‘Movie making is not my primary job’

While one may agree that there’s a significant growth in the cinematic sensibilities of today’s audience, one can still find many cinematic works struggling to find distributors. One such movie is Telugu classic, ‘Vanaja’. Having travelled almost half the world via film festivals like Toronto, Houston, Cairo, Durban, Goa and winning the Best Debutant Feature award at the 57 th Berlin International Film Festival, the movie is set to be screened at this years MAMI International Film Festival in Mumbai. Set in the coastal Andhra Pradesh, it revolves around 14-year-old Vanaja and her spirit of survival. “Besides dealing with the central character, the movie talks of many issues like the changes in the social structure, effects of television and many more. Also, the film lays a lot of importance on the Kuchipudi dance form,” says Rajnesh Domalpalli, director of ‘Vanaja’. In spite of receiving tremendous critic appraisal, the movie finds it difficult to find its way into cinema theatres.“Though the movie has been screened in many film festivals in North America and is also slated to hit theatres around mid-summer, the scenario is far different when it comes to India. When we spoke to a couple of distributors back in Hyderabad, the movie was immediately turned down as it wasn’t seen to be commercially viable,” explains Rajnesh. And while the movie struggles for recognition, Rajnesh has made up his mind to keep himself far away from the mainstream cinema. “Movie making is not my primary job. So, the few movies that I make in my life should satisfy myself rather than living up to someone else’s expectations,” says Rajnesh.

SOURCE : DNA AFTER HRS

Read more...

What is it about older men that women find so irresistable?

Ram Gopal Varma, whose proficiency lies with guns, has opted for roses this time in his Amitabh Bachchan-Jiah Khan starrer ‘Nishabd’. Only love here takes an unconventional idiom-that between a teen and a 60 plus. Soon, Bachchan will be seen romancing a much-younger Tabu in Balkrishnan’s 'Cheeni Kam' too.
That some women gush over greying sideburns is not an unfamiliar propensity. While Mallika Sherawat hounds the male fantasy, the siren has been vocal in her fascination for the older boys, be it mentor Mahesh Bhatt or Bachchan. Honey’ed feelings
Yash Chopra’s ‘Lamhe’ (‘90s), which had an unyielding Anil Kapoor finally succumb to the puerile charms of Sridevi, left a quiver in even the most stoic viewer. The film’s storywriter Honey Irani traces the genesis of this fascination. “Every girl, whilst growing up, has a crush on an older man. I too had one,” she explains. Honey reveals further, “I don’t think a girl looks for a father in him. In the way she looks at him, touches him and in her body language, she’s aware of her sexuality.” Such an equation makes a man feel desirable too says Honey, adding, “He gets his heaven on earth!”
Psychobabble
Clinical psychologist Varkha Chulani analyses the imperceptible needs in the May-December alliance, saying, “An older man would already have gained success and status. So it makes life simpler for a woman as there’s no financial partnership to share.” Varkha adds, “Sometimes a woman validates her feelings of self-worth by associating with a mature man, as she feels inadequate to compete with women her age.” Inadvertently, for the older man, “a young chick on his arm is a sexual trophy to flaunt,” says Varkha.
Age no bar
What writer Farzana Contractor seems to have shared with her late husband, renowned writer Behram Contractor, decades her senior, endorses that love follows no diktat. “Age is irrelevant. We were two human beings tuned into a relationship that was not oppressive. We worked together, from the first day of our marriage. He had a joie de vivre that kept him younger than me. He guides me by remote. I still connect with him.”
Love mantra
Actor Kay Kay Menon sums up this amorphous emotion saying, “You can never analyse love. Just as there’s no formula for a hit film, there’s none for love.”

SOURCE : DNA AFTER HRS

Read more...

Review Nehlle Pe Dehlla

Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Kim Sharma

Direction : Ajay Chandok

Oops! They’d be mighty ashamed of this one, both Saif and Sanjay. Specially after having changed their brand equity with Parineeta, Omkara, Eklavya and the Munnabhai Inc.

It’s the most banal comedy to roll out of the cans of Bollywood. One where you don’t laugh even once and actually feel quite embarrassed for Saif ‘n’ Sunju.

Most of the time, these two con guys are asked to interact with a corpse (Shakti Kapoor) who has stashed a few crores in Mauritius.

Of course, he’s stolen them from the hottie hotelier (Bipasha Basu) who dreams of setting up a five star with friend Kim. The two girls end up playing perfect bimbettes to the heroes who try hard to crack some comedy.

But there are no wisecracks to play up and no sitcom to unleash. End result? The film’s a house of cards that comes down even before it can be set up.

SOURCE : THE TIMES OF INDIA

Read more...

