordinary first half that is so full of clichés for a movie whose second half is just brilliant! The treatment of the second half where we see two parallel coming-of-age stories is just exceptional. That completely elevates this movie and makes the movie a decent enough watch.

The movie benefits immensely from the technical department. The cinematography by Anil Mehta makes Bombay look beautiful. The background score elevates the movie. Amit Trivedi rocks with 'Iktara'.

But what makes the movie are the performances. Ranbir Kapoor just nails it. He IS Sid. It is tough to share screen space with the most talented actress of our times - Konkona Sen Sharma. But Ranbir actually does exceptionally well. Konkona is always good. She can never be even average. But the surprise package of the movie is Shikha Talsania who plays Sid's friend Laxmi. She is just so natural.

Anupam Kher and Supriya Pathak are wasted as their role is far too cliched. But what is Rahul 'the stud who never gets the girl' Khanna doing here? It is the same role he did in Love Aaj Kal.

The direction of Ayan Mukherji is so assured. It is a pity that his script doesn’t quite compliment his directorial skills. Had he worked on the script a bit more, we could have had one of the best “coming of age” movies of our times.

I guess he needs to ‘wake up’ now! Or is it Karan Johan who needs to wake up?

Great Soundtracks……Terrible Movies

The most common allegation about the Hindi film industry that people make is that its worst phase was from mid 1980s till the mid 1990s. Movies released during the late 1980s are in most people’s “Torture Series”. However, there are a lot of movies which had really exceptional music even though the movies were terrible.

Being born in 1981, the late 80s are almost a blurred memory. The only thing I remember is we used have a monthly movie time when dad used to hire a VCR and we were let to watch movies. That was the good part. The bad part was that out of 10 movies shown, 8 were Bengali movies of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. Not that they weren’t great. They were and still are. But, we had seen them so many times that we got bored of them. Also, I don’t think anyone below 10 would really be interested watch those movies. What we (we being my cousin brother and I) waited eagerly was when were shown the non-Bengali stuff. It used to be mainly Chaplin/Laurel-Hardy/Tom and Jerry or the live action comic book movies like Superman/Batman etc… Once in while we were let to watch Hindi movies.

Even then I was too young to understand most Hindi movies. But, what I used to like about them is their soundtrack. Later in my late teens, I revisited most movies by getting their VHS tapes or VCDs. And most movies were indeed shocking.

Jeeva – 1986 – Raj Sippy – RD Burman – Sanjay Dutt/Mandakini

My most favorite song from the 1980s is ‘Roz Roz Aankhon Tale’.

I don’t remember anything about the movie from childhood other than loving the song. Later when I watched it again I almost felt like throwing up when that song played. Why? No offense but when I saw Mandakini lip syncing it, it was way too much for me to digest. Add to that the horrible movie. Did all the movies made that time had to be ‘Gaon ka chora’ returning as a dacait to take revenge? Well, what more can we expect from the famous Raj Sippy – creator of such wonderful movies as Loha (1987), Shehzaade (1989), Saugandh (1991), Mr. Bond (1992), Ikke Pe Ikka (1994), Paandav (1995) among others. The only film I remember liking is ‘Satte Pe Satta’. But, to his credit most his films did pretty well at the box office.

Jaanbaaz – 1986 – Feroz Khan – Kalyanji Anandji – Anil Kapoor/Feroz Khan/Dimple/Rekha

A film which had songs like “Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo”…“Har Kisi Ko Nahi Milta”…“Jaane Jana” among others.

I don’t even want to comment on the film as I had no idea what was going on. For me watching Rekha performing to ‘Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo’ with a group of dancers who seemed to be doing some kind of S&M on stage was painful enough.

I however loved watching Sridevi wearing chiffon sarees and dancing to ‘Har Kisi Ko’.

Vijay – 1988 – Yash Chopra – Shiv Hari – Rishi Kapoor/Anil Kapoor/Meenakshi/Kimi

One of the poorer works of Yash Chopra (but infinitely better than ‘Faasle’). But the movie had a pretty decent soundtrack. Songs like “Badal Pe Chalke Aa”…“Zindagi Har Janam”…“Meri Aankhen Hai” were moderate hits then.

The movie was like the song picturization itself. Watching Kimi Katkar in a Yash Chopra movie itself is a shock. Add to that Kimi’s dress and suddenly around 1:14 into the song Anil and Meenakshi pops out from nowhere. Damn scary!

Goonj – 1989 – Jalal Agha – Biddu – Kumar Gaurav/Juhi Chawla

I remember watching this movie when I was really young. The only thing I remember is the song “Saama Yeh Suhana”. It’s one of my favorite songs. The movie however definitely isn’t.

