Cinema & Literature

Today I attended the seminar on "Cinema and Literature" organized by FTII-Pune, in association with the 'Film Writers' Association, Mumbai'. Guests of honor were Javed Akhtar & Oscar-winner, Gulzar. Others present were - Govind Nihalani, Jabbar Patel & Anurag Kashyap.

It was a relatively small auditorium & hence jam-packed. Throughout the seminar, the stress was on how cinema, literature & audience form a tight symbiotic triangle. And how good screen-plays & scripts too deserve to be reckoned as literature & how awareness of literature is needed to write great scripts... On how Shakespearean plays, though originally written for the stage-theatre, are respected as greatest form of literature in not just the West, but all over the world, but similar respect often eludes Indian cinema. How here, there's a great divide between "Ilmi" (knowledgable) writers & "Filmi" writers...

However the highlight of the show were definitely the 2 stalwarts - Javed & Gulzar . They ruled! In particular, Javed. Every word he uttered was so measured, to the point, right & akin to hitting the nail over its head. He started off his speech with an anecdote...
There were two goats & while grazing they came across a film-can. One of them ate the film & remarked - "I think the book was better"! :-)
He also ended his speech with another anecdote -
A class of tiny kids was asked to write an essay on Socrates. A little girl wrote just 3 lines -
"Socrates was a great man. He gave long speeches. He was poisoned." :-)

The curious case...

Just returned from watching the movie - "The curious case of Benjamin Button" & I'm still stunned & in a state of awe like after being "struck by lightning 7 times"! :-).

A somewhat longish movie, but seriously... it is such a complex topic to handle! The story, narration, direction, performances, makeup... all simply outstanding! What conviction & guts it takes to take on a story of this complexity! I'm speechless, or may be I just have so much to talk & it's too late... So I'll leave it here :-)

But one thing I must admit, that I did not experience this much awe & creative pleasure after watching 'Slumdog Millionaire'. There, again, I take a shot at being unpopular ;-). I've seriously started doubting my movie appreciation capabilities...

Delhi-6

Ok... It gives me great pleasure in being "Mr. Unpopular" on this one. Especially so, as all my friends I've talked to so far have given 'bad' to 'poor' ratings to this one. And here I am whole-heartedly admitting, that I simply loved it. (Except for the end, which I felt was unnecessarily melodramatic). And I say this, not for "being different", but because I genuinely liked it. And here's why...

Story - Firstly, it's not a different or a new story. An 'American-born-Desi coming to India & discovering his roots' is nothing new. Many have depicted it in the past, some in a serious patriotic manner whilst others in a lighter vein. But, it is the treatment that matters. In that sense, I found it down-to-earth, clinical & 'as-is'. The script-writers & the director have handled issues like communal rifts, casteism, male-domination in a family, wide-spread superstition in the society, the irresponsible facet of media & journalism, the struggle, fear & apprehension of following one's heart (Sonam's character), the hypocrisy in the society and the forward+progressive thought-process of the West in a manner that not once had the stink of a 'preaching tone'. Besides, it is short. 2hrs, 20 minutes or so. Not unnecessarily dragged to reach the 3-hour mark that most Indian movies religiously follow as though it is some kind of a rule!

Characters - Now this was brilliantly handled. Firstly, it is not 1 or two characters to build & handle. It's a complete basti or a muhalla. I have great trouble in handling my small team at office or my football team of 11 players. And to get the best out of soooo many characters, who at most times, appear natural & convincing, is indeed difficult! I felt sick to the stomach when a comment-update on Facebook said that 'there was no chemistry amidst the 100 characters'! Duh!! But then... 'Democracy hein bhai... Jo chahe kar/keh sakte ho!' :-).

Performances - Wahida, Om-Puri are veterans & did justice to their tag. Rishi Kapoor too played the role of a large-hearted, repentant but 'now-has-got-along-with-life' dardi-lover so well. Sonam had great screen presence & was so refreshing! Abhishekh too was very good. I wonder if anyone noticed the character of 'Ramaa', who plays the decent, obedient bahu of the house. She, I felt, gave a brilliant performance. Her adjusting-nature & goodness-at-heart, the state she is reduced to due to male-dominance, the dreams she has often killed or desires she has gulped inorder to keep the elders happy came out very well. The rustic cop & 'Jalebi' too did justice to their roles.

Music - Fantastic! Period.

Costumes, make-up - So convincing & relatable.

Set, locations - No jazzy stuff. It's a crazy, often filthy, neighbourhood as demanded by the script. And relatable too.

