Analysing films

If you remember Season 1 of the supremely popular web series, and in the opening sequence of episode 1, there were a few petha (a variety of sweet meat from Agra) placed and a glass of water welcoming the new appointee in the gram panchayat, Sachiv Ji (the popular avatar from the TVF factory, Jitendra Kumar). The scene was worth remembering for primarily few reasons. One it captured the rustic essence of part of India which is often left to entertaining guests with petha and water. Second, Petha is a very dry and drab looking sweet meat with no inherent character (Unlike a ladoo or rasgulla) of its own. Third, it looks dry and rugged from outside and a bite into it, helps gets ushered in extreme sweet and syrupy taste, very unlike the perception one makes from the outside. The series starts off on a dry note and as you bite more of the petha (read watch more episodes and season) an unseen world and unseen character with a different dialect got gradually unfolded in front of our e...

  The first thing about Sitaare Zameen Par (SZP) that draws your attention, it does not carry any baggage from Taare Zameen Par (TZP). The creators decided to paint on a fresh drawing board with no reclamation from the past. And which is why SZP catches its audience by surprise and does not disappoint you. While TZP was dealing with a problem which most of us as a community were getting exposed first hand. But SZP deals with a scenario were some of us have some inkling of it. Also, the beauty or if I may say the strength of SZP was more in the fact that it does not sound preachy and it takes us through imperfections in life. Including the protagonist, Gulshan (Aamir Khan) who does not wear the badge as seriously as he did in TZP as Ram Shankar Nikumbh. Gulshan is a mess at home (Dolly Ahluwalia and Bijendra Kala in a hilarious chemistry as Gulshan's parents), an even bigger mess at his workplace, an alcoholic prone to doing dangerous acts with DUI. In all Gulshan (the name is metap...

  Cinema is a medium to convey a message; message which are verbal or visual based. It has the power to alter narrative or perhaps the discourse too. In the 50's 60's and even more pronounced in the 70's and 80's film stars commanded a huge influence on the audience. Hair style, clothes and accessories were copied by audience blindly. The Sadhana Cut became a famous hairstyle or the bouffant of Asha Parekh or the Sharmila Tagore style eye liners; even the men folk were not left behind. The ear hiding hairstyle of Amitabh Bachchan or the bell bottom or the unbuttoned shirt (only the first 2-3 buttons) went on to be cult classics. But, this rage was/is actually a global phenomena. It happened across the world and it still continues to create a sense of dystopian world which audience are more than happy to lap up.  In more recent times, two Hindi films, Dil Chahta Hai and later Zindagi Na Mile Dobara went on to change the way how youth looked at lifestyle and travel. Infac...

The problem with sports films in India: either you make a tear jerker or you create one with heavy dose of adrenalin rush. The former fits in Toofan nicely while the latter will have Chak De fit in. But a Chak De works better in the sports genre, for the fact that the genre is about the down and out scenario or the rise of the underdog or even rising from the ashes. The West (read Hollywood) has clearly laid templates and they usually do not move outside of that; unless you are creating a Moneyball or a Million Dollar Arm or Remember the Titans. Each had a story in the story. So, if it is the Longest Yard or the Million Dollar Arm or Curve Ball and the many other they produce, is all a template. But, remember sports movies inspite of being in templates are hard to make. They need to be believable and convincing. Production is hard and so are character building. Watching Toofan you shall realize the hard work that the lead (Farhan) has put in. Unless the characters look convincing, a sp...

The passing away of Dilip Kumar was kind of anticipated for quite some as he was in and out of hospital in the last few years, quite often. The thespian was 98 years old, and it spoke of the tenacity of the man in cinema and life too. He was not the one with a large filmography. Just 60 of them and they were enough for a generation and thereafter to remember him and his work. A lot of yesteryear stars from Amitabh Bachchan to much later Shahrukh Khan swear by his name and acting. Three things that stood out in his acting was the dialogue delivery , nuanced approach to acting and finally his body language . Each one left a long-standing impression. His contemporaries, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand had also developed their own style. Raj Kapoor was often compared to Chaplin and Dev Anand to Gregory Peck. In that respect, Dilip Sahab managed to create a unique space for himself.  The 50's brought in these faces to Hindi cinema, which had till then witnessed, Ashok Kumar, Prithviraj Kapo...

Family Man 2 is the news for all the right reasons. It pretty much stays on course from where it left off with Season 1. Except that Season 2 focuses less on the family and more on the action and chase part of the discourse. One character out of the whole melee that takes off is, Chellum Sir (Uday Mahesh) and has virtually got Social Media on fire. Amongst so many tower house characters why did Chellum Sir become so viral. He is what we want to be or be like him. Have answers and solutions to all problems, no matter how complex it is. And the solution remains in a matter of fact way. This is what 2020 and 2021 has been all about. Rise of the niche world. Super stars, item numbers, blockbusters have all crashed. Across industries (Telegu and Tamil remains an exception though) it has been the rise and rise of meaningful cinema, and meaningful content. Perhaps Hindi cinema is the worst affected. And the OTT boom has further decimated the hopes. Take for instance a film like 83 which has ...