Everytime I watch the song, I cringe at the expression of the actor from 0.40 - 0.42. It’s worth treasuring.

It is surprising whenever I talk about this song, most people think of the song ‘Saama Hai Suhana Suhana’ sung by Kishore Kumar from the movie ‘Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani’. The co-incidence is that Jalal Agha featured in the song ‘Saama Hai Suhana Suhana’ while he was the director of ‘Goonj’. I wonder if he paid tribute to the song by keeping the same lyrics in his own movie.

Yaara Dildara – 1991 – Mirza Brothers – Jatin Lalit – Aasif Sheikh/Ruchika Pandey

The horrible movie had couple of huge hits, “Bin Tere Sanam” and “Tum Hi Humari Manzil”.

“Bin Tere Sanam” was a big hit then but even a bigger hit now thanks to the remix version. The other song that was really popular is “Tum Hi Humari Manzil”. I do not recall much of the movie other than that I couldn’t finish watching it as it was so bad.

I know Aasif Sheikh did lots of movies after that as a character actor. But I have no idea about the actress. Probably her first and last movie.

Drohi – 1992 – Ram Gopal Varma – RD Burman – Nagarjuna/Urmila

One of the most under-rated soundtracks of RD Burman and also of the 90s. The best song obviously is beautiful “Tum Jo Mile To” sung by Suresh Wadkar.

Not only this song, “Dooba Dooba Nashe Mein” sung by Asha Bhonsle is also a very interesting composition. This movie forms the base for the now cult classic “Satya”. Drohi is almost frame to frame similar to Satya. Yet this doesn’t even come near to Satya.

Mashooq – 1992 – Mirza Brothers – Shyam Surender – Ayub Khan/Ayesha Julka

The Mirza Brothers were back after the disaster of Yaara Dildara to create another disaster, Mashooq. But like in Yaara Dildara, this movie also had a great soundtrack.

Couple of songs were huge hits. “Deewana Dil Dhoonde” and “Kaun Ho Tum”.

The other songs, “Yeh Dhadkan Mere Dil Ki”…“Tum Dil To” were also decent enough. Wish the movie was half as decent as the soundtrack.

Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi – 1993 – Mahesh Bhatt – Annu Malik – Rahul Roy/Pooja Bhatt

Probably Annu Malik’s best compositions ever as a complete album. I don’t recall a single song that was even average - forget bad. From “Tere Dar Par Sanam”…“Baadlon Mein Chuup”… “Aane Wala Kal”…“Dil Deta Hai”…Dil Mein Sanam” to my personal favorite “Shairana Si Hai” – every single song is a gem.

Sadly, the movie didn’t even get a theatrical release. It was probably the first movie ever to premiere on TV (Zee TV if I recall correctly). Even then, the movie was horrible to say the least.

Imtihaan – 1994 – Harry Baweja – Annu Malik – Sunny Deol/Raveena/Saif

Two movies released around the same time. One was Deewana starring Rishi Kapoor and Shah Rukh, while the other was Imtihaan. Both had literally the same plot. One was a smash hit, the other flop. Imtihaan was the later and deservingly so. However, the soundtrack of the movie was actually great. It had some of the best songs of 1994.

The soundtrack consists of great songs such as “Is Tarah Aashiqui Ka”…“Chaha To Bahut”…“Do Baate Ho Sakti” among others.

The Gentleman – 1994 – Mahesh Bhatt – AR Rahman/Annu Malik – Chiranjeevi/Juhi Chawla

How can there be any list about soundtracks without the mention of Rahman. So here it is, Mahesh Bhatt’s disaster ‘The Gentleman’. The funny thing with this movie is although the music of three of the biggest hits of the soundtrack is given by AR Rahman, he only gets a ‘thank you’ note at the beginning and Annu Malik’s name is mentioned in the credits.

“Roop Suhana Lagta Hai” and “Chika Bika” were huge hits. The picturization of ‘Chika Bika’ wasn’t even close to that of the original by Prabhu Deva. The movie was again the same modern day Robin Hood story. I don’t recall a single good movie Mahesh Bhatt made from 1994 to 1999 with the exception of Zakhm.

The above list includes 10 terrible movies with great soundtracks. Wish the directors worked half as hard on the screenplays as the music composers did towards their music.

Footnote:

I am focusing only on movies which had great soundtracks but were terrible movies and also flop at the box office. There are a lot of horrible movies with good music which were successful at the box office. Since they were successful, it means certain segment of people appreciated them. So, I am not taking them into consideration.