Review Nishabd

Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Jiah Khan

Direction : Ram Gopal Verma

Nishabd meaning wordless. And that’s what this quixotic relationship remains through most of the film. Notwithstanding the fact that this was a relationship that was crying out for words, reasons, explanations, resolutions and articulations for the strange new emotions that were supposedly taking birth for the first time on the Indian screen. Or is it the second time?

Remember Jogger’s Park, that charming little number where Perizaad played a more senior Lolita to Victor Bannerjee. Nishabd is more American Beauty than Lolita with the storyline borrowing heavily from the Kevin Spacey-Mena Suvari Oscar-applauded film. Here, it is Jia who plays the daughter’s friend who stays over and sets strange emotions stirring through the reclusive dad (Amitabh Bachchan).

But unlike director Sam Mendes, Ram Gopal Verma sanitises the film completely of all sexual overtones which would necessarily be a part of such a cross-generational attraction. No, unlike Kevin Spacey who does normal stuff under the sheets, each time he fantasises about the blonde beauty sleeping in his house, Mr Bachchan is rarely seen peeking or throwing a surreptitious glance at the dusky beauty sprawling before him in shorts and see-through skirts.

Okay, then it isn’t physical-sexual. So what is it: the attraction that brings them together? Philosophical, spiritual, psychical, mental, cultural....Don’t know and don’t get to know too. All that we can guess is that Jia, a product of a broken home, with a step dad, succumbs to Oedipus. And Vijay, the forty-year older photographer and family man flips for her hose pipe antics and her Take-Lite poetics. Wish the director had allowed Amitabh a little more fun and foreplay before he became overridden with guilt and depression.

The joyousness and wild abandon of the relationship doesn’t really come through and the resolution of the conflict fills you with much inadequacy. What remains is the camera-friendly and immensely confident Ms Jiah Khan who makes such good use of her body as an instrument of expression. Yes, she’s quite a natural and pitches in a perfect desi Lolita act.

Amitabh is in great form too, specially when the director allows him those brief moments of joy — he’s ticklish playing footsie and does quite a little jig with his little girl — before burdening him with sorrow. Technically too, the film is quintessential Ramu, with the camera working wonders with extreme close shots, the way it did in Sarkar. Only if Ramu had dared to break the mould a bit more and not been wary of the moral police...Ah! Nishabd would have ended up as landmark cinema!

SOURCE : THE TIMES OF INDIA

Read more...

Big B’s big boost for special children at extra special Antakshri

The superstar inspired the visually challenged participants by reciting a poem on the sets of ‘Titan Antakshri— Music for a Cause’
Amitabh Bachchan, participated in the special episode of ‘Titan Antakshri’ (Zee) for visually challenged children shot early this week. Bachchan enthralled the children and the audiences with his recital of the poem ‘Main prakash hoon’ written by Khalid Hashmi. The poem underlined that blindness is not a drawback.
Later, two visually challenged girls, Mansi and Mamta, from Smt Kamla Mehta Dadar School for the Blind, presented a letter written to him. It held a very special message for Bachchan and his ailing mother Teji Bachchan. She was wished a speedy recovery. While leaving, Bachchan extended his best wishes for the participants of Muncherjee Nowrowjee Banajee Industrial Home for the Blind.
The show will be aired on March 31. The music talent show ‘Titan Antakshari’ has devoted a six-part series for underprivileged sections of society that includes the aged, street children and visually challenged people. The series is coined as ‘Music for a Cause’. The first episode will be aired on March 23.

SOURCE : DNA AFTER HRS

Read more...

Smoking is injurious to health, says Saif

Barely a week after stories of his illness broke out and swamped the print and electronic media, Saif Ali Khan is back on his feet and promises to quit smoking for ever. “I'll have to take it easy for a while. Nothing strenuous and certainly no smoking any more. In fact, my doctors told me my condition was mainly due to smoking. It causes deposits in the artery, which caused that clot. I've decided to quit smoking completely,” Saif said. Saif was rushed to a hospital when he complained of chest pain while practising for his performance at an awards function. The actor was discharged recently. He is out of danger, but is bewildered by and yet resilient to the knocks of life. “There was a blood clot in my heart. The good news is that it's been fully cured,” Saif informed. Today Saif and his heart have become best friends. "Yeah, you can say that again. It's been a time of revelation for me. Though I came out unscathed, this hospital experience served up a healthy warning for me. I need to correct a few things in my life, mainly the smoking. "There I was, with genuinely ill people, people who were suffering from cancer and chronic heart ailments. It just made me so conscious of my own life and my responsibilities." The ceaseless surge of concern has moved Saif. "I was so glad to see my family and so many of my friends from the film industry visiting me in the hospital. I now intend to use my rest period, writing each of them a personal thank you note." So has the experience made Saif more compassionate? "I guess so. I never visited anyone in hospital. Now, I've decided to change that. It matters so much to have people who care for you when you're down."

SOURCE THE TIMES OF INDIA

Read more...