Kaalaa bandar - Now I'm forced to include this as a 'bullet-item' as some people feel that Delhi-6 was just about this! Infact, the script writers have used this as means to introducing the real-issues. Those of superstition, poor journalism, gullibility, political-profitability, spark-plug of communal-rifts etc. The spine is to support the body & the body is not just the spine! Also the age-old tradition of the Ram-Leela was used to subtly pass on so many points. Especially where Ram is accepting figs from a tribal Shabari, but the muhalla-wallas ill-treating 'Jalebi' as she comes from a 'lower' caste...

Climax - Now this could have been different or at least less melodramatic. I often like ends that are let loose. That leaves the spectator to think for himself, rather than tying the knot & reaching an all-happy conclusion.

Many more points, but I'll stop here.

Just that, the more movies I watch & the more stories I read, I'm beginning to believe that story-telling is no trivial art. I am getting more & more sympathetic & conscious about the story-teller's or the director's point-of-view and not just that of the popcorn-munchers'...

Violet

Violet is my most favorite color. Perhaps because it is the color of the evening. And I simply love & adore this phenomenon called 'evening'.

Today's is an exceptional one. With the faintest of crescents just resting over Venus and a steady breeze blowing over my face... The most supreme of experiences are all for free.

Unstoppable Indians...

I am simply bowled over by the work of Dr. Devi Shetty in the field of cardiac surgery. Not just by his brilliance in medicine, but also his humanitarian side, his humility & his relentless effort to make medicine affordable to the simplest of folks. His innovative methods in tele-medicine & schemes regarding cheapest medical-insurances truly make him an unstoppable Indian!

My moment of the Oscars '09...

Yes... Slumdog Millionare did sweep & all and yes, A.R. Rahman too won the Oscar, but my moment of that evening, was indeed the acceptance speech of Kate Winslet. I truly found it adorable!

She was overwhelmed with emotion & mentioned her gratitude towards her parents who were present somewhere in the hall, but didn't know where... She wished if her dad could whistle or something so that she could at least spot them. And indeed her dad did so right away! What followed was euphoria!

What fun! This is the kind of father-child relationship that takes kids to astounding heights.

Next best thing was perhaps the composure maintained by Heath Ledger's family while accepting the award on his behalf. What dignity!

Dots

I find the two English alphabets 'i' and 'j' rather amusing. They are the only one's with a dot over them. Two of the 3 alphabets (besides 't', ummm... maybe 'f' too) where one needs to lift the pen to complete it. What wheels must have churned in the heads of the alphabet-creators to decide on their appearance? Or is it that 'i' also stands for 'me' and hence looks like a person with a head on top? Whatever... just a silly thought...

It's spring-time :-)

The days have got longer... All the almond trees near my workplace have painted their leaves red from their characteristic green. Their towering red presence is so difficult to overlook. It's like walking amidst the orange-robed sages lost in deep penance. Such a pretty sight!

Lavenders are in bloom and I have such sweet memories associated with these violet blossoms... Sugarcane-juice centers have sprung up in every corner of the town & the tinkering bells on these cane-crushing machines melodiously invite the tired passers-by. Markets are flooded with water-melons. The mango trees have drawn a blanket of delicate brown blossoms & some are even bearing fruit. The cuckoos stay hidden amidst their branches and welcome every dawn with their melodious songs.

Don't know why, but I am getting an overwhelming feeling that exams are getting over & I'm heading in for summer-vacations...

Kabir

NDTV 24X7 is airing an amazing documentary in parts based on the life, work & relevance of Kabir in today's world. The more I get to know about him & his work, the more I seem to be drawn to his philosophy & his literature. I find him very mystical!

Senescence

Had visited a doctor today for a strain of cough that's irritated me for sometime now. The clinic was pretty crowded. An old couple occupied the seats opposite to me. They were very old. The man looked weak & ailing. It was an excruciating wait for them too & all this while both were speaking sweet-nothings to each other. They smiled, giggled and in a way cheered each other up. I wondered how long they must have been together... They must have been with each other through every thick and thin and seen each other grow and then grow old!

Just then the door of the doctor's cabin opened and an equally senile couple walked out. On seeing them, the first couple sprang to their feet and greeted them with such zeal. Apparently they were friends and were bumping into each other after a very long time. "Aaj-kal to yehi pe milna hota hein" (It's just here that we meet thesedays), retorted the first lady and laughed aloud. I found this statement very touching. But that lady was very cheerful and so strong! The 4 spoke and giggled like kids totally oblivious to all other onlookers. They laughed at old memories, enquired about their kids and exchanged contact-numbers. For those few moments together, it seemed like there were just 4 kids in that room. They had forgotten everything about their ailments. It was a strangely entertaining sight...

Later, while talking with the doctor, he happened to utter a statement that I found very amusing. He happened to say that "Nature is the most possessive mistress". Cute, i'd say :-).